Wander Beauty

The Caboodle Grip! | Wander Beauty Sunkissed Getaway Palette | Kitty Cupcakes

March 8th, 2023 by Karen 4 Comments

This is Connor’s birthday Caboodle, and it’s filled with jewelry and makeup. 🙂

Can somebody please explain the hold that Caboodles have on us? Well, at least the hold Caboodles have on me, ha ha ha!

I know technically it’s just a cute plastic box to hold makeup and miscellaneous doo-dads, but for some reason I feel a strong emotional grip whenever one is around. Maybe it’s because my Caboodle was such a big part of my formative years.

Ahh, makeup. I put some on today because I had a video meeting to present a big marketing deck (yup, I wrote it!), and nothing seems to soothe my nerves like a little bit of face paint.

I’m wearing taupe, brown, bronze and peach shades from the Sunkissed Getaway Eye and Face Palette by Wander Beauty. It has a bunch of eyeshadows and cheek powders for breezy bronze looks. If you’re the type of person who likes shadows that don’t make you work too hard, you might like it.

Please note the chocolate brown liner on my water lines, which is Cave gel liner by Hourglass. Pretty, yeah? I like the richness of the pigment, and how it’s not too red. Stays on all day, too. I think I found a new staple!

I have a number of deadlines on Friday, so I gotta get back to it. Before I head out though, these are the cupcakes I made for Connor’s cat-themed birthday party at the Marin Humane society.

The girls kept asking of the cats were edible, LOL! (They totally were, by the way.)

I debated long and hard between frosting them the night before or the morning of the party, which by the way, started at 10:30. Side note, if you have to plan a two hour party for a child, and they give you a choice between a morning or afternoon slot, morning is the way to go IMHO. I prefer taking Connor to morning parties because that way we still have the rest of the day to do other things, and if she’s still hungry after the party, we can go directly to lunch.

Where was I? Oh, frosting. I wasn’t sure when to frost because the frosting was buttercream which I made from scratch, and it contained heavy whipping cream and butter, so I wasn’t sure if I could leave them out overnight.

I asked my buddy Allison from my bakery days what to do, and she suggested frosting them the night before, popping them into the fridge, and then taking them out in the morning first thing so they could come to room temperature before serving, which is what I ended up doing.

Just some cupcake FYI for ya from a professional baker!

Happy Wednesday to you, and I hope the rest of the week treats you kindly.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

5 Things I Love About Liquid Eyeshadow

January 13th, 2022 by Karen 5 Comments

ilia saie september 202 -k2 — From the mascara wand: Saie Mascara 101, Ilia Color Haze Multi-Use Pigment in Temptation, Ilia Clean Line Gel LIner in Dusk and Ilia Liquid Powder Chromatic Eye Tint in Fresco

1. The packaging’s cute.

Plus, if by some weird coincidence one needed to defend themselves using solely the contents of a makeup bag, I feel like chucking an Ilia Liquid Eyeshadow with all my might would do more damage than a pan of MAC Soft Brown, ya know? There’s some weight to those tubes!

rare beauty by selena gomez sephora — Rare Beauty Liquid Eyeshadow in Nearly Neutral

2. You have SO many options.

You can keep it simple and just wear a single liquid shadow shade as is on your lids, or you can make things deliciously complicated by layering other liquids, creams, pencils or powder shadows on top, aka, the story of my life. How many times have I said to myself, “K-Dawg, we’re just going to use this matte liquid taupe and call it a day,” only to have it turn into a whole thing with cat liner, three shades in the crease and a smudged lower lash line? TOO. MANY.

wander beauty exquisite eye liquid shadow swatches — I went through a phase when I was really into these liquid shadows by Wander Beauty

3. The liquid doe foot applicators.

Seriously, why is the sensation of a doe foot on my lid so soothing? It’s like having a tiny bunny paw lovingly caress my face. I’m also very grateful for the precision that doe foots offer now that my lids are getting more hooded seemingly by the second. I have to be very careful with where I place my color these days, and a doe foot from a liquid shadow offers more control than a brush loaded with powder shadow.

chanel desert wind black wood swatch — Love me some taupe! That’s Chanel Desert Wind liquid eyeshadow, by the way.

4. Eye primer? What even is that?

As someone who’s enthusiastically worn eye makeup for most of her life, I’ve gotta say, in the last 10 years, liquid eyeshadows have just gotten better and better in terms of wear time. I remember in the ’90s and early Aughts how it would just disappear from your lids into some mysterious makeup black hole. Now, there’s so many long-wearing liquids that last from morning ’til night. It’s glorious!

5. There are so many finishes and colors to choose from!

Matte, satin, shimmer, and oh, all of the brights, neutrals and everything in between. The possibilities are endless!

What do you love about liquid eyeshadow, and which ones are your favorites? My go-to shades as of late are Ilia Fresco (a satiny taupe) and Rare Beauty Nearly Neutral (a warm pinkish beige).

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Hey, friend! How’s it going? I’ve been deep in a project at work with a deadline that’s just around the corner (this Friday), so I’ve been glued to my chair. Things have been OK on this end, although I’m having major 2020 flashbacks right now because Omicron’s surging in our neck of the woods. We’re doing all the things we used to do ’round this time two years ago–anticipating school shutting down, ordering groceries online, avoiding busy places, desperately searching for paper towels… Same sh*t, different year. Sigh. We’re living in a unique time in history, that’s for sure!

Stay healthy, stay safe, stay fabulous.

Checking In: Korres and Wander Beauty Masks, a Pressed Powder by bareMinerals and an Upcoming Haircut!

July 27th, 2021 by Karen 12 Comments

korres triple dose wander beauty extended stay — Last Friday night!

Question for ya: do you know what constitutes a really good time at night for me these days (please, for the love of cats, keep your mind out of the gutter, LOL!).

Answer: A double mask session, informally known around these parts as “a double mask sesh.”

The double mask sesh

Um…before you go thinking that I layered an N95 under my Caraa mask before hitting the club, allow me to clarify. When I say double masking, in this case….I’m referring to using two kinds of skin care face masks — the kind you slather onto your skin! — one after another.

DUDE. Only during post-pandemic times can you say something like that out loud, LOL!

I did this last Friday, and it was the TLC I didn’t realize I desperately needed.

Why do two face masks (again, not in reference to the pandemic)? I like to think of it as treating my skin to a double dose of whatever it wants or needs at any given moment, and last Friday I wanted exfoliation and moisture!

I started with Korres Triple Dose Resurfacing Mask, an exfoliating mask loaded with AHAs, BHAs and pomegranate enzymes, which has a slightly grainy texture for those who like a little bit of physical exfoliation action.

Leave it on for three to five minutes (on my combo skin it felt satisfyingly tingly), and then rinse off.

I like very gentle physical exfoliation, so I gently push the grains around with my fingers when I rise the product away with water.

As for the scent? DIVINE. Like a perfect marriage of fruit punch and roses.

After dabbing my skin with a soft towel, I applied a thick layer of Extended Stay Hydrating Mask by Wander Beauty for an extra mega dose of moisture.

wander beauty extended stay hydrating mask — Wander Beauty Extended Stay

Unfortunately, this particular moisturizing mask is no longer available from the line, and it seems they’ve replaced it with Staycation Hydrating Mask. Really, though, any decent hydrating mask will do.

Any time you can treat yourself to an exfoliating mask followed by a hydrating mask is a guaranteed good time, especially on a Friday night. And, of course, it’s totally even better if you’re hanging out with someone… My Friday night date was Rosie, and I did all of this double masking while we hung out on the couch, LOL!

Pressed powder power

This one’s for my people out there who love a pressed powder! I’ve been using this pressed translucent powder by bareMinerals on my oilier-than-normal forehead (summer skin, am I right?), and it really keeps the shine under wraps. It also doesn’t look heavy or powdery.

Added bonus? I can’t feel it sitting on my skin. Granted, I don’t mind a little dewiness on my face, but I draw the line at a hella greasy forehead, which is what happens when it’s hot outside like it has been lately.

(The powder also comes in a bunch of other colors if translucent isn’t your thing.)

One last thing before I jump into this two-part cardio workout with extra vigor…

Get ready to sweat

And sweat some more

I just booked a hair appointment for next month, my first one since last February! I’ve still got time before the appointment to decide how short I’m going to go, but I’m thinking I might do something that just grazes my shoulders…on the possibility that everything shuts down again this fall or winter (please no!!!).

Anybody else nervous about the new variants? All I can think of is how dire everything felt last January, when I was at my loneliest. Can’t think about it now…

Anywho, hair

I’m going back to the same gal who did my hair last time, Ariana Benoit, because, among other reasons, I really like how her cut from February has grown out.

Which leads me to an old tip a hairdresser friend passed onto me years ago — when booking a hair appointment, grab the first one of the day, if you can. That way your stylist buddy is fresh out the gate and ready to go! 👍

Alright. Going to go get my sweat on. Talk soon, yeah?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

One Bronzy Mauve Eye Look, Two Lip Options

February 11th, 2021 by Karen 7 Comments

wander beauty wanderess escape palette mac dance with me — One bronzy mauve eye look, two lip options

Looking for an easy eye makeup look that looks better than the bare minimum and works with a wide variety of lipstick colors? If you are, have I got an eye look for you! ? Check out this bronzy mauve…

Yeah, yeah, who’s wearing lipstick these days? Well, I mean, I think a lot of us are. I was chatting with a few gals on Instagram (here’s me, BTW), and it turns out there are a lot of people out there spending a lot of time at home right now (no, really!?), parenting, surviving and hopefully thriving, in, like, full-on bright red lips because they simply miss wearing lipstick. So, before you put your hands on your hips, shake your finger at me and say, “Karen, everybody’s masked up, so lipstick is total and complete nonsense now!” I politely disagree.

We’re still wearing lipstick, y’all. HEAR US ROAR! ?

LOL!

wander beauty wanderess escape palette eye look — A closeup of the eye look

So, back to the eye makeup… Curl your lashes, fill in your brows, and grab the following:

Key eye makeup products

A bronze cream shadow stick
A matte mauve powder shadow
A matte cool brown eyeshadow
A black or blackish brown pencil liner
A shimmery warm champagne shadow

Here’s what you do

Apply and blend the bronze cream shadow all over the part of your lid that moves when you blink (a.k.a. your mobile lid), as well as the crease, diffusing the shadow into a soft gradient as you move up toward your brows.
Layer the matte purplish mauve eyeshadow directly on top of the bronze cream shadow, first using a flat eyeshadow brush. Next, grab a clean tapered or domed blending brush, and soften out the edges. Now, if you want, run the brush along your lower lash line with however much product remains on the brush.
Next, line your lash lines with the black or brownish black pencil. Then, load a pencil brush with the dark cool brown shadow, and soften the liner by running the tip of the brush along the liner’s edge.
Dab a touch of the shimmery warm champagne into the inner corners…
And finish with mascara, false lashes and a shot of tequila (kidding).

If you want, you can also do the following

Optional step 1: Tightline your waterline. Side note — I *always* do this! Makes my lashes look thicker. ?
Optional step 2: Blend some of the cool matte brown eyeshadow in the outer corner for more depth.

Two lip options

I think this works with so many different lip colors because the balance between the warm bronzy shadow base and the cooler mauve and brown tones makes it suitable to wear with neutral, cool and warm lipsticks. I’ve paired it here with a neutral rosy brown lipstick and a warm cranberry red lipstick to give you two options; I also think this look would be great with dark brown, wine or brick shades.

wander beauty wanderess escape palette laura mercier beige intime — Same eyes, but now with a rosy brown lipstick (t-shirt: Mascara & Kitties)

Product links

What I’m wearing

Laura Mercier Burnished Bronze cream shadow
Wander Beauty Escape Palette (Enchanted, Overnight and Moonlit shades)
Chanel Noir Intense Eyeliner
Laura Mercier Soleil 1 Bronzer
Laura Mercier Rose blush
Laura Mercier Beige Intime Lipstick
MAC Dance With Me Liquid Lipstick
MAC Studio Fix Soft Matte Stick Foundation in NC42
Urban Decay Brow Blade in Dark Drapes
Lancôme Idole Lash Mascara
Estée Lauder Double Wear Instant Fix Concealer in Medium Deep

wander beauty wanderess escape palette laura mercier beige intime mac dance with me — Swatches!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Product Spotlight: Wander Beauty Trip for Two Blush and Bronzer Brush

December 17th, 2020 by Karen 5 Comments

wander beauty trip for two blush bronzer brush — This brush is a makeup bag staple.

This $34 dual-ended blush and bronzer brush by Wander Beauty gets used daily! It’s a workhorse. It never sheds, and it beautifully blends all manner of formulas and products. It’s also cruelty-free (a big plus). A makeup bag must!

Calling all students, moms (cat and otherwise), and basically any and everyone who loves makeup but doesn’t care to fuss too much about it. Wander Beauty’s Trip for Two Blush and Bronzer Brush is your new BFF (best face friend).

If you’re unfamiliar with Wander Beauty, they’re a fairly small cruelty-free beauty brand all about fast, fresh, easy makeup, and that sums up this brush in a nutshell. It’s designed for use with bronzer and blush, but I lean on it for my entire face base, and no matter what I throw at it, it handles it with ease and grace.

wander beauty trip for two blush bronzer brush head — A closer look at the blush brush

It adeptly blends liquid and cream foundations and tinted moisturizers without leaving streaks behind. Cream blush, powder blush, gel blush, bronzer or highlighter — this brush fabulously feathers them all with gradients that transition seamlessly from light to dark. It makes it easy to do my entire base from start to finish. I just clean it gently between products by running the bristles across a paper towel.

The bristles, by the way, are synthetic…which I know some makeup lovers have a love/hate relationship with because, over time, synthetics can stiffen up. That said, this brush is just as soft today as it was the first time I used it, and I’ve been using it pretty much every time I put on makeup for a few months.

Did I mention that the bristles don’t shed?! Good stuff!

I really like the size of both brush heads too. They’re just right. They cover a good amount of space on my face, but they aren’t awkwardly big, so I don’t accidentally end up with bronzer or blush in places they don’t belong.
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FOTD: Elegant Rose Quartz Gemstone Lids With a Smokey Bronze Lower Lash Line

September 16th, 2020 by Karen 22 Comments

I wore this look to drop Connor off at her dance class (she’s taking outdoor classes two days a week now, and yay for seeing other kids her age!), and then to go to Trader Joe’s, because doing that kind of regular everyday stuff is the adult equivalent of going to your high school senior prom now. (Dance studio drop-off IS AN EVENT. Ya gotta do it up!)

I took the new Urban Decay Stoned Vibes Palette for a spin for the first time in this look. It’s a new palette with 12 powder eyeshadows, the majority of them with this chonky-looking glitter formula that has a bit of squish to it. They look like they could potentially look like you’re wearing big flakes of glitter on your skin, but there was hardly any floof, fallout or flakes when I got Tiger’s Eye on my lids. The formula applies smoother than I expected it to, but you get WHOA, WHOA, WHOOOOOA levels of shimmer.

So…Urban Decay isn’t shy about their 420 references, but in this case I think “Stoned Vibes” actually refers to, ya know…gemstones, although Tiger’s Eye looks nothing like a stone on my eyelids. It’s a lovely pinkish bronze (heavy on the pink!), which is why I paired it with rose cheeks and lips.

OH! — I gotta point out the lower lash line. I’m wearing MAC Teddy, yet again, because apparently this fall is going to be my greatest hits tour of Teddy smoked along the lower lash line. I just kinda forgot how great it is when worn that way?! It’s fantastic.

I think I’m going to do a look with the purples in this palette (it’s $54, BTW) next because they remind me of my birth month gemstone, Alexandrite…which leads me to a question for you!

What’s your birth month gem? Drop it in the comments, along with any Qs you might have about the palette or this look, if you have ’em. As usual, the full breakdown of products is down below.

urban decay stoned palette wander beauty — Hey, that arm’s an NC42!

Makeup worn in this look

EYES

NARS Tinted Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base in Medium — all over the lids as a base
Urban Decay Stoned Palette Eyeshadows — Good Karma (brow bone), Antidote (crease), Hexed (outer crease), Third eye (outer v), Tiger’s Eye (lids, applied with finger)
MAC Whisper of Gilt — inner corner highlight
Urban Decay Brow Blade in Dark Drapes and MAC Clear Brow Set — brows
MAC Teddy — lower lash line
Honest Beauty Liquid Liner — winged liner
Laura Mercier Caviar Mascara — lashes

CHEEKS

Laura Mercier Soleil 1 — bronzer
Laura Mercier Rose — blush

LIPS

Wander Beauty B.B. and Riviera Dual Lipstick — mixed together

BASE

Wander Beauty Glow Ahead Face Oil — prep
Laura Mercier Foundation primer — prep
Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter in Tan — foundation, all over face
Kevyn Aucoin Supernatural Concealer in Medium 05 and 06 — under eyes, cheeks and around mouth
Laura Mercier Translucent Honey Loose Powder — forehead, down the sides of nose, around mouth and along the jawline

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Summer Glam on the Go! Coral Lips and Peachy Bronzed Lids

July 15th, 2020 by Karen 10 Comments

honest beauty happiness lipstick glam on the go coral lips 2 — Today’s summery glam on the go!

The other day, when I was wearing this makeup, I ran into my neighbor, and she asked if I was going anywhere special, to which I replied, perhaps a little too enthusiastically, “I’M GOING TO SPORTS BASEMENT!”

You know the bar for your entertainment is set reeeeeeeally low when you dress up like you’re going to fancy brunch on vacation, but in reality you’re going to a sporting goods store to look for weights…

Oh, the pandemic stories we’ll have to tell! ?

honest beauty happiness lipstick glam on the go coral lips 4 — A summery color palette

This summery look has a few of my favorite warm-weather shades — coral and bronze! — and looks fancy, but it’s very easy to do. It also feels light and weightless, which are must-haves when the temperature’s rising.

This look has three distinguishing features — long, lifted, lush lashes; warm, peachy bronze lids; and luminous skin.

honest beauty happiness lipstick glam on the go coral lips 5 — Streamlined and summery makeup

1. Primer on the outer lashes

To make your lashes look longer and more dramatique, coat your outer lashes with a lengthening lash primer before loading them up with mascara. This creates a lush lash effect without the time and effort of falsies.

2. Bronzer is your buddy for glam-on-the-go eyes

Bronzed eyes are a summer staple, and while you could always search your makeup collection for that perfect shade, why not save yourself a little time and swish your favorite bronzer on your lids instead?

Here, I layered a warm golden tan bronzer atop a satiny peach cream shadow…

3. Define your lash line with brown and black eyeliner

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: gradients are your friend.

This brown-into-black eyeliner gradient on the upper lash line is subtle, but I think that’s the beauty of it.

Start by lining your upper and lower waterlines with a matte brown pencil. Then, draw a thin line on your upper lash line, and smudge the outer edge of that ever so slightly.

Add depth to the gradient by etching a very thin line of black liquid liner along the top lash line.

Added bonus: the black liner also creates the illusion of a thicker lash base!

Flexible face oil

You probably already know I’m a fan of customizing foundation — mixing in a few drops of concealer for added coverage, or adding a few drops of liquid highlighter for a luminous effect. Well, here’s another one to try: blend a drop or two of face oil into your foundation to dial down the opacity of your base. This trick is handy for applying base to sections of the face where you want more of your natural skin to peek through, and it’s what I did here for my forehead and the outer edges.

Fastest updo

If your hair is crazy from quarantine, and you’re tired of rockin’ your fun bun, gather it into a high pony, and secure it into small sections with tiny hair ties (I like these. Three bucks at Ulta!). You can keep the hair ties bare, like I did here (I think the shiny effect looks like jewelry), but if you want to boost the sophistication factor, cover up the ties by wrapping a small piece of hair around each one and securing it with a bobby pin.

honest beauty happiness lipstick glam on the go coral lips 1 — See the shine from the hair ties?

Makeup worn in this look

I listed everything on my visage below, so please feel free to ask about any of these products in the comments. ?
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Spring Makeup Ideas: Sparkly Taupes and Purples With a Soft Hint of Pink

March 19th, 2020 by Karen 31 Comments

wander beauty wanderess k3 — Big hair, big dreams

It’s weird. Even though the world around me feels like it has gone full-on BONKERS, when I go outside for walks with the Coywolf (and we’ve been going for a lot of them), the great outdoors seems unaware of the sitch in the human world.

Spring, in all her glory, keeps coming.

Case in point: One of the showiest trees in the neighborhood is blooming, and she’s absolutely gorgeous.

(Yes, she’s a dainty lady in my eyes.)

Coy-Coy and I went for several walks yesterday, and on one of them we stopped by to visit our favorite tree. As we stood under the canopy of flowers and looked up, tiny pink petals gently floated onto my hair, and I felt a song in my heart.

Thank you, tree, for your inspiration — makeup and otherwise!

For this springtime makeup look, I did shades of taupe and light purple on the lids, with plummy cheeks and soft pink lips.

wander beauty wanderess taupe look swatches — Key items in this springy look

wander beauty wanderess taupe look — Feelin’ springy

Key items worn in this look

EYES: MAC Groundwork Paint Pot (eyeshadow base), Wander Beauty Wanderess Escape Palette (Nude beach and Enchanted in the crease, Flourish on the lids, and Moonlit in the inner corner), MAC Coffee and Cargo Liner (lash and water lines), Laura Mercier Caviar Mascara (lashes)

CHEEKS: NARS Sin (blush)

LIPS: MAC Oak pencil (outer lip edge), MAC Boldly Bare pencil (inner portion of lips), MAC Oyster Girl gloss (all over lips)

BASE: Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream (to prep skin), Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation in Honey Bronze mixed with MAC Strobe Cream, Estee Lauder 24H Concealer, MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Golden Tan

What does spring look like in your neck of the woods?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen