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NEWNESS: The MAC In Monochrome Color Collections (Velvet Teddy, Ruby Woo and See Sheer)

January 24th, 2019 by Karen 18 Comments

Do yourself a solid, you sensational señorita, and tap a little MAC Velvet Teddy lipstick on the apples of your cheeks as an impromptu cream blush.

Don’t mind me; I’ll wait [waiting]…

It’s one those tried-and-true multitasking tricks many MAC addicts (myself included) like doing.

Also up there? Using lippies like Heroine and Ruby Woo as eyeshadows or even eyeliner!

Which brings me to this: The new MAC in Monochrome collection, which is available now. It takes what MAC fiends have already been doing for ages — re-purposing products — and makes it…official.

Going beyond lipstick

Six cult-classic MAC Lipsticks (Velvet Teddy, See Sheer, Ruby Woo, Heroine, Diva and Candy Yum Yum) get the props they so richly deserve in the form of their own sets of matching lipgloss, eyeshadow, blush and glitter inspired by their respective color. (Side note: Why’d MAC stop there? They should have gone all out with perfume and liner. After all, Velvet Teddy, Ruby Woo and Candy Yum Yum have already been released as fragrances. HMMM!)

mac in monochrome velvet teddy — Velvet Teddy

Playing with finish and texture

Like cat eyes and red lips, monochromatic makeup is a classic theme that transcends trends. I remember having a convo with a makeup artist once who said that monochromatic looks (where you wear matching eyeshadow, blush and lipstick) are one of the easiest ways to do elegant makeup, and I agree 100%. I don’t do it nearly enough, though.

That will be easy to rectify with the help of these sub-collections.

Subtle variations in the colors, along with different textures and finishes, keeps each of these sets from hitting a monotone note. Like, if I’m going to wear a matte beige lipstick like Velvet Teddy, I need to have at least a little shimmer on my eyes to contrast with my lips, and that’s the case with this collection. Each of the items riffs on its namesake lipstick color without being identical.

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Crazy About Creams! Say Hi to MAC Pro Face Palette Blush

January 23rd, 2019 by Karen 19 Comments

mac pro face palette bright blush — Oh, ya know, just some Casual Colour with the $40 MAC Pro Face Palette: Bright Blush.

This month I am CRAZY ABOUT CREAMS. Stay tuned for some of my favorite cream makeup products all throughout January.

I know I’ve mentioned the MAC Casual Colours before. They’re brilliant. They’re creamy. They’ve popped up in limited collections before (Beth Ditto, Mia Moretti and Diane Kendall, to name a few). You can wear them on your cheeks and lips, and now MAC has them in three options — Bright Blush, Deep Blush and Light Blush.

To this, all I have to say is YES.

mac pro face palette deep blush — MAC Pro Face Palette: Deep Blush ($40)

Well, obvs, that’s not all I have to say, ha! 🙂 Hello, my name is Karen, and my ability to get straight to the point is questionable.

I will also say this: If you’re a makeup lover who likes fresh, shiny cheeks and plump, juicy lips, you’ll probably appreciate Casual Color’s semi-glossy finish and creamy texture.

These palettes are a go-to when I’m wearing a sheer base (bare skin, BB or CC cream, or a tinted moisturizer), because the semi-glossy finish goes well with minimal coverage.

The trick is to gently tap-tap-tap the tiniest amount (either with your fingers or a stippling brush) you can get away with because these creams are very concentrated. You only need the most minimal of minimal amounts.

Once you figure out how little you can get away with, you’ll be rewarded with surprisingly good wear time. I get about five hours on my cheeks and three on my lips.

mac pro face palette swatches — Arm status: NC42

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MAC Unsung Heroes: Coffee Eye Pencil

January 8th, 2019 by Karen 31 Comments

What’s an unsung makeup hero? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar screen of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. The long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.

I know…. A picture of MAC Coffee Eye Pencil ($18) with a big-@ss cup of ☕ coffee? So meta! Oh, and not just any big-@ss cup of coffee. This was my second cup of the morning…

Dude, I wake up at 5! An obnoxious level of caffeine is the only way I get through life these days.

I’ve mentioned MAC coffee a few times lately, but I’ve been hesitant to give it the “unsung heroes” treatment because, for reasons unknown, it vanished from the MAC website, which was sacrilegious craziness to me because it’s *the best* dark brown matte pencil I know of.

So specific, I know.

But it really is. I wear it more than all of my other MAC liner loves.

Yes, even more than Teddy, Costa Riche and — I can’t believe I’m about to type this — Powersurge.

Ever since I discovered the power of pencils that *aren’t* black, I’ve been all about brown liner (it’s the whole “black liner looks so harsh on me now that I’m older” thing).

mac coffee swatch — Livin’ that NC42 life, yo.

mac mineralize foundation loose medium dark — Wearing Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Natural Eyehadow Palette, MAC Coffee liner, MAC Gingerly blush, MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour in Burnt Spice and MAC Dazzleglass in Tangerine Tropica

This particular dark chocolate brown doesn’t have red undertones, and it does all the right things for me. It works on my water lines (both upper and lower), doesn’t irritate my eyes (and, GIRL, everything irritates my eyes these days), and it doesn’t smudge unless I want it to.

It’s not as soft as a gel or a soft kohl, so it doesn’t glide along like those formulas, but perhaps that’s why it sticks to skin so well. I can wear MAC Coffee all day long without any transferring onto my lower lash line or up into my crease.

(Don’t worry — you won’t be tugging to apply it. It’s hard, but it’s also very pigmented and not dry at all, so no skipping, if that makes sense.)

Be warned: Once you try MAC Coffee, you’ll become addicted…just like real coffee.

Speaking of coffee…

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MAC Kajal Crayon: Better the Second Time Around…

October 10th, 2018 by Karen 5 Comments

It just goes to show ya that it never hurts to give a product a second chance, because I did not care for the $23 MAC Kajal Crayons when they first launched in Diane Kendal, but I’m all about this new batch. I don’t know if MAC tweaked the formula, or if I’m just remembering things differently, but I think these are SO good — especially if you’re a smoky-eye-’til-I-die person like I am.

Basically, these are chubby liners/eyeshadows that adhere to water lines AND skin. You’re supposed to plop them on, then blow out the edges (a.k.a “smoke it the eff out”) using your fingers or a brush.

I like using the MAC 217 with them because I think I can feather out the edges more quickly with it than I can with a fluffier brush like the 224.

By the way, I softened the transition along the edge in this pic with Soft Brown and Saddle.

mac kajal crayon 2018 — I’m wearing Dear Darling on my eyes, and the lip is MAC Liptensity in Smoked Almond (also worn as a blush on my cheeks).

Creamy pencils like these usually have a limited — I guess you could call it “shelf life” on your lids and water lines because of how easily they move. And the creamier they are, the more they move.

You can smudge these Kajal Crayons and smoke them out as much as you want, but once they’ve set, they stay put.

I mean, you don’t have all day long to make tight and tiny circles with your 217, but you get about five minutes, and for a messy, smoky eye using a single color, that’s usually enough time.

Another thing: You can layer these as much as you want to because they don’t go patchy.

mac kajal crayon 2018 swatches — I ❤️ these shades.

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Kiss ‘n’ Telling on the New MAC Powder Kiss Lipsticks

October 2nd, 2018 by Karen 28 Comments

I just want your extra time and your mwah-mwah-mwah-mwah-mwah, KISS!

New Powder Kiss Lipsticks from MAC! These mattes feel just like the luscious Chanel Rouge Allure Velvets — lightweight, so more like a lip balm than a lipstick — but even creamier. So there’s little-to-no chance of cat butt lips. (I can hear you sighing from relief.) And, dare I say it, they’re kinda moisturizing? Just a little.

Must apply on dry lips (NON NEGOTIABLE!); otherwise, patchy
Taste and smell like vanilla, so classic MAC
Will move outside your natural lip line if you rub your lips together a lot
Special matte packaging (did you catch that?)
Pigment levels — between medium and just shy of full, depending on color
Less pigmented than MAC Matte lipsticks
Fade after a meal or a cup of coffee
Wear time is about an hour — two, tops
Watch out for vertical lip lines with the paler beige colors and pinks (they will highlight them if you apply too much).
Stand-outs: Mull It Over (a dirty peach) for everyday wear, and Fall in Love (a bright creamy fuchsia) for special occasions
~~I’m still tracking down prices, but it’s safe to assume they’ll be priced similar to regular MAC lipsticks, so about $18.50.~~ Each lippie is $19, and they’re all permanent

Final take? These are a’ight… They feel really smooth and lightweight, and the hazy matte finish is trés “I’m rock ‘n’ roll and too cool to care,” but the formula scoots around a lot and doesn’t last long on my lips. If you’re going for this type of soft matte look, the Chanel Velvets look very similar, and while they’re more expensive at $37, I think they’re user-friendlier because they don’t move around as much. Plus, they last longer.

If you’re curious, you can smooch the 16 MAC Powder Kiss Lipsticks starting October 11th, which is when they arrive at select MAC counters and the MAC website. 🙂

mac powder kiss lipstick swatches — I’m an NC 42, in case you’re wondering.

Well this FINALLY happened

I broke my personal vow to only read books I can check out out from the library (don’t ask me why I do these things; I just do!) and bought Crazy Rich Asians because I still couldn’t find the book at the library for like the 20th time. I just couldn’t take it anymore, LOL!

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