The foundation of beautiful skin

The easiest eyeshadow placement, ever!
Note to self: stop overcomplicating things, both in life and in makeup! because sometimes taking the easy route is actually, well…easier. and sometimes it turns out better than you expect!

I did the *least* complicated eyeshadow placement in this eye look, and I ended up liking the final result so much that I can’t wait to wear it again (I might do it again today, ha!).

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See the sparkles on the upper lash line?
How to do creamy, dreamy purple and golden bronze lids with a smattering of sparkle

Here’s what I did:

I started with a layer of matte purple cream liner as a base with a satiny bronzy gold blended directly on top.

Then, I rimmed my water lines with a creamy warm brown eye pencil and buffed a little bit of it from the lash line to my crease, and on the outer third, for a subtle hint of depth.

Next, I pushed a bit of glittery cream shadow onto the upper lash line, whacked some mascara on my lashes, and that’s it. DONE!

UD Brow Blade is the best

If you’re into bold brows, my brows are epically bushy — again, with minimal effort! — thanks to urban Decay’s brilliant Brow Blade. have you tried it? If you want to exert minimal effort but get maximum bushiness, it’s the way to go.

First, apply the twist-up pencil to fill in those sparse spots. The pencil acts like an anchor/base, so that when you layer the liquid pigment from the felt tip pen on top, it has something to grab onto. super fast, super easy and super bushy.

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Pandemic hair, don’t care.
Effortlessness of creams

Gotta give a shout-out to the cream bronzer, highlighter and blush (which also doubles as a lipstick) on my cheeks and lips, because, like the eye makeup, blending happened in a flash. I did everything with a single brush!

I also love how cream face products look on skin because you can’t really see the makeup sitting on top of your face. If you’re going for the whole “Is she or isn’t she wearing anything?” kind of vibe, creams are great for seamless, effortless makeup.

Now that I think about it, the only powder I used for this look was a subtly illuminating setting powder I lightly tapped on specific parts of my face (cheeks and the center of my forehead). An illuminating powder is great to have around if you want to set your cream blush, bronzer and highlighter without altering the color or finish. The trick is to find a powder with a finish that’s closer to a sheen or a satin, rather than a full-on frost. A powder with a sheen or satin finish is less likely to pool up in your pores and highlight them.

Smile and the whole world smiles with you.
This is definitely making it into my 15-minute-look rotation.

Makeup worn in this look

EYES
Stila liquid Eye shadow in camera Ready, upper lash line
Stila glitter & glow in camera Ready, outer corner
Stila Magnum Mascara, lashes
Stila Heaven’s hue Highlighter in Bronze, crease
MAC Costa Riche
Urban Decay Brow Blade
MUFE Ultra HD Y42

CHEEKS
Nudstix Nudes in Bondi Bae
Stila Convertible color dual Lip and Cheek cream in Peony
Hourglass Vanish Highlighter in Champagne

LIPS
Stila Convertible color in Peony

BASE
Kevyn Aucoin Concealer medium EC06
First aid beauty Coconut Skin Smoothie primer Moisturizer
Stila Illuminating In the Buff Powder Spray

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF! ???

Autumnal camouflage
Question for you: who used this yellow coat much better — me or Paddington Bear? ?

OK, so, the truth that I‘d be able to channel Paddington’s vibe wasn’t the only reason I got this bright yellow water resistant raincoat from Eddie Bauer! (It was one of the primary reasons, though. Ha ha ha!). It was likewise (and still is) marked down 50%, from $189 to $89.50.

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It’s been pouring off as well as on for a few days here, as well as this coat has kept me dry, even without an umbrella. The rain virtually rolls off the material (it’s 62% cotton as well as 38% nylon), which is warm, however sill breathable sufficient to be comfortable, as well as it moves just sufficient to feel structured however not stiff.

The hood is broad as well as has a subtle brim — apparently, this is *totally key*!

The brim avoids raindrops from hitting my deal with as well as my glasses so much much more efficiently than the raincoat I purchased at Target a couple years back. I still like that coat, however last winter season I got caught in a few downpours as well as was soaked through, which is why I desired a new one.

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This coat, though, won’t let water in for nothing!

Other reasons I like it…

Zippered pockets! Oh, gosh, there are so numerous zippered pockets, as well as it’s marvelous — two on the sides of the front pockets as well as one on the inner lining. I bring my phone with me everywhere, as well as the zippers on the pockets provide me a bit additional peace of mind.

Subtle branding. It’s there, however it’s not sprinkled across the breast like on a great deal of Eddie Bauer coats. There’s a little logo embroidered on the wrists of both sleeves, however you can’t truly see it unless you look closely.

So numerous sizes available. The coats are available in your standard-issue XS, S, M, L as well as XL, as well as in a lot of height choices including Regular, Petite, tall as well as Plus. I ended up getting a routine in XS. It fits, however it does run a bit big, so it’s roomy on me. I don’t mind, though, since I can layer a sweatshirt or a thick sweatshirt underneath.

It’s cute! I like the J. Crew-ishness of this coat. Plus, the yellow color is so fun.

So numerous pockets!
Covers yo’ booty!
It likewise is available in beige, a dark brown as well as navy (which is very adorable too), if the Paddington Bear stoplight yellow color is as well bright for you.

I’m into it… now all I requirement is a red hat to choose my coat.

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Bring on the rain as well as the rainbows!

Your friendly community charm addict,

Karen

If the day ever comes when an inquisitive young kid asks me about the meaning behind Prince’s song, Cream, I’m going to tell her it’s about cream makeup. cream blush, cream eyeshadow as well as cream foundation.

CREAM!

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Prince liked using makeup, so why wouldn’t he compose a tune about cream products? ?

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And should I ever be transferred to compose a catchy tune about creams (because I’d have to compose a like tune about cream, obvs!), I would have to devote a verse to exactly how cream eyeshadow as well as blush look on skin — like you’re using makeup, however not the heavy, powdery obvious kind. (The second verse would be devoted to blending with your fingers, as well as the chorus would be all about exactly how much creams like dry skin.)

Anyway, that’s my plan as well as I’m stickin’ to it.

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A few products of note about this specific no-makeup makeup look…

Here’s a method to add more dimension with your cream blush. I’m using two blushes on my cheeks — a sheer layer of orange around my cheeks, with a pop of pink on the apples — to produce a gradient. I diffused the edges of the pink into the orange by laying the flat side of a foundation clean against my skin as well as utilizing short strokes. try this method sometime utilizing two of your preferred cream blushes (one lighter, one darker) for natural-looking blush with dimension.

The MAC pro deal with Palettes rock. For a low-key look, I’m using sheer layers of the bright blush combination on my cheeks as well as the Contour combination on my lids (worn as eyeshadow as well as layered on top of a light laundry of MAC Teddy). as well as if you want more remarkable glam, you can still quickly get there by layering the creams for amplified pigment. SO versatile as well as blend beautifully, too. If you’re a fan of the MAC cream Colour Bases, you’ll like these.

About that glossy lip. It’s a tinted lip oil — hourglass Cameo — as well as it’s a gorgeous warm increased (but it’s redonk costly at $49!). It’s next level when it comes to moisturizing dry lips, which is mainly why I wear it (mine have been annoyingly dry lately), however I likewise adore its “your lips however better” effect.

Makeup used in this look:

Base: MAC studio repair Soft Matte foundation Stick in NC42, Estée Lauder 24HR Concealer in medium Deep Warm

Eyes: MAC Teddy (on upper as well as lower waterlines, as well as buffed on lids as a base), MAC Contour pro deal with combination (Rolling stone as well as Dark Honey as eyeshadows), Laura Mercier Caviar Mascara

Lips: hourglass Cameo Lip Oil

Cheeks: MAC bright blush combination (Juicy Tangelo as well as Pink Tulip cheeks), MAC Hush (upper cheekbones)

Your friendly community beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. happy great Friday, as well as TGIF! ?

P.P.S. Click right here to checked out a random post!

have a lychee, my friend! They’re like a grape with a leathery skin and the flavor of a watermelon spiked with a peach.
Happy Saturday, my friend! If you need me, I’ll be here in my corner greedily scarfing down lychees before any individual else gets their paws on ’em.

Kidding! I’m always delighted to share. You’ll have to peel your own, though.

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If Cookie Monster gets to be the monster of all cookies, I would like to be the monster of all lychees. Consequently, henceforth, from this day forward, you may refer to me by my Sesame name…”Lychee Monster,” considering that I can and will eat an obscene amount of lychees.

Question for you — how do you pronounce “lychee”? Do you say “LEE-chee” or “LIE-chee”? Inquiring minds want to know.

Anywho, lychees aren’t common in this part of northern California, so whenever I see them in a store I get hold of as lots of as I can.

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A buddy of mine on Instagram pointed out that when she was a kid, her mommy would get lychees in season and freeze them for later, which I think is GENIUS. I think I’ll freeze a few, but our fire season is just around the corner, which indicates that our power company (PG&E) will probably shut off the power in our county for a few days (possibly weeks) as part of wildfire prevention efforts, and we might lose the food in our freezer and fridge…so I think I must eat as lots of fresh lychees as humanly possible ideal now while I can. LOL.

On that note, lychees for EVERYONE!

Pandemic isolation’s got appeal girls saying things like “I haven’t worn makeup in months, and I don’t see myself wanting to again.”

Career recommendations from Burberry’s global appeal Director, Isamaya Ffrench: “Don’t expect any individual to call you up and be like, ‘We’re ready for you now.’ just do it yourself.”

Here are the products that skin care guru Caroline Hirons says you *don’t* need on your skin care shelf.

ALL kinds of TONERS!

How to do your makeup so it doesn’t rub off on your face mask.

On why people are wearing perfumes even though nobody’s around to smell them: “A scent’s power to evoke the aura of beloved people, places, and things that we can’t interact with while sequestered at home may also describe why fragrance sales have held consistent despite widespread job loss and financial insecurity amid a global pandemic.”

Saving this list for the day I can casually walk into bath & Body works and leisurely smell all the candles.

Retro niche perfumes are coming back into fashion.

These are the bestselling skin care items at whole Paycheck Foods.

5 types of hair damage and what you can do about it.

Perfect air-dried hair? YES, PLEASE.

I’m very curious about this brand out of Australia, Ere Perez.

Note to self…

What’s on deck for this weekend? What are you up to? sending you virtual hugs.

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Feels like we’re all needing a little (OK, a lot) of TLC these days.

Your friendly neighborhood appeal addict,

Karen

As Forrest Gump famously said, life is like a box of chocolates; you never understand what you’re going to get, as well as I feel that that is 100% the method it is in beauty, as well — since I’ve been a makeup/hair/nail enthusiast now for, what, a billion years? — as well as I’m repeatedly absolutely shocked by the things that happen.

A (shockingly) hairy situation

I cannot even begin to explain exactly how repeatedly surprised I’ve been by the hair-related modifications on my person over the past 10 years. unforeseen hairs have thrown me for a loop many times.

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Where to start…

OK, well, for the very first time ever, I now have longer nose hairs, as well as I sometimes have to trim the wayward ones, which I never had to do when I was younger.

Oh, as well as the wiry structure of the grays I’m growing out on my head? I joke that every single time I see one of those witchy ramen noodle hairs, a naughty kitty enters a feline lady’s life, ha ha!

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Also in the classification of surprising Hair Developments, there was the hair loss I experienced soon after Connor was born. I mean, I expected to to lose some hair, since I’d heard a great deal about that before Connor was born, however I was shocked by the amount as well as exactly how it came out in clumps!

Also surprising: that the hairs at my temples never rather recovered. To this day that area is noticeably thinner.

You never understand what you’re gonna get.
Another pregnancy-related thing: splitting nails. right before I discovered out I was pregs with the coywolf, I noticed that the nails on my fingers as well as toes were splitting, which had never occurred to me before. It was one of the early indications that told me something was up!

Bronzer is bae

Makeup-wise, there have been SO many surprising developments, however one of the biggest surprises for me was finding the power of bronzer.

I truly didn’t begin using bronzer up until about 2013, before which time I believed it was a useless endeavor, since I’m already relatively tan, however I lastly started to comprehended the huge offer when I started using it.

Ahhhh! — like, I saw the light of why people like bronzer so much. It just adds this lovely touch of color to your deal with that looks extremely natural if you don’t go crazy with it (which is what I did for a while there).

But, yeah, I found along the method that I’m really a bronzer person.

Also, I just recently found that I don’t like concealer as much as I utilized to. I started skipping it at some point during the last year, as well as now I don’t even bother most of the time (unless I have a sleepless night).

Ya understand what? I don’t miss it, as well as this brings me extreme joy, not only since not utilizing it saves time, however I likewise feel like I look younger when I refrain. I just can’t wear that much product under my eyes now (surprise!). I believe it ages me.

An eye-opener

Oh! — one more huge surprise has been finding just exactly how well lash serums work. For years, I believed they were mainly hope in a jar (or hope in a tube), however then I started utilizing one, as well as I converted.

So, yeah, beauty surprises! They’re all around us.

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If ya feel like it, please share some things that have shocked you about beauty. Was it toe hair? Was it a product you didn’t expect much from that ended up blowing your mind? let me know!

Your friendly community beauty addict,

Karen

fall is a berry good time to wear dark berry lips!
Hiya! On this stop on our tour of MAC eyeliner greatest Hits is Prunella! AHHH!

In my opinion, it is one of the very best things in the entire MAC world.

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Boom. There, I said.

In a nutshell, it’s a purple eyeliner…but not just any purple liner. It’s a deep blackened plum with a hint of shine to softly define your lash and water lines in ways a basic black liner just can’t do.

I’m wearing Prunella here as a one-and-done lid and lash line color. It’s a little smoked out and a little smudgy, which is my favorite way to wear it.

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Prunella is a perfect perennial product, but I think it kicks major rear in fall when it’s paired with berry lipsticks, and it turns out that there are two terrific new berry shades in the MAC Powderkiss liquid Lipcolour fam. here I’m wearing got a Callback, a mid-toned berry mauve; and Burning Love, a straight-up berry. Both have a soft matte finish that complements Prunella’s soft shine well.

MAC got a Callback
MAC Burning Love
Fall vibes: MAC Powderkiss liquid Lipsticks in Burning love (a berry) and got a Callback (a mid-toned mauve berry)
And because I can’t resist wearing pink lips with everything (!), I threw on a pink lip to see how it would look with these eyes… definitely skews the makeup to a springier vibe.

If you’re into the pink, FYI, it’s Charlotte Tilbury’s iconic pillow Talk lip liner and lipstick topped with hourglass Fever lipgloss.

Speaking of Charlotte Tilbury, if you’re in a “bougie blush mood” (because they happen, LOL!), I highly suggest checking out her Ecstasy blush. It’s the one with a peachy outer ring and a pink inner ring. When you blend the two together, you get this perfect balance of a neutral pink with a slightly warm peach. It’s not too warm or cool, and it goes surprisingly well with most looks — especially plummy and purple lids and lips like this.

Just Prunella on my lids, babe!
Pink lips! Charlotte Tilbury pillow Talk (lip liner and lipstick) topped with hourglass Fever Gloss

Makeup worn in this look

BASE

Laura Mercier foundation primer Hydrating

Hourglass Veil Retouching fluid in Sand

Estee Lauder double wear Light in 4.0

CHEEKS

Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chick in Ecstasy

EYES

Chanel Eyeshadow Base

MAC Prunella Liner

Urban Decay Brow Beater in Neutral Brown

Laura Mercier Caviar Mascara

MAC clear Brow Set

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LIPS

Charlotte Tilbury pillow Talk Lip Cheat Lip Liner

Charlotte Tilbury pillow Talk Lipstick

Hourglass Unreal Gloss in Fever

MAC Burning love

MAC got a Callback

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Mmm… All the yums…
Happy Caturday, my friend!

One of the perks of adulting 24/7 is that you can actively pursue unapproved, unsanctioned frivolous endeavors, like purchasing yourself an introduction calendar from Trader Joe’s and opening everything at once WEEKS before the actual holiday officially starts!

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Having the freedom to do things like this practically — practically — makes up for having to deal with people stealing your vehicle parking spot. Or, for having to pay the bills. Forever.

(Kinda sorta. Not really.)

Quick TJ’s introduction calendar update

I’ve been using a few of the things from my new 12 Days of charm calendar this week, and all I have to say is, “HELLO, YUM-YUMS,” because everything I’ve tried so far smells like food!

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Delicious-smelling delights are to be found in the…

Blueberry & Acai Facial Scrub: This smells exactly like a fresh blueberry smoothie, and the grains are the ideal level of “scrubiness,” in that they aren’t too aggressively gritty or too unhelpfully gentle.

Warm Vanilla Body Butter: The scent of hella bougie vanilla extract will follow you around for hours when you slather this thick, moisturizing butter on your bod.
I need an XXL size tub of this ASAP.

Brown Sugar Scrub: how numerous people are singing D’angelo to themselves when they use this in the shower I wonder? Hmm… It’s very moisturizing (watch out, though, because it makes the bottom of the bathtub slippery after you rinse off), and the sugar grains are substantial. It smells like freshly baked sugar cookies.

Rose Facial Oil: This scent of this light, yet hydrating, face oil takes me back to my childhood, when my pals and I would roll up to the Asian store and purchase French rose pastille hard candies!

If you live near a TJ’s, I recommend grabbing one for yourself (and the ladies in your life) ASAP. It’s sooooo good, you guys.

Anywho…since it’s Caturday and all, Rosie Posie wanted to say a quick “meow” from her own personal fainting couch, which is also known as “Connor’s big girl bed.”

These girls have the cutest bedtime ritual. Every night, best before bed, Rosie hangs around and listens while I sing Connor her goodnight lullabies and read her a book. Then, when I turn off the light and leave the room, Rosie hops on the bed and stays with Connor till she falls asleep.

Every day I learn a little much more about Rosie and fall much more in love.

On that note, here’s this week’s reading…

This reusable $7 charm spatula is developed to scrape out every last morsel of goodness from your charm products. WANT!

The best drugstore primers, according to makeup artists

16 under-the-radar skincare products beloved by dermatologists

*The* must-have charm item that active members of the military always pack when they’re deployed might surprise you.

What to do when you try a new product and your skin freaks-the-eff out

Red lipstick superstars under $10

Allegedly, these half-sized Christmas trees avoid curious kitties from attacking ornaments, but I’m pretty sure Tabs would’ve still found a way to destroy one…

How to use charm products that you probably have sitting around your house to remover stickers from books!

Who, exactly, is Estée Laundry?

I’m so ready.

Pecan or pumpkin pie?

YES!

Note to self

Don’t believe me, just watch.

Step by step

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What’s on your plate for today? I hope you’re doing at least a little something for yourself, and I hope it feeds your soul.

Your friendly neighborhood charm addict,

Karen

Tabs may have crossed over to the Rainbow Bridge last May, however he still states hi to me, as well as he does it often.

Sometimes he leaves his whiskers for me to find like buried treasure. Connor phone calls them “Kuya’s whispers.” Kuya implies “big brother” in Tagalog. “Look, I discovered one of Kuya’s whispers!”

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His other preferred method to state hi is with a vibrant sunset, as well as there have been some incredible ones this summer.

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Whenever I see those golds, reds, pinks as well as purples, I understand he’s believing of me as well as likes me as well as wants me to keep my heart open.

Your friendly community charm addict,

Karen