Archives 2023

pleased Thanksgiving, my sweet friend, and thank you very much.

I don’t tell you that often enough — how grateful I am for your friendship and companionship over all these years. thank you for your funny stories, your baby carrier suggestions (and other baby-related recs and advice), your banana bread recipes (YUM!), your compassion, your cat stories (and your canine and bunny stories, too!), your Trader Joe’s recommendations, your film recs, your TV recs (OMG, GLENN!), your makeup recs (obvs), your book recs, and the peeks you’ve given me into your life.

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You have literally made my life these past — practically nine years (!) — and I’m eternally grateful for it.

I love you. I hope you’re having a fantastic holiday.

Your tabby nephew also sends his regards, BTW. We went out first thing this morning literally before the crack of dawn, in the dark, at like 6 am, when I could still see my breath in the cold, because Tabs loves skulking around in the dark. and I do too, truthfully. The world is so quiet and peaceful, and it’s a good time to think, ya know? — outside with my cat on his leash… LOL.

We’re all set for our little T-giving feast over here. My brother is expected to be driving up from the city, and then it’ll just be him, me, El Hub, Tabs and baby Girl. I picked up a pre-cooked turkey from a deli this year, so we’ll see how that turns out (fingers crossed).

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Enjoy the rest of your day, my friend. I’ll speak with you soon.

Your friendly neighborhood charm addict,

Karen

using the metropolitan Decay x Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow combination ($58)
I may have pointed out this when or twice before (or three times or four), however I absolutely like pink makeup. I believe pink is a excellent method to wear subtle color, as well as considering that I’ve never satisfied a pink eyeshadow I don’t like, I believed it would be fun to work together with Jen as well as Anna, who’ll be sharing their looks soon, as well as show you one method that each of us likes to wear pink eyeshadow.

The look I’m using at the top is exactly how I like to rock pink eyeshadow, as well as I have to say thanks to some remarkable visitors for the inspiration! One visitor pointed out that the Maybelline color Tattoo 24HR Concentrated crayons would be excellent as eyeshadow bases, as well as one more raved about the metropolitan Decay x Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow Palette.

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I took the comments to heart as well as utilized them both for this resilient pink look. Thanks so much, ladies!  I like hearing your comments, concerns as well as tips, so keep them coming!  Seriously, the comments make my day

To accomplish this look, I utilized Maybelline color Tattoo 25HR Concentrated Crayon in Pink Parfait as a base around my eyelids, then used Zone from the metropolitan Decay x Gwen Stefani combination in my crease utilizing a Morphe E22 brush.

With the Zoeva Luxe Smoky Shader clean (first pointed out in this publish on Zoeva), I packed Harajuku onto my lids, as well as Harajuku, by the way, is a pink lover’s dream! It’s hot pink as well as sparkly, however when utilized with zone it’s not as well bright. 

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And then on my brows I utilized ColourPop Cosmetics Brow Pencil in Black N’ brown as well as as well dealt with much better Than Sex Mascara on my lashes.

I like exactly how this look turned out as well as am currently consumed with this Anastasia Beverly Hills lipgloss!
For my base, I utilized Becca Aqua luminous foundation in warm Honey, as well as this was my very first time utilizing this foundation. For the record, it’s amazing! I’ve tried other glowy foundations (I’ve examined Giorgio Armani Maestro glow as well as L’oreal Lumi Cushion), however this is most likely my preferred so far since of the buildable protection as well as longevity.

There’s no such thing as as well much pink!

On my cheeks, I utilized MAC wonderful as Cocoa blush, which is my go-to when I want a natural blush that won’t clash with the rest of my makeup. I likewise utilized Anastasia Beverly Hills Riviera Illuminator to highlight.  

The Anastasia Beverly Hills Illuminators are excellent since they add a truly quite sheen that doesn’t highlight pores.

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On my lips, I utilized Anastasia Beverly Hills lipgloss in dirty Lilac, and I am consumed with this gloss. It’s the best pinky/lavender.

Which reminds me, I am so pleased with the ABH lip glosses (I have a publish on my favorites from Anastasia Beverly Hills on my blog) as well as believe these are the very best lip glosses in my collection.

All pink everything!
So, exactly how do you rock pink eyeshadow? You understand the drill… Spill your favorites in the comments!

** THE GIVEAWAY IS closed **
This giveaway is closed, and the winner has been contacted (CONGRATULATIONS, JEN!!!), but check back next Saturday for another Sephora giveaway.

Oh, my gosh! I loved the new Cinderella.

El Hub and I went to see it last night, and you know, I needed some of that Disney magic this week. They’ve got the whole fairytale thing DOWN. even though it’s the same story you already know and love, that didn’t take away from it at all. Doesn’t matter how old you are, if you need a pick-me-up of goodness and light straight to your heart, go see it.

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Get this: El Hub even got teary. Ha!

In other news, your nephew is purr-turbed because we haven’t gone outside yet for our walk. I slept in a little and I’m running behind, but if I don’t take him, he will flip out. He’s already pacing around the house meowing.

What are you up to this weekend? I hope you’re doing something fun. We’re meeting some pals for dinner at a Thai place nearby tonight, and I’m really looking forward to that.

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Best of luck in the giveaway, my friend. I’ll talk to you soon.

One (1) Sephora eGift card containing $50 sent to the winner by email (international readers, you may opt to receive $50 sent by PayPal instead).

Enter by leaving a comment below.

Open to U.S. and international readers.

You must be 18 or older to enter (or otherwise an adult based on your local laws).

Your comment can be about anything at all, but here are some ideas if you’re stuck:

Have you ever done zip-lining or bungee jumping?

Most eye-rolling or bothersome makeup/beauty commercials?

Have you ever been on the radio?

Glowy skin or matte?

What did/do your parents do for a living?

What’s your favorite snack to have at school/work?

One entry per person.

You must use a valid email address to win.

The giveaway ends on Monday, March 23, 2015 at 11:59 PM (Pacific Time).

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Blush, babe!
Why is natural-looking blush so difficult to do?

In the grand plan of makeup application, it’s not like eyeshadow, where sometimes you’re blending four or five colors on your lids. blush is usually just one shade on a fairly big area. It’s not as precise as putting color in the upper crease, so why is it so freakin’ difficult to make blush look natural?

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This provided me a difficult time for many years as well as still does from time to time, however right here are two tips that truly help. When I discovered these, it was like the clouds had parted, as well as I heard angels singing, AHHHHH! more importantly, I wasn’t rollin’ around town anymore with two small circles on my cheeks (WHICH, OMG, I’VE totally DONE!).

Anyway, right here are two things I do when I’m going for the most natural-looking blush.

Reduce any type of redness, as well as prep your canvas first

This one is truly useful for the most natural-looking blush. as opposed to just applying blush over bare skin, always begin by evening out your skin tone as much as possible by concealing any type of areas of redness at all (like from pimples) on as well as around your cheeks, since you want your base as close to perfect as you can potentially get it before you apply your blush on top.

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If you put something pigmented like a blush on top of an area that already has color — like on top of a red pimple — your blush will highlight the area even more, so prep your canvas first. apply your foundation and/or concealer anywhere you requirement it, as well as then apply your blush. That method it’ll look like a natural sweep of color going across your cheeks.

Apply your deal with powder before your blush

The next tip is to apply your powder blush (if a powder blush is your specific blush poison, as well as it occurs to be mine) on top of your deal with powder, instead of the other method around. So, if you’re starting with primer, you’d apply your foundation as well as concealer next, then your deal with powder, as well as then your blush.

Because products like to latch on to creams, as well as foundations are creamy products, if you apply a powder blush directly on top of your foundation, any type of areas that have more product on them will grab more of your blush, leaving with you some unequal patches of more intense blush color on your cheeks.

Instead, if you apply your deal with powder on top of your foundation, your foundation will grab the deal with powder very first (instead of your blush).

One benefit is that since your deal with powder color is most likely similar to your foundation color, it won’t appear uneven. one more benefit is that the deal with powder provides your powder blush a base layer with a similar structure (a powder), like a cushion, as well as generally it’s easier to blend similar structures together, like creams with creams, as well as powders with powders.

That layer of deal with powder acts as a pillow for your blush as well as makes it much easier to scoot those blush grains along as well as blend them out. The result is more natural-looking blush.

All about that leggings life

OK, so I totally went there. I bought a pair of Zella High midsection Leggings, as well as ya understand what? I’m truly excited about them!

I have a few pairs of leggings from Zella that are all mid- to low-waist, as well as ever since I had the baby, um…I haven’t been able to get back into them. They don’t in shape me the exact same method they utilized to — specifically, my stomach hangs over the waistband. So, I’ve been wanting a pair of leggings that hold whatever in, a.k.a mom denim style. as well as ya understand what? Whatever, I’m awesome with it. I saw these high-waist leggings on the Nordstrom website, checked out all the great evaluations as well as was like, darnit, I’m just gonna go there.

I’m still waiting on them to find in… When they arrive, do you want me to evaluation them? LOL! I have reviewed workout gear on MBB before. If you believe I should, let me know.

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LONG online LEGGINGS!

Your friendly community beauty addict,

Karen

** THE GIVEAWAY IS closed **
This giveaway is closed, and the winner has been contacted (CONGRATULATIONS, NICOLE O!!!), but check back next Saturday for another giveaway.

OK, best Thanksgiving dish this year — what was it? I’m gonna have to opt for the turkey, even though I’m normally all about the sides, which were also delish, but this year the turkey was fab. (Props to the Nugget market in Novato! You people are rad!).

I hope you had a terrific Thanksgiving. I really needed not having to hit the road and being able to just spend time (eating) and kicking back here at home.

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My brother made it up from the city and spent the night, which was nice. My parents and El Hub’s were out of town, so it was just us kids, and we don’t get to see each other that often. You know how it is… Everyone’s so busy doing their own thing.

We didn’t do much, really, other than eat. A TON. We did make it to a late afternoon motion picture after all of us awoke from our food comas. We went to see Creed, the new Rocky boxing one with Michael B. Jordan?

We joked about going to see a boxing motion picture on Thanksgiving, but it was great. I’m really starting to appreciate the athleticism and skill involved in boxing.

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The motion picture wasn’t cheesy in any way like the zillion Rocky sequels that came out in the ’80s and ’90s (remember the one with Mr. T?), but it still ties into the legacy. Apollo Creed was Rocky’s adversary/friend in the original movies, and Michael B. Jordan plays his son. The Rocky character is his boxing trainer…and there’s a lot a lot more stuff that goes on. highly recommended, especially if you liked Rocky.

I didn’t really do any fun Black Friday shopping. The only thing I got was a daybed for when family visits after baby girl is born. I found one on sale at Sears. So, yup… Gotta be all functional and sh*t now. LOL!

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OK, time to enter the giveaway…

One (1) Sephora eGift card consisting of $50 sent to the winner by email (international readers, you may opt to receive $50 sent by PayPal instead).

Enter by leaving a comment below.

Open to U.S. and international readers.

You need to be 18 or older to enter (or otherwise an adult based on your local laws).

Your comment can be about anything at all, but here are some ideas if you’re stuck:

Did you jump on any of the Black Friday sales?

How do you feel about onions?

How was Thanksgiving?

Who wears the pants in your family?

Someone who handles her (or his) makeup really well at work?

How has your skin been lately?

One entry per person.

You need to use a valid email address to win.

The giveaway ends on Monday, November 30, 2015 at 11:59 PM (Pacific Time).

Your friendly neighborhood appeal addict,

Karen

wearing L’Oréal’s $20 La palette nude 1
Knowing that L’Oréal owns urban Decay, I wondered just how closely L’Oréal’s much less expensive $19.99 10-pan La palette nude 1 palette of neutral powder shadows would imitate its $54 naked superstar cousin. would La Palette’s three mattes be as easy to blend as UD Naked’s matte shadows, and what about pigment, shimmer and fallout? how would they compare? and what would I miss with only 10, instead of 12 shades?

I made a decision to find out.

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The $19.99 L’Oréal La palette nude 1 vs. the $54 urban Decay naked Eyeshadow Palette

Briefly, what’s the idea behind L’Oréal La palette nude 1?
Well, it’s generally the urban Decay naked Eyeshadow palette with 10 neutral powder shadows instead of 12. seven of them are shimmers — a warm beige, a peach, gold, bronze, chocolate brown, silvery taupe and a cool-toned white — and three are matte browns — a medium taupe-brown, medium tan brown and a dark neutral brown. La palette nude 1 is one of two eyeshadow palettes that were added to the L’Oréal permanent line this spring, and it comes with a dual-ended brush with a sponge-tip applicator on one end and a small flat eyeshadow brush on the other. There are also four basic how-to tutorials for four different eye looks on the bottom/back. It’s available now online and at drugstores and Ulta.

L’Oreal La palette nude 1 on my eyes
What makes it interesting?
First, for me, the price. It’s $34 less than urban Decay Naked.

The 10 shadows work out to $2 each, versus naked with its 12 shadows, which work out to $4.50 each. So it’s less than half the price.

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Yes, I can see your big saucer eyes from across the keyboard, ’cause that’s tempting stuff. Seriously, I’m the last person in the world who needs another neutral palette of brown and beige shades, but when I saw La palette nude 1 at Ulta last week, I had to go there. I couldn’t stop myself.

What is this compulsion I have to try all of the brown eyeshadows…? It need to come from the same place that makes me want all of teh kittehs. The struggle is real, my friend.

L’Oréal La palette nude 1
So, is La palette nude 1 as good as urban Decay Naked?
In some ways, yes, I think it is. like Naked, it has a good variety of matte transition shades (which are also highly pigmented! *thumbs up*), and a best balance between warm and amazing color-temp shades.

The shadows also feel silky and soft like urban Decay’s, which I guess isn’t a big surprise, considering that L’Oréal owns urban Decay. maybe there’s some crossover between the formulas, or maybe not and it just worked out that way. La Palette’s shadows also last seven to eight hours for me.

L’Oreal La palette nude 1
But there a couple of ways in which I think UD naked trumps L’Oréal La palette nude 1…

Nude 1’s mattes, while fabulously pigmented, take longer to blend.
This first time I wore the nude 1 palette, I used my trusty NARS Pro-Prime Smudge proof Eyeshadow Base. I layered the shadows on top of it, and I felt like I had to work pretty hard to buff out the edges and transition shades into each other. The overall look turned out a little choppy. then I tried the mattes on top of a creamier base (MAC’s paint Pot in Soft Ochre), which I hoped would give the shadows a a lot more slippery surface. It seemed to help a bit, but things were still a tad choppy. It required a lot more passes with my fluffy blending brush to get my gradients worked out than I could count, so if you’re going to invest in this palette and plan to give these mattes a daily workout, I highly recommend also having a cream shadow on hand to use as a base, along with a healthy dose of patience.

Nude 1’s shimmers aren’t all that shiny.
Compared to the shimmery shadows in UD Naked, nude 1’s pearlescent shadows don’t shimmer as brightly, so I get a lot more of a soft shine than a mirror. The shimmer also doesn’t seem anywhere near as pigmented or refined. In fact, I feel like it looks pretty chunky on my lids. It reminds me of the shimmers in the Maybelline Blushed Nudes palette.

I don’t know if it’s something that companies do on purpose to deal with the drugstore makeup crowd, or if it’s just a consequence of a lower price, but it is still possible to reach the point where nude 1’s shimmery eyeshadows shine bright like diamonds. You may just have to wet your brush first and do a lot of layering.

It’ll take some effort, not gonna lie.

Swatches of L’Oréal La palette nude 1…

What about fallout?
There is some…

Actually, quite a bit — similar to urban Decay’s eyeshadows.

Honestly, though, it’s not a deal-breaker for me. If you get in the routine of tapping off your brush to unload the excess product before applying these shadows, you really must be fine.

Also, considering that nude 1 has 10 shadows instead of 12, it’s not quite as flexible as urban Decay Naked, and the shadows that are missing are two of the darkest shades. just something else to keep in mind.

Oh…and the brush that comes with nude 1 is pretty lame. It’s scratchy (like a cat’s tongue). I’m going to ditch it.

More swatches of L’Oréal La palette nude 1…
For $20, is L’Oréal La palette nude 1 worth it?
If you don’t already own a good neutral palette, I think it is. La nude 1 is a perfectly respectable urban Decay naked dupe, and one of the better ones out there.

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I do think that it helps to go into it expecting to have to do a lot more blending and layering than you would with Naked, but because of the price difference, you’re saving a lot. As long as you’re amazing with the extra blending, you’ll be able to do a lot with this palette. While a little pricey for a drugstore product, it’s still quite a good value.

PRICE: $19.99
AVAILABILITY: available now online and at drugstores, Ulta and L’Oréal counters
MAKEUP and appeal blog RATING: B+

L’Oreal La palette nude 1 on my eyes; additional makeup provided below

Additional makeup worn in this look…

Lips — MAC Matte Lipstick in men love Mystery
Lashes — NARS Numero 2
Eyes — MAC Costa Riche Eye Kohl, MAC pro Longwear paint Pot in Soft Ochre, Tom Ford Eye Defining Pen in Deeper
Cheeks — BECCA Damselfly Blush, Smashbox fusion Lights in Baked Starblush, Guerlain Terracotta 4 seasons in 03 Naturel Brunettes
Face — Dior Diorskin nude Air Serum in 040, NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Biscuit

Your friendly neighborhood appeal addict,

Karen

Mmmm, persimmons!
You may be wondering, “So what in tarnation is this Monday Poll thing anyway!?”

Well, it isn’t precisely a poll. It’s more of a constantly evolving (devolving?), somewhat random listing of concerns I’ve been putting out to visitors every Monday morning for the past nine (!) years. (It’s like a kickstart for your brain.) I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, as well as I hope you enjoy reading mine.

London, Paris, LA or Tokyo?

Bonjour, Paris! Today, Paris, for sure, since I’m in the mood to eat yummy French things. Also, I like bit French infants with their bit French accents. THEY’RE SO CUTE! I believe it would be so cool, too, if Connor grew up speaking French. She’d be this bit half Oriental infant speaking French.

And the architecture, the history, the art as well as the stylish people who trip around on bicycles with loaves of bread under their arm. In this specific fantasy, I wear red lipstick as well as high heels daily as well as bring a truly long, elegant umbrella as I walk to my office where I do something fabulous, of course, like compose copy for Chanel.

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2. Do you ever wear men’s fragrances?

I just completed rocking Dolce as well as Gabbana Light Blue Men’s shower Gel daily for about three months up until I utilized up the bottle, so the short response to this concern is “yes.”

3. have you ever driven a traditional car?

Nope. Not that I’m a poor driver, since I’m not, however I don’t believe you should trust me with your teal ’57 Chevy that you lovingly brought back from the ground up with your bare hands since I’d most likely be so stressed out about putting a dent in it that the stress of putting a dent in it would most likely lead me to put a dent in it.

4. Are you using false lashes today?

Nope, just a coat of mascara today.

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OK…not just “a” coat. perhaps like five coats!

No false lashes today, however perhaps later this week.

It’s funny, however if you watch sufficient YouTube videos, you begin to believe that every woman who uses makeup likewise uses false lashes every day, which is just not even true! For typical life, I wear false lashes perhaps when or twice a month. The primary reason I wear false lashes is for makeup looks on the blog.

5. Is the inside of your handbag neat or messy?

You don’t want to look inside my handbag unless you want to see inside a nightmare, haha.

It’s super untidy right now. There are receipts I requirement to data away, half a lots lipsticks rolling around, an empty plastic bag that was at one time utilized to bring Connor’s binky… as well as those are just the tip of the iceberg.

6. who was the last person you held hands with?

It was Connor. She wraps her bit infant fingers around one of my fingers when I feed her.

I provide you…fruit!

I don’t understand why, however fruit always tastes much better to me when somebody else peels it.

I mean, I’ll happily laundry a piece of fruit for myself as well as eat it with the peel on, however when my mom came over the other day, she peeled the persimmons in the photo at the top as well as arranged them so cutely as well as sweetly in a bowl. It was nice.

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Happy Monday, my friend. I truly hope today goes smoothly for you. Please have a wonderful week. I’ll talk to you soon.

P.S. right here are the concerns to copy as well as paste…

1. London, Paris, LA or Tokyo?
2. Do you ever wear men’s fragrances?
3. have you ever driven a traditional car?
4. Are you using false lashes today?
5. Is the inside of your handbag neat or messy?
6. who was the last person you held hands with?

WYCON Soft Mousse Eyeshadow in 16 and WYCON Long-Lasting eyeliner in 16 strong Coffee on my eyes, and WYCON Long-Lasting liquid Lipstick in 20 Fragola on my lips
Are you satisfied with your name?

Isn’t it funny that the one thing that represents us the most is not for us to decide? parents have a such a substantial responsibility, I think!

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Personally, I’m quite satisfied with Carolina. I especially like the fact that it’s pretty uncommon (at least among people of my generation, in the Bologna area).

Did you know that I’m the only Carolina Braina in the world? Well, undoubtedly you didn’t… but yeah, Braina is a last name only my family have, and I’m the only one named Carolina.

It would be so odd if there were someone else with the same name as I… how do the people out there with very common names feel about that?

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But anyways, what I indicated to say before going off on a major tangent here was that, apparently, WYCON Cosmetics wasn’t satisfied with their previous name, “WJCON”, and last year made a decision to substitute J with Y. That’s why you’ll see two different spellings in the pictures.

You may remember from my Insider’s guide to makeup shopping in Italy that WYCON is a KIKO-style brand that, just like KIKO, is only sold in the brand’s own standalone stores. It’s a younger company than their a lot more popular competitor, and absolutely not as omnipresent, but I think the quality of their products (at least those I’ve tried) is comparable.

Let’s have a look at my favorite picks!

L-R: WYCON liquid Lipsticks in 20 Fragola and 03 Rosa Antico, WYCON Matt Sublime Lipsticks in 629 and 618, WYCON Long-Lasting eyeliner in 16 strong Coffee, and WYCON Soft Mousse Eyeshadows in 11 and 16
WYCON Long-Lasting liquid Lipsticks in 03 Rosa Antico & 20 Fragola

WYCON Long-Lasting liquid Lipstick in 03 Rosa Antico

WYCON Long-Lasting liquid Lipstick in 20 Fragola
If you’re a fan of liquid lipsticks, WYCON’s formula is one you shouldn’t miss. It lasts well on the lips without crumbling off and isn’t particularly drying. among 34 shades, you’ll be sure to find at least one that floats your boat. Personally, I’m in love with shade 20, while I’m not so sure about 03 (it looked different in the store’s lighting), but the formula is equally amazing.

WYCON Matt Sublime Lipsticks in 618 & 629

WYCON Matt Sublime Lipstick in 618
WYCON Matt Sublime Lipstick in 629
As I said before, I have a soft spot for comfortable-to-wear matte lipsticks in bold shades, and my WYCON Matt Sublimes fit that description perfectly. 618 (which, sadly, seems to have been discontinued) is a fun summer shade, while 629 is just the most stunning warm red.

WYCON Long-Lasting eyeliner in 16 strong Coffee

Among all of the eyeliners I’ve tried, the WYCON Long-Lasting eyeliner in 16 strong Coffee might very well be the one that lasts the longest on the waterline. I highly, highly recommend it! Besides its bomb enduring power, I also really like its dark brown hue, as it works really well to define the eyes, without being as extreme as your normal black.

WYCON Soft Mousse Eyeshadows in 11 and 16

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For basic daytime looks, I love using cream eyeshadows, and these two from WYCON are substantial favorites of mine. They apply easily and evenly to the lids, and their wear-time is impressive.

Shade 11 is a pretty rose gold that gives lids the nicest luminosity, while shade 16 is a reddish bronze that would look remarkable on green eyes, but I really like it on my brown eyes as well.

If on your next trip to Italy you want to have a look at WYCON products, make sure you check out their store locator, first!

I’m trying something a bit different today — a different type of blog publish — something other than a makeup review, because, guuurl…my @ss is tired. third trimester is no joke.

A few weeks back my good friend Jen as well as I were texting back as well as forth, as well as she was like, “I dislike to break this to ya, however the third trimester is really, truly hard.”

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And she was not kidding. as well as it’s not just difficult because, ya know, the achy hips as well as lower back, the shortness of breath, or exactly how it feels like the last leg of a long, drawn-out race (like running three marathons back to back), however it’s just… I didn’t expect being this tired. I’m truly worn out — like, ridiculously tired.

I’m so tired, as a matter of fact, that I believe I’m going to take a nap. A extremely long, charming nap.

But first, can we chat?

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So…last night I started reading a new book.

Well, it’s new for me, however I believe it’s been on shelves for a while. It’s called The bit book of Skin Care: Korean appeal tricks for Healthy, radiant Skin, as well as it’s by a lady named Charlotte Cho (she has a website, Soko Glam, where she offers Korean appeal products, as well as she’s likewise an esthetician).

The book is about Charlotte’s life, her experiences as well as the Korean skin care process. Charlotte was increased in southern California, however she later transferred to Seoul, Korea, for work (she’s Korean, by the way).

I don’t understand if you’re extremely familiar with Korean skin care products, however they’ve grown rather prominent right here lately in the U.S. (one of my preferred Korean skin care brands is AmorePacific).

The book goes into the process, the approach as well as likewise listings a few of Charlotte’s preferred Korean skin care products, all of which she tests on her website. as well as then there’s likewise some fascinating bits as well as insights into what it’s like to online in Seoul.

It’s been quite fascinating so far, as well as there’s excellent stuff such as this adorable illustrated 10-step (YES, 10 STEP) Korean skin care infographic…

The process kinda speaks to me, since I understand exactly how I am with makeup — I tend to make things a bit a lot more challenging than they requirement to be (Ooh! only 10 steps!? Let’s do this!) — however these days, with as worn out as I’ve been, I’d rather just laundry my face, put on some sunscreen, as well as phone call it a day, LOL!

Anywho, I flipped with the book last night before bed, as well as I believe it may have even assisted me sleep! I slept nearly all the method with the night, as well as say thanks to goodness for that since I haven’t been sleeping well lately. I felt excellent today, however I haven’t truly been feeling that psychologically excellent lately…so I went to the physician earlier this afternoon.

The doctor, actually, was a therapist, as well as I believe I’m going to see her on a regular basis every so often. I don’t understand if it’s just since I’m a naturally moody, innovative person, however I feel like I might utilize some additional one-on-one support.

So, I’m going to be doing that, as well as not just with the end of my pregnancy. I believe I’ll be keeping it up long term…

I’m looking ahead to just speaking to somebody new about things as well as perhaps even discover some new methods to frame the conversation in my head, if that makes any type of sense. So that’s what I did this afternoon, as well as it’s likewise why I’m currently not using any type of makeup. None. Nada. Zip.

Because after I got up this morning, I had things to do, so I started doing them before I put on my makeup. then I had to dash out of the house!

Actually, I haven’t used any type of makeup in — wait on it — two days!

But when I do lastly put on makeup again, I’m looking ahead to trying this new foundation by Giorgio Armani called Maestro Glow. It’s a serum foundation — thin formula, includes a dropper, that type of thing — with a dewy finish.

Giorgio Armani already has a foundation in their long-term line called Maestro combination Makeup, however this Maestro is different. It has a likewise thin consistency, however a lot more of a glow, as well as it likewise has broad-spectrum SPF 30 (I can’t keep in mind if the original Maestro does too).

I’m truly looking ahead to costs a lot more time with the texture, since I played with it a bit last weekend. I put some on my face, as well as it was so incredibly lightweight that it felt like nothing at all — just precisely like bare skin. I don’t understand if it’s going to have sufficient protection for me since it’s likewise incredibly sheer, however we’ll figure it out. I believe it’ll most likely be a great foundation for summer, when I don’t want to wear heavy makeup on my face. It’s $64 (!) as well as comes out next month with a new primer (also $64).

Um…the only actual (quote) “makeup” (unquote) I’m using today is the No. 28 Lip Oil by hourglass — the best, most comfortable, most moisturizing lip oil understood to womankind (at least this woman). The only thing is the price… It’s $42, so if you ever feel like using a extremely expensive lip balm, and/or you requirement something ridiculously hydrating, it’s excellent (maybe for the next Sephora VIB sale). I wear everything the time with a nude pencil. I’ll line my lips with the pencil, fill them in, then pop this on top as well as yay! — a mega moisturized nude lip.

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I hope things are going well on your end. I believe I’m gonna go take that nap now… infant woman just kicked me, by the way, so I assumption she wants me to tell you “Hi.” talk to you soon.

Your friendly community appeal addict,

Karen

before this cold absolutely took me out last weekend and put me on the train to Sniffles-ville (achoo!), I squeezed in one fun afternoon with my in-laws while they were visiting. We drove up to the Napa county town of Yountville in white wine country to have dinner at one of my mom-in-law’s favorite places to eat. It was for her birthday, so it was kind of a special treat. The place is called Bistro Jeanty, and they serve fancy French comfort food (pricey but delicious). She’s all about their beef stew.

We had some time before our reservation, so we walked around Yountville a bit, and that’s when I bumped into these interesting pumpkins and this substantial zucchini.

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No, seriously, the thing was half my size!

Because it was about 100 degrees that day, I got a very sour, lemony Italian tonic water from the deli in the Napa style store. I, of course, loved it (pregnancy does funny things to your taste buds, I swear), but El Hub said it was just about the absolute worst thing he’d ever tasted…

Right across the street from the Napa style style is a place called Bouchon Bakery, which I always try to check out when we go to Yountville because I love their macarons.

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There’s nearly always a line out the door, but because this was a slow Thursday afternoon, I walked ideal in and straight to the maracons. I got four — pistachio, hazelnut, fig and salted caramel, my favorite macaron flavor in the world.

Honestly, I don’t even know why I bother with the others. I must just cut the B.S. next time and get an entire box of the salted caramels.

After I got my cookies, it was time for dinner! My father-in-law and I bought the scallops with pasta, while El Hub and my mom-in-law got the beef stew…

Not shown: the enormous amount of bread and butter we also had.

All and all, it was a terrific afternoon!

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And now, of course, I’m craving a lot more of those macarons…

Your friendly neighborhood appeal addict,

Karen