Love it, hate it, review and rate it!

Starting today, this will be a new weekly feature here! I'll be reviewing products and rating them thumbs up (painted, of course) or down (chipped!)

Our first two products: Maybelline Big Eyes Mascara and Maybelline lipstick in Nude Embrace, both available at the drugstore.

In my recent bout with eye issues I had to dump all of my mascaras, SOB, so I've been trying out a new drugstore kind. My eyelashes are horrible. They are about the size of ant legs, and they're blonde at the tip, so mascara is a must-use. When I don't have it on my children ask me if I'm very tired.

These are my lashes normally. I have about seven, and they are short, skimpy, blonde, and straight. This is an actual picture of my actual eye. 

But help is nigh! Meet my new mascara:

Maybelline Big Eyes mascara: it's double ended, baby

The wand for the upper lashes. Please note my awesomely painted thumb nail! It stayed that way for point two seconds, and then it chipped. 
(not pictured: the wand for the lower lashes, because I'm lazy.) 

This mascara is good. It's not clumpy, can be built up pretty well, and I like that it includes both a wand for your lower lashes and upper lashes. It's not overly wet (so it doesn't give me the dreaded four lashes). I don't love the packaging, because I keep on opening it at the wrong end, and I suspect that you get less product since there are two wands, but overall it's a good mascara and I was even asked what mascara I was wearing on a recent trip to Sephora. So, I'd have to give this mascara (duh duh DUH)

a nicely painted thumbs up! 

Now for my second product--Maybelline's new lipstick, Nude Embrace. (Hey Maybelline, FYI. That name, Nude Embrace, is pretty racy. Is Maybelline suddenly getting all NARS on us? Yikes.) 

Anyway, CAPITAL UGH. I had some high hopes for this color. A nudey mauve? A smidge dusty? Maybelline's formulas, which I generally love? Yes! Yes please! I thought this color would work so well on my compexion (pink tones, fair, blue veins). I thought it would embrace my lips with its nudey wonder. Here it is: 

Looks good, no??? Inviting, appealing, embrace worthy. 

Here it is swatched:

It's a little more purplish gray-mauve then it's showing up here. See how pasty it looks, also? 

When I put this on, it instantly makes me look like my lips are made of dirty silly putty. They take on that same plasticky look, the same color, the same rubbery-yet-not texture. I do not want to be embraced by this lipstick, or by anyone wearing this lipstick, for that matter. Look:

Not a good nude. It creates insta-sad face. And look how every dry patch is emphasized. YUCK. 

Even in softer lighting the color just washes me out. I love a good nude, but this veers towards a gray nude--the pictures don't show just how gray this actually is. I don't know many people this would work on. So unfortunately this one is a dumperooni for me and I have to give it a (wait for it!) 

big ole chipped sad thumbs down.

I hope this was helpful the next time you venture out to the drugstore and are looking for a new mascara or lippie. Stay tuned for more product reviews weekly!

Turn the winter blahs into winter hurrahs

I've always loved playing with makeup--it's art for your face--and I've always loved before and afters in magazines or on blogs. One blog in particular, maskcara.com, has amazing pictures of before and afters. Maybe it's the weather, but when you've got another gray day on the horizon and fifteen feet of iced up snow outside it's hard not to feel like the before picture in a makeup tutorial.

This is why when I get a bad case of the winter BLEARGHSSS I turn to these products to make me happy and turn me into somewhat of an after: 

1. Pretty sparkly nail polishes: Oh god I have about a thousand nail polishes. These are some of my favorites:

These are all Formula X by Sephora. The one on the left is gold with purple sparkles and is the prettiest color on. Unfortunately I have the worst skills at applying polish ever, so this will never be one of those blogs where you will get to see my perfectly manicured hands clutching a bottle of polish. I won't subject you to the horror that is my application technique. 

2. GlamGlow Youthmud face mask: This one is Tingle-rific and has chunks of stuff in a grayish base that make me feel like I've been hanging out in a mud pit with The Lord of the Flies boys. The packaging is pink because 25% of the proceeds go to Breast Cancer research which is pretty cool as I am one of those people who will be 100% more likely to buy something if it is pink--despite my knowing the sorcery behind the marketing (and despite my being all hypocritically "why does everything have to be pink for girls, rah rah other colors rock rah rah"). This mask makes my face feel tight and fresh and clean. My husband (Random) remarked that I looked "fresh faced" after using it, and he rarely remarks on my skin except (of course) to crow gleefully whenever I have a blemish.  

I mean it's mud + youth and that clearly equals yes please. 

3. Bright lippie: I'm obsessed with bright lips--they just instantly perk up my face, even with no eye makeup. My current faves: Dior Pink Caprice, a buildable blue-based pink with a slight shimmer, and MAC's Girl About Town, a bright fuschia that is not too blue based. I've also been loving MAC Snob, a creamy blue based pink. All of these lippies look great with some neutral eye shadow and black winged liner. 

Top to bottom: MAC Snob, MAC Girl About Town, Dior Pink Caprice 

Left to right: Dior Pink Caprice, MAC Girl About Town, MAC Snob (Swatches in natural light on NW 20 skin) 

4. NARS eye shadow duo in Kauai: this sucker is highly pigmented and the colors just work. You don't think they will because purple and gold on the eyes seems overly dramatic and rockstar-y, but they apply like a dream and blend beautifully. I like the gold washed over the lid and the purple in the crease. The purple is deeper on the skin than it appears in the pan and the gold wakes up tired eyelids. Wear with a neutral lip (MAC Angel or Creme Cup are good choices). I wore this combo the other day and felt ten years younger and put together all day. 

NARS eyeshadow duo in Kauai. Like gilded butter for your lids. 

Swatched on NW 20 skin. 

Well that's it for my winter blah perk me ups.

What products do you turn to when you are feeling BLAH? 

Yikes! An eye emergency! Never fear, Pretty Primp is here.

Hello my sweet sparkly unicorns, 

This week has been a bit tough for me makeup-and-beauty-wise as I have been battling some eyeball problems. My eye was scratched by an overeager kitten when I was but a wee lass and since then I have to open it in the morning exactly so otherwise......well let's just say bad things happen and I morph into a pirate for the day. Arrrrrrrrrr. Anyway, this morning after just getting my eyeballs back in shape I woke up with a lovely case of pink eye, which is one of my most least favorite things in the world. In both eyes. As I obviously had to visit the doctor, which would require being in public, I needed a plan of action. This is a handy plan whether you are like me--you have wonky eyeballs--or whether you've got allergies, stayed up way too late and have puffy, tired eyes, or if you have some other need to appear mysterious yet put together when you venture out. Nobody wants to look infected, tired, or beaten down by life. So here's my go-to look for when life squirts lemons in your eye:

1. After doing your face makeup (whatever you do) apply a light blush to make your cheeks glow. 

2. Apply an awesome lip color, something bright and noticeable. This will draw attention away from your eyeballs, should you need to remove your glasses. I like pink; try red if that's your thang. 

3. Apply large sunglasses. 

4. Stick your hair on top of your head, if it's long enough, in some type of bun thing. If it's not long enough, put it in a neat pony tail. Or just leave it down, but go for simple. 

5. Sashay your way around the house singing Katy Perry songs about how a) you are a firework and b) you roar. (Last part optional.) 

Here's some inspiration, courtesy of Bite Beauty (they have awesome bright lippies; they are creamy, long lasting, and--major plus--you can eat them. Great for a midday snack. I'm joking, don't eat your expensive lipstick, but they do have good stuff in them). 

Bite Beauty High Pigment Pencil in Velvet 

Bite Beauty Matte Cream Lip Crayon in Grape 

Bite Beauty Luminous Cream Lipstick in Violet 

From left to right: Velvet, Grape, Violet 

Velvet, Grape, Violet (bottom to top) --They have a rubberized feel that I really like. They are twist up. 

The my-eyes-are-skerry-but-I-can-still-look-somewhat-glam look (I'm wearing Becca blush in Gypsy here, but no other face makeup except for a teensy bit of concealer on my blue face veins, haha; excuse my smirk ;)) 

I hope these ideas help you look smashing even when your eyes aren't up to their usual sparkle and shine. Here's to big sunglasses, buns, and bright lips!

My ten holy grail beauty products. As in I can only have ten items for the rest of time.

BESIDES OIL, cause you know that would be on my list,

What would I pick?

1. EYEBROW WIZ. Because good eyebrows can make you look a gamillion times better. I like Anastasia's products the best--she's the queen of the brow--and I have both her brow powder and her pencil called Brow Wiz, which is awesome and has a spoolie on the end! I fill in my brows with the powder and then outline them lightly with the pencil.

The eyebrow WIZ. Note my excellent photography skillz and the backdrop that looks like upcycled barn door a la Etsy. 

2. CC CREAM WITH SPF (or tinted moisturizer). If you haven't jumped upon the alphabet craze in skin care yet, try it out (there's BB cream, CC cream; who knows, maybe next they'll have DD cream, HA!) Anyway I'll do a post on these somewhere down the line, but CC stands for "color correcting" and CC Cream is basically a tinted moisturizer with light to medium coverage. I like IT Cosmetics CC Cream--it has SPF 50 and snail secretions, cuz a girl's gotta have her snail slime. (Gross but true. Apparently it's good for your skin. Ugh I just don't think about it.) Laura Mercier makes a wonderful tinted moisturizer also that I lurve. There are a ton out there; one is right for your skin type. The ones I mentioned are good for drier skin. 

My friends. These even out my skin but don't make my skin all claustrophobic or cakey. The LM is a sample. 

3. MASCARA. Drugstore is good; I like L'Oreal False Fiber lashes. I have the wimpiest scrawniest lashes known to anyone. They are like daddy long legs' legs cut in eighths. I have a few mid-to-high priced mascaras and a bunch of drugstore and honestly, the L'Oreal False Fiber is the bomb. I'll do a mascara review soon with pictures and drawings. 

Swwwooooon. I have heard there's a Lacquer color that's really black and shiny. Good stuff this. And again: my photo's composition will land me a job with National Geo for sure.  

4. CONCEALER (for undereye circles). Lordy I've got some dark circles and a concealer is a must. I love Benefit's Erase Paste, which comes in a highly unsanitary pot, but I don't care. It comes with a spatula you can use but meh to that. Also good for those of you who prefer less bacteria in your undereye concealer: Nars Creamy Concealer, MAC Pro Longwear concealer, Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eye concealer/ brightener. You can get free (free!) samples of the MAC at counters (get color matched) and they last forever. I am all about samples. 

My wee pot o'germs. At least they are well concealed! 

5. EYELINER. Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner and an eyeliner brush. No contest. I love this stuff. I have over the years collected many of the colors and they are just the best eyeliners ever. 

These were purchased over a looong time (years--like ten!) and I've only ever thrown one away soooooooo......I know I need to toss the old ones but I like to hoard them. They are all different colors. They are all so pretty! 

6. GRAY HAIR MAGIC MARKER. I'm old and this year have suddenly sprouted gray hair which has become even more visible because I have darker hair now. I hate the pesky buggers and between hair appointments I use a magic marker called Touchback Instant Root Touch-Up which comes in a few colors. I paint it on and then let it dry; then I brush it through and ALAKAZAM! No more grays. 

See ya dumb grays. Don't let the door hit ya on the way out. 

7. LIPSTICK/LIPGLOSS. MAC lipsticks are my favorite brand ever. Ever ever ever. I have been stalking the Mac counter since I was a wee goth lass of 20 and wore nearly black lippie. I have many. I like their pinkish nude colors so much. Some good ones: Hue, Pink Plaid, Faux, Snob, Angel, Creme Cup. They also make good rosy colors to brighten up your face: Plumful, Capricious, and Syrup are good ones. (I have all of those but Syrup and Angel.) My favorite lip glosses are the NYX Butter glosses, available at Ulta and very affordable. And they smell like SUGAR COOKIE. Unfort they don't taste like sugar cookie or I'd be reapplying every forty seconds. 

Lipstick Stonehenge. From the lower left moving clockwise: oh bollocks I have no clue. Hmmmmmm the picture is upside down and I've put them all away. So you'll have to google image them for their full glory. The lighting is terrible anyway.

8. BLUSH. NARS makes amazing blushes. The colors Orgasm, Sin, and Gaiety are ones I've used and love. I also love Dior Rosy Glow. It's so pink and cheerful! Warning: NARS has naughty blush names. If you have kids hide yer NARS. 

I don't have a lot of blushes; maybe three more besides these. These are my favorite. The tiny Orgasm (haha!) I got for free. "Free" = Sephora points. 

9. EYESHADOW. Urban Decay Naked palettes are the best. I have the original; there are three (plus a cheaper Naked Basics palette). Number one is good for all skin tones, number two better for cool skin and three for warm (although quite honestly they are all good for everyone). Also amazing is the Lorac Pro Palette (I actually use mine more than the Naked as it has more matte colors). 

Can you spot the beauty addict lurking about? Look at those buttery colors. 

10. HAIR SMOOTHER. I need something to make my hair slippery because otherwise it knots into a snarled mess. I have tried a lot of products and right now I am loving Paul Mitchell Skinny Serum which helps smooth it out as well as Kerastase oil (I got a mini size of that to try it out since that brand is ridiculously expensive but also ridiculously amazing). 

(No picture because that one came out all fuzzy but here's another lippie pic!!!) Hurrah! 

*pets the screen* hello my sweeties 

Well my beauties that is it for now, my list of ten holy grail items (although I think I may have cheated a bit, this one goes to eleven). I am working on Part Two of my skin care post as well as some reviews (new Butter Glosses just came out!) but I have to go clean my kitchen now as it's a disaster. Sad face! 

What are your Holy Grail products??? 

Buttery smooches,

Karen xo