Clinique

Unsung Makeup Heroes: Clinique Take The Day Off Makeup Remover For Lids, Lashes & Lips

January 3rd, 2018 by Karen 32 Comments

clinique take the day off makeup remover lids lashes lips — This $19 classic always delivers.

Dear Universe/Siri,

How many of these have I purchased over the last 10 years?

20 bottles? 25 bottles…? ($19) is by far the best eye makeup remover I’ve ever used, and I’ve repurchased it MANY times.

Everything melts under its liquid gaze, and I mean everything, from industrial-strength waterproof mascaras, to long-wearing liquid and gel liners, and even waterproof cream shadows. Anything you can throw on your lids, no matter what makeup apocalypse it’s made to withstand, this takes it out.

When I soak a square of Shiseido Facial Cotton with a small amount of Take the Day Off, that square dissolves every shred of makeup with a couple gentle swipes. It works shockingly well, but that’s not even my favorite thing about it.

Well, I mean…it is, but it wouldn’t matter if this stuff hurt my eyes. Thankfully it doesn’t. Many other eye makeup removers make me tear up, but this doesn’t bother my peepers one bit.

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.

It’s a multitasking powerhouse, too, because you can also use it on your lips to erase any traces of long-wearing lipsticks. Plus — bonus! — it doesn’t taste funny or weird.

(I don’t know why, but this is a THING for me. I don’t like it when makeup removers that you can also use on your lips taste funny. Go figure.)

I also like that I can pretty much find it everywhere. I usually get mine at Sephora, but you can also find it at any ol’ Clinique counter.

This bottle I just picked up should last me about six months, based on past experience, and I’m an “eye makeup every day” person.

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15-Minute Makeup: Colorful Springy Green and Purple Eyes With the Clinique Chubby Stick Shadow Tints in Mighty Moss and Portly Plum

March 31st, 2017 by Karen 4 Comments

I looked outside my window this morning and noticed that the oak trees on my street have their leaves again! When you look up, all you see is green. It’s gorgeous!

So, I wanted to wear green today.

It is possible to wear color and still finish your makeup in 15 minutes or less

You know, I also wanted to attempt a 15-minute look that wasn’t 100% neutrals.

It’s easier to do quickie makeup with smoky browns and beige (which you know I love), but sometimes I like to challenge myself (but not too much), so I paired a green lid with a purple lower lash line, pink cheeks and pink lips today.

It reminds me that you CAN wear color while doing speedy makeup. It IS possible. You just have to be careful how you go about it, and I think that it also helps to focus on either your eyes or your lips.

Pick one — eyes or lips

If you go with bright lips, you get a lot of bang for your buck. With a bright red, coral, purple, pink or something else, you can dial back everything else, and don’t have to try as hard with your eyes and your skin, etc.

And when you’re in a major rush, bright lips are usually easier to do than bright eyes. There’s more room for error, and you don’t have to worry as much about perfect symmetry.

I mean, do you want to be moving like a makeup maniac at 100 miles per hour for your 15 minutes, or would you rather take a leisurely lip stroll?

I’m just sayin’.

clinique mighty moss 2 — Wearing Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Radiant Magenta on my cheeks and Bite Beauty Lip Liner in 008 topped with MAC Fulfilled Plushglass on my lips

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Unsung Makeup Heroes: The Clinique Chubby Stick Shadow Tints

March 30th, 2017 by Karen 3 Comments

clinique chubby stick shadow tint for eyes — The Clinique Chubby Stick Shadow Tints ($17 each)

The long-running Unsung Heroes series here on Kamod-ua.xyz features some of our all-time favorite permanent collection products.

My cat… He’s kind of a chubby cat, but he prefers that we call him “husky” or “big-boned.” He is the boss, so I gotta do what I gotta do, but I won’t be calling the the “Big-Boned Stick Shadow Tints,” because that would be weird. 🙂

I freaking lurve these things! They’ve been part of the Clinique permanent line for a while, and I love ’em so much that I’ve amassed a small army. I use them all the time.

True to form, these are tints, and they’re sheerer than a lot of the shadow sticks out there, like the MAC Pro Longwears and the Bobbi Brown and Laura Mercier sticks. They deposit a good amount of color, but they quickly sheer down when you blend them out.

I know that some people aren’t going to be into that, but if you’re a 10-minute-makeup gal (or dude) who just wants a little somethin’-somethin’, but you’re not about to spend hella years blending in your outer V, these are great for that. They’re fantastic for easy, colorful eye looks.

There’s a mess of neutrals in the line that I wear all the time, like Bountiful Beige, Ample Amber, Lots O’ Latte (which is a gorgeous, GORGEOUS taupe) and warm brown Fuller Fudge, which I just wore the other day. And we’ll throw Curvaceous Coal in with the neutrals, too, since it’s a shimmery gray.

If you love BBNs (browns, beige and nudes) like I do, these are excellent everyday colors.

clinique chubby stick shadow tint for eyes swatches 1 — Swatches from the top in 01 Bountiful Beige, 04 Ample Amber, 03 Lots O’ Latte, 03 Fuller Fudge and 08 Curvaceous Cora

There are also some wonderful other colors. Among the greens, I like Mighty Moss and Whopping Willow. In the blues, there’s Big Blue and Massive Midnight. And oh! — the purples and pinks? You gotta give ’em a try.

All of the shades are pigmented, but they aren’t so pigmented that they take forever and a day to blend. They always seem to look elegant, refined and natural.

Well…as natural as a green or blue eyeshadow ever looks.

clinique chubby stick shadow tint for eyes swatches 2 — From the top: 05 Whopping Willow, 06 Mighty Moss, 10 Big Blue, 12 Massive Midnight, 09 Lavish Lilac, 11 Portly Plum and 07 Pink & Pretty

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The Clinique Crayola Chubby Sticks for a Comfy, Pretty Pout

January 10th, 2017 by Karen 20 Comments

clinique crayloa chubby stick — Two of eight new , $17 each and available now

What are the odds of Connor Claire getting into mommy’s makeup someday and thinking that these Clinique Crayola Chubby Sticks are, in fact, drawing implements like actual crayons?

I place the odds at about 96.543%, give or take, LOL! Mark my words, I’ll be Instagramming some [email protected] wall art.

Seriously, though, how cute are these? They’re basically your standard-issue Clinique Chubby Sticks for Lips — same mega moisturizing, non-sticky formula and sheer color — but in super special Crayola clothing.

clinique crayloa chubby stick swatches — Clinique Crayola Chubby Sticks in Pink Sherbert (top) and Mango Tango (bottom)

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New & Noteworthy: Clinique Uplighting Illuminating Powder, Pop Oil and High Impact Custom Black Kajal Liners

December 12th, 2016 by Karen 10 Comments

clinique fall 2016 — New & noteworthy makeup from Clinique

In the pursuit of creative well fill-edness, also known as “trying to keep my creative well filled,” I’m trying to form some mentally healthy new habits and rediscover old ones that have helped me in the past, like wearing makeup on the weekends.

You guys…on one hand, it’s liberating to just run out of the house without a stitch of makeup on, but on the other hand…sometimes when I’m out and about and catch get a glimpse of myself in a window somewhere, I’ll think, WTF?! Who the hell is that person? She looks EXHAUSTED. 🙂

Shoot, back in the day, I’d put on concealer just to go get my mail! THAT’s how dedicated I was to le face paint, but I’ve gotten way chiller about leaving the house without makeup over the past year, especially on weekends.

I’ve been getting back into it again lately, though, because I swear…a little bit of shimmer here and a touch of color there, and I see the whole world differently.

It definitely changes the way I feel about myself.

Anywho, I wore some makeup last weekend, and it felt really freakin’ good. I used some things that came out from Clinique in the fall and are in the permanent collection now, and they were just lovely!

Clinique Uplighting Illuminating Powder, $27

clinique up lighting powder — All three shades of Clinique Uplighting Illuminating Powder ($27 each)

SO GOOD for casual weekend makeup! These sheer pressed powders have a subtle tint and pearl. You can wear them as an all-over setting powder or use them them to highlight specific areas, and they’re basically like highlighting powders for non-highlighting girls/guys.

The opalescent finish is very low-key, very natural-looking, and you might not even see it at first, but it’s there adding a little something-something.

There are three shades, and the one I like is 02 Golden Glow. It makes my skin look dewy…but not sweaty dewy.

These $27 Uplighting Illuminating Powders are a lot like the $46 Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders, so if you like those, these are a more affordable alternative. Keep in mind, though, that these only come in three shades, whereas the Hourglass Ambients come in six shades and are much, much finer.

Still, I think these are perfect weekend powders for running errands or grabbing coffee,

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