Best Day Ever Makeup (I Got My Second Shot!), Plus Mini-Reviews of Revlon ColorStay Light Cover Foundation, Clinique Even Better All-Over Concealer + Eraser and More

I got my second vaccine shot yesterday and, FYI, this Band-Aid is officially the best Band-Aid that ever was or ever will be. After it falls off, I may tuck it away in an envelope so that years from now, when everything is back to “normal” (“air quotes”) and we’re doing things like going to the Catalina Wine Mixer again without feeling creeped out about crowds, I’ll find this Band-Aid and think, “Eww, you’re super gross, Karen,” and “Gosh, I sure was happy that day.”

This is the most hopeful I’ve felt in a long, long time.

Because I didn’t want to forget how happy I feel, I put on some fun temporary tattoos by Tattly and some makeup to commemorate the day. I’m wearing a mish-mosh of classic NARS eyeshadows (the Cordura and Isolde duos, and Blondie, Biarritz and Abysinnia) and a few new-to-me products for everything else.

Some first impressions

Revlon Colorstay Light Cover Foundation: I (incorrectly) assumed that because this has “Light Cover” in the name, it was a shot-out to sheer coverage, but nope! — it’s a reference to how light this full-coverage matte liquid foundation feels on skin. It’s light as a feather! The coverage of one layer is just shy of full, which is enough to hide red areas, freckles and uneven pigmentation. Then, you can add more layers, which is easy to do because it blends so well, if you want to bump up the coverage to full. For reference, my skin is dry on my cheeks and oily on my forehead, and this foundation handles both areas like a champ. Available in 12 shades, $13.99 each.

Clinqiue Even Better All-Over Concealer + Eraser: Normally, full-coverage concealers look thick, dry and cakey when I wear them in my under-eye area, so I kind of avoid them, but this demi-matte liquid concealer completely steers clear of fine lines. Even after it dries down, it remains smooth and flexible, which is very cool! I plan to use this as a foundation, actually, because I think it’ll be great for that too. Available in a whopping 42 shades, $26 each.

L’Oreal Shiny Lip Stain in Be Outstanding: This is neato. It’s a long lasting, lightweight, non-sticky liquid lipstick with an ultra-shiny finish. Sort of like an amalgam of every lip product under the sun! This particular one, Be Outstanding, is a rosy brown, but there are lots of other colors to choose from in the line, which, FYI, is BOGO right now at Ulta. Available in 12 shades, $11.99 each.

Laura Mercier Blush in Chai: I love LM’s blushes for their pigment and smooth finish, and this matte rose is one of her prettiest and most natural-looking ones, IMHO. Available in 10 shades, $32 each.

The pandemic and the lockdowns have transformed me into something of a hermit, and I’m still freaked out a little (OK, a lot) about the thought of being among large groups of people, and like…doing things. LOL! I keep reminding myself that this too shall pass, and we’ll be able to do more things very soon. Like, I texted an old friend I used to work with at the bakery and asked her if she wanted to go on a hike in a couple weeks. I’m also starting to mentally psych myself up to go to an outdoor small-group HIIT class at the gym sometime in May!

Part of me still worries that we could backslide if the virus takes a different course, so I keep telling myself not to get too excited about returning to normal life right away…but another part of me also wants to be hopeful.

This past year has changed me so much, and I’m betting it’s changed you too.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen