I was sitting in bed reading Stephen King’s Under the Dome the other night when it hit me. No, not the book, silly. 🙂 It occurred to me that I should get a tattoo of Tabs.
Don’t ask me why, because the book doesn’t have anything to do with cats, tattoos or cat tattoos, but since Tabs is my kitty BFF, and he comforts me whenever I get scared (like when I’m reading a Stephen King book), it makes a kind of weird sense.
I don’t have any tattoos right now, but most of my friends have ’em. My brother’s covered in tats, but I haven’t gotten any mostly because 1) I’m not into pain, and 2) I’ve never really liked anything enough to permanently inscribe it on my body.
Except for Tabs (and maybe El Hub, but that’s just too cliche, LOL!).
I’m still mulling over the idea, and it’s not official yet. Knowing me I’ll probably chicken out. El Hub’s totally against it. He’s afraid a cat tattoo would only serve as a gateway tat, but not necessarily into more tattoos; he’s afraid my level of crazy cat lady-ness would escalate, and I can’t argue with that logic.
Since I’m about as fickle with makeup as I am with body art, I’m especially thankful for blockbuster sets like the new NYX Soho Glam Collection ($30).
(Yes, I know it took me an unusually long time to get around to the actual subject of this post. Sorry.)
Girls and guys who love experimenting with color just might love the massive variety of shades, textures, levels of pigment, and finishes (oh hai, shimmers, glitters and mattes!) in this limited edition palette of 54 eyeshadows — a few of them even double as face powders — four powder blushes, eight lipsticks, two glosses and one lip liner.
Released new for the holidays, Soho Glam covers a lot of makeup territory. Here are some quick observations on the palette…
- Eyeshadows — Although I had an easy time blending these shadows together, the color payoff varies wildly, with the mattes being more sheer than the shimmers and glitters. I wish NYX had gone with less gray on the neutral side, because for me it gets a little repetitive. But if you appreciate the nuances among the shades you might not mind. As for fallout, I experienced a bit with the shadows in the center of the palette, but in general these remained on my lids without any trouble.
- Blushes —All four of the blushes apply very sheer, and they’re particularly great for a naturally-flushed cheek look.
- Lip Products —Both the pan lipsticks and lip liner are unscented and unflavored (yea!), and I like the wide range of colors. I was a little nervous about the gloss in the tubes and expected them to have that gnarly NYX taste and scent, but thankfully they don’t.
NYX Soho Glam: Eyeshadow Swatches
NYX Soho Glam: Blush Swatches
NYX Soho Glam: Lipstick and Lipgloss Swatches
More Pics!
For a holiday palette, I think this one’s a lot of fun. It’s huge, which is nice, but it’s not so big that it gets unwieldy, like those palettes with hundreds of shades. There’s just enough color here to wet one’s whistle without being totally overwhelming.
PRICE: $30
AVAILABILITY: At select drugstores and nyxcosmetics.com
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A
El Hub’s Doppelganger!
I couldn’t find anything to watch on TV last night and ended up watching the finale of The Sing Off, the show with the live accapella groups. Have you seen it?
I’ve seen a couple episodes, but I haven’t really been impressed by the format. The singers are great, but it moves rather slowly, and then there’s the matter of Nick Lachey… I think he’s adorable when he’s singing and dancing (remember 98 Degrees?), but he seems a little stiff as a host (loosen up your buttons, baby!).
I don’t know… Maybe that’s just me (he sure is cute, though).
Speaking of 98 Degrees, have I ever mentioned that Jeff Timmons kinda looks like El Hub?
Years ago my friend Christine sent me this pic of him and the first thing that crossed my mind was, “Why does Christine have this goofy pic of El Hub?”
Man, the ’90s were so cheesy… I loved every minute. 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Cool palette… I can probably skip it, but I’ll definitely keep it in mind for gifting! I like how pigmented the lipsticks are.
Also, 6th grade me would be SO jealous you married a Jeff Timmons look-alike. I was so in love haha.
This would make a great gift. Maybe for a younger sis or a buddy just getting into makeup?
Apparently Jeff Timmons is still making music!
http://www.jefftimmons.com/
I am glad that the lipsticks/glosses don’t have the weird NYX taste and smell…fake cherry or whatever! 🙂
I was kinda nervous about trying them and had a makeup wipe on standby just in case. These are actually kinda pleasant! I’ve noticed that if I sniff REALLY deeply a wee bit of a plastic note comes through, but that’s probably due to my basset hound sense of smell, LOL!
I love the look you created with that palette! Every time I get a giant palette like that I create outrageous looks with it prior to hopping in the shower at the end of the day, just for the fun of doing something creative and wild. This has bit me in the butt a couple times when I decided to run an errand after futzing with the makeup but before the shower, having forgotten that I’m sporting glittery orange shadow wings from my eyes. The guys who work at the 7-11 probably call me “that crazy lady with the makeup” is all I’m sayin.
Many a time I’ve contemplated getting a tattoo of my first cat, who has been with me for 12 years now, and most of the time eventually find a way to convince myself that is a bad idea. Cast in point – I currently own 3 cats, the others will surely be jealous. 😉
Mind you, I also think that if I got a tattoo of anything, it’d *have* to be her, what else would I want to be with me for all time?
Hi Saffron,
See, I’m afraid of the same exact thing happening. One of these days Tabs might get a little sister or brother (or both!) kitty, and then what? I definitely wouldn’t want them to feel left out.
I remember reading a while back that you just adopted two cats. Was it hard for your oldest one to adjust?
My oldest had lived with other cats amicably in the past, altho it has been about 5 years for her. They still bicker after a month of slow introductions but it’s slowly getting better. It can be hard to introduce another cat if you’re used to lavishing attention on one cat because their social heirarchy might change the behavior of the first cat. Those changes are taking some getting used to for me – sometimes Flo doesn’t want to hang if she’s been bickering with the noob – but most of the time everything is pretty peaceable and everyone gets all the doting they need.
I’ve heard that the first few weeks can be tough. Tabs is a very alpha kitty, but I think it might be good for him to have a buddy. If we do get another cat I’m pretty sure the transitions going to be rough because he’s a spoiled brat!
Karen you look gorgeous as always!!
I think a tattoo is a great idea. I promised my daughter that next year for her 18th we’d both get tattoos. Not sure of what yet!
I saw the first show of The Sing Off-wasn’t impressed. Do you ever see during the TV writers strike they had a Choir Competition? Nick Lachey, Glady Knight, and two other singers were given choirs and they had to compete? It was really good-way better than this show. Nick’s choir won. They should bring that show back.
Hi Tracy,
Oh, you’re officially one of the coolest moms I know. Do you think you guys will do complementary or maybe matching designs? I just met a girl last week who shares the same tattoo with her mom and brother, which I thought was very sweet.
I never heard of that show but it sounds like it would be really interesting. I’m not surprised at all that Nick’s choir won! Homeboy can sing when he lets loose, LOL!
Hahaha thanks! 🙂 Not sure if they’ll be complimetary but I think we both want something Disney based. I’m letting her decide and design!
That’s right, she’s an artist. I wish I was talented enough to draw my own tattoo! Where do you think you’ll put it? I’ve decided that if I do ever get one it’s going on the back of my neck.
Karen, where do you get your nyx stuff? i know you’re in the sfbayarea, which drugstores carry it? i’ve been looking but can’t seem to find it. thx!
Hi Grace,
I’ve picked it up at the Longs in Mill Valley! Do you live near an Ulta? You might want to call them and ask if they have it in stock, because they carry the line too.
HI Karen,
I love your make up. It is always flawless. Might cnsider buying this pallettr frn NYX. I have For Your Eyes Only for brown eyes and I love the texture and colors. IMO, NYX has a lot of tempting pallettes. For $30, it is a bargain.
98 Degrrees…love ’em. Now that you said El Hub looks like Jeff Timmons，post one photo of him la….so that we can all see. Lol.
My fave song from them is it’s All Bcuz Of You. What bou yours?
Arum
Hi Arum,
I’m with on the NYX palettes. I think they’re particularly strong in the eyeshadow department. The variety of colors, the general quality, the price — it’s awesome!
And LOL re: El Hub and Jeff Timmons being separated at birth. I’d put a pic up of him but he’s shy!
As for my fave song, it’s a toss up between It’s All Because of You and She’s Out of My Life.
I think I’ll pass on this palette. I like the colors on the right side but the grays just seem kind of repetitive. plus, it’s not like I need more palettes, lol..
also, 98 degrees! memories!
NYX seems to really have a thing for grays! So many of their neutral palettes seem to lean heavily on them. I can appreciate all the different versions of them, but I’d rather have lots and lots of different browns, you know?
re: the cat tat – don’t do it!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol
LOL!!!
Those were El Hub’s exact words!
BTW, thank you for the chai tea latte recipe! 🙂
How’s your Tuesday been?
no problem!
my Tuesday’s been kinda icky 🙁 how’s your day? luckily I just have to get through work tomorrow and then I’m off until next Wednesday. I hope Tabs lets you have a few days off for the holidays so you can relax 🙂
Aw, sorry to hear your day was eh. Tomorrow’s a new one, right?
All in all my Tuesday hasn’t been too bad. I was a little worked up this morning but now I’m starting to mellow out.
Speaking of Tabs, right now he’s sitting on my lap right now watching the screen as I type this comment, LOL! He’s a taskmaster, that cat. If I’m lucky MAYBE I’ll get Christmas eve and day off. We’ll see. 😀
Awww he’s supervising! Give him a belly rub for me. My pup got a bath this evening and he put on his pitiful face for that. It was kinda funny!
Will do! I’ll throw in a squeeze for ya too.
Aww, I love a freshly washed pup-pup! My old man lab (RIP) loved taking baths…he could stay in water for hours!
Did you have to blow dry your doggie’s fur?
Wow I wish he loved baths! No blow drying here. We rub him down with towels and then laugh as he shakes and rubs his head ( with his butt in the air) all over the carpet. While snorting. I need to video this one day 🙂
Aww! How funny! Dogs are hilarious… I wish we had room for one. Tabs would probably not be down for that though.
What’s for dinner tonight? El Hub’s bringing me home a veggie Chipotle burrito (too lazy to cook).
Yeah I feel like it prolly wouldve been ok if you had a dog all along, but tabs seems way too spoiled to share the love at this point 🙂
I did frozen ravioli and garlic bread. Which is barely cooking, but oh well! I love pasta because it’s so easy!
This post reminded me that I bought some NYX stuff off hautelook, including some MAC lip conditioner impersonators. Have you ever tried these? I love ’em so far!
Do you guys have Safeway? They make the most delicious frozen portabello mushroom raviolis.
I haven’t tried the NYX Lip Conditioners! Are they in a pot like the MAC ones?
I contemplated getting a tattoo through my mid twenties and into my mid thirties. I think I have given up on the idea only because I plan on being old someday. I kept trying to picture my Grammy wiith a faded and saggy tattoo and it wasn’t too appealing. But, I still think about it to this day. I thought about getting my hubbie’s name in a tattoo, but then started noticing that everyone that I knew who had a tat of their significant other always ended up divorced! Call me superstitious. It’s so unfair that guys can rock tattooes when they are old, but it’s so much harder for women over 60 to do the same.
Love the NYX palette! I wonder if the shadow quality is the same as their singles? I noticed that their shadows in the trio palettes weren’t as pigmented as their singles.
I love finding doppelgangers! My husband looks like Fred Flintstone, but cuter. Who do people tell you that you look like?
I <3 Kate Williamson. LOL, "My husband looks like Fred Flintstone, but cuter." That is awesome! My mother-in-law tells my husband that he looks like Tom Cruise. But, even he says that that is a nice way to tell him that he is cute but has a big nose!
Aww! Remember Tom Cruise during the Top Gun years? I had a mad crush on him when I was eight!
OH gosh, I know! I’m sure there are couples out there who have their names tattooed on each other and are perfectly fine, but to me it seems like the relationship kiss of death!
I’ve thought at length of a strategic place to put a tattoo so that it doesn’t get too droopy, and the only place I could really think of was the back of the neck. That’s where I’d probably get one. Also, if I got tired of it, I wouldn’t have to be looking at it every day, ya know?
As for the palette, yes, most of the eyeshadows seem up to par with the singles. A few of them, like the very sheer mattes, were iffy, but overall the quality’s pretty solid.
Doppelgangers… oddly, I get Reese Witherspoon A LOT.
How about you?
Your makeup looks fantastic! Have you considered doing video tutorials? I would love to know which colors you used for this look. Also, what foundation/powder are you wearing? Your skin looks amazing! =)
Hi Jess,
I thought about doing them, and I might open up that door in the future… it’s mostly a time issue. I need more hours in the day and to clone myself so I can get more done, LOL!
As for the colors in this look, I started of with neutrals: I mixed the the matte brown shade at the end of the second row on the left (it looks similar to MAC Soft Brown) with the shimmery peach (fifth row, fourth from the left) and applied it all over the lid and in the crease. Then, I patted the shimmery violet from the brights side on the right (fifth row, third from left) on the inner lid and the darker violet next to it on the outer lid.
Next, I lined the top lash and water line with the black shadow from the center.
To finish, I applied the dark shimmery blue from the brights side (second row, fourth from right) along the lash and waterline, and then I lightly dusted the peach shade along the edge of the lash line to mellow it out just a touch and add glow. 🙂
As for powder and foundation, I’m wearing Laura Mercier Oil Free topped with MAC Prep+Prime.
Lemme know if you have any other questions!
Wow love his palette! Wat a great christmas gift
Glad you like this one!
Cool palette!
Hi Vonvon,
How’s your week going? Hope you had a good Tuesday!
sing off addict here! 🙂 the first three episodes were okay — last night though (finale) was too long drawn out and a bit boring. plus why oh why did ole nick have to sing? 😀
i was totally rooting for street corner symphony — amazing vocals. kinda bummed that they didnt win! :/
that NYX palette is pretty awesome – would make a perfect gift for someone … like myself! 😀
LOL, I kind of enjoyed that bit with ol’ Nick. You know who I really want to sing? Nicole, the judge! That girl has some pipes!
yep she does! she sang that night — “aint no mountain” — she was great! pretty hawt too! 🙂
I missed that part of the show (must’ve been making Tabs his gravy), boo!
I like her voice a lot. It doesn’t seem to get utilized enough when she does pop music, though… Did you know she’s from Hawaii?
Was that just a segue, or are you really thinking about a Tabs tattoo? 😀 When we decided not to treat Julia’s cancer, I decided I was going to have some professional portraits taken of her and me. I have one on our bookshelves where I see it every day. I’m so glad I did it. El Hub should be happy to spring for that if you were really considering a tattoo! 😀
BTW, if El Hub really looks like that, nice work. A cutie who comes with in-laws in Hawaii? Seriously?? You won the lottery, lady!
I actually really AM thinking about it!
I’ve been toying with the idea of getting a tattoo for a while now but haven’t been able to decide on what. A Tabs tattoo feels right! I seriously doubt it will happen but you never know.
And I’m really glad you have those pictures of Julia. 🙂 Tabs sends you kitty hugs and purrs across the internet universe…
So, the whole Jeff Timmons lookalike thing amuses me to no end. The cheesy boy band pictures of him from his 98 Degrees years bear a strong resemblance, LOL!
eyeshadows kinda looks all the same . blushes are really nice ^^ . what about lipstick/glosses scent / taste ?
Hi Ronja,
You can read all about it here:
https://www.makeupandbeautyblog.com/product-reviews/smell-ya-later-nyx-mega-shine-lip-gloss-in-beautiful/
ow, ive read . so the lipglosses are nice taste ? 🙂 i wonder which ones are good and which ones are bad taste . nyx has so many lipgloses
Ahh I loved 98 Degrees. I watched them live once and like a giggly teenager I sang along to Because of You. *Sigh* Those were the days. Nick Lachey used to be so hot. And Jeff..ahhh, wait I shouldn’t drool at him now that you mention he looks like your Hub. Not good 🙂
I think tattoos are cool – some people can work it – but at the same time I worry that if I got one I might regret it or when I get older, my skin loses its elasticity and I’d look like a rockstar grandma? It could happen :/ The other problem is that I have really sensitive skin and keeping it healthy is hard enough.
I don’t have any NYX stuff 🙁 Perhaps it’s time to open that door 🙂
I’m actually a bit bummed out as it’s gotten impossible to switch foundations in Norway. I’m stuck with MAC Studio Fix (which is causing a bit of breakouts) until I can find a line that actually has my shade. There are a lot of brown skinned people in Norway but the makeup stores don’t seem to carry any brown shades – even if they do they won’t don’t want to give out samples. I can’t splurge on a foundation without trying it out a few times. The MUA at Bobbi Brown said “I can put it on for you”.. as though she was granting me a wish. I don’t think wearing a foundation once is enough to know if it’s going to agree with your skin or not, right?
My friend Christine saw them in concert, too! She said she and her older sis were the only adults in the crowd, LOL!
I’ve thoroughly thought about the whole rockstar grandma thing, which is why I think I’d put it on the back of my neck. When the time comes, I can hide it with my hair or a scarf. I seriously doubt it will happen though… I’m really, REALLY not into pain.
So, that’s kind of annoying that they counters don’t make out samples. I mean, c’mon! That’s how you get people hooked on your product. I definitely think that with foundation you need to give it a few days for a test run. You want to see it in all sorts of different light sources, and you need to wait to find out of it breaks your skin out.
I love NYX cosmetics but I don’t know that a huge palette is something I need.
I hear ya. Do you have anybody in your life (like a makeup newbie or a younger cousin) who might like it? It could be a great gift.
It’s certainly colorful, and big. And it also looks great with your earrings! 🙂 I can sometimes be overwhelmed by an eyeshadow quad (what would I ever do with all these eyeshadows?!) so you can imagine my reaction to this much makeup in one place. 🙂 That said, I think it’s quite a bargain at $30!
Very cool about El Hub’s look-alike. Does he agree, or is he like “huh? That 90s boy band kid looks nothing like me”.
On the Cat Tat, I’m with you regarding tattoos in general. I have nothing against them but I know myself too well to get one. I can get very into something and think it’s the greatest ever, but I *always* move on. There will never be anything that I love enough to not regret in a year or two. No design, that is. Plus, I’d be asking for the topical novocaine every 6 seconds too. 🙂
That’s how I feel about the blockbuster palettes with over 100+ eyeshadow colors. I like variety, but at some point it gets really overwhelming.
I think El Hub once grudgingly admitted that he and JT share some common features, LOL!
GORGEOUS!
My childhood cat died almost two years ago now, and I’ve been KICKING myself ever since that I never got the tattoo I’d planned. I wanted to get a tattoo of her pawprint. It’s subtle, but still so meaningful, and it would have been perfect.
I might do this with my new kitten, because I had to do a lot for her when I adopted her.
I just bought this from Hautelook when they had their NYX sale, It arrived a broken powdery mess 🙁 Booo! I was so looking forward to this too!
Hey thanks Karen. Your review is awesome. It made me feel better as I already bought this palette for my sis in law… thanks hun