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A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict

Karen

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, March 28

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  • You might be wondering, “So what the heck is this Monday Poll thing anyway?”
    Well, it isn’t much of a poll. It’s more just a constantly evolving (devolving?), somewhat random list of questions I’ve been putting out to readers every Monday morning for the past three years, which I guess makes this somewhere around Vol. 163. I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.
  1. Mood:

    2. I feel great! I slept well last night and woke up this morning to sunshine streaming through the windows (after a week of heavy rains). I have a feeling today’s gonna be fantastic.

  2. One of your strengths?

    3. Perseverance, almost to a fault.

  3. Are you an optimist?

    4. I think so, but like most folks I have my glass-half-empty moments.

  4. Best piece of advice you ever received?

    5. You may never feel 100% ready for the things life throws at you.

  5. Makeup you never leave home without?

    6. A MAC Blot Pressed Powder Compact and at least one tube of lipgloss (usually MAC Nymphette).

  6. A fragrance you’re crushing on?

    7. Lately, Dolce & Gabbana L’eau The One.

  7. What are some common fears you aren’t afraid of?

    8. Spiders, hard work, and heights. But if I’m working up high on a ladder and see a spider on my arm, all bets are off! 🙂

  8. What’s one of your favorite beauty rituals?

    9. I really enjoy getting my hair done and being able to sit and read in the chair for a while.

  9. Eyes/lips/cheeks:

    10. I’m wearing stuff from the Jouer Train Case Kit today with a bit of Benefit and NYX thrown in for good measure — Jouer Powder Eyeshadow in Caramel, Jouer Eye Definer in Chocolat, Benefit Instant Brow and NYX Doll Eyes Mascara/Jouer Lip Definer in Rose Pale, Jouer Lipstick in Kiki and Jouer Lipgloss in Glisten/Jouer Powder Blush in Rose and Jouer Highlighter in Champage.

  10. Weekly goals:

    11. Run at least three times before Saturday, have a salad every day for either lunch or dinner, and remember to reward myself along the way for checking things off my to-do list.

G’morning and happy Monday, buddy. I hope you’re getting a taste of spring wherever you are. If you have a sec, let me know how you’re doing today in the Monday Poll.

  • To complete the Monday Poll, just copy the following list, and paste it with your answers in the comments.



1. Mood:
2. One of your strengths?
3. Are you an optimist?
4. Best piece of advice you ever received?
5. Makeup you never leave home without?
6. A fragrance you’re crushing on?
7. What are some common fears you aren’t afraid of?
8. What’s one of your favorite beauty rituals?
9. Eyes/lips/cheeks:
10. Weekly goals:

You have a great week, okay?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 132

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Dear Diary,

Lately, I’ve been thinking more and more about my next career moves. Being an international runway/print model’s been a great gig, but let’s be real — looks have a limited shelf life.

I suppose if I get really desperate I could always launch a celebrity fragrance, but seriously, that’s so played out. And, truth be told, I’d miss being in front of a live audience.

So, in an effort to prepare myself for the inevitable, I’ve been developing one of my hidden talents — singing.

I’ve been secretly taking voice lessons from Celine and Mariah, and last month I even did a 12-city tour of small clubs across the country. Nothing elaborate, just some jazz standards and a live three-piece cat band, but the performances were met with a lot of positive response.

Next month I’m heading into the studio to lay down some tracks. We’ll see where it goes. Shoot, if Gwyneth can do it…

I remain cautiously optimistic.

In other news, since it’s officially spring, I’ve decided to update my wardrobe.
[Continue reading…]

What Was the Last Face or Body Beauty Product You Finished?

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I’m talking “down to the last drops, squeezing the life out of the tube, banging the bottle against the side of the sink” finished. Mine was this now unfortunate tube of Pacifica Malibu Lemon Blossom Body Butter. Yes, I cut it in half to extract every last drop (my precious!).

How about you? What was the last face or body beauty product you finished?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

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Makeup and Beauty Blog Weekly Roundup

Rise and shine — yikes! It’s quarter to ten already? How’d that happen?

Well, good late morning anyway. 🙂 I started snapping pictures of Tabs after breakfast, and it appears that time has gotten away from me.

How’s your weekend been so far? I can’t recall having done anything spectacular with mine yet, but I did swing by a Barnes & Noble last night after dinner to read some magazines. That’s always fun. And I almost bought copies of the new French and Japanese versions of Vogue, but they were about $15 each (!) and shrink-wrapped, so I passed.

I know this isn’t beauty related, but I’m heartbroken about the Borders bankruptcy and bookstore closings announced here in the U.S. I found out this week that our store here in Marin is one of the ones on the chopping block. Dang, whenever a bookstore closes, I think a piece of the community it was in dies a little bit.

Of course, I’m guilty of contributing to its demise because I would often browse the store, only to leave and buy the books I found interesting from Amazon.com for less. But what can you do, right? Amazon was often 30-40% less expensive. That’s too significant a difference for me to overlook, even in support of something I really like.

Oh, well. C’est la vie…

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

Sonia Kashuk Beautiful Berries Lip Quad THE SONIA KASHUK BEAUTIFUL BERRIES LIP QUAD
IS A DRUGSTORE MYRRH-ACLE

If you’re in the mood for a weekend drugstore splurge/reward, what do ya think of Sonia Kashuk’s new Beautiful Berries Lip Quad ($12.99)?

It’s one of three in SK’s new spring collection, and it looks like a perfect pick-me-up to me.

The pigmented colors and sleek packaging first caught my eye — so cute, right? — but the interesting ingredients sealed the deal. Sonia added myrrh resin extract to supposedly reduce the signs of aging and the depth of wrinkles, and antioxidant-rich pomegranate fruit sterols to moisturize and protect against environmental damage (the juice has been shown to be good for the heart, so there may actually be some real benefits to its use here). Read more…

Suave Dry Shampoo SUAVE SAYS THEIR $3 DRY SHAMPOO
WORKS AS WELL AS $24 RENE FURTERER

I’ve been wearing my normally wavy hair straight lately and waiting a few days between washes to extend the life of my blowouts. To prevent my scalp from getting too funky with excess oil, I’ve been reaching for Rene Furterer Naturia Dry Shampoo, my fave dry shampoo, which also gives my roots a nice lift.

The problem: Naturia costs $24.

Ouch! Time to find a less expensive alternative…

And maybe I have. Suave Professional Dry Shampoo refreshes hair “as well as Rene Furterer” — at least that’s what it says on the side of the bottle. 🙂

Not even considering the fact that it only costs $3 (compared to $24?), the stuff is pretty good. Then when you DO consider the price, it’s downright amazing! First, there’s how fast it works. Read more…

Smashbox Sultry/Sweet Glambox THE SMASHBOX SULTRY/SWEET GLAMBOX TAKES
THE GUESSWORK OUT OF LOOKING GOOD

By the time I finished folding my laundry last weekend, there was a stack of 10 surf tees sitting on the bed. I don’t know when or how it happened, but it’s official — I have the wardrobe of a tween surfer boy.

It’s not that I wouldn’t like to wear other things. I just don’t like to spend the time and energy (read: I’m too lazy) it takes to put together comprehensive, fashion-forward looks. What I need is a wardrobe correction kit, a single set of pieces designed to create comprehensive looks, like a wardrobe version of the Smashbox Sultry/Sweet Glambox ($68). Read more…

Bite Beauty Define & Refine Lip Set LIKE SNICKERS, BITE BEAUTY DEFINE & REFINE
LIP SET REALLY SATISFIES

Sometimes you just need a quick snack to quiet the rumbling in your tummy, ya know? Not a full-on meal. Just a quick snack, like when Vampire Bill takes a sip from Sookie (Ha! I almost typed “Snookie”) while they’re “having relations.”

In a way, Bite Beauty’s new Define & Refine Lip Set ($36) is like a quick snack. You get to taste three full-size Bite lip products without having to pay full price. Purchased separately, they’d cost $68, or almost twice the price of the set.

I think Bite did a pretty good job picking the colors for this set. These are shades that should work well on a wide range of skin tones, and the overall quality, pigment and price make it a pretty great deal. If I could only recommend one thing from the Bite line so far, without a doubt, this would be it. Read more…

Milani Marbleized Baked Eyeshadow YOU’LL MARBLE AT MILANI’S
BAKED EYESHADOW COLLECTION

Remember when the first baked eyeshadows emerged hot and fresh out the beauty ovens way, way back in 2008? The big department store lines were popping them out faster than you can say, “I’ll take two red velvet cupcakes with extra frosting on the side.”

Three years later, the trend lives on! Budget versions of these sturdy baked beauties, which tend to resist water a little better than traditional shadows, have now made their way into drugstore makeup aisles.

And some of them work just as well as their pricier department store cousins. Take Milani’s Marbleized Baked Eyeshadows ($7.49 each), for instance. Read more…

MAC Quite Cute Collection MAC QUITE CUTE IS…
OH, THAT’S TOO OBVIOUS.

I wish I could hop into a time-traveling Delorean with the upcoming MAC Quite Cute collection and zoom back to 1984 (to when I was in 4th grade). Even though I wasn’t allowed to wear makeup back then, I would have done flips for these pastel treats for cheeks, nails, lips and eyes.

When I was a kid, I was crazy for anything and everything pastel. My favorite colors were mint green, lavender, peach and/or baby pink (not necessarily in that order). The colors of the MAC Quite Cute collection would have driven my 9-year-old self into fits! I probably would have locked myself in my room with it, loaded Duran Duran’s Notorious tape into my mint green Casio portable radio and danced around my purple painted room like an ’80s fairy princess.

Now in my thirties, I still have a deep and abiding love for pastels, and I felt the same familiar flutter in my tummy today when I saw Quite Cute up close for the very first time. Read more…

Make Up For Ever Uplight Highlighters THE GLITTER IN MAKE UP FOR EVER’S NEW HIGHLIGHTERS
MAKES ME WANT TO STAY UPLIGHT

Rarely does my bizarre memory for cheesy pop music lyrics come in as handy as it did today. While marveling at the explosion of pigment and glitter on my cheeks from two of the eight new Make Up For Ever Uplight ($28) highlighters, I sang along to a MUFE version of Billy Joel’s Uptown Girl.

“Uplight girl! She’s been living in her uplight world!”

Okay, so I’m way too easily amused. But I do think these multitasking, oil-free illuminators are well worth singing about. Maybe because they’re mostly water (70%), these gel highlighters feel almost weightless, and it’s like they melt right into my skin.

NARS released a similar product earlier this spring called the Illuminators. While I think both those and these are great, MUFE gave the Uplights a fluffier, airier texture that I find easier to blend. And from the colors I’ve seen so far, the Uplights also appear to pack much more pigment. For a subtle tint, I might opt for a NARS Illuminator, but I’d reach for an Uplight if I wanted bolder colors with intense glitter and shine. Read more…

Sonia Kashuk Spring Awakening Palette SPRING’S AWAKENING WITH SONIA KASHUK’S
LATEST LIMITED EDITION MAKEUP PALETTE

Now that it’s spring here in the northern hemisphere, Tabs has been getting up early to perch up high on his cat tower by the windows and watch the birds outside.

On our walk around the neighborhood today, we saw that the branches of one of our favorite trees, which sits at the bottom of our hill, are now dressed in coat of beautiful pink blooms.

My spring allergies are already kicking in (thank goodness for Zyrtec!), but I wouldn’t trade this time of year for anything. Early spring is like getting a post card from a friend who’s coming to visit. You know there’s something fun right around the corner, but you’re not quite there yet. You know that if if you can be patient a little longer, the fun will start soon enough. Read more…

MAC Bronze Everyday CollectionMAC BRONZE EVERYDAY COLLECTION
THE SUN NEVER SETS WHEN IT’S MAC BRONZE EVERYDAY

Well look who’s just in time for sundresses. 🙂 Hey there, MAC. Wait — let me bare my shoulders before we go outside…

Come April 7, babes, the bronze will be on — North American MAC counters, that is (internationally some time in April). That’s when the new MAC Bronze Everyday collection beams down.

The release features a mix of old and new MAC bronzing items for face and body. Expect to see repromoted favorites like the Skinsheen Leg Sprays and Lustre Drops alongside new products like Mineralize Skinfinish Natural and the Mineralize Skinfinish Bronzing Powders.

If you miss the release, don’t despair. MAC plans to add everything here to their permanent line. Read more…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sonia Kashuk Super Shimmering Highlighter: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

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sonia kashuk super shimmering highlighter

So maybe you’re craving one of the new liquid highlighters from NARS or Make Up For Ever but aren’t feeling the $28-30 price. If you’re in bargain beauty mode and want a similar look for less, check out the new $9.99 Sonia Kashuk Super Sheer Shimmering Highlighter on your next trip to Target.

Available in a single warm peachy gold, it’s a shimmery liquid highlighter designed to be worn either alone or mixed with foundation or lotion to give your skin a subtle twinkle like sunset light on sand. I’d characterize the level of pigment as half way between the super sheer NARS Illuminators and the crazy pigmented Make Up For Ever Uplights.

And oh, the glitter! The flecks are so deliriously fine and tiny that even though it’s been cold and rainy here, I’ve been mixing a few pumps into my body lotion and applying it to my arms. When the light hits my skin just right, I look like a little brown angel. 🙂

sonia kashuk super shimmering highlighter
[Continue reading…]

Get the Most from Your Hair Color

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Sam

Written by Sam

Don’t settle for caramel when you wanted toffee brown. Get the hair color you wanted (and the color you deserve) with help from today’s guest post from Sam.

How to get the most from your hair color

Are you ready to turn that bottle blonde to a defiant brown? Or does that daring platinum call your name? When you and your hair are ready for a new shade, you’ll want your choice to last.

After a color change, it’s easy to get frustrated when once vibrant, glowing tones turn dull and fade, but with a few simple steps and perhaps changes to your routine, you can put off your next visit to your stylist for three weeks or more.

Watch out for these hair bears that can take your locks from VA-VA-VOOM! to boring in no time flat.

It’s repeated ad nauseum, but that’s because it’s true: the wrong shampoo and conditioner can wreak havoc on hair. Just like you wouldn’t give a moisturizer with mineral oil to someone with oily skin, you shouldn’t use sulfate-rich shampoos and conditioners on color-treated hair.

Sulphates are rather harsh surfactants (they’re one of the things that make shampoos lather) which strip product and oil from hair. And they can also do the same to color. Shampoos and conditioners formulated for color-treated hair have much lower levels of gentler sulphates (while many also contain natural cleansers to supplement this) that are better for daily use.

If you prefer not to use any heavy products on your hair at all, look for sulphate-free shampoos; they’ll preserve color even longer, but they may not be able to tackle product buildup (and don’t expect a foaming lather).

Styling products work by coating each strand of hair, and as many contain chemicals and oils, merely rinsing in water might not remove them. Products built up over time can leave your locks dull and limp. That’s where a clarifying shampoo comes in.

Normal clarifying shampoos are basically like dish soap. They contain extreme levels of sulphates and harsh stripping agents that can literally make color-treated hair ashen. Higher end companies and beauty supply stores, however, stock clarifying shampoos and treatments for more delicate hair. They rely on strong, natural extracts and oils (grapefruit being the most common) to gently dissolve buildup while nourishing the hair and smoothing the cuticle.

If you use shine products, keep in mind that silicones, while temporarily good for giving hair a mirror-like reflection and for smoothing frizz, can build up quickly over time, coating the cuticle, and making hair heavy, flat, and lusterless.

The sun is a fickle mistress, huh? It can burn our skin, yellow our nails, and now it can dull our hair, too? Well, yup. UV rays are extremely damaging to colored hair (especially to darker shades), leaching the life out of locks and making strands brittle and dry. But it’s easy to remedy with a leave-in treatment or spray containing UV-protection (basically, sunblock for your hair!). Many companies are now formulating UV-protecting shampoos and conditioners; however, if you spend much time outside, they shouldn’t be your hair’s only defense.

Heat styling and volumizing products both do some of the same things. They open the cuticle and make hair porous. Heat does it by making the hair cuticle expand; volumizing products do it by forcing open the cuticle and making strands appear thicker. Both of them allow color to escape.

Look for volumizing products manufactured for color-treated hair, which work by lightly coating the strands instead of expanding them.

Just by washing your hair in hot water, the cuticle can open enough for even mild sulphates in color-protecting shampoos to reach and strip away the molecules of color within the hair shaft. To stop it, rinse your hair in the coldest water you can tolerate (step out of the water stream and just dunk your hair under). Doing this with icy water will leave an incredible natural shine on hair as it seals in moisture and smooths the cuticle completely (and it tames frizz at the same time!).

Then, when blow-drying, aim the nozzle down the shaft to avoid damaging the cuticle, and blast hair with the cold setting once it’s bone-dry.
[Continue reading…]

Two Ways to Win a $50 eGift Card from Sephora!

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  • WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is sqrrlchik! Congratulations, sqrrlchik! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

Win a $50 Sephora eGift card from Makeup and Beauty Blog

When he comes home from work in the afternoons, takes off his jacket and shoes and walks over to me for a kiss, I see his eyes smile the moment I say, “Hi, sweetie.”

That’s one of the things I — that I know El Hub loves the sound of my voice because I can see it in his eyes.

Good morning, young lady. Is it raining where you are? Here we are again, another Saturday morning. I think we’re the first ones up. It’s very gray and wet outside, like winter’s trying to make a comeback. Through the windows I can see the branches of an old oak tree reflecting in puddles of water on the railing of the back deck, but I feel safe and warm inside the house. It’s almost 7:30 a.m. El Hub is still in bed upstairs, but Tabs is here in the living room with me. He followed me down when I got up but then went straight to the top of his cat tower by the window and now looks like he went back to sleep.

Do you have any plans yet for today? Sometimes I feel strange writing about my mornings when I know that for you it might already be afternoon. Maybe you live in Paris where it’s 3:30 p.m. right now, and you’re a little sleepy and thinking about taking a nap. I should be asking you how your day went.

So how was your day? 🙂

One great thing about blog time is that it doesn’t really matter what time the clock says it is. Right now is right now for us all, and no matter what it’s still…

A Makeup and Beauty Blog Giveaway!

Win a $50 eGift card from Sephora

  • One (1) Sephora eGift card containing $50 sent to the winner by email (or $50 sent by PayPal instead).

  • There are two ways to enter, and you can do both of them for two chances to win. First, you can enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, a comment about anything at all, like, where are you right now at this very moment? What was the last drugstore beauty product you bought? What was the best gift you ever received? What was the best gift you ever gave to someone else? — you get the idea.
  • Second, you can enter by following me on twitter Twitter @karenmbb and retweeting (RT) the following message:
    • Follow @karenmbb and RT to Win a $50 eGift Card from Sephora! http://bit.ly/h6g8ST

  • The deadline to enter is Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 11:59PM (PT).
  • Entrants must enter using a valid email address and/or Twitter account to win.
  • A maximum of two (2) entries per person — one within the comments at the bottom of this post, and a second entry via Twitter addressed to me @karenmbb.
  • Contest is open to individuals of any country who have reached the age of majority according to their local laws (18 in the United States with these exceptions: Alabama and Nebraska, 19; Mississippi, 21).
  • Sephora eGift Certificates can only be redeemed online and are not valid in stores or available for purchase or redemption in Canada. The winner may opt to substitute the Sephora eGift card prize for $50 sent directly to their email address by PayPal.
  • Tabs and I (heretofore referred to as “T-Money and K-Dawg”) will select one (1) winner at random from the entries either left in the comments at the bottom of this blog post or addressed to @karenmbb on Twitter.
  • The winner will be announced here within 48 hours of the deadline.
  • Void where prohibited by law.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

  • WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is sqrrlchik! Congratulations, sqrrlchik! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

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