Karen

Sometimes it’s fun to be theatrical.

“I’ve never seen this side of you before, Michelle, and it’s just not pretty.”

“Gah! Has everyone gone cray-cray? The girl’s a blogger, Kim, not a singer. She takes pictures and prattles on about makeup. That doesn’t qualify her for the stage. This is Dreamgirls, for Pete’s sake! We have standards here.”

“Wait — you know what I think? I think you’re just jealous, Michelle.”

“What? No! Kim –”

“Yes, I think that’s it. I think this is really all about you and that chubby cat, isn’t it?”

“Of course not!”

“It is! You’re lashing out because you lost the Fabulous Felines job to that cat, what was his name?–”

“Tabs.”

“Yes! Tabs. And now you’re taking it out on his girl…”

“No, that’s not it. You’re wrong, Kim.”

“Sure it is. I mean, you’ve always been a diva, Michelle, but this is low, even for you.”

“Oh, spare me, Kim! You’re not the one who lost the best modeling job of your life to a fat tabby cat, so spare me your righteous indignation. I don’t need it. Not from you. I would have gotten that MAC job if it weren’t for that stupid cat, so yeah, I don’t want his girl performing on my stage, and I’ll be damned if I stand by and let it happen. Over my dead body!”

Rise and shine, morning glory. 🙂 The road to Broadway is paved with makeup, ladies! I had such a blast watching Dreamgirls in the city yesterday. Now I feel invigorated and ready to take on the world!

LOL! Not really. Actually, I feel ready to take on a second cup of coffee, but you know what I mean.

So what are you up to today? Something fun, I hope. I don’t have any plans yet, which feels nice. I may go shopping for shoes at Marshalls… That’s always fun.

Here’s a brief look back at some of the makeup and beauty products we talked about this week. Let me know if you had a favorite among the bunch.

BOBBI BROWN
BLACK VELVET

Darth Vader: Bobbi, you do not yet realize your importance. You have only begun to discover your power. Join me, and I will complete your training. With our combined strength, we can end this destructive conflict and bring order to the galaxy.
Bobbi Brown: Speak to me.
Darth Vader: If you only knew the power of the Dark Side…

Actually, Bobbi does know the power of the Dark Side. She joined it this fall, but not in an evil empire kind of way (although I would totally buy a Vader lipstick!). Read more…

MAC FABULOUS FELINES
CAT EYE WITH A GOLDEN TWIST

Tabs has been bugging me to incorporate his MAC Leopard Luxe goodies into a look. It’s his favorite one of the Fabulous Felines color stories, and he’s been going on and on about its warm gold, brown, peach and black shades. Today he said of the colors, “Meow, mrow mrroww ft ft,” to which I think everyone agrees.

Just because a look utilizes neutrals doesn’t mean it has to be boring. Take the standard cat eye, for example. They’re often done with black liners or other dark neutrals, and today I tried mine with a twist — a shimmery golden liquid eyeliner along the lashline. I wanted to spice up the look with glitter without going full-on disco.

Beginning with a basic neutral cat eye using a few colors from the Leopard Luxe eyeshadow quad — shimmery golden beige Wild By Nature on my brow bone, shimmery peachy gold Style Predator on the lid and shimmery brown Notoriety in the crease — I then drew a cat eye shape with shiny black Superslick Liquid Eye Liner in On The Hunt along my upper and lower lashlines. Read more…

LORAC EVENING OUT
COMPLEXION KIT

I didn’t have a cubic inch of extra room in my bag when I packed for that trip to Reno a couple weeks ago, so instead of bringing my usual brigade of face products (tinted moisturizer, stick foundation, liquid foundation… Um, have I ever mentioned that I tend to overpack?), I lightened my load with LORAC’s new Evening Out Complexion Kit ($38).

The sleek gunmetal compact must have been made with on-the-go girl secret agents in mind because concealment is the name of this game.

The kit comes with a powder foundation, two cream concealers, a sponge applicator and a tiny Jane Bond-ian concealer brush. Read more…

MAC FABULOUS FELINES
RUSSIAN BLUE ON BROWN EYES

Vets say he’s an American Shorthair, the cat-chall breed for kitties of questionable lineage (the miscellaneous cat-egory of the kitty world, if you will).

And I’d always figured Tabs was cool with being called an American Shorthair, but ever since the arrival of MAC’s Fabulous Felines, I’ve been finding evidence to the contrary — posters of exotic purebreds on the wall, copies of Cat Fancy around the house, and his diary left open to a page in which he referred to himself as an “Egyptian Mau/Ragdoll/Toyger hybrid.” Read more…

HOURGLASS FILM
NOIR MASCARA

The alley grew darker the deeper she went, but she knew he came this way, the cat with the tabby fur.

She sped around a corner and almost tripped on something metal and loud, a trash can maybe. She didn’t stop. It was dark, so dark. Out of breath, her heart racing, she barely made out the silhouettes of two dogs playing cards under a fire escape before she passed them.

“Which way’d he go?” she barked, pivoting on three-inch heels.

No answer. Damn scamps. She didn’t stop, couldn’t stop, just kept running, arms flailing wildly in the dark.

“Hello!” she cried out, to nowhere, to everywhere, to him. “Please, wait!”

Still nothing. So she kept running, deeper into the night. He was here. She knew it, somewhere, the cat with the tabby fur. Read more…

BOOTS BOTANICAL
CONDITIONING CLAY MASK

My combination skin’s been acting up lately (annoying little pimples on my chin, clogged pores on my cheeks, dry patches around my nose… the usual crapalicious bullsh*t ), so last night I took it as a blogger’s blessing and decided to test oil-free Boots Botanics Conditioning Clay Mask ($9) for the first time.

Just shake (it sounds like canned soup!), slather and let dry for between 10-20 minutes before rinsing with warm water. The mineral-rich clay, which is harvested from the sea and combined with burdock root extract, contains a negative electrical charge that, according to Boots, draws the crud from pores without over-drying the skin.

I kept it on for a full 20 minutes before rinsing, breathing in the earthy scent and enjoying the tightening sensation. While it was on, I could actually SEE the product settling into my pores, too, hopefully working its magic. ‘Twas fascinating AND disgusting — both at the same time! Read more…

CHANEL INIMITABLE
INTENSE MASCARA

Sometimes “quick” describes something bad…

Like the blind date I went on some years ago with the Beatles-hating dude who confessed to listening to nothing but techno music 24/7. I grew up on a steady diet of John, Paul, George and Ringo, so when he dissed Blackbird five minutes into the evening, something inside me went, “OH, HELL NO!” I faked a headache halfway through my beer and hightailed it home.

And sometimes “quick” describes something good…

Like the new Chanel Inimitable Intense Mascara ($30, available in four shades), a new take on Chanel’s original Inimitable (a lengthening, curling, volumizing star!).

The O.G. version was born back in 2006. This new version 2.0 extends its predecessor’s double rainbow “all the way across the sky!” — with MORE lash drama on all fronts. Plus, because it works well even with a single layer, it’s also quick. Read more…

LORAC PRIVATE
AFFAIR PALETTE

For Christmas last year my little brother got our mom a Snuggie (“as seen on TV!”).

What’s a Snuggie? Well, if you’ve seen the late-night commercials, it’s the world famous blanket with sleeves (kinda looks like a reverse wizard’s cape), and my mum thinks it’s cooler than a young Paul McCartney in butt-hugger pants.

I talked a lot of crap about ‘em until the day I tried one on…

DANG, they’re unbelievably comfortable and soft.

Which reminds me of another “so soft!” moment I’ve had recently, this one with LORAC’s Private Affair Palette ($38). Read more…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen