Karen, Author at Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup - Page 1446 of 1879

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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, Aug. 9

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  1. Mood:

    2. I’m still waiting for my tea to kick in, but other than heavy eyelids I’m doing just fab. 🙂

  2. Do you ever fall asleep on public transportation?

    3. I haven’t lately because out here in the burbs I rely on my car to get around, but I did it often when I lived in San Francisco and spent half of my time on buses and trains. Zzzz…

  3. If you could wave a magic wand and instantly change one thing about your hair this morning, what would it be?

    4. I’d “disappear” the gray roots peeking through.

  4. Fragrance?

    5. For now, just Pacifica Malibu Lemon Blossom lotion on my hands.

  5. Your favorite childhood toy?

    6. My Strawberry Shortcake roller skates. They were white with red wheels and laces, and I loved ’em to pieces. I remember the day when I realized that they no longer fit my feet, and what a sad day it was…

  6. What’s the last thing that made you really, REALLY happy?

    7. The nap I took yesterday on the couch. MAN, it felt great! I swear, I could write sonnets about how much I love naps, ha ha!

  7. Do you wear a watch?

    8. Yes, but I’m not sure why. It’s not like it ever helps me get where I need to go on time. 🙂

  8. I’m loving…

    9. The salad bar at Whole Foods (aka Whole Paycheck), getting to bed early, my stretchy dark gray yoga pants, having a clean kitchen floor, and green tea.

  9. Outfit:

    10. Said stretchy gray yoga pants, a white tank top and a coral pink wrap sweater.

  10. Weekly goals:

    11. Write a list of positive affirmations every day, and post them someplace visible; read a few articles on time management; be kind whenever I critique myself; and use small treats as rewards whenever I’ve met a goal.

I usually cling to the last vestiges of every weekend, but last night I decided to just bite the bullet and look forward to Monday. To set the right tone for the week, I wrote brief lists of positive affirmations (I’m having a great day, I’m creative in my own way, I’m a good friend, etc.) on Post-It notes and put them around the house — on the mirrors, in my daily planner and on my computer screen (see above).

Speaking of kicking weeks off to good starts, do you have a minute to take the Monday Poll? If you’re new to MBB, the poll is just a quick way to touch base and to tune our mental motors.

All you do is copy the list below, and paste it with your answers in the comments. Easy, peasy. 🙂



1. Mood:
2. Do you ever fall asleep on public transportation?
3. If you could wave a magic wand and instantly change one thing about your hair this morning, what would it be?
4. Fragrance?
5. One of your favorite childhood toys?
6. Last thing that made you really, REALLY happy?
7. Do you wear a watch?
8. I’m loving…
9. Outfit:
10. Weekly goals:

Keep on truckin’, and let’s kick some serious @ss this week!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sunday Night Check-In and Pics of Some Upcoming Reviews

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Tabs chillin’ in his spa (notice the “Giant Pet Hair Roller” in the upper right corner, ha ha!)

Night, ladies. How was your Sunday? Since I was in that photography class most of the day, I didn’t think I’d have time for the open thread, but I did still want to check in and post a preview of some budget and luxury eyeshadows I plan to review this week.


Wet n Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Trios in Cool as a Cucumber (left) and On Cloud Nine (right), $3 each


Swatches of Cool as a Cucumber on NC35 skin
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Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 99

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Sundays with Tabs No. 99

While I was in the city at that photography class today, Tabs stayed home to work on his walk. He wants to ratchet up his modeling game — you know, make it more fierce. He queued up every old episode of America’s Next Top Model with Miss J. Alexander in it and watched closely for tips. 🙂

Can you believe it? This marks installment No. 99 of Sundays with Tabs. He’s been a fixture in the modeling industry here on the blog for more than two years, demanding lurvies and keeping me inspired.

I hope you enjoy spending time with Tabs as much as I do. He has BIG plans for next week’s No. 100, so please try to stop by if you can.

Have a great night!

Tabs for Smashbox Masquerade

Tabs for Boots No. 7 Fur Tint

Tabs for Dolce & Gabbana Sicilian Lace
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The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

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Makeup and Beauty Blog Weekly Roundup

Rise and shine, morning glory. 🙂 Time to get up (unless you’re sleeping in). I’ve got part two of that photography class today, so I’m gettin’ my breakfast on, doing a quick load of laundry and playing with Tabs for a few minutes before I go.

The class is focussed on what they call macro photography — closeup stuff like product shots and bees on flowers. Yesterday we practiced using a large studio light called a soft box. You’ve probably seen ’em before on shows like Project Runway, but a lot of bloggers are using them too. They’re tall lamps with a large rectangular shade that gives off a huge amount of diffused light, almost like having your own miniature sun in the room.

That reminds me, probably the two most helpful bits of photography advice I’ve ever come across are:

  1. Shoot with tons of light from multiple sources (i.e. have multiple table lamps, room lights and windows open). Having multiple sources of light or reflective surfaces to bounce light around the subject (like white walls, aluminum foil, mirrors, etc.) lessens the shadows that otherwise appear when a single light source is used.
  2. Tripod. Want to take crisp, sharp pictures? One word: tripod. No matter how steady I hold my camera, I can’t hold it as steady as a tripod, and camera shake = blur. Most point-and-shoot cameras have 2- or 10-second timers. Try using your camera’s self-timer with a tripod (here’s a great little one for small cameras), and literally bathe your subject in light.

Do you enjoy photography? It’s one of my favorite hobbies. Digital cameras sure have changed things, haven’t they? Just think — 10 years ago we were taking our film to Costco to have it developed!

Anywho, did you have any favorite products this week? I fell pretty hard for the Dolce & Gabbana Smooth Eyeshadow Quad in Nude…

Tarte Lock & Roll Creaseless Eyeshadow DuosTARTE LOCK & ROLL
CREASELESS EYESHADOW DUOS

Most of my college memories have faded into a fuzzy, frosty haze, but the chaotic mornings I spent rushing to get ready before early lectures remain fresh, fresh, fresh!

The drill was always the same: after rolling out of bed, I’d pull my hair into a ponytail, grab a pair of sunglasses, stuff my makeup bag into my backpack (hoping to get ready in the girl’s bathroom before class), and sprint to catch the bus.

If you foresee a similarly hectic schedule this fall, think about streamlining, and consider adding the Tarte Lock & Roll Creaseless Eyeshadow Duos ($17 each) to your beauty routine.

With a cream shadow base on one end and an eyeshadow rollerball on the other, the nine dual-tipped shimmery shadows work like magic wands in the hurried hands of someone in a rush. Read more…

Stila Backstage Eye PaletteSTILA BACKSTAGE
EYE PALETTE

Like the brightest stars on a crystal clear night, the shadows in the new Stila Backstage Eye Palette twinkle just a little brighter than every other fall product that crossed my path at Sephora yesterday.

Affordable ($28), and filled with fun colors, Backstage looks lovely in its pretty purple packaging.

Girls who like brights might love how intense these colors are and appreciate the thought that clearly went into picking the mix of shades.

Backstage’s frosty shadows sure love to shimmer in the light, and while I think frosts like these can be a lot of fun to play with, these particular ones aren’t the easiest shades to wear. They can be a little messy.

All six of these shadows feel noticeably loose and airy compared to other Stila shadows I’ve tried — like fluffy whipped cream as opposed to smooth cream cheese (yep, I’m hungry). Read more…

Dolce & Gabbana Sicilian Lace Smooth Eyeshadow Quad in NudeDOLCE & GABBANA
EYESHADOW QUAD IN NUDE

Dolce & Gabbana’s Sicilian Lace collection for fall 2010 doesn’t officially hit counters for a couple more weeks, but if you can’t/don’t want to wait that long, don’t. Feed your need for instant makeup gratification with the Smooth Eyeshadow Quad in Nude ($59).

Available now, the quad’s one of two permanent collection products being repromoted in Dolce & Gabbana’s upcoming six-piece fall release (the other being Shine Lipstick in Perfection).

Can I just say how much I this quad? We’re practically inseparable, all because of Nude’s four easy-to-wear eyeshadow shades. Read more…

Tarte Beauty in a BoxTARTE
BEAUTY IN A BOX

Wonder Twin powers, activate!

Tarte and Sephora recently did just that — activating their Wonder Twin makeup powers to form the new Beauty in a Box Bronze Smokey Eye Kit ($45).

The six-piece limited edition kit comes with products in bronze, nude and purple, with four full-size items (the Lock & Roll Creasless Cream Shadow and Loose Powder in Burnt Bronze, EmphasEYES Waterproof Clay Shadow/Liner in Plum, Rise & Shine Lip Gloss and Stain in Nude, and the Clean Slate Natural Face Primer) and two deluxe minis (Park Ave Princess Mineral Powder Bronzer; and Lights, Camera, Splashes Waterproof Mascara). Read more…

Wet N Wild Mega Last Lip ColorWET N WILD
MEGA LAST

These Wet n Wild Mega Last Lip Color lipsticks sure take me back…

The year: 1991. I’m a sophomore in high school. Kids are wearing tacky acid-washed overalls, and Color Me Badd reigns supreme.

My good friend Jen and I shared a lab table in biology class, and we’d start and end every class the same way, by applying our favorite Wet n Wild lippies.

Those first generation WNW lipsticks weren’t the greatest (my tummy churns just thinking about that faux rose scent and plastic flavor), but they were hella cheap, which was why we always had at least one tube stuffed into our Liz Claiborne bags.

That was a long time ago… A lot’s changed since then, but some things remain the same. Jen and I still wax philosophic about makeup and beauty (although now we do it by blog, e-mail or text), and Wet n Wild is still a viable drugstore makeup option for ladies looking to save a few bucks. Read more…

Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro Nail EnamelRIMMEL LASTING FINISH PRO
NAIL ENAMEL

Sometimes summer makes it hard to commit to fall makeup designed to conjure thoughts of autumn leaves, wool scarves and boots, despite the flourish of fall collections whispering sweet nothings in our ears (Chanel, Urban Decay, Dior!).

To all the beauty companies out there, I’m not quite ready to shift my makeup gears yet, so please bring on more summery brights!

Like these five new Lasting Finish nail shades from Rimmel…

The vibrant $4 colors hail from their 32-piece Lasting Finish Pro Nail Enamel line.

I think they’re notable for the colors, of course, and the wide applicator brush that covers most of the nail and thus speeds application. I also dig the thin, easy-to-apply texture. Read more…

YSL Touche EclatYSL TOUCHE ECLAT
RADIANT TOUCH

I’m chalking up my spur-of-the-moment decision to get $40 YSL Touche Eclat to temporary insanity.

I know a lot of women swear by the stuff — a versatile liquid face product (available in four shades) designed to work as a concealer, highlighter, eyeshadow base and even a lip primer — but when I tried it for the first time years ago, I wasn’t wowed.

“I’m older and wiser now,” I thought. “Maybe I should give it another try.”

Like Mulder from the X-Files, I REALLY wanted to believe. The product’s so popular that the company says they sell one every 20 seconds worldwide! Read more…

NARS Only You PaletteNARS ONLY YOU
AND BEAUTIFUL LIFE PALETTES

Do you suppose Francois Nars was bumping vintage Ace of Base when he named his new fall lip and cheek palette “Beautiful Life”?

I secretly hope so, because even though the song’s hella cheesy, I also think it’s kinda awesome.

The new NARS Beautiful Life Lip and Cheek ($55) and Only You Eye and Cheek ($65) palettes for fall, available now on the NARS website, are equally spectacular (but in a totally non-cheesy way). Read more…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Catching Up on Beauty Sleep

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Get your beauty sleep

I love to sleep in on the weekends (when Tabs lets me), and when I get a few extra hours of shuteye, I feel like a brand new girl!

But a recent study published in the journal Sleep suggests that getting a little extra rest on one of the weekend days, while helpful, may not fully make up for a week of inadequate sleep.

Behavioral, subjective and physiological measures of alertness improved significantly after a night of recovery sleep, with larger doses of sleep producing greater gains. Yet some neurobehavioral deficits continued to linger after the maximum recovery dose of 10 hours in bed, during which participants slept for an average of about nine hours. The study suggests that complete recovery from sustained sleep restriction may require even more sleep during one night or multiple nights of extended sleep. –source

The body’s circadian rhythm will probably prevent a lot of people from even getting much more than 8-10 hours in one fell swoop. A better recipe for catching up on sleep may be to shoot for an extra hour on both days of the weekend, as opposed to two extra hours just once.

Wha? More sleep is better than less? I know — it may not be particularly groundbreaking, but the research shows that recovery from a bout of bad sleep isn’t as simple as previously thought.

The effects of sleep depravation can be dramatic, so try to get some extra shuteye as often as you can. Not getting enough doesn’t just darken under-eye circles (GAH!), it also dramatically impairs alertness, attention span, and can even increase your risk of heart disease.

Zzzzz…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

What Are You Wearing on Your Nails?

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Sula Paint & Peel Polish in Watermelon with Sula Metallic Top Coat

Well, I was wearing Sula Paint & Peel Polish in Watermelon ($9) under Sula’s Metallic Top Coat until about 30 minutes into The Ghost Writer last night.

That’s when my mind started wandering.

“I wonder how easy it is to peel this stuff off…”

Pretty easy, apparently. 🙂

I don’t think I’m destined to use these paint and peel polishes. The urge to peel is just too strong!

What are you wearing on your nails today?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P. S. Oh, here’s what Watermelon looks like by herself (without a top coat):

Saturday Surfing

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Hey, homie. How was your evening? Did you do anything fun? El Hub and I stayed in and rented Roman Polanski’s The Ghost Writer, but I fell asleep about halfway through (it’s kinda sloooow).

Today I’m heading down to San Francisco for a photography class, and I’m hitting the road in a few, but before I go I’d love for us to catch a few waves together.

Grab your board! Come on, let’s go. 🙂


This song makes me hyper!

Enjoy your Saturday. I’ll see you in a few. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Have You Ever Used a Special Cream or Lotion to Lift, Firm or Smooth Specific Body Parts?

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Various creams and lotions for lifting, firming and smoothing specific body parts have been around for years (hello, Clarins Bust Beauty and Nivea Good-Bye Cellulite Cream), and while I doubt that any over-the-counter cream will make the dimples on my thighs disappear, I’m not against trying anything once. 🙂

I’ve been testing two new products lately, one from Nude and one from Lush: Nude Advanced Probiotic Skincare Smoothing Body Refiner ($70) and Lush Lovely Jubblies Breast Cream ($25).


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