Karen

Rise and shine, morning glory. 🙂 This morning I’ve got travel on the brain. Specifically, what was your best trip? Was it special because of where you went or what happened while you were there? Or maybe a little bit of both? If you’re hitting the road again this summer, it helps to be prepared in the beauty department. I hope these few posts can help.

Hmm… I use trip planning as an excuse to shop, and I bet I’m not the only one!

ECOTOOLS RETRACTABLE
KABUKI BRUSH

Doesn’t the Ecotools Recycled Retractable Kabuki Brush ($10) look like a secret spy weapon?

LOL! Or is that just me?

Okay, so it’s not a flame thrower or a pocket super computer, but the Retractable Kabuki exudes awesomeness in other ways. It’s built for travel, fitting snugly into my makeup bag.

I like the fat and fluffy brush head, too. It feels kinda like velvet against my skin and applies the perfect amount of powder (not too sheer or heavy!) for touch-ups.

It excels at applying powders or blush, but I bet it would also work as a foundation or creme blush brush. Read more…

3 SIMPLE TRAVEL
BEAUTY TIPS

As I rifled through the bag I’ve been living out of for the past week, I realized I learned quite a few things on this trip, some of them beauty-related. Most were born out of my bad habit of waiting until the last minute to pack.

What have I learned about summer vacations? No. 1 — Wet Ones Travel Packs to clean makeup brushes.

These are convenient no matter what kind of vacation you’re planning. In humid locales, brush heads used with moist products like concealers never completely dry out and become breeding grounds for mold and bacteria. I’m so glad I remembered to toss a few of these travel-sized anti-bacterial wipes into my makeup bag for the trip. The packaging didn’t take up lots of space, and I can clean all of my brushes with a single wipe. Read more…

PACK YOUR MAKEUP
FOR TRAVEL

If I’m checking in bags, the liquids in breakable bottles and small jars (like foundation) go into a large, clear plastic bag nestled securely (and cushioned by clothes) in the center of my check-in luggage. Sometimes I’ll even protect the bag in bubble wrap secured with extra large rubber bands. My powder products come with me in my carry-on bag.

I *always* carry my powder products — compacts and palettes — on the plane, storing them in a slim, rectangular-shaped makeup bag like this silver Trina Turk bag from a Clinique GWP. The shape works well for travel and even fits into a standard school backpack. Read more…

YOUR FAVORITE
TRAVEL BEAUTY TOOL

I never go anywhere without my MAC 266. It keeps me from venturing into The Land of Funky Brows. And then there’s my beloved Shu Uemura lash curler, but you probably know all about that, ha ha!

You guys left some great suggestions and idea starters in the comments on this post, like Jane’s idea about using Starbucks napkins as blotting papers: “brown napkins — like the ones from starbucks. absorbs the oil off my face better than those facial sheets. and their free and always plentiful!” Read more…

BURT’S BEES
COCONUT FOOT CREME

To all my ladies with naturally smooth, gorgeous feet, this post is NOT for you. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve still got mad love (and envy) for your photogenic tootsies, but the rest of us living in cracked heel hell, well, we’re the ones who need help.

After spending the winter ignoring everything around my ankles, I’ve ended up with two very cracked heels and a few square feet of scaly skin. My feet, as my eighth-grade self might describe them, look “hella gross,” and it’s time for action. I’ve started testing Burt’s Bees Coconut Foot Creme ($9 for a 4.34 oz. tube). I sure hope it helps me turn my tootsies around in time for sandal season. Read more…

YOU MUST CHOOSE
THE TRAVEL EDITION

You win a completely free vacation to the tropical location of your choice. Airfare, hotel, food, even souvenir spending money is covered (sweet!). There’s just one catch. When you travel to and from your destination, you have to wear a “special outfit” on the plane ride.

Your choices are…

Las Vegas show girl (complete with large feathered headdress), or full Scuba gear (with mask and flippers). YOU MUST CHOOSE! Read more…

MAC TRIP
AVAILABLE ONLINE

Hey, MAC-aholics. Remember MAC Trip from last year, and how frickin’ hard it was to track down? MAC released the collection of palettes, lip sets and brush kits as travel exclusives, and you could only find them at various airports and travel hubs around the world, not at MAC counters or stores.

It was pretty hit-or-miss, too, and I’m guessing more than a handful of MAC fiends nearly missed flights trying to hunt these babies down!

If you’ve been wanting to get your paws on MAC Trip, grab your credit card and do a little happy dance because MAC just launched the collection online. Read more…

Thursday already?

WOW! It’s like this week’s been on fast forward. The first half went by in a

What’s on your plate today? I’m heading into the city for an hour or so this morning (on my way out the door right now) to a NARS preview event, where I hope to hear about their upcoming products and collections. I’m bringing my notepad and camera, of course, but you never know about pictures at these things. Sometimes they won’t allow photography, so if you see my next post is from jail, you’ll know I tried to take pictures somewhere I shouldn’t have, ha!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen