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Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup

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

Karen

Grab a Snack in the Open Thread

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Howzit, ladies? I just got back from a Memorial Day picnic with my neighbors. A few families in our circle got together to fire up the barbeques, chill and hang out. It was basically four hours of eating, sitting and chatting in the sun (yes, I wore sunscreen). We stocked the spread with ribs, hot dogs, hamburgers, macaroni salad, chips, cupcakes… somebody even made homemade ice cream in all sorts of unusual flavors like red wine, raspberry and jabanero. I’m stuffed beyond belief!

Maybe the open thread can take my mind off my stretchy pants, heh.

The open thread is kinda like a chat session in the comments. We talk about makeup, movies, books and ask (as well as answer) questions. Or, you can just pop in and say wassssup.

A few questions to start the party:

  • What dish do you usually bring to potlucks?
  • Do you have any brothers or sisters, and are you the oldest, youngest or middle kid?
  • What’s one of your pet peeves?

Talk to you soon. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 89

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Your Makeup and Beauty Blog Horoscope
Disclaimer: Tabs is NOT a certified astrologer…but he does read Susan Miller, a lot.

June 2010

Aries (March 21-April 19)
Keep your heart open around June 14, when Venus enters Leo and your fifth house of romance. Admiring eyes will be on you! — so be prepared. Keep that pucker primed for sudden kisses with a moisturizing lip balm or tint.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)
The alignments of Venus and Jupiter around the middle of the month will make it time to toot your own horn. In your professional life, don’t be too shy to highlight some of your skills and accomplishments. This potential for self-promotion and/or pleasure will peak on June 15, so pay extra attention to your makeup, hair and clothes.

Gemini (May 21-June20)
With Mercury visiting Gemini from June 10-25, expect the pace of your life to pick up. You’ll have a lot on your plate, so look for ways to simplify and streamline your hair and makeup; yes, you’ll be busy, but you’ll still want to look great.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)
When Venus dances into Leo on June 14, invest in yourself with some overdue pampering. Boost your confidence and clear your thoughts with a massage or a trip to a spa. Go alone or with girlfriends, and treat yourself to a sassy new outfit while you’re at it.

Leo (July 23-August 22)
Pack your favorite travel beauty bits as Jupiter bounds into Aries from June 6-8. Stay sharp; an opportunity to travel and advance your education will arise.

Virgo (August 23-September 22)
Stock up on your at-home spa indulgences (try a new hair mask or body scrub), a few chick flicks and your favorite beauty mags, because with Venus chilling in your twelfth house of Privacy through June 14, you’ll need the extra time to relax at home away from social obligations.

Libra (September 23-October 22)
Your creativity will explode on June 5, so let your imagination run wild; dust off your makeup brushes (or get some new ones), and prop yourself in front of a mirror. Test some new eyeshadow combinations you’ve been meaning to try.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21)
Friends will come calling shortly after June 14, when your social life kicks into high gear (peaking around June 22). Be ready and willing to try a fun makeup look, and plan for a night on the town!

Sagitarius (November 22-December 21)
You’ll feel a boost of energy around June 14, and you’ll be hard to stop. You’ll need some long-wearing makeup — particularly eyeshadows, waterproof mascara and a good primer — that can keep up with you. Cut back on caffeine and other stimulants, if you can; otherwise, you risk transforming your healthy energy into the nervous kind.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)
Wear a flower in your hair, buy a new pink gloss, or wear an outfit that makes you feel great, as love has its eye on you early this month. Smile when others smile back, and be open to the idea of a new romance.

Aquarius (January 20-February 18)
Money may become a minor issue late in the month (after June 22), so consider buying your monthly beauty supplies sooner rather than later, just in case. You may even find some great deals.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)
Wear your favorite office makeup look, and dress for success around June 7; a creative idea could spark your career or a personal project.

May the stars be with you,

P.S. Tabs is a gemini. What sign are you? 🙂

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

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Makeup and Beauty Blog Weekly Roundup

Makeup
Beauty

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Illamasqua Intense Lipgloss in Move: A Fun Alternative to Pink

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Where do girls who have a hankering for bold, full-coverage glosses go? Well, to Illasmasqua, of course! Their full-coverage Intense Lipglosses dress lips in some of the most opaque, intense colors in the beauty biz.

Last year I fell in love with bright pink Frenzy, but these days I’m all about Move, a creamy purple.

As much as I love pink glosses, there are always those days when I feel like shaking things up, and that’s why I like Move. I think it adds a fresh twist to eye looks featuring blues, purples and grays.

One of nine colors in the Illamasqua Intense Lipgloss line ($19, available at Sephora), Move is thick but not sticky, and it wears for about six hours on me if I’m careful. It can be a little drying, however, so I slather on a rich lip balm before I hit the haaay at night if I’ve worn Move during the day (to counteract the effect).
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MAC Venomous Villains Tribute: How to Draw Tabs in the Disney Style

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Tabs for MAC Venomous Villains

I guess dreams really do come true. The upcoming MAC Venomous Villains collection has me in such a tizzy that I’ve been drawing all morning long! A MAC Cosmetics/Disney collaboration? Um, are you kidding me!? Talk about a recipe for greatness.

Speaking of recipes, here’s one for today — a tutorial on how to draw Tabs in the Disney style (or as close as I can come to it). It’s his tribute to MAC Venomous Villains. 🙂

UPDATE, 8-15-2010: For the inside scoop on the MAC Venomous Villains collection, check out MAC Venomous Villains: 101 Things You Didn’t Know

Have fun! If you decide to give it a try, go on and send me a picture of your artwork so I can show it to Tabs.

Step 1

Simple is the name of the game here. Are you ready? Grab your favorite pen or pencil, and start by drawing one big circle for Tabs’ head, adding in the facial guidelines after that. Next, draw a line for his neck and two more circle shapes for his chest and his bottom. Finish the step with the remaining lines for his legs and tail.

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Saturday Surfing

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Rise and shine, morning glory! It’s a beautiful day today, or at least I hope it is where you are. How did you sleep?

Last night Tabs rented Invictus on iTunes, the rugby film with Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman, so we watched that. I liked it, particularly this one scene where Matt takes off his — wait. I don’t want to spoil it for you. 🙂

I don’t feel properly caffeinated yet, but I think I’m ready for a little Saturday Surfing if you are. You may have to help me paddle out (please!)…

What’s new in beauty?

  • The Balm has a new concealer, REJOICE!
    Zap zits and get a flawless face with new Liquid timeBalm ($20) spot treatment concealer to cover redness, smooth imperfections and soothe blemished skin; available in Light, Light/Medium and Medium.
  • Oh, just brighten up…with Illamasqua Gleam Cream
    Mix Illamasqua Gleam Cream ($36), a lightweight and shimmery highlighter, with your favorite foundation or lotion for an instant skin brightening effect.

  • It’s the dance of the Fresh Sugar Plum fairy!
    Fresh’s new Sugar Plum Lip Treatment SPF 15 ($23) is supposed to moisturize, repair and protect lips while adding a deep plum tint.
  • Show those dark circles who’s boss
    Designed to help conceal the most intense dark circles, Laura Mercier’s Under Eye Perfector ($22) comes in two shades — Orange/Yellow to cancel purple/gray dark circles in olive-to-deep skin tones and Mauve/Rose to cancel pink/purple circles on fair-to-medium beauties.
  • Think pink!
    Isn’t this pink Sedu Revolution Styling Iron ($159) adorable? I’m very happy with the Sedu I use to flat iron my wavy locks. Too bad mine isn’t pink, though!
  • Did James Cameron direct this?
    I’m dying to smell the new Bath & Body Works Deep Aqua scent (products range from $3-14). It lists notes of melon, daffodil, violet, daisy and hydrangea. And, hello! — is that Helvetica Neue Ultra Light on the packaging?
  • Would you pay $105 for foundation?
    For that kind of money, By Terry’s new Or de Rose Teing Supreme Foundation sure better lift, smooth and anti-age like there’s no tomorrow (available in Beige, Rosy, Amber, Sand and Sienna)!
  • Easy, BIG FELLA!
    Urban Decay’s Big Fatty Double Hitter Mascara Duo ($29) adds POW! to your lashes with tubes of regular and waterproof volumizing mascaras.

Other random fun facts…

They’re starting ’em so young these days…

Kind of long but interesting. This might make a good “9 Things” topic, yes?

A beautiful take on my favorite Beatles song

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

BB Couture for Regular Guys…and Girls!

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Written by Kelly

Today my girl Kelly of the fantastic Vampy Varnish blog shares the 411 on the new BB Couture Regular Guys nail polish collection.

If you haven’t yet heard of BB Couture nail polish then listen up! The brand hasn’t been around very long but already has an amazing and ever growing array of beautiful and strange colors. If you’re a fan of green nail polishes, in particular, then you might want to strap down your credit card, because they have tons of greens, all unique and gorgeous.

Today’s review looks at one of the collections in their “For Men” line called Regular Guys. Now, just because these are marketed toward men doesn’t mean women can’t wear them! In fact, I don’t know a single man who’d wear nail polish, but that doesn’t mean they don’t. Honestly, I don’t care who these are marketed toward because of how pretty I think they are.

The formula for these, like most of BB Couture’s other colors, is spectacular. It’s smooth, flows nicely and applies quite opaque. BB Couture uses a special “4-in-1 formula”, in which they’ve already added base and top coats to each color, so you don’t need to apply them separately.

You’re supposed to be able to just paint the color on and go, but I still use extra base and top coats, though, just because it’s in my nature, and I feel it helps make my manicures last longer.

Blue Collar, a periwinkle blue with pink shimmer, is right up my alley. Periwinkle happens to be one of my favorite colors for nail polish. What I like about this one? — it isn’t a plain ‘ole crème color; the shimmer makes it special. This was two coats:

Golf Pro, a muted medium dusty green with light blue and green shimmer, also has black flecks of glitter, which are kind of a BB Couture specialty. They add black glitter flecks to a lot of their polishes, and they really are the only ones who do it. I think it gives their colors extra dimension. I love Golf Pro. It’s so unique, flattering and very opaque. This was two coats:


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Rimmel Glam Eyes Mono Eyeshadow: The $4 Drugstore Blending Queen

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rimmel glam eyes mono eyeshadow review

Society accepts when one purposefully resembles a rodeo clown (hey, those clowns know how to WORK!), but when it’s accidental, well, that’s another story.

If past encounters with intensely pigmented eyeshadows left you looking more Krusty than cute, then Rimmel Glam Eyes Mono Eyeshadow ($4) might be your new BFF.

Released with the company’s spring collection and available in drugstores now, these six powder eyeshadows in color-rich shades blend so surprisingly well that I’m betting even eyeshadow neophytes could make them work.


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