Karen, Author at Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup - Page 1645 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

Green Means Go: Tarte Green Siren Cheek Stain

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I suppose I could drop and do pushups to wake myself up. Then again, Tarte’s new limited edition Green Siren Cheek Stain ($30) works much faster and requires significantly less effort.

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Weightless and blendable, this shimmery golden peach cheek stain (Tarte says it’s 100% natural) delivers dewy flushes in a flash. Just a dab on the apples of my cheeks, a little blending, and 10 seconds later I’ve got a post-workout glow sans the perspiration.

I’ve worn it on bare skin and also tried it above my foundation and powder. No matter what, I think it’s always looked fab.

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For my time-stapped girls who love quick, natural cheek looks, Tarte’s got a great option for fall. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B+

Where’d the summer go?

Happy hump day, chicas. We’re half way through the week, huzzah!

It hit me today that summer is just about over… Can you believe it?!

I can handle the boots, cozy sweaters and rich colors that come with fall, but I’m nowhere near ready for a return to the cold.

How do you feel about fall? Are you starting a new semester in school or getting ready to send the kids back to class?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Random Acts of Beauty: 7 Things (Beauty or Otherwise) Currently Rockin’ My World

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1. D&G Fragrance Anthology

Oui, oui, I’ll be loving you forever, Coco, but a big hunk of my heart now belongs to Dolce & Gabbana.

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I wore Light Blue on my wedding day, and Sicily scented my skin for years.

This fall, I plan to fashion more D&G memories thanks to their new Fragrance Anthology.

Each of the five complex eau de toilettes smells naturally lush — not synthetic or artificial — and lingers for hours on my skin.

My favorites are 18 La Lune (a white floral with notes of apple, lily, tuberose and musk) and 10 La Roue De La Fortune (a green floral with pink pepper, gardenia, jasmine and vanilla). I think both smell totally femme and just plain pretty.

To buy: Sephora, $65 each

2. Long, side-swept bangs

They cover forehead zits and bald eyebrow patches — ’nuff said. For soft, flexible hold and shine, I smooth mine down with a pinch of Bumble & Bumble Brilliantine.

To buy: Bumble & Bumble, $20

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3. Huey Lewis and the News

I’ve been rocking out to Do You Believe in Love since Sunday, and dagnabbit I’m not ashamed!

Huey and his homeboys cranked out dozens of karaoke-worthy tunes in the ’80s.

Join me for this brief trip back to a time when the saxophone solo reigned supreme. 🙂

To buy: Greatest Hits CD, Amazon, $14

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4. Nimbus Microfine Toothbrush

The pimp daddy of all toothbrushes! My dentist gave me one of these bad boys last week and I’m hooked.

The ultra-soft brush head has alternating rows of bristles with different heights. The long ones help it wiggle into those hard-to-reach nether regions between teeth. Brushing my sensitive teeth and gums with it is kinda like brushing with a big fluffy cloud (ha, nimbus clouds, get it?!).

If you brush and floss like you mean business, mamacita, give the nimbus a try.

To buy: Nimbus, $10 for a pack of five

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5. Mozzarella and heirloom tomato salad

So effortless, so yummy, so very last days of summer… It’s my new favorite meal for when I’m too hot or lazy to cook.

To buy: Head to your local grocery store or farmers market to get your ingredients, and prepare it at home (the recipe)

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6. Zoya Color-Lock System

Zoya makes it easy to get durable, chip-free manis and pedis with this fantabulous six-piece kit.

Nail polish remover, base coat, nail strengthener, top coat — all the essentials for a salon-quality manicure — and the numbers on the bottles totally fool proof my process.

To buy: Zoya, $48

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7. Yogi Kava Stress Relief Herbal Tea

I’ve been a crazy stress case lately because of that condo sitch (yup, it’s still up in the air), but this caffeine-free tea has definitely helped. It’s probably the best stress relief tea I’ve ever tried.

It contains Kava, a root native to the South Pacific and used by islanders for centuries to calm the body and soothe the mind, and tastes like cinnamon and chicory. I like to add a little milk and sugar.

To buy: Vitamin Shoppe, $4

What are some things currently rocking your world (beauty or otherwise)?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Lip Look: Plum Diggity with MAC Make-Up Art Cosmetics

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With flash

G’morning, ladies!

I was in a plummy mood last night, so while I sat on the couch watching The Closer season finale on Tivo (sidenote: ’twas sooo good!), I played with some of the plum-diggity lip colors from the MAC Make-Up Art Cosmetics collection.

This shiny golden plum lip look comes courtesy of Hold The Pose Lustre Lipstick and On Display Lipglass layered on top of Beurre Cremestick Liner.

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Without flash

I think she’ll look really pretty with a wash of shimmery taupe over the eyelid (Satin Taupe, maybe?) and some thick black cat eyeliner from Lorac! 🙂

What would you pair with this lip look?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. I saw that that Benefit now has a new loose matte powder called Matterial Girl ($24, online only for now).

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I’m a total loose powder fiend!

Liquid Liner Made Easy with Lorac Front of the Line Pro

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Because cat eyes aren’t just for kittehs

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In the 15-year battle of Karen versus liquid eyeliner, I’ve never been able to prevail.

This fall victory is finally mine, *mwwwahahahaaa*!

Gone are the days of uneven, messy, Shakes the Clown lines, and I owe it all to the bad-assness that is Lorac’s Front of the Line Pro ($22).

Drawing crisp, dark, dramatic lines is easy-peasy with this liquid pen liner.

The genius lies in Lorac’s firm felt tip pen. It glides smoothly against skin, depositing sharp lines with precision — fantastic for cat eyeliner looks.

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And the staying power? To die for. Front of the Line Pro lingers on lids longer than the Birthday Sex techno remix (aka the longest song EVER).

Just for fun the other day I swatched some on my hand, and it stayed for two days through multiple hand washings *and* a shower.

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Watch out, Tabs!

Front of the Line Pro is the real deal, homies. If you love the cat eye look but haven’t been able to perfect it, you might want to give it a whirl. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A+

Howzit?

Chicas, I feel like this morning’s brow incident shot me into a weird alternate universe, but I think I’m finally falling back down to earth. How have things been for you on this otherwise lovely Tuesday? Any epiphanies or Elvis sightings to report? 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Just Browsing: The Best Brow Kits for the “Eyebrow Challenged”

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What a difference 12 hairs makes

Ladies, I’m writing to you from a new and exotic place that I never thought I’d visit.

No, it’s not Costa Rica or Turks and Caicos — it’s the land of oh-my-gawd-my-left-eyebrow-has-effin’-disappeared!

This morning I had a very unfortunate incident with some at-home wax. I’m kind of Hairy and the Hendersons, so my weekly facial hair removal sesh is a *must*.

Normally I pluck my brows and wax my ‘stash, but this morning I felt too tired and lazy to bust out ye olde Tweezerman.

After successfully de-fuzzing the caterpillar from my top lip, the mad genius in me (who only got four hours of sleep, mind you) decided that trying to wax my brows for the very first time made perfect sense.

Let the official transcript of this blog read: trying a new at-home beauty procedure after very little sleep is a BAD CALL.

Long story short, now a big chunk of my left brow is missing. Thank goodness only 12 hairs went MIA (yes, I counted them), but apparently they were very important ones. Now the left side of my face looks permanently frozen in surprise, a la the Joker.

To temporarily dull the emotional pain, I flat ironed my bangs to strategically cover up the evil bald spot, whom I’ve named Raul.

Then, I went rifling through my stash of fall beauty goods for some bald brow solutions.

Benefit Brows A-Go-Go, $38

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This eight-piece kit comes with *almost* everything needed to whip MIA brows back into shape, including brow wax, brow powder, tweezers and a teeny, tiny dual-ended brush for application.

Raul vamoosed after I followed Brows A-Go-Go‘s clear step-by-step directions. Apparently, applying brow wax first and powder second is totally key — who knew?

With the bald patch gone, my left brow looked strong, defined and very early ’80s Brook Shields.

I love this kit to pieces, but it’s missing one major thing — Benefit really should’ve included a brow comb.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Despite the lack of a comb, Brows A-Go-Go is an excellent kit that kicks bald brows to the curb. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

Their brow powder applies very, VERY pigmented, and if too much gets accidentally packed on, brows can look severe. I ended up using my own brow comb to mellow out the overly dark parts, but including one with the kit would really come in handy for on-the-go touchups.

Clarins Eyebrow Kit Pro Palette, $35

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Raul was no match for this sleek palette, which comes with three brow powders, wax, a peachy pink shadow and three mini-tools — tweezers, a dual-ended brush and a brow comb (YES!).
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