Karen

Unsung MAC Makeup Hero: A Gorgeous Golden Girl

August 18th, 2009 by Karen 33 Comments

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MAC never rests for long on their laurels, and they don’t give fans a lot of time to digest the many fantastic shades in their permanent line because they’re always bringing out new limited edition ones.

Take Gorgeous Gold, for instance. Like Patina and Arena, two of my favorite MAC permanent collection ladies, I paid her no mind for years.

She’s not your average shimmery gold shadow. Gorgeous Gold’s complex and unusual and unlike any other color in my stash.

It goes on like a cool lemony gold, at certain angles flashing to a shimmery green — kinda like getting two colors in one. 🙂

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One of my favorite daytime looks lately has been padding Gorgeous Gold on my lids and lining my upper lash line with MAC Humid. It’s easy, casual and makes my brown eyes *pop*.

What say you about Gorgeous Gold? What other ways would you wear it?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Speaking of MAC limited editions, the new Make-Up Art Cosmetics collection hit the website earlier today. I’ve been playing Fill the Shopping Cart for hours.

Imagine the View

August 18th, 2009 by Karen 3 Comments

Houses overlooking the marina on Belvedere Island. The area is like the Beverly Hills of Marin — very fancy shmansy.

Givenchy Gloss Poetique

August 18th, 2009 by Karen 5 Comments

I *almost* can’t bear to bust into this palette. It’s so pretty!

Givenchy Gloss Poetique Natural Color Enhancer Lip Gloss in Poetique Rose, $45

Two Ways to Win Your Bath and Body Works Signature Scent

August 18th, 2009 by Karen 186 Comments

The giveaway is now closed to new entries, and the winners are being contacted. 🙂 Good luck!

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Are you on the hunt for a signature scent? If you are, take a look at the new online fragrance finder by Bath and Body Works.

Riddle me this

It asks you a few questions about your mood, tastes and dislikes, and then matches you up with a Bath and Body Works scent. I’ve seen things like this before, but I like the way this one’s done.

Last week it helped me find Sweet Pea ($27). 🙂

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Looking for a new fragrance for fall; need a boost to get through a challenging week (hello!) — take a minute to try out the Fragrance Finder, and enter to win today’s giveaway.

The prize

Bath and Body Works is sponsoring the prize. Five lucky ladies will take home one bottle of their signature Bath and Body Works Eau de Toilette scent (a $30 value).

How to enter…

Entering is easy. There are two different ways, and you can do both of them for two chances to win.

First, you can enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post. Use the Bath and Body Works Fragrance finder to find your signature scent, and then reveal the name of your fragrance in the comments. 🙂

My scent is Sweet Pea!

Second, enter by following me on Twitter and retweeting (RT) the following message:

RT @karenmbb: RT to Win Your Bath and Body Works Signature Scent. http://bit.ly/KTxlH

Recap…

Enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, and don’t forget to use a valid email address so I can reach you if you win.
Follow me on Twitter and retweet the following message:

RT @karenmbb: RT to Win Your Bath and Body Works Signature Scent. http://bit.ly/KTxlH

I’ll pick five winners at random from among the people who enter by 11:59 PM PST on Thursday, August 20.

Vidimo se!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The giveaway is now closed to new entries, and the winners are being contacted. 🙂 Good luck!

LORAC Red Carpet Reveal Collection Swatches, AKA Morning Makeup Therapy

August 18th, 2009 by Karen 44 Comments

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Rise and shine, morning glories! It’s just before the crack of dawn out here, but I couldn’t sleep. Not because of Tabs (this time), though. My eyes just opened early.

How was your Monday? Mine took a turn for the worse in the afternoon when we learned we may not get that condo. It’s being held up by the financing. Lenders don’t like the fact that there hasn’t been another sale in the same area within the past six months, so they don’t trust the value of the appraisal, blah, blah, blah…

Now I’m a little down, and every sentence I write feels like a pile of flaming dog poo.

Poor Tabs. He had his heart set on that condo (as if). I hope it still works out, but we may not know for another few weeks.

I think I need some cheering up, and I think I know how to do it: pics and swatches of fall’s Lorac Red Carpet Reveal. 🙂

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Red Carpet Reveal Palette, $35

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Breakthrough Performance Lipstick in SPF 15 in Vanity (left) and Premiere (right), $22 each

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Front of the Line Pro liquid liner in Black, $22

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Swatches from left to right: Front of the Line Pro in Black, Lipstick in Premiere, Lipstick in Vanity

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Red Carpet Palette from left to right: Eyeshadow in Debut, Eyeshadow in Pose, Eyeshadow in Interview, Blush in Main Attraction

These are just a few items from the entire collection, but now that I’ve played around with makeup for a few minutes, I do feel a little better.

Funny how that happens.

It reminds me of something my wise, makeup-addicted friend Joanie once said about makeup as retail therapy:
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Yes to Carrots Lip Tints Say YES to Affordable Lip Color

August 17th, 2009 by Karen 52 Comments

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Just a quick note to say hi, ladies. I fell behind this afternoon, but I still wanted to tell you about Yes to Carrots’ line of pigmented C Me Blush Lip Tints.

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Sunset Pink

They cost a mere $4.50 each (that’s my mid-morning latte, yo!) but have a super smooth, buttery texture that makes ’em feel a lot more expensive than that.

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Ready Red

Texture-wise they remind me of the $22 Guava lipsticks by Korres. That’s how slick and creamy they feel.

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Chocolate Kiss

My favorite thing about them? — how pigmented they are (for lip tints). These puppies pack *lots* of color, applying with semi-sheer to medium coverage.

The resulting lip’s a casual look that I can see myself wearing a lot on weekends or to the gym.
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