Karen, Author at Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup - Page 1706 of 1879

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

Urban Decay’s Get Baked Palette Gives Me the Munchies

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urban decay get baked palette

Looking at Urban Decay’s Get Baked palette ($28), I can’t help but think of the summer after I graduated from college.

I had moved back home to live with my parents and brother, who at the time played guitar in a heavy metal band. His band mates — who were total stoners — stopped by the house daily. They’d arrive at the door with red, glassy eyes and always, ALWAYS had a case of the munchies.

urban decay get baked palette

The first thing Mom would always do was offer them something to eat. They’d say “yes,” of course, devouring whatever she put in front of them. Phrases like “Fried Spam is like a symphony in my mouth” would pepper the conversations.

urban decay get sin shadow primer potion

Now, Urban Decay insists that “Get Baked” refers to the new palette’s bronzy summertime shades and not to the form of “herbal refreshment” my brother’s band mates enjoyed.

Sure, guys. Whatever you say. 🙂

urban decay get baked palette swatches
Top (from left to right): 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Bourbon, Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Sin. Bottom (from left to right): Eyeshadows in Twice Baked, Half Baked, Flipside and Baked.

Get Baked comes packed with four eyeshadows (shimmery brown, bronze, teal and gold), a wee bottle of Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Sin (a shimmery champagne) and a travel-sized 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Bourbon (a shimmery brown).

This time of year we see a lot of colors like these, but I like the arrangement of this palette. The colors work well together, and you get everything you need in terms of creating an eye look.
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A Brown Girl’s Guide to Self-Tanning

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A Brown Girl's Guide to Self-Tanning

Because El Hub and I are Hawaii-bound in a couple weeks, I busted out the old swimsuit last night and somehow managed to shimmy into it without bursting too many seams (*whew*!).

Of course, I couldn’t resist checking out my bum in the mirror (yes, it was still there)…

And that’s when I noticed just how pale my thighs have gotten. We’re talking five shades lighter than the rest of me.

It gave me an idea.

As someone with a built-in tan, I’ve never had a reason to venture into the world of self-tanners … until now. I’d like to smooth out my skin tone and make everything a similar shade, so I put together some research to aid my cause.

Self-Tanning Resources

5 Self-Tanning Tips

  • Shave your legs the day before you self-tan. It will exfoliate the top layer of skin, leaving a healthy new layer ready to tan.
  • Exfoliate with a soft cotton washcloth before applying a self-tanning lotion, as rougher nylon and loofah scrubbers can cause streaks.
  • If you’re new to self-tanning, skip the sprays. They can be difficult to apply evenly.
  • To prevent orange staining of your palms, fingers and fingernails, scrub them with a soapy nail brush (or a Wet Ones wipe) every 5 minutes while you’re self-tanning.
  • If you’re using self-tanner on your legs, don’t forget to include your ankles and the tops of your feet. 🙂

Jergens Natural Glow Express

jergens-natural-glow-final

Jergens Natural Glow Express ($9) is a favorite among beauty bloggers and magazine editors for its natural tan. It’s supposed to be easy to use, available at drugstores nationwide, and I like the price point, too.

I’m betting a few of you gals are seasoned self-tanners. Do you have any tips?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

What’s Your Favorite High Gloss Mascara?

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whats your favorite glossy mascara

Can I get a show of hands from the mascara-obsessed girls out there?

(raises hand)

Yep, few things in life bring me as much joy as a true black mascara. 🙂

MBB reader Hafsa is looking for mascara recommendations, and I’m hoping we can help her out.

Hi Karen,

I’m an avid reader of your blog and love your reviews. I read your review a while back about Lancome’s Definicils, and I couldn’t agree more — love the gloss, hate the clump.

So that brings me to my question: is there a similar product, either Lancome or another company, that gives that high gloss finish but isn’t clumping? For reference, I have pretty long lashes, so clumping happens pretty easily. 🙂 Thank you so much. Any advice is appreciated!

What’s up, Hafsa! One of my favorite high gloss mascaras is fairly new. It’s by Clinique and was released this spring. It’s called High Impact Curling Mascara ($14).

It does EVERYTHING — separates, thickens and lengthens — all while delivering loads of rich, glossy color (without the clumping). All that, and it holds a curl like a mo’ fo’!

Gloss is one of the things I look for in a mascara, and High Impact Curling mascara coats lashes with a shiny, almost wet finish. I’ve been using it a ton for the past few months and like it a lot.

You might also try Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Mascara ($20) and Tarte Lights, Camera Lashes ($18). I like both of them, too.

And if you’re looking for a high gloss waterproof mascara, check out Stila Lash Visor ($12.50). I must sound like a broken record recommending it all the time, but I think it’s a fabulous mascara for the price.

Girls, do you have any glossy lash love suggestions for Hafsa? Please share your ideas in the comments.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Nexxus Dualiste Anti-Breakage Shampoo and Conditioner: No More Knotty Hair!

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nexxus-dualiste

I’ve liked having long hair, but I’m *knot* a fan of the extra work. It takes longer to wash, longer to dry, longer to style and longer to color and condition.

Long hair even takes longer to shop for! I spend way more time looking for shampoos and conditioners that not only hydrate but also deal with all of the tangles than I did when my hair was short.

I’ve been using a new line of shampoos and conditioners for color-treated hair for about a week now. It’s called Dualiste, and it’s by Nexxus.
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Comment to Win Covergirl

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This giveaway is closed, and the winner will be announced soon. Thanks for entering!

makeup-and-beauty-blog-covergirl-giveaway

Back when I was in high school about a billion years ago, one of the things I loved to do after school was hit up the drugstore with my friends to grab an ice cream cone and to check out the beauty aisle.

This afternoon, I thought it might be fun if we all did something similar together (without the ice cream, unfortch), by holding a virtual drugstore makeup party from our respective corners of the world.

And instead of ice cream, the tasty treat will be a giveaway with a chance to win some makeup from Covergirl!

The prize

One lucky lady will win a prize package containing four items from the Covergirl makeup line:

covergirl-blazing-blues

covergirl-firecracker

covergirl-golden-sunrise

covergirl-tru-blend-brush

How to enter…

There are a couple ways to enter the giveaway, and you can do both of them for two chances to win.

First, enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post. In it, tell me your favorite flavor of ice cream, the one you’d get at the drugstore. 🙂

Rocky road ice cream rawks!I’ll take a single scoop of rocky road in a sugar cone, please!

Second, you can enter by subscribing to my updates by email (if you haven’t already). They’re once-a-day emails with my daily posts. You’ll get makeup collection info, beauty news and random acts of weirdness, yea!
(Note: if you’re already subscribed, you’re automatically entered to win.)

Recap…

  1. 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.
  2. Sign up for my updates by email if you haven’t already. Just enter your email address using the form below, or click this link.

Enter your email address:

I’ll pick the winner at random from among the people who enter by 11:59PM PST Friday night.

Lycka till (that’s “good luck” in Swedish, holla)!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Congrats to Gina and Basak for winning the MAC Dazzleglass and Physicians Formula Giveaways!

This giveaway is closed, and the winner will be announced soon. Thanks for entering!

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