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
Have you ever used one of those GPS devices in a car to help you get where you were going? Well what if there was a special makeup GPS that helped you find exactly what you were looking for?
What if you had your very own Magic Makeup GPS?
Loading ...Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
UPDATE: The contest is closed, and I’ll be announcing the winner shortly. Thanks for entering!
Get ready to flip, whip and work that hair because MAC’s new Brunette Blonde Redhead Collection is about to land on MAC counters nationwide, HAAAAAAY!
The mega huge release features three distinct sets — Brunette, Blonde and Redhead — with more than 30 total products (30 pieces of makeup and three brushes). Each of the three sets is made up of products designed to complement a different color hair. Clever, yah?
Click here and here to see full listings and swatches.
No matter what your haircolor, chances are you’ll find something to like in this collection.
Enter today’s year ending MAC giveaway by signing up to receive my updates by email or by leaving a comment on this post (or both!). If you’re already signed up for the updates, you don’t have to do anything else to be entered to win — you’re already entered — but you can double your chances by also leaving a comment on this post (a comment about anything at all). 🙂
One lucky winner will ring in the new year with six items from the MAC Brunette Blonde Redhead Collection ($85 value).
Again, there are two ways to enter, and you can do both of them to double your chances.
I’ll choose the winners at random from among the people who enter by 11:59 PM PST on Wednesday, December 31. The contest is open to all US and international readers. Good luck, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
The two Aqualumiere lipsticks in Chanel’s Spring 2009 Makeup Collection make me want to sip hot java late at night from oversized mugs while listening to spoken word poetry and whispers of revolution.
The collection’s called Bohemian Fantasy, and both of the lip shades, Malta and Positano ($27 each), ease out of winter with just the faintest hints of color.
The easy-to-wear, nude colors are tender enough to work with almost any look, like the comfy white t-shirts of the lipstick world — classic yet breezy — and will pair perfectly with floaty floral dresses, or jeans and tank tops.
Malta’s a shimmery peachy-pink copper with golden glitter, and unlike many coppers that look too Oompa Loompa orange on my lips, Malta looks just right (yay!). One layer and I’m ready to spring out the door! Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A
“I don’t know if I’ll ever tire of doing smokey eyes. There are just so many different ways to work the look, like this spin on a daytime eye for work. It’s a method I learned from my favorite MAC artist, Jen, using products from the MAC Metal Urge and Red She Said collections.”
“I’m sporting two of my very first MAC eyeshadow purchases, Club and Woodwinked (both part of the permanent collection). I could write sonnets on both of these colors, as they’ve seen me through a lot over the past few years.”
“I’d been looking forward to trying the new oil-free, cream-to-powder The Multiple Duo ($45) in Portofino/Malibu and The Multiple Bronzer ($37) in Malaysia since they debuted last month, but because I’d never used any of the original The Multiple products, I had no clue how and where to apply ’em! Thank goodness for Nars National Trainer Janice Daoud. She was nice enough to offer a few of her favorite application tips and tricks.”
“MEOW! I’m a packaging ho, and Benefit Coralista ($28) blush’s jungly, cheetah print box (don’t you just love the font?) sucked me in immediately. It makes me feel like a cat woman on the prowl! Arriving at Benefit counters in February, this shimmery coral powder has cult beauty fave written all over it.”
“Like Le Grande Dame herself, the collection is a little odd. It’s heavy on blue-based shades and frosty finishes with splashes of coral. I haven’t figured out how it’s all supposed to mesh together, but I think I’ll have a better idea once MAC posts the face charts online.”
“I suffered through a really bad bought of insomnia a few weeks ago, and my dark circles were extra terrible. My regular concealer, MAC Select Moisturecover, just wasn’t gettin’ it done. My friend Jen’s wedding was right around the corner, and I didn’t want to show up looking like death warmed over. I needed serious coverage, and I needed it fast.”
“OBSESSION ALERT! Pop Beauty Cat Eyes Liners ($16) make applying eyeliner easy and, well, kinda fun. Slanted like the tips of calligraphy pens, these three three highly pigmented pencil liners are built to hit the right angles for slick cat eyes (think Amy Winehouse pre-hot mess).”
“Tarte wants to wish you a very berry Christmas with the Berry Couture gift set ($35). It comes with two products (actually, three, because one’s a duo) — one full-sized Cheek Stain and a mini-Rise and Shine lip duo with a gloss and a stain — items perfect for rushed makeup morning or for those moments when you just want a little color.
“Inspired by boho-chic style and gypsy dresses, the new look features plum and beige colors for the eyes, fiery red and nude lip shades and a brown cheek color. I haven’t seen it in person (yet), but the product descriptions and pictures make me think of singer Stevie Nick’s early 80s witchy-boho-gypsy style.”
“After fall’s flood of faux plum mascaras (ahem, Benefit BadGal Plum and Clarins Wonder Plum), I started to think plum lashes were the stuff of legend — just something from the land of make believe, like unicorns and hit movies starring Cuba Gooding, Jr. But Dior had a little something to say about that. They’ve proved me wrong with their limited edition Diorshow Plum Mascara ($24). Finally! A plum mascara that actually looks purple on lashes and not just the brush.”
I went to see the movie Slumdog Millionaire last night, and can I just say WOW? Run to your nearest theater and watch it. Today! Brilliant storytelling and cinematography, and I wouldn’t be surprised if director Danny Boyle takes home some big awards for this one.
In the film, slumdogs are unfortunate people born and raised in the sprawling slums of India. From birth they’re almost assured a life of extreme poverty and squalor, and the story follows a small group of slumdogs trying to break free from their past.
Actress Freida Pinto plays the female lead character, Latika, and HELLO, the woman’s uber-gorgeous. I’d never heard of her before I saw the movie, but she (along with the rest of the cast) does a fantastic job.
What’s the last great movie you’ve seen?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
It’s that time again, ladies … time for Chanel! And time to go buck nekkid lips courtesy of spring’s two 2009 Glossimer lipglosses ($26 each).
They’re new, they’re nude, and they’re ready to bust a micro-glittery move on that pucker.
Wild Rose (my *favorite*) shimmers as a cool-toned plum pink with teeny flecks of silver glitter. She’s a beauty worn all by her lonesome, but I picture her pairing perfectly with smokey brown and plum eyes. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A
Beige Guitare grossed me out a little at first because it’s flesh-colored in the tube, kinda like Spencer Pratt’s fleshy beard, EWWW.
But I changed my tune after a quick swatch on the back of my hand. The color flashes from pink to beige to gold in the light, just like RuPaul, LOL! And there’s even glitter — hot pink, gold and silver — for extra credit.
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Hi, ladies. I’m just playing around with video on the blog. Yes, I know I’m a dork.
You can do the look I describe in the video in under 5 minutes. Great for when you’re running late and struggling to catch an early morning flight.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Orange hibiscus
Inspired and ready to kick some ARSE!
Luck be a Lady, because my horoscope says I’m supposed to come into some money this week (*fingers crossed, yo*) 🙂
Chanel Ultra Wear Lip Colour in Alexandrite (from the Spring 2009 collection)
I want to be famous! I want to be a star! I want to be in movies! LOL, not really. I want to be a writer with 60 cats just like Ernest Hemingway (sans the drinking problem).
Chanel Joues Contraste Powder Blush in Fandango
Being easily amused, eating chocolate, running up hills, poking fun at myself and making friends
Time management, eating too much chocolate, not beating myself up when I don’t perform/write/achieve the way I want to, popping and locking (my body just won’t do it, and when I try I look like a complete dorkus maximus), photography
Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer
To stick to my writing deadlines, to go to yoga class, to watch the second season of The Tudors, to cook a meal in my crock pot (any recipe suggestions?), to make out with Christian Bale, LOL!
Hey, cuties! Are you ready to play? Please copy the empty list, and paste it with your answers in the comments.
Le list
Mood:
Theme song of the week:
Lips:
When I grow up I wanna be _____:
Face wash:
Blush:
Things I’m really good at:
Things I need to work on:
Foundation:
Weekly goals:
Face of the day: When a wave unexpectedly rushes up and your pants and booty get completely drenched, this is what happens.
Let’s BRING IT this week!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
When I was checking Tabs out of Hotel Cattyfornia this morning the girl working the front desk spilled the beans on my little Lothario. Apparently, he and a girl cat named Snowflake snuck out for a few hours on the day after Christmas, presumably to take advantage of the after Christmas sales.
I asked him about it in the car on the drive home today, but he wasn’t talking. 🙂 I did find this picture on his iPhone though… Can you spot Tabs and Snowflake (click for a larger version)?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
