Karen

9 Things I’m Glad I Know

April 17th, 2008 by Karen 60 Comments

Your comments to last week’s 9 Things I Wish I Didn’t Know knocked me off my feet. They were thoughtful and touching, and many really struck a chord with me.

Now it’s time for 9 Things I’m Glad I Know. Maybe the two lists can complement each other, like pairs of shoes, bra cups, or yin and yang!

9 Things I’m Glad I Know

How to tweeze my brows and wax my ‘stache. You’d be looking at the sasquatch of beauty bloggers if it weren’t for hair removal, LOL!Â

How to read music. I no longer play *any* of the five instruments I once could (seriously, I was a one woman band! — piano, flute, piccolo, French horn and trumpet), but music is still and always will be a huge part of my life. What’s going to be instrument number six? Definitely the accordion. Fo’ reals. And El Hub is *not* happy about it.Â

[Continue reading…]

Too Faced Shadow Insurance Anti-Crease Eyeshadow Primer Blends Great, Lasts All Day Long

April 17th, 2008 by Karen 37 Comments

too-faced-shadow-insurance

Dear Too Faced Shadow Insurance ($17),

How I dig thee. Your priming powers imbue eyeshadows with hours of extra staying power, and you’re easy to apply, never settling into fine lines. I’m crushing on you hard…

Sincerely,

Primed to Party

If you’re new to makeup, you might be thinking, “Uh, what’s an eye primer?”

Fair enough. Eyeshadow primers create a smooth layer on top of your skin to which powder and cream shadows can better affix themselves. It translates into longer-lasting eyeshadow.

There are lots of different eye primers on the market. Urban Decay Potion Primer is one of the more (in)famous ones. Much loved by many, Urban Decay Potion Primer doesn’t really do it for me. Yes, it makes eyeshadow last longer, but I find it also makes colors more difficult to blend. I end up with (long-lasting) harsh lines at the edges of the colors on my lids. Note to file: this is not cute.

Too Faced says that Shadow Insurance’s silicone-based formula smooths lines while intensifying shadow colors, and it does so without making shadows more difficult to blend.

I put it to the test.

For one week I used Shadow Insurance beneath Clinique, Dior and MAC eyeshadows and had much better luck with it than I had with Urban Decay’s primer. I had no problem blending eyeshadows layered on top of Shadow Insurance.
[Continue reading…]

Makeup and Beauty Blog Shoe Lust, Part Deux: 24 Karat Gold

April 16th, 2008 by Karen 32 Comments

Something … wonderful happened last Valentine’s Day. Do you remember 19 Pink Shoes? Well, it’s back. Shoe lust strikes again!

This afternoon, instead of doing something, um, productive, I decided it was crucial that I find gold sandals for summer. Yep, I’ve got gold fever!

Makeup and Beauty Blog Shoe Lust, Part Deux

Ash Shine, $159.95
makeup-and-beauty-blog-24-karat-shoes-1

Max Studio Simone, $138.95
makeup-and-beauty-blog-24-karat-shoes-2

Kate Spade Lolita, $300
makeup-and-beauty-blog-24-karat-shoes-3
[Continue reading…]

Clinique Quick Eyes Cream Shadow: A Lovely, Lasting Summer Shadow

April 16th, 2008 by Karen 53 Comments

clinique-quick-eyes-cream-shadow-1

When things heat up and the weather warms, I reach for eye makeup that won’t melt away as the day wears on. Enter Clinique’s new Quick Eyes Cream Shadows ($15), part of their Long-Last Bronze collection for summer 2008. Not only do these shadows pack staying power to last throughout the day, but they’re easy to apply and come in 10 luscious colors. Here’s a quick look at three of them: Sparkling Nude, Sunlit Palm and Rock Violet.

Rock Violet
clinique-quick-eyes-cream-shadow-3

Clinique Quick Eyes Cream Shadows deliver a water resistant, crease-proof creamy powder formula able to last a full 10 hours, according to Clinique. Each works by itself, in conjunction with the other shadows in the collection, or as a base for powder shades.

Doe foot applicator
clinique-quick-eyes-cream-shadow-5

Each tube comes with a doe-foot applicator, making the shadows easy for your girl to apply when she’s in a hurry (all the time) and doesn’t have the time to whip out her brushes.

The three shades I’ve mentioned here — Rock Violet, Sunlit Palm and Sparkling Nude — all seem to look good when used in conjunction with each other, but I prefer to use each one by itself.
[Continue reading…]

Dior Goldrush Summer 2008 Collection: Swatches and Pics

April 15th, 2008 by Karen 77 Comments

dior-goldrush-summer-2008-569

Who loves gold, khaki and coral? I do! I do!

How ’bout Dior? Do you love Dior? Because I sure do.Â I got my paws on a few items from Goldrush,Â Dior’sÂ new summer collection. It’s a limited edition being delivered to your nearby Dior counter as we speak. Dior has given us some new eyeshadows, lipsticks, lipglosses, a blush, a highlighter and nail polishes in coordinating tan, coral, khaki and gold.

I really like the 5-Colour Eyeshadow in Golds 569 ($52).

Pretty, yah? The eyeshadow palette pictured above houses five shades — a beige, bronze, copper, gold and khaki, all wrapped up in a sleek, midnight blue, trademark Dior compact.Â
[Continue reading…]

Makeup and Driving: What Say You?

April 15th, 2008 by Karen 34 Comments

If you’ve been a reader of the blog for some time you’re probably aware of my not-so-secret obsession with Britney Spears!

Although TEAM BRITNEY had been scandal-free for a while, the poor girl gave the merciless paparazzi and the media fresh ammunition last Saturday after a minor fender bender on a busy Los Angeles freeway. Thankfully, no one was injured and no tickets were issued, but it looks like makeup may have been involved. It has been reported (which doesn’t mean that it’s true) that Brit was doing her makeup behind the wheel at the time the accident occurred.

True or not, it raises an interesting question: how do you feel about applying your makeup behind the wheel?

I’m incapable of multi-tasking behind the wheel, so I try not to do my makeup while I’m driving, but I admit I’ve done it before. I also know it’s not uncommon for women to use their rear views for quick touch-ups on the way to work.

Happy Tuesday, ya’ll! What have you got going on for today? Right now I’m busting into my Clinique gift with purchase loot from last week. I can’t wait to try out the cute palette.

Are you having a good day so far? I hope so.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The Gillette Venus Embrace Razor: Leg Hair Annihilator Extraordinaire!

April 14th, 2008 by Karen 59 Comments

If ignored for too long, my legs would look like Chewbacca’s (love ya, Chewy!) — soft, silky and covered with hair — so to keep my gams smooth and hairless I either wax them or shave with razors like the Gillette Venus Embrace, God’s gift to hairy women everywhere!

What makes the Gillette Venus Embrace special? Two words: five blades! It’s a leg hair annihilator extraordinaire.

In this age of excess, you’d think someone in marketing would have said, “Is five blades going too far?” Thankfully, Venus went ahead with their quintuple-bladed monster because there’s a noticeable difference between the performance of the Venus Embrace and its triple-bladed predecessor, the Venus Breeze. Embrace gives a closer shave than any blade razor I’ve ever used before, which means having to shave less often. I credit this razor for giving me more time for things like making crazy cartoons with unicorns.

[Continue reading…]

MAC Fafi and Laura Mercier Gold Digger for a Warm Weather Face of the Day

April 14th, 2008 by Karen 66 Comments

makeup and beauty blog fotd

In typical Bay Area fashion, grey, overcast skies quickly replaced the sunny, warm weather we’d had for a few days, but I refuse to let go! I wasn’t up for this uber-red MAC look here, but I still wanted to try something bright and lively. So, this morning I gave this summery bronze and gold eye a try, featuring colors from the MAC Fafi and Laura Mercier Gold Digger collections. I first thought about going for broke with false eyelashes, too, but those will have to wait ’til next time.

Matte coral cheeks and shimmery coral lips complete the look. Now, all I need is a warm beach, a pair of flip flops and a large Jamba Juice (Orange Dream Machine, yum)!

makeup and beauty blog mac fafi laura mercier fotd1

makeup and beauty blog mac fafi laura mercier fotd2
[Continue reading…]