Karen

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 565

August 4th, 2019 by Karen 8 Comments

It’s official; we’re in the dog days of summer, which reminds me… Tabs was always down with the canines, even though it wasn’t always kosher within the feline community.

A lot of people didn’t know this, but Tabs had a secret canine BFF. His name was Chorizo, and they lost touch when Tabs moved to France to attend Le Cordon Bleu culinary academy.

Tabs also invested in several canine companies and held a majority ownership stake in KONG, makers of the classic dog toy.

Also, to unwind after a rigorous day of kitty modeling, sometimes Tabs would have me drive him to a local dog park, where he would play fetch, share fashion tips and discuss the news of the day.
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Saturday Surfing, Aug. 3, 2019

August 3rd, 2019 by Karen 9 Comments

Happy Caturday, friend! I’m walking up and down the hallway doing a royal pageant wave because I feel like The Queen of Everything ? now that we have a working air conditioner! YAY!!!

Yep, a new AC, new water heater, and a new furnace, all of which were broken (in a 40-year-old condo, when it rains, it pours).

So if you need me this weekend, you’ll find me sitting under a vent, living my best life. ?

Now, this week’s reading…

Want to know what Cleopatra smelled like? Two University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa professors have recreated her ancient perfume, and it’ll be showcased in a National Geographic exhibit.
Speaking of fragrances, Cosmopolitan (as in the magazine), is launching a new perfume.
A brief history of one of my favorite brands of all time: MAC.
How sweet! This gorgeous fluffy kitty brings her neighbors pink flowers.
Could this be the dawn of a new day for wannabe cat ladies with allergies? Scientists are studying how adding an antibody to feline food may help people with cat allergies.
Sooooo many fun facts about cat paws in this post, including the fact that cats can be left- or right- pawed. I wish I could remember which one Tabs was (I think he may have been right-pawed).

Shoot, even Idris Elba has no idea what the Cats movie is all about, and he’s starring in it! Lawd help me, but I think I need to experience that train wreck.
10 cult classic lipsticks, according to Vogue
What skin care formulators say you should save (sunscreen, niacinamide, salicylic acid) and splurge (retinol, vitamin C, hyaluronic acid) on…
Speaking of skin care, there’s some serious hype surrounding chemical exfoliant polyhydroxy acids (PHAs) right now.
OLAPLEX’s new hair oil is supposed to make your hair look uber-glossy without adding any weight… WANT!

Slang from The Yay is hella fasheezy, fasho!

A ’40s makeup tutorial for girls who wear glasses

Speaking of retro…

How to read body language, according to an FBI agent

How’s your weekend going so far? I hope you’re doing something fun.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

5 Things I’ve Been Loving Lately

August 2nd, 2019 by Karen 6 Comments

1. Trader Joe’s Chili Lime Seasoning Blend

I usually don’t like spicy seasoning because I don’t like it when my tongue feels like it’s on fire or when I’m excessively drooling, but I’m totally down with this mix of chili powder, salt and lime, which has a little bit of heat to it (not so much that I can’t handle it). Apparently, it’s TJ’s take on something called Tajín?

trader joes chili lime seasoning watermelon — DROOL!

Anyway, I love it. And I’ve been putting it on everything, including the Thai-inspired ground lime chicken I whipped up a few nights ago with chopped cucumber, pineapple and watermelon.

Seriously, this stuff makes even the most mediocre watermelon, of which I’ve had many this year (not a great year for ?), taste delish.

2. MAC Half ‘N Half Lipstick

This neutral creamy pink lives in the MAC permanent line, and it has MAC’s Amplified formula, so it’s moderately shiny and majorly pigmented.

mac half and half lipstick — Half ‘N Half

3. Doing air squats with a medicine ball

OK…you put the ball under your butt, then lower yourself into a squat until your “cheeks” touch the ball before you rise back up again.

Why would any sane person do this, you might ask?

Good question. ?

Well, it basically forces you to get loooooooow and drop into a deeper squat than you might otherwise, and every time I do air squats this way, my legs are toast the next day, and I can barely walk up and down two stairs.

It’s simultaneously wonderful and terrible at the same time. LOL!
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Unsung Makeup Heroes: Clinique All About Shadow Quad in Teddy Bear

August 2nd, 2019 by Karen 9 Comments

clinique teddy bear — “Yeah, don’t even TRY to take my palette. I’m warning you!”

What’s an unsung makeup hero? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar screen of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. The long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.

One of these Teddy Bears is not like the other (and it’s more comfy to hug).

But right now, I’m talking about the makeup one, and it’s a quad of all-matte eyeshadows from Clinique. If I were a betting gal…I’d wager that the Clinique All About Shadow Quad in Teddy Bear is probably better than the other neutral palette in your makeup bag, and it’s the most “neutral” of the neutral palettes I wear. The shadows are neither too warm nor too cool (they’re in the coveted Goldilocks Zone), and there’s very little burnt orange, brick red, gray or pink undertones in sight.

clinique teddy bear swatches — Yup, still an NC42 in MAC

The powder shadows in Teddy Bear are just as soft as the bear at the top of this post, and Clinique stuffed it with all of the basics to contour lids and add depth to eyes, including a matte beige bone, a matte golden brown, a peachy golden tan and a dark chocolate brown. In MAC-speak, I’d call these the matte (so, neither warm nor cool) equivalents of Brule, Soba, Soft Brown and Brown Down.

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New From bareMinerals: The Dusk Eyeshadow Palette and the Bounce & Blur Blushes

August 1st, 2019 by Karen 6 Comments

bareminerals bounce blur — Bounce & Blur, by bareMinerals

Everything in my condo is bumping. The walls are rattling, floors are clanging… Oh, and these four new bareMinerals blushes and eyeshadow palette are bouncing.

We started doing the household repairs I mentioned the other day, which means LOTS of noise and workmen doing stuff right now, but I should be living like royalty (“I’m the queen of the world!”) with a new furnace, new water heater AND a working air conditioner by the end of the week. YAY!

With the tools banging and the classic rock blasting from the very nice workmen, concentrating has been…a challenge, so if I seem a little disheveled, that’s why.

Hella random side note regarding classic rock and misheard lyrics, but Bad Moon Rising just played a few minutes ago, and when the chorus started, instead of thinking, “There’s a bad moon on the rise,” I thought, “There’s a bathroom on the right.” THANKS, SUZANNE!

OK, bareMinerals has a few fun new powder products for fall that bare fingers will be bouncing over, literally. The items in their new Bounce & Blur Collection (two eye palettes and four blushes) have a squishy, soft texture that boomerangs right back at ya when you press on the pans. They’re purposefully made to lay down diffused, hazy color, so they’re better for washes of color than precise placement.

I’ve seen this bouncy formula before from Chanel, MAC, Maybelline and Kaja Beauty, and the bareMinerals formula is comparably slick and smooth (it’s not wet, though, like cream blush). The powder skates across the skin.

Bounce & Blush Eyeshadow Palette in Dusk ($29)

I like using these eyeshadows as single washes of color on the lid, because fading the edges doesn’t require any work. Of course, you could use ’em with a brush, but for me, fingers work best both for application and blending.

It’s like working with a crayon cream shadow, but in a pot, and it’s easy and, most of all, fun. If you like simple, diffused glowing lids, I think you’ll have a blast with these.
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What Are the Things That Make You Feel Like the Best Version of You?

July 31st, 2019 by Karen 17 Comments

What are the things that make you feel like the best version of you?

I was thinking about this today, because one of my goals this week is to do the things that serve me in a positive way, and I started by doing my hair this morning.

It’s amazing what getting my mop out of a messy bun does for my mood. Fun-buns are easy, and easy can be gloriously good, but sometimes Fun-buns make me feel disheveled, so when I take the time and make the effort to style my hair, I feel better and more capable.

Other things that help me…

Going to bed early (this one’s a challenge for me because all I wanna do at the end of the day is veg out on my couch.)
Cutting down on screen time, especially mindless scrolling before bed. If I leave the phone alone for at least an hour before I go to sleep, I fall asleep so much faster, and my next day is so much better.
Eating lots of fresh vegetables (I have so much more energy when I do this, so yay for leafy greens!)
Being militant about time management and keeping track of time (otherwise, every task will take two times longer than it needs to)
Stretching for at least 10 minutes every day
Putting on a little bit of makeup. At the very least, blush, bronzer, mascara and lippie!

Also, trying to help other people always makes me feel like the best version of myself, and when I radiate happiness and light, it comes right back. ?

What are the things that make you feel like the best version of you? Volunteering? Drinking enough water (it makes a HUGE difference, doesn’t it?)? Curling your lashes? Going to the beach?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

New From Wander Beauty: Trip For Two Blush and Bronzer Duo, Hidden Glow Brightening Cream, and the Trip for Two Blush and Bronzer Brush

July 30th, 2019 by Karen 7 Comments

Filed under “Weird Things I Could Do in Less Than 5 Minutes if I Absolutely Had To”? 25 Spartan Race-style burpees, immediately followed by putting on minimal makeup.

Fore sure, I’d use mascara, a gloss and these new products from Wander Beauty.

(Side note: This occurred to me in HIIT class as I sprinted around a parking lot carrying a 15-pound medicine ball. Amazing the things you think about when you’re out of breath and about to toss your cookies.)

Trip For Two Blush and Bronzer Duo ($36 and available in two shades)

Some bronzer/blush duos are so saturated that you can easily end up looking like you’ve got Duran Duran stripes on your cheeks, but these matte duos have purposefully pared down pigment for the quickest blending you’ll ever experience. I like to start by buffing the blush on the apples of my cheeks, then blending it out with the bronzer for a fast, natural-looking cheek flush.

wander beauty trip for two swatches — Bellini/Costa Rei is the lighter option, and Daiquiri/Tulum is the darker one.

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Dewy Skin: Love It or Leave It?

July 30th, 2019 by Karen 39 Comments

charlotte tilbury hollywood flawless filter 5 tan flash — I think you know my answer

Love it, love it, LOVE IT! You know how it is with trends, though… Like the frosty brow bone, super skinny brows and early Aughts pale glossy lips (remember when everyone was wearing MAC Oystergirl?), I’m sure the time will eventually come when dewy skin will be considered “over,” but I hope that time never comes, because a dewy finish is the most natural-looking and most forgiving finish on my 40-something skin.

To pull off a matte finish, I have to put in a lot of work (sooooo much buffing and blending), to make it *not* look heavy or textured. So give me the dewy finish of a tinted moisturizer and a demi-matte powder any day of the week.

How about you?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen