Karen

Vintage Vibes with a Reddish Orange Lip | A Movie Recommendation

December 7th, 2023 by Karen 14 Comments

Some mornings, you wake up and think to yourself, “I’m gonna wear a bright reddish orange lip just like Judy Garland did in the days of yore.”

Hey man, it totally happens! 🙂

I just watched “Meet Me in St. Louis” for the first time, and I’m so impressed that the makeup from this film from 1944 doesn’t look dated. The reddish orange lip that pops up in many of Judy’s scenes is so beautifully classic.

I remembered after I put on my lipstick this morning that in the movie Judy’s often had a touch of shine to it, but I couldn’t deal with that today, LOL! I can’t be the only person who wears a shiny red lipstick and makes a massive mess. It’s like my secret super power to get it all over my face, my teeth, my clothes — I gotta say, when it comes to bright lips, matte finishes are so much easier for me to wear, especially if I pair a matte liner like I did here (Urban Decay Bang) layered with a matte liquid lipstick (MAC Resort Season).

I like musicals and prefer shows and movies that aren’t too scary, and I thoroughly enjoyed “Meet Me in St. Louis.” It’s very sweet and easy to watch, and there’s quite a few songs that I recognized from just hearing in pop culture. Watch it if you get the chance! I found it on MAX.

Now I wanna ride a trolley

You probably know this one

Another thing I love about Judy’s makeup is how the makeup artist from the movie, Dottie Ponedel, goes all the way Judy’s blush. I wish I could wear that much in real life because I looooove blush, but these days, I feel like if I put too much on I look bananas. If I could pull it off, though, I’d swipe as much as I could on, every day, all day, ha ha ha.

Have you watched any good movies lately?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. If you’ve got a moment, please send some good vibes this way. I’m waiting to find out if I got a job or not, and I could use the good thoughts. I’ll send you some too, if you want ’em.

Lip of the Day: MAC Quite the Standout | Some Good News

December 6th, 2023 by Karen 29 Comments

Do you ever find seemingly random piles of items from nature near your door? At our house, there’s always a pile of something. LOL! Rocks or sticks or pinecones or acorns — this morning it was a stack of fallen leaves, all the size of one’s head or bigger.

Connor’s always gathering and collecting treasures from the great outdoors. 🍂🍁

Anywho, I needed to wear something fun and joyful today because I got some good news from the doctor’s office this morning. Long story short, the health issue I’ve been concerned with for months doesn’t appear to be THE BIG SCARY THING that I feared.

It’s been a couple of draining weeks on my end taking tests and waiting for results. I can’t even begin to tell you how happy I am to wear a colorful red lipstick to celebrate (hopefully) making it to grandma status someday in the very, very far distant future.

The warm orangey red I’m wearing today is MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour in Quite the Standout. I feel like it has a vintage vibe to it.

Enjoy the rest of this beautiful day. And as cheesy as it sounds, if you get the chance, take a moment to please tell your body “thank you” for everything it does for you, especially if you’re reasonably healthy.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 810

December 4th, 2023 by Karen 20 Comments

So…what is the Monday Poll?

Excellent question! It isn’t, contrary to its name, an actual poll, like with little clicky buttons. It’s just a list of more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007).

1. One of your favorite singers and/or a favorite band when you were a teen?

Totally dating myself here, but one of my favorite singers was Madonna.

2. Have you ever ridden a cable car or a trolley?

Yes! I’ve ridden them in San Francisco, New Orleans and Lisbon. I think they’re so fun!

3. Last thing you did that required a good amount of concentration/brain power?

This morning I had to buy tickets for a few of Connor’s upcoming dance shows, and between balancing the multiple shows and the various amounts of tickets, it took a surprising amount of concentration.

4. Shiseido or Shu Uemura?

Both are super cool, and both offer awesome lash curlers. LOL! I’ll go with Shiseido, though. I like their skin care in addition to their makeup.

5. Would you rather wear a pair of uncomfortable socks or a pair of comfortable socks with a big hole in them?

Why are uncomfortable socks so upsetting? Give me the comfy pair with the hole.

6. Powder foundation – yes or no?

On me, no.

7. Last makeup recommendation you made?

The dance moms from Connor’s dance team asked for a long-wearing red lipstick recommendation (the girls have to wear red lipstick as part of their costume), and I recommended MAC Fashion Legacy.

8. What did you do over the weekend?

On Saturday, we watched a middle school musical production of “Rudolph,” and then Connor had an outdoor dance performance with her team at the yearly local tree lighting in our town. On Sunday we got our Christmas tree!

I hope your day is off to a great start, my friend. Remember to grab some downtime for yourself this week, OK?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Here are the questions to copy/paste with your answers in a comment. Talk to ya soon.

1. One of your favorite singers and/or a favorite band when you were a teen?
2. Have you ever ridden a cable car or a trolley?
3. Last thing you did that required a good amount of concentration/brain power?
4. Shiseido or Shu Uemura?
5. Would you rather wear a pair of uncomfortable socks or a pair of comfortable socks with a big hole in them?
6. Powder foundation – yes or no?
7. Last makeup recommendation you made?
8. What did you do over the weekend?

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 789

December 3rd, 2023 by Karen Leave a Comment

Oh! I’m glad you’re here. So! I thought you’d be interested in hearing the big news…

Get this: on the night of the company’s annual Christmas tree lighting last weekend, someone sabotaged the A/V system, which caused the Christmas tree lights to go out!

That reminds me…

When Tabs was our CFO (Chief Feline Officer), he kinda took it upon himself to decorate the company tree, and like everything he did, he took this responsibility seriously.

There was no lounging around… It was always work, work, work with Tabs.

Every year, not only did he chair the decorating committee, but he also headlined the company’s annual presentation of The Nutcracker.

Rosie, now, has continued the legacy of the leaders of Tabs the Cat Industries, LLC by doing her level best to maintain the same high standards Tabs set for the office decorations.

Since she’s a scientist and an engineer, she plans out every last detail. Her attention to detail is truly remarkable.

Sadly, it wasn’t enough this year.

Moments after we powered up the company Christmas tree at our big tree lighting ceremony, the unthinkable happened!

Someone sabotaged the setup, which caused the lights to go dark. Yup, the Christmas tree is still broken.

Immediately, Detective Rosie took the case.

It’s been a difficult 24 hours, but if anyone can get to the bottom of this brazen caper and figure out whodunit, it’s Rosie. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Saturday Surfing, December 2, 2023!

December 2nd, 2023 by Karen 2 Comments

Hello friend, and happy Caturday from me and Rosie-Pose. Please note the very cute mixed black and pink toe beans on her paw. 😍 She totally working it!

My tiny dancer Connor has a performance today and it’s going to be a long dance day, so I’ll keep this short and sweet.

Wishing you a good morning and sending good vibes for the rest of your weekend!

This week’s reading

If you’re a curly girl, you might want to consider one of these 15 hair gels for a flake-free hold.
“Napoleon” movie makeup artist Jana Carboni drew from extensive research, the film’s script and creative interpretations of Joséphine’s life to tell a story through the power of makeup.
The new Hermès Beauty Le Regard collection includes six palettes, six mascaras and sleek tools.
Makeup artists with tweens say these are the best makeup gifts for the holiday season.
On the weaponization of hair, and how it can be used to oppress, punish, seduce and rebel.

I love this look so much

Remember this song?

Pretty

Don’t tell Rosie-Pose, but I want a dog just like this one

Her lids!

Take care of yourself, OK? Make sure you get some rest today, and maybe treat yourself to something delicious. You deserve it!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

NARS Kalahari Love

November 30th, 2023 by Karen 2 Comments

Hi there! I’m in and out of the home office today because I’ve got various medical appointments. FUN — not really, LOL! I’m happy to report that I just got back from the dentist, though, without any cavities. I also didn’t cry while I was there, which for me is a Christmas miracle. Anywho. Re: this post. I did it a while back, and it features one of my favorite eyeshadows, NARS Kalahari. I love this duo and wear it a ton. If you get the chance to pick it up, grab it! Have a great rest of your Thursday and see ya soon.

They say, if you love something, set it free, which I guess makes sense if you love butterflies or toucans, but in the case of makeup, if you love something, I say you should talk about it ALL THE TIME, which is why I’ve been raving about NARS Kalahari for years!

Kalahari eyeshadow duo is perfect for lightly defining your lids. One side is a shimmery rosy bronze, and the other side is a shimmery taupe — two colors, granted, that you can find in almost any line, but here’s the kicker: NARS found a way to avoid all of the typically problematic side effects that befall so many shimmery shadows.

For instance, Kalahari is reflective, but it isn’t frosty, so fine lines aren’t even a thing. When you sweep and swirl it on your skin, a sweet, bronzed glow remains. It’s very “J. Lo running errands in her velour track suit.” Casual, but still noticeable. (This is a good thing in my book.)

Here’s one of my favorite ways to wear it:
Mix the two shades together with a domed shadow brush, then apply from lash line to crease (or just above the crease if your eyes are hooded like mine). Build it up if you want more color intensity, but don’t worry — this is eyeshadow that won’t look heavy, since the powder is very delicate and fine.

Next, wet that same brush, and apply more of the mix on the mobile part of your lid, which is the part of your eye that “blinks.” Leave it a few minutes to dry, and work on the rest of your face. Once you’ve almost gotten to the end — I usually wait until I’m done with almost everything, including blush and lipstick — take a clean tapered blending brush, and gently rock it back and forth in your crease and along the outer corners to blend.

If you want, you can also rim your lash or water lines with chocolate brown eyeliner, which I did for these pics. I also smudged a cooler taupe liner (Urban Decay’s Mushroom) on the bottom lash line ’cause I like the subtle contrast of tones.

Makeup worn in this look

Eyes: Nars Kalahari (lids), MAC Coffee (water line, upper lash line, smudged between lashes and layered beneath Kalahari), Urban Decay Mushroom (lower lash line smudged with the darker side of Kalahari), It Cosmetics Superhero Mascara (lashes)

Blush: MAC Glow Play Blush in No Shame

Lips: BECCA Lush Lip Colour Balm in Almond Fraise (on sale now!) topped with BECCA Glow Gloss in Snap Dragon

Base: Estee Lauder in Honey Bronze, Estee Lauder 24H Hydra Prep concealer, MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Golden Tan

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Checking In: Chocolate Epiphanies, Too Faced Better Than Chocolate Palette, Second Interviews and Shiseido

November 29th, 2023 by Karen 3 Comments

I don’t know when it happened, but sometime within the last few months, I switched from being on Team Milk Chocolate to Team Dark Chocolate, which is crazy to me because for years now, I’ve said to anyone and everyone who’ll listen that dark chocolate tastes like punishment, LOL!

They say that your sense of taste changes as you get wiser, so this isn’t a big surprise, but still.

It’s kinda weird to be at the checkout counter at Trader Joe’s and reach for impulse chocolate and buy dark instead of milk. Side note, who am I kidding? It’s not impulse chocolate when you buy it all the time. LOL!

Anywho, while we’re on the subject of chocolate, it’s been a minute since I’ve worn a Too Faced palette. I tried out their new Better Than Chocolate palette recently just for funsies to see if I still was feeling it…

It’s like a mashup between their Better Than Sex and Chocolate Bar themes.

Sigh, I dunno. Their first Chocolate Bar palette came out a decade ago (!), and I can’t believe they’re still recycling the same idea. One would think that in 10 years they could whip up something new, but I guess they really like to stick close to what they know.

Blending and pigment were fine, but I felt like the warm browns pulled very red on my skin (I’m an NC 42 in MAC, by the way). It’s a very distinct type of look, and I’m not always a fan of it on my skin tone because I feel like it makes me look like I’ve been crying, so I probably won’t be adding this palette into my regular rotation anytime soon.

Oh goodness, speaking of regular rotations, apparently now I’m on the “second interview” merry-go-round. I had one on Monday via video and a second one in person yesterday.

I defaulted to my usual MAC neutral lipstick, Velvet Teddy, to keep things “profesh” (air quotes), but after I saw myself in pics, I kinda wish I wore a brighter lip.
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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 809

November 27th, 2023 by Karen 7 Comments

So…what is the Monday Poll?

Excellent question! It isn’t, contrary to its name, an actual poll, like with little clicky buttons. It’s just a list of more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007).

1. Run or walk?

Walk! Gotta hit those 10K steps a day, baby.

2. Books or movies?

Read the book first, and then watch the movie.

3. Wing it or plan it?

Plan it, otherwise I’ll never be able to stop thinking about the details until they’re all worked out. I’ll be terribly annoying until we figure out how we’re gonna get there. Then I’ll ask what’s the parking situation like, if I can pay with a credit card if we need to park in a lot, and if wherever we’re going has a bathroom that’s kid friendly. Then I’ll need to know where and when are we going to eat, if anyone has allergies, yadda-yadda-yadda! I’m that friend who will drive you slowly nuts, LOL!

4. Try a new mascara or stick to your reliable standby?

Try something new, why not?

5. Hotel or Airbnb?

UGH, the last Airbnb experience I had was kinda gross, so give me a hotel with at least three stars please.

6. Liquid concealer with a wand or cream concealer in a pot?

Liquid with a wand because it’s so much easier for me to blend.

7. Go makeup shopping alone or with a friend?

With a friend!

8. How was your Thanksgiving?

It was so mellow and peaceful. We had pre-cooked crab which didn’t take long to steam, a couple sides and pie. We stayed at home and it was just lovely!

Side note, I just finished the interview that I had scheduled today, and I’m so glad that I actually put on makeup and got outta my pajamas because it was on camera, ha ha ha. I think it went OK, but it was super long — an hour and a half! I’ve been told that if I make it to the next round there will be at least two more interview. Anywho, I’m starving and craving a veggie burger so that’s what next up on my end.

I hope that you are doing great! Have a wonderful rest your Monday.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Here are the questions to copy/paste with your answers in a comment. Talk to ya soon.

1. Run or walk?
2. Books or movies?
3. Wing it or plan it?
4. Try a new mascara or stick to your reliable standby?
5. Hotel or Airbnb?
6. Liquid concealer with a wand or cream concealer in a pot?
7. Go makeup shopping alone or with a friend?
8. How was your Thanksgiving?