Karen

Dior Capital of Light Eyeshadow Palette #806

August 16th, 2016 by Karen 43 Comments

You can tell that your to-do list has exploded when you LOVE wearing smokey eyes — and it’s a love so massive that it makes stars collapse on themselves — but you can’t remember the last time you actually wore them.

Was it June? Wait, no — July?

I honestly can’t remember.

But I had to go there today when I opened the Dior Capital of Light Eyeshadow Palette #806.

THAT KHAKI THOUGH!

It’s from the new Dior Fall 2016 Skyline collection.

But before I get to that…how’s it going? I miss you. 🙁 What’s new in your neck of the woods?

I’ve still had my face buried in that secret project I mentioned last week (was it last week?), and it’s been taking up most of my non-Connor Claire time. But now it’s almost, almost done.

Almost.

I’m putting the finishing touches on it, and I’m very excited. I’ve never done anything like it before.

But it has been taking a lot of time, so I haven’t had a lot of time left to experiment with makeup.

Except for this limited edition Dior palette, of course. I found the time for this palette. 🙂

I’m wearing a mix of the khaki shade and the gold shade on my lids with the dark purple on my lash lines as liner. And I also dabbed a tiny touch of the beige in my inner corners.

As for the price, it’s Dior, so brace yourself… It’s $63 (it’s Dior), and if you can stop your hoop earrings from quivering due to the sticker shock right now, take a second to admire the flawless Dior shimmer. I think it’s one of things the brand always does well.

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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 436

August 15th, 2016 by Karen 25 Comments

You might be wondering, “So what in tarnation is this Monday Poll thing anyway!?”

Well, it isn’t exactly a poll. It’s more of a constantly evolving (devolving?), somewhat random list of questions I’ve been putting out to readers every Monday morning for the past NINE (!) years. (It’s like a kickstart for your brain.) I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.

Whom would you like to kiss at this very second?
I’d like to give my mom a kiss on the cheek and a big hug, too, while I’m at it.

What blush do you have in your makeup bag?
MAC Gingerly, which I put in my bag before I left for the hospital when Connor was born, and it’s been in there ever since. It’s a natural-looking matte peachy brown, and whenever I wear it, I feel like I look like I’ve been prancing through a field with some deer and sh*t.

It’s my mission in life to not look like I have two painted little circles on the apples of my cheeks…although I’m not always successful at that, LOL!

Yes, I have gone outside looking ridiculous, I admit it.

What are you smelling right now?
The best scent in the whole entire world: baby hair. I’m baby greedy, and I’m not ashamed to admit it.

Are you looking forward to the new Gilmore Girls episodes?
Hell, yeah! I’m about to put it on the calendar today, and I don’t think it comes out till November.

I even plan to get a bottle of wine from TJ’s that I’ll crack open on that very special occasion.

Can you do a push-up or a pull-up?
Once upon a time, I could do both.

Not at the same time, mind you, because this is not American Ninja Warrior or anything, and I’m not about to go up the salmon ladder…but I did have decent upper body strength at one time.

Your turn. 🙂 Just copy and paste the following questions into a comment with your answers. I look forward to reading ’em!

1. Whom would you like to kiss at this very second?
2. What blush do you have in your makeup bag?
3. What are you smelling right now?
4. Are you looking forward to the new Gilmore Girls episodes?
5. Can you do a push-up or a pull-up?

What’s up, my friend? Monday morning! I feel like doughnuts…and croissants…and cake.

Remember the way you used to feel when you and your friends would nail your homemade choreography to the Spice Girls? — like you’d just conquered the freakin’ planet? I hope this week feels like that for you. 🙂

If this was old-school, I’d leave you a note in your locker to tell you to “Have a good week!”

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 410

August 14th, 2016 by Karen 20 Comments

After winning his gold medal in the butt showing competition this week in Rio, Tabs returned home to a hero’s welcome.

The president of his official fan club, a Ms. Connor Claire, organized the celebratory festivities, and all she asked for in return was an autograph, which Tabs was kind enough to provide.

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If You Had to Apply a Full Face of Makeup Using Just Your Fingers, How Would You Rate Your Makeup Skills on a Scale of 1-10?

August 13th, 2016 by Karen 22 Comments

I’m talking foundation, brows, eyeliner, shadow, blush, bronzer — THE WORKS — and with 1 being “ruh-roh!” and 10 being full-on runway ready realness.

And no brushes or beautyblenders or Q-tips or brow or lash combs or mascara wands. Absolutely no accoutrements whatsoever. Just your digits!

Like, you can’t even use a pencil either. You’d have to touch the tip of the pencil with your finger and then use that on your face.

Yeah, let the difficulty of that task marinate for a second…

Overall, I think I could do OK-ish if I were to just use my paws, but I mean, would I be able to pull off graphic cat eyeliner and six shadows intricately blended on my lids?

Um…no.

But I think if I were to just stick to cream products, like a couple of cream shadows, a cream blush and a bronzer, I could probably hit a 6 on a scale of 1-10. The brows would ~~probably~~ definitely be a hot mess, obviously.

How do you think you’d do?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Happy Caturdaaaaay!

Good morning, fellow feline enthusiast. I’ve got cats on the brain even more than usual today…

One reason is this video my friend Jane over at Daly Beauty shared with me of comedian Kate McKinnon talking about her cat Nino.

All I have to say is Kate totally gets me. 🙂

What are you up to this weekend? I’m just about on my way to the East Bay to visit my folks for the afternoon. Connor Claire will be meeting her great-grandmother for the first time. We’re all very excited about it.

A Beauty Improv Tip to Eek Out the Last Few Drops From Your Favorite Skin Care Bottles

August 12th, 2016 by Karen 11 Comments

If you must know, yes, I knew it was coming. The moment was weeks in the making.

Still, there I was, once again, standing half-dressed in the middle of my bathroom and desperately pressing the pump on my now empty bottle of Kate Somerville Anti Bac Clearing Lotion. Surprise!

I thought for sure there’d be one more pump left in there…

Does that ever happen to you?

It happens to me all the time, especially with skin care that I love and use over and over again, like Kate’s Anti Bac Lotion (I LOVE that stuff; it completely changed my skin!). I can’t stand throwing away the empty bottles because I think there’s always a chance I’ll be able to coax out at least one more precious drop if I ever absolutely need to.

What I usually end up doing is what I did this morning, also know as “beauty improv.” I grabbed a Q-tip, broke it in half, then unscrewed the Kate Somerville bottle and, using the side of one of the Q-tip halves (one of the broken ends without the cotton), I scooped out a good enough-sized dollop of lotion from the inside of the cap and the mouth of the bottle.

Whenever I do this, I can usually squeeze out at least two or three last uses from a bottle that I might have otherwise thrown away.

You know how it is. Gotta get every last drop. 🙂

Happy Friday!!!

Ah, the sweet relief, babe… Happy Friday! I’m sorry I’ve been MIA this week, but it’s that secret squirrel project I keep talking about… It’s taking a lot of my time, but it’s gonna be great. I’ll have something official to announce about it in less than a week. I think you’re going to love it.

I hope you did something fun this week. Even though I spent most of the week running around like a cray-cray kitty, I did manage to watch some of the Olympics and, um…can I just say how amazing Olympic athletes are to me? All of the years of hard work, discipline and dedication coming down to a single moment…

Simone Biles is my everything right meow. The grace, the athleticism, and that glitter liner she rocked along her lower lash line during the Women’s All-Around? I swear it looked like Urban Decay’s Heavy Metal Glitter Liner in Midnight Cowboy… LOVE it!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Guerlain Terracotta Pause d’Eté for the Crème de la Crème of Bronzing Bad-@ssery

August 11th, 2016 by Karen 22 Comments

I don’t know which is more breathtaking — the intricate braided design on the Guerlain Terracotta Pause D’Ete Bronzing Powder Duo pan or its breathtaking price.

$86.

I KNOW.

Both are equally able to knock the wind out of you.

When I think of high-end, crème de la crème bronzing bad-@ssery, Guerlain is the first brand that comes to mind (Terracotta Healthy Glow Powder Duo in 03 Naturel Brunettes is always in my makeup bag). Whenever I wear their easy, effortless, beautifully buttery bronzers, I feel like I’ve been kissed by the sun…even when I haven’t spent any time in it.

Unfortunately, they’re also expensive.

This summer their Terracotta Pause d’Eté bronzer pan has three powder parts — a brown powder ring of Guerlain Terracotta shade in 03, and a golden braided overspray (which blends away after a few uses) surrounding a peachy blush center.

Mixing the three together creates a warm peachy brown with a hint of golden pearl that reminds me a little of MAC Gingerly Blush, which is probably why I’m into it. I’ve been into barely-there cheek color lately (it’s a phase), but you can build up the intensity.

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This Hair Towel Will Change Your Life: The Awesome Aquis Hair Towel Is Now at Sephora

August 10th, 2016 by Karen 30 Comments

I had to do the math — not once, but TWICE. Has it really been seven years since I discovered the amazing-ness that is the Aquis Hair Towel?

Holy yikes!

The one I got back in 2009 as a gift from my friend Jen is still going strong (I just used it last night, as a matter of fact), and to this day, I use it all the time.

I’m so devoted that it comes with me on trips, and if I forget to bring it, I freak-the-eff-out. It’s not just a hair towel… It’s a way of life!

Anyway, I’m excited because now my favorite hair towel is available at Sephora.

It used to be that I could only find them at Bed Bath & Beyond, but now when you roll up to replenish your favorite blush or grab a new liner, you can also drop one of these Aquis towels into your little basket and thus change your life. Ploop!

Once I started using it, I couldn’t go back. It’s a supernaturally absorbent hair towel made with a special microfiber fabric that sucks the living crap out of every water molecule in wet hair.

I have long hair, and at its longest, it takes — I’m not kidding — about three hours to dry if I let it air dry after using a regular cotton bath towel. But when I use the Aquis, it takes half as time. Plus, my hair looks less frizzy and even breaks less! The fabric is much smoother than a regular bath towel and doesn’t tug on or rough up my hair cuticles as much.

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Paint Your Paws at Your Keyboard: Multitasking Manis Are a Thing

August 9th, 2016 by Karen 26 Comments

I had to paint my paws this morning for the secret squirrel project I’m working on, but I didn’t have time to do a full-on mani with the works — soaking, filing, pushing back my cuticles with an orange stick, etc., you know the drill — so I did everything right at my keyboard.

Yeah, that’s totally a thing.

In my world, LOL!

If you’re always in front of your computer like I am, painting your nails at your keyboard takes multitasking to the next level, and it’s a real option, especially if you use a quick drying polish.

I like these Essie Gel Couture Polishes, which I know I’ve already mentioned, but I like ’em that much. I’m wearing First View today, which is a baby blue with a hint of pearl).

Technically, the formula isn’t called “quick drying,” but it is. Layers dry in about five minutes, and I’ve been wearing these a lot lately and talking about them all the time because they’re grrrrreat. I love the colors, and I can usually get 6-7 days out of them before any chips.

Like I was saying, for my keyboard manis, I’ll do a layer, then type a little while it dries. This time I answered some comments on MBB and wrote two emails. Then I’ll repeat with a second layer.

And as long as I’m careful when I type and don’t bump my nails, I don’t get any nicks.

Time really flies, too, while I’m at my keyboard, so this is truly a nifty mental trick to actually getting your paws painted.

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