Karen

Ready, Set, Go! What Are Your 3 Go-To Eyeliners?

February 24th, 2016 by Karen 41 Comments

chanel waterproof eyeliner 2 — Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Eyeliner in 88 Noir Intense

Mine are (in no particular order)…

Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Eyeliner in 88 Noir Intense — This intense dark black pencil liner doesn’t annoy my sensitive water lines and stays put all day long! I go through one of these every few months because I use it ALL THE TIME to tightline. Yup, we roll deep…
Tom Ford Eye Defining Pen in Deeper — All that and a bag of striped kittens with chunky paws and tiny tails. Hands down, Deeper is the easiest black liquid liner pen I’ve ever used. It draws jet black lines with crisp edges, and they last at least 10 hours and usually more. CRAZY expensive, though, at $56, erhmahgawd! But it’s the real deal.
MAC Eye Kohl in Powersurge — I’ve worn this golden bronze pencil liner, like, seriously, at least once a week for the past eight years, mostly on my lower lash line. I love this one because it defines my eyes without looking overdone. It’s an absolute MAC must.

How about you? What are your 3 go-to eyeliners, and why do you love ’em?

Your friendly neighborhood (ready to pop!) beauty addict,

Karen

My Latest Kate Spade Love: The Grand Street Layton Wristlet

February 23rd, 2016 by Karen 28 Comments

Finally! At long last! (Huzzah!) The great hunt is over…and I’m not referring to the hunt to find the perfect product to tame the out-of-control baby hairs in my bangs, because they have been extra unruly lately (if you happen to have a recommendation, please help a homie out).

No, I’m referring to my hunt for a new wallet/wristlet/smart phone holder thingamabober-doohickey.

I’ve been looking for one big enough (but not too big) to hold my behemoth of an iPhone, credit cards, spare change, keys, cat treats (#ccl) and a tube of lipgloss (very important) because I’m trying to streamline before BG arrives, and I want something that I can just toss into a diaper bag. And when I’m out and about, and she’s in one of those baby carrier contraptions around my middle, with a wristlet, I’ll be able to keep my hands relatively free.

The real challenge has been finding one big enough to fit my phablet iPhone 6+, but the Grand Street Layton by Kate Spade does (originally $228, marked down to $79!). It has 12 small pockets for business and credit cards, four big pockets (including two zippered exterior ones, which are where I keep my keys), a zippered interior compartment for spare change, and the main pocket, which is roomy enough for a big-@ss phone and a full-sized tube of NARS gloss.

The whole thing isn’t exactly petite, because, hello! — it fits a lot of stuff. It’s a little larger than 4×8 inches, which is kinda big for a wristlet, but it’s still small enough to fit in any of my purses. Plus, it’s reasonably thin and not too bulky. Oh, and it’s made of leather with light-colored 14-karat gold-plated hardware.

I grabbed it in black at a Kate Spade online surprise sale a few weeks ago. There were two colors available at the time, the black and a hot pink, and even though every fiber of my being was screaming “KAREN!!! HOT PINK!” I went with the black, because I thought it would go with everything, and it wouldn’t get dirty as easily.

I wish I could find the exact same wallet now online, but the closest one I’m finding is this one called the Primrose Hill Layton, which is kindasorta similar, and I bet also fantastic.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Wristlets: how do you feel about them?

P.P.S. I am so pregnant right now!

Day in Beauty, Vol. 12: The MAC Zac Posen Collection, ChocStars, and a Belated Blog Birthday

February 22nd, 2016 by Karen 45 Comments

Hey, baby, you’re a ChocStar!

Yes, you read that correctly — a ChocStar, which is somewhat different than a rock star.

How funny are these chocolate bars, though? (Please note the tabbies.) I found them at a fun candy store called SweetE Organic in my old stomping grounds in Mill Valley. It’s just a little shop, but they have every square inch filled with interesting speciality candies — like organic chocolates, gluten-free gummies, vegan candy, sugar-free candies, dairy-free candies, SO MANY CANDIES!

Add it to your list of dessert-related things to do in Southern Marin before or after hiking Mt. Tam, sightseeing in Sausalito or shopping in Corte Madera or Mill Valley. You could have lunch at Pizza Antica (OOH! Try one of their chopped salads with a piadini.), and then swing by SweetE Organic for dessert.

It’s right next to a wonderful store called The Spanish Table, where I could literally spend hours looking at olives, wine, recipe books, maps and bars of Spanish chocolate.

I walked in yesterday while El Hub and I were out and about. With Baby Girl coming very, very soon, we’ve been trying to stay close to home and be ready to hop on the freeway to the hospital in San Francisco, buuut I was starting to go a little stir crazy, so I had to get out of the house.

Can’t help it. I’m antsy!

MAC Zac Posen

And the shopping yesterday was exactly what I needed. It was also a perfect excuse to wear makeup. 🙂 I busted out the new MAC Zac Posen collection (available now online and coming to stores and counters Feb. 25 through March 24) and did a look similar to what I’m wearing today — matte black winged liner; soft purple, plum and taupe lids; warm bronzed cheeks; and hot pink matte lips.

[Continue reading…]

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 411

February 22nd, 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 seven 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.

What was the very first thing you ate today?
A bright green smoothie! And I guess it would be more accurate to say that I drank it, instead of ate it, but it was filling.

I put two big handfuls of spinach in there, one small gala apple, the juice from one lemon, a cup of coconut aloe juice (the one that comes in a box from Trader Joe’s), a fourth of an avocado and 10 blueberries (has to be 10… Don’t ask me why.).

Now that I look back at the ingredients…yeah, it might sound kinda gross, but no way. It was delicious, and now I’m fired up with energy right meow, woo-hoo!

When was the last wedding you attended?
Um…years ago. Maybe a decade? I think it was my friend Jen’s destination wedding in Boca Raton, Florida. That was a while ago…

And the Award for Best Pet in Your Entire Life goes to…
Seriously, growing up our house was like a zoo. We had dogs, cats, birds, mice, rabbits, fish, probably other animals I can’t remember now too, since my dad was always bringing some random stray or other animal home, but of all of the animals I’ve shared my life with, Tabs wins, hands down. He’s been the sweetest, most patient, funniest, most loving animal I’ve ever known.

What would you call your biggest shortcoming?
I waste a lot of time and energy — too much time and energy — needlessly worrying about things that are out of my control, and it’s exhausting.

Like so many things, it’s a process. I’m workin’ on it…

What do you consider your biggest asset?
Hmm… My outgoing-ness (is that a word?). Things do seem to work out better for me when I can talk to other people, even strangers.

I don’t know if that makes any sense, but it’s true.

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

1. What was the very first thing you ate today?
2. When was the last wedding you attended?
3. And the Award for Best Pet in Your Entire Life goes to…
4. What would you call your biggest shortcoming?
5. What do you consider your biggest asset?

Hey, babe! Happy Monday to ya. Are you busy today? I am…but then again I’m not. Like, I feel like I have a ton of things to do around the house, but all I’m really doing is sitting around waiting for BG to show up. Will it be today? Tomorrow? Tonight? Middle of the afternoon? I don’t know.

I do have today, howeve, marked on my calendar, because it’s the day Susan Miller of Astrology Zone (don’t laugh… Her forecasts have been eerily accurate for me.) said that a new baby could be coming.

If she does decide to arrive today, I just hope it’s before 2 p.m. this afternoon… LOL! We have to drive to San Francisco, and I want to beat the traffic and still have some energy.

So, um…if I could please send a cosmic message out into the universe, I would like to ask for BG to announce her arrival before 2 p.m. today.

I’m just sayin’.

Anywho! Time for another cup of decaf tea. I hope to see you in the comments. Have a great day.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 386

February 21st, 2016 by Karen 12 Comments

Dear Diary,

The new hire starts soon, and I’ve been doing my level best to get the office ready.

She comes highly recommended by my chief assistant, so I’m very excited. From what I understand, she’s a good girl, so I’ve taken it upon myself to mold her in my most phenomenal kitty modeling image. She will be both my muse and my protégé, because I feel a responsibility to share my breadth of kitty modeling experience with the world.

I want to be a good mentor to her because I never really had one myself (other than Tim Gunn), and you know me; I like to excel at everything.

Of course, she’ll need to learn runway walking, because it’s such an essential skill. A lot of new models incorrectly assume that walking with fierce purr-pose comes naturally, but it actually takes a lot of practice to correctly shake your groove thang.

Also, in order to eventually run her own fashion and modeling empire, she’ll need to know how to delegate, because no cat is an island. It takes a team. Behind every successful kitty supermodel is an army of fur stylists, makeup artists, personal chefs, personal trainers, nutritionists and masseuses. The new girl has to know how to dish out orders to keep everyone working at peak efficiency.

She also has to know how to lay the smackdown on wannabe divas, which is a skill I learned working with Naomi.

[Continue reading…]

Nothing Says I Love You Like…

February 19th, 2016 by Karen 16 Comments

…a shirt with the number and name of your husband’s favorite player on his favorite team, and a matching onesie for his future baby daughter! At least I think so.

I gave El Hub this Draymond Green Golden State Warriors shirt (they’re our local basketball team here in the Bay Area) for Valentine’s Day, and I swear, the man had tears in his eyes.

A little back story: El Hub looooooves Draymond Green (“He plays with so much heart!”). I’d even go so far as to call him El Hub’s current man crush, haha!

BG also got her dad a V-day gift — a matching Warriors onesie, which she plans to wear when they watch the playoffs together…assuming the Warriors make the playoffs this year.

If you’re in love with a sports fan, next time you need a gift for your guy (or girl) but are completely stumped, think about sports apparel. It was a big hit in our house.

I found the onesie and the tee with Draymond Green’s name and number on it in the NBA online store. I initially also intended to get a matching jersey for Tabs, but I couldn’t find one that I thought he’d like (haha), which leads me to ask a very pressing question… WHY IS IT SO HARD TO FIND A BASKETBALL JERSEY FOR YOUR CAT?! It really shouldn’t be this hard, people.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

A Shimmery Green Chanel Spring 2016 Makeup Tutorial

February 19th, 2016 by Karen 16 Comments

There should be a video right up here in this post, but if it isn’t appearing for any reason, you can click here to watch it on YouTube.

Green.

Like the coat of moss the oak tree outside my window is wearing, and the color of the tiny buds springing to life on the tips of its beautiful branches.

Green means spring is coming! 🙂

Aaand green also happens to be the color of baby poo…which is neither here nor there, but you can’t really blame me for mentioning it because, SERIOUSLY, I am so ready for this baby to check out of Hotel Karen already.

Ugh. Still. So. Pregnant.

Yup, greens: they aren’t just for smoothies anymore. Green is good, and I thoroughly support wearing green eyeshadow, especially in the spring.

Green gets top billing in this shimmery, springy makeup look I’m wearing with a bunch of products from the Chanel spring 2016 collection, which is brimming with bright shades of green, teal, purple and pink, but they’re handled in that elegant Chanel way.

I think that if my granny saw me wearing this look, she’d still recognize me, ya know what I mean? I feel like I still look like me, because sometimes, when I’m experimenting with colorful makeup, I look into the mirror and think, “WHOA! Who is that girl?”

To subdue some of the bright green intensity on my eyes, I incorporated a satiny pink, and then also a black liner on my lower water lines to sort of neutralize some of the intensity of the purple and bright blue. Then, to balance, instead of compete, with my eyes, I’m wearing soft peach, pink and tan on my cheeks, and pink lips.

chanel griffith green — Chanel Illusion D’Ombre in Griffith Green

chanel might moonlight pink — Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Mighty (left) and Illusion D’Ombre in Moonlight Pink (right)

chanel sunkiss ribbon blush — Chanel Sunkiss Ribbon Blush

[Continue reading…]