Karen

Skin Survey Says: What Are the 3 Biggest No-Nos for Your Skin?

January 5th, 2016 by Karen 20 Comments

Oh hai, bare skin! — Oh, hai, bare skin!

Mine are 1) not drinking enough water, 2) not getting enough sleep, and 3) eating too much junk food, and the two that really do me in are not drinking enough water or getting enough sleep.

When I forget to drink water throughout the day, or when I just don’t have a taste for it, my lips definitely pay the price. They get all flaky and dry, and my skin feels tight and doesn’t look as…plump as usual (I can really see it around my mouth, especially around the smile line area).

Sleep is the other big one for me. My dark circles look darker (UGH!), and I can see a general look of dull tiredness around my eyes.

I didn’t start putting these things together and realizing the consequences of my actions on my skin until I reached my 30s, where I also started to realize how food played a part. Like, when I’ve been eating a lot of salty foods, my face will look puffy the next day, or if I haven’t been eating my leafy greens and fruit, my skin starts to look duller and more…congested? For lack of a better word.

Nowadays, garbage in, garbage out. When I eat too much junk food, whether it’s too much fried food or not enough veg, I definitely see it in my skin, but it wasn’t always that way! I can’t lie, I kinda miss the days when I could have a huge mound of French fries with a vanilla shake at 3 o’clock in the morning after a night out clubbing and not even notice any difference at all in my skin.

Enjoy it while you can, kids!

How about you? What are your three biggest skin no-nos?

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

A Magical Monterey Getaway (With a Stop in Carmel)

January 4th, 2016 by Karen 20 Comments

I hadn’t been to Monterey or the Monterey Bay Aquarium in…well, suffice it to say, it was a long time, so the trip I took with El Hub last weekend was a big treat. We saw it as what will probably be our last vacation-y hurrah before Baby Girl arrives in March, so we made the drive south on Friday.

The drive took about three hours. Last time we went, we didn’t have Yelp to help us find places to eat, and we didn’t have GPS on our phones, which really helps when it comes to finding restaurants (and your hotel), so this time I think we discovered a whole bunch of neat places, nooks and crannies that we didn’t even know existed! There’s so much more to see and do in and around Monterey and nearby Carmel (including a seemingly endless number of cute shops) than I thought. If you live in California, or if you’ll be visiting, I really hope you check it out. It was one of the funnest, most interesting and tasty trips I’ve taken in years.

The food? The seafood!? HOLY MACKEREL! (Haha, bad pun intended.) Talk about good eats, and it generally seemed to be more affordable than the fresh seafood I find up here near San Francisco.

And then there’s the incredible aquarium! In another life, I think I was a marine biologist/veterinarian. Those dang sea otters are some of the cutest critters in the world, the way they play with each other and roll around? I CAN’T EVEN TAKE HOW CUTE THEY ARE! I mean, they have SERIOUS four-legged modeling potential. Tabs should be advised.

Here are some pics from the trip, which was just a couple days from Friday to Sunday. On our last day, we also stopped by Carmel (Clint Eastwood used to be the mayor), which is another small town right next to Monterey.

They just thought they'd get a little dressed up for their walk — They just thought they’d get a little dressed up for their walk

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NARSissist L’amour Toujours Eyeshadow Palette Swatches and First Impressions

January 4th, 2016 by Karen 13 Comments

narsissist lamour toujours lamour palette 1 — New for spring, the NARSissist L’amour Toujours Eyeshadow Palette ($59, available now at NARS boutiques and the NARS website; coming Feb. 1 to NARS counters)

Today I learned a valuable life lesson from the new $59 NARSissist L’amour Toujours Eyeshadow Palette ($59), and it was this: ’tis better to drink the blueberry smoothie — the one you made for yourself as a healthy snack — after you’ve taken pictures of yourself wearing a new eyeshadow palette, as opposed to before.

(Lest you end up with pics of yourself with a blue tongue and teeth!)

Just as an FYI, you know, in case you ever find yourself in that particular situation. 🙂

narsissist lamour toujours lamour palette 6 — Wearing the NARSissist L’amour Toujours Eyeshadow Palette on my lids

So, I took L’amour Toujours, a new NARS palette for spring, for a test drive around the block today (well…more like around my condo after I got back from seeing a nutritionist who assured me that I can have “a very small amount” of sweets here and there! Life is grand!).

The quick and dirty deets…

Limited edition
Available now at NARS boutiques and NARS website and coming Feb. 1 to NARS counters
12 powder shadows, none of which, I believe, have been previously released (but I’ll have to double check that). Four are mattes, and eight are shimmers.
The mattes, and the names are numerical, which is a little tricky, include “I” (which is a sheer cream bisque), “IV” (a semi-sheer black truffle), “VII” (a cool-toned medium brown) and “X” (a regal blue).
Of the shimmers, there’s “II” (a shimmery pink sand), “III” (a neutral medium brown), “V” (a shimmery golden beige), “VI” (a shimmery copper), “VII” (a shimmery pistol gray), “IX” (a shimmery grayish blue), “XI” (a shimmery taupe) and “XII” (a shimmery blackened licorice).

And some quick first impressions…

When I popped the matte cool-toned medium brown (VII) in my crease, the shimmery pink sand (II) on my lids, the matte regal blue (X) in the outer corner, the matte black (IV) on my upper lash lines and the shimmery pistol gray (VIII) on my lower lash lines, I found that the shadows blend together beautifully. I do see a little fallout with the black shade, though…
Um…Roman numerals for eyeshadow names? That’s very confusing for some reason!
So far I like the combination and variety of warm and cool-toned colors. I also like how smooth they feel on my skin. They don’t feel heavy or look powdery either. I also lake how deep and rich most of the shades are, especially VII, VIII and X.
So far, however, I am not crazy about the sheer matte light beige or black, which are sheerer than I’d like, and I have to build them up to see them in swatches. I also feel like I’ve seen a group of colors just like these from NARS before…
Jury’s still out on whether I can recommend this palette with the gusto of a marching band and a ticker-tape parade, but it’s nice enough, I guess, and I can definitely see myself doing a number of neutral looks with it.
I think I’ll have to use it a few more times to get a better sense of its value and gauge its flexibility.

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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 355

January 4th, 2016 by Karen 48 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.

When your energy is low, what gives you a quick boost?
Coffee…which I can’t have right now, and cat naps.

Hoh! Cat naps. And I don’t actually have to be in a horizontal position to partake of a cat nap either because I’m like Tabs in that I can nap pretty much anywhere, any time (once I fell asleep standing up on MUNI, SF’s metro line, which is like the crown jewel of napping).

Even if I can just sneak in a five-minute nap, I’m right as rain, but if a nap is out of the question, then a brisk walk outside often also does the trick.

Mini dress or shrunken jacket?
For the record, this question is hard to answer when you’re massively pregnant because either choice would look extra teeny tiny juxtaposed with le tum.

But, uh…I guess I’d go with the mini dress, but only if it’s black, stretchy and has long sleeves, because it’s cold right meow, and I’d wear it with tights, booties and my BlankNYC faux leather jacket, which I haven’t been able to zip up since September. LOL!

Are you wearing your hair up today or down?
Mine’s up in a messy bun because it’s raining today, and when it’s raining, I don’t even want to bother…

What’s one of the most memorable makeup looks you’ve done?
I always remember one I did with the MAC Maleficent collection. I was really out of my comfort zone because of all the highlighting and contouring and the cut crease and the brows for days.

Do you wear makeup daily?
Nope, not really, but I used to! Heck, I’d put on concealer just to go get the mail, but now I’m cool going bare faced to run errands or go for a walk or, yes, even get the mail. 🙂

Don’t get me wrong, I still love, love, LOVE wearing makeup, and I wear it at least five or six days a week…but sometimes I think it’s also nice to not have to fuss with it.

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

1. When your energy is low, what gives you a quick boost?
2. Mini dress or shrunken jacket?
3. Are you wearing your hair up today or down?
4. What’s one of the most memorable looks you’ve done?
5. Do you wear makeup daily?

I was just about to type, “This is the first Monday Poll of the New Year, so you better get up in the mix!” when I felt something sticking to my lipgloss, and then I looked down at my white tee and realized that Tabs, who was hardcore loving on me (he says hi, BTW), left a half a pound of cat hair in his wake…

I guess that’s one thing that hasn’t changed in 2016! I’m still sitting here in front of my computer with a shag carpet of cat hair on me, haha!

I’m in a great mood today, my friend, and I hope you are, too, but if you’re dragging — and I can totally understand that, seeing as how it’s the first Monday back after the holidays — here’s a dose of good energy to help you get through your morning…

ZZZAP!

I hope you felt that. 🙂 Because I don’t mind sharing. Good vibes all around, man.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 379

January 3rd, 2016 by Karen 10 Comments

Workin' on my fitness with kitty pull-ups... — Workin’ on my fitness with kitty pull-ups

My darlings,

The new year is upon us, and, with that, many new year’s resolutions. I was talking to a few kitty friends of mine, and one resolution that always pops up is getting fit.

Believe it or not, despite my statuesque frame, fitness is something I actually have to work hard to achieve. This body doesn’t come naturally.

Well…most of it does, but I do have to put in the work, and I believe in putting in the work, especially in the pursuit of purr-fection.

Because you’re my favorite fans, here are my top tips to get in tip-top shape in 2016.

Walking works!

Don’t believe the hype: it’s not always about high-impact exercise. Sure, all of that exciting stuff is great — running, CrossFit, aerobicising — but I prefer good, old-fashioned walking. You don’t need a fancy gym membership or lots of gear; just you, the open road (or the treadmill) and the desire to sweat.

I Apple TV

The great thing about the new Apple TV ($149) is the apps. It’s just like the iPhone and iPad now, except for the TV. There’s an app store with all kinds of apps, including the usuals — Netflix, Hulu, YouTube — but also a bunch of games, cooking apps and apps for art, fashion and fitness.

So many apps!

One of my favorites is called Sing. There’s an iPhone version where people sing along karaoke-style to different songs while they record themselves with the camera, and then you can watch them on your TV.

It’s a blast! Some people really get into it. I’m gonna have my assistant install the mobile version on my iPhone so I can practice my singing.

There are also some great kitty (and human) fitness Apple TV apps like Zova, with new apps coming out every day.

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Ringing in the New Year With the Tarte Tartelette in Bloom Palette

January 1st, 2016 by Karen 37 Comments

Good morning, my wonderful, amazing, glorious, sweet friend, and…

I’m so happy to be spending another year with you, and this is gonna be a good one, too. I can feel it! — and no, this time the feeling isn’t gas, LOL! 🙂

There’s a lot of stuff going on in the world, but… Well, no buts. There is. Life is scary sometimes and complicated, but it’s also great.

I wish you health, happiness, fun, laughter, compassion, kindness, sweetness, beauty and love in 2016. That would make me the happiest girl in the world. May the universe bless you with health, happiness and love, my friend, because what else is there, really?

Now…we have swatches. 🙂

OK, seeing as how I pretty much wore Tarte’s $45 Tartelette In Bloom clay palette for, oh, almost the entire month of December, I figure that it’s probably time I give it a quick swatchy-poo.

Yeah, I can’t remember the last time I wore the same palette for almost an entire month, both because I haven’t been wanting to wear a lot of eyeshadow lately, and also because I have a short makeup attention span.

Basically, Tartelette in Bloom is the latest version of the last Tartelette palette (that one was $44, and this year’s is $45), but I think it’s even better.

Like last year’s, it has 12 neutral powder eyeshadows; contains Tarte’s trademark super ingredient, Amazonian Clay; lasts all day long on my lids with very minimal creasing; and it’s cruelty free (like all of Tarte’s products).

This time around, though, the shadows are richer, more pigmented, and I think they’re also more interesting.

“Introducing our tartelette 2 in bloom palette – featuring 12 brand new, never-before-seen shades. With 9 mattes and 3 lusters, these lid liner and crease pairings allow you to create stunning, smoldering looks without the guesswork.”

–tartecosmetics.com

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15-Minute New Year’s Eve/Party Makeup Look

December 30th, 2015 by Karen 20 Comments

Yeah, man! I really did do this look from start to finish in 15 minutes! — and with Baby Girl playing soccer (otherwise known as “football”) in my tum the entire time.

Picture it: it’s New Year’s Eve (um…that’s tomorrow), and you’re already in your flannel pajamas — the ones covered in rainbow cats, because, obviously, wearing a pair of PJs with rainbow cats on them is the right thing to do on New Year’s Eve.

You get a last-minute invite from a friend to grab some pizza and watch fireworks, and so you want to get a little funk-aaaay with your makeup for the night, but you don’t have the patience to sit through two hours of cut creasing and false lashing.

So what do you do?

You bust out the glitter and hot pink lipstick! That’s what you do!

If you can rustle up the glitter and lipstick, you can probably do this look with the products in yo’ makeup bag RIGHT MEOW, and you can be done in 15 minutes, which means that your belly can get that pizza in it sooner…which means that the world will be a happier place. 🙂

Products mentioned

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Happy new year! 🙂