Karen

Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb Turns 10 With a New Birthday Set

November 5th, 2015 by Karen 16 Comments

Here’s a floral bombshell for ya: Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb is 10 years old.

Can you believe that…? It came out a decade ago, and I remember that, too. I remember my perfume junkie friends basically losing their sh*t, LOL!

So many scents have come and gone since then, but Flowerbomb stood the test of time. It’s a floral oriental with notes of jasmine, rose, orchid and patchouli.

I wore it regularly for a while after it came out, and man! — good memories. El Hub was still El Boyfriend back then… I don’t even think we’d moved in together yet. This was back when El Hub lived in a small one-bedroom apartment in the town of Tiburon, California, back before we knew Sir Tabs. The only cat in our life was the pint-sized black cat who lived with the people next door. She stopped by a lot to say hello, so we named her Sugar…even though that wasn’t her real name. 🙂

I wonder if she’s still around…

Anywho! I put Flowerbomb on my wrists this morning for the first time in years, and it smells just as warm, cozy and ladylike as I remember. If you like Chanel Coco Mademoiselle and Stella, I bet you’ll like it.

To commemorate Flowerbomb’s tenth anniversary, Viktor & Rolf released a special limited edition keepsake boxed set with 10 small 0.24-oz. bottles of Flowerbomb eau de parfum ($130, available now at Viktor & Rolf counters and online).

The inside design kinda looks like sparkly spinning fireworks, doesn’t it?
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I Actually Named My Trader Joe’s Herb Garden

November 4th, 2015 by Karen 31 Comments

The plants on my little deck garden that brightened my spring and summer have bid their seasonal adieu. 🙁 And now when I go back there to get some fresh air with Tabs, there are no more gorgeous greens and bright yellow sunflowers for us to look at (and for him to nibble). Just drooping vines and crumbly brown leaves.

But I gotta get my green thumb on somehow, so I picked up this Potted Herb Garden from Trader Joe’s…

I think it was around $10.

It’s sitting just to the left of my kitchen sink… I hope it hangs on through winter.

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Don’t Be Afraid to Use Multiple Primers to Address Different Issues Around Your Face

November 4th, 2015 by Karen 32 Comments

make up for ever primers — Mix and match your primers!

One of the beautiful (but sometimes frustrating when you can’t control yourself) truths about makeup is that you can make it as easy or as complicated as you want.

Case in point: primer. Most of the time, either because I’m inherently lazy or because I’m almost always running behind, I’ll use a single un-tinted pore-minimizing primer all over my face, except for on my lids, where I’ll use a separate eye primer, but sometimes I’ll feel like going the extra mile, so I’ll use a combination of multiple face primers, and sometimes I’ll even incorporate an additional color-correcting primer.

Make Up For Ever’s Step 1 Skin Equalizers are good for things like this.

When I feel like going that extra mile, before applying my main face primer, I’ll use a separate orange-tinted color-correcting primer first, and I like $36 Make Up For Ever Radiant Primer Peach for this, to neutralize any purple, blue and gray tones on my skin, which for me is usually under my eyes, around my mouth and along my jawline.

make up for ever redness correcting primer — Make Up For Ever Redness Correcting Primer ($36)

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Sephora Bright Future Gel Serum Concealer: I Love This Stuff!

November 4th, 2015 by Karen 56 Comments

A bright future.

I hope so. I hope we all have a bright future, and despite my infatuation with post-apocalyptic zombie TV shows (and one in particular), I REALLY do think the future looks bright.

So…why am I talking about this?

Because of these Sephora Bright Future Gel Serum Concealers ($14 each and available in MANY shades). I stumbled on them back in September and have been using them regularly since.

When you haven’t touched what had been your holy grail concealer (NARS Pure Radiant Creamy Concealer) in two months, it’s time to give what you have been using in its place a shout-out and a thumbs-up.

So this is me giving an official shout-out to these full-coverage gel concealers: Haaaaay! 🙂

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Nails Inc. New Globe Walk SNOW GLOBE Nail Polish

November 3rd, 2015 by Karen 18 Comments

Shake it like a Polaroid picture! Inside a snow globe! Because that’s what this is like.

How cute is this?! It’s a little snow globe inside a nail polish bottle, except the snowflakes are golden.

This is new $15 Nails Inc. Globe Walk SNOW GLOBE Nail Polish, and it’s available now on the Nails Inc. website.

The weather calls for a blizzard of hexagonal glitter flecks in a clear polish base. The flecks rest on the bottom of the bottle until you shake it up. Just shake, then paint, either on top of bare nails or another polish. Here I’m wearing Snow Globe on top of two Nails Inc. NailKale polishes, deep cherry Victoria and nude Montpelier Walk ($14 each, available now on the Nails Inc. website and Sephora).

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Buxom and bareMinerals Holiday 2015 Highlights

November 3rd, 2015 by Karen 14 Comments

If you’re reading this in the newsletter and can’t see the video, you can also click here to watch it on YouTube.

buxom bareminerals holiday 2015 — Highlights from the Buxom and bareMinerals Holiday 2015 collections…

Buxom, bareMinerals and the phrase “Bay Area,” which is where both of the aforementioned companies are headquartered (in San Francisco), all start with the letter “B,” as does the word “bad@ss,” which is what you probably are if you’ve already finished your holiday shopping.

Have you?! Because if you have, I bow down!

For the rest of us penitent procrastinators, there are fewer than 10 weeks left till Christmas! We’re in the single digits now, so if you need help with gift ideas for the makeup lovers in yo’ life, consider these new holiday sets from Buxom and bareMinerals.

Both lines launched their limited edition holiday collections last month, and here are some of the best gifting options, IMO. 🙂

buxom leave your mark kit — The Buxom Leave Your Mark Collection (a $59 set)

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Coming Soon: The New Mustela Maternite Skincare Line for New Moms and Moms-to-Be

November 3rd, 2015 by Karen 21 Comments

My skin feels tight!

No…I don’t mean “tight” as in that hella cool/rad/rocking way. I mean tight, as in a balloon that’s about to pop. 🙂

This is mostly because of what I’ve dubbed “The BG Zone,” aka “The Baby Girl Zone,” aka “My Tum and Boobs,” and even though the rational right half of my brain realizes that this is normal and just a prelude to bigger (haha) things to come, and that the real-deal fun is right around the corner, I’m still trying to brace myself, which includes incorporating some new skin and body care products into my routine, like these new products by Mustela.

They’re a French brand known for their skin care products for moms and babies, and they have a brand new line of lotions, balms and creams to help with stretch marks, body firming and itching…which happens sometimes when your skin feels stretched to its limits and you’re about two breaths away from bursting. The new Mustela Maternity Skincare line debuts online this month and at Target, Babies R Us and Buy Buy Baby stores.

“For over 60 years, Mustela has been an expert in skincare innovation for babies and mothers-to-be. Thanks to a strong foundation in dermatological research, Mustela products are safe, gentle, and formulated specifically for your baby’s delicate skin. Paraben-, phthalate-, and phenoxyethanol-free, Mustela is, most importantly, proven safe for you and your baby.”
— Sephora.com

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5 Great Gothy Glam Lipsticks for Fall

November 2nd, 2015 by Karen 34 Comments

5 gothy glam lipsticks — You can’t go wrong with one of these gorgeously gothy glam lipsticks this fall

“Luke, I am your father!”

Wha!? Who you talkin’ to? Ain’t no Luke here, buddy. My name is Karen, and this is my cat Tabs.

“JOIN THE DARK SIDE, LUKE!”

Man, you are cray, but OK. Sure, I’ll join the dark side…of lipstick! BOOM! What!? Surprise attack! Get him, Tabs! Attack his ankles!!

–END–

Yes, fellow fierce force users, dark, vampy plums and wines are giving me So. Much. Life. There are so many great gothy glam lip colors out there, and here are five fabulous ones for fall.

1. NARS Audacious Lipstick in Liv ($22)

Oh! I love Liv’s deep, satiny aubergine finish and rich, creamy formula. It livs (get it?) online and at NARS counters, where you can find it now for $22.

2. Dolce & Gabbana Matte Lipstick in Dolce Inferno ($37)

dolce gabbana dolce inferno — Dolce & Gabbana Dolce Inferno

I am burning up with love for $37 Dolce Inferno. It’s hands down one of my favorite deep, dark lippies around. A moody matte plum, it has the faintest essence of pearl that gives it a little kick.

For a dark lipstick, it’s also easy to apply. The smooth, opaque formula feels fairly thick, and it doesn’t slip and slide all over my lips when I apply it, which I do with a lip brush. You’ll find this hot ticket heating up Dolce & Gabbana counters now.

3. MAC Satin Lipstick in Cyber ($17)

My dry lips love MAC Cyber’s comfy, creamy formula. This dark, satiny plum is so creamy that it tends to scoot beyond my natural lip line, so I like to wear it with MAC Cyber World Lip Liner, because 1) the two products are like peas in a pod (the colors match very closely), and 2) the liner totally keeps Cyber under control.

Skynet approved! Look for it passing Turing tests now at MAC counters and online.
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