Karen

MAC Haute Dogs Collection Fall 2015

August 20th, 2015 by Karen 14 Comments

It’s time to raise the roof! (Get it? Sorry…) It’s MAC Haute Dogs time.

I wish I could have hired a professional dog actor to serve as my cuddly co-broadcaster for this video… I guess I could’ve put Tabs in a dog outfit, or better yet, dressed him up as an actual hot dog of the “meat in a tube” variety — complete with all the fixin’s, of course (but please hold the sauerkraut) — but you and I both know how either of those scenarios would have gone down. There would have been hell to pay, and the payment would have involved me being scratched-the-eff-up by some very sharp tabby talons!

MAC Haute Dogs is a pretty hefty fall release with 33 pieces, and here’s a look at 13 of them (limited edition products), along with thoughts on the MAC Mineralize formula, because the collection is heavy in the Mineralize department. Got some swatches in there, too. 🙂

mac haute dogs collection — 13 of the 33 pieces from the MAC Haute Dogs collection

mac haute dogs pure bred quad — MAC Haute Dogs Mineralize Eye Shadow X 4 in Pure Bred ($46)

mac haute dogs glimmer of gold quad — MAC Haute Dogs Mineralize Eye Shadow X 4 in A Glimmer of Gold ($46)

mac haute dogs posh pedigree quad — MAC Haute Dogs Mineralize Eye Shadow X 4 in Posh Pedigree ($46)

mac haute dogs lipsticks — MAC Haute Dogs Mineralize Lipsticks from the left: Fashion Pack, Rare Breed, Barking Gorgeous, Nose for Style and Labradorable ($23 each)

mac haute dogs collection glass — MAC Haute Dogs Mineralize Glasses from the left: Lap Dog, Sheer Coincidence, Modest, Dressed to the K9S ($23 each)

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Do You Ever Feel Uncomfortable Wearing Makeup Around People Who Don’t?

August 19th, 2015 by Karen 86 Comments

Sometimes I do, and the funny thing is…most of the time when it happens, I’m around close friends and family.

This occurred to me on the weekend trip I took to Napa with my friends Jen and Cindy a few weeks ago.

Neither of them are big into makeup. In fact, they hardly wear any at all, so when we’re hanging out together, especially when we go somewhere and stay overnight, they always seem to be waiting for me to get ready.

Like, one night that weekend we had reservations for dinner at a fancy-schmancy restaurant, and Jen and Cindy were ready to go in two minutes, but I took about 20, and that’s only because I was rushing!

And the makeup I ended up doing was minimal, too. I refrained from doing the whole rigamarole I would have normally done when going someplace nice.

It’s interesting… I definitely wear less makeup when I’m around them, but it’s not because they say or do things to make me feel uncomfortable. I mean, one of ’em might say something like, “WOW! That’s a lot of work,” but we’ve known each other for years, and they know how much I love hair and makeup.

Sometimes I just feel a little uncomfortable because I don’t want to be the one making everyone wait.

I do feel a little more uncomfortable sometimes when I’m doing my hair and makeup around family and someone says something like, “When I was young, my friends and I never wore makeup,” or “You’re such a pretty girl! You don’t need to wear so much makeup.”

Hmm… OK, thank you? But…I really like it. 🙂

I always try to be considerate and careful about what I say when I’m around people who aren’t into makeup because to each her own, right? I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, so instead of getting all confrontational about it, I’ll usually just make a joke of it with something like, “A little lipgloss never hurt anybody!”

Sometimes it still bugs me a little to hear the anti-makeup remarks, but it’s not worth getting into a fight over. I’ll save that for when there are bigger fish to fry, you know?

What about you? Do you ever feel uncomfortable wearing makeup around people who don’t?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Dressing Room Makeup Hack: Use Your Shirt As a Protective Barrier When You’re Trying on Clothes

August 18th, 2015 by Karen 10 Comments

Anthropologie white and yellow striped top — Things I do inside dressing rooms…

Have you ever accidentally gotten makeup on the clothes you were trying on in a dressing room?

(Uh…I am totally guilty of doing this, and yes, I’m a little ashamed.)

Even though I always do my best to keep it from happening, sometimes it’s darned near impossible! — like if it’s a shirt or a dress that’s really hard to take on or off.

It almost happened to me a while back when I was trying on a white dress at Ann Taylor. I was wearing a full face of makeup, and the dress I wanted to try on had a very narrow opening at the neck.

Standing in the dressing room, I realized that there was no way I was going to get in or out of the dress without getting makeup on it…and that’s when I had an aha moment! I draped the shirt I was wearing that day, which happened to be black, over my face like a veil, where it could work as a protective barrier between my makeup and the dress. Then I slipped the dress over my head without leaving a mark on it.
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Tuesday Tip: Apply Moisturizer Before Your Face Primer

August 18th, 2015 by Karen 15 Comments

Let's get ready to moisturize and prime! — Ready to moisturize, blot and prime!

I know I say this all the time, but that’s because it’s freakin’ true! — it really does take a village, so to speak, when you’re trying to do the whole smooth/flawless skin thing, or as close as you can get to it.

Oh, my goodness, yes, it would be SO nice if it were possible to do it all in one easy step, but that hasn’t been my experience. There are lots of steps involved in getting as close as possible to perfect-looking skin for me, and it takes a lot of work, especially upfront prep work at the beginning of the process.

But here’s something that helps, and I always do it, without fail: I always apply moisturizer before my face primer.

When I do, my skin looks smoother, my makeup lasts longer, and everything I apply on top of moisturized skin just seems to work better.

I really don’t know why… Maybe the moisturizer plumps the skin and makes whatever I apply on top of it look smoother. Colors also look richer and more intense.

Here’s my basic process…

Step 1: Moisturize

First, I moisturize, and it’s the first step when I’m applying my makeup (before this, however, right after washing my face in the morning, I apply any skin serums and products with SPF).

My combination skin is more dry than oily (but it’s also oily on my forehead and around my nose and chin), so I reach for rich moisturizers, and I like ones that don’t contain SPF, in this case, to avoid the telltale white cast that can happen when you mix SPF-containing products and flash photography. I also like moisturizers that don’t pill or clump when I apply other products on top of them.

Once my face is fully moisturized, I give the moisturizer enough time to fully absorb and sink in, which is usually around five minutes. Note: this step is very, VERY important because if the moisturizer is still wet in spots, products applied on top of it won’t last as long as they should/could.
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Is Anyone Else Breaking Out Right Now?

August 18th, 2015 by Karen 54 Comments

Wearing no makeup — Wearing absolutely no makeup

Please tell me I’m not the only one breaking out right now. Sad panda! I’ve got a few tiny whiteheads along my hairline, my jawline, and some on my chest as well, and this is probably TMI, but I’m going there anyway…but I have one on my left booty cheek, too.

AND IT HURTS.

Anywho! Thank goodness the ones on my face at the moment aren’t the painful red kind I get sometimes on my chin, because those are the worst.

This current breakout is probably half due to not sleeping well at night because of this extreme heatwave we’ve been having (and us not having air conditioning), and half due to Three Twins Salted Caramel Ice Cream, which I’ve been eating A LOT of lately. Whenever I up my dairy intake, I break out, but dangit! — why’s it gotta taste so good?

Is anyone else breaking out right now? Inquiring minds want to know.

In fact, let’s do this as a poll…

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. What are you breakout triggers? My main ones are dairy, hormones and not drinking enough water.

Best of Benefit Sephora Exclusive Kits

August 17th, 2015 by Karen 21 Comments

If YouTube could figure out a way to transmit a glass of lemonade and a plate of cookies while people were watching videos like this one about the new Best of Benefit Sephora exclusive kits, they could take over this whole freakin’ planet, NO JOKE.

One cool thing about these kits, which are all exclusively available at Sephora, is that two of them contain adorable mini versions of completely brand new products.

Here’s a look at all three of them. If you have any questions about anything in the video, holla at me in the comments.

sephora best of benefit — The Sephora Best of Benefit Kits

benefit do the hoola — Benefit Do the Hoola Beyond Bronze Kit ($34)

benefit operation pore proof — Benefit Operation Pore-Proof Kit ($34)

benefit theyre real sexy run — Benefit They’re Real!: Sexy on the Run ($32)

Products mentioned…

Benefit Do the Hoola Beyond Bronze Kit ($34)
Benefit Operation Pore-Proof Kit ($34)
Benefit They’re Real!: Sexy on the Run ($32)

As always, thank you for watching. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

#LiveInColor With Féria (SPONSORED)

August 17th, 2015 by Karen 8 Comments

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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 386

August 17th, 2015 by Karen 36 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.

Mountains or ocean?
I love both for different reasons, but I’m a water baby at heart. I’ll take the ocean — ideally warm, tropical oceans with gentle, rolling waves and clear teal blue waters…

I feel at home by the sea.

In my opinion, if you want to be successful at something, you have to be __________.
- Persistent and unafraid to make a complete fool out of yourself (sometimes)
- Willing to set aside your ego
- Willing to try new things and let go of the past
- I think it also helps to be likable, since it usually takes a lot of people up in the mix to be successful at something…unless you live by cutthroat rules, but in my experience, people like to hire/work with people who can not only get the job done, but are also polite, friendly people who would be fun to hang out with.
Places where you feel safe?
- In my bed at home
- The living room at my parents’ house in Union City
- In quiet, air-conditioned libraries with big windows (no idea why)
What’s your stance on wearing rhinestones on your face?
If you’re into it, why the heck not? I went through a phase in the ‘90s when I desperately wanted to be Gwen Stefani and wore them all the time, even to class, LOL!

Granted, I probably looked ridiculous, but who cares? I had fun. 🙂

Have you ever had your tarot cards read?
I have not, but I’d like to someday. It sounds very interesting!

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

1. Mountains or ocean?
2. If you want to be successful at something, you have to be __________.
3. Places where you feel safe?
4. What’s your stance on wearing rhinestones on your face?
5. Have you ever had your tarot cards read?

Good morning, sweet girl (or boy)! I hope you slept well. It’s a quiet, still morning here in Novato…one of those mornings that you know is going to be an epically, scorchingly hot day, haha!

We’re in the midst of a record-setting heatwave here in the Bay Area with temps around 100 degrees, and when your place doesn’t have air conditioning, well…you gotta get as much work done as possible by about 2 p.m., because after that, the heat is unbearable.

Yesterday El Hub and I took refuge at the mall. We hit up the Chipotle in San Rafael (“Guacamole is extra.”), and then watched that new Jason Bateman thriller called The Gift.

Oh, my gosh — SO good. And so many plot twists. I may or may not have screamed, “AHHHHHHHHHH!” at the top of my lungs during one of the startling scenes (El Hub yelled, “OH, SH*T!”). Yes, we are those people, LOL!

Enjoy the rest of your Monday, and have a peaceful week. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen