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Make Room for the Korres Never Too Many Set

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korres-never-too-many-box

With a tube for each of the 12 days of Christmas, the Korres Never Too Many Holiday Gift Set ($40) just might be the answer to a procrastinator’s prayers.

For Korres, considering their typical prices, it’s a limited edition budgetary bonanza (breaks down to just $3.35 per bottle).

You get a dozen travel-friendly 1.69-oz bottles of their shower gels and accompanying body butters in the following fragrances — Jasmine, Melon, Mint, Lemon Basil, Guava and Clementine Orange.

All of the scents are light and not overly synthetic, smelling to me just like the real things. I like all six of them, but I’m kinda stuck on Jasmine… I think it’s my favorite one. 🙂

korres-never-too-many-box-jasmine

Now, the main packaging probably won’t win any awards for its design (just a transparent plastic box with a few white snowflakes sprinkled around), but I think the bottles are kinda cute.

Don’t they look artsy and creative? 🙂

korres-never-too-many-showergels

About the shower gels, I’m a fan, but the body butters — ooh, baby! These body butters take the cake! Their light, lotion-like texture absorbs quickly without leaving any yucky greasiness behind, yet they still moisturize like monsters, keeping my Saraha-dry shins ash-free for hours.
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Looking Back at 2009 with 5 of My Eye Makeup Faves

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Tabs does MAC Style Black

I’ve been feeling kinda nostalgic lately with 2009 winding to a close…

Today I took a little break from oh-so-strenuous, almost nonstop Hulu watching to stroll down blogville memory lane. Do you remember any of these five eye makeup products? They were some of my faves of the year.

  • MAC Style Black Greasepaint Stick in Black: Rocking head-to-toe Style Black makeup ensembles might have made for a fun night out (Halloween, perhaps?), but I see myself probably sticking to just one or two of the hyper-edgy items at a time. For instance, I might try a bold eye with the Greasepaint Stick in Black (lovin’ the blue and purple shimmer!) layered beneath one of the Mineralize Eyeshadows on the lid but toned down with a nude lip.
  • Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Bourbon: Bourbon’s golden flecks lighten my lids in a subtle way, but not so subtle that I can’t appreciate the difference. It’s glitter, after all, and what’s the point of wearing glitter if you can’t enjoy the bling?
  • LORAC Front of the Line Pro Liner: Drawing crisp, dark, dramatic lines is easy-peasy with this liquid pen liner. The genius lies in Lorac’s firm felt tip pen. It glides smoothly against skin, depositing sharp lines with precision — fantastic for cat eyeliner looks.
  • Lancome Declaring Indigo Ink Artliner in Indigo Charm: Ink Artliner in Indigo Charm ($24) is captivating in her shimmery, intensely pigmented indigo blue. A gel liner that doesn’t budge for nuthin’, she stays on my lids all day long without smudging, and I think she totes makes brown eyes *pop*. The thick, semi-wet formula — easy to apply and control — should also be great for gel liner neophytes and lazy girls (like moi).
  • Bobbi Brown Cream Shadow in Heather: Heather’s a matte mauve confection from Bobbi’s recent Platinum Collection, and to steal a tune from J-Timberlake in those McDonald’s commercials, “Bah-dah-dah-dah-daaah… I’m lovin’ it!”

I found Heather super easy to apply and blend. The purple has enough pigmentation in it to be noticeable on my eyes, but it’s not so obnoxiously bright that I look like I’m heading to a Barney convention.

I can’t believe the weekend’s almost over, le sigh… I hope you had a nice one. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

NARS Unsung Hero: Gothika Lipgloss

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nars gothika lipgloss review

There’s *treasure* in them thar hills! Okay, well, they’re not hills — more like random makeup drawers, but you get the idea. 🙂

Today I dug around in my Miscellaneous Makeup Drawer, aka The MMD, looking for buried treasure. I try to keep my makeup organized, but I still have that one catchall drawer I fill with miscellaneous glosses, shadows and other items. It’s kinda like the chaotic ying to my organized makeup yang.

Anyway, while I was ferreting around, I spotted an old friend, NARS Lipgloss in Gothika ($24), a shimmery berry that sings with tiny golden sparkles.

nars gothika lip gloss swatch 2

A few months ago we were big time BFFS… I wore her almost every day for two weeks straight, but for some reason we lost touch.

Today, when I pulled her out of the drawer, I remembered what I loved about Gothika: easy-to-wear!
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Holiday Party Makeup: The Holiday Cocktail Party or Mixer

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Ah, ladies. Aren’t you glad it’s Friday? 🙂 TGIF! Today, since we’re getting down to the Christmas wire and the social season’s in full effect, I thought I’d try a makeup look with a little more pizazz than my earlier ideas for office parties and small get-togethers with friends.

It hit me while thumbing through the small look book that comes with Urban Decay’s Book of Shadows Volume II palette. There’s a shot of a sultry smokey eye that practically jumps right off the page!

Urban Decay Book of Shadows Vol. II ideas 1

Admiring Studying the picture for a moment, what stood out to me were the blending and colorful shimmer.
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DuWop Foundation of Youth, Revisited

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G’morning, ladies! 🙂 How was your night?

SIDE NOTE: Okay, I have to ask: did you watch Glee? OMG, right? The shizz hit the fan!

Oh! A few of you asked about the foundation I wore in Monday’s office holiday party look. Well, it’s my new (although the product itself has been around for a while) foundation favorite, DuWop Foundation of Youth ($38).

I discovered it some time last spring but sorta forgot about it for months, oops (makeup ADD)!

When I noticed it sitting on my counter last week, I remembered how much I liked it.

It’s the foundation I wore for both the Urban Decay Show Pony and Prescriptives FOTD’s.

Do you ever do that? — completely forget about products that you actually loved, only to remember how much you loved them many months or years later?

Weird!

I’m so glad we reconnected, though, because I’d forgotten just how natural it feels on my skin and how beautifully it photographs (takes very well to the flash).
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Holiday Party Makeup: A Casual Get-Together with Friends

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holiday party makeup tips

Not being able to concentrate worth a biscuit today, I decided to skip work and play with looks for an upcoming get-together with two of my girlfriends this Saturday.

They were bridesmaids in my wedding, and they’re coming over in the morning for brunch (I think they really just want to hang out with Tabs). 🙂

It’ll be a casual weekend thang, so maybe something light and sparkly…

This cool-toned look uses products from the Clarins Palazzo D’Oro collection.

Just like Monday’s potential office party look, this look’s pretty conservative, relying on cool browns, pinks and golds for the eyes, lips and cheeks.

clarins palazzo doro collection jolie rouge gold attraction closeup

To go with their collection, the holiday elves at Clarins posted four nifty eye maps.

I chose the “Festive Evening Look” because of how subtle I think the colors look on my skin tone. I’m sure lighter lovelies could also rock it for daytime but might try using a light touch during application.
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Hourglass Cosmetics and Wednesday Tomfoolery

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hourglass cosmetics review

Heya, ladies! I’m having one of those days again…

My brain feels stretched in 10 different directions!

Concentration much? I’m so jumbled up right now that I’m not even gonna attempt to form a cohesive thought.

Whenever I have days like these, I like to just braindump my thoughts into a list.

1. Have you tried Hourglass Cosmetics yet?

I’ve seen the line carried at my nearby Sephora for a while, but I only just got around to giving it a try. The prices aren’t fantastic (products in the $25-65 range), but I like the texture, pigmentation and packaging of what I’ve seen so far.

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Visionaire Eye Shadow Duo in Exhibition (left) and Lagoon (right), each $38

hourglass cosmetics review primer set
Primer Set in Veil/Solar Tan $56

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Shade Eyeshadow in Petal (I have a feeling this might be discontinued; I’ve only found it online at eBay)

I’m digging the eyeshadows — super smooth with saturated color — and the Extreme Sheen Lipglosses look like standouts in the line.

Check out how opaque Siren is… YOWZA!

hourglass cosmetics swatches
First row: Visionaire Eyeshadow Duo in Lagoon; Second row: Visionaire Eyeshadow duo in Exhibition; Third Row: Calligraphy Liquid Eye Liner in Ebony, Extreme Sheen Lipgloss in Siren, Shade Eyeshadow in Petal

Oh, I almost forgot. Hourglass is hosting a friends (LOL, I almost typed “fiends”) and family sale good through December 14. Enter promo code HGFRIEND at checkout to get 20% off. 🙂

2. Holy crap! I can’t stop watching MTV’s Jersey Shore!!!

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