Makeup

Will You Adopt a Stila Kitten Today? Stila Smudge Pot in Kitten

October 17th, 2009 by Karen 20 Comments

stila-kitten-smudge-pot

I’d been missing Tabs something terrible even BEFORE I saw Stila’s new Smudge Pot in Kitten ($20) at Sephora the other day…

It’s a shimmery cream shadow that doubles as a liner — the cream version of Stila’s cult classic powder eyeshadow in Kitten.

Pale pinks like this really perk up my eyes when I look tired (read: often), and this one applies and builds easily. I use my finger to pat it on my lids, where it stays put for hours.

stila-kitten-swatch-with-flash
Stila Kitten swatch with flash

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Stila Kitten swatch without flash

I like it for quick and casual day looks. I’ll usually wear it as a wash over the lids, with black liner smudged along the upper lash line. 🙂

stila-kitten-2-near-window
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What’s Your Rainy Day Makeup Routine?

October 13th, 2009 by Karen 30 Comments

rainy-day-makeup-routine

Hi, ladies. 🙂 Here’s mine:

Concealer mixed with Origins GinZing Eye Cream
Waterproof Mascara
Tinted moisturizer and powder
Blush
Lipstick (because wind + sticky lipgloss + hair flying all over the place = yuck)

I figure that if rain is coming down sideways and splattering all over my face, I should keep my makeup easy and low-maintenance — something that won’t require too much effort to touch up.

How ’bout you?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Six hours from now I leave the house bound for Blog World in Las Vegas. It’s a conference of bloggers from around the world with sessions on different things like video podcasting, technical topics like how to host a website, social networking (Twitter, Facebook, etc.), monetization (advertising and whatnot) and various other blog-related stuff.

Consequently, I might be covering different things over the next few days (the conference runs through Saturday)… I’ll probably mix blogging tips and advice in with makeup/beauty — things I learn at the conference. But, as usual, I’ll also be on the prowl for beauty booty to share. 🙂

The Urban Decay Smoke Out Palette: How Would You Wear Sweet Lucy?

October 13th, 2009 by Karen 8 Comments

urban decay smoke out sweet lucy swatches

Before bed I like to surf for celebrity makeup inspiration online.

I’ll bookmark the looks I think I might like to copy and save them in a folder ironically titled, “Celebrity Makeup Inspiration.” 🙂

Last night I bookmarked this pic of Jennifer Hudson at the 2009 Grammy Awards.

Hello, hawtness! I love the black, gray and white eye she’s wearing. Soo sultry…

This morning I rifled through my makeup stash to see if I had dupes for a similar look when I remembered Urban Decay’s Smoke Out Kit in Sweet Lucy ($34).

It’s one of three Smoke Out Kits UD released for the holidays. This one’s all about the smokey eyes.

Each Smoke Out Kit comes with four powder shadows in coordinating shades, a mini 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero (a deep black), a mini tube of Skyscraper Mascara (black) and a tiny eye brush.

Sweet Lucy: Blacks and grays for smokey looks

Ju-Ju: Browns for neutral looks

Yerba: Deep greens for colorful looks

urban decay smoke out sweet lucy swatches 2
Eyeshadows from left to right: a neutral tan matte and a cool white matte
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Bobbi Brown Earth Metal Lip and Eye Palette Swatches, Part 2

October 13th, 2009 by Karen 22 Comments

Bobbi Brown Holiday 2009 Earth Metal Lip and Eye Palette

Ladies, here’s a closer look at the lippies from the Bobbi Brown Earth Metal Lip and Eye Palette ($60).

BAM! Giant lip swatches comin’ atcha. 🙂

Bobbi Brown Earth Metal Palette Swatches Rose Bud Creamy Lip Color 3
Rose Bud: a creamy warm brown cream

These join six shimmer eyeshadows in the Earth Metal palette.

I think Rose Bud’s (shown above) my favorite…

What’s yours?
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Bobbi Brown Earth Metal Lip and Eye Palette Swatches, Part 1

October 12th, 2009 by Karen 46 Comments

Bobbi Brown Earth Metal Palette Swatches pan-2
Bobbi Brown Earth Metal Lip and Eye Palette Shadows from left to right: Black Spruce, Sunset Gold and Antique Gold

Hi, gals. A few of you asked about the Bobbi Brown Earth Metal Lip and Eye Palette ($60, part of the Holiday collection) and demanded some swatches. 🙂

Here are the six eyeshadows; the lippies will be coming soon.

Bobbi Brown Earth Metal Palette Swatches pan-1
Bobbi Brown Earth Metal Lip and Eye Palette Shadows from left to right: Golden Leaf Shimmer, Earth Metal Metallic and Zinc Metal

Bobbi Brown Earth Metal Palette Swatches-2
Swatches from left to right: Black Spruce, Sunset Gold and Antique Gold

Bobbi Brown Earth Metal Palette Swatches shadows-swatches-1
Swatches from left to right: Golden Leaf Shimmer, Earth Metal Metallic and Zinc Metal
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The Benefits of Benefit Holiday 2009

October 8th, 2009 by Karen 24 Comments

benefit-holiday-2009-best-of-sets

Sweeeeet! EVEN MORE holiday goodness coming at ‘cha, this time from Benefit Cosmetics.

Remember their Crescent Row fragrance sets and makeup kits? If they caught your eye, check out the company’s Holiday 2009 sets.

The Glam Eyes, Sexy Starlet and Tainted Love sets each come with heavily discounted Benefit bestsellers (full sizes, not samples) like…

Glam Idol Best of Benefit Set

What: Four pieces for face, lips and cheeks.
How much: $60 (but it’s a $74 value)
Where: Check your local Benefit counter or browse online
What you get:

That Gal Primer
California Kissin Lip Shine
Posie Tint Lip and Cheek Stain (LOVE!)
A stylin’ clutch purse

Sexy Starlet Best of Benefit Set

What:A sassy set four-piece set for face, cheeks and eyes.
How much: $58 (a $74 value)
Where: Benefit counters and online
What you get:

Coralista Cheek Powder
Some Kinda-a Gorgeous Oil-Free Foundation
Badgal Lash Mascara
A cute clutch purse

Tinted Love

What: A two-piece set for lips and eyes.
How much: $38 (a $58 value)
Where: Exclusively at Sephora stores and online
What you get:

Benetint Lip and Cheek Stain
Pocket Pal (a double-ended duo; one side with Benetint and the other a clear gloss)

🙂 I love the holidays and all of the cool cosmetics sets that drop. Considering that each of these comes with full-size products, they seem like pretty good bargains.

Speaking of bargains, I think I’m addicted to Hulu.com. I’d heard about it from different people, but until this week I had no idea they had so many shows! It almost makes cable unnecessary, right?
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Benefit Holiday 2009: Followup Questions

October 8th, 2009 by Karen 24 Comments

benefit holiday 2009 celebutante no competition
Benefit Full Finish Lipsticks from left to right: No Competition and Lady’s Choice

I pulled a Cinderella last night — but not the cool glass slipper/pumpkin part. It was the part with all of the cleaning, the singing animals (in this case, Tabs) and the late-night floor mopping.

Pretty soon the new place will be clean enough, and I’ll be able to get back to commenting on a regular basis. One of the highlights of my days is commenting, and I’ve been going through withdrawals lately. I’ve still been reading them all, even though I may not have been able to respond.

Speaking of comments, I saw some great questions in response to this week’s Benefit Holiday 2009 post.

Here’s a quick followup:

1. What’s that second lipstick in the Celebutante set?

benefit celebutante 3-1

Eagle-eyed DJ and Jess caught that there are two Full-Finished Lipsticks in the Celebutante Set. Good eye, gals!

Lady’s Choice (a creamy pink) joins No Competition (a deep plum) in the set.

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A swatch of No Competition lipstick

No Competition is a color I like to wear with eyeshadows in gold and brown.

2. How big are the blush pans in the Powderazzi palette?

benefit holiday 2009 powderazzi and regular sized blushes

Readers Nicole and Sdpfeiffy asked how the blush pans in the Powderazzi set compare to Benefit’s full-sized box blushes.

Well, the Powderazzi blushes are about a quarter the size of the regular box blushes (a .10-oz pan versus a .42-oz pan), so they’re substantially smaller.

But consider this: choice. 🙂 I’d choose an option with three blushes over an option with one any old day.

Powderazzi also comes in a slim, portable box that’s kind to makeup bags (e.g. it’s small), taking up less space than most bulky, full-size box blushes.

And, seriously, can you remember the last time you finished an entire full-size pan of blush? I can’t. These smaller blushes seem pretty practical to me.
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Urban Decay Holiday 2009: 24-7 Set in Stereophonic

October 8th, 2009 by Karen 20 Comments

urban decay stereophonic 24 7 set 1

“Urban Decay is rocking my world lately.” — MBB Reader Louise Gray

Louise, you took the words right outta my mouth! Cruelty-free Urban Decay took vegan makeup mainstream with bright colors and glitter, and they’re still going strong with what I think are some really interesting and fun launches for fall and holiday (Book of Shadows Vol. II!!!) .

Makeup newbies, or those new to the brand, may want to keep eyes peeled for UD’s new holiday liners. Called the 24/7 Set in Stereophonic ($29), the kit I’m talking about here includes four large 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils in some very wearable colors, along with one full-size Heavy Metal Glitter Liner (for when you need a little sparkle in your life).

urban decay stereophonic 24 7 set 2
24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils from left to right: Crash, Underground, Zero and Gunmetal
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