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So, full strip falsies are usually the easiest to apply, but I heard somewhere that false lash trios are supposed to be easier to apply than individual false lash bundles, and they’re another easy way to dial up ‘ze lash drama.
But I dunno… I feel like my lashes look a little cray-cray in these pictures.
Maybe I’m just used to seeing my regular lashes on the daily??
Just more reminiscing about the blog over all these years…
Again with the skinny brows and frosty brow bone highlight?? Please note it was 2008 when I took this picture with Jean Ford of Benefit, and it was *the thing* to do back then.
Back in the day, the official faces of Benefit were sisters Jean and Jane Ford, the original founders, and this pic was taken at a Benefit event in their Chestnut Street store in San Francisco.
During the interview, Jean took a jar of loose glitter and dabbed some on my lids with her fingers. Then when the interview was done, she gave me the jar of glitter to take home, and I stuck it in the pocket of the white coat I was wearing.
Side note: why did I own a white coat when I’m incapable of wearing white without getting it dirty??
Anyway, I put the jar in a pocket but then forgot about it…
It remained in that coat for years!
Actually, I think it’s still there.
Years later, after Maggie and Annie Ford Danielson (Jean and Jane’s daughter and niece) took over as the faces of Benefit, I interviewed Annie during their launch of Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation, and she was one of the nicest people I’ve interviewed over the years.
As was Jerrod Blandino of Too Faced Cosmetics.
Such a character!
The second time we talked in 2013, I laughed so hard that I may or may not have snorted. We had some great advice about accessorizing and said something that still makes me chuckle. He said, “I always wear cardigans. That’s my signature. And I like diamonds! Listen, if I’m going to wear something, it’s going to be big, and it’s going to offend people.”
LOL!
What was it like to interview Sarah Jessica Parker?
Well…it was sweaty.
LOL! Let me back up a minute. It was during her press tour in 2008 after she launched Covet, her third perfume, and I only had six minutes to ask her every thought-provoking question in the world.
I was supposed to get 10 minutes with her, but my time got cut down to six minutes at the very last second, so I had to edit out my very insightful questions about her favorite shoes and the best places to get Chinese food in New York City… 🙂
Feeling rushed, I ended up talking a mile a minute just to get through the rest of my questions!
No, seriously, I must have sounded like a crazy person.
The interview took place inside the back of a Macy’s store in the smallest room ever. It was like talking to SJP in a closet, and did I mention that I’m claustrophobic and sweat profusely when I’m trapped in small spaces without any windows?
Girl, I was a mess.
SJP was very professional and polite, and much more reserved, than I anticipated, because all I really knew of her was based on her character, Carrie, in Sex and the City. At the end of the interview, I asked if we could take a quick picture together, but she declined. In hindsight, I think it was because when she asked what media outlet I was with, and I said, “Makeup and Beauty Blog,” she heard the word “blog,” and this was back when blogs were still new on the scene, and they had zero pull and credibility in the beauty world.
I don’t even know whose camera that is to my left in this picture… Whoever it was, kudos, homie, for having a decent manicure. 🙂
Also, please note that I’m rocking beyond skinny brows and a hella frosty brow bone highlight!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
I’m feeling emo and nostalgic today because the blog is turning 10 soon.
TEN.
I can’t believe it. On February 20th.
This is the longest project, or whatever it is, I’ve ever done in my life, and it’s been life-changing in many ways.
One of the cooler things I got to do because of the blog was get right up close to the one and only cat lady supreme, Grace Coddington of Vogue magazine.
It was at the Dolce & Gabbana show at Milan Fashion Week in 2011, and I was there to interview Pat McGrath backstage (She was lovely, by the way — poised, calm and kind, even amidst the backstage bustle.).
After I finished the interview, I spotted Grace Coddington kickin’ it in the front row with Anna Wintour. I got this close to her. *This close*
And it actually happened twice! OMG. This was the second time. The first time was at a Dolce & Gabbana gallery party the night before, and I saw her wandering around by herself, looking at the art. I remember saying to myself, “Just walk up to her, Karen. Do it! Show her all 5,000 pictures of Tabs on your phone. Grace Coddington will totally get you!”
But I lost my nerve. 🙁 I couldn’t do it.
I tried again the second time, but again I chickened out…
If I ever get another chance, I’m doing it. I’m going to show her Tabs in all his husky glory.
Also at that show, I saw this mystery woman sitting across from me in red lips, blue eyeliner and a funky top hat.
I bet she would have had the courage to talk to Grace Coddington.
Who is she, and what liner was she wearing? I always wonder about that lady…
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
You guys, you already know that I’m a big fan of layering primers and using different primers to address different concerns and specific areas of my skin. Well, I tried a new layering technique today, and I’m frickin’ lovin’ the results.
I usually start with a primer that has a little subtle shimmer for glow and radiance, then layer a heavier duty pore-blurring primer on top to smooth everything out, but today I reversed the order. I did the pore-blurring primer first (you gotta give Make Up For Ever Smoothing Primer a try), then patted shimmery BECCA Backlight on top.
LOVE. My skin looked smooth, and since I applied the shimmery primer on top of the pore-blurring primer (which tends to matte everything down), it still looked radiant and glowing and natural too, even after I layered my foundation on top, which is exactly the look I’m always trying to get.
Try it sometime! I think you’ll like the results. 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
I’ve named the bunnies on this pan Winston and Churchill because I’ve been watching a lot of this show on Netflix called The Crown.
I do wish I could have bunnies, but I can’t.
I know. Sad Panda. 🙁
It’s because Tabs fancies himself a mighty hunter, and I know that if I were to hire/adopt a real life Winston and Churchill…something untoward would befall them within about 6 seconds.
I’ll just have to settle for the bunnies on this pan of Too Faced Love Flush Long-Lasting 16-Hour Blush. They may not be real, but they are pretty.
That purple in the pan though…
Too bad it’s an over-spray. Yup, when you run your finger across the pan, the purple disappears. It’s gone in one or two uses.
This little set here is a Too Faced HSN (Home Shopping Network) exclusive coming November 11. I’m not sure about the price yet, but I’m trying to find out.
With a name like Funfetti, it couldn’t not be cute, and that makes sense. After all, Too Faced is known is known for their cute style.
Sometimes, though, I don’t know whether it’s… Well, it’s kinda confusing, because I’m attracted to their stuff but, at the same time, I’m like, “Am I eight years old?” Because sometimes it seems a little young. But that’s OK. The part of me that loves unicorns loves this kind of thing.
Who is that stone cold babe? That’s what I’d like to know. I guess she likes diamonds…
BIG diamonds.
Can you imagine having a diamond this big? Good lord. I wouldn’t even bother getting attached to it though. My mom would probably try to steal it from me, put it on a ring and wear it to her SilverSneakers aerobics class. Then she’d try to be all cool about it…
“Oh, this? This is just my diamond ring.”
But I would sell that thing in a heartbeat. Then I’d try to buy that island François Nars was selling.
The pans in the palette, which is part of this $42 set, are removable, and you can arrange them however you like. Or, if there are some other Buxom eyeshadows you prefer, you can replace some of these with them.
I would probably replace about haalf of these here… I’ve only swatched them, but a few seem pretty sheer, patchy and dicey to me. They’re also on the harder side.
I don’t know… I love cool tones. And I do like the thought of turning myself into a stone cold babe. 🙂
The mascara, by the way, is great for lash volume. I went through a couple of tubes when I was going through a Buxom mascara phase.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Yeah, I got pretty excited too when I saw this because for a second there I thought, “Is NARS gonna do special colors for each of their Audacious Lipsticks??” And then I thought, “What will Anita look like? Will it be PINK!?” Because — hoh! — I would love to have a pink lipstick like that in my bag…
But no. Not the case.
This rockin’ red is limited edition NARS Rita. Good ol’ re-promoted Rita. It’s $32 and available now at Sephora stores and online.
Warm-toned red Rita is part of the long-lasting NARS Audacious Lipstick fam, which I love, and she’s opaque and awesome. Like the other Audacious shades, it has a slightly shiny finish and lasts FOR HOURS.
I was rifling through my closet yesterday, looking for a pair of jeans that I could actually fit into because I still have a bit of baby weight I’d like to lose, when I saw a red dress I have not yet worn.
It’s the Petite Scuba Flounce Dress, and I got it from LOFT right before I found out that I was pregnant with Connor. It’s made out of a thick scuba-like material and has a flouncy ruffled hem.
“One of these days,” she said, staring at the bag of Snickers out of the corner of her eye, “I will get into that dress!” 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen