Daily Beauty

Spotted at Saks: Cute Miu Miu Handbags

March 10th, 2014 by Karen 16 Comments

I’m not really in the market for a new spring bag, because I’m still really happy with the Poverty Flats Perforated Satchel I picked up last year, but that does not stop me from looking. 🙂

I definitely had to stop and snap some pics when I spotted these cute Miu Miu handbags at Saks Fifth Avenue in SF last Friday.

LOVE that stitching. And those zippers. And the gold hardware. And the bling, too, of course. Plus, the leather was crazy soft!

If I had my dream accessories budget (as in no budget, LOL!), I’d love to have one of these on my arm when I went to brunch or afternoon tea…

They were all, uh, well out of my price range, but Saks does not (yet) charge for admiring.

Speaking of Miu Miu and cat ladies who lunch, have you seen their Cat-Print Mary Jane Ballet Flats?? They’re the ultimate in fashionable cat lady footwear.

Urban Decay Turns Up the Voltage on Brights With the Urban Decay Electric Pressed Pigment Palette

March 5th, 2014 by Karen 19 Comments

I’m back from the dentist! — and, yes, I cried (it’s a long story).

Buuut, it turns out that crying through my makeup gave me a good reason to soothe myself with the new Electric palette of pressed pigments from Urban Decay.

Woo-hoo!

I’m still in the “staring at it” stages… I haven’t tried it on yet, but I have lots of ideas for those blues and that green.

I’m not sure what I’ll do with Thrash, though, that funky chartreuse. Hmm…

Electric shocks Urban Decay counters and urbandecay.com March 18.

A Girl Can Never Have Too Many…

March 4th, 2014 by Karen 12 Comments

Jouer Powder Eyeshadows in clockwise from the lower left corner: Mahogany, Walnut, Caviar and Espresso

Who was it that said, “A girl can never have too many shoes, secret admirers or neutral eyeshadows”? I can’t recall. Hmm…

Wait — I think it was me. 🙂

Hi, babe. Sorry I’ve been incomunicado today. I hope you’re chugging along out there.

I’ve just been trying to get ahead on a couple of projects, and one of them took me to Sephora and DSW this afternoon. I’ll share some pics of those soon, but first! — these neutrals Powder Eyeshadows are by Jouer. hey’re available now for $20 each at Jouer counters and online.

Clockwise from the lower left corner, that’s Mahogany, Walnut, Caviar and Espresso.

Pretty, yah?

Dolce & Gabbana Rosebud Luminous Cheek Color and a Current List of Obsessions…

February 28th, 2014 by Karen 21 Comments

Currently enamored with…

Chocolate chip pancakes for dinner
Anything on Bravo (it really doesn’t matter what the show is, as long as it leaves my brain quivering like a piece of flan)
Rooibos tea
Spring sandals
Rainbows
Faux leather leggings (just picked these up from Nordies)
Grapefruit-scented anything
Soft, sheer peach blushes like this Luminous Cheek Color in Rosebud by Dolce & Gabbana

How about you? What are you currently enamored with?

Dolce & Gabbana Rosebud Luminous Cheek Color swatched on NC42 skin — Rosebud on my NC42 skin

Dolce & Gabbana Rosebud Luminous Cheek Color swatched on NW25 skin — Rosebud on a good samaritan’s NW25 skin

The Tree at the End of the Rainbow

February 28th, 2014 by Karen 11 Comments

Another one to cross off the bucket list.

They say you can’t find the end of a rainbow, but I did! This one ended in a tree on a hill outside my living room window.

I wonder how they got the pot of gold up there…

Also, if you look closely, you can see the faint outline of a second rainbow, making this one a double rainbow, all the way. All the way across the sky. 🙂

P.S. TGIF!

Jouer’s New Nude Pink Glace Moisturizing Lip Gloss Looks Great Dressed Up or Down

February 26th, 2014 by Karen 13 Comments

Can I get a what-what from my fellow nude gloss fiends?

ALERT! ALERT! We’ve got a nude gloss lover over here, especially easy-to-wear, low-maintenance shades like Pink Glace ($20), a new one from Jouer.

Please, please tell me you’ve tried Jouer’s nude glosses before.

I think they’re kind of fab… Every nude Jouer gloss I’ve tried has had the perfect amount of milky pigment. They’re sheer, but not too sheer — equally at home in a dramatic Kim K-style smokey eye or in casual brunch makeup. That’s what Jouer does really well.

Pink Glace, a sheer, shimmering nude pink with wee little bits of sparkly golden glitter, is a new addition to their permanent line, and she’s a beaut.

I bet she’ll look absolutely perfect on her own or layered on top of your favorite pink, peach or nude lippie.

Look for it soon at Jouer counters and online at jouercosmetics.com.

One To Cross Off the Wish List: MAC Mineralize Blush in Warm Soul

February 25th, 2014 by Karen 26 Comments

I just got back from the salon (Fox + Stone Salon in Corte Madera) and that Oribe class!

Being the hair model was fun, and I learned a lot while I was there. Check back a little later this afternoon because I have some pics and hairstyling tips to share.

It’s girl code, of course: friends always share hairstyling tips. 🙂

In unrelated news, I also swung by the MAC counter on my way home to replace my broken ~~heart~~ bottle of Pro Longwear Concealer and get a new industrial-sized bag of MAC Bulk Wipes (also known as the best wipes for removing makeup while you’re swatching) and a pan of Mineralize Blush in Warm Soul ($25).

That last one was unplanned, but I’d been coveting it since I saw it last week. Now it’s mine… MINE! Mwahahahahaaa!

The sales gal who was helping me pushed me over the edge. When I mentioned it, she nodded knowingly and said, “That’s going to look perfect on you.”

Yeah, girlfriend. Sold.

MAC Warm Soul Swatch on NC42 skin — Warm Soul on my NC42 skin

Angels and Aliens Must Return to The Source…Fragrance Fountain by Thierry Mugler

February 24th, 2014 by Karen 9 Comments

Thierry Mugler The Source fragrance fountain

To the High Court of Cosmetics:

I would like to submit the following brief conversation, which I had with El Hub at 8:30 p.m. last Friday night (30 minutes before the nearest Sephora store was closing), for inclusion in the Official Record under the heading, “To Restate the Obvious.”

EL HUB: Do you really need to go to Sephora right now?

ME: Yup.

EL HUB: Really? Right now? Aren’t you sick of makeup?

ME: Nope.

There I was, cruising the aisles, looking for a quick fix, when I came across this cool fragrance fountain.

They call it “The Source,” and no, it’s not some kind of alien technology (as far as I can tell). It’s for refilling bottles of Thierry Mugler’s Angel and Alien fragrances.

If you bring an empty bottle of Alien or Angel to the store, an associate will give you a refill right then and there.

But unlike Coke or Pepsi, the refills aren’t free.

According to the lovely associate I spoke with, refills of Angel are $49 for a 0.8-ounce bottle (versus $80 for a brand new bottle) and $79 for a 1.7-ounce one. Alien refills are a little cheaper. $49 for a 1-ounce bottle, $79 for a 2-ounce bottle (which normally sells for $120 new) and $94 for 3.

Getting the refills at Sephora also saves a little money over getting them at Nordstrom, where the 1.7-ounce refill of Angel goes for $100, versus the $79 is costs at Sephora.

Kinda cool! I love gadgetry. I’m not a big fan of either of these scents (they’re a little too sweet for me), but if I was, I’d totally do this.