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Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 301

June 22nd, 2014 by Karen 9 Comments

This post is sponsored by Purina Pro Plan #proplancatpartner. For information about my posting policy, please see my Disclaimer.

Philanthropy. Partnership. Perfection (alternate spelling: purr-fection).

Powerful P words, all.

Today, Makeup and Beauty Blog mascot and world-famous kitty supermodel Tabs the Cat is proud to announce a new partnership with Purina! — and they’ve sponsored his kitty modeling campaigns this week.

When Tabs found out about the new Purina Pro Plan #MyGreatCat social media campaign and how the brand has committed to donate up to 50,000 pounds of its delicious food to cat rescue groups, he said, “Where do I sign?”

Well…he actually said, “mrrow!” but I knew what he meant. 🙂

So, what is the #MyGreatCat campaign?

“We want cat owners everywhere to not only recognize what makes their cats great but be empowered to share that,” says Purina Pro Plan Cat food brand manager Aaron Williams.

For each picture or video you share on your social media channels that includes the hashtag #MyGreatCat from now through August 31, Purina Pro Plan will donate one pound of cat food — up to 50,000 pounds — to hundreds of cat rescue groups nationwide through the Purina Pro Plan Rally to Rescue network.

That’s right! Every time you share a pic or video of your feline employer just being awesome in his/her own way, you’ll be feeding a hungry cat.

Even though Tabs has achieved fame and greatness despite his meager beginnings as a stray on the mean streets of Mill Valley, he remembers what it was like to be hungry.

Actually, he’s still pretty much hungry all the time, LOL! 🙂

[Continue reading…]

About Those Products in My Acrylic Organizer (Also Known As My Box of Everyday Makeup Basics)

June 20th, 2014 by Karen 19 Comments

OK, here we go. The makeup basics I keep in my acrylic organizer.

I know it seems like a lot, but I like to change things up all the time, so there’s a lot of variety. I like having options, depending on what I’m doing any given day, and also whether I’ll be taking pics.

Sometimes, I’ll add products to the organizer that I’m currently testing, but there are products in there that always stay the same, like MAC Face & Body, MAC Pro Longwear Concealer, NARS Pro Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base, Strobe Cream and the Shu Uemura Lash Curler.

Those are basically permanent members of Team Karen. 🙂

Brows

Tweezerman Ultra Precision Tips Tweezer
MAC Rick Baker The Monster’s Bride Palette with Mylar, Omega, Bitter (the green shade… I never use that one.), Club, Brun and Carbon
MAC Cork Eye Shadow
MAC Fluidline Brow Gelecreme in Deep Dark Brunette in Deep Dark Brunette
MAC Pro Longwear Waterproof Brow Set in Quiet Brunette and Bold Brunette
Anastasia Clear Brow Gel

Lashes

Shu Uemura Lash Curler
MAC Extended Play Gigablack Lash
Guerlain Cils D’Enfer Waterproof Mascara

Concealers/Eye Products

Bronzers and Facepowders

Foundations

Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation in Honey
NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in Stromboli
Dolce & Gabbana Perfect Foundation in Almond
MAC Face & Body Foundation in C5
NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizers in Cuba and St. Moritz
Skinceuticals Physical Fusion UV Defense Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 50
BECCA Matte Skin Shine Proof Foundation in Bamboo
MAC Pro Longwear SPF 20 Foundation in NC42
NARS Radiant Cream Compact Foundation in Barcelona

Primers

Guerlain Meteorites Perles Les Ors Light-Diffusing Primer
MAC Prep + Prime Natural Radiance
BECCA Ever-Matte Poreless Priming Perfector
MAC Strobe Cream
NARS Pro-Prime SKin Smoothing Face Prep

That’s it! The contents of my acrylic organizer of makeup basics.

An Opportunity-Filled Day

June 19th, 2014 by Karen 6 Comments

Today (or tomorrow, depending on what time it is there) your life is giving you the opportunity to do many things — listen, learn, love, enjoy, reflect and share.

I hope you take those opportunities and run with ’em. 🙂

Lake Shasta Dinner Cruise

June 18th, 2014 by Karen 6 Comments

Lake Shasta is a huge lake up near the Oregon border and Redding, where some of my family lives, and on this last trip there we went on a dinner cruise.

If you’re ever out that way and want something easy and fun to do with the folks, check out the Lake Shasta Dinner Cruises. Good food (they even had vegetarian options, including a delish barbecue kabob with bell peppers and pineapple), great service, and being out on the water is super low-key and relaxing.

I took a ton of pictures, of course, including a few shots of the sky and the water when the sun was hiding behind some clouds.

I love that silhouetted effect with the mountains and the sky in the background…

Don’t the clouds look like they’re glowing?

Crazy About Kate Spade? There’s a HUGE New Kate Spade Outlet Store at the Vacaville Premium Outlets Now

June 16th, 2014 by Karen 18 Comments

If there were something like Batman’s bat signal for bargain hunters, it would be up in the sky over the Kate Spade outlet store in Vacaville, California, right now.

There’s a HUGE outlet mall in Vacaville, which is about an hour north of the Bay Area, and it’s like an oasis of awesomeness in the Central Valley (between San Francisco and Sacramento).

Vacaville Premium Outlets: List of Stores

We stopped by on our way home yesterday from Redding, and I kid you not — it took us 30 minutes to actually find the Kate Spade store. That’s how big the mall is. We just kept driving around the giant parking lots.

But we did eventually find it. It’s a big one, too, with a wide selection of bags, purses, clothes, jewelry and accessories like belts, iPhone and iPad cases and scarves — no shoes, though (boo!).

Last weekend was the store’s grand opening, and everything was 40% off. On top of that, the sales associates were giving out coupons for an additional 20% off, so yeah.

I saw so many things I’ve recently drooled over on the Kate Spade website, which was a good sign, but the prices weren’t earth-shatteringly lower than the sale prices I’ve seen on katespade.com.

But I get the feeling they’ll have some great sales at the outlet store from time to time.

I tried on a few dresses and cardigans but didn’t leave with any clothing.

Well, I mean… I didn’t leave with any NEW clothing.

You know what I meant. 🙂

Incidentally, every piece of Kate Spade clothing I’ve tried on in the past has always fit like a glove, but everything I tried on at the outlet store was a little off. Either the fit was wonky in certain places, or the clothing had details that didn’t seem quite right, like plastic zippers that looked less-than-luxe.

I’ve read that some outlet stores carry things that are specifically made for the outlets, and sometimes those pieces aren’t of the same construction as the things carried in the regular stores.

I don’t know if that was the case here, but I’m just saying… If you go, try everything on first, and give it a good once-over before you buy.

Even though I didn’t flip for the clothes, I didn’t walk away empty-handed. I did pick up some jewelry, which seemed up to par with the quality I’ve seen at my local Kate Spade store.

With the 60% discount (or thereabouts), it was a pretty good deal. The round Gumdrop Stud earrings pictured here usually go for $28, but I got ’em for $13. Not bad!

Do you live near an outlet mall? What do you think about them? Are there usually good deals?

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 300

June 15th, 2014 by Karen 10 Comments

Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot

Tonight, on a very special 300th installment of Sundays With Tabs, Karen of Makeup and Beauty Blog (and PawsTV) sits down with the cat kahuna himself, world famous kitty supermodel Tabs, to discuss the controversy surrounding his new television show (Game of Cat Thrones), his feud with Choupette, his love life (is Snowball the one?), his legacy and his future plans.

KAREN: First of all, Tabs, let me just say that I’m a huuuuge fan of your work, and that’s not just because you’re my employer. Thank you so much for agreeing to do this interview. I know you’re super busy.

So tell me — what’s new with you? How are things going in the world of Tabs?

TABS: Good, good. Well, as you know, I’ve been aggressively transitioning from the catwalk to television and movies this year.

KAREN: Right! This season of Game of Cat Thrones has been off the chain. My husband and I are obsessed. We spent four hours today talking about — oh, I don’t want to reveal any spoilers.

TABS: You wouldn’t want to do that. Fans are crazy about the show, especially for my character, Tabby Baratheon, the First of His Name.

KAREN: Ooh! I love the cat politics and intrigue. Was it hard for you to get into the role?

TABS: No, not really. I drew a lot from my personal life. There’s lots of drama and politicking within the high-stakes world of kitty modeling, so…

KAREN: Speaking of drama, what’s going on with you and Chaupette? I hear rumors… Care to set the record straight?

TABS: Well, I respect Chaupette Lagerfeld and have a great relationship with Karl and The House of Chanel, but we’re just completely different cats.

Some cats have to claw their way to the top, while others are perfectly comfortable riding on someone else’s coattails. Let’s just leave it at that.

KAREN: Alright, but people want to know. Did you steal the role from her?

TABS: No, I just think the better cat got the job.

KAREN:Fair enough. New topic now — do you think your previous life as a stray kitten on the mean streets of Mill Valley prepared you for the cat-eat-cat world of kitty modeling?

TABS: Definitely. I didn’t have a famous last name — or actually any last name for that matter. I built my empire one kitty scratch at a time.

KAREN: Your empire. What about legacy? Is that also important to you at this stage in your life?

TABS: Sure. I think all driven cats want to look back on their lives and say, “I made a difference in this world.” I hope to inspire young kittens and older cats — anybody who wants to chase their dreams. I want them to know that they have the power to make a positive impact on the world, whether it be through kitty modeling or academia or whatever path they choose.

KAREN: Do you feel you’ve made a difference?

TABS: I’d like to think so. You see more plus-size cats on the runway now, so that’s one thing that has come out of my work, but I’m also very proud of my foundation, Furr-ever Homes, which finds stray cats and kittens rewarding work environments with qualified pet assistants.

KAREN: It sounds like philanthropy is important to you. Do you see yourself retiring and focussing on that any time soon?

TABS: The thought has crossed my mind, but I’m not quite there yet. There are still things I’d like to accomplish in the worlds of kitty modeling and entertainment.

KAREN: Oh, really? Like what? Any hints into your future plans?

TABS: Let’s just say that I may have to expand my staff of professional pet assistants soon. Things are about to get busy at Tabs the Cat Industries LLC.

KAREN: Ooh, mysterious… Come on, just one little hint?

TABS: I can’t officially say anything yet because my attorneys would have a fit, but I can say that cats all over the world will be looking a lot more stylish soon.

KAREN: Interesting. OK, how about your love life, Tabs? Seeing anyone special these days? **cough** Snowball? **cough**

TABS: Snowball and I are great friends. I have a lot of respect for her and enjoy her company very much.

KAREN: You were photographed by the French paparazzi on your yacht in the Riviera with her. She must be a really good friend.

TABS: She is.

KAREN: Anything else? Are you ever gonna put a ring on that?

TABS: Next topic please.

KAREN: Well, that’s all the time we have today. Thank you again for doing this, Tabs. It’s been a real pleasure. I’ll see you back at the office. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen