Just For Fun

7 Ways to Win a $50 eGift Card From Sephora! (Ends Monday)

June 14th, 2014 by Karen 304 Comments

Rise and shine, morning glory! Happy caturday!

How did you sleep? Did you have any good dreams? Were there any…kittens involved?

Kittens make everything better. 🙂

I’m still out here in Redding visiting my in-laws. Last night we had a nice dinner at Olive Garden (love their bread sticks and salad!) and then chatted at home. This morning El Hub is going fishing for a couple hours with his dad, and I’m going for a run around the little nature preserve next door before it gets too hot.

It gets HOT here. Up into the 100s, so if you’re gonna do any exercising outside, it’s best to do it before 9.

Other than that, I’m probably just going to chill at the house. Maybe also test some makeup. You know, unwind.

You have a great day, OK? I got a text from Tabs last night. He said that he and his petsitter did some shopping at Petco, and then had catnip cocktails while they marathon’d My Cat From Hell back at company headquarters/the house.

Sounds like everyone had a good night. 🙂

One (1) Sephora eGift card containing $50 sent to the winner by email (international readers, you may opt to receive $50 sent by PayPal instead).

Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.
Open to U.S. and international readers.
You must be 18 or older to enter (or otherwise an adult based on your local laws).
Your comment can be about anything at all, but here are some ideas if you’re stuck:
- Your favorite ’80s or ’90s TV show?
- Best makeup you’ve ever seen in a movie?
- Have you been swimming yet this year?
- What are you wearing right now at this very moment?
- How long/short is your hair?
- Tell me about your bed. Four poster? Water? Sleigh? Canopy? Bunk? (LOL!)
You can enter in up to seven ways to boost your chances of winning.
The giveaway ends on Monday, June 16, 2014 at 11:59 PM (Pacific Time), which is, incidentally, someone’s birthday. 🙂
Full terms and conditions are available in the widget.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The Orange Lip Trend: Are You Down?

June 13th, 2014 by Karen 32 Comments

Orange crush! Wearing NYX Butter Lipstick in Hot Tamale ($6)

Orange lips: still a big trend this summer, and since I love bold, bright lip colors, especially in warm shades like orange, yeah…I’m totally down!

I don’t know if it’s a trend that a lot of people I know are into, though. I’ve been trying to persuade the ladies in my life to try orange lips, but most of the time when I bring it up, they make some version of this face…

I’m wearing the Webbed in Turquoise necklace by Kristin Perry

Incidentally, this is the exact same expression I wore all the time when I worked as a legal assistant back in the day. I’d have my coat on my arm and be halfway out the door at 5:01 p.m. when someone in the office would inevitably ask me to make 500 collated copies of a document that needed to get to so-and-so ASAP, and I’d be like, “Suuuuuuuuure, no problem. I’d love to do that for you RIGHT NOW.” 🙂

I’ve tried to convince my gal pals that orange lips don’t necessarily have to be bright, bold and opaque, like the lip look I’m wearing in these pics. In these shots, I’m wearing a single layer of the lovely NYX Butter Lipstick in Hot Tamale (smooth and pigmented, no funky flavor or scent, and just $6!) at full strength, but you could just as easily take it down a notch by dabbing the tube lightly on your lips to create more of an orange stain.

Or, you could reach for a super sheer gloss, like Chanel’s Sunny Glossimer ($29.50, and part of their permanent collection).

Chanel Sunny Glossimer — Wearing Chanel Glossimer in Sunny, a jelly orange

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Do You Ever Borrow, Sneak or Steal Scented Products (Perfumes, Colognes, Body Washes, Moisturizers, Etc.) From Your Significant Other?

June 12th, 2014 by Karen 17 Comments

The newest scent from L'Occitane, Mer & Mistral — The latest in aromatic awesomeness from L’Occitane: Mer & Mistral

QUESTION: Do I ever sneak, steal or borrow fragrances from El Hub?

Well, does a cat like cardboard? (That would be a resounding “yes.”)

I do it all the time, like his Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Pour Homme?

Man, I love that stuff…

It’s in the medicine cabinet in our bathroom, and sometimes I’ll “borrow” it when I’m in the mood for something a little less floral than my usual uber-girly scents.

Yeah, the whole borrowing thing is one of the main reasons I keep our shower stocked with “El Hub’s favorite” (in air quotes) shower gel, Lush Dirty Springwash.

Because, you know, I, um…use it on occasion.

I can also confirm that the latest addition to El Hub’s fragrance stash, L’Occitane’s Mer & Mistral — a fresh, aquatic potion of pine, cypress and rosemary notes evocative of the Mediterranean — is perfectly suited to both men and women.

I recently placed bottles of Mer & Mistral Shower Gel (bubbles!) and Fresh Body Gel (absorbs so fast!) on El Hub’s shelf in the bathroom, but they have slowly migrated (purely of their own accord!) to my area. 🙂

From the left: Mer & Mistral Fresh Shower Gel ( $18), Fresh Body Gel ($20) and Eau de Toilette ($75)

So, my friend, dish the deets! Do you ever borrow, sneak or steal scented products from your significant other? Inquiring fragrance fiends want to know…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

What Was Your Last Major Makeup or Big Beauty Change?

June 11th, 2014 by Karen 35 Comments

Did you dye your hair a different color, ditch your signature red lips for pink, or set aside your neutral eyeshadows to focus more on brights?

Mine was chopping off 6 inches of hair last week! 🙂

How about you? What was your last major makeup or big beauty change?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Happy hump day.

What Are Your Holy Grail Hot and/or Humid Weather Brow Products?

June 10th, 2014 by Karen 48 Comments

Wearing MAC Fluidline Gelecreme in Deep Dark Brunette in my brows while smiling awkwardly and consuming massive quantities of birthday sushi at Eiko restaurant in Napa

OK, it’s hot…

It’s so hot in hurr!

Uncomfortably hot.

So hot that it makes you stop and consider whether you really need to cross the street when you’re out walking and the other side of the street doesn’t have any shade.

So hot that your fuzzy little caterpillars, also known as your brows, are at risk of severe heat exposure — also known as attending Sweat Fest 2014.

So, tell me, what are your go-to brow fillers for painfully hot summer days? I’m curious! What are your best-of-the-best holy grail brow pencils, powders, gels, etc. for hot and/or humid weather — the products you use to keep your fuzzy little caterpillars filled, full and happy.

I’m asking partly because, as I was looking through the pics from my birthday last weekend, I realized, “DANG! MAC Fluidline Gelcreme held up REALLY well.”

In that pic up top I’m wearing shade Deep Dark Brunette ($16), and that was taken about 14 hours after I first applied my makeup, after many hours in 95-degree weather, yet even my fuzzy caterpillar’s outer tail area, which is often the first to go, remained full and intact.

Great stuff for long days and extremely hot weather. It’s also versatile, in that you can opt for a more natural, or a dramatic brow look, and easy to use once you get the hang of it.

Yay for flexibility! 🙂 I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a new/better brow filler for summer.

How about you? What are your holy grail hot weather brow products? — the things you can’t/would rather not live without when it gets hot in hurr.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. I feel like the luckiest girl in this condo right now! (NOTE: I am currently the only girl in this condo right now, but that’s neither here nor there.)

Thank you very much for your sweet birthday wishes here on MBB and the social media-verse. You didn’t have to do that, but I’m glad you did…because it was awesome. Double scoops and waffle cones for everyone! 🙂

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 299

June 8th, 2014 by Karen 33 Comments

I hope you enjoyed this installment of The Tabby Cat Chronicles, a Tabs the Cat comic. 🙂

In other news…someone is celebrating his/her birthday a day early.

I’ll give you one guess (and there are two correct answers).

OK, it’s me and Tabs. He wanted the condo to himself today, so basically he kicked me out.

I’m not cranky about it, though, because he sent me to Napa, and there are worse places in the world to spend your birthday and birthday eve.

I’m not sure what he has planned, but before I left the house he had me send out 500 e-mail invitations and a mass text with the following, “Party is on 2nite at my place, b there.”

I don’t plan to do much posting tomorrow, but I’ll be around, doin’ my thang. Maybe I’ll see you here or on Twitter or Instagram.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for keeping me and Tabs company all these years. I started in early 2007. Wow, it’s been a while…

There’s nothing profound or fascinating about blogging. It’s just me on the other end of a keyboard in a messy, still almost unfurnished (after three years!) condo with a husky but extremely amiable tabby cat and a not-so-subtle addiction to makeup. Pretty much same as it ever was.

I hope that I brighten your days sometimes as much as you brighten mine. 🙂

Who is Tabs the Cat?
About seven years ago I befriended a stray, flea-bitten tabby cat with a bad case of worms. I could see he’d fallen on hard times, but his profound knowledge of high fashion and department store cosmetics led me to believe that he was more than meets the eye. We became fast friends, and now he’s actually my boss (and a successful kitty model). -Karen

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

7 Ways to Win a $50 eGift Card From Sephora! (Ends Monday)

June 7th, 2014 by Karen 347 Comments

“Oh, my head…” said the big beefsteak tomato plant, “I feel like crap this morning.” Many of its leaves were yellow and speckled brown.

“You big baby!” chortled one of the roma tomato plants nearby. “You don’t even have a head!”

“I don’t?” said the beefsteak plant, genuinely surprised. “Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure,” answered the roma plant. “You’re just a stupid plant. I, on the other hand, am sophisticated and wise.”

“Oh…” said the beefsteak. “Do you know why I feel so bad?”

The beefsteak wasn’t doing well. Unlike the roma, who lived in a large wooden planter box with excellent drainage, the beefsteak lived in a large 18-inch plastic pot with a single small hole at the base for drainage. The pot sat flush on the wooden slats of the deck, lacking clearance beneath the pot for ventilation and drainage. Its soil was damp to the touch, even though the last watering was yesterday morning. Mushrooms sprouted up from the soil around the tomato’s stalk.

“You drank too much last night, you big goof!” said the roma, whose soil was cool and dry. Multiple large drainage holes were cut into the base of its wooden container.

“I did?” replied the beefsteak, confused. “I don’t… Oh, yeah! I remember now. Duuude, last night was off the chain! I drank all night.”

“Idiot,” interrupted the roma.

“What time did I get home?” asked the beefsteak.

The roma paused. “What time did you get home?” it asked. “Seriously? Are you really that dense? You never even left the deck. You just sat there drinking water the whole time.”

“I did?” said the beefsteak. “Whoa! Huh-huh… It must have been one hell of a night!”

LOL! That was fun… 🙂 Good morning, glory! Rise and shine, my friend. It’s going to be a beautiful day. This little story actually has some truth to it because I think I am overwatering my plants. A couple of the tomatoes aren’t doing too well, and one of the potted lavender plants.

They all like different amounts of water, so it’s a work in progress. I’m still trying to figure it out. Plus, if you’re a plant, Tabs isn’t the easiest co-gardener to work with. He bites…plants.

I’m just getting started with my day, having my first cup of coffee and fiddling around. I hope your weekend gets off to a great start.

One of my coworkers (yes, I’m referring to Tabs) is having a birthday on Monday, so we’ll probably do something fun.

Talk to you soon. Good luck in the giveaway.

One (1) Sephora eGift card containing $50 sent to the winner by email (international readers, you may opt to receive $50 sent by PayPal instead).

Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.
Open to U.S. and international readers.
You must be 18 or older to enter (or otherwise an adult based on your local laws).
Your comment can be about anything at all, but here are some ideas if you’re stuck:
- What are your plans this weekend?
- Your #1 gardening tip?
- What’s the most exhilarating thing you’ve ever done?
- Favorite talk show?
- I’m very proud of ______.
- Do you do highlighting and/or contouring with your makeup?
- Chocolate milk: yes or no?
You can enter in up to seven ways to boost your chances of winning.
The giveaway ends on Monday, June 9, 2014 at 11:59 PM (Pacific Time), which is, incidentally, someone’s birthday. 🙂
Full terms and conditions are available in the widget.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

What Beauty Products Do You Like To Splurge on or Treat Yourself With?

June 6th, 2014 by Karen 23 Comments

Oh, how I love thee, Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue!

I’m a big believer in treating yourself after a job well done…and just in treating yourself in general, because a treat is something special, and special things feel good. 🙂

My treats of choice are very often splurges on beauty products (and snacks!). “Sweetie,” El Hub says, “do you really need another [INSERT BEAUTY PRODUCT HERE]?”

Yes, yes, I do.

I also like to get a good deal, too, so a lot of the time I’ll splurge at the drugstore, especially on body care stuff.

Body care products

When it comes to body basics like sunscreen, shave lotion, body lotion and body wash — things I use daily and don’t notice much of a difference between high and low end — I prefer drugstore.

But yeah, I still like to treat myself on occasion to something higher end, like a really nice set of products in a scent I love, like the Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue line, or a body lotion by Laura Mercier.

I’m hooked on Laura Mercier’s new Verbena Infusion Body Gel

Hair care

I tend to buy my hair products at the salon, mostly because I have unruly color-treated hair, and it just seems to do better on salon shampoos, conditioners and styling products from brands like Bumble & Bumble, Kerastase and Oribe.

So those are things I’ll sometimes treat myself with.

Today I was a hair model for an Oribe class — Hair modeling for my friend Alis in a class on Oribe products earlier this year

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