Just For Fun

Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 180

February 26th, 2012 by Karen 12 Comments

Tabs for L'eau de Chloe

Just a quick note during the commercials. Tabs wanted me to tell you hi from the Oscars! He’s down there right now (that’s him sitting next to Colin Firth).

I’m holding down the fort here at home, while our satellite office in L.A. is taking care of the logistics, which basically means I get the night off. So I’m watching the show, eating a salted caramel cupcake and just hanging out. 🙂

It’s nice not having to put out any tabby-related fires for a change… That’s up to the L.A. office tonight (good luck, guys!).

While I devour this cupcake and watch the rest of the big show, here’s a look back at some of the kitty modeling jobs Tabs had this week.

Tabs for MAC Catchlight Contact Lenses

Tabs for Goody Fur Feather Extensions
[Continue reading…]

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

February 26th, 2012 by Karen 8 Comments

Makeup and Beauty Blog Weekly Roundup

Good morning and happy Sunday, fellow beauty lover! 🙂 What’s new?

When I hopped off the treadmill this morning I thought I’d fiddle around for a few minutes online while I cooled down, but here it is two hours later, and I’m still fiddling around…

Fiddle, fiddle, fiddle!

It’s the Oscars stuff. It’s everywhere I look. I’m reading about the show tonight and who’s expected to win what, not that I usually watch awards shows, because I don’t. But I might tonight. I’m curious about a couple of the categories, and I love Billy Crystal.

Are you gonna watch? As much as I love movies (and you know I do!), I usually skip the awards shows and catch the recaps the next day…although, I did watch the Oscars last year, but that was mostly to check out James Franco.

Speaking of James, what’s homeboy been up to lately? He’s been kinda MIA.

No big plans for me today, other than chasing food trucks again. Oh, and I should do some cleaning… Bluh.

A few beauty posts that caught my eye…

Free your mane, and the rest will follow! A new multiethnic hair product line that’s eco-conscious, too — We Heart This
A heavy duty drugstore hand cream for less than $3!? Yes, please! — 15 Minute Beauty
Sometimes, you just need to sit and do absolutely nothing for two minutes — Do Nothing for 2 Minutes
Apparently, you can exercise your face muscles. Who knew? — The Grooming Guru
The new shades of Clinique’s Almost Lipstick look fun — Lipstick Rules
False lash application made easy with this step-by-step tutorial — Beaut.ie
Rock ‘n’ roll nails! — The Nailasaurus
Yay! Chanel adds darker shades to their Perfection Lumiere Foundation line — Vex in the City
If you love typography as much as I do, you might love these Brazilian murals — Visual News
For the Madge fans among us, a historical look at Madonna’s magazine covers — Retronaut

MAKEUP MONSTER: ABOMINABLE POWDER PUNISHER

A Makeup and Beauty Blog Makeup Monster DESCRIPTION: Abominable Powder Punishers are gargantuan, grossly confused and filthy beasts that perceive all powders as a threat. They believe that poofs of powder are actually swarms of tiny biting insects, and they swat furiously at them when exposed.
FREQUENCY: Rare (thank goodness!)
SPEED: Medium (see below)
ARMOR CLASS: 10+ (heavy fur acts as a form of padded armor)
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Incredibly fast swatting. When an Abominable Powder Punisher detects the presence of powder, or sees a poof of powder in the distance, it flies into an uncontrollable rage, swinging and swatting its huge clawed hands and roaring in a combination of fear and fury, “NoooOOOoOOoOO!!!”

SPECIAL DEFENSES: Berserker rage
INTELLIGENCE: Low
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: Huge (15′ tall)

The Makeup and Beauty Blog Makeup Monsters

Makeup and Beauty Blog Weekly Roundup

The New MAC Eye Shadow X4 Quad in Colour Added

And the MAC Eye Shadow X4 Quad in Shop & Drop

The Roses Ultimes de Chanel Collection Glossimers

MAC Cremeblend Blush in Restores Dazzle!

Milani Haute Flash Full Coverage Shimmer Lipgloss

LancÃ´me’s Color Design Eye Palette in Vert Tendresse

I’m Getting Carried Away by L’eau de ChloÃ¨

New Milani Illuminating Face Powder

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Two Ways to Win a $50 eGift Card from Sephora!

February 25th, 2012 by Karen 486 Comments

WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is Sophie! Congratulations, Sophie! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

Win an eGift card in today's Makeup and Beauty Blog giveaway

Ah… Good old fashioned bribery works every time! My body and brain have been demanding a little extra exercise motivation lately, so I’ve decided to award them with new workout gear.

I figure, if I’m gonna break a sweat, even at times when I really don’t want to, I might as well do it in cute clothes. 🙂

There were those pieces I liked from Zella, which I’ve heard is like a budget friendlier Lululemon, but I’m a gal who likes options, so I put the question out there on Twitter and asked for recommendations for stylish, sturdy, affordable workout clothes.

A couple of girls mentioned Danskin at Wal Mart, and the Champion line at Target, Old Navy and Gap, so I’ve got a little more to work with now.

Let me know if you have any other ideas for me. The more the merrier.

Now, without further ado…on to 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).

There are two ways to enter, and you can do both of them for two chances to win. First, you can enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, a comment about anything at all, like, if you currently exercise, what’s your favorite workout activity? Do you wear makeup while you exercise? How do you feel about bananas? Do you have a favorite waterproof mascara? Do you have a workout buddy? What’s your most comfortable outfit (not just for exercise but in general)? — you get the idea.
Second, you can enter by following me on Twitter @karenmbb and retweeting (RT) the following message:
- Follow @karenmbb and RT to Win a $50 eGift Card from Sephora! http://bit.ly/yTJwFd

The deadline to enter is Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 11:59PM (PT).
Entrants must enter using a valid email address and/or Twitter account to win.
A maximum of two (2) entries per person — one within the comments at the bottom of this post, and a second entry via Twitter addressed to me @karenmbb.
Contest is open to individuals of any country who have reached the age of majority according to their local laws (18 in the United States with these exceptions: Alabama and Nebraska, 19; Mississippi, 21).
Sephora eGift Certificates can only be redeemed online and are not valid in stores or available for purchase or redemption in Canada. International winners may opt to substitute the Sephora eGift card prize for $50 sent directly to their email address by PayPal instead.
Tabs and I (heretofore referred to as “T-Money and K-Dawg”) will select one (1) winner at random from the entries either left in the comments at the bottom of this blog post or addressed to @karenmbb on Twitter.
The winner will be announced here within 48 hours of the deadline.
Void where prohibited by law.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is Sophie! Congratulations, Sophie! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

Viola Davis: Her Best Hair?

February 21st, 2012 by Karen 16 Comments

Viola Davis: Her Best Hair?

From humble beginnings, actress Viola Davis, the second of six children, worked her way up through abject poverty and dozens of bit parts in movies and TV, some of them uncredited (like “unnamed CIA Chairwoman” in Syriana), to become one of Hollywood’s most distinguished and sought after actresses. Born August 11, 1965 on her grandmother’s farm in St. Matthews, South Carolina, Viola is now getting some very good roles.

Her mother, Mae Alice, was a maid, factory worker and homemaker, and her father was a horse trainer. When Viola was just two months old, the family moved to Central Falls, Rhode Island, where her love of acting began.

Probably best known for her portrayal of Aibileen Clark, a maid and nanny in Civil Rights era America during the early 1960s, in last year’s The Help, a role for which she has been nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award, and also for her performance as Mrs. Muller in 2008’s Doubt, Viola says she was a freshman in high school when she first saw acting as her way out of poverty.

A representative from The Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre in New York had visited her school, and when he asked how many of the students wanted to become actors, Viola and every one of her classmates raised their hand. Then, as the man explained how difficult the life of an actor could be, and the hardships that struggling actors often face, half of the hands went down, then more of them, until Viola’s was the only hand still raised.

“When you haven’t had enough to eat,” she says of that moment, “when your electricity and heat is cut off, you’re not afraid anymore when someone tells you life is going to be hard. The fear factor was minimized for me. My dreams were bigger than the fear.”

Lucky for us, she found her niche. 🙂

I love the idea of dreaming bigger than the fear. I think I’ll have to add that into my rotation of daily mantras.

Good luck at the Oscars, V!

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 208

February 20th, 2012 by Karen 39 Comments

You might be wondering, “So what the heck is this Monday Poll thing anyway?”
Well, it isn’t much of a poll. It’s more just a constantly evolving (devolving?), somewhat random list of questions I’ve been putting out to readers every Monday morning for the past four years. I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.

Mood:

Glowing! I just finished a long, slow jog (my yoga-strained back feels much better today), so now I’m basking in the glow of a post-workout endorphin rush.

How do you spend most of your downtime?

Well, there’s TV, and some of my favorite shows include Downton Abbey, The Walking Dead, 30 Rock, Justified, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (I know; can’t help it), Top Chef and Project Runway. I also just like to hang out with El Hub and Tabs. Oh, and I also play puzzle games on El Hub’s Kindle and procrastinate, LOL!

Waxing: love it or leave it?

Love it — if I have the time (I prefer to do my own waxing. Upper lip, legs and lady parts); leave it when I don’t. Shaving is just so much faster, though, but I definitely prefer the smoother results I get from wax.

Five beauty products you’re loathe to live without?

1) Dermalogica Super Rich Repair (I just started using this on my dry spots and LOVE it), 2) Rene Furturer Naturia Dry Shampoo, 3) MAC Pro Longwear Concealer, 4) the Shu Uemura Lash Curler and 5) Pacifica Body Butters.

Ten years ago, would you have imagined yourself doing what you do for a living now?

Not at all. To be honest, not in a million years! I’m happy now, but I do feel like I probably won’t be blogging forever. I’m not sure what else I’d do, though. Maybe full-time cat assisting, or writing a book of some kind.

Are you procrastinating about anything right now?

Oh, yes, and yargh! — it’s the house. I feel like I haven’t made any progress furnishing it in the two years we’ve been here.

I just can’t commit to furniture. It feels so…permanent because it’s so big and hard to get rid of if you end up changing your mind, which, come on, you know me. I’m apt to do.

I don’t want to be stuck with a stressful chair for the next 20 years!!

Okay, I know that’s irrational.

You just took in a kitten; what do you name it?

Ultimately, it would depend on the kitty’s personality and whether the name sticks, but I would love Tabs to have a sweet little kitty sister named Sugar.

How do you get around?

Mostly by car, because I live in the suburbs where everything’s kinda spread out. I drive a gunmetal gray Mazda with absolutely zero side visibility. None whatsoever. True story: when El Hub and I were looking for cars a few years ago, he asked me what I wanted most in a vehicle, and I said, “All I want is a car with really great side visibility.” So, of course, we got the car with absolutely no side visibility at all, LOL!

Sweetie, if you’re reading this, sorry. 🙂 But it’s true.

At least it’s reliable.

What’s a good mantra for you this week?

In my case, no (more) whining!

Weekly goals:

Focus on the task at hand, to run/exercise at least four times this week, to start planning for a trip to Kauai in the spring, and to start a new workout tracking calendar.

So…did you catch Downton Abbey last night? I won’t spoil it for you if you haven’t, but this I can safely say: you won’t be disappointed. 🙂

Promise me we can dish about it later in the comments. I have to talk about it with someone!

In other news, happy Presidents’ Day! It’s a holiday here in the U.S., and El Hub has the day off from work. If you have a little time off, I’d love to hear from you in today’s Monday Poll.

To complete the Monday Poll, just copy the following list, and paste it with your answers in the comments.

1. Mood:
2. How do you spend most of your downtime?
3. Waxing: love it or leave it?
4. Five beauty products you’re loathe to live without?
5. Ten years ago, would you have imagined yourself doing what you do for a living now?
6. Are you procrastinating about anything right now?
7. You just took in a kitten; what do you name it?
8. How do you get around?
9. What’s a good mantra for you this week?
10. Weekly goals:

Above all, I hope you have a great day and a wonderful week!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 179

February 19th, 2012 by Karen 14 Comments

Tabs for the Paul & Joe Prehistoric Palette

Tonight, on Downton Tabby…

While Lord and Lady Grantham take breakfast in the state room, Tabs the cat secretly slips an envelope under the door of Lord Grantham’s study, but he is seen skulking away from the door by Thomas the footman, who hurriedly reports the incident to Ms. O’Brien, Lady Grantham’s maid.

After breakfast, Lord Grantham is on his way to his study when he encounters Thomas in the hallway. “My lord,” Thomas says, “Mrs. Patmore wonders if you or Lady Grantham would care to review the menu for this evening’s dinner for the Dowager Countess.”

Lord Grantham, realizing the wisdom of approving the menu beforehand, thanks Thomas for delivering the message and immediately leaves for the kitchen. With Lord Grantham away, Thomas, now alone in the hallway, peers under the door to the study. He sees the envelope that he observed Tabs slipping under the door, and using a letter opener, withdraws the envelope and slips it into the breast pocket of his footman’s jacket.

Moments later in the servants’ living area, O’Brien and Thomas use a hot iron to carefully open the envelope without tearing it and remove the letter.

Thomas, with O’Brien looking over his shoulder, reads the letter, which is addressed to Lord Grantham and begins, “My lord, I feel it is my duty as house cat to inform you of a traitor in your midst…” The traitor, it appears, is Isis the dog, and the letter describes in great detail an incident involving the recent disappearance of one of Lord Grantham’s bedtime slippers.

In the letter, Tabs explains how he watched, from the shadows, Isis take one of the slippers, chew it to pieces, and then bury the remains at the base of the Lebanon Cedar in the garden.

“Good god!” Thomas gasps, as both he and O’Brien realize the magnitude of what they have read.

Isis is a bad dog!

*** TO BE CONTINUED ***

In the meantime, here are some pics from Tabs’ portfolio of kitty modeling jobs this week… 🙂

Tabs for L'Oreal Colour Riche Balm

Tabs for China Glaze Mockingcat
[Continue reading…]

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

February 19th, 2012 by Karen 7 Comments

The Makeup and Beauty Blog Weekly Roundup

What is it about extra hot water that makes tea taste even better? I’ve always been more of a lukewarm morning beverage girl, but I’ve been turning up the temperature of my tea and coffee this week, and now the hotter, the better. Piping hot. I love the sensation of it traveling through my body and heating up my tum.

So good!

Not much planned for today. If my back feels up to it — it’s still a little sore from yoga yesterday — I’m gonna try a slow run on the treadmill in a little while. That way I can eat with reckless abandon later today if El Hub and I go Off the Grid again for lunch. There’s a cupcake truck that I missed last week, and I will not allow that to happen again. 🙂

Tonight’s also a new episode of Downton Abbey, yay! Did you watch last week’s ep? Wasn’t it intense?? I feel like the characters have lost their frickin’ minds, and I love it. Can’t wait for the season finale tonight.

A few beauty posts that caught my eye…

Tigers get turned on by CK Obsession at the London Zoo (what the what!?) — Addicted to Beauty
MAC Prep + Prime Vibrancy Eye Primer Review, Photos & Swatches — Beautezine
The best kind of distraction: Chanel Distraction 549 Le Vernis — The Beauty Look Book
Lessons learned after almost six years of perfume blogging — The Non-Blonde
An interesting look at a MAC Masterclass with Pablo Rodriguez, London Fashion Week — Vex in the City
Crazy about leopard print? Um, YES! As a matter of fact, I am — Swedish Love Affair
What a fantastical green! That it’s called Dragon makes perfect sense — The Nailasaurus
Pretty, pretty colors! — heading down the runway at the Milly F/W 2012 show — Keiko Lynn
It’s official: I need to try plummy Inglot Eyeshadow Pearl 446 — My Weekend Ramblings
Confused by La Roche-Posay? Here’s what to use for your skin type — Beaut.ie

MAKEUP MONSTER: STENCH DRAGON

Makeup Monster: Stench Dragon DESCRIPTION: Stench Dragons are a subcategory of dragons that spend much of their time stalking perfumeries and fragrance counters. Powerfully stinky, they tend to be aloof, solitary and self-centered. Their motto is, “It’s all about me.”
FREQUENCY: Rare
SPEED: Fast
ARMOR CLASS: 8
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Like a fine cheese, Stench Dragons become more powerfully pungent as they age. They are attracted to strong fragrances, which they attempt to overpower with their awful dragon breath.

SPECIAL DEFENSES: Fragrance resistance; aura of repulsive stench
INTELLIGENCE: Very
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic neutral (naughty)
SIZE: Medium (6′ long)

The Makeup and Beauty Blog Makeup Monsters

Makeup and Beauty Blog Weekly Roundup

With MAC Mineralize Concealer, Just Swipe and Go

Dry Lips Love L’Oreal Colour Riche Balm SPF 15

Paul & Joe Matte Pressed Powder in Cinnamon

Makeup for Rain, Sleet and Snow

My Favorite Pink Lips for Valentine’s Day

The MAC Tendertone Lip Balms From the MAC Cook Collection

YSL Rouge Pur Couture Vernis Ã€ LÃ¨vres Glossy Stains

MAC Eye Shadow Quad X4 in Call Me Bubbles

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Two Ways to Win a $50 eGift Card from Sephora!

February 18th, 2012 by Karen 481 Comments

WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is Mindy M.! Congratulations, Mindy! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

Win an eGift Card in Today's Sephora Giveaway

Rise and shine, morning glory! 🙂 Guess who has a new obsession?

Yep, I’ve become obsessed lately with a series of videos on Vimeo called the Take Away Shows, which are basically these intimate, seemingly impromptu acoustic sets performed by musicians around the world, mostly in public venues, like while strolling down a city sidewalk, walking through a park or by an empty hotel bar.

And they’ve turned me on to a bunch of artists I’d never heard of before, like Hanni El Khatib.

It’s been a while since I’ve been to a live performance…

Well, there was that kickin’ rock cover band at the summer fair in the parking lot of the mall last year (behind the Panera Bread and the T-Mobile store), but other than that, I don’t know — maybe the San Francisco Symphony performing with Duncan Sheik in 2010. That was a fun.

I’ve always loved live music, but these days I gotta have somewhere to sit, haha! I just don’t have the stamina/wherewithal to stand for two hours and wait for a band to start playing at 11. Seriously, 11 is my bedtime now.

Okay, that sounded very Liz Lemony…

How about we pretend I didn’t say it and get on with 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).

There are two ways to enter, and you can do both of them for two chances to win. First, you can enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, a comment about anything at all, like, when was the last time you went to a concert (and who performed)? Have you ever worn a costume or crazy makeup to a concert? Have you ever sung in front of an audience before? Are you having a good hair day today? Whom would you like to see perform live? — you get the idea.
Second, you can enter by following me on Twitter @karenmbb and retweeting (RT) the following message:
- Follow @karenmbb and RT to Win a $50 eGift Card from Sephora! http://bit.ly/wWPRrZ

The deadline to enter is Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 11:59PM (PT).
Entrants must enter using a valid email address and/or Twitter account to win.
A maximum of two (2) entries per person — one within the comments at the bottom of this post, and a second entry via Twitter addressed to me @karenmbb.
Contest is open to individuals of any country who have reached the age of majority according to their local laws (18 in the United States with these exceptions: Alabama and Nebraska, 19; Mississippi, 21).
Sephora eGift Certificates can only be redeemed online and are not valid in stores or available for purchase or redemption in Canada. International winners may opt to substitute the Sephora eGift card prize for $50 sent directly to their email address by PayPal instead.
Tabs and I (heretofore referred to as “T-Money and K-Dawg”) will select one (1) winner at random from the entries either left in the comments at the bottom of this blog post or addressed to @karenmbb on Twitter.
The winner will be announced here within 48 hours of the deadline.
Void where prohibited by law.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is Mindy M.! Congratulations, Mindy! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

Just For Fun

A few beauty posts that caught my eye…

MAKEUP MONSTER: ABOMINABLE POWDER PUNISHER

Which of Viola's hairstyles do you like best?

A few beauty posts that caught my eye…

MAKEUP MONSTER: STENCH DRAGON