Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup
A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict
Although there probably wouldn’t be a wide range of colors for tan gals like me, I have a soft spot for ’40s style makeup and beauty. The red lips, waved hair and wee bit o’ liner along the upper lash line — so classically simple yet glam at the same time.
How about you? What’s your favorite decade or era of makeup and beauty?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. TGIF! 
Ooh! Brightly colored ombre highlights, for sure. I love the caramel ombre highlights I got a while back, but now I’m tempted to ask my stylist to whip up something like the colorful pink, purple and blue ends that have been showing up on young Hollywood it girls lately (that’s Lauren Conrad’s mane above on the right).
They look so fun and whimsical! But here’s what’s been holding me back: 1) I’m not sure how well they would translate to dark hair, and 2) I don’t want to look like I’m trying too hard to look young (one of my biggest beauty fears).
I think if I were in my teens or early 20s, I’d do it in a heartbeat!
What makeup or beauty trend are you still working up the courage to try?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
As a wee girl of 31!
I’m really doing my best to embrace the aging process with as much style and grace as possible, but as I make my way through my mid-30s and notice ever more fine lines and wrinkles, there are a few things related to makeup and beauty that I wish I’d done differently…
And most of them have to do with anti-aging.
1. I wish I’d started wearing sunscreen regularly when I was in my teens
When I think about all of the sunny afternoons I spent outside without sunscreen, the hours of marching band rehearsals and the days spent frolicking at the beach, I can’t help but sigh… Very few people in my circle of friends and family used sunscreen back in the early ’90s, though. Shoot.
2. I wish I’d had the good sense to start applying sunscreen to my neck, hands and feet sooner
Learn from my mistakes, and avoid that chilling moment when you look down at your feet and shout, “WHOA!”
3. I wish I’d started using Retin A sooner
Oh, well. Like Cher says, “If I could turn back time…”
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
For me, gloss mostly, although I do have my lipstick phases…
How about you? Which one do you prefer?
Loading ...Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
A’ight. I could use a little more sleep (per usual). It’s supposed to be hot here today. Probably one of the last really hot days of the year, and I might try to sneak away to the pool for a few minutes this afternoon.
My eyeshadows. I’ve been meaning to depot them all and organize everything by color, but every time I set my mind to doing it I get sidetracked by something else.
Watching Tabs while he sleeps. He’ll twitch and kick his little paws every once in a while, I presume while he’s dreaming about his former life as an outdoor kitty, chasing bugs, stalking lizards and lounging about in the sun.
Just last night, as a matter of fact. I was in the kitchen making tea and felt the rhythm hit me, so I belted out an improv version Planet Soul (“Set you free! Set you free!”).
Club moves make everything better.
I do, but I haven’t worn it out in public in a zillion years.
Hmm… Probably face primer. I go through phases where one month I’m into it, next month I’m not. I haven’t been into it for a long while, though. I think I’ve just been too lazy to go that extra step.
I guess in my ability to let my goofy side show. I mean it’s there, right? Why hide it? 🙂
Fine in concept (like the whole one-piece-outfit idea), but I haven’t found one that works well for me. Who makes a cute jumpsuit designed for short girls with a big bum? Anyone?
To be less critical of myself. That’s been a tough one to break.
Basically to keep up the good work with my exercise routine and continue tracking my progress using that My Fitness Pal app on the iPhone (four pounds lost so far, yay!). This is also the last official week of summer, and I want to end the season on a high note. I’m not gonna let myself sweat any of the small stuff. That’s it. Done deal.
G’morning, friend! Are you, too, obsessed with Ryan Gosling? I am, and I’m beginning to wonder if we should start a support group.
Last night I spent an entire hour watching vids of him on YouTube (don’t tell El Hub!), and in that time I found this little gem from his Mickey Mouse Club days. Zip to the 1:32 mark for the real joy (extra points if you recognize the other dudes in the clip)…
Now that you’ve likely snorted your coffee through your nose, let’s move on to the Monday Poll, shall we?
1. Mood:
2. The most disorganized part of your makeup collection?
3. Something that always cheers you up?
4. The last time you busted a move?
5. Do you know how to fishtail braid your hair?
6. Least used product in your makeup collection?
7. One way in which you feel daring?
8. How do you feel about jumpsuits?
9. A habit you’d like to break?
10. Weekly goals:
We’re gonna have a great week, you and I. No ifs, ands or buts about it.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
I thought today was going to be a mellow Sunday, but noooo. I got up this morning to find a long to-do list taped to my bathroom mirror, left by, none other than, Tabs. He leaves for Europe in a couple of days for his next round of Fashion Week shows, which means I have to take care of the last-minute details, like finding Tabs a new set of Louis Vuitton luggage, booking him an appointment for a deep conditioning fur treatment, and making sure the overseas team has the house on Lake Como prepped and ready for Tabs’ arrival after Fashion Week in Milan.
Yup, life’s tough when you’re an international plus-size kitty supermodel…
But seriously, Tabs has been keeping busy lately, and here are the most recent pics from his kitty modeling portfolio. 🙂
Sawing logs. That’s what my friend Jen’s new baby boy was doing during our visit yesterday while I marveled at his tiny fingers and toes. He’s just about two weeks old now, so his primary pastimes involve sleeping, eating and posing for pictures (he takes after his Auntie Karen!).
Rise and shine, morning glory. 🙂 It’s going to be a beautiful day.
What have you been up to this weekend? If you’re a MAC fan, this was one heck of a week!
LOOKING FOR A DREAMY, CREAMY LIPSTICK THAT LASTS?
TRY THE NEW MAC PRO LONGWEAR LIPCREMES
Lovahs of long-wearing lipstick, prepare to park your pout in front of the new MAC Pro Longwear Lipcremes for a prolonged play session when the MAC Styledriven collection cruises onto counters in t-minus 10 days.
Available in 12 shades of long-wearing pink, plum, orange, red and purple, these pigmented pretties may cost a bit more than MAC’s regular lipsticks ($17 U.S./$20 CDN versus $14.50 U.S./$17.50 CDN), but if you like creamy, pigmented lipsticks that latch onto lips and won’t let go, they deliver that much and a whole lot more. Read more…
CHANEL LES JEANS DE CHANEL
AT LEAST THESE JEANS ALWAYS FIT
Creamy Blue Rebel, the darkest of the three limited edition blue nail polishes that comprise Les Jeans de Chanel, is my favorite of the three, and like its two siblings — Coco Blue (a sky blue with subtle shimmer) and Boy Blue (a creamy denim) — it dries to a lovely high-shine finish. I’ve been using three coats to achieve full opacity with Coco Blue and Boy Blue but only need two coats for full opacity with Blue Rebel.
All three of these shades speak to my soul, but the angels aren’t singing in the same way they did for Vendetta, Riva and Jade. Read more…
I’D LIKE TO KISS THE INVENTOR OF THESE
MAC PRO LONGWEAR LIP PENCILS
In the summer before my freshman year of high school, my friend Nancy taught me how to kiss.
I hadn’t had a boyfriend yet but figured I should probably prepare myself before school started, just in case. Nancy, having dated a boy earlier that year, was my closest friend with the appropriate experience, so on our breaks during the algebra class we took together that summer, Nancy dispensed various pearls of kissing wisdom like, 1) Eat grape lollipops before kissing to freshen the breath (according to Nancy, they worked better than breath mints), and 2) Observe proper gum etiquette (gum should not change owners during a make-out session). Read more…
GOING THE DISTANCE WITH THE
MAC STYLEDRIVEN PRO LONGWEAR EYE SHADOWS
Pigment. Like. Whoa.
I’m serious. These new MAC Pro Longwear Eye Shadows ($20 U.S./$24 CDN each) from the MAC Styledriven collection, like the Pro Longwear lip products we looked at last week, are built to throw down.
With potent pigments, a downy soft texture and an easy-to-blend formula, these powder eyeshadows look and feel to me like muscled up MAC permanent shadows in the Veluxe Pearl finish (picture Woodwinked but even cooler). Read more…
COMING SOON: THE NEW BARE ESCENTUALS BAREMINERALS
READY EYESHADOW 8.0 PALETTES IN THE COCKTAIL HOUR AND THE PLAYLIST
Calling all Bare Escentuals bareMinerals babes. Set your calendars for November 1, and title the reminder, “2 new BM eyeshadow palettes coming out today.”
The limited edition Ready Eyeshadow 8.0 Palettes in The Cocktail Hour and The Playlist ($40 apiece) promenade into Bare Escentuals Boutiques on November 1, each with eight new Bare Escentuals bareMinerals pressed eyeshadow shades. Read more…
MAC ART OF POWDER
PERFECTS THE ART OF SUBTLETY
How does that song go again — “These boots heels aren’t meant for walking, because that’s not what they do”?
Something like that… You know what kind of heels I’m talking about. Most of us have at least one pair in our closet. Heels that look great on the shelf but hurt like hell when you take more than a few steps in ‘em.
Don’t tell El Hub (shhh!), but I, uh, have a few heels like that in my closet. I call them my “look but don’t touch” shoes. Beautiful to look at, but they’re completely useless attached to a pair of feet. Read more…
THE MAC POSH PARADISE
PAINT POTS HAVE PIGMENT TO SPARE
Hark! Is that the herald angels singing or the sound of MAC Posh Paradise parading onto counters?
Huzzah! Huzzah! It’s the 20-piece Posh Paradise collection, and it officially arrives in stores and counters tomorrow (if you can’t wait, it is available now online).
The release features 10 Mattene Lipsticks, two Nail Lacquers and eight Paint Pots in luscious shades of red, pink, blue, plum, orange, bronze and gold. Read more…
MC K-DAWG ON THE MIC
SONIA KASHUK FALL 2011 NAIL COLOUR
Here’s a shout-out to Sonia K. Her new Nail Colours, I just gotta say, might be some of my fave fall colors, haaay! At $4.99, they don’t cost too much. Two coats will do you if you’re in a rush. The brush? So precise. Formula? Smoove as ice. The colors? Très glam, and ooh! — look at that price.
Sugar Rush, well, hey, yes, she’s a baby pink. Chocoholic is a dark reddish brown (so distinct!). Mauving on Up, I know I’ve seen before. Blank Slate’s bluish gray, I totally adore. Read more…
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
I’m really proud of the guest bloggers who’ve submitted posts to MBB over the past couple of years. First, because I know how much time and effort can go into putting together a review or a tutorial, especially one you really care about, and second, because I can be a perfectionist (see, it’s not just Tabs). In some cases, I ask guest bloggers to retake some of their photographs or revise their written drafts, always trying to make the finished product the best we both think it can be. And I think we’ve done a pretty good job. 🙂
If you’ve missed any of these recent guest posts, I encourage you to check them out, and if you do find them interesting, please visit the author’s site.
Be a Flying Beauty with These Airplane Beauty Tips
Is Milk of Magnesia a Cure for Oily Skin?
Where to Buy Asian Beauty Brands
Have You Haired About Coconut Oil?
How to Apply Liquid Foundation
MASS. to Melbourne: Beauty Down Unda’
