Just For Fun Reviews, Swatches and Pictures on Makeup and Beauty Blog

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Just For Fun

Two Ways to Win a Clarins Barocco Rouge Prodige Lipstick

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

clarins barocco collection holiday 2010 review swatches photos barocco rouge prodige product shot

You may be asking yourself, what’s with all the rouge lately? The brands just love that word, don’t they? Rouge this and rouge that.

The word may not be all that original anymore, but it’s berry appropriate when it comes to Clarins’ Rouge Prodige limited edition lipstick.

Dressed to thrill in black and gold, it’s semi-matte, unflavored/unscented, and looks opaque on my lips with a single coat.

If you can see yourself slipping into this lovely lippie, then warm up your giveaway muscles, girl.

Here. We. Go! 🙂

A Makeup and Beauty Blog Giveaway!

  • One (1) tube of Clarins Barocco Rouge Prodige lipstick (a $24 value).

  • 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 how you apply lipstick (Do you go straight from the tube or use a lip brush? Do your bottom lip first and then pressing your lips together? Do tell.), the name of the last movie you watched in a theater, the person you look up to the most, or tell me about one of your hidden talents — you get the idea.
  • Second, you can enter by following me on twitter Twitter @karenmbb and retweeting (RT) the following message:
    • Follow @karenmbb and RT to Win a Clarins Barocco Rouge Prodige Lipstick (a $24 Value) http://bit.ly/fv9OgD

  • The deadline to enter is Thursday, December 23, 2010 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).
  • 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 Mary Valleau! Congratulations, Mary! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Dec. 20

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  • 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 three years, which I guess makes this somewhere around Vol. 150. I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.
  1. Mood:

    2. Feeling positively great because I’m finally done with Christmas shopping. All that’s left to do is wrap, which I can get done in the blink of an eye (I honed my skills as a gift wrap girl at Emporium-Capwell when I was a teenager).

  2. What’s your favorite winter comfort food?

    3. Soup. It’s warm, easy and filling. Lately split pea’s been my jam, with butternut squash a close second.

  3. One small thing that always makes you happy?

    4. When Tabs crawls onto my chest first thing in the morning, tucks his head beneath my chin and fires up his purr machine. I call it “The Tabby Alarm Clock.”

  4. Three beauty products that changed your life?

    5. Philosophy Purity Made Simple One-Step Facial Cleanser because it thoroughly takes everything off without stripping my skin; Clarins HydraQuench Cream because it moisturizes my hella dry face; and the Shu Uemura Lash Curler because it creates perfectly curled lashes without pinching.

  5. Khaki cargo pants: fashionable or faux pas?

    6. Hmm. I’m not crazy about how they look, but I’ll wear them when I’m traveling or covering an event. Having accessible extra pockets comes in REALLY handy.

  6. Favorite lip balm?

    7. MAC Naked Honey Skin Salve. I’m gonna cry some serious tears when I run out of the stuff!

  7. How do you sign off on your emails?

    8. I generally rotate between kind regards, best, warmly, take care and talk to you soon. Really close friends and family get the crazy sign offs — peace and chicken grease, word to Big Bird, haaay…

  8. Your purse: messy or organized?

    9. Depends on the purse. My big “photography purse” (a Kipling bag I’ve modified to store my camera equipment) and wristlet (where I keep keys, cards and all the important stuff) are immaculate. Everything else is another story, LOL!

  9. Today’s outfit?

    10. Right now I’m looking quite un-stylish, but festive, in a white pair of sweatpants, a red sweatshirt with a faux fur hood and a pair of beige knitted, knee-high boots.

  10. Weekly goals:

    11. Enjoy every minute of the run up to Christmas, spend at least 30 minutes every day on the treadmill (damn those macarons!) and be in bed by 10 every night.

Five more days till Christmas, merry makers! Will you be taking any time off this week? Since I work for Tabs full time, I’ll be lucky to get one day off, LOL! If you’re on break this week (or if things are slow at work), how about stopping by for a second to fill out the Monday poll? I’d love to hear from ya. 🙂

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



1. Mood:
2. What’s your favorite winter comfort food?
3. One small thing that always makes you happy?
4. Three beauty products that changed your life?
5. Khaki cargo pants: fashionable or faux pas?
6. Favorite lip balm?
7. How do you sign off on your emails?
8. Your purse: messy or organized?
9. Today’s outfit?
10. Weekly goals:

Happy holidays!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 118

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Tabs for the Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Cat Collar

Okay, I have to get Tabs a new phone, because either he doesn’t know how to use his, or he’s deliberately ignoring me. He’s been on location in Paris for a few days doing his kitty modeling thing while I’ve been stuck here in Novato getting the place ready for Christmas. He was very specific before he left about how we wanted things prepared for his return. Two stockings hung by the tree, fresh catnip sprinkled around his cat tower, two scoops of Fancy Feast tuna in gravy heated to exactly 73 degrees in the microwave, a clean litter box, and a bowl of chilled Evian.

I need to find out when he’s coming back, but I’ve already sent him like 20 unanswered texts!

Who is Tabs the Cat? About three 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). 🙂

Here’s the latest from his portfolio…

Tabs for NYX Beachy Bronzing Powder in When Tabby Gets a Tan

Tabs for Yes To Catnip Coat Conditioner
[Continue reading…]

Float Away in the Open Thread

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I feel extra chatty today, and I hope you do, too. Shall we entertain each other in today’s open thread? 🙂

Makeup and Beauty Blog Open ThreadIf you’re new to the open thread, here it is in a nutshell:

It’s just a post where we comment back and forth about any topic under the sun (or the rain clouds, whichever the case may be) — makeup, pets, holiday highs and lows, music, movies (have you seen Tron yet?), you name it!

Except for an errand or two, I’ll be around all day long, so stop by if/when you can. See you inside!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

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The Makeup and Beauty Blog Weekly Roundup

Rise and shine, morning glory. How did you sleep? Pretty well, I hope. I’m still waking up, but this Starbucks chai latte is helping.

Are you done with your Christmas shopping yet? I got a couple things online yesterday (can’t mention them now because the walls have ears/eyes), but I still have to brave the mall at some point today… Traffic’s bad, but I’ll use my rapier wit to hack through the capitalist hordes, grah! 🙂

But before that, I like to start Sunday mornings with 100mg of caffeine a look at some of the things we talked about earlier in the week. Sonia and Coco kicked hella @ss.

If you’ll be doing any driving today, please be careful out there. I’m serious, it’s a yuletide zoo.

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

The Sonia Kashuk Reach for the Stars Nail Trio SONIA KASHUK’S
REACH FOR THE STARS NAIL TRIO

When the goin’ gets tough, the tough paint their nails! Okay, so maybe that’s not exactly how the saying goes, but you know what I mean…

And when a nail polish goes on with near perfect application, like the pretty polishes in the Sonia Kashuk Reach for the Stars Nail Trio ($10), well, ain’t nothin’ gonna break my stride.

The limited edition holiday set comes packed to the gills with glitter in three full-size bottles — a warm peachy gold (looks like a sunset!), a gunmetal gray and a magenta. Sonia filled all three with pounds of pigment and sparkle to spare.

Where’s the party at?! I ask because these festive shades hit all the right notes, but the formula’s what elevates these polishes from good to great. The smooth, thin texture goes on without any streaks (reminds me of OPI’s texture), and because they’re so pigmented, the color is easy to build up with layers. Last week I painted my toes with the gunmetal gray, and it was one of the fastest and easiest at-home pedicures I’ve given myself in ages. Just two coats produced a solid, opaque layer of color. Heck, I probably could have gotten away with one layer if I’d been in hurry. Read more…

The Chanel Les Perles de Chanel Collection CHANEL LES PERLES
DE CHANEL FOR SPRING 2011

Don your best tweed jacket and pearls, ma chérie (and dab No. 5 on your pulse points), because it’s time to say bonsoir to the new Chanel Les Perles de Chanel makeup collection.

There’s plenty of photographic evidence that proves our girl Coco wore a lot of pearls. In point of fact, she practically dripped in them because she believed their delicate glow enhanced a woman’s natural beauty.

Her heirs apparent at Chateau Chanel must agree. Remembering how much Coco loved pearls, they created the Les Perles collection for spring 2011, with its preponderance of pearly finishes destined to impart natural-looking luminosity to cheeks, eyes, lips and nails.

Since he joined the team — nay, the movement! — Chanel Global Creative Director Peter Philips has done a fantastic job (in my opinion) keeping Gabby’s spirit and her iconic style alive, and, with Les Perles de Chanel (just look at those shades of black, gray and white!), he’s done it again.

Les Perles is coming next month to Chanel counters but is available now on chanel.com.

Here’s a brief look at a few items from the collection, with more to follow over the coming days. 🙂

Joues Contraste Powder Blush in Espiegle ($42) — A warm peachy pink blush with a subtle golden sheen. It reminds me a little of NARS Orgasm in the pan but applies lighter, with a less frosty finish, and it gives my cheeks a soft, candlelit glow. Read more…

Mascara Magic 101 MASCARA MAGIC 101
HOW TO GET THE MOST FROM YOUR MASCARA

It’s 6:30 in the morning. You just barely saved your white blouse from a nice warm coffee demise, and all you’ve left to do is throw on some mascara. Do you…

A. Close your eyes, wiggle the wand randomly in the vicinity of your lashes, and hope for the best?

B. Look straight into the mirror, and take a few seconds slowly sweeping the bristled brush from base to tip, possibly allowing time for a second coat?

C. Stop, take a deep breath, and with your disposable sponge, gently lift your eyelid while you wiggle your brush at the roots, sweeping them quickly outward and upward, turning the brush vertically to add a bit of length at the corner, and wiggling it over the lower lashes?

Hopefully, you picked (C), as you may have guessed that in this case, the most complicated answer is the right one. Read more…

Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense Lipsticks MAKE UP FOR EVER
ROUGE ARTIST INTENSE LIPSTICKS

Stand tall, my little lipstick soldiers! Paint the clouds with your awesomeness, and shower your pretty pigments down upon the planet like makeup Skittles!

I’ve been meaning to swatch the 10 Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense Lipsticks ($19) I received for placing in the Rouge Artist Contest, but I just keep chickening out, unable to bear the thought of disturbing them in their perfect little tubes.

And then it started raining here yesterday. And raining. And raining. And I thought, “Hmm… I remember those Rouge Artist Intense Lipsticks being awfully pretty and colorful.”

I’m kinda glad I waited to swatch these, because with all the rain today today I really needed a pick-me-up.

Available in a monstrously huge selection of 50 unscented, unflavored colors in matte, pearl and satin finishes, the pigmented, full-coverage Rouge Artist Intense Lipsticks are designed to drench puckers in pure, unadulterated color — opaque after just one swipe. They joined the Make Up For Ever permanent line last fall. Read more…

Sonia Kashuk What Glitters Glows Palette SONIA KASHUK
WHAT GLITTERS GLOWS PALETTE

OMG! Have you heard about the party at Target?! Well, not at Target. It’s more inside Target, down by the cosmetics aisle, right in front of the Sonia Kashuk display.

Just look for the disco ball…packaging for Sonia’s limited edition What Glitters Glows Eye Palette ($15).

If it looks familiar… If it looks familiar (déjà vu!), you may be recalling last year’s Starry Eyes Palette, which also had big pans of shadow like these and came in similar packaging. Oh, and it had the same price ($15).

For this palette, Sonia swapped out the three cool-toned, smooth and pigmented mattes from Starry Eyes with three dynamic, neutral-toned shadows with a fascinating combination of matte/glitter finish.

I can’t believe the gray, black and brown shadows in the bottom row are available at Target, because they seem like higher end department store material to me. They come in a matte base that’s pigmented, yet still soft and easy to blend, and they’re infused with subtle flecks of sophisticated black-tie glitter (as opposed to 1996 rave glitter), which reminds me: did you ever dance with a glow stick at a rave? Yup, good times… Read more…

Sonia Kashuk Facing Stardom Palette THE SONIA KASHUK
FACING STARDOM PALETTE

The limited edition Sonia Kashuk Facing Stardom Face Palette ($19.99) is like a spontaneous red carpet moment. One second I’m sitting at my desk in black stretchy pants (you know, the ones with the hole in the butt?), but the second that first swipe of smokey eye and rosy cheek/lip makeup dances onto my face, BAM! I’m strutting my stuff at a Hollywood premiere, waiting for Ryan Reynolds to introduce me as “his close friend, confidante and shoulder to cry on” to the paparazzi.

Looking like a star with this 12-piece holiday palette, which includes two powder eyeliners, six eyeshadows, two lipglosses and two cream blushes, doesn’t require an actual acting career. All you need are brushes and your imagination.

Eyeliners: The matte powder eyeliners can be worn wet or dry along the lash and/or waterlines. They have a little fallout when applied dry, so I keep makeup wipes on standby just in case I need to clean up.

Eyeshadows: Cool-toned and smokey is the name of the game. The glitter shadows (a glittery gray, taupe and purplish taupe) are more pigmented than the ones in the What Glitters Glows Palette, which is a big plus. The three mattes (a gray, purplish taupe and taupe) apply sheer and blend with ease. Read more…

Yes to Cucumbers Color Conditioner YES TO CUCUMBERS
COLOR CONDITIONER

Tabs has really been riding me lately to find a good cruelty-free drugstore conditioner. He even threatened to swipe my ankles if I didn’t produce something this week worthy of sharing on the blog. I focussed the search on volumizing products designed to cut down on frizz, since those are both hair issues of mine, and I think I may have found something to save my ankles from Tabs. They call it Yes to Cucumbers Color Care Conditioner ($9).

With a mild cucumber scent, this lightweight, moisturizing conditioner is marketed to gals with color-treated hair, which I have, but I’m so impressed by it that I’d wager it would also do wonders for other types of hair (particularly fine, limp hair because it is quite volumizing).

Not only is it cruelty free, but it’s also made from 99.6% natural ingredients, including minerals harvested from the Dead Sea, organic cucumbers, centaurea extract (an extract from a flower that’s supposed to help prevent brassiness) and green tea. Most of the ingredients are also plant extracts, way up on list, and there’s no mention of silicones among the ingredients at all. Read more…

NYX Tango Bronzing Powder NYX TANGO
BRONZING POWDER

When Tabs was on safari in Tanzania earlier this year, he met a serval who told him the tale of a leopard named Nix (pronounced NYX), who spent every day sunning himself way up high in the branches of a big acacia tree.

Later, when he got back home to Novato, Tabs took the story and turned it into his first book, titled “When Leopard Gets a Tan.”

And that’s where NYX got the idea for Tango With Bronzing Powder in When Leopard Gets a Tan. 🙂

Okay, okay, that’s not true at all. But it sure would have made a great story, right?

When Leopard Gets a tan, one of the new NYX bronzers for fall, reminded me of Too Faced Pink Leopard from the pan, but once applied the color’s more bronzy, less peach and less shimmery — a soft sheen as opposed to Pink Leopard’s frost. Read more…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Dec. 13

by 69 Comments

  1. Mood:

    2. I was a little agitated earlier (the Christmas tree fell over this morning so there were broken ornaments and pine needles all over the living room floor, plus the carpet was soaked, ugh), but now I’m feeling pretty good. It’s amazing how a quick run and some endorphins can change everything.

  2. Three winter beauty essentials you can’t live without?

    3. Clarins HydraQuench Cream for my hella dry face, Burt’s Bees Coconut Foot Creme for my gnarly feet and Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream for my shredded carrot cuticles, LOL!

  3. Red lips: matte or glossy?

    4. Both. 🙂

  4. One of your life goals?

    5. To visit the pyramids in Egypt.

  5. When it comes to holiday entertaining, would you rather be the host or the guest?

    6. The guest, for sure.

  6. If you were a dessert, what would you be?

    7. A mini cupcake, because it’s small and sweet.

  7. Have you finished your holiday shopping?

    8. No, and I still have a long way to go. 🙁

  8. Your favorite meal of the day?

    9. Hmm, probably breakfast. French toast, banana pancakes, hash browns, omelettes… man, I’m hungry right now.

  9. What sounds do you hear right at this very moment?

    10. Cars driving by in the distance, my fingers typing on the keyboard and Tabs purring up a storm (he’s making biscuits on my lap).

  10. Weekly goals:

    11. Drink three big bottles of water every day (been dehydrated lately), log in 10 hours of reading and eat plenty of veggies at dinner every night.

There’s nothing like a portly tabby cat sitting on your lap and tearing the crap out of your clothes to start your week off right, LOL! Other than this morning’s Christmas Tree Incident (I still don’t know how it fell over), things have been just dandy on this end.

What’s shaking out in your neck of the woods? When you get a moment will you let me know what’s going on with you by filling out the Monday poll?

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



1. Mood:
2. Three winter beauty essentials you can’t live without?
3. Red lips: matte or glossy?
4. One of your life goals?
5. When it comes to holiday entertaining, would you rather be the host or the guest?
6. If you were a dessert, what would you be?
7. Have you finished your holiday shopping?
8. Your favorite meal of the day?
9. What sounds do you hear right at this very moment?
10. Weekly goals:

Raise your chai lattes with me, and let’s toast to a spectacular week ahead!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 117

by 68 Comments

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

Enter Today's Tabs Caption Contest

Makeup and Beauty Blog Caption Contest

  • $25 (U.S.) sent via PayPal to the winner’s PayPal account (that’s Christmas money, yo!)

  • 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 caption in the comments for the picture at the top of this post, preceding it with the word CAPTION:
  • Second, you can enter by following me @karenmbb and tweeting a different caption, preceding it with the words @karenmbb CAPTION:

  • The deadline to enter is Wednesday, December 15, 2010 at 11:59PM PST.
  • Entrants must have a valid email address and PayPal account to win.
  • A maximum of two 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).
  • Tabs and I (heretofore referred to as “the judges”) will select our favorite caption (1 winner) from all of the caption contest entries that are either left in the comments at the bottom of this blog post or addressed to @karenmbb on Twitter.
  • The decision of the judges is final and binding.
  • All entries become the property of Makeup and Beauty Blog (specifically Tabs) and will not be returned.
  • The winner will be announced here within 48 hours of the deadline.
  • If the winner cannot be contacted or does not respond within three (3) days, an alternate winner may be selected at the sole discretion of the judge(s).
  • Void where prohibited by law.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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

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