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

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

Just For Fun

Smelly Belly Button? Try The Navel Fresh Spray

by 32 Comments

“Uh, do you smell that?”

“Smell what?”

“It smells like…stinky cheese.”

Tired of embarrassing belly button odor? Try The Navel Fresh Spray (LOL!).

Designed for the buttons of both men and women, the $19.99 spray promises to clean belly buttons, making them smell like “heaven on a summer night.”

What makes it work?

One word: Chlorhexafresh — yes, Chlorhexafresh — the only personal deodorant “formulated specifically to cleanse the belly button.” Makers Medali & Gold combine it with essential oils to nuke nasty odors trapped inside navels.

Okay, even though I’m sure my belly button is just as stinky as the next one, I don’t know if I’m bothered enough by it to spend $20 on targeted help. It’s not like I’m sticking noses in my tummy, you know? 🙂 I’ve got other more pressing things to worry about, like the scraggly hairs on my big toe.

Would you buy a spray to cleanse and refresh your belly button?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

9 Things: You Deserve a Shout-Out

by 42 Comments

There’s a lot of awesomeness in the world, but very little of it gets the recognition it deserves.

Like, when was the last time you gave big ups to your orthodontist? I know that without mine I’d still have a snaggle tooth, so I’d like to say thank you, Dr. Chong, and give you a shout-out. 🙂 Thanks to you and to all of the people, places and things that make my life better.

Things like frozen broccoli, ponytail holders, two-ply toilet paper — all of you deserve a shout-out!

The idea’s catching on. Shout-outs went viral on Twitter this week (LOL!), with inspired tweeters giving props to everything from single parents, to mix tapes, Snuggies, brow waxers and Santa Claus.

So, in the spirit of Christmas long overdue recognition, here are nine shout-outs I would like to give (in no particular order).

1. The inventor of Nutella

Despite my rapidly expanding bum, I’d like to give a shout-out to Mr. or Mrs. Nutella (YOU ROCK!). For me, your chocolaty hazelnut spread changed whole wheat toast forever. There, I said it.

But sometimes I’ll skip the toast and have it with sliced strawberries or peaches, or maybe just on a spoon all by itself (try it with a sprinkling of sea salt), YUM!

And some shout-outs segue to other ones, like this one I’d like to give to…

2. The inventor of the treadmill

I still love running outside, but the elements and I don’t always get along. Plus, my knees aren’t what they used to be, and the treadmill’s softer surface is more forgiving than pavement.


Run, Forrest! Run!
[Continue reading…]

Have You Ever Finished a Bottle of Perfume?

by 85 Comments


Dior J’adore (left) and Laura Mercier Eau de Lune (right)

I realized something the other day as I was rifling through my perfume stash…

I don’t think I’ve ever completely finished a bottle of perfume. Not ever (at least as far as I can remember).

Mind you, I’ve come close with my bottles of J’adore (which I’ve had since 2001) and Laura Mercier Eau de Lune, but at this rate I’ll be lucky to polish one of them off by the turn of the next century, LOL!

How about you? Have you ever finished a bottle of perfume, and do you remember what it was?

Have you ever finished a bottle of perfume?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Sept. 13

by 71 Comments

  1. Mood:

    2. I’ve got a good feeling about this week.

  2. The last person you hugged?

    3. Does Tabs count? He’s got a lot of personality. 🙂

  3. Uh…have you ever shaved someone’s back?

    4. Yes (shivers!).

  4. What’s your specialty (cooking or otherwise)?

    5. My peach and blueberry cobbler makes grown men cry.

  5. How many hours of sleep do you usually get?

    6. Between six and seven, but left to my own devices I could probably sleep nine or ten.

  6. Habits you’d like to break?

    7. Have a seat ’cause it’s gonna be a while. I’ve got quite a few! — staying up too late, not stretching enough, forgetting to write down important things, stress eating, worrying about things beyond my control. I could go on…

  7. One of your worst fashion disasters?

    8. Back in 1987 (I remember it like it was yesterday) I wore a matching black and white giraffe print stirrup pant with an oversized sweatshirt. HAWT!

  8. Your favorite junk food?

    9. I can’t pick just one, so I’m going with Cheetos, everything sold at In-n-Out, Baskin-Robbins ice cream (all 31 flavors), potato chips (sour cream & onion, salt & vinegar, barbecue), Krispy Kreme doughnuts, chocolate brownies topped with ice cream, pizza…

  9. Over-the-knee boots — yay or nay?

    10. I’m leaning toward yay, but in my case I’m afraid they make me look like a very short pirate.

  10. Weekly goals:

    11. Two words: get ahead. I also want to start looking at airfares for a possible mini-trip sometime around the end of October, try one of the new packaged soups I found at Cost Plus World Market last weekend (see above), refrain from eating frozen yogurt every day (yes, that’s a goal because one of those self-serve yogurt shops opened last week, and it’s just five minutes away, noooo!), and do some push-ups at least twice before Friday.

Okay, was anyone else sorrily disappointed with last night’s True Blood season finale? I kept waiting for something exciting to happen. At the end I was like, “Was that it?” Instead of ending with a roar, I got a feeble, raspy meow.

But enough about Tabs. 🙂 It’s another Monday, which means it’s time for our Monday Poll.

To complete the Monday Poll and let me know how you’re doing, just copy the following list, and paste it with your answers in the comments.



1. Mood:
2. The last person you hugged?
3. Have you ever shaved someone’s back?
4. What’s your specialty (cooking or otherwise)?
5. How many hours of sleep do you usually get?
6. Habits you’d like to break?
7. One of your worst fashion disasters?
8. Your favorite junk food?
9. Over-the-knee boots — yay or nay?
10. Weekly goals:

I hope you cruise through the week and get lots of stuff done. Try to sneak in some fun when you can, okay? Pinky swear?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 104

by 10 Comments

Tabs for the Urban Decay Good Kitty Cat Brush

He finally hit the wall.

No big surprise really. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Not even Tabs can party all night, every night for weeks.

Cat’s got a bad case of burnout…and he hasn’t gotten off the floor all day.

He even blew off Fashion Week, which has to tell you something.

Before he crashed, he’d put the finishing touches on his new look book. Here are some of the campaigns he’s working on for fall. 🙂

Tabs for the Dior Dog Whistle

Tabs for the Chanel Hummingbird Feeder
[Continue reading…]

Lounge By the Pool in the Open Thread

by 160 Comments

Summer’s winding down, girlfriend, so let’s make the most of it before fall. Grab your towel, sunscreen and flip-flops, and brace your bum for a lounge chair; this week’s open thread starts now.

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

It’s our very own club house where we kick it in the comments and chat about whatever we want — beauty (of course), books, B-movies, business, buffoonery — and all sorts of other things that don’t start with ‘b’. 🙂

It runs all day and night (even after I’ve hit the haaaaay), so stop by whenever you can, and as often as you like.

There’s a pitcher of iced tea and lemon slices over there. Just help yourself.

See you soon!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

by 3 Comments

Makeup and Beauty Blog Weekly Roundup

Everyone into the pool! Quick, before the kids get here!

Happy Sunday, ladies. 🙂 How’s it going this morning?

I’m buzzing because our community swimming pool finally reopened for business yesterday (YAY!). It’d been under repairs for months, and I’d all but given up on them finishing before the end of summer.

Now I can get my swim on this afternoon!

What did you end up doing last night? Did you go skinny dipping, win any dance contests or catch any fireflies? Come on, please let me live vicariously through you. All I did was stay home, you know, watching TV and plucking my eyebrows… It was exhausting.

What about beauty? What were your favorite finds this week?

Here are some of the things Tabs and I talked about on the blog:

Les Khaki de Chanel Nail Polishes for Fall 2010LES KHAKI DE CHANEL
FALL 2010 NAIL POLISHES

Leave it to Chanel to make baby poo/army green into a nail polish that looks downright effin’ cool to me. Last year, they stormed my beaches with another gorgeous green, Jade, forever and always my five-star general of Chanel polishes, but the three shades in the new limited edition Les Khaki de Chanel collection ($25 each) are bringing up the rear.

I like it when beauty products appear to combine contrasting concepts, and I think the rugged, outdoorsy elegance of Khaki Vert (a creamy army green), Khaki Rose (a creamy, rosy brown) and Khaki Brun (a creamy, cool brown) just…works.

These are well-groomed thugs wearing tuxedos, y’all, and I hope to see them gracing fingers and toes this fall. Read more…

Dior Nude Pink Design PaletteDIOR NUDE PINK
DESIGN PALETTE

It’s a little funny to me that Dior calls this 5-Colour Designer All-in-One Artistry Palette “Nude Pink Design” ($58), seeing as how there isn’t a lot of pink in its design.

Like the four other quints in the All-in-One Artistry line, Nude Pink Design comes with three powder shadows, a cream liner and a cream base. A little mascara and you’re good to go.

As for the pink, well, it’s there, hiding within a few of the shades. You might remember another Dior quint with a similar name. Dior released the Dior 5-Colour Designer All-in-One Artistry Palette in Pink Design (sans the “Nude”) earlier this summer, but if you had trubs with that palette’s cool-toned pink and purple shades, you might have better luck with this one’s warmer palette.

Oh, and if you’re torn between what’s behind Door No. 1 (Pink Design) and Door No. 2 (Nude Pink Design), give some thought to where you might wear the colors. The Pink Design palette feels more like a party quint with its POPS of purple, whereas the Nude-ly named one feels more like an everyday product to me. Read more…

9 Things: I Could Never Date Someone Who...9 THINGS
I COULD NEVER DATE…

If 41% of all tweets are considered pointless babble, does that mean the other 59% are awesome little pearls of wisdom like this one that crossed my path last week?

Someone posited the following for consideration: “I could never date ______.”

Hilarity (and zillions of retweets) ensued.

Even though El Hub and I have been together since the dawn of time (roughly a decade), I still remember what it was like to be lookin’ for love in all the wrong places.

Here are nine things on my “I could never date______” list. What’s on yours? Read more…

A MAC Venomous Villains Cruella de Vil Face of the DayMAC VENOMOUS VILLAINS
CRUELLA DE VIL

WOW! Where does the time go? Today it occurred to me that the MAC Venomous Villains collection’s just a hop, skip and a jump away (September 30).

Can I get a WOOT, WOOT! (and an evil cackle) from all the MAC-aholics in the hood?

The collection, a collaboration between Disney and MAC, features four separate color stories, each one based on a different Disney villain — Cruella de Vil, of 101 Dalmatians fame; Maleficent, from Sleeping Beauty; the Evil Queen, scourge of Snow White; and Dr. Facilier, from The Princess and the Frog (find out more about the whole collection here).

Despite the subject matter and cartoon imagery, these Trix aren’t for kids. The colors are decidedly grown up, and the products MAC caliber through and through. Read more…

Hourglass Femme Rouge Velvet Creme LipstickHOURGLASS FEMME ROUGE
VELVET CREME LIPSTICK

Before El Hub I kissed quite a few frogs, and truth be told a few of those kisses were…awkward, like the one with Mr. Sharp Tooth (it was like a single vampire fang!), or the one with Señor Saliva (like kissing a slobbery puppy), or Mr. Mannequin (the dude never bent his elbows).

The first time I tried on the new Hourglass Femme Rouge Velvet Creme Lipstick ($30, available in 12 shades), I was reminded of those frog kisses, because, well, something felt…off.

It wasn’t the texture; no, Femme Rouge feels as light and smooth as a baby-making slow jam. It was something else…

It was the bullet! — its shape, that is. Like a chisel, or a calligraphy pen, the straight edge at the tip is kinda hard to maneuver into the corners of my lips and around Cupid’s bow. Lips are all smooth turns and rounded corners, right? Things this tube is not. Read more…

Tarte emphasEYES Gel EyelinerTARTE EMPHASEYES
GEL EYELINER

No. 4,572 on the list of things I do badly: hip-hop glide moves.

Yeah… The only gliding I’ve done lately has been along my lash lines with Tarte emphasEYES Aqua-Gel Eyeliner ($18).

Released earlier this summer, the eight liners (Tarte refers to them as gel pots in pencil form) turn lash lines into tug-free zones.

I’ve been wearing the bronze, plum and black ones lately, and they’ve been helping me out on some harried mornings. Not needing to be sharpened, the twist-up sticks are built for efficiency; just two quick swipes along my lash line delivers rich, pigmented color.

Rushing with these doesn’t end in disaster, either, as the colors latch on to my lids with the strength of Greek gods, and they don’t migrate into my crease or smudge into places I’d rather they didn’t, even on bare skin.

Tarte also attributes a whole bunch of skin-loving benefits to the line. Read more…

The Tarte TEN PaletteTARTE
TEN PALETTE

It’s true, your honor. I’m horribly, terribly guilty — of abusing denim.

Especially in the late ’80s.

I guess I was just copying my friends. First, it was that pair of cheesy Guess overalls… You see, I wore them with one strap up and one down. Yeah, I should have known it was wrong, but I was just a kid then.

And that wasn’t the worst of it, either. Soon, I graduated from overalls to cropped jeans jackets. They were bedazzled, with golden studs.

That was probably my worst crime…

To help you understand — not that I’m trying to defend my actions — this all happened around the time my parents forced me to get a boy’s haircut. Read more…

Rimmel Max Volume MascaraRIMMEL MAX
VOLUME MASCARA

Have you been watching the US Open? I’m probably the world’s worst tennis player (sports involving projectiles = not a strong suit) and only know the bare basics of the sport, but I sure like watching it. Team sports are great, but there’s just something about watching two world class athletes go one-on-one, ya know? Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that most of the dudes are cute, heh!

Today was all about the ladies, though, and watching Maria Sharapova duke it out with Caroline Wozniacki got me thinking about — big surprise — makeup.

If, by some miracle of modern science, I morphed into an elite 35-year-old tennis player, I’d be all about waterproof mascara. With that unlikely future in mind, today I gave Rimmel’s Max Volume Flash Waterproof Mascara ($7, available in a single shade called Black) a try. Read more…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Jon Hamm: His Best Hair?

by 12 Comments

jon hamm hair poll picture

Every week it gets harder and harder to sympathize with Don Draper, Mad Men’s most eligible self-loathing bachelor (seriously, Don, forgetting to pick up your kids? Not cool!), but I gotta say, Jon Hamm, the actor who plays Don, sure is easy on the eyes.

Born March 19, 1971 in St. Louis, Missouri, Jonathan Daniel Hamm started acting in high school, ironically playing Judas in the musical, Godspell. Where he found the time for acting (he was also on the football, baseball and swim teams) is a mystery, but it’s a good thing he did.

After college, but before moving to Los Angeles in 1996 to pursue an acting career, Jon returned to his high school in Missouri to teach drama (one of his students was a young Ellie Kemper, now an actress on The Office).

But that didn’t last long. He still had the acting bug, so he left Missouri and moved to Tinseltown.

Stardom didn’t come quick, though. He waited tables, getting occasional work on TV shows until his big break came in 2007.

Hello, Don! 🙂

Which of Jon's hairstyles do you like best?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Copyright © 2025 Makeup and Beauty Blog. Get in touch.