Just For Fun

Back in my early-20s I dated a guy who was, like, Mr. Uber Survivalist Camping Nature Dude. He could make fire from sticks, build shelters from leaves and knew which berries were edible and which ones weren’t.

Our relationship was doomed from the start… My idea of “camping” involves air-conditioned cabins, running water, a real bed and Internet access, but he did manage to drag me out to the woods a few times. I learned some valuable life lessons, too, like, um, how hard it is to find a loo out in the middle of nowhere. Probably TMI, but I got pretty darn good at “the squat,” and don’t even front like you don’t know what I’m talking about. 🙂

For years I forgot about those camping trips, but then yesterday, while researching go-go girls for my Dior Pink Design face of the day, I wandered onto a site that sells something unsurprisingly called the GoGirl.

It’s a FUD, short for Female Urination Device — a compact, flexible funnel that lets you pee standing up.

Stay with me.

To use a FUD, you pull down your drawers, attach the device to your lady parts and — you know — handle your business.

The reusable funnels cost $10 apiece or come in a three-pack for $27 (can you say bargain?). The company calls the GoGirl a discreet and hygienic alternative to crouching in the woods or stopping at sketchy public toilets.

Hmm…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Pink tie tabby

Oh, how I love that first sip of coffee on a Saturday morning… I’m convinced something magical happens to coffee when it’s brewed on the weekends because it tastes so much better than it does on Monday. 🙂

Today’s java needs to power me through a bunch of housework and homework (an assignment for that photography class I’m taking at the community center), and I’m hoping to get everything done early so I have some time to play with makeup and enjoy the sunny day outside.

What are you up to? Got anything fun lined up today?

I don’t know about you, but I like to start my weekends with coffee/tea and web surfing. Care to come with? Last one in the water is a rotten egg!

Random bright spots

• MAC to release a Wonder Woman collection next spring (I personally would have preferred Storm) — Bellasugar
• The Teletubbies came up with this idea first — Refinery29
• MAC makeup artist Keri B shows how to work pigments like a pro (P.S. Keri’s also a fellow cat lady!) — maccosmetics.com
• Three new tricks to try with black eyeliner — Allure Daily Beauty Reporter Blog
• 30 modern spins on Mad Men style — The Cut
• Speaking of Mad Men, Joan Holloway has been doing a lot for curves and confidence — Divine Caroline
• How to do a gradation manicure (where the polish fades down the nail) — All Lacquered Up
• How to cure an itchy scalp — The Beauty Brain
• Take it from Nubar: life is a _____, old chum! — The Irish Beauty Blog
• Gio gives us three natural ways to treat dark circles — Beautiful with Brains
• A lotion designed to prevent ingrown hairs? — The Daily Obsession
• 10 reasons to always keep your camera close — Unplugged
• Nicole Richie says, “I’ll be your gypsy,” launches a new line of bohemian footwear — Sicka Than Average

New in beauty

• LUST! The Smashbox Masquerade collection for fall ($19-35)
• Just in case you need a gallon of massage oil…
• Temptu, a line known for their airbrush foundation, has a new Under Eye Concealer ($28)
• This Kat Von D Adora Traincase ($150): tasteful or tacky?
• Kiehl’s says their Cross-Terrain UV Skin Protector SPF 15 ($26) is water-, sweat- and wind-resistant (that’s a lotta dashes!)
• Yves Saint Laurent’s new Manicure Couture Duos ($30) surely cost less than a couture gown
• Don’t these Paula Dorf Perfect Color sticks for eyes, lips and cheeks ($32) look a lot like NARS multiples?
• Sally Hansen’s Nail Nutrition Green Tea & Olive Leaf Nail Growth ($8) promises stronger nails in seven days
• What do you think of YSL’s fall collection ($35-65)?

Cat yawnin’, cat yawnin’, cat yawnin’…

In case you were dying to know more about the Double Rainbow dude

I’ve been listening to a LOT of Duran Duran lately…

Happy Saturday. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

• The giveaway is now closed, and the winner is being contacted. Before you go, check the home page for ongoing giveaways.

The scheduled festivities at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week: Swim may have ended earlier this week, but for makeup lovers like us, the show must go on!

Before we say “later!” to the bikini-clad hotness that stalked Miami’s runways, here’s one last peek at a look the artists from Make Up For Ever created for the Tyler Rose show. Once again, the Aqua Creams were in full effect.

The final Aqua Cream MBB giveaway of the week starts in three, two, one…

Giveaway Time!

Make Up For Ever hooked us up with a doozy to end the series, this one larger than the rest. The prize includes SIX of the Aqua Creams for eyes & cheeks (a $132 value).

Pink Beige

Plum

Purple

Intense Blue

Turquoise

Emerald Green

The Prize

One lucky lady (or gent) will win ALL of the following six Aqua Cream Shadows:

One (1) Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in Pink Beige, a shimmery pinkish beige for eyes and cheeks ($22)
One (1) Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in Plum, a shimmery, plummy burgundy for eyes and cheeks ($22)
One (1) Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in Purple, a shimmery lilac for eyes and cheeks ($22)
One (1) Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in Intense Blue, a bright blue sheen for eyes and cheeks ($22)
One (1) Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in Turquoise, a shimmery turquoise for eyes and cheeks ($22)
One (1) Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in Emerald Green, a golden green sheen for eyes and cheeks ($22)

How To Enter…

Entering is easy. There are two different ways, and you can do both of them for two chances to win.

1. First, you can enter by retweeting (RT) the following message:

   Follow @karenmbb and RT to win $132 in Make Up For Aqua Creams http://bit.ly/bAhIVR

2. Second, enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, a comment about anything at all — the name of the song stuck in your head, the highlight of your summer so far, the most beautiful place you’ve ever seen, or the name of the MUFE product from today’s prize that looks the most interesting to you.
   

   The song that’s stuck in my head? I’ve been listening to Phoenix’s Sometimes in the Fall on repeat all morning long!

• Oh, yeah. This giveaway IS also open to international folks and readers living overseas (YAY!); entrants must be at least 13 years of age or older at time of entry.

Recap…

1. Enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, and don’t forget to use a valid email address so I can reach you if you win.
2. Retweet the following message on twitter:
   
   Follow @karenmbb and RT to win $132 in Make Up For Aqua Creams http://bit.ly/bAhIVR

I’ll pick the winner at random from among the people who enter by 11:59 p.m. PST on Wednesday, July 21 (that’s today).

Chúc may mắn!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

• The giveaway is now closed, and the winner is being contacted. Before you go, check the home page for ongoing giveaways.

• The giveaway is now closed, and the winner is being contacted. Before you go, check the home page for ongoing giveaways.

Do you have a willpower weakness when it comes to a certain kind of makeup? Something that always makes you weak in the knees? I’ve got quite a few, truth be told, and one happens to be shimmery neutrals. They’re like the Nutella of my makeup world; I just can’t get enough!

As soon as I saw pics of what the Make Up For Ever artists did for the models at the Aqua Di Lara and Qiss Qiss shows at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week: Swim — those glistening gold, bronze and brown eyes! — I let out a “WOW!” worthy of double rainbow proportions.

The look at Aqua Di Lara

The Qiss Qiss look

Straight up, neutrals don’t have to be boring. Not at all. Here I think they look sexy AND sassy.

If you think you’d like to give looks like these a try, the Make Up For Ever Aqua Creams can help.

Giveaway Time!

To turn up the temperature on this lovely Tuesday, Make Up For Ever‘s sponsoring another sizzling Miami Fashion Week prize package for us featuring FIVE MORE of the Aqua Creams for eyes & cheeks (a $110 value).

The Prize

One lucky lady (or gent) will win ALL of the following Aqua Cream Shadows (check out my review here):

One (1) Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in Gold, a shimmery yellowish gold for eyes and cheeks ($22)
One (1) Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in Golden Copper, a shimmery copper for eyes and cheeks ($22)
One (1) Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in Warm Beige, a shimmery champagne for eyes and cheeks ($22)
One (1) Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in Satin Brown, a shimmery warm brown for eyes and cheeks ($22)
One (1) Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in Taupe, a shimmery brownish taupe for eyes and cheeks ($22)

Gold

Golden Copper

Warm Beige

Satin Brown

Taupe

How To Enter…

Entering is easy. There are two different ways, and you can do both of them for two chances to win.

1. First, you can enter by retweeting (RT) the following message:

   Follow @karenmbb and RT to win $110 in Make Up For Ever Aqua Creams http://bit.ly/9Fyqvh

2. Second, enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, a comment about anything at all — tell me what you’re wearing on your feet today, describe your first kiss, walk me through your neighborhood, or tell me about the first Make Up For Ever product you ever tried.
   

   My first Make Up For Ever product? This one’s easy! It was their lovely Lift Concealer!

• Oh, yeah. This giveaway IS also open to international folks and readers living overseas (YAY!); entrants must be at least 13 years of age or older at time of entry.

Recap…

1. Enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, and don’t forget to use a valid email address so I can reach you if you win.
2. Retweet the following message on twitter:
   
   Follow @karenmbb and RT to win $110 in Make Up For Ever Aqua Creams http://bit.ly/9Fyqvh

I’ll pick the winner at random from among the people who enter by 11:59 p.m. PST on Tuesday, July 20 (that’s today).

Good luck!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

• The giveaway is now closed, and the winner is being contacted. Before you go, check the home page for ongoing giveaways.

• The giveaway is now closed. Congrats to the winner, Jenna! Before you go, check the home page for ongoing giveaways.

Red lips are just so…classic, aren’t they? They never go out of style. You can dress ’em up, maybe with your best business suit or ball gown, or dress ’em down with a bikini and high heels.

Yes, you read that right. 🙂

At the Ed Hardy show on Saturday in Miami, models tested the bikini/red lippie theory on the runways at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week: Swim.

Make Up For Ever sponsored the makeup for the shows (check out their Facebook page here), which wrap up today. Their artists turned up the heat on Miami with sooty smokey eyes created with the Aqua Cream shadows.

Aqua Creams in action at the Ed Hardy show

Would you ever wear this look? Maybe to a Beach party, perhaps? What if you won a set of Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream Shadows today?

Giveaway Time

To brighten your Monday Miami-style, Make Up For Ever has another fantabulous Miami Fashion Week prize package for us featuring FIVE MORE of the Aqua Creams for lips & cheeks (a $110 value).

The Prize

One lucky lady (or gent) will win ALL of the following Aqua Cream Shadows:

One (1) Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in Fresh Pink, a bright pink for lips and cheeks ($22)
One (1) Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in Fuchsia, a hot pink for lips and cheeks ($22)
One (1) Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in Red, a tomato red for lips and cheeks ($22)
One (1) Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in Coral, a bright coral for lips and cheeks ($22)
One (1) Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in Orange, a golden tangerine for lips and cheeks ($22)

Fresh Pink

Fuchsia

Red

Coral

Orange

How To Enter…

Entering is easy. There are two different ways, and you can do both of them for two chances to win.

1. First, you can enter by retweeting (RT) the following message:

   Follow @karenmbb and RT to win $110 in @makeupforeverus Aqua Creams http://bit.ly/9SUny6

2. Second, enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, a comment about anything at all — tell me what you’re having for lunch, describe your Monday makeup, write the name of secret crush, or dish about your favorite product from Make Up For Ever.
   

   My favorite Make Up For Ever product? Right now, it’s gotta be Peach Aqua Cream; it makes quick work of quick looks. I love the pigmentation (SO INTENSE!) and how I can use it on my cheeks and my lips (see my review here).

• Oh, yeah. This giveaway IS also open to international folks and readers living overseas (YAY!); entrants must be at least 13 years of age or older at time of entry.

Recap…

1. Enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, and don’t forget to use a valid email address so I can reach you if you win.
2. Retweet the following message on twitter:
   
   Follow @karenmbb and RT to win $110 in @makeupforeverus Aqua Creams http://bit.ly/9SUny6

I’ll pick the winner at random from among the people who enter by 11:59 p.m. PST on Monday, July 19 (that’s today).

Good luck!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. And don’t forget to enter the NYX cosmetics/AMEX gift card giveaway (the $200 card’s good anywhere that takes American Express, i.e. Sephora, Macy’s, Ulta, etc.). It’s a big ol’ $322 prize package.

• The giveaway is now closed. Congrats to the winner, Jenna! Before you go, check the home page for ongoing giveaways.

1. Mood:

Great! I slept soundly last night (it’s a Christmas miracle!). The sun is shining, Tabs is behaving (for once), and I’m drinking a delicious cup o’ tea. Sometimes it’s all about the simple pleasures, ya know?

2. Describe your makeup style in three words.

Eclectic. Wearable. Easy.

3. If you were to move to a big city (if you don’t live in one now), which city would it be?

Hmm… This one’s tough because I’m a city girl at heart. It would either be San Francisco (I’m still plotting to move the family back there someday), Paris or Honolulu.

4. Do you have a personal motto?

Whenever you fall, just pick yourself up, dust yourself off and keep going.

5. What’s your dream job?

Professional money spender. Seriously!

6. Your favorite part of your job?

The freedom to set my own schedule, although I don’t take advantage of it very often.

7. What’s the first makeup or beauty tip that comes to mind?

Use Wet Ones antibacterial wipes to quickly clean your makeup brushes.

8. What’s the first non-beauty tip that comes to mind?

Find something/someone to care for.

9. What are you wearing?

A blue and white print sundress and a red cardigan with pearl buttons.

10. Weekly goals:

Do cardio at least three times before the next Sundays with Tabs, organize a different part of my office every day, and get to bed by 10!

Looks like it’s that time again, ladies — the start of what WILL be a great week for us all. 🙂

Do you have a minute to take the Monday Poll with me? If you do, just copy the following list, and paste it with your answers in the comments.

1. Mood:
2. Your makeup style in three words:
3. If you were to move to a big city, which city would it be?
4. Do you have a personal motto?
5. What’s your dream job?
6. Your favorite part of your job?
7. What’s the first makeup or beauty tip that comes to mind?
8. What’s the first non-beauty tip that comes to mind?
9. What are you wearing?
10. Weekly goals:

One of the best things about Mondays is that they never last more than 24 hours, ha! It’ll be Tuesday before we know it.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. If you’re new here, thank you for visiting. Makeup and Beauty Blog is a makeup blog with daily product reviews, beauty tips, giveaways and the random shenanigans of a crazy cat lady/makeup enthusiast named Karen (that’s me!). 🙂

Our weekend may be winding down, but that doesn’t mean the fun’s anywhere near over. Grab a drink, kick off your shoes, and welcome to the party. The open thread starts now. 🙂

If you’re new to the open thread, here it is in a nutshell:

Anything goes! It’s a chat fest where we get together in the comments at the bottom of this post to chill and chat about whatever’s on our minds — makeup, cooking, relationships, whatever. And please feel free to reach out to me or to anyone else (everyone here is really nice!).

It goes on all day (and night), so stop by if/when you can, and as often as you’d like.

A few topics to kick-start the convo…

1. Are you into typography, and do you have a favorite font?
2. Have you ever been to a drive-in movie theater?
3. If you won the lottery this week (say $30 million), what are the first few things you’d do?

Talk to you soon!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen