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
Tabs spent the entire weekend working on this video for his new YouTube channel. He’s reviewing some of his favorite makeup from spring 2010.
I think he wants to be the next feline “YouTube sensation,” ha ha! 🙂
Well, he has my blessing as long as he doesn’t let the fame go to his furry little head.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. Tabs and I hope you had a great weekend, ladies, and I think the open thread was A LOT of fun. Thanks for participating. Now, onward to Monday!
Wanna ask about these weird chickens? Go right ahead!
I’ve met so many cool people through blogging. Back when I started in 2007, one of the things I wanted was a place where friends could get together and chat over coffee (about more than just makeup), and I’ve been trying to think of new ways to help us connect.
Since I love chatting in the comments, I thought it might be fun to try something called an open thread, which is basically a post where we can talk about absolutely anything. You can chat and ask questions about makeup (“Can anybody recommend a cheap volumizing mascara that doesn’t smudge?”), talk about your blog/site, post links to pictures of your pets, share poetry, rants/raves — basically whatever you’d like to talk about or ask.
I think everybody needs a little unstructured playtime once in a while. Also, please feel free to reply to each other’s comments (but I’ll be here too!).
If you like this idea, maybe we can make it a weekly thing. 🙂
Chat with you soon!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
How’s your weekend coming along? I woke up a little later than usual (thank ye gods for eight full hours of shuteye!!), and I’m just sitting here in my jammies, sipping green tea and catching up on your comments. 🙂
Yesterday’s jaunt in San Francisco was fun. I wanted to take some pictures, so I dragged my camera (and El Hub) around the city. I love wandering through SF streets and exploring new places… it’s one of my favorite ways to spend a Saturday afternoon.
Speaking of exploring, here are some of my favorite posts of the week. I’ve been having a blast with FOTDs this month. If you ever do FOTD’s of your own, please feel free to post links to them in the comments. I’d love to see what you come up with.
Also, I’m thinking about holding contests with makeup challenges where we all submit versions of different looks to win a prize (yes, definitely open to international readers too). Let me know if that’s something you might be interested in! I think it could be a lot of fun.
“On the agenda for tomorrow night: a pub that serves green beer, and since I want to look the part, this morning I worked on my St. Patrick’s Day green and gold eye look using MAC and a mix of new drugstore stuff from Milani.” 
“What better inspiration than a beautiful sunset, right? I picked shimmery, peachy golden eyes and a pink lip with some random MAC, Urban Decay and Benefit.”
“Their five new Infinite Liquid Eye Liners fluid liners have a lot in common with the MAC Liquidlasts (similar thin texture, brush applicator and rich pigmentation), but one way they REALLY differ is price.”
“Dior maintained a classic feel with Crush Glow by going with five traditional summer eyeshadow colors in gold, coral, pink, taupe and bronze-brown. No color boundaries are broken here, for sure, but I’m cool with that because of how wearable these neutrals are…”
“I really like Eden; I think it does a great job of getting the eyeshadows to stay on and hang on all day long, and it’s really user friendly, much more user friendly than the original Primer Potion.”
“Lancome revamped the Juicy Tube formula, making Hungarian honey the main ingredient (WOW!). They also left out all of the preservatives and opted for naturally-derived hydrators and pigments like royal jelly, shea butter and annatto.”
“Arriving April 1, the 24-piece bonanza bursts with great-looking on-the-go goodies in pencil and pen form. MAC had self-portraiture in mind when they envisioned the collection, a theme I can really get behind. Aren’t our faces, after all, the canvases upon which we express our own makeup art? Duuuude, that’s kinda poetic, methinks.”
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Coming to you LIVE from a sidewalk in San Francisco via iphone. I am so happy it’s Saturday, gals. Let’s keep the good vibes going with a juicy giveaway, shall we?
One lucky lady will win two items from Lancome, a Juicy Tubes Lipgloss in Hallucination (shimmery nude seen all over the fall 2010 runways) and Ink Artliner in Plum Tease (a long wearing gel liner). Total prize valued at $42.
Entering is easy. There are two different ways, 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!
Second, enter by following me on Twitter and retweeting (RT) the following message:
RT @karenmbb: RT to win the Lancome Juicy Tube in Hallucination and Ink Artliner in Plum Tease (a $42 Value) http://bit.ly/9NqSS5
I’ll pick the winner at random from among the people who enter by 11:59 p.m. PST on Monday, March 22.
Buena suerte!!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Just a quick check in before El Hub and I head down to the city for an early dinner. I thought it was gonna be sunnier today (like it was yesterday), but at least it isn’t raining. What’s shakin’ out your way?
I love you like a rap kid loves breaks…
Catzilla, king of monsters!
Hope you’re having a nice weekend so far. 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Gah! Dr. Frankenbeauty is at it again, ladies. She’s combining the best traits of multiple makeup products to create … SUPER SOLDIER MAKEUP PRODUCTS!
These beauty hybrids combine the best of two different worlds. Just think — a lipstick with the texture of Chanel Rouge Coco and the price of Wet ‘n’ Wild ($1.99). Mwahahahahaa!
To play the Dr. Frankenbeauty game, think of one of your holy grail makeup favorites and what you could combine it with to make it even better. Then share your creation in the comments. 🙂
Loading ...Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Top o’ the mornin’ to ya, ladies!
Well, top o’ the late mornin’/early afternoon. 🙂
It’s almost spring, and soon we’ll bid bon voyage to the blizzards still buffeting the Northeast and elsewhere, and the seasons WILL change, which for me means packing away the heavier perfumes like Stella, Coco Mademoiselle and Givenchy Irresistible and busting out some lighter, fresher scents for a time.
A few of my warm weather standbys? — Prescriptives Sheer Calyx Exhileration, Kenzo Eau de Fleur de The Tea and Bath and Body Works Rainkissed Leaves, but I also plan on adding a few new fragrances to the rotation like CK One Summer and Eternity Summer (the pics above).
Do the seasons influence your fragrance choices, and are there any scents you come back to year after year?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. Have a wonderfully lucky St. Patrick’s Day, gals. 🙂 Are you wearing green?
I actually love it when companies combine good business with efforts to support a worthy cause, so I was thrilled when The Body Shop asked if they could sponsor today’s giveaway. It features their new Sweet Lemon collection of body products and a great campaign called LemonAid.
Not only do the products in this refreshingly lemony five-piece collection help you scrub down, cleanse and moisturizer yer bad self, but they help raise funds and awareness to stop the human trafficking of women and children around the world.
The Body Shop has pledged to donate up to $10,000 to ECPAT/USA (End Child Prostitution and Trafficking) and the Somaly Mam Foundation, two organizations at the forefront of the cause.
At this very instant, there are multiple ways you can help. 🙂 Do ANY of the following, and The Body Shop will donate the amount listed on your behalf:
Pretty cool, yah?
And now for the giveaway!
One lucky lady will win the entire Sweet Lemon Bath & Body collection (a $77 value) of cleansers, exfoliators and moisturizers enriched with lemon seed oil (handpicked on the Italian Riviera!).
Entering is easy. There are two different ways, 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!
Second, enter by following me on Twitter and retweeting (RT) the following message:
RT @karenmbb: RT to win the entire Body Shop Sweet Lemon collection (a $77 Value) and promote #LemonAid http://bit.ly/cTxA1g
I’ll pick the winner at random from among the people who enter by 11:59 p.m. PST on Thursday, March 18.
Veľa šťastia!!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen