Just For Fun

All Chanel-ed out, yo!

Hey, homies. How’s it going today? I’ve been up to a whole lot of nothing so far, having pretty much wasted away the day surfing the web, but I did find a few interesting links.

• Rapunzel, let down your hair! Check out these super-sized styles from around the world — Bella Sugar
• Why, yes, I’ve always dreamed of purchasing a pair of rhinestone-studded beef jerky underpants — Daddy Likey
• Nail art with skulls and plaid? I’m there — Vampy Varnish
• Warning: L.A.M.B. cage heels may incite shoe lust! — Manolo’s Shoe Blog
• Blanked-out brows and black lips: Kim Kardashian’s goth look — Troy Jensen
• Could Imju Fiberwig Mascara be the answer to my eyelash prayers? — We Heart This
• 11 steps to living a remarkable life — Unclutterer
• This post really got me thinking about how paying it forward can change your life for the better — Zen Habits
• Does your life feel like an endless stream of daunting projects? Yeah, mine too — Psychology Today
• Why girls have BFFs and boys hang out in packs — Time
• I’m dying to try Japanese Nail Art! — Neon Bible

I took the top picture after yesterday’s Chanel Master Class at Macy’s. I learned a few new tips (which I’ll share soon) and discovered the gorgeousness that is the Sparkling Satins eyeshadow quad ($56).

I asked one of the instructors which quad she likes best, and she handed me Sparkling Satins. Part of Chanel’s permanent collection, it’s a powder quad with four shimmery shades of silvery blue, gold, pink and black. Have you ever played with it before?

I ended up falling for it *hard*. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. If you liked this post, consider subscribing to my updates by email. 🙂

Do ya ever get the itch to try new skin care stuff? I have my favorite fallbacks — the products I run back to when my face freaks out — but I’m a product junkie at heart. I’ll use any excuse to try a new cleanser, treatment or moisturizer, le sigh!

I’ve been wanting to check out Perricone MD and their cosmeceuticals. Perricone’s a high-end line of facial cleansers, moisturizers and anti-aging treatments, and prices range from $30 to $300 per item.

Which is why I think it’s time for a giveaway. 🙂

The prize

One lucky lady will win a prize package worth $215 in Perricone MD.

The prize includes…

1. A bottle of Advanced Face Firming Activator (a $120 value). This bestseller’s a lightweight, non-greasy anti-aging treament formulated with alpha lipoic acid (an antioxidant) and DMAE (dimethylaminoethanol, an organic compound found in many anti-aging supplements). Perricone claims this bad boy will reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and enlarged pores.
2. A bottle of High Potency Eye Lift (a $95 value). Also a Perricone favorite, this eye treatment is said to repair advanced signs of aging around the delicate eye area while also minimizing deep lines, wrinkles and under-eye bags.

How to enter…

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. In it, tell me your biggest skin care concern.

Right now I’m looking for a product to reduce the appearance of fine lines beneath my eyes, gah!

Second, enter by following me on Twitter and retweeting (RT) the following message:

RT @karenmbb: RT to Win $215 in Perricone MD. http://tinyurl.com/n5vrxj

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. Follow me on Twitter and retweet the following message:
   
   RT @karenmbb: RT to Win $215 in Perricone MD. http://tinyurl.com/n5vrxj

I’ll choose the winner at random from among the people who enter by 11:59 PM PST on Saturday, July 18.

Ngikufisela iwela!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

• Need hair hydration? Sleep on it with this — These Lips Are Made for Glossin’
• An easy 5-minute smokey eye using lots of drugstore products — Pursebuzz
• Two great liquid eyeliners to try — Talking Makeup
• Party harder with Maybelline Instant Age Rewind concealer — The Jet Set Girls
• What’s in your shower right now? — Makeup Bag
• Hair getting you down? Ulta’s free July workshops can help — Beauty on a Dime
• I REALLY want to win this $300 pair of Giorgio Armani sunglasses (contest ends Wed, Jul 22; Philly area only)! — Spoiled Pretty

Happy Thursday, homies! I feel pretty good this mornin’. I think it’s because I went to bed at a decent hour last night. That doesn’t mean I didn’t watch any True Blood… I just moderated my dosage (a single episode). 🙂

Have a good one today!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Rise and shine, morning glories! This post is actually a reprint of one from last December that I literally stumbled upon this morning. I don’t hear very much about Stumbleupon anymore, but it’s still one of my go-to beauty resources and favorite websites overall.

As far as quick sources of mind-numbing inspiration, it’s one of the best.

Do you use Stumbleupon? I don’t know what I’d do without my SU fix. A day doesn’t goes by that I don’t spend at least a few minutes stumbling new sites.

Stumbleupon is an Internet community that works through a browser toolbar (but don’t let that scare you) where you find and rate websites, photos and videos. By clicking a small button in the toolbar, users vote thumbs up or down on the different sites they find.

It’s kinda like a website slot machine, where you click the Stumble button to see a random new site. Stumbleupon has millions of sites in its databases, all submitted and recommended by other Stumblers. Sites are organized into different channels, or topics, like Beauty, Fashion, Dancing and Art.

I might send an email to the makers thanking them for inventing one of the coolest tools known to womankind!

It’s one of the ways I look for inspiration in the morning or unwind after a tough day, kinda like watching brainless TV (Double Shot at Love, anyone?) or flipping through the pages of a magazine.

Once you’ve registered with the site and have the toolbar installed, you can choose the topics you’d like to stumble. For me, being able to pick topics is the pièce de résistance. It takes Stumbleupon from being a highly efficient waste of time and turns it into an actual resource. Through topics, you can filter out all the stuff you aren’t really interested in, like the sites about bear traps, inter-office politics and beef jerky.

12 Stumbleupon Channels for Beauty Addicts

Here are the 12 topics I have configured in my profile. The sites within these channels have been great sources of inspiration for me, but there are dozens of other channels (maybe hundreds) to choose from. Play around with ’em until you find the right mix for you. 🙂

1. Health>Beauty
2. Health>Health/Fitness
3. Health>Self Improvement
4. Arts/History>Arts
5. Arts/History>Dancing
6. Arts/History>Fashion
7. Arts/History>Fine Arts
8. Arts/History>Photography
9. Home/Living>Relationships
10. Home/Living>Weddings
11. Society>Women’s Issues
12. Society>Bizarre/Oddities (heck yea!)

How do you find inspiration or unwind after a tough day?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. For more on how to use Stumbleupon, check out their Getting Started with Stumbleupon guide.