Just wanted to wish you a wonderful day today and a very Happy Easter. 🙂
I’m heading out to the East Bay to have brunch with my folks. What are you up to?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Just For Fun
Beauty Snacks: Sites of the Day, Apr. 11
NARS summer 2009
- NARS Summer 2009 Makeup Collection — Makeup Bag
- New Lancôme Génifique Youth Activating Concentrate — Bella Sugar
- Sephora By OPI Mermaid in the Sand Collection — Glamazon Beauty
- Zoya La-Di-Da Collection Summer 2009 — Vampy Varnish
- The Best Photos of Lolcats with Jazz Hands — Urlesque
- Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Pedi Pistol — Beauty Addict
- Spotlight — Captivate Me
- First Look: Heidi Montag, Look How I’m Doin — Pink is the New Blog
- DYI Beauty: Sugar-Honey Olive Oil Scrub — My Makeup Blog
- The Animal Odd Couple — CBS News Video
- Top 10 Cute Cheap Spring Dress Pics — Periodic Elements of Style
- Interview with Jessica Iclisoy, creator of California Baby — We Heart This
- MAC Iridescent Loose Powder — Specktra Blog
- We Want: Guerlain Heritage Case — We Love Beauty
- Frenzy Over Carrie Bradshaw’s Wedding Gown — One Wed
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
MAC A Rose Romance Collection: What Would You Get?
Ring around the rose-y, MAC’s pocket full of posies!
Read on to catch a whiff of their latest collection, A Rose Romance, before it goes on sale April 23.
The 23-piece color collection for cheeks, lips, eyes, face and nails draws inspiration from different hues of roses — how romantical!
From the promo pics it looks like it offers plenty for ladies who love cool toned violet, pink and plum makeup.
I lurve purples and pinks.
I think it’s time for another installment of WHAT WOULD YOU GET?
WHAT WOULD YOU GET?
I’ve broken the collection down into four groups — 1) Cheek, 2) Eye, 3) Lip and 4) Mixed Bag. Each group features makeup from MAC’s new A Rose Romance collection.
Choose the one group you’d most like to take home with you, and let me know in the comments.
Do You Always Wear a Base Coat with Your Nail Polish?
Base coats, like the Essie First Base ($8) shown above, act like primer for nail polish, ensuring better adhesion of polish to the nail. Not only does that mean a more uniform application of color, but it means a longer lasting mani or pedi that’s slower to chip.
Other reasons to use a base coat
- Base coats with certain proteins, Aloe vera, vitamin E and/or calcium can strengthen nails that are brittle and dry and reduce splitting and peeling.
- Dark nail polishes like blues, blacks and bright reds can stain the nail and seep into the nail bed. Applying a base coat may prevent that from happening.
- A base coat provides a hint of shine, and when used properly (base coat, color coat, top coat), the shine lasts even longer.
Sounds good, right?
Then why don’t I use one all the time, LOL? I wish I could say that I always take the time to apply a base coat, but I don’t. It’s a step I’ll skip if I’m feeling lazy or rushed, which is about half the time.
As a matter of fact, before my visit to the Lippmann Nail Bar last year, where I got a rundown on base coats from an accomplished polish pro, I used to skip the step entirely.
When you do your nails, do you always take the time to use a base coat?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
How Often Do You Clean Your Eyelash Curler?
I reach for my beloved Shu Uemura lash curler every day. Without it my lashes would disappear into thin air, *poof*.
But while my curler and I are practically inseparable, I probably don’t clean or replace it as often as I should…
Yesterday, I took a good, long look at my Shu curler and found HELLA eye makeup caked onto both the rubber strip and metal part that crimps the lashes.
Better late than never, I grabbed a Wet Ones wipe (click here for more on makeup wipes) and scrubbed it down really well.
It’s clean again, but EWW!
I’m usually not this lax when it comes to cleaning other makeup tools. I use soap to thoroughly clean my brushes every weekend and wipe them down with makeup wipes after I finish using ’em throughout the week.
But I always forget to clean that lash curler.
How often do you clean your lash curler? — occasionally, after every use, or do you just let it get crusty and fuhgetaboutit?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Gwen Stefani: Her Best Hair?
One of my favorite bands, No Doubt, is reuniting next month and going on tour, haay!
I’ve always loved their distinctive ska/punk/new wave sound.
I associate certain periods in my life with different No Doubt records… Rock Steady, for example, saw me through some serious early-20s growing pains!
But I like more than just their music. I’ve always admired Gwen Stefani’s sassy style.
Born Gwen Renee Stefani on October 3, 1969 in Anaheim, Cali, Gwen has never been afraid to take risks when it comes to her wardrobe or her hair — blonde, blue and sometimes pink. I have no doubt (ha!) she’ll always keep us guessing when it comes to her coif.
Loading ...Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
How to Find a Wedding Gown: Got Tips?
I dunno about you, but I sure enjoy a good wedding. Cake, dancing, the crackle of crazy emotions in the air AND the chance to get your drank on (hopefully at an open bar, haaaay)?! — I’m so there.
With wedding season swinging into high gear, MBB reader Katy emailed for help finding her wedding gown.
Hey Karen!
I’m sure you’re used to getting the typical beauty questions–but I was wondering if you could help me with something fashion related?!
I know you’re a Bay Area girl, and I’m beginning the search for my wedding dress (getting married in October of this year). Do you have any salon suggestions? I don’t mind traveling around the greater Bay Area, I just want to find the right dress!
Thanks!
Oh, Katy. The dress. THE DRESS! You gotta make sure you have one you absolutely love! Along with a bridal salon suggestion (more on that in a minute), I thought I’d throw in a few things I learned along the way while searching for a gown.
- If the person assisting you at the salon shows you a dress that at first glance doesn’t quite seem your style, just try it on anyway. Experienced shop people tend to develop an eye for how dresses will work with certain body types. You never know what will end up looking great on you until you try it on.
- Bring a friend who’ll dish out tough love. Thank gawd my girl C. Money was there at the gown shop with me to talk me out of that slinky silk slip of a Monique Lhuillier gown. She told me, in the best possible way, that the cut of the dress wasn’t the most flattering for my body type (“That thing just might burst at the seams if you have an extra glass of wine and slice of cake at the reception”).
If I hadn’t listened to her, I might’ve looked like a silky sausage in my wedding pics. You can’t put a price on a friend who can give it to you straight, ya know? - Check out Amy Kuschel Bride in San Francisco. Amy’s an SF designer who creates sophisticated, elegant custom couture wedding gowns at pretty affordable prices.
A custom dress is created specifically for you from scratch (as opposed to an off-the-rack dress) so the gown should fit you to a T!
If you don’t live in the Bay Area but are still interested in Amy’s dresses, you can also find them at select salons and trunk shows across the US.
Not only are Amy’s gowns amazing, but her staff is prompt, friendly and fast. - Save a few bucks by purchasing a sample dress. If the wedding’s already over budget, consider buying a sample gown. Many dress shops sell sample gowns for up to 50% off!
MBB former brides and brides-to-be … do you have any other wedding dress advice for our homegirl Katy?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Do You Use a Separate Neck Cream?
For years I neglected the skin on my neck. I skipped using SPF and moisturizer on it for most of my life, and I think my neglect has started to show, boo!
Last year, hoping to make up for lost time, I started religiously using moisturizer and sunscreen on my neck, but lately I’ve been wondering if a special, targeted uber-neck cream would work better than regular ol’ moisturizer.
While hella expensive, Clarins makes one that sounds like it’s worth a try: Advanced Extra-Firming Neck Cream ($80).
From the Clarins website:
“The ultimate firming neck treatment that enhances skin’s youthful-looking appearance for women over 40. This targeted treatment helps firm and smooth away lines and wrinkles as it immediately lifts.”
I asked a Clarin’s makeup artist about the cream, and she was totally convinced it worked better than basic moisturizer. Hmm… Part of me wants to believe, but the other half can’t get past the $80 price.
At night, I’ve just been using whatever moisturizer I use on my face, and then during the day wear that same moisturizer beneath a layer of SPF.
What do you gals do to take care of the skin on your neck?
Do you just use your regular moisturizer, or do you think it’s worth investing in a separate neck cream?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen