Just For Fun

1. Mood:

Calm

2. Eyeshadow I keep reaching for:

Chanel Fluid Iridescent Eyeshadow in Delta

3. Three pieces of clothing that always make me feel great:

Black BCBG suit; red trench coat with white piping; pink “Here Comes Trouble” t-shirt

4. Shoes:

Pink fuzzy slippers

5. I told myself this morning to _____:

Calm the eff down and get it done!

6. I would really like _____:

I would really like to invent chocolate that doesn’t have any calories.

7. Three bits of advice:

Don’t e-mail when you’re angry. When your inner voice warns you, listen. The only person who can make you feel bad is you.

8. Three fragrances I love:

Chanel Coco Mademoiselle, Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue (reminds me of my wedding day), Chanel Chance Eau Fraiche

9. Hair:

Messy, low ponytail

10. Weekly Goals:

Go for walks in the neighborhood, get to bed earlier, finish my reading for school early

Your turn. Just copy the empty list, and paste it with your answers in the comments.

Le list

Mood:
Eyeshadow I keep reaching for:
Three pieces of clothing that always make me feel great:
Shoes:
I told myself this morning to _____:
I would really like _____:
Three bits of advice:
Three fragrances I love:
Hair:
Weekly goals:

I hope you’re having a great Monday so far, and I’m looking forward to hearing from ya!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

WOW! It blows my mind how quickly time flies. I just checked the calendar; it looks like the blog’s second birthday is coming up next week.

According to the WordPress admin panel, this is the 1,068th entry.

DAAAMN!

What should we do to commemorate the occasion? I feel like we should do something…

While I get my bearings this morning (aka sip my coffee), here’s a look back at some of the posts that appeared on the blog a year ago this week. 🙂

MAC Fafi: The Things I Do For Love

“Approaching the MAC store yesterday my spider sense started tingling. I knew deep in my veins the powers-that-be would not let me get swatches and take pictures of Fafi without a fight. I had El Hub, my getaway driver and co-conspirator, circle around the block a few times, with me ducked down in the passenger seat beside him, so I could case the joint before embarking upon the mission. Peering into the store as we circled the block, I could see what I’d be up against.”

9 Random Things: The Getting-to-Know-You Stage

Last week, during dinner at one of my favorite Thai restaurants, there was a couple sitting next to me who were clearly on a first date. My nosy ass couldn’t help but eavesdrop on their conversation between bites of yellow chicken curry (what can I say? I multi-task) and spring rolls. The boy hailed from Texas and liked indie rock; the girl liked to meditate and go hiking. They looked cute together, but there were several awkward moments of silence during which both of them sat there, obviously nervous, nibbling away at the Pad Thai for way too long. It got me thinking about the-getting-to-know-you stage of friendships and relationships…”

MAC Makeup Fafi Tutorial: A Black and Gold Smokey Eye

I finally got my paws on MAC Fafi yesterday, and all I have to say is MEOW! Love it. This morning I busted out a few things from the collection — Fafi Eyes 1 Quad, Nice Vice Paint Pot and the Not So Innocent Lipstick — and created this subtle gold and black smokey eye for work.”

Jurlique Versus La Mer: A Cleansing Lotion Smackdown

“I pitted two popular brands of cleansing lotions head-to-head — La Mer’s The Cleansing Lotion and Jurlique’s Replenishing Cleansing Lotion — and the victor earned a spot alongside my previous cleansing lotion champion, Philosophy’s Purity Made Simple. Two cleansing lotions, one dry face. Which one prevailed in the cleansing lotion smackdown?”

Makeup Inspiration: MAC Fafi Fun ‘n’ Sexy Lipstick, Pink Lilies

“What kinds of things inspire your makeup looks? I get a lot of my ideas for looks from magazines, other beauty blogs and books, but some of my favorite looks are based upon things in nature, especially flowers. I’m a sucker for flowers.”

Don’t Stop Believing

“Why is your friendly neighborhood beauty addict so happy in this picture? A. Because she got her roots highlighted (they had been completely unacceptable and just totally wrong for the past month). B. Because she’s wearing her new favorite lip gloss, Coach 01 Gardenia, which also happens to fit into her favorite Coach wristlet…”

Kiehl’s Spiced Plum Lotion Is Good Enough to Eat

“Food-scented lotions don’t always do a lot for my soul. When I slapped a layer of Kiehl’s Spiced Plum Hand and Body Lotion ($19.50) on my arms the other day, I didn’t expect it to make me want to gnaw them off an half hour later. But that it did.”

Au Revoir Fashion Week: Thanks for the Super-Blended Eye

“I love NY Fashion Week as much as the next girl, but it feels weird lusting after fall looks in the middle of winter. One look that has warmed my winter heart this year is a variation on a classic. The NY runway makeup gods have decreed that we all must bask in the glory that is the smokey eye! The variation I’m referring to is called the “super-blended eye,” and, according to MAC VP of Makeup Artistry Gordon Espinet, we should expect to see a lot of it in all our favorite magazines come fall.”

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

What’s up, ladies? The sun peeked through the clouds long enough for my bargin-lurvin’ self to hit the mall for some V-Day R&R. My mission: Valentine’s Day deals.

With the dual-holiday weekend, V-Day/President’s Day, the stores were really pushing their sales hard.

Aerosoles

Aerosoles had a whole bunch of shoes on sale for $10 a pair, like this super cute black high heel, the $79 Trap Mind Pump, with criss-cross detailing in front.

Unfortch, the only Trap Mind left in stock was a pair of size 11s (I wear a 7), pooh!

Too bad these beige patent leather heels with polka dot piping (Benefit Pump, $89) weren’t on sale, but you never know with Aerosoles. They switch up their sale merch often, so hopefully sooner or later they mark ’em down.

J. Crew

This Ruffle Favorite Tank in yellow was heavily marked down — $10, down from $34.50.

What do you think of this giraffe print makeup bag for $15? Not bad, right? If I close my eyes, I can see it filled with MAC. 🙂
[Continue reading…]

UPDATE: The giveaway is now closed, and the winner will be announced soon. Good luck! 🙂

Happy Valentine’s Day, girls!

Whether you’re partnered up or flying solo today (been there many times before), let The Body Shop brighten your day. Enter the Moroccan Mystery giveaway for a chance to win $170 in products from The Body Shop’s new Moroccan Rose line.

Click to follow the clue below the following list of products in the prize.

There’s nothing like roses on Valentine’s day. 🙂

The Rules

Moroccan Mystery is an online scavenger hunt kindly sponsored by The Body Shop. The rules are easy.

Consider the following clue, and click the featured products link to go to the The Body Shop site.

The page lists a selection of products. Using the clue as your guide, identify which product the clue describes, and leave your guess here in the comments on this post. I’ll pick the winner at random from among the people who leave the correct answer by 11PM PST tonight! 🙂

The Clue

“A wash of pink makes your pucker bloom.”


Featured products link: click here!

Good luck!

Your friendly neighborhood beuaty addict,

Karen

P.S. Congrats to Jen for winning last week’s Smashbox giveaway!

MAC’s Hello Kitty wasn’t the first time a fantastic feline stole my heart on the blog.

Here’s a quick blast from the past featuring a few of my all-time favorite cats!

Lip Look: Chanel Rouge Hydrabase Leopard Lipstick

“This leopard deserves her big jungle cat name. She’s an awesome, semi-matte golden coral, and she makes me look and feel ready to pounce! Even though I’m looking pretty tow up right now in my stretchy pants (had to have ice cream after dinner) and oversized UC DAVIS ALUMNI t-shirt, with Leopard on my lips I still feel hot enough to stalk unsuspecting man prey.”

A Kryolan Makeover, aka Adventures in Theater Makeup

“I didn’t know what to expect, but I got a little suspicious when he glued a prosthetic cat nose to my face. That’s when it dawned on me: homie was probably not going to do a simple smokey eye.”

With Pop Beauty Cat Eyes Liners It’s Good to Be Catty

“OBSESSION ALERT! Pop Beauty Cat Eyes Liners ($16) make applying eyeliner easy and, well, kinda fun. Slanted like the tips of calligraphy pens, these three three highly pigmented pencil liners are built to hit the right angles for slick cat eyes (think Amy Winehouse pre-hot mess).”

Beauty Blog Mascot or Fussy Tabby: Who Is Tabs the Cat?

“International fashion icon and beauty diva Tabs (short for tabby cat) moonlights as my pet — or, more accurately, he allows me to moonlight as his person. Each Sunday afternoon Tabs shares photos from his portfolio. Here are 10 of the beauty and fashion modeling jobs that helped turn Tabs into the feline superstar that he is today.”

Happy Friday, ladies! Are ya’ll ready for the weekend?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Hello Kitty: the obsession continues

Something tells me this Danger Kitty necklace would look lovely accompanying a MAC Hello Kitty haul. 🙂

Guyliner lives!

Don’t some of these celebrity dudes hella rock their mascara? Someone should tell them about MAC Blacktrack Fluidline. 🙂

About finding your Valentine on Craigslist: don’t

I thank the powers that be for sending El Hub; before I met him it wasn’t always smooth sailing in my dating life… Have I ever talked about the boyfriend I met on Craigslist? Here’s how I ended up breaking up with him.

Is Chris Brown the new Bobby Brown?

Is Chris Brown headed into the same downward spiral that plagued Bobby Brown? Say it ain’t so!

Sending love and prayers to the Aussies

My heart broke when I saw these pictures of koalas suffering from the intense heat of the deadly brush fires in Australia. My thoughts go out to everyone in Australia (man and animal alike) right now.

Science is frickin’ awesome

New technology makes it possible for people to control these prosthetic arms with their thoughts. Amazing!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

My dearest Cupid,

Is there a sign on my forehead that says, “Easy prey?” Every Valentine’s Day your arrow hits me, and every Valentine’s Day I fall in love with 14 more pairs of pink shoes! What’s going on here?

1. Christian Louboutin Mirrored Platform Pumps, $1,295

2. Miu Miu Platform Pumps, $950

3. Valentino Classic Meena Peep Toe Pump, $695

4. Vans Classic Slip-Ons, $42

5. Christian Louboutin Suede Fringe Pump, $1,095

6. Nine West Blitzen, $90

7. Christian Louboutin Patent Platform Pumps, $695

8. Etnies Myra II, $40

9. Stella McCartney Strappy Sandal, $745

10. Charles by Charles David Chirp Pump, $134.95

11. Manolo Blahnik Jeweled Satin d’Orsay, $715

12. Kate Spade Clarice, $300

13. Seychelles Proper Etiquette, $100

14. Manolo Blahnik Jeweled Slingback Sandal, $1,190

Oh, Cupid, maybe next year you’ll take mercy on me and just leave a pair of shoes on my doorstep. If you do, please don’t forget to throw in some Moleskin and Foot Petals. Thanks… You’re the best.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

It’s easy to tell when a quart of milk goes bad, but what about a pan of cream eyeshadow?

When it comes to the shelf life of cosmetics, there are no hard and fast rules, no FDA mandated regulations or requirements. Just general guidelines.

I have to admit that I don’t follow them to a “T”. I can’t bring myself to toss a $27 tube of Diorshow Iconic Mascara just because I’ve had it open for three months.

But, sadly, all of the makeup we love so much will eventually expire. No one wants to waste expensive beauty swag, but creams and oils go rancid, preservatives break down and bacteria can breed after a product has been open too long.

Some cosmetics companies clearly have expiration in mind. Cargo just announced a line of glosses called blu_ray Lip Gloss with Timestrip that incorporates a tiny strip embedded in the cap to keep track of how long a lip gloss has been open.

Some General Makeup Expiration Guidelines

Oil-free foundation: 1 year
Cream or compact foundation: 18 months
Concealer: 12-18 months
Powder: 2 years
Blush and bronzer: 2 years
Cream blush: 12-18 months
Powder eyeshadow: 2 years
Cream eyeshadow: 12-18 months
Eyeliner: 2 years
Liquid eyeliner: 3-6 months
Mascara: 3 months
Lipstick: 2 years
Lip liner: 2 years
Lip gloss: 18-24 months
Nail color: 1 year
Fragrance: 2-5 years

For more on makeup shelf life…

• How to Know If Your Cosmetics Are Expired
• Beauty Advice: Makeup Expiration Dates

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen