Just For Fun

Shu know me so well…

To simply say that I love Shu Uemura would be an understatement of mammoth proportions — mammoth as in gigantic, dramatically unforgettable false eyelashes!

The brand’s one of my favorites of all time. First, I fell in love with their fabulawesome eyelash curler, but then I tried their makeup, their brushes and eventually their false eyelashes, too. It just kept getting better!

Here are some of my favorite Shu posts and products…

Now, Shu! Go have a happy Halloween! 🙂

Accessible Luxury: Shu Uemura Knows Lashes Inside and Out

“Genetics bestowed upon me wimpy, ho-hum lashes… and then made me so clumsy that I couldn’t apply false ones to save my life. Oh, the sweet eyelash irony! Enter the Shu Uemura lash bar, aka false eyelash nirvana, where the lashes are affordable and the appointment booking process couldn’t be easier.”

Glow in Style with Shu Uemura Glow On Blush

“I was vegetating on the couch the other day, watching my upmteenth hour of the America’s Next Top Model marathon on MTV, when El Hub walked by and said, ‘Did you do something different today? Your face looks so bright and glowy.'”

Shu Uemura Fall 2008 Limited Edition Instinct Collection

“Aren’t the textures and shades interesting and sexy? I’m in love with the packaging. If you’re on a strict makeup budget and need to triage, take a close look at the eye shadow duos. I think they’re the real stars of the show!”

Get Long, Dramatic Lashes with Shu Uemura’s Precise Volume Mascara

“I’m the type of girl who doesn’t care for drama, but I’ll take dramatic lashes any day! If you crave long, can’t-miss-me lashes like I do, get thee a tube of Shu Uemura’s Precise Volume Mascara ($23)! Using it lately I’ve achieved some of the longest, most defined lashes I’ve seen on myself in a while.”

Shu Uemura Phyto-Black Lift, Anti-aging Skin Care Collection

“I believe exfoliating toners do help to clear my skin, but they’re often too drying for long-term use. Radiance Boosting Lotion, with fruit extracts and alpha hydroxy acids, exfoliates without leaving my skin feeling tight and dry. And after two weeks of testing, my skin seems clearer and less pimply. This is my favorite product from the collection.”

7 Ways to Wear Shu Uemura’s Fleur de Rose Palette

“Emancipate yourself from the land of bland, chalky eyeshadows with Shu Uemura’s Fleur de Rose Palette! With soft, velvety textures and rich, intense colors, the seven pink, purple and neutral shades combine easily to create several different looks. The palette’s great for makeup neophytes as well as eyeshadow experts…”

Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Crystal Shine Lipstick Swatches and Pics

“Lovely ladies, I’d like to introduce you to my latest lipstick obsession: Shu Uemura’s Rouge Unlimited Crystal Shine lipstick! Falling in love with these $23 lippies was easy. They make my lips shine brighter than a glazed doughnut (mmm… doughnut) yet still feel feather-light on my lips. They pack tons of color, and there are a bunch of shades to choose from — 17 in all!”

Midnight Manicure with Shu Uemura Nail Polish

“I’m on a Shu Uemura nail polish kick, and last night’s midnight manicure in Gold Beige may not have been the best use of time. Eh, who am I kidding?? Of course it was! I officially love these polishes and can’t wait to get more. Gold Beige dries fast, applies easily and looks great.”

Lip Look: Shu Uemura Gloss Unlimited in RD 165N

“I’m still crushing big time on red lipgloss (sorry, pink), and yesterday I got my fix with Shu Uemura’s Gloss Unlimited in RD 165N ($22). Hot, yah? The color makes me look like I just ate a whole bag of red Jolly Rancher candies…”

Plans Tonight?

Do you have Halloween plans tonight? It’s raining out here in Marin, but a friend of mine is driving up from the city to deliver my bridesmaid dress for Jen’s wedding next month. No big plans for me, but I’m going to try to talk her into doing one of the MAC Halloween makeup looks with me and hitting Cheesecake Factory for dinner. When the waiter comments we’ll just play nonchalant like, “Um, yes, I think I’d like the fish tacos please… Oh, this? This is my usual makeup. Why do you ask?” LOL!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

My Halloween Costume — Amy Winehouse

“I haven’t done big hair in about 15 years so I hope this massive bird’s nest on the top of my head stays put for the rest of the day…”

Makeup Tips from LA Fashion Week

“This year Smashbox sponsored the makeup. To absolutely nobody’s surprise, the flawless skin trend we saw at the San Francisco and New York shows was a big theme this year on the LA runways, too.”

Boots No. 7 Restore and Renew Beauty Serum

“Women all over the UK went buck wild after a program on the BBC, Professor Regan’s Beauty Handbook, showed scientifically that No. 7 Restore and Renew (known as ‘Protect & Perfect’ in the UK) repaired photo-aged skin and improved the fine wrinkles associated with photo aging. After the show aired, sales increased by nearly 2000%, with 13 bottles being sold every minute.”

MAC Artist Louise Zizzo Gives Tips for Working With Matte2 and Mattene

“The key is to make sure whenever you are using these shadows or any matte shadows is you need to make sure you have a nice powdery base to put them on, otherwise they will grab patchy. I really recommend using softer brushes to apply these like the #224 and gradually building up to the intensity you desire. Don’t press hard, use a light touch and these look absolutely amazing.”

Product Reviews: Bliss Snow Wonder Body Butter; Thinny Thin Chin; Jingle Bell Socks

“Bliss has got your turkey neck covered, gobble-gobble (totally kidding!), with Thinny Thin Chin, a light lotion designed to improve the appearance of neck lines and cleavage creases.”

Face of the Day with Mac Matte2, aka When Purple Doesn’t Reign

“Try as I might, I can’t seem to get it together when it comes to MAC’s Matte2 shadows. I’ve tried to do a full on matte eye a few times, but it’s just too hard for me in terms of blending. Plus, I need a lil’ sparkle and some shine, ya know?”

Makeup and Beauty Tips for Breast Cancer Patients: Staying Beautiful Inside and Out!

“Remember, life is worth every minute. You can choose your thoughts. Keep a positive attitude, and if there is any time to erase negativity in your life, it’s NOW. Choose to LOVE LIFE and never lose HOPE. Plus, when your kids see you love life and do good for others, they will be happier and will contribute more to this beautiful world in their lifetimes. As you go through this challenge, you will be amazed by your strength, courage, and stamina. You will also be amazed by the resilience of your body.”

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

French toast from La Boulange bakery, Mill Valley, CA

1. Mood:

Relived because Tabs came home last night! 🙂

2. Fragrance:

Calvin Klein Secret Obsession.

3. Eyes:

MAC Mineralize Eye Shadow Trio in Inter-view from the Red She Said collection, MAC Technakohl in Graphblack, MAC Zoomlash mascara in Zoomblack.

4. Lips:

More MAC goodness: Spice lip liner, Quiet, Please lipstick and Miss Dynamite Dazzleglass.

5. Cheeks:

MAC Beauty Powder Blush in Enough She Said (yup, it’s a Red She Said kinda day!).

6. Shoes:

Bronze t-strap four-inch heels by Franco Sarto, circa 2003.

7. I’m lovin’ it (makeup related):

L’Oreal Skin Genesis Wet Cleansing Towelettes.

8. I’m lovin’ it (non-makeup related):

Life, seeing deer grazing in the hills around my neighborhood, Tabs sleeping in bed between me and El Hub last night, breakfast at the French bakery down the street.

9. Working out today?:

Yup, a jog around the neighborhood to take advantage of the fall weather.

10. Goals for the week:

To go running every day this week, to try something new every day this week, to cherish life and to appreciate the small things.

Let’s do this, ladies! Just copy the empty list, and paste it with your answers in the comments.

Le list

Mood:
Fragrance:
Eyes:
Lips:
Cheeks:
Shoes
I’m lovin’ it (makeup related):
I’m lovin’ it (non-makeup related):
Working out today?:
Goals for the week:

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

• Does L’Oreal Bare Naturale Mascara Thicken, Lengthen AND Separate Lashes?
  “Bare Naturale shines as a drugstore mascara; that $9 price kicks butt… If you’re on the market for a paraben-free mascara to lengthen and separate and aren’t in need of thicker lashes, then Bare Naturale should do ya just fine.”




• 10 Fantastic Smokey Eye Tutorials
  “One of my favorite things about makeup is that there’s always room to step up your game. I love to imagine all the tips and tricks that I’ve yet to learn. I’m always looking to get better at doing smokey eyes. I’ve come across hundreds of smokey eye tutorials, and I think these 10 are some of the most helpful ones.”




• Wedding Palette Auditions: Stila Cover Look No. 2
  “What do you think of the pink lips? I think it might be a little too disco for a church wedding. Don’t get me wrong — I’m usually pro-disco lips (WOOT!), but maybe not this time.”




• Estee Lauder Vintage Jewels Holiday Collection: Holiday Treasure
  “Estee Laduer should’ve called this a long-wearing eye pencil, too, because DANG, this stuff stays on forever. Once it’s on it hangs around longer than your stalker ex-boyfriend, on *both* the lash and water lines. I think I might love this even more than Lancome Le Stylo waterproof (gasp!), which I’ve been wearing practically non-stop for months, and I’m even tempted to get the two other shades.”




• Paul and Joe for Disney: American Debut Coming Soon!
  “The Paul and Joe for Disney collection, released earlier this year overseas, debuts at Bergdorf Goodman in New York next month. All I have to say about this is WOOTY WOOT WOOT! I’m a huge Disney fan so this collaboration is a dream come true.”




• Which China Glaze Rodeo Diva Shade Do You Like Best?
  “I think these dark colors are perfect for fall, yet they pack enough shimmer to make ’em fun and spunky at the same time. The shades aren’t as bold as previous releases like Ink, 2BHAWT and 2BKEWL, and I’m glad to see China Glaze is keeping things interesting.”




• How Do You Wear Red Lipstick? Tips and Tricks
  “Like the Ol’ Faithful of lip looks, a red lip is one of the most reliable, fool-proof ways to steal the spotlight. But red and other bright lip shades can be challenging colors to wear. My secret to wearing reds like Lancome’s Absolute Rouge ($29) is to apply them using a MAC 316 Covered Lip Brush ($19).”

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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When Crazy Cat Lady Meets Holiday Makeup!

• How frickin’ awesome is Paul & Joe’s Holiday 2008 collection? Ooh! Look at those cat printed bags and Red Velvet lipsticks.

Truly Outrageous

• Did you want to be Jem (the 80s cartoon) when you were little? I did. Now you, too, can live the dream with Bella Sugar’s Jem makeup tutorial.

Girl, I hope you win!

• Sign up for an account with Lucky magazine online (you have to provide your mailing address, so expect some junk mail) and be entered to win a $1,000 Sephora gift card!

I Miss Paris…

• The magnificent Grand Palais, constructed for the 1900 Universal Exhibition in Paris, has gone all cybernetic. Their innovative website takes you on a cool virtual tour where it’s like you’re practically inside the building. All I need now is a cafe au lait and croissant… and a trip to Paris, LOL!

Travel the World Through Literature

• Bitten by the travel bug but can’t afford a vacay right now? You aren’t the only one. Escape for free with Salon’s Literary Guide to the World, an interactive map to some of the finest literature from around the world.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen