Video

How To Do a Basic Brown Smokey Eye

February 24th, 2014 by Karen 33 Comments

Please ignore the Christmas decorations behind my shoulder, LOL! I filmed this back in December before Christmas but then got too carried away with the holidays to prepare it.

I still wanted to finish it, though, because it’s a staple look of mine that I wear all year round, perfect for just about any occasion from work things to movie dates to running errands around town.

I make little tweaks to it all the time, but this time I paired the eyes with nude cheeks and lips. You could always opt for more dramatic colors to brighten it up.

Here’s the final look…

Brown smokey eyes with nude peachy coral cheeks and lips

There are some steps and layering involved, but I’m sure you can do it. If you haven’t tried something like this before, it just takes a little practice.

Full list of products mentioned in the video…

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Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 282

February 9th, 2014 by Karen 21 Comments

Haaay! Hello from rainy Novato. Not much to report on this end, aside from Tabs bossing me around, purr usual.

Today he had me hire a film crew so he could work on his sizzle reel. He’s thinking about pitching a reality TV show to Bravo, but he’ll only do it if he can retain complete creative control…

In other news, I may have to start charging this tabby rent soon! He just booked a major TV commercial with a large cosmetics company. The commercial’s supposed to air tonight…so keep your eyes peeled.

Who is Tabs the Cat? About six years ago I befriended a stray, flea-bitten tabby cat with a bad case of worms. I could see he’d fallen on hard times, but his profound knowledge of high fashion and department store cosmetics led me to believe that he was more than meets the eye. We became fast friends, and now he’s actually my boss (and a successful kitty model). 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addicts,

Karen and Tabs

P.S. That’s my new hair in the video. It’s not a big change. Just a little darker. 🙂

P.P.S. Almost time for The Walking Dead premiere! Can’t wait, can’t wait, can’t wait…

Get Chanel Style for $5 With Milani High Speed Fast Dry Nail Lacquer in Sangria Rush

January 28th, 2014 by Karen 11 Comments

Oh, gosh. For some reason my rambling is, like, extra rambling-y in this video.

I just realized that I never quite finished the story about the brothers and the double date with my friend Jen.

Sorry about that…

I blame it on the construction racket outside. I can’t even hear myself think. One moment I’m telling a silly story, then there’s a loud bang outside and I’m wondering, “Ooh! That was loud. What the heck was that?”

So, yeah…I guess it would’ve made more sense if I’d actually finished the story.

What I was going to say, was that during that double date, I sat on my hands throughout pretty much the entire musical, but the brother who was my date wanted to hold hands… He just couldn’t because I was sitting on mine. 🙂 Haha! Apparently, it was a “thing,” because later he told the other brother (Jen’s date), who in turn told Jen, who then told me.

Also, it never occurred to me and Jen at the time that if we did, in fact, marry the brothers…our kids would be cousins.

Clearly, this was a life plan that hadn’t been properly vetted…

Anywho, if you’re reading this and thinking, “This makes absolutely no sense,” well, the rest of the story is in the video, between talk of my new favorite polish, Milani High Speed Fast Dry One Coat Nail Lacquer in Sangria Rush, which you might remember from my nails in the BECCA Fab 5 video, and further rambling…

This polish is THE BUSINESS! It’s like $5 Chanel. Keep a look out for it next month when it arrives in drugstores and at milanicosmetics.com.

Thank you for watching and putting up with my random stories, LOL! 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Eyeko Eye Do Liquid Eyeliner: Purrfect for Cat Ladies and Crying Insomniacs

January 27th, 2014 by Karen 10 Comments

Oh, black cat eyeliner, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways…

One…

Wait — I’d much rather talk about this in a video review. Here’s a look at a new liquid liner I’ve been using a lot lately, $19 Eye Do Liquid Eyeliner by Eyeko.

This jet-black collaboration between Eyeko and British it-gal Alexa Chung is designed to be worn on lash and/or water lines.

Press play to hear how it fares throughout the day, and if Eye Do sounds like something you’d like to try, it’s available now at Sephora and online.

Thank you, as always, for watching. 🙂

In other news, how’s your Monday coming along? I’m hanging in there, but I feel like my brain only half turned on today. Don’t you hate it when that happens? I’m working at about 50% brain efficiency right now.

Words. Difficult. String. Together.

Big sigh… It happens sometimes (often on Mondays), and when it does, I just try to go with the flow. I mean, what else can you do?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The Fab 5, Vol. 5: Hourglass Cosmetics

January 22nd, 2014 by Karen 18 Comments

Hourglass may not be a gargantuanly huge brand, but they’re one of my faves (yes, I know, I have many faves).

The luxe little line hails from down the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway), in sunny Southern California.

I like a lot of their products, but here are five of my “must-haves” from the line. Next time you’re cruising the aisles at Sephora, check ’em out! If you decide to give one (or more) of these Fab 5 a try, let me know how it goes. I hope you like them as much as I do.

Products mentioned in this video…

Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light ($45)
Oxygen Foundation Mineral Powder ($46)
Visionaire Eye Shadow Duo in Prism ($38)
Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick in Ballet ($28)
Foundation/Blush Brush No. 2 ($58)
Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil ($32)

Thank you very much for watching, and if you enjoyed this video and want me to keep doing them, please give this one a thumbs up on YouTube and subscribe. Because when you get fired up, it fires me up to do more! 🙂

Thank you, as always.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The Fab 5, Vol. 4: BECCA Cosmetics

January 20th, 2014 by Karen 23 Comments

Show me a picture of a beautiful beach (ideally, someplace warm), and whisper the words, “elegant makeup, Karen” in my ear, and guaranteed — BECCA is the brand that’s gonna pop in my mind.

I’m so happy to see it at Sephora again!

Ooh, there was a while there — dark, dark days — where BECCA was really hard to find here in the U.S. — like, you had to trek to small, sad counters at Neiman Marcus stores or get lucky and stumble across a Pure Beauty, so I’m glad it’s carried at a major retailer again.

How well do you know BECCA? If you’ve been wanting to get to know them better, have I got a video for you! 🙂

Here are my fave 5 (Fab 5?) products from the brand.

Products mentioned in the video…

Radiant Skin Satin Finish Foundation, $42
Beach Tint in Dragonfruit, $25
Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal, $41
Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed, $38
Mineral Blush, $32

Thank you for watching!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The Fab 5, Vol. 3: NARS Cosmetics

January 17th, 2014 by Karen 24 Comments

Wow, this was hard…narrowing it down to just 5.

I should have called this one the Fab 15, LOL! I’m almost certainly going to have to do a part 2 version to dig into the eyeshadows, blushes and lip products. Let me know if you think I should.

Um…as for the video, sorry about the awkward pauses that last a couple beats too long. I had planned to edit them out, but then I was stricken by a bout of fatigue and laziness.

Oh, well. Big sigh…

Products mentioned in the video:

NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 ($42)
NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base ($24)
NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer ($28)
NARS Amour Blush ($29)
NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Lodhi ($25)

Thank you, as always, for watching, my friend. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Makeup Tutorial Time! Coppery Golden Eyes With Black Cat Liner

January 10th, 2014 by Karen 16 Comments

Looking for a new makeup look for date night (or any other fun evening activity)? If you’re in the mood to curl your hair and put on a cute dress, here’s a coppery gold eye look idea.

It’s a video makeup tutorial, from start to finish, with black cat liner (aka winged eye liner), coral cheeks and pink lips like I’m wearing in the video above.

I use a lot of different products in the video, including some drugstore makeup from the new COVERGIRL Bombshell collection.

Applying COVERGIRL Lip Perfection Jumbo Gloss Balm in Cherry Twist ($8.99) on my lips for a daytime look

Switching to COVERGIRL Lip Perfection Lipcolor in Bombshell ($6.99) to turn up the intensity

By the way, if any of the COVERGIRL makeup in these pictures catches your eye, all COVERGIRL products will be buy one, get one 50% off at Ulta Beauty stores and online at ulta.com from January 5-25, 2014. #ULTABombshelling

Products mentioned…

MAC Prep + Prime Natural Radiance ($40)
MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation ($31)
Louise Young Cosmetics LY34 Super Foundation Brush ($41)
NARS Pro Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base ($24)
COVERGIRL Bombshell Shine Shadows ($8.99)
COVERGIRL Outlast Stay Brilliant Glossy Nail Color in Bombshell ($5.99)
COVERGIRL Cheekers Bronzer in Copper Radiance ($4.99)
Nexcare Gentle Papter First Aid Tape ($3)
MAC Blacktrack Fluidline ($16)
MAC 266 Angled Brush ($20)
Laura Mercier Angled Eye Liner Brush ($20)
COVERGIRL Bombshell Intense Eye Liner ($8.99)
Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat ($40)
MAC Shaping Powder in Lightsweep ($16.50)
Burberry No. 10 Definition Liner Pencil Brush ($32)
Jesse’s Girl Pure Pigment Eye Dust in Sunstone ($4.99)
COVERGIRL Bombshell Volume Mascara ($11.99)
MAC Studio Careblend/Pressed Powder ($25)
Buxom True Hue Blush in Euphoria ($24)
COVERGIRL Lip Perfection Jumbo Gloss Bomb in Cherry Twist ($8.99)
COVERGIRL Lip Perfection Lip Perfection Lipcolor in Bombshell ($6.99)

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