Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup

Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup

A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict

Swatches of the Benefit Velvet Eyeshadows and the Summer of 2009

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I was at the Benefit counter the other day picking up my umpteenth pot of Skinny Jeans, and while I was there I figured I may as well put my arms to good use by swatching the entire line of Velvet Eyeshadows.

These came out in the summer of 2009 — a truly great year for makeup — and I think they’re still some of the best things in the Benefit line. They’re silky and pigmented with a gorgeous, subtle sheen (like a very faint shine). And coupled with a good primer, they last all day long on my skin without creasing or fading.

I’m particularly fond of Where There’s Smoke (looks FANTASTIC atop Skinny Jeans), Nice Melons (love this for that wide awake look) and Fancy Pansy (gorgeous! — flashes from pink to purple to blue), but I like just about every shade in the line.

benefit velvet eyeshadow swatches
Velvet Eyeshadow swatches from left with the flash: Leggy, Fancy Pansy, Bikini Line, Bo Peep and Rich Beach
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Two Ways to Win 3 Great Makeup Sets from Pop Beauty, Pixi and Senna (a $105 Value)

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  • WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is Sara! Congratulations, Sara! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

Flowers are blooming, leaves are bursting from the trees, and everywhere I look I see spring (figuratively speaking). Yeah, I may be popping allergy meds like they’re straight up candy (Zyrtec! Woot!), but I’m thrilled to see the world outside coming back to life.

Since things are beginning to warm up again, that means it’s time to squirrel away my winter clothes and shoes and finally, FINALLY set out my things for spring. And that includes makeup. 🙂

Have you been thinking about updating your spring makeup wardrobe? Would you like to breathe new life into your cosmetics collection? If that’s a “yea!,” you might love today’s giveaway. It features three exclusive kits found on BeautyTicket.com with, all in all, a whopping 17 pieces for eyes, lips, cheeks and face from Pop Beauty, Pixi and Senna Cosmetics.

A Makeup and Beauty Blog Giveaway!

  • One (1) Pop BeautyTicket Exclusive Look Kit in Pure Pop, which includes 5 pieces of fun brights for eyes, lips and nails: a Lid Neon 6-piece eyeshadow palette, a Cat Eyes Crayon in Black Onyx, a bottle of Nail Glam polish in Violetta, a tube of Aqua Lacquer Lip Gloss in Flowering Fuchsia and a pair of Fantasy Lashes in Wonderland ($29.99, with a retail value of $74)
  • One (1) Pixi BeautyTicket Exclusive Look in Natural Nude Kit, which includes six basics for face, cheeks, eyes and lips: a tube of Flawless & Poreless Primer, a Fairy Light Solo Eye Color, an Endless Silky Eye Pen in Black Cocoa, a Voluptuous Lash Lascara, an Awakening Blush and Glow Highlight Duo and a Rose Lip Treatment in Lip Nude ($34.99, with a retail value of $92)
  • One (1) Senna Cosmetics Roaring ’20s Kit, which includes 5 fun pieces for eyes, cheeks and lips: a Mineral Eye Trio in Satin Doll, a Blush in Faded Rose, a Creamline Eyeliner in Jet, a Lipstick in Valentina and a tube of Voluptulash Lashes Mascara ($39.99, with a retail value of $95)


The Pop Beauty products


The Pixi products (Senna products not pictured)

  • There are two ways to enter, 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, a comment about anything at all, like, have you ever worn makeup by Pixi, Pop Beauty or Senna? Do you ever buy makeup online? What shoes are you wearing right now? Who was the last person you smiled at? — you get the idea.
  • Second, you can enter by following me on twitter Twitter @karenmbb and retweeting (RT) the following message:
    • Follow @karenmbb and RT to Win 17 Pieces Makeup from Pop Beauty, Pixi and Senna (a $105 value) http://bit.ly/gwCLvb

  • The deadline to enter is Thursday, April 14, 2011 at 11:59PM (PT).
  • Entrants must enter using a valid email address and/or Twitter account to win.
  • A maximum of two (2) entries per person — one within the comments at the bottom of this post, and a second entry via Twitter addressed to me @karenmbb.
  • Contest is open to individuals of the United States (sorry, ladies living overseas; I promise a giveaway that includes you soon) who have reached the age of majority according to their local laws (18 in the United States with these exceptions: Alabama and Nebraska, 19; Mississippi, 21).
  • Tabs and I (heretofore referred to as “T-Money and K-Dawg”) will select one (1) winner at random from the entries either left in the comments at the bottom of this blog post or addressed to @karenmbb on Twitter.
  • The winner will be announced here within 48 hours of the deadline.
  • Void where prohibited by law.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

  • WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is Sara! Congratulations, Sara! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

San Francisco to Toronto: I’ll Be Right Back

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Makeup and Beauty Blog Heads to Toronto!

Just a quick dispatch from somewhere over California, ladies! This morning I’m off to Toronto on a top secret beauty mission. I can’t really share any details yet (even though I desperately want to!), but I can say this much: COOL!

It’s just a brief trip, and I’ll be back in the Bay soon. Of course, I still plan to blog while I’m away because, well, that’s what I do. 🙂

Stay tuned… Adventure awaits!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Look Your Best Every Day with the Pixi Week of Wakeup Makeup Kit

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When I was a kid I had one of those sets of underwear with a different printed pair for every day of the week, and being the rebel that I was, I liked to wear the days out of order. Sometimes, I’d wear the Saturday pair on Wednesday, the Thursday pair on Monday — you get the idea.

I wonder if that’s why I feel compelled to wear the products in Pixi’s new Week of Wakeup Makeup ($34) out of order… The new palette contains 21 powder eyeshadows, 7 powder blushes and eight lip glosses sorted into groups for a different look every day of the week (like Underoos for makeup, LOL!). 🙂

Products in the Pixi makeup line, which was developed by makeup artist (and mum) Petra Strand, are designed to enhance natural beauty, so you won’t find any crazy colors here. Just plenty of neutrals in warm and cool shades — basically, tones to bring out a slightly more colorful version of yourself.


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Tuesday Beauty Tips: I’m Going Slim Cognito Tonight with the Spanx Mid-Thigh Bodysuit Shaper

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Hark, what manner of slimming sorcery is this?? Its power is even greater than Nutella’s potent hazelnut hermetics!

Some say that Spanx are forged by magic, and I’m inclined to agree. Selkie’s have been singing the praises of this line of body slimming shape wear for years. There are several different pieces to choose from, but the Slim Cognito Mid-Thigh Bodysuit Shaper wins my personal wardrobe Nobel prize.

But first, a bit about my body. I try to be happy with mine, even though I’ve put on a few pounds over the past year. I’m healthy, after all, and everything works (knock on wood!), and in the grand scheme of things, that’s plenty good enough. Sometimes, though, I do miss being able to wear the cuts of clothing I was able to wear way back when I was thinner. Hence, Slim Cognito Spanx.

About Slim Cognito…

“Maximum compression fabric offers the ultimate control for tummy, hips and thighs, and provides a slight lift for the rear. The innovative style can be attached to your own bra to enhance the no-slip fit of the wide top band. The seamless leg design won’t bind or pinch.”

I discovered the power of this tummy taming monster at my Nordstrom Personal Stylist visit last week, and it was an immediate shock in more ways than one. Sticker shock due to the price — $72 for glorified underwear? Yes, because the proof was in the pudding, or in my case, the Nutella. Wearing Spanx, I felt my mid-section looked the way it did 15 pounds ago.

Over the years, I’ve tried other kinds of shape wear, but these Spanx are the best. I think it may have something to do with their high waist, which sits just below my bra (where it discourages any rolls from sneaking out).


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