Sonia Kashuk Lip Gloss Quad in Natural Nudes, $13.
Sonia Kashuk Lip Gloss Quad in Natural Nudes
Dior Electric Tropics Collection for Summer 2011
A closeup of the detailing in the Dior Electric Tropics Nude Healthy Glow Powder in Sunset, $46.
For more on the Dior Electric Tropics collection for summer 2011, check out…
MAC Unsung Heroes: Strobe Cream
Since I’ve been wearing MAC Strobe Cream ($29.50) practically every day since November, I figured it was high time I gave this bad boy some official Unsung Heroes 
. I’ve actually gotten to the point where I can’t leave home without it!
Strobe, a permanent member of Team MAC, resides under the Moisturizers section of MAC’s skin care line, where I’m sure it illuminates the place because that’s what it does. Worn alone or beneath foundation, it adds a very subtle brighting sheen to the skin — an opalescent glow, subtle, and more like pearls bathed in candlelight than sequins caught in the spotlight.
While I do find it to be moisturizing, by itself, it’s not quite moisturizing enough for my combination dry/oily skin, so I apply it on top of a helper product like Clarins Hydraquench. If you have normal to oily skin, however, you should be just fine without a helper.
Oh, and if Strobe feels too heavy for you, MAC also has a lighter version called Strobe Liquid, also $29.50.
8 More Tips to Look Your Best in Pictures
When you see pictures of yourself, do you ever wonder, “Do I really look like that?” If you do, you’re not alone. Do you pick out every flaw, see every blemish, and wonder what caused that horrid ashen cast, or the shadow that makes you look like you have a second chin? Often, these are things that only we notice (because we’re our worst critics), but occasionally they can be real issues. Fortunately, many are easy to remedy if you know how to work with your surroundings when you find yourself in front of a lens. Stop ducking when someone pulls out a camera, and put your best face forward with the help of these tips.
1. Angling for success
Always try to get your photographer — whether they’re a pro with a fancy DSLR or a friend with a small point-and-shoot — to snap you from straight on, or above. Never below. If the camera strays downward and angles up toward your face, your jawline and any defined bone structure tend to disappear, adding a substantial amount of “imaginary weight” to your face. By tilting your chin slightly downward as you look into the camera, you’ll show your face from the most flattering angles. NOTE: If you have a very prominent brow ridge, however, this can cast a heavy shadow over your eyes.
2. The Torso Twist Diet
Regretting that last lemon-thyme shortbread cookie you ate right before someone slipped out their camera? Take 10 pounds off your waistline by turning your lower body away from the camera, and your upper body slightly back toward it.
3. Is that a ghost?!
Do you feel that you look extremely pale or washed out in photos? It could be your sunscreen and/or the lighting. Physical sunscreens (with the most common ones containing titanium dioxide) reflect light, and in areas with harsh ambient lighting, or in situations with a lot of flash photography, a camera is going to capture and magnify the glare. Opt for chemical sunscreens instead.
Or perhaps you’ve just happened into a brightly lit area (direct sunlight, an office building, etc.). They can wash out even the most glowing complexion. If you have some time to prepare beforehand, apply blush and/or bronzer one to two shades darker than you normally would, and opt for brighter lip or eye colors as opposed to neutrals.
4. Wiggle those ears
Can you wiggle your ears? If you can, you already know one of the best modeling tricks out there. Move your ears backwards and keep them there. You should feel a slight tightness in your face. Congratulations! You’ve just given yourself a virtual facelift.
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Two Ways to Win a $50 eGift Card from Sephora!
- WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is Rebecca F.! Congratulations, Rebecca! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂
Good morning, young lady. How did you sleep?
If you’d spent the night here at Château MBB, you would have been up late listening to Tabs and his greaser buddies hooting and hollering all night long. They hang out in the garage every Friday night playing records and talking about chicks, cars and pomade…all of them in their black leather jackets and pegged jeans. My word! 🙂
Come in. Have a seat. Can I get you a cup of coffee or tea? Breakfast will be ready soon, but while we wait, it’s…
- One (1) Sephora eGift card containing $50 sent to the winner by email (or $50 sent by PayPal instead).
- 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, what’s your favorite black-and-white movie? Have you ever gone swing dancing? What’s your favorite style of retro makeup (mine’s cat eyes and matte lips)? In what decade were you born? — you get the idea (and it doesn’t have to be about something retro, ha!).
- Second, you can enter by following me on
Twitter @karenmbb and retweeting (RT) the following message:
- Follow @karenmbb and RT to Win a $50 eGift Card from Sephora! http://bit.ly/hFkHBx
- The deadline to enter is Sunday, March 20, 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 any country 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).
- Sephora eGift Certificates can only be redeemed online and are not valid in stores or available for purchase or redemption in Canada. The winner may opt to substitute the Sephora eGift card prize for $50 sent directly to their email address by PayPal.
- 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 Rebecca F.! Congratulations, Rebecca! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂
Sonia Kashuk Spring 2011: Lip Gloss Quad in Beautiful Berries
The Sonia Kashuk Lip Gloss Quad in Beautiful Berries, $13.
Sonia Kashuk Spring 2011: Nail Colours in Fatigued and Violetta
Sonia Kashuk Nail Colours in Fatigued (left) and Violetta (right), two of four new limited edition colors for spring 2011 available now at select Target stores ($5 each).
Not pictured: Jammin (a bold hot pink) and Tutti Fruitt (a bright coral).
Rescue Beauty Lounge Nail Polishes: Not Your Run-of-the-Mill Nail Brand
Written by Robin
A few of us are meeting at the Rescue Beauty Lounge. Destination: your living room. Robin of Beautyburg has the scoop in today’s guest post.
Rescue Beauty Lounge (or RBL for short) owner and founder Ji Baek opened her first New York City nail salon in 1998 after being dissatisfied with the standards she felt she saw at other salons and spas. Today, RBL isn’t just a salon chain. It’s also a line of bath and body care products and, most notably, a unique brand of nail polish.
Before she opened her first salon, Ji wondered if she really wanted to be the cliché of a Korean nail salon owner, but what Ji saw was an opportunity to elevate nail salons and set a new bar in professional nail care. “You have a great concept,” her husband said, “I’ll be by your side and help you. You can’t go through life with ‘what ifs’.”
Some of my favorite RBL polishes ($18 each)
Chinoise
Scrangie
Coral
Anne
As a self-admitted germophobe, Ji designed her spas to standards of hospital-grade cleanliness, and her philosophy takes overall nail health to heart.
When creating her nail polishes, Ji wanted to set herself apart from other brands by bringing the same philosophy and discipline she brought to her salon to her nail polishes as well. She boasts that several lab technicians almost quit trying to meet her standards, which were for a long-wearing polish made without the the use of dibutyl phthalate (DBP), formaldehyde, toluene or animal testing.
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