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

A Curly Girl’s Tale: How I Grew to Love My Hair

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A Curly Girl’s Tale: How I Grew to Love My Hair

Things were all kittens and ice cream until I turned 12. To quote my sixth grade diary, 12 was “a year of devastating change.”

The first event occurred that fall, when my best friend, who happened to be my next door neighbor and partner in crime since I was four, moved away to a mysterious place called “The Valley.”

The second event struck that winter, when the unthinkable happened: puberty. I’ll never forget the traumatic trip with Mom to J.C. Penney to buy my first bra.

Then, that summer, puberty took away my sleek, straight hair and replaced it with a big, frizzy mess.

And so began my rocky relationship with curly hair…

I guess technically my hair is more wavy than curly, but back then all I saw was a head of hair that on its best days resembled a lion’s mane.

As luck would have it, that look was in at the time. It was the ’80s, when curls and the spiral perm reigned supreme. Curly girls roamed the hallways at school. They moved in dense packs of frizzy hair, acid-washed denim jackets and Liz Claiborne purses.

It was just sheer dumb luck that my naturally curly hair happened to be “in” because I was shy and self-conscious at the time. Fitting in mattered above all else.

Truth be told, I had no idea how to handle my unruly waves. This was well before I discovered wide-tooth combs and conditioner washing, yet my hair and I eventually reached a sort of detente that would last for several years. I hadn’t grown to love it yet, but I didn’t hate it anymore either. Nope, I saved that for the ’90s.

By the time I’d gone to college, straight hair was all the rage again. I was back to hating my waves and envying the girls with their lovely linear locks.

The several bad haircuts that followed didn’t help. There was the poufy triangle cut that left me looking like a Bichon Frise, or the cut in which the left side of my hair was a full inch shorter than the right, or the razor-cut from hell (a frizzy nightmare!).

During those dark years, I spent hours in bathrooms with blow dryers and brushes, hopping from one straightening serum to the next to fry my hair into stick-straight submission.
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Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 126

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Tabs

Written by Tabs

Today Tabs, world-renowned international kitty supermodel and lover of ladies, makes a personal Valentine’s Day plea.

Will you be Tabs' Valentine?

As you know, I’m a big boy with lots of love to give. Some call me a lothario because I’ve looked for love in all the wrong places. I haven’t always made the smartest relationship decisions (my ex, Patches, is serving time in prison), but I’d like that to change.

I’ll say this up front — I require exorbitant amounts of love and attention, more than my lowly assistant can handle. Whether you’re single or seeing someone special, let me ask you this: is there room in your heart for a husky tabby? In other words, will you be my Valentine?

If so, call me on my cell at (555) 555-5555, or leave me a comment on this post. I await your response with bated kitty breath.

For now, please accept these candy hearts as a token of my affection.

Have some Valentine's Day candy

XOXO,
Tabs

Tabs

Written by Tabs

When he isn’t globetrotting, jet-setting or reporting for Makeup and Beauty Blog, Tabs can be found over at Party with Tabs. He knows he should post more often and plans to in the near future (lacking opposable thumbs has made typing difficult). He loves gravy, rhinestones and long pieces of ribbon.

Where to Buy Asian Beauty Brands

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Anna

Friend me on FacebookWritten by Anna

Today we’re bringing the Far East closer by way of Germany (a bit of a detour) with today’s guest post from Anna, a 19-year-old makeup artist and student blogging from Berlin. Are you ready? Hajime!

Where to buy Asian beauty brands

To me Asian cosmetics are like heavenly gifts from above. Some of the cutest AND most effective makeup in the world comes from Asia. Just think of Japan’s Shiseido or Korea’s Etude House, and the attitude towards cosmetics there, especially in Japan and Korea, totally differs from ours in the West. There, it’s all about traditional skin care, like from the Edo period, with products like the popular BB (Blemish Balm) cream.

Unfortunately, most of the awesome stuff is hard to get here (in Europe), or hilariously over-priced. Today, I’d like to share a few of my favourite places to shop for Asian cosmetics, if you don’t already happen to be one of the lucky addicts living in Asia. 🙂

Ladies, please know your rights regarding identify theft and fraud before using a credit or debit card to make an international purchase. Some rules may not apply to international purchases. If you’re unsure, check with your credit card company BEFORE you do the deed. -Karen

Whenever Shiseido’s sub-brand ‘Majolica Majorca’ releases something new, I rush over to Ichibankao to place an order. Ichibankao offer a broad range of Asian cosmetics, like Jill Stuart, Paul & Joe, Koji, Sofina, Cosme Decorte and many more. The thing I like best about them is that shipping fees are already included in the price, no matter where you live.

Jill Stuart

They mark things up 100 yen above the regular retail price, which is actually very generous, and parcels usually take up to 11 days to arrive to me here.

Holika Holika Aqua Petit

Broad range of brands
Shipping fees included
Fast shipping
Listings in English

Not exact retail prices
Payment in yen

Good Dealer is a Hong Kong-based online shop that’s always up to date. They accept reservations and offer exclusive items to their members — and membership is free.

Hot Body Slimming Patch
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The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

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The Makeup and Beauty Blog Weekly Roundup

Rise and shine, morning glory. 🙂 I hope you had a wonderful night. I’m just fueling myself up for the day with a breakfast of buttered toast, strawberry-guava jam and instant coffee (because I’m out of filters).

Did you do anything fun last night? I’d like to say I did…but Blue Valentine threw a wrench into my plans. Talk about depressing movies. Since it had the magic words, “Ryan Gosling,” I expected fireworks, but instead spent two hours watching a relationship slowly implode. Not my favorite movie of the year.

So what’s on your plate for today? I’ve got boring house stuff on mine — groceries, cleaning, a trip to Target, that kind of thing. I would much rather spend the day chilling in front of the tube.

What did you think of this week’s makeup and beauty news? Did anything stand out? It seems Urban Decay had a pretty good week…

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

Tarte Provocateur Amazonian Clay Shimmering PowdersDEFEAT DULL WITH THE TARTE
PROVOCATEUR AMAZONIAN CLAY SHIMMERING POWDERS

And the hits keep comin’ from Tarte! The cruelty-free brand (one of Tabs’ faves) just launched two new pressed powder highlighters for spring called the Provocateur Amazonian Clay Shimmering Powders ($30 each). The name doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, but the powders do have some moves.

The almost weightless, finely milled grains feel like baby powder on my skin — unlike those other highlighting powders that make my pores look larger than the Grand Canyon. They can be applied to cheeks, brow bones, and décolletage for a highlighting glow. Use a little for a soft, subtle sheen, or a lot to shoot for the stars.

These continue Tarte’s Amazonian clay trend, too, supposedly adjusting to the wearer’s skin. Tarte claims they add moisture to dry spots while absorbing oil from slick ones, but in that regard I’m not totally sold. Read more…

Tarte Amazonian Clay Powder Brush SetWILL YOU TAKE A SHINE TO THE
TARTE AMAZONIAN CLAY POWDER BRUSH SET?

About half of the time back in college when I’d go to the library to “study,” I’d actually fall asleep with my face in a book. I’d wake up, peel my face from the paper, and look down to see huge oil spots on the page.

Gross, I know. 🙂

Ah, well… if I’d only known about the Tarte Smooth Operator Micronized Clay Finishing Powder and Brush Set, the one with the power of PM20 ($38, available exclusively through QVC.com).

If I’d had this colorless loose powder and soft, synthetic bristle powder brush with me back then, the only spots on my books would have been from bits of greasy fried chicken (because everyone knows studying chem is more fun with junk food), and NOT my oily skin.

Lately I’ve been dusting the powder on my face to set my foundation and concealer, and it works, keeping the oiliest spots on my forehead and nose matte for a solid eight hours. Read more…

Bobbi Brown Rich Lip Color SPF 12 LipsticksSTRIKE IT RICH WITH THE NEW
BOBBI BROWN RICH LIP COLOR SPF 12 LIPSTICKS

I like to think of Bobbi Brown’s newest spring release as the lipstick equivalent of a DVF wrap dress and a pair of Jimmy Choos. A combination of opaque color and subtle shine, the Bobbi Brown Rich Lip Color SPF 12 Lipsticks ($22 each) create a dressed-up lip look that’s neither too formal nor too stuffy — like business casual for your lips (with just a smidgen of sex appeal for flava).

Lightweight and smooth, these unscented, unflavored lipsticks provide the kind of full color coverage more common of creams and mattes with thicker textures, and they do it at a pretty good price (for a department store line).

Today I tried four of the 12 shades in Bikini Pink (a cool pink), Sweet Nectar (a pinkish coral), Plum Rose (a plummy rose) and Old Hollywood (an orangey red), and judging by these, Bobbi wasn’t messing around in the pigment department. These are intense! Read more…

Dior Vernis Gris City Nail LacquerTHE FORECAST CALLS FOR GRAY IN
DIOR VERNIS GRIS CITY

The new Dior Vernis Gris City polishes were built with busy urban babes in mind. Not only is the included brush so wide that I can cover an entire nail with it in three swipes, but the formula dries quicker than a fast-paced city life — two coats take me less than 10 minutes, tops.

Dior says that each of these $21 shades was inspired by fashion-forward cities around the world. Places like NY 57th, Bond Street, Gris Montiagne Read more…

Tarte Achiote Cheek Tint and Lip Luster DuoTHE TARTE ACHIOTE CHEEK TINT AND
LIP LUSTER DUO AND THE LEGEND OF THE LIPSTICK TREE

Like the Yeti of my makeup dreams, I thought the lipstick tree was a figment of my imagination. Many, many times I’ve dreamt of having one strategically placed outside my bedroom window (right next to the money tree, of course), so I could easily pluck a tube off its branches whenever I wanted a new color.

Funny thing about dreams — sometimes they come true, albeit indirectly in this case. It turns out there really is a lipstick tree! It doesn’t sprout lipsticks (DAMN!), but bright red fruit instead.

Apparently I wasn’t paying close attention in upper division botany, because today I found out achiote is a small tree grown in tropical regions of the Americas and Southeast Asia. It bears spiny fruit which contain bright red seeds used to color food, body paint and lipstick, hence its nickname, “the lipstick tree.” Read more…

Buxom Stay-There Eye Shadow ShadesWHICH OF THE 4 NEW BUXOM
STAY-THERE EYE SHADOW SHADES WILL BE LEADER OF THE PACK?

It appears that man’s best friend at Buxom has been seeing a makeup-loving woman on the side! Good morning and happy hump day, cutie. 🙂 Let’s get Wednesday off to a good start with a peek at the four new Buxom Stay-There Eye Shadow colors for spring 2011 ($17 each), which, like Buxom’s 10 previous Stay-There shades, are named after different breeds of dog (woof!).

Tabs said he likes the idea, but he hopes Buxom considers adding a few feline colors to the line (and would like to offer his kitty modeling services if they do). While they mull that over, I’d like to submit a color suggestion if I may — Mystery Mutt, a shimmery golden brown, named after Shauna, my family’s beloved pooch. Read more…

Urban Decay Feminine, Dangerous and Fun Eyeshadow PalettesURBAN DECAY FEMININE, DANGEROUS
AND FUN EYESHADOW PALETTES: SWATCHES AND PICTURES

What up, buttercup? Here are swatches and photos of the three new Urban Decay Feminine, Dangerous and Fun Eyeshadow Palettes ($34 each). I’ll have face and eye shots in a few, but for now, check out the colors and holla at me in the comments if you see anything you like. Read more…

Jillian Michaels Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism Workout DVDTHE JILLIAN MICHAELS BANISH FAT, BOOST
METABOLISM WORKOUT DVD HURTS SO GOOD!

Blast you, Jillian Michaels, and your calorie-killing tough love! The first time I pushed play on your Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism DVD ($10), I came this close to a full-on bakery breakdown. I’m serious, I was one mountain climber away from driving to the nearest bakery to stuff myself with donuts (have I mentioned I’m a stress eater?).

But, as if you could somehow tell when I was ready to quit, you looked me in the eye, cranked up the motivation dial and firmly told me “not to phone it in” (which is Jillian Michaels for “never give up, never surrender!”).

Needless to say, this workout’s no joke, and it hurts SO GOOD.

How good exactly?

Good like the first time you got your ‘stash waxed, or the first time you kissed that hot, scruffy bad boy (you know, the unemployed one with the muscles and the motorcycle — the one your parents despised). Read more…

Urban Decay UD The Feminine PaletteURBAN DECAY UD THE FEMININE
PALETTE AND PRE-FRIDAY FUN

Tonight is all about the ladies, y’all, at Club Urban Decay (aka MBB Headquarters), and girls and gatos get in free — that’s cruelty-free — with the new Urban Decay UD The Feminine Palette ($34). 🙂

From the stylish clothes it wears, to the shimmery shades it bears (browns, pinks, purples and teal), this palette’s guaranteed to turn heads and put all eyes on you. The colors feel so lighthearted, girlie and fun that I believe it’s my favorite of the latest batch of spring palettes from Urban Decay.

As you might be able to tell from these snapshots, I was feelin’ mighty Feminine today. For my eye look, I started with a thin layer of Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden applied with my fingers from my lash line to the brow bone, which I followed up by sweeping Midnight Cowboy Eyeshadow directly on top with a flat eyeshadow brush. Since Midnight Cowboy has gargantuan gobs o’ glitter, I used a makeup wipe to clean the fallout. Read more…

Urban Decay UD The Fun PaletteURBAN DECAY UD THE FUN PALETTE,
AND ONE VALUABLE LESSON LEARNED FROM MY CAT

It’s useless to try to out-pose an international kitty supermodel, especially one with as much experience as Tabs.

But that didn’t stop me from trying today with the new Urban Decay The Fun Palette ($34).

I tried to “sell” the colors I’m wearing from the palette, one of three new ones from Urban Decay for spring, but I’m just not kitty supermodel material.

I used Sin (a shimmery light pink) from the lash line to the brow bone, Baked (a shimmery bronze) in the crease and along my lower lash line, Woodstock (a shimmery hot pink) on the lid and Psychedelic Sister on my upper lash line.

Tabs is just a natural, I guess. Read more…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The Supersonic Ultrasonic Clarisonic Passes with Flying Colors

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Sam

Written by Sam

I hope you studied last night because I hear we’re having a POP quiz. No worries. Makeup artist and blogger Sam will help us study in today’s guest post.

The Clarisonic Skincare System

You tap your pencil rhythmically on the desk, eyes flitting around the classroom. Checking out the other test subjects. Did she live in the room across the hall in college? For the fourth time, you check your watch. Maybe it’s broken.

The exam administrator walks in, her black heels clacking on the linoleum floor. She checks to make sure everyone has a pencil; you ask for a second one, just in case.

The girl in front of you hands back a stack of packets (I can’t forget to ask her what polish she’s wearing before we leave…), the three or so pages crowned with a gold staple at the upper left corner. You slip one onto your desk and hand the rest back.

You read the first question: “Name the one beauty product currently in production you would bring with you on a week-long business trip.” Hmm… Oh! — no, wait. That’s not it. Ah! Yes, I remember now.

The second question: “The name of the beauty tool you hear the most buzz about in your daily readings and discussions…” Yes! Finally, an easy one!

Makeup and Beauty Exam

The Clarisonic Skincare System is probably one of the hottest beauty tools around, flying from shelves and receiving more press than many celebrity scandals (have there been any good ones lately?). Touted by everyone from top skincare gurus to red-carpet divas and humble bloggers (myself included), this mechanized innovation is a simple concept that is simply wonderful to use.

From the creators of the Sonicare toothbrush, the Clarisonic is a mini-marvel of engineering. What appears to be the blurred buzzing motion of the brush head is actually three hundred small back-and-forth vibrations per second. Rather than simply brushing over the skin, it flexes each and every pore, loosening impurities and built-up sebum and skin cells, and then encourages these to rise to the surface to be whisked away by those quick vibrations.

After a few failed attempts at buying this magic system and a frustrating series of calls to my credit card company, I finally lugged the rather large — though nice and glossy — box home, and extracted the much smaller tool from its cage of instruction manuals and packaging materials.

I purchased mine from Sephora, and received the Philosophy skincare set, which came with three minis from that brand’s permanent collection. Also nestled in among the white cardboard maze was a surprisingly nice mesh travel case, an inductive charging cradle, and two extra brush heads (Sensitive and Body).
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The Trish McEvoy Resort Collection for Spring 2011 Is Taking Reservations

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trish mcevoy resort collection display

I wish Trish McEvoy’s new Resort Collection (available now) and I could run away together on vacation. It’s a small spring release with just nine pieces, so maybe we could even share a room. 🙂

Truthfully, I probably wouldn’t be in the room all that much — not with this bronze, pink and plum wanting to play. Most of the time I’d be on the veranda, or chilling poolside with a drink.

The collection includes…

  • Eye Base Essentials in Rested — A creamy pink eyeshadow base for evening out skin tone, and brightening and priming the eyelids. It dries to a matte finish ($25).
  • (2) Eye Shadows — Two shimmery powder shadows to illuminate lids in pink and plum ($16 each).
  • (2) Classic Lip Color — Buildable, semi-matte colors in peachy pink Natural and Vibrant, a rose ($23 each).
  • Flawless Lip Color in Perfection — “CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!” This glassy pink and I are really clicking. It has the coverage of a lipstick with the shine and texture of a gloss ($28.50).
  • Matte Bronzer — A warm brown for contouring and shaping the face ($28).
  • Weekend All Over Face Color — A shimmery golden bronze all-purpose face powder that should be perfect for medium and dark skin tones ($28).
  • High Volume Mascara in Jet Black — The brush that accompanies this water-resistant, volumizing mascara has the teeniest, tiniest little bristles ($30)!

trish mcevoy resort collection display

trish mcevoy resort collection swatches of lipsticks and eye base
Swatches from left to right: Classic Lip Color in Natural, Classic Lip Color in Vibrant, Flawless Lip Color in Perfection and Eye Base Essentials in Rested
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Two Ways to Win a $50 eGift Card from Sephora!

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

Win a $50 Sephora eGift card from Makeup and Beauty Blog

This is so awesome that I just had to share. 🙂 After I left the office last night, my supervisor Tabs sent out the following email to everyone in the company. Isn’t it amazing how sometimes all it takes to change your outlook is a little recognition from your boss?

Tabs the Cat

From: TABS < tabs@makeupanbeautyblog.com >
Sent: Friday, February 11, 2011 7:47 PM
To: everyone@makupanbeautyblog.com
Subject: [TABS] Pat Yourselves on the Back!

Dear Team:

I couldn’t let the workweek end without personally taking the time to convey my gratitude to each and every one of you for your exemplary efforts this week. You performed admirably, turning in top-notch work under challenging conditions. As to that, I am told by the vendor that the copy machine will be fixed no later than Tuesday, which is excellent news.

Have a fulfilling weekend. I’ll see you all bright and early Monday morning.

Best,

Tabs the Cat
Chief Feline Officer, Makeup and Beauty Blog

The weird thing is we only have two employees (Tabs and I), but that’s neither here nor there. I’ll take all the credit I can get, LOL!

Anywho, did you do anything fun last night? After burgers at The Counter (they make a mean veggie), El Hub and I came back home and watched about a dozen episodes of The Game on TV. Yup, it’s a bold new world with the Tivo working again. 🙂

Have a good one today. Before you jet it’s…

A Makeup and Beauty Blog Giveaway!

Win a $50 eGift card from Sephora

  • 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, who is/was your favorite boss? What kind of makeup do you wear to work? Have you ever dated someone from the office? — you get the idea (and it doesn’t have to be about work, LOL!).
  • Second, you can enter by following me on twitter Twitter @karenmbb and retweeting (RT) the following message:
    • Follow @karenmbb and RT to Win a $50 eGift Card from Sephora! http://bit.ly/ihwYTJ

  • The deadline to enter is Sunday, February 13, 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 Jessy! Congratulations, Jessy! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

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