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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

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Dec. 20

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  • You might be wondering, “So what the heck is this Monday Poll thing anyway?”
    Well, it isn’t much of a poll. It’s more just a constantly evolving (devolving?), somewhat random list of questions I’ve been putting out to readers every Monday morning for the past three years, which I guess makes this somewhere around Vol. 150. I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.
  1. Mood:

    2. Feeling positively great because I’m finally done with Christmas shopping. All that’s left to do is wrap, which I can get done in the blink of an eye (I honed my skills as a gift wrap girl at Emporium-Capwell when I was a teenager).

  2. What’s your favorite winter comfort food?

    3. Soup. It’s warm, easy and filling. Lately split pea’s been my jam, with butternut squash a close second.

  3. One small thing that always makes you happy?

    4. When Tabs crawls onto my chest first thing in the morning, tucks his head beneath my chin and fires up his purr machine. I call it “The Tabby Alarm Clock.”

  4. Three beauty products that changed your life?

    5. Philosophy Purity Made Simple One-Step Facial Cleanser because it thoroughly takes everything off without stripping my skin; Clarins HydraQuench Cream because it moisturizes my hella dry face; and the Shu Uemura Lash Curler because it creates perfectly curled lashes without pinching.

  5. Khaki cargo pants: fashionable or faux pas?

    6. Hmm. I’m not crazy about how they look, but I’ll wear them when I’m traveling or covering an event. Having accessible extra pockets comes in REALLY handy.

  6. Favorite lip balm?

    7. MAC Naked Honey Skin Salve. I’m gonna cry some serious tears when I run out of the stuff!

  7. How do you sign off on your emails?

    8. I generally rotate between kind regards, best, warmly, take care and talk to you soon. Really close friends and family get the crazy sign offs — peace and chicken grease, word to Big Bird, haaay…

  8. Your purse: messy or organized?

    9. Depends on the purse. My big “photography purse” (a Kipling bag I’ve modified to store my camera equipment) and wristlet (where I keep keys, cards and all the important stuff) are immaculate. Everything else is another story, LOL!

  9. Today’s outfit?

    10. Right now I’m looking quite un-stylish, but festive, in a white pair of sweatpants, a red sweatshirt with a faux fur hood and a pair of beige knitted, knee-high boots.

  10. Weekly goals:

    11. Enjoy every minute of the run up to Christmas, spend at least 30 minutes every day on the treadmill (damn those macarons!) and be in bed by 10 every night.

Five more days till Christmas, merry makers! Will you be taking any time off this week? Since I work for Tabs full time, I’ll be lucky to get one day off, LOL! If you’re on break this week (or if things are slow at work), how about stopping by for a second to fill out the Monday poll? I’d love to hear from ya. 🙂

  • To complete the Monday Poll, just copy the following list, and paste it with your answers in the comments.



1. Mood:
2. What’s your favorite winter comfort food?
3. One small thing that always makes you happy?
4. Three beauty products that changed your life?
5. Khaki cargo pants: fashionable or faux pas?
6. Favorite lip balm?
7. How do you sign off on your emails?
8. Your purse: messy or organized?
9. Today’s outfit?
10. Weekly goals:

Happy holidays!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 118

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Tabs for the Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Cat Collar

Okay, I have to get Tabs a new phone, because either he doesn’t know how to use his, or he’s deliberately ignoring me. He’s been on location in Paris for a few days doing his kitty modeling thing while I’ve been stuck here in Novato getting the place ready for Christmas. He was very specific before he left about how we wanted things prepared for his return. Two stockings hung by the tree, fresh catnip sprinkled around his cat tower, two scoops of Fancy Feast tuna in gravy heated to exactly 73 degrees in the microwave, a clean litter box, and a bowl of chilled Evian.

I need to find out when he’s coming back, but I’ve already sent him like 20 unanswered texts!

Who is Tabs the Cat? About three 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). 🙂

Here’s the latest from his portfolio…

Tabs for NYX Beachy Bronzing Powder in When Tabby Gets a Tan

Tabs for Yes To Catnip Coat Conditioner
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Flower Power!

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This flower in the biome at the California Academy of Sciences caught my eye on Friday.

Unfortunately I forgot to check the label so I don’t know the name. I’m tempted to say it’s an orchid, but I think it might be some sort of pitcher plant. Really, I have no clue.

Are there any botany enthusiasts in the house who happen to know?

Float Away in the Open Thread

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I feel extra chatty today, and I hope you do, too. Shall we entertain each other in today’s open thread? 🙂

Makeup and Beauty Blog Open ThreadIf you’re new to the open thread, here it is in a nutshell:

It’s just a post where we comment back and forth about any topic under the sun (or the rain clouds, whichever the case may be) — makeup, pets, holiday highs and lows, music, movies (have you seen Tron yet?), you name it!

Except for an errand or two, I’ll be around all day long, so stop by if/when you can. See you inside!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

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The Makeup and Beauty Blog Weekly Roundup

Rise and shine, morning glory. How did you sleep? Pretty well, I hope. I’m still waking up, but this Starbucks chai latte is helping.

Are you done with your Christmas shopping yet? I got a couple things online yesterday (can’t mention them now because the walls have ears/eyes), but I still have to brave the mall at some point today… Traffic’s bad, but I’ll use my rapier wit to hack through the capitalist hordes, grah! 🙂

But before that, I like to start Sunday mornings with 100mg of caffeine a look at some of the things we talked about earlier in the week. Sonia and Coco kicked hella @ss.

If you’ll be doing any driving today, please be careful out there. I’m serious, it’s a yuletide zoo.

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

The Sonia Kashuk Reach for the Stars Nail Trio SONIA KASHUK’S
REACH FOR THE STARS NAIL TRIO

When the goin’ gets tough, the tough paint their nails! Okay, so maybe that’s not exactly how the saying goes, but you know what I mean…

And when a nail polish goes on with near perfect application, like the pretty polishes in the Sonia Kashuk Reach for the Stars Nail Trio ($10), well, ain’t nothin’ gonna break my stride.

The limited edition holiday set comes packed to the gills with glitter in three full-size bottles — a warm peachy gold (looks like a sunset!), a gunmetal gray and a magenta. Sonia filled all three with pounds of pigment and sparkle to spare.

Where’s the party at?! I ask because these festive shades hit all the right notes, but the formula’s what elevates these polishes from good to great. The smooth, thin texture goes on without any streaks (reminds me of OPI’s texture), and because they’re so pigmented, the color is easy to build up with layers. Last week I painted my toes with the gunmetal gray, and it was one of the fastest and easiest at-home pedicures I’ve given myself in ages. Just two coats produced a solid, opaque layer of color. Heck, I probably could have gotten away with one layer if I’d been in hurry. Read more…

The Chanel Les Perles de Chanel Collection CHANEL LES PERLES
DE CHANEL FOR SPRING 2011

Don your best tweed jacket and pearls, ma chérie (and dab No. 5 on your pulse points), because it’s time to say bonsoir to the new Chanel Les Perles de Chanel makeup collection.

There’s plenty of photographic evidence that proves our girl Coco wore a lot of pearls. In point of fact, she practically dripped in them because she believed their delicate glow enhanced a woman’s natural beauty.

Her heirs apparent at Chateau Chanel must agree. Remembering how much Coco loved pearls, they created the Les Perles collection for spring 2011, with its preponderance of pearly finishes destined to impart natural-looking luminosity to cheeks, eyes, lips and nails.

Since he joined the team — nay, the movement! — Chanel Global Creative Director Peter Philips has done a fantastic job (in my opinion) keeping Gabby’s spirit and her iconic style alive, and, with Les Perles de Chanel (just look at those shades of black, gray and white!), he’s done it again.

Les Perles is coming next month to Chanel counters but is available now on chanel.com.

Here’s a brief look at a few items from the collection, with more to follow over the coming days. 🙂

Joues Contraste Powder Blush in Espiegle ($42) — A warm peachy pink blush with a subtle golden sheen. It reminds me a little of NARS Orgasm in the pan but applies lighter, with a less frosty finish, and it gives my cheeks a soft, candlelit glow. Read more…

Mascara Magic 101 MASCARA MAGIC 101
HOW TO GET THE MOST FROM YOUR MASCARA

It’s 6:30 in the morning. You just barely saved your white blouse from a nice warm coffee demise, and all you’ve left to do is throw on some mascara. Do you…

A. Close your eyes, wiggle the wand randomly in the vicinity of your lashes, and hope for the best?

B. Look straight into the mirror, and take a few seconds slowly sweeping the bristled brush from base to tip, possibly allowing time for a second coat?

C. Stop, take a deep breath, and with your disposable sponge, gently lift your eyelid while you wiggle your brush at the roots, sweeping them quickly outward and upward, turning the brush vertically to add a bit of length at the corner, and wiggling it over the lower lashes?

Hopefully, you picked (C), as you may have guessed that in this case, the most complicated answer is the right one. Read more…

Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense Lipsticks MAKE UP FOR EVER
ROUGE ARTIST INTENSE LIPSTICKS

Stand tall, my little lipstick soldiers! Paint the clouds with your awesomeness, and shower your pretty pigments down upon the planet like makeup Skittles!

I’ve been meaning to swatch the 10 Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense Lipsticks ($19) I received for placing in the Rouge Artist Contest, but I just keep chickening out, unable to bear the thought of disturbing them in their perfect little tubes.

And then it started raining here yesterday. And raining. And raining. And I thought, “Hmm… I remember those Rouge Artist Intense Lipsticks being awfully pretty and colorful.”

I’m kinda glad I waited to swatch these, because with all the rain today today I really needed a pick-me-up.

Available in a monstrously huge selection of 50 unscented, unflavored colors in matte, pearl and satin finishes, the pigmented, full-coverage Rouge Artist Intense Lipsticks are designed to drench puckers in pure, unadulterated color — opaque after just one swipe. They joined the Make Up For Ever permanent line last fall. Read more…

Sonia Kashuk What Glitters Glows Palette SONIA KASHUK
WHAT GLITTERS GLOWS PALETTE

OMG! Have you heard about the party at Target?! Well, not at Target. It’s more inside Target, down by the cosmetics aisle, right in front of the Sonia Kashuk display.

Just look for the disco ball…packaging for Sonia’s limited edition What Glitters Glows Eye Palette ($15).

If it looks familiar… If it looks familiar (déjà vu!), you may be recalling last year’s Starry Eyes Palette, which also had big pans of shadow like these and came in similar packaging. Oh, and it had the same price ($15).

For this palette, Sonia swapped out the three cool-toned, smooth and pigmented mattes from Starry Eyes with three dynamic, neutral-toned shadows with a fascinating combination of matte/glitter finish.

I can’t believe the gray, black and brown shadows in the bottom row are available at Target, because they seem like higher end department store material to me. They come in a matte base that’s pigmented, yet still soft and easy to blend, and they’re infused with subtle flecks of sophisticated black-tie glitter (as opposed to 1996 rave glitter), which reminds me: did you ever dance with a glow stick at a rave? Yup, good times… Read more…

Sonia Kashuk Facing Stardom Palette THE SONIA KASHUK
FACING STARDOM PALETTE

The limited edition Sonia Kashuk Facing Stardom Face Palette ($19.99) is like a spontaneous red carpet moment. One second I’m sitting at my desk in black stretchy pants (you know, the ones with the hole in the butt?), but the second that first swipe of smokey eye and rosy cheek/lip makeup dances onto my face, BAM! I’m strutting my stuff at a Hollywood premiere, waiting for Ryan Reynolds to introduce me as “his close friend, confidante and shoulder to cry on” to the paparazzi.

Looking like a star with this 12-piece holiday palette, which includes two powder eyeliners, six eyeshadows, two lipglosses and two cream blushes, doesn’t require an actual acting career. All you need are brushes and your imagination.

Eyeliners: The matte powder eyeliners can be worn wet or dry along the lash and/or waterlines. They have a little fallout when applied dry, so I keep makeup wipes on standby just in case I need to clean up.

Eyeshadows: Cool-toned and smokey is the name of the game. The glitter shadows (a glittery gray, taupe and purplish taupe) are more pigmented than the ones in the What Glitters Glows Palette, which is a big plus. The three mattes (a gray, purplish taupe and taupe) apply sheer and blend with ease. Read more…

Yes to Cucumbers Color Conditioner YES TO CUCUMBERS
COLOR CONDITIONER

Tabs has really been riding me lately to find a good cruelty-free drugstore conditioner. He even threatened to swipe my ankles if I didn’t produce something this week worthy of sharing on the blog. I focussed the search on volumizing products designed to cut down on frizz, since those are both hair issues of mine, and I think I may have found something to save my ankles from Tabs. They call it Yes to Cucumbers Color Care Conditioner ($9).

With a mild cucumber scent, this lightweight, moisturizing conditioner is marketed to gals with color-treated hair, which I have, but I’m so impressed by it that I’d wager it would also do wonders for other types of hair (particularly fine, limp hair because it is quite volumizing).

Not only is it cruelty free, but it’s also made from 99.6% natural ingredients, including minerals harvested from the Dead Sea, organic cucumbers, centaurea extract (an extract from a flower that’s supposed to help prevent brassiness) and green tea. Most of the ingredients are also plant extracts, way up on list, and there’s no mention of silicones among the ingredients at all. Read more…

NYX Tango Bronzing Powder NYX TANGO
BRONZING POWDER

When Tabs was on safari in Tanzania earlier this year, he met a serval who told him the tale of a leopard named Nix (pronounced NYX), who spent every day sunning himself way up high in the branches of a big acacia tree.

Later, when he got back home to Novato, Tabs took the story and turned it into his first book, titled “When Leopard Gets a Tan.”

And that’s where NYX got the idea for Tango With Bronzing Powder in When Leopard Gets a Tan. 🙂

Okay, okay, that’s not true at all. But it sure would have made a great story, right?

When Leopard Gets a tan, one of the new NYX bronzers for fall, reminded me of Too Faced Pink Leopard from the pan, but once applied the color’s more bronzy, less peach and less shimmery — a soft sheen as opposed to Pink Leopard’s frost. Read more…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Viva la Revolución! 20 Makeup and Beauty Tips to Revolutionize Your Routine

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Sam

Written by Sam

Freelance makeup artist and blogger Sam wants to arm YOU for beauty battle (A-TEN-HUT!!) in today’s guest post.

Viva la Beauty Revolution!

Viva la Revolución!

Plug in your curling irons and grab your spoolies; the revolution has begun! Check out this bevy of quick, simple tips and tricks to revolutionize your beauty routine.

  1. Line your waterline with a white or fleshtone (for a more natural effect) shade to make your eyes look BIGGER.
  2. Use a shadow with blue undertones, or any shade of blue (from navy to electric) liner, to brighten the whites of your eyes.
  3. Perk up tired eyes by placing a shimmery gold or champagne shadow near your tear duct with a pencil brush (it’s like a shot of adrenaline for your peepers!).
  4. No time to redo your makeup after work before you go out dancing? No problem. Just dab a tiny bit of Vaseline over your lids instead. (BONUS: If you happen to be going to a club with blacklights, the Vaseline will glow neon-blue!) Tap a bit of glitter (cosmetic grade, of course, you silly) over the Vaseline to enhance the effect.
  5. Use Chapstick (or lip balms containing alcohol or camphor) no more than twice a day. Contrary to popular belief, the more often you use lip balm, the more chapped your lips can become. After a point, they can actually start to draw the moisture from your lips. To be safe, apply no more than once in the morning, and once before bed. If you’re already hooked on balm, wean yourself off of it slowly.
  6. Replace your store-bought exfoliator with DIY microdermabrasion. Take some plain ol’ baking soda (about a dime-size amount), and mix it with enough of your regular facial wash to create a thin paste. Massage the mixture all over your face using small circular motions, avoiding the eye area and paying special attention to the creases around your nose and the edges of your lips. It should sting oh so slightly. Rinse after about a minute. Reduce the amount of baking soda you use, and be more gentle when you apply the mixture, if it stings a little too much.

    Never use this method more than once or twice a week, and if you’re on any acne medication that chemically exfoliates your skin (like Retin-A, Duac, Epiduo, or Accutane), don’t use this method at all. You could severely damage your skin, making it red, raw, and sensitive for days (trust me on this…)

  7. Do your eyeshadow before your foundation. This way, if you experience any fallout, you won’t have to worry about covering it up or having it wreck the rest of your meticulously applied makeup.
  8. Speaking of fallout, the best way to prevent it from smudging on your skin is to keep it from touching it in the first place. Grab any cheap loose powder, and apply liberally under your eyes and onto your cheekbones. Then, after you’ve finished doing your eyes, simply sweep it off (and any fallout along with it)!
  9. Eyeshadows just not giving you enough payout? Get a concentrated application of color by patting, instead of sweeping, the color on your lid.
  10. Remember, the first place your loaded brush touches is where the most pigment is gonna land, and that’s especially important when contouring and often when applying eyeshadow.
  11. Don’t forget the Laws of Layering. For the face: serum, lotion, sunscreen, primer, liquid products, cream products, and powder products. For hair: sprays (except hairspray), lotions, styling products, serums/shine products, and hairspray.
  12. For body exfoliation, try taking a cheap, abrasive body brush and scrubbing yourself down before you hop in the shower. WARNING: if it hurts your skin like a keratin treatment hurts your wallet (or your stylish money clip), you may have scrubbed too hard, but the payout will be a smooth, sexy, glowing bod. If you’re up to it, really detox that skin by exchanging the brush for fine sea or Kosher salt.
  13. If you color your hair, use a sulphate-free shampoo. Sulfates can really strip dye straight from your cuticle, leading to lackluster locks and overall dullness. Most hair products will blatantly advertise that they do not contain sulphates for this reason. Your stylist may miss seeing you as often for color touch-ups, but your bank account will thank you.
  14. However, you can’t necessarily trust a hair product to be color-safe even if it doesn’t contain sulfates. Many volumizing products (mostly mousses) work by actually opening up the cuticle, making it porous and allowing color to easily escape, especially during application of heat. Be wary of this.
  15. Whether your hair is color treated or not, always rinse it in the coldest water you can. Heat opens the cuticles, making your hair frizz, look dull, and tangle. By never letting hot water touch your precious locks and turning momentarily to cold, you can seal the cuticles, lock in your color, amp up the shine, and smooth your hair overall to reduce flyaways and frizzies.
  16. After styling your hair, are there still some random flyaways bringing down your bombshell look? Take a simple toothbrush and spray some hairspray onto the bristles. Then, use it to sweep those escaped strands into their proper place.
  17. When applying nail polish, leave a 2 millimeter gap on either side. This gives a sharper, cleaner look and protects your cuticles, all in one! Now that’s multitasking for ya…
  18. Foundation making your red skin look ruddy? You might be using one with pink undertones. My belief is that everyone can use some yellow. Some people believe that pink will liven up their skin and make it look rosy, but I believe pink can be aging and actually make you look dull and pallid. The only time I ever use pink-based foundation is on select people with very fair skin. A bit of yellow livens up the skin and gives it dimension, while still counteracting some of the redness that can naturally appear. And if you still think you need pink, try beige or neutral undertones instead. They should still be able to balance out the multitude of shades in your skin.
  19. The purpose of foundation is not to match the skintone of your face; otherwise, what would be the point (you could just use concealer to hit problem areas in this case)? Instead, it’s meant to make your face look in tone with the rest of your exposed skin (for women, often the chest and arms; for men, often just the arms).
  20. Want your lips to be voluptuous and kissable? Easy! Before bed, apply some lip balm or a thin layer of Vaseline. Let it sit for about five minutes, and then blot most of it off. Next, take a basic toothbrush, and scrub at your lips in small, circular motions (this will sting). It removes much of the built-up dead skin and rough spots while smoothing out lines and creases. Immediately afterward, wipe away the rest of the balm and reapply. Do this twice a week, and before long your lipstick will apply smoother, and kissing will be much more fun.

Take these 20 tips as you will, and stay tuned for Viva la (Beauty) Revolución: Part 2!

Sam

Written by Sam

Sam is a 17-year-old, oddly tall guy whose love of all things skincare, makeup, and fashion started when he entered the modeling world at 14. Since then, he’s established himself as a freelance makeup artist in the theatre and fashion worlds, and started his own blog to preach the wonders of orange eyeshadow, Asian skincare, and designer fragrances to the masses.

Does Korres Vanilla Guava Showergel Smell Like Macarons? Of Korres

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Korres Vanilla Guava Showergel

I tore through that box of macarons in record time, but their spirit lives on in the Korres Vanilla Guava Showergel ($19.50).

I’ll go out on a limb and assume that Korres didn’t have my favorite vanilla flavored cookies in mind when they cooked up this moisturizing gel. This newest member of the company’s luxuriously bubbly Showergel line is made from (a very specific) 90.2% natural ingredients. Korres claims the wheat proteins and aloe in the product keep skin moisturized while vitamins C, E and the mineral zinc help reduce visible signs of aging. Tabs doesn’t look a day over five…but he thinks it’s cool that this stuff is also cruelty free.

Korres Vanilla Guava Showergel

Korres Vanilla Guava Showergel ingredients
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