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

Brushes with Blushes: The MAC Too Fabulous Mineralize Blush Duos

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MAC Too Fabulous Mineralize Blush Duos

Morning, ladies! I can tell it’s going to be a good day because I’m blushing already. 😳

Blushing like these MAC Mineralize Blush Duos ($23) from the upcoming Too Fabulous collection (in stores March 4).

Corny morning greeting? You betcha, but I happen to really like MAC’s Mineralize blushes, despite their frosty metallic finish. Some ladies (and gents!) aren’t big fans, but I find that I can do different things with them (from a candlelit glow to a blast of cheek color) depending on the brushes I use.

If you decide to give these Mineralize Blush Duos a try, here are four brushes to consider…

1. 187 Duo Fibre Brush ($42)

Its black and white brush head led to it being nicknamed the “skunk brush,” but this bad boy’s no stinker. It applies a sheer whisper of color onto the cheeks and allows me to build my color and shimmer slowly. TIP: To create a “glazed” cheek look, try spritzing the brush head lightly with MAC Fix+ ($18) before swiping it against the pan.

2. 188 Small Duo Fibre Brush ($34)

The baby version of the 187. It’s a little smaller and has a flatter top, which makes it great for precise application to areas like the bottoms of cheekbones. I love using it to layer different blush colors.

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Might As Well Face It, I’m Addicted to Dior

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I’m Addicted to Dior.

There, I said it.

And the eye look on the model above for the Addicted to Dior summer collection (coming April 21) is weakening my resolve. I love the seamless movement of her eyeshadows from pink to brown to gold, WORK!! The overall vibe, with the hair bear bangs and hot pink lips seems so Joan Collins circa Dynasty.

“The problem with beauty is that it’s like being born rich and getting poorer.” – Joan Collins

Addicted (above) might not have the refinement of spring’s Dior Lace (pic below), but I like it nevertheless.


Promotional shot from spring’s Dior Lace collection…

With the coral, gold, brown and pink color palette for eyes, lips and face, perhaps Dior’s just trying to exercise their edgy side for summer?

Things I’m keeping an eye out for…

  • The Addicted to Dior lip duo palettes look totally bling-tacular. Each comes with two glosses — one shiny and one glitter — able to be worn separately or mixed together.
  • Also looking forward to the Nude Glow Complexion Enhancer, a shimmery liquid apricot highlighter (subtle sheen) to wear beneath foundation or on bare skin.
  • Yes, Virginia, even if you already own 101 other pink lipglosses, you just might covet Dior Addict Crystal Gloss. A hot pink (SCORE!), the exact shade supposedly changes based on the body’s chemistry, creating a unique, personalized shade. Now aren’t we special? 🙂

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MAC Give Me Liberty of London: Have You Ever Purchased a Limited Edition Product Based SOLELY on the Packaging?

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MAC Give Me Liberty of London: bring on the cute compacts!

Ladies, who was it that said, “Give me Liberty, or give me Lunch”?

It must have been a girl after my own heart. 🙂 Since I wanted both today (Liberty AND Lunch), I checked out pics of the very prettily dressed MAC Liberty of London collection (arrives March 11) over lunch.

What do ya think of the white compacts (CUTE!)?

Maybe it was just the “mac” and cheese talking, but I got a little sentimental reminiscing about MAC packaging. They’ve done some great work over the years with the packaging of their limited edition collections.


MAC Give Me Liberty of London Beauty Powder in Summer Rose (a soft pinkish violet with pearl; $25)

Have you ever purchased a limited edition product based SOLELY on the packaging?

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Remember the fun Fafi girls, Miss-Hello-Kitty-if-ya-nasty, le grande Dame Edna and bodacious Barbie (to name but a few)?
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5 Days of Chanel Rouge Coco: Bonjour, Mademoiselle!

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With Rouge Coco, Chanel begins a new chapter in their storied book of makeup and beauty. The new flagship lipsticks launch this week, 🙂 and to herald their arrival I’m planning some looks that feature colors from the collection.

Fo’ sheezy, I fell in love the moment I saw today’s color, Mademoiselle 05, aka the creamy, rosy pink Vanessa Paradis (Johnny Depp’s baby mama) wears in the Chanel Rouge Coco ads.

Mademoiselle’s hydrating formula glides across my lips, leaving them soft AND moisturized.

Oh, and the pigmentation?
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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Feb. 22

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  1. Mood:

    2. Pretty spiffy. I feel good about this week.

  2. A beauty product you couldn’t live without?

    3. Tweezerman tweezers! Without ’em I’d have chin hairs long enough to braid.

  3. Socks with high heels — yay or nay?

    4. In high fashion mags, yay; worn by me? Nay.

  4. Your beverage this morning?

    5. A mug of piping hot green tea with honey.

  5. Eyes/lips/cheeks:

    6. I’m like Switzerland today (feeling neutral): MAC Woodwinked, Soft Brown and Ricepaper eyeshadows, MAC Blacktrack Fluidline, Dior Extase Mascara/Chanel Rouge Coco Mademoiselle 05 lipstick/MAC Blushbaby blush.

  6. What makeup do you have in your purse right now?

    7. Surprisingly, not a lot (or is it?): Clinique Superbalm Moisturizing Gloss in Grapefruit, NARS Sweet Revenge Lipgloss and MAC Cremestick Pearl Liner in Gingerroot. I’ve also got a couple of makeup-related accessories — Sonia Kashuk Blotting Papers and a Sally Hansen Cuticle Pen.

  7. What was the highlight of your weekend?

    8. I slept for 10 glorious hours on Saturday!!

  8. When was the last time you went shopping for makeup?

    9. Last Thursday. I went to Nordstrom and Bloomingdales and messed around with some lipsticks, foundations and the new Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess collection.

  9. Outfit:

    10. I wanted to look good for Tabs today so I put on the green Calvin Klein dress I found at Marshall’s last night. 🙂 It’s a little wrinkly in the pic at the top; I probably should have ironed it first.

  10. Weekly goals:

    11. Don’t get any further behind on e-mails, keep a positive attitude, eat lots of fiber (LOL!) and *smile* no matter what.

It’s horror-film foggy up here today, babes. It’s thicker than mashed potatoes and kinda scary! Good thing I’ve got 15 pounds of Tabby on my lap to protect me… Tabs waves a sleepy hello, by the way.

Before you get to your regular Monday bidness, take a sec to say hi. 🙂 You know how we do it. Just copy the list below, and paste it with your answers in the comments.

Le list

1. Mood:
2. A beauty product you couldn’t live without?
3. Socks with high heels — yay or nay?
4. Today’s morning beverage?
5. Eyes/lips/cheeks:
6. What makeup do you have in your purse right now?
7. The highlight of your weekend?
8. When was the last time you went window shopping for makeup?
9. Outfit:
10. Weekly goals:

Have a great Monday, gals, and may you kick some serious arse!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Try Philosophy Miracle Worker Miraculous Anti-Aging Moisturizer and Sample Their New Eye Hope Cream for Free

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Rise and shine, morning glories. 🙂 It’s Monday, no matter how much I wish it weren’t (le sigh!). What we need is a miracle to skip Mondays entirely, maybe one like Philosophy’s Miracle Worker Miraculous Anti-Aging Moisturizer (I mentioned it last month). With any purchase of it, Philosophy’s throwing in free deluxe samples of their new Eye Hope Cream. Here’s a sponsored post with deets on the offer. – Karen

Philosophy Miracle Worker Miraculous Anti-Aging Moisturizer is a new skin care savior that boasts the highest level of antioxidants of any Philosophy moisturizer. The satiny formula leaves skin feeling soft, while it helps strengthen skin’s natural rejuvenation potential to guard against signs of aging. All this while it helps protect against free radical attack.

Want to try it? Philosophy is providing a free deluxe sample of the new Eye Hope advanced Anti-Aging Eye Cream (2 ml) with any purchase of the Philosophy Miracle Worker Miraculous Anti-Aging Moisturizer. The offer will be valid through March 1. Use code ageless to take advantage.

Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 75

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Click the pic for a LARGER version

The image above is a mosaic of Tabs made from MBB reader gravatars. Wait — what’s a gravatar? They’re little thumbnail images that appear next to your comments on blogs. I wish you had one because I think they look cool and make blogs feel more like home. Anywho, they’re free and easy to make if you want one.

Tabs is still working on his… He’s such a diva that he can’t settle on just one, so he’s going to use a different gravatar every day of the week.

In other news, I just got back from Marshalls where I found a really cute green dress on sale (I don’t even have buyer’s remorse!). I’ll post a pic soon. Right now I’m eating a Luna Bar and looking up movie times for tonight. 🙂

Ladies, I don’t know about you, but I’m in the mood to skip Monday. Can’t we just start the week on Tuesday instead?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Beauty Snacks: Sites of the Day

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I’m so excited (and I just can’t hide it)! I’m about to lose control, and I think I like it. What’s up, ladies? Are you raging against the machine today or just taking it easy like Sunday morning? I’m tempted to spill the beans about a project I’ve been working on that’s almost ready for prime time … but I shouldn’t. Soon, though, hopefully within the next few days. All I can say now is that it’s something a lot of you have asked me to do more often. 🙂

Are you doing anything fun today? I’m thinking about catching a movie with Tabs. He wants to see Shutter Island… I figure Leonardo and Scorsese teaming up again HAS to be good, right?

Swide Magazine by Dolce&Gabbana

D&G’s Swide Magazine is more than just another company blog. Sure, it covers the company’s seasonal collections and shows around the world, but it was their original beauty and fashion features like Inside Yves Saint Laurent’s secret Moroccan garden that made me want to bookmark the site.

juicystar07 on YouTube

Blair’s got a flair for makeup and hair, and her YouTube videos are some of the best I’ve ever seen, particularly her hair vids, which I love. I think her makeup style is more my speed, too, than a lot of the others I’ve seen. I like that she doesn’t only work with bright, crazy bold combos; she also does some very wearable neutral looks that I can actually see myself wearing to the library.

Fashion Templates

Fashion Templates might not seem cool to anyone else but me, but if you’re interested in fashion design or just plain drawing in general, there’s some pretty awesome stuff on the site. The site sells those outline fashion templates designers sometimes use. They’re cheap too (about $1 each). And the Free Tutorials section of the site has tuts on fashion illustration, storyboarding, finding inspiration and fashion education, as well as practical drawing advice for tricky body parts like faces and hands.

Record Tripping – A Bell Brothers Game

LOLZ! This game is sooo cute! Okay, it took me a couple levels to get the hang of it, but now I’m scratching records and passing levels like DJ Jazzy Karen.

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