Yountville, California. I love the golden light of the early evening.
Sunset on the Hills
by Karen 11 Comments
Yountville, California. I love the golden light of the early evening.
by Karen 15 Comments
Last Saturday I ate my very first cassoulet at Bistro Jeanty. Dang, that sucker was good! I’m pretty sure it wasn’t low-fat, though…
by Karen 76 Comments

(NOTE: I think the blue item is Liquid Eyeshadow in Aqua Flash)
Officially, my summer lust is ON like Donkey Kong. I *wish* we could just hop on a plane to someplace warm today, ladies. I need tropical mischief, and there are few things more fun than a girls-only vacay, ya know?
OOH! I could bring along ALL OF MY PICTURES OF TABS (every group needs a designated crazy cat lady) and Estee Lauder’s summery Bronze Goddess 2010 collection. Don’t worry if you forget your blush — we’ll just share mine.
I thought the 2008 and 2009 Bronze Goddess releases were phenomenal; hopefully this year’s is too.
Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess
Bronze Goddess Liquid Eyeshadow in Aqua Flash, $17.50
Bronze Goddess Liquid Eyeshadow in Molten Brown, $17.50
Bronze Goddess Liquid Eyeshadow in Sand Shimmer, $17.50
Bronze Goddess Liquid Eyeshadow in Ultra Violet, $17.50
Bronze Goddess Exotic Lip Gloss in Wild Coral, $18
Bronze Goddess Exotic Lip Gloss in Wild Orchid, $18
Bronze Goddess Exotic Bronzing Blush, $35
Bronze Goddess Bronzing Gel, $28.50
Bronze Goddess Solid Perfume Pendant, $75
by Karen 26 Comments

It’s Tuesday morning — do you know where your caffeinated beverage is (LOL!)? My tea is steeping, and I’m watching it like a crazed clown: “Steep faster! FASTER!! Mamma needs her fix…”
Have a great day today. I haven’t figured out my to-do list yet. Figuring out what’s on it is probably the first thing on it, though, ha!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
by Karen 16 Comments
Everyone gets a little down from time to time, which is why I started this blog. 🙂 I like to get down in a good way, and you can too — with a roundup of Makeup and Beauty Blog posts delivered to you once/day by email. It’s called the daily feed, and it’s almost as satisfying as Snickers.
You’ll get peeks at upcoming makeup collections, alerts about product giveaways and ideas for makeup looks to try at home — all washed down with a spoonful of crazy cat lady (sorry… I can’t help myself when it comes to Tabs).
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
by Karen 74 Comments

Put down that snow shovel, ladies, and grab your swimsuit, sunscreen and your stunna shades, because you and I are heading Poolside. 🙂
Don’t worry if you’re snowed in and/or haven’t shaved your naughty bits in months (yo, been there, done that), it’s not that kind of pool. For this pool, all you need is nails.
The six new summery shades in the China Glaze Poolside collection ($6.50 each) are available now, and to put it mildly, they’re BRIGHT!
For a look at the 2010 fall collection…
China Glaze Vintage Vixen
Neons are notoriously streaky and can take forever to apply, but Kiwi Cool-Ada and Towel Boy Toy are a breeze to apply. They’re smooth (like Tabs) and apply evenly, only requiring two layers to look fully opaque. Definitely my faves of the bunch!

Kiwi Cool-Ada

Towel Boy Toy
As for Pool Party and Flip Flop Fantasy, I think they’re also relatively easy to apply, but getting opaque coverage with them seems to take a third layer. No problem at all, though, because I think they’re totally worth the time. Oh, hello there, muscular surfer dude telling me how great my hair looks and oh, sure, you can fetch me another piña colada and come back and have a seat beside me on the sand under my umbrella…
Sorry! Lost my train of thought! 🙂
[Continue reading…]
by Karen 21 Comments

Even though Physician’s Formula Organic Wear Eye Makeup Remover Pads didn’t knock my socks off, I really tried to keep an open mind when I tested the doc’s Organic Wear Facial Makeup Remover Lotion ($10).

Like the pads, this lotion has all the makings of drugstore greatness — affordable, no sketchy chemicals, cute (always a plus), and it wasn’t tested on animals. My picky nose loves the real deal lavender scent, too, and the lotion feels silky soft against my skin.
So far, so good…
Will it be the organic drugstore lotion of my dreams?
To give it a fair shake and prepare my skin before testing, I stopped using my trusty Clinique Cleansing Balm a few days beforehand.
[Continue reading…]
by Karen 58 Comments

Blooming chipper!
I think some of it’s fantastic, but it takes patience to sift through all of the not-so-great stuff to get to the gems. Once you find ’em, though, it feels like you’ve found buried treasure!
If you’re in the service, YAY! If you’re buying bananas at Safeway, then only in measured doses — maybe a pair of shorts, tennies or a t-shirt.
I’d like to get better at applying bright teal and green eyeshadows. They’re not colors I’d wear outside of the house that often, but you never know…
Nothing yet except MAC Naked Honey Salve on my lips. I’m thinking of doing something with one of the Spring Colour Forecast quads.
A few small ones. One is a burn on my left wrist from a cooking accident 10 years ago. It’s shaped like a dolphin. 🙂
On most days, sweet, but when Aunt Flo visits, savory.
I can pinch with my toes, HARD.
Tow up from the flo’ up in brown shorts, a green t-shirt and black zip-up hoodie (I’m still in jammies).
Just to keep a good attitude about freelancing, try to watch what I eat, exercise daily, get to bed before midnight, and generally try to take better care of myself than I did last week.
Good morning, ladies (well, early afternoon for some of you). 🙂 How did you sleep? I slept fine until Tabs decided it was time to play. It was just before dawn, and I think he sensed I wanted to sleep in, so he leapt on my chest (ouch!) as if to say, “Nope. Not gonna happen.”
Mmm… I’ve been on a green tea kick lately. Do you like it? Sometimes I prefer coffee, but it kinda messes with my nerves after a while.
So what are you up to today (Happy Presidents Day)? Let me know how you’re doing. Just copy this list, and paste it with your answers in the comments.
Le list
1. Mood:
2. How do you feel about drugstore makeup?
3. Camo print: yay or nay?
4. What’s one makeup challenge you’d like to master?
5. Eyes/lips/cheeks:
6. Do you have any scars?
7. Sweet or savory foods?
8. Do you have any hidden talents?
9. Outfit:
10. Weekly goals:
Um… I just realized that the hidden talents question might be asking for trouble, LOL! 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Copyright © 2025 Makeup and Beauty Blog. Get in touch.
