Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup

Diamond Head, overlooking Waikiki Beach on Oahu, HI

Oh, you guys. 🙂 I just finished reading all of your comments and feel like a new woman. I guess I’m just gonna keep on keepin’ on. For better or worse, that’s all we can do.

This afternoon I fired up the old tea pot and spent a long, lazy hour sipping tea and surfing the web.

What follows are the highlights of my tea-fueled e-adventure…

• What can a $2 toner really do for your complexion? The answer surprised me — BellaSugar
• WOWZA! This bright makeup look plum makes me feel like dancing — Temptalia
• Would you ever host a brush cleaning bash? — Sephora’s Beauty and the Blog
• These aren’t your average silver hoop earrings — Masaom’s Etsy Shop
• Vinyl wall decals? I’d like to try the swirly ones — Holly’s Etsy Shop
• A site that’s always good for a laugh 🙂 (Geoff and his Pokemon = awesomeness!) — Sexy People
• Imagine building the Guggenheim out of tiny lil’ blocks — Miss Jane
• I’m totes digging this blog’s mish-mash of fashion, home decorating and accessory (SHOES!) pics — Simply Seductive
• The definitive guide to sticking to your New Year’s resolutions — Zen Habits
• Coming back from the holidays: How to get back to work — Freelance Switch
• 8 ways to tell if your loved ones plan to eat you — The Oatmeal

I’ve been a fan of Basement Jaxx for years; check out the voguing bears!

I’ve been meaning to ask if you’ve seen Avatar. Is it as amazing as I’ve heard? I’m going to try to force myself to the movies tonight (gotta get out of the house). What did you think of the 3D?

Have you seen any other movies you could recommend? I have some movie catching up to do.

Talk to you soon. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Hi, ladies. How are you? 🙂 I hope everything on your end’s going well and that you had a fun New Year’s.

I know I’ve been MIA for a few days, which is totally unusual. For going on three years now (since Feb. ’07), we’ve chatted at least once a day, so I’m sorry.

Suffice it to say, I’m not quite feeling like my usual self. I haven’t wanted to burden you with it, though, and so I’ve kept quiet.

But I figure that sharing is probably better than just holding it all in, so here goes…

Grief

The death of my friend’s dad hit me hard. It’s a deep and profound sadness, one I’ve never felt before. My heart’s flooded with a sorrow that I’ve so far been unable to handle.

Part of it’s the pain I feel for my friend. We’ve been close since childhood, being there for one another, and because she’s hurting, I am too.

The other part has been the realization that one day I will also mourn the loss of my father.

I keep seeing the image of my friend at the funeral, walking behind the coffin that held her dad, sobbing in her brother’s arms. I keep hearing the sound of her voice as she struggled to sing one last song for him (The Rainbow Connection) at his grave site because he loved the sound of her voice so much.

It’s all weighing down my heart like an anchor…

And the hits keep coming!

Adding to my general malaise, the cough I picked up last week (which I didn’t think worth mentioning) officially turned into a “thing” my doctor calls “reactive airway disease.”

But thanks to two oh-so-sexy inhalers (looking for a cute wristlet in which to carry them), I’m finally getting better.

I pictured animated birds like from Disney’s Cinderella

I woke up to the soothing sound of a light rain outside my window. I listened to it for a while, and then it stopped. Then a brief silence, and then a symphony of birds chirping and singing, “Rise and shine, Karen! It’s time to get up! Come on, let’s go. Get up, get up, get up!”

And so I did. 🙂

Thank you

I’m suddenly reminded of everything good in the world, like you — a kind and generous person who takes time out of your busy day to spend it daydreaming with me about makeup or dinner plans or school or work or life.

Yes, I know this sounds corny, but I want to thank you for being you. Through everything, the good stuff and the bad, you’ve been there for me.

I can feel my joy rising to the surface again… bobbing up and down in a sea of makeup and beauty.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Yay! Hip-hip-hooray! We made it, ladies. 🙂 For our last post of 2009, a farewell to some of my favorite bright eyeshadow looks and tutorials from the past year (the image sections are clickable links).

How do you feel about 2009 now that it’s behind us? Was it a good year for you? Truth be told, I’m glad it’s history. I feel ready for 2010!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

We hear ’em every year — wait, no, every season! — a new batch of makeup and beauty trends. Which ones will go mainstream, and which ones won’t? Everyone loves playing prognosticator every once in a while, right? Err, at least I sure do. 🙂

Oh, if I missed a trend that you expect us to see a lot next year, do tell. Let me know in the comments.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen