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

10 Days of Giveaways: Avril Lavigne Black Star Perfume

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The giveaway is now closed, and I’m contacting the winner by e-mail. Good luck!

avril-lavigne-black-star giveaway

Many moons ago (well, like 2007), I had a fateful run-in with — don’t laugh — Britney Spears Midnight Fantasy perfume.

Previous to that bedazzling moment o’ blackberry bliss, I was a total scent snob who never paid no mind to celebrity perfumes. I preferred to get my stars between the pages of US Weekly instead of spritzed on my wrists.

Since then, however, my tastes have changed. Now, I like a bunch of different celebrity perfumes! And to celebrate my broadened horizons, I’m giving away a different celebrity scent each day for the next 10 days. 🙂

Today’s is a shout-out to my sk8r girls — Avril Lavigne’s new scent, Black Star!

The prize

One lucky lady will take home Avril Lavigne’s new Black Star Eau de Parfum Spray (a $40 value).

A fruity floral with notes of plum, dark chocolate and pink hibiscus, Black Star comes with a removable studded band inspired by Avril’s favorite studded cuff (street fight motif).

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How to enter…

2ways2enterEntering is easy. There are two different ways, 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. It can be a comment about anything at all. Tell me which lip gloss you’re wearing, what music you’re listening to or which scent you’re wearing today.

Today I’m all about Dior Creme de Gloss in Delicious Plum!

Follow me
Second, enter by following me on Twitter and retweeting (RT) the following message:

RT @karenmbb: RT to Win Avril Lavigne Black Star Perfume http://bit.ly/313APr

Recap…

  1. Enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, and don’t forget to use a valid email address so I can reach you if you win.
  2. Follow me on Twitter and retweet the following message:

    RT @karenmbb: RT to Win Avril Lavigne Black Star Perfume http://bit.ly/313APr

I’ll pick the winner at random from among the people who enter by 11:59 p.m. PST on Tuesday, September 22.

Bonne chance!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The giveaway is now closed, and I’m contacting the winner by e-mail. Good luck!

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Sept. 21

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  1. Mood:

    2. A little tired (I’m worn out from running around all weekend), but otherwise chipper.

  2. This morning I told myself to _____.

    3. Get it together and stick to my deadlines. It’s the only way I’m gonna make it through the week!

  3. Three bits of hard-learned makeup advice:

    4. 1) Skip lipgloss on windy days, 2) be sure you’re drinking enough water, and 3) get thee a Shu Uemura Lash Curler, ASAP!

  4. Last text message I sent:

    5. “Um, why are you watching How Do I Look? That show’s sacrilege without Finola, yo!”

  5. Eyes/lips/cheeks:

    6. Mostly Dior. Eyes: 5-Colour Eyeshadow in Night Butterfly and Ultra-Smooth High Impact Eyeshadow in Brown Argentic; Lips: Addict Lip Color in Rose Lingerie, Creme de Gloss in Delicious Plum; Cheeks: MAC Beauty Powder in Summer Rose

  6. Worst current skin issue:

    7. Three pimples popped on my chin last weekend, BOO!

  7. ____ make(s) me happy.

    8. Unexpected acts of kindness, strawberry gelato, the sound of rain against my window, feeling organized, fluffy pancakes and positive reinforcement are all things that make me happy. 🙂

  8. ____ make(s) me bitchy.

    9. Rude drivers, uncomfortable underwear, early morning talkers, toe rings, running out of dental floss, and Mario Lopez are all things that make me bitchy.

  9. Outfit:

    10. Stretchy J. Crew jeans and a light purple button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

  10. Weekly goals:

    11. Pack for this weekend’s move, buy curtains, do some push-ups to get muscly by Friday…

‘Morning, ladies. Howzit today? I hope your Monday got off to a good start. I’m sitting here slurping my coffee and staring out the window while El Hub gets ready to leave for work. I can see some kids walking to school with their parents, and off in the distance there’s fog slowly retreating behind the hills… I have a feeling today’s going to be a good day.

When you have a minute, let me know how you’re doing by copying the list below and pasting it with your answers in the comments. Talk to you soon. 🙂

Le list

1. Mood:
2. This morning I told myself to _____.
3. Three bits of makeup advice:
4. Last text message I sent:
5. Eyes/lips/cheeks:
6. Worst current skin issue:
7. ____ makes me happy.
8. ____ makes me bitchy.
9. Outfit:
10. Weekly goals:

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 55

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Tabs and the 49ers versus the Seattle Seahawks

This afternoon Tabs and Snowflake went to support the home team at the 49ers/Seahawks game in SF while I was stuck here at home packing for the move.

I never even knew they had tickets…

Right before kickoff I got this iPhone pic sent to my phone. Can you spot Tabs and Snowflake (click here for a larger version)? 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. The Niners won!

Will You Miss Prescriptives?

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Farewell Prescriptives

I still can’t believe Estée Lauder pulled the plug on Prescriptives…

It must have been a difficult decision for the maker of MAC, Clinique and Bobbi Brown. Any time you shutter doors on a 30-year-old cosmetics line it has to hurt, even if sales of the line have been underperforming for a while.

Global distribution will end about four months from now (Jan. 31, 2010), so there’s still time to stock up before the counters disappear. After that, any remaining stock will be cleared out through the website.

I can’t say I’m heartbroken, but I will miss certain things about Prescriptives, like their approach to color, specifically their range. Even as far back as the ’80s and ’90s I could count on Prescriptives to carry foundation shades that matched my skin tone.

But it wasn’t enough to fend off the competition, and they grew to be overshadowed by EL’s other brands.

Will you miss Prescriptives?

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For whatever it’s worth, fellow fans of Prescriptives’ still popular Calyx fragrance are in luck. We’ll still be able to get our hands on it through Aramis at department stores and online. I guess that’s better than nothing… I do like fruity, fresh Sheer Calyx Exhilaration. 🙂

Farewell Prescriptives…

Mineral Bronzer in Warm
Prescriptives Mineral Bronzer in Warm, $30

Eye Color Compact in Warm
Prescriptives Eye Color Compact in Warm from the Well Suited Collection, $40
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The Chanel Jade Collection: A Softer Alternative to Fall’s Dark Nail Polishes

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chanel jade

What’s up, Jade-a-kisses?

Ever since I saw pictures of the Chanel runway models rocking jade green nails earlier this year, I’ve been dying, DYING to get my hands on the Chanel Jade Collection polishes.

This month the two limited edition shades, Jade and Jade Rose ($25 each), finally hit Chanel Makeup Studio and boutiques shelves. I ordered mine online last week from Chanel.com, and both pastel cuties finally arrived on my doorstep last Friday.

Chanel Jade background

Beauty junkies first got a glimpse of the colors in Paris last March during the Chanel Ready-to-Wear Fall 2009-2010 show, when Monsieur Karl sent a collection of black clothes punctuated with pale pink and jade green accents down the runway.

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chanel-fall-ready-to-wear-runway-2009-2010-2
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Saturday Surfing

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

One Way to Remove Glitter Nail Polish

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how-to-remove-glitter-polish

Would you believe my glittery Illamasqua Harsh mani lasted all but one day?

It wasn’t the polish’s fault. Coco and Co. were to blame! Late yesterday afternoon, the new Chanel Jade nail polishes I’ve been dying to try arrived in the mail (swatches coming soon!).

Glittery nail polishes can be notoriously difficult to remove — so difficult, in fact, that some women refuse to wear them at all. Those little bits of glitter will just grip nails with a fierceness and refuse to let go!

When I sat down to remove my polish a few minutes ago, I remembered that a few of you, including reader Sarah, asked about it too.

Hi, Sarah. 🙂 Here’s a way to remove glittery nail polishes that works pretty well for me:

What you’ll need

Glitter polish removal, step-by-step

  • Start by thoroughly soaking a cotton ball or pad with the nail polish remover.
  • Place the soaked pad on the nail, making sure you cover it from cuticle to tip, and gently press down.

Acetone removers and glitter polish: There are many different varieties of nail polish remover, but ones containing acetone (a colorless, flammable solvent also found in many household cleaners and chemicals like paint thinner) seem to work faster than the non-acetone polishes I’ve tried, at least when it comes to removing glittery polish. Acetone is not a green chemical, however, and can be rather harsh on nails (making them dry/brittle), so I try to limit my use of it to polishes with glitter.

One brand I like is Zoya’s Remove +. It works well without over-drying my nails.

  • Hold the moistened pad in place for 30 seconds to give the remover time to work its mojo.

TIP: When I don’t have a clock nearby, I hum the Happy Birthday song to myself three times. That takes me about 30 seconds. 🙂

  • Gently slide the moistened cotton ball/pad from the cuticle to the tip of each nail. Most of the glitter should rub away, but remove whatever’s left with the same pad.
  • Repeat the same process for each of your other nails.
  • When you’re finished, wash your hands and nails well to remove the acetone and any stray bits of glitter that were left behind.

A remover just for glitter polishes? While surfing the web I spied a remover specifically designed for glitter called Cutex Glitter Girls Acetone Nail Polish Remover ($3). Have you given it a try? If you think it’s any good, please let me know.

  • You can help to keep your nails healthy after using acetone on them by using a nail polish moisturizer like Nailtiques Nail Moisturizer. It has a thick, rich formula and a light vanilla scent.

Sin Nombre: Beautiful cinematography, intense story

sin-nombre

How was your night?

I rented Sin Nombre, a subtitled film about a teenage Central American gang member who tries to escape the gang by heading north to the US. He joins up with a Honduran family also heading north but for different reasons.
[Continue reading…]

Comment to Win 5 Bare Escentuals Buffing Brushes

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Bare Escentuals Buffing Brushes

Are you a good buffer? I’m not. People say they can read me like a book. 🙂

No, I mean buffer as in applying your bareMinerals makeup. Even if you’re not a great buffer, I’m sure one of these five buffing brushes can help.

As a matter of fact, let’s get this party started with a little giveaway.

The prize

One lucky lady will take home the Bare Escentuals Buffing Brushes Escentual Collection, a kit with the following five brushes and accompanying travel case (a $49 value):

  1. Handy Buki Brush
  2. Tapered Blush Brush
  3. Precision Liner Brush
  4. Wet/Dry Shadow Brush
  5. Soft Focus Shadow Brush
  6. Travel Case (looks like a fancy Yahtzee cup)

How to enter…

2ways2enterEntering is easy. There are two different ways, 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. In it, describe your closest brush with fame. 🙂 Do you have a cousin in the movies? Have you ever starred in a TV commercial or eaten a cobb salad seated next to a famous singer at a Denny’s in Las Vegas?

I got a very brief interview with Sarah Jessica Parker in the back room of a Macy’s last year. The room was small like a coat closet, and I was sweating bullets! She was doing a promotional tour for Covet Pure Bloom, her latest fragrance at the time.

Follow me
Second, enter by following me on Twitter and retweeting (RT) the following message:

RT @karenmbb: RT to Win 5 Bare Escentuals Buffing Brushes http://bit.ly/11JEjD

Recap…

  1. Enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, and don’t forget to use a valid email address so I can reach you if you win.
  2. Follow me on Twitter and retweet the following message:

    RT @karenmbb: RT to Win 5 Bare Escentuals Buffing Brushes http://bit.ly/11JEjD

I’ll pick the winner at random from among the people who enter by 11:59 p.m. PST on Monday, September 21.

Bona fortuna!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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