Coming soon — the Tabs for Chanel collection.
(I wish!)
by Karen 25 Comments

Coming soon — the Tabs for Chanel collection.
(I wish!)
The giveaway is now closed to new entries, and the winners are being contacted. 🙂 Good luck!

What up, cuties?! My camera and I are en route to our local MAC counter to swatch the rest of the new Make-Up Art Cosmetics collection. If I happen upon any great palettes/blushes/lippies of can’t-live-without caliber, I’ll be sure to let you know. 😉
Before I bolt, how about another giveaway?
One lucky lady will take home one tube of Korres Silicone-Free Face Primer (a $28 value).
Korres created this light, lemon-scented primer for ladies with silicone-sensitive skin in mind. It preps skin for foundation and powder application and comes packed with vitamins and antioxidants (Korres claims 99% natural ingredients).
I’ve been singing the praises of this bad boy to my girlfriends all summer. With it my foundation and powder don’t settle into my fine lines, and I think it even makes my pores look smaller. LOVE!
Entering 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, tell me something you love about your look. 🙂
I love being expressive with my face. I think I’m easy to read — I wear my emotions on my
sleeveface through my mouth and eyes.

Second, enter by following me on Twitter and retweeting (RT) the following message:
RT @karenmbb: RT to Win Korres Face Primer http://bit.ly/5OsqM
I’ll pick one winner at random from among the people who enter by 11:59 PM PST on Friday, August 21.
καλή Ï„Ïχη!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. Also, don’t forget about the Bath and Body Works Signature Scent giveaway. It runs through 11:59 PM tonight, so there’s still time to enter!
The giveaway is now closed to new entries, and the winners are being contacted. 🙂 Good luck!
by Karen 24 Comments

Hey, ladies. Did you catch this article in the New York Times the other day on women in the military?
“The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are the first in which tens of thousands of American military women have lived, worked and fought with men for prolonged periods. Wars without front lines, they have done more than just muddle the rules meant to keep women out of direct enemy contact.
They have changed the way the United States military goes to war. They have reshaped life on bases across Iraq and Afghanistan. They have cultivated a new generation of women with a warrior’s ethos — and combat experience — that for millennia was almost exclusively the preserve of men.”
It got me thinking about reader Sandra. She heads overseas later this year.
Hi Karen,
I need some advice! I am getting deployed to the Middle East this winter for a year and want to know what heavy duty sweat-proof, high-SPF sunscreen you can recommend for everyday use on my face. I would like to have something that feels light, offers moisture, and stays put with a ton of sweating. I would be wearing my tinted moisturizer over this product.
Thanks!
Hi Sandra,
I REALLY love Shiseido 55+, aka better than sliced bread.
It’s sweat-proof, moisturizing, comes in a high SPF and feels light — neither greasy nor sticky — on the skin. On top of all that, it doesn’t have an overwhelmingly sunscreeny scent.
At $38, it’s more expensive than drugstore sunscreens, but I think it’s the best basic sunscreen I’ve ever used.
As for less costly drugstore alternatives, I love Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch SPF 30 ($12). Like Shiseido 55, it’s sweat-proof, light and non-greasy/sticky, but I don’t think it’s quite as moisturizing. A layer of moisturizer worn beneath it should help.
Neutrogena makes versions of it in higher SPFs (70-100). I’ve tried them, too, but didn’t care for them as much; the higher SPFs were noticeably thicker and harder (took longer) to massage into my skin. Personally, I’ve never noticed a difference in sun protection between products containing SPF 30 and 70, but I haven’t skin tested with a control to see if that’s true.
Safe travels, Sandra! I hope this helps. Drop by the blog whenever you can while you’re over there to let us know how you’re doing. 🙂
Ladies, let’s give our girl Sandra a hand. Can you recommend any suncreens that stand up to sweat?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Heya, ladies. Thanks for helping me with my mani/pedi earlier tonight. After a lovely dinner of Trader Joe’s Creamy Corn and Roasted Pepper Soup (yum), I ended up going with Midnight Cami (the shimmery dark blue) on my toes and Angora Cardi on my fingers. 🙂
Hope you’re having a nice night. Is it Friday yet?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
by Karen 31 Comments

Chicas, can I borrow you for a second?
I’m suffering from a little bit of post-dental visit brain fart. No shots were involved (thank gawd!), but I was on edge the entire time and have yet to fully decompress from the experience.
Painting my nails always chills me out, so I’m gonna take it easy tonight and do an at-home mani/pedi.
Will you please help me pick a polish? I can’t seem to decide on a color, but I’d like it to be one from Essie’s fall collection ($8 each).
The six-piece collection comes in shades of gray, taupe, pink, blue and orange…

Chinchilly

Angora Cardi

Mink Muffs

Midnight Cami

Bright Tights

Pink Parka
Please let me know which color you heart most in the poll or the comments. My paws thank you!
What are you up to tonight? Will you be chilling at home too?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
by Karen 10 Comments

The dock near my apartment. It’s my favorite place to sit and think.
by Karen 3 Comments

I am *this close* to licking Tarte’s new Cheek Stain. It looks good enough to eat!
by Karen 25 Comments

What’s up my around the way girls?
I’m leaving for the dentist in a few (boo!) and feeling a little bit frazzled, but I wanted to pop by to say a quick hello and share some goodies from Givenchy’s Les Poetiques fall collection.
These cuties involve three things near and dear to my makeup-lurving heart — sparkly deep blues, shimmery grays and rich purples.
The last few days have been rough (the condo ruckus, hella gray roots, Speidi, holes in my favorite stretchy pants, Mario Lopez’s abuse of “master mix” on ABDC, etc., etc.), so I’m kinda excited about this.
The cooks in Givenchy’s kitchen stirred some primo ingredients into this collection. A dollup of the deep blues from Lancome Declaring Indigo, a pinch o’ plum from Dior Jazz Club and a handful of grays from Chanel Venice equals BAM! (Emeril style!) — Les Poetiques.
A few quick notes…



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