Smile and the whole world smiles with you.
Mom Always Used to Say
Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Mar. 1
Tabs spent hours browsing the web this afternoon while I cleaned and organized my desk. I thought he was just wasting time, but it turns out he put together a post with some pretty unusual websites.
FARM
FARM is a Brazilian fashion company, and their site gives off a friggin’ awesome Carioca vibe. It’s bursting at the seams with classic Brazilian flavor. Tabs and I both absolutely love this site.
Hilfiger Denim
Fashion giant Tommy Hilfiger’s latest site embodies rock and roll, recalling the heyday of Warhol’s Factory and blending nostalgia with some *hawt* models in denim.
Iceman Fashion
Yeah… not much I can say about this site beyond the fact that I like it. The music is a little scary, though. 🙂
Patisserie Nachtischkultur
I love walking by cake shop and bakery windows, drooling over all the sumptuous delights. That’s the design concept behind this German site, which takes the form of a dessert trolley. The goodies can be sorted by size, taste and season. Too bad there’s no way to have their treats shipped out to California, drat!
Decor8
decor8 is, in the owner’s words, “a design blog dedicated to sharing decorating ideas, interiors, independent art and design, products and services, and to inspire readers to live a more fulfilling, creative life.” If you’re looking to make the most of your space, check out decor8.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen (and Tabs)
P.S. Tabs did a Google search tonight for “tabs the cat” and found this YouTube video from a competitor, LOL! Tabs wants to sue him for copyright infringement.
Weekend MAC Attack! Win a MAC Hello Kitty Cute-Ster Lipstick
This giveaway is closed. I’ll be announcing the winner shortly. Thanks for entering!
Hi, girls. Are you having a good weekend? I’m just taking a quick break from my housework to say hi (I’m cleaning off my desk and going through the clutter), and I figured what better way to touch base than with a little weekend giveaway. Yup, cat scratch fever continues with another MAC Hello Kitty giveaway, holla!
One lucky winner will get to paint their pout with Cute-Ster Lipstick ($14 value).
Ready to get your purr on?
How to enter…
There are two ways to enter, and you can do both for two chances to win. The first involves leaving a comment here on this post — a comment about anything at all. Tell me what you ate for dinner last night, what you want to be when you grow up, or what socks you’re wearing. The second involves signing up for my updates by email, if you haven’t already subscribed. You’ll get one email per day, bursting with makeup and beauty tips, tricks and giveaways!
Recap…
- If you haven’t already signed up to receive Makeup and Beauty Blog daily email updates, then enter your email in the box below (or click this link).
- You may also enter by leaving a comment in the comments section at the bottom of this post (be sure to use a valid email address).
I’ll pick the winner at random from among the people who enter by 11:59PM PST Monday night.
Good luck!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. Congrats to Catherine, winner of last weekend’s Lucky Tom Palette!
Retro Roundup: A Second Look at February
Glitter Is Good: The Bobbi Brown Blushed Pink Collection
This spring, Bobbi Brown is going beyond her famous “I’m not wearing makeup” bag o’ tricks and taking a chance on glittery pastel eyes with the Blushed Pink collection. The limited edition Sparkle Eyeshadows ($24 each) take glitter and make it sophisticated, age appropriate and totally not scary. For me, these four shades are the highlights of the release!
YSL Eyeshadow Duo in Oatmeal/Petroleum Blue: Splurge or Steal?
At $41, the Yves Saint Laurent Eyeshadow Duo in Oatmeal/Petroleum Blue from the spring 2009 collection isn’t exactly recessionista material. But overlooking the price for a moment, take a gander at the color. Here it is worn around my boring UPS brown peepers…
Freida Pinto’s Blue and Brown SAG Eye Look, Version 1
My attempt to re-create the blue and brown eye Freida Pinto wore to the SAG Awards didn’t turn out half bad. In the picture up top, Freida’s wearing a warm brown in the crease and a bluish gray shadow on the lid. I don’t know the exact products used for her look, but for my version I layered L’Oreal HiP Duo in Magnetic Fields on top of MAC Jadeye Fluidline.
Freida Pinto 2009 SAG Awards Look, Version 2.0
The mission: to duplicate Freida Pinto’s SAG 2009 makeup look! This time around, I added a drugstore makeup twist. Version 2.0 relies on some Neutrogena products, like the Nourishing Eye Duo in Starry Night ($9), an eyeshadow duo with two shimmery shades of blue.
How Closely Do You Follow Makeup Expiration Guidelines?
It’s easy to tell when a quart of milk goes bad, but what about a pan of cream eyeshadow? When it comes to the shelf life of cosmetics, there are no hard and fast rules, no FDA mandated regulations or requirements. Just general guidelines. I have to admit that I don’t follow them to a “T”. I can’t bring myself to toss a $27 tube of Diorshow Iconic Mascara just because I’ve had it open for three months.
MAC Hello Kitty Face of the Day: Peaches, Anyone?
My first reaction was mixed when I saw the promo pics for MAC’s latest collaboration. Sure, I was drooling over the branding and packaging from the start (I love Hello Kitty; always have), but the colors just didn’t look like stuff I could wear every day. Well, color me lame and call me crazy because after seeing the collection in person last month, I’m fully on board now!
Olay Body Wash Plus Tone Enriching Ribbons: Um, Where’s the Shimmer?
I hesitate when it comes to trying shimmery body products because walking around with sparkly skin holds no appeal to me, but my curiosity won out when I picked up Olay Body Wash Plus with Tone Enriching Ribbons ($5).
Olay claims the product contains things called mica minerals to add “tone enriching” shimmer to skin while delivering “deep moisture.” My skin always feels drier than shredded wheat, so I gave it a try.
I’d half hoped wondered if the shimmer would leave me looking like I’d just come home from a rave circa 1992.
Since the product’s big selling point is the shimmer, I expected to see some on my skin, but no such luck. I couldn’t see even the faintest glow — no glitter, no shimmer, nada.
I wanted to make sure it wasn’t due to my darker skin tone, so I had El Hub, who’s lighter than I am, give it a try.
Same thing. I couldn’t see any difference on his skin, either (although I give thanks every time something prompts El Hub to clean).
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What’s the Biggest Risk You Ever Took with Your Hair?
What’s the biggest risk you ever took with your hair?
Mine was right after a traumatic breakup in 1999. On a heartbreak whim I asked my stylist to chop my long black hair, which was down to my elbows, into a chin-length layered style with the ends flipped out.
But because that wasn’t enough of a change to purge my emotional demons, I went back the following week and asked for chunky red highlights.
I remember how liberating it felt to transform my look. It was like letting go of all of that hair somehow unloaded the baggage of my failed relationship.
Of course, I also remember how much of a pain-in-the-arse it was to grow out the new cut, LOL! I hate how my hair feels when it’s in that mid-length stage, creeping down the back of my neck.
What’s the biggest risk you ever took with your hair? Let me know in the comments. And try your luck with the Makeup and Beauty Blog slot machine (click the BET MAX button to play). Have fun and good luck!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
3 Great MAC Eyeshadow Combos for Work
3 Great MAC Eyeshadow Combos for Work from Karen on Vimeo.
What are some of your favorite MAC eyeshadow combinations for work or play? Are there any you find yourself reaching for all the time? — partnerships that work so well for you that you wear them over and over again?
Here are a few of the MAC eyeshadow combos I wear A LOT (click for the video). 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Lip Look: Estee Lauder Pure Color Gloss Stick in Pop Pink
Looks like we made it through another week, ladies. 🙂
For lunch today I met a friend in San Francisco, and the two of us hit up this Thai food place called Tara. It was hours ago, but I’m still stuffed.
I had a dish called Pad Kee Mao, which has flat noodles, green beans, and in this case shrimp in a super spicy sauce. My lips were burning up! — but they looked even hotter than they felt thanks to Estee Lauder Pure Color Gloss Stick in Pop Pink ($18.50).
From the new Bronze Goddess collection, Pop Pink looks hella bright in the tube, but don’t let that scur you. She leaves a shiny, semi-sheer rosy pink on the lips.
Much like Prescriptives LipShines and MAC Slimshine lipsticks, Pure Color Gloss Sticks are packaged like lipsticks but shine like a gloss.
In terms of texture, Pop Pink feels light and slick, a dead ringer for the texture of MAC Cremesheen, which I love.
And like most Estee Lauder lip products, Pure Color Gloss Sticks are unflavored (but have a light floral scent).
I’m lovin’ Pop Pink! She’s such a casual Friday lip. There’s enough pink to pull the look together, but the sheerness and shine keep it on the relaxed side. I would totally wear it with dark jeans, a suit blazer and heels.
Some ladies feel pink lips are just for summer, but I think they look great all year round.
Whew! It’s been a long week. I hope whatever you do tonight involves lipstick (even if you’re just watching TV on the couch). 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen