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

Freida Pinto 2009 SAG Awards Look, Version 2.0

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freida pinto sag 2009 makeup look fotd version 2a

The mission: to duplicate Freida Pinto’s SAG 2009 makeup look!

This time around (check out my previous attempt), 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.

freida pinto sag 2009 makeup look fotd version 2 eyes in frame

The first time I tried this look, I ended up with a bright teal eye with a crisp black eyeliner. For Version 2.0, I decided to aim for a shimmery grayish blue on the lid. I think it’s a little closer to Freida’s original look than my last try.
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Sally Hansen Carmindy Forever Stay Eye Pencils Pack Marathon Staying Power

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sally hansen natural beauty inspired by carmindy forever stay eye pencil blue indigo

Blue Indigo and Prune… Nope, I’m not referring to the names of failed superheroes, yet just like comic book characters, these two Sally Hansen Forever Stay Eye Pencils ($8) are superhumanly blessed.

Blue Indigo (a matte emerald blue) and Prune (a matte violet) pack marathon staying power and seriously intense color. With rich jewel-toned colors and a durable waterproof formula, they’re powerful drugstore seducers.

You know how some liners creep onto your lid after a few hours? So not the case with Forever Stay. Once applied, it stays put from dawn to dusk with nary a smudge.

The other day, I applied Blue Indigo in the morning before heading to school. I only had a minute to manipulate and smudge the color in place, but that was enough. The liner was on like Donkey Kong.

Later that day after school I sweated through an hour-long power yoga DVD (Tabs gets up in my mix whenever I downward dog, ha), and Blue Indigo still refused to smear or fade.

sally hansen natural beauty inspired by carmindy forever stay eye pencil prune

Before I removed my makeup that night, I estimated that roughly 80% of the color remained in place. It was still going strong along my lash line. Although it had just barely begun to fade along my waterline, Blue Indigo definitely lasted longer than the average pencil liner.

Beyond its awesome staying power, Forever Stay glides across skin like skates on fresh ice. Shoot, these liners might be even smoother than Hugh Jackman in a tuxedo — and that’s smooooooth, people! 🙂
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Get Your Paws On Aveeno Nourish+ Hair Care Collection Before Anybody Else

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This giveaway is closed. Congrats to the winner, Liz. Thank you for entering!

aveeno nourish haircare giveaway

So Glam Media is sponsoring a giveaway that I thought you gals might dig.

Drugstore body care line Aveeno is famous for their soothing lotions. Well, they plan to launch their first hair care line, codenamed the Nourish+ Hair Care Collection, this April.

Trying new beauty products before they go on sale is like attending an exclusive movie screening, and the giveaway’s a chance to get an early look at Nourish+.

The prize

One lucky winner will get three products from the new line — Nourish+ shampoo, the regular conditioner and the new leave-in conditioner (a $21 value).

What Aveeno says about Nourish+

  • It’s revolutionary! — combining nature and science (like the Terminator) to bring damaged hair back to life in just three washes.
  • The Nourish+ Nourishing Wheat Complex has a positive electrical charge that attracts the negatively charged damaged parts of the hair follicle, delivering the right amount of proteins needed to help moisturize and repair dry hair.
  • The line includes Nourish + Moisturize, Nourish + Revitalize, and Nourish + Volumize shampoos and conditioners, as well as Nourish + Condition Leave-In Treatment ($7 each).
  • At last week’s Oscars in Los Angeles, Aveeno Nourish+ Hair Care Collection sponsored the Glam VIP Touch Up Lounge at the Leeza Gibbons Oscar party. Viewers received a backstage look at celeb hair touch-ups provided by Aveeno Nourish+.

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 about your worst hair style (mine was a bowl cut immediately followed by a tight poodle perm, oh the horror!), what food you’re craving right now or about your pet. The second involves signing up for my updates by email, if you haven’t already subscribed. You’ll get one email per day, exploding with sassy beauty and makeup updates!

Recap

  1. 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).
  2. 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).

Enter your email address:

I’ll choose the winners at random among the people who enter by 11:59 PST on Friday, February 27.

Good luck!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

A Really Handy Makeup Tool

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Before I leave the house I go through my internal checklist — lipgloss: check, camera: check, sarcasm: CHECK!

It keeps me from forgetting things, but there’s one thing I never have to remind myself to bring. Click here for the video. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Ooh! I can’t wait for America’s Best Dance Crew tonight. Let’s go, Beat Freaks, let’s go!

Thursday Beauty Tips: Write Love Notes to Yourself

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makeup blog beauty blog

In June of 1993, I was a senior in high school. Graduation was just around the corner, and I could already taste the freedom of college life in the fall.

One of my classes that semester was a psychology course taught by an amazing teacher, Mr. Friedman. He had a real gift for connecting with students, and his class was so much fun.

On the last day of school, Mr. Friedman had us do an exercise.

He told us to write something nice about each of our classmates on little slips of paper. At the end of the exercise, each student had 30 slips of paper with 30 positive statements.

The notes were anonymous.

Later that night, I sat at my desk and read through the different notes. “You’re strong willed and smart.” “You’re hard working.” “You’re well behaved.” LOL!

makeup blog beauty blog

The notes made me feel special, appreciated and loved.

When it came time to leave for college, I put my notes in a box and took them with me.

I’ve kept those slips of paper for 16 years, taking them out to read when I’ve felt blue or faced a big challenge in my life.

The notes have consoled me through many tough times, like those first lonely years of college, when it felt impossible to get my bearings.

I was reading through them last night when it hit me: we should totally write these notes to ourselves!

Get some slips of paper (a good amount, like 20-30), and on each one, write something positive or nice about yourself. 🙂

Keep them in a special box or jar, and set it aside someplace safe. That way, you can take them out whenever you need inspiration or strength.

Yeah, I know it’s a little cheesy, but a little cheese never hurt anyone (Mmm… gouda…).

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Things That Make Me Go Meow! Win MAC Hello Kitty Fun and Games Blush

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This giveaway is closed. Congrats to the winner, Adriana. Thank you for entering!

mac hello kitty fun and games beauty powder blush giveaway

More MAC Hello Kitty giveaway madness coming right at ‘cha, kittens. 🙂 One lucky winner will get their paws on a pan of Fun & Games Blush ($18 value), *meow!*

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 watched on T.V. last night, wax philosophic on Paula Abdul, or confess your makeup sins. The second involves signing up for my updates by email, if you haven’t already subscribed. You’ll get one email per day, jam packed with delicious makeup updates and fun giveaways like this one!

Recap…

  1. 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).
  2. 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).

Enter your email address:

I’ll pick the winner at random from among the people who enter by 11:59PM PST Friday night.

Good luck!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Congrats to Catherine, winner of last weekend’s Lucky Tom Palette!

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