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

Tabs: Harmless Cat or Hell Spawn?

Yowza, I got off to a late start today… Dark, primeval forces took hold of Tabs last night, turning our cute little tabby cat into some kind of furry hell beast. At around 2am, after El Hub and I had gone to bed, Tabs started meowing at the front door to be let outside, so, El Hub, being the trooper that he is, got up to let him out.

Ten minutes later we hear “Meeeoowwww! MEOW!!! MEEEEoooOOOOOoow!!” at the door. He’s screaming his little tabby brains out to be let back inside, so, El Hub goes and lets him back in.

This cycle of doom went on for a couple hours — cry to go out, then cry to come in — until Tabs finally decided in his little evil way that he’d tortured us enough and stopped. We would have just let him cry himself silly outside, but he’s got a set of Pavarotti pipes on him that would have kept the entire neighborhood awake.

But now, of course, Tabs knows that he can control us with his cries, so he feels empowered, and we’re basically at the mercy of our cute 10-pound cat.

My tired ass sure would appreciate any insights into feline psychology, LOL!

1. Chanel Holiday 2008!

“It looks like nothing can stop the gold fever train that roared through the makeup world earlier this year, and now it’s chugging all the way to the holidays! Remember Chanel’s Gold Fever Collection? Well, Holiday 2008 is here, and — you guessed it! — gold (with touches of red, bronze and beige) still plays a starring role.”

2. 10 Fantastic Smokey Eye Tutorials

“One of my favorite things about makeup is that there’s always room to step up your game. I love to imagine all the tips and tricks that I’ve yet to learn. I’m always looking to get better at doing smokey eyes. I’ve come across hundreds of smokey eye tutorials, and I think these 10 are some of the most helpful ones. I hope you find them useful…”

3. MAC Infatuating Rose: 6 Ways to Wear the 6 Cool Eyes Palette

“I momentarily set aside my issues with the huge bling-bling jewel on the top of the MAC Infatuating Rose: 6 Cool Eyes palette ($38, part of the Passions of Red collection) today. Sure, the packaging is cheesy enough to pair with crackers and wine, but I don’t care because the shadows inside this little cheese log more than make up for it.”

4. MAC Emanuel Ungaro Product Pictures, Swatches and First Impressions

“MAC’s highly anticipated collaboration with designer Emanuel Ungaro arrived on counters nationwide today, and it reminds me of stargazer lilies — like a dreamy watercolor painting, with pops of bright but sheer magenta accenting its palette of soft pastels.”

5. 11 Great Makeup Wipes and Cleansers

“A few days ago I reviewed L’Oreal Skin Genesis Wet Cleansing Towelettes with BHA. A few of you gals then offered up your fave makeup removing wipes and cleansers in the comments. Here’s a list featuring your recommendations and why you love ’em!”

6. Does L’Oreal Bare Naturale Mascara Thicken, Lengthen AND Separate Lashes?

“Have you seen that commercial for L’Oreal’s new Bare Naturale Mascara ($9) in which Penelope Cruz looks into the camera, bats her eyelashes and then BAM! — they morph into super lashes, all thick, lush and magnificent?”

7. Chanel Les Tissages Blushes: When Shimmer Meets Matte

“Slivers of silver and gold thread through these mixes of matte and shimmer. Inspired by classic Coco tweed, each of the four Les Tissages blushes (also referred to as the Chanel Tweed blushes) look like little works of art set in classic black Chanel compacts.”

8. Add Red to Your Lipstick Repertoire with these 10 Tips

“My secret to wearing reds like Lancome’s Absolute Rouge is to apply them using a MAC 316 Covered Lip Brush ($19). With the 316’s firm, pointed tip I can really get in where I need to get, precisely controlling my lines and delivering the right amount of pigment for my look — kinda like drawing with a sharpened pencil versus trying to draw with a stubby crayon.”

9. Bobbi Brown Holiday 2008 Limited Edition Palettes

“A few years ago, when I worked a 9-to-5 gig in downtown San Francisco, I’d bring my makeup and brushes with me to work and apply makeup in the bathroom on my breaks. I’ve always had issues packing light, even for work, so streamlined I was not. I’d walk around looking like I had a turkey stuffed in my bag. If I could turn back time, I’d totally give myself this palette along with a note that read, ‘Streamline, girl!’”

10. 5 More Smokin’ Smokey Eye Tips

“Ladies, when it comes to smoldering smokey eyes, the secret sauce is in the blending. Dark eye makeup looks best when it’s blended really well, and nothing can steal smokey eye thunder like a patchy makeup job that draws attention away from your eyes and onto your makeup. Lawd knows I’ve rushed through my share of smokey eyes. Regrettably, there are few eye makeup looks that can so easily go awry.”

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Shu know me so well…

To simply say that I love Shu Uemura would be an understatement of mammoth proportions — mammoth as in gigantic, dramatically unforgettable false eyelashes!

The brand’s one of my favorites of all time. First, I fell in love with their fabulawesome eyelash curler, but then I tried their makeup, their brushes and eventually their false eyelashes, too. It just kept getting better!

Here are some of my favorite Shu posts and products…

Now, Shu! Go have a happy Halloween! 🙂

Accessible Luxury: Shu Uemura Knows Lashes Inside and Out

“Genetics bestowed upon me wimpy, ho-hum lashes… and then made me so clumsy that I couldn’t apply false ones to save my life. Oh, the sweet eyelash irony! Enter the Shu Uemura lash bar, aka false eyelash nirvana, where the lashes are affordable and the appointment booking process couldn’t be easier.”

Glow in Style with Shu Uemura Glow On Blush

“I was vegetating on the couch the other day, watching my upmteenth hour of the America’s Next Top Model marathon on MTV, when El Hub walked by and said, ‘Did you do something different today? Your face looks so bright and glowy.'”

Shu Uemura Fall 2008 Limited Edition Instinct Collection

“Aren’t the textures and shades interesting and sexy? I’m in love with the packaging. If you’re on a strict makeup budget and need to triage, take a close look at the eye shadow duos. I think they’re the real stars of the show!”

Get Long, Dramatic Lashes with Shu Uemura’s Precise Volume Mascara

“I’m the type of girl who doesn’t care for drama, but I’ll take dramatic lashes any day! If you crave long, can’t-miss-me lashes like I do, get thee a tube of Shu Uemura’s Precise Volume Mascara ($23)! Using it lately I’ve achieved some of the longest, most defined lashes I’ve seen on myself in a while.”

Shu Uemura Phyto-Black Lift, Anti-aging Skin Care Collection

“I believe exfoliating toners do help to clear my skin, but they’re often too drying for long-term use. Radiance Boosting Lotion, with fruit extracts and alpha hydroxy acids, exfoliates without leaving my skin feeling tight and dry. And after two weeks of testing, my skin seems clearer and less pimply. This is my favorite product from the collection.”

7 Ways to Wear Shu Uemura’s Fleur de Rose Palette

“Emancipate yourself from the land of bland, chalky eyeshadows with Shu Uemura’s Fleur de Rose Palette! With soft, velvety textures and rich, intense colors, the seven pink, purple and neutral shades combine easily to create several different looks. The palette’s great for makeup neophytes as well as eyeshadow experts…”

Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Crystal Shine Lipstick Swatches and Pics

“Lovely ladies, I’d like to introduce you to my latest lipstick obsession: Shu Uemura’s Rouge Unlimited Crystal Shine lipstick! Falling in love with these $23 lippies was easy. They make my lips shine brighter than a glazed doughnut (mmm… doughnut) yet still feel feather-light on my lips. They pack tons of color, and there are a bunch of shades to choose from — 17 in all!”

Midnight Manicure with Shu Uemura Nail Polish

“I’m on a Shu Uemura nail polish kick, and last night’s midnight manicure in Gold Beige may not have been the best use of time. Eh, who am I kidding?? Of course it was! I officially love these polishes and can’t wait to get more. Gold Beige dries fast, applies easily and looks great.”

Lip Look: Shu Uemura Gloss Unlimited in RD 165N

“I’m still crushing big time on red lipgloss (sorry, pink), and yesterday I got my fix with Shu Uemura’s Gloss Unlimited in RD 165N ($22). Hot, yah? The color makes me look like I just ate a whole bag of red Jolly Rancher candies…”

Plans Tonight?

Do you have Halloween plans tonight? It’s raining out here in Marin, but a friend of mine is driving up from the city to deliver my bridesmaid dress for Jen’s wedding next month. No big plans for me, but I’m going to try to talk her into doing one of the MAC Halloween makeup looks with me and hitting Cheesecake Factory for dinner. When the waiter comments we’ll just play nonchalant like, “Um, yes, I think I’d like the fish tacos please… Oh, this? This is my usual makeup. Why do you ask?” LOL!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen