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

This Is a Christmas Mani (not a 49ers Mani)

December 22nd, 2015 by Karen 8 Comments

I like to do red and gold Christmas manis, and I’ve done them a few times over the years. I’ve also been asked a few times, usually by grunting, manly dudes, if I’m wearing 49ers colors on my nails, to which I say, “NO! This is red and gold. It’s a Christmas mani.”

For the longest time I thought this was a weird thing that only happened to me, but I was at the Kaiser lab a few weeks ago to take this really long, intensive glucose test that took three hours, and it was just me and all of the nice lab ladies kicking it old school. Well, Lacey, one of the gals who works there (hi, Lacey!), was wearing a similar manicure with red and gold glitter, and as she was drawing my blood for what seemed like the umpteenth time that day (at this point, we were already BFFs), we got to talking about her mani.

I was like, “I like your Christmas mani,” and she looked at me in complete surprise! Apparently, I’d been the only person to NOT assume she was wearing a San Francisco 49ers mani. She said that everyone, including her husband, all said (and we both said this at the same time), “You’re wearing 49ers colors!”

We had a good laugh.

So, I’m trying again this year, and I’m thinking about making this my latest Christmas mani, primarily because I love this red. It’s Dolce & Gabbana Dora 627 (it’s $27), and it’s from their holiday collection.

The gold on my accent nail is Smith & Cult Shattered Souls (and those Smith & Cult nail polishes sure have amaze-balls wear time).
[Continue reading…]

Riding (not so Dirty) in the Bare Traps Susanna Riding Boots

December 22nd, 2015 by Karen 13 Comments

Gonna catch me ridin’ dirty!

OK, I have to sing that song every time I put on these Susanna Riding Boots by Bare Traps, even though I’ve never ridden dirty in my life, because I just like sayin’ it.

These are the boots I was wearing in the 28-week bump watch, and, long story short, they’re awesome! And they’re awesome for so many reasons, one of which is the fact that they don’t have to be broken in.

Do you have the patience to break in shoes? Because I don’t, not anymore. I used to, but now if a pair of shoes are uncomfortable the first time I put them on my feet, I’m like, “Yeah, peace-the-eff out. Not having anything to do with ya.”

These felt great from the first time I tried them on, and the very same day I got them I went to the mall, then to the movies, and I was basically out and about the whole day.

Granted, this was also while very pregnant, and with swollen feet, and these boots were STILL really comfortable.

And there’s more…

The leather upper — wait, I think it’s leather. Is it? Let me check… Oh! So, they aren’t real leather. They’re faux. FYI. So, there’s that, which could be either good or bad, depending on how you feel about leather.

The height of the heel is one of the things that I think makes them so comfortable. The heel isn’t high — it’s just 1-1/8 inches tall — which I can manage. They add a bit of elevation but stop short of potentially wobbly territory.

[Continue reading…]

A Little Obsessed With These Kate Spade Glitter Studs (and Glitter in General) at the Moment…

December 21st, 2015 by Karen 20 Comments

When El Hub and I braved the mall last weekend to do some last-minute Christmas shopping, of course I had to pop into the Kate Spade store.

It’s one of my mall rituals… You know how there are certain stores you always have to visit when you go to the mall? Well, Kate Spade is one of mine.

So, of course I had go in and look around, and while I was there I saw these glittery studs…

How cute are these…? I didn’t get them for myself because I’m trying to save some moolah for Baby Girl, but they’re so cute!

What is it about glitter, dude? Even when I’m in the throes of a very minimal makeup moment, I still have mad love for glitter, and not just glittery makeup, but also glitter in its many other sparkly forms.

These studs are smaller than the oversized Kate Spade studs I wear in a lot of my pics and videos, but they come in a bunch of different glittery colors (all of the ones I saw had gold prongs) and a shape that looks a little like a cushion cut.

I saw them in teal, magenta, gold (I also saw them in silver glitter on the Nordstrom site, but I didn’t see them in silver at the store), but my favorite by far has to be the multicolored one.

It looks a little like Deborah Lippmann’s Happy Birthday nail polish, doesn’t it?

It’s SO CUTE with those multicolored sparkles and, like, the blue, magenta, gold, silver — aahhh!
[Continue reading…]

Lessons Learned From Doing 15-Minute Makeup for the Past Three Weeks…

December 21st, 2015 by Karen 32 Comments

Maybe it’s because I’m subconsciously preparing myself for when Baby Girl arrives and I don’t have any time whatsoever to do my makeup, but for the past few weeks, I’ve had NO energy or patience whatsoever to do any makeup look that takes more than 15 minutes. And that’s a totally weird thing for me because I usually love sitting in front of the mirror with all of my colors and my brushes and just going to town for freaking hours.

I’m assuming it’s just a phase, but it’s also been a rapid-response 15-minute learning experience, and knowledge is power, right? 🙂

Here’s what I’ve learned so far…

It helps to let go of the idea of “perfect makeup”

Clinique Pretty Easy Eye Palette, Pretty Easy Liquid Eyelining Pen and Chubby Lash Fattening Mascara

For this 15-minute makeup look I used a few products from Clinique, namely their Pretty Easy Eye Palette ($44.50), Pretty Easy Liquid Eyelining Pen ($19.50) and Chubby Lash Fattening Mascara ($17), and even though I think it’s a fully functional look, now that I look closely at the pictures, I see things I could have fixed, like, I could’ve blended out the shadow in the outer corner a little better and perhaps thickened the liner on that end.

I also could’ve spent more time on my brows and used a lash primer before my mascara to make my lashes look longer and thicker, but ya know what? I had a schedule. After my 15 minutes was up, I just let it go…

And that’s the big thing I’ve learned about 15-minute makeup looks so far — to give up on the idea of perfect makeup, which, I know, sounds blasphemous. 🙂

But seriously, sometimes good enough is good enough, and a lot of the time, the little imperfections are only noticeable by hardcore makeup people, and only if they’re studying your face intensely.
[Continue reading…]

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 353

December 21st, 2015 by Karen 51 Comments

My sentiments exactly! (Mug by Kate Spade)

You might be wondering, “So what in tarnation is this Monday Poll thing anyway!?”

Well, it isn’t exactly a poll. It’s more of a constantly evolving (devolving?), somewhat random list of questions I’ve been putting out to readers every Monday morning for the past seven years. (It’s like a kickstart for your brain.) I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.

Other than a hair brush (or comb), the hair styling tools I use most often are…
A hair dryer and a curling iron. I have an ancient t3 hairdryer I’ve had since 2007 that I still use and absolutely adore. I remember it costing an arm and a leg, but that thing is my ride or die, for sure! It dries my hair in less time than any hairdryer I’ve had before.

As for curling irons, I have a few of them that I rotate between, depending on the kind of hairstyle I’m going for, but lately I’ve been using my t3 Bodywaver more often than the others because of how great it gets that blown-out look with a round brush, without, ya know, me having to do the actual work.

If I could give myself some advice today, I’d say…
Take it easy! — and don’t forget to take your breaks. I’ve been feeling a little anxious lately…I think because of hormones and just general pregnancy worry.

What was the last thing you baked?
I made some applesauce and almond butter pancakes yesterday to bring along as snacks when we visit my parents in the East Bay, and they’re super delish!

They’re low in sugar and carbs (just a few grams from the applesauce and almond butter), so they’re an OK addition to ye olde gestational diabetes meal plan. You can have them for breakfast, like regular pancakes, but they’re one of my favorite afternoon and evening snacks. They’re yummy cold or warmed up in the microwave, and plain or topped with almond butter or peanut butter.

Sometimes, if I have a little extra room in my carb count, I’ll top them with a small amount of fruit, like a few blueberries or half a sliced banana.

And even if I wasn’t watching my carb count, they’re still delicious.

What’s something you’d try doing if you knew you couldn’t fail?
I’d try my hand at writing a young adult novel because I’d love for Baby Girl to be able to say, “My mommy writes books!”

I absolutely live for…
A great pair of shoes that also happen to be on sale. 🙂 Homegirl loves her footwear.

Your turn. 🙂 Just copy and paste the following questions into a comment with your answers. I look forward to reading ’em!

1. Other than a hair brush (or comb), the hair styling tools I use most often are…
2. If I could give myself a little advice today, I’d say…
3. What was the last thing you baked?
4. What’s something you’d try doing if you knew you couldn’t fail?
5. I absolutely live for…

Only two more Mondays till 2016! Seriously, how did that even happen? Where does the time go…?

What did you do this weekend? If it involved last-minute Christmas shopping or watching the new Star Wars movie, we’re twinsies.

Have a great week. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 377

December 20th, 2015 by Karen 15 Comments

Some cats are comfortable resting on their laurels/haunches.

But not Tabs.

He’s always pushing boundaries and breaking new ground, even after 10 years at the top of the business, and that trend toward top kitty modeling greatness continues this week with Pop-Up Tabby, a brand new interactive explosion of pure modeling talent inspired by VH1 Pop-Up Video, which Tabs and I both love.
[Continue reading…]

Get Rid of Glittery Fallout on Your Face With Gentle Nexcare First Aid Tape

December 18th, 2015 by Karen 11 Comments

Tape is your BFF when you’re wearing glitter on your eyes. For reals!

Even when I’m trying to be extra, extra careful, when I work with glitter, inevitably, flecks will land on my nose and cheeks, so I always have a roll of Nexcare Gentle Paper Tape around (at the drugstore, you’ll usually find it in the same area as the Band-Aids). This one here with the dispenser costs less than $3.

Regular Scotch Tape will work, too, but I think the Nexcare tape, which is designed for first aid, works better and is easier to remove.

Just take a good amount, and roll it around your fingers like so…

Then, gently press on your skin wherever you see miscellaneous glitter bits and bobs floating around where they aren’t supposed to be…
[Continue reading…]