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

Shout-Out to the Leachco Snoogle, aka BFF to Sleep-Deprived Pregnant (or Just Plain Tired) Ladies Everywhere

December 9th, 2015 by Karen 26 Comments

There’s a good reason why you’re looking at a picture of me wearing pizza pajamas while pretending to sleep on my bed hugging this crazy-@ss pillow, and it is because the Leachco Snoogle is the best friend to sleep-deprived ladies everywhere (pregnant or otherwise), I kid you not.

And you don’t have to be pregnant to enjoy the benefits of the Snoogle. You just have to want/need the most awesomest pillow EVER.

El Hub gave it a try the other night, and it blew his mind. “Wow,” he said. “Damn.” His exact words.

I’ve been talking about sleep a lot (for the past eight years, LOL!), but it’s been worse than usual lately. I guess that my tum reached the pregnancy tipping point. I thought the bump was baby cute and small for a long time, but now it’s massive and rapidly gaining ground!

In the few days before the Snoogle, I wasn’t getting any sleep at all. Everything ached, and my improv multi-pillow homemade cocoon, which I called “the pregnancy doughnut,” wasn’t cutting it anymore. My neck, shoulders, back and hips ached. One morning I just hit my limit, so I went to Babies “R” Us and got the Leachco Snoogle.

That night I slept the whole night through, thanks to the magic Snoogle. 🙂

It costs about $60, but after you’ve gone three days without hardly any sleep, $60 seems like a bargain. You can’t put a price tag on a good night’s sleep. BEST $60 I’VE EVER SPENT!

So, what is the Snoogle?

It’s a large curved body pillow shaped kind of like a letter “C,” and it has a removable, washable cover. You sort of sleep on your side with it, but you can also use it and sleep on your back. To sleep on your side, one end goes under your head, the curve supports your back, and the other end goes between your legs.

And you can also flip it around and hug the back end of the “C” if you want.

Normally, I’m not a side sleeper. I’m usually a back sleeper, but sleeping on my back has been too uncomfortable lately.

When I sleep with the Snoogle, I sleep on my side, and everything just seems to align perfectly. I sleep the whole night through and wake up in the morning without any aches or pains. Ah…

The Leachco Snoogle. Man, if you know anyone who’s pregnant, or trying to get pregnant, or is just desperate to get a good night’s sleep and willing to give anything a try, get them a Snoogle. They’ll be lovin’ you for the rest of their life.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

MAC Faerie Whispers Collection: First Look

December 8th, 2015 by Karen 26 Comments

mac faerie whispers collection foiled eyeshadows 1 — MAC Faerie Whispers collection Foiled Shadows from the left: In Your Eyes, Feminine Wiles and Sweet Illusion ($20 each)

What do fairy (or faerie) whispers sound like?

I think it’s safe to assume they aren’t incredibly loud. Because of the whispering. Obvs… And I imagine they’re also high pitched and chipper, kind of like a piccolo.

A well-played piccolo, because a badly played piccolo is… NUH-UH. Trust me, as a former flautist, I know this.

I think that if a MAC Faerie were to flitter along — and this isn’t the first (or second or tenth) time I’ve fantasized about MAC fairies before, LOL! — she’d likely land on your shoulder and softly say into your ear, “Hello! Ooh, I love eyeshadow! Would you like to talk about it?”

Clearly, I spent too much of my childhood in an imaginary world…

Actually, I’ve also spent most of my adulthood in an imaginary world, LOL!

mac faerie whispers collection foiled eyeshadows 2 — MAC Faerie Whispers collection Foiled Shadows in Fairy Land (left) and Enchanted Forest (right), $20 each

mac faerie whispers beauty powder — MAC Faerie Whispers Collection Beauty Powders in Pearl Sunshine (left) and Sparkling Rose (right), $22 each

MAC regularly releases a collection shortly after Christmas each year, and this year, that collection is the very spring-like, glowing, ethereal MAC Faerie Whispers.

Most of the time, their post-Christmas collections lean sort of cool in terms of color temps, but this one has a lot of warm tones in it. It arrives December 23 on the MAC website and flutters into stores and counters December 26, where it remains through February 6 next year.

MAC Faerie Whispers Collection Powder Blushes in Cheek Pollen (left) and Spellbinder (right), $22 each — MAC Faerie Whispers collection Powder Blushes in Cheek Pollen (left) and Spellbinder (right), $22 each

mac faerie whispers lipsticks — MAC Faerie Whispers collection Lipsticks from the left: Lustre Lipstick in Gossamer Wing, Frost Lipstick in A Sprinkle of Magic, Cremesheen Lipstick in Midsummer Night and Cremesheen Lipstick in Among the Fireflies ($17 each)

This is just a quick overview while I continue testing the products, and I’ll have a more detailed review in a few days.

But my first impressions? Shine. Various degrees of it, from subtle sheen to lustrous metallic.

As for the big news, it’s probably the new Foiled Shadows, a completely new formulation. I popped a couple of them on my eyes this morning… Incidentally, I’m wearing two different eye looks right now! One eye is completely purple, and the other one is golden brown, and so today will probably be the day when at least 10 different people knock on my door and I have to answer it this way.

But I digress…

mac faerie whispers cremesheen glass — MAC Faerie Whispers collection Cremesheen Glasses from the left: Softly Lit, Calypso Beat, Just Superb and Enchanter ($20 each)

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The Special Edition Hello Kitty 5″ Sensor Mirror by simplehuman

December 8th, 2015 by Karen 18 Comments

You’re never too old for Hello Kitty.

The evidence: this OMG-inducing Hello Kitty 5-inch Sensor makeup mirror by simplehuman.

How adorable is this special edition mirror?!

Straight-up, though, it’s $150, which…I KNOW. But it’s a technological marvel. Plus, HELLO KITTY.

If you haven’t heard of simplehuman before, they make all manner of streamlined, modern-looking products for the home, including waste baskets (I have a small one in my office right now), dish racks, shower caddies — all kinds of practical doodads and gizmos. And they also have a line of fancy makeup mirrors.

This one folds up/down to fit in her very own carrying case with red bow (aw!). There’s even a little Hello Kitty charm on the zipper.

Srsly…? Cute overload. 🙂

A rechargeable LED ring light encircles the mirror providing awesome light, and it’s rechargeable with the included USB cord. Charges last up to five weeks, too, so if you bring the mirror somewhere with you, you probably won’t even need to bring the cord.

The light is also BRIGHT — supposedly twice as bright as the average makeup mirror light — and daylight balanced. A sensor detects as your face approaches the mirror and automatically increases the brightness of the light, so YOU DON’T EVEN HAVE TO TOUCH ANY BUTTONS.

Welcome to the future.

The tru-lux light system

“At 550 lux, the tru-lux light system is more than twice as bright as the next best. The light from surgical-grade LEDs is dispersed evenly with a unique pattern of micro-reflectors throughout the ring. No light loss or hot spots.

With a color rendering index (CRI) of 90, the tru-lux light system closely simulates natural sunlight and the full color spectrum to show every detail. Looking good in this light means you will look flawless in any setting.”

— simplehuman.com

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What Do You Know About Buxom Bold & Sexy Gel Lipstick? Inquiring Minds Want to Know…

December 8th, 2015 by Karen 25 Comments

Bold & Sexy… Sounds like Buxom named their latest lipstick after Tabs. 🙂

Yeah, “bold” and “sexy” are two words that in no way describe me at the moment. It’s more like tired and bloated (LOL!) from hauling Baby Girl around, my li’l basketball, and not getting enough sleep, but maybe if I wear Buxom Bold & Sexy Lipstick ($22), some of its bold and sexy energy will rub off on me.

Maybe…

I bumped into this the other day at Sephora. I went to distract myself/recharge my batteries after having to do some medical test that took three hours and involved three (four?) needle pokes. It was for this thing called a three-hour glucose screening to figure out if you have gestational diabetes, which — WAH! — I hope I don’t have, because I love carbs and sugar SO much.

I’m still waiting on the results…

Anywho, after the test, I needed to erase the needle trauma and go look at makeup, so I headed to Sephora, which was where I spotted these…

Have you used them before? I like the way they sound. They’re gel lipsticks, which in most cases means a super lightweight formula, and these are, indeed, billed as lightweight.

They come in matte and satin finishes and a bunch of really pretty colors. I saw reds, corals, purples, pinks and a few nudes.

I’m so curious! If you’ve used them before, let me know.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Ah! A Cut, Fresh Roots, Color and Curls

December 7th, 2015 by Karen 22 Comments

Whenever I leave the salon after my friend Alis cuts and colors my hair, I feel like a new person…who also happens to be covered in magical unicorn glitter and fairy dust.

Alis has some serious hair magic mojo when it comes to haircuts and color.

I saw her this past weekend at Fox + Stone salon in Corte Madera. She touched up my roots and the color I had in my balayage highlights, and trimmed up the ends just to give the layers some movement and life.

Oh! — and she also curled my hair with a large-barrel curler, and how she does those perfect ’40s-style curls, I’ll never know. I’ve tried to do them a bunch of times on my own at home, and I can never get them to sit quite right… I’ll definitely be using Living Proof Dry Shampoo to make this hairstyle last as long as possible.

By the way, say hi to Alis’s dog Koukla, who’s sweeter than sweet. She’s another reason I like to go to Fox + Stone salon. She hangs out in my lap for pets and conversation while Alis does my hair.

Here’s Koukla in her Christmas sweater…

Isn’t she cute?!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Look Out! There’s a Leopard in the Brush…as in the New Brushes in the Sephora Collection Holiday 2015 Brush Sets

December 7th, 2015 by Karen 13 Comments

Leopard print, rose gold and glitter.

All fantastic elements by themselves, but together? Easy to go waaay over the top.

Weirdly, though, they don’t in these new holiday Sephora Collection brush sets.

It’s that time of year again — time for Sephora’s limited edition brush sets — and these are some of the prettiest I’ve seen from them.

They range in price from about $54 to $130 per set, depending on the number of brushes, which varies from six up to 12.

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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 350

December 7th, 2015 by Karen 53 Comments

A just-picked persimmon from my parent's backyard! — A persimmon from the tree in my mom and dad’s backyard!

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.

What’s one thing you feel like you’re *always* doing?
Oh, that’s easy. Laundry. Doesn’t matter if I just washed and put away a big pile of clothes/towels/linens/whatever, there’s always something more to wash. It never ends!

Same goes for makeup brushes. I’m always and forever washing makeup brushes…

Something you wish you’d studied in school?
The arts of bargaining and negotiation, although right now I’m not even sure there were classes for those things…but they’re such handy skills to have for work and regular everyday life.

I never thought about bargaining for anything as a teenager and a kid because I was either too shy or afraid of rocking the boat, but I’m trying to get better at it.

Oh, did I tell you that I set up a bargaining challenge for myself? I’ve been saving money to get some new furniture, and when the time comes, I’m going to force myself to attempt to negotiate the price down.

I figure it’s the best way to learn how to do it (and to not be afraid to walk away if I have to).

Do you ever bring your pet to work?
Every. Single. Day. 🙂 Because while working from home has its own set of challenges (feeling cut off from the world, having issues with work/home life boundaries, not having work buddies to vent to when you’re feeling stressed…), being away from your crabby plus-size tabby cat isn’t one of them.

Are you more or a girly girl or a tom boy?
Now, a girly girl, but I was more of a tom boy when I was a teen and tween.

How many handbags do you have, and of those, how many do you regularly use?
Well, crap. Let me think about that… I think there are about 15 in my closet right now? But I really only use two of them. One’s a brown Michael Kors tote, and the other is a red Kate Spade cross-body.

I think this is the universe’s way of letting me know that the last thing I need is another handbag, LOL!

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

1. What’s one thing you feel like you’re *always* doing?
2. Something you wish you studied in school?
3. Do you ever bring your pet to work?
4. Are you more or a girly girl or a tom boy?
5. How many handbags do you have, and of those, how many do you regularly use?

Hiya, sweet pea. Greetings to you on this lovely, albeit rainy, Monday. You know what’s one of my favorite things to have for breakfast in the fall? A bowl of sliced persimmons (but they have to be cold) and a cup of coffee.

On that note, that persimmon up there at the top of this post is now in my tummy.

Mmm…

I hope your belly is full this morning and your heart is light. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen