giveaway

• WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is Kristy! Congratulations, Kristy! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

Wow! The rain is coming in sideways right now and it’s freakin’ me out! The big pine trees on the hill outside are whipping wildly around in the wind, and I can literally see the rain moving horizontally.

Scary!

I hope the power doesn’t go out…

And in non-weather-related news, happy Saturday! 🙂 Welcome to the weekend. Despite the angry skies outside, I feel pretty optimistic today, pretty good overall. I’ve got a warm cup of coffee by my side, electricity and Internet access (at least for the time being), an oftentimes affectionate cat (who’s asleep at the top of his cat tower right now, apparently unbothered by the storm), friends to keep me company (thank you, btw) and my man (who’s currently putting batteries in all the flashlights).

Everything I need.

And while I don’t particularly need an egg over easy right now, I really, really want one, so while I go get my breakfast on, why don’t you enter this weekend’s Sephora eGift card giveaway? I’ll be right back!

What folks are saying…

“Oh my goodness! Thank you so much Karen (and Tabs, of course)! I really appreciate this! I’d been eyeing the Anastasia brow pencil in Strawburn to match my red hair!”
-Chelsea (and Jiji the kitten and Quincy the bunny)

“Hi Karen and Tabs. Wow! Thanks so much for this! It’s hard to believe I actually won something. I can’t wait to shop my little heart out! Thanks again. Love to Tabs! And I love your blog with the Tabs stories. ;+)”
-Sophie, St Petersburg, FL

“Never before have I been so pleased to check my email right before bed!!! Thank you so, so much! I truly enjoy your blog and check it almost daily! Thanks again! This made my night!”
-Melissa, Edmond, OK

“Hi Karen. Oh my goodness! I can’t believe I won! :O Thank you so much! You, Tabs, and your blog are amazing! Thank you for keeping me updated on all things beauty and more importantly, for keeping me entertained! Keep doing your thing! 🙂 Thank you again.”
-Jacqueline

“Hi Karen. Thank you so much, I’m so excited, I’ve never won anything before. My name is Hana … I just turned 25 (today is my birthday!) Yay! Thank you.”
-Hana

• One (1) Sephora eGift card containing $50 sent to the winner by email (international readers, you may opt to receive $50 sent by PayPal instead).

• There are two ways to enter, and you can do both of them for two chances to win. First, you can enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, a comment about anything at all, like, what’s your favorite blush under $20? Where do you see yourself in 10 years? What’s your favorite way to waste time? How do you take your coffee? Have you ever been to a spa? — you get the idea.
• Second, you can enter by following me on Twitter @karenmbb and retweeting (RT) the following message:
  • Follow @karenmbb and RT to Win a $50 eGift Card from Sephora! http://bit.ly/H3LcXj

• The deadline to enter is Sunday, April 1, 2012 at 11:59PM (PT).
• Entrants must enter using a valid email address and/or Twitter account to win.
• A maximum of two (2) entries per person — one within the comments at the bottom of this post, and a second entry via Twitter addressed to me @karenmbb.
• Contest is open to individuals of any country who have reached the age of majority according to their local laws (18 in the United States with these exceptions: Alabama and Nebraska, 19; Mississippi, 21).
• Sephora eGift Certificates can only be redeemed online and are not valid in stores or available for purchase or redemption in Canada. International winners may opt to substitute the Sephora eGift card prize for $50 sent directly to their email address by PayPal instead.
• Tabs and I (heretofore referred to as “T-Money and K-Dawg”) will select one (1) winner at random from the entries either left in the comments at the bottom of this blog post or addressed to @karenmbb on Twitter.
• The winner will be announced here within 48 hours of the deadline.
• Void where prohibited by law.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

• WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is Kristy! Congratulations, Kristy! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

• WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is Amy C! Congratulations, Amy! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

Happy St. Patrick’s! — wait, that was last week. But doesn’t it feel like it was just St. Patrick’s Day? WOW! This week went by quickly. I could have sworn we were just talking about fish & chips.

Not there’s a right or wrong time to talk about fried food. Matter of fact, I’d say it’s an underused topic of conversation.

Anywho! I’m doing my best to rise and shine over here, but Mother Nature isn’t cooperating. There’s a light, annoying drizzle outside, like the kind where you just wish it would either unload and start pouring, because at least that would do the plants some good, or stop altogether so the sun can come out.

Tabs votes for the later.

Which reminds me. Sometimes he’s such a grouch! It’s adorable when he makes his little angry old man face with his whiskers turned down. That’s the face he makes when I take him out for a walk after a rain and the ground is still wet. On the one hand, he loves being outside; on the other, he hates getting his paws wet.

It’s so cute! After he steps in a puddle, he’ll raise his little paw like he stepped on a thorn, and look up at me and mewl as if to say, “This is bullsh*t, Mom.”

I swear he thinks I’m responsible for the weather. When it rains, he’d probably fire me if he could.

Ya know, I think it’s time for some coffee, so I’ll be right back. Why don’t you enter this weekend’s giveaway while I’m gone? 🙂

What folks are saying…

“Oh my goodness! Thank you so much Karen (and Tabs, of course)! I really appreciate this! I’d been eyeing the Anastasia brow pencil in Strawburn to match my red hair!”
-Chelsea (and Jiji the kitten and Quincy the bunny)

“Hi Karen and Tabs. Wow! Thanks so much for this! It’s hard to believe I actually won something. I can’t wait to shop my little heart out! Thanks again. Love to Tabs! And I love your blog with the Tabs stories. ;+)”
-Sophie, St Petersburg, FL

“Never before have I been so pleased to check my email right before bed!!! Thank you so, so much! I truly enjoy your blog and check it almost daily! Thanks again! This made my night!”
-Melissa, Edmond, OK

“Hi Karen. Oh my goodness! I can’t believe I won! :O Thank you so much! You, Tabs, and your blog are amazing! Thank you for keeping me updated on all things beauty and more importantly, for keeping me entertained! Keep doing your thing! 🙂 Thank you again.”
-Jacqueline

“Hi Karen. Thank you so much, I’m so excited, I’ve never won anything before. My name is Hana … I just turned 25 (today is my birthday!) Yay! Thank you.”
-Hana

• One (1) Sephora eGift card containing $50 sent to the winner by email (international readers, you may opt to receive $50 sent by PayPal instead).

• There are two ways to enter, and you can do both of them for two chances to win. First, you can enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, a comment about anything at all, like, have you ever been caught outside in the rain? When was your last grand adventure? Have you ever been snorkeling? How many cats is too many cats? What’s your most cherished memory? Have you ever applied makeup on someone else? — you get the idea.
• Second, you can enter by following me on Twitter @karenmbb and retweeting (RT) the following message:
  • Follow @karenmbb and RT to Win a $50 eGift Card from Sephora! http://bit.ly/GLFU2x

• The deadline to enter is Sunday, March 25, 2012 at 11:59PM (PT).
• Entrants must enter using a valid email address and/or Twitter account to win.
• A maximum of two (2) entries per person — one within the comments at the bottom of this post, and a second entry via Twitter addressed to me @karenmbb.
• Contest is open to individuals of any country who have reached the age of majority according to their local laws (18 in the United States with these exceptions: Alabama and Nebraska, 19; Mississippi, 21).
• Sephora eGift Certificates can only be redeemed online and are not valid in stores or available for purchase or redemption in Canada. International winners may opt to substitute the Sephora eGift card prize for $50 sent directly to their email address by PayPal instead.
• Tabs and I (heretofore referred to as “T-Money and K-Dawg”) will select one (1) winner at random from the entries either left in the comments at the bottom of this blog post or addressed to @karenmbb on Twitter.
• The winner will be announced here within 48 hours of the deadline.
• Void where prohibited by law.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

• WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is Amy C! Congratulations, Amy! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

Luck o’ the Irish to ya! That’s one of the ways El Hub wooed me into marrying him, by saying that because he’s part Irish, we would have a long and lucky life. I’d pretty much already made up my mind by then, but ya know, it was another selling point. 🙂

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! May you be very fortunate, not just today, but always.

I can’t think of anything new or noteworthy this morning. We did go see that movie last night, 21 Jump Street, and that was a lot of fun. You gimme a big bag of mixed popcorn/kettlecorn, Channing Tatum in a uniform and a pretty well-written comedy, and I’m a happy gal.

I’m still dusting the cobwebs off my brain this morning, so I’m having a wee bit o’ difficulty (because it’s St. Paddy’s, I’m going to talk like that all day long; just warning you) stringing my sentences together, but I’m sure today’s fried food and beer will help, haha!

Time to make a Starbuck’s run. Can I get you something while I’m there? You stay here and enter today’s giveaway. I’ll be right back.

What folks are saying…

“Oh my goodness! Thank you so much Karen (and Tabs, of course)! I really appreciate this! I’d been eyeing the Anastasia brow pencil in Strawburn to match my red hair!”
-Chelsea (and Jiji the kitten and Quincy the bunny)

“Hi Karen and Tabs. Wow! Thanks so much for this! It’s hard to believe I actually won something. I can’t wait to shop my little heart out! Thanks again. Love to Tabs! And I love your blog with the Tabs stories. ;+)”
-Sophie, St Petersburg, FL

“Never before have I been so pleased to check my email right before bed!!! Thank you so, so much! I truly enjoy your blog and check it almost daily! Thanks again! This made my night!”
-Melissa, Edmond, OK

“Hi Karen. Oh my goodness! I can’t believe I won! :O Thank you so much! You, Tabs, and your blog are amazing! Thank you for keeping me updated on all things beauty and more importantly, for keeping me entertained! Keep doing your thing! 🙂 Thank you again.”
-Jacqueline

“Hi Karen. Thank you so much, I’m so excited, I’ve never won anything before. My name is Hana … I just turned 25 (today is my birthday!) Yay! Thank you.”
-Hana

• One (1) Sephora eGift card containing $50 sent to the winner by email (international readers, you may opt to receive $50 sent by PayPal instead).

• There are two ways to enter, and you can do both of them for two chances to win. First, you can enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, a comment about anything at all, like, what’s your favorite fried food? When was the last time you had fish and chips (or corned beef and cabbage)? Have you ever had a green beer? Are you wearing anything green today? Have you ever found a four-leaf clover? Have you ever worn green eyeshadow? — you get the idea.
• Second, you can enter by following me on Twitter @karenmbb and retweeting (RT) the following message:
  • Follow @karenmbb and RT to Win a $50 eGift Card from Sephora! http://bit.ly/z0nbvl

• The deadline to enter is Sunday, March 18, 2012 at 11:59PM (PT).
• Entrants must enter using a valid email address and/or Twitter account to win.
• A maximum of two (2) entries per person — one within the comments at the bottom of this post, and a second entry via Twitter addressed to me @karenmbb.
• Contest is open to individuals of any country who have reached the age of majority according to their local laws (18 in the United States with these exceptions: Alabama and Nebraska, 19; Mississippi, 21).
• Sephora eGift Certificates can only be redeemed online and are not valid in stores or available for purchase or redemption in Canada. International winners may opt to substitute the Sephora eGift card prize for $50 sent directly to their email address by PayPal instead.
• Tabs and I (heretofore referred to as “T-Money and K-Dawg”) will select one (1) winner at random from the entries either left in the comments at the bottom of this blog post or addressed to @karenmbb on Twitter.
• The winner will be announced here within 48 hours of the deadline.
• Void where prohibited by law.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

• WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is Heather! Congratulations, Heather! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

Rise and shine, morning glory! If you’re a frequent visitor to the blog, you know what that means (it’s giveaway time!).

But before we get to that, I want to wish you a wonderful weekend and thank you for stopping by. I appreciate your time, your friendship, and your patience, because yes, I know that some of you often think, “Gawd, this woman must be crazy. All she ever does is talk about her cat!!!” Thankfully, you’re also understanding. After all, we each have our quirks.

Today we’re less than two weeks from the official start of spring! I hope your winter ends with something nice.

Without further ado, now it’s giveaway time. 🙂

What folks are saying…

“Oh my goodness! Thank you so much Karen (and Tabs, of course)! I really appreciate this! I’d been eyeing the Anastasia brow pencil in Strawburn to match my red hair!”
-Chelsea (and Jiji the kitten and Quincy the bunny)

“Hi Karen and Tabs. Wow! Thanks so much for this! It’s hard to believe I actually won something. I can’t wait to shop my little heart out! Thanks again. Love to Tabs! And I love your blog with the Tabs stories. ;+)”
-Sophie, St Petersburg, FL

“Never before have I been so pleased to check my email right before bed!!! Thank you so, so much! I truly enjoy your blog and check it almost daily! Thanks again! This made my night!”
-Melissa, Edmond, OK

“Hi Karen. Oh my goodness! I can’t believe I won! :O Thank you so much! You, Tabs, and your blog are amazing! Thank you for keeping me updated on all things beauty and more importantly, for keeping me entertained! Keep doing your thing! 🙂 Thank you again.”
-Jacqueline

“Hi Karen. Thank you so much, I’m so excited, I’ve never won anything before. My name is Hana … I just turned 25 (today is my birthday!) Yay! Thank you.”
-Hana

• One (1) Sephora eGift card containing $50 sent to the winner by email (international readers, you may opt to receive $50 sent by PayPal instead).

• There are two ways to enter, and you can do both of them for two chances to win. First, you can enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, a comment about anything at all, like, what’s your favorite lip product? How often do you wash your hair? What’s the last great movie you watched? Do you live in the Northern or the Southern Hemisphere? What was your favorite class in school? — you get the idea.
• Second, you can enter by following me on Twitter @karenmbb and retweeting (RT) the following message:
  • Follow @karenmbb and RT to Win a $50 eGift Card from Sephora! http://bit.ly/yUlPvw

• The deadline to enter is Sunday, March 11, 2012 at 11:59PM (PT).
• Entrants must enter using a valid email address and/or Twitter account to win.
• A maximum of two (2) entries per person — one within the comments at the bottom of this post, and a second entry via Twitter addressed to me @karenmbb.
• Contest is open to individuals of any country who have reached the age of majority according to their local laws (18 in the United States with these exceptions: Alabama and Nebraska, 19; Mississippi, 21).
• Sephora eGift Certificates can only be redeemed online and are not valid in stores or available for purchase or redemption in Canada. International winners may opt to substitute the Sephora eGift card prize for $50 sent directly to their email address by PayPal instead.
• Tabs and I (heretofore referred to as “T-Money and K-Dawg”) will select one (1) winner at random from the entries either left in the comments at the bottom of this blog post or addressed to @karenmbb on Twitter.
• The winner will be announced here within 48 hours of the deadline.
• Void where prohibited by law.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

• WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is Heather! Congratulations, Heather! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

• WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is Melissa! Congratulations, Melissa! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

I don’t mind running for cupcakes.

They’re like my carrots. If you put a cupcake at the end of a stick in front of me, I’ll run after it. Every time.

So if you think about it, someone should invent something like that for treadmills, ya know? A stick that goes into the console and dangles a cupcake out in front.

I’d be hella runnin’ after that cupcake, yo.

Right now there are two of them — cupcakes — the little mini ones, one lemon and one strawberry, on the coffee table here in front of me, and they’re taunting me… I can hear their little voices in my head: “Oh, my gosh! We’re just so sweet and yummy. I hope someone eats us soon, tee-hee!”

Rise and shine, morning glory! It’s going to be a beautiful day. 🙂

I hope your weekend got off to a great start. I’m about to head to yoga class now, and then after that maybe to a cafe to order a frothy drink and just sit with my notebook for an hour.

Tabs is in charge of this morning’s giveaway until I get back. See you soon.

• One (1) Sephora eGift card containing $50 sent to the winner by email (international readers, you may opt to receive $50 sent by PayPal instead).

• There are two ways to enter, and you can do both of them for two chances to win. First, you can enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, a comment about anything at all, like, who makes your favorite cupcake? Have you ever baked cupcakes? Do you enjoy baking? What do you think of beauty products that smell like food? What’s on your makeup lemming list right now? — you get the idea.
• Second, you can enter by following me on Twitter @karenmbb and retweeting (RT) the following message:
  • Follow @karenmbb and RT to Win a $50 eGift Card from Sephora! http://bit.ly/wd83fh

• The deadline to enter is Sunday, March 4, 2012 at 11:59PM (PT).
• Entrants must enter using a valid email address and/or Twitter account to win.
• A maximum of two (2) entries per person — one within the comments at the bottom of this post, and a second entry via Twitter addressed to me @karenmbb.
• Contest is open to individuals of any country who have reached the age of majority according to their local laws (18 in the United States with these exceptions: Alabama and Nebraska, 19; Mississippi, 21).
• Sephora eGift Certificates can only be redeemed online and are not valid in stores or available for purchase or redemption in Canada. International winners may opt to substitute the Sephora eGift card prize for $50 sent directly to their email address by PayPal instead.
• Tabs and I (heretofore referred to as “T-Money and K-Dawg”) will select one (1) winner at random from the entries either left in the comments at the bottom of this blog post or addressed to @karenmbb on Twitter.
• The winner will be announced here within 48 hours of the deadline.
• Void where prohibited by law.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

• WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is Melissa! Congratulations, Melissa! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

• WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is Sophie! Congratulations, Sophie! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

Ah… Good old fashioned bribery works every time! My body and brain have been demanding a little extra exercise motivation lately, so I’ve decided to award them with new workout gear.

I figure, if I’m gonna break a sweat, even at times when I really don’t want to, I might as well do it in cute clothes. 🙂

There were those pieces I liked from Zella, which I’ve heard is like a budget friendlier Lululemon, but I’m a gal who likes options, so I put the question out there on Twitter and asked for recommendations for stylish, sturdy, affordable workout clothes.

A couple of girls mentioned Danskin at Wal Mart, and the Champion line at Target, Old Navy and Gap, so I’ve got a little more to work with now.

Let me know if you have any other ideas for me. The more the merrier.

Now, without further ado…on to the giveaway!

• One (1) Sephora eGift card containing $50 sent to the winner by email (international readers, you may opt to receive $50 sent by PayPal instead).

• There are two ways to enter, and you can do both of them for two chances to win. First, you can enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, a comment about anything at all, like, if you currently exercise, what’s your favorite workout activity? Do you wear makeup while you exercise? How do you feel about bananas? Do you have a favorite waterproof mascara? Do you have a workout buddy? What’s your most comfortable outfit (not just for exercise but in general)? — you get the idea.
• Second, you can enter by following me on Twitter @karenmbb and retweeting (RT) the following message:
  • Follow @karenmbb and RT to Win a $50 eGift Card from Sephora! http://bit.ly/yTJwFd

• The deadline to enter is Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 11:59PM (PT).
• Entrants must enter using a valid email address and/or Twitter account to win.
• A maximum of two (2) entries per person — one within the comments at the bottom of this post, and a second entry via Twitter addressed to me @karenmbb.
• Contest is open to individuals of any country who have reached the age of majority according to their local laws (18 in the United States with these exceptions: Alabama and Nebraska, 19; Mississippi, 21).
• Sephora eGift Certificates can only be redeemed online and are not valid in stores or available for purchase or redemption in Canada. International winners may opt to substitute the Sephora eGift card prize for $50 sent directly to their email address by PayPal instead.
• Tabs and I (heretofore referred to as “T-Money and K-Dawg”) will select one (1) winner at random from the entries either left in the comments at the bottom of this blog post or addressed to @karenmbb on Twitter.
• The winner will be announced here within 48 hours of the deadline.
• Void where prohibited by law.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

• WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is Sophie! Congratulations, Sophie! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

• WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is Mindy M.! Congratulations, Mindy! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

Rise and shine, morning glory! 🙂 Guess who has a new obsession?

Yep, I’ve become obsessed lately with a series of videos on Vimeo called the Take Away Shows, which are basically these intimate, seemingly impromptu acoustic sets performed by musicians around the world, mostly in public venues, like while strolling down a city sidewalk, walking through a park or by an empty hotel bar.

And they’ve turned me on to a bunch of artists I’d never heard of before, like Hanni El Khatib.

It’s been a while since I’ve been to a live performance…

Well, there was that kickin’ rock cover band at the summer fair in the parking lot of the mall last year (behind the Panera Bread and the T-Mobile store), but other than that, I don’t know — maybe the San Francisco Symphony performing with Duncan Sheik in 2010. That was a fun.

I’ve always loved live music, but these days I gotta have somewhere to sit, haha! I just don’t have the stamina/wherewithal to stand for two hours and wait for a band to start playing at 11. Seriously, 11 is my bedtime now.

Okay, that sounded very Liz Lemony…

How about we pretend I didn’t say it and get on with the giveaway? 🙂

• One (1) Sephora eGift card containing $50 sent to the winner by email (international readers, you may opt to receive $50 sent by PayPal instead).

• There are two ways to enter, and you can do both of them for two chances to win. First, you can enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, a comment about anything at all, like, when was the last time you went to a concert (and who performed)? Have you ever worn a costume or crazy makeup to a concert? Have you ever sung in front of an audience before? Are you having a good hair day today? Whom would you like to see perform live? — you get the idea.
• Second, you can enter by following me on Twitter @karenmbb and retweeting (RT) the following message:
  • Follow @karenmbb and RT to Win a $50 eGift Card from Sephora! http://bit.ly/wWPRrZ

• The deadline to enter is Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 11:59PM (PT).
• Entrants must enter using a valid email address and/or Twitter account to win.
• A maximum of two (2) entries per person — one within the comments at the bottom of this post, and a second entry via Twitter addressed to me @karenmbb.
• Contest is open to individuals of any country who have reached the age of majority according to their local laws (18 in the United States with these exceptions: Alabama and Nebraska, 19; Mississippi, 21).
• Sephora eGift Certificates can only be redeemed online and are not valid in stores or available for purchase or redemption in Canada. International winners may opt to substitute the Sephora eGift card prize for $50 sent directly to their email address by PayPal instead.
• Tabs and I (heretofore referred to as “T-Money and K-Dawg”) will select one (1) winner at random from the entries either left in the comments at the bottom of this blog post or addressed to @karenmbb on Twitter.
• The winner will be announced here within 48 hours of the deadline.
• Void where prohibited by law.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

• WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is Mindy M.! Congratulations, Mindy! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂