giveaway

When my brother and I were kids, we couldn’t wait for Christmas! Every year in the week leading up to the big day, we’d resort to all manner of tom foolery to deign the contents of the boxes under the tree, first shaking them, then examining the tape for structural integrity (I found a loose corner!), then holding the boxes up to bright lights in an attempt to see through the wrapping paper.

We’d get a little relief on Christmas Eve, when our parents allowed us to open one gift each. Most of the time I’d go for one of the rattlers, the boxes that made the most noise when I shook ’em. I did that one year and opened a box filled with blank Memorex tapes.

Yes, tapes, girl! 🙂 Because back in the day, pirating music meant straight up recording songs off the radio, haha!

My family members still open one gift each on Christmas Eve…except that now mine is usually the gift I’ve gotten myself as a Christmas treat.

Yes, I know that’s cheating.

This year it’s this pair of black feather-and-chain earrings Santa found at Nordstrom for $12. I’d been looking for a pair of feather earrings for a while but kept finding ones that looked too feathery. I didn’t want Tabs attacking my bling, but I’m hoping that the addition of chains and rhinestones in these tells Tabs that no, Mom does not have a bird hanging from her ears.

It being Christmas Eve, what are some of your family’s Christmas (or other holiday) traditions?

That’s just one of the many questions you could answer to enter today’s Sephora eCard 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, how do you feel about fruitcake? When was the last time you had eggnog? What was one of your favorite presents you remember getting as a child? How does your family celebrate the holidays (this or any other time of year)? Is it snowing out where you 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/uGF8bd

• The deadline to enter is Sunday, December 25, 2011 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 Dana! Congratulations, Dana! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

Might as well face it, I’m addicted to Pukka Love…

I’ve been drinking so much of this stuff lately! It’s a tea called Love by Pukka ($6.95) that I get from the Vitamin Shoppe, but I’m sure it’s carried at other places, too. Design ho that I am, I picked it up first because of the box, but the description of the flavors is what had me sold: “organic rose, chamomile and lavender flower to warm your heart.”

Aww and NOM!

Imbibing this beautiful beverage is supposed to soothe, relax, and make you feel more balanced — all things I constantly need, haha! — and I love the taste. It’s a sweet aromatic floral like the lavender flower hard candies I used to get from the Asian grocery store down the street when I was kid.

It’s herbal and caffeine-free, so I can drink as much as I want throughout the day without getting the shakes, and for variety I’ve been alternating it with Celestial Seasonings Sweet Coconut Chai.

A cup of tea can be a simple way to show yourself some love…

Yes, that was very cheesy, but so true. 🙂

And now, ready or not, it’s giveaway time!

• 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 are your favorite kinds/flavors of tea? Have you ever attended high tea before? How would you summarize 2011 for you? How do you feel about fragrances with tea notes? Have you finished all of your holiday shopping? — 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/rXkTyQ

• The deadline to enter is Sunday, December 18, 2011 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 Dana! Congratulations, Dana! 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 Hana! Congratulations, Hana! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

Christmas is coming fast, gah! This weekend is go-time for me; no question about it. On my list today: to get a tree, put up some lights, and catch up on the Christmas shopping I promised myself I’d be finished with by now.

Yup, don’t ya just love the holiday crunch? — that pressure to get into the spirit before it’s too late to really enjoy? It’s yet another strange facet of life, having to hurry up to relax, LOL!

I am really looking forward to getting a tree, though, a small one just a few feet tall, and filling the house with that wonderful pine scent. And then Tabs and I can decorate it this afternoon with some ornaments that have been in our family for years.

Now, my friend, it’s time for me to power up with something warm and caffeinated, and get under way. I hope your weekend gets off to a great start. Speaking of that, perhaps today’s giveaway can help. 🙂

• 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 are your favorite holiday traditions (Christmas or otherwise)? What are five things you find yourself doing a lot this time of year? When was the last time you did something dramatic with your makeup or hair? Do you have any New Year’s resolutions? What are you wearing on your nails? — 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/tMn6S3

• The deadline to enter is Sunday, December 11, 2011 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 Hana! Congratulations, Hana! 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 Kelly! Congratulations, Kelly! 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! Or, in my case, rise and glow like a dim night light with a 1-watt bulb.

So sleepy…

I feel like I could have slept another two hours, but when I opened my eyes this morning I couldn’t go back to sleep, so I figured I’d come downstairs and see what the Tabinator’s been up to.

The answer to that: about seven feet. At the top of his cat tower, sleeping all rolled up in a cute little ball.

Awwww… He looks so precious. I think I’ll wake him up. 🙂

“Hi, Tabs.” Poke, poke. “Are you sleeping?”

No answer…

“Where’s my toy [codeword for Tabby]? Have you seen Mommy’s toy?” Poke, poke, poke. “Tabby, Tabby, Tabby. Wakey, wakey, wakey.”

LOL! I feel so crazy sometimes.

Which reminds me, if I go see The Muppets this afternoon, what kind of makeup should I wear…?

I’d be tempted to do something worthy of the subject matter, but in a theater filled with kids, candy and soda, that might not be a good idea. It could be the spark that turns the place into this…

“Karen…” Oh, I hear a cup of tea calling my name. Why don’t you enter today’s giveaway, and I’ll be right back. 🙂

• 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, how do you feel about cosplay and getting all made up for special events? What’s the most outrageous thing you’ve ever done with your makeup and/or hair? What are you wearing on your nails? How often do you de-fuzz your legs, and what kind of wax or razor do you use? — 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/sLZV0W

• The deadline to enter is Sunday, December 4, 2011 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 Kelly! Congratulations, Kelly! 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 Jen! Congratulations, Jen! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

I wish I could learn new things by osmosis (technically, diffusion) — you know, where you could just touch a how-to book to your forehead or sleep with it under your pillow and just magically memorize the whole thing.

That sure would be convenient, wouldn’t it? Waking up the next morning and having El Hub ask me, “How did you sleep?” and me saying, “Eu dormi fantástico!”

I got a couple of new books about drawing last week by a cartoonist I like named Ben Caldwell. His style is very modern Disney and the books are filled with drawing exercises, which I do follow, some of them, but only as many as I can with the time.

Just one of those things I wish I had more time for… That and figuring out inventive new ways to annoy Tabs. 🙂 You know how it is. Too many interests, too little time.

The holiday weekend activities continue today. I’m taking pics of my BFF’s son’s christening this afternoon, so I’m excited about that, but also a little nervous. I don’t want to step on any toes, literally. Or knock anything over. It’s in a church, so there will be plenty of stuff to accidentally bump. Oh, and open flames…

I hope you’re having a good weekend. I think we should start ours here with another giveaway. How does Sephora sound?

Yup, it’s that time again. Ready to go in 1-2-3…

• 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, let’s say you could learn anything by osmosis — what would you want to learn? What’s your favorite food from this time of year? What’s your favorite place to buy discounted beauty products? Have you ever purchased clothing online? Hair question: how do you feel about victory rolls? — 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/tu9ieZ

• The deadline to enter is Sunday, November 27, 2011 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 Jen! Congratulations, Jen! 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 Lucia! Congratulations, Lucia! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

It’s another glorious fall day out Novato way, babe, and I’m just getting up. I know I’m a little late today, but I let myself sleep in. Wait — who am I kidding? It was Tabs who let me sleep in because the tabby alarm clock didn’t chime.

I haven’t seen or heard any sign of him this morning… I guess he’s sleeping in, too.

What are you up to this weekend? Did you do anything last night? I stayed home and watched the new episode of Grimm. Have you been watching that? Pretty good, right? It kinda reminds me of The Dresden Files, which I used to like, in how it melds the fairytale and modern worlds together. I like it when the protagonists in things like that aren’t just flawed, which you gotta have, but also in way over their head most of the time.

Once I find “my toy,” which is this week’s new nickname for Tabs (“Where’s my toy!?” “Time to play with my toy.” “I love my toy…”), and lavish him with lurvies for a spell, I think I’ll ask El Hub if he’ll take me to breakfast. I’ve been craving pancakes and popcorn somethin’ fierce lately, so if I can take care of the pancake cravings now, then I can focus on the popcorn one at the movies this afternoon.

Yep, busy day today, as you can tell, and it totally revolves around food. 🙂

I hope you have something nice lined up for this weekend. Why don’t we start with our Sephora giveaway to get things off to a good start? You know what that means. It’s…

• 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 fairytale? Have you ever braided your hair? What’s your outlook on glitter as it pertains to makeup? Are you hungry for anything in particular right now, and if so, what? — 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/uxtHec

• The deadline to enter is Sunday, November 20, 2011 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 Lucia! Congratulations, Lucia! 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 Chelsea! Congratulations, Chelsea! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

Do you ever play the What If game? It’s one of my favorites, and I play it all the time. It’s really easy, too. You just start a sentence with the words, “What if…” and see where it takes you. A popular version is the “What if I won the lottery…” game. That one gets a lot of mileage in this house, LOL!

It’s really fun when you try it with something totally and completely random, like, “What if I had a rainbow horn growing out of the side of my head?”

Well, I could hang a towel on it while I did my makeup, which would really come in handy because I’m always misplacing hand towels.

Work would be…challenging though. I have a feeling a horn would complicate self portraiture, depending on its length and luminosity. I’d hope that people would accept me with the horn, but I don’t know… A rainbow horn might throw some people off, especially if it just suddenly appeared one day, and I’d probably get a lot of questions like, “Why do you have a rainbow horn on the side of your head?”

Why, indeed. 🙂

As you can tell, I’m in a strange mood this morning, so let’s get to it, shall we? It’s Saturday, and I think you know what that means. It’s…

• 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 if you won the lottery tonight? — what’s the first thing you’d do? What if you won a lifetime supply of one beauty product? — which product would it be? What if you could have a famous makeup artist do your makeup? — which artist would it be? What if you could have anything for breakfast today? — what would it be? (Oh, and it doesn’t have to be a What If comment; it can be a comment about anything at all.)
• 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/ryfdWH

• The deadline to enter is Sunday, November 13, 2011 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 Chelsea! Congratulations, Chelsea! 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 Lulu! Congratulations, Lulu! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

Ah, coffee… Sweet elixir. Mana from heaven. How I love ye so.

You tempt me with your bold, rich aroma, even though you play Tiddlywinks with my nerves. Should I partake of your mixed blessings this morning, or should I take the safer route, with its lower highs and higher lows, into The Valley of Honey and Green Tea?

Hmm… Decisions, decisions.

Rise and shine, morning glory! Welcome to your Saturday. 🙂

While I figure out which caffeinated beverage to enjoy, why don’t we get this weekend off to a good start with a giveaway?

And speaking of giveaways, I’ll be posting the signs and announcing the winner of October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month Sign Project and Giveaway soon. Thank you very much for participating. Lots of wonderful signs and emails to sort through.

And now, drumroll please! It’s…

• 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 current favorite caffeinated (or non-caffeinated) beverage? When was the last time you played in the snow? Are you doing anything fun this weekend? What are you wearing on your eyes? How do you feel about false lashes? — 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/rG1hAp

• The deadline to enter is Sunday, November 6, 2011 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 Lulu! Congratulations, Lulu! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂