Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
weeklyroundup
This Week’s Top Posts
My goodness, girl, what is going on around here with these winds blowing through Northern California? We’ve been seeing steady 10-20mph gusts nonstop since Friday. There are tree branches, leaves, lawn chairs and other odds and ends strewn about everywhere outside — the place is a mess!
The other night El Hub sprung out of bed three times at different sounds he’d heard in the night, assuming in that way that only boys do (God love ’em) that he was hearing someone breaking into the house, when it was just the wind knocking things around. Tabs, of course, was absolutely no help in the guard cat department. He claims his contract doesn’t extend to personal security…
What did you end up doing yesterday? I only managed to take care of some of my laundry and chores, so after my bro’s girlfriend’s graduation this morning, it’s right back to more chores for me!
I don’t mind, though. I’m still riding a high from the makeup and beauty products we talked about last week, and here are a few of my favorites of the bunch:
MAC Pro Longlash Mascara for a Flirty Fringe in a Flash
“I’m in love with MAC Pro Longlash (I hope El Hub understands) — the dark color, the degree to which it lengthens and thickens, the lack of clumping and how quickly it dries. Plus, the price is totally right!”
Sandal-Ready Feet in a Week? That’s Quite a Feat. My Tow-Up Tootsies Test Drove Burt’s Bees Coconut Foot Creme
“After one week with this thick, greasy cream, I wouldn’t say my feet are foot fetish worthy yet, but I do think I’m back to being able to wear flip-flops without feeling self-conscious. My heels aren’t as cracked or dry as they were, and there’s a definite decline in skin scaliness around the tops of my feet and toes. ”
Illamasqua Blush in Lover Is Like a Coral on the Hush
“Lover’s one of 15 blushes in the Illamasqua permanent line and made its way into US Sephora stores last year. It behaves a lot like the other Illamasqua blushes I’ve tried. Not only is it pigmented and blendable, but it also lasts a good amount of time, both in terms of wear time and because of the size of the pan.”
MAC To The Beach: A Bit of Blue for a Rainy Spring Day
“Today I’m wearing my new ‘I’m living in complete denial about the weather’ makeup look, which features gold, peach, coral, blue and bronze. Even though it still makes use of some of the brighter colors from the MAC To The Beach collection (among other things like these and this), I think it’s a little daytime-friendlier than the orange and green liner look I tried last weekend.”
Tuesday Beauty Tips: Being Resilient
“Like sailing, life has its ups and downs. One minute you’re cruising along at a good clip, the wind at your back; next minute it’s like you’re beating back a storm, flailing with your arms and legs just to tread water! Because the seas aren’t always smooth sailing, it pays to be resilient.”
This Week’s Top Posts
Good morning, girl! What can you tell me about bird feeders?
Yes, bird feeders. 🙂
This is a little entirely off topic, but yesterday, before I got my hair cut, I swung by my local hardware store to pick up some gardening supplies and spent a long time in the bird feeder aisle.
I love hearing birds sing outside my window, and I bet a feeder would bring even more of them around. I could go with one of those small wire feeders that fit pre-molded seed bricks — they look like starter models. The cream of the crop feeders look like little wooden houses. Those are the sports cars of the bird feeding world, LOL!
Anywho, wasn’t this a great week for makeup and beauty? Three of the big brands kinda surprised me — MAC, YSL and China Glaze. Each of them brought their A games this time around.
Here’s a quick look back at some of my favorite posts of the week…
Hope you’re having a great Sunday so far! Let me know what you’re up to.
Tuesday Beauty Tips: Boosting Your Confidence
“I know several cats (myself included) who are BIG fans. CBT techniques are based on the notion that behaviors and feelings stem from the ways in which you see yourself and your life. The five steps in the article can help you recognize, challenge and ultimately replace negative thoughts with more positive ones.”
How Adventurous Are You with Your Skin Care Routine?
“It’s got a light beachy scent, and the little exfoliating scrubbies feel great. I think it’s a solid cleanser, too (hope it doesn’t break me out!). It made my face feel clean after I used it but not tight. Washing with it I got to thinking about skin care routines and how I don’t really have a rigorous long-term one.”
Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pure Shine Sheer Lipstick in Pink Lychee Lasts but a Moment, yet Still Makes an Impression
“Texture wise, Pink Lychee feels great, thanks to a hydrating formula similar to MAC Glaze Lipstick. It’s smooth, thin, feels light, and when I rub my lips together with it on they just glide back and forth — no resistance at all. Plus, I like the scent, which reminds me of Granny Smith apples, and added SPF 15. :)”
MAC Unsung Heroes: Woodwinked Eyeshadow Fakes a Good Night’s Sleep
“MAC Woodwinked Eyeshadow ($14.50) rocks harder than Metallica. Like a beauty BFF, this shimmery shadow’s been with me through good times and bad. Brown in the pan, it applies like a lovely warm gold, and I find myself still reaching for it often because it’s one of those disbelief-suspending shades able to fake a good night’s sleep.”
Dior Addict Ultra Gloss: Smooth Texture, High Shine
“They’re unscented but do have a mild brown sugar taste I don’t mind. As for how they feel — I mentioned that I didn’t detect any plumping, right? — the medium-weight thickness feels comfortable, non-sticky and smooth, and it makes them easy to wear. They also don’t creep past my natural lip line, either.”
This Week’s Top Posts
Good morning, fair lady. 🙂 Happy Mother’s Day to all you hot mommas out there. Tabs, as expected, didn’t even get me a card or flowers. Oh, well…
Ha! I think that’s enough crazy cat lady for one Sunday. Back to beauty — did you have a favorite product this week? I really enjoyed hearing about Rosebud Salve. I’ve used it before, but it drifted off my radar screen until Julianne’s guest post this week. Time to grab a tin and get reacquainted, methinks.
Have a great morning! Talk to you soon.
Tokidoki Perfetto Eyeliner in Donutella, and One Way to Wear Pink
“Um… pink liner? Yup, it ain’t your average basic brown or black, but that’s no reason to fear, because Donutella is here! This cutie’s actually downright wearable. Here’s one subtle way to wear it that’s pretty doable for daytime. I used a mix of products from MAC, Tokidoki and Rimmel.”
The $14 Urban Decay Face Case
“They say good things come in small packages, and in the matter of Urban Decay’s Face Case, it’s true. Well… mostly. The small price for this cutie pie initially caught my eye — a mere $14 for a complete makeup palette for eyes, lips and cheeks! Gotta love a steal of a deal!”
Bobbi Brown Made Treatment Lip Shine a Lippie Triple Threat
“Each tube’s a sheer (unflavored and unscented) lipstick, moisturizing treatment and sunblock rolled into one. I’ve been rotating among Pink Glisten, Raspberry Pink and Moonlight Rose. Each one shines softly with a consistently thin, non-sticky texture, three-hour wear time and semi-transparent opacity. Great for casual, summery lips.”
The Highlighting Power of Rosebud Salve
“We all know the famous Smith’s Rosebud Salve, the famed multi-purpose medicating machine in the pretty tin can. You can use it on your lips, on your skin, and on your diaper rash. It’s always sold right by the cashiers at Sephora with all of the other beauty musts, like the Shu Uemura eyelash curler. It’s an American classic.
”
Maximize Your Flirty Fringe with Rimmel The Max Volume Flash Mascara
“Available in Black and Extreme Black, Max Volume Flash latches on to lashes like they’re going out of style, separating and defining every last one of ’em (even the small stumpy ones). Two to three coats create a full, feathery lash look Mr. Snuffleupagus would envy.”
This Week’s Top Posts… and Notes from WordCamp SF
Good morning, glory. 🙂 Are you up and at ’em yet? I’m still warming up my engine…
Wasn’t this week a good one for lip products? Rimmel surprised me yet again! This time it was their $6 Moisture Renew Lipsticks. I swear, if that company keeps overachieving like this, I can think of some big department store brands with reason to worry.
I’m just going through my notes from the WordCamp conference in the city yesterday and coming to the unfortunate conclusion that it wasn’t a great event (for info from a GREAT blogging conference, check out these notes from Blog World 2009), but I did pick up a few juicy tidbits of blogging information. If you’re interested, I’ll paste them down at the bottom of this post.
Back to beauty — what was your favorite product this week? Have you given those Rimmel Lipsticks a try?
Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick: A $6 Drugstore Dream
“Despite the somewhat flimsy packaging and the fact that you might have to layer these lipsticks, they’re winners in my book. Based on price, wear time and their hydrating formula, keep these in mind (a BOGO sale might be a perfect opportunity to stock up!).”
15-Minute Morning Makeup: Easy Peasy Neutrals with Urban Decay and MAC
“Lately my morning makeup’s been like Switzerland (neutral). 🙂 I know it’s just a phase, but I haven’t been wanting to spend the time, ya know? Here’s a simple eye that only takes about 15 minutes to do. It features black liner and shimmery brown shadow with just a bit of blending and smudging.”
Benefit Boo Boo Zap: You Can Be My Hero, Baby!
“As far as kicking pimples to the curb, Boo Boo Zap works fast — faster than the long list of benzoyl peroxide products I’ve tried in the past (and that includes Proactiv). The scent might turn some ladies off (it smells like strong medicine!), and it’s not the least expensive spot treatment on the market, but I think it’s well worth a try.”
Wimpy Lashes, Meet MAC Opulash Mascara
“With Opulash, MAC is venturing into totally tubular Clinique Lash Power/DiorShow territory. I’m sure you remember DiorShow… With its tubes of mascara that surround each lash? Opulash also coats with tubes of mascara, and despite how long lasting it is, it still washes right off with nothing but warm water; no extra eye makeup remover required.”
Too Faced Perfect Lips Liner Loves Lips in the Nude
“Lining and filling with this soft, creamy pencil evens out the natural color of my pucker and increases the wear time of other lip products like Too Faced Glamour Gloss. Not only does it play well with others, but it wears well by itself for that coveted no-makeup look.”
This Week’s Top Posts
Rise and shine, morning glory! 🙂 How’s it going today? Did you do anything fun last night? After spending yesterday afternoon shopping for plants at Costco, picking up some necessities at Target and watching at least five episodes of HBO’s Entourage online, I finally turned in around midnight.
Yesterday at Costco I was shopping for a miniature citrus tree to set in a large pot by the front door outside, one that won’t outgrow the pot or need to be replanted, but I left empty handed. No luck tracking one down. I’ve seen ’em decorating outdoor shopping centers before, and El Hub insists that whatever we get be something that produces food.
Ah, boys…
Back to beauty then — what was your favorite product this week? Was it an old standby or something new?
Bonjour! Let Givenchy Makeup Take You Someplace Special for Summer
“The blues, bronzes, pinks and peaches transport me to a tropical resort, where I’m lounging lazily beside the pool, reading some book (probably teen lit) under a stand of palm trees rustling overhead. Of course, in this fantasy I’m rocking killer abs in a Burberry bikini, and Ryan Reynolds just offered to buy me a margarita…”
Warming Up to MAC Pret-a-Papier
“If you’ve ever been a little confused by MAC’s past color collection choices, you might be in for a treat this time (at least I hope so). Everything here just makes sense to me, like a bona fide summer makeup collection with wicked versatility and potential. Almost any combination of these colors picked at random could still produce a cohesive look.”
Rimmel Lasting Finish Blendable Powder Blush Deserves a Drugstore Makeup Crown
“For $5, the Lasting Finish Blushes are tough to beat, and they’re possibly the best drugstore blushes I’ve seen in a while. What a great way to expand a blush collection without spending an arm and a leg!”
$30 Yves Saint Laurent Volume Effet Faux Cils Mascara for a False Lash Effect
“First, I think this pricey princess does kick serious booty in a few important ways… I’ve been testing it in High Density Black, one of the eight colors in the line, and it delivers some of the best pigment I’ve ever seen. It looks deep, dark and rich on my lashes, almost like they’ve been dipped in a jar of India ink.”
NARS Sin Blush: BFF to Purple Glosses Everywhere
“Shimmery golden berry NARS Blush in Sin ($26) just may be the perfect partner for purple gloss. It’s been part of the NARS family (permanent) for some time now, but I just recently gave it a try.”
This Week’s Top Posts
[big yawn…]
Howzit, ladies? Good (belated) morning to ya. 🙂 I slept in again with a little help from Tabs. He makes it easy to lose track of time. Simply put, sleeping late with a cat beside me on the bed is one of the greatest pleasures in life.
What did you do last night? My plans changed at the last minute because El Hub ended up not going on his bromance, so we went out to dinner and a movie instead. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo? Have you seen it? Swiss or Swedish, I think… I can’t remember which, but I thought it was great.
A pair of investigators, one a girl computer hacker and the other a reporter dude for an underground newspaper, get mixed up in a wealthy family’s twisted conspiracy surrounding the disappearance of a young girl in 1966.
LOTS of awful, sadistic men in the story, but the hacker girl character flat-out rules!
Back to beauty then — what was your favorite product this past week? Was it an old standby or something new?
Physicans Formula Healthy Wear Bronzer: A Trifecta of Skin Lurving Benefits?
“Now here I go being all wrong about bronzers… I always thought they were for adding a warm, almost-tanned look to skin. Not true, says Physicians Formula, or rather, that’s not all they can do. New Healthy Wear Bronzer gives a sun-kissed glow but couples it with healthful skin benefits.”
MAC Unsung Heroes: Lychee Luxe Lipglass
“Lychee Luxe is the coral lipgloss Goldilocks would have worn because it bears (ha!) a perfect amount of golden pinkish coral… And, oooh! — the flexibility. It goes great with so many different eye makeup looks, like all of the seasonal golds, bronzes, coppers, teals and greens of summer.”
Rimmel Glam Eyes Lash Flirt Mascara, A Haiku Review
For mad length and lift, $7 Rimmel Glam Eyes Mascara delivers. It’s perfect for those midnight runs to Rite Aid or CVS, and it lasts from dusk till dawn.
MBBTV #11: Philosophy Coloring Book Gets a Bad … Rap
Have you played with any of the makeup palettes Philosophy has been coming out with these lately? This one — called The Color of Grace — gets a bad rap. Well, that’s a little misleading, 🙂 but you be the judge.
This Week’s Top Posts
This was kind of a good week for color, yah? I wasn’t expecting so much from Clinique Brandied Bronze, but that palette alone has my summer basically covered. And then there was MAC’s brighter-than-bright Just Add Colour Lipglass… I could barely take my eyes off it long enough to write the post!
How about you? What was your favorite product this week, and what are you MOST looking forward to now? I feel like going MAC To The Beach…
MAC’s Calling, and They Want You to Just Add Colour
“Limited edition Just Add Colour shimmers by herself as the lone Lipglass in the approaching Prep For Colour collection… Perfect for spring/summer. The color begins with a bold, highly pigmented POP, but it wears down over the day into a surprisingly natural dark pink.”
Next Stop: Essie Resort 2010 and Nail Polish Paradise
“Not only did Essie’s new Resort 2010 collection knock my socks off, but then it picked them up and ran away. I mean, I usually like the things Essie comes out with, but I haven’t been this stoked about one of their releases since Neon 2008!”
MAC Studio Fix Lash, A Haiku Review
Somebody pinch me because I must be dreaming. A $13 mascara from MAC that works this well? What’s the secret? MAC says it’s the mousse! And short, stubby lashes don’t stand a chance. 🙂
Tokidoki Kabuki Brush, A Haiku Review
I don’t know if you’re into the Tokidoki 
style like I am, but I’ve been drooling all over the new makeup line at Sephora. The new Kabuki brush is more than just a masterpiece of cute! — its good looks belie a highly useful powder/bronzer brush with long, soft bristles that distribute product over a wide area.