Archives for July 2008

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, July 28

July 28th, 2008 by Karen 89 Comments

Mood: Contemplative…

Lips: MAC High Tea lipstick (still trying to decide what gloss to pair it with)

Fragrance: Bath and Body Works Rainkissed Leaves Lotion and Body Splash

Breakfast: Frozen blueberry Eggo waffles and coffee

First song I heard today: Like a Boy by Ciara

Latest makeup find you’re telling all your homies about: Chanel Nude Lip Liner

Outfit: Kinda bummy today — dark Joe’s Jeans, a white tank top, grey hoodie, Adidas shell toe shoes and big grey and purple chandelier earrings

Lovin’ it: Sleep, coffee, a clean desk and Ciara’s music

Something you don’t know about me: I hate the smell of Tabasco sauce.

Goals for the week: Take Tabs to the vet, do some ab exercises and try not to stress out at work

Now it’s your turn. Just copy and paste this list, insert your answers and leave ’em for me in the comments. 🙂

Le list

Mood:
Lips:
Fragrance:
Breakfast:
First song I heard today:
Latest makeup find you’re telling all your homies about:
Outfit:
Lovin’ it:
Something you don’t know about me:
Goals for the week:

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Smokey Eyes and Expert Assassins

July 27th, 2008 by Karen 27 Comments

Have you seen the movie Wanted starring Angelina Jolie? It’s a cheesy action flick with several cool Matrix-inspired scenes. Angie looks great in it, and hawt day-am! — girlfriend sure works the smokey eye. I counted her wearing at least four stunning variations of it in brown-beige-black. Seriously, where do full-time, expert assassins find time to blend in the outer V? I always assumed they spent their free time cleaning guns and practicing jiujitsu rolls and whatnot. Who knew?

The movie itself didn’t exactly inspire me (two words: exploding rats), but I was inspired by Angie’s makeup in the film. I see some smokey eye looks in my future, for sure.

Speaking of smokey eyes, here are a few posts that featured them. How do you feel about smokey eyes? Have you ever worn one before?

Runway Smokey Eyes 101
“Despite my proclamations of klutziness, Gordon Epsinet, Vice President of Makeup Artistry for MAC Cosmetics, insists that just about anyone (even me) can do a hot smokey eye.”

Mally City Chick Smokey Eye Kit in Nolita Navy: Makes Blue Eyes Easy
“Nature’s rarest color isn’t always easy to work with, and even the simplest of blue eye looks can quickly devolve into hot blue messes if you don’t know which products to use and where to put them. Enter Mally Beauty’s Nolita Navy smokey eye kit (pictured up top), a palette of blue and peach shadows with a handy black pencil liner.”

Simple Smokey Eye with Chanel Winter Nights Quad
“As far as complete looks are concerned, this one is quick and easy to do. I used shades from the Chanel Winter Nights Quad, a versatile set with four basic, but pretty shades of pink, peachy gold, green and light brown. The look works well for the office or for things like family functions or semi-formals.”

MAC Smokey Brown and Purple Eye
“I was inspecting the purplish nether regions under my eyes this morning and feeling pretty crappy because of the whole no sleep thing, so I decided to run with it and try a purplish-brown smokey eye. The result improved my sour mood and put a lil’ spring in my step, for sure!”

A Smokey Eye with MAC Club
“I had a lot of fun with MAC Club eyeshadow today. Its versatility makes it great for creating quick, daytime smokey eyes. I had about three seconds to put on my makeup this morning, and I owe this look to MAC Club. Paired with a few new products from Fafi and the N Collections, MAC Club helped me finish this look in 10 minutes.”

A Black and Gold Smokey Eye
“I finally got my paws on MAC Fafi yesterday, and all I have to say is MEOW! Love it. This morning I busted out a few things from the collection — Fafi Eyes 1 Quad, Nice Vice Paint Pot and the Not So Innocent Lipstick — and created this subtle gold and black smokey eye for work.”

A Smokey Eye with MAC Pigment in Purple
“So, I’m trying to figure out what makeup look to wear to the midnight Sex and the City show tonight. Purple + smokey eye = a lil’ bit out of my comfort zone, but I thought I’d give it a whirl.”

Tabby Cat Update

I found out that the pet store across the street offers low-cost veterinary services every so often and that the next time is this coming week, so I’m taking Tabs there for a full check up. 🙂 Worms be gone (ewww)!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. On Sundays a bunch of fellow beauty bloggers submit what they felt were some of their best posts of the week for a weekly roundup, and here they are. Here are last week’s best posts by the gals of the Beauty Blog Network.
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Beauty Snacks: Sites of the Day, July 27

July 27th, 2008 by Karen 24 Comments

Reiss Online
I wish I could get my entire wardrobe at Reiss. A British chain store with nine stores in the United States, Reiss’ clothing evokes Jackie-O elegance — simple, modern, yet classic pieces with personality. Shopping there will put a serious dent in your wallet (many of their skirts, coats and dresses cost upwards of $200), but damn, baby, you’ll sure look good!

Spectra Visual Newsreader | msnbc.com
For all you visual learners out there (like moi), the Spectra Visual Newsreader might tickle your fancy. It’s a colorful, new way to read the news. News topics and headlines are represented by a range of rotating blocks of color. How cool is that?

COLOURlovers
If you need quick inspiration for a makeup look or design project (or even painting the walls at home), just head over to COLOURlovers. I could spend hours surfing the bajillion color patterns and palettes on the site and thinking of all the lid, crease and brow bone possibilities.

Now Smell This
I’ve learned a lot about perfume and fragrances reading the Now Smell This blog. With posts written by several contributors, the site covers breaking perfume news along with in-depth scent reviews.

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Save Big Bucks on Stila and Smashbox at Costco

July 26th, 2008 by Karen 57 Comments

After that free Chanel makeup class wrapped up this afternoon (soooo fun — a post with deets on how you, too, can attend one to follow shortly), I stopped by Costco and browsed the bulk beauty aisle while El Hub stared hypnotized at the store’s giant row of HD TVs.

I found some really great deals!

Seriously, I nearly fainted when I saw this cute limited edition Stila set called Brown Look ’08. For $18.99 you get one palette with four full-size pans of color coordinated shadows (brown, wine, peach and khaki), the #5 All Over Shadow Brush, the #9 All Over Blending Brush and one .18-oz tube of Major Lash Mascara in Black.

The exact same set sells for $40 on the Stila website (and it’s currently out of stock, to boot). Um, can you say hella cool bargain?

I wasn’t quite as psyched about the second bargain I found but figured hard core Smashbox fans might appreciate knowing it’s there. $20 ($19.99) gets ya nine Smashbox items: Picture Perfect Eyeshadow Quad; a sample of Photo Finish Primer; three mini lipglosses in Pout, Fame and Glitz; Skintint in Radiance; a mini Lash Primer; That’s a Wrap mascara in Black and a cute, pink mirrored mini lipgloss case.

For $20, whoa!
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Rainkissed Leaves Takes Me Back: Bath and Body Works Rainkissed Leaves

July 26th, 2008 by Karen 32 Comments

G’morning! 🙂

Yawn, I’m a little sleepy this morning. I got in late last night after seeing Sex and the City with my homegirl, Cindy. I’d already seen it once before, but I wanted to catch it again and promised Cindy I’d see it with her.

I kinda like revisiting movies and books; seems like I pick up on things I missed the first time around, like the first time I saw the movie I didn’t notice the wide, studded black belt Carrie wears to go apartment shopping with Big. Unless my mind was playing tricks on me (a frequent occurrence, I might add) that belt reappears in a number of Carrie’s outfits throughout the film.

Shalamar got it right when they sang the second time around.

Speaking of the second time around, I had serious fragrance deja vu yesterday with the new Rainkissed Leaves by Bath & Body Works. It reminds me of the smell of fresh cut flower stems, crushed leaves and soap and brought images of freshly cut suburban lawns to mind. Crazy as it sounds, I love it!

It’s a very “green” scent and bears a striking resemblance to my favorite Bath & Body Works fragrance of all time, Green Clover and Aloe. If you like fresh, green fragrances, you gotta check this out!

After my run yesterday afternoon, I washed with the shower gel (on sale now at B&BW for $6!), following it up with the Body Lotion ($10) and Body Splash ($11).

I didn’t want to stink up the theater, you know.

Oh, snap! I just realized I have to leave the house in 15 minutes to attend a free Chanel makeup instruction class at my local Macy’s store, and I am still in my pajamas. I recently heard about the class and wanted to check it out. I’ll report my findings later.

What are your plans for today? Is the weather nice in your neck of the woods?

Be back in a few! 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

YOU MUST CHOOSE: Friday Randomness

July 25th, 2008 by Karen 30 Comments

Would you rather have a forked tongue or very long, skinny, pointed teeth? YOU MUST CHOOSE!

Would you rather have to live six months without toilet paper or six months without a toothbrush (yes, this includes Sonicare)? YOU MUST CHOOSE!

Would you rather spend an entire night dancing to Prince songs or dancing to Michael Jackson songs?YOU MUST CHOOSE!

Would you rather be forced to endure every single episode of American Gladiators (those girl gladiators are no joke) or every episode of Shot at Love with Tila Tequila? YOU MUST CHOOSE!

You’re on a date with a really cute guy (a boy you like A LOT). Unfortunately, you’re out of antacids and you have terrible gas. Would you rather pass silent but deadly gas every 15 minutes (you could always blame it on the waiter) or let out dainty burps that smell like sausage and onions? YOU MUST CHOOSE!

You’re trapped in an 80s music video. Which one is it? YOU MUST CHOOSE!

You get an urgent phone call. It’s Beyonce. She wants to know if she can wear your favorite pair of high heels to the Grammy Awards, but she still hasn’t returned the Juicy Couture terry cloth track suit you let her borrow in 2002. Do you loan her the shoes? YOU MUST CHOOSE!

Keanu Reeves circa Speed or Tom Cruise circa Top Gun? YOU MUST CHOOSE!

Wow, lucky you! You’re getting a live performer for your wedding reception; unfortunately, it must either be Bobby Brown or Jodeci. YOU MUST CHOOSE!

LOLOLZ… I think I’d have to go with Jodeci (I’ve left the rest of my answers in the comments).

You can play too. Just copy this list and add your answers. 🙂

YMC 1: Forked tongue or pointed teeth?

YMC 2: Toilet paper or toothbrush?

YMC 3: Prince songs or Michael Jackson?

YMC 4: American Gladiators or Shot at Love?

YMC 5: Silent but deadly or dainty burps?

YMC 6: 80s music video?

YMC 7: Yes or no to Beyonce?

YMC 8: Keanu or Tom?

YMC 9: Bobby Brown or Jodeci?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Live Nude Gloss! Nars Supervixen Lipgloss

July 25th, 2008 by Karen 32 Comments

nars-supervixen-lips-2

Anyone else like the phrase “nude lips”? It gets thrown around a lot in beauty circles and refers to shades of lipstick or lipgloss that produce a pale or natural look, which is ironic considering how a truly nude lip would be one not wearing anything at all!

But where’s the fun in that?

I can’t tell you how many times I fell in love with lip products based on how they looked in the tube, only to find them failing miserably on my lips. The wrong pale lip can leave you looking like an undead graveyard extra on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, so when I do find nude shades that I feel actually work well for me, it’s my beauty duty to shout it from the rafters! My newest find — Nars Supervixen Lipgloss ($24).

nars-supervixen

A single coat applied directly with the included doe-foot applicator intensifies my natural lip color. If I were starring in a movie, this is how I’d want my lips to look in my closeups, with hair perfectly tousled, of course, and C. Bale feeding me croissants and coffee in bed (assuming he wasn’t being mean to his mum, oh gawd).

nars-supervixen-closeup

Not as sticky as MAC Lipglasses or Chanel Glossimers, Supervixen feels light on the lips and doesn’t have a noticeable flavor or smell. It lasts about three hours on my lips, which is a pretty average wear time for a thin gloss.
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A Green and Grey Eye with MAC Fresh Green Mix Mineralize Eye Shadow Duo

July 24th, 2008 by Karen 41 Comments

mac-cosmetics-fresh-green-mix-mineralize-eye-shadow-duo

Today I got all science fair on my MAC Fresh Green Mix Eye Shadow Duo, swirling the two shades together and working with a combination of wet and dry brushes to create this look.

Get up in Fresh Green’s Mix

For this look, I thought it would help to prime my lids with a color close to my natural skin tone. I chose MAC Paint Pot in Layin’ Low.
mac-cosmetics-fresh-green-mix-mineralize-eye-shadow-duo-eye-1a

The final color I wanted was a combination of both shades in the Fresh Green Mix duo, so I mixed them together with Sonia Kashuk’s Large Eye Shadow Brush.

Then, I swiped the brush against the back of my hand to unload some excess shadow before using it to apply the new color to my lid area and just into the crease.

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With a bottle of MAC Fix+ to make the shadow color more radiant, I wet a MAC 239 brush and swirled it around in the pan to load it with shadow. I applied the color to the area closest to my lash line. I wanted the green to look like it’s fading as it travels from the lash line up into the crease.

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Next, I added MAC Alum, a shade of grey, into the crease using a MAC 217 — a soft, fluffy blending brush fabulous for both applying and blending color.

mac-cosmetics-fresh-green-mix-mineralize-eye-shadow-duo-eye-4

Following MAC Alum, I dusted the pink from Dior’s Earth Tones palette onto the brow bone to contrast with the grey.

mac-cosmetics-fresh-green-mix-mineralize-eye-shadow-duo-eye-5-1

I don’t always get enough sleep and didn’t last night, so I added MAC Vex in the inner corners of my eyes. It’s a good brightener. If you don’t already own it, then hustle your booty to the MAC counter ASAP. It’s a super pretty shade and seems to change colors in the light, flashing from pink to grey to green.
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