Archives for February 2009

Glitter Is Good: The Bobbi Brown Blushed Pink Collection

February 2nd, 2009 by Karen 47 Comments

This spring, Bobbi Brown is going beyond her famous “I’m not wearing makeup” bag o’ tricks and taking a chance on glittery pastel eyes with the Blushed Pink collection.

From left to right: Sparkle Eyeshadow in Mica, Ballet

The limited edition Sparkle Eyeshadows ($24 each) take glitter and make it sophisticated, age appropriate and totally not scary. For me, these four shades are the highlights of the release! 🙂

Bobbi also included a lovely spread of pink lip and cheek colors in her trademark classic style — colors that look natural (read: no hot pinks or fuchsias with blue reflects, yo!) and enhance, rather than disguise, one’s features.

Sparkle Eye Shadow takes center stage in Blushed Pink!

I can’t hang when it comes to big ol’ teeny bopper chunks of glitter (aye, I’m 33!), so any eyeshadow that makes me look like a Hot Topic refugee just isn’t an option.

You know those liquid shadows filled with fine grains of microscopic glitter (like Givenchy Precious Sari Glittering Eyeshadow)? The Sparkle Eyeshadows apply like that.

Seasoned makeup junkies might find them a little too sheer, but glitter shy gals (like moi) who prefer subtler looks might want to give ’em a try. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

Today’s Blushed Pink Look: Shimmery pastel eyes with pink cheeks and lips

The Blushed Pink model in the promo pics inspired my look today.

The eyes

For the eyes, I started with a thin layer of MAC Paint Pot in Painterly applied over the entire lid, followed by Mica (a shimmery gray) and Ballet (a shimmery pink) in the crease and on the brow bone.
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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Feb. 2

February 2nd, 2009 by Karen 56 Comments

Mood:

Happy

Outfit:

Wide-leg Gap jeans, green empire waist shirt, gold necklace and BCBGirls heels

Nail polish:

Essie Eternal Optimist on my toes and fingers

Makeup or beauty confession:

There’s a long hair growing on top of my left knee right now… I forgot to hack it off the last time I shaved, LOL. It’s about an inch long, and now I’m tempted to see just how long it can grow.

People say I look like (insert celebrity name here):

I get Reese Witherspoon a lot.

Body lotion:

Mmm, Johnson’s 24-Hour Body Lotion

Cheeks and Lips:

Clinique Quick Blush in In-a-Rush Blush and Bobbi Brown’s Baby Glitter Lip Gloss and Blush Pink Creamy Lip Color from the Blushed Pink collection

Today, I’m hoping for a good dose of ____.

Patience

Favorite snack:

Cold, crisp and sweet green grapes

Weekly goals:

Remain open to possibility, devise a way to attend the US Open Tennis Championships this fall, eat hella fiber (LOL!) and go to dance class at least once

What’s up, ladies! Let me know how you’re doing this morning. Just copy the empty list and then paste it with your answers in the comments.

Le list

Mood:
Outfit:
Nail polish:
Makeup or beauty confession:
People say I look like (fill in celebrity name here):
Body lotion:
Cheeks and Lips:
Today, I’m hoping for a good dose of ____ .
Favorite snack:
Weekly goals:

Together, we WILL conquer Monday!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Heavy Hydration on the Cheap: Johnson’s Body Care 24-Hour Moisturing Body Wash and Lotion

February 1st, 2009 by Karen 23 Comments

The Battle of Karen vs. Dry Skin is raging, ladies! And my skin needs help, fast. It’s time for a full-on blitzkrieg against scaliness.

I wasn’t sure if the new Johnson’s 24-Hour Moisturizing Body Wash and Body Lotion ($6 each) would be up to the task. My skin needs heavy hydration, especially the skin on my legs (my driest area!), and especially in winter.

In winter my legs get so dry that iguanas envy me, but after using both the 24-Hour Body Wash and Lotion for a week things changed.

I’ve got soft and smooth legs for a change, yes!

Johnson’s 24-Hour Moisturizing Body Wash

Moisturizing Body Wash looks and feels creamy and rich. It’s a low-lathering wash, so don’t expect lots of big foaming bubbles, but it rinses clean and doesn’t leave a noticeable residue.

Now, the humungo 20.3 fl-oz. bottle is bigger than Ernest Hemingway’s ego, but because it’s so big I feel like I’m getting a good deal. I even tried to see how it would work as an emergency shave cream, and it worked great. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A+

Johnson’s 24-Hour Moisturizing Body Lotion

Moisturizing Body Lotion penetrates quickly and leaves my skin feeling smooth but not waxy. I think it’s a fantastic hydrating body lotion. I like to apply it after rinsing and towel drying. Like the monstrous Body Wash, it’s not gonna win any awards for travel convenience (14 fl-oz. bottle), but you get a lot of product for your money. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A+

Johnson’s packed both products with hydrating shea butter and vitamin E and infused them with a pleasing light rose scent. I think they’re fantastic drugstore deals. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

A Quick Brush Cleaning Tip

February 1st, 2009 by Karen 27 Comments

Rise and shine, ladies! I hope you’re having a lovely Sunday morning. 🙂

I’m just straightening up my work area while I wait for the coffee to brew. Tabs was raising hell last night, running laps around the perimeter of the bedroom in the dark, so El Hub let him out just before dawn. I hope he makes it back in time for kickoff.

Here’s a quick tip for cleaning those makeup brushes (click here for the video).

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Feb. 1

February 1st, 2009 by Karen 11 Comments

Happy Sunday, ladies! Are you planning to watch the big game? I’ll be down on the field rooting for Tabs and the Wildcats. They had a great team this year, and momma wants her championship trophy!

Oh, yeah, the Superbowl… I’ll probably catch that too. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen