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Archives for April 2009

Sonia Kashuk Hidden Treasures Brush Set: Carry On

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sonia kashuk hidden treasure brush set brushes in bag
Sonia Kashuk Hidden Treasure Brush Set and Bag

For the life of me, I can’t travel light.

I like to be prepared, which is my excuse for overpacking. 🙁

The last time I went somewhere on a plane, I thought I’d been good ahead of time and packed what I thought was the bare minimum of makeup and beauty, only to be told at the airport that I’d have to check my bag (and pay the $15 check-in fee) because of weight.

And I thought I’d been so good… Go figure.

Next month, come hell or high water, I’m determined to pack lighter than usual, and it boils down to limiting the makeup and beauty products I bring.

Having to leave things behind feels like cruel and unusual punishment, but I think I can do it with the help of Sonia Kashuk’s Hidden Treasure Brush Set ($20).

sonia kashuk hidden treasure brush set bag
Fits in the palm of yo’ hand!

New for spring, the Hidden Treasures Brush set comes with six essential makeup brushes with sassy faux silver handles and a cutie-pie orange and white coral print bag.

sonia kashuk hidden treasure brush set all brushes
The whole clan of Hidden Treasure makeup brushes

These brushes feel much softer against my skin than other travel brushes I’ve tried from MAC and Smashbox, and the long handles fit better in my hand.

Included in the set…
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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, April 27

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  1. Mood:

    2. Hopeful and optimistic. Yes, I have a million things on my to-do list, but I swear I *will* be organized and meet all of my writing deadlines.

  2. _____ makes me happy:

    3. Tabs makes me happy.

  3. _____ makes me b*tchy:

    4. Having to rush through tasks makes me b*tchy.

  4. Makeup or beauty confession:

    5. I can’t remember the last time I got a haircut, and my hair has pushed me to the brink of critical mass. My mane is always unruly, but now a sprinkling of white hair has appeared at the roots. So not cute…

  5. Book I’m reading:

    6. Painless Grammar, by Rebecca Elliott

  6. Three ways to learn from my mistakes:

    7. Put sunscreen on your feet, brush your chompers with ADA approved toothpaste, and speak your mind because people aren’t mind readers (I’m still working on this one).

  7. Three makeup products I can’t live without:

    8. Laura Mercier Oil-Free Tinted Moisturizer, Stila Sun SPF 15 Bronzer, MAC Lychee Luxe Lipglass

  8. Eyes/lips/cheeks:

    9. I’m wearing a bunch of stuff from the Smashbox Untamed Summer 2009 collection, like Waterproof Shadow Liner Trio in Exotic ($29) and the Double-Ended Eye Brightener ($22) on my eyes, Creamy Cheek Color in Untamed ($24) on my cheeks and a mix of the Raw and Flesh Lip Glosses on my lips ($18 each). Yep, expect reviews of these soon.

  9. Outfit:

    10. Dark skinny jeans, a green, floral Hawaiian print button-up shirt and yellow sandals

  10. Weekly goals:

    11. Same as usual… Organize all of the crap that’s piled up around my desk, because if I don’t, it just might bury me alive. Also, I have to start flossing my teeth after every meal and getting better about doing my core exercises.

Hiya, homies. It’s mornin’ time here in Nor Cal and looks like it’s going to be a nice and sunny day.

I hope I get everything off my plate today. My plan is to abide by this quote from my man Hugh Jackman: “You just have to stay positive, because if you worry too much about things, madness lies therein.”

Sage advice, right?

Let me know what’s going on with you. If you haven’t done the Monday Poll before, it’s easy and just takes a minute. All you do is copy the following list and paste it with your answers in the comments. 🙂

Le list

Mood:
_____ makes me happy:
_____ makes me b*tchy:
Makeup or beauty confession:
Book I’m reading:
Three ways to learn from my mistakes:
Three makeup products I can’t live without:
Eyes/lips/cheeks:
Outfit:
Weekly goals:

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Those of you who’ve emailed about guest blogging, THANK YOU SO MUCH! I’ve received your messages and will touch base with you about them as soon as I can. You rock!

Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Apr. 26

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Is cute packaging enough?

Who am I kidding? Sometimes, all it takes is cute packaging to trigger my makeup desire mechanism, ha! Matter of fact, there were things in MAC’s Hello Kitty collection that I *almost* bought simply because of the packaging, even though I didn’t really care for the products themselves.

I passed because of the cost, but drugstore beauty products — that’s a different story. When something only costs a couple bucks, sometimes I’ll buy for no better reason than the packaging.

What do you think? Is cute packaging reason enough to buy makeup and beauty products?

Do you ever buy makeup strictly because of the packaging?

View Results

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Light Up The Summer with Essie Neon 2009

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essie neon 2009

Holla back, ya’ll! Essie’s Neon 2009 collection takes me back to fourth grade, circa the mid-’80s, when neon was all the rage. The cool girls were rocking oversized, highlighter-bright neon sweatshirts that hung all the way down to their knees.

The colors were so bright they’d reflect off our chins. I’m surprised we didn’t burn out our corneas.

essie neon 2009 flirty fuchsia

The four limited edition polishes ($8 each) build upon last summer’s ultra hot Essie Neon 2008 collection (arguably one of the *best* Essie collections, ever), by going even brighter this time around, into full-on neon highlighter territory.

But one thing really surprised me about these colors, and it rhymes with phat. 🙂
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Guest Bloggers Wanted

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Guest bloggers wanted

El Hub and I are taking a trip out to Hawaii next month (May 15-25) to visit our family. I’m not sure if you recall, but El Hub’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer last fall, right around the time of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

I haven’t openly discussed it since mentioning the diagnosis the first time because I haven’t known what to say…

Positive energy

I always knew your thoughts and prayers were with us (and thank you), but I just set my heart and mind on maintaining a positive attitude on the blog here because I felt I needed to focus on something good.

But it feels like time for an update, and I have excellent news. 🙂

After twin mastectomies (staggered, each one at different times) and three months of brutal chemo therapy, Mom has been issued a clean bill of health.

It looks like she’s going to be alright. 🙂

Which brings me back to the purpose of this post. I could really use your help while I’m away, and there may be a way in it for you to have some fun.

Guest bloggers wanted

Because I may not have time to post three times/day while we’re there, I’m looking for guest bloggers to do product reviews, product shootouts (comparisons, i.e. Stila Lash Visor vs. MAC Splashproof mascara), makeup looks, tutorials, how tos/tips articles or videos to appear on the blog.

Now for the big question…

Why would you want to guest blog?

  1. Because you’d be doing me a favor. I’ll feel better knowing that the blog is in good hands and that interesting posts are going up on a regular basis if I end up being unable to post as much as I usually do.
  2. It’s FREE advertising. If you have a blog, other website or a business you’d like to promote, you’re looking for ways to get yourself out there. Guest blogging can really help, especially if you’re just starting out. Get yourself out there in front of another 7,000-8,000 readers/day, and definitely feel free to include links back to your own site!
  3. Try before you buy. Have you thought about starting a blog but weren’t sure if you had anything worthwhile to say? LOL! Story of my life. Try a guest entry here (I won’t bite!) to see if it’s something you might like to do long term with a blog of your own.
Some ideas to jumpstart the creative process

10 Ways to Wear Red: Looks to Wear with Red Lipstick or Gloss
Why You Should Skip MAC A Rose Romance
My Favorite Makeup Brushes and Why I Heart Them
Improv Beauty: Getting By Without Your Makeup Case
Feeling Blue: A Face of the Day
China Glaze Neon Collection Nail Polish Review
5 Lip Looks for Date Night
My Take on a Classic Smokey Eye

Shoot me an email

MeIf you’re interested, shoot me an email at karen@makeupandbeautyblog.com (or use my contact form) with an overview of your idea. We’ll brainstorm.

No, it does NOT have to be some hugely involved, time-consuming project (seriously, I know you’re busy too). Even just a single product review of something you got from Sephora last week and liked more than you thought you would. All I ask is that it be original and not something you’ve already published someplace else.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. I am ALWAYS looking for guest bloggers, not just for my trip next month, so contact me if it sounds like something you’d like to try.
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P.P.S. Every so often, I’ll choose a random guest blogger to feature with a custom illustration up in the header of the blog. You know how much I like Photoshop, right? Picture your name in lights, LOL! If you’re looking for attention for your blog or website, the header gets 18,000-20,000 pageviews/day.

Saturday Tomfoolery (Plus a Bit O’ Beauty)

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flowers1

Heya, girls. Sorry for not popping by sooner, but I needed a lil’ break from the computer today.

How’s it going? What’s new in your neck of the woods?

My dinner date with J-Money and C-Money (old friends from elementary school) last night was a lot of fun.

rumblefish

We had sushi at this place called Rumblefish in SF.

The sushi was frickin’ fastastic and literally melted in my mouth. If you’re ever in the neighborhood, you gotta check it out. Kinda pricy at about $30 per person, but if you like sushu, it’s cream of the crop.

bliss-spa

J-Money came armed with gifts! For being bridesmaids at her wedding last November, she gave me and C-Money gift certificates to the Bliss Spa, YES! I can’t wait!

aquis-microfiber-towel

We also got these cool Aquis Hair Towels from H2O+, which are these magical towels able to absorb way more water than regular shower towels. I’m serious. They’re like the Bounty of the shower towel world…

cacharel-minis

…and a snazzy gift set of mini-Cacharel perfumes — Anais Anais, Promesse, Amor Amor, LouLou and Noa. She got them while in Paris on business last month (how fancy!) Cute, huh?

So how was your day? Mine was filled with high-intensity lethargy and synergistic nothingness, LOL!

I did have some ginger pancakes for brunch here in Sausalito and then caught up on US Weekly and Cat Fancy at the bookstore. Yup, can’t say it’s been among my more productive afternoons.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Here’s a random question, but what’s your take on Twitter? I haven’t used it yet because it reminds me of instant messaging, and I don’t think my life is that exciting. Honestly, it’s just barely exciting enough for a blog…

Back to the Future! One Year Ago on Makeup and Beauty Blog

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Chanel Ombre Essentielle1. Chanel Ombre Essentielle Soft Touch Eyeshadow: Bonjour Credit Card Debt — Last summer Chanel brought the noise with their eyeshadow quads. They were so outstanding that I almost overlooked the singles… I’m glad I came to my senses before it was too late. 🙂

Chanel Leopard Rouge Hydrabase2. Lip Look: Chanel Rouge Hydrabase Leopard Lipstick — If you can get your hands on Leapard Hydrabase Lipstick, grab it up. I feel it’s my civic duty to inform coral lipstick lovers everywhere how creamy and smooth it feels on my lips.

9 things I'm glad I know3. 9 Things I’m Glad I Know — Ya’ll know how much I love to write lists. Among the things I’m glad I know: how to tweeze my brows and wax my ‘stache. You’d be looking at the sasquatch of beauty bloggers if it weren’t for hair removal, LOL!

Too Faced Shadow Insurance4. Too Faced Shadow Insurance Anti-Crease Eyeshadow Primer Blends Great, Lasts All Day Long — If you’re new to makeup, you might be thinking, “Uh, what’s an eye primer?” Fair enough. Eyeshadow primers create a smooth layer on top of your skin to which powder and cream shadows can better affix themselves. It translates into longer-lasting eyeshadow.

MAC Foundations Mineralize Satinfinish5. MAC Makeup Tips: MAC Does Makeup for Music, Too — You probably already knew that MAC provides makeup and makeup artists for fashion shows all over the world, but did you know that MAC does makeup for music tours, too? To find out more about how MAC works with performers on large concerts and events, I spoke with MAC Senior Makeup Artist Jennifer Karsten.

MAC Smokey Brown and Purple Eye6. Face of the Day: MAC Smokey Brown and Purple Eye — Mama always said, “When life hands you insomnia, hide your dark circles with concealer.” Okay, my mom didn’t actually say that because she doesn’t wear makeup (I know! The apple fell so far from the tree!).

MAC Soft Brown, Soba and Sable7. A Few of My Favorite Crease Colors — Which crease colors would I want to be buried with in my (presumably fabulously decorated) tomb for all eternity? That’s easy: MAC Soft Brown, Soba and Sable eyeshadow, my top three go-to crease colors of all time!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. I had a good time at dinner last night with the girls. We went to Japanese. What did you end up doing?

It’s the crack of dawn here (I’m not quite functional yet), but I’ll write more as soon as I’ve had my first cup of java. Oh, how I love thee, sweet caffeine. 🙂

Lip Look: Nude Lips with Urban Decay and Cargo

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cargo-belize-urban-decay-naked-lip-look

It’s my firm belief that a girl can never have too many 1) pairs of cute underwear, 2) shoes or 3) nude lip combinations.

My new favorite nude lip combo is Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Lip Pencil in Naked ($16) layered on top of Cargo Blue Ray High Definition Lip Gloss in Belize ($24). I’ve been wearing it all week long. 🙂

cargo belize urban decay naked swatches

Naked’s a creamy neutral pink pencil that glides on smoothly and moisturizes well, while Belize — a thin, non-stick shimmery warm pink gloss — plumps and ramps up the shine.
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