At least there’s a cat on my lap. 🙂
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Archives for May 2009
Comment to Win MAC Style Warrior Eversun Beauty Powder Blush
This giveaway is closed! I’ll be contacting the winner soon. Thank you for entering!
Reunited, and it feels so good
Hello from the mainland, ladies. I returned home late last night and then woke up at the crack o’ dawn this morning to pick up Tabs from the Hotel Cattyfornia. He insisted that I provide “limo service” so that he could get in an early photo shoot with his new MAC Style Warrior collection goodies. He claims early morning light is the best for his fur, go figure!
Tabs says that MAC Style Warrior brings out the animal in him. He hearts it, and now he wants you to heart it, too.
The prize
One lucky lady will win an Eversun Beauty Powder Blush from the MAC Style Warrior Collection (an $18 value).
It’s a neutral peachy bronze with gold pearl and one of my favorite items from the release (you might remember it from last year’s Beauty Powder Blush collection).
This versatile blush creates a light flush that balances out bold eyes. I like to wear it with green and purple on the eyes and neutral lip, but you can pretty much wear it with anything.
How to enter
To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment below telling me what your favorite item is from the MAC Style Warrior collection.
My favorite item from the MAC Style Warrior collection is Eversun Beauty Powder Blush!
I’ll pick the winner at random from among the people who enter by 11:59PM PST Wednesday night.
Meow mrrrroow (Tabs claims that’s “good luck” in kitty language!),
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
This giveaway is closed! I’ll be contacting the winner soon. Thank you for entering!
How to Wear Glasses to Look Sexy: Because They Already Know You’re Smart!
Today Aisha gives us a few tips on how to wear eye makeup with glasses.
Okay ladies, let’s start this post with a short quiz for those of you who wear glasses:
QUIZ: If you wear glasses…
- Would ripping a contact lens before something like your best friend’s wedding trigger a minor panic attack due to the thought that you might have to wear your glasses to the wedding instead?
- Do you secretly wish you could look as cool (and therefore be as cool) as Tina Fey in glasses?
- Does your collection of eyeshadows look more colorful than a bag of Skittles?
If you answered yes to … well, ANY of the above questions, you’ve come to the right place. With some creativity, your awesome eyeshadow collection and a few rules of thumb, you, too, can look as spectacularly sexy in spectacles as Jennifer Garner did in Alias.
Before I show you some evening looks, here are 10 basic tips for wearing glasses with makeup.
10 beauty tips for girls who wear glasses
- Your eyebrows frame your eyes when you wear glasses, so keep them well groomed.
- Under-eye circles are more noticeable beneath glasses, so good concealer is a must.
- Cream and waterproof eyeshadows are less likely to flake onto your glasses than loose powders or pressed eyeshadows. If one type creases, try another. The likelihood of creasing often varies from one person to another.
- Shimmer CAN be worn under glasses.
- Keep trying on your glasses during makeup application to see if the look needs adjusting.
- Curling your eyelashes may prevent them from touching the inside of your lenses.
- If you’re blind without your glasses, a pair of these Magnifier Specs may help with application.
- Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes and to reduce squinting, which can cause fine lines to appear around the outer eye area.
- When choosing a frame, spend the extra money for a quality anti-reflective coating and high index polycarbonate lenses.
- Keep your lenses clean and fog-free with lens cleaner and a soft cloth.
Look One: Dramatic false lashes
Now that you have some basic guidelines, here are a few dramatic evening looks to spark your creativity!
My first model, Q, has a simple dark frame — nothing too overpowering. She’s wearing a light but vivid pearly color, strong black eyeliner and mascara, dark brows, and a dark, shimmery, glossy lip color. She also has dramatic false eyelashes on her lower eye line.
First, I applied Hourglass Oxygen Foundation Powder No. 3 and then used Shu Uemura Cover Crayon as concealer and eyeshadow base.
Next, I applied MAC Naked Lunch (a pearly light peach) all over the lid before applying Shu Uemura Cream Eye Shadow in P Light Green (a pearly lime green) to the lower part of the lid and inner corner of her eye.
I think a synthetic brush works best for blending this cream shadow.
The top semi-hardened layer of the eyeshadow in the pot should be wiped off prior to each use. Here, I used MAC Cloudbound (pearly ivory) to highlight.
Finally, I blended the upper area and curled the upper eyelashes, applying Fresh Supernova Mascara to the ones on top.
I used a nail clipper to trim the four end sections of a set of Darkness false eyelashes in style X-up6 in Black. Darkness can be found in some beauty supply stores and is available online, but the styles vary among sellers. Other inexpensive false eyelash brands will work just as well; that’s what experimentation is for. 🙂
Since I used an eyelash intended for an upper lid, I removed the sticky residue from the band with makeup remover.
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10 Days of Giveaways: Comment to Win MAC Tricolour Lipglass and Dear Cupcake Eyeshadow
This giveaway is closed. I’ll be contacting the winner shortly. Thanks for entering!
Whenever I make it over to see my family in Hawaii, I try to get a shave ice, one of my favorite sweet treats.
Pronounced “shave ice”, it’s a souped up snow cone with finely shaved ice flavored with syrups like Liliko’i (a variety of passion fruit), guava, mango and tangerine. People will sometimes add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and/or sweet, chewy azuki beans to the bottom of the cone (trust me — it’s good).
My favorite place to get shave ice here on Oahu is Matsumoto Shave Ice on the North Shore. I always get the same thing: a small Liliko’i with ice cream and beans at the bottom and condensed milk on top. YUM!
Sweet Hawaii-style shave ice reminds me of MAC’s Sugarsweet collection, and today’s giveaway features two of its tasty treats!
The prize
One lucky lady will win two items from MAC’s Sugarsweet collection (a $32 value):
- MAC Tricolour Lipglass in Tasty: a sheer raspberry pink
- MAC Eyeshadow in Dear Cupcake: a shimmery pinkish coral
How to enter
To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment in the comments section below. It can be about anything at all. Tell me about your pet, your job, what deodorant you’re wearing — seriously, anything at all!
I’ll pick the winner at random from among the people who enter by 11:59PM PST Monday night (tonight).
Suwertehin ka sana!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
This giveaway is closed. I’ll be contacting the winner shortly. Thanks for entering!
Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, May 25
- Mood:
- Hobbies other than makeup?
- Hair:
- What’s your favorite snack?
- Outfit:
- Eyes/lips/cheeks:
- What’s your preferred method of hair removal?
- What are your plans this summer?
- Are you a night or a morning person?
- Weekly goals:
Torn. Sad because we fly home to Cali today; happy because I can’t wait to see Tabs.
Surfing, reading, gardening and knitting.
Side-swept bangs and a low ponytail.
Any kind of fruit salad that doesn’t have cantaloupe.
Skinny stretch jeans (oops, I ate too many malasadas on this trip) and a loose yellow and brown top with a hibiscus flower print.
I’m in travel mode today, wearing a basic look with Stila Lash Visor Mascara, Cargo Blu Ray High Definition Gloss in Belize on my lips and NARS the Multiple in Portofino on my cheeks.
I wax my upper lip, pluck my brows and shave everywhere else. I’m a hairy beast, and hairy beasts gotta do what hairy beasts gotta do, ya know?
El Hub and I are hoping to move into a new place, assuming I don’t have a nervous breakdown while we look for it, LOL!
I love the night life. I got to boogie… on the disco ’round, oh yeah.
Get back into the groove of things with my freelance writing, go through all of the e-mail I missed, catch up on my blogging, pay some extra attention to Tabs, and do some push-ups because I feel weak!
Aloha, homies. El Hub and I are getting ready to leave for the airport and to head on home to California. It was great to see our family, but we have to get back to work.
Are you doing anything for Memorial Day? Let me know how you’re doing by copying the following list and pasting it with your answers to the Monday Poll in the comments. 🙂
Le List
Mood:
Hobbies?
Hair:
What’s your favorite snack?
Outfit:
Eyes/lips/cheeks:
What’s your preferred method of hair removal?
Summer plans?
Are you a night or a morning person?
Weekly goals:
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Sundays Without Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, May 24
Tabs, like his cat mom, loves himself some Chanel. When I called Hotel Cattyfornia earlier today to see how he was doing, his “executive assistant” informed me that he’s been meowing non-stop about the new Chanel Celestial Lights Glossimers ($27 each).
Chanel infused each of the eight new shades with more glitter than Mariah Carey’s bathroom sink!
Tabs’ favorite shade is Venus. What’s yours?
Loading ...Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Ever Heard of Le Métier de Beauté?
Today Sabrina of The Beauty Look Book tells us about some of her favorite products from the exclusive Le Métier de Beauté cosmetics line.
The stunning Le Métier de Beauté cosmetics line, exclusive to Bergdorf Goodman stores and a few select Neiman Marcus, features a wide range of luxurious beauty products with gorgeous packaging, unique colors, and lovely textures.
Here’s an exclusive look at some of the fun, modern, yet classic products Le Métier de Beauté has to offer.
Kaleidoscope Kits
Kaleidoscope Kits — “blending tradition and vision, creativity and innovation,” the kits are comprised of four colors presented in a unique stacking system with a flip-top mirror. They come in varieties available for lips, eyes, and face, each retailing for $95.
I have two — the Persephone Eye Kit and the Galatea Eye Kit.
Persephone Eye Kit
The Persephone Eye Kit features four medium pigment eyeshadows with textures ranging from matte to satin to shimmer:
- Rose Champagne: a soft shimmery pale rose-pink
- Alexandrite: a sparkly eggplant amethyst
- Canvas: a soft, satin, neutral fawn-cream
- Sequoia: a matte, cool, dark chocolate brown
Galatea Eye Kit
The Galatea Eye Kit features four unnamed shadows not available individually:
- a soft, satin pale buttercream
- a rich, shimmery golden brown
- a matte puppy brown
- a complex, shimmery nutmeg
Sheer Brilliance Lip Glosses
Left to right: Marsala (gift with purchase), Cap d’Antibes, Cannes, Dubai, Ibiza, Captiva, Bondi Beach
The Sheer Brilliance Lip Glosses are my favorite products in the line — pure luxury in a tube, and I want them all!
They have a sparkly, glossy finish and a non-tacky texture that’s lightweight yet moisturizing. Colors are sheer but substantial enough to show on the lips. They retail for $32 each.
Lip Creme Lip Gloss
Left to right: Sunset Boulevard (gift with purchase), Apricot Creme, Peche Creme, Papaye Creme, Sweet Creme, Fraise Creme
Hybrid lipstick/glosses, the Lip Creme Lip Glosses ($36) are super-pigmented, with a lightweight texture, intense color and a shiny finish. A little goes a long way, and they glide on the lips.
Color Core Moisture Stain Lipstick
Top to bottom: Marrakech, San Tropez
The Color Core Moisture Stain Lipsticks ($32) have a long-lasting stain-like formula with a surprisingly creamy texture.
They do feel more like a stain than the typical lipstick, but once applied, they remain blendable while still staying put.
Where to buy
The Le Métier line is sold online and at just seven stores in the US, making it pretty hard to see in person.
NOTE:Bergdorf periodically holds what are called Beauty and Incircle events at which time they include nice gifts with purchase.
Unfortunately, swatches don’t always capture true colors. I’ve placed orders both online and in person at three of their physical locations. Once you’ve seen them in person, I highly recommend calling a counter to place your orders. The company’s product specialists are very knowledgeable and patient in describing things and making product recommendations. 🙂
In this guest post Sabrina of The Beauty Look Book tells us about some of her favorite products from the exclusive Le Métier de Beauté cosmetics line.
MAC Trip and MAC Travel Exclusives: Order by Phone from DFS Galleria in Hawaii
The MAC counter at DFS Galleria in Waikiki
Fellow MACaholics, do you remember those drool-worthy MAC Trip palettes we talked about last month? They’ve been notoriously hard to find, right?
Some readers have tracked ’em down at airports and other places, but I never expected to find them a block from Waikiki Beach!
There’s a MAC counter inside the massive DFS Galleria (duty-free store) at 330 Royal Hawaiian Avenue, a Costco-sized makeup Mecca that caters primarily to international travelers from Japan.
But the store is wide open to everyone, and the MAC counter carries most of the current MAC Travel Exclusives, including several of the new spring and summer MAC Trip Palettes.
I saw these from the spring/summer Trip collection…
- 5 Cool Eyes Palette, $40
- 5 Warm Eyes Palette, $40
- Cool Lips Palette, $23
- Warm Lips Palette, $23
MAC Travel Exclusives
MAC Trip 5 Cool Eyes Palette
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