Archives for September 2009

Angelina Jolie: Her Best Hair?

September 24th, 2009 by Karen 13 Comments

Angelina Jolie: Her Best Hair?

Through her humanitarian work, traveling as Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency to more than 20 troubled spots around the world, Angelina Jolie (born Angelina Jolie Voight on June 4, 1975) may have done more to change the way modern celebrities are perceived than anyone else in Hollywood today.

With an Academy Award (Girl, Interrupted, 1999), a growing family and one foin-ass boo, Jolie seems to have it all.

As for her look — the luscious lips, smokey eyes and the estimated 13 tattoos she has have often overshadowed her hair, but I think she’s always worn it well.

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

MAC Style Black Swatches

September 23rd, 2009 by Karen 12 Comments

Top row: Cream Colour Base in Black, Cream Colour Base in Bat Black, Mineralize Eye Shadow in Blue Flame, Mineralize Eye Shadow in Cinderfella, Mineralize Eye Shadow in Gilt By Association, Mineralize Eye Shadow in Young Punk

Bottom Row: Glimmerglass in Bling Black, Glimmerglass in Blackfire, Glimmerglass in Blackware, Lipstick in Black Night, Mattene Lipstick in Night Violet, Mattene Lipstick in Midnight Media, Greasepaint Stick in Black, Penultimate Eye Liner in Rapid Black

What say you? Yay or nay?

MAC Dazzleglass Creme Swatches

September 23rd, 2009 by Karen 13 Comments

Top row: Perfectly Unordinary, My Favourite Pink , Do It Up, Creme Allure, Soft Dazzle, Luscious Spark, Amorous

Bottom row: Sublime Shine, Totally Fab

Whatcha feeling?

Dismiss Dark Circles with Origins GinZing Eye Cream and Concealer

September 23rd, 2009 by Karen 39 Comments

origins-ginzing

We tried to work things out, but it just wasn’t meant to be. My dark circles and I have decided to separate.

Truth is, I’ve been seeing someone else…

He’s the GinZing Eye Cream by Origins ($30), and he goes on sale next month.

A fluffy moisturizer for gals who need extra help in the eye brightening department (hello!), it contains ginseng to hydrate and reduce puffiness and shimmery silica and mica illuminators (in light pink) to brighten and minimize the look of dark circles.

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On its own, I think GinZing’s a great hydrating eye cream, but it doesn’t do much for dark circles. Ah, but combine it with under-eye concealer, and it goes from great to extra fantastic!

BACKSTORY: Some under-eye concealers (both liquids and creams) can look heavy and obvious when applied solo. Unfortch, that’s a lesson I learned the hard way.

Thankfully, my eyes were opened when a kind MAC artist taught me a trick: Mix and apply equal parts concealer and eye cream under the eyes.

The concealer/eye cream combo totally removes the cakey look while still covering up dreaded dark areas.

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In terms of eye brightening, GinZing’s shimmery illuminators totally take the concealer/eye cream trick to the next level. I’ve mixed it with both liquid and cream concealers and have really liked the results.

Putting in extra hours at work? Staying up late to study? If you’re ready to leave your dark circles behind, consider giving GinZing a try. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A+

Positive reinforcement

In trying times, I find that a little makeup motivation (some call it bribery, but whatev) can help. I’ve been running a lot of errands lately, trying to get stuff ready for the move, and there haven’t been enough hours in the day (there never are).

Sometimes I veer off my task list, and I’ll use the promise of makeup to keep my eye on the prize.

Here are some goodies I’ve been thinking about:
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10 Days of Giveaways: Gwen Stefani’s Harajuku Lovers Love Fragrance

September 23rd, 2009 by Karen 183 Comments

The giveaway is now closed, and I’m contacting the winner by e-mail. Good luck!

harajuku-lovers-love-giveaway

Dangit! I ain’t no hollaback girl!

Dear Gwen Stefani…

Please send tickets to your next show.

Kind regards,
Tabs

I was able to see her perform with No Doubt all the way back in 1994, and I still remember the way she strutted across the stage in her blonde locks and red lips. It was pretty obvious even by then that she was going to be a HUGE star.

And she hasn’t stopped with music, either, having ventured into the fashion, accessories and fragrance businesses, too.

Remember last year’s Harajuku Lovers collection? My favorite one by far was Love — coincidentally, she’s the star of today’s celebrity fragrance giveaway. 🙂

The prize

One lucky lady will take home a bottle of Harajuku Lovers Love Fragrance (a $25 value).

Isn’t the bottle super cute!? I love (ha!) the avatar’s (where can I buy her hairdo?) oh-so-coy pose on the top.

Inside the bottle awaits a floral with notes of pink peony, pink pomelo, rose, vanilla, orchid and musk.

How to enter…

2ways2enter Entering is easy. There are two different ways, and you can do both of them for two chances to win.

First, you can enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post — a comment about anything at all (doesn’t even have to be about Gwen).

I love Gwen’s style and stage presence. She *hella* brings the rock!

Second, enter by following me on Twitter and retweeting (RT) the following message:

RT @karenmbb: RT to Win Harajuku Lovers http://bit.ly/18FNBT

Recap…

Enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, and don’t forget to use a valid email address so I can reach you if you win.
Follow me on Twitter and retweet the following message:

RT @karenmbb: RT to Win Harajuku Lovers http://bit.ly/18FNBT

I’ll pick the winner at random from among the people who enter by 11:59 p.m. PST on Thursday, September 24.

Alles Gute!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The giveaway is now closed, and I’m contacting the winner by e-mail. Good luck!

MAC Dazzleglass Creme, DSquared, Trend FW ’09: What Would You Get?

September 23rd, 2009 by Karen 32 Comments

mac-what-would-you-get

It’s raining MAC, hallelujah! Are you ready to get your MAC attack on? — because the collections are falling faster than you can say, “Put it on my charge card, please.”

There’s Style Black, which launches on Thursday, along with four more releases either out now or available soon after that.

Trend F/W ’09 — A collection for lips and eyes (there’s a scent, too!), featuring colors inspired by an urban landscape.
DSquared — With products for cheeks, lips and eyes, DSquared is all about sooty eyes, sculpted skin and soft, kissable lips.
Dazzleglass Cremes — Shimmery versions of MAC’s incredible Dazzleglass glosses.
Zoom Fast Black Lash — The latest member of the MAC mascara family should deliver hella dark, dramatic lashes.

Are you ready for another installment of What Would You Get?

Your makeup mission (aka your virtual haul), should you choose to accept it: If you could get any one of the following three options in its entirety (and entirely free!), which one would it be? Peruse the pics and deets, and share your answer in the poll at the bottom. 🙂

I’m going with DSquared… LOVE those Greasepaint Sticks, and that brush belongs in my grubby little paws!
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Makeup Tutorial: Red Hot Lips and Shimmery Teal Eyes

September 22nd, 2009 by Karen 38 Comments

Red lips and teal eyes makeup tutorial

Do you remember the look I tried last week that featured red lips and teal/brown eyes?

I felt like doing it again today, but this time I snapped a few extra pictures for a quickie tutorial.

mac cosmetics tutorial fashion week look eye 1

After the post last week, reader Jenna left a great tip in the comments that I also wanted to try… She suggested adding some black eyeliner to ramp up the drama, and here’s how it turned out:

mac cosmetics tutorial fashion week look eye 2

Better, right? Thanks for the tip, Jenna! 🙂

If you’d like to give the look a try…

What you’ll need

An eyeshadow primer like Too Faced Shadow Insurance ($17)
A creamy pearl eyeshadow like MAC Cream Colour Base in Pearl ($17)
A dark brown pencil eyeliner like MAC Eye Pencil in Coffee ($13)
A dark brown eyeshadow like MAC Brun ($15)
A warm matte brown eyeshadow like MAC Eyeshadow in Brown Script ($15) or Soft Brown ($15)
A matte peach eyeshadow like MAC Eyeshadow in Arena ($15) or Bamboo ($15)
A shimmery teal eyeshadow like MAC Eyeshadow in Aquadisiac ($15) or Steamy ($15)
A matte black liquid eyeliner like LORAC Front of the Line Pro ($22)
A shimmery golden brown eyeshadow like MAC Soba ($15)
A black mascara like MAC Mascara X in Black ($13)
A matte red lipstick like MAC Lipstick in Chili ($14) or Russian Red ($14)

NOTE: I ended up using MAC Eyeshadow in Waternymph instead of the teal eyeshadows and MAC Mattene in Classic Dame instead of matte red lipsticks listed above. Both are limited edition and tricky to track down, but they’re similar to the colors mentioned.

mac cosmetics tutorial fashion week look swatches 1
Swatches from left to right: Too Faced Shadow Insurance, MAC Cream Colour Base in Pearl, MAC Eye Pencil in Coffee, MAC Eyeshadow in Brun, MAC Eyeshadow in Brownscript

mac cosmetics tutorial fashion week look swatches 2
From left to right: MAC Eyeshadow in Arena, MAC Eyeshadow in Waternymph, LORAC Front of the Line Pro Liner, MAC Eyeshadow in Soba
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10 Days of Giveaways: Mariah Carey Luscious Pink Perfume

September 22nd, 2009 by Karen 128 Comments

The giveaway is now closed, and I’m contacting the winner by e-mail. Good luck!

mariah-carey-luscious-pink-giveaway

It all started in 1990. Mariah Carey had just released Vision of Love, and I was unable to contain my glee. One could even say I was obsessed… 🙂

And I dragged my family into it, too, making my poor little brother sit through Glitter with me on opening night (LOL!); a few years before that I dragged Mom to an MC concert here in the Bay.

FUN FACT: I attended said concert dressed up like Mariah, with frayed-at-the-waist jeans, a belly-bearing pink crochet shirt and big hair. Yup…

I think it’s time for a giveaway — time to share some mad MC love! 🙂