Archives for October 2009

Brainstormers Unite! Maximizing the Sephora Friends and Family Sale

October 21st, 2009 by Karen 39 Comments

sephora-friends-and-family-sale-ideas

Happy Hump Day, gals! Have y’all done any Sephora Friends and Family hauling yet (using code FF2009 for 20% off online purchases from now through November 2)? MBB reader DJ needs some help generating ideas. Can you help? 🙂

Hi Karen,

What with the friends and family sale happening at Sephora now, do you have any recommendations? I know the main things I’d like to stock up on, but there are little items, like a really good hand cream or brush set, that I’d love your input on. Thanks!

-DJ

Hi DJ,

Sure thing! Here’s a list of some of my Sephora makeup and beauty faves (en lieu of just saying, “I want everything in the entire store!”)…

Eyes

LORAC Front of the Line Pro ($22): Drawing crisp, dark lines is easy-peasy with this fantastic liquid pen liner.
Benefit Bad Gal Waterproof Liner ($20): This black pencil liner applies smooth and dark, and the color stays put through sweaty workout, too.
Stila Smudge Pot in Kitten ($20): This pale pink shimmery cream shadow also doubles as a liner.
Clinique High Impact Curling Mascara ($14): LOVE this mascara! It. Does. EVERYTHING â€” separates, thickens and lengthens â€” all while delivering loads of rich, glossy color (without the clumping), and it does it all while holding a killer curl.
Urban Decay Super Stash Glide-On Pencils ($36): Nine mini-eye pencils come in this holiday set.
Make Up For Ever False Lashes ($14): With over 50 styles to choose from, the Make Up For Ever Lash Bar has lashes for just about every occasion.

Cheeks

Benefit Coralista ($28): I love this shimmery coral powder.
Philosophy Lit From Within Cream Blush ($23): Not only does this cream blush apply and blend like a dream (I use my fingers), it stays put for hours on either bare skin or atop foundation.
Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Excite ($23): This finely-milled blush feel just like buttah and melts seamlessly into my skin.
~~NARS Blush in Mounia ($25): Mounia looks scary in its pan, but it actually delivers a bright yet natural, just-pinched flush.~~ (Note: Oops, Sephora no longer sells Mounia. Thanks to eagle-eyed MBB readers Angelica and Alyssa for pointing it out. Instead, consider NARS Orgasm/Laguna duo ($36) or NARS The Multiple Duo Orgasm/South Beach ($45).

Face

Stila Hydrating Finishing Powder ($32): This moisturizing powder feels light and weightless, and I can wear it all day long without feeling like I have makeup sitting on top of my skin.
Shiseido Pureness Oil-Control Blotting Paper ($17): These travel-friendly blotting papers remove oil without disturbing foundation or having to add an extra layer of powder.
Korres Face Primer ($10): This lemon-scented primer keeps foundation and powder from settling into my fine lines, and I swear it makes my pores appear smaller.

[Continue reading…]

Burt’s Bees Aloe and Witch Hazel Hand Sanitizer: A Natural Born (Germ) Killer

October 20th, 2009 by Karen 18 Comments

burts-bees-aloe-and-witch-hazel-hand-sanitizer-review

Girldom Rule #3,654: Within any given group, there’s always at least one girl with an obscenely large bottle of hand sanitizer in her purse.

Homies, I’m one of those girls (bit of a freakshow when it comes to germs). 🙂

And if we were chatting over coffee, I’d be baptizing you in Burt’s Bees Aloe & Witch Hazel Hand Sanitizer ($5).

I blame it on the countless hours I’ve spent people watching. The fingers picking noses and cleaning ears, teeth and, OMIGOD, butts! — I done seen it all.

burts-bees-aloe-and-witch-hazel-hand-sanitizer-review-2

Purell used to be my standby, but Burt’s stole me away. I think the liquid spray absorbs faster than Purell’s gel does, and it doesn’t leave a film.

My nose feels Burt’s also beats Purell in the scent department. It smells like fresh cut lemons to Purell’s overpowering vodka.
[Continue reading…]

Dior Sculpt Lifting Smoothing Concealer HATES Dark Circles

October 20th, 2009 by Karen 26 Comments

dior-sculpt-top

No joke, $31 DiorSkin Sculpt Lifting Smoothing Concealer is expensive, but daaaaym, it works miracles on my Frankensteiny dark circles.

franken-tabby

It’s a liquid concealer that’s been part of Dior’s product lineup for a while now and comes in three shades (see colors below; Ivory 001, Beige 002 and Honey 003), each one packaged in a convenient easy-to-carry tube with a doe-foot applicator.

diorskin-sculpt-shades

Texture-wise, Dior Sculpt feels slightly thicker and less runny than other liquid concealers I’ve tried — airy, like it’s been whipped.

Not only does it cover my dark circles and skin imperfections, but Dior claims it also minimizes fine lines via something they call “new generation powders.” They also say it improves skin tone with “A-Resist complex.” Hmm…

So what’s up with all the fancy talk?

I’ve been using it in Honey for about a week so far and haven’t really seen any difference in lift and tone, but as far as dark circles are concerned, Sculpt does appear to do two things way better than other concealers I’ve tried.

Applies easily and doesn’t settle into fine lines

After a few hours of wear, concealers usually settle into the fine lines beneath my eyes, but Sculpt doesn’t. It looks natural, like I’m not wearing any product at all, and stays that way all day long.

dior-sculpt-honey-swatch

And it builds and blends like a breeze. Using the wand, I dot concealer directly beneath my eyes and blend with my fingers or a foundation brush. Badabing, badabang! Liberation from dark circles in less than a minute.

Testing 1-2-3

Sculpt proved her worthiness to me last week on my trip to Vegas. I didn’t get much sleep, so my dark circles were in full effect.
[Continue reading…]

Does Your Beauty Routine Change in the Fall?

October 20th, 2009 by Karen 32 Comments

makeup-and-beauty-blog-102009

Mine does, for sure.

A few of the things I do when the leaves begin to fall…

I switch to richer moisturizers on my face and body (to compensate for moisture-sapping colder temps)
I wear darker lipstick colors and more frequent smokey eyes
I spritz on fragrances with heavier notes like musk and rose

How about you? Have you changed your beauty routine for fall?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Bloggerati Spotlight

October 20th, 2009 by Karen 23 Comments

NARS Makeup Cleansing Oil for oily skin? — Product Girl
For m’lady, a Lord and Taylor’s 25% off friends and family sale — Spoiled Pretty
3 powder-to-cream products to fall in love with — Beauty Blogging Junkie
One can never have too many fall skincare tips — Talking Makeup
Fashion designer Betsey Johnson wins the National Arts Club’s Lifetime Achievement Award — Beyond Beauty Basics
Faith Hill pulls off a hot fall trend — A Mom in Red High Heels
What’s the 411 on keratin hair treatment? — The Jet Set Girls
3 mom-friendly ways to get groomed in mere minutes — Makeover Momma
Guerlain’s Imperial Holiday collection looks downright REGAL! — Makeup Bag
Curls for a cure — Hair Thursday

Good morning, beauties. 🙂

There’s no denying it — we’ve entered the rainy season out here in Northern California. Let’s hope all those wine grapes growing up in Napa Valley appreciate all this wetness and put it to good use, LOL! And I guess the weather also gives me an excuse to cruise for new boots…

BOOTS!

I hold them in high footwear regard, right behind platforms heels and flip-flops, and I’ve had my eye on this pair of Fiddler booties from Seychelles.

seychelles-fiddle-booties

Be still my booty heart!

Do you have a favorite pair of boots?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Is Sephora’s Professional Platinum Lash and Eyebrow Comb Worth Your Moolah?

October 19th, 2009 by Karen 41 Comments

sephora-platinum-teeth

The first time I gave it a try, it took me a good five minutes in front of the mirror to build up the courage to raise Sephora’s Professional Platinum Lash & Eyebrow Comb ($10) to my eyes.

I kept imagining myself scratching an eyeball with its pointy metal teeth. Compared to the cheap plastic drugstore lash combs I’ve always used, this metal monster looked downright frightening!

But after breaking three of the plastic ones so far this year, I was fed up and ready to try something new.

sephora-platinum-top

Having heard nothing but good things about metal lash combs, I took a few deep breaths, made the sign of the cross and went for it.

“Go towards the light, Carol Anne! Towards the light!!”

As luck would have it, all my fears were for naught. Sephora’s metal monster isn’t frightening at all.
[Continue reading…]

Basin White: Lush Better Look Out

October 19th, 2009 by Karen 30 Comments

basin-white-view-of-store
The Basin White store in Las Vegas, Nevada

All work and no play makes moi a cranky beauty addict, but the Las Vegas Basin White store, a beauty brand I’d never even heard of before, saved me from myself.

The company has just two stores for now (Vegas and Orlando, Florida). The Vegas one, located among the Grande Canal Shoppes at The Venetian Hotel, is brand spankin’ new. If you’d like to learn more about the company, the line’s also available online.

I guess it’s fitting that after their Downtown Disney store in Orlando, Basin White chose the Disney-like Grande Canal indoor mall for their second location.

Gondolas packed with tourists weave through Venetian-inspired canals as shoppers cross footbridges and live opera singers provide the background music for ambiance. Yeah … it’s Vegas cheesy, but still pretty fun. 🙂

basin-white-sign

The store itself stopped me in my tracks. It’s gorgeous and smells wonderful. There are other brands out there like Basin White, with similar rows of colorful glycerin soaps, tubs with gigantic bath bombs and various scents, but this one stood out to me for a bunch of reasons.

basin-white-bath-bombs

basin-white-soap

Like Lush but with subtler scents

Their products look Lush-y — similar shampoo bars and solid moisturizers — but I think the shopping experience at Basin White beats Lush hands down, as a lot of Lush’s products pack too much fragrance for my sensitive schnozz. Sometimes it’s just too much.

Basin White’s products smell lighter and generally less synthetic to me. Granted, scent’s a very personal thing, but I absolutely love Basin White’s approach to fragrance.

Time to play, aka the shopping experience

The store feels like a spa. The open layout, lighting and black/white tiled floor reminded me of a Pottery Barn-inspired bathroom.

Like any good beauty store should, Basin White makes samples of everything available to smell, touch and test. The highly interactive staff isn’t pushy either, and they encourage product playtime, waiting at the ready by testing sinks with paper towels and smiling faces.

basin-white-checking-out-the-bath-bombs

Quality ingredients

Josh Jacks, one of the sales associates at the Vegas store, gave me the background on Basin White while showing me around.

basin-white-karen

basin-white-testing-out-the-bath-bomb

With only two physical locations, the line’s still pretty exclusive, but I expect that to change. Their products are made without synthetic fillers, parabens, alcohol or mineral oil and contain high-quality ingredients like shea butter, beeswax and sunflower oil.
[Continue reading…]

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Oct. 19

October 19th, 2009 by Karen 91 Comments

101909-mbb-monday-poll

Mood:

Hyper-organized and hopeful — I’m surrounded by seven Post-It notes filled with lists, and dag-nabbit, all this stuff is gonna get done some how, some way.

List three things currently inspiring you.

1) The weird, quirky writing on Woot!. 2) Projects like Operation Beautiful that use the interwebz to spread a positive message. 3) Piet Mondrian.

MAC or PC?

MAC attack!

Gladiator sandals: yay or nay?

Nay (I have long monkey toes).

Lips and cheeks:

Stuff from Chanel Holiday: Aqualumiere Lipstick in Maldives, Aqualumiere Gloss in Canari and Les Tissages Lames de Chanel.

What’s one quality you like about yourself?

I’m not afraid of what the beefy gym rats refer to as “the heavy lifting.” Even if something seems intimidating, I’ll jump in and find a way to get it done.

Fragrance?

D&G Rose the One (LOVE!) Eau de Parfum.

Name three ways you’ve changed in the last 10 years.

Hmm, 10 years ago I was 24, and since then I’ve changed in both positive and not-so-positive ways. Nowadays, I’m less afraid to tell people “No.” I also feel emotionally steadier and less volatile than I did back then. On the flip side, I’ve become more set in my ways — it’s definitely more of a challenge for me to deal with change now than it used to be.

Outfit?

Diva Bootcut Jeans from Old Navy (sooo comfy and affordable), brown cardigan sweater, dark purple tank top and brown peep-toe heels.

Weekly goals:

Keep my work life organized, deal with at least one moving box a day, avoid the temptation to cover my desk in clutter and exercise at least twice.

Hey, bootcut divas! 🙂 Happy Monday! It’s raining out here in Marin County, and even though it’s gray and gloomy outside, I’m feeling sunshiny on the inside.

I think a big part of it is this article I read yesterday on how to overcome burnout and stay motivated.

If you’ve been feeling run down or find yourself struggling with school/work, maybe give it a read.

Last night I took some time to process and really think about the tips and tricks from the article, and today I’m feeling very hopeful about the week to come.

Well, it looks like there’s a break in the storm, so I’m heading outside for a quick walk.

If you’ve got a little time to spare, can you take a moment to check in? I’d love to hear what’s going on in your neck of the woods.

Copy the list below, and paste it in the comments with your answers. Talk to you soon!

Le list

1. Mood:
2. List three things currently inspiring you.
3. MAC or PC?
4. Gladiator sandals: yay or nay?
5. Lips and cheeks:
6. What’s one quality you like about yourself?
7. Fragrance?
8. Name three ways you’ve changed in the last 10 years.
9. Outfit?
10. Weekly goals:

You kick some arse today, okay?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen