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Archives for January 2010

Les Impressions de Chanel and Productivity Problems

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For the life of me, I couldn’t concentrate at all this afternoon. I was hoping to get ahead on some things, but I guess my mind had other plans. I kept thinking about the movie I saw last night, It’s Complicated, starring Meryl Streep (woman has GAME!), Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin.

It would’ve been perfect — authentic, complex characters and a funny, touching story — had Alec Baldwin kept his clothes on!

There are simply too many scenes with him (still lovin’ ya, Alec!) in various states of undress, and now I have these images, hopefully temporary, of his rotund, furry tummy burned onto my retinas. 🙂

I did all sorts of fooling around this afternoon to get my mind back on track… Some involved a handsome tabby cat.

Others involved Photoshop and random pictures of pretty things on my desk…


Clarins Gentle Beauty Soap, $15


Kate Spade Beauty Shop Small Manuela cosmetics case, $95

Which leads me to Chanel: What do ya think about Chanel’s Les Impressions collection for spring? I think it looks pretty good in a collage. 🙂
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The Benefits of Benefit’s Confessions of a Concealaholic Kit

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Are you a practitioner in the ancient Art of Concealing? Are your hands considered concealed weapons? If so, you may be interested in Confessions of a Concealaholic, a new concealing kit from Benefit ($38, arriving in February).

The nine-piece kit’s a prime example of something Benefit does well — putting together perfectly packaged, affordable makeup kits that feature all-star products from their permanent line.

It comes with generous mini-versions of Benefit concealers, brighteners and brushes, as well as a primer and how-to booklet.

That Gal: I adore the subtle glow I get when I wear this shimmery pink makeup primer beneath foundation or powder.


That Gal

Erase Paste in No. 2 Medium: A light-coverage, peachy pink concealer to cover and brighten the area under your eyes. NOTE: If your dark circles are more purple than Prince, Erase Paste may not pack enough punch to cover ’em up. You may have to use a second concealer on top.


Erase Paste in No. 2 Medium
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New in Beauty, Jan. 19: Good Stuff from Bobbi Brown, Dior and Yves Saint Laurent

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Bobbi Brown Nectar Shimmer Brick

Happy Tuesday, ladies. 🙂 As I type this pre-dawn post by the dim light of my monitor and a small desk lamp in rain-soaked Novato, I’m closing my eyes and picturing Bobbi Brown’s Nectar Shimmer Brick ($38), a shimmery coral, on top of a pretty coral blush. YUM!

Dior Serum de Rouge

I can’t wait to try all eight of Dior’s new luxury lip treatments in Serum de Rouge ($32).


From left to right: Dior Serum de Rouge in Rosewood, Coral, Crimson, Raspberry, Beige, Mocha, Soft Pink and Nude

StrangeBeautiful Library of Color: Volumes 1 and 2

For the nail fiends and polish junkies of the world (I’m right there with ya!), the StrangeBeautiful Library of Color, Volume 1 and Volume 2 ($79 each, yowza!), are available for pre-order!

Yves Saint Laurent Poudre Compacte Matte Pressed Powder

SUPER CUTE! All six of YSL’s Compact Matt Pressed Powders ($46) have this embossed heart on the pan. Talk about love! 🙂

More good stuff…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Beauty Snacks: Sites of the Day

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Hi, ladies. How’s Monday coming along? I’m just trying on the new Benefit Velvet Eyeshadows (post coming this afternoon!) and surfing the web. Care to join me? Here are some potentially interesting places to start.

TREND LAND

I just love the way Trend Land showcases gigantic thumbnail images instead of long blocks of boring text. The resulting collage of fashionably stylish stuff gets my visual cortex every time. For a visual learner like me, it’s a hella reliable source of design inspiration. Sometimes I’ll even load it up when I’m stressing out and take a few deep breaths to unwind.

Scarygirl

One of the coolest Flash games ever! I can’t believe it’s free. Guide Scarygirl through a Tim Burton-esque world to find the man behind her haunting dreams.

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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Jan. 18

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  1. Mood:

    2. Never quite woke up today, but I think I’ll feel better after lunch…

  2. What’s one thing you’ve learned about love?

    3. That there’s some truth to the phrase, “You just know.”

  3. Flats or heels?

    4. Heels!

  4. Coffee or tea?

    5. Today? Green tea with a teaspoon of honey, please.

  5. Eyes/lips/cheeks:

    6. A combination of spring release goodies, namely Benefit Velvet Eyeshadow in Nice Melons, Smashbox Berry Hot Lip Shine (from Heartbreaker) and Estee Lauder’s Michael Kors Very Hollywood Blush in Sunset Coral.

  6. Do you watch many award shows (the Golden Globes, Oscars, etc.)?

    7. Not really. Sometimes I do, but I usually rely on the roundup posts and reviews the next day.

  7. Favorite lipstick color of the moment?

    8. Still lovin’ ya, MAC Myself!

  8. What did you have for dinner last night?

    9. A veritable feast of flavors at the world-renowned Ikea in-store cafeteria. 🙂 El Hub and I went for cabinets and ended up just eating dinner there. It was actually pretty tasty. I had a chicken wrap with fries, washed down with a mysterious elderflower drink. That reminds me, what’s an elderflower?

  9. Outfit:

    10. Dark skinny jeans, O’Neill surf tee and a tan sweater. It’s cold and rainy here today!

  10. Weekly goals:

    11. Just one this week — to relax.

Happy MLK Day, ladies. 🙂 It’s a work holiday for El Hub, so after putting together the stuff we got from Ikea, we may catch a movie later this afternoon.

Before you jet, let me know what you’re up to today. You know how we do it…

Le list

1. Mood:
2. What’s one thing you’ve learned about love?
3. Flats or heels?
4. Coffee or tea?
5. Eyes/lips/cheeks:
6. Do you watch many award shows?
7. Favorite lipstick color of the moment?
8. What did you have for dinner last night?
9. Outfit:
10. Weekly goals:

You’re gonna have a fantastic week, girl. I can feel it in my bones! 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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