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Archives for March 2010

Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 80

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Okay, first off, this post was actually Tabs’ idea. Fo’ serious! He would like some new art to decorate his office with and can’t think of anything MORE awesome than to feature himself. 🙂

Truth is, I think he sees the idea I’m about to describe as a first step toward starting a fan club.

So what is the idea? A simple competition. Create and submit a work of Tabs-inspired fan art in any artistic style (a sketch, tribute video, photograph, painting, song, poem, etc.) and email it to me at karen@makeupandbeautyblog.com by the end of the month. That’s Wednesday, March 31 at 11:59 PM Pacific Standard Time.

Enter the Tabs Loves You Fan Art Competition

Tabs and I will pick one winning work of art based on originality, artistic quality and attention to Tabs, with the winner receiving $30 in US funds delivered by PayPal (that’s enough for two MAC Lipglasses, yo!).

NOTE: The contest is open to everyone — US and international readers, too — and by entering you agree to grant me permission to post your submission in a future entry on the blog.

LEGAL STUFF: Must be 18 years of age or older; deadline to enter is Wednesday, March 31, 11:59PM PST; one entry per person; void where prohibited by law.

Okay, ladies, it’s time to show Tabs what you can do!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. To help you really grasp the essence of Tabs the cat, 🙂 you can see some of his past modeling work in his portfolio here.

Dance Like No One’s Watching in the Open Thread

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Heya, ladies. I had a lot of fun chatting with y’all in last week’s Open Thread, and I’d really like to do it again.

I’m just about to have lunch so this’ll be fun. Like last time, you can talk about anything you want — ask (or answer) beauty (or non-beauty) questions, talk about your week, post links to cool sites/videos, describe your pet’s penchant for destroying your makeup brushes in painstaking detail (I’m listening!) or whatever else is on your mind.

To help break the ice, here are two questions I’ve been asked a lot lately:

Where’d I get my necklace?


You might’ve noticed I lurve this double-stranded gold necklace A LOT. I wish I could say it’s from a cool indy designer on Etsy, hand made for me, but, uh, it’s not. 🙂 I picked it up on clearance three years ago in the costume jewelry section at Macy’s. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the designer’s name — I actually think it might’ve been the Macy’s house brand.

What cameras do you use?

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This Week’s Top Posts

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How’s it going out there? What have you guys been up to this weekend? Something fun I hope. Tabs, El Hub and I are just chugging along and enjoying the arrival of spring, finally! We’re such weather lightweights out here, LOL! I feel terrible for the folks on the East Coast still digging themselves out from under all that snow. Damn, I hope spring treats them well because this of all years they deserve it.

Before I post the open thread today I’m spending some time practicing with my cameras. You’d be amazed to know how much time I spend on photography. It’s like my life is a quest to figure out how to take the perfect picture. Straight up, photography is NOT easy, and there is no magic bullet, no magic number of megapixels that suddenly produces a great shot, but if I were forced to choose between 1) the best DSLR on the market with a $2,000 pro lens in bad lighting or 2) a $70 Canon PowerShot point-n-shoot camera outdoors on a sunny day — hands down, I’d go with the cheap camera with good lighting every time.

Anywho, we made it through another week together. 🙂 MAC Art Supplies sure looks pretty. Can’t wait to take a closer look at the collection over the next few days…

What was your favorite new collection or product of the week? Do you have one? That’s a tough one, but I’ll go with Illamasqua’s Pastel Nails. I think that yellow’s just divine.

A Little Bit of Rock N’ Roll with MAC Art Supplies

“Fittingly, the first song on my iPod’s workout playlist today was Motley Crue’s Home Sweet Home, and it FIRED ME UP! — so much so that I felt like rock n’ rolling into some pink and purple makeup for my face of the day…”

More Summery Colors and Shimmery Fun from Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess

“With highly saturated purples, bronzes, teals and gold, Estee Lauder’s Bronze Goddess summer collection salutes makeup mavens who love intense, rich color by thoroughly bringing on the bling.”

I’m Dreaming of Dolce and Gabbana Midnight Bloom

“I had a dream once where I was wandering through a beautiful tropical garden at night … Dolce & Gabbana’s Midnight Bloom summer makeup collection would have fit right in.”

Blues and Greens with MAC Art Supplies and MAC Trip

“Because a little color always helps, I reached for the MAC Trip Cool Eyes Palette and a few things from MAC Art Supplies, as well as Benefit’s permanent collection and a Lancome mascara. In a little while I was feeling 100% better and kinda like this…”

Vetting MAC Art Supplies Pro Longwear Lipstain Markers

“Here are seven of the nine colors. I’m curious to hear what you think. I like how rich the reds and browns are, but I think a lot of ’em look alike on my lips, maybe due to my pigmented pucker.”

Branch Out This Spring With Sonia Kashuk’s Bamboo Brushes

“New for spring, Sonia crafted these limited-edition eye, face and cheek brushes from eco-friendly bamboo, cork and a mix of natural and synthetic fibers. There’s something kind of branch-y and natural about them, like, if the Swiss Family Robinson wanted to make elegant makeup brushes, these are what they’d look like, ha!”

I’m Sweet on Illamasqua Pastel Nails

“Memories of Easter mornings flooded back today when I swatched two of the four colors from Illamasqua’s Pastel Nails collection for spring. The colors have been available through illamasqua.com for a while, but they arrive at US Sephora stores this May ($14 each).”

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

You Still Have Time to Enter the Gwen Stefani Makeup Challenge

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Y’all are blowing me away with your Gwen looks! Great jobs all around. 🙂

If you haven’t entered yet, you still have time to submit your look. Remember, it’s not a lookalike contest; the challenge is just to channel one of Gwen’s styles over the years. One of you will win Gwen’s signed set of Harajuku Lovers Sunshine Cuties, but don’t delay. The deadline’s this Monday night.

Legal stuff: Must be 18 years of age or older and a valid resident of the United States; deadline to enter is Monday, March 29, 11:59PM PST; one entry per person; void where prohibited by law.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Ah… What a great day, ladies! It was nice and sunny here, so I went for a hike with my camera. So beautiful! The wildflowers are blooming, and everything’s just so alive (including my allergies!).

I hope you had a good day today. Did you do anything fun? Right now I’m eating an apple for my late-night snack and watching Project Runway online.

Ready, Set, Headbang! St. Tropez Shimmering Bronzing ROCKS!

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Luckily for St. Tropez, their new bronzing powder pellets really do rock, and not just in the ’80s power ballad kinda way.

Shimmering Bronzing Rocks ($40) actually look like little rocks. Well, they go from looking like rocks to looking like delicious chocolate truffles, but that could just be me! 🙂

Why rock?

Luxurious St. Tropez specializes in thinking outside the box when it comes to their self-tanners and bronzers. These Bronzing Rocks complement skin that’s already been kissed by the sun, taking it all the way to the Bronze Age by adding a shimmery, golden glow to shoulders, decollete, cheeks, face, lips and eyes. To ladies of lighter skin tones, Bronzing Rocks deliver a beautiful but subtle glow that’s safer than a regular tan; darker skin tones get a lovely golden shimmer.

How to rock

To apply, swirl a brush on the rocks (hold the olive!) and apply directly to the skin. Or, wield one of the rocks like a piece of chalk, drawing on the eyelids or lips, fun!

One of the best power ballads, evah!

“Good” glitter and a peachy golden glow

St. Tropez feels like a casual bronzer to me, one I’d wear to a beach bar barefoot in a slinky summer dress. I used it today to contour my face and cheeks and really like the fine glitter because it doesn’t make my skin look oily.

As for the color? — worthy of a good headbang. 🙂 It’s a golden, peachy brown about the shade of late afternoon sunlight, and it’s not muddy or orange at all on my skin.
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Let Loose with a Splash of Color

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Neutrals are like the Old Faithfuls of makeup. I love ’em, but sometimes they can get a little boring. If you’re looking for fresh ideas, why not try a splash of color?

Sometimes all it takes is a peep at the yellow nail polish on your toes or bright red lips looking back at you in the mirror to brighten your day.

Here are a few ideas to put a little color in your step. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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