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Archives for September 2010

$6 Goody Spin Pins: It’s a Goody Thing I Took These Pins for a Spin

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goody spin pin review

Goody Spin Pins ($6), ohmahgawd, they’re awesome. I brought a pair with me on my trip last weekend based on your recommendations, so thank you — you were so right!

They’re basically these beefed up, coiled metal bobby pin-like doohickies (two per pack) for securing your hair into a bun; Goody says each one does the work of 20 bobbies (no, not the ones in law enforcement), and they come in two shades, one for lighter hair and one for darker. Each pack comes with two pins.

Most of the time my long hair’s a big pain in the @ss. In the time it takes me to do a bun, inserting the 30 or so bobby pins it takes, people all around the world are accomplishing epic things. They’re writing novels, learning how to drive a stick, circumnavigating the globe — seriously, bobby buns take me a really long time.

The prospect of putting my hair up with just two pins kinda boggled my mind, but these suckers really work! I don’t know how (well, I could probably figure it out), but they do.

First, you take your hair, pull it back, and wrap it into a really tight bun. Then, you tuck in the ends and screw in the first pin at the top. The second pin goes in through the bottom of the bun, locking it in place. That’s it! Through some miracle of magic or science, your bun’s done!

goody spin pin review
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MAC Blot Powder/Pressed: A Plot Against Oil and Shine!

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What’s up, friend? This post is getting to you kinda late, I know, and I’m sorry. Long story short, but my flight was delayed out of Milan yesterday. Consequently, I almost missed the connecting flight out of Germany to get back home (NOTE: If you’re the person I steamrolled in the international terminal of the Frankfurt airport yesterday…my bad!).

I managed to make the flight (YEA!), but my luggage didn’t (BOO!). And, of course, it contained all of the makeup I was hoping to dish about today — stuff from Dolce & Gabbana Holiday, Kiko, Madina and a brand called Fred Farrugia.

Thankfully, the airline emailed to say they found the bag and put it on the first train plane home.

Oh, I have some important news to share! But you have to promise to keep it quiet because I haven’t told El Hub (pinky swear). You see, while I was on the road last weekend, I rekindled an old flame.

Yup, MAC Blot Powder/Pressed ($22) and I have been seeing each other off and on for the past six years (he absorbs the oil on my face in ways that El Hub just can’t!), but this trip convinced me to take our relationship to the next level.

Blot was the only powder I took with me, and it’s official: I’m (still) in love. love


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Good Luxe Resisting The Guerlain Écrin 6 Couleurs Eye Shadow Palettes

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Olga of Beauty on and out of a Grad Student's Budget

Written by OIga

How much is too much to spend on a makeup palette? Before you answer that, you might want to see what Olga has to say in today’s guest post. WARNING: Her pictures are dazzling!

Guerlain Ecrin 6 Couleurs Eye Shadow Palette

Nobody does luxury like Guerlain, but not even in my wildest dreams could I have imagined something as glamorous as their new Écrin 6 Couleurs eye shadow palettes that came out this fall. The pictures speak for themselves: just look at that filigree cover, the little bee (symbol of Guerlain that dates back to XIX century) on it, and the large beautiful mirror that opens up to the side of the palette. It was only appropriate to name each of the five palettes after a Guerlain boutique in Paris!

Guerlain Ecrin 6 Couleurs Eye Shadow Palette

The one I ended up buying is named after Guerlain’s flagship boutique at 68, Avenue des Champs-Elysées. My choice was partly due to the fact that I like purple and don’t have enough grays, and partly because I really like the thought of looking at Champs-Elysées in the morning (who wouldn’t? 🙂 )


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A Quick Peek at the Dolce & Gabbana Holiday 2010 Makeup Collection

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Wait — holiday already!? Yep, in makeup-ville. Here’s a quick look at the new Dolce & Gabbana holiday 2010 stuff; let me know what you think. 🙂

The release should hit Saks shelves around mid-October. Prices TBA, but I’m assuming they’ll be pretty standard for the brand (codeword for pricey).


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The Duty Free Shop: A Makeup Melting Pot

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Hiya, ladies! Now here’s something I didn’t expect to find: a HUGE range of travel exclusives, and by range I mean drugstore brands to high end, all sitting beside each other in perfect harmony on their shelves. Duty Free stores are like makeup melting pots, with row after row of discontinued/limited release products like travel exclusives, and they can make that trip to pick up your cousin from the international terminal well worth your time.

L’Oreal travel exclusives sold alongside brands like Guerlain, Dior and Chanel? Weird, huh?

Prices vary WILDLY! There are deals to be had, but not everything’s a bargain, that’s for sure. In this case the L’Oreal products are substantially more than they would be back home, but some of the higher end stuff looks inexpensive, relatively speaking. Of course, many of the products are things I’ve never seen before, so it’s hard to say what some of the shrink wrapped boxes actually contain.
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For $5.50, Prestige Total Intensity Eyeliners Are a Hidden Drugstore Gem

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Appu of Beauty Blog of a Kind

Written by Appu

Looking for power and prestige? For $5.50 and a trip to Ulta, you could be halfway there! Blogger Appu of Beauty Blog of a Kind shares the juicy deets in today’s guest post.

Prestige Total Intensity Eyeliner

Is there such a thing as too many eyeliners? I have a zillion yet I still want more. I’d always thought Urban Decay’s 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils were the smoothest liners ever with their vegan, to-die-for formula, but I think I’ve found some close competition. 🙂

Not long ago I discovered the Prestige Total Intensity Eyeliners at Ulta. My local Ulta, however, didn’t have testers. Being obsessed with color, I took a chance and picked up three of them!! For a mere $5.50 apiece, they seemed like drugstore dupes of the Urban Decay eyeliners. Luckily, all of them are super creamy, have excellent pigmentation and DO NOT budge once they’ve set. Prestige Cosmetics claims they’re paraben-free too, so what’s not to love?

Prestige Total Intensity Eyeliner

They look similar to UD’s 24/7 pencils and come in eight shades. The three I got are Intense Olive, an olive green base with golden shimmer; Bold Brown, an intense matte brown perfect for an everyday smokey look or worn alone for a soft look; and Fierce Blue, a very intense metallic navy blue.

I like the shade selection here. No bright, playful colors, but there are many intense, dark shades that can be worn anywhere without looking OTT.

They glide on effortlessly and stay put all day long. There’s no tugging or pulling when applying, and I need a good makeup remover at the end of the day to take them off.
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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Sept. 27

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On the roof of the Duomo di Milano, fourth-largest church in the world and the seat of the Archbishop of Milan

Happy Monday, young lady. 🙂 It’s almost dinnertime here, but Tabs just finished breakfast back home. He skyped me a little while ago, as a matter of fact, to lodge a complaint against El Hub for professional neglect. Apparently, El Hub’s secretarial and gravy preparation skills aren’t up to par. I tried to phrase my response in terms I thought Tabs would appreciate, so I quoted Tim Gunn: just “make it work.”

Today I pretty much did my own thing, took in some sights, did a little makeup hauling, and found a few castle cats living in a moat that had been drained and turned into a grassy knoll. They looked like Italian kitty versions of the bunnies from Watership Down.

Now I’m back at the hotel putting my feet up for a few minutes before dinner.

Oh, remind me to tell you about the time I was staying at a hotel and hallucinated on Ambien (it was last night). The bedspread came alive!

My flight back to San Francisco leaves first thing tomorrow morning, which reminds me — I better send Tabs a text to see if he can pick me up from the airport.

I’m definitely going to miss the city of Milan, but it’s the people and their fashion sense I wish I could bring back with me.

Before you go, do you have a minute to touch base by filling out the Monday Poll? It’s an abbreviated one today.

  1. Mood:

    2. Good but very tired. I could use an 8-hour nap.

  2. What was the last thing you had to eat?

    3. Hazelnut and caramel creme gelato. I STILL haven’t found any Nutella gelato, boo! Looks like I may have to make it at home.

  3. Outfit:

    4. Black skinny jeans, black lace top and the brown “Golden Girls” boots I found at Marshalls a couple weeks ago, which, I might add, aren’t the easiest things to walk in when the streets are cobblestone… I still haven’t figure out how Italian women are able to handle these roads in spiked heels. They’re amazing!

  4. What’s your least favorite fruit?

    5. Overripe bananas. I like mine slightly green (no spots!), thank you very much.

  5. Eyes/lips/cheeks:

    6. Went with an old standby easy look today using MAC Woodwinked Eyeshadow on the lid, Technakohl liner in Graphblack along the lash and waterlines, MAC Nymphette Lipglass on my lips and NARS Orgasm on my cheeks.

  6. What was the first song you ever slow danced to?

    7. “Shower me with your looove!” 🙂 At least I think that was it. My memory for music is failing me right now, but I think it was that Surface jam, oh, gawd!

  7. Weekly goals:

    8. Make it home in one piece, spend some quality time with the boys (El Hub and Tabs) and SLEEP!

It’s that time again. Y’all ready for this?



1. Mood:
2. What was the last thing you had to eat?
3. Outfit:
4. What’s your least favorite fruit?
5. Eyes/lips/cheeks:
6. What was the first song you ever slow danced to?
7. Weekly goals:

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. I double dare you to listen to the whole song!

P.P.S. If you’re new here, thank you for visiting. Makeup and Beauty Blog is a makeup blog with daily product reviews, beauty tips, giveaways and the random shenanigans of a crazy cat lady/makeup enthusiast named Karen (that’s me!). 🙂

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