MAC Vanilla Eyeshadow, $14.50. It’s not very sexy in the pan, but it’s one helluva workhorse color.
MAC Vanilla Eyeshadow
Archives for April 2011
What’s the Current Price of Gold? With Milani Jewel FX Nail Polishes, It’s About $5
It takes a few layers of Milani’s new Jewel FX Nail Polishes ($4.99 each) to really get your sparkle going, but if you have the patience, they’ll reward you with dazzling tips and toes.
These three glittery gals just came out a little while ago. Each of them — Gems, Gold and Silver — is a clear base with big gobs o’ glitter swimming inside. Not only do they look spectacular worn by themselves, but they also accessorize the heck out of other polishes when brushed on like a topcoat.
Someone over at Milani must remember Deborah Lippmann’s breakthrough $18 Happy Birthday party from 2009. It was a gorgeous, multicolored glitter polish, and Gems could easily pass for a $5 dupe (truly outrageous!).
Can I get a what-what for affordable alternatives? 🙂
In these pics I’m wearing three coats, so as you can probably tell, it takes a few layers to really coax out the shimmer from these. The base itself is quite thin, but every subsequent layer increases the amount of and concentration of glitter.
The glitter applies unevenly, of course, but shaking it well helps. It takes forever, but by dabbing the tip of the brush on the nail, I can sort of direct where I want the glitter to go.
What Does One Wear to a Traditional Korean Spa?
Written by Kate
You may not have been planning to visit South Korea this year, but you might want to after reading today’s guest post from Kate.
photo: Seoul, South Korea
Being a flight attendant came with a certain degree of worldliness, whether imagined or real. I prided myself on having a strong sense of adventure that made me, in my own mind, a combination of Ernest Hemmingway lounging in a Cuban cafe and a valkyrie. That is, if Ernest Hemmingway wore heels and served coffee.
This overblown view of my own pioneering attitude did little to prepare me for the realities of a real Korean spa. I am the product of an American culture that is not exactly known for being comfortable with the human body in all its nude abundance. Or, for that matter, the bodies of total strangers. The American in me screams that I come from a land founded by Puritans. The Chinese in me remembers all those movies I have seen with my elderly grandmother where lovemaking consists of the woman laying her head on the man’s chest and sighing. Both are always fully clothed. As these two sides of me rebelled against the idea of being naked in front of a shower room full of other women, I decided to do as the Romans (and Koreans) do…
When another flight attendant suggested a visit to a local Korean spa (also called a jjimjilbang) on a Seoul layover, I eagerly agreed. After all, my only previous experience with a spa involved a gift certificate to the Mandalay Bay Spa in Las Vegas. I imagined the fragrant oils that would soon be mixed with French sea salt, the gentle murmurs of the masseuse as she rubbed the heavenly mixture over my modestly, and strategically, covered body. I would hear Enya playing in the background. After my salt scrub, the masseuse would leave me to emerge at my leisure from my cocoon of comfort. Chamomile tea would be offered to me, and I would accept it dressed in my fluffy white robe of Egyptian cotton. The lounge would be painted in tones of peach and taupe and my only companion would be a man-made waterfall engineered by a savvy interior designer.
While waiting in my hotel lobby for my flying partner, I was reassured by the concierge that the spa we had chosen was top notch (Central Spa) and she herself had had a scrub there the day before. As I set out with visions of pampering dancing in my head, I wondered why we were descending into the bowels of a busy bus station. Tucked in between the turnstiles and a noodle stand was a small, unassuming door. The other flight attendant had been here before and she entered without a backward glance in my direction. As I let the door close behind me, the sounds of the train station were muffled and then quiet.
The Korean woman working at the reception desk was small but looked like she could command a battalion as well as she could command a spa. She unceremoniously handed me a key and two facecloths and pointed at a door to her right. I scampered ahead, carrying my tiny towels and what turned out to be a locker key.
My bravado was wearing thin, especially because my coworker was nowhere in sight. As I turned a corner, I came face to face with my coworker’s breasts. I looked away, embarrassed and horrified at the same time. I only worked with this girl. Was it twisted that she was the only one, besides my husband and my doctor, who was going to see me naked? Could I play this off as not being the huge deal for me that it was? I had come too far to use the old stomachache excuse. Only my stubbornness kept me from running back to my hotel. That, and the fact that I had no idea which direction my hotel was in.
The lockers
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Flowers On My Desk
Two Ways to Win a $50 eGift Card from Sephora!
- WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winners is Ceci! Congratulations, Ceci! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂
Good mornin’, glory. 🙂 How did you sleep? I slept pretty well, and I must admit I’m surprised. We streamed a movie called A Kiss of Chaos (ugh! gratuitously violent, disorganized, El Hub’s regrettable choice) last night, and I went to bed expecting nightmares that I’m REALLY glad I didn’t have.
Do you use Netflix? Their online streaming deal keeps getting better and better. We have the $7.99/month plan and use it almost every single day. El Hub even streams movies to his phone. He does it while he’s jogging, which amazes me. I’d get seasick trying to watch on that small screen, so I stick to watching them on the TV.
The movie selection’s a little iffy. Lots of B-movies and middle-of-the-road flicks that go straight to DVD, but they do sprinkle in some big blockbusters to enhance the overall flavor.
I’ve learned all sorts of interesting film factoids through the service, like this one about Cuba Gooding Jr.: did you know that he’s starred in almost 60 movies? Yup, it turns out he’s one of the hardest working actors in Hollywood, and Netflix’s streaming service carries a bunch of his films (I use the term loosely).
I’d always thought Cuba’s career evaporated after Jerry Maguire, Snow Dogs and Radio, but that’s not true at all. He cranks out about two new movies every year, year after year. Of course, most of them head straight to DVD, but I’ve caught a couple that haven’t been complete stinkers like Linewatch (I really enjoyed this one) and Hero Wanted.
Sorry, I know that didn’t seem beauty related, but it was in a way. I went to bed last night about 99% certain I was going to have deep, dark circles under my eyes this morning thanks to nightmares caused by A Kiss of Chaos, and I’m totally surprised I didn’t. Got me thinking about Netflix, I guess.
And if I had gotten up with bad dark circles today, I might have found relief with help from the subject of today’s first post (Sephora). I guess you know what that means. It’s…
- One (1) Sephora eGift card containing $50 sent to the winner by email (or $50 sent by PayPal instead).
- There are two ways to enter, 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, like, if Hollywood made a movie about your life, who would you like to see play you? Regular popcorn or kettle corn? What’s your dark circle routine? — you get the idea.
- Second, you can enter by following me on
Twitter @karenmbb and retweeting (RT) the following message:
- Follow @karenmbb and RT to Win a $50 eGift Card from Sephora! http://bit.ly/llOUl5
- The deadline to enter is Sunday, May 1, 2011 at 11:59PM (PT).
- Entrants must enter using a valid email address and/or Twitter account to win.
- A maximum of two (2) entries per person — one within the comments at the bottom of this post, and a second entry via Twitter addressed to me @karenmbb.
- Contest is open to individuals of any country who have reached the age of majority according to their local laws (18 in the United States with these exceptions: Alabama and Nebraska, 19; Mississippi, 21).
- Sephora eGift Certificates can only be redeemed online and are not valid in stores or available for purchase or redemption in Canada. The winner may opt to substitute the Sephora eGift card prize for $50 sent directly to their email address by PayPal.
- Tabs and I (heretofore referred to as “T-Money and K-Dawg”) will select one (1) winner at random from the entries either left in the comments at the bottom of this blog post or addressed to @karenmbb on Twitter.
- The winner will be announced here within 48 hours of the deadline.
- Void where prohibited by law.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
- WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winners is Ceci! Congratulations, Ceci! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂
Bobbi Brown Deep Chocolate Bronzing Powder
Bobbi Brown Deep Chocolate Bronzing Powder, $33. Available May 2011 at Bobbi Brown counters and online.
Look Stunning in Sayulita (or Any Town) This Summer with the $14 Stila Stunning in Sayulita Palette
H-O-triple-T-HOTTT!!! 
with three exclamation marks at the end. That’s how hot it was in Sayulita, Mexico (outside Puerto Vallarta), the one time I was there about 10 years ago. It was August, well over 100 degrees, and it had one of those beaches straight out of a Corona commercial.
Wish we were here!
Not gonna lie: I’ve been lusting after Stila’s limited edition Stunning in Sayulita Palette ($14) mostly because of the water. It was a clear teal blue with flecks of what looked like golden glitter in it, and I remember sitting on my surfboard, looking down and watching the glitter just swirl around my ankles and feet. It was beautiful. Almost surreal.
That’s me in the middle clinging to my board for dear life
Beach dog, woof!
The colors in the palette, which comes with two powder blushes (a cheek color and a bronzing powder) and four powder eyeshadows, should play up tan skin nicely. The shadows include a peach, brown, taupe, rose and green. Considering the theme and the cutie pie surfer girl cover art, I was also kinda expecting to find at least one shimmery gold or teal, but alas, nada.
Stila Sparkle Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner Is a Surfer’s Delight
I love surfing and like to think of myself as a water baby…but I’ve never actually done anything really cool on a surfboard. I’ve never ridden a tube or hanged (hung?) ten, and terms like “double overhead” (a wave twice as tall as the surfer riding it) fill me with far more fear than excitement.
For me, a good surf day involves simply standing up on my board (sometimes in the water) and, if I’m lucky, not colliding with anything or falling too ungracefully into the waves.
Great surf days include all of the aforementioned aspects of good surf days but happen only when I’m able to paddle out without getting my hair wet. As you can probably imagine, those days are few and far between.
I used to surf up here in the Bay Area, but not anymore (never got used to the cold). Now I wait for trips to warmer waters, like the one I hope to take this summer. This time, thanks to Stila Sparkle Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner ($22 each; available in eight colors), when I fall off my board, all arms, ankles and elbows, at least my eye makeup will look cute. 🙂
With eight bright, shimmery colors, the new line of waterproof, long-wearing liquid liners is just in time for surf days and lounging by the pool.
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