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Archives for April 2011

MAC Unsung Heroes: Naked Lunch Eyeshadow

April 27th, 2011 by Karen 65 Comments

What I wouldn’t give to learn the story behind the name of today’s MAC Unsung Hero, Naked Lunch ($14.50).

Was there really a lunch in which the attendees were naked (eww!)? If so, I wonder what was on the menu… I assume that soups and other hot foods were absent, as well as beans and cheeses that encourage, um, bloat.

I’m all for culinary adventures, but when it comes to my lunches, I think I’ll stick to wearing clothes and this powder shadow from MAC’s permanent line. 🙂

When I need something foolproof to wear with my favorite browns, I often reach for Naked Lunch. It casts a candlelit glow on my skin that ignores my fine lines, and it blends like a makeup dream.

On me, it’s a champagne peachy pink with a subtle sheen — a demure, slightly warmer, less glittery version of Stila Kitten, perhaps, and its flexibility could rival Olympic gymnasts! I wear it as a lid color (fab for a wide-eyed look), as a highlighter along my brow bone, at the inner corners, and sometimes even as a face highlighter.


Swatch of Naked Lunch with the flash
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There are 65 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, MAC Makeup, Unsung Heroes Keywords: mac, unsungheroes

Soleil Tan de Chanel Moisturizing Bronzing Powder in Bronze Rose Is Like Summer in a Pan

April 27th, 2011 by Karen 48 Comments

Lately, I’ve been super obsessed with the idea of the South of France and the Cannes Film Festival taking place there next month. Plus, you know how much I like surfing, and apparently, Cannes has some really great surf spots, too. Who knew?

Chanel’s new Soleil Tan de Chanel Moisturizing Bronzing Powder in Bronze Rose ($50) is fueling this obsession. It launched a couple weeks ago with the new Chanel Les Fleurs D’Ete Summer Collection.


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There are 48 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Makeup, Product Reviews Keywords: chanel

Getting Twiggy With It

April 27th, 2011 by Karen 15 Comments


Do you do MAC Twig Lipstick ($14.50)? It’s a pinkish brown shade in the permanent line.

There are 15 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Daily Photo Keywords: mac

Are You a Spice Girl?

April 26th, 2011 by Karen 13 Comments


I am, but only when it comes to MAC Spice Lip Pencil ($13). 🙂

Do you love this pencil too? I wore it every day for years!

There are 13 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Daily Beauty Keywords: mac

MAC Studio Fix Boldblack Lash Feels as Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board

April 26th, 2011 by Karen 36 Comments

mac studiofix boldblack lash

When I was a kid, every slumber party I went to started with 16 Candles, progressed to crank calling cute boys from class, and ended with us playing light as a feather, stiff as a board.

For the game, one of us would lie down on the floor. Then, a bunch of us girls would lift her, using just two fingers on each hand, while chanting, “light as a feather, stiff as a board,” over and over again. I have no idea why this was considered fun, but we got the biggest kick out of it and did it all the time.

Ah, to be young and easily amused… 🙂

MAC’s new Studio Fix Boldblack Lash mascara ($14) reminds me of that old game. Launching April 28 on counters with the new Fashion Flower Collection (NOTE: it’s available now online), Boldblack will join the MAC permanent line.

mac studiofix boldblack lash wand

MAC describes it as a dramatic, blacker-than-black mascara with a long-lasting formula lighter than a flower petal.

I’ve been batting two coats on my fringe for the past few days, and while I like how long my lashes look and how feather light they feel with it on, Boldblack also leaves them stiff and crunchy — hence the whole “light as feather, stiff as a board” thing.

A few things I like about Boldblack…

  • It’s a true black (it doesn’t have any blue undertones)
  • Delivers dramatically longer, separated lashes
  • Resists smudging
  • Relatively affordable for a department store mascara
  • Feels as light as a feather

mac studiofix boldblack lash before
Before

mac studiofix boldblack lash after
After two coats
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There are 36 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: MAC Makeup, Product Reviews Keywords: mac

NARS Summer 2011, Sweet Relief and Random Acts of Beauty

April 26th, 2011 by Karen 71 Comments

There are few things I adore more than random acts of beauty like…

My tabby alarm clock

Most mornings I’m awakened by a chubby tabby cat set to go off about a minute before the regular alarm on my phone. It’s a very unusual alarm in that I’m actually the source of the sound, which is like a painful yelp. It works like this: Tabs, who usually sleeps in his kitty bed on the floor, climbs up onto my bladder and launches from it into the air, “Whee!”

And it even has something like a snooze button because after he does it the first time, I usually drift back to sleep, so he does it again about 10 minutes later. This repeats over and over until I finally get out of bed.

But this morning the tabby alarm clock malfunctioned in a glorious way! Instead of using my bladder as a springboard, Tabs climbed up onto the bed and gently snuggled his way into my arms like a present. 🙂 Of course, I soaked it up as long as I could (cat ladies, you know what I’m talking about), listening to him purr and feeling the curve of his warm kitty body against mine as rays of sunlight filtered in through the windows onto his fur. It was so peaceful and calm that I almost couldn’t get out of bed!

Sweet relief

When I finally did sit up, the first word out of my mouth was “Hallelujah!” Today’s was the first morning in — I can’t even remember how long — that I’ve gotten up without pain. I’ve been PMS-ing for what feels like an eternity, and “the girls” have been uncomfortable and sore, so much so that even lying in bed hurts. Does that ever happen to you?

Sleeping in my regular bras hasn’t helped because the hooks and wires dig into my skin, and the sports bra I tried was way too binding. But last Saturday at Macy’s I stumbled upon a line of stretchy one-piece bras from Barely There and decided to give them a try.

I got the one called the ComfortFlex Fit Bandini (comes 2 for $26). It’s basically a super soft, non-binding sports bra without any hooks or wires, and it fits snugly to keep everything in place, but yet isn’t so tight that it cuts off the circulation while I’m sleeping.

Two words: sweet relief!

The best thing since…frozen waffles

After making my way downstairs this morning and fueling up on caffeine and peanut butter toast, I took a generic Zyrtec and put on Tabs’ harness to take him outside for a quick walk.

For some, taking allergy meds may not qualify as a random act of beauty, but JEEZ! — it’s so nice to be able to enjoy spring without sniffling or sneezing from allergies, or feeling sleepy or foggy-headed from meds. Back in the day, the over-the-counter stuff hardly helped at all, and I always had dreadful seasonal allergies. It may not be makeup, but Zyrtec is still beautiful to me.

May I have some eye candy?

While Tabs explored the great outdoors from the safety of his kitty harness, I snapped a bunch of pics, like this one of a blooming bush.
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There are 71 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun, Makeup Keywords: nars

H2O+ Sweet Berry Body Balm and Bath Gel Aren’t Regular Lifesavers

April 26th, 2011 by Karen 18 Comments

Before sniffing H2O+’s new Sweet Berry shower gel and body balm, I would have thought it absurd that a candy company would ever collaborate on a bath/beauty product. Now, I’m not so sure.

Since I know that LifeSavers didn’t partner with H2O+ this year, there must be another explanation for why H2O+’s new Sweet Berry Moisturizing Body Balm ($11.50) and Shower & Bath Gel ($9) smell so much like LifeSavers Gummies, incidentally one of my favorite candies in the world.

Maybe there was an accident one day in the H2O+ labs… What if a technician who was working on the new products had an open bag of gummies in his shirt pocket? If he had leaned forward a little too far and let one plop down into his beaker, that could explain the remarkably similar scents.

Yeah, probably not. But still — it would be kinda cool if that’s how it happened. 🙂

When it comes to bath and body products, I usually prefer citrus and floral scents, so I was surprised to like H2O+’s new Sweet Berry Moisturizing Body Balm and Shower & Bath Gel so much.

While sweet, they don’t overwhelm my sensitive nose. I find them light and fresh, and not anywhere near as cloying as the berry-themed body products I’ve tried from Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works.

Of course, scent is a matter of personal preference, but that’s the beauty of beauty products like these. We can sniff sample them before choosing to bring them home.


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There are 18 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Product Reviews, Skin Care

Essie Summer 2011: Color Me Braziliant

April 26th, 2011 by Karen 16 Comments


Essie Summer 2011 Color Me Braziliant Collection

A quick look at the new Essie Color Me Braziliant collection for summer 2011, available June 2011 ($8 each).

Top row from the left: Absolutely Shore, Smooth Sailing, Super Bossa Nova. Bottom row from the left: Meet Me At Sunset, Braziliant and Too Too Hot.

Which color’s your fave?

There are 16 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Daily Photo Keywords: essie

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