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Archives for April 2011

Here Comes the Urban Bride! Will You Say “I Do” to Urban Decay’s New Urban Bride Set?

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Urban Decay Urban Bride

Places, everyone. It’s time!

Maestro, queue the Wedding March.

Here she comes! Urban Decay’s new $42 Urban Bride gift box is coming down the aisle. 🙂 And just in time for wedding season to Ulta, select Macy’s stores and also online.

Isn’t her dress beautiful (I hear it’s an exclusive Urban Decay)?

Sometimes, when I’m home alone…

I put on my wedding dress and watch daytime TV on the couch. NOTE: At these times, Tabs is prohibited from making biscuits on my tum.

Urban Decay timed the limited edition wedding-themed set to coincide with the release of Bridesmaids next month (May 13), a new comedy starring Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph and Rose Byrne. In the story, Annie is her BFF’s Maid of Honor, whose life unravels as she tries to get the bridesmaids all set for the big day. I’m a fiend for chick flicks, so it sounds like my cup of tea.

The set (how adorable is that box?) comes with six long-wearing Urban Decay products for face, eyes, lips and body…

  1. Razor Sharp Ultra-Definition Finishing Powder (Travel Size) — A translucent setting powder. Urban Decay says it diffuses fine lines. Does it work? Well, I’m testing it now, and you’ll be the first to know.
  2. Eyeshadow Primer Potion (Full Size) — The O.G. Primer Potion. It puts a lock on shadows, keeping them looking fresh for hours.
  3. Supercurl Curling Mascara (Travel Size) — Curl those stick-straight lashes, young lady, with this glossy black mascara.
  4. Lip Junkie Lip Gloss in Midnight Cowboy (Travel Size) — A sheer nude gloss. Can be worn alone or atop your favorite lipstick.
  5. All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray (Travel Size) — Party till dawn with a few spritzes of this travel-friendly setting spray.
  6. Marshmallow Sparkling Lickable Body Powder (Travel Size) — WARNING: You may be compelled to spontaneously lick your arms like when you wear this stuff because it really does taste like marshmallows!


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How to Get the Most Bounce for Your Buck from the New MAC Big Bounce Shadows

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Do you remember flubber? It was a rubber-like, super bouncy substance created by an absent-minded professor in 1961. Actually, by THE Absent-Minded Professor in the Disney movie of the same name. I suspect MAC might have lured the professor out of retirement to help them develop the upcoming MAC Big Bounce Shadows ($16.50 each) because, like flubber, they’re also quite bouncy and unusual.

The rich colors don’t feel like anything I’ve ever felt before. Think dense whipped cream, if that makes any sense, and when I tap the pans with a finger, I can actually feel them bouncing back in a very cool, weird way.

Hopefully these 16 shadows with metallic and/or pearl finishes are easier to corral than flubber was. Getting that stuff to stay put was almost impossible, but these shadows are supposed to bounce onto counters May 5 as part of the new MAC Flighty collection.

For help getting the most bounce from these beauties, I turned to one of my favorite MAC senior artists, Romero Jennings (are you following him on Twitter?).


MAC Senior Artist Romero Jennings

So if you’re ready, let’s bounce! 🙂

1. Be firm

While you could use any eyeshadow brush to apply the Big Bounce Shadows, Romero suggests using something with firm, stiff bristles like the MAC 242 Shader Brush ($24.50). A firm brush should give you more control than a fluffier, softer brush like the MAC 217 ($22.50). “And this way you can buff it out with the same brush,” he adds. Just buff with the edge of the head along any harsh lines.

2. Tap, tap, tap (or bounce, bounce, bounce)

What’s the best way to apply these Big Bounce Shadows? By tapping/patting/bouncing them onto your lids with the MAC 242. It helps distribute them evenly. And try to avoid swirling the brush or swiping it side to side like a windshield wiper, which tends to just push the product around. Romero says you can probably get away with skipping an eyeshadow primer, since the Big Bounces have a great grip and should last all day long.


Four of the 16 MAC Big Bounce Shadows from left to right: Count Your Assets, Spread the Wealth, Black Diamond and Rich Thrills

3. Work fast!

Time is of the essence! The Bounces were designed to dry quickly — within seconds! So, if the phone rings while you’re working on your eye makeup, you might want to let it go to voicemail, LOL! Because once these dry, they don’t budge.

As for drying in their pans, MAC made the packaging air-tight to keep the shadows moist.

4. Put out the welcome matte

Here’s one way to work these into your regular routine: apply them first as a base, and then pat a matte shadow directly on top. “This is a trick that I love, LOVE doing,” Romero says, “especially if someone is going out in the evening…”
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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, April 25

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  • You might be wondering, “So what the heck is this Monday Poll thing anyway?”
    Well, it isn’t much of a poll. It’s more just a constantly evolving (devolving?), somewhat random list of questions I’ve been putting out to readers every Monday morning for the past three years, which I guess makes this somewhere around Vol. 167. I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.
  1. Mood:

    2. The gears in my head are cranking slowly this mornin’ (so sleepy!), but I keep chugging along. Other than the fog it feels like I’m caught in, I feel pretty optimistic about this week.

  2. What purse are you carrying today?

    3. A black faux leather (aka pleather, LOL!) one from a surf company called Dakine that I found at Marshalls for $20. It weighs very little and has plenty of pockets and room, which I love. It’s big enough to hold my Canon T2i camera with two lenses, so it even doubles as a photography bag.

  3. Something you have trouble doing?

    4. Double dutch jump rope. I’ve tried countless times but still haven’t mastered the timing. Mastered. Heck, I’m not even close to doing it right, ha!

  4. What are some things you do to get motivated or energized?

    5. Well, lately I’ve been turning to green tea (or something else with caffeine in it), and I’ve always liked listening to dance music, taking a quick walk around the neighborhood, and/or pumping out a quick set of push-ups (DROP AND GIVE ME TEN!). One of those usually does the trick.

  5. Are you a patient person?

    6. I wasn’t at all when I was younger, but I’ve slowly gotten more patient over time.

  6. What lip colors do you wear most often?

    7. Something pink, peach or coral!

  7. Your least favorite kind of candy?

    8. 100%, hands-down, no doubt about it — black licorice. It’s my candy kryptonite. So dry and chewy, and that licorice flavor, gah! I’m not a fan of Butterfingers, either.

  8. What did you have for breakfast this morning?

    9. Oatmeal with lots of milk, and a big mug of green tea.

  9. Shirt dresses — yea or nay?

    10. Yea, but only if they’re in a solid print or a subtle pattern. And if the skirt part’s too full, they make my bum look big.

  10. Weekly goals:

    11. The way I feel today, I’m focusing on keeping things simple this week. I aim to just go with the flow. 🙂

Happy Monday, my friend. I hope your day got off to a good start and that you feel happier than a cat making biscuits. Of course, if you’re struggling this morning, I hope the positive vibes I’m beaming out to you right now (*beam! beam!*) help.

Do you have a couple minutes for the Monday Poll? I always like to hear from you, but especially today.

  • To complete the Monday Poll, just copy the following list, and paste it with your answers in the comments.



1. Mood:
2. What purse are you carrying today?
3. Something you have trouble doing?
4. What are some things you do to get motivated or energized?
5. Are you a patient person?
6. What lip colors do you wear most often?
7. Your least favorite kind of candy?
8. What did you have for breakfast this morning?
9. Shirt dresses — yea or nay?
10. Weekly goals:

Let’s defy any doldrums today and make sunshine this week. We’re stronger together than we are apart. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Be Bold on a Budget with These $7 Milani Lip Flash Pencils

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Milani Lip Flash

Hey, cutie. Before driving out to the East Bay this afternoon, I didn’t intend to spend a lot of time on my makeup, but then one thing led to another, etc., etc. Before I knew it, I’d swatched the entire line of Milani Lip Flash Pencils ($6.99).

Remember these? We talked about a shimmery bronze one a while back called Lip Flash.

Not bad for $7, right? Have a look at these, and let me know what you think. 🙂


Clockwise from the purple pencil at the lower left: In A Flash, Flashy, Hot Flash, Photo Flash, Flash Light, News Flash, Lip Flash and Star Flash

The Milani Lip Flashes are pigmented, shimmery lip glosses in stick packaging — a little like budget drugstore versions of NARS Velvet Lip Gloss Pencils. Unscented and unflavored, they feel thick and sticky on the lips and offer full coverage with a four-hour wear time.

These party girl glosses are bold, shimmery and in yo’ face. I’ve been pairing bronzy brown Lip Flash, probably the tamest one of the batch, with brown, gold or bronze smokey eyes. The other seven come in various shades of pink, red, magenta and purple and should be a blast to wear with crazy false eyelashes, glitter and a pair of dangerously sky-high heels. 😉

Milani Lip Flash iphone
With an iPhone for scale

Milani Lip Flash
Lip Flash
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Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 136

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Dear Diary,

I know it’s been a while since I’ve written, but I’ve been on the road a lot as of late. I’ve had modeling jobs in Miami, LA, Toronto, Paris… shoot, I even had one booked here at the house early this morning. Tabby is a busy boy!

See, when you’re a top kitty model, you have to be ready at a moment’s notice. Even on holidays. But I woke up feeling and looking like this (please don’t judge; it was early, and I didn’t have a chance to clean my fur):

I felt better after I did my stretches and got some gravy in my system, and before long I was hitting all the right poses for the camera…


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