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Archives for June 2011

MAC Unsung Heroes: The 224 Tapered Blending Brush

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mac 224

Pffzzt! BAM!

We have just traveled through time, you and I. Notice the placement of the logo on my MAC 224 Tapered Blending Brush ($29). Yes, that brush is 10 years old.

mac 224
New brushes on top; old school 224 on the bottom

Even though I’ve had it for a decade, I’ve only recently become super duper obsessed with this soft, medium-sized, dome-shaped eyeshadow brush.

I remember originally buying it to apply eyeshadow in the crease, which is how I know it’s used by many MACaholics, but for a long time I felt that it tended to lay down too much color. It had been in my halfhearted, semi-regular rotation for about a year before it found its way to the Island of Lost Tools.

So there it lived, on the Island of Lost Tools, lonely and neglected for years while I moved on to the fantabulous MAC 217. On occasion, I’d visit and call it out to help me with some blending, but for the most part, there it stayed.

Then, one day not very long ago (just a few weeks), I tried it with MAC Prolongwear Concealer.

Hello, awesome! 🙂

mac 224

mac 224
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Inglot Matte Collection AMC Eyeliner Gel Is Taking My Makeup World By Storm

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Sam

Written by Sam

This sentence, does it need a comma or an inglot? The subject of today’s great guest post from Sam may sound like punctuation, but it’s so much more than that.

Inglot AMC Eyeliner Gel

After mascara and lipstick, eye liner is one of those things a lot of women turn to when they’re pressed for time. A quick dash on the upper lids can add a pop of color and takes just seconds to do — far less time than an elaborate eye using multiple shadows — and a nude on the waterline can illuminate and open sleepy, drooping peepers.

And why keep a separate black, or blue, or brown liner for each and every occasion if one great product could cover ’em all? Five minutes to get ready? Check. Thunder storms a’coming? Check. Great possibility of crying (hopefully for a good reason, like at a wedding)? Check. No worries — today’s liner has your back!

Inglot, a Polish makeup company, has quietly become a cult favorite among makeup artists, in part because they’ve done the unthinkable. They managed to create a gel liner that in my opinion beats out the famously fabulous MAC Fluidline. The Matte Collection AMC Eyeliner Gel (long name for such a simple product) is without question the best liner, of any formula, I have ever used.

So how is it better than those gorgeous glass tubs of creamy Fluidline, with their soft, rubberized twist-off tops? Let me count the ways…

Matte Collection AMC Eyeliner Gel

Starting with value, the Matte Collection AMC Eyeliner Gel (I promise that’s the last time I’ll use the full name) comes with a HUGE amount of product for $12. Housed inside the convenient and cute plastic tub lives a whopping 5.5 grams of product (Fluidline comes with 3 grams, about the average for gel liners). Inglot’s liner works out to $2.18 per gram, versus $5 per gram for the $15 Fluidline. That’s more than twice as much product for the price!

But value only matters if a product performs, right? I’d much rather shell out a few extra dollars for a fantastic liner than a few less dollars for one that flakes, runs, or fades. Fortunately, none of those are bothers here.

Inglot’s AMC Eyeliners are extremely emollient. I’m actually a bit surprised they’re labeled as gels and not creams. Their extremely thick, smooth texture glides across the skin. Whereas many gel liners skip, scoot, tug, and pull at lids when I apply them with any sort of brush, these AMC Eyeliners are incredibly smooth and silky, almost to a fault.
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Two Ways to Win the Urban Decay Urban Bride Set (a $42 Value)

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  • WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is @cupidgirl21483! Congratulations, @cupidgirl21483! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

Urban Decay Urban Bride

Here comes the bride, all dressed in white. And purple. And silver!

I guess you could say this gal isn’t your humdrum bride to be; she’s got a naughty side (an edge, so to speak) because she’s dressed in Urban Decay. 🙂

This wedding themed-kit’s relatively new to stores (it launched last month to coincide with the release of the Bridesmaids movie). It comes with a healthy serving of makeup and body products to keep you looking and feeling fly on the any big day.

Places, everyone! Cue the music! Get ready to walk down the aisle in three, two, one…

A Makeup and Beauty Blog Giveaway!

One lucky lady will win the Urban Bride by Urban Decay set (a $42 value), which comes with six products for face, eyes, lips and body… the following products:

  • 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.
  • Eyeshadow Primer Potion (Full Size) — The O.G. Primer Potion. It puts a lock on shadows, keeping them looking fresh for hours.
  • Supercurl Curling Mascara (Travel Size) — Curl those stick-straight lashes, young lady, with this glossy black mascara.
  • Lip Junkie Lip Gloss in Midnight Cowboy (Travel Size) — A sheer nude gloss. Can be worn alone or atop your favorite lipstick.
  • All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray (Travel Size) — Party till dawn with a few spritzes of this travel-friendly setting spray.
  • 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!


Here are the products beside an iPhone for scale…

  • 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, what was the last Urban Decay product you fell in love with? What would your dream wedding be like? What outfit are you wearing today? What do you want to be when you grow up? — let your imagination run wild!
  • Second, you can enter by following me on twitter Twitter @karenmbb and retweeting (RT) the following message:
    • Follow @karenmbb and RT to Win the Urban Decay Urban Bride Set (a $42 Value) http://bit.ly/jvws4H

  • The deadline to enter is Saturday, June 11, 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).
  • 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

P.S. TGIF!

  • WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is @cupidgirl21483! Congratulations, @cupidgirl21483! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

MAC Unsung Heroes: Crosswires Lipstick

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mac crosswires lipstick

If I tried to corral the coral lipsticks in my makeup collection, gurl, it would cause a stampede. Those corals are wild at heart because I let them run free. I mean, why confine them to summer when they look so good 12 months a year?

Next to pink, coral is one of my favorite lip colors, and those lil’ waxy bullets regularly melt my heart, like today’s Unsung Hero, MAC Cremesheen in Crosswires ($14.50).

It’s a punchy, pigmented pinkish orange, and it’s one of the shades I wear often when I want “look at me” lips. I’ve seen it worn by fair- and dark-skinned gals in a variety of NW and NC tones, and no matter what, I think it pretty much always looks hot. It just might be the MAC permanent line’s most wearable coral.

Maybe it’s the pink tones in Crosswires that really set it apart for me. The shade may not be as seductive as some of MAC’s reddish corals (like MAC Viva Glam Cyndi) or as electric as others (like MAC Costa Chic), but it’s sweet, and that’s something I like.

mac crosswires lipstick
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Two Ways to Win a Tube of Benefit They’re Real Mascara (Before It Arrives in Stores)

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  • WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is Veronika! Congratulations, Veronika! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

Not the type of gal who likes to wait (neither am I)? Well, here’s your chance to win the newest member of the Benefit team before it launches next month.

Jet black They’re Real mascara promises beyond-belief (ala, “Yes, they’re real. Thank you for asking.”) length, separation, curl hold, volume and lift — basically, the whole shebang if you like big, bold lashes.

I like it, particularly the dark, rich color and multi-function brush. The staggered bristles do seem to help it in the volume department, and the spiky tip is pretty good for detailed work. I think the finished lash look actually resembles the one I get from MAC Studio Fix BoldBlack Mascara — jet black and lightweight, yet it looks thick, with a moderate increase in length, coupled, however, with a slight tendency to relax the curl from my lash curler.

If you’d like to preview a tube before it officially hits stores, read on, Benefit babe!

A Makeup and Beauty Blog Giveaway!

Ready for Benefit brows?

One lucky lady (or gent) will win:

  • One (1) tube of Benefit They’re Real Mascara (a $22 value) before it launches in-stores this July

Two coats leave my lashes looking thick and dark, and it stays put all day long without flaking or smudging. On top of that, it remains easy to remove.

benefit theyre real mascara

benefit theyre real mascara

benefit theyre real mascara

benefit theyre real mascara

benefit theyre real mascara brush


Before (top) and after two coats (bottom)


Before (left) and after two coats (right)

  • 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, what was the very first mascara you ever tried? What do you look for in a mascara? Have you ever accidentally sent an email to the wrong person? How many plants do you have in your house? Who’s going to win the Stanley Cup? — you get the idea.
  • Second, you can enter by following me on twitter Twitter @karenmbb and retweeting (RT) the following message:
    • Follow @karenmbb and RT to Win a Tube of Benefit They’re Real Mascara http://bit.ly/k6TUua

  • The deadline to enter is Friday, June 10, 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).
  • 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 winner is Veronika! Congratulations, Veronika! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

3 Lessons Learned During Year 35 (P.S. Today I Turn 36)

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I’ll never forget the wise words of a Sephora associate just before my birthday last year. I was a little cranky about turning 35 until she said, “You should be happy because some people never make it that far.”

Yup, that put me in check RIGHT QUICK.

My year 35 had its ups and downs, but for the most part it was great. I learned a lot of valuable lessons, a few of which I tend to re-learn over and over again like…

1. Avoid uncomfortable shoes

NOTE TO SELF: If a pair of shoes hurt within the first minute of trying them on, chances are they’re not the right shoes for you (no matter how cute they are!).


Hurts so good!

2. Trust your instincts…

Because they’re rarely wrong. That inexplicable gut feeling deep down inside is there for a reason. It’s like an internal compass, sometimes guiding us away from danger, other times nudging us toward golden opportunities.
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