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Archives for July 2011

Dear Essence Quattro Eyeshadow: I’ve Got Nothing But XOXO’s for You

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The Essence Quattro Eyeshadow palette in XOXO reminds me of Mariah Carey’s performance in Precious.

Why? Because it’s also shockingly good.

Let’s be honest — after Glitter, for which Mimi won a Razzie Award for Worst Actress despite basically playing herself in the film, I didn’t really expect much from her return to the big screen, but as a die-hard fan (I still have the Vision of Love single floating around here somewhere…on tape), I had to give her a second chance.


Yes, that IS Padma from Top Chef.

And I’m very glad I did. 🙂

I thought Mimi’s performance as a social worker in Precious, like the $2.99 Essence Quattro Eyeshadow palette in XOXO I tried today, was actually, well, pretty darn good!

Where Mariah nailed nuanced emotion, Essence nailed long-wearing eyeshadow, and both of them deserve a round of applause.

My track record with Essence’s other eyeshadows hasn’t always been great. I find many of their singles to be quite pretty, but I’ve experienced mediocre wear time and some fallout from them beneath my eyes.

The colors in the XOXO quad, however, seem to be cut from a different (and better) cloth.
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Target’s Little Up & Up Cosmetic Applicators Are Big Hits with Me

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You know I’m all about cheap thrills…at the drugstore. 🙂

Like these neato mosquito Up & Up Cosmetic Applicators. I bumped into them at Target the other day, $1.99 for a pack of 75.

They’re basically custom, generic/Target-branded Q-tips made with makeup in mind. One side’s pointy, and the other is shaped like a flat paddle. Together, they’re designed to cover quite a few cosmetic tool needs, from applying and blending makeup, to fixing nail polish mistakes.


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An Olivia Wilde-Inspired Chanel Face of the Day

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I’ve been counting down the days ‘til the release of Cowboys & Aliens, and the invasion is almost here (July 29)! Just gimme a bucket of salty popcorn, a story about angry aliens and 90 uninterrupted minutes with hottie-bo-bottie Daniel Craig, and I’m good to go.

Sure, the movie looks cheesy (potentially very cheesy), but I’m keeping my fingers crossed because, after all, you never know, right? It’s high time someone pitted gunslingers against extra terrestrials, and maybe it’ll work out as well as other unusual pairings like chicken and waffles, salt and caramel, and Brigitte Nielsen and Flavor Flav. 🙂

I’m also looking forward to seeing the lovely Olivia Wilde, whom I’m currently girl crushing on BIG TIME right now.

She looked all sorts of amazing on the red carpet last weekend at the Cowboys & Aliens premiere, sporting this black lace dress with her hair in a loose updo, and for her makeup, which was pure Chanel, she went with a soft smokey eye, pink lips and pinkish nude cheeks.

I liked the look so much that today I thought I’d give something like it a try. Most of the products I used here are from Chanel, with a few bits and bobs from MAC and NARS, but you could surely do something similar with other products you might have around.

I read in a press release that Olivia’s makeup for the evening involved Chanel Illusion D’Ombre Long Wear Eyeshadow in Mirifique ($36), Chanel Inimitable Intense Mascara in Noir ($30) and Chanel Intense Eye Pencil in Noir ($28). I used the same products for my eye look, along with the others mentioned below.


Chanel Illusion D’Ombre Long Wear Eyeshadow in Mirifique, Chanel Inimitable Intense Mascara in Noir and Chanel Intense Eye Pencil in Noir


Swatches from the left with the flash: Chanel Intense Eye Pencil in Noir, Chanel Illusion D’Ombre Long Wear Eyeshadow in Mirifique and Chanel Inimitable Intense Mascara in Noir


Without the flash

Eye see you! 🙂

Olivia Wilde-inspired smokey eyes
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Two Ways to Win a $100 Beauty Bonanza from Make Up For Ever and TRESemme

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  • WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is MimiG323. Congrats, Mimi! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

Heya, babe! How about a super quick mid-week giveaway to help us get over the hump?

Today we have seven runway-tested beauty bits, some for face, eyes, lips and hair, from TRESemme and Make Up For Ever. They’re items that made big splashes recently at Miami Fashion Week Swim 2011 during the Mara Hoffman show, but I bet they’ll look even better on one of us as we cruise the frozen food aisle at Trader Joe’s.

(Don’t forget to try their mango bars.) 😀

A Makeup and Beauty Blog Giveaway!

One lucky lady (or gent) will win a $101.97 prize package featuring goodies from Make Up For Ever and TRESemme.

The prize package includes…

  • One (1) Make Up For Ever Mat Bronzer (a $30 value)
  • One (1) Make Up For Ever Smoky Lash Mascara ($22)
  • One (1) Make Up For Ever Glossy Full Couleur in #10 (an $18 value)
  • One (1) Make Up For Ever Kohl Eye Pencil in #1K (an $18 value)
  • One (1) TRESemme Thermal Creations Curl Activator Spray (a $4.49 value)
  • One (1) TRESemme Fresh Start Dry Shampoo (a $4.99 value)
  • One (1) TRESemme Anti-Frizz Secret Smoothing Creme (a $4.49 value)

  • 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, when was the last time you went swimming? How often do you wear a full face of makeup in summer? Have you ever walked down a runway for a fashion show? — 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 $100 Beauty Bonanza from Make Up For Ever and TRESemme http://bit.ly/qdzvie

  • The deadline to enter is Friday, July 29, 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 the United States (sorry, international gals; I promise to hold a giveaway that includes you soon) 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 MimiG323. Congrats, Mimi! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

CoverGirl Intense ShadowBlast Eyeshadow in Blue Bomb Looks Hot But Misbehaves

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Being a straight dude who frequents Mervyn’s, El Hub almost never notices my eye makeup, so I was shocked and delighted when he noticed mine the other day and said he liked CoverGirl’s Intense ShadowBlast Eyeshadow in Blue Bomb ($9).

One of six shades in CoverGirl’s new Intense ShadowBlast Eyeshadow line, Blue Bomb, like the other colors in the line, is billed as waterproof with a built-in primer.

I’m a big supporter of products that save me steps throughout my day, in part because they give me more time to lust after Vampire Eric.

CoverGirl describes these shadows as “intensely beautiful,” which kinda sets ‘em up for something quite dramatic, right?

Drum roll please…

PROOT! Well, I wasn’t expecting to have to apply two or three layers or do so much patting and blending to achieve luscious, rich color, but I did. Beyond that, I think the fluffy texture, which feels almost whipped to me, also makes Blue Bomb a little difficult to control.


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