Archives for September 2011

Two Ways to Win a $50 eGift Card from Sephora!

September 10th, 2011 by Karen 556 Comments

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

Win a $50 Sephora eGift card from Makeup and Beauty Blog
Remember Josh Hartnett? I caught him in Wicker Park last night on TV, which I hadn’t seen before (it’s kinda weird). I thought he turned in a fairly respectable man candy performance. He had those abs goin’ on and whatnot.

Didn’t it seem like he was starring in everything that came out there for a while? He was a hot commodity. Then POOF! Like Keyser SÃ¶ze…he just disappeared.

According to Wikipedia, he’s been keeping busy. He’s done about a movie year since 2000, but other than Wicker Park, the last of his movies I’ve seen was 30 Days of Night a few years back. Great vampire flick, that was.

Anywho, welcome to your weekend, young lady! I hope it treats you well.

I’m…at a loss for words over tomorrow being the tenth anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, and I’m sure you know what I mean. Just so many memories and emotions still as vivid and raw as they were a decade ago. It seems like every generation has an experience something like that, an event that seems to change everything about their world, and for many of us, this is ours. Most of us here are old enough to remember that day…

I wish I could reach through the monitor right now and give you a good, long hug. Maybe if I close my eyes and try really, really hard…

You take care of yourself this weekend, friend, and know that there’s a little brown girl out in California who wishes you well.

Now before you go about about your day, take a second to enjoy yourself. I think you know what that means. It’s…

A Makeup and Beauty Blog Giveaway!

Seriously, Josh Hartnett needs to star in more movies. Who do we talk to about that?

Prize

One (1) Sephora eGift card containing $50 sent to the winner by email (international readers, you may opt to receive $50 sent by PayPal instead).

Rules

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’s your birthday? What’s your favorite movie of all time? What’s your favorite sport to watch? Favorite sport to play? If you could have any one beauty product that you don’t have now, what would it be? — 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/oK4UZT

Terms and Conditions

The deadline to enter is Sunday, September 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).
Sephora eGift Certificates can only be redeemed online and are not valid in stores or available for purchase or redemption in Canada. International winners may opt to substitute the Sephora eGift card prize for $50 sent directly to their email address by PayPal instead.
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 Inycat! Congratulations, Inycat! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

MAC Art of Powder Swatches and Pics

September 9th, 2011 by Karen 27 Comments

mac art of powder

Dayum, girl! These three MAC Art of Powder pans are bananas! B-A-N-A-N-A-S.

MAC Art of Powder

Is there a MAC counter at the MOMA now…?

The three-piece release of products inspired “…by the Masters & modern art movements” brushes onto North American MAC counters and breezes into stores September 29 (internationally next month).

Okay, these are some seriously soft powders, and get this — the designs are not simple oversprays. At least not as far as I can tell. Mind you, the last thing I want to do is go digging into these with a knife to see how far down into the pans the designs go, but all of them are embossed, etched into the pans. The patterns atop all of them, save the Street Art Eyeshadow, which does have silvery lineart that looks like an overspray to me, appear to go down deeper than one or two layers.

I’ll let you know just how deep down into the pans these designs go once I’ve really taken a brush to ’em, but either way, even if they are oversprays, they’re good oversprays at that.

Walk with me now, as we go on a little excursion tonight to a makeup museum, courtesy of MAC. 🙂

MAC Art of Powder
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MAC Posh Paradise Swatches and Pics

September 9th, 2011 by Karen 25 Comments

mac posh paradise

Confession: while I swatched and took pics of some of the Mattene Lipsticks and Paint Pots from the new MAC Posh Paradise collection this afternoon, I kept singing a modified version of Coolio’s Gangsta’s Paradise out loud.

Been spending most our lives
Living in a Paint Pot paradise.
Been spending most our lives
Living in a Paint Pot paradise.

And now you’ve got it stuck in your head too!

All 20 pieces of Posh Paradise prance onto MAC counters and into stores September 15 here in North America and internationally in October. Can’t. Wait. 🙂

mac posh paradise swatches paint pots
Paint Pots, $17.50 U.S./ $21 CDN each

mac genuine treasure
Paint Pot in Genuine Treasure

mac imaginary
Paint Pot in Imaginary

mac nubile
Paint Pot in Nubile
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MAC Styledriven Collection Swatches and Pics

September 9th, 2011 by Karen 29 Comments

mac style driven

Hey, cutie. Ready for a Friday afternoon MAC attack? Here are some pics and swatches of the lipsticks, lipglosses, lip pencils and eyeshadows from the new MAC Styledriven collection, which cruises onto MAC counters and into stores September 22 here in North America and internationally sometime later this month.

Vroom! Vroom! 🙂

mac style driven pro longwear eyeshadows
Pro Longwear Eye Shadows, $20 U.S./$24 CDN each

mac style driven pro longwear eyeshadow hot paprika
Pro Longwear Eye Shadow in Hot Paprika

mac style driven pro longwear eyeshadow legendary black
Pro Longwear Eye Shadow in Legendary Black

mac style driven pro longwear eyeshadow one to watch
Pro Longwear Eye Shadow in One to Watch
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The MAC Fall Colour Collection Makes It Easy to Smile for the Camera

September 9th, 2011 by Karen 85 Comments

mac fall colour collection

Photography geek alert! Everyone please remain calm, but this is kind of a big deal, especially if you’re a fellow photography geek and/or major MAC fan.

When I heard a while back that acclaimed New York photographer Cindy Sherman was going to be taking pics for the new MAC Fall Colour collection, I nearly dropped my DSLR!

Sherman’s probably best known for her self-portraits, where she gets into a specific character and does the whole kit and caboodle herself — everything from her own makeup, to styling, to modeling for the shoots and, of course, taking her own pics — and her work often tackles topics like women in society, media and art.

FUN FACT: Last May, Untitled $#96, a Cindy Sherman original, sold for $3.8 million, making it the world’s most valuable photograph.

Cindy’s pics for the collection look kinda kooky and fun, don’t ya think? A great fit for a brand like MAC.

Coming to counters, stores and online September 29 in North America and internationally this October, MAC Fall Colour features new and repromoted makeup and brushes for eyes, lips, cheeks and face. It’s a pretty hefty release, with 48 pieces spread out among three sub-collections — the first features dark, smoky colors; the second spotlights a bevy of brights; and the third directs our attention to soft neutrals.

I took a look at 8 of the 48 pieces yesterday afternoon — before the server took a nap — and so far I’m really loving the lipsticks and Mineralize Skinfinishes.

mac fall colour collection all
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L’Oreal Color of Hope Eye Shadow Quads

September 9th, 2011 by Karen 5 Comments

The new L’Oreal Color of Hope Eye Shadow Quads ($8.95 each), from the L’Oreal Color of Hope collection. Available now at drugstores.

Technical Difficulties, or How to Make Your Thursday Go from Rad to Lame in 10 Seconds or Less

September 8th, 2011 by Karen 43 Comments

Rough day

Hi, ladies. I hope your day has gone smoother than mine. It’s late here on the West Coast, so I’m gonna keep this short and sweet. I’m on my eighth cup of Stress Relief Tea right now because the MBB server conked out earlier tonight. Consequently, the last few hours have been about as much fun as a root canal without anesthesia. I hope to have the missing posts restored tomorrow morning so we can get our beauty back on track.

Good thing stuff like this doesn’t happen very often (knock on wood) because, quite frankly, it sucks. 🙂

Have a great night. I’ll see you soon.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The Rich Color Eyeshadows in the Bobbi Brown Marrakesh Chic Collection Love Ladies in Their 30s, 40s, 50s and Beyond

September 8th, 2011 by Karen 3 Comments

Not gonna lie, Marrakesh Chic is probably the most excited I’ve been about a Bobbi Brown release in a while. The new Rich Color Eyeshadows, WHEW! Kind of amazing.

But before we dive in, let’s — beep, beep, beep! — back up a second. Bobbi recently launched this new fall collection for eyes, lips and cheeks at Bobbi Brown counters and also online. The Rich Color Eyeshadows ($24 each), a brand spankin’ new line of powder shadows, headline the launch.

For more on the Marrakesh Chic collection, check out Fanciful Fall: Marrakesh By Way of Bohemia with the Bobbi Brown Marrakesh Chic Collection for Fall 2011 .

I swatched the collection a couple weeks ago; right off the bat, I had a feeling that Bobbi’s Rich Color Eyeshadows would rock me down to Electric Avenue. And they did. Now, after having worn two of the eight shades, I’m itching to grab a few more.

Clockwise from the bottom left: Rich Lip Color SPF 12 ($23), Rich Color Eye Shadows in Rich Kashmir and Pink Silk ($24 each)

It’s almost like Bobbi figured out a way to combine Dolce & Gabbana’s eyeshadow textures with Becca’s sheen finish; the powders look and feel feather light on my skin, and I love the subtle hint of shine.

It’s funny… When I was younger, I always wanted to wear makeup that would make me look older, but now that I’m in my mid-30s, I’m trying to work it the other way around.
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