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Archives for November 2011

Amy Adams: Her Best Hair?

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Amy Adams: Her Best Hair

After her singing Cinderella role as the princess-turned-New Yorker in Enchanted and her similarly upbeat character in Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, actress Amy Lou Adams, born August 20, 1974, was beginning to get typecast as “the girl with the sunny disposition,” but her role as the butt-kicking girlfriend of boxer boyfriend Micky Ward, played by Mark Wahlberg, in 2010’s The Fighter, showed that she can do a lot more than sing and dance.

She can also blog! She played a professional blogger in Julie & Julia. Not bad at all.

According to her four-legged co-stars, of which there are many now, after Enchanted and The Muppets, Amy’s long overdue for an Academy Award. This could be her year, too, but she’ll be up against two-time winner Miss Piggy, so who knows? 🙂

Of course, Amy does have an ace up her sleeve — her radical red hair. It might be just the thing she needs to capture the judges’ attention.

Which of Amy's hairstyles do you like best?

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

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The Makeup and Beauty Blog Weekly Roundup

It’s Sunday already? Wow, this weekend’s on fast forward! Shoot, where’s the Pause button…? I gotta hit that thing and slow the day down before it’s Monday and El Hub has to go back to work.

What’s new with you? Did you do anything new or exciting yesterday? My BFF’s son’s christening was a lot of fun. It was also my first semi-pro photography gig, and I think everything went well. No toes were stepped on, nor candles bumped.

Actually about a dozen babies were baptized during the ceremony, so the church was a packed house filled with family members and lots of camera gear. Everyone was trying to get that coveted shot of their child’s expression right as the priest douses them with holy water. Some babies scream at the top of their lungs, like “Dude! What was that!? I thought we were friends and then you go and pour water on my head? Not cool, dude. Not cool.” Others don’t seem to mind at all, like “SUH-WEET! I love bath time. Now bring on the bubbles!”

We were gonna go to a movie last night but got home a little late, so we just stayed in… I got hooked on a Real Housewives of Beverly Hills marathon and watched that until a little after midnight, and now my neck hurts from all of the head shaking I did. It was pretty much just a constant “No, no, no, no” for hours and hours, but you know how it is. Those shows are like potato chips. I couldn’t stop after the first one.

Oh, have you ever heard of a creature called the Eyeshadow Smusher? Reader Adrienne recently spotted one. Smushers like to jab their stubby fingers into pans of eyeshadow like they’re digging for gold, crumbling them into millions of pieces. Kind of annoying.

The Eyeshadow Smusher

THE EYESHADOW SMUSHER

FREQUENCY: Uncommon (hangs out anywhere eyeshadow can be found; loves makeup counters)
SPEED: Slow
ARMOR CLASS: 6
SPECIAL ATTACKS: 2x damage against eyeshadows
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
INTELLIGENCE: Low, except when it comes to eyeshadow, about which he knows everything there is to know
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: M (3′ tall, weighs about 400 lbs.)

A few beauty posts that caught my eye…

The Weekly Roundup: MBB Posts You Might Have Missed

Dolce and Gabbana Ruby Lipstick HAVE YOU RED ANYTHING ABOUT THE FIVE PIGMENTED LIPSTICKS IN THE
NEW DOLCE & GABBANA RUBY COLLECTION? WOULD YOU LIKE TO?

Rodeos everywhere are banning the new Dolce & Gabbana Ruby collection because its five Classic Cream Lipsticks have all the bulls seeing red!

No two ways about it — these festive and flirty lippies are for ladies who like red, and they’re jam packed with so much rich red pigment that they’re driving up the price of stop signs nationwide!

LOL! Okay, I’ll stop with the jokes. But seriously, these are really red.

They’re $37 each, which is $7 more than usual for one of Dolce & Gabbana’s Classic Creams; the markup pays for their dazzling limited edition Ruby attire.

With these, Dolce & Gabbana essentially created a nuanced wardrobe of red for a five-day week. The first time I swatched them on the back of my hand, I thought they looked too similar, but I could see their differences more clearly once I got them on my lips. Read more…

Wacoal 854191 Strapless Bra THE WACOAL 854191 STRAPLESS PUSH-UP BRA:
THE BEST DAMN STRAPLESS BRA I’VE EVER WORN

What do you get when you combine the words “phenomenal” and “strapless bra” in the same sentence? Well, besides a good laugh? Because that was always the case until I found the subject of this afternoon’s post.

I don’t know how you feel about ‘em, but strapless bras for me have always been exercises in misery. Oh, the many times I’ve ducked into bathrooms to hoist up a strapless bra that has somehow worked its way around my belly button…

But lo, magic exists! Just when I began to believe I’d never find a good strapless bra, like it would forever be my personal chupacabra, I discovered the Wacoal 854191 Strapless Push-Up Bra, also known as “the most phenomenal strapless bra I’ve ever worn.” Read more…

Phyto 7 Daily Hydrating Botanical Cream PHYTO 7 DAILY HYDRATING BOTANICAL CREAM
BROUGHT MY BRITTLE HAIR BACK FROM THE BRINK

One day, while I was cruising the wares at a Pure Beauty store, I happened upon a sales associate with the longest, shiniest, healthiest looking hair I’d seen in years.

It, and the fact that it belonged to a dude, left me speechless for an unusually long pause…

When my brain rebooted, I asked the boy how he got such a fly mane, and he pointed me to the Phyto 7.

Phyto 7 Daily Hydrating Botanical Cream ($26) contains a blend of seven plant extracts — calendula, sage, burdock, willow, soybean, rosemary and althea — pit together for their hydrating and replenishing properties. By maintaining optimum moisture levels, it’s supposed to make hair look smoother, softer and shinier from the very first application. Read more…

NARS Luster Blush NARS UNSUNG HEROES
LUSTER BLUSH

Say the uber-pigmented NARS Lovejoy Blush seems a little too dark and intense for you, but you still want the same two-in-one blush/bronzer effect. Never fear, Luster Blush ($27) is here!

Like Lovejoy, Luster adds color, shimmer and warmth in a single swipe, and the way that it lights up cheeks makes it a good companion for a fading summer tan.

It’s one of those shades that I overlooked for years based on the way it looks in the pan — kinda ordinary and nondescript — but I’m glad I finally gave it a swipe and a chance. When I did, I fell instantly in love. Read more…

Live Clean Baby LIVE CLEAN BABY, AN ECO-FRIENDLY CRUELTY-FREE LINE,
ARRIVES AT WALGREENS STORES

Anonymous sources on Sesame Street have confirmed that rubber ducky makes bath time lots of fun, and with the new Live Clean Baby line of cruelty-free drugstore baby products, the whole bath time experience is likely to improve.

Yup, for the moms and grandmothers among us — and for those of us who just like soothing, gentle drugstore products in adorable packaging — the six-piece Live Clean Baby collection has made its way from Canada to U.S. Walgreens stores.

The collection includes a Tearless Shampoo & Wash, Moisturizing Baby Bath, Moisturizing Bar Soap, Non-Petroleum Jelly, Diaper Ointment, and a Lotion, each one priced at $7.99. Read more…

MAC Retrospeck Eyeshadow MAC UNSUNG HEROES
RETROSPECK EYESHADOW

Since we’ll be hitting the road early tomorrow, I’ve drawn upon my vast experience as a makeup nerd/control freak to lay out a beauty plan, because the last thing I want to do on Thanksgiving is scare the relatives, BOO!

The plan involves today’s Unsung Hero, MAC Retrospeck Eyeshadow ($15 for a pan; $11 for the Pro Palette Refill at the top of this post).

Like MAC Phloof!, Restrospeck is one of my favorite get-out-the-door products. It brightens eyes in just a few quick swipes.

MAC describes it as a bleached blonde, but on my skin I see a warm and shimmery mix of silver and gold — a surefire way to look wide-eyed and bright. Read more…

Hot to do a glittery ombre manicure GIVE YOURSELF A GLITTER OMBRE MANICURE TO SUPPORT
YOUR TEAM ON THANSGIVING (OR ANY OTHER DAY)

I stopped by a UPS Store to mail a package last week and received an unexpected compliment from the guy working the counter. He pointed at my glittery red and gold ombre manicure and said, “Atta girl! You’re wearing 49er colors.”

He said that his wife, a long-time Niners fan, would probably love to wear a mani like that on game day and asked if it was hard to do.

“Not at all,” I replied, and I walked him through the process as he prepped my package.

FYI: Talking nails with a big, burly UPS guy is weirdly entertaining. About halfway through the process, his eyes took on the same glazed, confused look that El Hub gets when I try to explain why it makes perfect sense for me to own 15 pairs of black shoes. Read more…

MAC Ruby Woo MAC UNSUNG HEROES
RUBY WOO LIPSTICK

The holidays are a great time to go glam with vivid colors like MAC Ruby Woo ($14.50).

Heck, even the trees get all dolled up this time of year! It’s the perfect opportunity to push the envelope with your look, and nothing says “holiday party” like a pigmented red lip.

Coral red Ruby Woo is wearing warmer attire than my other go-to crimson cutie, MAC Russian Red. It has a warmer tone that I like to pair with shimmery gold shadows and looks with thick cat liner. Read more…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

I’m Completely Happy with Clinique’s Complete Happiness Fragrance Set for the Holidays

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clinique complete happiness (3)

’tis the season for sets of tiny perfume bottles (YAY!), but not all of them are created equal. This year Clinique has one of the cutest and most practical sets in town.

Each of the five travel-size 0.24-fl. oz. bottles in the new Complete Happiness Set ($37 for the set) fit easily into most makeup bags, and all of them have — wait for it — a spray top spritzer! 🙂

I know it’s a weird thing to get fired up about, but I collect mini perfume bottles like these, and most of them just have an open mouth on the bottle. I’ve had a couple of those pop open in my makeup bags over the years, spilling perfume everywhere, so a small touch like an atomizer top makes these from Clinique that much more practical.

clinique complete happiness (2)

But what about the scents? Well, I’m glad you asked.
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MAC Unsung Heroes: Tempting Eyeshadow

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To call MAC Tempting ($15 for a pan; $11 for the Pro-Refill Pan above) a basic brown eyeshadow would be like calling Kelly Clarkson a pretty good singer.

Lately, this bronzy coco that shimmers with microscopic flecks of golden glitter has been for me, in the words of the great Barry White (RIP), “my everything.”

Sure, some gals may not be as tempted by Tempting as I am, may call it too “blah” to its pan, but it’s shades like Tempting that made me first consider eyeshadow for everyday, workaday wear.
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Two Ways to Win a $50 eGift Card from Sephora!

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  • WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is Jen! Congratulations, Jen! 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

I wish I could learn new things by osmosis (technically, diffusion) — you know, where you could just touch a how-to book to your forehead or sleep with it under your pillow and just magically memorize the whole thing.

That sure would be convenient, wouldn’t it? Waking up the next morning and having El Hub ask me, “How did you sleep?” and me saying, “Eu dormi fantástico!”

I got a couple of new books about drawing last week by a cartoonist I like named Ben Caldwell. His style is very modern Disney and the books are filled with drawing exercises, which I do follow, some of them, but only as many as I can with the time.

Just one of those things I wish I had more time for… That and figuring out inventive new ways to annoy Tabs. 🙂 You know how it is. Too many interests, too little time.

The holiday weekend activities continue today. I’m taking pics of my BFF’s son’s christening this afternoon, so I’m excited about that, but also a little nervous. I don’t want to step on any toes, literally. Or knock anything over. It’s in a church, so there will be plenty of stuff to accidentally bump. Oh, and open flames…

I hope you’re having a good weekend. I think we should start ours here with another giveaway. How does Sephora sound?

Yup, it’s that time again. Ready to go in 1-2-3…

A Makeup and Beauty Blog Giveaway!

Win a $50 eGift card from Sephora" title="Win a $50 eGift card from Sephora

  • 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).

  • 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, let’s say you could learn anything by osmosis — what would you want to learn? What’s your favorite food from this time of year? What’s your favorite place to buy discounted beauty products? Have you ever purchased clothing online? Hair question: how do you feel about victory rolls? — 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 $50 eGift Card from Sephora! http://bit.ly/tu9ieZ

  • The deadline to enter is Sunday, November 27, 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 Jen! Congratulations, Jen! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

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