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Archives for December 2011

Time for a Quick Glance at Sonia Kashuk’s Sparkly Holiday Collection?

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sonia kashuk holiday 2011 (9)

I had one foot out the door tonight on my way to do a little Christmas shopping at Target when I heard a sad meow…

I looked back and there was Tabs, sitting forlornly in the hallway as if to say, “Aren’t you going to post those pictures of the Sonia Kashuk Holiday 2011 collection?”

Ya know, that’s a pretty good idea. 🙂

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Prepping for the Party Lip & Eye Palette, $19.99

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I’m kinda bummed that Sonia didn’t include any new polishes in this release, but I am diggin’ that palette and those cute bags…

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All Out Glam 6-Piece Brush Set, $24.99
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On Second Thought, I Actually Adore MAC Cleanse Off Oil/Tranquil

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When I find myself tapping an almost empty plastic bottle upside down against the side of the sink to coax out the last few drops of this product, or zipping to the mall minutes before it closes to pick up a spare and coming home with not one but two replacement bottles — that’s when I know it’s probably time to throw my arms up in the air, spin around in circles and sing at the top of my lungs like Maria does at the beginning of the Sound of Music…

“The hills are alive…” with the sound of MAC Cleanse Off Oil/Tranquil! 🙂

Err — so maybe my version of the song doesn’t have quite the same ring to it as Maria’s, but I still think this stuff is awfully amazing. Epic, even.

It’s a mineral oil-free makeup remover designed to whisk away face, lip and eye makeup, and it does such a good job on hard-to-remove products that I rarely feel the need to use it with a secondary cleanser.

As with many great relationships, MAC Cleanse Off ($30 for a 5-fluid-ounce bottle) and I started out as work friends. When I reviewed it the first time last summer, I liked it and gave it a B+, but I felt like we wanted different things in life… I wanted a makeup remover that wouldn’t mess with my vision, for instance, and MAC Cleanse wanted to cloud up my eyes.

We kept things strictly platonic for a while, but then one night a few months ago, one thing led to another (you know how it is), and now I’m completely head-over-heels in lust! MAC Cleanse Off has become one of my favorite products in the line.

Sure, I’ve strayed a few times since then, tried a few other cleansing oils, but none of them worked as well or as fast.

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MAC Unsung Heroes: MAC Red Lipstick

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mac red lipstick

The holidays are in full effect, y’all, and red lipsticks are in the mutha’ truckin’ house! Of course, I couldn’t forget to include one of the most party-poppin’ colors in MAC’s permanent line, the bright, bold, beautiful MAC Red ($14.50).

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mac red lipstick swatches with ruby woo, lady danger, russian red and dubonnet
Swatches from the left: MAC Red, Ruby Woo, Lady Danger, Russian Red and Dubonnet

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A Revealing Look at NYX’s New Clothing Optional Palette, Butt Naked Eyes

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Butt why, NYX!? Why so cheeky? 🙂

I can’t say I ever expected to see the words “butt” and “naked” appear on a makeup palette, butt there they are — all saucy and snarky on the front of Butt “Naked” Eyes, NYX’s new $25 holiday palette for the face, eyes and cheeks.

Judging by the name at least, it looks like the line had fun putting together this two-tiered palette of eyeshadows, blushes, a bronzer and highlighters, butt about that name…

LOL! Okay, I’ll stop.

I couldn’t help but notice that the name shares a word in common with the recently released Naked2 from Urban Decay.

Would that mean it’s also a possible dupe for half the price?

Let’s find out!

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NYX Butt “Naked” Eyes
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With Tocca’s Tiny To Go Eau de Parfums, You Can Fit Tuscany in the Palm of Your Hand

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“Who says bigger’s always better?” asks the 5-foot-1 girl typing this sentence. 🙂 (Incidentally, she’s usually the shortest person in the room.)

The new $15 Tocca To Go Mini Eau de Parfums combine teeny, tiny cuteness with Tocca’s signature fresh and flirty floral scents.

I stumbled upon three of these minis at the mall yesterday while cruising for Christmas tchotchkes. They were right next to a weird $500 white porcelain horse head in Anthropologie (so very Godfather!) and surrounded by a sea of $50 salt-and-pepper shakers.

Aren’t they cuter than cupcakes?

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You may recall these same three minis in Cleopatra, Stella and Florence from last year, when Tocca was selling them together as the $45 Eau de Parfum Viaggio set, but this is the first time I can remember seeing them available separately.

The official fragrance notes…

  • Stella — Blood orange, lily, white freesia, orchid, musk and sandalwood
  • Florence — Gardenia, bergamot, violet, iris and blonde wood
  • Cleopatra — Grapefruit, jasmine, tuberose, patchouli, amber and vanilla musk

I’ve been infatuated with Tocca ever since I met beautiful Bianca last year. I like to imagine their fragrances coming from a tiny estate-turned-perfumery in the middle of a field of flowers on a sunny Tuscan hillside, or someplace lovely like that. 🙂

They’re the kinds of scents that make me want to let down my hair and don a delicate dress and comfy shoes; I bet they’d make perfect stocking stuffers, too. To my nose, all three of them are like a breath of fresh air — girly, but not sugary sweet.

I also spotted these matching Cleopatra, Florence and Stella creams ($20 each). I put some Stella on before leaving the store, and I liked that it felt non-greasy and moisturizing.

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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Dec. 5

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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. 197. I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.
  1. Mood:

    2. Actually really great for a Monday. I got to bed early last night, and the extra sleep made all the difference in the world. Yea for Zzz’s!

  2. Do you prefer to do your own nails or have them done at a nail salon?

    3. As much as I lurve a good hand/foot massage, I’m super picky about my nails, and I find doing them relaxing, so I usually do it myself. And then there’s the fact that I like to change the colors I’m wearing every few days, which kinda defeats the purpose of getting a really good salon mani/pedi. 

  3. Sweet or savory?

    4. A little bit of both, please. I like the contrast.

  4. A challenge you’re working to overcome?

    5. I’m trying to stay out of my own way. Like a lot of us, I tend to be my own worst enemy, and sometimes when I’m frustrated about a task I don’t want to do, I spend more time fretting about it than it would take to actually do the task.

  5. Are you looking forward to anything this month? 

    6. Spending a few days with my family, eating tons of good food, and going shopping and ice skating (yup, ice skating in California) in San Francisco’s Union Square.

  6. Truth or dare?

    7. The dare! Nine times out of 10 I’ll take the dare. I’m adventurous that way. 😉 Plus, I like holding on to a bit of mystery…

  7. When was the last time you freaked out about something?

    8. Yesterday afternoon, and it was a heated one, too, with lots of stomping around the house, tears, crazy talking to myself, outfit changes — the whole nine yards.

    I was feeling very overwhelmed about the holidays and the weekend drawing to a close, but more than that I was also hungry and have PMS (a lethal combination!).

    Thank goodness El Hub was around to talk me down, and he said the magic words, “Why don’t we go to See’s to get you some chocolate?”

  8. What’s your favorite kind of weather?

    9. Sunny in the upper 70s with a light breeze blowing in from the ocean. Ah, Calgon… Take me to Oahu!

  9. What’s one of your favorite holiday treats?

    10. Baskin-Robbins’ peppermint ice cream, even though it’s that unnatural shade of pink that looks like Pepto-Bismol.

  10. Weekly goals:

    11. I missed a couple of workouts last week, and even when I have been running, I’ve just been doing the bare minimum to get by, so I want to get back on track. I also want to be extra sweet to Tabs this week because we haven’t been going for our walks outside as often as we did together back in summer.

Am I the only one who’s been struggling to stay focused lately? I don’t know if it’s just because of the holidays or what, but I haven’t been checking many things off of my to-do list…

Maybe what we need is a good dose of the Monday Poll. 🙂 We only have three Mondays left before 2012, so let’s makes ’em count!

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



1. Mood:
2. Do you prefer to do your own nails or have them done at a nail salon?
3. Sweet or savory?
4. A challenge you’re working to overcome?
5. Are you looking forward to anything this month? 
6. Truth or dare?
7. When was the last time you freaked out about something?
8. What’s your favorite kind of weather?
9. What’s one of your favorite holiday treats?
10. Weekly goals:

Are you attending any holiday parties this week? Wow, it’s hard to believe it’s already that time.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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