Back home in the Bay! I took this pic on the drive home and kept the camera’s shutter open for 30 seconds to see what the lights along the highway would create.
On My Way Home
Archives for December 2011
10 of My Picks for Head of the Class: A+ Makeup and Beauty Department Store (and Other) Products of 2011
2011 was another awesome year for feline and human makeup and beauty. Along with rediscovering/falling in love again with a slew of pulse-pounding permanent products from some of my favorite lines like MAC and NARS, I also bumped into bunches of beautiful products to lurve on drugstore and department store shelves.
If you’re on the market for something special to spend a Christmas gift card on, consider one of the overachieving A+ department store products below. All of them are looking for new homes just like yours and can be found in stores now. 🙂
$25 Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush
$57 Chanel Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eye Shadow in Vanites
Pacifica $9 Color Quench Lip Tints
$24.50 MAC 226 Small Tapered Blending Brush
Upgrade Your Options in Color With This Quick Travel Makeup Tip
Over my four-day Christmas trip up and down Northern California to visit with my parents and in-laws, I relied on one particular makeup trick a little more than the others. I’m just about to hit the road back home to Novato, but first, if you like to wear different looks often but don’t usually have a lot of room to spare in your travel makeup bag, here’s one quick and easy way to increase your color options.
New Fave Foundation Brush
The Trish McEvoy 62 Fan Brush ($36; available now at Trish McEvoy counters and also online).
It’s designed for applying a thin layer of face or cheek powder, but I really like using it with MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation. It lays product down in a smooth, non-streaky way that looks almost airbrushed.
Two Ways to Win MAC Eye Kohl Pencil Liner in Smolder
- WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is Melissa! Congratulations, Melissa! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂
If you’re a card-carrying member of Club “Smokey Eye Till I Die,” you won’t want to miss a chance to win this morning’s giveaway prize.
MAC Smolder Eye Kohl, an uber-creamy, jet black pencil liner, lines, defines and shades eyes with rich color and a silky-smooth, matte/pearl finish. A go-to color for many MAC-aholics, it has been a member of the permanent line for years.
For quick smokey eye looks with it, I’ll line my lash and water lines, lightly smear whatever happens to migrate onto my lids and below my lash lines with a pencil brush, and then layer a powder eyeshadow in a shimmery gold, silver, plum, green or blue right on top.
Get ready to smolder! — because this giveaway starts in 3-2-1… 🙂
One lucky lady will win…
- One (1) MAC Eye Kohl Pencil Liner in Smolder (a $15 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, have you ever tried tinted contact lenses? What color are your eyes? How often do you wear eyeliner? Name a song with the words “eye” or “eyes” in the title. Which type of liner do you prefer (cream, liquid or pencil) and why? — 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 MAC Eye Kohl Pencil Liner in Smolder http://bit.ly/snsKAV
- The deadline to enter is Wednesday, December 28 (tomorrow), 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 Melissa! Congratulations, Melissa! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂
Sweet Tooth
Time for a midnight snack. 🙂
A Veggie Burger, Fries and Vanilla Shake Face of the Day
Since all I really had to do today was eat, I decided not to go all out with my makeup. I went with a mostly neutral look using products from NARS, MAC, Buxom, Tarte, Boots, Hourglass, Urban Decay and Madina Milano.
I guess I’d describe this as neutral with a side of sparkle… I think the eyes are probably sparklier in person than they might appear here because the sparkles from NARS Eyeshadow in Night Star are shy in front of the camera.
They are there, though, doing their sparkly thing.
I wore this out to lunch with the fam today to a local Redding institution, a great little burger joint here called Damburger, which has been around since 1938! El Hub has a relative who’s been getting burgers there since about 1946.
I opted for the vegetarian menu and the chipotle black bean veggie burger, fries and a vanilla shake. The veggie burger had tons of flavor, and I loved the texture. It wasn’t gummy or dry (like how some veggie burgers are), and was made with corn, rice, beans and some very yummy spices.
Delish!
Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 200
- 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. I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.
- Mood:
- If you celebrated Christmas, what were a couple of the gifts you gave or received?
- What’ve you been up to today?
- Three things you feel you’re quite good at?
- Any plans for New Year’s Eve?
- When was the last time you went ice skating?
- Weekly goals:
Just peachy, thank you very much. 🙂 I’ve been enjoying spending time with my family over the past few days, not that we’ve been up to very much. Just hanging out and lots of eating, but sometimes that’s all you need, ya know?
I did most of my shopping for the men in my life on a snarky site called thinkgeek.com. They sell a lot of great gizmos and gadgets, like flashlights that recharge when you shake them and tiny pocket multi-tools.
My folks got me a pretty stylish camera bag (the one up there at the top) from a company called Epiphanie. It’s padded, roomy and about a million times better than the tattered bag I’ve been toting around for the past couple of years.
Oh, where to begin… Nothing! And it’s been great. Just hanging out with El Hub and my in-laws at their new house in Redding, a town about four hours north of the San Francisco Bay. I slept in, had breakfast (Hawaiian sweet rolls and an over-easy egg) and spent the morning writing in my father-in-law’s office while El Hub played around with a Tivo. Yup, if I keep pushing myself this hard, I’m gonna pass out! 🙂
1) Pinching people with my toes, 2) falling asleep on planes, and 3) looking at half-empty glasses and seeing glasses that are half full.
Nah, not really. El Hub and I aren’t big partiers, so maybe just dinner someplace where we can see the fireworks.
Hmm… I know it’s been a while. At least five years. I remember going skating with my brother at the Embarcadero rink in downtown San Francisco one afternoon.
Boy, that was such a great day… Just me and my bro.
To continue eating way more than I should and to enjoy the last few days of 2011.
Super quick Monday Poll today, but I couldn’t allow myself to break the chain, what with this being Monday Poll No. 200!
Isn’t that incredible? Two hundred Monday Polls? Wow, right? That’s a pretty big number.
Our little group is getting ready to grab a bite to eat for lunch at a local diner here, but I’ll be reading your poll answers from my phone, hopefully over a plate of yummy fries…
Mmm… fries.
- To complete the Monday Poll, just copy the following list, and paste it with your answers in the comments.
1. Mood:
2. If you celebrated Christmas, what were a couple of the gifts you gave or received?
3. What’ve you been up to today?
4. Three things you feel you’re quite good at?
5. Any plans for New Year’s Eve?
6. When was the last time you went ice skating?
7. Weekly goals:
Enjoy the rest of your last Monday in 2011. The next time we meet for one of these polls, it’ll be a brand new year. 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen