Archives for July 2011

Rise and shine, morning glory! 🙂 I hope you’re having a great weekend so far.

I’m a little excited because yesterday, I got green! El Hub and I set our minds to doing some gardening with potted plants on our small deck at home. Nothing too ambitious because we couldn’t spend too much time or money on it, but still, something, ya know? Plants just make everything better.

So we stopped by Home Depot first and picked up a few plastic planters and potting soil and then got a selection of cat-friendly plants from a nursery down the street.

Here’s what it looks like now. Mind you, this is still a work in progress…

Plant varieties: catnip, basil, cilantro, echinacea, zinnia, cosmos and phlox

Tabs has been inspecting every single leaf of every single plant, and he seems particularly interested in the catnip and cilantro. He’s already taken a few bites of both, and I wish those plants the very best of luck, LOL!

In other news, how are things out yonder way? What about this week in the worlds of makeup and beauty? — did you find or try anything new or adventurous with your makeup? Which of your looks (including outfit, hair and makeup) was your favorite of the week?

Before we move on to new adventures, here’s one last look at some of the things we talked about this week on MBB. 🙂

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

MAC UNSUNG HEROES
RICEPAPER EYESHADOW

I know I did not just hear you say that you don’t have MAC Ricepaper Eyeshadow ($14.50) yet because that, my love, would be a makeup travesty of epic proportions.

EPIC!

Okay, maybe not epic. But large. Let’s say, bigger than a breadbox?

Shoot, I can’t even remember when I first started wearing Ricepaper (I think it was around 1999), but I do remember that it changed my life (as only good makeup can).

This shimmery, pigmented peachy gold is one of those colors I find I’m able to wear every single day, and I almost do. I probably reach for it at least a few times a week and wear it most often as a wash over my lids, or along my brow bone as a highlighter (I think it lifts the arches), or at the inner corners of my eyes when I feel I look tired. Read more…

NEW HOURGLASS FILM NOIR LASH LACQUER NAILS THE COLOR
BUT THE FORMULA COULD USE SOME HELP

Hourglass Film Noir Lash Lacquer sure is interesting. I’ll give it that.

In my ceaseless pursuit of products to transform my mousy, stage-fright fringe into the lash equivalent of Cher on tour (complete with crazy wigs and pyrotechnics), I’ve tried a lot of different mascaras, but I can safely say I’ve never tried one quite like this.

Lash Lacquer comes in a single shade, inky black Kohl. Not quite a mascara, Hourglass says it does for lashes what top coat does for nails (at least one of the things), giving them an almost wet look that’s supposed to ramp up the intensity of bare lashes and other mascaras when layered on top. Ya know, the old false lash look. Read more…

MAKEUP IN AISLE 3
AN URBAN DECAY 15-YEAR ANNIVERSARY PALETTE FACE OF THE DAY

I’d forgotten I was out of contact lens solution when I got the urge to play with the new Urban Decay 15-Year Anniversary Palette last night, and I remembered just about the time I finished this look with blue, green, brown and gold.

So I went to Target, LOL! I felt a little crazy town cruising the store with gold glitter on my lower lash line — it’s probably a better look for da club than eye care on aisle three — and I’m pretty sure I startled the cashier, but whatcha gonna do? Sometimes you just need contact lens solution AND glitter. Read more…

9 THINGS: LESSONS LEARNED FROM
GOING AWAY TO COLLEGE

Growing up, I didn’t have an older friend, sibling or cousin I could talk to about life after high school, so when it came to figuring out certain kinds of things, like how to solve an argument with a roommate, I usually had to wing it, and most of the time that meant learning things the hard way.

Up until the time I moved away to college, I’d lived a very sheltered life that left me lacking in street smarts. I’d just assumed college would be like high school, except without the annoying curfew, but it turns out there was a little more to it than that…

Whether you’re going away to college or just moving in with friends, here are nine things I learned (most of them the hard way) about living away from home for the first time. Read more…

EYE WANNA! EYE GOTTA! HAVE BENEFIT’S
TWO NEW ANNIE AND MAGGIE COLLECTION KITS FOR FALL

Benefit’s two new fall eye palettes aren’t just relying on good looks. They’re also travel-sized and perfect for your purse.

Remember those Annie and Maggie Sunday Funday and Scene Queen kits Benefit released last fall? These two new limited edition Eye Wanna! and Eye Gotta! kits ($36 each) have that same kind of convenience in mind, except this time around, the kits keep everything focused on the eyes.

Each one comes with three Benefit Velvet Eyeshadows and two Creaseless Creams, and all of the colors are new to the line.

If you’re in the mood for cool colors or perhaps a bold look, take a peek at the cool-toned blues, taupes and pinks in the Eye Wanna! kit; if, however, you prefer warmer greens, browns and plums for everyday wear, the Eye Gotta! kit might be more your style. Read more…

ELIZABETH ARDEN ULTRA CERAMIDE LIPSTICK
IN WATERMELON IS A CASUALLY COOL SUMMERTIME TREAT

One of these days Tabs is going to walk downstairs and find a super sweet, 5-foot 1-inch-tall seedless watermelon sitting in my computer chair.

It’ll have skinny brown arms and hands with long fingers, and flat arches at the bottom of its high-heeled feet.

From behind it Tabs will ask, “Meow?” wondering what happened to his previous assistant, and the watermelon creature will slowly turn toward him in its chair and say, “Tabs, it’s me.”

SCARY!

I’ve eaten so much watermelon over the past month that I just might turn into one.

And if I do, where would that leave Tabs? How would he get his lurvies from a giant watermelon girl? It would be like an episode of The Twilight Zone — the old-school, black-and-white one with Rod Serling. Except with fruit. A cat. And makeup. Read more…

IT TAKES YOU TO MAKE THE NEW
GIVENCHY LES OMBRES DE LUNE PALETTE GO RIGHT

One thing Givenchy limited edition makeup releases have never been lacking is style. Whether it’s a pan of powder embossed with an intricate floral pattern or a palette with clean, understated lines, Givenchy understands the words “special” and “fancy.”

Whenever I see Givenchy on a counter or dressing table, I’m almost guaranteed to utter “oohs” and “aahs.” Just like when Alcide bares his chest on True Blood, the visuals are just too dang good.

Performance-wise, the products may hit or miss, but they are quite capable of knocking it out of the park. When it comes to their two new Les Ombres de Lune Shadow & Light Eyes palettes ($58 each) for fall, color my smokey eyes impressed. Read more…

TODAY MY EYES WANNA BE BLUE
AND THEY CAN WITH THE BENEFIT EYE WANNA! KIT

Some people keep their favorite book on their bed stand, others a bottle of holy water (My mom totally does! It’s in a bottle shaped like the Virgin Mary!). Me? — I have a space dedicated to whichever piece of makeup I’m currently crushing on. That way, it’s one of the first things I see when I get up in the morning. Nerdy, I know, but it’s also true.

Right now the space is reserved for the new Eye Wanna! kit from Benefit, which, last night, slept right beside my lamp. Perfect, because when my eyelids fluttered open this morning and my eyes adjusted to the light, the cute kit was there to greet me.

As I lay in bed contemplating the artwork on the packaging, I felt a familiar rustling under the covers and pulled them back to confirm my suspicions.

Tabs immediatlely grumbled a hello, raising his head. “Mrow.” Read more…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen