Archives for January 2012

Lunch with the Girls at Absinthe Brasserie & Bar (Food Pics!)

January 7th, 2012 by Karen 9 Comments

A few pics from lunch with my friends, Jen and Cindy, at the Absinthe Brasserie & Bar in SF.

We started with a side of french fries and a round of lemonades made with freshly squeezed lemon juice, ginger syrup, cranberry juice and ginger ale.

The restaurant’s known for their burgers, so Jen ordered the hamburger with Marin Sun Farms ground beef, aioli, red onion, lettuce and house-made pickles.

Cindy got a grilled cheese & portobello mushroom sandwich with goat cheese, provolone, fennel, broccoli rabe, pesto and bacon.

I choose the dungeness crab omelette with hen of woods mushrooms, spinach, garlic and Meyer lemon.

We also split a single fall butternut squash pancake with cinnamon butter, whipped mascarpone and Vermont maple syrup, but we ate it all before I could take a pic. Whoops!

By the end of the meal, all our plates were empty, and I left feeling full but not uncomfortably stuffed. Highly recommended if you’re ever in SF and want a good meal!

What Do Pink Cheetahs Have in Common With Kisses? Violent Lips Temporary Lip Tattoos

January 7th, 2012 by Karen 20 Comments

Written by Clare

When lipstick and gloss just won’t do, perhaps a pink cheetah will work better for you. Find out more in today’s guest post from Clare.

Violent Lips in Pink Cheetah

First things first

I’m a makeup-obsessive from way back, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned about makeup, it’s that you can make almost anything work. Colour should never hold you back, and you shouldn’t be afraid to rock a bold lip if you feel like it.

Bold lips, huh? Well…they don’t come much bolder than Violent Lips. If you haven’t heard of them before, they’re vitamin-enhanced, vegan-friendly lip appliquÃ©s tested on celebrities, not animals, and above all, they’re temporary!

Violent Lips Temporary Lip Tattoos

Kim Kardashian and her sisters Khloe and Kylie recently posted twitpics wearing them. I’d already sourced some myself and figured it was about time to figure out if the company’s tutorial was as easy to follow as it looked.

What you’ll need to get started

In each pack of Violent Lips, you’ll find three sets of lip appliquÃ©s — three top lips and three bottom — easily separated, in case you make any mistakes and need to use half of another set.
The directions, which can be found on the back. They’re very basic, so you might need to refer to a tutorial to fill in the blanks because, for example, the directions don’t mention that you’ll also need water.
Water
A cotton pad
Scissors
A mirror
Violent Lips in Pink Cheetah (or any of the other 76 varieties)

Violent Lips Temporary Lip Tattoos

Ladies, start your engines!

Firs, make sure you start with dry, un-moisturised lips, and you don’t want to be wearing any other products. That’s important, because if you already have something on your lips, your Violent Lips won’t stick.

Violent Lips Temporary Lip Tattoos
[Continue reading…]

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

January 7th, 2012 by Karen 600 Comments

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

A Makeup and Beauty Blog Giveaway!

Up and at ’em, home skillet. Good morning to ya!

I’m in a great mood right now. Must be the leftover high from my yoga class last night. That, and I slept surprisingly well. My body is like, “WHOA! A good night’s sleep, Karen? Uh, yeah, let’s do that again.”

How are things on your end of the keyboard? What do you have on your plate today? I hope it’s something fun. There are a few things I should be doing around the house right now (like laundry, for one), but I’d much rather check in with you and sneak in a run. 🙂

A little later today I’m meeting my friends Jen and Cindy in San Francisco for brunch. Last time we got together was at Jen’s baby’s baptism a couple months ago, so it’ll be nice to catch up.

We’re going to this place called Absinthe Brasserie & Bar because, rumor has it, they make a mean french fry, and Cindy’s been on a mission to find the best fries in the city. For a mission like that, I’m happy to assist.

Just think… Imagine being that first person who decided to fry a potato. Talk about “Eureka!” moments, am I right?

Before I hit the treadmill, why don’t we have a giveaway?

Win a $50 gift 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, who makes your favorite french fry? Funniest name for a yoga pose? What’s the last skincare product you applied? Getting as specific as possible, how would you describe the color of your hair? What mascara have you been liking lately? — 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/yfkvuj

The deadline to enter is Sunday, January 8, 2012 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 Kristi! Congratulations, Kristi! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

Bobbi Brown Neons & Nude Lip Glosses

January 7th, 2012 by Karen 6 Comments

Hello, color! That’s Ultra Violet (top) and Cosmic Pink (bottom), $23 each. Available now at Bobbi Brown counters and also online.

Do you like?

Lovechild and Apocalypse Walked Into a Bar… No, It’s Not a Joke. They’re Urban Decay’s Newest Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Colors

January 6th, 2012 by Karen 33 Comments

urban decay lovechild
Wearing Urban Decay Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Color in Lovechild

I get amped every Friday afternoon because it means we made it to the weekend, and I get both of my boys all to myself for two whole days. Usually breakfast out on Saturday or Sunday morning, a movie or two (or three), maybe dinner, the mall, and of course, staying up late to watch TV.

That right there’d be plenty exciting, but then I also find out that Urban Decay just added two new shades to their fab Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Color line?

Now it’s cause for celebration! 🙂

C’mon, chair dance with me! This is excellent news. Think of all the ~~trouble we’ll get into~~ fun we’ll have wearing these new shades.

Lovechild (a pale pink) and Apocalypse (a deep berry) are just as much fun as their older sisters. Shortly after the line of long-wearing pencils drew down on Urban Decay counters last fall, they became staples in my makeup bag. Their bright colors and glossy, moisturizing formula (unscented and unflavored) made them favorites of mine.

Pale pink Lovechild’s the mellower of the two newcomers, and at first swatch, I was afraid it might be too pale and cool-toned for me.

Thankfully, it’s not! The sweet, delicate pink should suit most skin tones, but interestingly, it does seem to fade quicker than the brighter Super-Saturated shades I’ve tried; you might have to reapply after sipping tea and/or eating crumpets.

As for drama lovers, there’s always Apocalypse. Wearing it with my new pink streaks, I feel like a rockstar! — and, oddly, have the urge to don a pair of brass knuckles and break sh*t.

Which might be too much information…

urban decay spring 2012 (6)
Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Color in Lovechild on the left (a pale pink) and Apocalypse on the right (a deep berry), $19 each

urban decay spring 2012 (3)
Swatches of the three 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils (far left): Demolition, Perversion and Woodstock; Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Color (far right): Lovechild and Apocalypse
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Misty Morning

January 6th, 2012 by Karen 10 Comments

This morning I drank a cup of tea and watched the sunrise from my office window. It was a nice way to start the day.

Urban Decay Spring 2012 Is Drawing All Writers With Lots of Pretty Pencils

January 6th, 2012 by Karen 36 Comments

Urban Decay Spring 2012

Write on, Urban Decay. 🙂

I love holding the pencils in your new 13-piece spring 2012 collection over a blank page in my sketchbook and pretending they’re art supplies.

Of course, I don’t actually touch the page with ’em, but I’m soooo tempted…

Coming soon to Sephora stores, Ulta, urbandecay.com and select Macy’s stores, the collection features eight 24/7 Concealer Pencils (with four new shades for darker damsels), three full-size 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils (sold individually) and two new Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Colors.

I don’t know what it is, but there’s something about the feel of a good pencil in my hands.

Here are swatches and pics! Reviews coming soon.

urban decay spring 2012 (1)

urban decay spring 2012 (6)
Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Color in Lovechild on the left (a pale pink) and Apocalypse on the right (a deep berry), $19 each

urban decay spring 2012 (5)
24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils from the left: Woodstock (a bright fuchsia pink shimmer with silver micro glitter), Perversion (a matte carbon black) and Demolition (a matte dark brown), $19 each
[Continue reading…]

Aishwarya Rai: Her Best Hair?

January 6th, 2012 by Karen 34 Comments

Aishwarya Rai: Her Best Hair?

When you float into an audition and hand the casting director a resume with credits like, “Often cited as the most beautiful woman in the world,” “Former Miss World 1994,” and “Film Actress of the Decade,” you have a pretty good chance of landing the job, especially if you have eyes like Aishwarya Rai.

One of the world’s most successful and beloved actresses, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, born November 1, 1973, has starred in over 40 films in five different languages. The winner of dozens of awards, honours and recognitions, Aishwarya almost didn’t become an actress at all.

Growing up in the Southwestern Indian port city of Mangalore, her favorite subject in school was zoology. Her mother is a housewife and her father a marine biologist, and she flirted with careers in medicine and architecture.

Everything changed, though, after a college professor took some pictures of her that were published in a magazine. It got people in the fashion world talking, and by 18, she was in Vogue Magazine, and later on its cover three separate times.

Described as a supercouple in the Indian media, she and her husband, actor Abhishek Bachchan, just had their first child, a baby girl born last November, and they’re expected to announce her name, in Hindu tradition, any day now. 🙂

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