Tabs requires a minimum of three 10-minute lap sessions every day. He’s needy like that. Note the hot pink stretchy pants and the grandpa sweater I’m wearing, haha! It hasn’t been exactly style central around these parts lately.
Doing Laps
Archives for April 2012
It’s Cool to Be Warm: The NARS Ramatuelle Trio Eyeshadow Is Both Cool and Warm
The new NARS Ramatuelle Trio Eyeshadow ($45) reminds me of the time my neighbor brought jalapeño ice cream to the annual Memorial Day potluck on our street.
At first, all I could say was, “uh…” I mean, spicy and sweet? I pictured those big green peppers…
It just didn’t compute, but then I gave it a try. It was sweet, but it also had a kick that took my breath away. It took a few bites, but I started to like it. Eventually, I even went back for seconds. 🙂
Ramatuelle had a similar effect on me. Like jalapeño ice cream, it features an unexpected combination, except in this case, it’s not a sweet treat and a spicy pepper, but a combination of cool and warm shades.
A limited edition eyeshadow trio released with the new nine-piece NARS Summer 2012 collection, Ramatuelle contains three powder shadows — a warm, matte apricot; a warm, shimmery beige; and a cool, shimmery silver. It’s now the sixth eyeshadow trio available from NARS.
Ready for an Easter Egg? NARS included one to make it easier to keep the color temps straight. If you look closely at the patterns on the pans, the lines in the cool-toned silver shadow run vertically, while the lines in the two warm-toned pans are horizontal.
Isn’t that neat? Just a small touch, but I’m a nerd about details. I love it!
As for the silver shadow, it did seem a little out of place to me at first, but then I remembered the jalapeño ice cream…
One thing I like about NARS is their flair for the unexpected. After I patted a mix of the apricot and beige shadows along my lids and swept the silver along my lower lash lines and at the inner corners of my eyes, the trio made sense! The combination of the cool silver and warmer colors — surprise! — totally works.
From the left: Calabria Soft Touch Shadow Pencil, Ramatuelle Trio Eyeshadow, Marie-Galante Duo Eyeshadow and Liberté Blush
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MAC Unsung Heroes: Prep + Prime Vibrancy Eye Primer
For real though! I could spend hours at the MAC counter if left unchecked. Allegedly, when I went to the mall the other day, it was “just to browse” (yeah, right!), but next thing ya know, I’m chatting with the MAC artists about concealers, and WHOOPS! Would ya look at that? It’s 30 minutes later. 🙂
We talked about our faves, and we each had different ones, but one thing all us agreed on (and gushed about) was the awesomeness of today’s unsung makeup hero, MAC Prep + Prime Vibrancy Eye Primer ($30).
An under-eye makeup primer of heroic proportions, this puff-reducing powerhouse deserves a key to the city. It brightens dark areas with a hint of glowing pink shimmer, and preps the skin for concealer by creating a smooth, perfect surface upon which it can be applied.
Vibrancy unblended (left) and blended (right)
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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 215
- 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 four years. I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.
- Mood:
Pretty good for a Monday, but I’m a little woozy from allergy meds. Yup, spring is in the air. Other than that, things are a-okay. The sun is shining, and it feels like it’s going to be a great day. - What type of coverage do you like in foundation?
For pics and events, I like full coverage, but for day-to-day wear, I like light-to-medium coverage. - Do you now, or did you ever, own a charm bracelet?
Oh, yeah. I have a couple of cheesy costume ones from when I was a teen around here somewhere (I think they’re in my pink and green Caboodle, ha!). - Your favorite childhood games?
Connect Four! I also liked tether-ball, Chinese jump rope and high jump. - Have you ever thrown your pet a birthday party?
No, but that’s a great idea! 🙂 The only problem is, Tabs was a stray, and I don’t know the date of his actual birthday. And I’m a little reluctant to take my crazy cat lady-ness to that level. Maybe in a few years, though… - Last person to whom you said, “I love you.”
El Hub, right before he left for work. - A song that reminds you of college?
Are You That Somebody by Aaliyah. I listened to it all through my senior year whenever I’d get ready to go out. - Can you keep a secret?
I can, but I wouldn’t want to if it was a secret that could hurt someone else. In those cases, I’d rather just not know. - What are you wearing on your lips right now?
NARS Velvet Lip Gloss Pencil in Buenos Aires from the new Summer 2012 Collection. - Weekly goals:
Make some headway on a few writing projects, get back on track with my workouts, do a little bit of cleaning (so I don’t have to do it all on the weekeend), and get to bed by 10 every night (seems like I’m always aiming for this one but falling short).
G’morning, friend! I’m just about to jump on the treadmill. Back when I was younger, I was an afternoon/early evening exerciser, but that’s changed over the past couple years. Now, if I don’t work out in the morning, it usually doesn’t happen at all.
While I go do my best impression of a hamster on a wheel, let me know how you’re doing with a quick hi in today’s Monday Poll. 🙂
- To complete the Monday Poll, just copy the following list, and paste it with your answers in the comments.
1. Mood:
2. What type of coverage do you like for foundation?
3. Do you own a charm bracelet?
4. Your favorite childhood games?
5. Have you ever thrown your pet a birthday party?
6. Last person to whom you said, “I love you.”
7. A song that reminds you of college?
8. Can you keep a secret?
9. What are you wearing on your lips?
10. Weekly goals:
Enjoy the rest of your day, and please take extra good care of yourself this week. 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Neutrogena MoistureShine Lip Soothers
I can’t wait to take these to the pool this summer.
Neutrogena MoistureShine Lip Soothers with SPF 20, $6.99 each.
Mom’s Pancit
Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 187
Tabs is watching The Social Network tonight on TV, and I don’t know if you knew this, but he was actually one of the original founders of Facebook.
Yeah, it was called The Catbook at that time, and Tabs was the president of the Crimson Feline Society at Harvard, the largest cats-only club on campus, so he was responsible for getting cats to sign up to the new website.
Anywho, there was some politicking among Tabs and the other founders, some allegations related to intellectual property, and Tabs got pushed out. It’s okay, though, because it freed up his time to focus on kitty modeling. 🙂
Tabs couldn’t even talk about it for years because of ongoing litigation… He and Mark Zuckerberg weren’t on speaking terms there for a while, but they’re civil now.
Speaking of kitty modeling, Tabs had a busy week! He had kitty modeling jobs for MAC, Zoya, Hourglass, NARS and Cheeky Monkey Cosmetics. Here’s some of his most recent work.
My Nose Thinks Molton Brown Broke the Mold on Pepperpods With Paradisiac Pink Pepperpod Bath & Shower Body Wash
I’m usually more of a citrus and floral fragrance lover when it comes to bath scents, so I wasn’t expecting to hear the herald angels singing the first time I sniffed Molton Brown’s budget-busting $30 Paradisiac Pink Pepperpod Bath & Shower Body Wash.
And I didn’t (well, not immediately).
The wash, which starts as a gel and builds up into a nice sudsy foam (gotta love those big bubbles!), contains notes I don’t normally look for in a fragrance, like patchouli and warm, pink pepper, but there’s something different about the way they go together here.
Molton Brown went aaaaall the way out to the Gulf of Guinea on the West Coast of Africa for these pepper pods, and it was worth the trip. While they were there, they also added African ginger.
It’s weird — the more I’ve been using this wash, the more I like the scent. It’s invigorating! And unusual. Definitely not your typical Bath & Body Works or Victoria’s Secret fruity floral.
It’s warm and spicy, but still a little dainty and feminine at the same time. I really look forward to using it now after my early morning run because it keeps the endorphin rush rushing longer throughout the day. The scent also lingers on my skin and fills the bathroom for hours, ahh…
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