Archives for May 2013

San Francisco Bay Area Beauty Lovers, Meet New Dolce & Gabbana National Makeup Artist Christian McCulloch at the Union Square Saks Fifth Avenue on Saturday, June 1

May 28th, 2013 by Karen 2 Comments

Some of Christian McCulloch’s favorite Dolce & Gabbana’s must-have pieces for summer, clockwise from the quad: the Eyeshadow Quad in Fabulous, Passion Duo Gloss Fusion Lipstick in Feminine, Eyeliner in Acqua, Nail Lacquer in Lilac and Lipgloss in Vibrant

Bay Area beauty lovers, do you have plans this Saturday?

If you’re free from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. and in the mood for makeup, swing by the Saks Fifth Avenue store at Union Square in San Francisco, and meet Christian McCulloch, Dolce & Gabbana’s new National Makeup Artist.

He’ll be creating custom summer makeup looks by appointment, free with purchase (no minimum, holla!).

To book your 30-minute appointment, just call (415) 438-5225, and then set Siri to remind you on Saturday morning. “Siri, remind me about my awesome makeover.” 🙂

Who is Christian McCulloch?
Fascinated by the power of makeup’s transformative qualities, McCulloch began his career as a makeup artist in Sydney, Australia in his teenage years. His first major project came shortly after with his work gracing the pages of Australian Vogue before the age of twenty-two.

From there he continued to establish himself as an industry trendsetter and has worked with global publications, including Vogue (US, China, Germany, Japan, Mexico and Turkey editions), Allure, Interview, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle (French, German, UK and US editions), V Magazine, W Magazine (US and Korea editions).

Throughout his career, MuCulloch has become known for his fine attention to the quality of skin, his bold experimentation with color and his precision with contour; as well as his strong smoky eye, which has made him a favorite of many beauty editors and celebrities.

Outside of fashion, McCulloch is one of the most sought after makeup artists for top Hollywood actors including: Rachel Weisz, Kate Winslet, Tilda Swinton, Selma Blair, Rachel McAdams, Joy Bryant, Jennifer Connelly, Naomi Watts, Hilary Swank, Cameron Diaz, Anne Hathaway, Nicole Richie, Kanye West, Milla Jovovich, Rachel Zoe, Emma Stone and Jessica Biel.

— Dolce & Gabbana

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen in No. 6 True Teal Must Have Been Made With a Magic Potion of Smoothness

May 28th, 2013 by Karen 20 Comments

Could nixies, fairies and sprites be responsible for Pixi True Teal’s enchantingly smooth formula, which flitters across skin like butterfly wings?

Are nymphs gathered around a tiny table somewhere behind a magical dimension door in the back of a nondescript Chinese restaurant somewhere, plotting ways to lure more beauty lovers into falling in love with True Teal’s supernatural pigments?

Or have I simply endured one too many conversations with El Hub about Dungeons & Dragons?

Either way, I’ve been looking for a new teal liner to wear this summer, and Pixi’s $15 Endless Silky Eye Pen in No. 6 True Teal is the frontrunner.

Just look at that color! And it’s so smooth and pigmented…

It has some of the same fairy magic that Chanel Azure does in the way it appears to change color from teal to a dark ocean blue in the light.

More magic…

It’s waterproof, and therefore mermaid approved
Wasn’t tested on animals
It doesn’t contain any parabens or mineral oils
It’s one of 10 shades in Pixi’s Endless Silky Eye Pencil line
Dries in about a minute, so you better work quickly if you want to smudge

One swish along my lash lines, and I’m set for the day. The formula doesn’t even find its way into my creases, which I really appreciate. 🙂

It performs fantastically on lash lines, but I don’t think it likes the water as much as Bobbi Brown Jet. I like the job Jet does better along my water lines.

True Teal along my lower lash lines; for a full breakdown of this look, check out Brighten Up: 3 Bold Summer Makeup Looks, Step-By-Step

[Continue reading…]

I’m Going Coco-Nutty for Pacifica’s Purify Coconut Water Cleansing Wipes!

May 28th, 2013 by Karen 16 Comments

These Pacifica Purify Coconut Water Cleansing Wipes? You need to get on these, babe. They popped up at Target a couple months ago. I think they’re pretty new to the beauty scene, but dang! — they’re great.

Each pack comes with 30 biodegradable, moistened cleansing towelettes, perfect for removing makeup, among other things.

I’m lovin’ the groovy blue and yellow packaging, the practical button closure (because it really sucks when your face wipes dry out, right?) and the appetizing coconut scent, which is making me crave a big piece of Hawaiian haupia (coconut pudding).

Mmm… Coconut water.

Oops! Had a little bit of drool there. 🙂

I’ve had some bomb-@ss coconut water in my day. The BEST was on a visit to the Philippines, just me and my mom, when I was 21. We stayed with family in Manila but drove out to the countryside one day to visit other relatives.

[Continue reading…]

Lunch at El Huarache Loco

May 28th, 2013 by Karen 5 Comments

El Hub and I were in the mood to try something new last weekend, so we hit up El Huarache Loco, a Mexican restaurant in Larkspur in southern Marin.

I ordered a hurache (a sandal-shaped corn masa cake filled with beans topped with salsa, cilantro, crema, queso fresco and onions) with nopales (cactus) and a jicama salad (jicama, bell peppers, cabbage and onions with a pineapple vinaigrette).

El Hub ordered the chicken mole “El Huarache Loco.”

We also ordered chips and salsa to share.

Two-second roundup: meh, just okay. El Hub wasn’t crazy about his dish (the sauce to him tasted “off”) and my hurache was pretty bland. I did like the jicama salad. Crunchy and light, and the flavors were on point.

It surprised me that they actually charged for chips and salsa (really, now?). It would’ve been nice if it was complimentary.

I may go back for the jicama salad if I’m craving it something fierce and too lazy to make it myself. Maybe.

Tarte’s Park Ave Princess Bronze & Glow Matte Bronzer & Cheek Tint

May 28th, 2013 by Karen 10 Comments

Tarte’s Park Ave Princess Bronze & Glow Matte Bronzer & Cheek Tint, $32. Available now at Sephora, Ulta and online.

Unsung Makeup Heroes: Dr. Bronner’s All-One Hemp Lavender Magic Soap

May 27th, 2013 by Karen 23 Comments

Uh oh, it’s magic…

That Dr. Bronner’s All-One Magic Soap. It’s magic. It has the power of mind control. It magically makes every single checker at Target stop mid scan to read the label, inquisitively raise an eyebrow, and sniff the bar no matter how long the line is.

This always happens. I’m not sure why, but it does.

The last time the checker was a 20-something-year-old dude who seemed totally at home talking shop about beauty, and it went a little something like this…

ME: It’s lavender. Doesn’t it smell good?

CHECKER DUDE: Yeah, but I can’t use soap because it dries out my skin. I use shower gels instead. Kiehl’s, usually.

ME: Well aren’t you in-the-know! I’m still trying to break my husband of his habit of using shampoo for body wash, and it’s been 10 years. I bet you use lotion and sunscreen, too. How about conditioner?

CHECKER DUDE: Yup, I do. So is this soap any good?

ME: I like it. It gets all the gunk off.

CHECKER DUDE: Um…what exactly are you doing to get all gunked up?

ME: Well, I mainly use it for washing makeup brushes, but it’s also good for, you know, when you’re all gross and sweaty and covered in dirt, like after a workout or cleaning the house, and you just want to feel really, really clean. It’s good for that.

CHECKER DUDE: And it doesn’t dry out your skin?

ME: Nope, not at all.

Ah, yes. Talking beauty with random people at Target. These are the days of my life… 🙂

I was using Burt’s Bees bar soaps to clean my brushes for a while, and I was happy with them, but the bars had been getting harder to find out here for some reason.

Then up in Redding a few weeks ago I wanted to clean the couple brushes I had with me. I didn’t have the Burt’s Bees bar or anything else, so I used a bar of Dr. Bronner’s All-One that my mom-in-law had, and it worked great.

The lather breaks up all manner of makeup and rinses clean. It’s quick and takes care of all the gunk from even hard-to-clean, dried up concealer, foundation, cream shadow and gel liners.

Oh, and if you have a skunk brush stained by a bright pink or red blush, Dr. Bronner’s will have the white parts sparkling again in no time.

The bars are also easy to find out here. I always see them on the shelves at Target, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods, which is another reason I like it. The availability, and the fact that the bars are only $5 each.

I like it as a regular body soap, too — smells great and it’s not drying — but I think it’s an epic overachiever as a makeup brush cleanser.

The list of ingredients is short and sweet. It’s a vegan product, too.

I’m curious about one of the ingredients on the label… Please help me out if you know what unscented baby-mild is? 🙂
[Continue reading…]

Rimmel Scandal Eyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in Nude, a Drugstore Beauty Baller

May 27th, 2013 by Karen 21 Comments

Drugstore baller!

For a minute there I thought I saw Rimmel’s Scandal Eyes Waterproof Kohl Eyeliner in 005 Nude walk by wearing a bunch of gold chains and carrying a pimp cup…

Because it’s that good.

Creamy like polenta, hella pigmented and softer than the center of a hot grilled cheese sammich…

Mmm… Cheesy.

Yes, if you can’t tell, I’m currently hungry.

It’s a rock star pencil liner! — and its favorite venues are lash and water lines. This neutral, matte peachy beige never skips or pulls at my skin, and it sticks around a good, long while once applied.

It’s in my regular rotation of products. I wear it a lot to highlight my brows, right up under the arches, where it gives ’em a little lift.

I really like the way the color works with my NC42 skin because it’s not too overloaded with pink pigment, so it doesn’t contrast with my natural skin tone too much.
[Continue reading…]

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 273

May 27th, 2013 by Karen 33 Comments

The Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll for May 27, 2013

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.

Around what time would you wake up naturally if you didn’t set an alarm?
It depends a lot on the light in the room. Nowadays, I wake up just before six, right about the time the sun comes up.

Of course, when I stay at hotels with those cool-@ss, real-deal blackout curtains, it’s ON! I can literally sleep until noon in a pitch-black room.

How long are your fingernails right now?
About a quarter of an inch past my fingertips, and quite frankly they’re driving me CRAY! I need to trim them desperately, but I’ve been lazy…

What’s something beauty something beauty-related that you think you’re pretty good at?
Curling my hair. I’ve been doing it since I was 13. Large-barrel curlers with clamps are my weapons of choice.

Would you rather be on stage or in the audience?
On stage!

What do you see when you look out your living room window?
Grass-covered hills in the distance and old oak trees. I see a family of finches in the closest tree quite often, too.

Is the glass half-full or half-empty?
Half-full, most days.

How short do you like your shorts?
Dressy shorts, about midway down my thigh, but I’ll take my beach shorts super short! I figure, might as well while I still can.

A scent that always makes you scrunch your nose, ewww!
Canned dog food.

When I a teenager, I was in charge of feeding our lab, Bell, every morning, and the smell of his food always made me gag.

Are you wearing bronzer today?
You know it! Guerlain Terra Nerolia.

Are you a hugger?
Definitely. 🙂 I hug strangers, friends and people who look like they need a little cheering up.

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

Le List

1. When you don’t set the alarm, what time do you wake up naturally?
2. How long are your finger nails right now?
3. What’s one beauty-related thing that you’re pretty good at?
4. Would you rather be a performer or an audience member?
5. What do you see when you look out your living room window?
6. Is the glass half-full or half-empty?
7. How short do you like your shorts?
8. A scent that always makes you scrunch your nose, ewww!
9. Are you wearing bronzer today?
10. Are you a hugger?

Oh, yeah! Happy Memorial Day. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen