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Archives for May 2013

Sunday Breakfast

May 19th, 2013 by Karen 14 Comments





There are 14 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Daily Photo

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

May 18th, 2013 by Karen 425 Comments

WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is Mich! Congratulations, Mich! 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

A Makeup and Beauty Blog giveaway
A Makeup and Beauty Blog giveaway

G’morning, cutie, and happy weekend (FINALLY). 🙂

It’s Caturday, so you know what time it is…Sephora eCard giveaway time!

Take a second before you grab that next cup of coffee to enter with a comment on this post and/or a Twitter tweet (see details below).

Enjoy the rest of your day!

What folks are saying…

“Hi Karen!!! Wow, that news definitely gets a hoo ray ray and an elephant!!! (I’ve maybe been watching too much Boardwalk Empire.) Thank you so much!!!”
-Shana

“What a lovely surprise it was to see your announcement (after completing one of many exams/papers/projects I have this crazy week)! The eCard will definitely ease expenses for this broke, beauty-obsessed college student. Thank you, Karen and Tabs!!”
-Katie

“Thanks so much, Karen. Just in case you were wondering what I got with it, I decided to go with the Clarisonic Mia–I’ve been wanting it for years now, but have never purchased it because of the price. Your eCard helped me finally buy it! I look forward to using it. Thanks again!”
-Jane

“Shut the front door! OMG Karen, you have made my day. 🙂 I’m sick in bed with the flu and this has just cheered me up immensely!!!!!!!! BTW, I’m the one that sent you that pic of my pug in a wig a few weeks back LOL! Thanks again, honestly, I’m beyond giddy right now.”
-Angel

“Thank you SO much Karen! OMG! Wishes really do come true! I can’t believe I won! You have no idea how much this will help me through the holidays. I’ve been an avid fan of your blog for the past two years. Your witty and creative entries, informative makeup information, and beautiful photos have kept me hooked. I look forward to more of it. Goodness, you’ve
seriously just made my week and it’s only Tuesday night!”
-Zharlynne

“Oh my goodness! Thank you so much Karen (and Tabs, of course)! I really appreciate this! I’d been eyeing the Anastasia brow pencil in Strawburn to match my red hair!”
-Chelsea (and Jiji the kitten and Quincy the bunny)

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, how do you take your coffee? Are you wearing a fragrance today? Do you pet assist for a dog or cat? Do you make your bed daily? What’s your favorite sheer lipgloss? Bun or ponytail? Do you wear a different foundation in the warmer months than you do during winter? Have you ever painted someone else’s nails? — you get the idea.
  • Second, you can enter by following me on twitter Twitter @karenmbb and retweeting (RT) the following message:
    • Follow @karenmbb and RT to Win a $50 eGift Card from Sephora! http://bit.ly/16G8YaY

  • The deadline to enter is Sunday, May 19, 2013 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 Mich! Congratulations, Mich! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

There are 425 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun

Because One Is the Loneliest Number, the LORAC Ready, Set, Splash Waterproof Eyeliner Set Comes With Four

May 17th, 2013 by Karen 8 Comments

LORAC Ready Set Splash
Ready, set, splash! The new $28 LORAC Ready, Set, Splash liner set.

To El Hub when he insists that there’s an upper limit on the number of liners I could possibly need on a trip, I say, “Pish-tosh!”

“We’re only gonna be two days!” he says. “Why would you need 10 liners?”

My response: to pack 20 eyeliners! And then to painstakingly describe every single one in great detail, and how my happiness — no, my very survival! — depends on having all of them with me. 🙂

Hey, you just never know when you’ll get the urge to do a two-color double-winged flick? YOU NEVER KNOW!

LORAC Ready Set Splash box

This is why I find LORAC’s new $28 Ready, Set, Splash kit appealing…

That, and the quick-drying, waterproof formula.

The set’s four twist-up pencils come in colors that work well with most of my favorite summer eye looks.

LORAC Ready Set Splash box

Ultra Black, Navy, Charcoal and Jade will take you from poolside to dinner party in the blink of a cat eye, and when I want a smudgy vibe, I can just flip one over, and use the sponge tip on the back side.

LORAC Ready Set Splash swatches
From the left: Ultra Black, Charcoal, Jade and Navy

[Continue reading…]

There are 8 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, LORAC, Makeup, Product Reviews

MAC Sun Dipped Bronzer Bakes Warm Tones Into Skin Like 20 Minutes on Waikiki Beach

May 17th, 2013 by Karen 8 Comments

MAC Sun Dipped Pro Longwear Bronzer
Sure, I’ll take a dip! A MAC Sun Dipped Pro Longwear Bronzer ($30, from the new Temperature Rising collection).

The following is an excerpt from an actual email conversion between blogger and makeup/cat enthusiast Karen and her longtime friend and surf buddy Cindy that took place on the morning of Friday, May 17, 2013.

Immediately following this exchange, Karen swept MAC’s new Sun Dipped Pro Longwear Bronzer on her face…

KAREN: When was the last time we went surfing together?
CINDY: I don’t know. Hawaii in 2006?
KAREN: That can’t be right.
CINDY: Yeah, I think so. It was right before your wedding.
KAREN: Seriously? Why are we so lame? We have to fix that.
CINDY: You could always go with me to Ocean Beach. 🙂

[NOTE: Ocean Beach is cold. It runs along the Great Highway on the west/Pacific side of San Francisco, and it’s so cold that just thinking about it is making my fingers and toes numb.]

KAREN: That’s not happening unless we’re being chased by zombies and the only way we can escape is by surfboard.

You know that moment when the water drips down the back of your wetsuit? Yeah, I hate that.

Okay, now I’m freezing cold. BRB! Need to put on some bronzer.

These are days of my life…

Don’t you feel warmer after putting on bronzer? Or is that just me…?

A light dusting of MAC’s new $33 Sun Dipped won’t turn Ocean Beach into Waikiki, but I think it does make me look tanned and toasty and gives me a sunnier outlook, too.

MAC Sun Dipped Bronzer

It can’t only be the power of suggestion, either. Sun Dipped has a sunny secret weapon: red tones!

Of the four powder bronzers in the MAC Temperature Rising collection, it’s by far the reddest one, and the one that most naturally simulates 30 minutes of fun in the sun.

MAC Sun Dipped Bronzer swatch
A swatch on my NC 42 skin

[Continue reading…]

There are 8 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Face, MAC Makeup, Makeup, Product Reviews

Stick Blushes With a Dewy Twist: The Tom Ford Illuminating Cheek Colors in Blush Guilt and Bronzed Amber

May 17th, 2013 by Karen 12 Comments

Tom Ford Beauty Illuminating Cheek Color in Bronzed Amber
Oh, hai! It’s Tom Ford Beauty Illuminating Cheek Color in Bronzed Amber. I’m wearing it here on my cheeks atop MAC Face & Body Foundation.

I like makeup.

This probably comes as no surprise if you’ve been here before…but I’m particularly fond of blushes and highlighters that come in stick form.

Especially ones that leave my face looking all sweet and angelic, like I should be floating high above the earth on a bed of billowy clouds, sunlight dappling my skin, while a heavenly chorus sings, “Ahhhhhh!” The more people wondering if I had wings tucked beneath my blazer, the better. 🙂

Tom Ford’s two new summer 2013 Illuminating Cheek Colors ($58 each, OMG!) are the latest examples of this particular makeup weakness/obsession of mine.

Dewy, is that you?

Tom Ford Blush Guilt
Blush Guilt

Pinky peach Blush Guilt and Bronzed Amber represent TF’s take on cream stick blushes with an interesting twist. They give a sheer, glistening, almost wet look to cheeks.

Tom Ford Beauty Illuminating Cheek Color Bronzed Amber
Bronzed Amber

It’s as if the team in charge of the finish part of this equation went on a week-long spa trip to Canyon Ranch and never quite recovered, because when I wear either of these colors, I feel like I look like I haven’t got a care in the world…like my only concerns are whether I should have a hibiscus or a peppermint tea between my facial and my 120-minute shiatsu massage.

Seriously, my cheeks just glow. 🙂

The texture’s the balm!

Tom Ford Beauty Illuminating Cheek Color Swatches
Blush Guilt on the left and Bronzed Amber on the right

[Continue reading…]

There are 12 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Face, Makeup, Product Reviews, Tom Ford Beauty

Are You Following Makeup and Beauty Blog on Instagram?

May 17th, 2013 by Karen 4 Comments

makeup and beauty blog on instagram
Get more Tabs on Instagram!

Tabs thinks you should, mostly because I post a ton of pictures of him. 🙂

There’s also makeup pics and random snapshots of fun things I run into throughout the day.

You can follow me here. Hope to see you there soon!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 4 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun

A New Friend

May 17th, 2013 by Karen 15 Comments





A family of birds has moved into the oak tree just outside my living room deck. There’s usually at least three or four of ’em hanging out on the branches, so of course, on the day I had my camera handy, only one bird showed up for the photo session.

There are 15 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Daily Beauty

K-Dawg

May 17th, 2013 by Karen 23 Comments



Circa 1980. Please note the fingernail polish and the side-swept bangs.

There are 23 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Daily Photo

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Welcome to Makeup and Beauty Blog! My name is Karen, and I’m a freelance writer obsessed with makeup.

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