Tarte’s Park Ave Princess Bronze & Glow Matte Bronzer & Cheek Tint, $32. Available now at Sephora, Ulta and online.
Tarte’s Park Ave Princess Bronze & Glow Matte Bronzer & Cheek Tint
Archives for 2013
Unsung Makeup Heroes: Dr. Bronner’s All-One Hemp Lavender Magic Soap
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
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
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
About That Purple Cauliflower…
It tasted really good. Like regular cauliflower, but milder and slightly sweeter. I threw it into a steamer along with some broccoli, then tossed the mix with capers, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
The purple color faded a little after I cooked it, but it still looked pretty darn purple.
Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 245
Dear Tabby is written by Tabs the Cat, commonly regarded as “the world’s first plus-size kitty supermodel.” Founded in mid 2012, it has quickly become the most widely syndicated cat advice column on earth — known for its fresh, feline perspective on lifestyle, fashion and style issues affecting cats and humans.
Tips for tipping?
DEAR TABBY: I’ll be staying at a cat hotel for the first time next weekend when my assistants go on vacation, and I’m very excited about it!
I insisted on five-star accommodations, and my humans did not let me down.
They reserved me a personal kitty condo at an exclusive resort with a view overlooking the Pacific Ocean and arranged for all of my meals to be prepared by an award-winning, Michelin star chef.
They even booked daily play sessions through the cat concierge and scheduled me for daily spa treatments.
My question is this: what’s an appropriate tip for a spa technician? Is it the same general rule of 15 percent, and should I leave cash (I don’t usually carry a wallet), or can I have the staff charge my assistants’ credit card? I don’t want to offend anyone.
— Kit-Kat from Kailua
DEAR KIT-KAT: Congratulations on finding such wonderful assistants! It sounds like you’re in for a fun weekend of pampering and purring.
Regarding your question, it’s completely up to you. If you’d prefer to leave the tip on your assistants’ credit card, you may do so. It’s perfectly acceptable. Very few kitties actually carry cash these days, even with all of the wonderful cat bags at our disposal.
Just be sure to review your bill, because sometimes the gratuity has already been included.
Most importantly, enjoy yourself! I hope this is the first of many such getaways.
Work woes
DEAR TABBY: I’ve been assisting for a demanding persian cat named Peaches for almost 10 years.
Most of the time, Peaches is nice, and when she is, I love my job and the work environment.
But I recently had a really bad week. Everything went wrong, and no matter how hard I tried, I felt like I couldn’t get anything right.
It all came to a head last Friday when I received a furrious text from Peaches.
She was right. I was definitely in the wrong. I screwed up, and I apologized.
But then Peaches sent me a second angry text, and it ruined my entire weekend.
I couldn’t stop thinking about that text and how angry Peaches sounded. I dreaded returning to work on the following Monday knowing that I’d be in the doghouse.
Tabby, I took full responsibility for my mistake, but I also feel like it was inappropriate for Peaches to text me about it over the weekend. I don’t get a lot of time off, and I need some kind of work boundaries.
Should I let it go or bring it up to Peaches?
— Frustrated in Ferndale
DEAR FRUSTRATED: I’m definitely guilty of being a demanding diva with my assistant from time to time, but I do think it would have been more appropriate for your employer to address the situation with you face to face, in person, during regular business hours.
Hopefully by now, Peaches has calmed down. If you still feel strongly about it, wait for a good time when you’re both in a pleasant mood, and ask her how she feels about your performance. Tell her that you are always open to face-to-face discussions, and that you believe they are more productive than texts.
I can’t speak for Peaches, but I know that as a kitty employer, I always want to encourage my assistant to be the best she can be. Hopefully the both of you can find some common ground. Good luck.
Maybelline’s Sapphire Siren Eye Studio Palette
Haaay!
Haaay, boo. DISCO!
(Sometimes I take crazy pics.)
Have a wonderful Sunday, my friend. 🙂
