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Archives for 2013

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

May 25th, 2013 by Karen 358 Comments

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

Two Ways to Win a $50 Sephora eCard
Blush on, babe!

Rise and shine, pal o’ mine. 🙂 It’s Caturday, which means! — well, I don’t what it means, but it sounds cool, doesn’t it?

Speaking of cats, your nephew had a thrilling night. While El Hub and I watched a surprisingly good French subtitled action movie on Netflix called Special Forces, Tabs went batsh*t cray attacking his own reflection in our sliding glass door.

I should have tried to get it on video, but maybe he’ll give me another shot and do it again tonight.

In other news, it’s Sephora giveaway time! You know how we roll. It only takes a comment and/or a Twitter tweet to enter. Full deets down below.

Good luck, and have a great weekend, friend.

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, what are your favorite three makeup brands and why? How often do you go to the movies? What was your favorite book growing up? What’s the scariest thing you’ve ever done? Have you ever done a family member’s hair or makeup? Best drugstore mascara? When was the last time you wore something bold and bright? Coke or Pepsi? — 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/11hDS12

  • The deadline to enter is Sunday, May 26, 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 Mary! Congratulations, Mary! 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 358 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Giveaways, Just For Fun

Pacifica’s Radiant Shimmer Coconut Multiples Palette

May 25th, 2013 by Karen 8 Comments






Pacifica Radiant Shimmer Coconut Multiples Palette large

Pacifica Radiant Shimmer Coconut Multiples Palette 3

Pacifica’s Radiant Shimmer Coconut Multiples Palette ($12), available now at Target stores and online. Here it is in action (step 13 from the Purple, Teal and Fuchsia look).

Mmm… Coconut. 🙂

Pacifica Radiant Shimmer Coconut Multiples Palette 2

Pacifica Radiant Shimmer Coconut Multiples Palette small

Pacifica Radiant Shimmer Coconut Multiples Palette 2

There are 8 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Daily Beauty

Self Portrait, May 2013

May 25th, 2013 by Karen 8 Comments




Just a pic that didn’t make the cut for the Brighten Up post. I think I was bending over to pick something up off the floor when the camera accidentally fired… Don’t ask me why I’m making that face, LOL!

I like the movement and the slight blur.

There are 8 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Daily Photo

Crank Up Colors Along Your Lash Lines With This Easy Eye Makeup Trick

May 24th, 2013 by Karen 7 Comments

How to get super bright lash lines
Super bright lash lines are just a swipe away

Something about a super bright swoosh of color along my lower lash lines just says “summer” to me.

Have you ever lined your lower (or upper, for that matter) lash lines with a bright eyeliner or shadow and have it not turn out as bright or eye-catching as you expected it to be?

Um…me too.

One trick I use to wind up the wattage along my lash lines is to line them with a creamy white eye shadow stick first.

It intensifies colors and brings out more of the brightness of whatever you layer on top, making greens look greener, blues look bluer and teals…well, more teal. And it does the same thing for other colors.

Rimmel’s Whitness White Scandal Eyes Eyeshadow Stick kicks arse with this trick, and it costs less than $5! It’s so pigmented that it’s almost opaque, and once it sets, it’s not going anywhere (has a waterproof and smudge-proof formula).

Plus, it doesn’t tug at my skin. It glides… (And have I mentioned that it’s less than $5?) 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 7 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Drugstore Beauty Finds, Eyes, Makeup Tips/How To, Rimmel

9 Disco-Driven Things You Might Want To Do When You Wear the Products in Benefit’s New The Rich Is Back Set

May 24th, 2013 by Karen 17 Comments

Benefit The Rich Is Back
Turn the beat around with Benefit’s The Rich Is Back ($34)

9 Disco-Driven Things You Might Want To Do When You Wear the Products in Benefit’s New The Rich Is Back Set

  1. Strike a pose on a flashing disco dance floor, Staying Alive-style, while wearing the new disco-inspired limited edition Rich Is Back set, available now exclusively at Sephora stores and sephora.com.
  2. Track down a mirrored, multi-faceted disco ball for your condo, and contemplate how you’re going to talk your boyfriend/boo into hanging it from the ceiling in the dining room for you…
  3. Read up on English fashion designer Matthew Williamson’s career, and then visit matthewwilliamson.com, and add a redonkulous amount of stuff to your cart (without necessarily checking out).
  4. Do the hustle! — as you daydream about the tiny tube of They’re Real Mascara in the set (so cute!)
  5. Listen to Donna Summer’s Last Dance while you bang out a gold, beige, brown and teal eye with the set’s four powder shadows, which range from moderately to highly pigmented, and nod to yourself in approval at the absence of fallout.
  6. Awww freak out! — when you can’t find your box of Hoola, which you feel like you need to wear with the frosty pinkish peach blush that comes with the set (if you feel like it makes your pores look like lunar craters, go easy on this one).
  7. Belt out “Burn, baby, burn…DISCO INFERNO!” at your cat right after you slick sheer red Inferno Gloss on your lips, and then laugh maniacally as he darts away in disgust. 🙂
  8. The first time you finish your makeup with this set, turn a fan on high, stand right in front of it, start playing Super Freak, and dance like you’re on Soul Train!
  9. Wonder if you could have held your own with the party people at Studio 54 way back when, and then realize, “Yeah, probably not. I’m too much of a square,” but then think, “Who cares? With Benefit’s The Rich Is Back, I’ll just pretend…”

The set includes…

  • One 0.14-ounce tube of They’re Real Mascara
  • One 0.22-ounce tube of Lip Gloss in Inferno
  • One 0.07-ounce Gimme Fever Cheek Powder
  • Four 0.03-ounce Eyeshadows in Solid Gold, Get Down Brown, Disco Dust and Feel So Teal
  • One miniature cheek brush
  • One step-by-step tutorial booklet

Benefit The Rich Is Back 1

Benefit The Rich Is Back 2

Benefit The Rich Is Back 3

Benefit The Rich Is Back 4
[Continue reading…]

There are 17 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Benefit, Kits and Sets, Makeup, Product Reviews

Brighten Up: 3 Bold Summer Makeup Looks, Step-By-Step

May 24th, 2013 by Karen 63 Comments

Brighten your lids, your look and your summer days with these three bold summer makeup looks




This summer inspiration is brought to you by Target. Find more fun and surprises all season long on Target’s #SummerUp Pinterest board.

“No fear!”

I think we should make that our summer makeup motto… After all, it’s only makeup, right? Nothing to be afraid of (we can always wash it off).

And summer is a perfect time to shine. The longer days, the warmer nights, flip-flops and loose-fitting clothing.

Why be daunted by daring, dynamic duos and multidimensional eye looks? In the spirit of adventure! — let’s kick off the season and face our fears right now. 🙂

Flashes of teal, shimmery oceans of blues, gleaming golds and juicy pinks and corals crank up the heat and fun-factor in these three bright, bold makeup looks.

Everything I’m wearing on my eyes, cheeks and lips in these looks comes from Target, so it didn’t cost an arm and a leg.

Your beauty assignment today: nothing! And you will not be graded.

We only have one goal here: no fear! Just have fun.

Purple, Teal and Fuchsia

A look featuring purple lids, with shimmering teal on your lower lash lines, bronze cheeks and hot pink lips. This one’s for fearless felines unafraid of color. In other words, you.

  1. Begin by applying a shimmery beige cream shadow, like Maybelline Color Tattoo 24HR Metal in Barely Branded ($6), all over your lids and along your lower lash lines.
  2. Next, sweep a matte brown eye shadow in a shade close to your natural skin tone into your crease. I ended up mixing two shades from the Sonia Kashuk Eye on Neutral Palette ($20) to create a custom color (just for the heck of it).
  3. Then, sweep a shimmery coral shadow just above your matte brown. If you’re stuck for ideas, try Pacifica’s Coral Sand from the company’s new Enlighten Eye Brightening Shadow Palette ($12). I’m lovin’ it so far.
  4. Pat a dark black matte shadow, like the black matte from Sonia Kashuk’s Eye on Neutral Palette, into the outer corners of your eyes, and then blend away any harsh lines you see.
  5. Blend a gray matte shadow directly on top of that to create a soft gradient of color by dragging the gray into the middle of your lids. I used Sonia Kashuk’s Eye on Neutral Palette again here. 🙂
  6. Now, wet a flat eye shadow brush with water or a makeup setting spray, and use it to pat a bright purple shadow in the center and at the inside of your lids (the side closer to your nose). Aim for blending the purple into the black and gray gradient from the previous two steps. I used Urchin, the purple shade from the Pacifica Enlighten Palette in step 3.
  7. Next, line your upper lash lines with a black gel liner, like L’Oreal’s Infallible Gel Lacquer Liner in Blackest Black ($7).
  8. Then line your lower water lines with a vibrant teal blue pencil, like Pixi No. 6 True Teal Endless Silky Eye Pen ($15).
  9. To intensify the effect, sweep a bright teal shadow along your lower lash lines. I like L’Oreal’s 24HR Infallible Eye Shadow in Endless Sea ($7) for this…
  10. Lift your brows a bit by drawing a line beneath them using a flesh-toned matte liner like Rimmel’s Scandal Eyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in 005 Nude ($5), and blend.
  11. Buff a beige shadow just beneath the arch of each brow to appear to lift them even more. I chose Skinnydip, a shimmery beige from the Pacifica Enlighten Shadow Palette.
  12. Finish your eyes with a couple coats of black mascara. I’m using COVERGIRL LashBlast Clump Crusher Mascara ($7) here.
  13. Now for your cheeks and lips! Blend a shimmery bronze blush, like Bronzed from Pacifica’s Radiant Shimmer Coconut Multiples Palette ($12), on the apples of your cheeks, and tie a ribbon around the entire look with a bright fuchsia gloss like Physicians’ Formula Sexy Booster Sexy Glow Glossy Stain in Hot Pink ($9).
Cat lady says “meow!” to these white cat eye sunglasses, which are only $12 at Target

Blue, Teal and Pink

Mermaid eyes! A blue and teal gradient will dance across your lids like dolphins dancing across a beautiful blue lagoon, while coral and pink serenade your cheeks and lips.

  1. Begin by blending a shimmery peachy pink cream shadow like Pixi Lid Last Shadow Pen in Shell Sheen ($18) all over your lids.
  2. Next, darken the outer corners of your lids with a matte black shadow pencil. I used Rimmel’s Scandal Eyes Eye Shadow Stick in Blackmail ($5) here.
  3. Deepen your outer corners by patting a black eye shadow, like the black shade from Maybelline’s Eye Studio Palette in Sapphire Siren, directly on top of the black shadow pencil.
  4. Pat a shimmery blue in the center of your lids and at the inner corners, and then drag a small amount of it into your crease to connect the two areas.
  5. Then, creating a gradient with the blue from step 4, pat a shimmery bright teal in the center of your lids. I used a teal from Maybelline’s Sapphire Siren Palette.
  6. Soften the edges of the blue and teal on your lids by sweeping a matte brown shadow, like the lid shade from the ELF Beautiful Browns Flawless Eyeshadow quad ($2), into your crease.
  7. Now, give your brows a lift by lining the arches with a flesh-toned matte liner like Rimmel Scandal Eyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in 005 Nude ($5), and blend.
  8. Dust a beige on top of that, like the pearly base shade from ELF Beautiful Browns.
  9. Line your water lines with a black liner (can’t go wrong with L’Oreal’s $7 Voluminous Smoldering Eyeliner in Black, a true black without any blue or green undertones), and give it some depth by lining the outer third of your lower lash lines with the same pencil.
  10. Line your lower lash lines with the same shimmery blue shadow you used on your lids (layering it directly on top of the black liner from the previous step).
  11. Make your eyes the focal point of the look by lining the inner corners along your lower lash lines with the teal shadow you used a moment ago on your lids.
  12. Coat your upper and lower lashes with a good black mascara like COVERGIRL LashBlast Clump Crusher Mascara ($7).
  13. Now, get cheeky by blending a bronzer just below your cheekbones for definition, and then buff a coral blush on the apples of each cheek for color. I used Sonia Kashuk’s Chic Luminosity Bronzer/Blush Duo in Glisten ($13).
  14. At this stage, I was going to say, “Don’t gloss over your lips,” but that’s exactly what we want. Slick a pink gloss like Sonia Kashuk’s Ultra Luxe Lip Gloss Prettiest Pink ($9) on your lips to wrap things up. 🙂
Mint green glasses! These are the Gelato Sunglasses in Mint ($12), available now at Target stores and target.com


[Continue reading…]

There are 63 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Drugstore Beauty Finds, Makeup Tips/How To, Sponsored Post

Lazy Girl Lunch: Lemon Basil Fusilli with Tomatoes

May 24th, 2013 by Karen 9 Comments




This is a quick meal that only takes 10 minutes to make from start to finish.

Chop 1 shallot, peel and smash 1 clove of garlic, and mix both with 3 tablespoons of really good extra virgin olive oil (my favorite is Ascolano Certified Extra Virgin Olive Oil by Lucero) and the juice of 1 lemon. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Chop a few leaves of fresh basil into thin strips.

Chop 2 tomatoes.

Toss the lemon and olive oil mixture, basil and tomatoes with cooked fusilli or your favorite pasta o’ choice. DONE.

Gobble it all down, but don’t forget to Instagram that ish first!

If you want, you can let it sit overnight in the fridge to marry the flavors even more. This is one of those dishes that’s even better the next day.

You can also easily modify it by adding cheese (fresh mozzarella, feta or parmesan would be tasty) or grilled chicken or salmon.

There are 9 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Daily Beauty

Pacifica’s Enlighten Eye Brightening Shadow Palette

May 24th, 2013 by Karen 9 Comments





Pacifica Enlighten Eye Brightening Shadow Palette 1

Pacifica Enlighten Eye Brightening Shadow Palette 2

Pacifica’s Enlighten Eye Brightening Shadow Palette ($12). Available now at Target stores and online.

Pacifica Enlighten Eye Brightening Shadow Palette 3
Skinnydip (left) and Coral Sand (right)

Pacifica Enlighten Eye Brightening Shadow Palette 4
Golden (left) and Urchin (right)

There are 9 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.

Makeup and Beauty Blog features daily product reviews, makeup tips and beauty news — like an interactive version of a monthly print magazine, except with occasional pictures of my cat.

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