Archives for March 2018

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 491

March 4th, 2018 by Karen 13 Comments

As you know, Tabs has 12 Oscars — more than any other cat actor — and before he left Novato this weekend to attend the 90th Academy Awards in Los Angeles (he’s nominated in the Best Supporting Cat Actor category for his riveting portrayal of a brainwashed former kitty supermodel in Get Out), he texted me a few reminder highlight pics from past years, like the time he photobombed Bradley Cooper…

While Tabs is out of town, I’m organizing his trophy case, which is more of a trophy room, because he’s quite confident that he’s going to win his 13th statue tonight…

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Saturday Surfing, March 3rd, 2018

March 3rd, 2018 by Karen 7 Comments

Good morning, gorgeous! The birthday lasagna is in the oven, and I’m about to pick up Connor’s cake for her birthday party. (I’ll post a picture. It’s a three-layer lemon cake with pink ombre rosettes going up the sides!) As usual, I’m running around at the last minute, so I’m going to keep my makeup simple. Maybe something with the MAC Padma Lakshmi collection.

Before I go do some quick tornado blending (you gotta do what you gotta do!), here are some stories that caught my bronzed eye this week.

Wow, it looks like this is finally gonna happen. Cosmetics and personal-care products are about to come under federal regulatory scrutiny after 80 years. There’s a tentative agreement on a proposal that would require companies to register with the FDA (right now companies don’t even have to register at all) and require the FDA to evaluate a number of ingredients for safety.
Currently, the FDA doesn’t require manufacturers of products like shampoo, deodorant, lipstick or eye makeup to report safety problems. That’s right! Any ol’ Joe Shmoe could add shoe polish or bird poop to your eyeshadow, and it would be totally “legal.”
Lipstick in powder form is a thing, and all I have to say is, who thought this would be a good idea…? Between the cat, and the kid, and my inherent clumsiness, this is a disaster waiting to happen.
Whelp, my drugstore beauty wish list just got longer because of this list by the Wirecutter.

Do you ever visit this site, BTW? They’re owned by the New York Times. I usually check it for reviews on household appliances like plates and vacuums. They do extensive research and testing.
Yup, more and more shoe brands are getting into makeup. (See: Christian Louboutin.)

Do you think this is a weird leap?

I think it’s kind of crazy…because what do ? shoes have to do with ? lipstick, really? But I’m a shoe enthusiast (to put it mildly), so I’m down.
OK, so this article reads like a Charlotte Tilbury infomercial toward the end, but I got sucked in when Charlotte spilled the beans on what it’s like for her to do celebrity makeup for the Oscars.
Favorite pics of the week: these images of the Dukha people of Mongolia. They’re a nomadic tribe that has lived in the same region for centuries, and they have a special relationship with the area’s wild animals, including reindeer.
The pics of the children napping with reindeer melt my ? heart.
There’s something very Hannibal Lecter about these portraits by photographer Evija Laivina of women wearing Amazon’s weirdest beauty devices, but oh, my goodness, I can’t look away…
Do these contraptions actually do anything for anyone? They look like horror movie props!

Before I go to bed, I use hand cream and lip balm…but what starlings do before they go to sleep is much more interesting!

Aw, man, this makes me want to feed Michael B. Jordan brownies and ask him how his day went. ?

My favorite song from the Black Panther soundtrack

I am this man. This man is me.

Have a great day! Happy birthday ??? to all the pisces babies out there.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

MAC Padma Lakshmi Collection: Eye Shadow X 4 in 70’s Sunset

March 2nd, 2018 by Karen 17 Comments

Who is the genetically blessed being that is Padma Lakshmi? Well, I know her from watching one too many seasons of Top Chef. Remember the pea puree incident? No? WELL I DO, AND IT WAS SCANDALOUS!

You might know her from her modeling work or her cookbooks. She’s gorgeous. Absolutely beautiful. And she has a new MAC collection coming out soon (it’ll be available online and at select stores from March 15th through April).

It’s a full collection — eyeshadows, blushes, a few liners, some brushes, lots of lipsticks, a gloss — and it looks luxe, with sturdy gold packaging (that may or may not be metal) and intricate details. Items that would look right at home on a table in a high-end boutique that sells boho woven rugs, crystals, hammered artisan jewelry and couture peasant tops.

mac padma lakshmi collection — Feels kinda boho chic, yeah?

mac padma lakshmi collection packaging — Everything feels weighty and expensive.

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More From the Chanel Spring-Summer 2018 Collection: 824 Verderame, 66 L’Indomabile, 794 Poppea, 792 Aphrodite and 50 Nero Metallo

March 2nd, 2018 by Karen 20 Comments

chanel spring summer 2018 k — More from the Chanel Spring-Summer 2018 collection

Viva l’Italia! Anybody wanna go to Naples? This afternoon…? We can tell our families that Lucia Pica and Chanel made us do it. I can pack a bag and be ready to go in an hour…

YEAH, RIGHT! Who am I kidding? You know it would take me at least a half a day to pack my makeup.

OK, maybe a full day. ?

Lucia is shaking things up at Chanel with all kinds of color, and her latest collection, Spring-Summer 2018, is a shout-out to her hometown of Naples, Italy.

If Naples looks anything like the blues, greens, reds and yellows in this launch, I could easily fall in love with it. So let’s go, yeah? If you know a good travel agent, call her and get the hookup! Girls trip, April 2018! ?✈️?

chanel l indomabile — Red and green! That’s Rouge Allure Velvet in 66 L’Indomabile on my lips and Ombre Premiere Longwear Cream Eyeshadow in 824 Verderame on my lids.

OK, back to reality…

Spring-Summer 2018 is a pretty big launch, and so far I know I like the eyeshadow palette and the green liner.

Here are some quick thoughts on the other pieces I’ve tried (some which I like more than others).

chanel spring summer 2018 swatches — 824 Verderame, 66 L’Indomabile, 794 Poppea, 792 Aphrodite, 50 Nero Metallo

Ombre Premiere Longwear Cream Eyeshadow in 824 Verderame ($36, limited edition)

824 Verderame reminds me of a metallic cream version of MAC Club eyeshadow, but without the brown, and I love it with a matte brown in the crease, and either a charcoal or dark green liner on the water lines. It’s pigmented and GORGEOUS. It also dries in less than 30 seconds, so don’t dilly-dally! — or you’ll end up with harsh edges (a lesson I learned the hard way). Keep the small white brush that comes with the pot, too, because it’s surprisingly great and easy to use. The bristles deposit lots of color.

chanel 824 verderame — Ombre Premiere Longwear Cream Eyeshadow in 824 Verderame

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From the Chanel Spring-Summer 2018 Collection: Mare-Chiaro Stylo Yeux Waterproof Eyeliner, or “When Green Is Good”

March 1st, 2018 by Karen 12 Comments

chanel mare chiaro — Mare-Chiaro, a gorgeous bright yellowish green from the Chanel Spring-Summer 2018 Collection

So, I collect a lot of things. Like, right now I’m collecting broken ballpoint pens, apparently. LOL! I have six of them on my desk, and NONE OF THEM WORK. I just need to throw them away…

I don’t know what my problem is. I think I might be a hoarder in training…

Actually, I know I am, and I have to fight the urge to hoard daily, but that’s another story for another time! AHEM.

I also collect pencils… Chanel eyeliner pencils, that is. And if you don’t know about the Stylo Yeux line, allow me to rock your world. I believe they are, dare I say it, the best high-end liners around.

Stylo Yeux is Chanel’s line of skinny twist-up waterproof pencils, and the basic black shade from the permanent line, 88 Noir Intense, is my go-to black liner and all-time fave.

Seriously, I could write a book of sonnets about it, and some of the LE shades are also epic, like Noir Petrole and Legendary Green.

The Spring-Summer 2018 Collection introduces a gorgeous $33 LE green called Mare-Chiaro, which is a borough in Naples, Italy (thanks, Interwebz!), Chanel Global Creative Makeup and Color Designer Lucia Pica’s hometown.

chanel mare chiaro swatch k — Green kitten wings, meow!

chanel mare chiaro swatch eye 2 — Lovin’ this on lash and water lines

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From the Chanel Spring-Summer 2018 Collection: Chanel Les 9 Ombres Multi-Effects Eyeshadow Palette

March 1st, 2018 by Karen 16 Comments

Have you been to Chanel lately? — like within the last couple years? Because every time I go there, it’s like — and I mean this in a good way — I’m about to see what’s behind door number three in The Price Is Right. I don’t know what’s gonna be there! Will it be a goat? A trip to Italy? Will there be a red Radio Flyer wagon? I JUST DON’T KNOW. And those fun, frequent surprises are making me an even bigger fan of the brand.

Ever since Lucia Pica took the reins, there have been so many creative twists and turns, especially with color. She does a lot of themed collections, and yes, Chanel has always liked themed launches, but Lucia’s themes and visions always seem strong, and I totally get what she’s trying to do.

The collections are often travel related, and the colors and textures will refer to places she’s visited and lived. This one for spring/summer is a homage to her hometown of Naples, Italy. It’s like, bright explosive colors — greens, blues, yellows, reds. Those are the visuals, but you know me, much as I love color, I also love neutrals, and there are many lovely neutrals here, too, especially in the eyeshadow palette, which, by the way, is SUCH a nice surprise.

It’s a nine-pan palette called Les 9 Ombres, and it’s $70, which is expensive, but it’s a relative “bargain” for Chanel, considering that they’ve done other palettes with five eyeshadows for $50.

And everything in it is wearable — yes, including the blue and green in the middle.

(Side note: even if you don’t consider yourself a colorful eyeshadow person, I still totally believe that you can work both of these shades. You could use them as eyeliners — do the thinnest line on the upper lash line if you’re shy! — or mix the green or the blue into one of the neutrals, like the taupe, or the bronze on the lower right-hand side, and then pop that on your lids for a twist of unexpected but totally conservative color.)

You’ll notice that almost all of the shades in this eyeshadow palette are neutrals, which, you know, yay for usability! — but also, the eyeshadows are even higher quality than usual. As if that’s even possible! Chanel stepped it up. Well, more like leaped up! The shadows feel almost incomprehensibly good.

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