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Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 295

May 11th, 2014 by Karen 7 Comments

MAC Alluring Aquatic Collection Wallpaper Starring Tabs the Cat

There are cats that loathe water, and there are cats that love it. Tabs is a bit of both. His great, great, great, great — well, it was a great number of greats ago — grandmommy cat (which reminds me, happy Mother’s Day!) was a Bengal tiger, and she loved the water. Loved swimming in it, hunting near it and leaping into it from riverbanks.

Sometimes Tabs has his own water kitty moments, like right now, with the new MAC Alluring Aquatic collection.

The release pops up on maccosmetics.com this week (May 15), and Tabs is pretty excited about it. He even commissioned a special commemorative desktop wallpaper. 🙂

He hopes you download one of them (there are different sizes, depending on your screen), and set it as your computer wallpaper, so that you may gaze upon his — ahem! — robust body of work.

Who is Tabs the Cat?
About seven years ago I befriended a stray, flea-bitten tabby cat with a bad case of worms. I could see he’d fallen on hard times, but his profound knowledge of high fashion and department store cosmetics led me to believe that he was more than meets the eye. We became fast friends, and now he’s actually my boss (and a successful kitty model).

Desktop

iPad

iPhone

Resolutions

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Oh! Don’t forget to enter this weekend’s Sephora giveaway. It ends Monday night, and you could take home (well, it arrives by email) a $50 eGift card.

Jewelry by Dale Beevers and Zoe Cope of the SF Academy of Art University

May 10th, 2014 by Karen 7 Comments

Imagine going to school and taking classes to learn how to make jewelry.

That sounds like so much fun to me!

Here’s some of the accessories and jewelry by graduating students and designers I saw backstage and on the runway last night at the SF Academy of Art University fashion show.

I really like these wood, metal and stone pieces by Dale Beevers…

That’s the designer on the right, San Francisco Academy of Art University Jewelry & Metal Arts graduate Dale Beevers

Dale hand carves her pieces from different kinds of wood, like manzanita, root wood and buckeye, into interesting organic shapes.

She was kind enough to let me try on a few things, like this cool neck piece and bracelet made from buckeye wood, concrete (some of the black patches are actually thin layers of concrete) and shimmery pyrite.

Apparently, I wasn’t the only gal moved by Dale’s work, because Rosita Missoni (yes, as in the Italian fashion house Missoni), who was in attendance at the show, saw and purchased a set of bracelets Dale was actually wearing on her arms.

Um…when a Missoni asks to buy jewelry that you made and are wearing on your arms, you freakin’ sell it to them, am I right?!

I also really dug these black plexiglass acrylic pieces with inset etched copper by Zoe Cope.

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Setting Off Alarms Now at Sephora Stores, the New $59 Marc Jacobs Beauty Style Eye-Con No. 7 Plush Shadow in The Siren

May 8th, 2014 by Karen 14 Comments

On a Sephora pitstop the other day — you know, one of those quickie visits where you just zip in and zip out, zoom-zoom! — I did a double-take when I walked by the new Style Eye-Con No. 7 Plush Shadow in The Siren by Marc Jacobs Beauty ($59).

How colorful and fun is this limited edition palette!? It’s inspired by the ocean and fire shades.

And, um…am I crazy for wanting to sweep that red in the crease?? I can kind of see that happening, LOL!

The Siren is setting off alarms now at Sephora stores and online. 🙂

Spring Is in the Air With L’Occitane’s New Néroli & Orchidée Body Milk, Eau de Toilette and Fragrance Beautifying Cream

May 7th, 2014 by Karen 11 Comments

The first time I wore L’Occitane’s new Néroli & Orchidée, seriously, I literally could not stop sniffing myself.

Oh, gosh! It smells so good! Floral and refreshing, but not heavy, and it lingers all day long, too.

Néroli & Orchidée blends the scents of two precious white flowers in a beautiful harmony. A heart of radiant neroli essence from the Mediterranean is blended with caressing white orchid absolute from Madagascar. Fruity bursts of orange and heart notes of peach complete the sensuous bouquet.
— loccitane.com

Lately in the mornings after my workout and shower, I grab either Néroli & Orchidée Body Milk ($20) or the Fragrance Beautifying Booster Cream ($35). Both absorb quickly without leaving any kind of residue behind. So great for warm weather.

And the Fragrance Beautifying Booster Cream is really interesting. It moisturizes your skin and his a light floral scent, but it also complements and extends the life of the other La Collection de Grasse fragrances if you layer them on top of it.

It works with all of L’Occitane’s La Collection de Grasse scents, but my favorite combo is with Néroli & Orchidée.

Then, after the Body Milk or Beautifying Booster Cream when thoroughly I’m moisturized, I spray a couple spritzes of Néroli & Orchidée ($75) on my wrists and neck, and I’m good for the entire day.

Give it a sniff next time you’re visiting a L’Occitane counter or store.

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Just Look at That Vibrant Blue in Laura Mercier’s Summer in St. Tropez Baked Eyeshadow Quad

May 6th, 2014 by Karen 10 Comments

I think I’m going through a blue period ’cause I seriously cannot wait to get the blue eyeshadows in Laura Mercier’s Summer in St. Tropez Baked Eyeshadow Quad ($44) on my lids.

Especially that intense one on the far left…

It’s from Laura’s New Attitude summer collection (catchphrase: “Dare to be different”), available on counters and online now.

A Walk Around the Grounds at Napa’s Carneros Inn

May 5th, 2014 by Karen 7 Comments

The Carneros Inn is right next to the yummy Boon Fly Cafe in Napa, California, so after “nommage” you can walk off your meal with a leisurely stroll about the lovely grounds.

Lots of beautiful flowers and interesting plants…

I snapped these pics after breakfast last Saturday.

I think that's a fig — I think that’s a fig

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 294

May 4th, 2014 by Karen 20 Comments

Hey kitty cats,

Ah, the trials and tribulations of being a husky tabby! I’ve been searching high and low for a window perch able to support my luxurious frame for what feels like an eternity. Most of them claim to be designed for cats of all sizes but turn out to be of such dubious construction that I doubt they would support kittens half my weight.

As luck would have it, my assistant mentioned that she found one claiming to support felines up to 35 pounds on a recent trip to Petco.

Purr-fect, as I am currently pushing 20 pounds (I had to bulk up for an upcoming action movie role with Channing Tatum), so I gave the girl my American Express black card and said, “mrow!” Bring one back, and make it snappy!

She returned with the $29.95 Cat Napper, and we assembled it together today.

Actually, she assembled it while I supervised; these paws weren’t made for manual labor.

The perch has a hammock style design with a polyester cover and a sturdy plastic frame. Two large Velcro stickers, one which goes on the frame and the other on the window, secure the perch in place. Or, you can use the included wood screws to make the install more permanent.

We opted for the Velcro, as I do not trust my assistant with power tools…

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Hourglass Welcomes Four New Shades to Their Panoramic Lip Pencil Line in Raven, Muse, Empress and Eden

May 2nd, 2014 by Karen 22 Comments

The new Hourglass Panoramic Lip Pencils, $28 each

More lip love coming at’cha from Hourglass Cosmetics.

The luxury makeup line (which I lurve) recently added four new shades to their Panoramic Long Wear Lip Pencil line — orangey red Raven, coral-red Muse, deep aubergine Empress and true nude Eden.

These smooth, creamy pencils glide along my lips like makeup figure skaters and remind me a lot of MAC’s Pro Longwear Lip Pencils.

No tugging at all, and they don’t dry out my lips, either.

They last for me from 4-5 hours.

What Hourglass says about ’em…

The creamy formula glides on smoothly and resists smudging and feathering.

Polymers adhere to the skin and have water-resistant qualities.

Intense color payoff delivers continuous all-day wear.

Equipped with a blending brush to perfect and evenly distribute product.

Free of parabens, phthalates, sulfates and gluten. Not tested on animals.

Note the caps on both ends down below… The pencils come with a blending brush to buff and distribute the liner after applying.

Sweet. 🙂

They’re available now in the Hourglass permanent collection at Barneys New York, Bergdorf Goodman and Sephora stores, and also online at hourglasscosmetics.com for $28 each.

Hourglass Panoramic Lip Pencils from the left: Muse, Empress, Eden and Raven — Panoramic Lip Pencils from the left in Muse, Empress, Eden and Raven

Hourglass Panoramic Lip Pencil 5 — The blending brush

Hourglass Panoramic Lip Pencil Swatches clockwise from the lower left corner: Empress, Nude, Muse and Raven — Swatches, with love, clockwise from the lower left corner in Empress, Eden, Muse and Raven

Hourglass Panoramic Lip Pencil in Nude Swatch — Eden

Hourglass Panoramic Lip Pencil in Muse Swatch — Muse

Hourglass Panoramic Lip Pencil in Raven Swatch — Raven

Hourglass Panoramic Lip Pencil in Empress Swatch — Empress

I feel like Hourglass is totally having a well-deserved moment right now.