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Just For Fun

Comment to Win a $50 eGift Card From MAC! (Ends Monday)

August 15th, 2015 by Karen 388 Comments

** THE GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED **

This giveaway is closed, and the winner has been contacted (CONGRATULATIONS, LULLE!!!), but check back next Saturday for another giveaway.

mac-giveaway-08-16-15

What a day! I had an interesting, exciting one yesterday. That’s why I wasn’t around much. Tabs had to hold down the fort at MBB headquarters because I was in the city shooting five (!) videos for a makeup project later this year, and I’d never done anything quite that official before, with a producer and a director and props and big studio lights.

studio-filming

That’s different than how I usually do my videos in my living room, haha. The only thing missing was Tabs all up in my grill. 🙂 Hopefully it all works out, and I’m able to share the videos when they’re done.

I’m still a little tired from having to be on so much yesterday, so I don’t feel like pushing myself this weekend. My priority is taking it easy. I should do some housecleaning and run some errands, but that’s it. If El Hub says he wants to go kayaking down a raging river, I may have to decline.

I hope you had a good week, my friend. Please tell me someone did something nice for you. I always wish that.

Prize

  • One (1) MAC eGift card containing $50 sent to the winner by email (international readers, you may opt to receive $50 sent by PayPal instead).

$50 MAC eGIFT CARD

Rules

  • Enter by leaving a comment below.
  • Open to U.S. and international readers.
  • You must be 18 or older to enter (or otherwise an adult based on your local laws).
  • Your comment can be about anything at all, but here are some ideas if you’re stuck:
    • What’s your favorite non-sunscreen product that contains SPF?
    • Someone you know who talks A LOT?
    • Best musical makeup collaboration between a brand and an artist?
    • Have you ever tripped or fallen at an inopportune moment?
    • Your pick for Best Lipstick of All Time?
    • A word you pronounce differently than most people?
  • One entry per person.
  • You must use a valid email address to win.
  • The giveaway ends on Monday, August 17, 2015 at 11:59 PM (Pacific Time). 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 388 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Giveaways, Just For Fun, Tabs

Would You Ever Let Your Significant Other Paint Your Toenails?

August 12th, 2015 by Karen 30 Comments

BTW, those are the Franco Sarto Meggie Sandal in black ($69.95)
The shoes are the Franco Sarto Meggie Sandals in black ($69.95 at DSW)

No.

No way.

There is absolutely no way that’s ever gonna happen.

I’ve seen this scene play out in movies before, where the dude paints his lady’s toenails, usually on a messy bed in a sun-dappled bedroom, and I guess it’s supposed to be all romantic and sh*t?

But I don’t see it going down like that with El Hub.

Don’t get me wrong — he’d try his hardest, bless his heart, but then he’d spill the nail polish all over the bed, or he’d turn the whole thing into a joke, and we’d be laughing the entire time, and I’d end up with toenails that look like they were painted by a five-year-old.

In other words, HELL NO.

How about you? Would you ever let your significant other paint your toenails?

Would you ever let your significant other paint your toenails?

View Results

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Happy hump day! 🙂

There are 30 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun

5 Things I’ve Been Loving Lately

August 11th, 2015 by Karen 35 Comments

limes

1. Lime-flavored ANYTHING

Forget about lemons. Limes are where it’s at, man.

So sour… So good! I was into key lime pie a few weeks ago (haha, I know, I shift gears often), but now I’m all about lime candies and — OOH! — limeade!

It’s like lemonade but made with limes (obvs). There’s a place in town called Rustic Bakery that makes a GREAT limeade that’s nice and tart with a good bite to it, and sometimes I’ll get one there with lunch.

In fact, I’m drinking one right now. 🙂

Well…I was drinking one, but I just finished it! *slurp*

2. Clinique Cheek Pop in Ginger Pop

clinique-ginger-pop-blush

Current favorite blush right hurr. This pop is a real gem. It’s a $22 peachy brown nude in Clinique’s permanent line, and it buffs out beautifully on cheeks.

Lasts all day, too.

I guess I forgot about it for a while, but I recently re-discovered it while “shopping” in a drawer.

3. Hourglass Femme Rouge Lipstick in Vintage

Hourglass Femme Rouge Lipstick in Vintage
Hourglass Femme Rouge Lipstick in Vintage, $30

Another beauty I hadn’t worn in a hot minute, but I’m making up for that now!

Doesn’t this pinkish brown have kind of a ’90s vibe to it? (I wore it in yesterday’s winged liner tutorial). I love how this neutral/nude works with darker skin tones, especially (if you’re a lighter lass, check out Hourglass Grace).
[Continue reading…]

There are 35 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Clinique, Hourglass, Just For Fun, Makeup

Would You Rather Do Lash Extensions or Brow Extensions (If You HAD to Choose One)?

August 11th, 2015 by Karen 26 Comments

lash-or-brow-extensions

You’ve heard of lash extensions, right? Where they glue false lash fibers to the ends of your natural lashes to make them look longer and more lavishly luxuriant?

How about brow extensions?

Yes, girl! You knew it was coming eventually, but brow extensions are now officially a thing.

In the process, a brow technician glues teeny, tiny fibers (I read somewhere that some salons use natural hair) either on your existing brow hairs and/or the skin around them, and then BA-BING! BA-BAM! — you have fuller, fluffier, bangin’ brows that are presumably #onfleek, or something of the sort.

I would certainly hope that the “fleek” would be on, because brow extensions run between $150 to $200!

They’re a temporary thing, of course, usually lasting up to three weeks, but probably less if you exercise often (I guess the sweat breaks down the glue?).

If I HAD to choose one…I’d go with the brow extensions. Although I’ve been tempted by lash extensions before (oh, to wake up and have real lashes like a REAL girl!!), I’m very sensitive when it comes my eyes, and I just have a feeling that I’d notice them all the time or see them peeking out of the corner of my eye and would want to rip ’em out.

I don’t see that happening as much with the brow extensions, so that’s my choice.

Plus, I think it would be cool to not have to futz with my brows! Even if it’s just for a few weeks.

Would you rather do lash extensions or brow extensions (if you HAD to choose one)?

View Results

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 26 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 385

August 10th, 2015 by Karen 37 Comments

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll for August 10, 2015
Sephora VIB Epic Rewards starting soon! Sort of. Let’s just say that it did not go off without a hitch…

You might be wondering, “So what in tarnation is this Monday Poll thing anyway!?”

Well, it isn’t exactly a poll. It’s more of a constantly evolving (devolving?), somewhat random list of questions I’ve been putting out to readers every Monday morning for the past seven years. (It’s like a kickstart for your brain.) I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.

  1. Describe your perfect hair day.
    Long and loose barely-there beach waves with a good amount of volume, especially around the roots, and very little frizz (and no grays showing). 😉 My bangs must also lie perfectly to the side without any weird bumps or stray fly-aways.

    Ah, bangs… I love ’em, but sometimes they seem like straight-up punishment.

    Oh, and if/when a breeze comes along, the hair has to just keep getting better and better. That would be a bomb-@ss hair day right there.

  2. What’s your stance on duck-face selfies?
    I treat ’em like red pepper flakes (in that a little goes a long way). I think they can be cute every once in a great while, like once every three or four months, but when every other pic is a duck face, I think that’s a bit much for me. But it’s just a personal preference.
  3. When was the last time you tried some nail art, and how did it turn out?
    Hmm… I think it was around last January, and I don’t remember exactly what I did, but I remember it being a mess.

    Basically, I’m not the hippest homegirl on the block when it comes to nail art. I think some people are amazing at it, and I’m blown away by what they do, but I barely have the patience these days to paint my paws a single color, much less add an accent nail!

  4. 3 things you’d never, ever wear?
    1. A bowl cut
    2. A cropped white leather jacket with extra long fringe
    3. Capri pants that aren’t workout pants (don’t get me started on this)
  5. Today I’m feeling __________.
    Really good about the week, even though it’s going to be crazy busy. I have quite a few appointments planned (a doctor’s appointment tomorrow, a big blogging project later this week, a work lunch one day, and a few other things), but I did some planning over the weekend, and so I feel well prepared.

    I haven’t been this organized in a really long time, and it feels great.

Le List

Your turn. 🙂 Just copy and paste the following questions into a comment with your answers. I look forward to reading ’em!

1. Describe your perfect hair day.
2. What’s your stance on duck-face selfies?
3. When was the last time you tried some nail art, and how did it turn out?
4. 3 things you’d never, ever wear?
5. Today I’m feeling __________.

Hello and good morning, sweetpea. I’m sitting here at my desk, constantly refreshing the Sephora website because I’m waiting for their VIB Rouge Epic Rewards program to start. 🙂

The store’s doing a promotion where you can cash in your VIB points for some cool gift sets, and I’ve been hoarding my points for years! Literally, years. So I’ve got my eye on this YSL set with a whole bunch of eyeshadow palettes and mascaras in it. Everything’s first come, first serve, and Cave Girl Karen is hovering around the campfire waiting to pounce…

sephora-2000-point-reward

How’s your Monday coming along? Peaceful, easy and filled with kitties, I hope.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 37 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 358

August 9th, 2015 by Karen 8 Comments

rainbow-shave-ice-makeup-look-thumbnail

Hello, my loves. Aloha!

Even though I was born and raised here in Marin County, California, I consider myself a local boy because of my strong ties to Hawaii. One of my assistants is from there, and I try to visit the islands often. I love the welcoming aloha spirit, the diversity, the climate and the fresh seafood.

This tutorial is a celebration of color inspired by a favorite local treat called shave ice. Not “shaved ice,” but “shave ice.” Something to wear next time you’re feeling tropical and sweet.

Mahalo nui loa,
Tabs

There are 8 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun, Tabs

Comment to Win a $50 eGift Card From MAC! (Ends Monday)

August 8th, 2015 by Karen 373 Comments

** THE GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED **

This giveaway is closed, and the winner has been contacted (CONGRATULATIONS, CHELSEA!!!), but check back next Saturday for another giveaway.

mac-giveaway-08-09-15

tabs-circleGooood morning, glory! If you have not yet had your Caturday feline fix, allow me to help…

I hope you had a nice night. Mine was pretty chill. We just kept it easy and local with two words: take out.

Wait — I think that’s one word…

El Hub and I got takeout Puerto Rican for dinner because I’d been craving good beans and rice, then came home and checked on our neighbor’s kitty cat and bunny. Yup, we’re on petsitter duty this weekend for their cute orange tabby and little white bunny, and that’s fun. After providing the entertainment for their evening, we rented a pretty good Western on iTunes called Slow West starring Michael Fassbender. Good movie, but not a lot of rainbows and kittens, if you know what I mean…

After that, it was off to bed for this gal!

I’m not sure yet what we’ll do today, but it feels like a good mall day to me. I don’t know what it is, but there’s something in the air. I feel the mall vibes… LOL!

Have a wonderful weekend, my friend, and give yourself a big hug from me and lots of sweet kitty hugs from Tabs. 🙂

Prize

  • One (1) MAC eGift card containing $50 sent to the winner by email (international readers, you may opt to receive $50 sent by PayPal instead).

$50 MAC eGIFT CARD

Rules

  • Enter by leaving a comment below.
  • Open to U.S. and international readers.
  • You must be 18 or older to enter (or otherwise an adult based on your local laws).
  • Your comment can be about anything at all, but here are some ideas if you’re stuck:
    • Would you rather live 1,000 years (just you, not your family members) or win $1 million?
    • What’s a word you always have a hard time spelling?
    • Have you ever dated someone you met online?
    • A skin care product you’ve been wanting to try?
    • New shoes or new lipstick?
    • A TV show you would love to see turned into a movie?
  • One entry per person.
  • You must use a valid email address to win.
  • The giveaway ends on Monday, August 10, 2015 at 11:59 PM (Pacific Time). 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 373 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Giveaways, Just For Fun

Smile! You May Want to Trim Your Nose Hairs (Just a Quick Tip About Smiling and Maybe Trimming Your Nose Hairs!)

August 7th, 2015 by Karen 20 Comments

Wearing makeup from the new MAC Lightness of Being collection

OK, I don’t really know how to start this blog post, because what woman in her right mind admits to the Interwebz that she has nose hairs, but whatever — here goes!

I am about 20 years away from becoming a full-on Sasquatch.

Seriously.

One day El Hub is going to wake up and find Mrs. Chewbacca sleeping next to him. (Part of me believes that he would think he had won the lottery if this happened because he is a HUGE Star Wars fan, haha.)

Anyway, I’m getting hairier, and I have concrete evidence to support this, because one day not long ago I was looking at a bunch of pictures that I had just taken for the blog, and I noticed — ruh-roh! — that in all of the pics in which I was smiling, the hairs in my left nostril were totally poking out.

Now, they weren’t long enough to braid or anything (OMG!), but I could definitely see little hairs poking out in all their nose hair glory.

(I’m convinced that there is some kind of correlation between smiling and nose hair visibility…)

Because I know myself, and I know that if I get anything sharp like regular scissors close to my face things will not go well, later that day I went to the drugstore and bought this pair of safety facial hair trimmers from Tweezerman.
[Continue reading…]

There are 20 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun

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Welcome to Makeup and Beauty Blog

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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