Just For Fun

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

February 5th, 2012 by Karen 13 Comments

Makeup and Beauty Blog Weekly Roundup

Rise and shine, morning glory. 🙂 I hope you slept well. Did you have any dreams? Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about dreaming big and told a friend of mine who’s very accomplished and encouraging about things like that. She says that people should reach beyond the stars! — even for things that seem totally outrageous and impossible — because when it comes to those dreams, in the process of reaching for the stars, you never you know where you’ll land.

Here are a couple of the things I’ve been dreaming about lately (please tell me yours in the comments).

The Cannes Film Festival For some unknown reason, I’ve become super obsessed with the idea of going to the Cannes Film Festival in France someday. Now, to attend, you’re supposed to have ties to the movie industry, which I don’t, so I have no idea how I’d ever actually get my foot in the door, but I’m trying to figure it out. I love movies, and I think it would be a blast to go.

Makeup school Also related to movies, I came across a school called Cinema Secrets through a video by Melissa Street, a movie makeup artist who’s been in the biz for 20 plus years. In it she talks about the school’s overall makeup curriculum, as well as their expertise in special effects. Now, the school’s in LA, so for me it wouldn’t exactly be a quick commute. The course I’m interested in taking is also six weeks long, so it’s still just a dream, but hey, you never know…

Have you taken the time to dream big lately? What are some of the things you’d love to do if you had absolutely no restrictions in the world?

A few beauty posts that caught my eye…

A movie makeup artist explains how she got started — Epic Makeup
I kinda want to wear black lipstick thanks to this post — Jazzi McG
Create big, luscious doll lashes with this step-by-step tutorial — Beautezine
3 key things a blogger should do in their free time — Sherry Blossom Beauty
Kelly checks out the new MAC Mineralize Skincare Charged Water line — Vampy Varnish
The font freak in me loves this mani — We Heart This
If you’re feeling kinda crafty this weekend, there’s this super cool Crayon DIY project that I’ve been dying to do — Whatever…
The 100 best books of all time, according to Wikipedia — Wikipedia
DIY Beauty: Make Your Own Cream Eyeshadow — Beautiful with Brains
Have you ever tried anything from Rain Cosmetics? — Beauty in New York City

MAKEUP MONSTER: FOUNDATION FIRBOLG

Makeup and Beauty Blog Makeup Monster FREQUENCY: Rare
SPEED: Slow
ARMOR CLASS: 10
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Foundation Firbolgs are a sub-species of Hill Giants obsessed with wiping all foundation off the faces of the earth.

Wielding giant foundation brushes they fashion from tree trunks and Griffin fur and using their keen sense of smell, they patrol remote mountain passes and strip mall parking lots, hunting for foundation wearers. When they find them, Foundation Firbolgs use their giant brushes to wipe away all traces of foundation before releasing their victims, in most cases unharmed.

SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
INTELLIGENCE: Medium
ALIGNMENT: Evil
SIZE: Huge (13′ tall)

The Makeup and Beauty Blog Makeup Monsters

Makeup and Beauty Blog Weekly Roundup

Unexpected Encounters and the LORAC Unzipped Palette

Laura Mercier’s Gel Lip Colour in Dollface Is Here

Hourglass Hidden Corrective Concealer

MAC Unsung Heroes: Eyeshadow in Club

Physicians Formula Eye Enhancing Shadow and Liner in Nude

Laura Mercier CrÃ¨me Cheek Colour in Innocent Peach

MAC Viva Glam Ricky Martin and Nicki Minaj

New Burberry Body Mist Welcomes Spring

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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

February 4th, 2012 by Karen 502 Comments

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

They’re what I like to call “brain cheese.”

Ya know, brainless B-movies that border on unwatchable, but you end up watching them anyway because you’re not in the mood to think.

I had some brain cheese the other night in the form of SyFy’s Rise: Blood Walker (starring Lucy Liu!). It’s the usual “You turned me into a [INSERT PRETERNATURAL CREATURE HERE], and now I want my revenge!” flick.

Like a Lifetime movie…except with vampires.

Anywho, during one of the commercial breaks, I saw a promo for the new season of Face Off, SyFy’s special effects makeup reality show.

I didn’t watch the show last season, but I heard it was good. If you saw it, what did you think? Is it worth using my telekinesis, like in Chronicle, which I saw last night (OMG!), to program the DVR with my mind??

Oh, yes, CHRONICLE! Brain cheese need not apply, not unless we’re talking about Caciocavallo Podolico, which’ll set you back about $650/pound. I thought it was smart, thought provoking, thrilling, different and really well filmed (LOVE the flying scenes). One of my favorite sci-fi movies in years.

It’s a superhero/villain origin story of sorts about three high school friends who, through mysterious means, acquire the ability to manipulate objects in their environment with their minds. Telekinesis.

Okay, now, maybe from that description…it doesn’t sound very smart or different, but that’s just the dressing. What happens before and after that is the yummy salad.

I was worried about the cinematography before going in because I’d read that it was filmed in a style called “found footage,” like The Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield, where the characters are supposedly filming themselves with home video cameras, but while the camerawork in those two movies seemed a little gimmicky and clumsy to me, I thought it blended beautifully into the story in Chronicle.

Speaking of beauty, don’t we usually have a giveaway on Saturdays? Of course we do. 🙂 So let’s get on with it then.

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, who’s your favorite character from a sci-fi book, TV or movie? Have you ever auditioned for a play or film? If you had a superpower, would you tell anyone? Do you wear makeup when you go to the movies? Capes on costumes: cute or tacky? Will you be my valentine? — you get the idea.
Second, you can enter by following me on Twitter @karenmbb and retweeting (RT) the following message:
- Follow @karenmbb and RT to Win a $50 eGift Card from Sephora! http://bit.ly/A9ItMq

The deadline to enter is Sunday, February 5, 2012 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 Sarah! Congratulations, Sarah! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 205

January 30th, 2012 by Karen 54 Comments

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.

Mood:

Optimistically mellow… 🙂

Flashback time! We’re going all the way back to the winter of 2002. Do you remember where you were and what you were doing 10 years ago?

That would have made me 26, so let’s see… I was four months into a new job working in the legal department at a big public utility and living with a roommate in San Francisco’s Richmond District (five minutes away from the beach!).

It was the happiest I’d been in a while. I finally had a steady job again and a great roommate after working a string of temporary gigs and living in less-than-ideal situations. And things got even better a few months later when I met El Hub.

Are you naturally athletic?

Good gawd, no. Not when it comes to projectile sports. I was the person in P.E. who’d run away from the ball whenever it was thrown in her direction. In my defense, part of it was because I was nearsighted but didn’t really figure it out until I was 16.

I’m okay when it comes to running, but that’s about it.

Three makeup or beauty-related things you’ve been loving lately?

Anything and everything moisturizing, like Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Tiger Lily, Laura Mercier Gel Lip Colour in Dollface and Pacifica French Lilac Body Butter (in LOVE with this since I picked it up at Sephora on Saturday).

Three other things you’ve been loving lately?

My pink and black plaid Victoria’s Secret pajamas (complete with matching slippers), the nice weather we had last weekend, and Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Vanilla Tea.

Are you more of an introvert or an extrovert?

It depends. I’m more of an extrovert, but I withdraw when I’m tired or sad.

Something you feel too old to wear?

Let’s be honest here. Sh*t happens, and yes, there are some things I feel too old to wear, like short shorts, mini skirts and anything with tons of ruffles and/or zippers…

Do you blog? Why or why not?

I do! I do it because I enjoy writing, photography, makeup, being theatrical and whimsical, and getting to know interesting people like you.

What’s the least amount of sleep you can fully function on?

Six hours. Anything less and I’m a foggy-headed grumpy goat.

Weekly goals:

Email and call a couple of old friends to say hi, go through the stack of magazines piling up in the living room, and try a new recipe or two.

Hey, hey, happy Monday! I hope you had a nice, relaxing weekend, friend. As usual, mine wasn’t long enough, but I was able to go for a long hike on Saturday with El Hub, and I still feel recharged from that.

There’s just something about spending time outdoors that always perks me up, ya know? I went to this place near my house called the Indian Valley Open Space Preserve. If you’re ever in the area with some time on your hands, there are some beautiful trails, even a tiny waterfall (home to a bunch of salamanders, El Hub excitedly pointed out!), and a number of friendly horses and horseback riders.

I don’t know how ready I am yet for today, but I’ll hang tough if you do. Please take a minute to touch base and say hello in today’s Monday Poll.

To complete the Monday Poll, just copy the following list, and paste it with your answers in the comments.

1. Mood:
2. Flashback time! Do you remember where you were and what you were doing 10 years ago?
3. Are you naturally athletic?
4. Three makeup or beauty-related things you’ve been loving lately?
5. Three other things you’ve been loving lately?
6. Are you more of an introvert or an extrovert?
7. Something you feel too old to wear?
8. The least amount of sleep you can get by on?
9. Do you blog? Why or why not?
10. Weekly goals:

Jeez, last Monday of January already? Let’s make it a day to remember.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 176

January 29th, 2012 by Karen 18 Comments

Tabs for Essie Bluebird Nail Polish

Back from Vietnamese food for din-din, and now I’m freshly showered and ready to watch the next episode of my latest TV obsession, Downton Abbey!

“…my latest TV obsession.” I must type that phrase at least five time a week.

Anywho, Tabs finally talked me into giving it a try, and I’m so glad I caved because it’s 10 shades of great. It’s filled with royal politicking and machinations, just like life with Tabs. 🙂

The reason he wanted me to watch it is because he’s actually a guest star on the show. Yep, he plays a groundskeeper in a few of the episodes who takes care of the family’s extensive 4-acre zinnia garden.

I’m just about to fire up the next episode, so I gotta run. Feel free to hit me up in the comments if you’d like to Downton Abbey dish.

But first! — highlights from Tabs’ kitty modeling work this week. He had shoots with Essie, Burberry, Tarte, EstÃ©e Lauder and Hourglass.

Tabs for the Burberry Cat Carrier

Tabs for Tarte Tabby Tummy Tint in Rainbow Trout
[Continue reading…]

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

January 29th, 2012 by Karen 8 Comments

Good morning, fellow beauty babe. How’s it going today? Did you do anything fun yesterday?

I didn’t get to a whole lot of the things I wanted to get to around the house yesterday, like housecleaning and grocery shopping, but I did manage to go for a nice hike with El Hub. Fun took precedence over function.

Oh, what do you know about cat cafes…? Yes, this is completely random, but if you come by very often, you’ll know that’s sort of par for the course around here. 🙂

So about cat cafes, apparently they’re popping up all over Japan. They’re places where you pay a reasonable fee for the privilege of spending some time with cats. Here’s an interesting article about ’em (complete with pretty kitty pictures!). Seriously, someone needs to open one here in the U.S. because I know at least a few hundred cat lovers who’d be regular customers, myself included, even if it meant upsetting Tabs… He’d probably say I’m cheating on him.

In other news, here’s a trend (you have to click your region after the link) I never thought would ever again see the light of day. I saw these recently on the American Apparel site.

I remember wearing HUGE bows back in the day… Every girl in my seventh-grade class had one in her hair.

I don’t know, though. Are these supposed to be for grown women? I’m a little confused (and yet intrigued). 🙂

As for food trucks, remember last weekend when I mentioned wanting to make it to Off the Grid (the local food truck jamboree)? It was raining here during the last one, so I missed it, but it’s supposed to be sunny today.

Wish me luck!

A few beauty posts that caught my eye…

How to prevent eyeshadow fallout — Kajal Couture
Nail art brushes: having the right tools for the job — The Nailasaurus
LOVE these cool iPhone cases — society6
The Dior 5-Colour Eyeshadow in GrÃ¨ge 734 — The Beauty Look Book
Tips to overcome procrastination (I’ll try ’em later, LOL!) — the99percent
How to use your camera’s Aperture Priority (sometimes called AV) mode to create awesome blurry background effects — Running on Happiness
Four words: Hunger Games sugar cookies — Fictional Food
How to cover practically anything on your skin from pimples to red patches — Beauty Editor
Good knight! a England’s Order of the Garter is a gorgeous blue nail polish — Nihrida
Gotta love a good makeup book: Makeup Makeovers in 5, 10, 15, and 20 Minutes — Jennysue Makeup
The relationship between acne and food — The Beauty Department

MAKEUP MONSTER: BRONZER BUGBEAR

A Makeup and Beauty Blog Makeup Monster FREQUENCY: Rare
SPEED: Slow
ARMOR CLASS: 9
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Bronzer Bugbears are huge, slathering ogres with a taste for bronzer. They consume it for the talc and silica, which they need to survive, and also like to roll around in it like elephants do with mud.

Bronzer Bugbears are able to sense the presence of bronzer within a 10-mile radius, but the exact mechanism by which this sense works remains a mystery (it’s not a sense of smell, since Bronzer Bugbears lack noses). Once within range of bronzer or a person wearing it, they attack! — using a special powder puff that all Bronzer Bugbears instinctively know how to construct. After collecting the bronzer, they retreat to their lairs to eat it in peace.

SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
INTELLIGENCE: Low
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: Huge (12′ tall)

The Makeup and Beauty Blog Makeup Monsters

Makeup and Beauty Blog Weekly Roundup

Summer in Britain With Burberry Beauty

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blushes for Spring 2012

Burberry Beauty Pale Barley Eyeshadow in No. 22

MAC A Shade of Red For Every Heart

New Pink Burberry Beauty Lip Cover Lipsticks

The Essie Navigate Her Nail Polishes

EstÃ©e Lauder Illuminating Perfecting Primer

The EstÃ©e Lauder Pure Color Blushes

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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

January 28th, 2012 by Karen 547 Comments

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

So…my arms have been killing me all week long, and up until a few seconds ago, I’d attributed it to yoga, but now I’m thinking it might have something to do with Brita.

I got this Brita water bottle for Christmas that appears to have been designed for The Incredible Hulk, because that’s how strong you have to be to squeeze it and force the water through the filter thingy attached to the spout.

Good gawd! I’m squeezing so hard that my entire body quakes and veins pop out on my forehead.

Who knows? Maybe it’s just clever marketing on Brita’s part. They get you so worked up squeezing the bottle that you get thirsty and therefore squeeze the bottle even more, LOL!

Anywho, enough about my perpetually parched self. Let’s get to today’s giveaway! 🙂

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, do you feel like you drink enough water? What’s your favorite brand of bottled water? Do you like the taste of the tap water where you live? What’s your favorite waterproof makeup product? Which makeup and beauty products did you use/wear the most this week? — you get the idea.
Second, you can enter by following me on Twitter @karenmbb and retweeting (RT) the following message:
- Follow @karenmbb and RT to Win a $50 eGift Card from Sephora! http://bit.ly/zxVHq1

The deadline to enter is Sunday, January 29, 2012 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 Christina! Congratulations, Christina! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 204

January 23rd, 2012 by Karen 54 Comments

One can never go wrong with pearls…

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.

Mood:

I just finished a quick run, and I feel like I’m floating on an endorphin-fueled high. 🙂 Feels like it’s gonna be a great day!

How do you feel about bright neon clothing?

I’m still on the fence… I noticed a ton of neon shirts, shoes and accessories at Gap and Target last weekend. Talk about flashbacks to the ’80s! I remember wearing an oversized neon green t-shirt in fourth grade that went down to about my knees and thinking I was the ish, haha! It was so obnoxiously bright that it reflected a greenish tint on my chin…

Not my best look. Still, I don’t mind the idea of wearing something bright and eye-catching, but I’d want to wear it in a way that wasn’t totally obnoxious.

Your favorite lip balm?

Lately, I’ve been stuck on Bite Beauty Vitamin Gel in Pink Grapefruit, a moisturizing lippie that tastes just like Boton Rice Candy (NOM!).

Note to self…

Do whatever it takes to get to that hatha yoga class tomorrow at 6. WHATEVER IT TAKES!

Have you tried zip-lining?

No, but I’d love to! I’d like to do it somewhere that took me soaring out over the tops of tall trees.

When was the last time you rode a bicycle?

Last June over my birthday trip to Vancouver, British Columbia. El Hub and I rented bikes and cruised around Stanley Park. So much fun!

Which of your friends lives the farthest away from you?

I’m lucky that two of my closest friends, Jen and Cindy, live here in the Bay Area, and they’re both about an hour away, so I guess that makes you the farthest. 🙂

What would you do with a six-month, all-expenses-paid break from work or school?

I’d sleep in and do absolutely nothing every day for the first two weeks. Then, I’d spend the next month chasing waves (always, always wanted to go on a surf trip), and then the next few months eating my way through Europe.

Not sure about the rest of the time… Six months is a long time, and I’m not sure how Tabs would feel about these plans. I mean, I know he’s doing his own thing with his kitty modeling career and probably wouldn’t want to chase me around the world, but there’s no way I could go six months away from him.

Something that makes you feel peaceful?

The sound of rushing water and bubbles for the first few seconds after I dive into a body of water.

Weekly goals:

Just one this week (well, two, including making it to yoga tomorrow night): don’t stop believing!

It rained buckets here all day yesterday, so no food truck time for me (boo!), but I did make it to the movies.

If you like movies with butt-kicking babes, go see Haywire (it was El Hub’s idea), directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring former MMA fighter Gina Carano, who’s like Jane Bond/Bourne in the flick, which also stars Michael Douglas, Antonio Bandaras, Michael Fassbender and Ewan McGregor (yay!).

It’s probably safe to assume that the Academy will not be doling out any Oscars for the film, I thought it was great. And apparently, according to El Hub (a former martial artist), Gina has top-notch fighting technique and looks tough as nails.

Of course, I wouldn’t know, because other than the correct way to make a fist, I don’t know a thing about fighting. I couldn’t appreciate the finer points of the action scenes, but I still thought it was pretty cool to see a girl action hero delivering so many beat downs.

And now today it’s back to the grind! — which also means it’s time for the Monday Poll. Do you have a minute to touch base and say hi? 🙂

To complete the Monday Poll, just copy the following list, and paste it with your answers in the comments.

1. Mood:
2. How do you feel about bright neon clothing?
3. Your favorite lip balm?
4. Note to self…
5. Have you tried zip-lining?
6. When was the last time you rode a bicycle?
7. Which of your friends lives the farthest away from you?
8. What would you do with a six-month, all-expenses-paid break from work or school?
9. Something that makes you feel peaceful?
10. Weekly goals:

Here’s to us having a great week of record-breaking proportions! 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 175

January 22nd, 2012 by Karen 21 Comments

Tabs for Dolce & Gabbana Gravy

What would you do if you found yourself in Seville on business with one free night to do whatever you want? Well, if you were international kitty supermodel Tabs the Cat, you’d have the brick of cod tapas and gazpacho at Enrique Becerra before heading over to Casa de la Memoria de Al-Andalus to catch Fragua Flemenca perform.

SÃ, Tabs had a shoot in Spain this week for NARS, but he was only there for about 24 hours. It was a quick turnaround because his agent booked him for a campaign the following day in Milan with Dolce & Gabbana.

When he got home yesterday he brought me back some yummy Spanish olives, and I got him a crunchy paper toy from Target. Now we’re just watching a little TV together before I get ready for bed.

Oh, I don’t know if you follow kitty modeling, but if you do, here are some highlights from the jobs Tabs had this week. 🙂

Tabs for NARS Flamenco

Tabs for MAC Naturally
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