Just For Fun

So this is winter, huh? Gotta say, not a fan.

Yup, the rain returned this morning, but it’s not one of those productive rains that refills reservoirs and builds up the snow pack in the mountains. This is just a faint freezing drizzle that makes me want to stay indoors and drives Tabs out of his ever-lovin’ mind.

How’s it going out yonder way? I’m not really feeling up to writing transitions this morning, so here are just a couple of non-makeup and makeup-related things I’ve been liking lately…

Whatever you’re up to, I hope you have a great day. 🙂

Southland It’s baaack! The new season of one of my favorite shows just started, and I think it’s one of the most underrated hours on TV.

It’s a police drama, but if you like police dramas, give it a try. It has some pretty interesting, complex characters, great acting and cool story lines. Plus, it stars cutie pie Benjamin McKenzie, and starting this season, Lucy Liu, too, who I think did a great job in last week’s season premiere.

Food trucks Right now they’re HUGE in San Francisco. I haven’t been to one lately, but I keep wanting to go.

There’s this weekly food truck jamboree thing called Off the Grid where a bunch of food trucks all meet at the same time and place in the city, and now they’re introducing an Off the Grid up here where I live in Marin County, huzzah!

Underworld Awakening Okay, I have no idea why they keep making these movies because I think they went downhill fast after the first one, but I’m a big Milla Jovovich Kate Beckinsale fan (I always get those ladies confused). I have to see it. Can’t resist.

Sunday Riley and Edward Bess I’m intrigued by both of these lines. Sunday Riley is new at Barney’s New York, and Sephora recently started carrying Edward Bess. I love how elegant both of them look from the packaging, so these are tops on my list of new things to try.

If I do venture out of the house this afternoon, I’ll have to be very careful, though, because another makeup monster has been spotted in the area (possibly the last makeup monster in this series). I should be okay… The authorities are saying that it only targets people wearing false eyelashes, and I didn’t plan on wearing any today.

MAKEUP MONSTERS: THE LASH LIFTER

FREQUENCY: Rare
SPEED: Fast
ARMOR CLASS: 3
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Master rogues/pickpockets, these evil little goblins have the quickest hands and uncanny dexterity! They’re able to remove false eyelashes so quickly that they can be in and out between blinks. You don’t even notice your lashes are gone until they’ve already left the area, and if they can’t remove a lash because of its adhesive, they’ll just bite it off with their scary sharp teeth!
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
INTELLIGENCE: Medium
ALIGNMENT: Evil
SIZE: Small (1′ tall)

A few beauty posts that caught my eye…

• Scarves and boots make everything better! — Keiko Lynn
• Spring Cleaning: The Beauty Edition — Beaut.ie
• Nailing it! Simple Spring Cherry/Plum Blossoms Nail Art for Chinese New Year — My Women Stuff
• Dreamcatcher eyes! — Bows and Curtseys
• I’m lovin’ these watercolor nails — Nails and Noms
• Ever wonder how to successfully pull off a chartreuse-colored dress (I know I have!)? This post offers a few stylish ideas — What I Wore
• I miss the ocean! For my fellow water babies: some big blue beauty and fashion inspiration — Fashion Squad
• Super cool: giant artwork inspired by toys — Flavorwire
• So pretty! This step-by-step photo tutorial shows how to do a gorgeous bronzy golden eye — By Celina
• Color me intrigued by this $24 Ilia Lip Conditioner — Bella Sugar

New $7 Maybelline Color Tattoo 24HR Eyeshadow

5 Lip Looks to Jump Start Your Style This Year

Benefit Sun Beam Liquid Highlighter

New Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Liquid Foundation

The Chanel Knightsbridge Collection Pink, Coral and Fuchsia Lippies

Clarins Colour Breeze Mineral Eye Quartet in Blue Sky

Give Your Brows a Lift With Benefit High Brow Glow

NARS Diamond Life Nail Lacquer

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Heavens to Murgatroyd! Is it Sunday already? Well, I hope you’re having a good one so far. No complaints over here. I stayed up late last night watching that show I mentioned the other day, Survivors. Only two more episodes left before the series finale, gah! I just can’t believe the show got cancelled. It’s probably the best post-apocalyptic programming I’ve ever seen, even better than the Walking Dead (if you’re into that kind of thing, it’s available to stream on Netflix).

And no, I’m not just saying that because Max Beesley could be El Hub’s doppelgänger. 🙂 But I have to warn you — if you watch it, you’ll scream, “What the hell!?” at least three times every episode.

Survivors isn’t the only British export I’ve been hooked on lately. Do you ever listen to an album for a while, then kindasorta forget about it, and then rediscover it in a few years? That’s what happened with me and Bloc Party.

I loved their 2005 album, Silent Alarm, when it came out, but then it drifted off my radar screen until I queued it up again the other day before a run.

Wow! I totally remember why I loved it so much. Block Party reminds me of a slightly harder version of Phoenix with a dash of punk rock and ’80s new wave. Lots of strong driving beats and catchy hooks to help you power through a workout.

One of my fave songs, evah!

No big plans for me today. I do have to swing by Target at some point to get a stepladder and some hangers. Maybe Container Store, too, if I have any time left in the afternoon. My cup runneth over with excitement, I know.

What’s on your agenda for today? If you missed anything we talked about this week, here’s one final look. I think for me, NARS was the star.

Oh, and just a heads up, but if you’re wearing any concealer, better watch out for these guys…

MAKEUP MONSTERS: THE CONCEALER CREASER

FREQUENCY: Rare
SPEED: Fast
ARMOR CLASS: 6
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Quick claw sneak attack! Concealer Creasers will hide in chimneys, garages and the back seats of cars, waiting for unsuspecting concealer wearers to approach. Then, in a blur of frantic scratching, clawing, and raking, they’ll strike, causing creases and fading in all types of concealers. Nothing, not even Time Balm or Stila Perfecting Concealer, stands a chance.
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Flight
INTELLIGENCE: Low
ALIGNMENT: Evil
SIZE: Small (1′ tall)

A few beauty posts that caught my eye…

• WARNING: Checking out these Tokyo street style pics could become a daily habit — Toyko Fashion
• Louis Vuitton’s releasing its first fragrance in over 20 years — Bloginity
• I quite enjoy this photo blog — Le Dans La
• AWESOMESAUCE: 31 years of Meryl Streep — Fashion Indie
• Get the glow back in your curly hair — Naturally Curly
• This tie-dye nail tutorial looks like messy fun! — Creating Really Awesome Free Things
• This could be cool for mobile blogging (a virtual keyboard) — She Finds
• Six tips to get the most out of after-Christmas sales — The Budget Fashionista
• Bracelets that hide your hair elastics, neat! — Bellasugar
• “You have to make mistakes to find out who you aren’t,” and more wise words from one of my writing heroes — Soulseeds

The Weekly Roundup: MBB Posts You Might Have Missed

The NARS Mexican Rose
Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil Diaries (Uncensored)

Dear Diary,

Didn’t do much yesterday other than radiate awesomeness. Yeah, that’s right. I make it rain! And if that makes me sound conceited, so be it.

My pink-haired roommate (we totally match!) tells me all the time, “you’re basically the sh*t.” She clearly sees that I’m the chupacabra of perfect pink lips.

I think she might be my new BFF, which is funny… Girls usually get so jealous of my dense pink pigment, high shine and easy-to-apply pencil tip.

But it’s not my fault that I’m so awesome and unique. I can’t help that I start off all super shiny like a gloss or that I morph into a hot pink lip stain with a subtle sheen. Read more…

Charmed, I’m Sure, by the Dolce & Gabbana
Charm Pencil Collection

One of the reasons why Dolce & Gabbana rules: they dangle tiny charms from their makeup JUST BECAUSE THEY CAN.

Never you mind that the charms enchanting the eight-piece limited edition Charm Pencil collection don’t really serve a purpose beyond looking cute as they swing from their respective lip and eye liners. If we have the right to accessorize, so should our makeup! Viva la cuteness for us all!

Every time I catch a glimpse of the dainty golden envelopes, high heels, hearts and horns hanging from these pencils, which arrive next month (just in time for Valentine’s Day!), while I attend to my lips or eyes, I’m transported back to the kinder, gentler days of my youth, when a trip to the Hello Kitty store to buy a $4 mechanical pencil with a charm swinging on the end was one of the highlights of my week. Read more…

With NARS Gaiety Blush on My Cheeks,
Merriment Ensues

Well, I’ll be darned… There’s shine in that thar blush!

After seeing the new NARS Gaiety Blush ($28) in its pan, and even after the first quick swatch on the back of my hand, I was sure this candy pink would apply as a straight up matte, but it turns out that this member of the new NARS Spring 2012 collection has a secret up its sleeve — it likes to shine. Coupled with its medium pigmentation, this sweet sheen transforms Gaiety from a pretty pink blush into a thing of beauty.

Imagine the light flush you get when your crush notices that you’re wearing your hair differently. For me, that’s Gaiety. Read more…

The $34 Limited Edition NARS Paramaribo Eyeshadow Duo,
and the Time I Was on Jeopardy

Karen: “Hmm… Since I’m on a roll, I’ll take Famous Crazy Cat Ladies for a thousand, Alex.”

Alex Trebek: “This pop star, crazy cat lady and ex-wife of Russell Brand has a perfume line with bottles shaped like cats… Karen?”

Karen: “Who is Katy Perry?”

Alex Trebek: “Correct! Well, you certainly know your cat ladies, Karen, and your Madonna lyrics and Ryan Gosling trivia. Two categories left — Projectile Sports, and the NARS Paramaribo Eyeshadow Duo.”

Karen: “I’ll take NARS Paramaribo for $200, Alex.”

Alex Trebek: “Paramaribo is named after the capital city in this tropical South American country… Oh, and there she goes.”

Karen: “What is Suriname, Alex? NARS Paramaribo for $400.” Read more…

MAC UNSUNG HEROES
TECHNAKOHL PENCIL LINER

Yup, one of those days…

I feel like just hitting my head against my desk, but I wonder, “What would Tim Gunn do?”

Ah, of course. That’s right. Tim would “make it work,” so I’ll try to do the same, and I have, hence the five cups of tea.

To make it official, though, I think I should put it in print, so here goes: “By the time I reach the bottom of this mug, I will be filled with lurve.”

LURVE!

On the plus side, at least I’m not possessed by a demon (yay!), I have all of my toes, and I don’t have serial killer eyes. Three very good things, and today I owe that last one to MAC Uniform Technakohl ($15).

A khaki eyeliner with golden shimmer, it fits my mood a lot of the time when other shades don’t. Understated. Not as flashy as black nor as blah as brown, it makes me feel classier when I swipe it along my lash and water lines. Read more…

Thanks to NARS Valparaíso Pure Matte Lipstick,
Berries Are in Season This Spring

Today I live in the burbs about 30 miles north of San Francisco, but back when I did live in the city, it was smack dab in the middle of the dot-com boom, and the place was hoppin’.

Rental rates were out of control! Dot-coms were shooting up everywhere you looked, and housing of any kind was hard to come by. I struggled to find a place to live and eventually ended up renting a room in a sketchy house out in SF’s Sunset District, living with a cavalcade of characters, like the DJ/herbal enthusiast (let’s just say she wasn’t growing rosemary, if you know what I mean), and the kleptomaniac.

Honestly, I have no idea what I was thinking when I signed that lease. It wasn’t one of my better life decisions, but the rent was cheap, and I was hell bent on moving out of my parents’ house.

Which brings me to the new NARS Valparaíso Pure Matte Lipstick for Spring 2012. Read more…

An Inside Look at the New Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Liquid Foundation
With Benefit Global Beauty Authority Annie Ford-Danielson

Benefit babes, brace yourself for a bodacious treat.

Yesterday Benefit Global Beauty Authority Annie Ford-Danielson took a few minutes to chat with me over the phone about their newest product, Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Liquid Foundation ($34), which arrives on counters this March.

You may remember Annie and her sister Maggie from last year’s B.Right Skin Care launch. Together, they travel the world, working as global ambassadors for the brand.

This marks Benefit’s latest leap into liquid foundations, and Annie, who also works in product development, gave me an inside look at the development process and what we can expect from Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow when it arrives. Read more…

NARS Notable Neutrals Club Meeting Minutes, Jan. 12, 2012
Should Lhasa Eyeshadow Be Granted Membership in the Club?

Order, people! Order! Is this thing on…?

Good evening, everyone. Tonight’s meeting of the NARS Notable Neutrals Club is called in session. I know everybody’s excited about the spring collection, but let’s settle down. If we don’t start the meeting soon, you won’t get home in time to watch the Jersey Shore — no judgement! Seriously though, quiet down.

Okay, our first order of business. I’d like to nominate a new member to the club, NARS Lhasa Eyeshadow. She’s a single, $24, and I propose that we waive public comments and vote to make her membership official effective tomorrow, January 13, when she debuts along with the rest of the spring collection.

Now, I can hear some of you grumbling back there… I’ve heard the charges that the club has become too exclusive to newcomers — Cyprus, I’m talking to you — but may I remind you that we are not mean girls. All of us were at one time new neutrals ourselves, waiting to be discovered and loved. Lhasa deserves a chance. Read more…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen