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The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

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The Makeup and Beauty Blog Weekly Roundup

It’s true. Time flies when you’re having fun, and my afternoon in SF yesterday with Jen and Cindy flew by in a blink of an eye!

I miss living closer to them… I can’t believe there was a time when we’d see each other every single day (we were band geeks in high school).

Oh! About those french fries at Absinthe. They ranked right up there with some of the best I’ve ever eaten — thin, tasty, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside — but I don’t think I’m ready to award them the “Best in the City” prize. Not while there are still so many tasty fries out there I haven’t tried. 🙂

After the restaurant we went to the movies and saw Young Adult, starring Charlize Theron. I thought she did a great job, as usual, but let’s just say that the movie wasn’t my idea of a rollicking good time. I thought it was a little slow and quiet — so quiet that I’m sure everyone around me in the theater could hear my stomach gurgling (I guess I had too many fries).

And Charlize’s character in the movie isn’t the nicest gal in the world. She’s a narcissistic, alcoholic young adult fiction writer who’s having something of a mid-life crisis. Liked the performance, but it wasn’t one of my favorite flicks as of late.

No problemo. I still had a great afternoon spending time with the girls.

How about you? What are you up to on this lovely Sunday? Chillin’ at home, or are you out and about?

Before we close the book on another week, how about one final look at some of my favorite recent posts from this blog and others?

Please be careful while you’re reading. A new makeup monster has been sighted in the area…

MAKEUP MONSTERS: THE BRUSH BREAKER

The Brush BreakerFREQUENCY: Rare
SPEED: Normal
ARMOR CLASS: 7
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Simply put, they break brushes. They’re not the strongest creatures, but they have perfect technique when it comes to breaking brushes. They can break even the thickest brushes in half, but they prefer to cause ferrules to come loose and fibers to fall out (because they’re insidious like that).
SPECIAL DEFENSES: They wear chain mail armor made from broken metal brush ferrules.
INTELLIGENCE: High (They have to be pretty smart to figure out how to break all the different kinds of brushes.)
ALIGNMENT: Evil
SIZE: M (6′ tall)

The Makeup Monsters

A few beauty posts that caught my eye…

  • Everyday Makeup: A Recreation of Dolce & Gabbana Spring 2012 RTW Runway Look — Glitter Geek
  • LOVE this Orla Kiely dress… — See Creatures
  • Josie Maran Argan Color Stick in Petal Pink — My Weekend Ramblings
  • Best Nail Polishes of 2011 — à la Peach
  • If you’ve ever played Guitar Hero… — The Nailasaurus
  • A tutorial using Urban Decay’s Rollergirl palette — Style By Cat
  • 3 pieces of advice I’d give my 18-year-old self — Raptitude
  • For high schoolers out there thinking about college: How to make the most of your great scholastic adventure — Bailey Powell
  • How to dress like a rebel or a disco doll — Rookie Mag
  • This tutorial on how to style a twisted bun makes me want to grow my hair out again — A Beautiful Mess

The Weekly Roundup: MBB Posts You Might Have Missed

Smashbox Be Legendary Lipsticks The New Smashbox Be Legendary Lipsticks
Answer the Question, “What Are Legends Made Of?”

Ugh. Projectile sports. You know, the ones that involve airborne objects like baseballs? I’m just so bad at them. Whenever I see something flying at me at high speed my first instinct is to run away, but if there were a projectile sport involving lipsticks and perhaps cute uniforms, well, that I might play.

Especially if the lippies were as pigmented as the new Smashbox Be Legendary Lipsticks ($19 each).

The new line of 20 bold lipsticks in matte and creamy finishes recently launched at Sephora stores, on Smashbox counters and also online, and I’ve been wearing three of the creamy shades for about a week — Chai (a caramel nude), Fig (a red grape) and Vivid Violet (a bold berry). Read more…

The Smashbox Be Discovered Cream Cheek Trio A Good Zombie Survival Kit Should Include
the New Smashbox Be Discovered Cream Cheek Trios

To someone with survival training, including the Smashbox Be Discovered Cream Cheek Trios ($29 each) in my zombie apocalypse survival kit probably makes about as much sense as a Shake Weight, but believe you me, if the dead one day rise, I will not go down without a fight, and I won’t evacuate without bringing at least a little bit of makeup.

El Hub laughs, but it’s the truth. (SIDE NOTE: I used to work with a woman who wore false lashes every single day, even once when she had to go in for surgery! Now that’s what I’m talking about.)

The two new trios are part of the Smashbox Be Discovered collection for spring 2012, and since they fit in the palm of a hand, it’s not like they’d take up much space in a typical survival kit. There’d still be plenty of room left for peanut butter, toilet paper and various kinds of weaponry. Read more…

The Smashbox Be Discovered Jet Set Waterproof Liner I’m Feeling Catty About the New Smashbox
Be Discovered Jet Set Waterproof Eye Liner & Brush

Ooh, Tuesday morning cat drama! Guess who just sauntered across the front yard with a twitchy tail and her little kitty nose raised up in the air? — the Russian Blue from next door, exuding tons of cattitude.

It’s been a while since the last time she visited, and when Tabs caught a glimpse of her through the window in my office upstairs, he hissed like a fiery cobra!

The window overlooks a row of overgrown rosemary bushes and what’s left of a large catnip plant, the same plant that Tabs caught her snacking on before their last altercation. Read more…

Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush Bounce with Me and the
Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blushes

It started with pics of the new Dream Bouncy Blushes and my ’90s hip-hop playlist.

Next thing I knew, Jay-Z was bumping on iTunes, and I was bouncing with Hov, directly in front of my office window. I was on my feet, waving one of Maybelline’s new $8 blushes to the beat when I glanced outside and saw my neighbor staring up at me from his front door with a look like “she’s crazy.”

Haha! Hella moded. 🙂 Read more…

NARS Cyprus Eyeshadow NARS Unsung Heroes
Cyprus Eyeshadow

Power-nap eyeshadows are like soft white lightbulbs for your eyes — shades that instantly brighten up tired peepers after a late night or an insomnia attack.

Some people yearn to scale Mount Everest; I yearn to amass a collection of power-nap eyeshadows so vast that it would scare the hosts of Hoarders!

My latest power-nap love, NARS Cyprus Eyeshadow ($23), is a shimmery bronze with a golden whisper. The morning after a rough night, I apply one layer over my lids and mellow out the edges with a finger.

“Ah!” Instant relief. And quicker than a shower and mani. Read more…

Maybelline Color Tattoo Eyeshadows $7 Maybelline Color Tattoo 24HR Eyeshadows
Vibrant Color for Less Than 30 Cents an Hour

Dang, it’s getting so hot in here that I started sweating glitter!

I mean, just look at these colors from the new Maybelline Color Tattoo 24HR Eyeshadow line ($7 each) of what Maybelline calls “gel-cream” shadows.

The line sure looks promising. Vibrant colors in a crease-resistant formula designed to last a full 24 hours. The 10 shades come in a variety of neutrals and brights and shimmy onto counters this month.

So…I can’t exactly remember the last time I needed or wanted to wear an eyeshadow for a full 24 hours, but you never know, right? Read more…

Laura Mercier Lingerie Collection Eye and Cheek Palette A Laura Mercier Lingerie Collection Face of the Day
and a Few Wise Words from Tabs

Whoa! Time to go get my hair cut, but I still haven’t decided what to do!

When I asked style icon and world-renowned kitty supermodel Tabs what he thought, he twitched his tail twice and plopped his husky body beside the new Laura Mercier Eye & Cheek Palette ($60, available now) sitting on my desk.

Tabs believes that if you’re going to be looking at yourself in the mirror for 2-3 hours at the salon (haha, I accidentally typed “saloon”), you want to look cute. Normally, I’d apply some mascara and gloss and head out the door, but today Tabs insisted that I “break my cycle of lameness” (his words via text) by incorporating Laura’s new palette of six eyeshadows and two blushes from her Lingerie Collection for spring 2012. Read more…

The Dior 5 Couleurs Garden Pastels Eyeshadow Palette The $59 Dior 5 Couleurs Garden Pastels
Eyeshadow Palette Is Quintessentially Dior

Might as well take a chisel to Michelangelo’s David. That’s how I felt about swatching the new Dior 5 Couleurs Garden Pastels Eyeshadow Palette ($59) and why it took me so long to build up the courage.

Every time I’d contemplate taking a brush to the raised roses on the pans, I’d see myself tearing into a beautifully wrapped present, squishing a frosted cupcake or picking apart a delicate hors d’oeuvre.

I don’t want to do it! I don’t want to do it! I don’t want to do it!

But I finally did. Read more…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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

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

Up and at ’em, home skillet. Good morning to ya!

I’m in a great mood right now. Must be the leftover high from my yoga class last night. That, and I slept surprisingly well. My body is like, “WHOA! A good night’s sleep, Karen? Uh, yeah, let’s do that again.”

How are things on your end of the keyboard? What do you have on your plate today? I hope it’s something fun. There are a few things I should be doing around the house right now (like laundry, for one), but I’d much rather check in with you and sneak in a run. 🙂

A little later today I’m meeting my friends Jen and Cindy in San Francisco for brunch. Last time we got together was at Jen’s baby’s baptism a couple months ago, so it’ll be nice to catch up.

We’re going to this place called Absinthe Brasserie & Bar because, rumor has it, they make a mean french fry, and Cindy’s been on a mission to find the best fries in the city. For a mission like that, I’m happy to assist.

Just think… Imagine being that first person who decided to fry a potato. Talk about “Eureka!” moments, am I right?

Before I hit the treadmill, why don’t we have a giveaway?

Win a $50 gift card from Sephora

  • 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 makes your favorite french fry? Funniest name for a yoga pose? What’s the last skincare product you applied? Getting as specific as possible, how would you describe the color of your hair? What mascara have you been liking lately? — you get the idea.
  • Second, you can enter by following me on twitter Twitter @karenmbb and retweeting (RT) the following message:
    • Follow @karenmbb and RT to Win a $50 eGift Card from Sephora! http://bit.ly/yfkvuj

  • The deadline to enter is Sunday, January 8, 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 Kristi! Congratulations, Kristi! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

Aishwarya Rai: Her Best Hair?

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Aishwarya Rai: Her Best Hair?

When you float into an audition and hand the casting director a resume with credits like, “Often cited as the most beautiful woman in the world,” “Former Miss World 1994,” and “Film Actress of the Decade,” you have a pretty good chance of landing the job, especially if you have eyes like Aishwarya Rai.

One of the world’s most successful and beloved actresses, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, born November 1, 1973, has starred in over 40 films in five different languages. The winner of dozens of awards, honours and recognitions, Aishwarya almost didn’t become an actress at all.

Growing up in the Southwestern Indian port city of Mangalore, her favorite subject in school was zoology. Her mother is a housewife and her father a marine biologist, and she flirted with careers in medicine and architecture.

Everything changed, though, after a college professor took some pictures of her that were published in a magazine. It got people in the fashion world talking, and by 18, she was in Vogue Magazine, and later on its cover three separate times.

Described as a supercouple in the Indian media, she and her husband, actor Abhishek Bachchan, just had their first child, a baby girl born last November, and they’re expected to announce her name, in Hindu tradition, any day now. 🙂

Which of Aishwarya's hairstyles do you like best?

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S.

Paula Patton: Her Best Hair?

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Paula Patton's Best Hair?

They were definitely footsteps. No doubt about it, and getting closer, too. The woman forced herself not to turn around, not to look, even though she desperately wanted to. Her training took over. By maintaining her pace, acting as though she were unaware of her pursuer, she would have the element of surprise when it came time to act.

To act.

The sidewalk was clear all the way to the intersection about a quarter of a mile away. There were cars parked along the edge of the sidewalk but no traffic moving along the road, and there wouldn’t be in this neighborhood, not at this time of night.

To her right were brownstone apartments, one after another, no alleys or other cover nearby.

There was nowhere to hide. And then…

“Agent Patton!”

She wheeled around into a fighting stance, drawing her weapon from her purse.

“Wait! Don’t shoot!” said the man before her. He was young, tall, well built, wearing black slacks, a white shirt and blazer. Probably ex-military. Most importantly, he appeared unarmed. “The codeword is Idlewild. Idlewild. Don’t shoot.”

Idlewild. Yes, that was the codeword. “Déjà Vu,” she replied, lowering her weapon.

“Affirmative.” Slowly he reached into his jacket and withdrew a small black phone and handed it to her.

She took it and slid her fingers in a pattern across the smooth glass screen before bringing the phone up to her ear. A message started to play. “Good evening, Agent Patton. This is the Producer.”

Her employer had a flair for theatrics.

“Your mission, should you choose to accept it, Agent Patton, is to star opposite Tom Cruise in this winter’s Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol. Please press 1 followed by the pound key if you accept this mission…”

She tapped the virtual keyboard that appeared on the display and returned the phone to her ear.

“Excellent. You have chosen to accept the mission. This phone will self destruct in 5 seconds…”

Haha! I wonder if that’s how Paula got offered the Mission: Impossible job. Something tells me probably not (although it would have been really cool). 🙂

Paula Maxine Patton, born December 5, 1975, only started acting seven years ago, after trying her hand at producing and screenwriting. Now she’s making up for lost time with a Tom Cruise blockbuster under her belt.

She and her singer/songwriter husband Robin Thicke, son of actor Alan Thicke and Gloria Loring, started dating when they were teenagers and have a one-year-old son together now.

Kid sure is lucky to have such a talented, beautiful secret agent actress for a mom.

Which of Paula's hairstyles do you like best?

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 201

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  • 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 three years. I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.
  1. Mood:

    2. Mellow.

  2. Do you have any habits you’d like to break?

    3. Perfectionism. I actually had to look up that word in my dictionary because I was only 99 percent sure of the spelling. See, why do I care about things like that? It’s exhausting, and I’m so over it…

  3. What will you remember most about 2011?

    4. Traveling. I did a little more of it than usual last year and got to discover some neat places like Toronto and Vancouver.

  4. How do you feel about colorful jeans?

    5. I feel good about them, but only if they’re skinny jeans, because for some reason colorful wide-leg or flared jeans make me feel extra short.

  5. One of the most important lessons you learned last year?

    6. That asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness. It’s a sign of wisdom, and it takes true grit (Ha! I’ve been dying to say that).

  6. Are you craving anything at this very moment?

    7. A big, steaming bowl of Vietnamese pho noodle soup and a piping hot Krispy Kreme doughnut for dessert.

  7. What’s going to be different in 2012?

    8. I’m gonna jump on that horse and take the reins! For years now I’ve felt like a passenger on a raft being swept down a river. I haven’t felt fully in control of my time, my finances or my house (after two years here, I still have an unfurnished dining room!), so that’s one of my big goals for 2012, to get control of the raft again.

  8. Sunrise or sunset?

    9. Sunset.

  9. Three of your favorite eye liners?

    10. Laura Mercier Stormy Grey, MAC Powersurge and LORAC Front of the Line Pro.

  10. Weekly goals:

    11. To be extra kind to myself, to attend two yoga classes, and to get to bed before midnight every day this week.

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

Our first official Monday Poll of 2012! Before you know it, we’ll be doing our last one of the year… LOL! I guess I’m getting a little ahead of myself, but time does fly when you’re having fun. 🙂



1. Mood:
2. Do you have any habits you’d like to break?
3. What will you remember most about 2011?
4. How do you feel about colorful jeans?
5. One of the most important lessons you learned last year?
6. Are you craving anything at this very moment?
7. What’s going to be different in 2012?
8. Sunrise or sunset?
9. Three of your favorite eye liners?
10. Weekly goals:

It’s back to the grind for many of us today. The first official work day of 2012. Even if you’re swamped, I hope you’re able to carve out a little time for yourself this week. I know it’s not easy to do when you’re busy, but it is important.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 172

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Tabs for the Chanel Resort Collection

Three seconds after the chrome clip at the end of the leash clacked against the tiled hallway floor, I heard the familiar thud of an 18-pound tabby cat jumping down from a counter upstairs. Tabs can recognize the sound of his leash dropping against the tiles by the front door from anywhere in the house, and as soon as he hears it, he’s knows that it’s time to go for a walk outside.

Walks are one of his favorite pastimes in the world. In fact, I think he enjoys them almost as much as modeling.

Today we explored the grassy hillside next to the house, which is to say that I watched Tabs and browsed the Web on my phone while he patted at wet leaves on the ground, rooted around for lizards and ate about two pounds of grass.

I’m glad he got some time to unwind today because the holidays were really tough on him… Poor kitty worked all through Christmas week doing modeling jobs for MAC, Chanel, Benefit, Dior and Sam Edelman.

Yep, life as a world-renowned kitty supermodel isn’t all parties and champagne. Sometimes it’s really hard work. 🙂

Tabs for the Sam Edelman Tabby Print Shoe

Tabs for the Benefit Big City Kitty Collection
[Continue reading…]

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

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The Makeup and Beauty Blog Weekly Roundup

Well, it’s official. Welcome to 2012. 🙂

I hope you had a blast last night. Did you stay up to midnight or conk out early? I was tempted and tired enough to go to bed around 10:30, but El Hub talked me into renting a movie that kept me up the rest of the way (Fright Night — a cheesy vampire flick, and you know how much I like those).

Yesterday I actually went ice skating! There’s a rink at Union Square in downtown San Francisco. I’ve only been ice skating a few times, so I’m not exactly an Olympic figure skater, but at least I didn’t fall (or cause anyone else to fall), which is something.

After skating El Hub and I went to see Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and then stopped at a sushi place for dinner.

It was one heck of a day… I can’t remember the last time El Hub and I had so much fun. It was such a clear night that we were even able to see fireworks off in the distance from our deck.

What a nice start to 2012. Something tells me it’s going to be a great year, but certainly not if these guys can help it…

Highlighter Haters. They’re awful beasts!

MAKEUP MONSTERS: THE HIGHLIGHTER HATER

The Highlighter HaterFREQUENCY: Rare
SPEED: Deceptively fast
ARMOR CLASS: 10+
SPECIAL ATTACKS: These guys feed off of light and brightness, sucking it out of their surroundings and making the world (and the cheeks) around them dull and lifeless.
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Well, they’re made of pure energy, so they’re immune to most physical attacks.
INTELLIGENCE: Low (animal)
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: Massive (30′ tall)

A few beauty posts that caught my eye…

The Weekly Roundup: MBB Posts You Might Have Missed

NARS Star Sailor Eyeshadow Duo NARS UNSUNG HEROES
STAR SAILOR EYESHADOW DUO

I have to say, for a long, long time I didn’t think much of NARS Eyeshadow Duo in Star Sailor ($33), and I sailed past it many times without giving it as much as a sneaky side-eye glance.

Then, one day, the planets and stars were aligned just right, and I decided to see what swatches of its two shadows would look like on my skin.

Over the moon! — that’s how I felt when the first shade, a shimmery yellow gold, and the second, a shimmery golden bronze, blossomed before me, like a nebula under the watchful eye of the Hubble Space Telescope…

Sorry, I’m a sucker for a good (or middling) space reference. Read more…

A Holiday Travel Face of the Day A VEGGIE BURGER, FRIES AND
VANILLA SHAKE FACE OF THE DAY

Since all I really had to do today was eat, I decided not to go all out with my makeup. I went with a mostly neutral look using products from NARS, MAC, Buxom, Tarte, Boots, Hourglass, Urban Decay and Madina Milano.

I guess I’d describe this as neutral with a side of sparkle… I think the eyes are probably sparklier in person than they might appear here because the sparkles from NARS Eyeshadow in Night Star are shy in front of the camera.

They are there, though, doing their sparkly thing.

I wore this out to lunch with the fam today to a local Redding institution, a great little burger joint here called Damburger, which has been around since 1938! El Hub has a relative who’s been getting burgers there since about 1946. Read more…

A simple travel makeup tip UPGRADE YOUR OPTIONS IN COLOR WITH THIS
QUICK TRAVEL MAKEUP TIP

Over my four-day Christmas trip up and down Northern California to visit with my parents and in-laws, I relied on one particular makeup trick a little more than the others. I’m just about to hit the road back home to Novato, but first, if you like to wear different looks often but don’t usually have a lot of room to spare in your travel makeup bag, here’s one quick and easy way to increase your color options.

Pack as many colorful sticks of eyeliner as you can find, and with one quick swipe along your upper and/or lower lash lines, you’ve got a new fast, fun look.

This trip I brought MAC, Urban Decay and NARS eyeliners in gray, purple, green, gold, blue and bronze, along with my usual liners in black and brown.

That’s it! Quick and easy color that doesn’t take up much cargo space. Read more…

A+ department store makeup and beauty of 2011 10 OF MY PICKS FOR HEAD OF THE CLASS
A+ MAKEUP AND BEAUTY DEPARTMENT STORE (AND OTHER) PRODUCTS OF 2011

2011 was another awesome year for feline and human makeup and beauty. Along with rediscovering/falling in love again with a slew of pulse-pounding permanent products from some of my favorite lines like MAC and NARS, I also bumped into bunches of beautiful products to lurve on drugstore and department store shelves.

If you’re on the market for something special to spend a Christmas gift card on, consider one of the overachieving A+ department store products below. All of them are looking for new homes just like yours and can be found in stores now. Read more…

A+ Drugstore Makeup and Beauty Products of 2011 10 OF MY PICKS FOR HEAD OF THE CLASS
A+ MAKEUP AND BEAUTY DRUGSTORE PRODUCTS OF 2011

Going to a drugstore after a long day is one of my favorite ways to unwind. I’ll flip through a few magazines, grab an ice cream cone, and cruise the cosmetics aisle looking for a little something I can get myself as a budget beauty treat.

It’s been a ritual of mine ever since I was a teenager.

Sure, I do love department store beauty and big brands like Benefit and NARS, but some of my favorite makeup and beauty products don’t reside at stores like Nordstrom, Sephora or MAC, and that’s why I’ll always have a soft spot for drugstores. Not only because they make it possible for gals on a tight budget to look great from head to toe, but because they also make it easy to treat yourself without breaking the bank. Read more…

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer HOURGLASS VEIL MINERAL PRIMER SPF 15
KEEPS MAKEUP GOING ON AND ON TILL THE BREAK OF DAWN

While it’s not a brand new product, Veil is new to me. I only recently got to know it well while visiting and staying with family over the past few days, when I was doing my makeup early in the mornings and needed something to help my looks last from dawn till dusk. This month, that something was Veil.

Before I settled on Veil, though, I tried a number of other primers from MAC, Make Up For Ever, Smashbox and Cover FX over the month or so since Thanksgiving. Veil’s been my favorite so far.

A lot of primers feel thick and heavy to me, like they’re smothering my combination dry/oily/acne-prone skin, but lightweight Veil quickly absorbs and doesn’t feel like it’s just sitting on the top layers of skin like a lake of pore-suffocating product. It also hasn’t caused any breakouts, near as I can tell, and I’ve heard from other girls who love it specifically for this reason. Read more…

NARS Indian Summer Eyeshadow Duo NARS UNSUNG HEROES
INDIAN SUMMER EYESHADOW DUO

NARS has a knack for neutral eyeshadows but likes ‘em with a twist, like Star Sailor, which accompanied me on my quick holiday trip last weekend. Keeping us company on the open road was another dynamic neutral duo from NARS, the $33 Indian Summer Duo Eyeshadow, which happens to be the subject of today’s Unsung Heroes post.

Like both of the colors in Star Sailor, Indian Summer’s shadows keep a low profile until they get out of their pans; that’s when their powder shadows sing. In the official PR, the shades are described as a frosted champagne and a mustard seed, but I think they’re much more exciting than that. Read more…

Boots No7 Poppy King Lipstick THESE BOOTS NO7 POPPY KING LIPSTICKS
ARE ALL ABOUT HISTORY, POWER, GLAMOUR, SEDUCTION, INTRIGUE, CONFIDENCE AND ALLURE

Wow, okay, December 29? And we’re still kicking? Shoot, we need to reward ourselves for making it through the holidays.

Yes, I’m totally serious! Perhaps some small token for artfully dodging the family drama (which takes tremendous skill), for enduring that undercover sibling rivalry that never quite goes away, or for cooking that monster meal that catered to everyone’s preferences and food allergies (SIDE NOTE: Does anyone else out there still like cilantro?). Whatever the justification, I think we’re all due a small “Woo-hoo, we made it!” kind of prize, and I can’t think of a better one than Boots No7 Poppy King Lipstick ($9.99).

The new line of seven limited edition lipsticks launched last month at Target, and there’s a lot to like about it beyond the price. Read more…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. About those makeup monsters, I know I’m not the only one here who likes to draw, so if you’ve seen any makeup monsters you’d like to draw or paint, shoot them over to me! I’d love to feature them here.

Advice Column: What’s One Piece of Advice You’d Give to a Gal (or Guy) Just Like You?

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What's one piece of advice you'd give?

“It’s 8 o’clock, babe! Are you ever gonna stop playing with makeup?”

If I could give one piece of advice to another girl (or guy) out there a lot like me, I would say this: you have to set boundaries. In everything you do. When it comes to playing with makeup, you have to know when it’s time to put down the blending brush for a while. When it comes to work, you have to know when it’s time to head home for the night or when it’s time to set things aside until tomorrow. And when it comes to staying up late, you have to know when it starts to hurt your health or your relationships.

Some of my big boundary breaking vices are makeup and blogging (BIG surprises there). Some afternoons I’ll be trying on products upstairs in front of my mirror for hours, totally unaware of the time until my tummy rumbles and I look up to see that it’s already 9 o’clock!

Yup, that has to stop in 2012.

How about you? What’s one piece of advice you’d give to a man or woman just like you?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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