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Just For Fun

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

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  • WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is Dana! Congratulations, Dana! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

Win a $50 Sephora eGift card from Makeup and Beauty Blog
Might as well face it, I’m addicted to Pukka Love…

I’ve been drinking so much of this stuff lately! It’s a tea called Love by Pukka ($6.95) that I get from the Vitamin Shoppe, but I’m sure it’s carried at other places, too. Design ho that I am, I picked it up first because of the box, but the description of the flavors is what had me sold: “organic rose, chamomile and lavender flower to warm your heart.”

Aww and NOM!

Imbibing this beautiful beverage is supposed to soothe, relax, and make you feel more balanced — all things I constantly need, haha! — and I love the taste. It’s a sweet aromatic floral like the lavender flower hard candies I used to get from the Asian grocery store down the street when I was kid.

It’s herbal and caffeine-free, so I can drink as much as I want throughout the day without getting the shakes, and for variety I’ve been alternating it with Celestial Seasonings Sweet Coconut Chai.

A cup of tea can be a simple way to show yourself some love…

Yes, that was very cheesy, but so true. 🙂

And now, ready or not, it’s giveaway time!

A Makeup and Beauty Blog Giveaway!

Win a $50 eGift 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, what are your favorite kinds/flavors of tea? Have you ever attended high tea before? How would you summarize 2011 for you? How do you feel about fragrances with tea notes? Have you finished all of your holiday shopping? — 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/rXkTyQ

  • The deadline to enter is Sunday, December 18, 2011 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 Dana! Congratulations, Dana! 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, Dec. 12

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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, which I guess makes this somewhere around Vol. 198. I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.
  1. Mood:

    2. Not bad at all for a Monday. 🙂 And I bet I’ll feel even better once I get in a few miles on the treadmill. My inner night owl can’t believe I’m saying this, but I really am turning into a morning person.

  2. What’s the best way to treat/cure a cold?

    3. I wish I knew, but if I can nip one in the bud as soon as I start feeling symptoms, I’ll usually feel better in a few days. I’m a firm believer in Cold-Eeze zinc lozenges, drinking tons of water with Emergen-C, skipping workouts and just taking it easy.

  3. Your longest road trip?

    4. I’m not sure if it was the longest in terms of distance, but it sure felt like it. when I was 15 my parents loaded everyone up in the RV, and we went from the San Francisco Bay Area all the way up to Canada.

    You know how it is when you’re that age, too, trapped in close quarters with your parents and no means of escape… Let’s just say that it was a very, very long trip.

  4. Something you enjoyed last weekend?

    5. Curling up on the couch under a blanket and watching a couple movies on TV, The Debt and Water for Elephants. Oh, I also had fun cruising Pier 1 for furniture and Christmas decorations.

  5. What are the first things you notice about people when you meet them for the first time?

    6. Their eyes, and I always notice when they’re smiling. 🙂

  6. Who taught you to drive?

    7. My dad, God love him, and it was about as much fun as a root canal. Before my first lesson, my mom made huge signs that read “Student Driver” and tried to tape them to the car, but I fought her tooth and nail on it and eventually won…

    I knew things weren’t going well when after 5 minutes my dad was already yelling that I was “DRIVING TOO FAST!” which I was, but in my defense the car had a broken speedometer.

    After a day or so of this, he gave up and enrolled me in driving school, haha…

  7. Your idols when you were a kid?

    8. Outside of family, her Madge-esty, of course! And I also thought that Barbra Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters were pretty cool.

  8. Who’s the strongest person you know?

    9. It’s a tie between my mom, my mother-in-law and my friend, Jen. All three are pretty tough ladies.

  9. Your favorite cold weather beverage?

    10. Please pass me a piping hot soy chai latte, please. Pronto!

  10. Weekly goals:

    11. Make some headway on a few writing projects, clean and organize my bookshelf, hang Tabs’ Christmas stocking, and soak up the holiday spirit!

Hey, hey, friend. I hope you had a nice weekend. Do you have a minute to let me know how you’re doing in today’s Monday Poll? I feel like we need to catch up.

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



1. Mood:
2. What’s the best way to treat/cure a cold?
3. Your longest road trip?
4. Something you enjoyed last weekend?
5. What are the first things you notice about people when you meet them for the first time?
6. Who taught you to drive?
7. Your idols when you were a kid?
8. Who’s the strongest person you know?
9. Your favorite cold weather beverage?
10. Weekly goals:

You have a good week, okay? And try your best to smile. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 169

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Tabs for MAC Red Ribbon Wrapping Paper

All day today I thought Tabs was out getting holiday decorations, but then he comes walking up the driveway wearing a Santa hat and smelling of gravy and milk. He wasn’t out shopping. He was partying down the street at a Ragdoll’s house!

Here I am working my tail off to get the office decorated for the holidays, and Tabs is out living it up with the neighborhood cats?

Not cool, Tabs. Not cool. 🙂

I guess I shouldn’t be too upset. Tabs did work pretty hard this week. He had kitty modeling jobs for MAC, Tocca, Sonia Kashuk, Tom Ford and NYX.

Here are the highlights from the shoots…

Tabs for Tocca Tabby Cat Shampoo

Tabs for the Sonia Kashuk Feline Brush Belt
[Continue reading…]

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

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The Makeup and Beauty Blog Weekly Roundup

MISSION STATUS UPDATE: Operation Christmas Cheer, Dec. 11, 2011.

Yesterday Agent El Hub and I brought a small, slightly sad-looking tree back to headquarters, ran twinkling white lights around a couple of interior windows and, while not directly related to the mission, watched two films, Water for Elephants and The Debt, both of which we liked. 🙂

After analyzing the available intelligence, Director Tabs felt that today would be a better day to decorate the tree, so Agent El Hub and I will initiate “Protocol: Light Strings” after the morning briefing.

Wish me luck. I hope things go well today… A lot is riding on this mission.

– Agent Karen

P.S. Our in-depth exploration of makeup monsters continues this week with a look at the Gloss Grabber. Makeup lovers around the world have reported coming into contact with this little rascal, and consequently losing their lipglosses. If you believe you’ve seen a Gloss Grabber, please report it to the FBMMI (Federal Bureau of Makeup Monster Investigation) immediately.

The Gloss Grabber

THE GLOSS GRABBER

FREQUENCY: Common
SPEED: Lightning quick
ARMOR CLASS: 5
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Lightning lipgloss dash. Gloss grabbers are the gremlins of the gloss world, mischievous little creatures that absolutely love to steal and hoard lipgloss. Some of their favorite hiding places include the back seats of cars, inside couch cushions and under bedroom dressers.
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Their incredible quickness allows them to stay hidden much of the time.
INTELLIGENCE: Very, but it doesn’t matter because all they care about is gloss.
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: Tiny (barely 6″ tall)

A few beauty posts that caught my eye…

  • Beauty Inside Out: 5 Concepts of Inner Beauty I Try to Live By — My Women Stuff
  • Criminal Mastermind — Hello Kitty Steals Hearts With Mighty Fine’s New Bandit Tees — Sicka Than Average
  • Hourglass makeup artist Josh Collier takes a look at Jordana Cosmetics — JoshCollierMUA
  • Julep Nail Vernis in Trina Is an Aubergine Dream — à la peach
  • 10 Things to Give (I love these ideas!) — Oh Happy Day
  • What’s Shiny, Black, and Waterproof? Lord and Berry Inkglam Liquid Liner — My Funny Valentine
  • A Nail Art Tutorial: Snowflake Nails — Swatch and Learn
  • Fire Things Up with Pantone’s 2012 Color of the Year — Bellasugar
  • Motives by Loren Ridinger Plum Pretty Palette Makes Me Smile — Beauty Logic
  • A makeup makeunder! 10 products Michelle of Beauty Editor swears by for a bare-faced (but not boring) natural look — Beauty Editor

The Weekly Roundup: MBB Posts You Might Have Missed

Tocca To Go Eau de Parfums WITH TOCCA’S TINY TO GO EAU DE PARFUMS,
YOU CAN FIT TUSCANY IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND

“Who says bigger’s always better?” asks the 5-foot-1 girl typing this sentence. (Incidentally, she’s usually the shortest person in the room.)

The new $15 Tocca To Go Mini Eau de Parfums combine teeny, tiny cuteness with Tocca’s signature fresh and flirty floral scents.

I stumbled upon three of these minis at the mall yesterday while cruising for Christmas tchotchkes. They were right next to a weird $500 white porcelain horse head in Anthropologie (so very Godfather!) and surrounded by a sea of $50 salt-and-pepper shakers.

Aren’t they cuter than cupcakes? Read more…

Today I am... TODAY I AM…

…wearing Guerlain Ecrin 4 Couleurs in Les Roses ($59) on my eyes and Rouge G in 72 Rose Innocent ($48) on my lips. Both are from the spring 2012 collection and coming this January to select Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Sephora, Bloomingdales and Bergdorf Goodman stores.

I’m spritzing citrusy Annick Goutal Eau d’Hadrien ($85) on my wrists and remembering the time I visited an Annick Goutal store in Paris and somehow, miraculously, managed to speak enough high school French to successfully purchase three small bottles of perfume. Read more…

NYX Butt Naked Eyes Palette A REVEALING LOOK AT NYX’S NEW
CLOTHING OPTIONAL PALETTE, BUTT NAKED EYES

Butt why, NYX!? Why so cheeky?

I can’t say I ever expected to see the words “butt” and “naked” appear on a makeup palette, butt there they are — all saucy and snarky on the front of Butt “Naked” Eyes, NYX’s new $25 holiday palette for the face, eyes and cheeks.

Judging by the name at least, it looks like the line had fun putting together this two-tiered palette of eyeshadows, blushes, a bronzer and highlighters, butt about that name…

LOL! Okay, I’ll stop.

I couldn’t help but notice that the name shares a word in common with the recently released Naked2 from Urban Decay. Read more…

MAC Red Lipstick MAC UNSUNG HEROES
MAC RED LIPSTICK

The holidays are in full effect, y’all, and red lipsticks are in the mutha’ truckin’ house! Of course, I couldn’t forget to include one of the most party-poppin’ colors in MAC’s permanent line, the bright, bold, beautiful MAC Red ($14.50).

If you like MAC Russian Red, you just might love its cousin. A bright bluish red with the subtlest semblance of shine, MAC Red grooves on lips with a modicum of magenta that keeps it playful and always down to party. Read more…

MAC Cleanse Off Oil Tranquil ON SECOND THOUGHT, I ACTUALLY ADORE
MAC CLEANSE OFF OIL/TRANQUIL

When I find myself tapping an almost empty plastic bottle upside down against the side of the sink to coax out the last few drops of this product, or zipping to the mall minutes before it closes to pick up a spare and coming home with not one but two replacement bottles — that’s when I know it’s probably time to throw my arms up in the air, spin around in circles and sing at the top of my lungs like Maria does at the beginning of the Sound of Music…

“The hills are alive…” with the sound of MAC Cleanse Off Oil/Tranquil!

Err — so maybe my version of the song doesn’t have quite the same ring to it as Maria’s, but I still think this stuff is awfully amazing. Epic, even.

It’s a mineral oil-free makeup remover designed to whisk away face, lip and eye makeup, and it does such a good job on hard-to-remove products that I rarely feel the need to use it with a secondary cleanser. Read more…

NYX Xtreme Lip Cream THESE NEW NYX XTREME LIP CREAMS HAVE
AN XTREMELY INTERESTING FLAVOR AND SCENT

Plastic and butter.

Yes, plastic and butter.

Yeegh!

The thought of those together makes my tummy churn, and unfortunately, it’s the way I think the new NYX Xtreme Lip Creams taste and smell. Even so, the list of things I like about these liquid lipgloss/lipstick hybrids almost outweighs their flavor and scent. Read more…

3 Holiday Packing Tips 3 MAKEUP AND BEAUTY PACKING TIPS
TO PREP FOR HOLIDAY TRAVEL

2011 will go down in my diary as the Year of the Suitcase. I took a total of five trips this year, which is nothing, I know, compared to hard-core travelers, but it was a lot for me.

And one fantastic side effect of those trips was that they forced me to upgrade my approach to packing. I went from starting the year as a contender for “Crappiest Packer Ever,” and ended it as a middleweight semi-pro packer with a handful of new tricks.

If you have plans to fly (or drive) over the next few weeks, here are three things you can do to eek out a few more cubic feet for makeup and beauty in your luggage.

TIP NO. 1: I’m a gal with a weakness for products, and there’s only so much room in those TSA-approved plastic baggies. By filling up little sample jars with your must-have skincare and other liquid products, you can fill your allowed plastic bag to the brim. Read more…

3 Ways to Wear Red Lips for the Totally Terrified 3 WAYS TO WEAR RED LIPS
FOR THE TOTALLY TERRIFIED

Earlier this week in the comments on the MAC Unsung Heroes Red Lipstick post I got to chatting with reader Dana Jae about a question a lot of us wrestle with — “What can I do to get over my fear of red lips?”

We may love the way red lips look on other gals, but for one reason or another, we just don’t feel they work as well for us. Read more…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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

by 500 Comments

  • WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is Hana! Congratulations, Hana! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

Win a $50 Sephora eGift card from Makeup and Beauty Blog
Christmas is coming fast, gah! This weekend is go-time for me; no question about it. On my list today: to get a tree, put up some lights, and catch up on the Christmas shopping I promised myself I’d be finished with by now.

Yup, don’t ya just love the holiday crunch? — that pressure to get into the spirit before it’s too late to really enjoy? It’s yet another strange facet of life, having to hurry up to relax, LOL!

I am really looking forward to getting a tree, though, a small one just a few feet tall, and filling the house with that wonderful pine scent. And then Tabs and I can decorate it this afternoon with some ornaments that have been in our family for years.

Now, my friend, it’s time for me to power up with something warm and caffeinated, and get under way. I hope your weekend gets off to a great start. Speaking of that, perhaps today’s giveaway can help. 🙂

A Makeup and Beauty Blog Giveaway!

Win a $50 eGift 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, what are your favorite holiday traditions (Christmas or otherwise)? What are five things you find yourself doing a lot this time of year? When was the last time you did something dramatic with your makeup or hair? Do you have any New Year’s resolutions? What are you wearing on your nails? — 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/tMn6S3

  • The deadline to enter is Sunday, December 11, 2011 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 Hana! Congratulations, Hana! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

Today I Am…

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today i am

…giving myself a Post-It pep-talk.

Today I am…

…wearing Guerlain Ecrin 4 Couleurs in Les Roses ($59) on my eyes and Rouge G in 72 Rose Innocent ($48) on my lips. Both are from the spring 2012 collection and coming this January to select Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Sephora, Bloomingdales and Bergdorf Goodman stores.

guerlain spring 2011 (2)


Guerlain Ecrin 4 Couleurs in Les Roses on the left and Rouge G in 72 Rose Innocent on the right
[Continue reading…]

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Dec. 5

by 60 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 three years, which I guess makes this somewhere around Vol. 197. I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.
  1. Mood:

    2. Actually really great for a Monday. I got to bed early last night, and the extra sleep made all the difference in the world. Yea for Zzz’s!

  2. Do you prefer to do your own nails or have them done at a nail salon?

    3. As much as I lurve a good hand/foot massage, I’m super picky about my nails, and I find doing them relaxing, so I usually do it myself. And then there’s the fact that I like to change the colors I’m wearing every few days, which kinda defeats the purpose of getting a really good salon mani/pedi. 

  3. Sweet or savory?

    4. A little bit of both, please. I like the contrast.

  4. A challenge you’re working to overcome?

    5. I’m trying to stay out of my own way. Like a lot of us, I tend to be my own worst enemy, and sometimes when I’m frustrated about a task I don’t want to do, I spend more time fretting about it than it would take to actually do the task.

  5. Are you looking forward to anything this month? 

    6. Spending a few days with my family, eating tons of good food, and going shopping and ice skating (yup, ice skating in California) in San Francisco’s Union Square.

  6. Truth or dare?

    7. The dare! Nine times out of 10 I’ll take the dare. I’m adventurous that way. 😉 Plus, I like holding on to a bit of mystery…

  7. When was the last time you freaked out about something?

    8. Yesterday afternoon, and it was a heated one, too, with lots of stomping around the house, tears, crazy talking to myself, outfit changes — the whole nine yards.

    I was feeling very overwhelmed about the holidays and the weekend drawing to a close, but more than that I was also hungry and have PMS (a lethal combination!).

    Thank goodness El Hub was around to talk me down, and he said the magic words, “Why don’t we go to See’s to get you some chocolate?”

  8. What’s your favorite kind of weather?

    9. Sunny in the upper 70s with a light breeze blowing in from the ocean. Ah, Calgon… Take me to Oahu!

  9. What’s one of your favorite holiday treats?

    10. Baskin-Robbins’ peppermint ice cream, even though it’s that unnatural shade of pink that looks like Pepto-Bismol.

  10. Weekly goals:

    11. I missed a couple of workouts last week, and even when I have been running, I’ve just been doing the bare minimum to get by, so I want to get back on track. I also want to be extra sweet to Tabs this week because we haven’t been going for our walks outside as often as we did together back in summer.

Am I the only one who’s been struggling to stay focused lately? I don’t know if it’s just because of the holidays or what, but I haven’t been checking many things off of my to-do list…

Maybe what we need is a good dose of the Monday Poll. 🙂 We only have three Mondays left before 2012, so let’s makes ’em count!

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



1. Mood:
2. Do you prefer to do your own nails or have them done at a nail salon?
3. Sweet or savory?
4. A challenge you’re working to overcome?
5. Are you looking forward to anything this month? 
6. Truth or dare?
7. When was the last time you freaked out about something?
8. What’s your favorite kind of weather?
9. What’s one of your favorite holiday treats?
10. Weekly goals:

Are you attending any holiday parties this week? Wow, it’s hard to believe it’s already that time.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 168

by 18 Comments

Tabs for the Dolce and Gabbana Emerald Collection

So that’s where Tabs went when he disappeared last summer, down to Hollywood to film his cameo for the new Muppets movie. Now it all makes perfect sense. 🙂

We just got back from seeing the movie, and there Tabs was on the big screen in a scene with Neil Patrick Harris! Tabs says he would have gotten even more screen time, too, if it hadn’t been for that dang Selena Gomez…

Tabs had a bunch of fun kitty modeling gigs this week for Clinique, MAC, Dolce & Gabbana, Elizabeth Arden and Urban Decay. Here are a few pics from the jobs.

Tabs for Clinique Seasons Worth of Tabby

Tabs for MAC Tabby Danger
[Continue reading…]

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