Just For Fun

Okay, so I really enjoyed Friends with Benefits! Not a bad romantic comedy at all. Snappy dialogue, good chemistry between JT and Mila Kunis, a pretty believable-ish storyline and a great supporting cast.

JT has picked some interesting movie roles this year, hasn’t he? I thoroughly enjoyed this one and also liked In Time earlier this year, the sci-fi one where time is the currency, despite it getting kinda lukewarm reviews.

In other news, welcome to Sunday! 🙂

How’s it going this weekend? I hope you’ve had some time to unwind. Nothing exciting to report out here. It’s sunny this weekend but cold. We had some super strong hurricane-force winds earlier this week, but everything’s very still outside now.

I’m just chugging along, mostly doing little chores around the house. I just finished some gruel for breakfast (oatmeal) to get me fueled up for a quick run, but that’s about all I’ve got going on for today.

Oh, while you’re out and about this weekend, please watch out for makeup monsters, like this annoying bugger here…

THE MASCARA MANGLER

FREQUENCY: Common
SPEED: Fast
ARMOR CLASS: 4
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Mascara Manglers have a minor form of makeup mind control. They’re able to make their victims touch, smudge and smear their own mascara (it’s soo annoying!).
SPECIAL DEFENSES: They’re waterproof
INTELLIGENCE: Very
ALIGNMENT: Evil
SIZE: M (6′ tall)

A few beauty posts that caught my eye…

• DIY Candy Lights — Oh Happy Day
• Your December Activity Guide — Galadarling
• Cleopatra, Brigitte Bardot and Angelina Jolie can’t be wrong: 10 tips to perfect your cat-eye lining technique. Meow! — Beauty Editor
• How to Buy What You’ll Wear and Wear What You Buy: Lessons Learned from Personal Style Blogging — Ruby Slipper Journeys
• The Beauty Department Presents the Holiday Gift Guide — The Beauty Department
• How to Tackle Holiday Shopping as a College Student — College Fashion
• 12 Days of Christmas Nails: Day 2 (Reindeer Nail Art) — The Nailasaurus
• How to Create a Pretty, Sexy Holiday Makeup Look — Bellasugar
• The Beauty Benefits of Smiling — You Beauty
• I love these Beauty Street Style Columns on the Stylist — Stylist

The Weekly Roundup: MBB Posts You Might Have Missed

YOU’RE SHEER TO FIND A SEASON’S WORTH OF PRETTY IN
CLINIQUE’S NEW HOLIDAY PALETTE FOR EYES, LIPS AND CHEEKS

How much pretty did Clinique squeeze into their new 13-piece holiday palette for eyes, lips and cheeks? Well, judging by the name they gave it, I’d say around “A Season’s Worth.”

The cool tones and neutral shades in the new $37 palette have a distinctly festive feel that reminds me of caroling and getting snuggles from Tabs. They’re the kinds of colors I can see myself wearing with scarves, boots and mittens wrapped around mugs of piping hot cocoa, yet they seem timeless enough to make the transition from winter to spring, and maybe even summer.

More than 20 years ago (egad!) I followed Clinique through a gateway that led to the World of Makeup! There, I found wonders like MAC and NARS, and yet even with such tantalizing temptations teasing my senses, I regularly return to my roots with Clinique. Read more…

MAC UNSUNG HEROES
LADY DANGER LIPSTICK

“Lady Danger to Ruby Woo! Lady Danger to Ruby Woo! Come in, Ruby Woo! Do you copy? Over.”

“This is Ruby Woo. I read you loud and clear, Lady Danger. What’s your 20? Has Russian Red been neutralized? Over.”

“That’s affirmative, cap’n. Russian Red has been neutralized. I’m leaving the checkpoint now. Returning to base. Over.”

“Copy that, Lady Danger. Good work!”

Russian Red, Ruby Woo and Lady Danger may sound like secret agent code names, but they’re actually three of MAC’s most popular red lipsticks. Read more…

GET ONE MORE DAY FROM YOUR BLOWOUT WITH
THIS IMPROV BEAUTY TRICK

Last week was crazy busy, with two trips out of town and a big family visit, so on Wednesday, knowing that I wouldn’t have much time later in the week to tend to my hair, I blew it out and hoped I’d be able to get by for a few days using just a dry shampoo.

It was a decent enough plan, and it got me through a few days, but then I decided to sneak in a run…

BAM! Just like that, I had janky roots.

And a greasy scalp. Greasy, stinky, oily, and all kinds of gross.

I fully intended to wash my hair before heading to my BFF’s son’s baptism on Saturday, but as usual, time escaped me, and I ended up with only 20 minutes to dress and get out the door. Read more…

TODAY MOTHER NATURE DID MY MAKEUP, AND SHE USED PRODUCTS FROM
MAKE UP FOR EVER, MAC NARS, PACIFICA AND LAURA MERCIER

Today I found my makeup inspiration by looking down — down at the multi-colored leaves scattered on the sidewalk outside. Yup, I turned to Mother Nature this afternoon and reached for colors in copper, beige and khaki for my face of the day.

I’ve been meaning to try a look with Make Up For Ever’s new Wild & Chic Palette ($39) for, um, ever! MUFE fans, this palette does not disappoint. The rich colors are super easy to blend, and I think they look pretty great in pictures, too.

This look also features my new favorite lip combo — Pacifica Color Quench Lip Tint in Blood Orange topped with Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Blush. I wore it last week to Thanksgiving dinner and even got a few compliments from the makeup-loving cousins. Read more…

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE BEAUTY HACKS
ALSO KNOWN AS YOUR SECRET BEAUTY SHORTCUTS?

Yesterday’s blowout hair trick got me fired up to find even more beauty hacks, also known as secret beauty shortcuts. As a gal who spends much of her time running behind, every minute counts, and I can always use a new time-saving tip.

Here are a few more that I regularly use…

The peep-toe pedicure

Sometimes, when I’m running ragged and totally pressed for time, I’ll look down at my feet and think, “There’s no way I’d make it through all 10 toes!”

When I don’t have enough time to paint all 10 piggies but still want a little color on my toes, I grab a bottle of polish and a pair of peep-toe shoes. Read more…

IT TAKES URBAN DECAY NAKED2 TO MAKE A THING TO RIGHT…
IT TAKES URBAN DECAY NAKED2 TO MAKE IT OUTTA SIGHT

I wanna rock right now.
I’m K-Dog and I came to get down.
My cat’s internationally known,
And he’s known to rock the microphone.

‘Cause I get stupid, I mean outrageous,
My love for UD Naked2 is contagious.
These shadows are winners, no, they’re not losers,
With 12 shades total for every neutral user.

Ladies love it, girls adore it,
I mean even the ones who never saw it like…
The way that the shades just flow.
The reason why, UD steals the show,
So let’s go, ’cause… Read more…

SKINCARE FOR THE CHANGING SEASONS
5 TIPS TO SOOTHE AND PROTECT DRY WINTER HANDS

I was tickling the ivories on my computer keyboard the other day (I l-o-v-e R-y-a-n G-o-s-l-i-n-g) when my eyes settled on a frightening sight.

My hands!

Something — probably a combination of biting winds, indoor heaters and obsessive hand washing — had turned them into two chapped chunks of leathery turkey jerky.

Not cute.

“Tabs!” I screamed, reaching out to him for emotional support, but as soon as he took one look at my wretched paws, he hissed and ran away.

Okay, well, maybe not, but I think he did sort of cringe. Read more…

AN URBAN DECAY NAKED2 FACE OF THE DAY
AND COMPARISON SWATCHES WITH THE ORIGINAL NAKED PALETTE

Here are some shots of the new Urban Decay Naked2 Palette ($50; available now online) in action, babe. I used the Naked2 tutorial on the Urban Decay website as a jumping off point.

Oh, and just in case you were wondering how Naked and Naked2 looked side-by-side…

What do ya think? Skinny dip time (the pool is heated)? Read more…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

It’s Sunday already? Wow, this weekend’s on fast forward! Shoot, where’s the Pause button…? I gotta hit that thing and slow the day down before it’s Monday and El Hub has to go back to work.

What’s new with you? Did you do anything new or exciting yesterday? My BFF’s son’s christening was a lot of fun. It was also my first semi-pro photography gig, and I think everything went well. No toes were stepped on, nor candles bumped.

Actually about a dozen babies were baptized during the ceremony, so the church was a packed house filled with family members and lots of camera gear. Everyone was trying to get that coveted shot of their child’s expression right as the priest douses them with holy water. Some babies scream at the top of their lungs, like “Dude! What was that!? I thought we were friends and then you go and pour water on my head? Not cool, dude. Not cool.” Others don’t seem to mind at all, like “SUH-WEET! I love bath time. Now bring on the bubbles!”

We were gonna go to a movie last night but got home a little late, so we just stayed in… I got hooked on a Real Housewives of Beverly Hills marathon and watched that until a little after midnight, and now my neck hurts from all of the head shaking I did. It was pretty much just a constant “No, no, no, no” for hours and hours, but you know how it is. Those shows are like potato chips. I couldn’t stop after the first one.

Oh, have you ever heard of a creature called the Eyeshadow Smusher? Reader Adrienne recently spotted one. Smushers like to jab their stubby fingers into pans of eyeshadow like they’re digging for gold, crumbling them into millions of pieces. Kind of annoying.

THE EYESHADOW SMUSHER

FREQUENCY: Uncommon (hangs out anywhere eyeshadow can be found; loves makeup counters)
SPEED: Slow
ARMOR CLASS: 6
SPECIAL ATTACKS: 2x damage against eyeshadows
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
INTELLIGENCE: Low, except when it comes to eyeshadow, about which he knows everything there is to know
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: M (3′ tall, weighs about 400 lbs.)

A few beauty posts that caught my eye…

• 4 Easy “Nail Hacks” That Really Work — College Fashion
• Ueba Esou Water-Based Gofun Nail Polish: Uguisu Midori — à la peach
• New from theBalm: The Nude Tude Eyeshadow Palette — Makeup4all
• What To Wear Under The Season’s Trickiest Dresses — Refinery 29
• One for the Crazy Cat Ladies: Dapper Little Kitten Pins — The Black Apple
• NEAT! How to Make Homemade Play-Doh — A Stay at Home Working Mom’s Tale
• A cute manicure with glittery tips — Pearls & Poodles
• When I’m 80 years old, I hope to rock the cat eye as hard as this woman does — Advanced Style
• For fans of E.E. Cummings and Kitties — e.e. catting

The Weekly Roundup: MBB Posts You Might Have Missed

HAVE YOU RED ANYTHING ABOUT THE FIVE PIGMENTED LIPSTICKS IN THE
NEW DOLCE & GABBANA RUBY COLLECTION? WOULD YOU LIKE TO?

Rodeos everywhere are banning the new Dolce & Gabbana Ruby collection because its five Classic Cream Lipsticks have all the bulls seeing red!

No two ways about it — these festive and flirty lippies are for ladies who like red, and they’re jam packed with so much rich red pigment that they’re driving up the price of stop signs nationwide!

LOL! Okay, I’ll stop with the jokes. But seriously, these are really red.

They’re $37 each, which is $7 more than usual for one of Dolce & Gabbana’s Classic Creams; the markup pays for their dazzling limited edition Ruby attire.

With these, Dolce & Gabbana essentially created a nuanced wardrobe of red for a five-day week. The first time I swatched them on the back of my hand, I thought they looked too similar, but I could see their differences more clearly once I got them on my lips. Read more…

THE WACOAL 854191 STRAPLESS PUSH-UP BRA:
THE BEST DAMN STRAPLESS BRA I’VE EVER WORN

What do you get when you combine the words “phenomenal” and “strapless bra” in the same sentence? Well, besides a good laugh? Because that was always the case until I found the subject of this afternoon’s post.

I don’t know how you feel about ‘em, but strapless bras for me have always been exercises in misery. Oh, the many times I’ve ducked into bathrooms to hoist up a strapless bra that has somehow worked its way around my belly button…

But lo, magic exists! Just when I began to believe I’d never find a good strapless bra, like it would forever be my personal chupacabra, I discovered the Wacoal 854191 Strapless Push-Up Bra, also known as “the most phenomenal strapless bra I’ve ever worn.” Read more…

PHYTO 7 DAILY HYDRATING BOTANICAL CREAM
BROUGHT MY BRITTLE HAIR BACK FROM THE BRINK

One day, while I was cruising the wares at a Pure Beauty store, I happened upon a sales associate with the longest, shiniest, healthiest looking hair I’d seen in years.

It, and the fact that it belonged to a dude, left me speechless for an unusually long pause…

When my brain rebooted, I asked the boy how he got such a fly mane, and he pointed me to the Phyto 7.

Phyto 7 Daily Hydrating Botanical Cream ($26) contains a blend of seven plant extracts — calendula, sage, burdock, willow, soybean, rosemary and althea — pit together for their hydrating and replenishing properties. By maintaining optimum moisture levels, it’s supposed to make hair look smoother, softer and shinier from the very first application. Read more…

NARS UNSUNG HEROES
LUSTER BLUSH

Say the uber-pigmented NARS Lovejoy Blush seems a little too dark and intense for you, but you still want the same two-in-one blush/bronzer effect. Never fear, Luster Blush ($27) is here!

Like Lovejoy, Luster adds color, shimmer and warmth in a single swipe, and the way that it lights up cheeks makes it a good companion for a fading summer tan.

It’s one of those shades that I overlooked for years based on the way it looks in the pan — kinda ordinary and nondescript — but I’m glad I finally gave it a swipe and a chance. When I did, I fell instantly in love. Read more…

LIVE CLEAN BABY, AN ECO-FRIENDLY CRUELTY-FREE LINE,
ARRIVES AT WALGREENS STORES

Anonymous sources on Sesame Street have confirmed that rubber ducky makes bath time lots of fun, and with the new Live Clean Baby line of cruelty-free drugstore baby products, the whole bath time experience is likely to improve.

Yup, for the moms and grandmothers among us — and for those of us who just like soothing, gentle drugstore products in adorable packaging — the six-piece Live Clean Baby collection has made its way from Canada to U.S. Walgreens stores.

The collection includes a Tearless Shampoo & Wash, Moisturizing Baby Bath, Moisturizing Bar Soap, Non-Petroleum Jelly, Diaper Ointment, and a Lotion, each one priced at $7.99. Read more…

MAC UNSUNG HEROES
RETROSPECK EYESHADOW

Since we’ll be hitting the road early tomorrow, I’ve drawn upon my vast experience as a makeup nerd/control freak to lay out a beauty plan, because the last thing I want to do on Thanksgiving is scare the relatives, BOO!

The plan involves today’s Unsung Hero, MAC Retrospeck Eyeshadow ($15 for a pan; $11 for the Pro Palette Refill at the top of this post).

Like MAC Phloof!, Restrospeck is one of my favorite get-out-the-door products. It brightens eyes in just a few quick swipes.

MAC describes it as a bleached blonde, but on my skin I see a warm and shimmery mix of silver and gold — a surefire way to look wide-eyed and bright. Read more…

GIVE YOURSELF A GLITTER OMBRE MANICURE TO SUPPORT
YOUR TEAM ON THANSGIVING (OR ANY OTHER DAY)

I stopped by a UPS Store to mail a package last week and received an unexpected compliment from the guy working the counter. He pointed at my glittery red and gold ombre manicure and said, “Atta girl! You’re wearing 49er colors.”

He said that his wife, a long-time Niners fan, would probably love to wear a mani like that on game day and asked if it was hard to do.

“Not at all,” I replied, and I walked him through the process as he prepped my package.

FYI: Talking nails with a big, burly UPS guy is weirdly entertaining. About halfway through the process, his eyes took on the same glazed, confused look that El Hub gets when I try to explain why it makes perfect sense for me to own 15 pairs of black shoes. Read more…

MAC UNSUNG HEROES
RUBY WOO LIPSTICK

The holidays are a great time to go glam with vivid colors like MAC Ruby Woo ($14.50).

Heck, even the trees get all dolled up this time of year! It’s the perfect opportunity to push the envelope with your look, and nothing says “holiday party” like a pigmented red lip.

Coral red Ruby Woo is wearing warmer attire than my other go-to crimson cutie, MAC Russian Red. It has a warmer tone that I like to pair with shimmery gold shadows and looks with thick cat liner. Read more…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen