Just For Fun

If you liked 12 Monkeys, Groundhog Day and Moon, don’t miss Source Code. For serious! I was hooked from the opening credits. The movie opens with some incredible swooping overhead shots of daytime Chicago looking bigger and brighter than I ever thought it did and then zooms in on a man yanked awake from a restless sleep on a commuter train. The man knows himself as an Army helicopter pilot who an instant ago had been flying a combat mission over Afghanistan, and now, as if somehow teleported from thousands of miles away, he finds himself where? On a train? Who are these people? WTF? GREAT. SCI. FI. FLICK.

How about you? What have you been up to this weekend? I hope you’re doing something fun.

Last week took a lot out of me, and if it wasn’t for the Becca Halcyon Days Palette and China Glaze Island Escape collection, I might not have made it through… Okay, that’s being overly dramatic, but you get the idea.

This is unrelated, and I hadn’t thought of it like this before, but doesn’t it seem like the prices of Target’s makeup and beauty products have been trending upward lately? Wait — not only at Target. I haven’t done the math yet, but it seems like after a brief downward price trend, makeup prices everywhere are again heading up. Where we were seeing some great value kits and palettes from beauty brands late last year, now we’re seeing a return to the $45-65 range, especially for department store kits and palettes.

I hope I’m wrong… Maybe I’m just attributing too much to Jemma Kidd’s recent higher-priced products.

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

THE BECCA HALCYON DAYS PALETTE SOFTLY SHIMMERS
LIKE SUNSET AT AN EXPENSIVE BEACH RESORT

When I opened the new Becca Halcyon Days Palette ($65), sunbeams shot out of the pans directly into my gold, bronze and coral-lovin’ heart. BAM! This palette is almost everything I could ever want from summer makeup. Just thinking about it fills the air with the scent of sunscreen, my mouth with the taste of orange Creamsicles, and my ears with the sound of surf pounding on a beach.

Take unseasonably warm weather like we’re having here in the Bay Area this week (this, after last week’s downpours and freeze-your-butt-bones weather), add Halcyon Days, and you get one happy Karen. 🙂

Here, let me show you! Grab my virtual hand because the journey to summer, summer, summertime is just a hop, skip and a Becca palette away. Read more…

STRIKE A POSE (THERE’S NOTHING TO IT)
WITH JK JEMMA KIDD IN VOGUE PERFECT BLUSH

Don’t just stand there, let’s get to it, strike a pose, there’s nothing to it —

Aw, man! It was only after I took these pictures that I put two and two together. I should have done Vogue poses for these pics! Oh, well… Next time.

Have I ever told you about the time my friend Cindy and I went to Madonna Night at a club in San Francisco? Yep, the DJ played Madge hits all night long. It was awesome! — except for one thing, and that thing had nothing to do with the music and everything to do with my height.

I’m a little shorty, and every time the DJ played Vogue, which he did several times, I spent the entire song dodging sharp Vogue elbows to my temples and long arms to my face. I left the club happy that night, but I looked like a to’ up rag doll with a mild concussion. Read more…

I’M BRINGING JELLY BEANS
TO MY CHINA GLAZE ISLAND ESCAPE

With a name like Island Escape, China Glaze’s new nail polish collection could be about bright, tropical colors, but the sugar fiend in me can’t help but see jelly beans in these bottles.

The six-piece summer collection (about $5 per bottle) features a rainbow of tropical candy colors — four shimmers (108 Degrees, Cha Cha Cha, Senorita Bonita and Blue Iguana), which require two coats to reach full opacity, and two creams (Papaya Punch and Electric Pineapple), which take three.

If you were wondering, yes, I did eat these jelly beans, starting with the popcorn ones first (they’re my fave!).

I’ve had excellent luck with China Glaze polishes over the years; they’re some of the sturdiest and most chip-resistant polishes I’ve tried. They get the texture and consistency just right — it’s not too thick nor thin — and they don’t skimp on the pigment. Read more…

THE JEMMA KIDD GLITTERATI SHADOW DUST DUO
COLLECTION IS CONSPIRING AGAINST BOREDOM

In Dan Brown’s new book, a secret society of cream shadow enthusiasts plots to overthrow the government from a network of hidden catacombs beneath the country’s largest Target store. At the heart of this cosmetics conspiracy — the JK Glitterati Shadow Dust Duo Collection.

Angels & Demons was only the beginning! Where the Illuminati failed, the Glitterati succeed by appealing to lazy ladies who love shimmery cream shadows. Each of the three $18 duos in the collection has two ends. On one, a cream shadow with a doe-foot applicator; on the other, a loose powder shadow with a roller ball.

Despite being expensive for a drugstore makeup product, the flexible, long-wearing duos quickly spread to Target’s many stores nationwide…

It’s quite a page-turner. 🙂 Read more…

MIGHT AS WELL FACE IT I’M ADDICTED TO DIOR
THE NEW DIOR ADDICT LIPSTICK

Alright, did someone sneak in a second Monday today? Yeesh! I had a tough Tuesday, ladies. Couldn’t focus worth squat. I felt like a cat in a thunder storm — perpetually on edge and ready to freak out. The only headway I made all day was with these newly reformulated Dior Addict lipsticks ($28 each). I say headway because I actually tried them on my lips.

Dior refers to these as iconic, a gutsy claim if we were talking about a different company, but Dior gets a pass from me for marketing speak like that. That’s how much I like the brand. Their corny tagline, on the other hand, I think I’ll gently tease: “A declaration of love between beauty and style, color and couture, and Dior and its addicts.” Come on, guys. You can do better than that. 🙂

I counted 44 shades on their website and tried three of them today. The new formula seems slightly thicker and more pigmented to me than the old one did. I could wax philosophic about how hydrating and extraordinarily shiny these heavenly bobbins are, but wax is one thing these lipsticks don’t do. Well, they do, but they do it less than usual, which is to say that they’re made with 25% less wax than classic lipsticks are. Read more…

WHAT’S THE STORY MORNING GLORY?
THE TALE BEHIND BARE ESCENTUALS BE CARES SWEET SMILE EYECOLOR

One thing I’ve always liked about makeup is the story behind the product, and how when you see a piece of makeup, you’re not just looking at a lipstick or an eyeshadow. Sometimes, you’re also seeing someone’s hopes and dreams.

Who was that someone at Bare Escentuals who, when they first saw the opalescent purplish grey that would later become limited edition BE Cares Sweet Smile eyeshadow, thought they would release the color to honor Jessica, one of their customers, and her sister, who underwent 24 operations to correct a cleft palate?

I’ve been wearing Sweet Smile as a light wash over my lids this week for a hint of color and blue sparkle that don’t look too overdone. The color isn’t incredibly pigmented, but applying it with a wet brush helps (makes it more intense). Read more…

SONIA KASHUK’S NEW SPRING 2011 NAIL COLOURS
HAVE A FORMULA THAT’S RIGHT ON TARGET
If Sonia Kashuk’s new Nail Colours were any easier to apply, they’d be called Nail Polish for Dummies — or, in my case, Nail Polish for the HELLA Sleep Deprived.

I barely slept at all last night, which, as you can probably imagine, isn’t conducive to good decision making. For reasons I won’t even try to understand, I decided to do some swatching this morning…at 3 a.m. (aka the witching hour). Yes, I know. Crazy, right? Well, I was awake, and it just seemed like a good idea at the time. Despite the ridiculous hour and this little thing called “poor hand-eye coordination,” Sonia’s polishes still did a remarkable job.

I tried three of the four new colors released for spring — khaki green Fatigued, creamy purple Violetta and bright reddish coral Tutti Frutti. I also really wanted to try the fourth shade, hot pink Jammin, but I haven’t been able to track it down. Like another one of Sonia’s popular products, her Flat Top Brush, it’s always sold out at the store. Read more…

THIERRY MUGLER MAKEUP, COMIC SANS AND
FASHION DON’TS FOR DUDES

Hey, friend. How’s Wednesday treating you? Sorry if it seems like I haven’t been around as much as usual, especially in the comments, but I’ve been a little out of sorts. It started with a bad case of writer’s block yesterday, which I think I’m still recovering from. I feel much better today, but it still wore me out.

I feel selfish complaining with everything going on in the world, but who else can I tell if not you? Unless it involves gravy, Tabs isn’t concerned.

Even though I haven’t been able to express myself, I’ve been dying to tell you about some of the weird things that have crossed my path lately, like…

Comic Sans! You know how much I like typography, right, and can’t stand Comic Sans? Well, for some reason, I’ve been getting almost one e-mail per day written ENTIRELY in Comic Sans. Like, paragraph after paragraph of bold 18-pt Comic Sans, usually in violet, orange or pink. 🙂 I kid you not! The universe is having a free-for-all font field day at little old moi’s expense. It makes me want to laugh and barf at the very same time. Read more…

THE URBAN DECAY ROLLERGIRL NAIL KIT
MAKES THE CLAWS COME OUT

Sometimes I wonder if Tabs has lost his ability to connect with felines and humans outside of the digital world. Since getting his iPhone, he communicates more and more of his requests demands via text, like this one from yesterday: Woman, you need to swatch the Urban Decay Rollergirl Nail Kit ASAP or suffer the consequences. Don’t make me take my claws out!

I haven’t worn them long enough to gauge wear time yet, but so far I like the colors and formula. They apply smoothly with nary a streak, and two coats deliver full, opaque coverage.

Roller girls, roller boys and makeup-loving tabby cats, this $28 limited edition summer kit of six minis skates onto counters soon. See anything you like? Read more…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Rise and shine — yikes! It’s quarter to ten already? How’d that happen?

Well, good late morning anyway. 🙂 I started snapping pictures of Tabs after breakfast, and it appears that time has gotten away from me.

How’s your weekend been so far? I can’t recall having done anything spectacular with mine yet, but I did swing by a Barnes & Noble last night after dinner to read some magazines. That’s always fun. And I almost bought copies of the new French and Japanese versions of Vogue, but they were about $15 each (!) and shrink-wrapped, so I passed.

I know this isn’t beauty related, but I’m heartbroken about the Borders bankruptcy and bookstore closings announced here in the U.S. I found out this week that our store here in Marin is one of the ones on the chopping block. Dang, whenever a bookstore closes, I think a piece of the community it was in dies a little bit.

Of course, I’m guilty of contributing to its demise because I would often browse the store, only to leave and buy the books I found interesting from Amazon.com for less. But what can you do, right? Amazon was often 30-40% less expensive. That’s too significant a difference for me to overlook, even in support of something I really like.

Oh, well. C’est la vie…

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

THE SONIA KASHUK BEAUTIFUL BERRIES LIP QUAD
IS A DRUGSTORE MYRRH-ACLE

If you’re in the mood for a weekend drugstore splurge/reward, what do ya think of Sonia Kashuk’s new Beautiful Berries Lip Quad ($12.99)?

It’s one of three in SK’s new spring collection, and it looks like a perfect pick-me-up to me.

The pigmented colors and sleek packaging first caught my eye — so cute, right? — but the interesting ingredients sealed the deal. Sonia added myrrh resin extract to supposedly reduce the signs of aging and the depth of wrinkles, and antioxidant-rich pomegranate fruit sterols to moisturize and protect against environmental damage (the juice has been shown to be good for the heart, so there may actually be some real benefits to its use here). Read more…

SUAVE SAYS THEIR $3 DRY SHAMPOO
WORKS AS WELL AS $24 RENE FURTERER

I’ve been wearing my normally wavy hair straight lately and waiting a few days between washes to extend the life of my blowouts. To prevent my scalp from getting too funky with excess oil, I’ve been reaching for Rene Furterer Naturia Dry Shampoo, my fave dry shampoo, which also gives my roots a nice lift.

The problem: Naturia costs $24.

Ouch! Time to find a less expensive alternative…

And maybe I have. Suave Professional Dry Shampoo refreshes hair “as well as Rene Furterer” — at least that’s what it says on the side of the bottle. 🙂

Not even considering the fact that it only costs $3 (compared to $24?), the stuff is pretty good. Then when you DO consider the price, it’s downright amazing! First, there’s how fast it works. Read more…

THE SMASHBOX SULTRY/SWEET GLAMBOX TAKES
THE GUESSWORK OUT OF LOOKING GOOD

By the time I finished folding my laundry last weekend, there was a stack of 10 surf tees sitting on the bed. I don’t know when or how it happened, but it’s official — I have the wardrobe of a tween surfer boy.

It’s not that I wouldn’t like to wear other things. I just don’t like to spend the time and energy (read: I’m too lazy) it takes to put together comprehensive, fashion-forward looks. What I need is a wardrobe correction kit, a single set of pieces designed to create comprehensive looks, like a wardrobe version of the Smashbox Sultry/Sweet Glambox ($68). Read more…

LIKE SNICKERS, BITE BEAUTY DEFINE & REFINE
LIP SET REALLY SATISFIES

Sometimes you just need a quick snack to quiet the rumbling in your tummy, ya know? Not a full-on meal. Just a quick snack, like when Vampire Bill takes a sip from Sookie (Ha! I almost typed “Snookie”) while they’re “having relations.”

In a way, Bite Beauty’s new Define & Refine Lip Set ($36) is like a quick snack. You get to taste three full-size Bite lip products without having to pay full price. Purchased separately, they’d cost $68, or almost twice the price of the set.

I think Bite did a pretty good job picking the colors for this set. These are shades that should work well on a wide range of skin tones, and the overall quality, pigment and price make it a pretty great deal. If I could only recommend one thing from the Bite line so far, without a doubt, this would be it. Read more…

YOU’LL MARBLE AT MILANI’S
BAKED EYESHADOW COLLECTION

Remember when the first baked eyeshadows emerged hot and fresh out the beauty ovens way, way back in 2008? The big department store lines were popping them out faster than you can say, “I’ll take two red velvet cupcakes with extra frosting on the side.”

Three years later, the trend lives on! Budget versions of these sturdy baked beauties, which tend to resist water a little better than traditional shadows, have now made their way into drugstore makeup aisles.

And some of them work just as well as their pricier department store cousins. Take Milani’s Marbleized Baked Eyeshadows ($7.49 each), for instance. Read more…

MAC QUITE CUTE IS…
OH, THAT’S TOO OBVIOUS.

I wish I could hop into a time-traveling Delorean with the upcoming MAC Quite Cute collection and zoom back to 1984 (to when I was in 4th grade). Even though I wasn’t allowed to wear makeup back then, I would have done flips for these pastel treats for cheeks, nails, lips and eyes.

When I was a kid, I was crazy for anything and everything pastel. My favorite colors were mint green, lavender, peach and/or baby pink (not necessarily in that order). The colors of the MAC Quite Cute collection would have driven my 9-year-old self into fits! I probably would have locked myself in my room with it, loaded Duran Duran’s Notorious tape into my mint green Casio portable radio and danced around my purple painted room like an ’80s fairy princess.

Now in my thirties, I still have a deep and abiding love for pastels, and I felt the same familiar flutter in my tummy today when I saw Quite Cute up close for the very first time. Read more…

THE GLITTER IN MAKE UP FOR EVER’S NEW HIGHLIGHTERS
MAKES ME WANT TO STAY UPLIGHT

Rarely does my bizarre memory for cheesy pop music lyrics come in as handy as it did today. While marveling at the explosion of pigment and glitter on my cheeks from two of the eight new Make Up For Ever Uplight ($28) highlighters, I sang along to a MUFE version of Billy Joel’s Uptown Girl.

“Uplight girl! She’s been living in her uplight world!”

Okay, so I’m way too easily amused. But I do think these multitasking, oil-free illuminators are well worth singing about. Maybe because they’re mostly water (70%), these gel highlighters feel almost weightless, and it’s like they melt right into my skin.

NARS released a similar product earlier this spring called the Illuminators. While I think both those and these are great, MUFE gave the Uplights a fluffier, airier texture that I find easier to blend. And from the colors I’ve seen so far, the Uplights also appear to pack much more pigment. For a subtle tint, I might opt for a NARS Illuminator, but I’d reach for an Uplight if I wanted bolder colors with intense glitter and shine. Read more…

SPRING’S AWAKENING WITH SONIA KASHUK’S
LATEST LIMITED EDITION MAKEUP PALETTE

Now that it’s spring here in the northern hemisphere, Tabs has been getting up early to perch up high on his cat tower by the windows and watch the birds outside.

On our walk around the neighborhood today, we saw that the branches of one of our favorite trees, which sits at the bottom of our hill, are now dressed in coat of beautiful pink blooms.

My spring allergies are already kicking in (thank goodness for Zyrtec!), but I wouldn’t trade this time of year for anything. Early spring is like getting a post card from a friend who’s coming to visit. You know there’s something fun right around the corner, but you’re not quite there yet. You know that if if you can be patient a little longer, the fun will start soon enough. Read more…

MAC BRONZE EVERYDAY COLLECTION
THE SUN NEVER SETS WHEN IT’S MAC BRONZE EVERYDAY

Well look who’s just in time for sundresses. 🙂 Hey there, MAC. Wait — let me bare my shoulders before we go outside…

Come April 7, babes, the bronze will be on — North American MAC counters, that is (internationally some time in April). That’s when the new MAC Bronze Everyday collection beams down.

The release features a mix of old and new MAC bronzing items for face and body. Expect to see repromoted favorites like the Skinsheen Leg Sprays and Lustre Drops alongside new products like Mineralize Skinfinish Natural and the Mineralize Skinfinish Bronzing Powders.

If you miss the release, don’t despair. MAC plans to add everything here to their permanent line. Read more…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen