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Just For Fun

Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 130

March 13th, 2011 by Karen 48 Comments

Tabs for the Benefit Feline Brow Kit

It’s weird, but in the kitty modeling world, right after the Academy Awards, there’s always a lull that lasts about a week. Apparently, after all of the red carpet coverage and after parties, many of the top photographers in the biz take a few days off to recoup. It makes sense, I guess. But things are starting to pick up again, and Tabs had a few new jobs this week.

As a matter of fact, here’s a look at his portfolio of recent work. Oh — and if you think of any cool campaigns you think he should do, let him know in the comments. There’s a lot of competition out there, but he can pretty much get any job that he wants. 🙂

Who is Tabs the Cat? About three years ago I befriended a stray, flea-bitten tabby cat with a bad case of worms. I could see he’d fallen on hard times, but his profound knowledge of high fashion and department store cosmetics led me to believe that he was more than meets the eye. We became fast friends, and now he’s actually my boss (and a successful kitty model).

Tabs for Covercat Eyewear

Tabs for Givenchy Tabby Tangerine Lipstick
[Continue reading…]

There are 48 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun Keywords: tabs

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

March 13th, 2011 by Karen 16 Comments

Makeup and Beauty Blog Weekly Roundup

Good mornin’, ladies. 🙂 I’m rising and shining a little later than usual today but rising and shining nonetheless. How did you sleep? Did all of your clocks spring forward like good little timepieces?

I stayed up way past my bedtime last night watching TV and movies, and now I’m quite sleepy. I streamed a wonderful movie on Netflix called Listen To Your Heart. It’s about a young musician who falls in love with a hearing-impaired girl from New York’s upper crust. The girl’s controlling mother, played by Cybill Shepherd (anyone here remember Moonlighting?), tries to keep them apart, so it’s one of those love-that-cannot-be stories but much better than usual. Even El Hub was quietly sobbing on the couch.

Do you have anything special planned today? I have a few chores to do, but after that I think I’ll take the tabby for a walk…

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

Givenchy Rouge Interdit Lipstick in Candide TangerineGIVENCHY ROUGE INTERDIT
LIPSTICK IN CANDIDE TANGERINE: A MODERN TWIST ON RETRO ORANGE

Um, did I really just spend 20 minutes dancing around my living room to Biggie’s Juicy?

Yes, I did (I suspect you aren’t surprised). And why did I do it? Givenchy! Candide Tangerine, their newest lipstick color, makes me REALLY wish I could rap. If I could, I’d spit a few bars about how downright juicy it is.

Imagine pieces of peeled tangerine dipped in concentrated Hawaiian Punch. THAT’s how intensely pigmented Candide Tangerine is.

I’m wearing two layers for opaque coverage in these pics; a single layer produces more of a stained look. Read more…

Straight Talk: This Curly Girl Also Loves Straight Hair STRAIGHT TALK: THIS CURLY GIRL
ALSO LOVES STRAIGHT HAIR

Looking back, I realize now that holding a scalding hot laundry iron inches away from my face probably wasn’t the smartest thing I’d ever done, but I was a curious teenager, and I’d heard from my friend Jessica that the quickest way to get straight hair was to iron it.

(pause)

Okay, this was the early ’90s, and flat irons hadn’t quite made their way into every straight hair-challenged girl’s bathroom yet, so, one day, after pressing the wrinkles out of my favorite pair of Z. Cavariccis and my black-and-white polka-dot shirt (complete with sheer black sleeves!), I placed my long, wavy hair on the ironing board and…

(Seriously, do NOT try this at home.)

It didn’t take long to turn my unruly lion’s mane into a sleek curtain of straight hair. “Victory!” I roared. Adrenaline burned through my veins! — or I guess it could have been heat from the iron. Read more…

Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow Swatches BENEFIT CREASELESS CREAM SHADOW
SWATCHES AND REMARKABLE SELF-RESTRAINT

G’morning and happy Tuesday, friend. I was feeling kinda blah yesterday afternoon (been cold and rainy here), so I stopped by Sephora for a little pick-me-up.

In a somewhat shocking display of self-restraint, I managed to make it out of the store with just one thing — Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Strut ($19), a shimmery charcoal gray.

I’ve been meaning to bring it home for a while but just never got around to it. I bet she’ll look cute (and we’ll know soon enough) worn with a couple of my favorite Creaseless Cream go-to girls, Skinny Jeans (a shimmery pewter) and Birthday Suit (a shimmery chrome). Read more…

Kerastase Paris Chroma Sensitive Cleansing Hair Balm DOES THE NEW KERASTASE PARIS CHROMA
SENSITIVE CLEANSING BALM PREVENT HAIR COLOR FROM FADING?

Good morning and happy hump day, babe. 🙂 Just a quick heads up for the cuties with color-treated hair and the silicone-free product enthusiasts out there.

Luxury line Kerastase Paris has come out with a pricey yet promising new shampoo. It’s called Chroma Sensitive Cleansing Balm ($42 for a 6.8-oz. bottle), a low-foam cleanser designed to gently clean without washing away hair color.

Kerastase claims, among other things, that their low-foam, low-friction “Color Protect System,” a mix of a mild cleansing agent (1/4 of the recipe) and a deep conditioning agent (the other 3/4), smoothes the surface of each hair, preventing color pigments from escaping.

They suggest using it for the first three shampoos following a color service, and then alternating every other wash with your regular shampoo. Read more…

NARS 413 Bleecker Street Lipstick NEXT STOP: NARS 413
BLEECKER STREET LIPSTICK

Well get my plaid shirt, hoop earrings and clunky Timberland boots, because the second I slipped on the new NARS 413 Bleecker Street Pure Matte Lipstick ($25), I felt like I’d just stepped out of a hot tub time machine set for 1995.

It was the Clueless decade, when Alicia Silverstone, Sugar Ray and little black backpacks were En Vogue (just like the group!). Colors like this matte rosy brown were all the rage. I remember wearing a similar shade to countless (boring) college lectures on organic chemistry and physics.

This new NARS shade (I’m trying to find out if it’s permanent or limited edition) was created exclusively for the recent opening of the company’s first flagship store in the West Village at 413 Bleecker Street in New York City, and, at least for now, the store is the only place you can get it. Read more…

The Givenchy Le Prisme Eye Quad in Candide Garden THE GIVENCHY LE PRISME EYE QUAD
IN CANDIDE GARDEN: THANKSGIVING IN MARCH

Today an eye quad made me nervous. And hungry. For turkey?

The Givenchy Le Prisme Eye Quad in Candide Garden($56), the lone quad in the new Givenchy Naivement Couture Collection for Spring/Summer, made me a little nervous because of how sheer the colors looked swatched on the back of my hand. I tried not to write too much into it before getting them on my lids, but before I could talk myself down, a word popped into my head that worried me even more: Thanksgiving! That’s what the orange, yellow and brown shades reminded me of, and I contemplated putting the quad down right there…

Don’t get me wrong — I love the holiday. In fact I’ve always been a fan. I’m down with the colors of the harvest and falling leaves and those cute cartoon turkeys, too, but was I ready to wear those shades on my lids? In March?

Apparently, I was. 🙂 And I’m so glad. This wee little quad with its four powder shadows is actually pretty darn good (if not great, except for the price). Read more…

Smashbox Softbox Collection SMASHBOX SOFTBOX COLLECTION
FOR SUMMER 2011: DIFFUSE ME, PLEASE

Heads up, fellow Smashbox fans! The line’s just made their new Softbox Collection for Summer 2011 available online, and from the look of things, it’s right up my alley (and maybe yours).

Photographers use softboxes and specialized bulb umbrellas to diffuse bright light sources and eliminate harsh shadows, making the light that falls on their model appear softer and more natural.

It’s the same premise Smashbox applied to the products in their Softbox Studio collection. The three makeup sets for eyes, lips and cheeks mimic the qualities of natural light and embody the idea of effortless beauty.

Speaking as a practical person, I love these shades because I know I’ll be able to wear them. 🙂 Expect to see lots of neutral browns, beiges, pinks and taupes — colors equipped to take you straight from the office to dinner and drinks. Read more…

Estee Lauder DayWear Moisturizing Sheer Tint ESTEE LAUDER SAYS DAYWEAR DOES IT ALL,
YET THIS MOISTURIZING SHEER TINT WITH SPF15 COMES IN JUST A SINGLE SHADE

Okay, here’s a product name I may not be able to remember: Estee Lauder DayWear Sheer Tint Release Advanced Multi-Protection Anti-Oxidant Moisturizer.

Wow, 12 words? It could be a sentence if we squeezed in a verb.

Let’s try it!

Estee Lauder Likes DayWear Sheer Tint Release Advanced Multi-Protection Anti-Oxidant Moisturizer…

Tada! Let’s call it DayWear for short.

DayWear is a product I’d like to remember, because I think it has a few good things to offer fans of the barely-there makeup look. In a nutshell (I’ve always loved that phrase; I picture things in little nutshells), it’s a lightweight, super sheer tinted moisturizer that comes in just a single shade, and it’s designed to work on most skin tones, giving them a healthy, even-toned glow. Read more…

NYX HD Studio Photogenic Grinding BlushNYX HD STUDIO PHOTOGENIC GRINDING BLUSH
MAKES ME WANT TO TWIST AND SHOUT

Ah, to be a bored teen without wheels in the Easy Bay suburbs circa 1992 again… When you live in a town where the most exciting thing to do is get an ice cream cone at Thrifty’s, you figure out ways to amuse yourself.

On Friday nights my friends and I loved to watch The Grind on MTV. Remember that dance show? We’d crank up the volume and electric slide around the living room as the show’s host, Eric Nies, who was almost always shirtless for some reason, introduced the hits.

It wasn’t the most exciting way to start the weekend, but it was either that or ice cream at Thrifty’s…

We sure could have used something like these new NYX HD Studio Photogenic Grinding Blushes ($16.50 each; available in eight shades) back then. Dang if these things wouldn’t have kept us busy. Read more…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 16 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun Keywords: weeklyroundup

Two Ways to Win $78 in Benefit Brow Products

March 12th, 2011 by Karen 504 Comments

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

I can say with 100% certainty that the chances of you catching me without my brows filled in are slim to none. I never leave home without them…groomed. 🙂

The very thought of walking around town with wild brows sends shivers down my spine! Okay…maybe not shivers, but you get the idea. I’d no sooner forget my purse on a park bench than forget to tend to my brows. Even when I’m just leaving for a quick walk around the neighborhood with Tabs, my brows are always did.

Does my obsession sound familiar? Do you browbeat your brows fret about your brows too? If you feel like yours could use a little babying, maybe today’s giveaway can help. The prize is three (3) of my tried-and-true Benefit Brow favorites (a prize package worth $78).

  • Instant Brow Pencil — Brows treated to this pencil look great in pictures. Get soft, natural-looking brows in less than a minute.
  • High Brown Lifting Pencil — For adding definition and lift to your brow arch, which really opens up the eyes.
  • Brows A-Go-Go — A go-to product for makeup looks that call for strong, early ’80s Brooke Shields brows.

Ready to brow down?

A Makeup and Beauty Blog Giveaway!

Ready for Benefit brows?

  • One (1) Benefit Instant Brow Pencil in Light (a $20 value)
  • One (1) Benefit High Brow Lifting Pencil (a $20 value)
  • One (1) Benefit Brows a Go-Go Brow and Eye Shaping Kit (a $38 value)

  • 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, have you ever had to a terrible mishap with your brows? When did you start paying attention to your brows? What’s your idea brow look? 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 $78 in Benefit Brow Products http://bit.ly/i1GNGs

  • The deadline to enter is Sunday, March 13, 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).
  • 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 Catherine G! Congratulations, Catherine! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂
There are 504 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun Keywords: benefit, giveaway

What Are You Wearing on Your Nails?

March 7th, 2011 by Karen 76 Comments

Oui, oui, cherie, I’m wearing colors from the Essie French Affair collection — shimmery blue Coat Azure on my fingers and creamy purple Nice is Nice on my toes. 🙂

Essie French Affair
Coat Azure and Nice is Nice


Coat Azure

essie nice is nice swatch
Swatch of Nice is Nice

How about you — what are you wearing on your nails today?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 76 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun, Nails Keywords: essie

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, March 7

March 7th, 2011 by Karen 73 Comments

makeup and beauty blog monday poll

  • 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. 160. I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.
  1. Mood:
  2. A little out of it today (my tea hasn’t kicked in yet), but otherwise good.

  3. What’s your biggest hair concern?
  4. Finding stylists able to cut my wavy hair well. I’ve had some awful haircuts over the years that have left me looking like bad topiary.

  5. Orange lipstick?
  6. Heck, yeah! Can I wear some cat eye liner with it?

  7. What’s the wackiest piece of clothing you own?
  8. It’s a tossup between the cropped black-and-white faux fur jacket I got at Bebe back in the early two-thousands, or my shiny, button-down Felix the Cat shirt.

  9. When things get crazy in your life, how do you keep your sanity?
  10. I make lists. LOTS of lists. Because the act of crossing things off of them helps me feel like I’m doing something to restore order to the chaos.

  11. What’s your preferred brow maintenance method?
  12. I pluck mine with square-tip tweezers, usually right after I get out of the shower. I find the square-tip ones easier to use than the slanted or pointy ones. And I also like to stay on top of it by doing a little bit of plucking every day, as opposed to waiting and doing a massive hair removal session at one time.

  13. Salty or sweet?
  14. Mostly sweet, but I like both (like salted caramels, or regular popcorn with some kettle corn on top).

  15. Three desert island essentials?
  16. Bottled water, a satellite phone and Benjamin McKenzie…or sunscreen (I can’t decide!).

  17. Favorite ’90s music?
  18. En Vogue’s Funky Divas, the Counting Crows’ August & Everything After, Lil’ Kim’s Crush on You, Biggie’s Ready to Die. Seriously, I could go on forever.

  19. Weekly goals:
  20. To start every day by updating my to-do list, to focus on just one thing at a time (I’ve been so easily distracted lately), and to run a total of 12 miles before Saturday.

Hey, buddy. 🙂 How was your weekend? Please tell me it was good (but you can tell me if it wasn’t). Things on my side of the keyboard aren’t bad. No complaints. I had a relaxing girl’s spa day with a few friends on Saturday (more on that in a few) and found out that one of my BFF’s is going to be a mom, so that’s pretty great.

Right now I’m here drinking some green tea and writing my to-do list for the day. I’m trying to figure out if there’s any way I can squeeze in a few minutes to visit the Benefit counter today. I’m going through (another) serious Creaseless Cream Shadow phase, and I want to pick up Strut (a shimmery charcoal). Maybe on my lunch hour…

If you get a break this morning, please take a minute to check in. You know how we do it. Just copy/paste the poll in the comments, or drop in to let me know how you’re doing.

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



1. Mood:
2. What’s your biggest hair concern?
3. Orange lipstickl?
4. What’s the wackiest piece of clothing you own?
5. When things get crazy in your life, how do you keep your sanity?
6. What’s your preferred brow maintenance method?
7. Salty or sweet?
8.Three desert island essentials?
9. Favorite ’90s music?
10. Weekly goals:

I hope you have a stellar week. Tabs is sending you cosmic vibes. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 73 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun

Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 129

March 6th, 2011 by Karen 16 Comments

Sundays with Tabs the Cat: Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot

A Q&A with Tabs the Cat

Sundays with Tabs the Cat: Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot1. Favorite place in the world: The top of my cat tower, from where I may observe my domain and assert dominance over the humans.

2. Perfect day: Sleep, gravy, sleep. More gravy.

3. Food can’t live without: Fancy Feast Tuna in — you guessed it — gravy.

4. Fondest memory: My very first Chanel runway show in Paris. After all the hard work and auditions, I felt like I finally made it, ya know?

5. Hobby: Knitting. I know, right? I may not have opposable thumbs, but I can still knit/perl with the best of ’em.

6. Biggest pet peeve: People who yell when they’re angry. I prefer to assert my anger via silent psychological mind games.

7. Best thing I read in the last year: Homer’s Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, or How I learned about Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat.

8. Inspiration: I’m inspired by gravy those who push the boundaries of creativity.

9. Looking forward to: The nap I’m about to take.

10. Least favorite word: Veterinarian.

11. Stress reliever: Kneading/making biscuits on my assistant’s tummy or thighs. She claims it ruins her clothes…but I wouldn’t exactly call her fashionable anyway. Homegirl’s a hot mess. She dresses like a pre-teen surfer boy.

12. Celebrity to play you in a movie: Brad Pitt. I believe he could accurately portray my intensity. Plus, we have the same abs.

13. Most recent tweet: @thesmerz You inspired me to work on my posing. See, I had my assistant @karenmbb take my pic too! http://yfrog.com/h5fmpzj

14. Favorite guilty pleasure: Stealing makeup from my assistant and hoarding it all in my secret stash, hee hee!

15. Song you know the most lyrics to: Madonna’s Material Girl. It’s my karaoke jam.

16. Favorite show: Cats 101 on Animal Planet. Good stuff.

17. Favorite show you’re embarrassed to admit you watch: Jersey Shore. I know it’s rotting my brain, but I just can’t stop.

18. All-time favorite movie: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

19. Alma mater: I dropped out of school to pursue my modeling career, but I recently received an honorary degree in Feline Studies from UC Davis. GO AGS!

20. Beauty secret: Pamper yourself! I’m a firm believer in spas and salons. Oh, and don’t forget to do your sit-ups.

Who is Tabs the Cat? About three years ago I befriended a stray, flea-bitten tabby cat with a bad case of worms. I could see he’d fallen on hard times, but his profound knowledge of high fashion and department store cosmetics led me to believe that he was more than meets the eye. We became fast friends, and now he’s actually my boss (and a successful kitty model). 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. I hope you had a good weekend. Tabs and I are watching Dawn of the Dead on TV and eating frozen yogurt for dinner. Well, I’m having yogurt… He’s having you know what. 🙂

There are 16 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun Keywords: tabs

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

March 6th, 2011 by Karen 7 Comments

Makeup and Beauty Blog Weekly Roundup

Good morning, young lady. Rise and shine. 🙂

Ooh! Guess what? I found out I’m going to be an aunty! Yup, my girlfriend Jen is going to be a mom. Yesterday I met her and my other BFF Cindy (we’ve known each other since childhood) for a girl’s spa day, and out on the sidewalk before we walked in, Jen said, “Okay, don’t freak out, but I scheduled a pregnancy massage.”

Yea! I plan to be the cool aunt (the one you’d run to when your parents were being square).

I’m secretly hoping it’s a girl because then I could buy her really cute outfits…

Anywho, I think that calls for some coffee! Are you sufficiently caffeinated yet? I’m running a little behind.

Before we get going today, how about one last look back at some of the makeup and beauty products we talked about this week?

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

Tarte NeutralEYES Eye Shadow Palette IS THE TARTE NEUTRALEYES EYE SHADOW
PALETTE UNIVERSALLY FLATTERING?

The idea of makeup designed to look great on everyone always gets me excited. What a cool idea, right? — products without boundaries or inhibitions; colors able to get along with everyone.

It reminds me of the time I walked in on a party to find a bunch of people in a huge drum circle. At first I thought, “Uh, oh. Not my scene,” but then I grabbed some bongos and started banging away. Before long I felt right at home. 🙂

Tarte must have had a world like that in mind (maybe?) when they developed the new Tarte NeutralEyes Eye Shadow Palette ($44). Like all of their products, it’s cruelty-free, which scores may-jah points in Tabs’ book. New for spring, the palette comes chock full of good stuff. Read more…

Smashbox Limitless Liquid Liner Pen DID SMASHBOX PUT THEIR LIMITLESS LIQUID LINER
PEN ON A HIGH-SODIUM DIET?
What’s the secret to the Smashbox Waterproof Limitless Liquid Liner Pen’s ($22) water repelling powers? Could it be the seasoning perhaps?

Unless I missed the makeup challenge on Top Chef this season, the inclusion of sea salt in the formula must have been a Smashbox idea. Does it help the product work? I’m not sure, but I do see that the company’s Limitless Eye Liner and their bestselling Jet Set Waterproof Eye Liner are 100% sea salt-free.

Even if the spice is purely cosmetic (weird!), this bad boy repels water and sweat like a champ. The other day I drew the Black shade along my upper lash line before hopping on the treadmill, and roughly one bucket of perspiration later, it still looked good with nary a smudge. Read more…

Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipgloss RIMMEL MOISTURE RENEW LIPGLOSS
GETS IT ALMOST RIGHT

Sweet holy hydration, Batman! According to the folks at Rimmel, their new Moisture Renew Lipglosses ($6 each; available in 14 shades) reduce dryness up to 95%. That’s a lotta hydration, and lawd knows my lips need it, but seriously, how do they come up with these numbers? Why not say 97%? And doesn’t “up to 95%” also include zero? But I digress…

Getting down to brass tacks, I do think Renew, which I’ve tried in Pink Protect, feels fantastic on my lips. Its light and smooth non-sticky texture certainly doesn’t dry out my lips, and that’s a definite plus.

The new line launched earlier this spring on the heels of last year’s fantastic Moisture Renew Lipsticks. Like those lippies, these catch and reflect sunlight like my favorite pair of aviator sunglasses, and with the addition of SPF 15, they’re not a bad deal for $6 each (although I do think they have quite a bit of competition at that price point). Read more…

Redken Nature's Rescue Refining Sea Polish I PUMICE TO USE REDKEN NATURE’S RESCUE
REFINING SEA POLISH MORE OFTEN

No, that’s not hot mustard up there, but it’s something no less exhilarating. I can honestly say I’ve never seen anything like it before (this was the last thing that prompted me to say that). It’s an exfoliator…FOR HAIR!

I really expected the new Redken Nature’s Rescue Refining Sea Polish ($19 for a 3.4-oz. tube) to be a gimmick, but it turned out to be kind of brilliant instead. I mean, we already exfoliate our face, bod and our gnarly @ss feet (gurl, don’t make me bust out my heel buffer/parmesan cheese grater on you, and don’t pretend like you don’t know what I’m talking about 🙂 ), so why stop with our hair?

To use, just apply the non-foaming Sea Polish paste after shampooing but before conditioning, massaging it gently into your hair section by section. The product contains exfoliating grains of pumice which, when massaged into the hair, scrub away any built-up hair products, grit and grime your shampoo may have missed, while also refining and polishing. Read more…

NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams I’D CIRCUMNAVIGATE THE GLOBE FOR THE
NYX SOFT MATTE LIP CREAMS

Forget “champagne wishes and caviar dreams.” I prefer “makeup wishes and Soft Lip Creams.” 🙂

In my wildest beauty nerd dreams, I’d visit each of the 11 cities featured in the new NYX Soft Lip Creams line ($6 each) just to be able to wear each color in the city it belongs. First London, then Amsterdam, Antwerp, Stockholm, Monte Carlo and Milan. From there it’s across the Adriatic to Istanbul, down to Abu Dhabi, further down to Addis Ababa, way, way east to Tokyo, and then all the way across the Pacific to end in Sao Paolo, Brazil.

Of course, to complete the fantasy, I’d fly business class, and Ben McKenzie love would accompany me on the journey (sorry, El Hub!). On planes, in trains and automobiles, we’d talk for hours about The Hunger Games, and then, somewhere over the Mediterranean, he’d reveal his secret fetish for crazy cat ladies. Read more…

NYX Nude on Nude PaletteGET NAKED FOR LESS WITH THE NYX
NUDE ON NUDE PALETTE

Remember a few years ago when it seemed like every other day a different celebrity would get caught accidentally flashing her goodies on camera? It usually happened while they were stepping out of a limo, falling from a barstool or slipping off of a couch in the club.

Now, I seriously doubt that L. Lo, Brit-Brit, or P. Hilt have had anything to do with the nude/neutral/naked eyeshadow palettes that have arrived on makeup counters lately, but it still makes me wonder: is this a case of life imitating art, or just another strange makeup coincidence? 🙂

Either way, I’m not complaining. I’ll gladly take another palette of good old-fashioned wearable nudes and neutrals any day of the week.

Buzz has been building for the latest one in the limelight, the NYX Nude on Nude Eyeshadow and Lip Palette for spring ($25). Some are calling it a dupe for Urban Decay’s more expensive Naked Palette ($48). Read more…

NARS Illumninator I’VE TAKEN A SHINE TO THESE
NEW NARS ILLUMINATORS

Truth: sometimes I view fruit solely as a vehicle for the delivery of Nutella — a Nutella delivery system, if you will, with the final destination being my belly.

And, in a way, the new multi-purpose NARS Illuminators in Super Orgasm, Copacabana and Laguna ($29 each) are just like that. The liquid (like fruit) serves as the vehicle to deliver the glitter/pearl (the Nutella) to the skin.

Okay, I could have used a better analogy…but I think you know where I’m going with this. The stuff is basically shimmer suspended in a very sheer tinted liquid.

The newly released shades follow up on last year’s shimmery, multi-purpose Orgasm Illuminator, and, like Orgasm, they’re also designed to work as blushes, bronzers and/or highlighters. Read more…

Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Sea Star Bronzing Blush THIS BRONZE GODDESS IS A STAR
THE ESTEE LAUDER BRONZE GODDESS SEA STAR BRONZING BLUSH

HOTNESS! Can we please pass “Go” and skip directly to summer?

Please??

I can’t make it much longer… It’s imperative that I be poolside soon, and warm, wearing Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Sea Star Bronzing Blush ($34) on my cheeks.

Sea Star is a golden peachy pink blush, both pigmented and shimmery, from the new limited edition Bronze Goddess Soleil Summer 2011 collection, and I’m guessing it’ll look great on a wide range of skin tones. To use it, I mix the colors that comprise the pink sea star with the sandy peach background in the pan; to me, the combined shade looks like a slightly less shimmery version of the lovely NARS Orgasm. Read more…

COVERGIRL Lip Perfection Lipstick WHAT’S THE PRICE OF PERFECTION?
ABOUT $6.50, THANKS TO COVERGIRL LIP PERFECTION LIPSTICK

This spring is shaping up to be a memorable one for drugstore lippies, with lips (and wallets) everywhere doing the dance of money-saving joy. First, the long-wearing $10 L’Oreal Infallible Le Rouge lipsticks left their mark; then, the buttery $6 NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams leaned in for a kiss.

But the newest girl in town is a moisturizing lipstick from Covergirl. It boasts a lightweight texture, bold (yet still budget-friendly) color and comes in a whopping 44 shades. Covergirl’s new $6.50 Lip Perfection Lipsticks were designed by Covergirl Global Creative Design Director (and magic makeup maven) Pat McGrath, who’s kinda like the Midas of my makeup world; everything she recommends turns into makeup gold. Read more…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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Categories: Just For Fun Keywords: weeklyroundup

Two Ways to Win $50 in Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush

March 5th, 2011 by Karen 659 Comments

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

Two ways to win $50 in Tarte blushes

Good morning and happy Saturday, young lady. 🙂 I hope you slept well. I’m pretty stoked about this morning’s giveaway because it features two of my favorite new blushes for spring (or for any other time).

They come to us straight from the Amazon! Okay, not exactly… They’re from the fantastic Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush line of products made with clay from the Amazon, and not only do Blushing Bride (a shimmery rosy plum with flecks of golden glitter) and Tipsy (a matte coral) apply with intense pigmentation, they’re also cruelty free and last all day long.


Blushing Bride


Tipsy

Now without further ado, it’s…

A Makeup and Beauty Blog Giveaway!

  • One (1) Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Tipsy (a $25 value)
  • One (1) Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Blushing Bride (a $25 value)

  • 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, have you ever had to wear a uniform to work? Do you have any pictures on your desk? Do you have a favorite beauty product from Tarte? Or would you ever wear flip-flops to work? — 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 $50 in Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush http://bit.ly/edQDp3

  • The deadline to enter is Sunday, March 6, 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).
  • 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 Lisa! Congratulations, Lisa! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂
There are 659 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun Keywords: giveaway, tarte

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