Just For Fun

Praise ye makeup gods! It’s the weekend, at last. 🙂

How’s it going today? As you can tell I got off to a pretty late start this morning, but I felt like I just needed to chill, ya know? El Hub and I went out for coffee and breakfast burritos to this cafe up here called Dr. Insomnia’s. The place has a cool biker feel to it and lots of big, beefy dudes ordering turbo charged coffees with multiple espresso shots (I just got a latte). Of course, then when we got home Tabs insisted on taking advantage of my caffeine buzz with some high-intensity playtime. Next thing I knew, it was noon!

Eh, I guess that’s the kind of stuff Saturday mornings are for, right?

That and e-surfing.

Random bright spots

• Mixing tips for bright clothes — College Fashion
• 5 tips to look hot in photos — Daily Beauty Reporter Blog
• No matter how much he begs, Tabs is NOT getting one of these $500 cat outfits — The Cut
• 5 easy summer hairstyles — Refinery 29
• Lippman goes GIGANTIC with nail glitter for fall — Vampy Varnish
• What a great list of drugstore beauty gems! — Lovely Android
• MAC Naughty Lash and the case of the pretty purple eye… — MissChievous
• Get beautiful brows while giving to a good cause — Product Girl
• LORAC for $9? Yes, please! — Makeup Bag
• You know me and neutrals, right? Check out the Guerlain 93 Rue de Passy palette — The Non-Blonde
• WOW! How pigmented is this NYX Super Fat Marker? — Cosmetic Candy
• Get a handle on frizzy hair with help from these tips — Life of a Ladybug
• I’m on the lookout for the Mad Men nail polish line — The Frisky
• I’m REALLY looking forward to some of these fall fashion trends — Who What Wear

New in beauty

• Each time Josie Maran sells a tube of their new GOGO Instant Natural Volume Argan Mascara ($22), the company will donate one mascara to a cancer patient/survivor
• Also from Josie Maran — the Argan Eye Love You Eye Shadow Palette ($42) comes with eight velvety soft shadows infused with pure argan oil
• Make Up For Ever says they packed 50% more pigment into their Rouge Artist Intense lipsticks ($19) for richer colors with a single stroke
• Smashbox Photo Finish Luminizing Foundation Primer ($38) delivers luminous skin while filling in fine lines and pores
• LUST! Doesn’t Givenchy’s Le Prisme Blush in Blooming ($49) look like a work of art?
• Also from Givenchy — the Le Prisme Eyeshadow Quartets ($56) and Le Prisme Visage Blooming face powders ($49)
• YSL’s Teint Radiance foundation ($48) with SPF 20 and light diffusers, for skin that glows, but doesn’t burn
• Be like a rhinestone cowgirl with Make Up For Ever’s new Strass crystals ($20)
• COOL! These Make Up For Ever Aquarelles ($20) look incredibly pigmented and have a water-based formula for face and body
• Stila’s Pretty in Paris Travel Palette ($10), the second in a five-part series of collectibles, is on sale now at Sephora
• Also from Stila — their Custom Color Blush is the “first-ever pH-based powder.” The company says it takes the guesswork out of picking your perfect shade ($20)
• Still more from Stila — Long Wear Liquid Lip Color ($22), Long Wear Lip Liner ($18) and Glamoureyes Mascara ($22)
• The limited edition Korres Vitamin E 10-Color Eye Pencil Kit ($33) looks like a lot of fun
• Tarina Tarantino now has nail polishes! Say hi to the Supernova Nail Lacquers ($12)
• Philosophy Eternal Grace ($40) combines delicate floral notes with bright citrus, yum!
• Perfect Formula says their new nail products ($24-29) will strengthen and treat damaged nails
• Murad launches Clean Scene ($16-24) for a new approach to skincare
• Laura Mercier introduces two new scents that star amber: Amber Passion Velvet Eau de Parfum ($75) and Ambre Passion Elixer ($125)
• Philosophy’s The Supernatural Windows to the Soul Eyeshadow Palette ($30) features three mineral powder eyesadows and a long-wearing wet-to-dry powder liner
• Clarins Magic Colour Instant Blush ($26) enhances cheekbones by instantly boosting their natural color and glow
• OOH! I really like the packaging for these new Clarins Rouge Prodige Lipsticks ($24)

Missy Elliott’s one of my hip-hop heroes

For the water babies…

What your cats are *really* saying

Have a great Saturday!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

• The giveaway is now closed, and the winners are being contacted. Before you go, check the home page for ongoing giveaways.

My body may not be as bootylicious as Beyonce’s (um, where can I buy her bum?), but my lips can now look almost as luscious as hers thanks to Beyonce’s Red, a new long-wearing lip color from L’Oreal.

It’s one of six shades in the new L’Oreal Infallible Stars Never Fail Lipcolour Compacts sub-collection of long-wearing lipsticks, each one named after a different lovely star (overall, the Infallible collection contains more than 30 shades!).

If your pout would like to shine in Beyonce’s Red, this could be your lucky day.

It’s giveaway time!

THE PRIZE

(Winners randomly selected)

Five lucky ladies (or gents) will each win one (1) L’Oreal Paris Infallible Stars Never Fail Lipcolour Compact in Beyonce’s Red, a vibrant, long-wearing red that veritably demands attention (a $12 value).

Beyonce’s Red

The packaging for the L’Oreal Infallible Stars Never Fail Lipcolour Compacts

Strike a pose, B!

TO ENTER

Just answer the following in the comments (no worries; there are no right or wrong answers):

“How do you feel about red lipstick?”

My answer: There’s a time and place for red lipstick, and at those times and places, red rules! It’s just so classy and polished.

RULES

The giveaway is open to US readers only. Please, one entry per person, and don’t forget to leave a valid email address in the comment form so I can reach you if you’ve won.

I’ll choose the winners at random from the entries received by 11:59 p.m. PST on Friday, July 30, 2010.

Good luck!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

• The giveaway is now closed, and the winners are being contacted. Before you go, check the home page for ongoing giveaways.

Tabs and I tied for second place in the Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist B&W picture contest, which we secretly entered last month

1. Mood:

On fire My tea just kicked in!

2. Finish this sentence: Without makeup I would…

Without makeup I would probably look really, really tired all the time, and more people would call me ma’am.

3. What are some staple pieces in your wardrobe?

A pair of J. Brand 811 skinny jeans and a tie-dyed pink Roxy hoodie. It’s a little loud, but it’s comfy, warm and I like how it makes me feel.

4. Three things you’d (probably) never guess about me:

1) I long to play the accordion, 2) before I met Tabs I didn’t consider myself a cat person, and 3) I cannot stand Butterfinger candy bars.

5. What would you like to get done today?

Other than getting all of my work done, I’d like to take Tabs for a long walk, stop by Trader Joe’s, and make it to the Post Office before it closes this afternoon.

6. What were your favorite TV shows when you were a kid?

These are in no particular order: Silver Spoons, The Cosby Show, Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters, Thundercats…and that’s just the tip of the TV iceberg, for reals! I was raised on a steady diet of television.

7. Can you skateboard?

I tried once when I was seven; I fell onto the pavement and sprained my arm. So I guess the short answer is “No.”

8. I really want…

More hours in the day! To sleep well every single night. Someone to clean my house from floor to ceiling for me. More patience. To go on a long vacation. To lose 15 pounds.

9. Do you like horror movies?

I like the cheesy ones best (a la zombies at the mall), but I can’t hang with the real-deal horror ones — the exorcisms and Catholic priests ones. In those I’ve usually got my eyes covered with one hand while I clutch my rosary with the other.

10. Weekly goals:

Get a gel seat for my bicycle (the one I have now is KILLING MY BUM!), sniff Bath & Body Works’ new Dark Kiss and Forever Sunshine scents, and find a hydrating eye cream that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg (any suggestions?).

What it do, boo? Can you believe it’s already Monday?

Mondays are like acid washed jeans… Just when you think they’re gone for good, they stage a comeback.

Do you have a minute to take the Monday Poll (I hope so)? If you do, just grab the following list, and paste it with your answers in the comments.

1. Mood:
2. Finish this sentence: Without makeup I would…
3. What are some staple pieces in your wardrobe?
4. Three things you’d (probably) never guess about me:
5. What would you like to get done today?
6. What were your favorite TV shows when you were a kid?
7. Can you skateboard?
8. I really want…
9. Do you like horror movies?
10. Weekly goals:

Here’s to hoping for the best week yet! 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

So far my day’s entailed multiple loads of laundry, a trip to the grocery store and a play session with Tabs. Now I’m about to watch the latest episode of Drop Dead Diva (I miss Tony!) over lunch. What are you doing? Can you come say hi in the open thread?

If you’re new to the open thread, here it is in a nutshell:

Remember when Carrie and the SATC girls would meet for brunches/lunches and catch up while they chowed down? That’s kinda what we do in the open thread. We meet in the comments to chill and chat about makeup, relationships, movies, cats (LOL!), food — you name it. Please feel free to reach out to me or to anyone else, too, because everyone here is really nice.

It goes on all day and night, so stop by if/when you can, and as often as you’d like.

Oh! Here are a few pictures I took yesterday of products I’ll be reviewing soon…

Boots No. 7 Stay Perfect Shadow in Khaki, $7

L’oreal Infallible Never Fail Lipcolor Stars Collection lip compacts, $11 each.

Wet ‘N’ Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Singles clockwise from left: Lagoon, Envy and Kitten, $2 each

Fusion Beauty LipFusion Infatuation gloss in Angelic, $29

See you in a few!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen