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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Jan. 11

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If you’re reading this, then HALLELUJAR, the blog is still alive!! There are still some kinks to be worked out and some general wonkiness, but shouldn’t be much longer now. Thanks for hanging in there with me!

  1. Mood:

    2. I’m good but pretty distracted! I’m trying to figure out how to wear Urban Decay’s new Stardust eyeshadows. They’re a little more sparkly than I’m used to (but still VERY pretty).

  2. Are there any life lessons you wish you could have learned sooner?

    3. Yup, to cherish time with friends and family.

  3. How do ya feel about science fiction?

    4. HUGE fan. Ever since Terminator, which I remember watching at the tender age of eight! I love how anything’s possible in science fiction — the endless possibilities and cool technology and stuff like time travel.

  4. Sequins — yay or nay?

    5. Yay, but only in carefully controlled amounts, LOL! Too many and I start lookin’ like a short, tanned Blanche Deveraux.

  5. Eyes/lips/cheeks:

    6. Chanel spring 2010.

  6. Tell me something about yourself. Share the first five things that come to mind, ala “I _______.

    7. 1) I don’t have any tattoos, 2) I’m starting to see myself as a photographer, 3) I love to swim, 4) I have tiny wrists and a mole on the bottom of one foot, and 5) I used to love going to the library with my dad when I was a kid.

  7. Favorite bar soap?

    8. It’s not sexy, but Cetaphil rocks my world. It’s just four bucks, plays well with my sensitive skin, moisturizes and works everywhere, from face to body.

  8. How are those New Year’s resolutions coming along (don’t feel bad if you’re running behind schedule on yours; I am too!)?

    9. I guess I’m doing okay with mine. I’ve started to pay more attention to what I eat. I’m trying to stay optimistic and realistic about, though. Bad habits don’t change overnight.

  9. Outfit:

    10. Jeans, a brown turtleneck sweater and tan socks. 🙂

  10. Weekly goals:

    11. Reconnect with some friends I haven’t spoken to in ages, try a new low-fat recipe every day (I can’t wait to make this linguine with garlicky clams and peas dish), get in some exercise, and find some new music.

HELLOOOOO, ladies! It feels like we haven’t talked in forever!

Even if you’re reading this at chow time, I always like hearing from you. 🙂 Let me know what’s shakin’ on your end of the keyboard. Just copy this here list, and paste it with your answers in the comments.

Talk soon!

Le list

1. Mood:
2. Are there any life lessons you wish you could have learned sooner?
3. How do you feel about science fiction?
4. Sequins — yay or nay?
5. Eyes/lips/cheeks:
6. Tell me five things about yourself:
7. Favorite bar soap?
8. How are those New Year’s resolutions coming along?
9. Outfit:
10. Weekly goals:

I’m keeping my fingers crossed that today is the start of a great week for us all. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Saturday Surfing

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What’s up, weekenders? I hope your Saturday’s rolling, rolling, rolling right along. Today’s been an errands/chores day for me — grocery shopping, post office, laundry and cleaning. But all work and no play makes Karen a dull girl, so I managed to sneak in some e-surfing too.

Random bright spots

New in beauty

Time lapse Paris…

A year in 120 seconds…

Some beautiful camera work in this short film

I’m off to Trader Joe’s! What have you been up to today? 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. This weekend I’m workin’ with my web hosting company to move Makeup and Beauty Blog to better digs. Well, they’re doing the work. My involvement’s limited to crossing fingers. 🙂 Apologies in advance for the loss of any recent comments or other goofiness that may occur this afternoon and early tomorrow. It should all be over soon, and once it is the blog should load a little faster.

Taylor Swift: Her Best Hair?

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Did you catch the People’s Choice Awards last night? Country-crossover darling Taylor Alison Swift (who was ROCKING that cute lil’ white dress and silver heels, LOVE!), snagged the award for Favorite Female Artist of the Year. Go Taylor!

The young singer/songwriter’s (born December 13, 1989) career is on fire right now, but she’s been at this for a while. Who knew that the fourth grade national poetry contest she won for her three-page poem titled “Monster in My Closet” would eventually lead to this? Or that by age 10 she’d be composing and writing her own songs?

Her 2006 self-titled debut album exclusively featured songs she’d either written or co-written herself.

Yet Taylor’s talents do go beyond singing and writing. She also plays guitar (including the 12-string… that’s a LOT of strings, yo!), piano and ukulele.

And she’s even on her way to the silver screen, starring in the soon-to-be-released Valentine’s Day, with Julia Roberts, Ashton Kutcher and Jessica Alba.

Looks like the Kanye incident didn’t slow her down at all. Keep rockin’, T! 🙂

Which of Taylor's hairstyles do you like best?

View Results

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Bloggerati Spotlight

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The Beauty Bloggerati

Um, I have an idea. Let’s pretend we’re SSPs (Secret Sephora Pals). We’ll sneak away from work to take long beauty breaks together, and just go CRAZY swatching and checking out everything new.

But before we go, let’s take a second to catch up with the girls of Daily Makeover’s Beauty Bloggerati. Maybe they’ll come too!

See you in a few. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Two Ways to Win MAC Love Lace Suave Intentions Eyeshadow

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  • UPDATE: Jan. 9, 2009. The giveaway is now closed, and the winner will be contacted soon. Good luck! 🙂

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Fitness! FITNESS!

And nutrition, bluh. Since New Year’s I’ve been trying to watch what I eat and thinking about getting back into shape for 2010.

When it comes to working out, I actually enjoy punishing myself with sweaty workouts (sick, I know!), but the whole healthy nutrition thing has proven to be quite a challenge for me.

At 10:38 a.m. today my tummy was ready for lunch. I know this because it started to growl. Nevermind that I’d only eaten breakfast an hour before, boo!

When it comes to my diet — much like how it is for me with makeup — it seems like everywhere I turn, temptation awaits!

Temptations like this lovely pan o’ MAC Suave Intentions Eyeshadow from the Love Lace collection. It brings to mind visions of yummy Skittles and forbidden (nom nom!) sweets.

I guess it’s good that I didn’t gobble it up, though, LOL! If I had, not only would I have a tummy troubles right now, but we wouldn’t be having a giveaway today. 🙂

The prize

One lucky lady will win a pan of MAC Suave Intentions Eyeshadow (a $15 value), a frosty, silvery blue from MAC’s recent Love Lace collection.

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How to enter…

2ways2enterEntering is easy. There are two different ways, 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. In it, tell me how you feel about blue eyeshadows. Have you ever worn one before?

I was Obsessed (capital ‘O’, like that movie starring Beyoncé) for a while with my pan of MAC Blue Sorcery until it broke into a gagillion pieces! Even though it had some glitter fallout issues, I loved how its bright greenish blue lit up my eyes.

Follow me
Second, enter by following me on Twitter and retweeting (RT) the following message:

RT @karenmbb: RT to win MAC Love Lace Suave Intentions Eyeshadow http://bit.ly/6MjxYt

Recap…

  1. Enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, and don’t forget to use a valid email address so I can reach you if you win.
  2. Follow me on Twitter and retweet the following message:

    RT @karenmbb: RT to win MAC Love Lace Suave Intentions Eyeshadow http://bit.ly/6MjxYt

I’ll pick the winner at random from among the people who enter by 11:59 p.m. PST on Friday, January 8.

祝您好运!!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

  • UPDATE: Jan. 9, 2009. The giveaway is now closed, and the winner will be contacted soon. Good luck! 🙂

What’s Your Favorite Exfoliator?

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I once thought exfoliating was a pretty useless skincare step, and I felt I had better things to do with my time, like playing Duck Hunt, reading cheesy V.C. Andrews books and watching The Craft for the millionth time.

That changed around the time I hit 30. My skin started to change, started looking duller and less dewy.

Turns out that as we age the body takes progressively longer to “turn over” new skin cells, the process of pushing new cells to the surface of the skin to replace dead ones.

FUN FACT: When we’re born, a complete cell turnover takes about two weeks; by age 50, the same process takes four to six.

Why exfoliate?

The longer dead skin cells hang around on the surface of the face, the greater the likelihood of clogged pores, acne and a dull, lackluster complexion.

Exfoliation to the rescue!

Exfoliation, whether physical (like with a facial scrub) or chemical (like with a toner containing salicylic acid), brightens dull skin by sloughing away dead skin cells and increasing the rate of cell turnover.

It can also help to clear breakouts, smooth out the skin and enhance the efficacy of anti-aging treatments and moisturizers by increasing their rate of absorption.

I definitely notice a difference in my skin now when I go too long without exfoliating. It looks older, as in less rosy and glowy.

How often should you exfoliate?

Many beauty experts and dermatologists are divided on how much exfoliating one should do. Some doctors recommend exfoliating just once or twice a week; others say twice a day.
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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Jan. 4

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Striking a pose with a giant elephant ear plant last week!

  1. Mood:

    2. Pretty good for a Monday. I’m a little bummed that the holidays are over, and I’m going through a wicked case of TJ’s Dark Chocolate Stars withdrawal, but otherwise I feel ready to face the day!

  2. Video games — love ’em or hate ’em?

    3. I love the ones I’m good at, ha! Fan of Tetris, Frozen Bubble and Bejeweled 2. I played Guitar Hero for the first time the other night and really enjoyed myself (how cool is it that you get to pick your outfit AND your guitar?). Games I don’t like tend to be ones that involve cars and/or shooting.

  3. Last thing that made you smile?

    4. These amazingly awesome Star Trek Eggo Waffles!

  4. One of your favorite sounds?

    5. Tabs purring. 🙂

  5. Eyes/lips/cheeks:

    6. Chanel Sparkling Satins eyeshadow quad, NARS Greek Holiday Lipgloss and Benefit Sugarbomb blush.

  6. How do you feel about leggings?

    7. Oooh, girl, I rocked them so hard circa 1987 (along with slouchy socks and Keds without the shoelaces). Now, well, not so much. I like that they’re stretchy, but these days I need clothes that hold my sh*t in, you know?

  7. Do you follow sports?

    8. Not really. At one time I followed hockey religiously, but now not so much. I do enjoy watching football and basketball playoff games, though.

  8. When I was a kid I wanted to be ______:

    9. A Vegas lounge singer, a veterinarian, a cat breeder and a fashion designer — all at once, of course.

  9. Outfit:

    10. Jeans, blue, white and gray floral long-sleeve shirt, my new favorite gray knit “Re-Run” hat from H&M. Oh, and black and pink Reef brand flip-flops.

  10. Weekly goals:

    11. To continue covering my “positivity wall” at home with my favorite quotes and some of your comments and nice emails, to re-schedule (I flaked the last time) my next dental appointment, to try out a new soup recipe and to break in the new Jillian Michaels Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism DVD I got for Christmas

Rise and shine, ladies, and happy Monday! 🙂 Have a great day. Before you enter the fray, take a sec to check in with the first Monday Poll of 2010!

You know what to do G, bust a move…

Le list

1. Mood:
2. Video games — love ’em or hate ’em?
3. Last thing that made you smile?
4. A favorite sound?
5. Eyes/lips/cheeks:
6. How do you feel about leggings?
7. Do you follow sports?
8. When I was a kid I wanted to be _____.
9. Outfit:
10. Weekly goals:

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

What Were Your Best and Worst Beauty Experiences of the Week?

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what were your best and worst beauty experiences of the week?

MY BEST:

It’s been a week of ups and downs, but one bright spot was re-discovering the Chanel Sparkling Satins Eyeshadow Quad.

I bought it a few months ago and sorta forgot I had it, but I started wearing it again while I was in Hawaii last week and now remember why I fell in love with it in the first place.

The pale peach, pink and blue shadows brighten up tired-looking eyes, and the shimmery black adds a subtle sparkle when layered on top of black eyeliner.

The other bright spot has to do with you and the nice things you said after my post yesterday. You’ll never know how much that mattered to me, ladies. Love you very much. 🙂

MY WORST:

This is undoubtedly TMI, but my hair has reached epic levels of grossness. I honestly can’t remember the last time I washed it (was it Wednesday?).

The thought of cold, wet hair dripping down my back in this chilly weather has frightened me away! I think I’m finally over it now (thank gawd!), but hats, ponytail holders and Naturia Dry Shampoo have been up in my grill for days.

What were your best and worst beauty experiences of the week? Please share yours in the comments.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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