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Just For Fun

Thanks for Sharing Your Look!

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makeup and beauty blog share your look

Ladies, ya’ll did not disappoint. 🙂 Thanks for sending in so many great looks, yay!

In this first installment, we’ve got looks from Makeup and Beauty Blog readers (aka MBB Babes!) all around the world. If I missed your look this time around, please keep submitting pics and I’ll add yours to a future installment.

Apparently, a lot of us *love* our MAC, LOL!

MBB Babe: Fie from Malaysia

makeup and beauty blog share your look

  • Eyes: MAC Eyeshadow in Satin Taupe, Maybelline Eyeshadow in Naked Beige, Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Bourbon, Majolica Majorca mascara, MAC Eye Brows brown pencil in Lingering
  • Lips: Nivea Lip Care in Strawberry Kiss
  • Face/Cheeks: Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser in Almond, NARS Bronzer in Laguna, Laura Mercier Illuminating Powder in Mocha Spice

Describe Your Look:
“Very neutral make up. Flawless skin without looking very caked up. Good for a sunny day out! :)”

MBB Babe: Sole from California

makeup and beauty blog share your look

  • Eyes: Benefit Brow Zings, MAC Prep + Prime Eye, MAC Infatuating Rose Cool Eyes Palette, Bare Minerals Liner Shadow in Wild Ruby, Sephora Jumbo Eye Pencil in 507 Pink, MAC Plush Lash Mascara in Plushblack
  • Lips: Makeup Forever Aqua Lip Liner in 3C, Bare Escentuals Buxom Lips in Ruby
  • Face/Cheeks: Smashbox Photo Finish Color Correcting Foundation Primer in Balance (lavender), Smashbox High Def Healthy FX Foundation, MAC Blot Powder, Bare Minerals All-Over Face Color in Ruby Radiance, MAC Powder Blush in Dame

Describe your look:
“I used MAC 224SE brush to apply Satisfy (the light pink shade from the Holiday 2008 Cool Eyes Palette) all over the eye, focusing on the highlight area under the brow. I used the MAC 275 SE brush to generously apply Bon Fete just to the lid and the MAC 219SE brush to apply Wild Ruby to the crease. I used the 224SE to blend the color in the crease thoroughly. With the Bare Escentuals tapered shadow and eyeliner brush (using the liner end), I applied Wild Ruby as dry eyeliner to the outer corner of the eye on the top and bottom lid. I finished the look with the Sephora brand Jumbo Eye Pencil in 507 in the inner corner of the eye, on the top and bottom lid, and to the middle of the eye where I blended it with the darker liner. Curled lashes and applied two coats of mascara.”

MBB Babe: Ines from Korea

makeup and beauty blog share your look

  • Eyes: NARS the Multiple in Copacabana, L’oreal Lineur Intense in Noir Mica
  • Lips: NARS Lipliner Pencil in Jungle Red, Chanel Rouge Allure Lip Color in Passion
  • Face/Cheeks: Benefit High Beam on cheek bones and brow bone

Describe your look:
“Look-at-me red!”

MBB Babe: Kelly from California (you also know Kels as blogger Vampy Varnish!)

makeup and beauty blog share your look

  • Eyes: Fyrinnae eye shadow in Faerie Glamour, MAC eyeshadow in Phloof!, Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Ransom, MAC Eye Kohl in Smolder, DiorShow mascara in black
  • Lips: MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in Lavender Whip
  • Face/Cheeks: Benefit High Beam on cheek bones and brow bone

Describe your look:
“I used MAC’s Phloof eyeshadow on my brow bone as a highlighter. Then, I used Fyrinnae’s Faerie Glamour eyeshadow dust on my lids up until my crease. I lined both upper and lower lids with Urban Decay’s Ransom eye liner, then lined my lower waterline with MAC’s Smoulder eye kohl. I topped it off with black DiorShow mascara. It’s definitely not a ‘tame’ look, but I love it when I’m feeling colorful and daring!”

BTW, if you love nail polish, you gotta check out Vampy’s blog.
[Continue reading…]

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, March 16

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makeup tips how to apply makeup makeup blog beauty blog

  1. Mood:

    2. Thoughtful. I’m thinking about how to be less afraid of change. When I was younger I could roll with the punches so easily, but as I get older I find I get more and more set in my ways. I’m feeling I need to push myself to mix it up…

  2. Hair:

    3. It’s raining, which usually means my hair will go from zero-to-POOF the instant I step outside. I wrangled it into two low pigtails and stuck a hat on top.

  3. Mascara:

    4. Stila Lash Visor Waterproof Mascara in Black (from the Foxy Barbie Loves Stila beauty can). Have you tried it? It’s kinda awesome.

  4. Outfit:

    5. Super casual today — gray sweatshirt, khaki t-shirt, jeans and shiny black galoshes with a multi-colored argyle print

  5. Nails:

    6. Nothing on my fingers, but Spa Ritual Lacquer in Treasure on my toes

  6. My guilty pleasures:

    7. See’s milk chocolate candies, reality TV marathons, shoes

  7. I’m really great at _____:

    8. Reading body language, baking peach cobbler, remembering random song lyrics from the ’80s

  8. What’s for lunch?

    9. A mini BLT sandwich, a banana and blueberry yogurt

  9. What’s the weather like where you are?

    10. Overcast and rainy with temps in the mid-50s

  10. Weekly goals:

    11. Catch up on back issues of The Economist that have piled up on the living room floor, do lots of laundry (blah!), find out how to plant and grow lavender (I’m kinda obsessed with it), not let my body hair sitch get too jungly, get all my regular work done

Where my girls at on this lovely Monday? Are you ready to grab some coffee and catch up? Please copy the list below, and paste it with your answers in the comments.

Le list

Mood:
Hair:
Mascara:
Outfit:
Nails:
My guilty pleasures:
I’m really great at _____:
What’s for lunch?
What’s the weather like in your neck of the woods
Weekly goals:

I hope today is smooth sailing for you. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Mar. 15

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Tabby Loves Stila beauty can

You know how Tabs does fashion and beauty modeling on the side, right? Well, he really wanted the Barbie Loves Stila job, but they never called him back after the go-see. Something about his attitude…

So he commissioned a local artist to put his face on one of the new beauty cans.

He plans to take it down to the Stila offices in LA to show them what they’re missing. 🙂

In other news, I’m sad the weekend’s coming to a close. It feels like it just started. The only thing I did was go to brunch today with El Hub in Sausalito, but it was kind of drizzling. While we were out, Tabs surfed the web and found these sites of the day.

Do moisturizers make you age??

Last week BellaSugar posted her interview (Part 1 and Part 2) with dermatologist Dr. Zein Obagi of ZO Skin Health. In the interview, the doc has plenty to say about his specialty, anti-aging skin care, like — get this — moisturizers actually accelerate the aging process. Tabs thinks the doctor snorts too much catnip, but you be the judge.

Julieg713’s makeup video channel on YouTube totally rawks!

Okay, you know how Tabs and I have been doing videos lately, right? They’re fine, but what we WANT to start doing are videos more like these. Julieg713 has more than 100 videos on YouTube, covering everything from the Barbie Loves Stila Talking Palette to the new MAC Grand Duos, and they’re great. Check out her channel here.

Everything you ever wanted to know about MAC Grand Duos but were too afraid to ask, LOL!

Pursebuzz.com is one of my favorite beauty blogs out there. I’ve never met her before, but she seems like a sweetheart. She does a lot of videos, too, like this *thorough* 18-minute look at the new MAC Grand Duo Blush collection.

What shocks me is just how … fresh it is

Tabs thinks TheFreshFiends blog is gonna be huge — HUGE! And if there’s one thing Tabs knows a lot about, it’s being friggin’ huge.

We Heart This

Err, I mean that’s what the site is called. Tabs and I — we heart We Heart This. I like the Beauty & Fashion area, but Tabs likes the Pets & Kids section, except that he wants it renamed to just Pets.

You know Tabs. He can’t share the spotlight with anyone. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Share Your Look: What Makeup Are You Wearing?

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barbie loves stila makeup blog beauty blog

Happy Sunday, pretties!

I was having a lot of fun with these picture frames in Photoshop this morning and thought, “Hmm… wouldn’t it be cool to take YOUR pictures and do a roundup of them like the other pictures in this post?”

So let’s do it!

If you have access to a digital camera, take a picture of your makeup and send it to me in this form (or send a link). Include the names of the products you’re wearing and a description of your look.

I’ll take a bunch of the looks and put them together in a resource post with a sprinkling of Photoshoppery, some comic bubbles, some pretty picture frames and perhaps a guest appearance by Tabs.

I think it’ll be cool to be able to see a bunch of different looks together in the same post.

Whatever look you’re wearing, share it with the form and attach a photo (or a link, like to Flickr, Photobucket or pics on your blog).

Here’s my look today…

barbie loves stila makeup blog beauty blog

A description of my look: El Hub and I are heading out to brunch, so I’m going a little casual today with shimmery brown eyes, pink cheeks and a shimmery brownish pink lip. I started with the palette and lipgloss from the Jewel Stila Loves Barbie can. I’ve been repping the scarf/gold hoops combo in my pics lately, but that’s because my hair’s been absolutely out of control!

barbie loves stila makeup blog beauty blog
Private eyes are watching you… watching your every move…

How to share your look

Fill out this form, and attach a picture of your fine self. If you want to get your pet up in the mix, go for it.

FEED OR EMAIL READERS: I haven’t figured out how to get the form to work correctly from the feed or the emails yet. I think it’s possible, but for now, if you’re reading this on the feed, please click this link if you want to fill out the form.

I’m off to devour some banana pancakes. Talk to ya in a few. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Should Animal Testing of Cosmetics Be Banned in America?

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European Union bans animal testing of cosmetics

Last week the European Union made it official, outlawing the testing of cosmetics products on animals. In the U.S., it’s still voluntary.

Leaping Bunny Program logoTabs has a background in science, but he thinks times have changed. In many cases it’s no longer necessary to test products on live subjects because of the vast amount of research already done, and he wishes more companies would get with the program — programs like Leaping Bunny. Products with this logo are certified to not have been tested on animals at any stage of their development.

As of last Wednesday…

“… the EU has banned all animal tests for cosmetic ingredients, formulations, and final products. In addition, the sale of cosmetics and ingredients that have been tested on animals, regardless of where the testing occurred, is also prohibited, with the exception of three test areas (repeated-dose toxicity, reproductive toxicity, and toxicokinetics). The final three test areas will be banned in March 2013.”


source

Should animal testing of cosmetics be banned in America? Let me know what you think in the comments.

Should animal testing of cosmetics be banned in America?

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Beauty Snacks: Sites of the Day, March 14

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illamasqua

Makeup for your alter ego

Get me across the pond, *STAT*, and point me to the nearest shoppe selling Illamasqua makeup!

Beauty at Paris Fashion Week

If you missed Paris Fashion Week like I did, here’s a makeup rundown straight from the runway.

Summer Days from China Glaze

That’s it! I’m finished waiting for summer. I think I’ll just enter to win a set of China Glaze’s Summer Days instead.

Now accepting applications

I need a *sugar daddy* to buy me all this lovely Chanel hotness.

Hot blues for summertime

I’m dreaming of all the blue and purple makeup shades from The Body Shop’s Hot Brights summer collection.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Fergie: Her Best Hair?

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Fergie hair and makeup

And I’m gonna miss you
Like a child misses their blanket
But I’ve got to get a move on with my life
It’s time to be a big girl now…
And big girls don’t cry.
–Fergie Ferg

Ahh, such sage words from Stacy Ann Ferguson (born March 27, 1975)!

Rockin’ it out since Kids Incorporated, Fergie has always kept busy. She’d been a cheerleader, a straight-A student, a spelling bee champion, a Girl Scout, a pop music sensation (remember Wild Orchid?) and a TV star years before hitting it REALLY big as a vocalist for the Black Eyed Peas.

Fergie Ferg generally likes long locks, but she’ll switch up the color now and then and throw in the occasional tiara to keep her look fresh. Last Thursday she was seen sporting the long and straight brunette look in Picture 1, but next week she could be back to pony tails or curls! 🙂

Which of Fergie's hairstyles do you like the best?

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

You’re Making Me Blush!

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Benefit Coralista Blush

Rise and shine, morning glories! Aren’t you glad it’s Friday? I sure am.

What did you do last night? I just chillaxed on the couch watching The Millionaire Matchmaker on Bravo. I secretly want the matchmaker’s job!

Whenever Patty — she’s the matchmaker — holds a casting for new potential dates for her clients, I always check out their makeup. 🙂

Last night it was blush. It can make such a huge difference to your look. Here are some of my favorite blush posts from the past few months.

Benefit Coralista Blush Has Got Me Purring

“Coralista’s soft, shimmery coral-pink looks neutral on my cheeks, and that’s weird because most coral blushes usually look warmer on my skin tone. I’m thinking it has something to do with the cooler pink tones, like they mellow out the warmer corals. Both warm and cool beauties ought to be able to work this blush with equal flava.” 🙂

Blush for Beginners

“Here’s another attempt at a video. This one’s about blush, and I apologize because I let Tabs do the editing. I think he got a little carried away.”

Benefit Dallas Blush Gives Cheeks a Peachy Glow

“Despite wanting a sturdier box, I really like Dallas blush a lot. I’m giving her prime retail space on top of my dresser so she’s available when I need quick color on my cheeks before running out the door.”

Blush Technique: The Bounce

“Rise and shine, morning glories. It’s Friday, yea! Are you ready for the weekend? In this short video I talk about one of my standby blush application techniques, codenamed The Bounce.”

Powder Blush: A Pink Brown Flush for Spring

“As the only blush released with Chanel’s Spring 2009 Bohemian Fantasy Collection, Fandango, a shimmery pink and brown, applies with intense color that really brings out the brown in my skin. To avoid dark, muddy cheeks, I layered it slowly with a MAC 187 skunk brush, trying to use a light touch.”

Blush Technique: The Swirl

“A few days ago I showed one way to apply blush using a technique called The Bounce (bounce, baby!). Here’s a second method. This one’s nicknamed The Swirl.”

Sonia Kashuk Synthetic Flat Top Blusher Brush: A Budget Friendly Beast

“BOW DOWN before the mighty Sonia Kashuk Synthetic Flat Top Blusher Brush. Marvel at its multi-tasking prowess and how it applies blushes and foundations with ease. And don’t be surprised if you find yourself trembling — with glee! — at the cash register. Not only is this brush amazing, but it’s also cheap — $14.99. Holla!”

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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