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5 Summer Beauty Tips for Color Shy Girls

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shy-rabbits

Hey, I know how it is to be color shy. For years I stuck to shades of brown and beige makeup because I didn’t feel bold enough for brights. If you long for color but don’t feel ready for hot pinks or bright reds, take a look at some of the subtle color ideas below.

  • Lip Look: Crushing on Three Custom Colors Papaya Crush!
    “…I’m wearing two coats, which was just enough to achieve a subtle pop of coral color without going over-the-top. If you’re color shy but have been wanting to try a cute coral lipgloss, Papaya Crush should be a good way to get your feet (lips?) wet.”

  • Laura Mercier’s Creme Eye Duo: Pink Has a New Friend
    “You might be wondering, “Um, is girlfriend actually wearing any eyeshadow at all in this pic?” Yup, I am! As part of the Dreamy Collection, the pink and violet shadows in the Fairytale duo are almost translucent upon application. I think they’re soft and pretty, but if you prefer bold and flashy eyeshadows, this duo might not be your cup o’ tea.”

  • Face of the Day: A Smokey Eye with MAC Club
    “I had a lot of fun with MAC Club eyeshadow today. Its versatility makes it great for creating quick, daytime smokey eyes. I had about three seconds to put on my makeup this morning, and I owe this look to MAC Club. Paired with a few new products from Fafi and the N Collections, MAC Club helped me finish this look in 10 minutes.”

  • Stila Strikes Again with Stila Silk Shimmer Gloss in Kitten, Silk Eye Shadow Wash
    “Fellow Stila fans, I just let out a big ol’ MEOW! Guess what? The company has just introduced two new products in Kitten, their cult classic shimmery shade of pink… Kitten is one of those pinks that looks good on a range of skin tones. Kitten’s flexibility helped make Stila’s original Kitten eyeshadow the companys best selling product.”

  • Sheer Ecstasy: MAC Strobe Lip Conditioner Sticks
    “Imagine a nearly transparent version of your favorite brightly colored lipstick — what you’d end up with would look a lot like MAC’s new Strobe Kiss and Strobe Current Tinted Lip Conditioner Sticks, two little lovelies from MAC’s new Strobe Collection. In stick form both look bold and bright, but they apply unexpectedly sheer. Picture a transparent wash of color.”

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Mariah Carey Hairstyle Celebrity Poll

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mariah-hair

Pop diva extraordinaire Mariah Carey visited the island of Oahu last week to film a video for her song, I’ll Be Lovin’ U Long Time. I was really hoping to run into her at the mall or Matsumoto’s Shave Ice, but, alas, that didn’t happen. Instead, to get my Mariah fix, I listened to some of her songs (Vision of Love was the *jam*, ya’ll) and looked at old and new pictures of her on a few fan sites. One of the things I noticed was how her hair has evolved over the years. I liked her tight, old-school curls, but I’m partial to the big, bouncy curls she wears a lot now.

In other Mariah news (can’t you tell I’m a fan?), Women’s Wear Daily reports that she just recently released a new perfume called Luscious Pink, created in conjunction with Elizabeth Arden. A followup to last year’s M by Mariah Carey, Luscious Pink is a floral with notes of Sicilian bergamot, Tahitian tiare petals, lily of the valley, sandalwood and white musk. I haven’t caught a whiff of it, so that’s off the marketing.

The collection includes eau de parfum sprays in three sizes — 1 oz. for $39.50, 1.7 oz. for $55 and 3.3 oz. for $65 — as well as a 6.8-oz. body lotion for $28. I guess it’s so new that it’s not yet listed on the Elizabeth Arden site. When I get back home this week, I’m going to try to get my hands on a bottle and will let you know what I think. If you get your hands on it between now and then, let me know if it moves you.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Beauty Snacks: Sites of the Day, June 14

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Malie Organics
Treat yourself to natural beauty with organic skin care products from Hawaii. The folks at Malie (mah-lee-ay) created this wonderful line of body care products and home fragrances using ingredients from the lush, tropical rain forests and rich volcanic soil of the ancient Garden Island of Kauai. I love the pretty packaging, and the scents remind me of Hawaii.
malie

Body & Soul Cosmetics
Body & Soul makes a complete line of high-quality cosmetics in classic colors paired with vintage-inspired packaging. The line brings back a time when cosmetics were crafted to be glamorous, so that women could adorn their vanities with jeweled compacts, crystal perfume bottles and delicate powder puffs. Ooh, la, la — sign me up!
body&soul cosmetics

Philip Rickard Honolulu
Philip Rickard jewelers creates high-end Hawaiian heirloom jewelry, a popular jewelry style here in the islands characterized by gold bangles and intricate engravings of Hawaiian symbols and words. Gwen Stefani is a fan and wore some of Rickard’s bracelets in her music video for the song Luxurious.
Philip Rickard Honolulu
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5 Tips to Beat Seasonal Skin Problems

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summer-skin

When seasons come and go, changes in temperature, humidity and sun exposure can really play tricks on skin. Here are five of my favorite skin care products and tips to deal with seasonal skin problems.

  • Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief: This Great Moisturizer Doubles as a Mask
    “Rapid temperature and humidity swings wreak havoc on skin. When we leave a heated building and head out into the cold, or enter an air conditioned building on a hot day, our skin works to maintain its moisture balance, and while it’s adjusting to environmental swings, skin will delay its own ability to repair.”

  • Clean and Clear Advantage Invisible Acne Patch
    “When work deadlines and sleep loss collide, like they did for me last week, I expect to get a few zits on my face (sigh). My latest little sebaceous gift included a painful pimple right beside my left nostril. Like most women, I usually dread pimples, but this zit (I named her Eva) gave me the perfect excuse to try out Clean and Clear’s Invisible Acne Patch.”

  • MAC Moisturelush Cream: Say Buh-bye to Dry
    “Everyone’s skin changes with age, but for women dry skin strikes earlier than it does for men. Guys experience moisture loss in their skin later in life than women do. A woman’s skin tends to become considerably drier after menopause. Thankfully, there’s moisturizer.”

  • Moisturize in a Flash with Olay Quench Mousse
    “When I hear the word ‘mousse’ I think of Bullwinkle, or maybe a creamy chocolate mousse (yum), or perhaps hair mousse, but I don’t think of moisturizing lotions — that is, until now. Introducing Olay Quench Mousse, Olay’s latest entry in the crowded field of body moisturizers.”

  • Your Skin Care Cheat Sheet: Retinols and Retinoids
    “Vitamin-A derivatives have a molecular structure small enough to penetrate skin’s lower levels, where they strengthen and replenish collagen and elastin. Clinical research going back 20 years confirms the anti-aging properties of retinoids like Retin-A and Renova.”

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Bright Ideas for Summer Nails

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pink-nails-orchid

Summertime means being able to wear brighter nail colors like corals, hot pinks and even sparkly blues or purples without looking like crazy nail lady. Here are a few ideas to brighten up your fingers and toes.

  • Essie Summer 2008 Nail Polish Collection: Help!
    “After washing off my neon-orange fingers and chewing three Tums (note to file: do not eat half a bag of cheese crunchies in one sitting), I pulled out my Essie Summer 2008 nail polish stash and painted each of the nails on my left hand (and the pointer finger on my right) different colors. This is what too many cheese crunchies can make a woman do.”

  • China Glaze Text in Colour 2BHOT: Holographic Hotness
    “The 2BHOT colors are a bit flashier/more club kid than my usual pink, peach, and coral nail color choices, but I really like them. The funky way the colors seem to change in the light adds another dimension to these polishes that makes them a lot of fun.”

  • Chanel Flamingo Nail Colour: My Sunday Morning Manicure
    “Part of Chanel’s summer 2008 collection, Flamingo is a soft, pale pink with flecks of shimmery silver. I swooned when I first saw it in the store a few weeks ago; I have a well-documented weakness for pink.”

  • China Glaze Ink Nail Polish: Wow, That’s Bright
    “The set includes six bright and slightly obnoxious colors, a cute packet of nail decals, a wee bottle of black polish (great for drawing patterns on the other nail colors) and a bottle of orange-scented cuticle oil.”

  • China Glaze OMG Text in Colour 2BKEWL Nail Polishes
    “I’m lucky enough to live close to my parents, so tomorrow I’m heading home to visit my mom for Mother’s Day. I thought it might be fun if she and I painted our nails a matching color. Here’s the twist: I would like it to be a slightly obnoxious color, so her yoga friends at the senior center can ask her about it (‘Girl, I saw those nails from across the room while I was mid-downward dog!’).”

Right now I’m wearing coral on my toes and sheer pink on my fingers. How about you? Do you have a current favorite nail color?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Beauty Snacks: Sites of the Day, June 10

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Honolua Surf Co.
My favorite surf apparel company, Honolua makes cute t-shirts, rash guards, dresses and sweatshirts (yes, it gets chilly in the tropics). Every time I visit the islands, I pick up a couple of their printed tees.
honolua

MakeupFix
The lovely Mrs. Lynne takes makeup ‘ohana (family) to new heights with her beauty blog, MakeupFix.net. Reporting from the island of Oahu in Hawaii, she covers MAC Cosmetics and a whole lot more.
makeupfix.net

Poof
Their slogan reads, “Changing the way you do your business, one drop at a time.” A small business based in Hawaii, Poof sells these little drops that you plop into the toilet after you’ve “dropped the kids off at the pool.” I wrote about them once before. The drops eliminate any unpleasant odors … and the whole concept just makes me laugh.
poof
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Most Popular Posts of the Week: June 2-8

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plumeria-rain

The strangest thing just happened. The sun is out, but it just poured down rain for a few minutes. It was the hardest rain I’ve seen in a while… Maybe it’ll sweep away the chickens, ha!

  • MAC Cosmetics Face of the Day: Hot Pink and Silver
    “It’s standard operating procedure for me to wake up on Mondays feeling grouchy, so to celebrate this minor miracle I decided to go big and bold with a full face inspired by the hot pink lip I wore a few days ago in this cosmopolitan-inspired lip look.”

  • Face of the Day: Simple Smokey Eye with Chanel Winter Nights Quad
    “As far as complete looks are concerned, this one is quick and easy to do. I used shades from the Chanel Winter Nights Quad, a versatile set with four basic, but pretty shades of pink, peachy gold, green and light brown. The look works well for the office or for things like family functions or semi-formals.”

  • Stila Sun SPF 15 Bronzing Powder: Here Comes the Sun
    “Normally, when I apply foundation it evens out my skin color and tone. That’s a good thing, but sometimes foundation creates too much uniformity, aka mannequin skin. Bronzer helps spice up the canvas produced by foundation alone.”

  • Ojon Rub-Out Dry Cleanser: Shower in a Bottle
    “I chose to go with the minimal makeup, but my questionable decision didn’t subject the general population to stinky Karen hair. Nope! I used one of my favorite secret short cuts for time strapped mornings: dry shampoo. It’s an absorbent spray-on powder you apply to your roots to cut down on oil and grease. It can’t replace a cleansing hair wash, but it helps in a pinch.”

  • Get the Look for Less: Sonia Kashuk Eye Shadow Duo in Double Whammy
    “I think the green in Double Whammy looks a lot like Sprout — they could practically be eyeshadow twins! The blue shade doesn’t exactly match Parrot — it’s more royal blue than turquoise — but it’s still a very pretty color that can be used to duplicate many of the same looks.”

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Retro Roundup: One Year Ago on Makeup and Beauty Blog

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retro beauty

WOW! I can hardly believe this blog is more than a year old already. Where does the time go? These were some of my favorite posts from this time last year. 🙂

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