Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup

A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict

Just For Fun

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 697

by 3 Comments

Are you watching the big game? Rosie has it on in the background while she does some calculations for a project for SpaceX. So she’s not totally dialed in.

Tabs was the real football fan in the family. Of course, that makes sense, considering how he played professional cat football before becoming a kitty supermodel.

He only did it for two years, though. Mind you, he would have played longer if it hadn’t been for an injury…

Still, he won a championship, as he usually did in his various endeavors, and he got pretty famous.

Most cat sports writers consider him to be the best cat tight end of all time.

Rosie

Rosie is pulling for the Rams, but only because Los Angeles has so many great universities, research labs and museums.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Saturday Surfing, Feb. 12, 2022!

by 3 Comments

Hello, Saturday!

Happy Saturday, friend! 😊 Sending you lots of loving, joyful and gentle vibes today. OH, and sending a little bit of sweatiness, too! I just finished this fun workout for quads and core from Sydney, my favorite fitness friend (in my mind, I’m her workout bestie, LOL!). Not a ton of jumping in this workout, which my feet like. And, when I was done, my body had that wonderful loosey-goosey feeling.


Super fun!

I’m taking Connor on a playdate this morning. Then, when we get home, I’m going to clean out my closet in anticipation of buying some new clothes for spring. I’ve put shopping off long enough, (sigh), and I just need to get some new pieces. I’ve been wearing a lot of neutral colors for the past few months, and while it definitely makes it easier to get dressed in the morning, I’m a little tired of wearing white, black, gray and beige all the time…

Anywho, remember how I mentioned that I’m going to try adding some head-to-toe color in my life through jumpsuits a while back? I found a couple cute ones for Tar-ghay!

I love the color of this one, which is $34.99.

The puff sleeves on this mint green one are adorable. It’s also $34.99.

What are your plans for the day? After the playdate, I’m also going to watch a show I just started on HBO called “The Girl Before,” which stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw (LOVE HER).

Whatever you’re up to, I hope you get a chance to have some fun and maybe even relax a little.

Today’s reading


Talk to me.


She plays a character from one of my favorite shows.


I’ve always wondered this…


Obsessed with Pat, always and forever!


FYI


So educational!


I kinda miss getting my hair colored


YES.


Take me back.


Because I can’t get enough of sunscreen…

Have a wonderful rest of your weekend! 😀

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Chicken Adobo Recipe

by 13 Comments

chicken adobo recipe

Adobo is a staple Filipino dish. When I was a kid, we had it at least once a week for either lunch or dinner. Every family has their own take on adobo, but the basics are the same — some type of meat (typically chicken, pork or a combination of both) marinated and then cooked in soy sauce, vinegar and garlic. It’s a savory main dish packed with flavor, and almost everyone I know loves it.

This is how we do adobo at Casa MBB!

chicken adobo recipe with veggies

A few quick tips:

  • I typically use apple cider vinegar, but you can swap it out for balsamic. The traditional way is to make it with white cane vinegar, which is also great too!
  • Low and slow is the way to go; that’s the key to tender chicken adobo. If your sauce is reducing too quickly, add a little water.
  • No peppercorns on hand? Substitute with ground black or white pepper.
  • Just in case you’re unfamiliar with bay leaves — don’t eat them! They’re there for adding flavor to the dish.

Oh, and this dish is enough for my family of three, but if you have more people to feed, then double the ingredients. I typically serve it with white rice and a veggie on the side.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp brown sugar
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 medium onion cut in thin half-moon slivers
  • 1 tsp black peppercorn (you can reduce this to 1/2 tsp if you want)

Directions

  1. In a glass bowl, mix the soy sauce, vinegar and half the garlic to make a marinade. Add the chicken, then cover with plastic wrap and pop in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or up to a few hours.
  2. In either a dutch oven or a large pan with high sides, heat the olive oil to medium high. Add the onions and cook until they’re fragrant and translucent (about five minutes, give or take). Then, add the garlic, and cook until fragrant, which for me is about minute. Side note: don’t burn the garlic, otherwise it will be bitter.
  3. Push the onions and garlic to one the side of the pan, then place the chicken in the pan to lightly brown it.
  4. Pour the marinade into the pot. Add the rest of the garlic, the bay leaves, peppercorns and brown sugar. Stir everything together gently.
  5. Bring to a low simmer, then cover the pot and continue to cook on low heat for about 25 minutes. If your sauce is reducing too quickly, then add water.
  6. Remove cover, and then shred the chicken with two forks. Continue to simmer on low for about 15 minutes to thicken the sauce.
  7. Serve with rice and your favorite veggies.

chicken adobo recipe

chicken adobo recipe

If you make this recipe, please let me know what you think!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!

Latest Beauty Buys

by 10 Comments

Latest haul!

I’m only realizing JUST NOW that I still haven’t purchased the one beauty thing I actually needed to buy this week (an Ilia eyeliner to replace the one I finished). Still haven’t made it to Sephora. Sigh. I did manage to grab some things at Target and Ulta to replace other items that were running low, though!

Side note: while I was at Ulta yesterday, I overheard a mom telling her teenage daughter that she was done waiting and that 45 minutes was plenty of time to pick out a nail polish, and they needed to go, like, NOW. Ahhh! Will that ever be me and Connor?

Anywho, I bought a bottle of Zoya Remove+ (works great on glitters) and an oil cleanser that’s new to me, Tula Skincare #NoMakeup Replenishing Cleansing Oil. I tried it last night and I think I might be returning it. It didn’t sting my eyes (yay), but after I rinsed it off, my eyes felt dry and kinda itchy.

Honestly, I don’t know why I keep trying new cleansing oils when I know the DHC one is the bomb dot com. You know how it is when you’re a beauty lover, though; you might already something is great and it works, but you’re always on the hunt to find the next best thing.

Onto hair. I’ve been wanting to try Function of Beauty for a while, so I finally grabbed a few things from Target from the Wavy Hair Line: the shampoo, the hair mask, two of the boosters (one for heat protection and one for fighting frizz) and the leave-in treatment.

Have you purchased anything lately?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

What Are the Hardest and Easiest Things About Makeup for You?

by 7 Comments

pyt beauty no bs eyeshadow palette k2
The struggle is real

Hello, and happy Wednesday! I just dropped Connor off at school and was about to paint on a 10-minute face on when I got to thinking about how some aspects of makeup are easier than others. I can usually fly through certain things, like blush and bronzer, but eyeshadow is a totally different story. Even when I do a relatively a simple look with just a couple shadows, I still have to think about where I place the color and how high up I can take it. If I don’t, my eye makeup ends up asymmetrical.

Anywho, I was wondering if you find certain things easier or harder to do, too. Here’s my quick list!

Stuff that’s relatively easy for me

  • Mascara (Side note: I’ve got to have a good formula, though)
  • Blush
  • Bronzer
  • Base (I like to keep it simple)
  • Concealer
  • Lipstick/Gloss in neutral colors

Stuff that’s hard

  • Eyeshadow
  • Eyeliner
  • Brows
  • Dark or bright lipstick
  • So, basically anything that involves intensely paying attention to symmetry!

How about you?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

How Do You Handle Your Beauty Budget?

by 16 Comments

Missing this thug a lot today!

Lately, I’ve been listening to podcasts about financial literacy, and consequently, I’ve been thinking about how people handle their beauty budgets.

I read in an article recently that says on average, women spend $313 a month and men spend $244 on beauty products. I’m not really surprised at those amounts, though, seeing how it’s easy to go there if you’re shopping at places like Sephora.

Anywho, I’m trying to be more purposeful with the beauty products I buy, and so I’m taking stock of my spending habits. I’ve noticed that I tend to do one of three things:

1. Restock, then pick up extras

When I run out of something, I’ll go in to Sephora or Target for a restock, and while I’m there, I’ll usually pick up a few extra things that weren’t originally on my list because YOLO.

2. Stress shopping

If I’ve had a rough day, I’ll buy beauty products that usually aren’t on my wishlist for some instant gratification.

3. Sale shopping

OH, GOSH. This is my Achilles’ Heel. If I can get a bunch of products on sale, I have no problem splurging, even if it’s for things that I technically don’t need.

I’m thinking about creating a set beauty budget per month, but you know… There’s something about those impromptu beauty buys when I need a pick me up. Sigh.

I’m curious to know how you handle your beauty budget.

Like, do you prefer to buy makeup only when you run out of something? Or do you have a set monthly budget for beauty products, and you pick up whatever you’re fancying at the moment? Or are you the type of person who purchases products on a whim? Let me know in the comments.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 715

by 12 Comments

It’s going to be a delightful day!

So…what is the Monday Poll?

Excellent question! It isn’t, contrary to its name, an actual poll, like with little clicky buttons. It’s just a list of more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007).

    1. Tulips, roses or daisies?

    I love them all, but today I’ll go for pink roses.

    2. What’s the most challenging thing about eyeliner for you?

    There are so many things, OMG. By far the most challenging, though, is getting the lines to look even. My right eye is slightly bigger and more hooded than my left, so I have to adjust how high up I take the liner and how far out. If I don’t account for the difference, my eyes appear asymmetrical.

    3. Besides a good color match, what do you look for in a concealer?

    I’m so picky about concealer, especially in the under-eye area. My number one thing is that it cannot settle into my fine lines. NOPE! No thanks.

    4. Cake today?

    Cake every day!

    5. Boots or sneakers?

    Sneakers, 100%. I never know when I need to chase after a child, and sneakers are much more conducive to impromptu sprints.

    6. Have you ever had to break up a cat fight?

    Thankfully, no. We’re a one cat family.

    7. What’s worse: pants that are too tight or an ill-fitting bra?

    Both are awful and remind me of many bad dates in the ’90s. Too tight pants would be worse, though. At least you can take off your bra, you know? I mean, you could take off your pants, but then it would be a totally different party…

    8. What’s your hairstyle for the day?

    Half up, half down with a high pony tied with a scarf.

    9. Something you’re looking forward to this week?

    I just ran out of my favorite Ilia eyeliner, so I need to make a Sephora stop this week. Fun!

    Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

    Karen

    P.S. Here are the questions to copy/paste with your answers in a comment. Talk to ya soon.

    1. Tulips, roses or daisies?
    2. What’s the most challenging thing about eyeliner for you?
    3. Besides a good color match, what do you look for in a concealer?
    4. Cake today?
    5. Boots or sneakers?
    6. Have you ever had to break up a cat fight?
    7. What’s worse: pants that are too tight or an ill-fitting bra?
    8. What’s your hairstyle for the day?
    9. Something you’re looking forward to this week?

    P.P.S. Happy Monday to you, friend. I hope that you’re feeling rested and ready for the week. Let’s do our best to lift each other up today, OK? You’re doing great, so hang in there! 🤗

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 696

by 2 Comments

Roar!

Did you hear that…? It was the call of the jungle, a call that Tabs answered quite often.

To the unassuming passerby, Tabs may have looked just like a regular old housecat, but inside he had the heart of a lion. He fancied himself as the King of the Jungle.

There were a few incidents — some may call them skirmishes — where he had a power play with a lion or two on set, but thankfully because of my superior negotiation skills, I was able to take things down a few notches, and no limbs or claws were lost.

Just so you know, working with the big cats of the wild will make a woman out of you! I was forever changed, especially with the scuffle he had with a cheetah during a MAC campaign… I still have all my fingers, yea! 😁

Rosie

I’ve been trying to inspire Rosie to unleash her inner jungle cat, so today I put her in a fashionable cheetah collar with a complementary flower and some leaves because she is a girly-girl after all.

I was expecting claws out, some roars here and there, perhaps some growls, but instead she wanted to contemplate the changing landscape around her. Spring is starting to show around these parts, and you know Rosie; she’s got several science experiments going in her head at any given moment.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Copyright © 2025 Makeup and Beauty Blog. Get in touch.