Makeup Tips/How To

Bond Girl Makeup Looks Inspired by the OPI Skyfall Collection: From GoldenEye, Xenia Onatopp

November 8th, 2012 by Karen 32 Comments

bond girl looks xenia onatopp 1 — A Xenia Onatopp Bond girl makeup look inspired by the OPI Skyfall collection nail polish in GoldenEye

“M, what on earth is this contraption?”

“That, Bond, is a Thighmaster. Google it.”

“My thighs need no mastering, M.”

“Famous last words, Bond. Famous last words.”

. . .

Can I just say how hard it is to find a frickin’ Thighmaster these days? Because really, if you’re gonna dress up as Bond girl Xenia Onatopp, you want your thighs to be like BAM! — straight-up killing machines!!

I’m not kidding either. In 1995’s GoldenEye, Xenia, played by the gorgeous Famke Janssen, is the Bond babe who famously kills by crushing people to death with her thighs (wha?!).

(Keep in mind, this was before MMA was popular, LOL!)

In fact, Xenia almost takes out Pierce Brosnan’s Bond in one of their encounters…

I sure love Xenia’s makeup in the movie. She smolders in a smokey eye and rich red lips while she seduces her prey.

Psycho on the inside, but she keeps it classy on the outside.

Nice. 🙂

This afternoon I thought I’d pattern my makeup after hers — not literally copying it, but I tried to capture the same feel, with the biggest difference being that I used a rich gold eyeshadow to play off the OPI GoldenEye polish on my nails.

opi goldeneye — OPI GoldenEye, from the new Bond-themed Skyfall nail polish collection

bond girl looks xenia onatopp 3 — Wearing three coats of OPI GoldenEye

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Bond Girl Makeup Looks Inspired by the OPI Skyfall Collection: From Skyfall, Savarine

November 7th, 2012 by Karen 34 Comments

bond girls severine skyfall look — A Savarine Bond girl makeup look inspired by the OPI Skyfall collection nail polish in Skyfall

“Bond, I’m going to need you to be on your toes for this next assignment. This group is very dangerous.”

“Whatever you say, M.”

“I’m serious, Bond. Cat ladies are the real deal. They’ve been known to actually persuade spies to abandon their missions and join the cat crusade. They will not stop until the world goes full-on feline!”

“So…does that mean I have to keep my paws to myself?”

. . .

Yeah, so if the curmudgeonly cat lady thing doesn’t pan out for me over the next couple of years, I might just become a full-time, self-employed Bond girl. Seriously! I’d have no problem slinking around the house by myself all day long looking all mysterious and sultry like Savarine, the Bond girl from Skyfall, the latest installment in the series.

I’d be totally fine with that.

In the movie, which opens this Friday across North America, Savarine is played by French actress BÃ©rÃ©nice Marlohe. I’ve forbidden myself from reading any spoilers, even though I desperately want to (just two more days!), but movie stills are okay, especially when the makeup, hair and nails are to die for, like they are in these pics of Savarine.

Ooh, I that gray eye look… It’s kinda smokey, and I dig the cat eye shape.

See how the shadow slightly wings out at the ends? I feel like it elongates the eye. Oh, and peep the inner corners, and how her eyeshadow tracks her tear duct, ending in a slightly pointed tip. Makes it look even more feline, meow! 🙂

I was really inspired today by Savarine’s look, so I thought I’d give it a try this afternoon and wear it with OPI’s dark plummy red Skyfall nail polish.

The eyes: step by step

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Cat Eyes With a Twist, and an Open Letter to Jeremy Renner

November 6th, 2012 by Karen 26 Comments

Dear Jeremy Renner,

It’s been a while…

Okay, we’ve never actually communicated, but I quite enjoy writing you these letters and will continue to do so because 1) I have a tendency to babble, and 2) you’re so very, very hot.

Jeremy, I have a proposition for you.

Do you remember the Kelly Clarkson concert I mentioned going to last Saturday?

Of course you do. Well, since the show, I’ve been listening to a lot of Kelly’s music, and I’ve grown particularly fond of Don’t Rush, her new country duet with Vince Gill.

Here’s my idea: you, me, a karaoke bar and that song.

Awesomeness, right? You could gaze adoringly into my eyes as we sing the chorus (please!), but I should warn you — don’t be distracted by my cool cat eyeliner, with its extra little twist.

Yeah, it’s a new look I’ve been rocking all day long.

It’s like a regular cat eye, except with an extra, second wing running parallel to the main flick.

I saw it on the artwork for Kelly’s single, Already Gone, and thought, “Haaay! How cool is that?!”

And it wasn’t even that hard to do. I started with a regular cat eye using my favorite gel liner, MAC Blacktrack, and my go-to Sonia Kashuk Bent Liner Brush. Then, when I finished with the cat eye, I drew a tiny extra flick on each eye.
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Share a Tip Tuesdays: This Eye Makeup Tip Will Have You Busting Out Those Bright Eyeshadows More Often

November 6th, 2012 by Karen 34 Comments

Among the many eyeshadow palettes making their way into the hearts and homes of lovely ladies and makeup-lurving gents this holiday season, I’m betting there’s bound to be at least one (or two!) bright colors in the mix, and if you’re anything like me, some of those brights can be completely terrifying.

For me, it’s usually the bright pinks…

I have no qualms about wearing bright pink on my lips, but my eyes are a different story. It’s like, bright eyeshadows take a different kind of cajones, and sometimes I just don’t feel cool enough to pull them off.

But I know it’s just a state of mind, and so over the weekend, I busted out some of the bright eyeshadows I hardly ever wear and began to experiment. I was just messing around when I stumbled on something by accident…

Wow! Starting with a black base works wonders for bright eyeshadows!

And pretty much any formula should work, be it paint pot, smudgy liner or a creamy kohl. Just apply on your lids, smudge it out, and pat your bright eyeshadow directly on top. The black base sort of grounds the bright shadow, toning it down.

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Bond Girl Makeup Looks Inspired by the OPI Skyfall Collection: From The World Is Not Enough, Elektra King

November 5th, 2012 by Karen 27 Comments

An Elektra King Bond Girl makeup look — An Elektra King Bond girl makeup look inspired by the OPI Skyfall collection nail polish in The World Is Not Enough

“James?”

“Yes, M?”

“Be…careful.”

“Always.”

“No, James, I mean it. This Tabs character is…dangerous. This whole playboy tabby supermodel persona of his is just a cover. We know he’s up to something… We just don’t know what it is yet.”

“What do we know about his current location?”

“We know you’re close. He was spotted last night at a Petco in Novato, and we expect him to return there tonight. He appears to have a penchant for gravy…”

“Doesn’t everyone?”

“I want you to be there when he arrives at the Petco tonight.”

“And?”

“Bring him in, James. I want you to stop that cat.”

. . .

T-minus four days till the new Bond movie unleashes suave justice on American movie goers and I. CAN’T. WAIT.

I grew up on a steady diet of James Bond. 🙂 Both of my parents loved the movies, and when I was a kid, whenever a new one would come out, my folks would pack us all up in the car, and take us to the local drive-in.

Yep, I said drive-in. We used to have an actual drive-in movie theater in our town (some years ago the lot was turned into a strip mall).

Skyfall, the latest film in the Bond franchise, opens this Friday nationwide, and OPI recently released a new 12-piece Bond movie-inspired nail polish collection of the same name.

I was taking a shower the other day when I thought, wouldn’t it be fun to do a series of makeup looks inspired by Bond girls and the colors in the new OPI Skyfall collection?

Yes, yes, I think it would. 🙂

And for the first one, how about Elektra King? She plays cat and mouse with Bond in 1999’s The World Is Not Enough.

It’s not one of my favorite Bond films — I cracked up laughing at the pained expression Pierce Brosnan makes in the unintentionally funny seduction/torture scene below — but I love, LOVE the nail polish based on the movie in the Skyfall collection!

OPI The World Is Not Enough from the Skyfall collection

It’s a shimmery purplish taupe with tiny flecks of glitter, and it looks almost like a silvery khaki sometimes, depending on the light.

So beautiful…

opi the world is not enough swatch — Wearing three coats of OPI’s The World Is Not Enough (but you could probably get away with two)

In the 1999 movie, Elektra King is played by the gorgeous Sophie Marceau. There’s a scene during which she puts JB through hell while wearing a sultry smokey eye and a full-length purple, taupe and black gown — you know, because when you’re inflicting pain upon an international super spy, why settle for sweats?

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Last-Minute Halloween Costume Ideas: Disco Queen

October 30th, 2012 by Karen 48 Comments

last minute halloween ideas: disco queen

When that brief moment of pause hits as you’re about to push the “order” button on that sequined, sleeveless black jumpsuit, and you think to yourself, “Really, will I ever have a reason to wear this crazy contraption?!” — IGNORE IT.

You just never know when you’ll get the urge to look like Blanche Marie Elizabeth Hollingsworth Devereaux. Or when you’ll need something to wear with your last-minute Disco Queen Halloween costume.

last minute halloween ideas: disco queen — Keep on dancin’!

Have I ever mentioned how much I love disco? Yes, my fellow Dancing Queen, I like to Let It Whip to Brick House!! You could’ve done The Hustle to half the songs played at my wedding, fo’ reals!

So when I found this plastic “Disco” necklace at Party City last week (just a few feet from the Sexy Clown costume), it beckoned me to bring it home.

zoya ziv — I’m wearing two coats of Zoya Ziv on my nails, but you could easily get away with just one

#catlady moment: I kindasorta wish I had a kitty-size one to put on Tabs, so we could match. Oh, wait…

disco tabby — He’s mighty, mighty…just lettin’ it all hang out!

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How to Apply False Eyelashes and Fake a Fabulous Fringe

October 26th, 2012 by Karen 15 Comments

Hemingway once said, “I believe I can fly. I believe I can touch the sky…”

Wait, that was — my bad! Sorry, I was thinking of someone else. 🙂

Forget the quote, but the sentiment still stands when it comes to applying false lashes. Believe you can do it (“I can fly!”) and do it boldly, and with great verve.

Otherwise, you might picture yourself accidentally gluing your eyes shut, and freak yourself out!

If you think you might wear false lashes with your Halloween look and don’t have a lot of practice with fake fringe, try this little trick on for size: practice putting on your lashes without the glue first…

I’m totally serious!

mac 33 lash — MAC 33 False Lashes, my favorite for natural-with-a-kick eye looks!

It’s a great way to practice and build up that muscle memory. Just keep repeating the motion, over and over, until you get a feel for how to hold your hands and the tweezers, and where to place the lashes.

It might also help to run through it a few times while sitting, and then while standing, because one way may be easier for you than the other (I prefer to stand).

Okay, are you ready for some practice?

Pick up your falsies (sans glue) with a pair of tweezers, look down into a mirror, and gently place the false lashes directly on top of your real ones…

The ends of the false lashes may splay out here, and if they do, tuck the outer and inner corners into place with your tweezers…

Next, gently pinch your real lashes into your false ones.

There! Just a quick practice run (repeat it as many times as you need to).

Once you feel ready to “go live” with real glue, also known as starting your journey to the center of the universe of crazy-@ss false lashes (LOL!), snap a Q-tip in half, grab your lashes, tweezers and your lash glue, and ROAR AT THE TOP OF YOUR LUNGS!!!
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Last-Minute Halloween Costume Ideas: Katy Perry

October 26th, 2012 by Karen 30 Comments

Dude, anything can be sexy these days.

No, no, no, no, no, no. Not gonna happen. Don’t even try to rationalize it.

But —

No! I said no, as in no. And I meant it. I absolutely, positively forbid you from dressing up as a sexy clown for Halloween.

Okay, fine. Then how about Katy Perry?

Sure! That’ll do! 🙂

I promise — this last-minute costume didn’t start out as another ode to crazy cat ladies, but we all know how Katy luvs teh kittehs.

Doopdadoo, there I was, browsing the aisles at Party City last weekend, when I spotted this blue wig and thought, “Hmm…” One glittery microphone, a sparkly party dress and loads of liner later, badabing, badabang! — Ms. Teenage Dream!

Kinda sorta. I hope.

Katy usually wears some kind of variation on a classic pin-up girl look — cat eyes, bold lips and big lashes — so I took the idea and ran with it.

If you think you might like to try something similar, here are some ideas…

Bring on the brows!

Katy often wears super strong, full brows. I fattened mine up first by applying Make Up For Ever Aqua Brow in 25 with a MAC 214 Short Shader Brush, and then patted good ol’ MAC Concrete on top with the same brush.

Get catty, MRRROW!!

Cat eye liner can be trÃ¨s tricky if you’ve never done it before. If this is your first time, or if you’re just looking for a new trick to try, grab a liner in dark gray, instead of black. I find that grays are easier to work with because it isn’t as harsh as black.
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