Makeup Tips/How To

I’m Still Fawning Over the Paul & Joe Kitten Collection, Today With a Twist on an OmbrÃ¨ Manicure

February 10th, 2012 by Karen 31 Comments

The other day, I sat down to do some nail swatching and tried to remember the last time I wore the same shade of nail polish on all 10 of my fingers or toes.

I totally drew a blank.

A month ago…? Or was it further back than that?

Lately, I’ve just been really into multi-colored manis, two-tone nails, glitter layers and ombrÃ¨ effects. Now, when I wear the same color on every fingertip, I feel like I’m kickin’ it old school. 🙂

Today I planned to paint my nails with one of the three new Nail Enamels from the limited edition Paul & Joe Kitten Collection, but then the fickle ombrÃ¨ bug attacked…

Four fingertips later, I was applying the second color. A few after that, I was applying the third.

See how they go from darkest to lightest from my left hand to my right? Just a different take on ombrÃ¨ nails. Those shades are hot pink Manekineko, rosy pink Kitten Claws and peachy beige Tigress ($14 each).

paul joe kitten collection nail enamel
Nail Enamels in Kitten Claws, Tigress and Manekineko

paul & joe kitten collection nail enamel
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What Do Pink Cheetahs Have in Common With Kisses? Violent Lips Temporary Lip Tattoos

January 7th, 2012 by Karen 20 Comments

Written by Clare

When lipstick and gloss just won’t do, perhaps a pink cheetah will work better for you. Find out more in today’s guest post from Clare.

Violent Lips in Pink Cheetah

First things first

I’m a makeup-obsessive from way back, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned about makeup, it’s that you can make almost anything work. Colour should never hold you back, and you shouldn’t be afraid to rock a bold lip if you feel like it.

Bold lips, huh? Well…they don’t come much bolder than Violent Lips. If you haven’t heard of them before, they’re vitamin-enhanced, vegan-friendly lip appliquÃ©s tested on celebrities, not animals, and above all, they’re temporary!

Violent Lips Temporary Lip Tattoos

Kim Kardashian and her sisters Khloe and Kylie recently posted twitpics wearing them. I’d already sourced some myself and figured it was about time to figure out if the company’s tutorial was as easy to follow as it looked.

What you’ll need to get started

In each pack of Violent Lips, you’ll find three sets of lip appliquÃ©s — three top lips and three bottom — easily separated, in case you make any mistakes and need to use half of another set.
The directions, which can be found on the back. They’re very basic, so you might need to refer to a tutorial to fill in the blanks because, for example, the directions don’t mention that you’ll also need water.
Water
A cotton pad
Scissors
A mirror
Violent Lips in Pink Cheetah (or any of the other 76 varieties)

Violent Lips Temporary Lip Tattoos

Ladies, start your engines!

Firs, make sure you start with dry, un-moisturised lips, and you don’t want to be wearing any other products. That’s important, because if you already have something on your lips, your Violent Lips won’t stick.

Violent Lips Temporary Lip Tattoos
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10 of My Picks for Head of the Class: A+ Makeup and Beauty Department Store (and Other) Products of 2011

December 27th, 2011 by Karen 16 Comments

2011 was another awesome year for feline and human makeup and beauty. Along with rediscovering/falling in love again with a slew of pulse-pounding permanent products from some of my favorite lines like MAC and NARS, I also bumped into bunches of beautiful products to lurve on drugstore and department store shelves.

If you’re on the market for something special to spend a Christmas gift card on, consider one of the overachieving A+ department store products below. All of them are looking for new homes just like yours and can be found in stores now. 🙂

$25 Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush

$57 Chanel Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eye Shadow in Vanites

Pacifica $9 Color Quench Lip Tints

$24.50 MAC 226 Small Tapered Blending Brush

$42 Kerastase Cleansing Hair Balm

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Upgrade Your Options in Color With This Quick Travel Makeup Tip

December 27th, 2011 by Karen 18 Comments

Over my four-day Christmas trip up and down Northern California to visit with my parents and in-laws, I relied on one particular makeup trick a little more than the others. I’m just about to hit the road back home to Novato, but first, if you like to wear different looks often but don’t usually have a lot of room to spare in your travel makeup bag, here’s one quick and easy way to increase your color options.

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Mixed Metal Manis: Like Britney, My Nails Are Going Beige, Silver and Gold

December 22nd, 2011 by Karen 55 Comments

Aha! I always knew (or hoped) that those countless hours spent watching Pop-Up Video would pay off eventually. Yup, it was while watching Britney shake her moneymaker in the Toxic video (one of my faves) the other that day that I came up with this idea for a Mixed Metal Mani.

You know that nude bodysuit she wears with the diamonds? Wouldn’t that look pretty chic and blingy on your nails? — a minimalist nude nail layered with gold and silver glitter?

Let’s find out! 🙂

I started with a base coat, and then slipped on two layers of creamy beige Essie Brooch the Subject, which would be my nude background color.

I wanted a subtle sparkle from the golden glitter — nothing too overpowering — so I chose Essie as Gold as It Gets for its tiny flecks of golden glitter in varying shapes.

(NOTE: Next time I give something like this a try, I just might add a top coat and stop right there. Coupled with a nude background color, I think it’s a very pretty, subdued way to approach glitter.)

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Mixed Metal Manis: Get the Party and Conversation Started with a Silver and Golden Glitter Ombre Manicure

December 20th, 2011 by Karen 39 Comments

Yes, ma’am, I’m still in a metallic mani mode, also known as a mixed metal mani state of mind. Why? Because it’s magnetic! — not literally, of course — but I think there is something bewitching about nails that look like shiny baubles shimmering in silver and gold. Perhaps it’s because they remind me of disco balls, or perhaps it’s an ancient urge more primitive and primal than that.

This particular metal mani, a silver and gold ombre affair, is a manifestation of this MAC purse from holiday 2007, and how its tweed pattern melts from silver to gold (LOVE!).

Since the look required a number layers, I grabbed two polishes that I knew would dry quickly, a silvery glitter from Essie called Set in Stones, and a golden glitter from China Glaze called Blonde Bombshell. Of course, you could substitute other silver and gold glitters from your personal stash.

After applying a base coat to prime and even out the surface of my nails, I applied three (!) coats of Essie Set in Stones to build up the glittery silver backdrop that covers the surface of each nail. To ramp up the bling even more, you could always apply four. 🙂

Next, to initiate Project Ombre Effect, I applied Blonde Bombshell, beginning at the base of each nail, and tapering as I moved toward the tip.

Then, I added one extra layer to intensify the transitional effect where the gold meets the silver, concentrating a little more glitter at the base of each nail.
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Mixed Metal Mani: A Nail Tutorial Starring Two-Tone Silver and Gold

December 15th, 2011 by Karen 28 Comments

Earlier this year when I met with Rob, a personal stylist at Nordstrom, one of the things we chatted about was metal — that is, mixing metal accessories.

I was drooling over a pair of shoes with silver accents at the time and wondered about incorporating gold and silver jewelry into the outfit. Rob said, “Sure!” He thought that mixing silver and gold was a cool and modern way to update a look.

I remembered Rob’s metallic moxie this week while trying to figure out something fun to do with my nails. I wanted something festive that wasn’t red and green, so I figured, how about silver and gold? 🙂

It’s a little quirky, but that’s one of the things I like about it, and I can see myself wearing this with various shiny baubles all year round.

Are you ready?

First, I painted my nails with a clear base coat to create a nice, smooth surface for the following steps. Next, I applied two layers of the color I chose for the silver background, Icicle by China Glaze.

Once Icicle dried, I reached for my stickers — punch-hole reinforcement stickers, the office supply kind (I got these at Target) — and applied them about halfway down each nail.

Here, “careful” and “gentle” are the operative words. I was careful to gently position and press the stickers into place, making sure they were firmly in position. I learned the hard way (screwed something like this up once before) that it’s also a good idea to wait a few extra minutes before applying the stickers to make sure that the background color is completely dry; if it’s wet at all, the stickers might peel part of the background color when they’re removed.

With the stickers stuck, I painted the portion of each nail above them with two coats of my golden shade, Champagne Bubbles by China Glaze.

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3 Ways to Wear Red Lips for the Totally Terrified

December 8th, 2011 by Karen 49 Comments

Earlier this week in the comments on the MAC Unsung Heroes Red Lipstick post I got to chatting with reader Dana Jae about a question a lot of us wrestle with — “What can I do to get over my fear of red lips?”

We may love the way red lips look on other gals, but for one reason or another, we just don’t feel they work as well for us.

“I have such a hard time with red lipsick. I have Ruby Woo, and it looks like my lips take over my whole face (and my lips aren’t that big). It just doesn’t blend well, sticks out too much.”

— Dana Jae

I feel like the holidays are a perfect time to rock dramatic, rich red lips, but I know they’re not for everyone. Red can be daunting, especially if a particular shade of red contrasts heavily with your skin color, or even if you’re just unaccustomed to seeing yourself in something bold and/or bright.

But here’s one of my favorite things about red lips: you can dress ’em up or down, and you don’t have to wear a red that’s fully opaque.

If you don’t feel quite red-y (haha!) for full-on red BAM! — here are a few less intense ways to wear one of the hottest colors around.

1. Using a lipstick as a light stain

Wearing a red lipstick as a stain is probably the quickest, easiest way I know of to dial down the intensity of a red lipstick while retaining much of its rich color. If you already own a red lippie that you like but don’t wear very often because of its rich red might! — this little trick might help you two get along even better. 🙂

To create a stain, lightly dab your lipstick directly from the tube to your lips, aiming for a very light wash of color. Then, pat and blend it out with a finger.

MAC Lipstick in Lady Danger ($14.50) worn as a lip stain

I usually don’t wear a lip liner when I do this because I find that the blending doesn’t leave me with a crisp line around the edges of my lips, but it’s still an option. Unless you’re trying to maintain the contrast between the liner and the lipstick, blend it out with a finger or brush until it looks nice and seamless.
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