Product Reviews

Hey guys,

I’ve been having a really rough few days.

I wish I could claim to be perpetually happy like those crazy people you see in shampoo commercials — you know, the girls who smile and skip through sun dappled fields as the winds of change blow through their perfect hair. They twirl and throw their arms up and glow like fantastical beams of light and optimism. Wow.

Yeah, that’s so not me. Note: Although for the most part I’m a really happy person, I do have my off days, and on those days I feel pretty crappy.

But, you know, you gotta keep on’ trucking. And plenty can happen in 24 hours. Despite feeling blue, your girl still manages to find a few random acts of beauty.

When I feel like crap I make extensive lists. This morning, after drinking my morning coffee and watching a Tivo’d episode of last night’s The Hills finale, I started a new one titled “At least.”

December 11, 2007, 7:12 a.m.

At least …
– At least I’m not Spencer from The Hills. Thank you, jeebus!
– At least my teeth aren’t so blindingly white that I look like I stuck a bunch of Chicklets into my gums, like Audrina.
– At least I have all my teeth!
– At least I’m a nice girl who doesn’t strike the fear of God into people, like scary Lisa Love.
– At least I have opposable thumbs, so that I can type and hold my makeup brushes and use door knobs.
– At least I don’t have to sell my soul in order to pay my bills.
– At least I can write in complete sentences.
– At least I don’t feel compelled to do things in print LIKE WRITE IN CAPS ALL THE TIME or AlTeRnAtE lOwEr CaSe wItH uPpEr CaSe.

After one full page of the “At Least” list I feel a tiny bit better. I hear the neighbor’s tabby meowing at the door. I now have some company. Yes.

December 11. 2007, 10:25 a.m.

Endorphins, I need you. It’s cold but sunny outside, so I bundle up and go for a run.

The leaves crunch beneath my feet, and I’m running so fast that I can barely control my breath. During my run I see a mom with a baby stroller. Then, I pass a tiny bird on a bare tree branch, an unruly golden retriever and the green-blue waters of the San Francisco Bay. On my way back home, I sprint down a hill and catch a glimpse of my shadow running hard and fast. I’m reminded of the girl that I am on my best days; she’s tenacious and strong and doesn’t give up.

My legs kick into high gear, and, suddenly, everything is whizzing by. My body feels like it’s singing. I feel more like myself again. Yes.

December 11, 2007, 11:05 a.m.

Back at home, I turn on the “random” song selection on iTunes and hear a few songs that lift my spirit.

December 11, 2007, 11:30 a.m.

I’ve got five minutes to put on makeup before leaving for work. Although I’m feeling much better, I feel I should be prepared for an unexpected burst of tears in the afternoon. I curl my lashes and put on two coats of Prescriptives Here to Stay mascara, which never lets me down. Thank you, powers-that-be, for giving us waterproof mascara on days when emotional breakdowns loom. Yes.

December 11, 2007, 4:05 p.m.

After work I go to Rite Aid, buy an ice cream cone and cruise the makeup section. I’ve been doing this since I was a kid and it always makes me feel better. There’s a fat sale on Maybelline products. Yes.

Today’s Rite Aid Beauty Loot

Keep on keepin’ on, ya’ll.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

One for You, One for Me

I know I can’t be the only woman out there who goes holiday shopping for others but accidentally buys a few things for herself. I suspect a primitive hunting/gathering mechanism kicks in when I see those deals exclaiming “Buy two and get the third one free!” for things like fleece pullovers. I end up buying stuff I’d never touch if it weren’t on sale.

If you’re going to accidentally buy yourself something this holiday season, then it might as well be something pretty and useful. Save yourself from the fleece sweater trap and wander over to your nearest MAC counter to get yourself the MAC Royal Assets Eyeshadow Palette in Warm Eyes. With six well-rounded shadows, the palette is my current go-to palette for work looks.

For $36.00 you get:

Sunday Best – Ivory with frost
Nobility – Light pink taupe
Retrospeck – Bleached blonde
Star Violet – Earth-touched pinky-brown plum fusion
Club – Muted reddish brown duochrome with green opalescent shimmer
Showstopper- Neutral dark brown

A Few Easy and Pretty Work Looks

The palette is great for creating put-together looks in a hurry.

Three-minute makeup:

If I don’t have much time to get ready for work I wear either Sunday Best or Retrospeck all over the lid, and Nobility in the crease. I’ll curl my lashes and add two layers of MAC Plushlash in Plushblack.

Four-minute makeup:

I’ll do the same as above but add Club or Star Violet in the outer V and then blend to eliminate harsh lines.

Five-minute makeup:

I’ll do all the steps above, and then wet my MAC 266 brush and dip it into Showstopper to line my upper and lower lashlines.

MAC Palette O-Rama

And if Warm Eyes doesn’t suit you, there are three other palettes in the MAC Royal Assets collection — Cool Eyes, Metallic Eyes and Smokey Eyes.

Warm Eyes is my current favorite of the bunch because the colors are conservative, pretty and completely goof proof!

Have you started your holiday shopping yet? I haven’t! My family is driving me nuts because no one will tell me what they want. They are all gonna end up with fleece pullovers, I swear.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen