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

Oh, Joy! The China Glaze Holiday Joy Collection and Wythe Blue Walls

November 9th, 2012 by Karen 20 Comments

Friend, if you look out your window and see pigs flying by, do not be alarmed, because after today, that’s entirely possible. Shoot, after today, almost anything’s possible!

You see, something miraculous happened here today at Casa de MBB.

Today the sad, lonely dining room that still sits empty after more than three years…

…received two new coats of paint!! 🙂

Yup, it’s really real this time. It actually happened. I have Wythe Blue walls!

Next stop, a dining room table (just like a real grownup)…

Oh, and the dining room wasn’t the only thing that got a new paint job here today. My paws also got one — or rather, a dozen — thanks to the 12 shades in the new China Glaze Holiday Joy collection.

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Today I’m Grateful for Friday, Migraine Relief and Les Expressions de Chanel (Among Other Things)

November 9th, 2012 by Karen 21 Comments

chanel abstraction — The new Chanel Illusion D’Ombre Long Wear Luminous Eyeshadow in Abstraction, $36

Because it never hurts to ask the question, “What am I grateful for?” even if the first things that come to mind are simple or silly, today I thought I’d share with you my Friday gratitude list.

First up…

1. Chanel

Always Chanel. 🙂 Everything seems a little better when I see those interlocking C’s. Colors appear brighter, the air seems cleaner, and Tabs even seems better behaved!

Today I’ve been keeping myself busy with a few pieces from the new Les Expressions de Chanel. Among the eight pieces in the release, there’s a dramatic new mascara called Le Volume De Chanel, two new quads, three liquid liners, and a couple of new cream shadow shades.

All are available now on Chanel counters and coming soon to chanel.com.

chanel le volume de chanel mascara noir — Le Volume De Chanel Mascara in Noir, $30

chanel intuition — Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eye Shadow in Intuition, $58

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Banana of the Day

November 9th, 2012 by Karen 4 Comments

Something to remember. Always.

MAC Unsung Heroes: Nice Buzz Plushglass

November 9th, 2012 by Karen 26 Comments

I wonder if MAC was referring to a short haircut when they gave this shimmery, light golden pearl member of Club Plushglass its name.

Hmm… Probably not!

While gorgeous all by itself, I think this $19.50 workhorse purse gloss really looks fetching with smokey eyes.

It’s yet another great member of the always dependable Plushglass family. I love that I can just plop ’em on without a mirror, on account of how sheer they are. No muss, no fuss. And they fade over time without leaving one of those funky white lip lines behind…

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Brush Crush

November 9th, 2012 by Karen 12 Comments

Current brush crush: the MAC 163 Flat Contour Brush ($35). I use it to apply cream bronzer and liquid foundation. 🙂

It’s no longer on the MAC website, but you can still find it at counters and online at nordstrom.com.

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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Change Your Pants, Change Your Life: Slip Into a Pair of Comfy, Kitty Model-Approved KUT from the Kloth Diana Skinny Corduroy Pants

November 8th, 2012 by Karen 32 Comments

kut from the cloth diana skinny corduroy pants — Wearing the Diana Skinny Corduroy Pants by KUT from the Kloth

FACT: the time has finally come to officially take out cold weather clothes here in the Bay Area.

FACT: international kitty models will always out-pose you, no matter how hard you try.

FACT: the KUT from the Kloth Diana Skinny Corduroy pants I’m wearing today could possibly be the best damn pair of corduroy pants on the planet. Maybe even the universe…assuming the aliens out there actually wear pants (most of the aliens I see in movies like to go au naturel).

Sometimes I squirm when companies ironically spell “C” words with a “K” (because using a “K” automatically makes something “Klassy,” like having a grilled cheese sandwich with a glass of red wine…which I was THIS CLOSE to doing last night, not gonna lie), but it seems totally appropriate in this case (kase?).

Pants, to borrow a phrase from that old-school Run-D.M.C. song, can be tricky. Unless you’re genetically blessed with perfect proportions, it can be really difficult to find a pair that fits. Most of the ones I try on are a little off in one way or another. They’re either too long, falling off my butt or making my muffin top look even more…muffiny. 🙂

But these are perfect! They embrace my curves without bear hugging ’em.

At $70, they’re a little pricey, but they’re so well made that I want to wear them every single day of the week.

Why these pants?

So comfy! They’re like the Pajama Jeans of corduroy pants! The material (98% cotton and 2% spandex) has just the right amount of give to it (so I can eat that extra scoop of mashed potatoes), but it’s not so elastic that it’s all stretched out by the middle of the day. Oh, and the corduroy feels as soft as my tubby tabby’s tum. 🙂
A forgiving fit. I usually find something that bugs me about most pairs of pants (I’m short with long legs and a short torso!), but these are just so forgiving and easy to wear. They have a mid-rise that sits up pretty high on my waist, covering my muffin top, and my bum doesn’t hang out when I’m bending or kneeling. I also don’t have to constantly hike them up or keep adjusting.
Quality construction. I’ve had mine for about a year, and they’ve held up really well. This is some sturdy corduroy here, and I haven’t had any problems with holes or unraveling seams. The color also looks as rich as ever.

I brought them home in basic black because I wanted something I could wear with lots of different tops and sweaters, but they come in some other colors, too, like this here hot pink…

The price is on the steep side for a pair of pants, but compared to higher-end skinnies, which often go for $200 a pop (crazy!), $70 doesn’t seem too bad…

If you’re interested, stalk the Nordstrom site, because I do see these on sale every once in a while (that’s how I found them last year).

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