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

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cat eyes with a twist 1

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?!”

cat eyes with a twist 2

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

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Share a Tip Tuesdays

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

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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. 🙂

Elektra KingAnd 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
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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Unsung Heroes: Benefit Skinny Jeans Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner

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benefit skinny jeans
Wearing Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Skinny Jeans

Aaand this is how much I love Benefit’s $19 Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner in Skinny Jeans…

an empty pot of benefit skinny jeans!

Yeah, THAT much.

I just picked up my umpteenth pot and figured it was high time I publically professed my love for this shimmery cream eyeshadow.

Why? Because these Skinny Jeans are astronomical! — in that they also moonlight as an eyeliner and an eyeshadow base.

Benefit describes the color as a “pretty pewter,” but I think Skinny Jeans is more complex than that. On my NC42 skin, it’s like an alchemist’s brew, an enchanting blend of khaki, gray and taupe.

So pretty!

Question: how are real skinny jeans like zombies? Answer: they keep coming back from the dead! Seriously, what’s up with that? Just when I think skinny jeans have gone out of style forever, they come back! Which reminds me…OMG! Last night’s The Walking Dead!!

I happen to love these skinny jeans, because unlike the tapered Guess acid-washed pair (with the zippers on the ankles) I wore in eighth grade, these always fit. 🙂

You know how a black blazer can really dress up a pair of jeans and a white tee? Well, that’s what I think Skinny Jeans does for my eyes.

If I’m wearing something basic and simple — like maybe a sheer lip balm, a dash of cream blush and a couple coats of mascara — Skinny Jeans on my lids and lower lash lines adds some polish to the look and turns things up a notch.

I’ll happily wear this Creaseless Cream/Liner any time of year, but because it has some smokiness to it, my favorite times to wear it are fall and winter.

benefit skinny jeans

benefit skinny jeans
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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 244

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Colorful chocolate turkeys from See’s Candies, om nom nom!

You might be wondering, “So what the heck is this Monday Poll thing anyway?”

Well, it isn’t much of a poll. It’s more just a constantly evolving (devolving?), somewhat random list of questions I’ve been putting out to readers every Monday morning for the past four years. I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.

  1. Mood:
    Fully caffeinated, captain. All ahead, on my mark… Mark!!

  2. Mystery or romance?
    Mmm… How about a mysterious romance? 🙂

  3. The girls wanna go the movies to see the last Twilight. You in or out?
    I’m in…not that I’m a fanatic for the films (I like the books more), but I feel like I’m already kind of invested in the whole thing, ya know? — like The Jersey Shore. I’ve gone this far. Might as well follow it to completion.

  4. Have you ever won (or placed in) a limbo contest?
    Let’s see… No, I have not. I have actually entered a few, though. Really. But I always falter in the early rounds. I have pretty good balance, but I’m not very stretchy/flexible at all.

  5. What time did you go to bed last night?
    Around 10:30, I think it was, but I didn’t fall asleep until 11:30 or so. It took me that long to unwind after last night’s The Walking Dead.

  6. When was the last time you felt really and truly alone?
    I can actually pinpoint the day and time. It was 12:10 p.m. on Thursday, June 21, 2012.

  7. When was the last time you felt really and truly loved?
    A few minutes ago. Tabs was sitting on my lap, purring and looking up at me with his half-open, lovey-dovey eyes. Honestly…I dunno what I’m gonna do when this cat crosses the Rainbow Bridge. As a crazy cat lady, this is probably gonna sound — well, you know how it sounds — but a pet’s love is so powerfully simple and pure. It’s life-changing.

  8. Is there anything you’d like to accomplish by the end of the year?
    Even I’m sick of hearing myself say it, but I gotta finish getting my dining room in order, and I need some better, bigger storage in my office. Seriously, it’s a disaster. It’s like a thick forest, except instead of trees, it’s filled with tall photography lights and tripods, and instead of bushes and shrubs, the ground is covered by boxes and makeup packaging.

    Whether I actually accomplish those things remains to be seen, LOL!

  9. How long are your nails?
    They’re short. I like to keep ’em that way, just a shade longer than my fingertips, but sometimes I’ll forget to file for a while, and they’ll grow out.

    Oh, but back when I was a teenager, I had long eagle talons!

    I have no idea how I got through the day with those things…

  10. Weekly goals:
    I’m going to try to get up with El Hub every morning at 6 this week (I usually get up around 6:30) so that I can squeeze in my workouts a little earlier. That, and I just want to believe in myself and have a good week.

G’morning, glory! Biiiig stretch. 🙂 Come on, let’s shake those sleepy thoughts.

I had such a nice weekend. Random (free Kelly Clarkson concert, anyone?), but a lot of fun. It was way too short, though. Sometimes El Hub gets three days off from work, and then we get to spend a little more time together.

Oh, I wanted to tell you about a book my friend Heidi told me about last weekend called The I Love Trader Joe’s Vegetarian Cookbook.

Seriously, that’s what it’s called. It’s $10 right now on amazon.com.

Hello! — that’s like my dream cookbook. I think I should order it.

Okay, quick kitchen beverage run. You fill out this week’s Monday Poll, and I’ll be back in two shakes of a husky tabby’s tail.

To complete the Monday Poll, just copy the following list, and paste it with your answers in the comments.

Le List

1. Mood:
2. Mystery or romance?
3. The girls wanna go the movies to see the last Twilight. You in or out?
4. Have you ever won (or placed in) a limbo contest?
5. What time did you go to bed last night?
6. When was the last time you felt really and truly alone?
7. When was the last time you felt really and truly loved?
8. Is there anything you’d like to accomplish by the end of the year?
9. How long are your nails?
10. Weekly goals:

Have a wonderful week, my love, and keep your chin up.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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