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Twice as Nice

October 16th, 2012 by Karen 19 Comments

Illamasqua Powder Blusher Duo in Lover and Hussy
Illamasqua Powder Blusher Duo in Hussy and Lover
Lover on the left and Hussy on the right

Super new from Illamasqua! Powder Blusher Duo in Hussy and Lover, new for holiday 2012.

Illamasqua Powder Blusher Duo in Lover and Hussy

There are 19 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Daily Beauty

I Need a Whole Box of These

October 16th, 2012 by Karen 8 Comments



Nix that. I need an entire crate!

There are 8 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Daily Photo

Is the Tom Ford Beauty Plum Absolute For Eyes Absolutely Worth the $35 Price?

October 15th, 2012 by Karen 31 Comments

tom ford plum absolute for eyes
Wearing Tom Ford Beauty Plum Absolute For Eyes

Here’s the face I made multiple times while watching last night’s episode of The Walking Dead…

tom ford plum absolute for eyes
WHAT THE WHAT?!

And here’s the face I made today a few hours after applying Tom Ford Plum Absolute For Eyes ($35)…

tom ford plum absolute for eyes
Grumpy goat!

Notice the similarities. They aren’t identical, but in both pics I appear fussy and discombobulated.

When my mood turned sour this afternoon, it was due to Tom’s annoyingly expensive, limited edition gel liner (new for holiday 2012) completely vanishing from my upper lash lines about five hours after I applied it.

Super. Cranky.

Tom Ford Plum Absolute for Eyes
Wearing Tom Ford Beauty Plum Absolute for Eyes ($35)

[Continue reading…]

There are 31 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, Makeup, Product Reviews, Tom Ford Beauty

Tarte Tempts Blush Enthusiasts With a Fantastic Foursome of Limited Edition Holiday Shades

October 15th, 2012 by Karen 34 Comments

tarte fantastic foursome

Yes, grasshopper. You are ready…

Ready to take the leap!

You have trained well in the pursuit of flushed cheek perfection, swirling and bouncing your blush brush, and now it is time to take your level of blush love from hobbyist to full-blown enthusiast.

You can — no, you must lead your team of four Tarte powder blushes to new heights of flushed-faced fabulosity! I have complete faith in you.

True, the four new, limited edition shades in the $35 Fantastic Foursome holiday kit are all acolytes, yet each has demonstrated great fortitude and skill.

All of them hail from an elite fighting force, the League of Amazonian Clay Blushes, arguably among the best products in the entire Tarte tribe. Their soft formula, take-no-prisoners pigment and fearsome 10-hour wear time (although Tarte advertises 12) make for some seriously long-lasting blushing.

Meet the new members of the team…

Fantastic

A cool-toned matte fuchsia, Fantastic excels at not only face-to-face flirting, but also at quickly administering a bright, just-pinched flush to the apples of unassuming cheeks. Pair it with any number of pink, purple and/or plum lipsticks or glosses currently residing in your makeup bag.

Magic

You have to believe this shade is maaaaagic! Nothing can stand in its waaaaay!

Sorry…random Xanadu moment. 🙂

This neutral pinkish coral has been trained to treat cheeks lightly kissed by the sun, which is to say that I love the way it looks with a bit of a tan.

Stellar

The team’s triple threat! Wear this peachy brown, with its flecks of silver glitter, as a blush, as a contour shade along your cheekbones, in the crease of your eyes, or as a bronzer all over your face.

Angelic

This shimmery neutral gold specializes in rapid highlighting of upper cheekbones, down the bridges of noses and along brow bones and cupid’s bows.

tarte fantastic foursome

tarte fantastic foursome magic
Magic

tarte fantastic foursome stellar
tarte fantastic foursome fantastic
Fantastic

[Continue reading…]

There are 34 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Face, Kits and Sets, Makeup, Product Reviews, Tarte

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 241

October 15th, 2012 by Karen 97 Comments

The One and Only Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll!
Follow your dreams (says the breaded cat on the side of this box of mints)

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:
    Ya know, I’m actually doing pretty good. I made a little progress on the home front over the weekend (more on that in a sec), so that gets a big sigh of relief, ahhhh.
  2. How many sequins is too many? Would you wear ’em from head to toe?
    You bet I would! Let’s do this mo’ fo’! As far as I’m concerned, the more sequins, the better. 🙂 Assuming I’m also wearing a fierce pair of shoes, because the footwear must be worthy of the outfit; otherwise, I see no point in said bedazzlement.
  3. Are there any stories or details you wish you knew about your parents or guardians?
    I wish I knew the real story of how my parents met. Every time I’ve ever asked my mom, she’s given me some vague answer about how they met in college…

    And? And what, Mom? How did you meet? Where did you meet? What was your first date like?

    Of course, since I can never get a straight answer out of her, my overactive imagination concocts something soapy and scandalous.

    Hmm… On second thought, maybe I don’t want to know, LOL!

  4. What are your most and least favorite Halloween sweets?
    If I could, I’d fill my plastic pumpkin with Mini Snickers, pink Mentos (just the pink ones), popcorn-flavored Jelly Belly beans, peanut M&M’s (with Tabs’ picture printed on them, of course), Sour Patch Kids and Twix.

    And I’d leave out the Smarties (blech!), Swedish Fish, licorice and Tootsie Rolls. Thank you! 🙂

  5. Who’s the last person spoke with on the phone?
    Mi madre! She’s trying to get me to go wine tasting with her, of all things…
  6. If you could be on the cover of any magazine, which magazine would it be?
    Um…Cat Fancy? Please don’t judge, LOL!
  7. Unicorn or pegasus?
    Ooh! — that’s a toughie. With the pegasus, you get free air travel, but I bet there’s a lot of upkeep involved caring for the wings.

    Plus, where do you park a pegasus? It’s not like they have special pegasus parking at Trader Joe’s, and do you have to land and take off from an airport?

    I guess I’d probably go with the unicorn… They are able to teleport once a day, and that’s pretty handy.

  8. What’s the shortest/longest you’ve ever had your hair?
    The shortest was an awful cropped cut back in the sixth grade (not my idea, btw! When I grew boobs, my parents suddenly decided I needed a boy haircut).

    The longest I’ve ever had it was in high school, and it hung all the way down to my bum.

  9. What do you do to relax after a stressful day?
    I like to take a long, hot shower, make myself a cup of tea, and if I’m hungry, have a yummy meal with veggies and fresh bread or pasta. Then, a movie on Netflix, a good book, and/or an at-home mani/pedi.
  10. Weekly goals:
    One thing at a time. That’s my only goal, really — that I focus on one thing at a time. If I can do that, then I know I can get through my the most important things on my long to-do list.

Hey, sweet friend. How YOU doing?! Did you have a good weekend?

Mine was pretty good.. Actually, really good. I got in some hard-core relaxing (I know that sounds funny…), and like I mentioned a minute ago, made some progress on a home project, meaning that I actually got out and looked at dining room tables.

I think I’m this close to finally pulling the trigger on a honey-colored mango wood one from Crate and Barrel. It’s just a basic rectangular table. No flourish at all, which is what I want.

I also stopped by Home Depot to get some paint swatches because I’m thinking about painting the dining room. It’s sort of an eggshell white right now, as are all the walls, but I’m thinking about different shades of light blue.

If you happen to have a good eye for interior design, I have a question for you. Does the size of the room have any bearing on the size of table you should get? How much space should you leave around the table, between the table and the walls?

I can’t figure out if I should get a smaller or a larger table. I’m drawn to a larger one because I could use it as a work space for projects, but it would take up most of the room…

Hmm… While I continue pondering this question of profound global importance (not), do you have a minute to fill out this week’s Monday poll? I hope so. I’d love to hear from you. 🙂

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

Le List

1. Mood:
2. How many sequins is too many? Would you wear ’em from head to toe?
3. Are there any stories or details you wish you knew about your parents or guardians?
4. Who’s the last person you spoke with on the phone?
5. What are your most and least favorite Halloween sweets?
6. If you could be on the cover of any magazine, which would it be?
7. Unicorn or pegasus?
8. What’s the shortest/longest you’ve ever had your hair?
9. What do you do to relax after a stressful day?
10. Weekly goals:

Have a great week, okay? And I’ll try to do the same. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 97 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun

Shiny Baubles

October 15th, 2012 by Karen 9 Comments




Earrings by Cam & Zooey (via Haute Look). I love the combo of teal and gold…both in makeup and jewelry.

There are 9 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Daily Beauty

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 213

October 14th, 2012 by Karen 20 Comments

Tabs for the Betsey Johnson Cat Backpack

The zombies are back!Ooh! I watched the season premiere of The Walking Dead tonight with Tabs, and it was…interesting.

Tabs and I shared a big tub of microwave popcorn, and I took notes during the show while he barked out orders like, “Mrrow.” [Look into getting us a dirt bike for quick escapes, and get straps to attach a cat carrier.]

Tabs actually loves zombie movies, shows and literature. He’s read more than 100 zombie books, something he refers to as “research,” and he takes his zombie apocalypse preparations very seriously. For instance, he has stockpiles of gravy that even I don’t know about, and he’s drafted elaborate emergency plans.

In the event of a zombie outbreak, I am to report to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at Makeup and Beauty Blog headquarters, where I will be responsible for opening the cans of gravy, thanks to my time-tested opposable thumbs.

Tabs says that in the zombie books he’s read, cats rarely play a major role, but he attributes this to feline self-sufficiency. See, cats don’t stick around when the sh*t hits the fan. No way. They turn tail and run!

Still, he hopes the day never comes, though, because it would result in a serious drop in worldwide gravy production. 🙂

In other news, this was a pretty busy week for Tabs, irrespective of zombies. He had kitty modeling jobs for a number of big beauty brands. I don’t know if you’re into that kind of thing (kitty supermodeling), but if you are, here are the highlights from this week’s campaigns…

Tabs for Make Up For Ever Cat Ear Shadows

Tabs for Fresh Fish Lip Tint
[Continue reading…]

There are 20 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun, Tabs Keywords: tabs

Chill

October 14th, 2012 by Karen 23 Comments






A relaxing Sunday afternoon. Hope you’re having a good one!

There are 23 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Daily Photo

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Welcome to Makeup and Beauty Blog! My name is Karen, and I’m a freelance writer obsessed with makeup.

Makeup and Beauty Blog features daily product reviews, makeup tips and beauty news — like an interactive version of a monthly print magazine, except with occasional pictures of my cat.

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