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Two Ways to Win a $50 eGift Card from Sephora!

May 19th, 2012 by Karen 402 Comments

  • WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is Vanessa! Congratulations, Vanessa! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

A Makeup and Beauty Blog giveaway
Comment to win a Sephora eGift card

Good morning, glory. 🙂 Let me be one of the first people in your life to wish you a happy Saturday. Not much going on for me other than cleaning, grocery shopping and relaxing…not necessarily in that order.

I figure I shouldn’t do anything too strenuous before the Bay to Breakers tomorrow. I’m setting two separate alarms for 4 o’clock tomorrow morning, just to be safe.

The costumes that some of the runners wear are a big part of the race. There’s even a costume contest. Last year a group of people won for their royal centipede of 13 people, which had newlyweds Kate and William, and a royal posse of the Archbishop, Prince Harry, Prince Beatrice and others.

I’m all for expressing yourself — daily — but I really, really hope that everyone on the shuttle tomorrow morning is fully and completely clothed (the race is famous for its nude runners) because, seriously, I don’t think I could handle smalltalk with a naked stranger at 5:30 in the morning. “So…is this your first Bay to Breakers? My, that is an interesting tattoo on your bum of a phoenix rising from the ashes… Boy, these seats are cold.” LOL!

Well, it’s that time again. Time for you to get lucky and hopefully win today’s Sephora giveaway.

What folks are saying…

“Thanks so much, Karen. Just in case you were wondering what I got with it, I decided to go with the Clarisonic Mia–I’ve been wanting it for years now, but have never purchased it because of the price. Your eCard helped me finally buy it! I look forward to using it. Thanks again!”
-Jane

“Shut the front door! OMG Karen, you have made my day. 🙂 I’m sick in bed with the flu and this has just cheered me up immensely!!!!!!!! BTW, I’m the one that sent you that pic of my pug in a wig a few weeks back LOL! Thanks again, honestly, I’m beyond giddy right now.”
-Angel

“Oh my goodness! Thank you so much Karen (and Tabs, of course)! I really appreciate this! I’d been eyeing the Anastasia brow pencil in Strawburn to match my red hair!”
-Chelsea (and Jiji the kitten and Quincy the bunny)

“Never before have I been so pleased to check my email right before bed!!! Thank you so, so much! I truly enjoy your blog and check it almost daily! Thanks again! This made my night!”
-Melissa, Edmond, OK

“Hi Karen. Oh my goodness! I can’t believe I won! :O Thank you so much! You, Tabs, and your blog are amazing! Thank you for keeping me updated on all things beauty and more importantly, for keeping me entertained! Keep doing your thing! 🙂 Thank you again.”
-Jacqueline

“Hi Karen. Thank you so much, I’m so excited, I’ve never won anything before. My name is Hana … I just turned 25 (today is my birthday!) Yay! Thank you.”
-Hana

Win a $50 gift card from Sephora

  • One (1) Sephora eGift card containing $50 sent to the winner by email (international readers, you may opt to receive $50 sent by PayPal instead).

  • There are two ways to enter, and you can do both of them for two chances to win. First, you can enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, a comment about anything at all, like, would you (or have you ever) run a race naked? Do you have a workout buddy? What are you wearing on your lips today? Do you prefer waterproof or non-waterproof mascara (and why)? Are you working this weekend? When was the last time you had chocolate milk? — you get the idea.
  • Second, you can enter by following me on twitter Twitter @karenmbb and retweeting (RT) the following message:
    • Follow @karenmbb and RT to Win a $50 eGift Card from Sephora! http://bit.ly/J4P5tS

  • The deadline to enter is Sunday, May 20, 2012 at 11:59PM (PT).
  • Entrants must enter using a valid email address and/or Twitter account to win.
  • A maximum of two (2) entries per person — one within the comments at the bottom of this post, and a second entry via Twitter addressed to me @karenmbb.
  • Contest is open to individuals of any country who have reached the age of majority according to their local laws (18 in the United States with these exceptions: Alabama and Nebraska, 19; Mississippi, 21).
  • Sephora eGift Certificates can only be redeemed online and are not valid in stores or available for purchase or redemption in Canada. International winners may opt to substitute the Sephora eGift card prize for $50 sent directly to their email address by PayPal instead.
  • Tabs and I (heretofore referred to as “T-Money and K-Dawg”) will select one (1) winner at random from the entries either left in the comments at the bottom of this blog post or addressed to @karenmbb on Twitter.
  • The winner will be announced here within 48 hours of the deadline.
  • Void where prohibited by law.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

  • WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is Vanessa! Congratulations, Vanessa! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂
There are 402 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun Keywords: giveaway

Essie Resort 2012 Collection

May 19th, 2012 by Karen 6 Comments

The Essie Resort 2012 collection, available now at beauty supply stores and salons.

There are 6 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Daily Beauty, Essie Keywords: essie

Shades of Blue and Gray

May 18th, 2012 by Karen 4 Comments



I love the colors in this pic. Taken at dusk at Kalapaki Bay, Kauai, April 2012.

There are 4 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Daily Photo

With the MAC Hey, Sailor! Pigments, Everything Old Is New Again

May 18th, 2012 by Karen 7 Comments

mac naval blue
MAC Hey, Sailor! Pigment in Naval Blue

Here at Tabs the Cat Industries, LLC, Tabs insists that we recycle as much as we can — paper packaging, plastic bottles and jars, aluminum Fancy Feast cans.

He’s very eco-conscious that way.

And yet while he’s a big (literally) advocate of household recycling, he generally opposes the recycling of products within MAC’s limited edition collections.

Personally, I’m okay with seeing certain colors pop up every now and again. In some cases they’re a reminder to stock up!

But Tabs says otherwise. With him and makeup it’s always, “Meow! Meow! Meow!” (“New! New! New!”)

You know fashion-forward feline supermodels… Always trying to stay ahead of the trends. 🙂

I could feel him looking over my shoulder this afternoon, judging me, as I played with the new MAC Hey, Sailor! Pigments in Old Gold and Naval Blue ($21 each).

If you’ve been following MAC for a while, both colors might look familiar. Old Gold is a re-promoted shade from MAC’s permanent line, and Naval Blue, a limited edition color, launched earlier this spring with the MAC Chenman collection.

MAC gave them snazzy striped outfits (cute!) this time around, and then raised the price of each one by $1.

Sure, neither one breaks new ground here…but that doesn’t make me like them any less.

The two MAC Hey, Salior Pigments

Old Gold

MAC calls Old Gold highly frosted and tarnished, which accurately describes the way I think it looks on my NC42 skin, although I also see flashes of green in it from time to time. I love it.

It’s like it turns on a light behind my eyes, and it looks ah-may-zing with bright green shadows like Fresh Flare.

Picture a darker, greener version of MAC’s Gorgeous Gold Eyeshadow, and you’ve got Old Gold.

Super pretty, but take it for a spin at a counter first if you have very cool undertones, because it can be quite warm.
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

Naval Blue

Now, if you took MAC Deep Truth, darkened it, turned up the intensity, and added tiny silver sparkles, you’d create a color just like Naval Blue.

Interestingly, I think it looks bluer and less purple on me than it did when I had less of a tan.

I do think it’s pretty, but it’s probably not something I’d wear all over my lids to Trader Joe’s. Instead, I’ll wear it as a liner, applying it with a wet MAC 266 brush along my upper lash line for a cat eye look.
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B

mac old gold naval blue swatches
Swatches from the left: Deep Truth, Naval Blue, Gorgeous Gold, Old Gold and Goldmine

mac naval blue
Naval Blue

mac old gold
Old Gold
[Continue reading…]

There are 7 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, MAC Makeup, Product Reviews Keywords: mac

BOOM! These Neon Nails Hit Me Like a Ton of Bricks, or a Bright Orange Bazooka: The Essie Poppy Razzi Nail Polish Collection for Summer 2012

May 18th, 2012 by Karen 40 Comments

essie poppy razzi

Lights, Camera, Action…Bazooka?

LOL! Which one of these things is doin’ its own thing? Maybe someday I’ll figure out what Bazooka, one of four bright shades in Essie’s Poppy Razzi release for summer 2012, is doing in this collection, but until then I’ll just try to enjoy the neon-ness of it all.

Why a bazooka?

Lights (an electric pink), Camera (a brilliant coral), Action (a vibrant orange) and Bazooka (a bright orange) — again, Bazooka? What am I missing?? — are darn near picture-perfect summer shades. All four apply smoothly from my cuticles to nail tips, despite having a formula on the thicker side, which is pretty typical, from my experience, of Essie polishes.

All I need is one coat of Camera (my fave!) or two of Bazooka and Lights. Action, however, likes being babied. It goes on a little streaky, so I usually apply a third coat.

With a good base and top coat, I can get a solid seven days (at least) from these before any signs of chipping.

essie lights
Lights

essie camera
Camera

essie action
Action
[Continue reading…]

There are 40 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Collections, Essie, Nails, Product Reviews Keywords: essie

Enter the Makeup and Beauty Blog Buxom Photo Contest to Win a Prize Worth More Than $600

May 18th, 2012 by Karen Leave a Comment


To enter, just upload a pic of yourself “Living life vividly!”

What could you do with a $500 Visa gift card?

How about a A $500 Visa gift card and an assortment of Buxom cosmetics?

Enter the Makeup and Beauty Blog Buxom Photo contest today, and you could be the lucky person asking yourself that very question, “What could I do with a $500 Visa gift card and an assortment of Buxom cosmetics?”

It’s easy to enter (details down below), and you probably already have a perfect picture of yourself that you could use. Something from a happy time. 🙂

Your pic doesn’t have to be makeup or beauty related, either, although it could (perhaps flaunting a bright mani, or smiling in a face of the day). It just has to portray you “living life vividly,” like how I’m jumping for joy in the pic above (see a few more examples here.


Yeah…you also don’t have to be jumping in your entry (I just like to jump!)

Here’s how to enter

  1. Visit www.flickr.com and upload a photo that displays you “living life vividly,” as well as a short caption (200 characters or less) that explains the photo.
  2. Mark the photo as “public” (so I’m able to view it).
  3. Tag it with the following tag:
    • BuxomPhotoContestMakeupandBeautyBlog
  4. Simply post a link to your Flickr photo in a comment at the bottom of yesterday’s post (or on one of the next two upcoming posts in this series). NOTE: Enter on yesterday’s post, and not on this one here.

How will the winner be picked?

Tabs and I will choose the winner based on the following criteria…

  • Creativity/originality (33%)
  • The overall quality of your submission (33%)
  • How well it displays you “living life vividly” (34%)

What’s the prize?

A $500 Visa® gift card and an assortment of Buxom® cosmetics, including two (2) Buxom Color Choreography eye shadow palettes, one (1) Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Polish, and one (1) Buxom Lash (volumizing mascara).

Approximate retail value: $609!

What about the small print?

  • The contest is open to adults 18+ in the US only (sorry, international babes!)
  • The last date to enter is June 12, 2012 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time
  • Up to 3 entries per person (yup, you read that correctly: 3 entries per person)

Click here for the official rules, terms and conditions.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. So far, I don’t think anyone has actually entered, so if you do the math, that means your odds of winning are currently VERY good, haha!

Leave the first comment on this post.

Categories: Buxom, Giveaways, Just For Fun

Funny — These MAC Suntint SPF 20 Liquid Lip Balms Have a Dry Sense of Humor

May 18th, 2012 by Karen 9 Comments

MAC au rose

I was totally expecting to fall in love with these new limited edition $16 MAC Suntints because 1) I’ve been enjoying everything I’ve tried from the MAC Hey, Sailor! collection so far, and 2) I really liked last summer’s Suntints from the Surfbaby release, but the three new shades, well…

They just aren’t doing it for me.

MAC abalone
Abalone

MAC sea mist
Sea Mist

mac sun tints
Suntints SPF 20 Liquid Lip Balm from the left: Sea Mist, Au Rose and Abalone, $16
[Continue reading…]

There are 9 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Lips, MAC Makeup, Product Reviews Keywords: mac

Essie Poppy Razzi

May 18th, 2012 by Karen 4 Comments


A few brights on this lovely Friday morning! The Essie Poppy Razzi collection, available now at salons.

There are 4 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Daily Beauty Keywords: essie

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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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