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

A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

by 13 Comments

Happy Mother's Day

Rise and shine, morning glory! 🙂 I hope you slept well. I’m heading out to the East Bay today to visit my family and wish Mom a happy Mother’s Day.

We’re taking her out to brunch, and then just hanging out at the house. My folks are leaving for a three-month trip to the Philippines soon, so this will be the last time I see them before they go.

It’ll be weird with them away for so long…not that I’m a 36-year-old woman or anything, LOL! No matter how old I get, I still feel like a kid whenever I talk about my parents.

On the home front, I’ve resolved, yet again, to finally decorate my dining room.

I know, I know, I’ve said that before, but things are starting to reach critical mass. We’ve been living here for three years, and I’m still staring at moving boxes. So over it!

El Hub has no absolutely home decorating skills or interest in the project whatsoever, and I’m not naturally good at home décor either, so it keeps getting put off.

Mark my words (oh, boy…), by the end of summer, it’s getting done!

I started by bookmarking a whole bunch of room pics I found on potterybarn.com last night. I never knew this before, but they have this neat online tool where you can browse for decorating ideas by style and room.

I think my style’s somewhere between “Mediterranean” and “Global Chic.”

They also have some decorating how-to articles and a room planner that looks pretty neat.

Inspiration. I sure could use some, so if you have any ideas, send ’em my way!

All kinds of inspiration, too. Not strictly home décor. Anything that gets your creative juices flowing, like this picture of 83-year old model Daphne Selfe does for me.

She’s been gracing runways and magazine spreads since the 1950s… Isn’t that incredible?


“I’ve never had anything done to my face,” Selfe recently told the Daily Mail. “Not that poison, not a face-lift. I think it’s a waste of money. Anyway, I couldn’t afford it!”

I was just checking out some of the pictures on makeup artist Troy Jensen’s website when I found her.

While I was there, I also drooled over this look he did on model Crystial Graham pairing blue mascara with a deep cherry lip stain and gloss, and bookmarked Makeup Makeovers in 5, 10, 15, 20 by makeup artist Robert Jones; photographer Veronique De Viguerie’s series, Women Around the World (be sure to turn on the captions to read the story behind the pics); and fashion photographer Melissa Rodwell’s very touching story (it made me cry) about losing her pet companion of 13 years, Lulu the dog.

On a lighter note, kittens! Have you heard? A litter of kittens was recently adopted by a Yorkie mom. And in other kitten news, did you know that there’s a a secret kitten ? Yup, it’s almost as enlightening as this gang of kittens discovering a tortoise for the very first time. 🙂

A few other things I’ve been using or thinking about lately…

  • iCloud’s Find My Phone feature is beyond cool! I actually used it to find my iPhone this week, which I’d lost. Saw where it was on a map (it was at home; left it under a blanket). You can even remote lock, remote erase, and send messages to your phone from icloud.com. — icloud.com
  • Evernote is like my day planner now. Best thing about it is that the phone app syncs with their website, so I can type long notes and lists quickly on the website using a regular keyboard that then appear automatically on my phone. I have to-do lists for home stuff, blogging stuff, trip planning, my grocery list, home furnishing ideas… Also, it’s totally free. — evernote.com (and various app stores)
  • When I travel to the tropics, I like bringing a rugged waterproof camera with me, one that I can take swimming, snorkeling, hiking and kayaking. Not only can they take pics and video where regular cameras can’t, but they just make vacation more fun. I brought the Canon PowerShot D10 with me to Kauai last month (there’s also the brand new D20 now, which adds full HD video), and it did a great job. I used it for most of my outdoor pics. — Canon PowerShot D10

The posts you might have missed

Smashbox Shades of Fame Lipgloss Set Smashbox Shades of Fame High Shine Lip Gloss Set

Milani Shadow Eyez 12HR Eyeshadow Pencils Milani Shadow Eyez 12HR Wear Eyeshadow Pencils

Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel Bronzing Powders Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel Bronzing Powders

Solve 5 common spring beauty problems Tips to Solve 5 Common Spring Beauty Bothers

Chanel Ombres Contrastes Duo in Sable-Emouvant Chanel Ombres Contrastes Duo in Sable-Emouvant

Romper Room! Part II: Outfit of the day Outfit of the Day, Vol. 9: Romper Madness (Continued)

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in En Vogue Chanel Rouge Coco Shine Lipstick in En Vogue

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine Lipstick in Empriente Chanel Rouge Coco Shine Lipstick in Empriente

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Have a great day!

What Makeup “Rules” Do You Like to Break?

by 27 Comments

lancome le curler
The new Lancome Le Curler, $23, available June 2012

Well…sometimes I use my lash curler before and after applying mascara.

I know! I’m bad. 🙂 It’s a big no-no among many makeup artists who say that curling lashes coated with mascara leads to broken lashes.

I don’t do it all the time. Only when my lashes straighten out right after away I finish applying my mascara, and I’m always very careful to exert just the slightest pressure on the curler before ever-so-gently easing my lashes out of them so they don’t stick to the pads and break off.

Yup, I’m a rule breaker, but you know what they say about rules (they’re meant to be broken).

Oh, and sometimes I like to wear my darkest, moodiest lipsticks in the middle of spring and summer. So what if it’s 90 degrees out? If the mood to wear an opaque matte plum to the pool strikes in the middle of August, I don’t even hesitate.

Why not, right? It’s fun to mix things up.

How about you? What makeup “rules” do you like to break?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

No Crease? No Problem. In-Crease Your Eye Makeup Skills With These 5 Monolid Makeup Tips

by 70 Comments

SunnyAbout the Author
The following guest post was written by Sunny of Mostly Sunny blog. You can also find Sunny on Twitter and Facebook.

Despite the fact that it’s impossible to generalize “Asian eyes” in a single word, monolids seem to be one of the traits most commonly associated with them. Monolids are characterized by the lack of a prominent crease, and monolidded eyes are usually more almond shaped than round.

I remember thinking how unfair it was as a child that I ended up with my father’s monolidded eyes, while my mother and one of my brothers have a prominent crease. It took me years to see how both were beautiful in their own way, and now my monolids aren’t something I try to work around, but something I enjoy working with!

Sure, round eyes with pronounced creases are beautiful, but so are almond-shaped eyes without a crease. 🙂


My naked eye

Now, I know that it’s also impossible to generalize even among people with monolids, as there are different shapes and techniques, and people will sometimes prefer one method over another. Ultimately, it all comes down to what you like and feel comfortable with.

Nowadays, there are even eyelid tapes and glues available to create a crease, if you think it helps you apply makeup, and some even find that applying false lashes gives their eyelids a fold.

In general, I don’t believe in hard and fast rules when it comes to makeup, and I think you should do whatever you’re most comfortable with. The following tips are just some things that have worked well for me.

I know that many readers who come across this post might not have monolids themselves, but why not keep these tips in mind for a friend who does?


The MAC 217 Blending Brush

Tip 1: Blend, blend, blend!

As important as blending is when it comes to eyeshadow application, I think it’s even more important for those of us with monolids, because we lack a natural demarcation between our eyes and brow bones, so if we apply a patch of color right on top of our eyes without blending, it can look a bit unnatural.


Unblended eyeshadow

In the picture below, I’m wearing Urban Decay Verve on the inner half of my eye and Busted on the outer. Personally, I think that once the eyeshadows have been blended, they appear more natural, and add more dimension to the look than a simple patch of color.


Blended eyeshadow

Tip 2: (Don’t) work it into your crease

If you don’t have one, why fight it? I know that dramatic cut-crease looks are gorgeous on our double-lidded counterparts, but if we’re not careful, they can easily look overdone, and dare I say it, a little fake.

While it’s not impossible to emphasize the outer v and bring a bit of the color into our (imaginary) crease, I try to do it with an easily blendable color using a blending brush instead of a pencil brush; otherwise, it can take a looong time to blend the harsh line out afterwards!


Defined outer v
[Continue reading…]

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

by 466 Comments

  • WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is Alyse! Congratulations, Alyse! 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

Yesterday, I was digging through some old CDs at home when I came across an oldie but a goodie. Remember Version 2.0 by Garbage?

I remember buying it on a whim one day right after it came out. It must have been around 1998. I was in my last quarter in college, and I’d listen to it every day while I did my homework.

Brings back memories… That was a very exciting time filled with promise, but also some nervous uncertainty. I was almost finished with school and itching to move back to the Bay Area from Davis, but I was getting ready to leave something familiar (school) to enter the next phase of my life — or what my parents referred to as “the real world.”

The last time I listened to this CD was probably 10 years ago, and man! — it’s still great. Yesterday when Temptation Waits and Push It kicked in, I couldn’t believe I still remembered all of the words.

Did anyone else secretly want to be Shirley Manson? She seems like such an @ss kicker. An @ss kicker in red lipstick and smokey eyes!

Speaking of makeup, it’s Saturday! Which means it’s time for you know what.

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, do you do bold red lips and smokey eyes? Could you see yourself as the lead singer in a rock band? What’s an album that reminds you of school? What’s your favorite red lipstick of all time? Have you ever had red hair? — 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/J7s1R9

  • The deadline to enter is Sunday, May 13, 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 Alyse! Congratulations, Alyse! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

First Watermelon of the Season

by 7 Comments



Oh, sweet, sweet watermelon. How I’ve missed you!

To pick a good watermelon…

  • Look it over: Look for a firm, symmetrical watermelon free from bruises, cuts or dents.
  • Lift it up: The watermelon should be heavy for its size. Watermelon is 92% water.
  • Turn it over: The underside of the watermelon should have a creamy yellow patch from where it sat on the ground and ripened in the sun.

Copyright © 2025 Makeup and Beauty Blog. Get in touch.