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 MAC Vera Collection Plushglasses Are Making Me Smile

by 10 Comments


Wearing MAC Plushglass in Pretty Plush on my lips

I’m alive…ALIVE!!

The tingle from my MAC Plushglass reminds me that I’m alive. 🙂

I’ve always been more of a MAC Lipglass kinda girl, but I have been quite enjoying the Plushglasses from the new MAC Vera collection this week.

Like the Lipglasses, they have MAC’s signature vanilla flavor and scent, but in a thinner, less sticky formula.

They also have a little bite to ’em — a slight bee-sting sensation that’s supposed to plump your pout. Of course, I can’t see a difference in the size of my lips with them on, but when it comes to lip plumping products in general, I almost never can. Gimmick or not, the effect appears to be subtle, though, and the slight sting subsides on me after about 10 minutes.

I was a little busier than usual this week and felt like I was always running behind. But three of the five MAC Vera Plushglasses — Pretty Plush (a soft pink with white pearl), Fashion Fanatic (a creamy pale pink) and Confetti (an orange coral with pearl) — helped me get through it and were never far from my side. At least one of the three was either in my purse or a jacket pocket at all times.


MAC Plushglass in Fashion Fanatic


MAC Plushglass in Confetti


Plushglasses from the left: Confetti, Fashion Fanatic and Pretty Plush
[Continue reading…]

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

by 10 Comments

Makeup and Beauty Blog Weekly Roundup

Next time you make it out here to the San Francisco Bay Area, see if you can squeeze in a meal at one of the cute little restaurants on SF’s Claude Lane. It’s a small area with a European vibe (plenty of outdoor seating) a little off the beaten path about two blocks from Union Square. Just a couple of quaint cafes and restaurants, but I think it’s well worth checking out.

I had dinner there the other night at a spot called Gitane with my girlfriends from college, Christine, Eleanor and Mary Anne.

My first real job after college was at a company about one block away from the restaurant, and as I was walking from where I’d parked to meet the girls, I passed a few familiar haunts.

Back when I had that job, I was in my early 20s and very unsure of where I was headed in life or what the future held. I never could have imagined I’d ever be sitting at a desk in the town of Novato with a chubby tabby cat on my lap as I typed something like this to you…

It’s just weird! But also cool.

As I got closer to the restaurant the other night, I wondered, should I find myself walking down these same streets 10 years from now, what will I be up to then? Will I have children? Will I run into any old friends and share stories about how little Paul or Alexandra love art and music, but my parents think they should both be doctors? Or will I not have children? And will I be okay with that decision?

I don’t know… I just hope that wherever I am and whatever I’m doing, I’m happy. And you are, too. 🙂

A few beauty posts that caught my eye…

  • Hmm… Maybe this will help me stop dressing like a teenage skater boy: How to organize your closet in 6 easy steps — The Glitter Guide
  • These DIY teacup candles are too cute! — Everything Fabulous
  • I absolutely LOVE this: 10 ways to celebrate yourself — Positively Present
  • If you’re like me and always losing bobby pins, you might appreciate this super simple bathroom organizing tip — Super Woman
  • 25 clever ideas to make life easier — The Daily Buzz
  • I’ve been listening to Whitney all morning while reading this reprint of an interview from 1993 that she did with Rolling Stone… RIP, Whit — Rolling Stone
  • The new YSL Vinyl Candy Palette looks like so much fun — Glitter Geek
  • A glowy and fresh professional work makeup look — Lisa Eldridge
  • Becca channels sultry for winter with Balearic Love — Makeup4all
  • I’m always looking for makeup storage ideas, and this one looks great for lipstick — Makeup and Macaroons

MAKEUP MONSTER: LINER LAMIA

Makeup and Beauty Blog Makeup MonsterDESCRIPTION: Long, long ago, a powerful evil sorceress/former makeup artist created Liner Lamia to guard her makeup counter while she was away, but a small number of the mischievous creatures escaped! Tentacled gremlins with eye liners for arms, they really just like to mess up makeup.
FREQUENCY: Rare
SPEED: Fast
ARMOR CLASS: 7
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Liner Lamia prefer surprise attacks over frontal assaults, typically striking while their victims are distractedly applying their makeup — for instance, while driving.

They are deathly afraid of mirrors.

SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
INTELLIGENCE: Medium
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic neutral
SIZE: Small (3′ tall)

The Makeup and Beauty Blog Makeup Monsters

Makeup and Beauty Blog Weekly Roundup

Make Up For Ever La Boheme Eye Shadow Palette Make Up For Ever’s New La Bohème Eye Shadow Palette

Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Natural Lipstick Make Up For Ever’s Two New Rouge Artist Natural Lipsticks

Dolce & Gabbana Khol Collection The Dolce & Gabbana Khol Collection

MAC Vera Collection Pics and Swatches MAC Vera Collection Pics and Swatches

MAC Shop and MAC Cook Collections MAC Shop and MAC Cook Collection Pics and Swatches

Paul & Joe Purr-Fect Face & Eye Color Palette The Paul & Joe Face & Eye Color Palette in Purr-Fect

Paul & Joe Spring 2012 Be Catwalk Ready Right Meow With Paul & Joe Spring 2012

Paul & Joe Kitten Collection Nail Polishes Paul & Joe Kitten Collection Nail Polishes

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

When Basic Just Won’t Do, There’s MAC Pearlglide Intense Eye Liner in Black Line

by 30 Comments

That’s it! I’m drawing a line in the sand!

Oh…did I say sand? I meant, “on my lids and lash lines,” and I’m using MAC Pearlglide Intense Eye Liner in Black Line ($15) to do it. 🙂

OBSESSED!

That’s how I am about Black Line. It’s one of seven Pearlglide Intense Eye Liners in the new MAC Vera collection, and it’s my undisputed runaway favorite of the bunch.

Vera marks an encore performance for the Pearlglide clan. Their look-at-me-shimmer and rich, intense colors have played limited engagements in previous MAC collections before, but, much to my delight and the delight of many MAC fans, rumor has it they’re being added to the permanent line this time around.

Described as a deep black with golden pearl, I think Black Line is much more interesting and lively than that. Sometimes, when I catch myself in the mirror with it on, I see a blackened khaki with greenish golden glimmer and think, “Is that still Black Line on my eyes?”

Last night I wore it out to dinner with the girls in what I thought turned out to be a nice spin on a clean, classic eye. First, I applied a wash of neutral shadow all over my lids with MAC Soba, then a bronze liner along my lower lash and water lines with MAC Powersurge, and then used Black Line to line my upper lash lines.


Pearlglide Intense Eye Liners Industrial, Petrol Blue, Black Swan and Black Line
[Continue reading…]

They Left Their Paw Prints on My Heart, But I’m Still Gonna Knead a Little More From Paul & Joe’s New Lipstick Cs

by 12 Comments


Wearing Paul & Joe Lipstick C in Meow

For all the grumbling I do about Tabs’ diva behavior, I have to say, he can be quite the charmer. To the best of my knowledge, since I don’t travel with him when he’s away modeling on location, except for the Edward Scissorpaws Incident, for which he’s still on probation, he’s never raised a paw against a human.

Always quick to show love, he’s the mellowest, most affectionate cat I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing.

(And he must know we’re talking about him because he just rubbed his chin against my leg, aww!)

I’ve been hoping that Paul & Joe’s lovely new Lipstick Cs (with the kitty paw pattern on the tubes) would evoke that same easy, breezy, cool cat style. The three $20 kitty-themed matte lipsticks were recently released with the limited edition Collection Sparkles launch.

Pinkish beige Sex Kitten, pinkish brown Meow and coral Catwalk look so cute, casual and comfy in their tubes that, I have to admit, I had dangerously high hopes. I expected all three to climb my metaphorical cat tower and make their way into my regular rotation of lipsticks. I mean, what could be breezier than a simple nude lip?

Obviously, the packaging’s off the chain. 🙂 I love the wee paw prints scaling up the length of each bullet and how the graphic designs on the tops and bottoms of the packaging line up perfectly.

paul & joe collection sparkles lipstick c
Lipstick C in Catwalk, Meow and Sex Kitten

paul & joe collection sparkles lipstick c
Lipstick C in Catwalk, Meow and Sex Kitten


Swatches from the left: Sex Kitten, Meow and Catwalk
[Continue reading…]

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

by 458 Comments

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

Rise and shine, morning glory! 🙂 I hope you had a wonderful week. No complaints out here. Last night I even spent a little time shopping — online, for things to help me with one of my New Year’s resolutions.

Yup, I’m still on a mission to stop dressing like a 15-year-old skater boy (a hard habit to break, apparently), and I found a couple of pricey possibilities at Anthropologie.

What do ya think of this romper and trench?


Leifsdottir Scattered Wing Romper on the left ($168) and Tulip-Hem Trench on the right ($298)

Cute, yeah? I really love the romper, but I don’t know… Sometimes I wonder if things like rompers have an upper age limit that I might have passed.

I also love the jacket, but I wish it came in a different color. I’d have this one covered in makeup and cat hair in about a hot minute.

OOH! I came across a new designer (well, new to me) on the Nordstrom site that I wanted to ask you about. Are you familiar with Presley Skye? She (he?) has these soft, flowy dresses in colorful, springy prints (can you tell I’m ready for spring?).


Presley Skye Silk Kimono Sleeve Faux Wrap Dress on the left ($138) and Print Crêpe de Chine Dress ($138) on the right

Those dresses look so comfy, and if I’m smiling this much just looking at pictures of ’em, I can only imagine what wearing one would do to me.

Is it spring yet?

No? Well, at least it’s giveaway time. 🙂

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, how do you feel about rompers? What’s one piece of makeup you own but never wear? Do you like lipglosses that tingle? Can you do a pushup? What’s your latest drugstore beauty crush? Twinkies or Snowballs? — 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/ygeQiN

  • The deadline to enter is Sunday, February 12, 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 LL! Congratulations, LL! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

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