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Who Makes the Mineralize Skinfinishes in Blonde and Redhead? It’s MAC, Naturally

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Based on the both of the Mineralize Skinfinish powders released with the 21-piece MAC, Naturally collection, Blondes AND Redheads have more fun.

MAC Naturally Mineralize SkinfinishesAnd that’s good news for brunettes! Blonde and Redhead ($28 each) are my favorite pieces from the collection, which launched a few weeks back, and I mustn’t be their only fan. Both powders are currently sold out on the MAC website, but you should be able to track them down in stores and on counters (and online at nordstrom.com).

Elder MAC mavens might remember both shades from 2009’s Brunette Blonde Redhead (GREAT love collection!). MAC moppets seeing these striped beauties for the first time are in for a treat.

To say the MAC Mineralize Skinfinishes have a cult following is like saying Tabs likes gravy (a BIG understatement). Many MAC fans, myself included, look forward to these powdered pretties and stalk our local makeup counters on the dates of their release, and it’s not uncommon for the limited edition ones like Blonde and Redhead to sell out early.

So, what makes ’em so special? Darned if I know — but it must be something magic. They’re powders that can be used as highlighters, blushes and also as powders for the entire face, and they’re softer than a tabby’s tum and give a glow like whoa to the skin. 🙂

Blonde (a soft pink to rose gradient) and Redhead (a gold to salmon gradient) also show the MSFs at their best. They deposit intense pigments with nearly blinding shimmer that I think makes them marvelous for, among other things, bold, highlighted cheeks.


Swatches of Blonde (left) and Redhead (right)


Wearing Redhead on my cheeks
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With Tour Dates This Spring, China Glaze Electropop Puts on a Colorful Show

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I’ve been keeping a secret from you.

No, I’m not a billionaire or a costumed vigilante…although I bet Tabs would look so cute in his little sidekick outfit!

Here it is: I’m a rock star.

Or rather, I would like to be.

Cat’s out of the bag! Yep, one of my resolutions this year was to channel my inner rock star, and no, I don’t mean by fronting a band. 🙂 I mean someone who’s confident and bold enough to tear it up in front of thousands of people on stage. Someone with wicked style, too, like my own lead singer in a one-woman band. The Gwen Stefani of Novato, California.

But wait — it gets cheesier! To remind myself to “embrace my inner rock star,” I leave a lot of Post-Its around the house…

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The Clarins Spring 2012 Prodige Lip Glosses in Candy and Blackberry Smell So Good That I Can Hardly Bear It

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Wearing Clarins Prodige Lip Gloss in Blackberry

Yum, Clarins! Whose idea was it to make these new Prodige Lip Glosses in Blackberry and Candy taste and smell like red gummi bears.

Genius! He/she is a total prodigy, haha!

Sorry, couldn’t resist. 🙂

And the colors? So pigmented, and yet I still like the way they pair with the soft, springy blues in the Eye Quartet Mineral Palette in Blue Sky and the sheer Instant Light Blush in Coral Tonic.

Who’d a thunk it?


Wearing Clarins Prodige Lip Gloss in Candy

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From the left: Gloss Prodige in Blackberry and Candy ($20 each), Instant Light Blush in Coral Tonic ($28)
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Give Your Brows a Light Lift With New Benefit High Brow Glow

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Windows work both ways, and when you’re singing Careless Whisper in your car at the top of your lungs, PEOPLE CAN SEE YOU!

I don’t know what it is about that cheesy song, but I’m physically incapable of sitting still when I hear it. It’s like some kind of druidic Wham spell that makes every cell in my body emote, especially when I’m driving and George really gets going.

“Tonight the music seems so loud. I wish that we could lose this crowd. Maybe…it’s better this way; we hurt each other with the things we wanted to say. We could’ve been so good together; we could’ve danced this dance forever, but nowwwwww I’ve blown that chance awaaaaay… PLEASE STAY!”

Long story short, I was on my way to Trader Joe’s this afternoon and waiting at a stoplight when Careless Whisper started playing on KOIT (Light Rock, Less Talk). So I was getting into it and started doing this American Idol face/Mariah Carey thing with my hands when I saw the guy in the car next to me hella cracking up.

Almost the same thing happened a couple weeks ago at home with the neighbor, so I appear to have this recurring issue with windows…

I don’t know if the laughing dude noticed how fierce and exceptionally lifted my brows looked today on account of how hard he was laughing, but if he did, new Benefit High Brow Glow ($20) gets all the credit.

This little tiger lives to accent arches, and if it’s giving you déjà vu, you’re probably recalling Benefit’s O.G. pale matte pink High Brow Pencil. When drawn and blended beneath the apex in the arch of your brow, it creates the illusion of a higher arch. I’ve been using it for years, but I’ve never been able to pull it off in spring and summer because it tends to look ashy on me once I have a tan.
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The Clarins Colour Breeze Eye Quartet Mineral Palette in Blue Sky and Conversations with My Cat

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The Clarins Colour Breeze Eye Quartet Mineral Palette in Blue Sky

Conversations with my cat, January 19, 2012

Tabs: It’s cold and yucky outside today, Mom.

Karen: I know, Tabby.

Tabs: I miss the sunshine.

Karen: Me too, lovebug.

Tabs: When it’s warm again, will we go outside?

Karen: Of course. We’ll put your leash on and walk down the hill and explore. Maybe we’ll even see turkeys.

Tabs: Those birds are big, but I could take ‘em.

Karen: You sure could. It’s one of the pros of being a big-boned boy.

Tabs: Will we ever see blue sky again?

Karen: I know it feels like we won’t right now, but be patient. It’s like this every year. It gets cold and gray for a little bit, but then the sun comes back again.

Hey, I’ve got an idea. Why don’t we take out the new Clarins eyeshadow quad from the spring 2012 collection? It’s called Colour Breeze Eye Quartet Mineral Palette in Blue Sky ($40), and the colors look exactly like the sky on a sunny day.

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Tabs: Okay. Maybe I can sit on your desk and look outside for a bit while you do your makeup?
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Another Great Stromboli Recipe! This One’s an Eyeliner From Dolce & Gabbana

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Quick shout-out to my current eyeliner crush (that’s it up there, in all its glittery grayish black glory), Dolce & Gabbana Eyeliner in Stromboli ($30).

We’d actually been acquainted for some time, as the shade has been part of the brand’s permanent collection for a while, but it was only with the recent launch of the Dolce & Gabbana Charm Collection that we got to know each other better.

When I wear Stromboli along my upper lash line (I don’t use it on my water line because of the glitter), its little flecks of golden glitter shimmer in the light.

Fun! 🙂

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Dolce & Gabbana Charm Eye Pencils from the left: Stromboli, Coffee, Black and Platinum
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