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

Heavens to Murgatroyd! Is it Sunday already? Well, I hope you’re having a good one so far. No complaints over here. I stayed up late last night watching that show I mentioned the other day, Survivors. Only two more episodes left before the series finale, gah! I just can’t believe the show got cancelled. It’s probably the best post-apocalyptic programming I’ve ever seen, even better than the Walking Dead (if you’re into that kind of thing, it’s available to stream on Netflix).

And no, I’m not just saying that because Max Beesley could be El Hub’s doppelgänger. 🙂 But I have to warn you — if you watch it, you’ll scream, “What the hell!?” at least three times every episode.

Survivors isn’t the only British export I’ve been hooked on lately. Do you ever listen to an album for a while, then kindasorta forget about it, and then rediscover it in a few years? That’s what happened with me and Bloc Party.

I loved their 2005 album, Silent Alarm, when it came out, but then it drifted off my radar screen until I queued it up again the other day before a run.

Wow! I totally remember why I loved it so much. Block Party reminds me of a slightly harder version of Phoenix with a dash of punk rock and ’80s new wave. Lots of strong driving beats and catchy hooks to help you power through a workout.

One of my fave songs, evah!

No big plans for me today. I do have to swing by Target at some point to get a stepladder and some hangers. Maybe Container Store, too, if I have any time left in the afternoon. My cup runneth over with excitement, I know.

What’s on your agenda for today? If you missed anything we talked about this week, here’s one final look. I think for me, NARS was the star.

Oh, and just a heads up, but if you’re wearing any concealer, better watch out for these guys…

MAKEUP MONSTERS: THE CONCEALER CREASER

FREQUENCY: Rare
SPEED: Fast
ARMOR CLASS: 6
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Quick claw sneak attack! Concealer Creasers will hide in chimneys, garages and the back seats of cars, waiting for unsuspecting concealer wearers to approach. Then, in a blur of frantic scratching, clawing, and raking, they’ll strike, causing creases and fading in all types of concealers. Nothing, not even Time Balm or Stila Perfecting Concealer, stands a chance.
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Flight
INTELLIGENCE: Low
ALIGNMENT: Evil
SIZE: Small (1′ tall)

A few beauty posts that caught my eye…

• WARNING: Checking out these Tokyo street style pics could become a daily habit — Toyko Fashion
• Louis Vuitton’s releasing its first fragrance in over 20 years — Bloginity
• I quite enjoy this photo blog — Le Dans La
• AWESOMESAUCE: 31 years of Meryl Streep — Fashion Indie
• Get the glow back in your curly hair — Naturally Curly
• This tie-dye nail tutorial looks like messy fun! — Creating Really Awesome Free Things
• This could be cool for mobile blogging (a virtual keyboard) — She Finds
• Six tips to get the most out of after-Christmas sales — The Budget Fashionista
• Bracelets that hide your hair elastics, neat! — Bellasugar
• “You have to make mistakes to find out who you aren’t,” and more wise words from one of my writing heroes — Soulseeds

The Weekly Roundup: MBB Posts You Might Have Missed

The NARS Mexican Rose
Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil Diaries (Uncensored)

Dear Diary,

Didn’t do much yesterday other than radiate awesomeness. Yeah, that’s right. I make it rain! And if that makes me sound conceited, so be it.

My pink-haired roommate (we totally match!) tells me all the time, “you’re basically the sh*t.” She clearly sees that I’m the chupacabra of perfect pink lips.

I think she might be my new BFF, which is funny… Girls usually get so jealous of my dense pink pigment, high shine and easy-to-apply pencil tip.

But it’s not my fault that I’m so awesome and unique. I can’t help that I start off all super shiny like a gloss or that I morph into a hot pink lip stain with a subtle sheen. Read more…

Charmed, I’m Sure, by the Dolce & Gabbana
Charm Pencil Collection

One of the reasons why Dolce & Gabbana rules: they dangle tiny charms from their makeup JUST BECAUSE THEY CAN.

Never you mind that the charms enchanting the eight-piece limited edition Charm Pencil collection don’t really serve a purpose beyond looking cute as they swing from their respective lip and eye liners. If we have the right to accessorize, so should our makeup! Viva la cuteness for us all!

Every time I catch a glimpse of the dainty golden envelopes, high heels, hearts and horns hanging from these pencils, which arrive next month (just in time for Valentine’s Day!), while I attend to my lips or eyes, I’m transported back to the kinder, gentler days of my youth, when a trip to the Hello Kitty store to buy a $4 mechanical pencil with a charm swinging on the end was one of the highlights of my week. Read more…

With NARS Gaiety Blush on My Cheeks,
Merriment Ensues

Well, I’ll be darned… There’s shine in that thar blush!

After seeing the new NARS Gaiety Blush ($28) in its pan, and even after the first quick swatch on the back of my hand, I was sure this candy pink would apply as a straight up matte, but it turns out that this member of the new NARS Spring 2012 collection has a secret up its sleeve — it likes to shine. Coupled with its medium pigmentation, this sweet sheen transforms Gaiety from a pretty pink blush into a thing of beauty.

Imagine the light flush you get when your crush notices that you’re wearing your hair differently. For me, that’s Gaiety. Read more…

The $34 Limited Edition NARS Paramaribo Eyeshadow Duo,
and the Time I Was on Jeopardy

Karen: “Hmm… Since I’m on a roll, I’ll take Famous Crazy Cat Ladies for a thousand, Alex.”

Alex Trebek: “This pop star, crazy cat lady and ex-wife of Russell Brand has a perfume line with bottles shaped like cats… Karen?”

Karen: “Who is Katy Perry?”

Alex Trebek: “Correct! Well, you certainly know your cat ladies, Karen, and your Madonna lyrics and Ryan Gosling trivia. Two categories left — Projectile Sports, and the NARS Paramaribo Eyeshadow Duo.”

Karen: “I’ll take NARS Paramaribo for $200, Alex.”

Alex Trebek: “Paramaribo is named after the capital city in this tropical South American country… Oh, and there she goes.”

Karen: “What is Suriname, Alex? NARS Paramaribo for $400.” Read more…

MAC UNSUNG HEROES
TECHNAKOHL PENCIL LINER

Yup, one of those days…

I feel like just hitting my head against my desk, but I wonder, “What would Tim Gunn do?”

Ah, of course. That’s right. Tim would “make it work,” so I’ll try to do the same, and I have, hence the five cups of tea.

To make it official, though, I think I should put it in print, so here goes: “By the time I reach the bottom of this mug, I will be filled with lurve.”

LURVE!

On the plus side, at least I’m not possessed by a demon (yay!), I have all of my toes, and I don’t have serial killer eyes. Three very good things, and today I owe that last one to MAC Uniform Technakohl ($15).

A khaki eyeliner with golden shimmer, it fits my mood a lot of the time when other shades don’t. Understated. Not as flashy as black nor as blah as brown, it makes me feel classier when I swipe it along my lash and water lines. Read more…

Thanks to NARS Valparaíso Pure Matte Lipstick,
Berries Are in Season This Spring

Today I live in the burbs about 30 miles north of San Francisco, but back when I did live in the city, it was smack dab in the middle of the dot-com boom, and the place was hoppin’.

Rental rates were out of control! Dot-coms were shooting up everywhere you looked, and housing of any kind was hard to come by. I struggled to find a place to live and eventually ended up renting a room in a sketchy house out in SF’s Sunset District, living with a cavalcade of characters, like the DJ/herbal enthusiast (let’s just say she wasn’t growing rosemary, if you know what I mean), and the kleptomaniac.

Honestly, I have no idea what I was thinking when I signed that lease. It wasn’t one of my better life decisions, but the rent was cheap, and I was hell bent on moving out of my parents’ house.

Which brings me to the new NARS Valparaíso Pure Matte Lipstick for Spring 2012. Read more…

An Inside Look at the New Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Liquid Foundation
With Benefit Global Beauty Authority Annie Ford-Danielson

Benefit babes, brace yourself for a bodacious treat.

Yesterday Benefit Global Beauty Authority Annie Ford-Danielson took a few minutes to chat with me over the phone about their newest product, Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Liquid Foundation ($34), which arrives on counters this March.

You may remember Annie and her sister Maggie from last year’s B.Right Skin Care launch. Together, they travel the world, working as global ambassadors for the brand.

This marks Benefit’s latest leap into liquid foundations, and Annie, who also works in product development, gave me an inside look at the development process and what we can expect from Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow when it arrives. Read more…

NARS Notable Neutrals Club Meeting Minutes, Jan. 12, 2012
Should Lhasa Eyeshadow Be Granted Membership in the Club?

Order, people! Order! Is this thing on…?

Good evening, everyone. Tonight’s meeting of the NARS Notable Neutrals Club is called in session. I know everybody’s excited about the spring collection, but let’s settle down. If we don’t start the meeting soon, you won’t get home in time to watch the Jersey Shore — no judgement! Seriously though, quiet down.

Okay, our first order of business. I’d like to nominate a new member to the club, NARS Lhasa Eyeshadow. She’s a single, $24, and I propose that we waive public comments and vote to make her membership official effective tomorrow, January 13, when she debuts along with the rest of the spring collection.

Now, I can hear some of you grumbling back there… I’ve heard the charges that the club has become too exclusive to newcomers — Cyprus, I’m talking to you — but may I remind you that we are not mean girls. All of us were at one time new neutrals ourselves, waiting to be discovered and loved. Lhasa deserves a chance. Read more…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen