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

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dolce & gabbana charm pencil collection (6)

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.

Of course, because these pencils are from Dolce & Gabbana, they cost somewhat more than that — like $29 more, to be exact.

dolce & gabbana charm pencil collection (5)

dolce & gabbana charm pencil collection (4)

dolce & gabbana charm pencil collection (3)
Eye Pencils from the left: Stromboli, Coffee, Black and Platinum
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Bobbi Brown Ink Liner in Really Black Is Really Built to Last

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Bobbi Brown Ink Liner

In the time it takes me to coax thin, smooth lines from Bobbi Brown’s new Ink Liner in Really Black ($24), fashion trends could come and go, and then come back again.

As far as I can tell, ease of use is not this liner’s strongest attribute. Drawing cat eye flicks with its stiff tip are just a tad tougher than training a petulant tabby to speak, and I don’t believe the color quite lives up to its name. I’ve seen darker, glossier liquid liners before, and I’m thinking that a name like “Really Black…But Only After You’ve Applied Three Layers” might have been more apt.

I do gotta give Bobbi big props for one thing, though — Ink Liner in Really Black has the stamina of a thoroughbred.

bobbi brown ink liner (2)
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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 202

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I’m finally taller than something!

  • You might be wondering, “So what the heck is this Monday Poll thing anyway?”
    Well, it isn’t much of a poll. It’s more just a constantly evolving (devolving?), somewhat random list of questions I’ve been putting out to readers every Monday morning for the past three years. I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.
  1. Mood:

    2. A little emotional and tender today. I think part of it’s residual melancholy from watching War Horse last night, and the other part is because I realized this morning that I will be 37 exactly 6 months from today.

    I hear a clock ticking, and I’m not sure what to do…

  2. Something you’ve always wanted to do?

    3. It’s silly, but I’ve always wanted to play in the water with all the kids and adults when someone opens a fire hydrant on a hot summer day in a busy neighborhood. I’ve seen that scene in so many movies, and it always looks like so much fun.

  3. Three things that make you go “Mmm…”

    4. The thought of getting 10 hours of uninterrupted sleep, See’s Candies milk chocolate butterscotch squares and shirtless pictures of Ryan Gosling. 🙂

  4. One of your fast food guilty pleasures?

    5. The side orders at KFC — mashed potatoes, gravy, biscuits and corn (each of which could also have been answers to the previous question).

  5. Would you rather face a vampire, a werewolf or a ghost?

    6. A ghost, because I’m assuming it wouldn’t want to eat me or turn me into something.

  6. Brown, black or blue mascara?

    7. Black, with a little blue at the tips of my lashes.

  7. Fruit or veggies?

    8. Fruit. Which reminds me, there’s a chilled honeycrisp apple waiting for me in the ‘fridge. YUM!

  8. A movie or tv show you absolutely refuse to watch?

    9. I usually like horror movies, but I refuse to watch The Devil Inside. I mean, if I’m freaked out by the commercial, just imagine what the actual movie would do to me.

  9. Three of your favorite lipglosses?

    10. MAC Cremesheen Glass in Deelight, MAC Lipglass in EvRev and MAC Lipglass in Lychee Luxe.

  10. Weekly goals:

    11. To attend three yoga classes this week, to drink at least 64 ounces of water a day, to remember to smile, and to be extra kind to El Hub and Tabs.

  • To complete the Monday Poll, just copy the following list, and paste it with your answers in the comments.

Another Monday, another chance to chase our dreams. 🙂 My coffee just kicked in (finally!), so things are looking up. Do you have a moment to say hi? I always love to read your answers to the Monday Poll.



1. Mood:
2. Something you’ve always wanted to do?
3. Three things that make you go “Mmm…”
4. One of your fast food guilty pleasures?
5. Would you rather face a vampire, a werewolf or a ghost?
6. Brown, black or blue mascara?
7. Fruit or veggies?
8. A movie or tv show you absolutely refuse to watch?
9. Three of your favorite lipglosses?
10. Weekly goals:

I’m reminded this morning of how important it is to have friends in your life. If I haven’t told you lately, thank you. I feel blessed to be able to start my weeks with you. 🙂

You have a good one today, and I’ll try to do the same.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 173

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Tabs for Smashbox Be Legendary Lipstick

Tabs locked himself in my office a few hours ago and hasn’t been out since. It must be something serious because he didn’t even come out when I opened him a can of gravy for dinner.

I know it has something to do with the movie he went to this afternoon, Steven Spielberg’s War Horse. When Tabs got home he looked like he’d been crying, so I asked him what happened, but he just brushed past me, ran upstairs and slammed the office door. A few minutes later I got a text on my phone that said, “Hold all my calls. I’m writing a fan letter to Joey the horse.”

The movie is a real tearjerker (I cried my eyes out, too), and Tabs has always worked well with horses, so I can’t say I’m surprised. One of his best friends is a bay named Star that he worked with on the Urban Decay Cowboy Junkie campaign.

I’m sure Tabs will come downstairs soon… I can’t imagine him going to bed without at least a little gravy in his tum.

Work-wise, Tabs was pretty busy again this week. He did a lot of flying, too, first to Greece for a Smashbox campaign and then to New Zealand for a quick Gucci shoot.

Yup, that’s how it is for kitty supermodels. Always on the go. 🙂

Tabs for Urban Decay 24x7 Glide On Eye Pencils

Tabs for Gucci Temporary Tattoos
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Maybelline Illegal Length Mascara Is Just About a Misdemeanor

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You know how I’m always looking for my next hit of lash crack, right? For a lash lengthening, volumizing velociraptor capable of fast-tracking me to drag queen lash nirvana? Well, when I heard tell of a new “illegal” mascara from Maybelline — that’s actually its name, Maybelline Illegal Length Fiber Extensions Mascara ($8.95) — I desperately wanted to give it a whirl.

It’s new for spring 2012 and just arrived this month in drugstores. It comes in three non-waterproof shades (Blackest Black, Very Black and Brownish Black) and two waterproof ones (Blackest Black and Very Black). All of them utilize some fancy talk Maybelline calls “fiber-extension technology” to promise longer-looking, extended lashes that aren’t supposed to flake.

Maybelline Illegal Lengths Mascara
Before (top) and after two coats of Illegal Length Mascara (bottom)
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The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

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The Makeup and Beauty Blog Weekly Roundup

It’s true. Time flies when you’re having fun, and my afternoon in SF yesterday with Jen and Cindy flew by in a blink of an eye!

I miss living closer to them… I can’t believe there was a time when we’d see each other every single day (we were band geeks in high school).

Oh! About those french fries at Absinthe. They ranked right up there with some of the best I’ve ever eaten — thin, tasty, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside — but I don’t think I’m ready to award them the “Best in the City” prize. Not while there are still so many tasty fries out there I haven’t tried. 🙂

After the restaurant we went to the movies and saw Young Adult, starring Charlize Theron. I thought she did a great job, as usual, but let’s just say that the movie wasn’t my idea of a rollicking good time. I thought it was a little slow and quiet — so quiet that I’m sure everyone around me in the theater could hear my stomach gurgling (I guess I had too many fries).

And Charlize’s character in the movie isn’t the nicest gal in the world. She’s a narcissistic, alcoholic young adult fiction writer who’s having something of a mid-life crisis. Liked the performance, but it wasn’t one of my favorite flicks as of late.

No problemo. I still had a great afternoon spending time with the girls.

How about you? What are you up to on this lovely Sunday? Chillin’ at home, or are you out and about?

Before we close the book on another week, how about one final look at some of my favorite recent posts from this blog and others?

Please be careful while you’re reading. A new makeup monster has been sighted in the area…

MAKEUP MONSTERS: THE BRUSH BREAKER

The Brush BreakerFREQUENCY: Rare
SPEED: Normal
ARMOR CLASS: 7
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Simply put, they break brushes. They’re not the strongest creatures, but they have perfect technique when it comes to breaking brushes. They can break even the thickest brushes in half, but they prefer to cause ferrules to come loose and fibers to fall out (because they’re insidious like that).
SPECIAL DEFENSES: They wear chain mail armor made from broken metal brush ferrules.
INTELLIGENCE: High (They have to be pretty smart to figure out how to break all the different kinds of brushes.)
ALIGNMENT: Evil
SIZE: M (6′ tall)

The Makeup Monsters

A few beauty posts that caught my eye…

  • Everyday Makeup: A Recreation of Dolce & Gabbana Spring 2012 RTW Runway Look — Glitter Geek
  • LOVE this Orla Kiely dress… — See Creatures
  • Josie Maran Argan Color Stick in Petal Pink — My Weekend Ramblings
  • Best Nail Polishes of 2011 — à la Peach
  • If you’ve ever played Guitar Hero… — The Nailasaurus
  • A tutorial using Urban Decay’s Rollergirl palette — Style By Cat
  • 3 pieces of advice I’d give my 18-year-old self — Raptitude
  • For high schoolers out there thinking about college: How to make the most of your great scholastic adventure — Bailey Powell
  • How to dress like a rebel or a disco doll — Rookie Mag
  • This tutorial on how to style a twisted bun makes me want to grow my hair out again — A Beautiful Mess

The Weekly Roundup: MBB Posts You Might Have Missed

Smashbox Be Legendary Lipsticks The New Smashbox Be Legendary Lipsticks
Answer the Question, “What Are Legends Made Of?”

Ugh. Projectile sports. You know, the ones that involve airborne objects like baseballs? I’m just so bad at them. Whenever I see something flying at me at high speed my first instinct is to run away, but if there were a projectile sport involving lipsticks and perhaps cute uniforms, well, that I might play.

Especially if the lippies were as pigmented as the new Smashbox Be Legendary Lipsticks ($19 each).

The new line of 20 bold lipsticks in matte and creamy finishes recently launched at Sephora stores, on Smashbox counters and also online, and I’ve been wearing three of the creamy shades for about a week — Chai (a caramel nude), Fig (a red grape) and Vivid Violet (a bold berry). Read more…

The Smashbox Be Discovered Cream Cheek Trio A Good Zombie Survival Kit Should Include
the New Smashbox Be Discovered Cream Cheek Trios

To someone with survival training, including the Smashbox Be Discovered Cream Cheek Trios ($29 each) in my zombie apocalypse survival kit probably makes about as much sense as a Shake Weight, but believe you me, if the dead one day rise, I will not go down without a fight, and I won’t evacuate without bringing at least a little bit of makeup.

El Hub laughs, but it’s the truth. (SIDE NOTE: I used to work with a woman who wore false lashes every single day, even once when she had to go in for surgery! Now that’s what I’m talking about.)

The two new trios are part of the Smashbox Be Discovered collection for spring 2012, and since they fit in the palm of a hand, it’s not like they’d take up much space in a typical survival kit. There’d still be plenty of room left for peanut butter, toilet paper and various kinds of weaponry. Read more…

The Smashbox Be Discovered Jet Set Waterproof Liner I’m Feeling Catty About the New Smashbox
Be Discovered Jet Set Waterproof Eye Liner & Brush

Ooh, Tuesday morning cat drama! Guess who just sauntered across the front yard with a twitchy tail and her little kitty nose raised up in the air? — the Russian Blue from next door, exuding tons of cattitude.

It’s been a while since the last time she visited, and when Tabs caught a glimpse of her through the window in my office upstairs, he hissed like a fiery cobra!

The window overlooks a row of overgrown rosemary bushes and what’s left of a large catnip plant, the same plant that Tabs caught her snacking on before their last altercation. Read more…

Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush Bounce with Me and the
Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blushes

It started with pics of the new Dream Bouncy Blushes and my ’90s hip-hop playlist.

Next thing I knew, Jay-Z was bumping on iTunes, and I was bouncing with Hov, directly in front of my office window. I was on my feet, waving one of Maybelline’s new $8 blushes to the beat when I glanced outside and saw my neighbor staring up at me from his front door with a look like “she’s crazy.”

Haha! Hella moded. 🙂 Read more…

NARS Cyprus Eyeshadow NARS Unsung Heroes
Cyprus Eyeshadow

Power-nap eyeshadows are like soft white lightbulbs for your eyes — shades that instantly brighten up tired peepers after a late night or an insomnia attack.

Some people yearn to scale Mount Everest; I yearn to amass a collection of power-nap eyeshadows so vast that it would scare the hosts of Hoarders!

My latest power-nap love, NARS Cyprus Eyeshadow ($23), is a shimmery bronze with a golden whisper. The morning after a rough night, I apply one layer over my lids and mellow out the edges with a finger.

“Ah!” Instant relief. And quicker than a shower and mani. Read more…

Maybelline Color Tattoo Eyeshadows $7 Maybelline Color Tattoo 24HR Eyeshadows
Vibrant Color for Less Than 30 Cents an Hour

Dang, it’s getting so hot in here that I started sweating glitter!

I mean, just look at these colors from the new Maybelline Color Tattoo 24HR Eyeshadow line ($7 each) of what Maybelline calls “gel-cream” shadows.

The line sure looks promising. Vibrant colors in a crease-resistant formula designed to last a full 24 hours. The 10 shades come in a variety of neutrals and brights and shimmy onto counters this month.

So…I can’t exactly remember the last time I needed or wanted to wear an eyeshadow for a full 24 hours, but you never know, right? Read more…

Laura Mercier Lingerie Collection Eye and Cheek Palette A Laura Mercier Lingerie Collection Face of the Day
and a Few Wise Words from Tabs

Whoa! Time to go get my hair cut, but I still haven’t decided what to do!

When I asked style icon and world-renowned kitty supermodel Tabs what he thought, he twitched his tail twice and plopped his husky body beside the new Laura Mercier Eye & Cheek Palette ($60, available now) sitting on my desk.

Tabs believes that if you’re going to be looking at yourself in the mirror for 2-3 hours at the salon (haha, I accidentally typed “saloon”), you want to look cute. Normally, I’d apply some mascara and gloss and head out the door, but today Tabs insisted that I “break my cycle of lameness” (his words via text) by incorporating Laura’s new palette of six eyeshadows and two blushes from her Lingerie Collection for spring 2012. Read more…

The Dior 5 Couleurs Garden Pastels Eyeshadow Palette The $59 Dior 5 Couleurs Garden Pastels
Eyeshadow Palette Is Quintessentially Dior

Might as well take a chisel to Michelangelo’s David. That’s how I felt about swatching the new Dior 5 Couleurs Garden Pastels Eyeshadow Palette ($59) and why it took me so long to build up the courage.

Every time I’d contemplate taking a brush to the raised roses on the pans, I’d see myself tearing into a beautifully wrapped present, squishing a frosted cupcake or picking apart a delicate hors d’oeuvre.

I don’t want to do it! I don’t want to do it! I don’t want to do it!

But I finally did. Read more…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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