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MAC Unsung Heroes: Mocha Blush

September 29th, 2011 by Karen 27 Comments

mac mocha blush

Instead of doing one of the millions of things I should have been doing this morning, like shaving my toes (those hairs pop up overnight!), figuring out what to do with the rest of my life, or assisting Tabs with his aromatherapy (by rubbing catnip leaves on his cheeks, which he loves), I lined up all of the dark MAC lippies I plan to wear in October.

Of course, some of the brand’s old-school baddies were there, like Russian Red, Dubonnet and Paramount, as were a few newer colors from Styledriven and Posh Paradise.

I was separating tubes by finish (obsessive much?) when an idea struck me like a wayward jar of Fluidline flying through the air…

This is the kind of party that MAC Mocha Blush ($19.50) should also attend. 🙂

Here it is in a subdued look with MAC Evolution Revolution Lipglass atop Subculture Lip Liner.

mac mocha blush

mac mocha blush swatch
[Continue reading…]

There are 27 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: MAC Makeup, Unsung Heroes Keywords: mac, unsungheroes

With the $22 JK Jemma Kidd Smoke It Up I-Kit, You Can Smolder for Less

September 29th, 2011 by Karen 27 Comments

JK Jemma Kidd Smoke It Up I Kit

Each of the five powder eyeshadows in the new $22 JK Jemma Kidd Smoke It Up I-Kit are so easy to blend that they could have been made by KitchenAid! — and with loads of pigment, they look and perform just like Jemma’s fab fall full-size shadows (which usually run $16 apiece).

The result is an affordable palette able to produce some of the quickest, easiest smokey eyes I’ve seen this fall. With lesser shadows, blending out the edges and layering darker shades can take (me) forever, but with the I-Kit I can bang out a smokey look in less than 10 minutes.

JK Jemma Kidd Smoke It Up I Kit

JK Jemma Kidd Smoke It Up I-Kit swatches
[Continue reading…]

There are 27 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Makeup Keywords: jemma kidd

I Really Enjoy…

September 29th, 2011 by Karen 11 Comments






…Taking pictures of food.

Some snapshots of the noms I picked up at the farmers’ market. Pictured above: Asian pears (so sweet, juicy and crisp!). Below: raspberries, tomatoes, two tiny cupcakes (red velvet and chocolate caramel) and kettle corn.

See anything you’d like to eat?

There are 11 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Daily Photo

Looks Good Enough to Eat: Dolce & Gabbana Perfect Finish Creamy Foundation

September 28th, 2011 by Karen 17 Comments







Mmm. These totally remind me of Jell-O Pudding Snacks!

Clockwise from the lower left: Dolce & Gabbana Perfect Finish Creamy Foundation in Beige, Soft Sable and Creamy ($66; available in 15 shades). Find it at select Saks Fifth Avenue stores and also online.

dolce gabbana perfect finish creamy foundation

dolce gabbana perfect finish creamy foundation

dolce gabbana perfect finish creamy foundation

dolce gabbana perfect finish creamy foundation

dolce gabbana perfect finish creamy foundation

There are 17 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Daily Beauty Keywords: dolce & gabbana

There’s Gloss at the Heart of Every Dolce & Gabbana Passion Duo Gloss Fusion Lipstick

September 28th, 2011 by Karen 63 Comments

dolce gabbana passion duo intense
That’s mah vampire face!

Dear Diary,

My list of the day? Makeup I’d Wear If I Were a Vampire.

But not just any vampire. Not one of those goody-two-shoes Cullens. I’d be more like Pam from True Blood, and I’d wear dark lipstick, skintight jumpsuits and leather. I’d hang out at all the coolest underground vampire techno clubs, too, because, as you know, vampires must techno.

Yeah, I’ve watched Blade one too many times…

Moody dark burgundy Dolce & Gabbana Passion Duo Gloss Fusion Lipstick in Intense ($34) would go right up at the top of my list. One of 20 gloss/lipstick hybrids in the recently launched Gloss Fusion Lipstick line, it’s perfect fare for creatures of the night!

But if your heart’s still beating, don’t worry. The line also contains colors that the living should like. I sank my teeth into four of the shades this week — Intense (a dark burgundy), Dazzle (a bronzy gold), Sensation (a shimmery golden pink) and Infatuation (a creamy brick red).

Notice the filling in the center of each bullet? It’s a shiny gloss, surrounded by the creamy lipstick on the outside — a similar idea to the $28 Sensuous Rouge lippies from Estee Lauder.

dolce gabbana passion duo open
From the left: Dazzle, Infatuation, Intense and Sensation
[Continue reading…]

There are 63 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Makeup, Product Reviews Keywords: dolce & gabbana

3 Lessons Learned from Getting Bangs

September 28th, 2011 by Karen 53 Comments

I’ve had other brushes with bangs, like the time my mom cut my hair into a lopsided Dorothy Hamill bowl cut, or the gravity defying ‘do I wore for a time in my hair bear teenage years (that thing ensnared more insects than a Venus Flytrap!), but none of them prepared me for the full-on blunt-cut bangs I embraced a few months ago.

And that’s because they weren’t just bangs. Dude. They were BANGS! — all caps, bold, with an exclamation mark.

I’ve liked having them these past months, but I gotta say — I wish I’d given more thought to what I was getting into before I took the plunge, because these real deal bangs have been a commitment.

For starters, there’s the monthly trims, and this is where it helps to have a stylist who does them for free. Ideally, he or she would also be someone you like to hang out with, because you’ll be visiting them often. Then there’s all of the doo-hickery involved in keeping them neat and tidy. To be blunt (ha!), there’s a lot.

So if you’re contemplating a jump to blunt, consider these three lessons I learned from getting bangs.

1. Expect to Itch

Good grief! The first week was the worst. I spent every waking moment resisting the urge to scratch my forehead and brows. It was hella annoying (coincidentally, this was when I started referring to my bangs as Lloyd Christmas), like that day I went to work in the city wearing ill-fitting underwear. I couldn’t really do anything about it at the time (going commando was not an option), so I just had to grin and bear it.

Thankfully, the itching subsided, and now Lloyd only gets on my nerves for a day or two after a trim.

[Continue reading…]

There are 53 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Hair, Just For Fun

Star Light, Star Bright, the Belle de Nuit Holiday Collection from Guerlain Gets It Right

September 28th, 2011 by Karen 30 Comments

guerlain belle de nuit holiday 2012

A few weeks ago I walked into an air-conditioned Williams-Sonoma store that had Christmas decorations up and a fancy holiday window display (complete with garland-covered pine tree flocked with fake snow).

In early September.

I’m just sayin’.

Funny thing is, when it comes to fashion and makeup, I actually like super early seasonal releases; they appeal to my inner princess — you know, the one who makes grabby hands at pretty products and says, “Gimme, gimme, gimme!” with big anime eyes. 🙂

One of the earliest holiday collections to stake a claim this fall has been Guerlain’s six-piece Belle de Nuit (beautiful night), with colors inspired by the evening sky. It’s available online now through AHAlife.com, a membership site that showcases a wide range of products from food to fashion and beauty (you have to register for an account to place a purchase), and if you’d rather wait, the collection dances onto counters this November.


From left to right: Parure de Nuit Pressed Powder & Blush ($67), Rouge Automatique Lipstick in Nuit d’Amour ($35) and Les Ombres de Nuit 4-Colour Palette ($59)
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There are 30 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Makeup, Product Reviews Keywords: guerlain

Shadowy Lady

September 28th, 2011 by Karen 3 Comments


I’ve been into taking pictures of shadows lately. Kooky, I know.

The shadow of the “V” shape on the upper left is of the oak tree Tabs got stuck in last January (thank goodness Wonder Woman was around to rescue him).

And that’s me in the lower right. My head’s pointy because I’m wearing an Aquis hair towel, LOL!

There are 3 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Daily Photo

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Welcome to Makeup and Beauty Blog! My name is Karen, and I’m a freelance writer obsessed with makeup.

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