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Katy Perry: Her Best Hair?

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Katy Perry: Her Best Hair?

When you’re only 26 and already the first artist in history to spend a whole year, 52 consecutive weeks, with songs in the top 10 of the Billboard Top 100, the future looks bright.

Must be all that good California livin’ that Katy Perry (born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson on October 25, 1984) was able to soak up from such a young age. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by pastor parents who introduced her early to gospel music through the family ministry, Katy was regularly singing in church by the age of 15. She quickly got the attention of rock veterans from Nashville, Tennessee, who brought her there to polish her writing skills and teach her how to play guitar.

Her first album, Katy Hudson (2001), was made up of Christian gospel music, but by then the 17-year-old was already moving away from her religious roots.

“It was a gradual thing, not like a super ‘OK, done with that, next!’ kind of thing,” recalls Perry. “I changed a lot between the ages of 15 to 23, and the things that I thought when I was 15 and 16 didn’t make sense when I was 21 and 22, just because my perspective had changed. I’d seen more of the world. I’d lived more life and met more different types of people.

“When I started out in my gospel music my perspective then was a bit enclosed and very strict, and everything I had in my life at that time was very church-related. I didn’t know there was another world that existed beyond that. So when I left home and saw all of that, it was like, ‘Omigosh, I fell down the rabbit hole and there’s this whole Alice in Wonderland right there!'”

I wonder… Does that make her husband Russell Brand the Cheshire Cat? 🙂

Which of Katy's hairstyles do you like best?

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The Urban Decay Midnight Emergency Kit in Action and a Glitter Eyeshadow Application Tip

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There’s just something magical about glitter, ya know? Something that reminds me of Tim Burton movies and Danny Elfman songs. And Urban Decay knows it, too. Even though I was dog tired from the day, I had to try on a few of the eyeshadows from the new Urban Decay Midnight Emergency Kit last night because the glitter made me do it. In a way, I didn’t really have a choice.

That’s Midnight Rodeo in my crease, AC/DC on my lids, Midnight Cowboy along my lower lash lines and Lip Junkie Lipgloss in Midnight Cowboy on my lips.

Now, is the glitter in these eyeshadows the kind that gets all over the place? Well, yes. It most certainly is, so I think it helps if you approach these shadows with that in mind. Whenever I use glittery shadows like these, I more or less plan to get glitter on my cheeks, nose and chin. It’s inevitable. Just like you can’t fight city hall, you can’t fight glitter like this, but I think you can do a few things to get along with it better.

Most of the time I’ll start with an eye primer to help the shadows adhere to my lids (a lot of UD fans love their Primer Potion; I think NARS makes a really good one, too) and will do my eye makeup first, so I can clean up any fallout before I apply concealer, foundation, powder, blush and anything else.

My new favorite trick with glittery shadows, though, is one I gleaned from Wende Zomnir in the QR code video tutorials available through the new Book of Shadows Volume IV.

When working with super glittery eyeshadows, like Midnight Cowboy and Midnight Rodeo, Wende says she prefers to press them onto the lids with her fingers, rather than trying to do it with a brush.

I gave it a try last night, and I think it really did cut down on the amount of glitter fallout I probably would have seen had I used a brush.


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Benefit Lash Lovelies: New for Fall 2011

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Benefit just launched a new line of false lashes ($15 each) at their Brow Bars and Boutiques.

Peep three of the nine styles and the Lash Glue ($8) above.

The Benefit Lash Lovelies include…

  • Starlet Lash — Demi lashes for a glamorous doe-eyed look
  • Big Spender Lash — Flared lashes for a temptingly sexy look
  • Prima Donna Lash — Finely crossed lashes for va-va-voom volume
  • Little Flirt Lash — Varied length lashes for a playful babydoll look
  • Pin-Up Lash — Varied length lashes for a playful babydoll look
  • Debutante Lash — Refined, delicate lashes for natural beauty
  • Angel Lash — Curled & precisely separated lashes for a perfectly pretty look
  • Rockette Lash — Criss-cross lashes with a hint of sparkle for a show-stopping look
  • Going Solo Lash — Individual lashes for custom fullness and length
  • Lash Glue — Clear, quick-dry lash adhesive

When was the last time you wore a set of false lashes?

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

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  • WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is Maggie! Congratulations, Maggie! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

Win a $50 Sephora eGift card from Makeup and Beauty Blog
Good morning, young lady! Rise and shine. 🙂 It’s going to be a beautiful day (even if it is cloudy outside).

Hope you had a great night. Mine wasn’t bad. I just stayed in, watched some Bravo, and then went to bed around midnight.

I went to bed, but not exactly to sleep, because El Hub was doing his imitation of a rolling pin all night long, where he spontaneously spins in place on his side of the bed. Yup, there I’d be, sawing logs, minding my own beeswax, when all of a sudden the earth would move! — and no, not because we’re in California. It was El Hub rolling in place next to me, still sound asleep somehow, which makes it even stranger and all the more annoying for me, ha!

He must have woke me up 50 times through the night; I’m not kidding. I swear he couldn’t have been still for more than a few minutes at a time. And it would always start the same way, too, with a fidget, like his foot would wiggle once, followed by a long pause…but I was usually awake by this time, just lying there staring at him with wide, crazy eyes in the dark. And then we’re rolling and rolling and rolling —

GAH! YOU’RE DRIVING ME CRAZY!

Anywho, I’d probably be more upset if I thought he could stop, but I know he can’t. It’s an involuntary thing, some kind of sleep-rolling condition (although I don’t think that’s the clinical term).

As you can probably imagine, I’m going to require a little more caffeine than usual today, so while I go inject my second cup of coffee, why don’t we initiate the day with a giveaway?

A Makeup and Beauty Blog Giveaway!

Luckily for El Hub, he earned himself some extra brownie points yesterday for making me a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch.

Prize

  • 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).

Rules

  • 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, does your partner/spouse have any annoying habits? Are there any stuffed animals on your bed? Do you ever go to sleep with wet hair? When was the last time you pulled an all-nighter? What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without removing your makeup? — 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/nDrhIC

Terms and Conditions

  • The deadline to enter is Sunday, September 4, 2011 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 Maggie! Congratulations, Maggie! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

Friday Night Fun with Urban Decay Holiday 2011 (Yup, Holiday)

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Hey, babe! Have you finished your Christmas shopping yet?

Okay, sorry… Not funny, but we do have some super new bits and bobs from Urban Decay to talk about, and some of these are actually part of UD’s upcoming holiday lineup.

Yup, you read that correctly: holiday (!). Pretty soon we really will be celebrating Christmas in July.

Just some pics for now while I track down official prices and availability. I’ll update this post when I find out more, but I couldn’t wait to show you pics and swatches.

The Nail Kit looks pretty fun, and I’m just about ready to try out the Midnight Emergency Palette. Gotta get gussied up for fro-yo. 🙂

Enjoy.

The Nail Kit


From the left: Barlust, Mars, Wrecked, Ziggy, Gunmetal and Hot Mess
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Have a Cup of Warm Cocoa with the Dolce & Gabbana Sweet Temptations Collection’s New Eyeshadow Quad

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Power to the plebs! We’re on the cusp of the Labor Day weekend here in the US, which for El Hub, Tabs and I hopefully means an extra day to sleep in (YAY!). It also, unfortunately, means that summer’s almost done (BOO!), but not before I’ve feasted at least one more time on some of my favorite seasonal treats, like watermelon, peaches, tomatoes, corn, cocoa…

Yep, cocoa — as in the new Dolce & Gabbana Smooth Eye Colour Quad in Cocoa ($59).

dolce gabbana sweet temptations collection fall 2011 cocoa quad

Don’t the chocolate and cream colors in this fall quad look good enough to eat? And the orange shade…could it be a sherbert, perhaps?

I can see it now…

Fast forward to tonight. I’m sound asleep in bed and having a dream in which I’m pouring myself a bowl of Special K Chocolatey Delight, except that instead of cornflakes, the bowl is filled with these shadows! 🙂

This Cocoa — which, by the way, isn’t safe to eat (damn!) — is part of the new 11-piece Sweet Temptations collection that just launched on select Saks counters and online, and it shows what a good Dolce & Gabbana quad can be. The pigmented, easy-to-blend shadows don’t crease, fade or look as if they’re just sitting on top of my skin.

Impressive, but then it should be for $59. The colors in Cocoa also lean very, very warm, and that might be another big factor to consider in addition to the price.

A few notes on the shades…

  • That matte beige in the upper left is the business! I love uber clean, minimalist eyes with winged liner along the upper lash line (think Angelina Jolie), and I think this bad boy would be great for looks like that. It is beige, but not a blah beige. It hides a hint of gold — just enough to keep it bright.
  • As for the orange, well, it’s orange. Like really, really orange, and so pigmented that it can easily go off the rails if you don’t use a light touch. The first time I played with it, I went a little too far with it in my crease and ended up looking all sorts of wrong, like a Gaga backup dancer having a bad makeup day.
  • Both of the brown shades, while quiet, do bring the goods. I’ve been using the reddish, bronzy brown in the lower left sparingly, because when I don’t it makes me look like I’ve been crying. The plummy brown in the lower right seems to be somewhat easier to use, but both have a lovely, understated shimmer that’s subtle, yet luxe.

dolce gabbana sweet temptations quad
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Burt’s Bees $5 Honey & Shea Conditioning Body Bar Is a Sweet Bar of Soap

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Burts Bees Honey and Shea Conditioning Body Bar

You da man, Burt! Give those bees of yours a big bonus because they’ve been going above and beyond the call of beauty duty lately with some really top tier, affordable products, like the new 100% natural Burt’s Bees Honey & Shea Conditioning Body Bar ($5), available now at drugstores, most grocery stores and also online.

I’ve been using it for about two weeks, just lurving the heck out of the honey-vanilla scent, and I don’t have a single complaint. Frankly, I’m shocked that something this good is so affordable AND natural. Seriously, Burt, you’re kind of a big deal.

Ingredients: Sodium rapeseedate, aqua (water, eau), sodium cocoate, glycerin, parfum (fragrance), butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter, helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, mel (honey, miel), royal jelly extract, sodium citrate, CI 77492 (iron oxides), CI 77891 (titanium dioxide)


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