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

8 Products for Beach-Proof Beauty

August 20th, 2011 by Karen 9 Comments

Written by Sam

Makeup at the beach? Sure, sometimes — especially with some of these goodies recommended by makeup artist and blogger Sam in your beach bag.

8 Products for Beach-Proof Beauty

The beach can be a place to let down your hair and bare it all, a place to skip the makeup and step out with a nude face (and lots of sunscreen). But the beach can also be a hot spot for fashion gurus and socialites, especially after dusk or by beach side restaurants and bars, where wearing makeup is still the norm.

If you’re wearing makeup to one of those beaches, then you know how harsh a mistress the beach can be when it comes to messin’ with your makeup and hair.

At beaches where the men are sporting mid-thigh shorts and leather sandals designed to transition from the surf to the veranda at the resort’s beach side bar, and the women are wearing makeup — not much, mind you, and nothing outrageous — and jewelry that isn’t made from shells or stones peeks out from their designer bikini tops, you might want a few of these beach approved beauty products in your bag.

Wind, water, and sun can quickly cause a beauty catastrophe, but a bag stocked with some of these eight items will keep you looking fresh-faced and fine until it’s time to pack up the cooler and put away the beach towels.

1. Face Atelier Foundation ($45)

This foundation has a silicone base, helping it hold up even when exposed to water (just make sure not to rub!). The finish is satiny smooth, and gives skin a faint but healthy glow, while still allowing its natural texture to shine through. With Face Atelier Foundation, it barely even looks like you’re wearing anything at all — perfect for places where you don’t want to look too made up. MORE >>

2. MUFE Aqua Eyes Cream Liner ($20)

These gel/cream eyeliners are easy to apply quickly. They don’t tug at the skin, and won’t steal time away from your fun in the sun. They simply refuse to budge without a dedicated waterproof makeup remover, meaning that you can swim till your heart’s content without ever having to worry about rivulets of color running down your cheeks. MORE >>

3. MUFE Full Cover ($30)

Another silicone wonder, this concealer can hide even the darkest of under-eye circles or the most egregious of blemishes, all while remaining water- and sweat-proof. Depending on the condition of your skin, you might be able to skip your foundation and just dab a bit of this wherever you need some extra coverage and confidence. With Full Cover, you’re good to go for 24 hours, at least. MORE >>

4. Tarte Matte Waterproof Bronzer ($29)

This orange-free bronzer delivers a healthy wash of color perfect for those who prefer not to spend very much time in the sun. Salt water won’t bother it, either, as it stays exactly where it’s put, without running, fading, or oxidizing. Buff it onto the high points of your face for a sun-kissed glow…without the sun. MORE >>
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Tabs: In His Own Words

August 20th, 2011 by Karen 6 Comments

Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful…

Kisses,

Tabs

heartthrob |ËˆhÃ¤rtËŒÎ¸rÃ¤b|
noun
1 a man, typically a celebrity, whose good looks excite immature romantic feelings in women : Tabs always knew he was destined to be a heartthrob.

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

August 20th, 2011 by Karen 556 Comments

WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is Margaret! Congratulations, Margaret! 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
Rise and shine, morning glory. 🙂 I hope you slept well.

Tabs has been keeping new hours lately, staying up later at night and sleeping in later in the mornings. Right now he’s conked out at the top of his cat tower, with his cute kitty tail poking out through the hole in the bottom of the cubby. That’s sort of like his version of a hotel room’s “Do not disturb” sign, so I’ll leave him be while I have my coffee, and you and I catch up.

Other than dinner at a Japanese restaurant I’d never been to before, my Friday night was blissfully uneventful. Dinner was great, even though I was a little concerned right after placing my order…

“I’m sorry,” the waiter replied, visibly distraught. “We’re out of the regular white rice tonight.”

The words hung over the table for a few seconds before I could formulate a thought.

Wait — what? How does a Japanese restaurant run out of rice? Isn’t that like an Italian restaurant running out of pasta or a burger joint running out of buns?

I shifted uneasily in my seat looking over at the chefs working behind the bar. “So what are you guys using for the sushi?”

“Oh, I can get you some of the sushi rice,” the waiter answered, his eyes lighting up at the suggestion. “Would you like a bowl of that?”

“Uh…sure. Is it just regular sticky rice?”

“Mm hmm. Would you like a bowl of the sushi rice instead?”

Instead? Instead of what? “Yes, please.” This is weird. “Thank you.”

LOL! It was just a little confusing at the time, but I get it now. The steamed white rice they serve in bowls at the tables is slightly different than the steamed white rice they use to make sushi.

Anywho, it’s still early here. Cut me some slack. 🙂

A Makeup and Beauty Blog Giveaway!

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).

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, what’s your favorite restaurant? Do you have a little black cocktail dress? Do you like sushi? What’s your favorite dinner date makeup look? — you get the idea.
Second, you can enter by following me on Twitter @karenmbb and retweeting (RT) the following message:
- Follow @karenmbb and RT to Win a $50 eGift Card from Sephora! http://bit.ly/nkssZ8

The deadline to enter is Sunday, August 21, 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 Margaret! Congratulations, Margaret! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

Purple Flower Power!

August 20th, 2011 by Karen 3 Comments

MAC Unsung Heroes: Oh Baby Lipglass

August 19th, 2011 by Karen 22 Comments

mac oh baby lipglass

I gotta give snaps to MBB reader Heidi (and her fabulous kitteh Missy!) for introducing me to today’s MAC Unsung Hero, Oh Baby Lipglass ($14.50).

A few months ago Heidi urged me to give this sheer-to-medium coverage bronze gloss a go, so I did, and now it’s my JAM!

Oh Baby kisses lips with a glittery golden bronze that looks particularly great paired with bronze and teal eyeshadows.

mac oh baby lipglass swatch

mac oh baby lipglass lip swatch
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Urban Decay Book of Shadows Vol. IV Starts to Crystallize in the First Video Tutorial

August 19th, 2011 by Karen 31 Comments

urban decay book of shadows volume IV

Today I started reading the new Urban Decay Book of Shadows, Vol. IV ($64), and it’s quite the page turner so far. 🙂

Urban Decay’s latest tale stars 16 eyeshadows (10 of them new) and a host of other interesting characters, like Supercurl (Full name: Supercurl Curling Mascara) and Potion (Full name: Eyeshadow Primer Potion).

I’m a sucker for science fiction, and when it’s good like this, I feel compelled to cosplay! — in a manner of speaking. I based my makeup this afternoon on the first of five tutorials in the story, the lovely “Crystallized.”

The book/palette comes with five special QR codes, which work a little like bar codes. After installing a free iPhone app to read QR codes, I held the phone’s camera up to the code. The phone scanned it and then opened a link to the video.

Cool…

Each of the tutorials features Urban Decay’s Executive Creative Director Wende Zomnir and a model, on whom Wende completes the look while describing each step in the process, including which products and brushes to use.

urban decay book of shadows iv swatches iphone 2

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Try $9 L’Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Waterproof Mascara for Great Lash Separation at a Promising Price

August 19th, 2011 by Karen 26 Comments

If I were on a surf trip right now somewhere miles from the nearest Sephora and had lost my precious tube of Urban Decay Cannonball mascara ($20), I’d head for the closest drugstore to grab an emergency tube of $9 L’Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Waterproof.

The original Million Lashes and I had issues with clumping when we spent time together last fall, but it looks like L’Oreal worked out some of the kinks this time around. The waterproof version doesn’t clump up on me, barely smudges at all and doesn’t drop a flake. It’s smoother than Ryan Gosling, and two layers deliver beautifully separated lashes able to hold a curl through three sweaty miles on the treadmill.

Not bad.

No kidding, this stuff is really, REALLY waterproof, which is great, but that also makes it a little tough to remove (without the right cleanser). I find myself having to use an extra pump of MAC Cleanse Off Oil, which barely blinks in the face of other mascaras, to thoroughly remove every trace.

As for lash length and volume, you know me. 🙂 It’s go drag or go home. In this case I’d love to see both attributes upgraded. If we were talking about Project Runway, L’Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Waterproof Mascara would be, like, the middle of the season, but I want the kind of length and volume we see in the finale at NY Fashion Week.

It’s almost there, but not quite. I think my lashes do look much longer and thicker wearing Urban Decay Cannonball, fo’ sho’. Of course, Cannonball costs more than twice the price.