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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, July 25

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  • 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, which I guess makes this somewhere around Vol. 178. I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.
  1. Mood:

    2. Not too shabby, tabby. I had a nice, relaxing weekend and slept well last night. Can’t ask for much more than that. 🙂

  2. I would like to start…

    3. …lifting weights again. I miss having upper body strength. I got out of the habit of resistance training a few years ago and have gotten progressively weaker ever since. I miss being able to change those big 5-gallon bottles of water myself and not having to ask El Hubs to open jars for me. Shoot, I remember being able to do a few pull-ups. Now I probably couldn’t even do one.

  3. What’s one thing people may not know about you?

    4. If it weren’t for braces, I’d have a gap between my two front teeth, like Lauren Hutton, who I think probably wears the look better than I did.

  4. Biggest vice?

    5. Trashy reality TV, for sure. I try not to think about all of the time I’ve wasted watching rich housewives act like fools on Bravo. Well, “wasted” may be too harsh a word. Watching reality TV is one of my favorite ways to unwind.

  5. One of your most regrettable beauty decisions?

    6. The dark purple lip liner and frosty beige lipstick look I wore for a while in the mid-’90s. I was woefully wrong, but I thought it looked fab with my short haircut (remember Dharma & Greg). Not one of my better beauty phases, let me tell ya.

  6. Three things you almost always have in your purse?

    7. At least one tube of lipgloss, a small pair of tweezers (damn those spontaneous chin hairs!) and my froyo frequent buyer card for Tuttimelon (buy eight and get the ninth one free!).

  7. Which of your features do you like best?

    8. I don’t know if it’s commonly considered a feature, but I like my hair most of the time. Right now it’s overdue for a cut and color, so it looks a little bit like a dime-store clown wig, but that’s what ponytails are for, right? 🙂 I finally made an appointment with my stylist, and when I did I think I heard my roots sigh with relief.

  8. When did you first start wearing mascara?

    9. Hmm…it was either high school senior year or my first year in college, and I’m pretty sure it was something for natural-looking lashes by Clinique, which is ironic now considering my current lash mantra, “go drag or go home.”

  9. Have you ever been in a beauty pageant?

    10. No, I never have, but I loved watching the Miss America Pageant on TV when I was a kid.

  10. Weekly goals:

    11. To go through the pile of mail I’ve been ignoring and to finish everything I want to get done this week (preferably with a smile). 🙂

Ya know, I’m consistently blown away by the talent out there in the MBB pet community, like the kitty, puppy and snake (!) models featured here posing with their tubes of MAC Evolution Revolution Lipglass. Now THAT’s the way the pros do it. Bravo!


Here’s Tigger, Instant Karma’s striped sweetheart, appearing to nap oh-so nonchalantly with his tube of EvRev…


Here’s Gia, Annessa’s puppy pal, showing off a pair of pretty brown eyes…


Samantha‘s kitty Cleo has this sultry look down pat…


And Iris’ baby boy CJ is a HUGE EvRev fan…

If you catch your cat (or dog/hamster/ferret/turtle/tiger or other furry friend) modeling with your tube of EvRev, send me a pic by e-mail to karen at makeupandbeautyblog dot com, or via Facebook or Twitter. They just might appear in a future MBB pet modeling job. 🙂

Now, are you ready to get down with this week’s Monday Poll?

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



1. Mood:
2. I would like to start…
3. What’s one thing people may not know about you?
4. Biggest vice?
5. One of your most regrettable beauty decisions?
6. Three things you almost always have in your purse?
7. Which of your features do you like best?
8. When did you first start wearing mascara?
9. Have you ever been in a beauty pageant?
10. Weekly goals:

Every week has at least one highlight. Here’s to hoping for one of them today. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 149

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Tabs for the new Benefit Eye Lovah Palette

It took Tabs a couple of years to settle on a major while at U.C. Davis, and he left school early to pursue his kitty modeling career, but before he left, he took a few classes in landscape architecture and women’s studies, both of which he put to good use today in the new deck garden here at the office, by watering, trimming back the catnip and checking the leaves for signs of insect damage — all things I was going to have to do if he hadn’t, so I appreciate that.

He was out of town earlier this week shooting a few modeling jobs (I pasted the most recent pics from his portfolio below), but he made it home in time for the weekend. Right now he’s on the couch watching his new favorite show on the Cat Style Network, Big Rich Kitty (it’s a spinoff of Big Rich Texas). Have you seen it yet? 🙂

Anywho, what are you up to tonight? Doing anything fun?

Tabs for Justin Bieber Some Other Day Fragrance

Tabs for the Dior Business Casual Kitty Tie
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Someone at Essence Deserves a Raise for These $2.49 Essence Lipsticks

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essence lipstick kiss you

The Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot are questionable, but the monster who steals socks from the dryer? — totally real. And he has a side job stealing lipsticks from legal assistants who ride the bus to work. For serious!

Back when I worked in one of San Francisco’s cubicle jungles, I used to ride the 38AX Geary Express to work, and on more than one occasion, somewhere between the time I’d step out of my apartment and sit down at my desk at work, I’d lose at least one tube of lipstick.

It was the weirdest thing! — like I was being targeted by a makeup pickpocket.

But now I know the truth: monster. 🙂

The silver lining to being the frequent victim of a makeup monster was that it gave me an excuse to go to one of the four Walgreens stores near work to get a tube of “emergency lipstick.”

I wish these Essence Lipsticks had been around back then because, GURL, they’re kind of amazing (and only $2.49 each)!

These cuties come in 10 colors, some with matte and some with shimmer finishes. Each one comes in a tube the same color as the lipstick inside, which actually really helps locate a particular color. The packaging feels pretty sturdy, too, which is a nice change of pace from the flimsy lipstick packaging that many budget lines use.

Right now I’m stuck on Kiss You, a shimmery cool pink with silver glitter. The consistency’s thin, and wear time is only about three hours, but that’s fairly typical of a lipstick that isn’t billed as long wearing.

Kiss You has a lightweight, smooth, slick texture that feels wonderful on my lips, and based on the reviews on ulta.com, the other colors should, too. I don’t mind the faint vanilla flavor and scent, but for the record, both of them fade fast.

Kiss You also layers well, so it’s easy to take from sheer up to opaque coverage, but no matter how many layers I wear, it doesn’t dry out my lips.

Oh, and have I mentioned that these are just $2.49 each?

$2.49!

essence lipstick kiss you
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The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

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The Makeup and Beauty Blog Weekly Roundup

Rise and shine, morning glory! 🙂 I hope you’re having a great weekend so far.

I’m a little excited because yesterday, I got green! El Hub and I set our minds to doing some gardening with potted plants on our small deck at home. Nothing too ambitious because we couldn’t spend too much time or money on it, but still, something, ya know? Plants just make everything better.

So we stopped by Home Depot first and picked up a few plastic planters and potting soil and then got a selection of cat-friendly plants from a nursery down the street.

Here’s what it looks like now. Mind you, this is still a work in progress…

Cat friendly deck garden

Cat friendly deck garden

Cat friendly deck garden
Plant varieties: catnip, basil, cilantro, echinacea, zinnia, cosmos and phlox

Tabs has been inspecting every single leaf of every single plant, and he seems particularly interested in the catnip and cilantro. He’s already taken a few bites of both, and I wish those plants the very best of luck, LOL!

In other news, how are things out yonder way? What about this week in the worlds of makeup and beauty? — did you find or try anything new or adventurous with your makeup? Which of your looks (including outfit, hair and makeup) was your favorite of the week?

Before we move on to new adventures, here’s one last look at some of the things we talked about this week on MBB. 🙂

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

MAC Ricepaper Eyeshadow MAC UNSUNG HEROES
RICEPAPER EYESHADOW

I know I did not just hear you say that you don’t have MAC Ricepaper Eyeshadow ($14.50) yet because that, my love, would be a makeup travesty of epic proportions.

EPIC!

Okay, maybe not epic. But large. Let’s say, bigger than a breadbox?

Shoot, I can’t even remember when I first started wearing Ricepaper (I think it was around 1999), but I do remember that it changed my life (as only good makeup can).

This shimmery, pigmented peachy gold is one of those colors I find I’m able to wear every single day, and I almost do. I probably reach for it at least a few times a week and wear it most often as a wash over my lids, or along my brow bone as a highlighter (I think it lifts the arches), or at the inner corners of my eyes when I feel I look tired. Read more…

Hourglass Film Noir Lash Lacquer NEW HOURGLASS FILM NOIR LASH LACQUER NAILS THE COLOR
BUT THE FORMULA COULD USE SOME HELP

Hourglass Film Noir Lash Lacquer sure is interesting. I’ll give it that.

In my ceaseless pursuit of products to transform my mousy, stage-fright fringe into the lash equivalent of Cher on tour (complete with crazy wigs and pyrotechnics), I’ve tried a lot of different mascaras, but I can safely say I’ve never tried one quite like this.

Lash Lacquer comes in a single shade, inky black Kohl. Not quite a mascara, Hourglass says it does for lashes what top coat does for nails (at least one of the things), giving them an almost wet look that’s supposed to ramp up the intensity of bare lashes and other mascaras when layered on top. Ya know, the old false lash look. Read more…

Urban Decay Fall 2011 Face of the Day MAKEUP IN AISLE 3
AN URBAN DECAY 15-YEAR ANNIVERSARY PALETTE FACE OF THE DAY

I’d forgotten I was out of contact lens solution when I got the urge to play with the new Urban Decay 15-Year Anniversary Palette last night, and I remembered just about the time I finished this look with blue, green, brown and gold.

So I went to Target, LOL! I felt a little crazy town cruising the store with gold glitter on my lower lash line — it’s probably a better look for da club than eye care on aisle three — and I’m pretty sure I startled the cashier, but whatcha gonna do? Sometimes you just need contact lens solution AND glitter. Read more…

9 Things: Lessons Learned from Going Away to College 9 THINGS: LESSONS LEARNED FROM
GOING AWAY TO COLLEGE

Growing up, I didn’t have an older friend, sibling or cousin I could talk to about life after high school, so when it came to figuring out certain kinds of things, like how to solve an argument with a roommate, I usually had to wing it, and most of the time that meant learning things the hard way.

Up until the time I moved away to college, I’d lived a very sheltered life that left me lacking in street smarts. I’d just assumed college would be like high school, except without the annoying curfew, but it turns out there was a little more to it than that…

Whether you’re going away to college or just moving in with friends, here are nine things I learned (most of them the hard way) about living away from home for the first time. Read more…

Benefit Eye Wanna! Eye Gotta! Kits for Fall 2011 EYE WANNA! EYE GOTTA! HAVE BENEFIT’S
TWO NEW ANNIE AND MAGGIE COLLECTION KITS FOR FALL

Benefit’s two new fall eye palettes aren’t just relying on good looks. They’re also travel-sized and perfect for your purse.

Remember those Annie and Maggie Sunday Funday and Scene Queen kits Benefit released last fall? These two new limited edition Eye Wanna! and Eye Gotta! kits ($36 each) have that same kind of convenience in mind, except this time around, the kits keep everything focused on the eyes.

Each one comes with three Benefit Velvet Eyeshadows and two Creaseless Creams, and all of the colors are new to the line.

If you’re in the mood for cool colors or perhaps a bold look, take a peek at the cool-toned blues, taupes and pinks in the Eye Wanna! kit; if, however, you prefer warmer greens, browns and plums for everyday wear, the Eye Gotta! kit might be more your style. Read more…

Elizabeth Arden Ultra Ceramide Watermelon Lipstick ELIZABETH ARDEN ULTRA CERAMIDE LIPSTICK
IN WATERMELON IS A CASUALLY COOL SUMMERTIME TREAT

One of these days Tabs is going to walk downstairs and find a super sweet, 5-foot 1-inch-tall seedless watermelon sitting in my computer chair.

It’ll have skinny brown arms and hands with long fingers, and flat arches at the bottom of its high-heeled feet.

From behind it Tabs will ask, “Meow?” wondering what happened to his previous assistant, and the watermelon creature will slowly turn toward him in its chair and say, “Tabs, it’s me.”

SCARY!

I’ve eaten so much watermelon over the past month that I just might turn into one.

And if I do, where would that leave Tabs? How would he get his lurvies from a giant watermelon girl? It would be like an episode of The Twilight Zone — the old-school, black-and-white one with Rod Serling. Except with fruit. A cat. And makeup. Read more…

Givenchy Les Ombres de Lune Palettes IT TAKES YOU TO MAKE THE NEW
GIVENCHY LES OMBRES DE LUNE PALETTE GO RIGHT

One thing Givenchy limited edition makeup releases have never been lacking is style. Whether it’s a pan of powder embossed with an intricate floral pattern or a palette with clean, understated lines, Givenchy understands the words “special” and “fancy.”

Whenever I see Givenchy on a counter or dressing table, I’m almost guaranteed to utter “oohs” and “aahs.” Just like when Alcide bares his chest on True Blood, the visuals are just too dang good.

Performance-wise, the products may hit or miss, but they are quite capable of knocking it out of the park. When it comes to their two new Les Ombres de Lune Shadow & Light Eyes palettes ($58 each) for fall, color my smokey eyes impressed. Read more…

A Benefit Eye Wanna! Kit Face of the Day TODAY MY EYES WANNA BE BLUE
AND THEY CAN WITH THE BENEFIT EYE WANNA! KIT

Some people keep their favorite book on their bed stand, others a bottle of holy water (My mom totally does! It’s in a bottle shaped like the Virgin Mary!). Me? — I have a space dedicated to whichever piece of makeup I’m currently crushing on. That way, it’s one of the first things I see when I get up in the morning. Nerdy, I know, but it’s also true.

Right now the space is reserved for the new Eye Wanna! kit from Benefit, which, last night, slept right beside my lamp. Perfect, because when my eyelids fluttered open this morning and my eyes adjusted to the light, the cute kit was there to greet me.

As I lay in bed contemplating the artwork on the packaging, I felt a familiar rustling under the covers and pulled them back to confirm my suspicions.

Tabs immediatlely grumbled a hello, raising his head. “Mrow.” Read more…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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