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

Rise and shine, morning glory! No matter what, it’s going to be a beautiful day. And if by some cruel twist of fate it isn’t, well that just means tomorrow will be even better. 🙂

How’s it going this morning? Did you do anything fun last night? Like maybe see the new Harry Potter?

All I can say after catching a late afternoon show yesterday is WOW! What a spectacle. For me it was hard not to watch it with the other films in mind since they all sort of weave together, but I thought it was fantastic even on its own merits. And now it’s complete.

When you think about how often books are turned into poor movies and how often sequels deteriorate, it’s remarkable to have a series of eight films, all of which were not only box-office hits, but were also lauded by fans and critics alike. Things like this don’t happen very often, and to think — the primary actors, those kids are barely in their 20s, some of them headed for college, and they have eight hugely successful movies under their belts.

Filming ended long ago, but there have been premiers, parties and interviews all over the world over the past few weeks. When the frenzy dies down, I wonder if any of them will think, “Where do I go from here?” I’m 21, rich, and never have to work again. Do I still go to college? If I do, what do I study?

It must be a little frightening in its own way, ya know? I mean, is there such a thing as feeling like you’ve peaked too soon?

Hmm…let’s ask Tabs. 🙂

Anywho! I hope you have a great day today. No big plans for me. I’m probably just going to stay close to home and catch up on some reading.

Before we move on to a new week, here’s a quick look back at some of the things we talked about this week on the blog.

Talk to you soon.

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

MAC UNSUNG HEROES
LIPGLASS IN SPITE

So, I totally had a Joey Lawrence-style “WHOA!” moment at the MAC store last weekend. I was there picking up my umpteenth tube of today’s Unsung Hero, MAC Lipglass in Spite ($14.50), when I realized, holy crap! — I’ve been wearing this Lipglass longer than some of the girls shopping in this store have been alive!

Seriously, I’ve been wearing Spite for roughly 12 years. Assuming an average of two tubes per year — yes, I like it that much — that’s 24 tubes.

I started wearing Spite shortly after I took a job as a legal assistant at a law firm in 1999. I was in my early 20s, but I probably looked a little younger than that at the time. People would stop me in the halls, assuming I was one of the high school interns, and ask things like, “Oh, are you someone’s daughter?”

“Um…yes?” I’d say, a little confused. “How about you?”

Or, “Is this your summer job?”

“Well…sort of, but I would really like to keep it through winter.”

Pretty soon I was trying to look older, which for me meant putting my hair up in a bun, wearing my glasses instead of contacts and slicking my lips with MAC Spite. Read more…

BEING BOLD WITH ONE EYESHADOW AT A TIME,
IN THIS CASE NARS OUTREMER

Going bold with your eye makeup by getting back to basics can be a lot of fun. Believe it or not, dramatic looks like this blue cat eye starring NARS Outremer Eyeshadow ($23), my new favorite blue, don’t necessarily need to involve boatloads of products.

This particular cat eye packs an edgy wallop, thanks in large part to Outremer, and only requires a single shadow, a few tools, a positive attitude and a good chunk of time (for me, from 20-30 minutes). I went with bold, blue Outremer here, but you could just as easily use another color you happen to have on hand, like a yellow, orange, pink or green. Read more…

URBAN DECAY FALL 2011
SWATCHES, PICS AND A FUN TUESDAY FACE OF THE DAY

YOWZA! I could not wait to meet the 15 new eyeshadow colors in the Urban Decay Fall 2011 collection.

Here are pics and swatches of them and the other products in the release, along with a quick breakdown of the look I wore this afternoon, which, I should say, was inspired by the teal and purple look worn by the model for UD’s Fall 2011 campaign, and NOT by that embarrassing incident with the hot fireman last year. Read more…

THESE MAC SEMI PRECIOUS
MINERALIZE BLUSHES ARE 100% GREAT

If you haven’t popped by a MAC counter to try the three new MAC Mineralize Blushes ($23) from the Semi Precious Collection, try to pencil in a trip if you can. I think they’re all kinds of awesome, especially if you like a natural-looking cheek flush and blushes that are easy to apply.

I’ve been reaching for Feeling Flush (a marbleized mix of pink, blue and brown), Pressed Amber (a mix of beige, nude and brown) and Warmth of Coral (a mix with a coral and a peach) regularly since last week. All three spread like warm butter on bread, applying smoothly on cheeks and giving them a gorgeous, just-pinched look with one or two layers. Read more…

9 THINGS…
I NEVER EXPECTED

Do you ever see something at work or at home, or realize something about yourself, and say, “I never expected…” — like, “I never expected to like Brussels sprouts” or “I never expected to have 23 cats”?

Some things make you go “Hmm…” Others, like the things on this list I started yesterday in my journal, make you go “Who’d a thunk it?”

Here are nine (beauty and otherwise) things I never expected to see or do in my life. If you feel like joining in, please share yours in the comments (and you don’t have to list nine). Read more…

URBAN DECAY FALL 2011
HITS A WIDE RANGE OF NOTES

Dance with me, ladies, to the Top 40 beats of Urban Decay’s Fall 2011 (come on, don’t be shy). Whether you’re a cutie who loves classic colors, a neutral loving-lass or a babe who can’t live without her big, bold brights, the DJ has a little something for everyone on the playlist tonight.

Like a radio station that plays pop during daylight hours and techno at night, UD’s latest collection of eye and lip products balances practical, everyday items, like a new lash curler, brow products, a mascara and neutral eyeshadows and liners, with the brand’s signature brights.

Wait — we’ll talk more in a minute. For now, put on your dancing shoes. Read more…

YES, I’LL TAKE A TICKET TO RIDE
THE CHINA GLAZE METRO COLLECTION THIS FALL

When I close my eyes and quiet my mind, I see my city self…

Even from all the way up here, 40 stories above the street below, I can hear the hustle and bustle of urban life. There’s a distant car alarm whirring like a warbler, its peal rising up through the concrete canyons to my ears. Closer, the throttle of a bus engine opens as it pulls away from a curb, and cars carry on conversations with beeps instead of words.

I’m sitting at my desk typing beneath a huge window that almost covers one entire wall of my high-rise apartment in the sky (thankfully, in a neighborhood beyond the reach of the fog). From my desk, the window looks like a large blue painting to my eye. When I get up from my chair, walk over to the window and look down… Read more…

TOO FACED SHADOW INSURANCE LEMON DROP
EYESHADOW PRIMER WANTS TO WIPE OUT RED

I’ve been on a culinary kick lately, ya know, cooking more than usual, because as much as I love the frozen food aisle at Trader Joe’s, I think I’ve hit my upper limit for microwaveable bean burritos this year. And all of the time I’ve been racking up at the stove has also led to a startling discovery: lemon zest — the scrapings you get from running a lemon against a grater — that stuff is the muthu truckin’ shiz!

It contains all of these aromatic, flavorful oils that make it a great seasoning for dishes like fish, pasta, salad, and pretty much anything and everything else I’ve been adding it to lately.

I bet if I’m not careful, what is still just a zesty infatuation could explode into a full-blown lemon zest addiction.

And then what? Where would I be?

Oh, I know — probably thinking about lemon zest while I play with the new Too Faced Shadow Insurance Lemon Drop Color Correcting Eye Shadow Primer ($18). Read more…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen