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I’m About to Burst Out of My Spanx…

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Our five-year anniversary dinner at Redd Napa Valley restaurant in the cute, little town of Yountville, about an hour’s drive north of here in Wine Country.

The pic at the top is a hamachi sashimi dish with sticky rice and edamame in a lime ginger sauce. Nom.


Smoked trout salad, beets, lemon vinaigrette and horseradish crème fraiche


Sautéed skate, twelve vegetable ragoût, gnocchi in herb butter


Prime new york steak and shortribs, salt potatoes, bacon and mushroom ragout


Chocolate and peanut butter beignets, bitter caramel ice cream with bananas

Cameron Diaz: Her Best Hair?

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Cameron Diaz: Her Best Hair?

There’s something about…Cameron. Cameron Michelle Diaz (born August 30, 1972) grew up, as she puts it, “in Southern California on the beach, basically.” She wasn’t born into the entertainment business — her father worked more than 20 years maintaining and supporting oil wells, and her mother worked as an import-export agent — but she was well on her way into it by the age of 16, when she began her career as a fashion model, contracting with modeling agency Elite Model Management.

By 17, she was on the cover of Seventeen (here’s the cover); by 21, she was starring in movies (her first was The Mask in 1994).

Since then she’s either starred in or voiced (in Shrek) more than 30 films, like Vanilla Sky, one of my favorites of hers (she played that psycho), and In Her Shoes (LOVE!), opposite Toni Collette.

If you’re ever in the mood for a fun, physical comedy, check out Knight and Day. Not because I think it’s an Oscar-caliber movie, mind you, but because I think it’s just a lot of fun.

I’ve always liked her casually sexy approach to hair. It’s very easy, very California girl (she’s an avid surfer), with mostly unstructured styles. It seems to suit her well.

Right now she’s starring in Bad Teacher, which I’m thinking about seeing tomorrow night (have you seen it yet?).

Lawd knows I had a few of those! 🙂

Which of Cameron's hairstyles do you like best?

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

MAC Colourizations Collection: This Dramatic Double Feature Stars a Teal and Brown Eye

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MAC Colourizations Double Feature 3

Okay, so you how when you’re in the mood to do a dramatic eyeshadow look, and you start with just a few colors, but the next thing you know you’ve got, like, 10 different shades all up on your lids?

Welcome to my world, chica.

MAC Colourizations Double Feature 3

I don’t know what it is, but when I see all of those lonely pans looking up at me hopefully, I can’t help myself. A little bit of this one here, a tiny bit of that one there. OOH! A dash of this one to accentuate everything else. 🙂

Sometimes I wonder if I have some kind of medical makeup condition that compels me to use four different browns in the crease.

While it’s fun to get carried away doing complicated eye looks while completely ignoring the clock, I think it’s also fun (and usually more practical) to see what drama can be had with one or two shades, tops. The funky colors in the new MAC Eye Shadow X 2 Duos ($25 each) from the upcoming Colourizations collection are here to help.

Today I took Double Feature 3’s matte teal and chocolate satin out for a spin…

mac colourizations double feature 3

MAC Colourizations Double Feature 3
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Tarte for True Blood LipSurgence Natural Lip Tint Delivers Red Lips Without the Bite

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Vampires aren’t known for their flexibility (their restricted diet, won’t work daytime hours, religious intolerance, etc.), but the new Tarte for True Blood LipSurgence Natural Lip Tint ($24) is. It’s one of the most flexible reds I’ve come across in a really long time.

The crayon/pencil tip makes this medium-coverage, iridescent red a cinch to apply. The color’s easily buildable, too, making it workable in a variety of occasions and looks from demure to dramatic.

I haven’t figured out why Tarte chose to give it a faint minty flavor and scent (um, how does mint relate to vampires?), but I like the way they’re executed; I think both of them are refreshing (again, vampires?) like gum.

Now that I think about it, I can’t think of a more appropriate, better taste and scent… Garlic is certainly out. 🙂


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Tarte for True Blood: Eye See Vamps Everywhere Going Crazy for This Palette

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tarte for true blood palette

Well polish my coffin and pour me another cup of that True Blood, Team Tarte, because I’d like to raise my glass! Y’all obviously sunk your teeth into the new limited edition True Blood Palette ($52). I’d stake my life on that.

But seriously, the effort Tarte put into developing this palette shows in the clever little details, like the words “Open After Dark” scrawled across the cubby that conceals the mini primer, mascara and eyeliner, and the lace threading through the grommets on the cover (er, those better not be silver!).

Saucy!

A little drawer for a set of fake fangs would’ve been the icing on the cake. After all, undead wannabes wear makeup, too, but I guess you can’t appease all of the fangbangers all of the time… But you can appease some of them some of the time, especially when you arrange the shadows in a palette in a logical way.

You know how brands will sometimes haphazardly place unrelated shades beside each other in a palette? That’s one of my eye palette pet peeves, but I like how this palette groups smokey shadows in the lower right hand corner, warmer jewel tones in the lower left and the neutrals at the top. It’s conducive to creativity (at least I think so) and makes it easy to sift through the 17 shades.

Baby vamps probably wouldn’t realize this yet, but after a few hundred years, the nights begin to blur together. The way these shadows seamlessly blend together reminds me of that aspect of everlasting undead life. It takes barely a few flicks from an eyeshadow brush to transition from one shade to the next, even when I’m wearing several colors on my lids. love

And, dude, I don’t care how easy Vampire Bill makes glamoring humans look, it can take up a huge chunk of my night. Because these shadows stay put from dusk till dawn without fading or creasing at all, they free up my human hunting time.


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The Lovely Town of Tiburon

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Tiburon is one of the small towns in Marin County, California. It’s about 25 miles south of where I live in Novato, closer to the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco, and it’s a beautiful place to visit on a sunny afternoon. Easy access by ferry from Sausalito or San Francisco makes it perfect for little day trips. Nearby Angel Island, also accessible by ferry from Tiburon, has some great hikes and an interesting historic museum. The island is sometimes referred to as the Ellis Island of the West because from 1910 to 1940, the Angel Island Immigration Station processed approximately 1 million immigrants entering the country.

9 Things: Simple Pleasures (Summer and Otherwise)

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You know what they say, right? “It’s the simple things.” The simple pleasures, like sleeping in, an ice-cold Coca Cola on a hot day, a new tube of lipstick, a good hair day, a tender kiss, a comforting smile, a good hug, a stranger holding open the door, a few words of encouragement.

What are some of the simple pleasures you’ve been enjoying lately? Here are some of mine, in no particular order.

I can’t wait to hear yours. 🙂

1. Lounging by the pool

My favorite part of last weekend wasn’t the plate of killer fries I had with that delicious veggie burger at the mall (although it was delicious). Nope, last weekend nirvana took the shape of my bum parked in a lounge chair by the neighborhood pool.

And I didn’t do any web surfing, blogging, tweeting or texting at all while I was there. Instead, I resisted the urge to plug in and just tried to focus on my thoughts for a while.

It was nice.

2. Going for a walk with Tabs

El jefe insists that I take him for a walk around the complex first thing every morning so that he may survey his vast domain. Thankfully, he usually allows me to finish a cup of coffee first (milk and sugar, please!).

I actually really enjoy it, especially now that it’s warm, and I can go out in shorts, a tank top and flip-flops. Tabs, of course, typically wears his usual business casual attire.

3. Homemade smoothies

They’re easy to make with the help of a blender or food processor, and so much cheaper than Jamba Juice (which I love!). I usually go with whatever fresh fruit I have on hand. This week’s receipe calls for strawberries, bananas, honey-flavored Greek yogurt, orange juice and ice, yum!

I like to have one right after a run as my post-workout recovery drink. They’re great for a quick shot of carbs and protein to keep the muscle soreness at bay, and I think they’re also easy on my stomach.

4. Seeing pics of pets with EvRev


Don’t tell Tabs, but I have a crush on Wally (he lives with MBB reader Alka)

Every time I open an email with a pic of a furry friend posing with a tube of MAC Evolution Revolution Lipglass, I do a little dance in my chair. 🙂


Ted the dog hearts Stef!
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