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Get Bronzy, Brown Gams with Guerlain Terracotta Jambes de Gazelle

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My relationships with shorts and skirts just got infinitely better thanks to Guerlain’s Terracotta Jambes de Gazelle Bronzing Mist ($59).

Part of the 12-piece limited edition Guerlain Terracotta summer 2011 collection, this liquid bronzing spray mist gives a temporary tan to legs that washes off at the end of the day.

I haven’t spent much time out in the sun yet this summer, so my legs (and my upper thighs, especially) could use a little extra color. Lately, before heading out in a dress or skirt, I’ve been spraying Jambes de Gazelle on my calves and thighs.

I love the light kiss of caramel it gives to my legs. Even Tabs thinks it’s a very pretty golden brown…


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The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

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The Makeup and Beauty Blog Weekly Roundup

Good morning. Good morning. How did you sleep? 🙂 I probably could have slept a little more, but I wanted to get going, ya know? To attack the day! — and all that.

How was your night? Did you do anything fun? I swung by Target for dental floss on my way to Tuttimelon —

Which reminds me, I got another watermelon last night. Yup, this one from Target. I even used my phone in the store to look up “how to choose a good watermelon.” Apparently, it has nothing to do with knocking on them, she read, after she’d already knocked on about half of the melons in the store, or with weight, because a heavy melon can be juicy yet not sweet. The article I found said to look for a generally symmetrical shape (aren’t they always generally symmetrical?), vibrant green striping and a yellow, or yellowish orange, “crown” area, which indicates that the melon was allowed to sit and sweeten in the field for a good, long while.

I brought one home that met the aforementioned criteria (how official!), so we’ll see. I haven’t cracked it open yet, even though I desperately want to. I think I’ll save it for tomorrow and make it my Independence Day treat!

In makeup news, what did you think of the NARS Fall 2011 stuff we looked at this week? Interested, or on the fence? Looking back, I probably had the most fun with bright blue Outremer Eyeshadow. It’s statement makeup, for sure, although its intensity is easy to manage with layers, and I don’t always have a place to go where I can make that kind of statement, but it makes me want to think of something, you know, somewhere I can wear it, if that makes any sense.

That must mean I like it.

I’m looking at pics right now from last week of Outremer and that leopard-print dress, the Dolce & Gabbana Animalier Bronzer and MAC Impassioned Lipstick…

Just imagine all four of those together. Hello! Cat lady says what? 🙂

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

NARS Outremer EyeshadowNARS FALL 2011: I’D SAIL THE SEVEN SEAS
FOR NARS OUTREMER EYESHADOW

Like a bold accent necklace or a fun, floral scarf, bright blue NARS Outremer Single Eyeshadow ($23) does add a certain something special to a makeup maven’s look.

That said, could I see myself wearing it every single day? No, probably not, because I don’t think it’s that kind of shade, which is not to say it isn’t flexible. Oh, no. It most certainly is.

NARS designed the mostly matte blue Outremer (see the tiny silver sparkles?), the French word for “overseas,” to contrast with the softer green, peach, taupe and rose eyeshadows in the fall collection. Read more…

Tarte for True Blood Natural Cheek StainTARTE FOR TRUE BLOOD
NATURAL CHEEK STAIN: Y’ALL RED-Y FOR THIS?

Remember the True Blood episode last season when Pam busted out the NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil? I turned to El Hub on the couch and was like, “ZOMG! Did you see Pam with her NARS!? AAAHHHH!”

He just stared at me like I’d lost my mind…

Don’t you just love it when you recognize makeup on your favorite TV shows? I wonder if the new Tarte for True Blood Natural Cheek Stain ($30) will make an appearance on TV this year.

It’s an intensely pigmented red gel blush, recently launched with two other pieces in the new limited edition Tarte for True Blood collection, and it’s loaded with golden glitter. Read more…

NARS Delphes Trio EyeshadowNARS FALL 2011: APHRODITE HERSELF WOULD
CALL THE DELPHES TRIO EYESHADOW COOL

This trio is totally ruined! But wait — in this case, that’s a good thing.

The ruins at Delphi, where the ancient Greeks worshipped the god Apollo, inspired Delphes ($45; part of the Fall 2011 collection), the latest trio to emerge from the House of NARS.

Can you see the resemblance? — how the ruins, and the plants taking them over, influenced this cool-toned trio of sparkling, sheer peach, matte dove gray and frosty sage?

A few notes about the shade, like Sparkling Peach. This shade really shines thanks to large pieces of silver glitter, but I have to proceed with caution; otherwise, it ends up in my brows and on my cheeks. With Sparkling Peach, I get better results when I use firm, flat eyeshadow brushes than I get from brushes with softer bristles, and I keep my eye makeup remover close at hand to clean up any fallout. Read more…

Chanel Illusions D'Ombres De Chanel Collection for FallIT’S NO ILLUSION; THIS SPARKLE IS REAL
ILLUSIONS D’OMBRES DE CHANEL COLLECTION FOR FALL

Metallics rule the new 21-piece Illusions D’Ombres De Chanel collection for fall flaunting eye-catching, shimmery finishes, but a solitary matte blush threatens to steal the crown!

Ooh! It’s like Game of Thrones up in here. 🙂

Well met, lords and ladies. Heya! How’s your hump day been? Mine got epically better this afternoon when I ran into the new Chanel Fall 2011 collection at Nordies after lunch. The limited edition release for eyes, lips and cheeks is available now at Chanel counters and also online, and if you like your makeup with major bling, feast your eyes upon this. Read more…

Chanel Fall 2011 Face of the DayA MID-WEEK DATE NIGHT LOOK WITH
CHANEL, MAC AND NARS

When it started to look like cereal for dinner, El Hub and I decided at the last minute to go on a mid-week date last night (fish and chips, and beer… romantic, I know!). I went with this quick, sparkly look using a mix of new pieces from NARS, Chanel and MAC (and very little blending) and sprinkled it with some permanent products from Jouer, Hourglass, Buxom and Urban Decay.

Nothing much, but it only took a couple of minutes to do. Perfect for impromptu fried foods and beer.

Quick — say you only have 2 minutes to do your makeup before dinner. What do you do? Read more…

Chanel Fall 2011 Khaki GlossimerWHY, YES, I’M HAVING A SUMMER ROMANCE WITH THE ILLUSIONS
D’OMBRES DE CHANEL COLLECTION FOR FALL 2011

Fall makeup always makes me think of doing fall-ish things, like sipping hot cider (or maybe a little eggnog) by the fireplace or the wood-burning stove, carving pumpkins (which I’ve only done once or twice), or skipping down suburban sidewalks past huge piles of orange and yellow leaves, and kicking ‘em up (SWOOSH!) every once in a while with the tips of my thigh-high suede boots. 🙂

Since summer’s only just begun, however, I’ll have to wait a while before the eggnog shows up at Trader Joe’s, but I won’t have to wait to wear fall makeup, not with so many lines launching their limited edition fall stuff early. Seriously, next year we’ll be celebrating Christmas in July! Read more…

Dolce & Gabbana Animalier BronzerTAME HOUSE TABBY OR JUNGLE CAT?
THE DOLCE & GABBANA ANIMALIER BRONZER

Card carrying members of Team Cat Lady, whether you’re a a tame house tabby or a certified jungle cat, chances are you WILL meow when you see the leopard print on Dolce & Gabbana’s limited edition Animalier Bronzer ($50).

Isn’t it just the coolest thing since leopard-print heels? Too bad the pattern’s an overspray and not actually etched into the pan — or maybe that’s for the best. The first few times it’s used, as the colors in the overspray are mixed together, the product applies super dark (like a chocolate golden sheen), and it would probably make a fantastic eyeshadow totally perfect for sexy, smokey eyes.

But once the overspray gets worn away, out comes a sheer, orangey brown bronzer with tiny flecks of golden glitter. Mrow! It’s sheer, though. Too sheer for me as an NC42; on me it delivers a subtle warmth, yet while I sheer do like the glitter and how smooth it feels, there’s something a little off about how the color works with my skin, like some of the darker tones from the overspray are still milling about. Read more…

MAC Impassioned LipstickMAC UNSUNG HEROES MAC
IMPASSIONED LIPSTICK (AND WATERMELON)

It’s official: I am in food lust with watermelon. That one from the other day? Completely gone. And it was ginormous, too! — like bigger than Tabs, and I ate it all by myself in, like, two days. On the one hand (and I’m thrilled about this) I’m not having any, um, fiber issues, but on the other hand, I’m a little afraid I might be overdoing it.

So sweet, so juicy…

Gotta swing by Trader Joe’s to get another one ASAP.

I’m obsessed! I’ve got watermelon on the brain. It’s even creeping into my makeup. Just the other day, I was looking at Impassioned ($14.50), one of my favorite MAC Lipsticks, when it hit me…

No, not the watermelon, silly! It occurred to me that Impassioned is a perfect watermelon pink. Read more…

Outfit of the Day: Vol 3OUTFIT OF THE DAY, VOL. 3
CALL ME CAT LADY (AND A TRICK TO LOOK TALLER)

I’m pretty short at 5’1″, but in my mind I’m taller.

How much taller?

On a good day, at least 5’8″. Of course, the rest of the world disagrees.

Once, years ago when I worked in San Francisco, I was walking through China Town on my lunch break in four-inch heels when I found myself behind a group of middle school students on an historic tour of the neighborhood. I was heading to my favorite greasy spoon for lunch, a place in the same direction the group was heading, so I tagged along (hey, free tour!), listening to the group’s tour guide.

When I finally arrived at my lunch spot and broke away from the group, one of the volunteer moms started yelling.

“Get back with the group!” she barked, and I could hear her footsteps pounding behind me. Read more…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

I Really Want to Care for These $1.99 Essence Caring Lip Balms (Really, I Do)

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I really wanted to be Loving, Laughing, Hoping and Dreaming about the four $1.99 Essence Caring Lip Balms, because they have so much promise to be cool.

Four of them for less than $8? Incredible! Just look at them in their adorable duds.

Each of them has a different color and scent, and the two I tried — Loving, a clear vanilla-scented balm with subtle glitter; and Dreaming, a sheer peach that smells faintly of fruit punch — feel soft, non-sticky and smooth.


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The Beauty of Blogging: A Reader Q&A

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The beauty of blogging

It’s been such a long time since I posted anything about blogging that I thought this excerpt of an e-mail exchange with reader Juli might be interesting to someone trying to build an existing blog or thinking about starting one soon (any kind of blog; not necessarily one about makeup and beauty). 🙂

A lot of people out there know much more about blogging than I do, so please take my responses with a grain of salt. If you find this helpful, I’ll try to post similar things like it more often. Just let me know.

And if you do have a blog, please include a link to it in your comment. I’d love to check it out. Let me know what prompted you to start your blog and what it’s all about.

JULI: I know time is one factor, and since 2007, you’ve had plenty of good quality posts, but what other methods do you use to get traffic [to Makeup and Beauty Blog] and rank so high in Google?

KAREN: Well, thank you for saying that about my posts, but time is a major factor, actually. I spend at least 60 hours/week blogging and have for some years. A lot of it is attention to detail. If it takes an extra two hours to retake a batch of pictures that didn’t turn out quite right, I’ll take them because, like everyone else, I appreciate sharp, vibrant pictures when I browse the web. Early, when I started the blog, I also read a number of e-books about search engine optimization (here’s a great source on the subject) and implemented the lessons from there about post titles and page design. One obvious factor that helps is having a domain name that includes your keywords in it, in my case www.makeupandbeautyblog.com. But that’s only one factor.

JULI: How did you let the world know about your blog? I know one good method is writing guest posts.

KAREN: Wow! Brace yourself for a long answer, but a lot of it just took time. I attended industry events, had business cards made, had t-shirts made that I would wear to events, emailed hundreds of companies, telephoned PR people, wrote guest posts, wrote and published press releases (I recommend prweb and prleap), took classes on writing, took classes on photography, took classes on Photoshop (I highly recommend the video tutorials on lynda.com), read books on HTML and CSS, did some freelance writing for magazines to hone my craft — all while continuing to write 1-5 posts/day. I think it also helped that when I started in beauty blogging, it was a less competitive time, and I had a loving partner in El Hub whose day job allowed me to take some risks I may not otherwise have been able to take (like quitting my day job to blog full time).

I think it’s important to remember, though, that I didn’t do everything at once. I’m always learning, but I love blogging and helping and entertaining people. Because it’s like magic to brighten someone’s day, that drives me to do it and get better along the way.
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Two Ways to Win a Tube of MAC Sandy B Lipstick

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

Oh, summer, how I’ve missed you so! Last night it was warm enough to walk around outside in a T-shirt without a jacket or sweater.

Without a jacket or sweater. Seriously, I still can’t believe it was real!

After months that dragged on like years of “partly cloudy skies,” it was so nice to just stroll down a bustling boulevard crowded with happy people out taking advantage of the clear, comfortable night. With a cup of ice cream in my hands, I walked along Fourth Street in downtown San Rafael looking up at stars — yes, real stars — that I’d almost forgotten were there.

I was wearing one of my favorite summertime lipsticks from MAC called Sandy B, a shimmery golden pink. I don’t know why, but I only think to wear it when it’s warm outside like it is now. It’s the same beautiful color all year round, but I guess I’ve grown to associate it with summer.

It was a perfect night — Sandy B Lipstick and MAC Evolution Revolution Lipglass on my lips, El Hub on my arm, ice cream in my hands and stars above my head. The only thing missing was a husky tabby by my side. 🙂

Have you ever worn MAC Sandy B? If not, perhaps today’s giveaway can help. Yup, it’s…

A Makeup and Beauty Blog Giveaway!

Win MAC

One lucky lady will win…

  • One (1) tube of MAC Lipstick in Sandy B (a $14.50 value)

  • 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, have you ever been to summer camp? Have you ever had a summer fling? How do you apply your lipstick (straight from the tube, with a brush, top/bottom lip first, atop a layer of lipliner…)? Are you doing anything fun for the Fourth of July? What’s your pet’s favorite toy? What’s a song that always gets your booty on the dance floor? — 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 Tube of MAC Sandy B Lipstick http://bit.ly/mw1T8J

  • The deadline to enter is Sunday, July 3, 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).
  • 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 Rocio! Congratulations, Rocio! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

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