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Outfit of the Day, Vol. 1: A Blue Summer Dress with Yellow Heels

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I totally smurfed out today! — and since I’m a big fan of “outfit of the day” posts, I thought I’d smurf two birds with one stone 🙂 and take pics of myself from head to toe.

The dress (about $40) is from a brand called Lush, and, um, I found it on the Nordstrom website in the Juniors Department… Yes, I have no shame when it comes to wearing clothing made for teenagers, but shopping for those clothes actually inside a store beside girls born after I graduated from college kindasorta freaks me out.

It comes in the blue pictured here, as well as black.

Unfortunately, when I checked online for the dress again today, I wasn’t able to find it, so if you’re interested and live near a Nordstrom store, it might be worth a quick call or visit, especially if you live somewhere hot.

The dress itself is rayon and weighs next to nothing, almost like a lightweight linen, and the elastic waist adds a little definition to my shape without feeling too clingy. So comfy in the heat!

I like wearing bold colors together, and one of my favorite ways to wear this particular dress is paired with these yellow shoes from Seychelles and this fun Kate Spade ring.

Then, to contrast with the brights, I might throw something quiet into the mix, like the off-white Kate Spade bag I’m holding here.

Seychelles Harlow


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Take a Bite Out of the Tarte for True Blood Collection

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That’s right, fangbangers. Tarte is getting ready to release a True Blood-themed collection, and it’s timed perfectly for the start of the new season this Sunday (can’t wait!).

Insert various vampire jokes here…

“I’m dying to try it!”

“Can’t wait to sink my teeth into it!”

“I hope it doesn’t suck!”

“I’d give blood to get my mitts on that cheek stain!”

Haha!

The three-piece limited edition release includes an Eye Palette with 17 powder shadows, a gel liner, mascara and primer ($52), as well as a Cheek Stain ($30) and a Natural Lip Tint ($24).

Now the big question: is the eyeliner Lafayette approved? Because homeboy’s tightlining is BEYOND fierce.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Two Ways to Win a $50 Gift Card from MAC (OPEN TO ALL READERS)

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  • WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is Amy! Congratulations, Amy! 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 MAC gift card from Makeup and Beauty Blog

What an exciting day. As far as Tuesdays go, this one gets a thumbs up. I’m just about to hit the haaaay for the night (Tabs needs his beauty sleep), but I wanted to say thank you for making today one of the best days of my life.

I hope you had a good one, too. Get some rest, and I’ll see you soon. 🙂

Before you go, however, it’s…

A Makeup and Beauty Blog Giveaway!

Win a $50 gift card from MAC

  • One (1) MAC gift card containing $50 sent to the winner by mail (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 was your very first MAC product? How many tubes of lipgloss do you own? What was the highlight of your day? Have you ever had a secret crush? — 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 $50 Gift Card from MAC http://bit.ly/mwDmVp

  • The deadline to enter is Thursday, June 23, 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).
  • MAC gift cards can be redeemed in stores and online for purchases. The winner may opt to substitute the MAC 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 Amy! Congratulations, Amy! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

Stay With Me, Essence Longlasting Lipgloss

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essence stay with me longlasting lipgloss

Today, the first official day of summer, has been the hottest day of the year so far, yet shortly after it topped 92 °F this afternoon (33 °C) I exclaimed, “cool!”

Thanks to the shine-preventing power of powder (in this case MAC Blot), you may not be able to tell from these pics that my air conditioner is busted. I considered retreating with my water noodle to a pool, but then I would have had to wait before telling you about these bargain basement glosses from Essence.

Dang, right? Today has been all about the glosses. 🙂

The Essence line, an import from Germany, is still new to U.S. shores. Price-wise, it fits nicely next to other drugstore lines like NYC New York Color and Wet n Wild, and can be found at Ulta stores and also online.

essence stay with me longlasting lipgloss
From the left: Me & My Ice Cream, I Like Cotton Candy, Candy Bar, Trendsetter, Kiss Kiss Kiss and Berry Me

Although I felt just so-so about Essence’s $2 eyeshadows, their Stay With Me Longlasting Lipglosses ($2.29) are in a whole different league. If I hadn’t known better, I would have pegged these as $18 glosses from a high-end brand.

Why do I like Essence Longlasting Lipgloss?

  • Pigment like whoa! — These are some of the boldest, richest drugstore lipglosses I’ve seen in a really long time, and kudos for their creamy finish. For sheerer coverage, all it takes is a few dots dabbed on the lips.
  • That feels good — I feel like cheering, “These feel good, oh, they feel so good, UH!” 🙂 Non-sticky and smooth, they’re like slightly thicker MAC Cremesheen Glasses, and moisturizing as all heck.
  • You’re sweet — I’m not often a fan of candy-flavored lip products, but these, I like. They taste and smell faintly of red gummy bears (fades after about 10 minutes), which takes me back to the fights I used to have over those with my brother back in the day.

I like all six of the colors, but I love purplish pink I Like Cotton Candy (a dead ringer for Benefit’s discontinued Kiss Me Gloss) and Candy Bar, a pinkish coral that looks great with summery golds and teals.

essence stay with me longlasting lipgloss wands

essence stay with me longlasting lipgloss swatches
Swatches from the left: Me & My Ice Cream, I Like Cotton Candy, Candy Bar, Trendsetter, Kiss Kiss Kiss and Berry Me
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It’s Glow Time with the Pacifica Island Glow Beautiful Body Kit

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When my eyes lighted upon the Pacifica Island Glow Beautiful Body Kit at Sephora last Sunday, I felt like a tourist browsing shops along a beach-side promenade. I was “just looking around” at the time (haha, we all know how that usually goes), and before I knew it, I was clutching the cute box in my hands!

The $24 kit comes with four of Pacifica’s newest products to buff, moisturize and make summer skin sparkle…

  • Kona Coffee & Sugar Detox Whole Body Scrub — I like this one a latte. 🙂 First, the granulated sugar, powdered coffee seed and sea salt buff the skin, before the safflower, soybean and coconut oils moisturize it into blissful submission. I prefer to use it while my skin is dry, so I’ll bring it into the tub with me to exfoliate before turning on the shower. After rinsing, it leaves behind a light but moisturizing film and a heavenly dark chocolate coffee scent. I love using this in the morning and then can’t wait to have a cup of coffee when I’m done.
  • Coconut Crushed Pearl Luminizing Body Butter — Pacifica was not shy with the shimmery mica in this coco-nutty body butter. It feels a little thinner and less moisturizing than most of their body butters, but I love the scent and how it makes me look like I just stepped out from under a shower of silver shimmer.
  • Coconut Crushed Pearl Bronzing Body Butter — Without a tan, I might worry about this leaving light orange streaks on my legs. Like a darker, bronze version of Pacifica’s Luminizing Body Butter, it might not be a perfect fit for lighter lovelies (maybe if you just use a little for a hint of color and shine), but it should sing from the rafters on tanned temptresses and darker divas.
  • Coconut Pearls Lip Quench — NOM! This smooth, non-sticky lip balm imparts a subtle sheen while kissing lips with a moisturizing coconut macaroon flavor, and tempting noses with the same yummy scent.


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