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Two Ways to Win a $50 eGift Card from Sephora!

March 26th, 2011 by Karen 699 Comments

  • WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is sqrrlchik! Congratulations, sqrrlchik! 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 Sephora eGift card from Makeup and Beauty Blog

When he comes home from work in the afternoons, takes off his jacket and shoes and walks over to me for a kiss, I see his eyes smile the moment I say, “Hi, sweetie.”

That’s one of the things I — that I know El Hub loves the sound of my voice because I can see it in his eyes.

Good morning, young lady. Is it raining where you are? Here we are again, another Saturday morning. I think we’re the first ones up. It’s very gray and wet outside, like winter’s trying to make a comeback. Through the windows I can see the branches of an old oak tree reflecting in puddles of water on the railing of the back deck, but I feel safe and warm inside the house. It’s almost 7:30 a.m. El Hub is still in bed upstairs, but Tabs is here in the living room with me. He followed me down when I got up but then went straight to the top of his cat tower by the window and now looks like he went back to sleep.

Do you have any plans yet for today? Sometimes I feel strange writing about my mornings when I know that for you it might already be afternoon. Maybe you live in Paris where it’s 3:30 p.m. right now, and you’re a little sleepy and thinking about taking a nap. I should be asking you how your day went.

So how was your day? 🙂

One great thing about blog time is that it doesn’t really matter what time the clock says it is. Right now is right now for us all, and no matter what it’s still…

A Makeup and Beauty Blog Giveaway!

Win a $50 eGift card from Sephora

  • One (1) Sephora eGift card containing $50 sent to the winner by email (or $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, where are you right now at this very moment? What was the last drugstore beauty product you bought? What was the best gift you ever received? What was the best gift you ever gave to someone else? — 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 eGift Card from Sephora! http://bit.ly/h6g8ST

  • The deadline to enter is Sunday, March 27, 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).
  • Sephora eGift Certificates can only be redeemed online and are not valid in stores or available for purchase or redemption in Canada. The winner may opt to substitute the Sephora eGift card prize for $50 sent directly to their email address by PayPal.
  • 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 sqrrlchik! Congratulations, sqrrlchik! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂
There are 699 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun Keywords: giveaway

Like These Colors, I’m Cool and Warm on the Smashbox Softbox Eye Palette

March 25th, 2011 by Karen 24 Comments

smashbox softbox eye palette

I woke up this morning thinking I’d get a ton of stuff done today, but I’ve been feeling like a spazzy hyperactive chihuahua all afternoon and haven’t been able to focus at all, gah! Maybe this is the universe’s way of telling me to lay off the caffeinated tea…

The only thing that’s kept my attention for any length of time is the new Smashbox Softbox Eye Shadow Palette ($48).

smashbox softbox eye palette

Pretty, yeah?

I guess what they say is true — makeup really does soothe the savage beast. 🙂

The new eye palette, brimming with sweet neutrals, hails from Smashbox’s summer Softbox collection, and the products, like a real soft box a photographer might use, are designed to diffuse the light and soften any shadows falling on a subject’s face. With the palette, you get nine powder eyeshadows, two cream liners, a double-sided brush, a mini-Photo Finish Lid primer and a fold-out Get-the-Look Guide with step-by-step directions for three different looks.

smashbox softbox eye palette shadows
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There are 24 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Makeup, Product Reviews Keywords: smashbox

Smashbox Softbox Eye Palette

March 25th, 2011 by Karen 19 Comments


Smashbox Softbox Summer 2011

The new Smashbox Softbox Eye Palette, from the Smashbox Softbox 2011 collection ($48).

What do you think?

For more on the new Smashbox Softbox collection, check out Smashbox Softbox Collection for Summer 2011: Diffuse Me, Please.

There are 19 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Daily Photo Keywords: smashbox

China Glaze Island Escape: Taste the Rainbow

March 25th, 2011 by Karen 9 Comments


China Glaze Island Escape Collection for Summer 2011

Peep the candy colors in the new China Glaze Island Escape collection for summer 2011 (about $5 each). YUM!

There are 9 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Daily Beauty Keywords: china glaze

The Barely There Sonia Kashuk Natural Nudes Lip Quad

March 25th, 2011 by Karen 18 Comments

Happy Friday, friend! Looks like we made it. 🙂 To kick off today’s pre-weekend festivities, what do you say we get nude, Sonia Kashuk style?

SK’s Lip Gloss Quad in Natural Nudes, the third of three new lip palettes for spring, feels just as comfy on my lips as the other two, Beautiful Berries and Bronzey Corals.


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There are 18 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Drugstore Beauty Finds, Makeup, Product Reviews Keywords: sonia kashuk

MAC Quite Cute Is…Oh, That’s Too Obvious :)

March 24th, 2011 by Karen 67 Comments

mac quite cute

I wish I could hop into a time-traveling Delorean with the upcoming MAC Quite Cute collection and zoom back to 1984 (to when I was in 4th grade). Even though I wasn’t allowed to wear makeup back then, I would have done flips for these pastel treats for cheeks, nails, lips and eyes.

When I was a kid, I was crazy for anything and everything pastel. My favorite colors were mint green, lavender, peach and/or baby pink (not necessarily in that order). The colors of the MAC Quite Cute collection would have driven my 9-year-old self into fits! I probably would have locked myself in my room with it, loaded Duran Duran’s Notorious tape into my mint green Casio portable radio and danced around my purple painted room like an ’80s fairy princess. 🙂

Now in my thirties, I still have a deep and abiding love for pastels, and I felt the same familiar flutter in my tummy today when I saw Quite Cute up close for the very first time.

Talk about cute overload, right? Pastels AND hearts in the Mineralize Blushes? TO DIE!

The collection will join two other new releases (MAC Primed For Perfection and MAC Bronze Everyday) on North American MAC counters this April 7 (internationally, some time in April). Yes, it’s safe to say that’s going to be a pretty big day.

The 23-piece release looks sweet like candy with a young and fun sense of style. I picture Japanese and European tourist gals in bright pink Hello Kitty bikinis walking in Louis V. heels at Waikiki Beach.

If it feels familiar, you may be recalling MAC Sugarsweet, another pastel-powered collection, that one from 2009. Sugarsweet was similar but had more pink and green, whereas Quite Cute has a thing for more purple and peach.

I also get a strong anime vibe from it and can’t help but think of lines like Tokidoki, Eyeko and the new Hello Kitty at Sephora. That carefree quality may not appeal to all, but the colors are what I think of when I think of makeup for spring.

So take a look around, and let me know if you see something you like. More to follow, of course, over the coming days… 🙂

mac quite cute
Mineralize Blushes in Giggly (left) and Sakura (right)

mac quite cute
Cutie Eye Shadow X4
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There are 67 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: MAC Makeup Keywords: mac

MAC Primed For Perfection Collection, Please Stop Me from Running in Dark Circles

March 24th, 2011 by Karen 27 Comments

MAC Primed for Perfection
Prep + Prime Highlighters clockwise from light pink brush: Radiant Rose, Bright Forecast and Light Boost

Most of the time I curse my dark circles, but sometimes they come in handy, like when I’m doing my impression of Lurch from The Addams Family or testing under-eye brightening products.

Which brings us to today! The new four-piece MAC Primed For Perfection collection of products to brighten and highlight launches April 7 in North America (internationally, some time in April), and, like the Bronze Everyday collection coming out the same day, MAC plans to add the items in the collection to their permanent line.

To say “I’m stoked” about the lightweight Prep+Prime Vibrancy Eye ($30) primer would be an understatement of epic proportions. Designed to be worn beneath concealer, this dark circle-defeating angel of awesomeness moisturizes and illuminates the under-eye area. MAC also claims it could be a long-term solution for puffy, tired-looking eyes by diminishing creases, bags and dark circles.

Yes, please!

The release also features three new brightening click pens called the Prep + Prime Highlighters ($23), which look to me a little like YSL’s Touche Eclat. MAC says they can be worn on bare skin or atop concealer or foundation.

I believe my dark circles and I shall evaluate these directly, as in immediately. 🙂 In the meantime, here’s a quick look at the products and swatches. I’ll update you on my dark circle progress (or lack thereof) soon.

MAC Primed for Perfection
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There are 27 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: MAC Makeup Keywords: mac

MAC Bronze Everyday Collection: The Sun Never Sets When It’s MAC Bronze Everyday

March 24th, 2011 by Karen 26 Comments

MAC Bronze Everyday

Well look who’s just in time for sundresses. 🙂 Hey there, MAC. Wait — let me bare my shoulders before we go outside…

(Actually, now would not be a good time to go gallivanting as it’s storming heavily here; the rain is coming down sideways!)

Come April 7, babes, the bronze will be on — North American MAC counters, that is (internationally some time in April). That’s when the new MAC Bronze Everyday collection beams down.

The release features a mix of old and new MAC bronzing items for face and body. Expect to see repromoted favorites like the Skinsheen Leg Sprays and Lustre Drops alongside new products like Mineralize Skinfinish Natural and the Mineralize Skinfinish Bronzing Powders.

If you miss the release, don’t despair. MAC plans to add everything here to their permanent line.

Here’s a quick look at four things from the 12-piece collection…

MAC Bronze Everyday all
MAC Bronze products from the left: Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Give Me Sun!, Lustre Drops in Sun Rush, Lustre Drops in Pink Rebel and Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Sun Power

MAC Bronze Everyday
Mineralize Skinfinish Naturals in Sun Power (left) and Give Me Sun! (right)
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There are 26 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: MAC Makeup Keywords: mac

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Welcome to Makeup and Beauty Blog! My name is Karen, and I’m a freelance writer obsessed with makeup.

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