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Please Don’t Tocca My Bianca Eau de Parfum Viaggio Set

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These little treasures of antiquity are three of Tocca Bianca’s fresh floral scents. I’ve been wanting to try these and the rest of the line for centuries, but I’ve been paralyzed by all of the options at Sephora. I think they call it stimulus overload… Don’t you hate it when that happens?

I’m glad I pulled it together in time for Sephora’s Friends & Family sale. I took advantage of it to snag this trio of scents, called the Eau de Parfum Viaggio set, and its three lovely bottles of deliciousness, 0.51-oz. Tocca Stella, Florence and Cleopatra.

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Love Sheer Lipgloss? You’ll Crazy Heart This New Set from NARS

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nars crazy heart swatches review photos glosses

I learned something oddly thrilling today. The new NARS Crazy Heart Set ($50) glosses are sheer enough to apply while walking down the street without a mirror (try it sometime), yet pigmented enough to make an impact on passers by.

This is brilliant news! Now I can devote more precious time and energy to important things, like unraveling the mystery behind Zac Efron’s allure.

The set comes with five sheer shades from the NARS permanent lipgloss line — Easy Lover (a hot pink), Babe (a reddish orange), Orgasm (a shimmery golden pink), Turkish Delight (a creamy light pink) and Misbehave (a cherry red with golden shimmer) — all of them highly wearable, with the exception of Turkish Delight, which looks kinda milky before it mellows into an attractive pale pink.

MAC Nymphette-s might like Orgasm, Nymphette’s sheerer cousin, and ladies who’ve always wanted to wear red lips but were too afraid to try should take a look at Babe.

All of them have the same silky smooth medium weight texture in tubes that are considerably smaller than usual for NARS lipglosses (0.14 oz. vs. 0.28), but that’s only a fraction smaller than full-size MAC Lipglasses (0.17 oz.).

nars crazy heart swatches review photos box

nars crazy heart swatches review photos glosses in box

nars crazy heart swatches review photos swatches arm
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NARS Trouble Maker, Please Report to Principal Karen’s Office

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karen from makeup and beauty blog reviews the nars trouble maker eye set

I got in trouble today, ladies. 🙁 The principal called me into his office and said, “Karen, you are no longer my favorite trouble maker.”

Wha!?

“The new NARS Trouble Maker set is, and you’re just going to have to learn to live with it… You may go back to class now.”

The $60 limited edition kit was designed to help your eyes raise hell. To that end, it comes with a Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base, Larger Than Life Volumizing Mascara, an Eyeliner Stylo and a bottle of Eye Makeup Remover.

NARS Trouble Maker: What You Get

  • Larger Than Life Volumizing Mascara: A black thickening mascara that delivers stellar curl lift and hold. Its thickening prowess doesn’t quite match YSL Faux Cils’, but it makes up for it in speed and flexibility, resisting smudges and smears. Two coats is my sweet spot. Any more than that and it starts to clump (unless I swipe the brush head first). One more knock against it? It takes forever and a day to remove.
  • Eyeliner Stylo in Nuits Blanches: NARS should have called this shiny black liquid liner Patience, because it takes A LOT to get smooth, solid black lines with it. The stiff felt tip isn’t as easy to maneuver as the tip on my go-to liquid liner, LORAC Front of the Line Pro.
  • Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base: A colorless eyeshadow primer and by far my favorite thing in the kit. It’s easy to blend, grips shadows with Herculean determination (maybe even a little better than Urban Decay Eden Primer Potion), and a little goes a long way, keeping most shadows from fading or creasing for a full eight hours. LOVE THIS!
  • Eye Makeup Remover: Like the name implies, this stuff takes it all off, even long-wearing waterproof eye makeup, but, unfortunately, it leaves behind a thick oily film (boo!).

nars trouble maker eye set review box
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Your Breast Cancer Awareness Month Support Signs on Facebook: Our Community Cares

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The Breast Cancer Awareness Month Sign Project, October 2010

Look at those lovely faces. 🙂

Ladies, thank you for sending your signs and for sharing your stories last month. Now, come look and see what you helped make possible. We showed how much we care as a community of women (and beloved pets). Damn if it sounds trite, but we’re all in this together. Much love and respect to you all.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Nov. 1

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  1. Mood:

    2. Pretty darn spiffy, but I feel a chill down in the marrow of my bones! It’s cold and hella Hundred-Acre Wood out here in Novato today…

  2. Your favorite fall boots?

    3. A pair of brown closed-toe Carlos Santanas I picked up at Marshalls a couple months back. El Hub calls ’em my “Blanche boots,” as in Blanche from The Golden Girls, but what does he know about fashion? Seriously, the boy wears the same thing every day (yes, I’m talking to you, sweetie). They have 2-inch heels and go with everything.

  3. Have you ever thrown a dinner party?

    4. Naw, my place is such a mess. Someday though.

  4. Turtleneck sweaters — yea or nay?

    5. Yea, if they aren’t too tight or itchy around the neck.

  5. Do you color your hair?

    6. Sho’nuff. I’ve had gray hairs since 15! I used to color mine at home until a few years ago when I figured out how badly I suck at it. Manicures, pedicures and waxing I can handle, but hair coloring, not so much.

  6. Favorite drugstore blush?

    7. Neutrogena Healthy Skin in Raisin. It’s been an old school fave of my for years because of its smooth, easy-to-blend texture. Plus it always looks natural.

  7. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

    8. That’s a tough one… I’d like to say, “Nothing, I’m perfectly happy with everything the way it is,” but since you asked… 🙂 As of this morning, I’d like to either get better at managing my time or add 5 inches to my height, LOL!

  8. What’s one beauty product you couldn’t (or wouldn’t want to) live without and why?

    9. Bumble & Bumble Super Rich Conditioner, which I’ve loved for about a decade. No matter how many new conditioners I test, I’ve always come back to super moisturizing Super Rich. It knows me and my waves so well and never causes my scalp to flake. Plus, I love the smell of honeysuckle in the morning!

  9. What music have you been into lately?

    10. V.V. Brown’s new CD, Travelling Like the Light because it makes me feel like dancing (I want to dance the night away!).

  10. Weekly goals:

    11. Exercise each and every day (hook or crook!), stay positive, and stick my schedule.

What’s the story, morning glory?

Anyone out there have a Halloween hangover? I’ve had them before (must be all those Peanut M&Ms before bed), but this year I exercised a modicum of candy restraint.

To complete the Monday Poll, just copy the following list, and paste it with your answers in the comments.



1. Mood:
2. Your favorite fall boots?
3. Have you ever thrown a dinner party?
4. Turtleneck sweaters — yea or nay?
5. Do you color your hair?
6. Favorite drugstore blush?
7. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
8. What’s one beauty product you couldn’t live without?
9. What music have you been into lately?
10. Weekly goals:

Wow, November 1 already…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 111

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Dear Diary,

I’m so furious right now — FURIOUS!

What’s that old saying? Something like, if you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself? Well, I told my good-for-nothing assistant WEEKS ago that for Halloween this year I wanted to dress up as Lady Gaga.

I was thinking either a bubble dress or big Coke can curls like in the Telephone video, and I told my assistant to “get on it” last month.

Per usual, she waited till the last minute, and now I’m stuck with this stupid yellow submarine.

She actually said, “I found the perfect costume for you!” Really?

I mean, how hard is it to find a Lady Gaga costume for a cat? It’s called the Internet, woman!

And you know I’m pretty sure this thing was made for a dog. Yup, just keeps gettin’ better.

Now I have to model with this ridiculous pumpkin next to me, which I can’t even eat.

I can’t work under these conditions…


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