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Benefit Sugarbomb: The Zero-Calorie, Super Sheer Blush

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Holmes, Benefit just blasted your last reason to fear blush. Their newest boxed beauty, Sugarbomb ($28), is so sheer, so subtle, that even the most ‘fraidy cat blush newbie can safely climb aboard.

When swirled together, the four shimmery powders — two shades of peach, a plum and a rose — blend to create a sweetly subtle flush for cheeks.

Before and after

Like the sheerer lovechild of Benefit’s Coralista (a bright, shimmery, cool coral) and Dallas (a warm, matte peachy brown) but with touches of plum and golden shimmer, Sugarbomb scores.

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Chanel Sparkling Satins Eyeshadow Quad: An Unsung Makeup Hero

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Sometimes, when I rifle through my makeup, I feel like a deep-sea explorer — like the Jacques Cousteau of cosmetics 🙂 — discovering new species of lipgloss and learning more about the many products that inhabit my personal makeup world, LOL!

I get a big kick out of rediscovering great products that I haven’t worn in months, like the Sparkling Satins Eyeshadow quad from Chanel ($56).

You see, I have a chronic case of makeup ADD. It’s almost debilitating, and Chanel’s stunning limited edition quads always make it worse.

When I recently reconnected with the cool-toned Sparkling Satins quad (comes with four powder shadows; I’d picked it up a few months ago at a Chanel master class), part of Chanel’s permanent line, I suddenly realized how lost I’d been without her.

Each of the four shades — a buttery gold, a light blueish gray, a silvery pink and a gunmetal gray with silver glitter — can do for eyes what only a two-week tropical getaway with a shirtless Ryan Reynolds could do. In other words, they do a lot.

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When I’m in the mood for more color than something like the NARS Kalahari can give me (big on the neutral shades), I’ll reach for something like the Sparkling Satins Eyeshadow quad.

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How to fake REM sleep

Here’s my favorite way to wear Sparkling Satins…
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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Jan. 4

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Striking a pose with a giant elephant ear plant last week!

  1. Mood:

    2. Pretty good for a Monday. I’m a little bummed that the holidays are over, and I’m going through a wicked case of TJ’s Dark Chocolate Stars withdrawal, but otherwise I feel ready to face the day!

  2. Video games — love ’em or hate ’em?

    3. I love the ones I’m good at, ha! Fan of Tetris, Frozen Bubble and Bejeweled 2. I played Guitar Hero for the first time the other night and really enjoyed myself (how cool is it that you get to pick your outfit AND your guitar?). Games I don’t like tend to be ones that involve cars and/or shooting.

  3. Last thing that made you smile?

    4. These amazingly awesome Star Trek Eggo Waffles!

  4. One of your favorite sounds?

    5. Tabs purring. 🙂

  5. Eyes/lips/cheeks:

    6. Chanel Sparkling Satins eyeshadow quad, NARS Greek Holiday Lipgloss and Benefit Sugarbomb blush.

  6. How do you feel about leggings?

    7. Oooh, girl, I rocked them so hard circa 1987 (along with slouchy socks and Keds without the shoelaces). Now, well, not so much. I like that they’re stretchy, but these days I need clothes that hold my sh*t in, you know?

  7. Do you follow sports?

    8. Not really. At one time I followed hockey religiously, but now not so much. I do enjoy watching football and basketball playoff games, though.

  8. When I was a kid I wanted to be ______:

    9. A Vegas lounge singer, a veterinarian, a cat breeder and a fashion designer — all at once, of course.

  9. Outfit:

    10. Jeans, blue, white and gray floral long-sleeve shirt, my new favorite gray knit “Re-Run” hat from H&M. Oh, and black and pink Reef brand flip-flops.

  10. Weekly goals:

    11. To continue covering my “positivity wall” at home with my favorite quotes and some of your comments and nice emails, to re-schedule (I flaked the last time) my next dental appointment, to try out a new soup recipe and to break in the new Jillian Michaels Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism DVD I got for Christmas

Rise and shine, ladies, and happy Monday! 🙂 Have a great day. Before you enter the fray, take a sec to check in with the first Monday Poll of 2010!

You know what to do G, bust a move…

Le list

1. Mood:
2. Video games — love ’em or hate ’em?
3. Last thing that made you smile?
4. A favorite sound?
5. Eyes/lips/cheeks:
6. How do you feel about leggings?
7. Do you follow sports?
8. When I was a kid I wanted to be _____.
9. Outfit:
10. Weekly goals:

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

What Were Your Best and Worst Beauty Experiences of the Week?

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what were your best and worst beauty experiences of the week?

MY BEST:

It’s been a week of ups and downs, but one bright spot was re-discovering the Chanel Sparkling Satins Eyeshadow Quad.

I bought it a few months ago and sorta forgot I had it, but I started wearing it again while I was in Hawaii last week and now remember why I fell in love with it in the first place.

The pale peach, pink and blue shadows brighten up tired-looking eyes, and the shimmery black adds a subtle sparkle when layered on top of black eyeliner.

The other bright spot has to do with you and the nice things you said after my post yesterday. You’ll never know how much that mattered to me, ladies. Love you very much. 🙂

MY WORST:

This is undoubtedly TMI, but my hair has reached epic levels of grossness. I honestly can’t remember the last time I washed it (was it Wednesday?).

The thought of cold, wet hair dripping down my back in this chilly weather has frightened me away! I think I’m finally over it now (thank gawd!), but hats, ponytail holders and Naturia Dry Shampoo have been up in my grill for days.

What were your best and worst beauty experiences of the week? Please share yours in the comments.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 69

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5 Things You Should Know about Tabs
5 Things You Should Know about Tabs - 1
5 Things You Should Know about Tabs - 2
5 Things You Should Know about Tabs - 3
5 Things You Should Know about Tabs - 4
5 Things You Should Know about Tabs - 5

Side note, but have you ever tried walking a cat on a leash? Scratch that. I mean, have you ever tried to put a leash on a cat? Today, feeling guilty about taking away his freedom by making him an indoor cat, I tried to put a kitty harness on Tabs to get him some sun out on the deck. Yeah… he wasn’t into it.

What are you doing tonight? Anything good on TV?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

A Rainbow of Wristlets and Clutches

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So, now I have a new excuse to accessorize. 🙂 I’m looking for a cute way to tote around my two newly prescribed inhalers, which will be joining the tubes of lipgloss, cans of cat food and random acorns I usually have on me at any given time.

I spent this morning scouring the Net for a sassy wristlet/clutch and found these 12 colorful options, each one priced for either budget babes or lavish ladies. 🙂

And check it: you don’t need to have a medical condition to get down with one of these little bags. No, ma’am. They’d also make perfect companions for on-the-go makeup essentials like lipglosses, blotting papers and purse-sized perfumes!

Lauren Merkin Zip Pouch in Tomato

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Wondercandy Jemima Red Dove Wristlet

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J. Crew Lolly Mini Clutch in Cantaloupe

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By Judianne Pleated Wristlet

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Kate Spade Tutti Fruitti Jodi in Chartreuse

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Rennes Le Chateau Mini Zoe Leather Zip Pouch in Bright Yellow

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Jessica Alba: Her Best Hair?

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Hark, a Dark Angel cometh, and she’s got bitchin’ hot hair!

Okay, so I just walked in the door from seeing Avatar (the 2D version… I KNOW! The theater was closer to home), and, yeah, I loved every minute of its FernGully-ish, eyeball-kissing spectacle. 🙂 That Jimmy James Cameron (Aliens, Terminators 1 and 2, The Abyss, True Lies, Titanic) sure has some science fiction film making chops, right?

Makes me wonder if Jessica Marie Alba (born April 28, 1981; NOTE: She doesn’t star in Avatar), when she learned back in 2000 that she’d been picked to star in Cameron’s short-lived Dark Angel TV series, thought, “OMG! I’m going to be taking orders from James Cameron!? How cool is this?”

I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess that Jessica’s bad girl looks and lascivious locks had something to do with her getting the part. And yet she’s managed to maintain a strict no-nudity clause in her acting contracts throughout her career, once saying, “I don’t do nudity. I just don’t. Maybe that makes me a bad actress. Maybe I won’t get hired in some things. But I have too much anxiety.”

It didn’t stop her from taking the No. 1 spot on Maxim’s Hot 100 list in 2001, or AskMen.com’s list of the 99 Most Desirable Women of 2006.

I don’t know about any of that, but daaaayam, girl has some foine hair.

Which of Jessica's hairstyles do you like best?

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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