Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup

Two Ways to Win ALL FIVE Harajuku Lovers Snow Bunnies Fragrances (a $150 Value)

November 5th, 2009 by Karen 209 Comments

The giveaway is closed, and the winner has been contacted. Please check the home page for current giveaways.

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For the holidays, our girl Gwen Stefani decided to give her Harajuku Lovers fragrances a makeover, dressing G, Love, Lil’ Angel, Music and Baby in limited-edition Snow Bunny outfits.

With button-up winter coats, scarves and mittens (awww!), the girls look ready to strut their winter stuff!

The outfits are different, but the scents remain the same:

G: A blend of coconut, apple, mandarin, freesia and sandalwood notes
Love: A sensual floral with bergamot (a citrus fruit), peach, jasmine and musk
Lil’ Angel: A fruity floral with raspberry, pineapple rose and amber
Music: A delicate floral with clementine, pear, sweet pea and vanilla
Baby: A powdery scent with freesia, rose, musk and violet

Can you picture ALL FIVE Harajuku Lovers Snow Bunnies posing on your dresser? So cute!

Methinks it’s time for a giveaway! 🙂

The prize

One lucky lady will win all five Harajuku Lovers Snow Bunnies fragrances: G (pictured at top), Love, Lil’ Angel, Music and Baby (a $150 value).

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How to enter…

2ways2enter Entering is easy. There are two different ways, 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. In it, tell me about your favorite winter coat.

It’s gotta be my puffy black jacket with the faux fur hood. It makes me look like the Michelin Man, but I don’t care. That sucker keeps me warm!

Second, enter by following me on Twitter and retweeting (RT) the following message:

RT @karenmbb: RT to win ALL 5 Harajuku Lovers Snow Bunnies Fragrances (a $150 Value) http://bit.ly/4CVnIQ

Recap…

Enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, and don’t forget to use a valid email address so I can reach you if you win.
Follow me on Twitter and retweet the following message:

RT @karenmbb: RT to win ALL 5 Harajuku Lovers Snow Bunnies Fragrances (a $150 Value) http://bit.ly/4CVnIQ

I’ll pick the winner at random from among the people who enter by 11:59 p.m. PST on Saturday, November 7.

Bahati njema!!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The giveaway is closed, and the winner has been contacted. Please check the home page for current giveaways.

Bloggerati Spotlight

November 5th, 2009 by Karen 1 Comment

Good morning, chicas. How was your night? Mine was blissfully mellow and ended without fireworks (went to bed early).

I did manage to squeeze in some web surfing before watching the new episode of The City (OMG, could Freddie Fackelmayer be any more suspect?).

From my girls in Daily Makeover’s Beauty Bloggerati…

9 phantastic beauty products for Phillies fans — Beauty Blogging Junkie
Three favorite winter skin remedies — Makeup Bag
Blistex Natural Cooling Comforts is a drugstore steal! — Product Girl
The season’s hottest accessories and how to wear them well — A Mom in Red High Heels
Mrow! How to create a cat eye look — Spoiled Pretty
DIY wedding beauty products for the bride-to-be — The Jet Set Girls
Streamline your workflow for the ultimate skincare routine — Makeover Momma
Fangtastic Vampire Diaries hair looks! — Hair Thursday
A peek at NARS Holiday 2009 — Talking Makeup

Have a good one today. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Adventures in Spaghetti Squash, Vol. 1

November 4th, 2009 by Karen 17 Comments

Here’s what I ended up doing with the spaghetti squash!

Thanks, Janee, for the recipe. 🙂

How Bright Are Shu Uemura’s New $30 Rouge Unlimited Supreme Shine Lipsticks?

November 4th, 2009 by Karen 21 Comments

Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Supreme Shine Lipstick Review open

Have you had a chance to check out Shu Uemura’s new Rouge Unlimited Supreme lipsticks ($30 each)?

There are 14 of them in all, each one of the gloss-in-lipstick’s clothing variety — meaning that they feel like lipsticks on the lips but shine like a gloss.

Shu claims their exclusive color technology (get ready to be blinded with fancy talk!) of hybrid pigments, film-keeping capsules and ultra-shine oils makes them more intensely pigmented than similar offerings from other brands.

I’ve tried three of the shades so far and have to agree. The colors do seem a little more vibrant than those of the other lipstick/gloss hybrids I’ve tried from Prescriptives (RIP!), MAC and Avon.

But does the difference justify the price?

Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Supreme Shine Swatches RD 185
RD 185
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Star of the Silver Screen: LORAC’s Silver Screen Palette

November 4th, 2009 by Karen 38 Comments

Lorac Silver Screen Palette Review closed

Never mind that the silver faux-croc cover of LORAC’s Silver Screen Palette ($30) kinda reminds me of my ashy winter legs. When I peeked inside, I saw stars!

Lorac Silver Screen Palette Review product shot all
I’m soooo into you!

Silver Screen, one of three limited-edition goodies from LORAC’s new Hollywood Ice Holiday 2009 collection, comes with eight neutral eyeshadows, two blushes, one lip gloss and an iddy biddy double-sided eye brush.

More of LORAC’s Hollywood Ice Holiday 2009 collection…

The Double Booked Full Face Collection ($55, a limited edition palette available exclusively at Sephora)

Couture Shine Gloss Collection ($23, limited edition glosses, available at both Sephora and Ulta)

NOTE: Silver Screen’s exclusive to Ulta, and I haven’t seen it for sale online yet, so peep your local Ulta store for availability.

Silver Screen’s mix of warm and cool eyeshadows first caught my eye. I dig the buttery smooth texture of LORAC’s shadows and how easy I think it makes them to apply and blend, yet somehow they still manage to last all day long, too, even on my oily lids.

If you’re new to eye makeup and confused by color pairings, you might give it a try. LORAC makes it easy for beginners by grouping their shadows into warm and cool shades.

Lorac Silver Screen Palette Review shadows
Top row: warm eyeshadows; Bottom row: cool eyeshadows

Lorac Silver Screen Palette Review blush left
Shimmery, peachy pink blush
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Jared Leto: His Best Hair?

November 4th, 2009 by Karen 21 Comments

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Jared Leto became the object of many teenage fantasies in the mid-’90s when he was cast as heartthrob Jordan Catalano on the TV show My So-Called Life.

Born the day after Christmas in December of 1971, the vegetarian artist/actor/musician is a man of many talents.

Before hitting it big, he studied painting at Philadelphia’s University of the Arts. He originally moved to Los Angeles in 1992 to pursue music, only taking small acting parts to pay the bills.

After his stint as resident hottie on My So-Called Life ended in 1995, Jared went on to star in several films including American Psycho, Fight Club and Panic Room.

These days Jared stays busy singing lead and playing guitar in the rock band 30 Seconds to Mars. The band’s third album, This is War, arrives next month.

Before picking him for today’s poll, I had no idea how adventurous homeboy was with his hair! I’m liking most of the styles, except for the braids. Those bring back too many bad memories of K. Fed in his heyday. 🙂

Oh, and while I’m not normally a fan of guyliner, how HARD does Jared rock that black liner on his waterline?

I wonder how he feels about MAC Fluidline…

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Tuesday Beauty Tips: Writing Made Easier

November 3rd, 2009 by Karen 31 Comments

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In committing more than a million blog words to digital paper, I’ve ~~battled~~ struggled through some SERIOUS bouts of writer’s block.

No matter how many times I beat it back, writer’s block always returns! It’s funny that way, but I’ve learned a thing or two about writer’s block over the years, and if you’ve faced it too, here are some things that might help.

1. What’s the theme?

Most of the time, if/when I can summarize an idea in about one sentence, it’s fully baked.

That’s my theme, and I treat it like my hypothesis. Basically, it’s what I plan to prove in the blog post/e-mail/memo I’m writing, and everything I put on the page should help to back up my point.

Before I start to write, I’ll post my theme at the top of a blank page to remind myself to stay on topic.

A few of the themes I’ve written over the past few weeks…

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