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Penelope Cruz: Her Best Hair?

October 5th, 2009 by Karen 13 Comments

penelope-cruz-hair-poll-2

Actress Penelope Cruz (born Penelope Cruz Sanchez on April 28, 1974) is getting hitched!

News broke of her engagement to actor Javier Bardem (aka the scary dude in No Country For Old Men) today.

The two starred together in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, a film that helped snag her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress last year.

I wonder what her hair will look like on the big day. Penelope likes to change her look by adding highlights, varying the length or switching the texture from straight to curly, so you never know.

Which of Penelope's hairstyles do you like best?

View Results

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 13 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun

MBB Headquarters, Feb. ’07 – Sept. ’09

October 5th, 2009 by Karen 15 Comments


There are 15 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Daily Photo

Benefit Cosmetics Holiday 2009: Affordable and Feminine Makeup and Fragrance Sets

October 5th, 2009 by Karen 35 Comments

benefit cosmetics holiday 2009

Let the holiday 2009 madness begin with Benefit’s limited-edition sets, available later this month.

My mind’s a blur right now (too much coffee and too little sleep), so forgive me as I bust out the bullets:

  • Each set is reasonably priced between $26-46.
  • The quilt and chain designs along with the red, purple and gold packaging totally remind me of a blinged-out Chanel purse.
  • Included in the kits are arguably some of the best stuff in Benefit’s permanent line (hello, Coralista).
  • Love the Crescent Row scents like I do? Expect new, limited-edition body lotions for each fragrance. I haven’t tried ’em yet, but I hope they’ll be moisturizing enough to handle my alligator legs.

Let me know if any of these move you. 🙂

Celebutante, $34

benefit cosmetics holiday 2009 celebutante

This nine-piece kit packs almost everything I need to go from tow’ up to glam in a matter of minutes. The travel-sized eye and blush brushes for on-the-go touchups are a nice bonus, too.

Bring out your inner Celebutante with …

  • High Beam: a shimmery pink highlighter for the face and body (check out swatches along with a how-to tutorial here)
  • Benetint: a liquid, rose-colored cheek and lip tint (see swatches here)
  • Dallas: a shimmery peach blush (read a full review and view swatches here)
  • Lip Gloss in I’m With the Band: a sheer, shimmery golden pink gloss (peep the full review and swatches here and here)
  • Full-Finish lipstick in Lady’s Choice: a warm, dusty rose pink (see here for swatches)
  • Velvet Eyeshadow in Leggy: a shimmery light pink (see swatches here)
  • Velvet Eyeshadow in Dandy Brandy: a shimmery golden brown (see swatches here)

Glitz Glam & Gloss, $26

benefit holiday 2009 glitz glam gloss

Benefit Lip Gloss fans on a budget just might love this kit.

The Benefit babes loaded Glitz Glam & Gloss with three dual-headed glosses (six glosses total), each with a generous .10-oz of product (a full-sized Benefit Lip Gloss contains .17-oz of gloss).

Buying all six glosses separately (check out a review here) costs $108; grabbing ’em all at once saves a whopping $82. That’s a steal of a deal, yo!

Glitz Glam & Gloss includes …[Continue reading…]

There are 35 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Makeup

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Oct. 5

October 5th, 2009 by Karen 50 Comments

100509-tabs-in-bathroom

  1. Mood:
  2. Disheveled but feeling positive. I’m a creature of habit, so not having everything *exactly* where I want it puts me out of sorts. The hard part is finally over, though.

  3. Lips and cheeks:
  4. I haven’t unpacked my brushes yet, so nothing for now except zit medicine on my cheeks (LOL!) and Philosophy Kiss Me Lip Balm on my pucker.

  5. Breakfast:
  6. Nescafe Classico (it’s like the pimp daddy of instant coffee) and a Lara Bar in my favorite flavor, Apple Pie.

  7. In one year I’d like to ______:
  8. Be back in fighting shape, freelance for a beauty mag and become a master of crock pot cooking.

  9. Hair:
  10. Messy waves in a low ponytail.

  11. I really wish I could ______:
  12. Not be so hard on myself.

  13. Body lotion:
  14. Philosophy Field of Flowers.

  15. If you could play hooky today and do anything your heart desired what would you do?
  16. I’d stay in bed and watch bad reality TV shows on my laptop!

  17. Accessories:
  18. My wedding ring and an ancient rainbow-colored friendship bracelet I found in my Caboodle last week.

  19. Weekly goals:
  20. Clean every nook and cranny of the new place; until that happens I won’t feel like this space is really mine. Geez … I really am my mother’s daughter.

A good afternoon to ya, my Carrie Bradshaws.

El hub, Tabs and I finally finished moving yesterday. It was a rough weekend filled with sleep deprivation and stress, but it’s almost over. Things are starting to look up, yay! 🙂

Earlier today as I desperately rifled through boxes looking for coffee, I wondered how you were doing and what you’ve been up to.

Won’t you take a second to check in and let me know? Copy and paste *Le List* below into the comments with your answers, and fill me in with what’s going on with you.

Tabs sends you big, fat kitty kisses!

Le list

1. Mood:
2. Lips and cheeks:
3. Breakfast:
4. In six months I’d like ______:
5. Hair:
6. I really wish I could ______:
7. Body lotion:
8. If you could play hooky today and do anything your heart desired what would you do?
9. Accessories:
10. Weekly goals:

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 50 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun

Two Ways to Win MAC Tone: Grey Eyeshadow Quad

October 4th, 2009 by Karen 388 Comments

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

093009-mac-tone-grey-1

Even though there are blue skies outside today I’m feeling a little gray — a little MAC Tone: Grey, that is!

This eyeshadow palette was released last month as part of the Trend F/W ’09 collection, a nine-piece launch created to reflect the backstage trends at Fashion Week.

I’m thinking it’s time for another giveaway …

The prize

One lucky lady will take home MAC’s Tone: Grey, an eyeshadow quad with four limited-edition colors in light and dark gray, white and blue (a $36 value).

How to enter…

2ways2enterEntering 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 the highlight of your weekend so far.

Mine was taking a few moments to play with Chanel’s new Holiday 2009 and Noirs Obscurs collections.

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

RT @karenmbb: RT Win to MAC Tone: Grey Eyeshadow Quad http://bit.ly/jdQ8q

Recap…

  1. 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.
  2. Follow me on Twitter and retweet the following message:

    RT @karenmbb: RT to Win MAC Tone: Grey Eyeshadow Quad http://bit.ly/jdQ8q

I’ll pick the winner at random from among the people who enter by 11:59 p.m. PST on Monday, October 5.

Jūk néih hóuwahn!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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

There are 388 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun

Retro Roundup: One Year Ago on Makeup and Beauty Blog

October 4th, 2009 by Karen 8 Comments

Stila Cover Look No. 2

Rise and shine, morning glories! It’s going to be a beautiful day. 🙂 Grab your warm morning beverage of choice, say “eff it” to all the stresses in your life, and sit back for some frivolous beaute-ronomy with this brief look back in time to October 2008.

Here were some of the things we were talking about then…

  • Wedding Palette Auditions: Stila Cover Look No. 2
    “For this go ’round of Wedding Palette Auditions I thought I’d try a gold eye with light cheeks and pink lips using another Stila palette, Cover Look No. 2. Let me know your thoughts.”
  • 11 Great Makeup Wipes and Cleansers
    “A few days ago I reviewed L’Oreal Skin Genesis Wet Cleansing Towelettes with BHA. A few of you gals then offered up your fave makeup removing wipes and cleansers in the comments. Here’s a list featuring your recommendations and why you love ’em!”
  • How Do You Wear Red Lipstick? Tips and Tricks
    “Like the Ol’ Faithful of lip looks, a red lip is one of the most reliable, fool-proof ways to steal the spotlight. But red and other bright lip shades can be challenging colors to wear. My secret to wearing reds like Lancome’s Absolute Rouge ($29) is to apply them using a MAC 316 Covered Lip Brush ($19).”
  • Cargo Blu Ray Pressed Powder: Ready for My Close Up, Mr. Deville
    “Cargo infused Blu Ray with softening agents, like optical blurring and photochromatic pigments, which, according to the company, reduce the look of fine lines, minimize flaws and cover imperfections in a variety of lighting conditions.”
  • Get Smudgy with Stila Kajal Eye Liners
    “Mirror, mirror on the wall, which eye liner’s the smoothest of all? Stila’s Kajal Eye Liner ($18) lays smooth smack-down on pencil liners that tug and skip along lash lines. Available in eight shades, it literally glides across the skin, creating solid, intensely colored lines — no muss, no fuss.”
  • MAC Adoring Carmine 3 Rose Lips: A Pink Lipstick Double Play
    “The 3 Rose Lips set ($35.50) from the MAC Adoring Carmine holiday collection makes my pink lipstick-obsessed heart flutter. Yeah, you might think the red patent bag looks a bit cheesy — it’s more dominatrix than happy holidays — but if you can overlook that, this lip set is totes worth your attention.”

PROJECT MOVING TO NOVATO: Nothing really exciting to report, just moving load after load of boxes. I have the easy job; I pack stuff up and stack it by the front door. Then, El Hub carries the boxes down 15 stairs, around a brick wall and out to where the truck is parked.

Between us, El Hub’s lookin’ pretty tow’ up this morning. 🙂

I ended up keeping tabs on Tabs here at the apartment one more night. I didn’t feel right leaving him at the new place last night while we stayed here at the old place waiting for the movers this morning. Looks like his first night at the condo will be my first night there, too.

Anyhoo, enjoy your day. I’ll keep in touch through my phone until I hook up my computer at the new Makeup and Beauty Blog HQ this afternoon, LOL!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 8 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun

Chanel Noirs Obscurs Collection: Swatches and a Quick Look

October 3rd, 2009 by Karen 23 Comments

chanel noirs obscurs collection

Back in high school, one of my BFFs was a total goth girl. Dressed in black from head to toe, she would have squealed with delight over next month’s Noirs Obscurs collection from Chanel.

I bet the nine-piece release of dark shades for eyes, lips and nails is something The Cure (circa 1990) would have liked, too, LOL!

Here’s a quick look at some of release. Let me know what you think!

chanel noirs obscurs collection obscur les folies noires
Quator Boutons De Chanel Quadra Eye Shadow

chanel noirs obscurs collection obscur
Rouge Allure Luminous Satin Lip Colour in Obscur

chanel noirs obscurs collection diabolic
Le Vernis Nail Colour in Diabolic

Swatches

chanel noirs obscurs swatches
First row: Rouge Allure in Obscure, Les Vernis Nail Colour in Diabolic. Second row: Quator Boutons De Chanel Quadra Eye Shadow. Third row: Exceptionnel De Chanel Noir Obscur Mascara.

The entire Chanel Noirs Obscurs collection includes…

Inimitable Noir Obscur Mascara Multi-Dimensionnel, $30

  • Extreme Black 05: a deep, dark black

Exceptionnel De Chanel Noir Obscur Intense Volume and Curl Mascara, $30

  • Extreme Black 05: a deep, dark black

[Continue reading…]

There are 23 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Makeup

A Sneak Peek at Chanel’s Holiday 2009 Makeup Collection

October 3rd, 2009 by Karen 28 Comments

chanel holiday 2009 makeup collection golden cage

I should totally be vacuuming right now, but I couldn’t wait to snap a few pics of Chanel’s upcoming Holiday 2009 makeup collection (available in November).

What do you think of the colors? They’re kinda summery, yah?

chanel holiday 2009 makeup collection golden cage aqualumiere gloss bird of paradise
Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eye Shadow in Bird of Paradise

chanel holiday 2009 makeup collection golden cage les tissages
Les Tissages Lames De Chanel

chanel holiday 2009 makeup collection golden cage aqualumiere gloss
From left to right: Aqualumiere Gloss in Colibri, Hirondelle and Canari

chanel holiday 2009 makeup collection golden cage aqualumiere
From left to right: Aqualumiere Sheer Colour Lipshine SPF 15 in Maldives, Galapagos, Grenada and Tasmania

Swatches

[Continue reading…]

There are 28 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Makeup

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

Makeup and Beauty Blog features daily product reviews, makeup tips and beauty news — like an interactive version of a monthly print magazine, except with occasional pictures of my cat.

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