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

Makeup and Beauty Blog Retro Roundup: So Long, September 2009

September 30th, 2009 by Karen 6 Comments

G’morning, cuties! 🙂 Can you believe we actually made it through September? I dunno about you, but I was definitely feeling the Mercury in retrograde madness!

Despite the planetary challenges, it was a pretty good month for makeup and beauty. Obvs, there was the excitement of New York Fashion Week, but there were also lots of fabulous releases (MAC ATTACK!), too.

Isn’t it a little crazy that you and I are traveling into yet another holiday season? It seems like just yesterday we were chatting about summer launches and heat waves.

Even though I’m not looking forward to the cold weather (I actually had to bundle up with an extra sweater this morning, brr), at least there will be a ton of hot holiday makeup to keep us toasty.

urban-decay-book-of-shadows-volume-2
Urban Decay Book of Shadows Vol. II, $48

Here’s to making it through September together, *raises coffee cup*. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Halloween Ideas with Kryolan Professional Makeup

September 29th, 2009 by Karen 19 Comments

Evening, ladies. How was your Tuesday? Mine wasn’t bad, except that I spent my whole afternoon stuck in the East Bay with car trouble. I’m finally back home now (a little worse for wear).

The post that follows is a reprint of one of my favorites from last year, and with Halloween approaching it seemed particularly apt. Hmm… Is it too early to start brainstorming costumes for this year?

Every girl deserves a makeover from time to time. My last one was ages ago. I’d been itching to try a new look, so yesterday I made the short trip into San Francisco hoping to find inspiration.

I hit my usual haunts — MAC, Dior and Chanel — but I was in the mood for something, well, kinda different, so I kept looking.

I was almost ready to throw in the towel when a sign on a building caught my eye: Kryolan Professional Makeup. Curious as ever and not wanting to head home defeated, I decided to check it out.

Jake, the Kryolan showroom manager, gave me a tour of the place and described their products and services.

The company offers a full line of professional and consumer beauty products but specializes in theater makeup and makeup education. I was immediately drawn to their Aquacolor wet cake makeup — pans of highly pigmented, glycerin-based face and body makeup available in 250 different shades ($6 each).

Once I spotted their beautiful brushes (high quality, and generally more affordable than department store lines), body paints and, um, fake blood, I knew I was in for a different kind of makeover. Sign my booty up!

Dominic, Kryolan’s director of education, got me ready for my makeover, sitting me down beside a counter covered in Aquacolor pans. I told him to go nuts! I didn’t know what to expect, but I got a little suspicious when he glued a prosthetic cat nose to my face.

That’s when it dawned on me: homie was probably not going to do a simple smokey eye.

After all, Kryolan is known for extreme movie and theater makeup. You’ve probably seen their makeup at work in Hollywood films, and their credits include the makeup for The Chronicles of Narnia, Collateral and Pirates of the Caribbean.

With my new prosthetic cat nose in place, Dominic started layering different colors to develop the look. “The painting process is fun,” he said. “This is the most time consuming part of the whole process.”

The entire Karen-into-cat transformation took about 45 minutes, but here’s the condensed version…

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Makeup and Beauty Blog: Random Acts of Beauty, Vol. 1

September 29th, 2009 by Karen 45 Comments

random-acts-of-beauty-vol-1

One girl. 24 hours. Three random acts of beauty.

10:17 a.m. — While packing, I stumble upon an ancient artifact buried deep in the bedroom closet: my pink and green Caboodle makeup organizer, ooh!

Back in the early ’90s, Caboodles were a staple of teenage makeup life. This one housed all of my first makeup treasures (like Clinique Raspberry Glace lipstick… so old school!) and kept them safe and secure.

caboodle

Over time, its role changed from Protector of Makeup to Defender of Costume Jewelry and Random Keepsakes.

I haven’t opened it in ages… My heart quickens! I dust off the top and brace myself before opening the lid.

Inside: a time capsule of my teenage years. 🙂

First, evidence that my evolution into a CCL (crazy cat lady) began at an early age.

cat-earrings

Then, my vision wavers when I see this dress clip thing-a-ma-bobber, and it’s suddenly 1993 again. I’m at school, and girls are wearing them clipped to the backs of loose, floral-print dresses all around me.

dress-clip

I return to the present and find a small manila envelope… I’m intrigued. What’s inside?

EWW! It’s my old braces!

braces

Sifting through my Caboodle’s long-forgotten bits and bobs, I smile, lost among memories. It’s the first time in many days I’ve felt present and “in the moment.” No stressing over work, packing, bills that have to be paid — nothing.

2:30 p.m. — I’m petting Tabs with my foot. I glance at my toes and note how massively ‘TOW UP my pedicure looks.

It’s down to polish remnants, and it’s not a pretty sight.

I don’t have much time to spare (must. continue. packing.), so I reach for a bottle of Rimmel 60 Seconds Nail Polish ($3), aka drugstore nail polish savior of time-strapped women everywhere.

rimmel-60-seconds

It delivers rich, even color and dries in — yup, you guessed it — about 60 seconds flat. With 26 color to choose from, there’s a shade for many moods and occasions.

Finally, my feet are cute once more; order has been restored.

11:49 p.m. I’m tucked beneath the covers in bed and starting to drift to sleep. El Hub is quietly explaining how The Final Four college basketball playoffs work…
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MAC Dazzleglass Cremes: The Three Amigas

September 29th, 2009 by Karen 10 Comments

From left to right: Do It Up, Creme Allure and Sublime Shine ($18 each).

MAC Style Black: Blue Flame Mineralize Eyeshadow

September 29th, 2009 by Karen 7 Comments

It’s smoking hot!

(MAC Mineralize Eyeshadow in Blue Flame, $20)

Lovin’ One Layer of MAC Zoom Fast Black Lash Mascara

September 29th, 2009 by Karen 28 Comments

(Click here to see the video embedded within this post)

I gotta hand it to carnies because that juggling stuff is hard work! 🙂

Simply put, the more tasks and projects I try to juggle at the same time, the harder it becomes to maintain a beauty regimen.

All of the time consumers that come with moving, coupled with my regular work, have sapped much of my time and energy for makeup. By virtue of necessity, I’ve had to resort to a lot of super-minimal makeup looks — filled-in brows, dabs of concealer beneath my eyes and now, thanks to MAC, a single layer of mascara.

It takes mere seconds to apply, but a single layer of MAC’s new Zoom Fast Black Lash ($13) gives lashes a dark glossy black finish and extra length. The outcome’s a quick and easy natural lash look with KICK, and it totally fits with a minimal makeup vibe.

If you’re looking for a go-to mascara that adds length and a vibrant, inky black finish yet won’t look totally fake on your lashes, then consider giving MAC’s $13 Zoom Fast Black Lash a try.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. If you’re on the hunt for a new mascara but aren’t moved by this one, Walgreens has a $5 off $25 printable coupon (Yea for drugstore makeup!). Good today and tomorrow only (9/29 – 9/30).

10 Days of Giveaways: Comment to Win Jessica Simpson’s Fancy Love Perfume

September 28th, 2009 by Karen 138 Comments

The giveaway is now closed, and I’m contacting the winner by e-mail. Good luck!

jessica-simpson fancy love

Remember Newleyweds with Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey? I used to get such a kick out of that show… The way Nick always kept himself busy with little projects around the house reminded me of El Hub (that boy just can’t sit still!).

But it was Jessica’s foibles and word-isms on the show that helped to turn her into a household name.

Now, years after revealing to the world how she thought that Chicken of the Sea was actually made from chicken, Jessica has her own lines of shoes, faux hair pieces (LOL!) and, yup, fragrance.

The prize

One lucky lady will take home a bottle of Fancy Love Eau de Parfum by Jessica Simpson (a $59 value), a floral with notes of peach blossom, bergamot, pink champagne, peony, jasmine, rose and musk.

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, name one or more of your favorite blondes.

Let’s see… There’s Gwen Stefani, Miss Piggy and Chrissy from Three’s Company!

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

RT @karenmbb: RT to Win Fancy Love Perfume by Jessica Simpson http://bit.ly/3vYigw

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 Fancy Love Perfume by Jessica Simpson http://bit.ly/3vYigw

I’ll pick the winner at random from among the people who enter by 11:59 p.m. PST on Wednesday, September 30.

Bari bakht!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The giveaway is now closed, and I’m contacting the winner by e-mail. Good luck!

MAC DSquared: Lovin’ the Feline Eye Kohl and Greasepaint Sticks

September 28th, 2009 by Karen 67 Comments

mac dsquared

Hey there, Tenderonis. How was Monday? I bailed on my responsibilities this afternoon and hit my nearby MAC counter to play with the new DSquared collection for lips, face and eyes.

I swatched everything the counter had in stock, which was nine of the 11 items. Of course, the two that were missing just happened to be the two I was MOST looking forward to (Lip Erase ($16) and DSquared Tinted Lip Conditioner in Fuchsia Fix ($15)), but c’est la vie, le sigh!

I’ll track down the two stragglers later this week. In the meantime, let me know what you think about these.

mac dquared sculpt and shape powder bone beige emphasize
DSquared Shape and Sculpt Powder in Bone Beige and Emphasize

mac-dsquared-shape-and-sculpt-powder-in-accentuate-sculpt
DSquared Shape and Sculpt Powder in Bone Beige and Accentuate and Sculpt

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From left to right: DSquared Lipstick in Nude Rose and Blood Red
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