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Philosophy Supernatural Collection and a Big TGIF!

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Clockwise from lower left: Superglossy Lipgloss SPF 15 in Share the Love and Live in the Moment ($17 each), Instant Sunshine Natural Mineral Bronzer ($28), Lit From Within Cream Blush in Bare Your Soul ($23) and You Make Me Blush Mineral Blush Duo in Sunny/Bright ($25)

TGIF

TGIF and good morning, lovelies! We made it to Friday. 🙂

How was your night? Mine was filled with Runningrunning… that is to say I went for a run after work, watched Project Runway (so glad Mitchell finally got the boot) and let my imagination run wild with Philosophy’s new Supernatural Makeup Collection (available now).

If you’re into natural makeup and stuff that’s easily tolerated by a variety of skin types, this new collection of sheer colors for face, cheeks, eyes and lips might be worth checking out.

Philosophy says they’re free of parabens, phthalates (plasticizers used in everything from children’s toys to eyeshadows and nail polish), mineral oil, talc, sulfates, propylene glycol and fragrance — and they won’t clog pores or irritate skin.

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I really like the textures and colors from what I’ve seen. They strike me as things I’d want to wear on my “non-makeup” days.

As soon I’ve spent some time wearing them out of the house, I’ll let you know how they hold up to everyday use. 🙂

What are your plans for the holiday weekend? Doing anything fun?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

White Cheddar Pasta with Tomato and Basil

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Cook one box of Pasta Roni Shells & White Cheddar per directions (to cut down calories and fat, leave out the butter and use skim milk). Stir in one chopped tomato and a handful of chopped basil leaves. Season with salt and pepper.

If you’ve got meat eaters up in the mix, add chopped sliced prosciutto.

I make this dish when I’m too tired to cook, which is um, often.

Are You Happy with Your Current Brush Storage Solution?

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Um, where’d I put my MAC 209?

Do you ever have those makeup moments that hit you like a ton of bricks? I was digging through my disorganized brush stash when I had one. My current approach to brush storage just does not work.

I’ve been using the same “system” for years. It’s a black pencil holder thingy that I got at Target (see above). Eye brushes, face brushes, cheek brushes — they’re all jammed in there like teenagers at a Jonas Brothers concert.

I can’t find squat!

Earlier today I surfed around for ideas. My favorite is this caddy/travel bag from Darac Beauty.

The Darac Solution Central ($32) is a flat, zippered bag that doubles as a brush stand and portable brush case.

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See how it keeps the brushes upright and separated? Love that. And, as crazy as this probably sounds, I like that I’d be able to just grab everything and jet if my apartment caught on fire.

If they were cheaper I’d get three, LOL!

My second option: something like the brush holders at Sephora (see Vanessa’s blog for a how-to).

It’d be cheaper than the Darac case (and I like the DIY angle), but they’re not as streamlined. Sigh…

I’ll have to keep looking unless you can help me out. How do you store your makeup brushes?

Are you happy with your current brush storage solution?

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen
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Get Glowy, Fast, with Benefit High Beam and Moon Beam

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Ask (contact me) and ye shall receive, homies.

The other day reader Styleezta asked for help applying Benefit’s liquid highlighters, High Beam ($24, a shimmery light pink) and Moon Beam ($24, a shimmery apricot).

Here’s how I use ’em to create my own shimmery, J. Lo-inspired glow. 🙂

But first, a little background. Both High Beam and Moon Beam have been around for years… Back in the day (uh, 1999), High Beam was my gateway highlighter drug. As soon as I saw that sexy, shimmery glow on my skin, I was hooked.

Ever since then I’ve had mad love for these liquid highlighters. They’re effortless to apply and to blend — totally fabulous for highlighting virgins.

DollarsA money-saving bonus? — There’s no need to throw down for an extra brush because these cuties come with a convenient applicator.

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High Beam Brush

Doesn’t it look like a nail polish brush?

Used to apply the highlighters directly on the skin, the semi-firm brush head draws lines and dots with ease.

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Swatches from left to right: High Beam, Moon Beam

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Ready, set, draw!

It turns out these lines, dots and stripes are totes key to good application.

To start, I place some dots on my left temple, right temple and chin. Then, I swipe a stripe down the bridge of my nose. Next, on each cheekbone, I draw two short, parallel lines.

I usually do all of this on top of foundation and powder because I don’t have flawless skin. If you do, (jealous!) you can probably get away with applying to bare skin.

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Where I place my dots and stripes

I end up looking a lil’ something like this:

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Seriously, why are my nails so TRAGIC?

To finish, all I do is blend with my fingers until it’s completely absorbed into my skin, taking care to diffuse any visible edges.

Bingo! — an improv J. Lo glow in less than a minute.

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Bloggerati Spotlight

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The Beauty Bloggerati

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Working with Bobbi Brown Metallic Long-Wear Cream Shadow in Starry Purple

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Despite a valiant effort to channel my inner Tim Gunn, I just couldn’t MAKE IT WORK with Bobbi Brown’s Starry Purple ($22) cream eyeshadow.

Argh!

Maybe my recent luck with Bobbi’s products (Ivy League, yo!) led me to expect too much.

Blah-chaay — that’s all I can say.

Starry Purple’s one of eight new Metallic Long-Wear Cream Shadows.

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I’m bummed because the shimmery purple, with all of its multi-colored glitter, really got me pumped! I had visions of turning out serious Purple Rain worthy looks.

Oh, well. Problem is I just can’t get the color to translate well on my lids.

It’s not a highly pigmented shadow and applies with just a whisper of color. Layering seems to punch up the purple, but not in a uniform way. The resulting application looks blotchy and uneven.
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