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10 Days of Giveaways: Comment to Win MAC Trip Classic Eye and Cheek Palette

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

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Aloha, girls! Did you know that Hawaii is the only US state in which coffee is grown?

El Hub and I are really looking forward to seeing our family. My in-laws live in a town called Kaneohe on the Eastern side of the island of Oahu. It’s the wetter side of the island than the South side where Waikiki Beach and Pearl Harbor are, but that makes it lush and fragrant.

Over the next 10 days, we have A LOT of great guest posts lined up, 10 days of giveaways, and I have a few other surprises in store, too. 🙂

Now, for this morning’s giveaway…

The prize

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Today’s giveaway takes YOU on a trip — a MAC Trip!

One lucky lady will win the MAC Trip 4 Classic Eye and Cheek Palette ($30). This rare, hard-to-find travel exclusive palette features Sweetness Beauty Powder Blush (a clean pink), Lightfully Eyeshadow (a pale icy pink with silvery pearl), Idol Eyes Eyeshadow (an icy gray violet with golden pearl) and Print Eyeshadow (a muted gray).

How to enter

To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment in the comments section below telling me the name of one MAC product that’s great to have with you on trips.

I always bring my MAC 266 brush, holla!

I’ll pick the winner at random from among the people who enter by 11:59PM PST tonight (Friday).

Maika’i pomaika’i, beauties!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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

Barielle Sugar Rush Summer 2009: Help!

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barielle sugar rush summer 2009

Homies, I need your help. I need to give my toes some TLC before I leave at the booty crack of dawn tomorrow (5:45!) for the airport. I’m trying to choose between one of the shades from Barielle’s Sugar Rush 2009 summer collection ($8 each). Which one do you think I should go with?

The skinny…

  • Swizzle Stix: A creamy baby blue that’s a touch streaky.
  • Sweet Addiction: A creamy mint green that applies smoothly with consistent color.
  • Lemondrops: A bright yellow reminiscent of last year’s Essie Short Shorts (le sigh!), but slightly more streaky.
  • Grape Escape: A creamy, deep purple that both Barney *and* Prince would envy.
  • Decadence: Remember this shimmery teal from April Fool’s Day? LOL!
  • Cotton Candy: A sweet, shimmery baby pink that applies with rich color.

All of the shades dry quickly to an uber-shiny finish.

barielle sugar rush summer 2009 swizzle stix

barielle sugar rush summer 2009 sweet addiction

barielle sugar rush summer 2009 lemondrops
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Three Custom Color Specialists Seychelles Collection, Take Me Away

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Add Seychelles, Africa to the list of dream vacation places. I spent a good hour this morning ogling pics of this tropical paradise of white beaches and granite rock formations, located just off the coast of Madagascar. The urge to check out the place was brought on by — surprise, surprise — makeup!

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I blame this bout of wanderlust on the three-piece Seychelles Collection by Three Custom Color Specialists. Inspired by the colors of the Seychelles Islands, the spring palette of brown, green, fuchsia, peach and pink shades includes makeup for the eyes and lips.

Eyeshadow in Coco De Mer ($23): This shimmery golden coco brown flashes to emerald green according to the light. The color reminds me of a toned-down, golden version of MAC Eyeshadow in Club, a duochrome that flashes from brown to green to blue to gray. I can see this color looking absolutely smokin’ with green, gold and bronze shades, like MAC Paint Pot in Delft, MAC Eyeshadow in Humid and MAC Eyeshadow in Amber Lights. The texture of Coco De Mer feels soft and finely milled, and it applies and blends with the ease of Shu Uemura’s power shadows.

Lipgloss in Peacock Flower ($22): Peacock Flower is a peachy pink that flashes to violet. It’s the most unique color I’ve seen for lips in awhile, and one of my new faves. The duochrome quality reminds me of MAC’s Lollipop Lovin’ lipstick, a funky but fun coral with hints of green released earlier this year. I like the feel of the thin and non-sticky formula, which packs a lot of shine.

Sheer Lipstick in Frangipani ($22): This shimmery, sheer fuchsia with golden flecks of glitter is free of taste or scent. The formula feels moisturizing and light on my lips.

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Frangipani Sheer Lipstick
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What’s Your Favorite Drugstore Hairspray?

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Do you remember your prom?

It was ages ago for me, but it seems like yesterday.

Reader Vivian is at that point in her life, and she’s in need of some help with her hair:

…I’ve been digging through your archives for the best drugstore hairspray that won’t make my hair like an honest-to-God bird’s nest, texture and all, but since I’m emailing you now, do you have any immediate suggestions?

Thanks so much! Your blog makes me so excited about prom!

Hi Vivian,

Ah, prom… That’s a good place to be in life. I hope you’re enjoying it. 🙂

Before we get into the hairspray bit, let me first just say that if you haven’t started wearing sunscreen on your neck, then you gotta start TODAY, girl. Trust me, in 10 years you’ll thank me for it.

Now, onto drugstore hairsprays!

I usually use hairsprays to set a final style, and there are two drugstore products I really like.

If I want soft, flexible hold (say, if I’ve curled my hair), I reach for L’Oreal’s Elnett Extra StrongHold UV Hair Spray ($15). It’s an aerosol spray with UV protectors, and I love fine mist. It doesn’t weigh down my hair and holds a hairstyle without flaking. Plus, it never leaves me with stiff or sticky hair.

But if the humidity’s high, or for some reason my hair needs some extra hold, I’ll grab Garnier Fructis Style Sleek & Shine Anti-Humidity Hairspray Ultra Strong ($4).

It controls the frizz, even in the rain (fab for those extra birds-nesty hair days), stays put all day long and costs less than a blended coffee.

MBB readers, let’s give young Viv a hand. What are your favorite drugstore hairsprays, and why do you love ’em?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Urban Decay Skyscraper Multi-Benefit Mascara: How I Wish My Lashes Looked Naturally

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urban decay skyscraper multi benefit mascara

Makeup packaging junkies, get a load of the purple scribbles on Urban Decay’s Skyscraper Multi-Benefit Mascara ($22). Isn’t this cutie the hotness?

urban decay skyscraper multi benefit mascara wand

Urban Decay says their newest mascara works in six ways — lengthening, strengthening, separating, curling, brightening and thickening lashes without clumping or flaking. That’s a whole lot of ing words, LOL!

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It comes in just a single shade, Black, and what I like best about it is that I still feel my lashes look natural with it on.
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