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Recent Posts You May Have Missed

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Heya, chicas. Can you believe it’s already mid-September? Before you know it, it’ll be Thanksgiving, then Christmas… Where does the time go?

I’m already feeling a little nostalgic for summer, so I put together this list of posts from July. These were some of my favorites of the month.

  1. Gaga for Gold with Chanel Fall 2008
  2. Makeup Tutorial: A Peach, Brown and Green Eye for Summer
  3. Mally City Chick Smokey Eye Kit in Nolita Navy: Makes Blue Eyes Easy
  4. The $29 Drugstore Beauty Roundup
  5. Loving on MAC Love Connection Mineralize Eye Shadow Duo
  6. Autumn in the City: Sally Hansen Fall Nail Lacquer Colors by Tracy Reese
  7. A Green and Grey Eye with MAC Fresh Green Mix Mineralize Eye Shadow Duo
  8. Save Big Bucks on Stila and Smashbox at Costco
  9. How to Attend a Free Chanel Master Makeup Class
  10. Tuesday Beauty Tips: Be Good to Yourself

Not much on my agenda for today beyond some cleaning and maybe a trip to the mall. El Hub asked that I help him pick out some new clothes for work. In boy parlance that means his last few pairs of pants have holes in them, lol!

Have a good one today. Tabs says hi.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Hey, animal lovers. Stop by the cosmetics department at the downtown San Francisco Bloomingdale’s this Thursday, September 18, for a Day of Beauty for Pets. The event will benefit Pets Unlimited, a local non-profit providing emergency medical treatment and adoption services for pets.


I volunteered with them as a dog walker a couple years ago and had a lot of fun. They’re a fantastic organization.


On the 18th, Bloomies will donate 10% of all cosmetics purchases to Pets Unlimited. You can even bring along your pet to help you shop. Fido can get his picture taken or his portrait drawn while Fluffy gets her pet tag engraved. Keep an eye out for the workshop on holistic animal care.


If you live out of the area but would still like to support the cause, call Bloomingdale’s at (415) 856-5540 to place an order by phone. They even ship internationally (as long as your items aren’t flammable, lol!). For more information, visit Bloomingdale’s.com.

Laura Mercier Lip Velvets Feel Like Gloss but Look Like Lipstick

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‘Sup, girlies? How was your day? I managed to finish most of my errands and between loads of laundry popped by my local Laura Mercier counter to try the new Lip Velvets ($22) line o’ lipsticks from the Cherries Noir fall makeup collection.

You know how it feels when you hear a lot about a product before its release and figure there’s no way it can live up to your expectations? Well, that’s kinda how I felt on my way to the counter today. I’d been hearing from a friend that Lip Velvets were the makeup missing link, perfectly balancing the feel of a gloss with the look of a lipstick.

Bold words, right?
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YOU MUST CHOOSE: The Pizza and Beer Edition

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1. It’s your weekend, which means you have errands to run: a trip to the grocery store, dropping off the dry cleaning, taking the kids to soccer, etc., etc. Would you rather have to run your weekend errands wearing a 1980s aerobics outfit (complete with striped leotards, tights, leg warmers and head/wrist bands) OR dressed like a Playboy bunny (all the way, with the fake ears and fluffy bunny tail)?
YOU MUST CHOOSE!

2. A girlfriend entered you in a strange contest where winners receive $5,000 in Chanel, Shu Uemura and MAC makeup. To win, you have to scarf down your choice of either 20 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches OR 10 pieces of Kentucky Fried Chicken by the end of the day.
YOU MUST CHOOSE!

3. Would you rather make out with a sweaty Nicholas Cage (Bangkok Dangerous!) or a sweaty Philip Seymour Hoffman? (Sidenote: Speaking of Philip Seymour, do everything imaginable to avoid seeing the first five minutes of Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead… You’ve been warned.)
YOU MUST CHOOSE!

4. Would you rather spend your Friday night 1) trapped in a dark, stinky basement with 16-year-old boys playing Dungeons and Dragons by candlelight (they think it’s cool if they all talk like Yoda) OR 2) stuck watching football with a bunch of middle-aged former frat boys unable to complete a sentence without the word “DUUUUUUUUDE!” in it (hey, at least there’s pizza and beer)?
YOU MUST CHOOSE!

5. Describe your idea of a perfect Saturday.
YOU MUST CHOOSE!

C’mon, c’mon! It’s time to play!

  1. ’80s workout clothes or Playboy bunny?
  2. 20 Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or 10 pieces of KFC?
  3. Sweaty Nicholas Cage or sweaty Philip Seymour Hoffman?
  4. Dungeons and Dragons or the football dudes?
  5. Your perfect Saturday?

Happy Friday, girlies! I’m starting a shizzload of laundry and straightening out my desk right now (fun, I know). What’s on your plate for today?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

A Blue, Pink and Silver Eye with Clarins So Sublime Quartet

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Have you seen the fall makeup look e-book on the Clarins website? I downloaded it earlier today (14 pages long, 22.6MB Adobe PDF) and couldn’t believe my eyes!

The book showcases five dazzling looks featuring makeup from the company’s new Jazzy Colours fall collection. Each look is accompanied by how-to instructions, and every other page features art by Margot Mace. I’d never heard of her before, but I think her work really fits the tone of the different looks.


The art of Margot Mace

I drooled over the pages for a while and then busted out the So Sublime Quartet ($40) to try the Trendy Makeup look (page 12).

The book’s reference pictures help with proper placement of the shadows and made this blue, silver and pink eye look really easy to do. I hope Clarins continues to release these books with their future collections.

I didn’t think I’d be able to use the colors in the So Sublime quad when I first saw them a few weeks ago because they seemed too bright, but playing with them today changed my mind. I like the results. I think I’ll include this eye in my regular rotation of work friendly (yet colorful) looks. Yes, Virginia, you too can wear hot pink eye shadow!

Other stuff up in this mix…

That’s Chanel Jouse Contraste Powder Blush in Rose Dust on my cheeks and Creme Gloss Lumiere in Petit Four on my lips.

What do you think of this look? Too bright or just right for work?

Wow! I can’t believe it’s already 10:30. After going for a run when I got home from work tonight I browsed the web for a little while. It’s been an uneventful night. I think I’ll do a little chilling and reading before bed.

We’re almost to Friday, woot!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Don’t rush off before seeing the Benefit Cosmetics Holiday 2008 Sneak Peek! 🙂

Neutrogena Age Shield Hand Cream Saves Hands AND a Few Bucks

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I’d fight a hungry runway model for my tube of $6 Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Age Shield Hand Cream.

Lightly scented (like flowers and soap), this drugstore steal-of-a-deal will sure come in handy this fall and winter when my paws are crazy dry.

Despite how rich it feels, it doesn’t leave a greasy film, for which it earns big props from me — there are few things I hate more than hand creams that leave a slippery residue.

Neutrogena also outfitted Age Shield Hand Cream with full-spectrum SPF 30 sun protection.

A dime-sized dollop thoroughly treats both of my hands and cuticles. The cream absorbs quickly, too, perfect for quick applications when you’re out and about. This isn’t one of those creams you’ll have to spend 10 minutes massaging into your hands, looking like a criminal mastermind plotting world domination!

I’ve been using this on my hands for about week now, and even in that brief time I think my hands look less rough than they did. The fines lines in the creases between my fingers are less noticeable than they were. I can’t comment on the cream’s ability to treat age spots, though, because I don’t have any on my hands.

Neutrogena Age Shield Hand Cream provides long-lasting protection from both UVA and UVB rays, those responsible for up to 90% of the signs of premature aging. According to Neutrogena, it’s clinically shown to improve the overall age impression of hands in just four weeks (I noticed a difference in one).

Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Age Shield Hand Cream improves what ages the look of hands most — roughness, age spots and fine lines.

I’m officially sold on Neutrogena Age Shield Hand Cream and ceremoniously plopped a tube into my big ole’ purse.

One thing I would change about the product is the screw-on cap. I wish it had a twist cap like Lippman’s Rich Girl Hand Cream. I get the feeling I might lose the screw cap in my bottomless purse.
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What Do You Think of Victoria Beckham’s New Short Hair?

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Lately, I’ve been feeling the urge to cut my hair. I like it long, but I’m itching for a change, maybe something drastic. The only thing holding me back — and I recognize how silly it sounds — is that I’ll probably want all the fur I can get to keep warm in the winter, LOL.

And I’m not the only woman hearing the siren call of the scissors. On Monday at the Marc Jacobs Spring 2009 show at NY Fashion Week, the posh Mrs. Victoria Beckam revealed a new ‘do. It’s very Halle Berry-esque, yah?

I think V. Becks has the right ‘tude to pull it off and looks great. I don’t know if I’d ever have the guts to go this short, but ya never know.

How are you wearing your hair these days? Are you happy with it, or are you feeling the urge to get a new cut?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

New York Fashion Week Spring 2009, MAC Cosmetics Runway Looks from Day 5

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Here are a few more MAC makeup face charts from New York Fashion Week. These reflect some of the looks seen in yesterday’s shows. I really like the James Kaliardos chart for Rodarte. What do you think of the OJ “C” shape in the outer corner of the eye?

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