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

New Serums From Kate Somerville

June 18th, 2019 by Karen 15 Comments

Kate Somerville is one of my all-time, hands-down go-to skin care lines. (The Anti-Bac Clearing Lotion for acne and +Retinol Vita C Power Serum are must-haves)

Well — herald the trumpets! — they have a new line of serums called Kx Active Concentrates that are designed to firm, moisturize and downplay your fine lines, all without irritation (which is the bit that caught my eye).

Kate recommends layering two drops (because the serums are super concentrated) of the Kx Active Concentrates Bio-Mimicking Peptides Serum to clean your skin in the morning and again at night, and following up with the Deep Tissue Repair Cream.

kate somerville deep tissue repair — Why is this so satisfying?!

In other news…

Incidentally, I “need” all this stuff.

OK, so I watch Emily Noel’s videos all the time because I love how down-to-earth she is, and she seems fun to hang out with, but for some reason watching this video of home-related soaps and cleaners, sunscreens, furniture and kids’ toys she loves made me especially want to BUY ALL THE THINGS.

The Dial pear soap is totally on my Target list, along with the Aveeno Baby Sunscreen (several other friends have also recommended it lately… I’m thinking it might be an unsung hero?).
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Two $22 Liquid Liners Worthy of Wings

June 17th, 2019 by Karen 12 Comments

urban decay perversion waterproof liner — Easy to use and won’t quit on you.

I worked out hard for an hour at the crack of dawn, then showered in water hot enough to melt bones, AND THEN I gallivanted for an entire day wearing black cat-colored PERVERSION Waterproof Fine-Point liquid liner Eye Pen by Urban Decay, and not once did I look in the mirror and think, “Ew, gross… I should probably take this off.”

I’m now 100% convinced that I could enter my final resting pyramid (with all of my kitty companions, of course), explore the afterworld for 2,000 years, and then be discovered with my cat eye flicks shiny, glossy, pitch black and totally intact. Yes, this liner is that serious.

First, I should say that I’m a Clinique liquid liner fan through and through because of how easy it is to draw crisp edges with their flexible pen tip. I also love that their formula isn’t too runny and goes exactly where I want it to go. IMO, it’s the overall best liquid liner around, but I think UD PERVERSION is very nearly equally great. It matches Clinique’s iconic status, and it’s just as easy to use, but the final look has even more oomph. It’s blacker than Clinique’s, too, with a high shine finish vs. Clinique’s demi-matte, so it draws attention in a way Clinique’s does not.

Interestingly, both of them are also $22.

UD’s dries quicker, so you don’t have quite as much time to fix wonky wings, although you can always correct them with a Q-tip dipped in an oil-based remover, of course, or do what I do, which is just say, “Eff it” and go with it, man. Not everything’s gotta be Insta-perfect, and most of the time nobody’s gonna notice anyway, unless your wings are, like, totally perpendicular, LOL!

All told, I’d recommend the Clinique one if you want a subtle black liquid liner that’s totally foolproof, and the UD one if you want to make a bolder statement.

Either way, though, you can’t go wrong.

BOMB bread at Trader Joe’s

Now that’s a phrase I never thought I’d type, since almost all of the sliced bread I’ve ever gotten from TJ’s (with the exception of the brioche) has been nothing short of tragic.

trader joes organic whole wheat bread — Hella good

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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 579

June 17th, 2019 by Karen 36 Comments

So…what is the Monday Poll?

Excellent question! It isn’t, contrary to its name, an actual poll, like with little clicky buttons. It’s just a list of five more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007). I love reading your answers, and it helps me get my week off to a good start.

1. Your preferred nail shape?

Slightly squared like a very tired, very lazy oval. So not overly square.

2. What would happen if you rubbed your cat’s belly?

I realize that many kitties aren’t down with belly rubs, but Tabs loved the tum-tum action. He would always purr when I rubbed his belly fur, which was longer than the rest of his coat. One of my favorite things to do was to run my fingers through that delicious belly meat!

3. What TV shows are you currently watching?

I’m bouncing back and forth between Claws (although I’m getting to where I need a break), American Ninja Warrior, The Bold Type and Black Mirror (the new season is only three episodes).

Hmm… Seeing it now, it looks like I watch a lot of TV, but it’s usually just on in the background while I do other stuff.

4. Last thing you cooked?

We’ll use the term, “cooked,” loosely in this case, but it was an egg salad sandwich with sliced tomato on a Dave’s Killer Bagel (seriously, SO good). Then I sprinkled a handful of chopped green onions on top.

OK, can we talk about egg salad strategy for a moment? Normally, I chop the entire egg, yolk and all, then mix the mayo in, but this time I separated the yolks out first, mixed the mayo in with the yolks, and added the chopped egg whites afterward, and I swear it tasted better than usual (even though they were still technically the same ingredients).

Maybe I’m just reading too much into this. LOL!

5. Are you rocking the tightline today?

Tightline, FOR SURE!

Feelin’ cheesy

I always love finding new places to explore, which we did last weekend at Marin French Cheese. They have a cute little store where you can buy their cheeses and other picnic fixin’s like fresh bread, drinks (both adult and otherwise), fresh fruit and preserves, sandwiches and desserts — and all of that’s just for starters.

The shop is located about 20 minutes west of Novato on Novato Boulevard right at the Point Reyes junction, and they’ve been making cheese there since 1865!

After you choose your wares and noms, you can enjoy them al fresco down by the pond a few steps away from the store. And if you happen have a fishing pole in the trunk, you can also fish (catch and release only)!

Highly recommended if you’ll be staying in/near Novato, or if you’re on your way out to Point Reyes or Tomales Bay.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Question time! Here they are to copy/paste with your answers in a comment. Talk to you soon.

1. Your preferred nail length and shape?
2. What would happen if you rubbed your cat’s belly?
3. What TV shows are you currently watching?
4. Last thing you cooked?
5. Are you rocking the tightline today?

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 558

June 16th, 2019 by Karen 13 Comments

Tabs was many things — pro feline football player, fashion phenom, philanthropist, seafood lover, fabulous chef — but one thing he wasn’t was a skilled fisherman. His lack of fishing skills was his secret shame.

He just didn’t have the patience for it. Sure, he loved fishing fashion, designer sunglasses and lounging by the lake with a bottle of bubbly, but the actual fishing part of it? Not a fan, and he REALLY didn’t like getting dirty pond water on his fur.

That being said, he was an award-winning three-time Novato Birding Champion. It’s just that fishing wasn’t one of his strengths.

One time he came home after a day on his yacht with a tall tale about a 45-pound marlin. He kept trying to convince me that he almost caught it, and he called it “the one that got away.” Quite frankly, I think he was full of catnip.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Saturday Surfing, June 15th, 2019

June 15th, 2019 by Karen 7 Comments

Good morning, sweet girl. This pink pouch looks exactly how I feel when I wake up in the morning and my stomach is rumbling. ?

And this black one is making a face similar to mine when I’m walking into a store and hold the door open for the person behind me and they don’t say thank you or even make eye contact. ?

Ha ha ha! I saw these at Target in the school supplies section. They’d be cute makeup bags, don’t you think?

On to this weekend’s reading…

Many devoted “dance dads” across the country support their kids by sewing costumes, building stage props, and yes, doing hair and makeup.
Every year, 120 billion cosmetics product packages are produced, mostly for one-time use, which results in massive amounts of waste. Because of this, many beauty brands are incorporating refillable containers into their product lines.
Makeup legend Laura Mercier once had a nervous breakdown on a video shoot for Mariah Carey.
Who else is watching HBO’s Big Little Lies? I’m a BIG Reese fan, so you know I’m totally there. Anyway, Michelle Radow, head of the makeup department for the second season, talks about the makeup she uses on the show and each character’s “aesthetic evolution.”
Speaking of the small screen, if you haven’t started watching The Bold Type (it’s about three NYC twenty-something friends who work for the same fashion mag), you’ve gotta get on it, stat. It’s so refreshing to see characters who lift one another up. The makeup is also gorgeous.
Can you use your mind to heal your skin issues?
If you’ve ever wondered why your cat hates belly rubs and drinks from the faucet…
Here’s what I’ve been waiting for all my life: a list of the best kitchen items for cat ladies who love cooking!
Nail tips from Morgan Dixon, chief manicurist for the show, Claws (which I’m obsessed with, BTW). She shares her inspirations for the best dressed hands on TV. Even if you aren’t really into elaborate talons, you’ll want to check out this piece if for no other reason than the closeups, because these nails are works of art.

Chill, babe.

So good!

Love me some Mimi

THE FLUTE SOLO!

You have a great Saturday, OK? I’ll talk to you soon.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Hot in Here

June 14th, 2019 by Karen 14 Comments

Let’s just say that grocery shopping has been challenging…

Things nobody ever warns you about but probably should:

If you’re going to fill your trunk with things to donate to others — things that no longer spark joy for you (like that pink paisley polyester dress from Bebe you haven’t worn since 1999), but that could still hopefully spark joy for someone else, you’ve got to get your booty in the driver’s seat, put the keys in the ignition, and drive to Goodwill LIKE RIGHT NOW; otherwise, you’ll be driving around town with metal mixing bowls rattling around for months!
The majority of “adulting” consists of paperwork…and biting your tongue.
When the bare skin on your thighs repeatedly rubs together over a long period of time, it really, really hurts.

I’d like to file these things under “Lessons I’ve Learned the Hard Way,” especially item number three, which I figured out during my first half marathon. About halfway through, the friction between my bare thighs hurt so bad that I had a minor meltdown. I cried for three miles straight and had visions of the ground opening up underneath me and swallowing me whole.

I can laugh about it now, but it was like a raging garbage fire between my inner thighs at the time. This minor trauma taught me that whenever I wear something like shorts or a maxi dress, and I know that my legs are going to be rubbing against each other, it’s vital to have something to ease the glide between my thighs. I used to use a little Vaseline (I’d store it in an old contact lens case to prevent spillage in my purse!), but I got tired of it staining my clothes, so I just recently started using the Anti-Chafe Stick by Love AnyBody.

This unscented, non-sticky balm can be applied pretty much anywhere and everywhere your skin rubs — underarms, your neck, and the nook beneath your boobs — to stop chafing. It has vitamin E and aloe to soothe irritated skin, and no parabens or aluminum. The stick’s a little big and awkward to keep in a purse, but it’s convenient and doesn’t stain my clothes. I have a stick in my bathroom and use it in the morning, but I’m thinking about keeping an additional stick in my car because it’s kinda like deodorant or hand cream; it’s always handy to have extra around. I just whip it out and slick it on! Life changing, especially in this hot weather, I tell ya.

Another warm weather must-have I rely on: waterproof mascara. For YEARS, my go-to was Urban Decay Cannonball, which they discontinued a while back… Yes, I’m still hella salty about that, because why mess with a good thing?? Anyway, they replaced it with a waterproof version of their Perversion Mascara ($24). I’m totally on board with its dark black color, the anime ingenue curl and smudge-proof-ness (it was 99 degrees here yesterday, and there wasn’t a single smear underneath my eyes). Taking it off is also a cinch ’cause it slides right off with an oil-based makeup remover, so I don’t stress about my lashes breaking off. (Always a good thing.)

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Back When CDs Ruled the World

June 13th, 2019 by Karen 11 Comments

I’m feeling ’90s music nostalgia right now. It must be a side effect of carrying around a little black backpack again. I’ve been listening to some old songs I haven’t heard in literally decades.

Funny how you can not hear a song for years but still know the lyrics…

I always thought Trent Reznor seemed like a cool guy.

Gather up your jackets; move it to the exits.

Holla if you know who Alanis wrote this song about!

I wonder if this guy ever managed to get some air?

All malls looked like this one back in the day.

CHECK THE BROWS THO!
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Rockin’ Good Memories

June 12th, 2019 by Karen 16 Comments

cambria green rocks — To remember the first day of year 44.

Whenever something good happens, I pick up a rock. Then I bring it home.

It’s a little ritual I use to help me remember special moments in my life, and I have rocks from all over the world.

Including Spain! I picked them up off the ground in a tiny town in Spain on the day El Hub asked me to marry him. Funny story: Those rocks almost didn’t make it back to California, because on that same trip, after we left Spain, El Hub and I took a old, slow-moving overnight train to Portugal, where I packed up the rocks and a few other souvenirs into a flimsy cardboard box, which we shipped from a Lisbon post office.

At the last moment before taping up the box, I wrapped the contents in a thin sea foam green floral maxi dress I got at an H&M in Spain (This was before the chain had arrived in the U.S., and their clothes were very exotic to me.), just in case the box ripped open.

It’s a good thing I did because that box didn’t arrive in California for more than a month after we returned from Europe. I’d pretty much given up on seeing any of those souvenirs again until the box, broken and torn at the corners, showed up on our doorstep one day.

Somehow, thanks to a bit of shipping luck and that protective sea foam green dress, everything was still in the box, including my rocks.

Oh! — and I also have a red rock I picked up from the front of the OB-GYN’s office on the day I saw Connor’s heartbeat on the ultrasound the very first time. The rock reminds me of how happy and utterly terrified I felt when I saw that teeny, tiny white blip on the screen. I wondered, was this my only chance to have a child? And would she make it past the dangerous first few weeks? (Even on that day, I knew she was going to be a girl. Don’t ask me how, but I did.)

The polished green beauties at the top are the most recent additions to my collection, gathered from Moonstone Beach on the morning of my 44th birthday after I finished a jog along the beach.

Now they’ll always remind me of beachcombing and how loosey-goosey I felt after that run. They’ll go on my windowsill for a few months, and after that, into the special box where I keep the rest of my rocks! 🙂

How about you? Do you have any memory rituals? Little things you do to remember meaningful events?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen