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Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 422

November 6th, 2016 by Karen 11 Comments

I always wonder what Tabs is dreaming about when I see his little paw twitching in his sleep.

Is he thinking about the time he cornered a lizard outside on the hill, when he had his paw on it, and the lizard straight up and bit him, and he freaked out? Or is he thinking about the time when he was on his harness and caught a baby bird by the front door?

He only has a 10-foot leash, but he bolted instantaneously off the walkway into the yard. I didn’t have time to react. All of a sudden, I look down and my wonderful little tabby has a tiny bird in his mouth! It was a nightmare…

Well, it was a nightmare for me and the bird, but it might’ve been the greatest dream in the world to Tabs.

Or, is he thinking about the first time I gave him bacon? Maybe he’s just laying there thinking, “Uoh…bacon,” like Homer Simpson does.

Is he dreaming about his kittenhood and his kitty siblings? Does he ever dream about his kitty mom? Does he think about her? Sometimes that thought makes me sad…

I wonder… Do cats dream in images kind of like we do? Does he ever dream about us? Does he dream about me? Does he hear my voice? If he does, what do I sound like in the dreams? Do I sound like the grownups in Peanuts cartoons? “Wah-wah wah-wah-wahhh.”

Is he just feeling emotions like comfort, happiness and fear, or does he actually see memories of things that have happened to him in his life?

Does he make up stories in his mind? Are his dreams fantasies? Like, does he dream of walking into the dining room one day to find a stack of bacon three feet tall? Does he dream of a litter box the size of a playground or other things like that?

I wonder…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The Too Faced Christmas in New York Merry Macarons Ulta Exclusive Kit

November 5th, 2016 by Karen 12 Comments

too faced christmas in new york merry macarons

It might look strange to see someone holding an eyeshadow palette up to their nose and deeply sniffing it, and that someone might also end up with a purple nose, but you gotta do it with the Too Faced Christmas in New York Merry Macarons palette. Because it smells like vanilla macarons. And it’s yum!

I acknowledge the absurdity of scented eye products…but Too Faced does it all the time (see: their Chocolate Bar Eye Palettes).

I’m just waiting for the day when science figures out how to give us eyes that can also smell, but I digress…

Merry Macarons is a $39 Ulta exclusive in the Too Faced Holiday 2016 Collection, and you you get a whole bunch of stuff with it, including this really cute diorama box.

There’s a puppy in there, a Christmas tree… You know, if I were eight, I would be all up in this, although I would also have some questions for my mom regarding the mascara. There’s a deluxe-sized Better Than Sex Mascara in the kit, and I would be like, “Mommy, what’s sex?”

And that would just be awkward.

In addition to the mascara, you get 12 powder eyeshadows that smell like vanilla, and there a good number of mattes and some browns, which I dig (yes, I know that I sound like a broken record sometimes).

There are some shimmers too, like purples, some taupes, a golden taupe, which I’m all up on, and a shade called Cookies and Cream, which is like a shimmery, blackened greenish galaxy of glitter flecks.

I played with the shadows a bit, and there is some fallout, which is typical of Too Faced. But NBD. No big deal. It’s manageable if you do your eyes first, then clean up. The powders are easy to blend, which is a big plus.

One thing I love about Too Faced is how well they balance neutrals with party colors, and they do it again with this palette.

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NARS Rita Audacious Lipstick in Limited Edition Red

November 4th, 2016 by Karen 9 Comments

nars rita — RED! NARS Rita Lipstick in limited edition red

Yeah, I got pretty excited too when I saw this because for a second there I thought, “Is NARS gonna do special colors for each of their Audacious Lipsticks??” And then I thought, “What will Anita look like? Will it be PINK!?” Because — hoh! — I would love to have a pink lipstick like that in my bag…

But no. Not the case.

This rockin’ red is limited edition NARS Rita. Good ol’ re-promoted Rita. It’s $32 and available now at Sephora stores and online.

Warm-toned red Rita is part of the long-lasting NARS Audacious Lipstick fam, which I love, and she’s opaque and awesome. Like the other Audacious shades, it has a slightly shiny finish and lasts FOR HOURS.

Speaking of audacious reds…

I was rifling through my closet yesterday, looking for a pair of jeans that I could actually fit into because I still have a bit of baby weight I’d like to lose, when I saw a red dress I have not yet worn.

It’s the Petite Scuba Flounce Dress, and I got it from LOFT right before I found out that I was pregnant with Connor. It’s made out of a thick scuba-like material and has a flouncy ruffled hem.

“One of these days,” she said, staring at the bag of Snickers out of the corner of her eye, “I will get into that dress!” 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Laura Mercier Master Class Colour Essentials Collection Palette (2nd Edition) for Holiday 2016

November 4th, 2016 by Karen 3 Comments

I’m smiling in this picture out of sheer relief at having gotten one usable photo after doing my makeup today with the 2nd Edition Laura Mercier Master Class Colour Essentials Collection palette.

I don’t know, dude… This look was rough. I am so out of practice with makeup that requires more than 15 minutes and two brushes — like, I’m talking base color, transition shades, gradients… If you don’t use it, you lose it. At least that’s how it’s been for me.

It wasn’t the palette’s fault at all, though. It was just classic user error, but one thing that made this look slightly easier was the fact that — oh, my gosh — there are so many mattes, specifically workhorse shades.

The Laura Mercier Master Class Colour Essentials Collection/palette (2nd Edition)
$125, limited edition, available now online and at Laura Mercier counters

“This incredible collection is filled with some of my favorite shades, finishes and liners to create endless looks. You can transform your eyes from classic to cat eye with just a few easy steps. Get creative!”

— Laura Mercier, from lauramercier.com

The palette comes with…

12 Eye Colours (1.5g / 0.05 oz each): Etoile, Bronze Glow, Minx, Pewter Dust, Gilded Pines, Vanilla Nuts, Café Au Lait, Espresso Bean, Poison Ivory, Stone Taupe, Noir, Stellar
Second Skin Cheek Colour (3g / 0.1 oz): Riche Nectar
Face Highlighter (3g / 0.1 oz): Pink Haze
Bronzing Pressed Powder (3g / 0.1 oz): Soleil Bronze
Tightline Cake Eyeliner (1.5g / 0.05 oz each): Black Ebony, Mahogany Brown
Longwear Creme Eye Pencil (0.8 g / 0.02 oz): Noir
Double Ended Eyeliner Brush
Double Ended Eye Colour Brush

* A $429 value

The palette, which is $125, limited edition and available now at Laura Mercier counters, is referred to as a collection (even though it’s a palette), and it contains 12 eyeshadows, a blush, bronzer, highlighter, pencil eyeliner, two cake eyeliners and two brushes.

Six of those 12 eyeshadows are mattes, which is great because, as you know, I’m always bitchin’ and moaning about eye palettes that don’t have enough workhorse mattes. 🙂 This one, thankfully, has lots of delicious browns and beiges and even a dark black.

It’s part of Laura’s holiday 2016 collection and a followup to last year’s Master Class Collection palette from holiday 2015. Like last year’s, it also comes in what looks like a cute clutch and has the same layout.

The eye look I’m wearing here is on the cooler side. I’m wearing cool-toned and neutral browns with some shimmery, neutral olive, and everything I have on my eyes and cheeks is from this palette.

Because the bronzer, blush and highlighter are all warm toned, I assumed that the eyeshadows would be as well, but they aren’t. They’re generally cooler, which seems unusual to me — the contrasting color temps. The bronzer, blush and highlighter are all very warm. I don’t know if the palette is intended for cool-toned gals or warm-toned gals, or if Laura just wanted to cover all of her bases, but it’s kind of different.

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For an Easy, Elegant Eyeliner Look, Use an Eyeshadow and an Angled Brush Instead of a Pencil

November 4th, 2016 by Karen 12 Comments

I spent an inordinate amount of time this week in stinky workout pants and t-shirts covered in baby food. Or, I dunno…sometimes it’s been my food, to be honest.

No reason in particular. It’s just been one of those weeks.

But, ya know, at least I’ve had elegant eye makeup. 🙂 I’ve been doing this thing where I use eyeshadow and an angled brush instead of pencil liner to line my upper lash lines, and I’ve been doing it because I haven’t been sleeping well, which means Dark Circle City.

When my dark circles are darker than usual, I’ll skip lining my lower lash lines, even though I usually love a little smoke or even a pop of color down there, because man! — when I look tired, if I add anything to that lower lash line area, it just looks worse.

But I will line my upper lash line, and I like doing it with an angled brush and an eyeshadow for a few different reasons.

First, because I love that slightly diffused look, which is easier for me to do with an eyeshadow and a brush than a pencil eyeliner all by itself.

Second, and I don’t know if this is just me, but there’s a process when I use a pencil. It isn’t just grab and go. Most of the time, the one I want to use is dull from the day before, so I have to sharpen it.

Then, I have to really carefully draw a thin line along my upper lash lines with it, because I like those nice, thin liner lines. But then I have to diffuse the edges of the lines with a brush, so…it still involves using a brush, even when I’m using a pencil.

Instead, with an angled brush and an eyeshadow, all I have to do is dip my brush into the shadow, give it a spritz with MAC Fix+, and sort of tap it along my lash lines.

It’s easier to get the kind of look I usually like, and I think it’s even faster than using a pencil.

Plus, you know, with makeup, it’s all about the fine details, like the subtlety of your gradients and the values and colors moving from dark to light, and I think that when you have gradients in subtle places, like in the edge along your lash line, it can really make your overall look more elegant.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!!!!!!

MAC Introduces New Shades of MAC Strobe Cream in the MAC In the Spotlight Collection

November 3rd, 2016 by Karen 7 Comments

Before there was strobing, there was MAC Strobe Cream, and EEK! — now it’s available in five different shades.

Yeah, and they’re in the permanent line, so if you happen to fall in love with one of them (ahem, “Peachlite!”), no worries. They’re here to stay.

Also, no worries — the original Strobe Cream is still in the lineup. It just has a new name: Pinklite.

If you’ve been reading MBB long, you probably know that I’ve been loving and wearing Strobe Cream for years.

mac strobe cream — The new MAC Strobe Cream shades ($33 each)!

Basically, it’s an opalescent highlighter/pearly highlighting lotion, but please don’t let that scare you, even if the thought of wearing shimmer all over your face sounds terrifying…

It does to me, right? — because, hello, pores. But Strobe Cream is subtle.

Of course, if you feel like going the BA-BLING highlighting route, the new In the Spotlight collection also includes four new Extra Dimension Skinfinish highlighters.

mac extra dimension skinfinish beaming blush — MAC Extra Dimension Skinfinish in Beaming Blush

The MAC In the Spotlight collection

Available online now and coming to stores November 10

Strobe Creams in Pinklite (pink pearls), Peachlite (peach pearls), Silverlite (silver pearls), Redlite (red pearls), Goldlight (gold pearls) — $33 each; permanent

Extra Dimension Skinfinishes in Show Gold (peach that breaks pink), Double-Gleam (beige that breaks silver), Beaming Blush (pink that breaks gold) and Soft Frost (white that breaks violet) — also $33 each; permanent

127 Split Fibre Face Brush ($35), 188 Small Duo Fibre Face Brush ($35) — permanent

Both the Strobe Creams and the Extra Dimension Skinfinishes are $33 each, and they’re available online now (and coming to MAC counters and stores November 10).

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Your Favorite Indie/Costume Jewelry Lines?

November 3rd, 2016 by Karen 12 Comments

Ann Taylor necklace — I got this necklace at Ann Taylor last year, and I wear it all the time.

Ann Taylor, babe. Ann. Taylor. She’s my BFF when it comes to costume jewelry.

That’s really the only kind of jewelry I wear on a daily basis — costume jewelry. I mean, I have my wedding and engagement rings, but everything else — earrings, necklaces, bracelets — it’s almost entirely costume, because I know myself. I gotta be careful. I lose the good stuff, and I don’t want to be stressed out worrying, “OMG! I can’t do it! I can’t lose these earrings!!!”

I have costume pieces from super bargain level like Forever 21 to pricier costume pieces from indie lines and brands like Kate Spade and Ann Taylor, but Ann Taylor is my current favorite. The pieces are well made and last. Seriously, I’ve banged ’em up, but they still look new.

Ann’s style is classic and conservative (for costume), but not boring to me at all, and she always adds an extra flourish of some kind to keep things looking modern.

loft lace shorts — Here’s another Ann Taylor necklace I wear all the time…

The prices are great for what you get. Ann Taylor’s necklaces, and really all of their jewelry, is a little pricey…but it’s not as expensive as Kate Spade, for instance. They may charge $100 for an intricate, fancy necklace, but here’s the thing: You don’t have to pay full price. I get all of my Ann Taylor jewelry, like this layered pearl necklace, during their kick-@ss 50% off sales.

And this necklace goes with everything from a casual white t-shirt to a fancy black dress. I love it! I pounced when I saw it on sale for 50% off.

So, yeah. It’s Ann Taylor for me. How about you?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. How’s your Thursday coming along? I had to help my family with something yesterday, so I was offline more than usual. What did I miss?

ConnorClaire.com Product Spotlight: Mascara Hearts Me Tee

November 2nd, 2016 by Karen 11 Comments

Whenever I leave the house wearing makeup but without mascara, it never looks quite right. This is going to sound so cliché, but I feel naked without it! It’s like I don’t have pants on. It’s that serious.

It’s like a next-level co-dependency thing. If I were to ever forget to bring mascara with me on a trip, the first thing I’d do is a) freak out, then b) drop everything and run to the nearest makeup counter or drugstore.

That’s why I usually roll with multiple tubes.

You know… Just in case.

Plus, they do different things. I have one mascara for straight-up curl and length (Urban Decay Cannonball), one for curl and separation (NARS Audacious), one for intense volume (L’Oreal Feline Noir), and ANOTHER mascara that I use solely for my lower lash lines (It Cosmetics Tightline).

And sometimes I like to wear them in combos, like, I’ll apply one layer on top of the other, or I’ll use one just for the tips…

OK, I know how this sounds (LOL!), but I won’t make excuses for it. I heart mascara, and mascara hearts me! ?

Our love is unconditional… Mascara is always there for me, and it’s dependable. I know that it’ll make me look perkier and more awake, just like kelly green and the Mascara Hearts Me Tee.

I think the heathering gives it a vintage look, and I really love how this shirt drapes. It isn't one of those super tight shirts, so if I can't resist that extra slice of pizza, hey, this shirt is forgiving like that.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen