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A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict

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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 433

July 25th, 2016 by Karen 18 Comments

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You might be wondering, “So what in tarnation is this Monday Poll thing anyway!?”

Well, it isn’t exactly a poll. It’s more of a constantly evolving (devolving?), somewhat random list of questions I’ve been putting out to readers every Monday morning for the past NINE (!) years. (It’s like a kickstart for your brain.) I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.

  1. Men who groom their brows — your thoughts?
    Dear homeboys of the world, I appreciate a well-done, manscaped brow, but please — not too Instagram, like with a super sharp tail and ombre from front to back. Just a slightly cleaned-up brow, but not too obviously clean, ya know?

    That’s my stance and I’m sticking to it.

  2. Have you ever mowed a lawn?
    Although I pride myself on my willingness to try new things, I can safely say that I’ve never mowed a lawn. The last time I lived somewhere that actually had a mow-able lawn was when I lived at home with my parents, but the front and back yards were considered sacred Dad space.

    I’d totally mow a lawn, though, if I had one of those riding mowers…as long as it had a canopy roof and a drink holder. And a stereo. And a space for Tabs to sit next to me. 🙂

  3. Do you wear many hats (figuratively or literally)?
    I wear one hat, literally, and it’s my Kate Spade fedora with a little bow on the side.

    Figuratively, I wear a ton of different hats. I’m a wife and mom, exhausted person, professional goofball, daughter, Khaleesi of the one-liners and a professional pet assistant.

  4. Your favorite lipstick at the moment?
    I’ve been rocking Hourglass Femme Nude Lip Stylo No. 6 for four days since I grabbed it randomly last week.

    It’s been out for years, but when I wanted to do an ultra nude lip the other day, I remembered how much I liked No. 6.

    It’s a deeply opaque, moisturizing mauve nude, but it’s still lightweight and super smooth, and you can layer it underneath different lipglosses for different effects, like under MAC Myth for a pale nude lip or MAC Big Baby for a more casual pinky nude — that kind of thing.

  5. If you could dye your hair any color, or combination of colors, just for today, what colors would you use?
    Cotton candy pink from roots to tips!

    Oh! Or a flamingo pink. 🙂

    The theme here is pink.

monday-poll-le-list-spring-2016

Your turn. 🙂 Just copy and paste the following questions into a comment with your answers. I look forward to reading ’em!

1. Men who groom their brows — your thoughts?
2. Have you ever mowed a lawn?
3. Do you wear many hats (figuratively or literally)?
4. Your favorite lipstick at the moment?
5. Hair color just for today?

Blue skies and sunshine to you, friend. I hope that’s what you’re seeing outside.

[yawn]

Sorry, I’m a little sleepy this morning, but I have a busy day. One step at a time, though, right?

I had a blast at that ’90s concert the other night! It was like being at a high school dance…except none of us were in high school anymore. I can’t lie, it was kinda surreal watching Tone Lōc sing Wild Thing, and then after the song have him talk about how he just turned 50.

But now I can cross something else off my bucket list! — taking a selfie with Coolio.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 18 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 407

July 24th, 2016 by Karen 20 Comments

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Tabs has a wanderer’s heart. Whenever we’re on our walks together on the hill behind our house, he always wants us to go south. He gently tugs on his leash as if to say, “Let’s go that way,” and stares off in the distance toward the town of Mill Valley, which is where we used to live before we moved here.

I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, but whenever I let him lead us, he always wants us to go the same way: south.

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There are 20 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun, Tabs

The Day in Beauty Vol. 23: I Love the ’90s and Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick in Whiskey

July 23rd, 2016 by Karen 23 Comments

bite beauty whiskey
Wearing Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick in Whiskey

Good morning, glory! Rise and shine! 🙂

This is Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick in Whiskey ($26), a dark reddish brown with a satin finish, and it’s very much like something I would have worn back in the day while listening to the fabulous vocal stylings of Color Me Badd and Coolio.

YEAH! I’m headed to an I Love the ’90s concert tonight, so I’m wearing a ’90s-style lipstick this morning to get in the spirit.

Both Color Me Badd and Coolio are performing at the concert, along with (wait for it!) Vanilla Ice (OMG), Tone Loc, Rob Base and Young MC.

The concert is in the town of Jackson, California, east of Sacramanto — HELLOOOO, JACKSON! — so if you’re out that way, wassup? I’ll be in your neck of the woods tonight!

Anyway, that’s my big adventure this weekend.

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Bite Beauty Sweet & Savory Collection

Whiskey, by the way, is from the Bite Beauty Sweet and Savory Collection of six Amuse Bouche Lipsticks that came out last spring, but there are more than 40 Amuse Bouche Lipsticks total in the Bite Beauty line, so it’s very extensive (they’re $26 each).

The Amuse Bouche Lipsticks made a big splash last spring when they arrived on counters. They’re bold, lightweight and creamy with an uber-hydrating formula (each lippie contains 12 edible oils), and they’re absolutely lovely.

bite beauty sweet savory swatches
From the left: Kale, Squid Ink, Taro, Lavender Jam, Thistle and Whiskey

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There are 23 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Bite Beauty, Just For Fun

Me and My Coywolf

July 22nd, 2016 by Karen 37 Comments

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Just a girl with her coywolf…

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 37 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun

The Six New NARS Hardwired Eyeshadow Shades for Fall 2016

July 22nd, 2016 by Karen 22 Comments

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The six new $28 limited edition NARS Hardwired Eyeshadows, coming exclusively to Sephora August 1

Could there be a hidden corner of the human brain tucked away near the back that makes us hardwired to make grabby hands whenever we see shimmery, sparkly, glittery things?

Solely based on my experience, I think the answer to that is “yes,” LOL! Because homegirl wants ALL OF THE GLITTERS. 🙂

All of them…

I definitely feel that familiar, inescapable tug in my gut when I open the NARS Hardwired Eyeshadows.

NARS is adding six new shades for fall, coming exclusively to Sephora starting August 1, and holy wow! — the shimmer.

Like the previously released Hardwired Eyeshadow shades, these shine bright enough to see from across a room — heck, or across town. Maybe from across state lines, even.

These highly pigmented powder shadows have varying levels of glitter, shimmer and pearl, so you get a lot of light reflecting back when you pop them on your skin. It’s very eye-catching.

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Wearing NARS Hardwired Eyeshadow in Parallax on my lids

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There are 22 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, Makeup, NARS, Product Reviews

For Full, Natural-Looking Brows, Fill in Your Sparse Spots With a Flat Eyeshadow Brush

July 21st, 2016 by Karen 13 Comments

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My new favorite fill-in-those brows trick is to fill in the sparse spots using a flat eyeshadow brush and brow powder or an eyeshadow.

I’m always in favor of, like, evolving and switching up your brow game, because I just think it’s fun to try different products, methods and looks, and this brow look, I feel, is one of the most natural looking. And it’s super duper easy.

brows before and after

The trick is to use a flat eyeshadow brush with a stiff, dense brush head. I alternate between a MAC 239 and a Burberry No. 08 (whatever one is closest and/or less dirty, ha!), and all I do is load the brush with an eyeshadow that’s slightly lighter than my natural brow color.

I use MAC Brun, which is a matte dark brown, and the reason I go with something slightly lighter than my natural brow color is because if I don’t, and I use a black shade closer to my natural hair color, all I can see are BROWS, BROWS, BROWS.

It’s too much.

Using an ever-so-slightly lighter shade tones it down.

brow tools

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There are 13 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, Makeup Tips/How To

The It Cosmetics Superhero Palette Has a Smoooooth Superpower

July 21st, 2016 by Karen 21 Comments

It Cosmetics Superhero Palette
Wearing the new $42 It Cosmetics Superhero Palette on my eyes

The new $42 It Cosmetics Superhero Palette should just put on a cape and soar across the sky already.

Like the next summer superhero movie…it’s coming soon! — to the It Cosmetics website (August) and Ulta (September), and its superhero power is allegedly that it has the ability to help lids look as though they’ve turned back time.

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The limited edition It Cosmetics Superhero Palette
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What’s your superhero power?

In addition to the nine incredibly smooth powder eyeshadows in the main row, which are divided among Nudes, Neutrals and Liners, the palette also has three larger Eye Foundation shades, which are good base colors for your entire eyelid.

I think my lids look really smooth with these shadows, and the formula is also supposed to help lids long term, thanks to anti-aging collagen, silk, peptides and antioxidants.

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Wearing Pow! all over my lid, Superstar from my lash line into the crease, and Superhero along the lash line

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There are 21 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, It Cosmetics, Makeup, Palettes, Product Reviews

These Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Sticks Make Unevenness and Redness Go *POOF!*

July 20th, 2016 by Karen 31 Comments

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The new Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Sticks ($46 each) and Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Brush ($46)

It’s kind of amazing how far foundation has come in such a relatively short amount of time. There are so many products on counters now that are getting close to realistic-looking skin. I’m talking finishes and textures and colors and coverages that are virtually imperceptible, and all I have to say to that is “yay!” This is a trend worthy of an all-caps WOOT-WOOT.

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Houglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Sticks in Warm Beige and Beige ($46 each)

These new $46 Hourglass Vanish Seamless Foundation Sticks are the latest realistic-looking foundations to jump into the ring, providing the coverage of a concealer, the maneuverability of a liquid and the weightlessness of a powder.

And that’s all great, but I also like how quick they can be used (roughly a minute or two). It’s like boom, boom, boom! — a little swipe here, a little swipe there, cheeks, nose, forehead, chin. Then blend that in with a brush for lovely, even-toned skin without any of that heaviness, or that caked-on nonsense where it feels like you’re wearing a mask.

hourglass vanish foundation before-after
From the left: bare skin, then a layer of Beige by itself, and then Beige worn with additional makeup

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There are 31 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Face, Hourglass, Makeup, Product Reviews

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Welcome to Makeup and Beauty Blog

Welcome to Makeup and Beauty Blog! My name is Karen, and I’m a freelance writer obsessed with makeup.

Makeup and Beauty Blog features daily product reviews, makeup tips and beauty news — like an interactive version of a monthly print magazine, except with occasional pictures of my cat.

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Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 878

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 894

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