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FOTD: A Beauty Voyage With Dolce & Gabbana Spring 2016 and Shop Fresh Nude Foundation

March 1st, 2016 by Anna Oh 39 Comments

dolce & gabbana d&g beauty voyage palette — FOTD with D&G’s Beauty Voyage Spring 2016

anna oh illustration beauty voygage — Ready for the warmer weather

Hi, everyone! I thought I’d share my face of the day and thoughts on two new-to-me products: Dolce & Gabbana Spring 2016 The Beauty Voyage ($150) and The Body Shop’s Fresh Nude Foundation ($25).

dolce & gabbana d&g beauty beauty voyage palette — FOTD using Anastasia, Benefit, Sephora, The Body Shop, and D&G Beauty

Products used:

Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade in Blonde (I use this light cool shade for a softer effect)
Benefit They’re Real mascara
Sephora Bright Future Gel-serum Concealer
The Body Shop Fresh Nude Foundation in Bora Bora / Tiare 012
Dolce & Gabbana Beauty Voyage palette

the body shop fresh nude foundation bora bora — The Body Shop Fresh Nude Foundation in Bora Bora

Since I wanted a sheer and hydrated look, I decided to try out the Body Shop’s new Fresh Nude foundation. With a medium semi-matte finish, it gives a LITTLE glow with none of that awkward greasy 5 p.m. face.

It starts out sticky, but it lasts well for around six or seven hours on my oily-combo face. If you have normal to dry skin, you may really like this option!

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(12 hours later) IT’S STILL HAPPENING!

March 1st, 2016 by Karen 99 Comments

Zzz… Sleepy sheepy over here. Time for a quick nap. Labor is still underway, but it slowed down in the night, so BG leaped right over leap day without making her appearance.

All is still well, though. Mom is tired but hanging in there… Eye on the prize.

Whatever you’re doing today, I hope it involves unicorns, kittens, makeup and/or rainbows. Have a terrific Tuesday, my friend. Talk to you soon.

Your friendly (but tired) neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

IT’S HAPPENING!

February 29th, 2016 by Karen 117 Comments

Time to get the show on the road. 🙂

The New Benefit Hoola Spring 2016 Collection

February 29th, 2016 by Jen Clark 47 Comments

It’s official! You can now literally smother Benefit Hoola all over your bod without going through an entire pan of bronzer.

You haven’t done that? Oh, just me?

They’ve expanded on the crazy popular Hoola bronzer by adding a liquid bronzer called “Dew The Hoola”. Aw, super cute! They’ve also come out with an all-over body bronzer called “Zero Tan Lines”. Last, but most definitely not least, the cutest bronzing brush with blue hairs on a handle made of golden bamboo. The collection officially releases on February 26th.

This release was an answer to my prayers because this has to be my palest winter yet. I have to (get to) look at my Hawaiian husband and son’s golden tans year round, and I start to feel pretty bad for myself come February, so I slathered myself in all things Hoola in a desperate attempt to pretend that I just came back from Hawaii.

Let me tell you what I thought.

Dew The Hoola is meant to be a liquid version of the famous Hoola powder bronzer, which is a beautiful cool brown shade that looks like an actual tan on your face. I think that’s why it’s been so popular, because it looks so natural compared to so many of its orange competitors.

I have to admit that I was pretty disappointed the first time I pumped out the bright orange liquid, because it wasn’t at all what I expected. But still, I pressed onward and applied it to the hollows of my cheeks, around the perimeter of my face, and on my nose and chin. Then I blended it in with a damp Beauty Blender. I also tried it with a fluffy face brush, but it didn’t blend out nearly as well.

As soon as it was all blended in, it ended up looking…not too bad. I really like the consistency and workability of the liquid, but I think the color is off for me.

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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 412

February 29th, 2016 by Karen 71 Comments

This is my worry stone... — This is my worry stone

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 seven 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.

What’s your favorite article of clothing?
Honestly…right now? At 40 weeks pregnant (OMG)? It’s anything with stretch.

But when I’m not “with child,” it’s my gold and black cat dress. It has pockets and, more importantly, silhouettes of BIG CATS.

What expression do you overuse?
GUUUURL.

I mean, that’s the one I overuse: “gurl.”

I also perennially abuse the word “holla,” pronounced haw-la.

If you had to move to a new city, where would you move?
My practical side says someplace completely out of the Bay Area, where the cost of living is lower and you can get more house bang for your buck, but my heart says Honolulu…

What are five words that describe your day today so far?
Sunny, long, quiet, green, tiring

Messy or neat?
Neat in theory; messy in practice.

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

1. What’s your favorite article of clothing?
2. What expression do you overuse?
3. If you had to move to a new city, where would you move?
4. What are five words that describe your day today so far?
5. Messy or neat?

Hey love,

If you have a second, could you please send some good vibes my way? I’m trying really hard to pay attention to the flowers and trees, fruit and vegetables in my metaphorical garden…but I’m on the brink of having a moment.

They say that when you get to this stage of being massively pregnant, you are just totally and completely over it. And they’re right!

Anyway, I’ve reached that point.

I’m trying to hold it together, but I’m not doing very well. I know that every day she’s in there, she gets stronger, yadda-yadda-yadda, but I can’t hold back the tears. I just don’t feel good, in every meaning of the word.

So, if you could please send kind words, rainbows and/or kittens my way, that would be really nice.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict who’s been seriously ready to pop for DAYS,

Karen

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 387

February 28th, 2016 by Karen 26 Comments

Dear Diary,

Something happened today. I don’t…

My favorite assistant didn’t come to work. She stayed upstairs in bed. I came downstairs expecting to find my morning gravy, and it wasn’t there. My litterbox hadn’t even been changed.

This is the first time in 10 years that anything like this has happened before, and I’m a little confused.

My assistant had been talking about needing to take some time off, but I just… I guess I didn’t take her seriously.

I thought she was happy working for me, and I honestly didn’t think she needed a break.

I’m not sure if this has something to do with the new hire starting soon, because she’s been talking about her a lot, but it’s weird. You know that saying about how you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone? Well, I understand what it means now.

I miss her. She’s the best assistant I’ve ever had. I mean, she’s more than just an assistant to me. I’ve known her most of my life, and she’s always been there, opening cans of gravy, scratching my chin and giving me my thrice daily massage. She has the best lap and the most beautiful eyes in the whole world.

You know what it is? I…love her. I hope she decides to come back to work soon.

-tabs

The Day in Beauty Vol. 14: The Newly Reformulated Chanel Le Vernis Nail Lacquers, Mythical Brow Genies, My New Favorite Necklace by Misa Jewelry, and Waffles at the Witching Hour

February 26th, 2016 by Karen 46 Comments

If there were such a thing as an eyebrow genie that would grant three eyebrow-related wishes, first of all, that would be AWESOME, and second, I’d wish for the following…

1. For the super-skinny brow trend of the ‘90s to have never happened, even if it risked messing with the space-time continuum, because it would save literally millions of brow hairs from being plucked away into oblivion… I’d be like the John Connor of eyebrows.

2. To just wake up one morning and have my brows look exactly like Kiera Knightly’s in this Chanel ad, without having to do any of the, you know, actual work.

Sooo much brow envy right at this moment. You don’t even know. These are pretty much my dream brows, le sigh…

3) A stack of banana pancakes and a large vanilla shake, because I can’t think of a third brow-related wish, and I am SO HUNGRY RIGHT MEOW.

New Chanel Le Vernis

Now, can we take a moment to redirect our eyes away from Kiera’s amazing brows to focus on these nail polishes for a second? — because they deserve some sweet, sweet, lovin’.

These cuties are five of the 15 recently relaunched Chanel Le Vernis nail polishes ($28 each)?

All I have to say is wow!

Chanel completely revamped the formula, which is now billed as long-wearing and 5-free (no dibutyl phthalate, toluene, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin or camphor), and the new brilliantly shiny, glossy, gel-like finish reminds me of Seche Vite top coat.

The new line of 15 shades includes old favorites like Vamp and Particuliere, alongside some new colors.

Here’s a quick swatchy-poo of the five shades I have…

I asked Tabs for his professional opinion on which one I should wear for a mani, and he picked creamy reddish hot pink Camelia, a decision he relayed to me telepathically, sending his kitty thoughts into my mind.

Yes, we’ve reached that point in our relationship. Cat ladies, I know that you know what I’m talking about (at least I think you do…or I’ve lost my damn mind, which is also a strong possibility).

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