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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 345

October 19th, 2015 by Karen 46 Comments

The cucumber lemonade from The Cheesecake Factory, nom!
The cucumber lemonade at The Cheesecake Factory is 100% pure nom.

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.

  1. Four things every makeup lover must have?
    A trusty lash curler; a fearless lipstick that makes her (or him!) feel like she’s triumphantly stomp-walking down a runway when she’s just strolling down the sidewalk; a competent, confidence-boosting concealer that’s like getting eight hours of sleep in a tube; and a very good sense of humor, because something will inevitably go wrong when she tries that new smoky eye/winged liner/contouring technique for the first time (but it’s no big deal).
  2. A section of your house that you’d really like to straighten up and organize?
    Ugh, my kitchen pantry!

    My pantry is turning me into a crazy person.

    Actually, all of the cabinets in my kitchen are driving me insane. I have big pasta sauce bottles stacked on top of small raspberry preserves, big boxes of cereal stacked on top of smaller boxes of mac ‘n’ cheese, and everything looks about one sneeze away from Jenga disaster. There’s no rhyme or reason either, and it’s really dark and deep in there…so whenever I reach in for something, it’s like spelunking without a light and having no idea what awaits me at the end.

    I’ve read about this pregnancy phase thing called “nesting,” and I don’t know if this is that, but I’ve started to feel very, VERY compelled to organize everything within my immediate space.

  3. When do you do your best thinking?
    These days, usually in the morning before I hop on the Internet, because the second I check my email and social media? — man, it’s over. Concentration goes poof!

  4. How are you about making smalltalk at parties?
    I think I’m OK at it. I’m pretty outgoing, so I can usually strike up a conversation about something random with a stranger (as long as they’re nice), but if I’m really just not in the mood, or if I’m very hungry or tired and don’t want to be there, it’s definitely tough. I’ll get really quiet and retreat into a corner with my growling tum. Sometimes I’ll pretend to scan the books on a shelf or the art on the walls, or I’ll play with my phone (honestly, thank goodness for Bejeweled, because that game has saved me at so many family parties). Or, if there’s a pet around, we’ll make friends.
  5. Last person you kissed?
    Tabs just gave me a tap on my nose a few minutes ago. I think that counts.

Le List

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

1. Four things every makeup lover must have?
2. A section of your house that you’d really like to straighten up and organize?
3. When do you do your best thinking?
4. How are you about making smalltalk at parties?
5. Last person you kissed?

Good morning, babe! Got two important tidbits for ya, both of them valuable insights I acquired yesterday on a #ladydate with my friend Marisol.

First, the cucumber lemonade at The Cheesecake Factory (the pic at the top) will change your life! I was in the mood for something sour yesterday and ordered it at brunch. Dang thing was so good that I felt like jumping up on my chair and declaring my undying love for it. Try it sometime (either the lemonade or the jumping on your chair). 🙂

Second, bras. Pregnancy has taken my boobs to the next level, and those suckers are majorly huge at the moment. I can’t fit into any of my bras anymore, despite those handy bra extenders, so now I have to break down and get some new bras.

When I hit up the lingerie section at Nordie’s yesterday to get sized, I found out that if you buy a regular, non-maternity bra from them, they’ll convert it to a maternity bra for $16 more (it has a hook so you can pull down the cup to nurse).

Just an FYI for any new mommies out there.

OK, my friend, it’s onward to Monday! I hope you have a wonderful day today. I’ll do my best if you do.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 46 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 368

October 18th, 2015 by Karen Monterichard 12 Comments

What’s the secret to success? According to Tabs the cat, world-renowned plus-size kitty supermodel, diva extraordinaire and full-time feline beauty blogger, it involves three things in LARGE amounts: 1) gravy, 2) lovies and 3) outside.

And Tabs wanted to discuss them all in depth in today’s insightful, exciting video installment of Sundays with Tabs. 🙂

May your fur be fluffy, and your cat liner flicks be fabulous.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addicts,

Karen and Tabs

There are 12 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun, Tabs

Comment to Win a $50 eGift Card From MAC! (Ends Monday)

October 17th, 2015 by Karen 366 Comments

** THE GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED **

This giveaway is closed, and the winner has been contacted (CONGRATULATIONS, SARAH!!!), but check back next Saturday for another giveaway.

mac-makeup-giveaway-oct-2015

Just when you think things can’t get any more complciated, they throw something new at you on Jane the Virgin! Is anyone else watching that show?? I just started marathoning season 1 on Netflix, and sometimes the melodrama is just TOO MUCH. It’s very addictive…

In other news, happy Caturday! 🙂 How’s it going, my friend? What are you up to? I’m on my way to another one of those Sephora classes this morning, the one called Contour & Highlight, so hopefully I pick up a trick or two. I’ll let you know.

Other than that, I’m just hanging out. I hope you have something fun planned. Good luck in the giveaway. I’ll talk to you soon.

Prize

  • One (1) MAC eGift card containing $50 sent to the winner by email (international readers, you may opt to receive $50 sent by PayPal instead).

$50 MAC eGIFT CARD

Rules

  • Enter by leaving a comment below.
  • Open to U.S. and international readers.
  • You must be 18 or older to enter (or otherwise an adult based on your local laws).
  • Your comment can be about anything at all, but here are some ideas if you’re stuck:
    • Worst packaging for a product you purchased this year?
    • Who is one of the most talented or gifted people in your field?
    • Have you ever lost a cellphone?
    • Have you ever had a couples massage?
    • Do you floss?
    • When was the last time you treated yourself to something special?
  • One entry per person.
  • You must use a valid email address to win.
  • The giveaway ends on Monday, October 19, 2015 at 11:59 PM (Pacific Time). 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 366 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Giveaways, Just For Fun

How to Do a Smudgy Liner Daytime Smoky Eye | Tutorial

October 16th, 2015 by Karen 28 Comments

smudgy liner daytime smoky eye

Ah, smoky eyes… How I love, love, LOVE thee.

I love you for your telenovela-style drama, of course, but more than that — I love your gymnastic-caliber flexibility. There are so many ways to creatively interpret smoky eyes, and one of my favorites is this daytime eye look with smudgy liner.

It’s easier than it looks.

No, really! You won’t need a quadrillion brushes or eyeshadows. Just four brushes — a flat eyeshadow brush, a domed blending brush, a tapered blending brush and an angled eyeliner brush — and four eyeshadows, and for the shadows I suggest choosing a progression of colors from darkest to lightest in any finishes that move you from matte, to shimmer, to satin, etc.

smudgy liner daytime smoky eye closeup

For daytime smoky eyes, I do prefer mattes, though, more than shimmers, because the flatter finish says to me, “Let’s set a meeting to work on the fourth-quarter TPS reports,” as opposed to, “Let’s meet at da club to freak on some hot dudes.”

As for your colors, you’ll need a light shade to highlight your brown bone, a slightly darker crease color around your skin tone or one or two shade darker, a color slightly darker than that for the “smoke” on your lids, and then another even darker shade to smudge the eyeliner we’ll be using.

For this look, I went with four shades from the Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette, namely light beige Thirteen, which I’m using as my highlight shade; peachy taupe Combust, which I’m using as my crease shade; dark brown Whiskey, which I’m using as my lid shade; and dark gray Password to smudge the liner.

urban decay naked smoky
Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette, $54

[Continue reading…]

There are 28 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, Makeup, Makeup Tips/How To, Urban Decay

What Makeup Looks and Styles Can You See Still Being Popular in 50 Years?

October 16th, 2015 by Karen 20 Comments

MAC Lady Danger Lipstick
Dear MAC Lady Danger Lipstick… I look forward to wearing you in 50 years, ’cause fierceness never goes outta style!

Oh, wow. In 50 years, if I actually make it that far, I’ll be 90, holy $h*t!!! Baby Girl will be the age I am right now, and not so much a baby anymore, aww. Shoot, if I’m still blogging at that time, I hope Baby Girl won’t mind if her mom borrows her MAC Lady Danger every once in a while. 🙂

So, popular makeup looks and styles in 50 years? Hmm… I’m thinking that people will still be wearing the things that are considered classics now — red lips, winged liner, smoky eyes. Those three comprise a timeless makeup trifecta right there!

How about you? What makeup looks and styles can you see still being popular in 50 years?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S.
tabs-halloween-tgif-oct-2015-treats

There are 20 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun

The Rouge Bunny Rouge Discovery Coffret Fragrance Sample Set

October 16th, 2015 by Karen 5 Comments




rouge bunny rouge discovery coffret-890

rouge bunny rouge discovery coffret

As there are seven fragrances in the new $50 Rouge Bunny Rouge Discovery Coffret set, that means that you can wear a different Rouge Bunny Rouge scent every day of the week, which, according to my calculations and an independent double-blind study performed by Tabby Technologies, a Tabs the Cat Industries LLC subsidiary, you now have seven more reason to obsess over Rouge Bunny Rouge. 🙂

There are seven little fragrance samples in this set, and I think they’re all pretty great. Rouge Bunny Rouge likes to do things a little differently, and they stay in character with these scents. They’re unlike most standard-issue fruity florals that crowd the shelves at Sephora.

These combine fragrance notes in ways my nose has never met before, and because RBR is a boutique-sized brand and isn’t huge, the odds of you passing by someone on the sidewalk wearing the exact same scent are slim to none.

Soooo, if you or someone you love is a fragrance hound who loves interesting, uncommon scents that are hard to come by, this collection of samples could be a good deal.
[Continue reading…]

There are 5 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Daily Beauty, Rouge Bunny Rouge

5 Awesome Face Makeup Brushes I Use Every Day

October 15th, 2015 by Karen 7 Comments

5 awesome brushes

Survey says that I WILL use most, if not all, of these five face brushes every. Single. Day. They’re my brushes with destiny! — my makeup main squeezes, and my main workhorse tools.

1. NARS Mie Kabuki Brush ($55)

LBD, baby! Little black dress. The NARS Mie Kabuki is the little black dress of my face brush collection because of all the many things it can do. Sometimes I’ll use it to apply face powder, other times I’ll use it as a bronzing brush, and sometimes I’ll use it to highlight or apply blush.

Unfortunately, the price. It’s $55… Buuuut, it can do so much, and above all, it blends like a mofo! I can really see a difference between when I use Mie to blend bronzer or blush, and when I use something else, and I think it’s because of that point in the tip (see the pic below) and how the tip slopes. It makes it easy to buff out edges and get smooth gradients. If you like the sound of that, Mie is available now at NARS counters, boutiques and online.

2. MAC 138 Tapered Face Brush ($53)

Another pointy tip! I mostly use the MAC 138 to apply face powder to specific spots, like the center of my forehead, on and around my nose and mouth, just below my cheeks and on my chin, and while big, fluffy face brushes are fun to use with face powder (and feel great on my skin), I still prefer this smaller brush.

Why?

Well, because when I apply too much powder, my face makeup looks heavy and très obvious, and with the 138, I can really target where I’m placing my powder, which means that I can generally get away with using less. It’s available now at MAC counters, stores and online.

3. MAC 109 Small Contour Brush ($35)

The MAC 109 face brush has a small, rounded head that fits just perfectly in the hollows of my cheeks; that makes it a bronzing/contouring champ.

I’m a big bronzer gal, so I rarely use this one for contouring, but I think it’s an absolutely awesome bronzing brush.

I always have to resist the urge to go heavy with bronzer, and I’m tempted put it everywhere (NO, SERIOUSLY), but this brush basically saves me from myself, LOL! It’s available now at MAC counters, stores and online.
[Continue reading…]

There are 7 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: MAC Makeup, Makeup Tools, NARS

5 Lavish, Lovely Berry Lipsticks to Fall for This Fall

October 15th, 2015 by Karen 27 Comments

5 berry lipsticks for fall

Fall.

They say it’s fall, and it did feel like fall here about a week ago. It was cloudy and chilly, and there were leaves falling everywhere outside, but then summer struck back and said, “CUT! Hold your horses! I’m not ready to go…” We had another string of 80- and 90-degree days.

Sooner or later, though, it’ll get cooler and stay that way. It’s a guarantee. 🙁 And when it happens, I’ll be ready for it with these five fall-friendly berry lipsticks.

1. NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Hyde Park ($26)

nars hyde park
NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Hyde Park

I really like Reddish berry Hyde Park with bronze, burgundy and brown looks. And even cranberry smoky eyes (Ooh! — give it try sometime with a warm and shimmery cranberry on your lids and a matte orangey brown in the crease). The pencil shape makes it easy to line and fill in my lips without needing a lip liner, so yay for skipping steps! Hyde Park is available now at NARS counters, stores and online.

2. Tom Ford Lip Color Matte in Plum Lush ($52)

tom ford plum lush
Tom Ford Lip Color Matte in Plum Lush

[Continue reading…]

There are 27 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Lips, MAC Makeup, Makeup, NARS, Tom Ford Beauty, Urban Decay

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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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