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

Do You Ever Use Those Free Skin Care and Fragrance Sample Packets That Are in Some Magazines?

October 7th, 2015 by Karen 30 Comments

Um…yeah, but I seem to hoard them more than I actually use them.

Whenever I find a good one, I pull it out and save it in this bag I have where I keep sample packets for trips, but I always somehow forget about the bag whenever a trip comes along and end up filling and using those little sample jars you get from Nordstrom instead.

*shakes head*

So, as I sit here looking at my bag of sample packets, I think I’m done saving them for a rainy day… I’m just gonna start using them right now, so please excuse me as I dig into this packet of Chanel Hydra Beauty Micro Serum that I tore out of a magazine two months ago (I plan to use this tip to get every last drop out of it, by the way).

How about you? Do you ever use those free skin care and fragrance sample packets that are in some magazines?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Bump Watch: 18 Weeks

October 7th, 2015 by Karen 52 Comments

Hello, belly and Baby Girl! Now that she’s officially 18 weeks old, she’s popping out for all the world to see.

I feel like I’m walking around all day, errr-day with a melon under my shirt because she’s gotten pretty big over the past month, and now she’s growing fast, too.

Just how big is she now? Well, here she is with a Grande Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Decaf Latte for comparison, haha.

For the most part, I’m still getting around pretty well, but it is getting a little harder to chase Tabs around the house, to sprint up and down the stairs and to walk up the steepest hills in our neighborhood.

I know it’s only temporary, and this is a special time. Pretty soon Baby Girl will be out in the world, but for now, it’s just me and her.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Make Up For Ever Holiday 2015

October 6th, 2015 by Karen 13 Comments

Hold me close and kiss me deeply, MUFE, as we snuggle by the Christmas tree and the roaring fire…

Hello, holiday collections! MUFE, you had me at glitter and hot pink. 🙂

Make Up For Ever’s holiday 2015 collection is cutie-cute-cute, and as for the packaging, there’s no man junk visible within a three-mile radius.

The collection includes six limited edition sets, and here’s a look at three of them (not shown are the lash kit, the gloss duo and the mini brush kit). They’re some of the best deals I’ve seen so far this holiday makeup season.

make up for ever holiday 2015 15 artist shadow — Make Up For Ever Holiday 2015 15 Artist Shadow palette ($59, a $221 value)

make up for ever holiday 2015 artist shadow — The Make Up For Ever Holiday 2015 15 Artist Shadow palette

The colors themselves are all re-promotes from the permanent line, so these aren’t brand new products, but you may not mind, even if you already have a few of the colors…

And the reason for that? Price break!

make up for ever holiday 2015 artist plexi gloss collection — Make Up For Ever Holiday 2015 Artist Plexi-Gloss Collection ($150, a $228 value)

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MAC Unsung Heroes: Constructivist Paint Pot

October 6th, 2015 by Karen 11 Comments

mac constructivist paint pot — MAC Paint Pot in Constructivist ($22)

The long-running Unsung Heroes series here on Makeup and Beauty Blog features some of my all-time favorite permanent collection products.

When you’re on your second pot of MAC Constructivist — wait, I think this might be my third? — it’s probably time to put flowers in its hair, stick it on a float, and throw a parade for it (don’t forget the brass band). Or, you could give it the Unsung Heroes treatment. 🙂

Dude, what a snazzy little Paint Pot! This pearlescent reddish brown cream eyeshadow is a $22 member of the MAC permanent line, and we’ve been hanging out even more than usual lately.

If you love brown eyeshadows as much as I do (and I know my girls are out there; I can’t be the only one!), Constructivist is absolutely must-have, especially if you’re also a MAC fan and a lover of neutral shadows.

Flexibility is Constructivist’s super power. You can wear it by itself (which I do all the time), or use it as a base under other powder eyeshadows, and hello! — it looks lovely with so many different shades, but I’ll talk about that more in a second.

mac constructivist paint pot 2 — MAC Paint Pot in Constructivist ($22)

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On a Scale of 1-10, How Much Do You Hate Having Your Hair in Your Face?

October 6th, 2015 by Karen 27 Comments

On a scale of 1-10, with “1” being no big deal and “10” being white hot burning hatred, how much do you hate having your hair in your face?

For me it depends on a few factors, like what I’m doing at the time, and how janky my hair is. Like, if I’ve been working out, and I’m all sweaty and gross, I’m at level 10, because I absolutely cannot stand having any stray strands stuck on my sweaty face, UGH!

I actually have an elaborate pre-workout hair regimen that I’ve followed for the past…well, forever, it seems. What I’ll do is put my hair up in a ponytail, usually with two rubber bands so the ponytail doesn’t loosen and slip out, and then I’ll put on a headband and secure it with no fewer than four bobby pins.

And said ponytail must be placed very specifically. There’s a sweet spot for it. It can’t be too high or too low, because if it’s too high, my hair will whip around and still hit me in my face, and if it’s too low, I can feel it on the back of my neck…which I don’t like, so yeah, the process is kind of intense, but it’s my thing and it works for me. Basically, when I’m exercising, I have to keep my hair far, far away from my sweaty face.

The rest of the time, it doesn’t really bother me when my hair gets in my face, as long as my hair is somewhat clean, and by “somewhat,” I mean that it isn’t too greasy or stinky. For example, when I’m at the end of fourth- or fifth-day hair and it’s oily and smells like fried food, then yeah…it’s annoying, so up it goes.

How about you?

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

And in Today’s Episode of “Adventures of a Crazy Cat Lady…”

October 6th, 2015 by Karen 27 Comments

I spent my morning break drinking hot tea and tum-scratching this adorable kitty lady.

Isn’t she dainty and cute!? I’m a little obsessed with her whisker pads…

She lives in my neighborhood and stops by every few days to say hi. I named her a while back (since I don’t know her real name), but apparently that name didn’t take because I can’t remember it, LOL!

So now I’ve started calling her “Sunshine”, because every time I see her she’s bright, happy and chatty.

El Hub says that I am NOT to seduce her with treats and love (he knows me too well), because even though she doesn’t wear a collar, she looks well cared for and fed, but ya know…if she decides to follow me home one day and never wants to leave, I won’t stop her. 🙂

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NARS Steven Klein in Action

October 5th, 2015 by Karen 20 Comments

Just a few quick pics of the makeup I wore today, and fall was in full effect! This was a NARS Steven Klein kinda Monday for me, and glitter also made an appearance.

The NARS Steven Klein holiday 2015 collection is available now online and at NARS boutiques, BTW.

NARS Steven Klein products I’m wearing…

Killer Shine Lipstick in No Shame Lipstick — lips

Killer Shine Lip Gloss in Fast Life — lips

Single Eyeshadow in Never Too Late — lids

Single Eyeshadow in Mortal — inner corner

Single Eyeshadow in Stud — pressed into center of my lids

Dual-Intensity Blush in Vengeful — cheeks

What about you? Did you wear anything colorful today?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

NARS Steven Klein Holiday 2015, Part 2: The Color Collection

October 5th, 2015 by Karen 20 Comments

Gray does not grandstand in the new NARS Steven Klein holiday 2015 color collection, but if it did, and there were more gray in the release, [THIS] would be right about where I’d insert a 50 Shades of Grey joke about my cat’s never-ending need to dominate my life.

Um, yeah! You know how NARS is with their holiday collections — they like to take the road less traveled, which in this case means nothing too candy cane-covered or outwardly holiday-ish. This year’s color collection, a collaboration with fashion photographer Steven Klein, has an artsy edge to it, and by “artsy edge,” I mean that if a billionaire playboy were ever to invite you to the secret playroom in the back of his mansion, this collection would suit your favorite pair of shiny dominatrix boots quite nicely.

As NARS puts it, imagine “Fantasy. Roles. Rules.”

nars steven klein holiday 2015 lipsticks — NARS Steven Klein Killer Shine Lipsticks in Redemption, Besame Mucho and No Shame ($29 each)

nars steven klein killer shine — NARS Steven Klein Killer Shine Lip Glosses in Special Force, Fast Life and Provoke ($28 each)

Shiny vinyl-like finishes play a big part in this 15-piece limited edition launch of pieces for eyes, cheeks, lips and nails. As they are with the Steven Klein holiday gifting sets we looked at last week, lip products are again the stars of the show. There are three lipsticks and three glosses in a completely new formula called Killer Shine, and they’re so glossy and bright that your dominatrix boots be totes jelly.

NARS also carries that same concept of lovely lusters over to the products for eyes, cheeks and nails.

And now that I think about it…there’s very little, if any, matte here, so if you’re drawn to glitter and shimmer like a moth to a flame, then holla! — you’ll probably find something to like in this release.

nars steven klein holiday 2015 vengeful — NARS Steven Klein Dual-Intensity Blush in Vengeful ($45)

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On a scale of 1-10, how much do you hate having your hair in your face?

NARS Steven Klein products I’m wearing…