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

Before and After New Urban Decay Brow Beater and Brow Tamer

July 6th, 2015 by Karen 24 Comments

My brows and I don’t hold hands and sing songs around the campfire.

My brows and I don’t “hug it out.”

This is because my brows and I have dueling agendas. While they like the sparse spots that appear around their arches, I want brows that are fluffy and full.

While they like looking unfinished and being underwhelming, I want brows that give out high fives and say, “Haaay, GURL, HAAY!” when they enter a room.

This epic, ongoing battle for total and complete brow domination recently led me to try two new brow products coming soon from Urban Decay — one, a new line of Brow Beater pencils ($20 each), and the other a new line of Brow Tamer brow gels (also $20 each).

Both promise to bust out bad@ss submission holds on brows to wrestle them into place.

urban decay brow beater — Urban Decay Brow Beater from the left in Dark, Neutral Brown, Taupe and Warm Brown

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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 380

July 6th, 2015 by Karen 68 Comments

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.

Describe your typical weekend makeup look.
Well, it has gotten progressively less fussy over the past few months. It used to involve some combination of brows, lashes, foundation (or tinted moisturizer), concealer, blush AND gloss, but I’ve been keeping it simpler lately.

Like, last Sunday morning El Hub and I ran out to grab a croissant and coffee from our favorite bakery, and I just wore a little tinted balm — that’s it — and even that was only because my lips were hella dry.

I still like getting gussied up and wearing more complicated weekend makeup sometimes, but lately, not so much. I’ve been more into going bare faced.

Have you ever trimmed your nose hair (be honest!)?
LOL! Yeah. Totally. Just my left nostril though. The hairs on the right aren’t as jungly.

Mascara primer: totally necessary or totally overrated?
Totally necessary, but if and only if we’re talking about Estee Lauder’s Little Black Primer.

GURL, one time and you’ll be hooked. It’ll take your favorite mascara to the next level.

Gladiator shoes or espadrilles? (P.S. “Neither” is not an option. You have to choose one.)
Bah! No to the espadrilles, because I had a pair once that totally hurt my feet, so gladiator shoes it is (ideally in a nude shade)! — even though I’ll probably end up with a weird tan on my legs.

5 random things you’re loving right now?
1. Hearing the sound of baby birds chirping outside (there’s a nest in the hanging plant off my deck!)
2. Watermelon (been eating a TON of it lately)
3. Charli XCX’s Sucker album (good running music)
4. These Denco Stainless Steel Nail Clippers. (They have a plastic catcher to catch the nail clippings so they don’t just fly all over the place! Why I derive so much joy from this, I have no idea.)
5. My Roxy leopard-print slip-ons

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

1.Describe your typical weekend makeup look.
2. Have you ever trimmed your nose hair (be honest!)?
3. Mascara primer: totally necessary or totally overrated?
4. Gladiator shoes or espadrilles? (P.S. “Neither” is not an option. You have to choose one.)
5. 5 random things you’re loving right now?

Top o’ the morning to you, kitty cat! My mind’s kind of going in 10 million directions today, but it’s all good. Once the tea kicks in, all will be right with the world. 🙂

How are you doin’? Do you have a minute to touch base in today’s Monday Poll? It’s a time-tested, highly effective way to get into your mental groove.

Talk to ya soon!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 353

July 5th, 2015 by Karen 13 Comments

Dear Tabby is written by Tabs the cat, widely considered “the world’s first plus-size kitty supermodel.” Founded in mid 2012, it has quickly become the most popular cat advice column on earth — known for its fresh, feline perspective on lifestyle, fashion and style issues affecting cats and humans.

A cat wonders if he should conform

‘Tsup Tabby,

Up ’round the NYC they call me DJ Scratches, but my real name is Dorian Gray. My crew and I just relocated from the city to a small town upstate, and I’m having a hard time connecting with the locals. None of the cats here understand my style, and they tease me and whatnot.

The cats here are more preppy, and maybe I am a little bit out there, but I mean, should I change my style to fit in? I respect your opinion, Tabby.

-Out of Place Upstate

DEAR OUT OF PLACE: The beauty of fashion is individuality. Please do not change your style to appease someone else. The world would be a boring place if we didn’t have style rebels and cats with unique points of view like yourself, so keep doing what you’re doing.

May I suggest starting a style blog to bridge the divide and create a place where different styles are celebrated? It might coax other cats in your area into expressing themselves.

There is no “I” in team

Dear Tabby,

I’ve been booking a lot of kitty modeling jobs lately with this guy named Boris because we have fantastic camera chemistry, but behind the scenes we hate each other.

Honestly, I don’t know how much longer I can take it, but the pay is really good. Basically, if I could find a way to get them to fire Boris and hire a replacement, things would be great, but how should I go about doing that?

-Bye Bye Boris

DEAR BYE BYE: Well, you don’t. I hate to break it to you, but in this industry, you have to learn how to work with others. It’s about being professional for the job, and you might as well learn that now, because you can’t be pulling that diva sh*t as a mid-tier kitty model. Once you’ve been on the cover of five or six magazines, then maybe you could be the diva, but for now you have to learn how to play the game. Suck it up.
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Comment to Win a $50 eGift Card From MAC! (Ends Monday)

July 4th, 2015 by Karen 347 Comments

** THE GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED **
This giveaway is closed, and the winner has been contacted (CONGRATULATIONS, KIYANNA!!!), but check back next Saturday for another giveaway.

Happy 4th of July!

Mmm… I can already smell the barbecue (make mine fish and veggies, please).

Rise and shine, pal o’ mine! It’s Independence Day weekend. I hope you have fun plans.

We’ll probably get ready to go here pretty soon to watch the Novato parade. Last year I brought my good camera with me and got some choice pics of celebratory red, white and blue-wearing canine fashion models. I wonder how this year’s talent stacks up…

In other news, Magic Mike XXL: guess who “went there” last night.

GURL, YAAASS! My friend Marisol and I went last night, and it was…oh, my goodness. It was WEIRD. Fo’ reals, though. It’s kind of random (yes, there’s a stripper convention involved) but, you know, the dudes. If you liked the first one, it makes less sense than that, but it doesn’t really matter, if you know what I mean. 🙂

LOL!

OK, I better get moving. Your tabby nephew is completely unhappy with my job performance right now because he hasn’t gone outside yet for his usual morning walk. He just nipped my legs as if to say “WOMAN!” so I’d better go attend to my duties.

Thanks for stopping by, my friend, and have a great weekend.

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).

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:
- What was the last limited edition makeup collection you went all out for?
- Something you splurged on this week?
- Have you ever helped anyone translate something?
- Have you ever gone back to a salon to ask a stylist to change or fix your hair?
- Favorite barbecue snack or food?
- Biggest makeup mystery? (Something that you just don’t understand or can’t figure out.)
One entry per person.
You must use a valid email address to win.
The giveaway ends on Monday, July 6, 2015 at 11:59 PM (Pacific Time). 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Mirror, Mirror on…These Eyeshadow Palettes: The NARS Fall 2015 NARSissist Matte/Shimmer Eyeshadow Palette and Hardwired Eye Kit

July 3rd, 2015 by Karen 18 Comments

Mirror, mirror on the wall…who’s the most beautiful NARSissist of them all?!

I think you already know Tabby’s answer. 🙂

The new limited edition NARSissist fall 2015 eye palettes have mirrors on the packaging so that you may admire yo’ fine self, or so that your kitty cat can admire his floof.

I think it’s pretty convenient and cool, even though it makes these things pick up a sh*t-ton of paw prints whenever I open them.

nars narsissist matte shimmer eyeshadow palette — NARS Matte/Shimmer Eyeshadow Palette

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The NARS Fall 2015 Collection Has More Twists Than a Lifetime Movie

July 3rd, 2015 by Karen 35 Comments

The NARS 2015 collection has more twists than a woman-in-peril movie on Lifetime (which I’ve been watching A LOT lately, as you can tell). You know, like, just when you start to think that the birth mother of the baby that the movie’s protagonist planned to adopt might actually be a a nice girl, but then it turns out that she’s wanted in eight states for kidnapping and extortion! *gasp!*

Hello, TWIST.

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Unsung Makeup Heroes: Tom Ford Cognac Sable Eye Color Quad

July 3rd, 2015 by Karen 13 Comments

Ooh, girl. I gotta be straight with you, because I’m not about to have you fall in love with Tom Ford Cognac Sable and then be heartbroken because of the price.

This quad is $79!

ERHMAHGAWD. So painful. It’s enough to make me want to bite my fist or fall face down on the floor. Sometimes both. But that’s Tom Ford for you. It isn’t exactly BOGO, if you know what I mean, but if you’re OK with that issue, then sweet baby tabbies! — this quad is beautiful. Almost always when I bring it with me on trips, it gets a lot of use.

It has four shades — a shimmery golden peachy beige with a hint of pink pearl, a medium-toned satiny golden brown with tiny flecks of gold shimmer, a deeper satiny plum with golden micro-glitter, and a copper glitter. Each one is a workhorse with a little special kick of its own, like the flash of pearly pink in the light golden beige.

Hands down, this is my favorite of the Tom Ford quads I’ve used.

The Tom Ford Cognac Sable Eye Color Quad before I went to town on it, LOL!

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Would You Wear These Shoes? The Steve Madden Jillyy Platform Sandal

July 3rd, 2015 by Karen 24 Comments

Oh, hell yeah, I’d wear ’em, even though that heel is straight-up CRAY (it’s 5-1/2″ with a 1-1/2″ platform). I’d be so tall in these… It would be GLORIOUS!!

I’d have to keep them strictly as house-to-the-restaurant-and-back shoes, though. Things like that. Definitely NO stairs or everyday errands. I can’t imagine ever actually driving in these…

They’re the Jillyy Platform Sandals by Steve Madden, by the way ($149).