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5 Things You Should Know About the Too Faced Love Palette

June 30th, 2015 by Karen 26 Comments

too faced love palette
With hearts, hugs and kisses, it’s the new $49 Too Faced Love Palette

pink-heart-love-24x20 5 Things You Should Know About the Too Faced Love Palette pink-heart-love-24x20

  1. Inspired by the lost art of love letter writing, the Too Faced Love Palette just might inspire you to write a long overdue love letter (of sorts) to yourself…

    Dear Karen,

    GURL. Just a gentle reminder to please stop and smell the roses sometimes, because like you, they’re wonderful.

    You always try so hard at everything, and I love that about you, but I wish you would make more time for yourself (and for us, mi amor). I don’t know about you, but when we’re together hanging out, I feel EFFING FABULOUS! Like when we go to the mall or get our hair did at the salon, we always have so much fun! We should really just face it already — we’re made for each other.

    I can’t deny that sometimes I get a little jealous of…you know who, but I can’t help it. He’s a larger-than-life feline philanthropist, famous kitty supermodel and incredibly talented, and I’m just a simple blogger.

    But he can’t love you like I do.

    I’ll always be here for you, my darling. Please never forget how wonderful you are.

    Love always,

    Karen

  2. There are hearts in the middle of each pan! — which may or may not make you crave Valentine’s Day candy hearts, and if they do, you may find yourself Googling “buy Valentines candy hearts online June.”
  3. When you’re in the mood to watch TV while you play with makeup (am I the only person who does this?), the Love Palette and a Lifetime movie make a great pair. I recommend the “woman in peril” genre so that you may periodically take breaks from blending to yell things like, “Molly…YOU IN DANGER, GIRL!” at the TV whenever the protagonist does a totally dumb thing, like descending a flight of steep stairs into a pitch black basement without so much as a fork with which to defend herself. I mean, REALLY?
  4. When you’re wearing the Love Palette on your lids and your true love calls (and you know that he’s your true love because he just drove your cat to the vet!) to say that they will be returning home shortly because the cat just projectile pooped all over your beloved’s shirt, pants and car (more on this in a minute…), your eyes will look lovely while your heart swells with concern.
  5. And after you finish doing your makeup with the Love Palette, you remember how much you love wearing smokey eyes. Then, even though it hits 93 degrees outside, you say to yourself, “Eff it. I’m in the mood to go smokey today, and I refuse to deny the urge. Who cares if we’re in the middle of a summer heat wave?”
too faced love palette
Packaging for the Too Faced Love Palette
too faced love palette
The new Too Faced Love Palette ($49)

too faced love palette
Wearing the Too Faced Love Palette on my eyes

[Continue reading…]

There are 26 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, Makeup, Palettes, Product Reviews, Too Faced

What Was the Last Beauty Backup You Bought?

June 30th, 2015 by Karen 53 Comments

Talk to me!
Talk to meh!

Because perish the thought of using the very last spray, pump or drop of your most precious, essential beauty product and coming to the nightmarish, gut-wrenching realization that you have nothing on the premises remotely good enough with which to replace it!

I used to buy more backups, especially of limited edition products I really liked, but now I’m pickier. Now I usually wait until I finish, or almost finish, whatever it is, like a pan of eyeshadow, a bottle of nail polish or whatever.

Now my rule is that I can only buy backups of things that I KNOW I’m going to finish to the very last drop, and it has to be something that I feel the absence of would disrupt the world as I know it. 🙂 Then it’s worthy of having a backup.

I also try to buy backups on discount, like when Sephora has their VIB sale. Viva la discount!

So this was my longwinded way of saying that the last backup I bought was MAC Fix+, because I love it and use it all the time, and I’m sure I’m eventually going to need/want a new bottle. Before that, I got a backup tube of YSL Touche Éclat.

How about you? What was the last beauty backup you bought? And generally speaking, what kinds of things do you buy beauty backups of?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 53 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun

7 Covetable Coral Lipsticks That’ll Make You Go Completely Crazy for Coral

June 29th, 2015 by Karen 24 Comments

mac vegas volt
Cray for coral!

Some people go cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs. I go crazy for coral…lips, which I will totally wear any time of year, but fiendishly in summer.

This time of year I wear coral lips. A lot. Practically every other day! I mean, coral as a color in summer? That never goes out of style.

And when it comes to coral lips and permanent colors, here are seven of my faves… 🙂

1. MAC Amplified Lipstick in Vegas Volt

Vegas Volt. Something must be powering all those slot machines and lights. Maybe it’s Vegas Volt. It’s the coral I wear when I feel like kicking doors down in my four-inch heels.

Intense, opaque and potent enough to send a lightning bolt of pigment straight to your soul. It’s $16 and available now at MAC counters, stores and online.

mac vegas volt
Wearing MAC Amplified Lipstick in Vegas Volt

2. Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Streak

Urban Decay Streak Revolution Lipstick 10
Urban Decay Streak Revolution Lipstick in Streak

Flamingoes. Creamy coral pink Streak reminds me of flamingoes. 🙂 This fresh, summery coral kicks so much @ss when worn with dewy skin, teal or gold liner, and mountains of mascara. It’s $22 and available now online and at Urban Decay counters, Ulta, Sephora and select Macy’s stores.

Urban Decay Streak Swatch 10
Streak!

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There are 24 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Chanel, Lips, MAC Makeup, Make Up For Ever, Makeup, NARS, Too Faced

Challenge Yourself While Chilling Out on the Russian River

June 29th, 2015 by Karen 11 Comments




















russian-river-canoe-2015-2

Do not be alarmed when the guy at Burke’s Canoe Trips on the Russian River in Forestville, California emphatically insists that people flip their canoes about half the time, then stresses the question, “Are you a REALLY good swimmer?”

Dude, I was freaked! — but it wasn’t that bad.

I expected raging rapids and Indiana Jones-style waterfalls when El Hub and I rented our canoe there last Saturday, but except for one or two dicey spots, and a near-capsizing we almost caused ourselves trying to avoid some obnoxious chillins’ who sprayed us with giant water guns, the river was steady and calm.

russian-river-canoe-2015-17

russian-river-canoe-2015-18

We canoed the river last year, too, but that was from Monte Rio Beach in the town of Guerneville. This time we started about 10 miles upriver, and I liked it better. The river was more wild and the shore was greener, and we saw a lot more birds, like an osprey, a blue heron and about 500 ducks — all of them female, which was a bit weird…

Anywho! This time was more exciting than last year because there was more to see and do. There weren’t really any rapids (thankfully, ’cause I got scurred!), but we did have to pay closer attention to the river because there were one or two tight turns.

But that kept things interesting.

russian-river-canoe-2015-10
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There are 11 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Daily Photo

5 Drugstore Makeup Products That Are Off The Freakin’ Chain

June 29th, 2015 by Karen 52 Comments

drugstore makeup favorites
Maybelline makes one of my current low-cost crushes/favorite drugstore products — Maybelline Color Sensational The Buffs Lipstick in Stormy Sahara, which I’m wearing here

Who says you have to sacrifice your sensibilities and set your wallet on fire to find truly fabulous beauty products? Whoever they are, ignore them. Please. Because they have no idea what they’re talking about. 🙂

There are many marvelous drugstore makeup products out there, and here are five of my current favorites. I use ’em and love ’em a lot.

Maybelline Color Sensational The Buffs ($7.49)

Maybelline Color Sensation The Buffs in Blushing Bride (left) and Stormy Sahara (right)
Color Sensational The Buffs Lipstick in Blushing Beige (left) and Stormy Sahara (right)

Is it possible to own too many nude lipsticks? — like, where someone would come over to your house, see your makeup collection and say, “No, no, no! You cannot have that many nude lipsticks! I’m sorry, but it’s against the rules, and I’m telling on you…”

A girl can never have too many nude lipsticks. Am I right?! Maybelline’s Color Sensational The Buffs lipsticks have a smooth, satiny finish and lots of pigment, and they apply fully opaque. Basically, they’re the ish.

They’re available in 10 shades and various nude tones, but my top love is warm peachy beige Stormy Sahara. I ESPECIALLY love it with smokey eyes. It’s available now online and at drugstores and Ulta.

Oh! — and FYI, Ulta is currently offering a buy one, get one for 50% off deal on these.

L’Oreal True Match Lumi Healthy Luminous Foundation ($12.99)

Loreal True Match Lumi
YASSSS, gurl! Magic in a bottle, otherwise known as L’Oreal True Match Lumi Healthy Luminous foundation ($12.99)

I’ve raved about this foundation before, and you know what? I’m going to rave about it again. Because it’s the very definition of a drugstore gem.

If you like that dewy skin look, try L’Oreal True Match Lumi. I think it’s the best drugstore foundation on the market, hands-down. It’s great. I swear on my tabby’s fluffy thighs… Yes, it’s that serious, boo-boo!

It’s $12.99 and comes in a bunch of shades, and the formula applies effortlessly and looks natural, so you won’t end up with fake-@ss cyborg skin. Just real skin that looks more even toned and luminous.

I love this stuff so much that I’m getting another bottle in a darker shade to mix with my current bottle of Sun Beige and customize my own color. It’s available now online and at drugstores, Target and Ulta (note: it’s currently on sale at Ulta right meow for $7.79).
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There are 52 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Drugstore Beauty Finds

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 379

June 29th, 2015 by Karen 25 Comments

the makeup and beauty blog monday poll
The Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll for June 29, 2015

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. When you were a child, did you have an imaginary friend?
    Just my pink teddy bear, Ding-a-ling. She was kind of like an imaginary friend, and I took her everywhere! We’d have long conversations about cartoons, tell each other bedtime stories, and host parties for the other stuffed animals — you know, normal BFF stuff.

    I even took her with me when I “ran away.”

    I was five; I only made it as far as the front yard.

  2. What’s the least amount of sleep on which you can function semi-normally?
    About six hours, and even then it’s dicey until I get something caffeinated in me.
  3. What do you do with those little sponge applicators that come with some eyeshadows?
    When I discovered eye brushes, I started tossing those little sponge applicators, thinking that I no longer had any use for ’em, but now I take them out of their quads/singles/whatever and keep them in a drawer for future use, because they’re surprisingly handy, like you can wet them with MAC Fix+ and use them to apply shadow to your lids, because Fix+ (or even water) will intensify most colors, or use them dry for fine detailing in the inner corners of your eyes, the outer V or your lower lash lines.

    They’re also great for precise highlighting placement on the bridge of your nose and your Cupid’s bow.

  4. Have you ever had a bikini wax?
    I have, but to be honest, they aren’t my favorite method of hair removal. My hair grows quickly, so I’m usually better off shaving.

    That, and they hurt like a mutha’!

  5. Would you rather wear a denim jacket or a denim skirt?
    Well, I’m short-waisted, and I think that most skirts look kind of odd on me because the top of the skirt usually sits too high and ends up just beneath my boobs.

    So denim jackets all the way! Plus, I can wear a denim jacket with more outfits.

Le List

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

1. When you were a child, did you have an imaginary friend?
2. What’s the least amount of sleep on which you can function semi-normally?
3. What do you do with those little sponge applicators that come with some eyeshadows?
4. Have you ever had a bikini wax?
5. Would you rather wear a denim jacket or a denim skirt?

Hello and happy Monday to ya. 🙂 How goes it? As of right now, this very second, I’m doing OK; however, I’m feeling quite hormonal today, so if I start to talk about how a kitten video made me bawl my eyes out (kittens: they’re just so tiny and adorable, and I CAN’T TAKE IT!!), you’ll know why.

It’s weird, but when I get this way, it’s like everything around me is an extreme version of itself — bigger, more intense, louder, harder. Like, one minute, making a peanut butter and banana sandwich will seem utterly impossible, like it would be easier to scale Mt. Everest in a bikini using just my fingers and toes.

Then the next minute I’m fine.

Does that happen to you?? Does anything help with your hormonal mood swings if you get them?

Sometimes meditation will help (I use an app called Buddhify), or talking to El Hub (he’s usually even-keeled and rational, bless his heart), or drinking a calming tea. And running helps me too (which I plan to do later today).

Speaking of calming teas, I need another. I hope you have a minute to fill out the Monday Poll. See ya soon. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 25 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 352

June 28th, 2015 by Karen 7 Comments

fashionable-feline-clothing
tabs-summer-clothes-accessories-2015

Upgrade your summer fun with a-meow-zing clothes and accessories that speak to your cat lady soul. Here are some primo cat-themed contenders hand-picked by moi and approved by Tabs. 🙂

Know an Eccentric or Two Swimsuit Top ($49.99) and Bottom ($39.99)

known-an-eccentric-or-two

Because you’ve always dreamed of wearing a two-piece swimsuit with kittens and cupcakes floating in space. Top and bottom available now at modcloth.com.

Velvet Sphynx Here Kitty Kitty Top ($90) and Bottom ($90)

velvet sphynx here kitty kitty

Kitty eyes are watching mew! Top and bottom available now at velvetsphynx.com.

Velvet Sphynx On the Prowl Top ($60) and Bottom ($58)

velvet sphynx on the prowl

For discerning cat ladies who prowl at the pool. Top and bottom available now at velvetsphynx.com.
[Continue reading…]

There are 7 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun, Tabs

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

June 27th, 2015 by Karen 393 Comments

** THE GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED **

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

mac giveaway
Win a $50 MAC eGIFT CARD from Makeup and Beauty Blog

Rise and shine, morning glory. Happy caturday! 🙂

So much on my mind right now because it’s been a BIG week, but let’s get the important things out of the way first. Are you ready? Let’s start with this: bunnies. And almost tailless cats.

Yes, I’m referring to my part-time petsitting duties, but no, I haven’t taken any pictures yet, even though I really want to, because I haven’t gotten permission from my friends to share them online. 🙁

BUT I REALLY WANT TO. LOL!

First, there’s Malu, an orange and white love muffin with big, bright brown eyes and half a tail. She likes eating, flashing her tum on the floor and taking longs walks around the dining room.

And then there’s Zee-Zee, a rambunctious white bunny with black pointed ears who enjoys cat-watching from the comfort of her extra-large cage and snacking on fresh veggies (last night she had kale).

Both of them are painfully adorbs.

In other news…Monte Rio Beach on the Russian River. I don’t think we’ll be going kayaking there today because it’s actually almost cold. A foggy weather front came in, and it’s not ideal kayaking weather, so that throws a wrench into our plans.

We’ll see though… If it warms up at all we’ll go.

This week flew by for me so fast that it feels almost like I didn’t participate! — like this week literally skipped right by. I dunno, it’s weird. But I feel like I’ve been MIA for a while, even though I’ve been right here. Weird.

I hope you had a good week and that somebody politely held a door open for you. Have a kick-@ss pre-4th of July weekend. Talk to you soon, my friend. The giveaway starts in 3-2-1…

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:
    • Do you notice your skin gets better or worse after certain foods?
    • When was the last time you had a good foot massage?
    • Do you ever meditate?
    • What’s a good name for a great eyeshadow?
    • Have you ever fallen asleep in a lecture or meeting?
    • What’s one of your favorite parts of doing your makeup?
  • One entry per person.
  • You must use a valid email address to win.
  • The giveaway ends on Monday, June 29, 2015 at 11:59 PM (Pacific Time). 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 393 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Giveaways, Just For Fun

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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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