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A Little Bit of Bling Always Banishes the Blahs: The Kristin Perry Sunflower Stud Earrings

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kristin perry sunflower stud earrings
kristin perry sunflower stud earrings
The Kristin Perry Sunflower Stud Earrings ($42)

I still have love for oversized hoops and dangly chandeliers (they’ll always be among my ride-or-die accessories), but I’ve been diggin’ stud earrings lately.

Particularly big-honkin’ ones like these $42 Kristin Perry Sunflower Stud Earrings.

They’re 14K gold-plated with a stainless steel stud back and glass crystals in the middle, and I like that they’re kind of vintage and kitschy. They remind me of something Kate Spade might carry…but for, like, twice the price.

On a related note, isn’t it funny how your personal style and the things you like can change over time? There was a time when I would only wear silver jewelry.

Did you ever go through a silver phase? I wouldn’t touch anything gold with a ten-foot pole, but now I’m all about gold anything. 🙂

I don’t know when it happened or why, but I’m back to loving gold.

One time years ago my mother-in-law told me that when you stop wearing silver and start wearing gold, you’re officially old…

LOL! I don’t know if that’s true (I really don’t think so), but I do know that I mostly wear gold earrings and necklaces these days.

kristin perry sunflower stud earrings

If you’re interested in these (aren’t they cute!?), they’re available now at Kristin Perry’s online shop. Check out her stuff sometime! She’s an L.A.-based indie designer, a great gal, and I love, LOVE her stuff. It’s like Kate Spade with an edge.

The MAC Giambattista Valli Collection: Florals, Femininity and Fabulously Bold Matte Lipstick

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mac giambattista valli

“Like, totally rad to the max! I want to be a Valli girl!”

I don’t even know where to start with the MAC Giambattista Valli collection.

Gah! Between the practical packaging (the color of each tube reflects the color of its corresponding lipstick, making it easy to find the shade you’re looking for) and the corals, pinks and reds?

YAAAAS! I’m a little beside myself…

Bold lip lovers who live for classic colors (this includes at least one crazy cat lady/lipstick-loving blogger), this six-piece collection is for you.

mac giambattista valli
The MAC Giambattista Valli collection Matte Lipsticks ($17.50 each)

First, who the heck is Giambattista Valli?

I’m glad you asked. 🙂 He’s an Italian fashion designer known for his dramatic dresses, feminine designs and his use of floral embellishments.

Very girly-girl stuff — and I’d wear his clothes in a HEARTBEAT if ever given the chance (assuming I had a reason to wear a full-length, floral-print strapless dress with a thigh-high slit).

giam-val

The MAC Giambattista Valli collection evokes the designer’s affinity for femininity, florals and color, and each of the six lip products in it are inspired by his dresses.

Five full-coverage Matte Lipsticks ($17.50 each) and one potted lip gloss ($23) comprise the collection, which arrives online and at MAC stores and counters July 9 through August 6.

The MAC Giambattista Valli collection includes…

  • MAC Matte Lipstick in Bianca B — a pale white pink
  • MAC Matte Lipstick in Tats — a bright hot pink
  • MAC Matte Lipstick in Margherita — a yellowish bright peach
  • MAC Matte Lipstick in Charlotte — a rich yellowish red
  • MAC Matte Lipstick in Eugenie — a dark cherry with blue undertones
  • MAC Crystal Glaze Gloss in Lena — a clear gloss with multicolored flecks of pearl

mac giambattista valli
MAC Giambattista Valli Matte Lipstick in Bianca B

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MAC Matte Lipstick in Dangerous, and a Few Thoughts on Red Lipstick

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mac dangerous lipstick
That’s MAC Matte Lipstick in Dangerous ($16), available now online and at MAC stores and counters in the MAC permanent collection

From whence, I wonder, does red lipstick derive its magical power? That’s what I’d like to know. It’s the rainbow pegasus of lipsticks, and whenever I wear it, I feel like a magically imbued, larger-than-life version of myself.

Fly!Like, if I were flying off into the sunset on the back of a giant dragon, a la Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones, I would not be wearing pink lipstick, or coral lipstick or — gasp! — a nude gloss.

HELL NO. I would definitely be wearing something red. 🙂

As a kid growing up in the East Bay suburbs (which wasn’t exactly a high-fashion hot spot), I didn’t have much direct contact with red lipstick. My mom was/is more of a Chapstick gal, so the closest I ever got to red lipstick was when I saw it on the models in the pages of the fashion magazines at the dentist’s office.

I didn’t know anything about makeup at the time, but I did know that I wanted what those ladies had on their lips.

And I wanted it badly.

And now, even after all these years, I still love red lipstick, and I have a drawer filled with them — blue-based reds, creamy reds, neutral reds, glossy reds — enough to satisfy my every red lipstick craving.

One of those cravings that never stays away long are matte reds. Like a 1940s screen siren, they’re timeless and beautiful, and I love how they can look elegant and bad-@ss at the same time.

mac dangerous lipstick
MAC Matte Lipstick in Dangerous in the center ($16)

My current crush/matte red in rotation is MAC’s new warm orangey red Matte Lipstick in Dangerous. It makes me feel like I’m in charge and runnin’ sh*t, you know? Like when people hear my heels click-clacking down the hallway, they get a little scared.

Dangerous is one of the new $16 Matte Lipstick shades recently added to the MAC permanent line, and you can find it now (and hopefully eternally) online and at MAC stores and counters.

PRICE: $16
AVAILABILITY: Permanent, available now at MAC counters, stores and online
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A

Speaking of Game of Thrones…

**SPOILER ALERT**
**SPOILER ALERT**
**SPOILER ALERT**
(I’m serious! — don’t read ANY further unless you’re OK talking about the last episode.)

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Do You Wear Makeup When You Go on Vacation?

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nars lodhi
Basking in the beignet-fueled afterglow last week after breakfast at Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans (there are probably a thousand beignets and two tons of powdered sugar just to my right in this picture)

Do I ever wear makeup on vacation?

Oh, totally, I do. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever not brought makeup with me on vacation, but what I end up wearing depends on what I’ll be doing, of course. Like, if it’s a beach trip, I’ll usually just fill in my brows and curl my lashes and go on about my high-intensity relaxing, but if I’ll be walking around someplace, shopping and sightseeing, then I’ll usually do some kind of modified version of a regular non-vacation everyday look.

And by “modified,” I mean that I’ll see how much I can get away with before El Hub starts getting antsy. 😉

Oh, about the makeup I’m wearing above, that’s pretty much what I wore every day of my trip to New Orleans — a little cat eye flick, a bit of bronzer, blush and a bright lip.

Believe or not, it stayed put through the NOLA rain and ridiculous humidity. If you’re interested in hearing more about that and the look I’m wearing up top, let me know!

Do you usually wear makeup when you go on vacation, and if you do, do you ever go all out?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Happy Tuesday. 🙂

7 Things You Should Know About the $54 Nicky Hilton + Smashbox Cosmetics NY Classic Cat Eye Kit

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nicky hilton smashbox cosmetics-2
Wearing the new Nicky Hilton + Smashbox NY Classic Cat Eye Kit ($54), available now exclusively online at smashbox.com

7 Things You Should Know About the $54 Nicky Hilton + Smashbox Cosmetics NY Classic Cat Eye Kit

  1. You don’t have to be a cat lady to appreciate it (although you may appreciate it more if you like the look of classic black cat eyeliner)
  2. Wearing all of your cat lady accoutrements (your shirts, jewelry, cat ears, etc.) with the kit’s eyeshadow, liner and mascara qualifies as a strong “do”
  3. When you open the bag that comes with the kit, you may catch a whiff of something that smells like fish-flavored cat treats (I do with mine, which is weird!).

    I, myself, am unsure if this is a good thing, but Tabs seems perfectly OK with it.

  4. Cat eyes aren’t the only thing you can do with the kit’s eyeshadow trio, gel pen liner and mascara (although they are the obvious choice, right?). You could also use ’em for smokey eyes.
  5. Be prepared. Due to this kit, your cat may experience severe jealousy when he sees you rocking thick, fatty-bo-batty cat eye liner, meow!
  6. While wearing these pieces, you may find yourself spontaneously purring.
  7. While carrying this kit, you may also start carrying cat treats in your purse. (Oh, wait. I already do that.)
nicky hilton smashbox cosmetics
Pretty Kitty Bag

nicky hilton smashbox cosmetics-2
From the left: Full Exposure Mascara, Photo Angle Pure Pigment Gel Liner in Jet Black and Photo Op Eye Shadow Trio in Litho

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Travel Makeup: What I Brought And What I Wore

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travel makeup

travel makeup

Because I get a kick out of seeing what other people bring on their trips (I guess I’m just a voyeur like that!), here’s all the makeup stuff I brought on mine.

Everything in this picture here fit in my MAC Mia Moretti bag.

For the record, the trip was about three full days (I know, I brought a lot), and this was all under the assumption that it was going to be hot and muggy in New Orleans, which it was.

Actually, that doesn’t come remotely close to describing just how hot and muggy it really was. I was covered in a layer of sweat pretty much the entire time.

travel makeup

So that was everything I brought, but this is everything I actually wore…

travel makeup

So I didn’t use everything I brought.

The lesson I learned? I could have left most of the eyeshadows and lipsticks at home…but a girl’s gotta have options, you know?

At least that’s what I told myself as I stuffed things in the bag, LOL!

Overpacking. It’s a problem. 🙂

The New Long-Lasting Sally Hansen Poolside Paradise Miracle Gel Nail Polish Collection: This Mirror-Like Shine Makes Lounging by the Pool More Fun

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sally hansen poolside paradise
Five shades (and the top coat) from the new limited edition Sally Hansen Poolside Paradise Collection, available now ($9.99 each)

My version of a poolside paradise typically includes some combination of the following…

  1. Trashy mags, and US Weekly is a fave.

    Strangely, I only read it when I’m at the pool…

  2. Iced tea.
  3. One of those oversized fluffy beach towels that are so big that I can wrap them around my torso twice.

    Because I’m not about that tiny towel life. Even when it’s 95 degrees outside, I’m always freezing when I get out of the water.

  4. Sunscreen, obvs.
  5. A bathing suit that stays put even after multiple cannonballs (learned this lesson the hard way).
  6. Cheapie sunglasses, because who wants to stress out over losing or breaking their favorite pair of expensive sunglasses at the pool?
  7. A shiny mani/pedi combo, ideally in bright shades like the ones from the new Sally Hansen Poolside Paradise Collection above, because despite the lack of verifiable scientific evidence to support this, I think they make your cannonballs more cannon-bally.

    Seriously, they totally do.

I wore two of these Sally Hansen Miracle Gel polishes last week on my trip to New Orleans (creamy yellow Morning Sunshine on my toes and creamy leafy green Lip Palm on my paws), and they were all it took. Now I consider myself a card-carrying member the Miracle Gel cult.

Wait — do the Miracle Gels actually have a cult??

If they don’t, they totally should. These nail polishes are…

  • Long-lasting
  • Playful and bright
  • Easy to apply
  • And affordable

All of which add up to “drugstore gem!”

sally hansen poolside paradise
Sally Hansen Poolside Paradise Miracle Gel in Morning Sunshine

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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 377

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The Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll for June 15, 2015
The Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll for June 15, 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. Sunglasses or hats?
    Hats. I got my hair lightened a few weeks ago, so I’m all about wearing hats to protect my hair color from the hair color-sapping powers of the sun.

  2. Have you ever been waterskiing?
    Nope. It’s a balancing sport, and I have decent balance, so I think I might be OK at it, but the thought of standing on two long sticks in the water doesn’t tremendously appeal to me.

    I think I’d be better at wakeboarding (because there’s one less stick involved).

  3. Preppy or bohemian?
    Preppy if we’re talking clothes; bohemian if we’re talking home furnishings.

  4. Bright lipstick or bright eyeliner?
    Bright lipstick. No question about it.

  5. What’s your current favorite face cream?
    Clarins Multi-Active Day Early Wrinkle Correction Cream ($59).

    I love Clarins moisturizers. They never give me breakouts, they’re always super moisturizing, and they layer well beneath makeup.

    And they’re carried almost everywhere — Macy’s, Sephora, Nordstrom — so I don’t have to hunt them down.

Le List

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

1. Sunglasses or hats?
2. Have you ever been waterskiing?
3. Preppy or bohemian?
4. Bright lipstick or bright eyeliner?
5. What’s your current favorite face cream?

Good morning! I may or may not be sitting here on the couch with the top button of my pants undone.

Yeah…somebody may have had one too many beignets last week.

Whatever, every bite was worth it! 🙂

I hope things are going well. I feel like I’ve been gone a while, but I’m getting back in the beauty blogging groove today.

What’s new with you?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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