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

Tabs on His Deck

June 2nd, 2015 by Karen 12 Comments

Tabs loves his deck garden so much. It’s really coming along now. The tomatoes have already started to sprout tiny little green tomatoes, the cat grass has grown tall, and the catnip growing inside the Tabby Command Center is also doing well.

There are different varieties of tomato plants, some basil and red peppers, catnip, cat grass, parsley, cilantro, sunflowers, zucchini, gerbera daisies and zinnia… I’m sure I’m also forgetting something.

It’s quite a nice spread for a mostly indoor tabby, and he loves spending time out there.

He spends at least 30 minutes outside twice a day. First he inspects the garden, then he does a shift on guard duty in the Tabby Command Center.

Some of his favorite things to do out on the deck are…

1. Climb all over the command center and stand awkwardly on the wooden platforms

2. Clean

3. Scratch, sniff and claw at things

4. Lounge around on the deck

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What Are You Wearing on Your Nails? May I Suggest Essie Pret-a-Surfer?

June 2nd, 2015 by Karen 22 Comments

Not quite the next best thing to actually going surfing (but it’s close!), creamy blue Essie Pret-A-Surfer looks right at home amidst the ocean of cats on my blue shirt. 🙂

This summery $8.50 marine blue is from the new Essie Summer 2015 Collection, and you can find it now online and at salons, beauty stores, Nordstrom and Ulta.

Le sigh… What I wouldn’t give for a longboard, gently rolling (3-foot) waves and warm tropical waters right now…

Wait — I just realized that I can’t even remember the last time I went surfing or, for that matter, the last time I was in a large body of water.

Survey says: That needs to stop.

I wish the weather here would finally warm up already. We’re still wearing sweaters here in Novato, which is weird for this part of California in June. My inner tropical surfer girl wants more sun and temps in the mid-80s. 🙂

Anywho, I quite love this shade of blue (it’s a little moodier than bright) and only partly because it goes so well with the cat shirt I’m wearing.

Speaking of the shirt, don’t you love it? My BFF Jen got it for me a ways back. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s still available.

The last time I wore Pret-A-Surfer, I wore it without a base or top coat (1. because I’m lazy, and 2. because I change my polish A LOT). Even without a base or top coat, though, it holds up well. I started seeing small chips on the fourth day, so it’s pretty sturdy stuff.

What are you wearing on your paws on this most terrific of Tuesdays, my friend? Inquiring tabbies and their loyal assistants would like to know. 🙂

The Story of the Girl Who Ate Two Breakfasts: Brunch at Serpentine SF

June 1st, 2015 by Karen 17 Comments

Food pics!

Never can have too many food pics in this day and age.

OK, well, you can but… Sorry! I can’t help it. 🙂

Here’s what I had for brunch in San Francisco last Saturday with my little brother. I hadn’t seen him in a couple months, so I drove out to his neighborhood in SF to meet him at a place called Serpentine.

One of the reasons I picked the place was because they take brunch reservations, and a lot of places in SF don’t, and you have to wait.

But rezzies make it so much easier! My tummy and I have little to no patience for waiting in the morning…

Parking is also easy in that area. The restaurant is located in the Dogpatch neighborhood of Portrero Hill, and there’s plenty of street parking around the restaurant. It’s pretty flat, so you don’t have to haul your cookies up any steep hills or do any tricky parking.

Hey, these are the kinds of things you have to think about when you go to brunch in SF, and I don’t need any drama with my coffee and pancakes, thank you very much.

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MAC Unsung Heroes: Persistence Matte Lipstick

June 1st, 2015 by Karen 18 Comments

mac persistence lipstick — MAC Matte Lipstick in Persistence ($16)

With lipstick, life and cats, persistence pays off. If you’ve struggled to find your perfect cat soulmate, just keep feeding your next-door neighbor’s awesome kitty. Give her a can of something gravy-ful every day until she decides that you’re much cooler than her current people (j/k only; don’t do this), and that she’s welcome to make your house her new home.

Persistence, y’all! It’s all about persistence. 😉

On the lipstick front, I’ve been searching high and low for the right ’90s-style warm matte brown (so trendy right meow), and it feels like I’ve been searching forever…

I figure that I could revert back to wearing my ’90s jam, MAC Paramount, but I’d rather find something newer, fresher and updated.

Plus, it’s almost summer, and the last thing I want to be wearing in summer with my ~~booty shorts~~ short shorts is dark brown vampire lips. I dunno… That combo just doesn’t sound right.

MAC Matte Lipstick in Persistence ($16) sounds much better.

mac persistence — Wearing MAC Persistence Matte Lipstick

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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 375

June 1st, 2015 by Karen 40 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.

How comfortable are you posing for photographs?
Most of the time I’m pretty comfortable, although to be honest…it partly depends on who’s taking the picture. I can’t lie! I have control issues. 🙂

If I’m taking the pictures myself, of myself (myself of myself?), then I’m fine because I can set everything up exactly the way I want, but when someone else is the photographer, sometimes I’m like, “Here, why don’t you tilt the camera like this?” or, “How about we face the light from this angle instead?” or “Let’s move everyone about a foot to the left so the garbage can isn’t in the shot.”

Honestly, I usually end up just grabbing the camera and taking the pictures myself, which is why I’m rarely in a lot of group pictures.

Finish the following sentence: Glitter is…
…an absolute necessity sometimes.

How often do you wear hair extensions?
Rarely, if ever. I’ve worn them a couple of times (mostly after I’ve chopped off my hair), but I don’t like the extra weight on my head.

I do eventually want to try some clip-on bangs, though! I’m still looking for a natural-looking pair that I like.

If you could jump on a plane right now and go beauty shopping for 24 hours anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Ooh! So tough. It’s a tossup between Milan and Japan. On my brief trip to Milan a few years ago I saw a lot of cool beauty stuff over the course of just half a day walking around, so I’m sure if I had a full 24 hours I’d find some real gems.

But I think I’d rather go to Japan because I’ve never been there before. I’d stock up on face masks, brushes, false lashes and as many weird products as I could find. Either way, fun!

Pigtails on adults: a do or a don’t?
Generally, a don’t for me, although I was guilty of wearing them with reckless abandon in the late ’90s (*cringes*). I wore them to clubs and to class, but never to work. I do have to say that I have seen some gals (and some guys) who can legitimately pull off the look, but it’s a rare thing.

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

1. How comfortable are you posing for photographs?
2. Finish the following sentence: Glitter is…
3. How often do you wear hair extensions?
4. If you could jump on a plane right now and go beauty shopping for 24 hours anywhere in the world, where would you go?
5. Pigtails on adults: a do or a don’t?

Good morning, sweet friend. I’m having one of those Monday mornings where I feel like I need to treat myself with extra tenderness. Does that ever happen to you? Yesterday was one of those “cry at the drop of a hat” days (thankfully, I managed to avoid Target), and so today I’m having emotional leftovers for brunch.

At the moment I’m trying to do all of the little things that usually help me feel better, like I put on a shirt that makes me happy (it’s covered in cats!), I drank some tea out of my favorite teacup, I lit my current favorite candle by Aveda, and now I’m looking for some cheerful music.

I hope you’re having a good day so far. Do something nice for yourself.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

SNEAK PEEK: New MAC Website!!! Coming Early June 2015

June 1st, 2015 by Karen 49 Comments

Playing “Fill the Shopping Cart” on the MAC website — which, I’m not gonna lie, is a game I play almost daily– is about to get that much more awesome and easier, because the MAC Cosmetics website is about to get a makeover.

Yes, the website that zillions of us know and love is about to get completely revamped! — and here’s an exclusive sneak peek. 🙂

First, welcome home…

Behold! — The new maccosmetics.com homepage

(Click the image to open a larger version.)

I recently spent some hands-on time exploring the new website in its almost-ready/beta form (it’s scheduled to go live any day now; expect early June 2015), and finding my way around it was easy-peasy.

When you arrive on the new MAC homepage, you’ll see a long screen that scrolls down with bigger pictures to showcase MAC’s luscious visuals and artistry (this makes my inner photo geek nerd out).

For me the bigger product pictures, much bigger swatches and more side-by-side product comparisons will make the new website much more helpful. Oh, and the new site will also be mobile-friendly.

Head up to the new black navigation bar at the top to find what you want/need. The category names are short ‘n’ sweet and pretty self-explanatory, so it’s easy to get around. Each of the options has a drop-down menu. Or, just do a search using the little magnifying glass in the upper right.

Now when you unexpectedly run out of Costa Riche one hellish day and start full-on panicking (it’s OK; happens to the best of us), a replacement will be easy to find.

Um…not that I’ve ever panicked about running out of Costa Riche before.

No, nothing like that’s ever happened to me (yeah, right). 😉

Collection/limited edition product pages

YOU GO, GLEN COCO, and stalk that new MAC collection page errrrday like a boss! (You and I both know that we’re guilty of doing this.)

Product pics will be on a white background now (unlike the current/old black background, which makes it harder to see things, yeah?). Both the product pics and the color swatches are much bigger, too, so it’ll be easier to see what’s in each collection.
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Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 349

May 31st, 2015 by Karen 20 Comments

So what does this particular cat lady want for her upcoming birthday?

Um…how about anything at all from this list? 🙂

I gave this list of cat lady birthday gift ideas to Tabs in the hopes that he would find it in his tiny tabby heart to get his most loyal assistant something for her birthday this year.

But yeah…I’m definitely not getting my hopes up.

1. The Crazy CatLadyBox

Give her the gift that keeps giving! Gift your favorite feline enthusiast with a subscription to CatLadyBox, a new subscription service that sends her a monthly box filled with cat-themed items. I recommend that you upgrade to the CRAZY CatLadyBox, which includes goodies for the resident kitty-in -charge, too. Available now at catladybox.com, $39.99.

2. Mewgaroo Sweatshirt

This cozy sweatshirt with a front pouch keeps both cat lady and kitty warm. Available now at unihabit.

3. I Was Normal Three Cats Ago

Enough said. Available now at MittenMadeDesigns, $15.

4. Crazy Cat Lady Pouch

The timeless colors of this elegant black and white cosmetics pouch are always in fashion. Fill with makeup, cat treats or both. Available now at Zana Products, $20.

5. Crazy Cat Lady Birthday Card

The purr-fect card for your favorite CCL. Available now at LovelyCuppa, $3.14.

6. Crazy Cat Lady Stick Figure Family

Let everyone on the street know that you’re living the dream with these Crazy Cat Lady stickers for your car. Available now at PMVinyls, $10.

7. Ceramic Cat Bowl With Sprinkle Pattern

These black and white sprinkle ceramic cat-head shaped bowls can be used for jewelry, candles, makeup, cat treats… Available now at ZanaProducts, $45.

8. Cat Magnet

Keep your cray cat lady’s desk neat and tidy with this Cat Magnet. Available now at Urban Outfitters, $14.

9. Project Social T Peeking Cat Tee

Dress up your favorite pair of cat-hair covered skinny jeans with this tabby cat tee. Available now at Urban Outfitters, $34.
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Comment to Win a $50 eGift Card From MAC! (Ends Monday)

May 30th, 2015 by Karen 395 Comments

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

Good morning, glory. Happy caturday! Meows all around.

So, I watched a surprisingly entertaining movie on iTunes last night called Love, Rosie, and I thought you should know about it…just in case you’re ever in the mood for something light and fluffy that also happens to star the guy who played Finnick Odair in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

You know, just in case you need something that meets all three of those important criteria — light, fluffy and starring Finnick Odair. 🙂

It wasn’t bad! I mean, OK, it only gets a 26% on rottentomatoes, but I swear, it’s better than that.

In other news, I’m driving into the city this morning to have breakfast with my brother, and my most difficult decision at the moment is whether I should order the buckwheat pancakes, or the huevos rancheros.

Hmm… I might end up getting both, ’cause that’s how I roll.

Have a great weekend, whatever you’re up to, and may it be filled with cats.

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 scent reminds you of your mom?
- Make a real word using all of the letters in your first name (you can also use additional letters if you want to). Here’s one for me: “hanker,” because I have a “hankering” for a yummy breakfast. 🙂
- Did you do any shopping this week? What did you get?
- Have you ever gotten into a big argument with someone at work?
- What’s the chismis (pronounced chees-mees), which is Tagalog for “gossip”?
- Would you rather 1) live forever, or 2) live a normal length of time but never need to sleep?
One entry per person.
You must use a valid email address to win.
The giveaway ends on Monday, June 1, 2015 at 11:59 PM (Pacific Time). 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen