A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict
Because you can’t go wrong with Chanel.
And/or chains. 🙂
Behold the new Chanel L’Intemporel De Chanel Eyeshadow Palette (available now)!
But you might want to brace yourself…because it’s $80.
Sticker shock says what, now??
Yup, but it sure is pretty, though…
P.S. Happidy humpidy day, by the way. Your nephew is excited because we might be deploying his new tabby command center late this afternoon. 🙂
It’s the final countdown!
Sometimes it’s the simplest looks that turn out best. Most of the time, that old saying “less is more” drives me crazy (because less is, ya know, actually less), but there is a morsel of truth in there. 🙂
This look — I threw it on the other day in, I think it was 15 minutes, just so I could take pictures for the reverse french braids post, and I was surprised to get so much nice feedback and a few requests for a breakdown, because it wasn’t complicated or involved at all.
Come to think of it, even my next door neighbor said something sweet about it when I ran into her (“Your makeup looks like you’re going someplace fancy!”).
(Note: I wasn’t.)
I gotta remember to do this cheek/lip combo again, because apparently it’s working.
Who knew?
So here we go, from start to finish…
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The sun’s out, I’m not wearing socks (FOOT FREEDOM!), I am wearing coral lipstick, and the eye look I tried this morning did not result in a complete disaster…
Yeah, it’s been a terrific Tuesday so far. 🙂
Today I felt springy and, I dunno, kinda smokey, so this purply brown smokey eye with soft cat eye liner happened.
Note to self: do this liner more often! It’s fairly easy — just black eye pencil with a dark shimmery purple shadow blended on top with a pencil brush — and it takes about half the time as a super crisp black cat liner, otherwise known as “the time-suck of my makeup existence.”
As a side, am I the only person who regularly attempts black cat liner when there’s, like, absolutely no time to get ready, and then inevitably ends up with their two tiny kitten flicks morphing into huge, unsymmetrical bat wings that don’t match?
Yargh.
Siri, remind me to wear soft cat eyeliner like this the next time I need to be saved from myself.
Oh! — this look was also an excuse to try a few new products from Benefit, Dior and Smashbox.
Some quick notes…
Yeah, that good.
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Just in case you need some today.
Yesterday I had to make an emergency vegetable run (yes, that’s a real thing), and I saw these pretty flowers at Trader Joe’s.
Spring is not far away, my friend. I’m just sayin’. Hang in there. 🙂
You know, I swear, if it weren’t for Trader Joe’s, all I’d ever eat are those mini Babybel cheeses and microwave popcorn…
In other news, what did you do for your makeup today? I went with purply brown cat eyes, mrow! 🙂
Have a great day today. Talk to you soon.
I rue the day that sleek, perfect, not-one-hair-out-of-place hairstyles come back into fashion because, duuuuude! — when that happens, I’m pretty much screwed.
Take this messy reverse French braid, par exemple. I don’t know why, but whenever I wear it, I usually get one or two compliments, and it seems like the messier and crazier it looks, the more it makes an impression.
Long live messy hair! 😀
Here’s how I do it…
Then I do the same thing with the other side until it meets the first braid. After that, I gently pull the elastic off the first braid and use it to secure both braids together at the point where they meet.
Last weekend, in a fit of cleaning/organizational inspiration, I repurposed these old cake stands from Pier 1 by turning them into an improv perfume display for my dresser.
I placed the shorter perfume bottles on the bottom, and the taller ones on the top. Then, to make it a little more “me,” I added hula dancer Curious George and a piece of coral. 🙂
You could do this same cake stand idea with all kinds of things at home — hair products, body lotions, skin care products, makeup — whatever your sweet heart desires.
If you have any cute storage ideas, let me know! Also, please send pics (or links to pics). Inquiring storage-addicted minds want to know.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
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.
But when I do have time, I think my makeup style says, “Ooh! This girl loves smokey eyes and looking chic but never overdone.”
Except for certain herbs. Maybe. I think I might be slightly allergic to cilantro and/or parsley, because sometimes I’ll get hives on my face after eating them.
But it doesn’t happen all the time, which is weird, so I’m not sure. When it does, though, I get big-honkin’ welts and hives…which I know sounds totally gross, but they go away in 15 or 20 minutes.
Now, if my eyes completely swell up one day, I’ll probably start taking it a little more seriously, but for now, I may or may not be slightly allergic to certain herbs.
Because we had a Sunday afternoon/early evening date for dinner and a movie, and the movie time was 4:10, so I thought, yeah, I’ll have enough time, blah, blah, blah…
And you know what usually happens next. I didn’t estimate the time well, so I ended up throwing on some stuff at the last minute. El Hub was halfway out the door and yelling, “I’ll be in the car!” and I was like, “OK, I’ll be ready in 5 minutes!” but I hadn’t even changed yet.
Not the most exciting answer, but it’s true because I can wear it with just about every single look, whether with warm or cool shades.
Since it’s not too cool toned, it doesn’t look gray or ashy on me (I’m warm toned), and it’s not too warm either, so it doesn’t venture into orange territory.
I mainly use it as a transition color and to carve out the crease, but I also just love how it blends.
Your turn. 🙂 Just copy and paste the following questions into a comment with your answers. I look forward to reading ’em!
1. What do you think your makeup style says about you?
2. Do you have any food allergies?
3. What were you doing at 3 p.m. yesterday?
4. What do you hope to be doing at 3 p.m. today?
5. What’s your goes-with-everything eyeshadow shade?
Oh, don’t be so sad. Turn that frown upside-down. 🙂 You’re gonna have a great week.
After work today I’m hoping to finish my employer’s new command center (gotta meet the Thursday target date!), so we’ll see how that goes.
Have a wonderful day, my friend. I hope yours is as bright and shiny as a yellow Gerbera daisy.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
I was recently tapped by a local blogger to offer my expertise on topics outside the fields of fashion and beauty.
Since my fans have been clamoring for lifestyle advice, and I’ve been trying to build my digital empire, I’ve decided to embark upon a series of how-to guides for cats.
Now, these are not just your average “For Dummies” guides. I’ll be delving into the details and covering crucial cat knowledge acquired over a lifetime of kitty modeling, and today we’ll be starting with one of the most important challenges facing cats: defending against the enemy.
I’d be remiss right now if I did not start this guide with my favorite component of territorial defense: the accessories.
What’s that saying: “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop”? In order to keep my assistants (plural) busy, I commissioned my male assistant/masseuse/personal trainer to fashion a custom couture harness for me, so that I could patrol the neighborhood in comfort and style.
This particular harness was constructed with my husky frame in mind using nylon webbing, hook & loop Velcro-style tape strips and a craft glue gun, but I’ve also seen some exceptional pre-made gear at Petco, etc.
One of the most important aspects of defending your space is the ability to see the enemy coming from afar. While patrolling, I always choose places with long sight lines that allow me to see other cats and intruders far away. This gives me time to formulate a strategic plan in the event of an encounter.
