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

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 356

January 19th, 2015 by Karen 43 Comments

The Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll for January 19, 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.

A famous person you’d like to sit next to on a plane?
Honestly, maybe I’ve seen those Taken movies too many times, but I kind of want to sit next to Liam Neeson, because if the sh*t hits the fan, I feel like he’ll know what to do.

How’s your poker face?
It’s lame. What poker face? It’s the worst. I am the first person you want to play poker with because you’ll win every single time.

There’s a pimple on your chin. Do you pop it?
Oh, gawd, no!

At least, that’s what the answer is in theory, because it’s infinitely more difficult to cover a popped pimple than an unpopped pimple, and yes, I know this from experience.

Lots and lots and lots of experience.

But there are those times when I’ll get out of the shower, and it’s right there, and it’s staring at me, and it’s SUPER ripe, and it’s ready to go, and I will not be able to resist. Not gonna lie.

What are five things you’re thankful for today?
Fresh starts, coffee, patience, tabby hugs and concealer. 🙂

What’s one beauty trend you’re completely over?
Well for me, I’m completely over super sharp, hyper-defined eyebrows.

Totally guilty of doing this. I see it on Instagram all the time, and you know, it looks really great on so many women, but on me I feel like it might be a little much. You know, when the brows are super sharp, and you go in there, and you carve them out with your concealer, and the tails could cut glass?

On some people, they look awesome, but on me… I’ve tried it, but I think it’s a little much.

So I’ve been going the “natural” brow look route these days. “Natural” in quotes.

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

1. A famous person you’d like to sit next to on a plane?
2. How’s your poker face?
3. There’s a pimple on your chin. Do you pop it?
4. What are five things you’re thankful for today?
5. What’s one beauty trend you’re completely over?

Rise and shine, pal o’ mine! Happy MLK Day. How are things going out yonder way?

Tabs and I just finished our coffee (well, I did; he supervised), and now we’re getting ready for work, which means I’m about to do my hair and makeup, and he’s climbing his cat tower to take a nap.

Yup, Tabs takes his first nap of the day about 20 minutes after he wakes up, haha. It’s a tough life for a tabby. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 330

January 18th, 2015 by Karen 14 Comments

This was a busy week for Tabs with lots of intense kitty supermodeling. To recharge his batteries, Tabs did some kitty tai chi in the living room this morning while I flipped through pictures of his latest kitty modeling exploits on the company iPad.

I don’t know if you’re into kitty supermodeling…but if you are, here are the latest modeling pics from Tabs (also known as the world’s first plus-size kitty supermodel).

If you have any cool kitty modeling concepts you’d like Tabs to explore, or if there are any products you’d like to see him promote, please let him know in the comments, because he’s always looking for fresh ideas and ways to improve. 🙂

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7 Ways to Win a $50 eGift Card From Sephora! (Ends Monday)

January 17th, 2015 by Karen 330 Comments

Morning! Rise and shine, pal o’ mine. 🙂 It’s caturday! A day to celebrate the glorious awesomeness that is (are?) cats.

OK, not officially, but ya know, if you’re into cats…

What’s shakin’? See any good TV shows or movies this week? El Hub and I went to see The Theory of Everything a few days ago and really liked it. I saw yesterday that the main guy and girl got Oscar nominations. Yeah, they deserved ’em.

Boy, so video… I tried to make one this week, a tutorial, and I did some things differently than I have in the past. Anyway, it kind of spiraled out of control, which is why I disappeared for a couple days. I was trying to edit the thing down, but I underestimated how long it would take.

I had to table it for now, but I learned a few things, so hopefully it goes smoother next time. The lesson here is that editing video can take a looong time.

In other news, it’s very wintry here this morning, but I don’t mean stormy. Just gray and cold and blah… I haven’t figured out what’s on my agenda for today, but for now, I don’t really feel like seizing the day. I feel more like asking El Hub to get me Starbucks and having breakfast in bed, lol. 🙂

I don’t know… Maybe a trip to the mall will liven things up. I haven’t been to Nordies in a while.

Whatever you’re up to, I hope you have a wonderful day, and good luck in the giveaway. (Your nephew says, “mrow,” btw.)

One (1) Sephora eGift card containing $50 sent to the winner by email (international readers, you may opt to receive $50 sent by PayPal instead).

Enter using the Rafflecopter widget 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 ever see yourself in the mirror, notice your makeup and think, “OMG! When did I do that?”
- An eccentric, anonymous billionaire offers to give you $10,000 if you’ll quit your job today. Do you do it?
- Most incredible tattoo you’ve ever seen in real life?
- A department store/high-end makeup brand that’s totally worth the price?
- You find a $100 bill on the sidewalk this afternoon with a note on it that says, “If found, please call 555-364-1212.” What do you do?
- Have you ever gotten a perm?
You can enter in up to seven ways to boost your chances of winning.
The giveaway ends on Monday, January 19, 2015 at 11:59 PM (Pacific Time). 🙂
Full terms and conditions are available in the widget.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The New Beautyblender Red Carpet, Coming Exclusively to Sephora (and Why You Need a Beautyblender in Your Life, Like, Yesterday)

January 16th, 2015 by Karen 23 Comments

Who knows? Stranger things have happened.

If I ever get to walk another red carpet, I’m bringing two things with me: 1) the Red Carpet Beautyblender (but only if I can squeeze it into one of those annoyingly tiny purses that ladies carry to gala events and awards shows) and 2) candy.

Handfuls of candy.

I’ll just have to squish the Red Carpet Beautyblender in next to my Mini Snickers, because if I learned anything at the Emmys last year, it’s to bring a sh*t-ton of Mini Snickers, because dammit — it’s absolutely mortifying when your tummy rumbles right as someone’s about to announce the Best Actor.

I’m just sayin’.

Isn’t this new Beautyblender cute?!

I know! It’s red! Officially, it’s supposed to be red carpet red, but I keep thinking “red lipstick.”

It’s a new Sephora exclusive available starting next month for $19.95.

Yup, it’s exactly like the regular Beautyblender pictured here, a pink one I’ve had for a while.

Mine is a little long in the tooth, as you can see, and I think it’s time to give it a nice, long vacation…

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The Drugstore Dupe Files: $7.50 Almay Brow Defining Pencil Versus $21 Anastasia Brow Wiz

January 16th, 2015 by Karen 25 Comments

$7.50 Almay Brow Defining Pencil in Brunette

It would probably be a fool’s errand at this point in my life to try to become an Olympic sprinter…

I’m barely 5’2″ tall, I’m in questionable physical condition, and one of my legs is shorter than the other.

The Olympic sprinting thing? Not the most realistic goal for me, but I do have other aspirations, like finding drugstore dupes of my favorite department store/high-end makeup.

Now THAT’s something I can do. 🙂

It’s not gonna be easy, for sure. Sometimes (but not always) with makeup, I do think that you get what you pay for.

So I’m on a mission. I’m a woman on a mission to find respectable, affordable alternatives to her favorite department store items.

Almay Brow Defining Pencil in Brunette on the left and Anastasia Brow Wiz in Dark Brown on the right — $7.50 Almay Brow Defining Pencil in Brunette on the left and $21 Anastasia Brow Wiz in Dark Brown on the right

This one here is Almay’s $7.50 Brow Defining Pencil, which I’d hoped would be a drugstore dupe for my current eye pencil love, the $21 Brow Wiz by Anastasia Beverly Hills.

I completely forgot to mention this pencil in the Ulta post the other day (it was buried at the bottom of that huge bag!), which is weird because, seriously, it took me a really long time to find in the store. I combed the aisles for a possible Brow Wiz dupe.

And then I saw it — Almay’s $7.50 Brow Defining Pencil — tucked away on the bottom shelf.

“Aha!” I exclaimed…to myself. 🙂

The size of the tip is what first caught my eye. It’s very thin, just like Anastasia Brow Wiz, and the pencil also has a brow comb on the back end, again, like Brow Wiz.

Unfortunately, I only spotted two shades on the shelf…

I figured, OK, well, maybe that’s because Ulta doesn’t carry all of the colors, so I checked online from my phone.

Apparently it only comes in two colors, Brunette (which is what I’m wearing here) and Dark Blonde, whereas Anastasia Brow Wiz comes in nine.

Obvs, the other major difference is price. Anastasia’s is $21, and Almay’s is $7.50.

WOWZA!

Now for some may-jah bare-faced action in three, two, one…

Before Almay Brow Defining Pencil…

Before applying Almay Brow Defining Pencil in Brunette in my brows — Untamed, naked brows (and face, because I’m makeup-less)

After Almay Brow Defining Pencil…

Wearing Almay Brow Defining Pencil in Brunette in my brows

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The Hourglass Modernist Eyeshadow Palettes in Exposure, Graphite and Infinity

January 15th, 2015 by Karen 32 Comments

Hourglass Modernist Eyeshadow Palettes in Exposure (left) and Graphite (right)

OH, MAH GAH!

I had to do it. After the fun I had with these the other day, I couldn’t resist. Fabulous forces beyond my control made me put these into my Sephora cart, and then the free three-day shipping pushed me over the edge.

It was like when the Enterprise rolled up on the Borg. Resistance was futile.

Hourglass Modernist Eyeshadow Palette in Graphite

Hourglass Modernist Eyeshadow Palette in Infinity

Hourglass Modernist Eyeshadow Palette in Exposure

Hourglass Modernist Eyeshadow Palette in Infinity (left) and Graphite (right) — Infinity (left) and Graphite (right)

The New NARS Spring 2015 Collection Is Hot and Cold About Nudes

January 15th, 2015 by Karen 34 Comments

Wearing the NARS spring 2015 collection on my eyes, cheeks and lips

Spring. NARS. 2015.

A pendulum swings back and forth between two nude worlds — one, a realm of cool-toned silver, and the other a roiling river of warm-toned coppery caramel.

My pulse pounded as I gazed at the new NARS Spring 2015 collection on the floor in front of me. Staring wide-eyed at the color palette, I thought, “Yeah, I’ll be able to rock this.”

Um…yeah, that’s where the story got weird, because the pieces proved to be a little more challenging than I thought.

This one’s a study in extremes.

It’s a small release, only seven pieces, but for me, that’s not enough. I will most definitely need to include some other products in the mix to make the most of these.

The word “dissonance” comes to mind, the concept in music where you purposefully play two notes at the same time that aren’t intended to be harmonious. That’s how I feel about what NARS has done here with the cool tones butted up against the warm. Yeah, nudes have been done to death…but not in this way. It’s very, vary NARS.

Why stop at pink nudes, peach nudes and brown nudes when you can also have silvery nudes? Maybe that’s a question NARS asks here, because there’s a lot of silvery shimmer in the house, which is kind of unusual for nudes.

I’m also getting a strange concealer vibe…

The 7 piece NARS Spring 2015 collection, coming to January 1 to NARS boutiques and online at narscosmetics.com, and February 1 to Sephora, NARS counters and online — The seven-piece NARS Spring 2015 collection is available now online and coming February 1 to Sephora and NARS counters.

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Ulta Adventures! One Girl’s Ongoing Quest to Find Bad$ss Beauty Bargains

January 15th, 2015 by Karen 34 Comments

Because, obviously, the most logical thing to do with that new Real Techniques Contour Brush you just picked up on sale on Ulta is use it to pretend you’re contouring your cat’s cheekbones.

Tabs contouring with his new Real Techniques Contour Brush…

Obviously!

Yeah, um, my brush stash is looking a little more robust these days — robust like my tabby! — because I went to Ulta last weekend and the Real Techniques brushes and brush kits were on sale.

They still are, too (buy one get the second one 50% off), and you know me and the word, “sale.”

I’m definitely my mother’s daughter. 🙂

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