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

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 348

November 24th, 2014 by Karen 50 Comments

The Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll for November 24, 2014

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.

Ponytail, braid or bun?
Ponytail if I’m working out, braid if I’m chilling around the house, sock bun if I’m out and about.

You knew I couldn’t just pick one. 🙂

Tell me about the worst date you ever went on.
Ew! Eighth grade, when my first boyfriend — let’s just call him “Bob” — showed up at my house with a posse of friends, and they were all on bikes.

I guess they didn’t believe that he actually got a girl to say, “Yes, Bob, I will go out on a date with you.”

I think we went to Taco Bell after that… Just me, Bob and his homeboys.

Pretty dumb.

Shimmery shadows in the crease — your thoughts?
I’m more into mattes in the crease, but I won’t say no to a good shimmer…even though they get a little harder to wear as I get older.

While we’re at it, let’s just throw some glitter in there too, ya know? Why not?

I like to put mattes in my crease because my crease isn’t naturally very deep, and so mattes, which you can use to make parts of your face look more recessed, makes my crease appear deeper.

Cool toned or warm toned?
Warm toned. I’m an NC42 in MAC (lately I’ve been loving LM’s Flawless Fluide in Chai), but I also wear cool-toned shadows a lot. My skin tone is warm, but I wear both warm and cool-toned colors, which I think goes back to the whole “mattes in the crease” thing. Cool-toned browns, especially those grayish browns, really make my crease look deeper.

A place you’d like to visit again and why?
Oahu in Hawaii, because when El Hub’s parents lived there (he was born and raised in Hawaii), we were going at least once or twice a year to visit, but now that they live on the mainland, we rarely go back.

I miss my old haunts, like Matsumoto’s Shave Ice, which I hear they’ve completely changed, and Haleiwa on the North Shore, and Turtle Bay Resort, which is where we got married.

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

1. Ponytail, braid or bun?
2. Tell me about the worst date you ever went on.
3. Shimmery shadows in the crease — your thoughts?
4. Cool toned or warm toned?
5. A place you’d like to visit again and why?

Let’s just hurry these first three days of the week along so we can get to the food quicker on Thursday. 🙂

I’m not really into the turkey, though… I’m more about the sides, and the dessert. I gotta have my pecan pie, man. It’s my thang!

El Hub and I were thinking about skipping turkey this year and having a crab-fest instead, because it’s crab season out here, which leads me to this question: how would crab taste dipped in gravy? Something tells me it might taste good.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 323

November 23rd, 2014 by Karen 14 Comments

Dear friends, fans and felines,

Yes! I think I finally figured out what makeup to wear to Thanksgiving dinner this Thursday.

What do you think?

I was sure you’d like it, so I put together this quick tabby tutorial.

There’s glitter, which you know I love — you can never go wrong with a little spark and funky style — but it’s also themed and holiday appropriate.

After last weekend’s giant Thanksgiving to-do, this week’s actual Thanksgiving dinner will just be a small fête for the employees here at the office…mostly just my assistant and her man servant/significant other.

I’ve met him before. Nice enough chap… Strong hands.

I just couldn’t handle another big party, ya know? Not with everyone saying, “Tabs! Tabs! Tabs! Look over here! Look at this!” And there’s always that one person scratching at the floor to get my attention or waving something around. I can’t help but look, of course, even when I don’t want to. It’s exhausting.

Oh! And then someone always has to bust out the laser toy or my feather stick, and then I end up running around and jumping at the walls like a fool.

I just have to be smarter than that and not put myself into those kinds of situations…

Anywho, I really hope you give this look a try. I think you’ll look great. 🙂

xoxo,

Tabs

STEPS:

Apply a metallic bronze loose pigment to the inner half of your lids with a flat eyeshadow brush (I wet my brush first to really amp up the color).
Clean the remaining eyeshadow on your flat eyeshadow brush with a paper towel. Then, rewet the brush head, and apply the copper loose pigment to the outer half of your lid. Now wait for both eyeshadows to dry…
Seamlessly blend the bronze and copper eyeshadows together with a tapered crease brush.
Trace your upper lash line with black liquid liner, and flick out the edge, going up and out.
Draw a little autumn leaves flourish just above the bronze and copper eyeshadow with a brown, and yellow (or gold), liquid liner.
Finish with your most flirty, fabulous pair of false lashes.

P.S. Really though, please do not try this at home on cats. I know you already know this, but Tabs does not advocate putting actual makeup on cats.

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

November 22nd, 2014 by Karen 269 Comments

Good morning, buddy! So, Mockingjay last night. El Hub and I went, and while some of the reviews out there haven’t been kind, I liked it…which I know is probably a HUGE surprise.

But seriously, some of the reviews are calling it the worst of the three movies, boring, just a real stinker, but I didn’t think so at all.

It definitely has a different feel than the other two films, yeah, but so did the third book. The filmmakers split the last book in half to squeeze out another movie, but that’s sort of par for the course these days with successful franchises.

It’s darker than the first two films, literally. Not as many long sequences outdoors in thick forests and jungles, but that’s because this one is a wartime story, and it looks the part. I can’t say that I enjoyed the movie quite as much as the other two, but I did like it, and I think it holds its own in the greater Hunger Games film canon.

I mean, you know…if you’re a fan of the Hunger Games, it’s not like you’re not gonna see this movie. 🙂

In other news, it’s giveaway time!

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 hang out with your neighbors?
- What would you like for Christmas?
- Are you good at fixing things around the house?
- Cowboys or rockstars?
- Do you have any brothers? What are they like?
- What did you have for dinner last night?
You can enter in up to seven ways to boost your chances of winning.
The giveaway ends on Monday, November 24, 2014 at 11:59 PM (Pacific Time). 🙂
Full terms and conditions are available in the widget.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Unsung Makeup Heroes: Hourglass Velvet Creme Lipstick in Fever

November 21st, 2014 by Karen 30 Comments

This is the one Fever that you’d actually be stoked to catch. “But Karen,” I can already hear you saying, “I can’t afford to get sick! Between dating Ryan Gosling (hey, a girl can dream) and pet assisting for five cats, I can’t afford time off!”

Not to worry, friend. 🙂 This isn’t a Fever that’ll leave you in bed, clammy and immobile for 48 hours with sweat between your toes. This is Femme Rouge Lipstick in Fever by Hourglass ($30), a vibrant stop-and-stare fuchsia.

The long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorite permanent collection products from a variety of bodacious beauty brands.

I wore this lipstick in my review of the Hourglass Ambient Blush Palette a while back, and ever since then — kid you not — I get at least one email a week from someone asking about it, and the emails usually start with the words, “I HAVE TO HAVE IT,” or something to that effect.

I totally understand, ’cause the first time I wore the lipstick, I caught it (the Fever). My brow broke out in a cool sweat as I swiped the tube across my lips. I think I may have also experienced a temporarily delirium. Either that, or RyGos really was sitting on my living room couch eating a wedge of gouda…

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Shorty Schwing My Way: theBalm’s Schwing Black Liquid Eyeliner Loves Ladies Who Pine for Precise Lines

November 21st, 2014 by Karen 15 Comments

theBalm Schwing Black Liquid Eyeliner (4) — Wearing theBalm Schwing Black Liquid Eyeliner ($17) on my upper lash lines

Winged eyeliner: making my life harder since the dawn of time.

Seriously, though, why does winged liner, particularly winged liquid liner, make me want to scream into a pillow?

The worst is that moment when the teeny wing you wanted — just a small kitten flick — suddenly morphs into a huge, oversized bat wing that reaches all the way up to your temples, and you have no control over the situation whatsoever.

It’s as if the universe invented winged liner primarily to mock us.

Well, universe, screw you and your plans for makeup mayhem, ’cause I just started using theBalm’s Schwing Black Liquid Eyeliner ($17), and I am no longer clutching my chair and rocking back and forth. 🙂

theBalm Schwing Black Liquid Eyeliner (3) — LOL, the box! This is kind of what it’s like to hang out with my friends Jen and Cindy.

You might think that a look with thin liquid liner and a tiny kitten flick would be easy, seeing as how you’re not using a ton of product, but oh! — those skinny lines and tiny wings are like the makeup equivalent of open heart surgery. They’re just hard, man.

But Schwing is all about control. The felt tip draws skinny matte black lines with the precision of a fine-tipped calligraphy pen. Hugging lash lines is easy.

theBalm Schwing Black Liquid Eyeliner (2) — theBalm Schwing Black Liquid Eyeliner ($17)

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Go Wild, Honey, ‘Cause I’m Candy Crushing on This Beach Babe: With i smell great, Mixing and Matching Makes Scents

November 21st, 2014 by Karen 43 Comments

The following post is sponsored by i smell great. From the creator of CLEAN perfume, the scents you love, extracted, encapsulated, bottled. Isn’t that great? Learn more at ismellgreat.com.

Just call me “wild candy beach babe!”

Not a bad nickname, right? Got a nice ring to it. Could be a good backup drag queen name, in case I ever get tired of Kitty McDiamond. 🙂

Wild candy beach babe is my very own personal scent concoction, a layered combination of three products from i smell great, a brand new fragrance/beauty line by the creator of CLEAN perfume, Randi Shinder, and perfume industry vet/blogger Jane Daly.

There are four fragrances — Beach Babe (my fave), Candy Crush, Angel Cake and Wild Honey — and five product families. I like all of them by themselves, but I REALLY like this combo: Candy Crush Soft Body Whip ($28), Wild Honey Eau de Parfum ($68) and Beach Babe Hair Fragrance ($32), all worn together.

The whole mixing/matching/layering thing is a big part of these, because they were designed to layer seamlessly together.

Still, I’m kind of surprised that I haven’t come up with a gross combo yet. No matter which products I’ve layered, the resulting aroma smells fresh and feminine, like “La-dee-da! I just stepped out of the shower and skipped through a spring meadow.” Nothing too spicy or fruitastically sweet. Just chill, relaxed fragrances that one can wear practically anywhere.

i smell great: the four fragrances

beach babe: Ah, take me away to a land of tropical breezes, coconut cream and golden suntan oil…

candy crush: Mouthwatering candied flower petals, rose syrup, icing sugar and candy hearts to tempt and tease you.

angel cake: A comfy, cozy scent with notes of pink icing, powdered sugar and candied almonds…with a touch of sweetness.

wild honey: A soothing synthesis of honey, brown sugar, Tahitian vanilla and sweet nectar make this intoxicating aroma irresistible.

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Eylure London Lengthening No. 080 Lashes: Take Highway 80 All the Way to London for Long, Lush Lashes That Still Look Natural

November 20th, 2014 by Karen 24 Comments

From this day forward, let the official makeup record show that “Never give up!” is my mantra when it comes to false lashes.

Eylure Lengthening 080 Lashes — Eylure London Lengthening Lashes No. 080 Triple Pack ($9.99)

Because today I almost gave up after 10 minutes, and if I had, I would have missed out on a great set of Eylure London No. 080 Lengthening Lashes.

It wasn’t because they were hard to apply or uncomfortable. Quite the opposite, actually.

The No. 080s weigh next to nothing and feel fab. Plus, they slip right on.

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Unsung Makeup Heroes: Chanel Illusion D’Ombre Long Wear Luminous Eyeshadow in Fantasme

November 20th, 2014 by Karen 18 Comments

Fantasme…

Why did I just picture Penelope Cruz saying that, like from one of those Nespresso commercials?

“Nespresso!”

Are we really almost at the end of November? I can’t believe Thanksgiving is only a week away, but it reminds me that now is the time for holiday makeup.

There’s Thanksgiving next week, and then a couple get-togethers around Christmas, so I’m trying to think of ways to look dressed up that don’t require a lot of effort, like by using products I can layer on top of whatever other makeup I may have started the day wearing.

Say “happy holidays!” to Chanel Illusion D’Ombre Long Wear Luminous Eyeshadow in Fantasme. This sheer, glittery white cream wunderkind ($36) makes getting party-ready looks as easy as three pats of a finger.

Well…three or four.

Chanel Illusion D'Ombre in Fantasme — Chanel Illusion D’Ombre Long Wear Luminous Eyeshadow in Fantasme ($36)

Wait — don’t walk away just because I said glitter! This is Chanel glitter, so it’s classy and refined (think: expensive chandelier), and it’s precisely the kind of glitter I imagine Choupette the cat leaves in her wake when she prances around her mansion. 🙂

Fantasme is one of those deceptively fantastic pieces… It pretends to be boring and nondescript in swatches, but it turns into a concert violinist on lids.

The long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorite permanent collection products from a variety of bodacious beauty brands.

What I like to do is pat Fantasme in the inner corners of my lids with a finger.

Sure, you could use a brush, but I like using my fingers because it seems to cut down on the fallout…not that there’s very much of it anyway.

I just pat on top of whatever eye makeup I happen to be wearing. Doesn’t matter what colors or kind of look it is, either. Fantasme cranks it up.

Here I’m wearing it on top of teals and blues from the Urban Decay Vice 2 Palette…

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