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

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 341

October 6th, 2014 by Karen 29 Comments

The Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll for October 6, 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.

I’d characterize my style as ________.
Hawaii surfer chic meets quirky cat lady with Chanel and Kate Spade taste on a Pasta Pomodoro budget.

When I see someone wearing socks with sandals, my first thought is _______.
OH HELL TO THE NO.

But I’d do it too if I were cold enough and had no other options for toe warmth…or if the socks were toe socks. For some reason, I feel like toe socks with sandals are slightly more stylish.

Sock stipulations: I haz them!

Off-duty days call for __________.
Scrunchies, clothes with copious amounts of Spandex, my couch, a Netflix marathon (right now I’m watching Gilmore Girls), a stack of books and magazines. delicious snack foods (both healthy and, um, not so healthy) prepared by someone other than myself, and bras that don’t have under wires.

Everything changed for me when ______.
I realized that I had a ride-or-die partner by my side. Someone who was truly there for me. For most of my dating life, even when I was in committed relationships, I’d always felt like, if the sh*t ever hit the fan, ultimately, I’d have to handle everything on my own, and I was OK with that.

But when I met El Hub, who was El Boyfriend for five years before we got married, I no longer felt like I had to carry the weight of everything on my shoulders all the time.
The last event or thing that inspired me was ______.
The Mary Blair exhibit at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco’s Presidio.

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

1. I’d characterize my style as ________.
2. When I see someone wearing socks with sandals, my first thought is _______.
3. Off-duty days call for __________.
4. Everything changed for me when _________.
5. The last event or thing that inspired me was _________.

Good morning, my friend!

You WILL have a happy Monday today. It’s 100% guaranteed.

In other news, I keep trying to not be so obsessed with Karl Lagerfeld, but it’s really freaking hard. I feel like he gets me, man.

Case in point, your Karl quote for the week…

“I love to be creative all the time… If not, I would be bored and boredom is a crime.”

— Karl Lagerfeld

If Karl ever asked me to cat sit for him, I would not say no.

Um…please don’t tell Tabs that. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 316

October 5th, 2014 by Karen 19 Comments

This post is sponsored by Purina Pro Plan #proplancatpartner. For information about my posting policy, please see my Disclaimer.

I know you’ve been waiting on pins and needles to read the second part of Tabs’ hit graphic novel, Legacy. I know I have, because even I don’t have access to the drafts. Everything is kept under wraps, and very few cats or people get to see the work in progress.

Anyway, I’ve been busy trying to soothe Tabs all weekend long, hand-feeding him his favorite Purina Pro Plan Cat food (Focus) and preparing gravy on demand, because he’s been in extra diva mode. Gone Girl, that move starring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike, just came out, and it’s a bit of a sore subject.

You didn’t hear it from me; you read it in US Cat Weekly or someplace else, but when they were casting for the movie, there was a role for a cat. Ben Affleck’s character’s cat, and Tabs was up for it.

He auditioned and auditioned and auditioned, and he actually made it to the end. It was down to him and an orange tabby named Klaus, who’s quickly climbing the kitty modeling/acting ranks, but eventually Klaus won the role because, according to the director, “He had the right silhouette.”

Oh, well… You know what they say: when one cat door closes, another one opens. 🙂

The fact that Tabs didn’t get the role actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise because it gave him more time to work on his graphic novel.

And here it is! — Legacy. Part one followed by part two.
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7 Ways to Win a $50 eGift Card From Sephora! (Ends Monday)

October 4th, 2014 by Karen 287 Comments

When the first words you say to someone in the morning are, “I think I want a Siberian Forest Cat,” it’s hard not to laugh! 🙂

Rise and shine, pal o’ mine. Guess who didn’t watch Gone Girl last night. (Did you go? Was it good?)

The timing just didn’t work out… I wanted to go to bed early instead to power up for my 10-mile run today, but then I went and got insomnia and barely slept at all last night. I just lay awake in bed looking at cat pics on my phone…

Gotta love it when things work out, haha. I’m going to need a little more coffee than usual today…

In other news, it’s giveaway time!!! Siberian Forest Cat wishes you good luck.

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:
- What’s something you enjoy doing when you have a few hours completely to yourself?
- On average, how long do you spend on your makeup on weekday mornings?
- What’s the first song that just came to mind?
- Do you have any food allergies?
- Alphabetize the letters of your first name. What do they spell? (In my case, it’s AEKNR.)
- Finish this sentence: I really need a new _______.
You can enter in up to seven ways to boost your chances of winning.
The giveaway ends on Monday, October 6, 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

P.S. Have a great day, babe. 🙂

Get Lazy Waves in a Minute With Shu Uemura Art of Hair Texture Wave Dry Finishing Spray

October 3rd, 2014 by Karen 15 Comments

Apparently, I can no longer be bothered to spend more than 60 seconds doing my hair because I have bigger, badder, more ferocious beauty fires to put out, like FREAKING BLACK CAT EYELINER THAT IS THE BANE OF MY EXISTENCE.

This morning was rough, man. I couldn’t get the outer wings to line up evenly (for my makeup here), and then the liner just kept getting thicker and thicker… *shakes head*

Silly me for thinking, “Oh, this will only take five minutes.”

And don’t even get me started on the red lipstick. I mean, when a big red lipstick splotch ends up under your right eye and you have no idea how it got there, the makeup gods are telling you in their own twisted way that sh*t has officially hit the fan today.

Since I was running epically late, I had to ditch my original hair plan of curling my hair with the 1-inch Conair curling iron I picked up at Ulta a couple weeks ago. I needed something quicker, so I went with wild, messy waves using the Shu Uemura Art of Hair Texture Wave Dry Finishing Spray ($38).

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Today’s Makeup: We’ll Always Have Paris

October 3rd, 2014 by Karen 23 Comments

I’ve had Paris on my mind today, but not for the usual “Paris is terrific!” reasons. It’s because of a disturbing dream I had last night.

I dreamt that I was in Paris staying at the Hôtel Plaza Athénée, which is the same hotel Carrie stayed at in the final season of Sex and City when she went to Paris to live with that art gallery dude.

Anyway, instead of sipping champagne and stuffing my face with macarons and twirling around in custom Chanel couture in my fabulous dream hotel room (which would have a view of the Eiffel tower, of course), I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off because the city was being bombed.

Yeah, that’s right.

Homegirl finally has a dream about the City of Lights, but instead of having tea with Karl Lagerfeld and Choupette or strolling down the Champs-Élysées alongside Tabs, who of course would be wearing a little red beret (I know you can picture it), she’s stuck in a five-star hotel as bombs rain down on the city.

I can’t remember why I was in the room, but all of the windows were wide open, and I could see explosions going off in the distance.

It was terrifying!

Right before I woke up from the dream, I was running around turning off all of the lights, because I didn’t want anyone outside to know that I was in the room by myself. 😯

So the moral of this story is to not eat too much chocolate before bed…

El Hub and I visited Paris years ago, right before he asked me to marry him, and I fell head over heels in love, both with him and the city.

I hope, I hope, I hope I can go back to Paris one of these days. Maybe by then Tabs will have given me a raise, and I’ll have saved enough to go to the Chanel store and buy myself a handbag. In Paris. Then every time I carried it, I’d remember that day.

All this is to say that I was in the mood to wear makeup today that I could see myself wearing to the Chanel store — red lips and black cat liner, with softly sculpted lids.

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What Scent Are You Wearing?

October 3rd, 2014 by Karen 31 Comments

Byredo Gypsy Water Eau de Parfum — Byredo Parfums Gypsy Water Eau de Parfum ($220 for a 3.3-oz. spray bottle), available now at Neiman Marcus

Despite El Niño’s chilly whispers far earlier in the year than usual, the weather turned warmer again last week, which is pretty normal for the Bay Area in October.

Love, if you plan a trip to the San Francisco Bay Area, this is the BEST time to visit. Late September/early October. We get fewer foggy days in the city, and most of the summer tourists have gone, so there’s less traffic and the crowds are smaller.

With this little heatwave we’ve been having (it’s supposed to hit 91 today!), it’s been too hot for really creamy, warm or musky scents for me, so today I’m all about Byredo Parfums Gypsy Water Eau de Parfum ($220 for a 3.3-oz. spray bottle, available now at Neiman Marcus).

I recommend it all the time to friends who really don’t like heavy, cloying scents. I love it for weekends and jeans/t-shirt days.

It starts with crisp bergamot, lemon, pepper and juniper berry notes, then opens into a refreshing, light mix of incense (not too strong), pine needles and orris, and dries down to amber, vanilla and sandalwood.

That name, too — Gypsy Water — like, let’s all call in sick today and just go to Hawaii, yay!

Speaking of that, here’s the other scent I’m also wearing…

LOL! I had to get Hawaii up in my scent mix today. Ain’t no shame in that game. Secret Hawaii Citrus Breeze Antiperspirant/Deodorant ($4.99). 🙂

How about you? What scent are you wearing?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S.

Bahama Mama Bronzer by theBalm: A Golden Brown Without Orange Undertones

October 2nd, 2014 by Karen 14 Comments

Victory is ours! Power to the scrunchie!

I’ve been on the hunt for a matte golden brown bronzer without any orange undertones because I like to switch up my bronzer game every once in a while, and I finally found one — Bahama Mama Bronzer by theBalm ($20, available now at theBalm counters and online. ).

The golden brown color reminds me of a big pan of MAC Soba Eyeshadow, but with a matte finish instead of a sheen. Good for contouring cheeks, or as an eyeshadow, or for adding overall warmth to the face.

Even though I feel like the gal on the packaging is throwing me shade (“Karen, really? Another golden brown smokey eye look?”), I kind of love her side eye, haha!

It’s the Great Pumpkin! Quick, Someone Tell Charlie Brown!

October 2nd, 2014 by Karen 11 Comments

Every fall there’s this outdoor shopping center called the Marin Country Mart in the nearby town of Larkspur that has these HUGE pumpkins on display.

They aren’t for touching, or for sale, but smaller ones are.

Actually, they aren’t for sale either, so to speak. They’re on the honor payment system. You just take the pumpkin you want, and then leave your payment in a little box. The prices are based on pumpkin size and listed on a board.

That same place also hosts Off the Grid, which are these fancy traveling food trucks that are a thing here in the Bay Area (I’m sure I’ve mentioned it before).

I went last weekend for lunch with El Hub and my little brother. This time we all had Vietnamese fusion from the Little Green Cyclo truck.

Mine was fresh rice vermicelli with an egg on top, sweet potato tater tots and a coconut water to drink…

Kinda craving that again right now, can’t lie. 🙂