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

Hawaii, By Way of NARS Shameless Red

July 9th, 2014 by Karen 18 Comments

NARS Shameless Red Swatch — Aloha, NARS Shameless Red!

Please give a warm aloha to NARS Shameless Red Nail Polish! — aka, the latest shade to join the ranks of hula dancing beauty products that masquerade as a tropical vacation in a bottle.

Whenever I wear this reddish pink, I feel like I have hibiscus petals affixed to my nails.

Part of the recently revamped 43-piece NARS Nail Polish line, Shameless Red ($20) arrives by catamaran (OK, not really) July 15 at NARS boutiques and narscosmetics.com (and August 1 at Sephora stores and department store NARS counters).

NARS Shameless Red — I’m unashamed about my love for this color… One could say I’m shamelessly in love with it, haha.

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Car Selfies

July 8th, 2014 by Karen 16 Comments

Three, two, one…CHEEESE!

LOL! I’m pretty sure the trucker who was stuck next to us on Highway 37 in bumper-to-bumper traffic thought I was a weirdo, but whatevs.

I took these last night as El Hub and I were on our way to dinner in Napa for our anniversary.

I literally only had, from start to finish, about 5 minutes to do my makeup before we left the house, so I blazed through this look figuring I’d be able to make any adjustments and fixes in the car on the way to the restaurant.

Of course, me being me, aka “always in a hurry and five minutes late,” I forgot my makeup bag at home.

Doh!

Aaaand, I didn’t realize until after I looked closely at these pics that my brows were a little wackadoo, haha!

Oh, well.

Wish I could say that my makeup always turns out perfectly, but that’s so not the case, especially when I’m rushing.

I did finally get to break in Chanel New Moon, though, which I’m happy about. I patted it on bare lids (didn’t even have time to put down primer), and then smudged MAC Teddy liner on my lash lines.

That’s Chanel Malice on my cheeks and NARS Giza gloss, with MAC Gingerroot Cremestick Liner, on my lips.

Gingerroot is discontinued, but I love it so, so much… I only bust it out for special occasions.

The New Bobbi Brown Surf & Sand Sheer Lip Colors, and Other Current Summer Obsessions…

July 8th, 2014 by Karen 12 Comments

Bobbi Brown 21 Pink Taffy — The new limited edition Bobbi Brown Sheer Lip Color in 21 Pink Taffy (one of my current summer obsessions), from the Surf & Sand summer collection

Just a few of the things I’m currently obsessing over/lusting after…

1. This straw fedora

Even though I firmly believe that Justin Timberlake should be the only person wearing a fedora, I can’t quit this hat. I got it at Target a couple years ago for a trip to Kauai, but since then it has become one of my summer staples.

2. Three Twins ice cream

I will happily blow my daily calories on this ice cream.

It’s just so flavorful and rich and dense… I could seriously eat this stuff every day.

Mmm…lemon cookie.

3. Bobbi Brown’s new Sheer Lip Colors from the Surf & Sand collection

Bobbi Brown Bobbi Brown Sheer Lip Color in 18 Sunlit Pink, a mid-toned bronze

Sometimes you feel like opaque lips, and sometimes you don’t. For those latter days, there are the four new limited edition Sheer Lip Color ($26 each) shades in the Bobbi Brown Surf & Sand collection — Sunlit Pink, Summer Nude, Peach Sorbet and Pink Taffy.

I like these, because even though they’re technically (“air quotes”) sheer, they’re still pigmented enough to show up on my lips. That, and they’re smooth, slick and moisturizing.

They remind me a lot of the Chanel Rouge Allure Coco Shines.

All four are available now at Bobbi Brown counters and online.

Bobbi Brown Sheer Lip Color in 19 Summer Nude, a light beige

Sheer Lip Color in 20 Peach Sorbet — 20 Peach Sorbet, a nude peach

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Bruschetta and Bubbles

July 8th, 2014 by Karen 13 Comments

I’ve been craving pizza lately, and El Hub is always craving pizza, so for our wedding anniversary dinner last night, we drove up to Ca’ Momi, the yummy Italian restaurant we discovered last month in Napa.

We ordered some things we knew we’d like (bubbles and bruschetta), tried some new things we weren’t sure about (baccalà), and then walked around downtown Napa to let our tummies settle.

Not a bad way to celebrate eight years. 🙂

Bruschetta. Yeah…hard to go wrong with cherry tomatoes, garlic and basil.

The Baccalà mantecato alla veneziana appetizer. Creamy whipped cod dip served with crispy polenta crostini (I didn’t much care for this one. Kind of tasted like a slightly bland tuna salad.).

The Margherita Pizza from Ca’ Momi Restaurant in Napa. San Marzano DOP tomato sauce (here’s what the DOP signifies), mozzarella di bufala Campania DOP and fresh basil.

El Hub’s dish, the Calabrese pizza with organic raw onions, zucchini, buffalo mozzarella and Alle Pia spicy salame Calabrese. Yes, he inhaled it, whereas I could only finish half of mine.

The Oxbow Public Market, where Ca’ Momi is located.

Downtown Napa at dusk. It was actually a pretty hopping place, even on a Monday night.

Local Surfer Girl Gang Now Seeking Applicants: Must Be Willing To Rock the Bobbi Brown Surf Eye Palette

July 8th, 2014 by Karen 14 Comments

Wearing the new Bobbi Brown Surf Palette ($65) on my eyes

Hey, surfer girl, hey.

Sure, have a seat next to me on the towel. You can put your board over there by the Surf Palette — yeah, that one with the linen packaging and the four glittery shadows, three shimmer shadows and beige matte shadow inside.

It’s cute, yeah? All of us in the group have one… You should totally get one, too!

Cat lady surfer says what meow?[/caption]

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Do You Do Accent Nails?

July 8th, 2014 by Karen 30 Comments

Essie Fashion Playground and In The Cab-ana (used as an “accent nail”)

Accent nails: yes or no?

(Where one of your nails is a different design or color.)

Quick! — don’t overthink it. Go with your gut.

For me, they’re a really cool resounding yes. I particularly like to have that extra pop of color tie into my pedicure.

For my BFF, though, they’re a strong “No.” We had an in-depth conversation about them the other day, and she was very firm on the matter. The idea of purposefully interrupting the uniformity of her manicures freaks her out.

How about you? Do you do accent nails?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Mythical Mint Green Manicures With New NARS Nail Polish in Thasos

July 7th, 2014 by Karen 13 Comments

Have you ever basked in the sun on Thasos?

Thasos, Greece — Thasos, a Greek island in the Northern Aegean Sea

Wouldn’t you like to?

I sure would…

Before today, I didn’t even know this beautiful Greek island existed (there’s also a town on the island of the same name).

Thank you, NARS, for the geography lesson. 🙂

I painted my paws with this new creamy mint NARS Nail Polish today.

NARS Thasos Nail Polish Swatch — Two coats of NARS Thasos

Yup, NARS recently reformulated their nail polish line, and when they did so, they added a bunch of colors, kept some old ones, changed the brush (it’s now flat and wide and covers the entire nail in one swipe), and the cap, which is more like Chanel’s caps now, with a removable square cap on top of a cylindrical one.

The new line of 43 polishes ($20 each) arrives July 15 at NARS boutiques and narscosmetics.com, and August 1 at Sephora stores and NARS counters inside department stores.

I can’t gauge the wear time of Thasos yet, but I definitely dig the application. The brush was really easy to use, and the creamy formula wasn’t streaky at all. I only needed two layers.

As for the Island of Thasos, uh, when are we leaving?

That water looks incredible…

Postcard says what now?

To quote Liz Lemon, “I want to go to there.” 😀

It’s Not Bucking Broncos That Make the Waves at Rodeo Beach in the Marin Headlands

July 7th, 2014 by Karen 5 Comments

Don’t you just love the smell of the beach?

The sand, the saltwater, the sunscreen…

I’d bottle it if I could.

(NOTE TO SELF: Try adding a few drops of sunscreen to a bottle of seawater one of these days.)

Yesterday El Hub and I drove out to Rodeo Beach at Fort Cronkhite, a picturesque spot on the Pacific side of the Bay just north of the Golden Gate in the Marin Headlands (if you’re ever out this way, it’s right next to the awesome Marine Mammal Center).

It gets a little chilly and windy there sometimes, even when everywhere else around here is hot, so bring a sweatshirt or jacket if you’re visiting from out of the area.

Yup, a jacket even in the summertime. Welcome to the Bay Area. 🙂

I watched the waves for a bit, breathed deeply, snapped some pics, and found a few lovely pieces of driftwood (don’t you love it when you find a piece that’s really smooth?).