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

When Was the Last Time You Braided Your Hair?

February 12th, 2014 by Karen 23 Comments

Dude, side braids are the best thing ever!

I wanted to shower before leaving for the hospital yesterday (The procedure went fine, BTW. My arm is A-OK), because I didn’t know if I’d have to skip a couple days once I had a bandage on, but I didn’t have time to really futz with my hair, so I straightened my bangs with a hairdryer, and put the rest of my mop in a side braid.

I like side braids because 1) they don’t give me a headache like tight buns (Haha! I said tight buns…) and ponytails sometimes do, and 2) they’re fairly easy and have that casually messy look I like.

Mad props to The Hunger Games movies for re-introducing them into my life. 🙂

Before those movies came out, I think the last time I actually wore braids of any kind was back in middle school. In seventh and eighth grades I was all about french twists and fishtail braids.

I wore ’em all the time! — but as I got older, I guess I started looking at braids as more for kids and moved on to ponytails, buns and french twists instead.

Now, though (thanks, ironically, in part to a series of young-adult movies), I’m back in love with braids.

Seriously, if you haven’t worn them in a while, give ’em a whirl!

Today’s hump day hair question for you: when was the last time you braided your hair?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. In case you were wondering what it’s like to be doted on by a tabby cat nurse, the following image pretty much sums it up…

Tabs believes in the healing power of touch. And proper nutrition, obvs. Can’t you can tell by his “healthy” physique?

Last night he ordered El Hub to make me dinner (fish and rice) and then insisted that I eat a scoop of Three Twins’ salted caramel ice cream for dessert.

Whatever tabby wants, tabby gets. 🙂

It’s Wednesday (woo-hoo!), which means we’re halfway to the weekend! What’s shakin’ in your neck of the woods? What’s on your agenda today?

For $7.50, This NYX Sex Bomb Shadow Palette Is Dynamite!

February 11th, 2014 by Karen 17 Comments

I get a big kick out of this palette. 🙂

It’s that name, Sex Bomb. I dunno…it just makes me laugh! I mean, I get that they were trying to channel inner seductiveness and sultriness, but of course I’m going to picture weird bombs of sexiness raining from the sky (of course).

Pouty lips, BOOM! Bedroom eyes, BAM!

Or I think of a bad roll in the hay, LOL! And then consequently sneaking out the door at an ungodly hour for that early morning walk of shame with smeared eye makeup and kitten breath.

Aw, what a disappointing sex bomb!

Oh, and then there’s the awkwardness of trying to explain the name to my mom…

Mom: “WHAT IS THIS SEX BOMB?”

Me: “Uh…well?”

Forgetting the name for a second, though, I think the colors are also cool. Very interesting, like that red on the far left. It looks rather frightening, doesn’t it? Well, it’s really not that scary at all. If you pop it on your lids very close to the lash line and do a black cat liner, I think it looks super cool.

And that black shadow on the far right does WERK! I like it smoked out along the lash lines with the taupe in the lid and the beige on the brow bone.

How very Angelina Jolie. Just add nude lips.

Anywho! It’s available now for $7.50 at NYX counters, Ulta and nyxcosmetics.com.

BOOM!

NYX Sex Bomb Shadow Palette Swatches — Sex Bomb Shadow Palette swatches on my NC42 skin

A Chic Cheek Combo: Hourglass Illume Creme-to-Powder Duo in Sunset and Ambient Lighting Powder in Mood

February 11th, 2014 by Karen 33 Comments

Houglass Illume Creme to Powder Duo in Sunset and Ambient Powder in Mood — A lovely cheek combo to try from Hourglass

Back from the hospital! The surgery went well (I had a bump on my elbow that had to be removed). I was in and out of there in about an hour, and everything went smoothly…except for the part where I freaked out a little right before it started. 🙂 So what else is new?

Ah, it’s good to be home…

Now let’s talk awesome cheek combos while my sutures heal, shall we? Here’s one I wish I could take credit for because I love it so very much, but I owe it to someone else. I got it when I visited Hourglass Cosmetics headquarters in Venice Beach last summer.

One of the makeup artists I met while I was there grabbed the company’s Illume Creme-to-Powder Duo in Sunset ($40), defined my cheeks with the bronze shade and blended the rosy shade on the apples of my cheeks for color.

Hourglass Illume Creme to Powder Duo in Sunset, a sheer bronze and a sheer rose

Then she dusted sheer lavender Ambient Lighting Powder in Mood ($45) on my upper cheekbones as a subtle highlighter.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Mood, a sheer, subtle lavender pink

From the left: Mood Ambient Powder, the rosy shade from the Sunset Duo and the bronze shade from Sunset

I love this combo for “lit from within” cheeks. Here’s a shot of it in action last summer, and yes, I was super tan.

Last summer at the Hourglass offices with the fabulous Stef from We Heart This

[Continue reading…]

Tiny Treasures (Like the Smallest Tube of NARS St. Moritz Ever!) and the Barneys New York Love Yourself Event, February 12-15, 2014

February 11th, 2014 by Karen 14 Comments

Gotta love Barneys for giving beauty lovers the hookup. I think they do some of the best gift-with-purchase promos around. They always seem to fill their beauty bags to the brim with products I’ll actually use from brands I actually love, like NARS, YSL, Givenchy and Deborah Lippmann.

If you planned to do any beauty shopping at all this week (or, even if you didn’t, LOL!), do you happen to live near a Barneys? If not, no prob. There’s always barneys.com. 🙂

They’re holding their big spring Love Yourself beauty event this week (Feb. 12-15), in which there will be samples, samples galore.

This Wednesday through Saturday, spend $250 or more (I know that’s a lot, but it comes with perks) on beauty and/or grooming products and get a gift bag bursting with goodies.

The stuff in the bags will vary, but here are some visual examples of the high-end treasures that should await inside…

We’re talking about a mix of full-sized products, deluxe travel-sized samples and teeny, tiny treats, like this tube of Givenchy Le Rouge Lipstick (so cute!).

Perhaps you’ll end up with one of these — the world’s smallest, most adorable tiny tube of NARS St. Mortiz Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturize (aww!).

[Continue reading…]

Frrrrresh Tabby Belly Meat! Get Your Delicious Tabby Belly Meat Right Here!

February 11th, 2014 by Karen 21 Comments

It’s delicious and nutritious. Get it while it’s hot! 🙂

It comes in Large, Extra Large and Super-Sized (I recommend the Super-Sized). Nose taps, headbutts and chin rubs are extra.

Bangs: Yea or Nay?

February 11th, 2014 by Karen 45 Comments

All about the side sweep (that’s Hourglass Femme Rouge Lipstick in Fever on my lips, by the way!)

To quote the great Ricky Martin, “She bangs, she bangs…”

Nothin’ like a little Ricky Martin to start your morning. 🙂

Good morning!

Well, I managed to get my booty on the treadmill last night and keep it there for a short time (small victories, right?), and while I was shuffling along to Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream, some of my freshly shorn side-swept bangs escaped from my ponytail, which got me thinking…

Bangs.

Have you ever had a ‘do with dramatic bangs before? When you were considering it, were you nervous at all?

I was. It’s a big change, and you have to deal with new hair products, clipping them back when you exercise, and then growing them out again when you feel like another change. They can be quite a commitment.

A bob, bangs and pink streaks, circa January 2012

It seems like bangs are something you either love or hate.

Hello, Lloyd Christmas — A blast from the past… The Lloyd Christmas.

I’m firmly in the bangs “yea” camp, and over the years, I’ve had a variety of bangs — like ’80s-style big hair bear bangs, Lloyd Christmas bangs, and my current side-swept bangs. I think they’re fun, and I like the way they frame my face. 🙂

How about you? What’s your position on bangs? Do you love ’em or loathe ’em? Or are you impartial when it comes to bangs? Inquiring minds want to know.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Happy Tuesday, babe. I may not be around too much this afternoon because I have a minor in-patient medical procedure scheduled for 1 p.m. at the hospital. It’s nothing big at all — just a small boo-boo on my elbow that hasn’t healed, but I should be in and out of there in two twitches of a tabby’s tail.

I hope all is well in your corner of the world. I’ll see you soon. Have a wonderful day.

New Skincare From Chanel: Hydra Beauty Creme Riche and Hydra Beauty Nourishing Lip Care

February 10th, 2014 by Karen 13 Comments

Chanel Hydra Beauty Creme Riche and Nourishing Lip Care

If my cheeks could talk, they would’ve said, “Ahh…” in ecstasy the first time I tried Chanel’s Hydra Beauty Creme Riche moisturizer.

Then my wallet, assuming it also had the ability to talk, would have added, “Girl, you so crazy!” because it would have just shelled out big bucks on skincare from Chanel.

Unfortunately, Chanel doesn’t do drugstore, but I must say, I think their skincare is really good (I used both Lait Confort Creamy Cleansing Milk and Sublimage Eye Cream down to the last drop). If I were an RHOBH (that’s Bravo shorthand for a “Real Housewife of Beverly Hills”), I’d be rockin’ this stuff 24/7.

Just released this month, along with a new hydrating lip balm, new Hydra Beauty Creme Riche moisturizer is powered by something Chanel calls, “Camelia Alba PFA.”

“Specifically developed to deliver intense moisture, this sumptuously textured cream wraps skin in softness. The deeply hydrating formula features the moisturizing powers of Camellia Alba PFA*, the anti-oxidant properties of Blue Ginger PFA and the nutritive benefits of precious Camellia oil. Combined, these key ingredients help strengthen skin while restoring its natural suppleness, radiance and beauty.

“*PFA: Polyfractioned Active. An ultra-pure, ultra-powerful ingredient created through exclusive patented Chanel technology.”

— Chanel.com

The moisturizer, I love. It’s very thick and dense — a lot like a balm — but it absorbs quickly into my skin without leaving behind a greasy film. I use it on the dry patches on my cheeks and around my nose, and my skin soaks it right up.

It’s extremely hydrating and hasn’t triggered any breakouts yet (knock on wood).

I should also point out that it has a super strong scent — green apples and lilies — which I like, most of the time, except when I have a migraine (and then it’s just too much).

As for the lip balm, ya know, it’s a’ight. It has the same green apple flavor and scent (nice, but again, strong), but in terms of moisture, I feel like I get more from my good ol’ Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector, which is $23 (versus $50) and comes in a more convenient tube.

Sure, the balm is probably overpriced, but that really depends on your outlook on Chanel. If you’re a fiend for the brand and just looking for light lip hydration, you’ll get that here.

A 1.7-ounce jar of Chanel Hydra Beauty Creme Riche goes for $87, while the Hydra Beauty Nourishing Lip Care costs $50 for a 0.35-ounce jar. Both are available now at Chanel counters and chanel.com.

Chanel Hydra Beauty Nourishing Lip Care on the left and Creme Riche on the right — Nourishing Lip Care on the left and Creme Riche on the right

Chanel Hydra Beauty Creme Riche ingredients

Chanel Hydra Beauty Nourishing Lip Care ingredients

Unsung Makeup Heroes: Hourglass Femme Rouge Lipstick in Muse

February 10th, 2014 by Karen 26 Comments

Got ~~milk?~~ coral lipsticks on the brain?

Why, yes. Yes, I do. But what else is new?

Maybe it’s a genetic thing. I don’t know… But last night I was chatting with my mom on the phone about coral lipsticks and my 86-year-old godmother in the Philippines.

My godmother, whom I call Ninang (pronounced knee-nung), is the most glamorous gal I know, and my mom was telling me last night about how Ninang is apparently obsessed with coral lipsticks right now, LOL!

I guess it runs in the fam. 🙂

I think Ninang would thoroughly approve of Hourglass Femme Rouge Lipstick in Muse, the creamy coral lippie I’m wearing in these pics.

My heart fluttered the first time I saw it. No joke.

Then when I slipped it on — oh, my goodness! — I may have hyperventilated a little. The intense pigment, shiny finish and bright color were all too much for me (but in a “I’m perfectly OK with this” kind of way).

Now, Muse looks pretty dope on its own, but if you want to turn up the drama even more, try layering a reddish coral gloss on top, like MAC Star Quality Cremesheen from the A Fantasy of Flowers collection.

Looks phenom! — as does Hourglass Nectar Extreme Sheen Lip Gloss. (Do I need to post pics of these combos? Let me know. I’ve been all about the combos lately.)

[Continue reading…]