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The MAC Divine Night Collection Makes It Easy To Stay Frosty

October 21st, 2013 by Karen 20 Comments

MAC Divine Night Collection
The MAC Divine Night Collection

The last time I felt this frosty was about 10 years ago when I almost finished an entire jar of Betty Crocker Vanilla Frosting during an all-night Sex and the City-watching marathon.

What can I say? The Aiden years make me stress eat. Carrie should’ve ended up with him…

Anywho, the frostiness. There’s lots of it in MAC’s new Divine Night holiday collection — lots of frosty finishes.

MAC Divine Night Eyeshadows
MAC Divine Night Mineralize Eye Shadows ($25 US and $27.50 CAN)

The MAC Divine Night Mineralize Eye Shadows, clockwise from the purple pan in the lower left:

  • Past Midnight — blackish purple with a violet pearl base on the outside, and a soft white with pink frost on the inside
  • Gilded Night — bright gold with a silver pearl base on the outside, and a black with pearl on the inside
  • Captivating — a bright white gold base on the outside, and a deep gold on the inside
  • Tonight’s Temptation — black with pearl base on the outside, and a royal blue on the inside
  • Exquisite Ego — bronze base on the outside, and soft white champagne on the inside
MAC Divine Night Mineralize Skinfinish
MAC Divine Night Mineralize Skinfinishes ($33 US and $38.50 CAN)

Clockwise from the light pink pan in the lower left:

  • Centre of Attention — a pastel peach pink with pink shimmer on the outside, and a 24K gold shimmer on the inside
  • Perfectly Poised — a bronzy coral with golden tones on the outside, and a creamy beige with a pinkish purple sheen on the inside
  • Scene to Be Seen — a mauve with a pink sheen on the outside, and a brick rose with golden reflects on the inside
MAC Divine Night Blush
MAC Divine Night Mineralize Blushes ($27.50 US and $32.50 CAN)

The MAC Divine Night Mineralize Blushes, clockwise from the plum pan on the bottom:

  • Lavish Living — a violet with a silver pearl base with golden pearl and a Satin finish
  • Talk of the Town — a warm brown base with yellow bronze and a Satin finish
  • Lured to Love — a coral pink base with pink frost and a Satin finish
MAC Divine Night Fluidline
MAC Divine Night Fluidlines ($17.50 US and $21 CAN)

The MAC Divine Night Fluidlines, clockwise from the purple pot:

  • Macroviolet — a deep smoked violet with reddish pearl
  • Deliciously Rich — a shimmering dirty taupe
  • Stares & Speculation — a dirty olive with golden pearl
MAC Divine Night Lipsticks
MAC Divine Night Lipsticks ($16.50 US and $20 CAN)

[Continue reading…]

There are 20 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Collections, MAC Makeup, Makeup

A 15-Minute MAC Divine Night Look, and a Note to My Perpetually Late Self

October 21st, 2013 by Karen 17 Comments

MAC Divine Night
A quick touch-up with Prepare for Pleasure Cremesheen Glass

Dear Perpetually Late Self (yes, I am talking to myself),

What is it with you and clocks!? Why are you always running behind? Seriously, why can’t you ever get from point A to B on time? It’s a mystery that I don’t even know if the universe understands…

(#realtalk: I suspect that it might have something to do with time management, which isn’t exactly your strong suit… But I’m not about to tell you that. Oh, hell no. I value my life and sanity too much, so I’ll continue to pretend it’s due to cosmic forces out of our control.)

But I do appreciate that you’re working on it. Your decision to do a full face in 15 minutes today with the new MAC Divine Night holiday collection was a brilliant idea.

Snaps, man. At least you’re trying. 🙂

MAC Divine Night
The MAC Divine Night holiday collection

Minutes 14:59-9:00 — Eyes

MAC Divine Night Eyeshadows
The six Divine Night Mineralize Eye Shadows ($23 US, $27.50 CAN each)

OK, I can see why you chose to start with the Mineralize Eye Shadows from this collection. Each one has two shades, so they’re like a ready-to-wear duo in every pan.

MAC Exquisite Ego Mineralize Skinfinish Eye Shadow
Exquisite Ego Mineralize Skinfinish Eye Shadow, a bronze, and a soft white champagne

Good choice going with the bronze and pink Exquisite Ego. Bravo. Because the colors are neutrals, even if you do a slap-dash job applying them, people probably won’t even notice your mistakes. I’d do the same thing.

MAC Divine Night Exquisite Ego
The flat shape of the MAC 239 Brush helps keep fallout to a minimum

[Continue reading…]

There are 17 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: MAC Makeup, Makeup, Makeup Tips/How To

Covergirl’s Hunger Games Collection Lipslicks Smoochies Sizzle Gloss in Violet Flare Should Satisfy Your Appetite for Smoochies

October 21st, 2013 by Karen 9 Comments





Covergirl Hunger Games Collection: Lipslicks Smoochies Sizzle Gloss in Violet Flare
Covergirl Hunger Games Collection: Lipslicks Smoochies Sizzle Gloss in Violet Flare
Covergirl’s Lipslicks Smoochies Sizzle Gloss in Violet Flare ($5.99)

Next time you get a craving for a glittery sheer purple gloss (seriously, it could happen), the odds may ever be in your favor, assuming it happens while Covergirl’s Lipslicks Smoochies Sizzle Gloss in Violet Flare ($5.99) is available in stores.

NOTE: Not recommended for use in the arena, as the shine could make you easier to track. Better to just wear this one on dates with Peeta and/or Gale. 🙂

Find it training now with the rest of the Covergirl Hunger Games collection at Ulta stores and online.

Covergirl Hunger Games Collection: Lipslicks Smoochies Sizzle Gloss in Violet Flare
Violet Flare on my lips
Covergirl Hunger Games Collection: Lipslicks Smoochies Sizzle Gloss in Violet Flare
A sheer, sparkly purple with silver glitter
There are 9 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Daily Beauty

Violet Flare Glosstini Nail Polish From the Covergirl Hunger Games Collection

October 21st, 2013 by Karen 13 Comments





Covergirl Hunger Games Collection: Violet Flicker Nail Polish

Covergirl Hunger Games Collection: Violet Flicker Nail Polish

This girl is on fy-yah!

Er, at least her nails are. They’re sparkly purple today, thanks to three coats of Violet Flicker ($3.79) from the Covergirl Hunger Games Collection.

It’s a little tricky to track down online, but it should be available at your local drugstore.

Don’t forget to bring your bow and arrows if you go, though — you know, just in case you run into any sketchy characters in the arena on your way there.

Because you never know about those sketchy characters…

Covergirl Hunger Games Collection: Violet Flicker Nail Polish
Three coats of Violet Flicker

Covergirl Hunger Games Collection: Violet Flicker Nail Polish

There are 13 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Daily Photo

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 294

October 21st, 2013 by Karen 33 Comments

The Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll for October 21, 2013
The Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll for October 21, 2013

You might be wondering, “So what the heck is this Monday Poll thing anyway?”

Well, it isn’t much of a poll. It’s more just a constantly evolving (devolving?), somewhat random list of questions I’ve been putting out to readers every Monday morning for the past six years. I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.

  1. Do you have a diary?
    GURL, I do, and now that I think about it, I kindasorta wish that my ramblings were more profound, because I use my diary mostly to vent, and the venting gets repetitive…

    If my memoirs are ever published (ha!), it’ll have large sections about lame boys I dated, about how I’m always exhausted, about the many times I’ve felt sad or overwhelmed and frustrated with my job.

  2. Best makeup lighting in your house?
    From dawn till about 2, it’s in my office, where the windows face east, so the light streams in and I get lovely, buttery morning sunlight.

    In the afternoon, it’s the rooms on the other side of the house, like my bedroom and the living room downstairs, so I’ll haul my brushes, cameras and other makeup stuff over there every afternoon.

  3. Which do you wear more often, lipstick or gloss?
    Gloss, fo’ sho! I almost always have at least 5-6 tubes of nude gloss in my purse, like some kind of makeup nomad, haha!

    I prefer nude glosses because they go with everything, and I can put them on in the car without having to think too hard.

  4. With whom do you talk the most about makeup offline?
    Um…whoever happens to be standing next to me at a makeup counter? LOL! I bumped into a gal at the Estée Lauder counter last week, and no joke, we talked about blushes for 15 minutes.

    Whatever, I’m chatty. 🙂

  5. Does the color of a room affect your mood?
    Oh, for sure. I can’t function in rooms with crazy-@ss colors on the walls. I mean, I love the idea of bold wall paints, like deep blues and reds for dining rooms, but for me it’s so distracting in practice.

    I don’t know… I think I need soothing, peaceful wall colors at home.

  6. Do you have any plants around you at work?
    Catnip! — and tons of it. As you can probably imagine, it’s part of the corporate culture here at Tabs the Cat Industries, LLC. 🙂
  7. Are there any shadows you love except for the fallout?
    Oh, my gosh. So many. But you know, just tap to remove the excess from your brush. Most of the time that does the trick.

    Off the top of my head, I can think of some glittery Urban Decay and Too Faced colors, and a handful of colors from MAC.

  8. How do you feel about nude nail polish?
    I think they can look super cool with glitter on top; otherwise, meh. I figure, if I’m going to wear nail polish, it might as well be something I can see.

    Gimme jewel tones any day of the week!

  9. If you could be invisible for 2 hours, what would you do?
    I’d sneak into the MAC or Chanel offices and do some investigating, heh. Or maybe I’d sneak into RyGos home and peek in all of his medicine cabinets. Or I’d take a long uninterrupted nap. Hard to decide.
  10. What’s your current favorite face product?
    Kate Somerville’s Anti-Bac Clearing Lotion has been a godsend. The active ingredient, benzoyl peroxide, isn’t new by any means, but it has completely changed my skin. Ever since I started using it along with Skinceuticals CE Ferulic, no more painful pimples around my chin.

    I just love the stuff and can’t live without it.

Le List

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

1. Do you have a diary?
2. Best makeup lighting in your house?
3. Which do you wear more often, lipstick or gloss?
4. With whom do you talk the most about makeup offline?
5. Does the color of a room affect your mood?
6. Do you have any plants around you at work?
7. Are there any shadows you love except for the fallout?
8. How do you feel about nude nail polish?
9. If you could be invisible for 2 hours, what would you do?
10. What’s your current favorite face product?

Ugh, I already feel like I’m getting off to a late start. I kind of hate it when that happens…

Oh, well. Nothing to it but to do it! 🙂 Let me know how you’re doing today.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 33 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 266

October 20th, 2013 by Karen 13 Comments

Tabs the Cat for MAC Custom Cat Eye Palette X3

Who is Tabs the Cat? About six years ago I befriended a stray, flea-bitten tabby cat with a bad case of worms. I could see he’d fallen on hard times, but his profound knowledge of high fashion and department store cosmetics led me to believe that he was more than meets the eye. We became fast friends, and now he’s actually my boss (and a successful kitty model). 🙂

Guess what plump tabby cat rocked the modeling world this week.

That’s right — Tabs. He starred in five major ad campaigns for MAC, Maybelline and Wet n Wild (among other brands), and he did have to travel, but it was just an overnight trip to New York for the Maybelline shoot, and then a quick hop up to Toronto for MAC.

He’s back home now and resting in his cat tower.

Um, I don’t want to jinx anything, but I’ve got some potentially big news…

Tabs is in negotiations with the Tyra Banks Company to do a cat version of America’s Next Top Model.

Can you believe it!? It’s really exciting, but don’t tell anyone you heard it from me. It’s strictly hush-hush for now. I think People magazine has an exclusive on the story, but since we’re family, I can tell you (off the record).

Tabs and Tyra go way back, so we’re pretty sure it’s gonna happen. Fingers crossed.

Without further ado, here are this week’s kitty modeling jobs starring Tabs.

BTW, he loves hearing your feedback and/or adoration, so please let him know what you think in the comments. 🙂

Tabs the Cat for Maybelline Cat Ear Kits

Tabs the Cat for Wet n Wild Kitty Cat Kiss Lipstick

[Continue reading…]

There are 13 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun, Tabs

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

October 19th, 2013 by Karen 506 Comments

A Makeup and Beauty Blog giveaway

A Makeup and Beauty Blog giveaway

The most beautiful thing I saw this week wasn’t a lipstick or gloss, or all of these lovely Urban Decay palettes I set up for this shot (although that was a close second).

It was something I saw at the salon the other day. As soon as I walked in, I saw a dad with his teenage daughter — well, she looked more like a tween, actually. Awkwardly sweet, around 11 or 12. She was carrying a sequined purse and an Archie book, and her wavy hair was wiry and poofed out to here, which I’m pretty sure wasn’t on purpose.

She was all smiles and seemed quietly excited to be getting her hair cut.

The way she and her dad talked to each other was just adorable. There were some necklaces on display by the front counter, and while she was waiting for her appointment, she pointed them out to her dad, and they chatted sweetly about the bird designs, creating a nice memory of an afternoon spent with her dad at the salon.

It made me smile. 🙂

Going to get my hair cut when I was that age was never fun for me (seriously, people didn’t know what to do with wavy hair back then).

Hopefully you created some nice memories this week, too. Maybe we can create another one with this weekend’s Sephora giveaway.

Win a $50 gift card from Sephora

  • 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:
    • When and where were you born?
    • What was the funniest thing that ever happened at work?
    • Write a haiku about makeup.
    • Was there a teacher who had a particularly strong influence on your life?
    • Do you spend more time on your hair or makeup?
    • Are there any popular makeup products you wish you could wear but feel like you can’t?
    • On a scale of 1-10, what’s your patience for blending (10 being super patient)?
  • You can enter in up to seven ways to boost your chances of winning.
  • The giveaway ends on Monday, October 21, 2013 at 11:59 PM (Pacific Time).
  • Full terms and conditions are available in the widget.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 506 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Giveaways, Just For Fun

Ready, Set, Contour! The Nifty $19 NP Set Contour & Highlight Palette

October 18th, 2013 by Karen 20 Comments

NP Set Contour Highlight Palette
That’s the new $19 NP Set Contour & Highlight Palette on my cheeks

OK, I know it’s almost $20, which puts NP Set’s new Contour & Highlight Palette firmly on the high end of the budget/drugstore makeup spectrum, but please don’t let that sway you from giving it some thought, because it’s a close cousin of one of my favorite products from the Hourglass Cosmetics line.

NP Set Contour Highlight Palette closeup
From the left: a golden beige highlighter, bronzer, peach blush and a pink highlighter

It has it all! — almost. Everything you need to sculpt and brighten your skin, like a warm, golden coppery bronzer similar to NARS Laguna, but with a satin finish; a peach blush with a sheen finish; and two highlighters, one, a neutral light pink, and the other, a warm golden beige.

NP Set Contour Highlight Palette
An overhead shot…

If you’re angling for sun-kissed California girl skin, the bronzer and blush do it to it, babe. I’d probably use the bronzer more to add overall warmth, though, than to do any heavy-duty cheek chiseling, but overall warmth is exactly what I want when I’m rushing to get out the door.

NP Set Contour Highlight Palette in hand for size
With paw for scale…

So that’s the bronzer — a solid performer — but it’s not my favorite thing about this palette…

That distinction goes to the highlighters. 🙂

Are you familiar with the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders? Well, these are like those, but they cost less than half as much ($22 versus $45, unless we’re talking about this holiday set).

Similar sheen, buttery texture and gentle brightening effect. The lighter shade on the far left of the palette resembles Dim Light, while the pink shade on the opposite end channels Mood Light.

NP Set Contour Highlight Palette swatches
Swatches from the left: the golden beige highlighter, bronzer, blush and pink highlighter

I wouldn’t say they’re exact dupes, though, as I think the NP Set highlighters create a more muted glow than the slightly more radiant effect created by the Hourglass Ambients.

NP Set Contour Highlight Palette packaging
Even the packaging’s got a cool Cali vibe

[Continue reading…]

There are 20 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Drugstore Beauty Finds, Face, NP Set, Product Reviews

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Welcome to Makeup and Beauty Blog

Welcome to Makeup and Beauty Blog! My name is Karen, and I’m a freelance writer obsessed with makeup.

Makeup and Beauty Blog features daily product reviews, makeup tips and beauty news — like an interactive version of a monthly print magazine, except with occasional pictures of my cat.

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