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

A Tuesday Eye Makeup Tip: How To Get a Precise Outer Cat Eye Edge

October 8th, 2013 by Karen 34 Comments

Use tape to create a crisp cat eye edge — Oh, hai!

Why, yes, there is a method to my madness. 🙂

Justina, this one’s for you! I wanted to answer your question in the comments about that look I did using Maybelline’s Eye Studio palette in Desert Fantasy.

You asked…

I couldn’t place what I loved so much about your eye shadow, but I think it’s the precise outer edge. Can you explain to me how you got it to look that way? I love it!

–Justina

The secret to that crisp, sharp cat eye edge?

One word: tape.

Last week’s look… See the cat eye edge around the outer area of the eye?

Yup, tape. Regular ol’ Scotch Tape works (I’ve done it before), but here I’m using Nexcare Gentle Paper Tape, because I think it’s a little more gentle.

You should be able to find it near the pharmacy at your local drugstore, usually beside the bandages. I picked up this roll up at Target for $3, but many regular drugstores carry it, too (and most online).

First, I pulled a 1-2 inch strip of tape from the roll and stuck it on and off my hand a few times to weaken the adhesive. That way, it wouldn’t tug at the sensitive skin around my eyes too much when I removed it.

crisp cat eyeliner edge — Try to line up both pieces at the same angle…

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Get Major Shine for $2.99 With the New Jordana Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stains

October 7th, 2013 by Karen 24 Comments

Jordana Twist Shine Moisturizing Balm Stain Review — Wearing Jordana Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stain in Cranberry Crush

That’s a lotta shine for $2.99!

Heh, I made a rhyme… 🙂

“Shine” was the first word that sprang to mind when I tried the new Jordana Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stains.

The second was, “daayyuuum!”

But that was more of an exclamatory sound than an actual word…

Jordana Twist Shine Moisturizing Balm Stains — From the left: Nude Chic, Sweet Pink, Tropical Frenzy, Candied Coral, Honey Love, Cranberry Crush, Rock N Rouge and Terra Crave

The new line of budget-friendly beauties recently landed on drugstore shelves, and essentially, they look like Tarte LipSurgence Lip Tints, only they cost $3 instead of $24.

That’s a BIG difference, yo.

In a nutshell…

They come in eight shades.
Like Tarte’s Lip Tints, they start with a bang! — applying like a glossy lip balm that fades slowly to a quiet stain…
They last about 2-3 hours.
Paraben-free.
Made in the USA.
They’re pretty blasted moisturizing.
Outfitted with a twist-up, retractable crayon for easy application.
The packaging colors correspond to the shades, which makes finding the right color easy in a crowded makeup bag.
They have a smooth, lightweight, non-sticky formula.
To my nose, they smell like Red Jolly Ranchers (which I love!) — but the scent isn’t obnoxiously strong.
They also have a slightly waxy taste to ’em that lingers longer than I’d like… It actually makes my tum slightly gurgle, but hey, they’re only $2.99…

Jordana Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stain Candied Coral — Candied Coral

Jordana Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stain Sweet Pink — Sweet Pink

Jordana Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stain Terra Crave — Terra Crave

Jordana Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stain Honey Love — Honey Love

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A Few of My Favorite Things Sing in This New Holiday Makeup Set From Too Faced Cosmetics

October 7th, 2013 by Karen 31 Comments

Too Faced A Few of My Favorite Things — Wearing the new A Few of My Favorite Things palette from Too Faced ($56 US and $64 CDN)

You know what would totally take Too Faced Cosmetics’ new A Few of My Favorite Things holiday set to the next level??

If Fraulein Maria, and the whole gang of von Trapp children on bicycles, showed up at my doorstep with play clothes made out of curtains.

If you actually got that reference, then paws up for being a fellow Sound of Music super fan. 😀

Inspired by one of my favorite musicals of all time, the new palette makes me feel like singing A Few of My Favorite Things at the top of my lungs!

But you don’t have to be a Sound of Music nerd to love it. Not at all. If you merely have an appreciation for wearable brights and neutrals for eyes, lips and cheeks, you’ll probably like it, too.

Too Faced A Few of My Favorite Things: The rundown

The set comes with colors hand-picked by Jerrod Blandino, co-founder and creative director of Too Faced Cosmetics.
It includes 20 powder eyeshadows
2 powder blushes
2 bronzers
A full-sized Lip Injection Color Bomb in Bee Sting
A deluxe-sized Better Than Sex Mascara
A zip-up pink and gold case to use as a purse, or to just store your goodies in (CUTE!)
The set arrives soon, exclusively to Sephora stores and sephora.com.
It includes a balanced blend of neutral and bright products. I think the blushes, bronzers and mascara are perfect! — but I do wish the glittery and shimmer shadows exhibited less fallout. I also wish the lip color was brighter.

Too Faced A Few of My Favorite Things eyeshadows — How cute are the names?

Too Faced A Few of My Favorite Things blushes bronzer — Blushes, bronzers and Lip Injection Color Bomb in Bee Sting

Too Faced A Few of My Favorite Things booklet — A few looks to try…

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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 292

October 7th, 2013 by Karen 41 Comments

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll for October 7, 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.

What are your favorite TV shows right now?
Golden Girls, of course (Dorothy has the best lines), Thirty Rock, Walking Dead, and this show I just started Netflix-ing called Parenthood.

What would you do if you won $10,000 today?
I’d buy Tabs a case of Apps (Fancy Feast Appetizers) and take El Hub out to dinner, and then just save the rest of it for a rainy day.

What’s the first song lyric that comes to mind?
I don’t care, I love it. (By Icona Pop.)

Do you have any scars?
Yes. I have a burn mark on my left wrist shaped like a dolphin that I got from frying lumpia in college. It’s mostly faded now…but you can still see it if you look closely.

What are some makeup or beauty products you buy over and over again?
Bobbi Brown Peach Corrector, MAC Face & Body Foundation (in C5), Skinceuticals CE Ferulic

What’s your favorite place to people-watch?
Union Square in San Francisco.

If you could time travel, what year would you visit (but you don’t have to be there permanently)?
I would go back to the early 2000s, just mostly so I could tell myself to stop fooling around so much and pursue a writing career sooner.

If you could pick any one person in history to have brunch with today, whom would you pick?
Oprah… I’m in the mood to talk with Oprah today.

Is there a makeup/hair styling skill you’d like to master?
Yeah, I’d like to get better at doing cut crease.

What movie really scared you?
Salem’s Lot when I was 5.

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. What are your favorite TV shows right now?
2. What would you do if you won $10,000 today?
3. What’s the first song lyric that comes to mind?
4. Do you have any scars?
5. What are some makeup or beauty products you buy over and over again?
6. What’s your favorite place to people-watch?
7. If you could time travel, what year would you visit (but you don’t have to be there permanently)?
8. If you could pick any one person in history to have brunch with today, whom would you pick?
9. Is there a makeup/hair styling skill you’d like to master?
10. What movie really scared you?

Hello and good morning, my friend. It’s good to see you again. 🙂 I’m about to fix a mug of Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea Latte. Let me know if you want a cup!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 264

October 6th, 2013 by Karen 10 Comments

How’s it going, babe? What are you up to? I’m flying solo tonight because El Hub is upstairs doing something for work on his laptop, and Tabs is at his desk approving orders for his new kitty apparel line.

That cat is always up to something… He’s never content to rest on his laurels. He rose to the top of the international kitty supermodel game, but did he stop there? Nope, he did not. I asked him about it the other day — about why he doesn’t just relax and enjoy his success a little — and he said, “meow.”

Can you believe it? “Meow?”

I guess it makes sense… I mean, a model can’t work forever, after all. It’s smart of him to diversify.

In other news, Tabs turned in another five kitty modeling jobs this week, and here they are. Hope you enjoy. 🙂

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).

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

October 5th, 2013 by Karen 416 Comments

Used to be that my idea of a rollickin’ Friday night was to leave the house at 10 with Jen, and dance till the wee hours of the morning at our favorite drum ‘n’ bass place in the city. Right before the sun would rise, we’d be driving back home over the bridge to the East Bay.

Now, I’m usually in my PJs by 10, LOL!

It’s the job… Mind you, I love being Tabs’ full-time assistant, but damn, the hours are crazy. By the time Friday night rolls around, all I want to do is relax.

Stopping by the Sephora down the street from my house (Novato Vintage Oaks) is one of my favorite ways to unwind. It’s my favorite beauty playground. I’ll sniff some perfumes, maybe spritz a scent on my wrist, cover my forearm with swatches, and maybe buy something new if it really strikes my fancy.

Last night I spent a while looking at brow pencils because Raul (the really annoying bald spot on my left brow) has been stressing me out again (we go through these phases), and a stick of Anastasia Perfect Brow Pencil in Deep Brown came home with me.

If you like cruising the aisles at Sephora as much as I do, guess what?

It’s giveaway time. 🙂

Have a great weekend, babe. I hope we bump into each other on Twitter or Facebook today.

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 travel by yourself?
- How often do you get dressed up for something other than work?
- How many hours did you sleep last night?
- What sounds do you hear right now?
- Mouse or trackball?
- Favorite natural beauty brand?
- Do you like to shower before bed?
You can enter in up to seven ways to boost your chances of winning.
The giveaway ends on Monday, October 7, 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

Rose Gold

October 4th, 2013 by Karen 13 Comments

Taking pics of lipsticks in my new lipstick organizer I accidentally snapped these out-of-focus shots.

I love that rosy gold! — so then I purposefully set the lens out of focus to do it again and again (sometimes they call that blurry effect bokeh).

Kinda cool, huh?

Hoping to Haunt Your Bath This Halloween: Lush Creatures of the Bath!

October 4th, 2013 by Karen 8 Comments

Lush Pumkin Bubble Bar ($5.95), one of two limited edition Halloween bath items available now

Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good from Lush!

Wait — what? That’s not how the rhyme goes, you say?

That’s weird. I thought it was… 🙂

Forgive me. I must’ve been temporarily distracted by the intoxicating aromas from these Halloween-themed bath products by Lush.

The new limited edition Creatures of the Bath collection launched today with some really cute things, like…

This Pumkin Bubble Bar ($5.95)

Why would I want to be all up in this club when I could be all up in my tub with the Pumkin Bubble Bar ($5.95) instead?

It smells amazing! Lush gave it the same scent as their Fig and Leaves soap, which has notes of orange flower and ylang ylang oil.

Truth be told, right now I’m using Pumkin as a decoration in my bathroom. The lovely scent fills the lavatory, and whenever those great big eyes greet me as I walk into my “office” (it’s where I handle my business, yo!), I can’t help but smile. 🙂

But if you want to, like, use Pumkin in an actual bath, just crumble it into the running water as you fill the tub. The stronger the water pressure, the more bubbles you get!

Lord of Misrule Bath Bomb ($5.95)

The Lush Lord of Misrule Bath Bomb, $5.95

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