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Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 246

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Tabs for the MAC It's All About the Anchovies Collection

What did Tabs, the single most powerful, influential kitty supermodel in Marin County, California, do this weekend?

He gardened. And planned for the apocalypse.

Allow me to explain.

Are you familiar with the old saying, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; show him how to catch fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”

Today Tabs tried to apply that same logic here at the office by hanging four bird feeders.

In the event that something disastrous were to occur, and worldwide gravy supplies were to plummet, Tabs feels that the bird feeders could serve as a sustainable food source.

Whatever… He’s the boss, but I do think he’s been watching The Walking Dead too much.

In other news, Tabs shook his tail feathers for a bunch of big beauty brands this week, kitty modeling for MAC, Dolce & Gabbana, Too Faced, Maybelline and Pacifica, and he “turned in some pretty stellar work.” (His words.)

Here’s a look at the campaigns. Hope you enjoy. 🙂

Tabs for Pacifica Alluring All-Over Highlighter

Tabs for the Maybelline Enchanted Emerald Eye Studio Palette
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Two Ways to Win a $50 eGift Card From Sephora!

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WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is avargas21! Congratulations, avargas21! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

A Makeup and Beauty Blog giveaway

Two Ways to Win a $50 Sephora eCard

Hook or crook, I’m spending part of this weekend doing absolutely nothing other than walking around the Sephora store by my house.

That’s my pledge to Planet Earth right now!

I have to catch up on the housecleaning and run a few errands at some point, and El Hub has to work part of the day today, so I need something fun to look forward to…

Fun like 30 minutes to myself at Sephora — which happens to be right next door to a Petco up here, so it’ll be a win-win for Tabs. 🙂

Man, I feel like I’ve been behind this entire week. Like I’ve barely been treading water. You ever have weeks like those?

I think it was the trip to Southern California the other day. I had a blast, but it’s not easy flying and coming back on the same day. I’m still pooped.

I bet we could all use a pick-me-up this weekend… How about a giveaway for a $50 Sephora gift card that’s so easy to enter you could do it right now in 10 seconds flat?

LOL! See what I did there? Brought it back around…

Details to enter are down below. Just wiggle your little scroll finger.

Good luck! — and have a wonderful weekend.

What folks are saying…

“Hi Karen!!! Wow, that news definitely gets a hoo ray ray and an elephant!!! (I’ve maybe been watching too much Boardwalk Empire.) Thank you so much!!!”
-Shana

“What a lovely surprise it was to see your announcement (after completing one of many exams/papers/projects I have this crazy week)! The eCard will definitely ease expenses for this broke, beauty-obsessed college student. Thank you, Karen and Tabs!!”
-Katie

“Thanks so much, Karen. Just in case you were wondering what I got with it, I decided to go with the Clarisonic Mia–I’ve been wanting it for years now, but have never purchased it because of the price. Your eCard helped me finally buy it! I look forward to using it. Thanks again!”
-Jane

“Shut the front door! OMG Karen, you have made my day. 🙂 I’m sick in bed with the flu and this has just cheered me up immensely!!!!!!!! BTW, I’m the one that sent you that pic of my pug in a wig a few weeks back LOL! Thanks again, honestly, I’m beyond giddy right now.”
-Angel

“Thank you SO much Karen! OMG! Wishes really do come true! I can’t believe I won! You have no idea how much this will help me through the holidays. I’ve been an avid fan of your blog for the past two years. Your witty and creative entries, informative makeup information, and beautiful photos have kept me hooked. I look forward to more of it. Goodness, you’ve
seriously just made my week and it’s only Tuesday night!”
-Zharlynne

“Oh my goodness! Thank you so much Karen (and Tabs, of course)! I really appreciate this! I’d been eyeing the Anastasia brow pencil in Strawburn to match my red hair!”
-Chelsea (and Jiji the kitten and Quincy the bunny)

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).

  • There are two ways to enter, and you can do both of them for two chances to win. First, you can enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, a comment about anything at all, like, have you ever worn tinted contact lenses? Who makes your favorite foundation? What’s your favorite two-product makeup combination? Did/do you like going to school? What’s one beauty tip or product you swear by that many people don’t like? Who makes the best chocolate? Have you ever sworn off caffeine? Do you have any bad beauty vices? — you get the idea.
  • Second, you can enter by following me on twitter Twitter @karenmbb and retweeting (RT) the following message:
    • Follow @karenmbb and RT to Win a $50 eGift Card from Sephora! http://bit.ly/11IKHyM

  • The deadline to enter is Sunday, June 2, 2013 at 11:59PM (PT).
  • Entrants must enter using a valid email address and/or Twitter account to win.
  • A maximum of two (2) entries per person — one within the comments at the bottom of this post, and a second entry via Twitter addressed to me @karenmbb.
  • Contest is open to individuals of any country who have reached the age of majority according to their local laws (18 in the United States with these exceptions: Alabama and Nebraska, 19; Mississippi, 21).
  • Sephora eGift Certificates can only be redeemed online and are not valid in stores or available for purchase or redemption in Canada. International winners may opt to substitute the Sephora eGift card prize for $50 sent directly to their email address by PayPal instead.
  • Tabs and I (heretofore referred to as “T-Money and K-Dawg”) will select one (1) winner at random from the entries either left in the comments at the bottom of this blog post or addressed to @karenmbb on Twitter.
  • The winner will be announced here within 48 hours of the deadline.
  • Void where prohibited by law.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is avargas21! Congratulations, avargas21! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

A Quick Stroll Through the Fabulous Foot Nirvana Known as the San Francisco Saks Fifth Avenue Store

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I took a detour through nirvana this afternoon, also known as the San Francisco Union Square Saks Fifth Avenue shoe department, after my interview with D&G’s Christian McCulloch.

So much joy… So much beauty…

Yeah, now I have an answer for the question, “If you were locked in a store overnight, which store would you want it be?”

Um, Saks. 🙂


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Hot Summer Makeup Trends From Christian McCulloch, Dolce & Gabbana’s New National Makeup Artist

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Dolce & Gabbana National Makeup Artist Christian McCulloch
Dolce & Gabbana’s Christian McCulloch with the new True Monica summer collection, available now at Saks Fifth Avenue stores and online

I like Christian McCulloch, Dolce & Gabbana’s new National Makeup Artist, and not just because he’s charming and tall, or has a really cool Australian accent, or because he complimented me on my brows.

CHRISTIAN MCCULLOCH: Did you do these yourself? — or do you go somewhere to get them done?

ME: I do them myself because I have weird control issues… [SIDE NOTE: I really need to stop telling this to strangers.]

CM: They’re perfect!

ME: For real??

When a fun, handsome guy who clearly loves makeup and (is also kind of a ham) whom celebrities like Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Emma Stone and Jessica Biel have on speed dial tells you that your brows aren’t a total train wreck, yeah, it tends to make your day. 🙂

Talking trends with Christian

While we talked about summer and summer makeup trends today at the Dolce & Gabbana makeup counter at Saks Fifth Avenue in San Francisco, Christian often stopped mid-sentence to grab a quad, lipstick or pencil, swatch it on the back of his hand, and start talking so fast about it that I almost couldn’t keep up!

A few of Christian’s top summer trends…

1. Pale, shimmery eyes

This summer, Christian loves the look of nude, shimmery shadows on lids — shades like champagne, and shimmery pinks like the pale pink from the Fabulous Smooth Colour Quad ($59).

Then, to balance the nude eye and round out the look, he likes to add mascara, liquid liner, bronzer, blush and a bright lip. “It’s easy and fresh,” he says.

2. Plum lips

If you’re considering bold colors this year but want something other than the usual summer suspects like coral and pink, try plum lips.

“Plum lips pump up your look,” says Christian, “and when the color wears off, it looks like a stain.”

His go-to plum from the Dolce & Gabbana line? Shine Lipstick in Precious ($32).

“I love to use color, and I see it as an accessory. It’s like wearing a great pair of earrings or a great scarf. It depends on what you’re wearing and how you put it all together.”
— Christian McCulloch

3. Flawless skin

Flawless-looking skin is in this summer, and to get the look without a lot of work, Christian recommends Dolce & Gabbana’s new Perfect Matte Liquid Foundation ($66), an oil-control liquid formula with a velvety finish that’s neither too shiny nor matte.

“I don’t necessarily feel like the makeup needs to be the first thing you notice about a woman. It’s just one element of the whole package.”
— Christian McCulloch

“It’s a one-step product,” Christian says of Perfect Matte, “and you don’t need to layer powder on top of it.” He only applies it where you need a little extra coverage.

And because it contains SPF 20, it’s great for this time of year.

What does Christian recommend every woman have in her makeup bag?


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These Pacifica Radiant Shimmer Coconut Multiples Were Designed for Desert Islands Where You Can Only Bring One Thing to Wear on Your Eyes, Cheeks and Lips

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Pacifica Radiant Shimmer Coconut Multiples
Here I’m wearing the Pacifica Radiant Shimmer Coconut Multiples color in Bronze on my cheeks

“Mo’ coco, mo’ coco, mo’ coco!”

Those are either the lyrics to Ice-T’s comeback song/ode to his voluptuous wife (is that woman’s butt for real!?), or what goes through my head when I open the new $12 Pacifica Radiant Shimmer Coconut Multiples. 🙂

Pacifica infused this palette’s multitasking bronze, pink and beige shimmers with coconut extract, and if you put a little on the back of your hand and sniff, they even smell like it.

The colors feel kinda wet and creamy in their pans but dry down to a powdery finish as you work them into your skin.

Neato.

Wear ’em on your cheeks, eyes, lips — heck, your entire body — for sheer color and a soft glow.

And if you want more pigment, you can always layer.

Pacifica Radiant Shimmer Coconut Multiples Palette 2

Pacifica Radiant Shimmer Coconut Multiples Palette 2

Pacifica Radiant Shimmer Coconut Multiples Palette 3

Pacifica Radiant Shimmer Coconut Multiples Swatches
From the left: Bronze, Island Rose and Moonlit

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