Search Results for: illamasqua

Rise and shine, morning glory! 🙂 Yup, it’s that time again. Another Sunday. And because it’s raining here and has been for days, MBB’s resident feline ambassador is fussy. Right now he’s ignoring me at the top of his cat tower.

How are things going on your end? Have you done anything exciting this weekend? Any new movies perhaps? Like one featuring a girl named Katniss and a cat named Buttercup?

I’m actually thinking about seeing it a second time tonight! That’s how much I liked it. Of course, I love, love, LOVE the books, so there’s also that.

Not much going on out here today. The only thing I have to do is go grocery shopping, and I really should go to Trader Joe’s. Sometimes when I’m lazy I just cheese out and go to Safeway instead, because it’s closer and less crowded, but whenever I do I end up spending twice as much for half as much food, much of it less healthy than what I can get at Trader Joe’s. So I should go to Trader Joe’s. We’ll see.

Whatever you’re up to, I hope it’s something fun.

A few beauty posts that caught my eye…

• Not ready to take my Hunger Games obsession this far…yet — BellaSugar
• I wish my nails were on fire! — The Nailasaurus
• The Ciate Caviar Manicure Kit is so bizarrely intriguing — British Beauty Blogger
• I love this look with the Illamasqua Neutral Palette — My Weekend Ramblings
• Yay! Mad Men is back, and so are the great style ideas — Keiko Lynn
• 5 very easy to ways to make food healthier — College Candy
• Framed! Matching Your Makeup to Your Glasses – Vogue.com
• Beautiful swatches of the China Glaze Capitol Colours collection (part 1, and here’s part 2)– Nails and Noms
• How to try a range of natural cosmetics from Jane Iredale without breaking the bank — Jenn Staz
• So bright and springy! A neon ombre/Skittle manicure — Swatch and Learn

They’re unrelenting! The makeup monsters are back, yet again, even though their fancy promotional poster is almost completely out of room, haha! Seriously, there’s no room left in that big poster down there. That, and I’m running out of monster ideas! Today, it was down to 1) a creature that eats makeup wipes and 2) one that devours lip plumpers.

But then at the last minute my eyes settled upon a lonely Chanel quad…

The Quad Swindler

Description: Once upon a time, a goblin employed by a big cosmetics guild was arrested for thievery by the local guard and sentenced to work as the royal wizard’s assistant.

The wizard, wanting for power and an endless supply of eyeshadow, magically transformed the goblin into the first Quad Swindler, with the idea being that the Swindler would then go out and steal eyeshadow and return it to the wizard.

Of course, the idea backfired, and the goblin fled into the countryside, where he/it stops eyeshadow owners along secluded roads to swindle them out of their pans of eyeshadow, which he/it uses to keep his quad filled. It’s all very complicated… 🙂

Frequency: Very rare
Speed: Fast
Armor Class: 6
Special Attacks: Fast-talking swindle
Special Defenses: NA
Intelligence: Very
Alignment: Neutral, but obsessed about keeping his quad filled
Size: Medium (5′ tall)

A MAC Unsung Hero: Eyeshadow in Bamboo

bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss

A Hunger Games Inspired Face of the Day

Urban Decay Big Fatty Mascara

Illamasqua Powder Eye Shadow in Pivot

Dolce & Gabbana Bouquet Collection Nail Lacquers

Dolce & Gabbana Bouquet Collection Eyeliners

The Aveda Stress Fix Line

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Rise and shine, morning glory. 🙂 I hope you slept well. Did you have any dreams? Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about dreaming big and told a friend of mine who’s very accomplished and encouraging about things like that. She says that people should reach beyond the stars! — even for things that seem totally outrageous and impossible — because when it comes to those dreams, in the process of reaching for the stars, you never you know where you’ll land.

Here are a couple of the things I’ve been dreaming about lately (please tell me yours in the comments).

The Cannes Film Festival For some unknown reason, I’ve become super obsessed with the idea of going to the Cannes Film Festival in France someday. Now, to attend, you’re supposed to have ties to the movie industry, which I don’t, so I have no idea how I’d ever actually get my foot in the door, but I’m trying to figure it out. I love movies, and I think it would be a blast to go.

Makeup school Also related to movies, I came across a school called Cinema Secrets through a video by Melissa Street, a movie makeup artist who’s been in the biz for 20 plus years. In it she talks about the school’s overall makeup curriculum, as well as their expertise in special effects. Now, the school’s in LA, so for me it wouldn’t exactly be a quick commute. The course I’m interested in taking is also six weeks long, so it’s still just a dream, but hey, you never know…

Have you taken the time to dream big lately? What are some of the things you’d love to do if you had absolutely no restrictions in the world?

A few beauty posts that caught my eye…

• A movie makeup artist explains how she got started — Epic Makeup
• I kinda want to wear black lipstick thanks to this post — Jazzi McG
• Create big, luscious doll lashes with this step-by-step tutorial — Beautezine
• 3 key things a blogger should do in their free time — Sherry Blossom Beauty
• Kelly checks out the new MAC Mineralize Skincare Charged Water line — Vampy Varnish
• The font freak in me loves this mani — We Heart This
• If you’re feeling kinda crafty this weekend, there’s this super cool Crayon DIY project that I’ve been dying to do — Whatever…
• The 100 best books of all time, according to Wikipedia — Wikipedia
• DIY Beauty: Make Your Own Cream Eyeshadow — Beautiful with Brains
• Have you ever tried anything from Rain Cosmetics? — Beauty in New York City

MAKEUP MONSTER: FOUNDATION FIRBOLG

FREQUENCY: Rare
SPEED: Slow
ARMOR CLASS: 10
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Foundation Firbolgs are a sub-species of Hill Giants obsessed with wiping all foundation off the faces of the earth.

Wielding giant foundation brushes they fashion from tree trunks and Griffin fur and using their keen sense of smell, they patrol remote mountain passes and strip mall parking lots, hunting for foundation wearers. When they find them, Foundation Firbolgs use their giant brushes to wipe away all traces of foundation before releasing their victims, in most cases unharmed.

SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
INTELLIGENCE: Medium
ALIGNMENT: Evil
SIZE: Huge (13′ tall)

Unexpected Encounters and the LORAC Unzipped Palette

Laura Mercier’s Gel Lip Colour in Dollface Is Here

Hourglass Hidden Corrective Concealer

MAC Unsung Heroes: Eyeshadow in Club

Physicians Formula Eye Enhancing Shadow and Liner in Nude

Laura Mercier Crème Cheek Colour in Innocent Peach

MAC Viva Glam Ricky Martin and Nicki Minaj

New Burberry Body Mist Welcomes Spring

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

It’s not fair! I was lured out of bed this morning with promises of breakfast. “Come downstairs,” he said, “and we can have breakfast.” That’s what El Hub leaned over and whispered into my ear a few minutes ago. I thought it meant that he made breakfast and it was waiting for me downstairs, but nope. What he meant to say was, “If you get out of bed now, I’ll take you to breakfast.”

Okay, I guess that’s better than nothing. 🙂

Rise and shine, morning glory! It’s…autumn.

So how’d you sleep? Did you do anything fun last night? We just stayed in, but it was great. I got to paint my nails and see a movie I really enjoyed on Netflix called The Winning Season, starring Sam Rockwell and Emma Roberts. It’s about a girl’s high school basketball team and their well-intentioned but hopelessly clueless coach. Sam Rockwell plays the coach. He’s a drunkard with a potty mouth, but he means well. The movie only got a 55% on rottentomatoes, but I’m gonna have to politely disagree with the critics this time. I think it deserved much better than that.

What do you have planned for today? Has it started cooling off where you are? It’s actually a little foggy and chilly out here in Marin this morning, and I read that it might even rain. Oh joy.

If you’re a new visitor to the blog or haven’t stopped by in a while (welcome!), here are links to some of my favorite posts of the week.

What did you think about the worlds of makeup and beauty last week (JK Jemma Kidd made some noise)? Or how about last summer overall? Did you think it was a good season for makeup, or has it been overshadowed by fall?

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

GET REAL (LOOKING)
MAC MATCHMASTER FOUNDATION EXCELS ON OILY SKIN

“Why, yes, Ryan Gosling, I am wearing something new. How nice of you to notice. It’s the new MAC Matchmaster Foundation ($32.50; available in 14 shades) in shade 5.0, and I’ve been wearing it for about a week…”

Okay, no, Ryan Gosling did not actually remark upon my makeup regimen, but I sure wish he had. I think he might find the technology behind MAC’s new liquid foundation almost as fascinating as I do.

Almost?

You see, it’s all about those spheres we talked about last week. For the new foundation, MAC encapsulated pigments in translucent spheres that they say allow Matchmaster to cover imperfections while still looking like real skin. Read more…

THE NEW FALL 2011 JK JEMMA KIDD EYESHADOWS
AND A HELPING OF LOVE YOURSELF SOUP

Hey, boo. You having a good Tuesday? I hope so. Before we take a look at the new JK Jemma Kidd eyeshadows for fall ($16 each), grab a spoon, and pull up a chair. I’m gonna fix you a bowl of my world famous Love Yourself Soup.

Yup, Love Yourself Soup. I know it sounds silly, but I’m convinced that after you have a bowl, you’ll feel that much better. And really, doesn’t “Love Yourself Soup” sound cooler than “Corn Soup with Tomatoes, Garlic and Basil”?

Oh, what’s that, you say? You’d like to help me in the kitchen? That’s so sweet! Read more…

SUBTLY SWEETENED
WITH PIXI BEAUTY BLUSH

With a name like Pixi, it’s gotta be sweet. Take these three new Beauty Blushes ($16 each). It’s like the mint green cases (complete with fairy logo), and the eminently agreeable pink and peach powders inside them, were specifically designed for that part of me that still, and always will, love girly things.

Sure, the price is a king’s ransom for a drugstore brand, but that’s not a big surprise. Pixi’s one of the “highest end” beauty lines available at Target. Still, $16 is getting close to a standard MAC blush.

At least Pixi wasn’t chintzy with the product. With these I feel like you do get more for your doubloons than usual for a drugstore brand blush, both in terms of quantity and quality. The packaging feels sturdier than most, and the blush itself is so soft that based on texture at least, I’d bet these could even pass for a pricier line like Shu. Read more…

JK JEMMA KIDD IS ROLLER BALLING OUT THE RED CARPET
WITH HER NEWEST LIP/CHEEK TINT & GLOSS

I find that even on my worst days, a dash of cheek/lip color always perks me up. I probably won’t be using these as cheek tints, but that’s because my lips want them all to themselves. 🙂 Mad props to JK Jemma Kidd for opening my eyes to the joy of lip products with roller-ball applicators. Dang, feels so good.

Methinks the unscented, unflavored liquid excels as a lip tint; it applies evenly all over my lips (and fades evenly, too). As a cheek tint, though, it applies patchy on me, emphasizing any dry flakes I might have, and it takes a while to blend on top of either bare skin or liquid foundation. The clear, non-drying gloss goes on smoothly and has a non-sticky, medium-weight texture that I like; it’s also unscented and unflavored. Read more…

THERE’S A PARTY IN EACH BOTTLE OF MARIAH CAREY
LOLLIPOP SPLASH THE REMIX PERFUME

I cross my heart and swear on my husky tabby’s low-hanging belly that I really, really tried not to mention Ryan Gosling in this review of the new Mariah Carey Lollipop Splash The Remix perfumes (available in three fragrances; $35 each).

But I failed (obviously), and I blame it on the poster for Ryan’s new movie, Drive.

You see, I’m a font freak — a “ho for Helvetica,” if you will — and the handwritten hot pink type on the poster and in the movie’s opening credits made me hyper aware of flamboyant fonts this week. Fonts like the one on boxes of Mariah’s new Lollipop Splash. Read more…

THE CHANEL OMBRES TISSÉES IRIDESCENT
EFFECTS EYES IN BEIGES AND YOUR INNER PRINCESS

I like to think that within every girl lives a princess, and this morning my princess demanded two things: shimmer and Chanel.

Loved and nurtured, the princess is all smiles, sweetness, sparkles and light. She exists solely to love, and to appreciate beautiful things. Instead of walking places, she frolics; instead of talking, she sings. And sometimes she has daydreams like black and white Fellini films, in which she meanders down cobblestone Roman boulevards wearing a white dress and red high heels.

Not wanting to disappoint the princess, today I introduced her to the new Ombres Tissées Iridescent Effects Eyes in Beiges ($75). Read more…

CRAZY PURPLE LIPS AND AN ILLAMASQUA
THEATER OF THE NAMELESS FACE OF THE DAY

I came across purple Kontrol a few weeks ago with Illamasqua’s fall collection, Theater of the Nameless, and even though it wasn’t quite like anything I’d ever worn before, I still really wanted to give it a try.

I wore it around the house today with a few other pieces from the collection. Something about Kontrol’s rich, dramatic take on purple speaks to me, but I think I might be too goody two-shoes to pull it off (am I wearing it, or is it wearing me?). Maybe if I had a brightly colored vintage tattoo on my shoulder and hot pink ombre highlights. Read more…

MAC UNSUNG HEROES
SUMPTUOUS OLIVE EYESHADOW

Adulthood isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. There are bills to be paid, work to be done and calories to count (lame). On top of everything else, it becomes harder to meet up with your friends. Getting together with my gal pals used to take a quick phone call (on a LAND line) or a five-minute walk. Now, lunch with the girls requires weeks and sometimes months of planning, eight e-mails, a few Twitter DMs, GPS (or Google Maps), babysitters and bridge tolls.

Yup.

But there are, of course, perks to getting older, like learning when and how to improvise. After stumbling and bumbling enough, you start getting better at rolling with the punches, and figuring out how to “make things work.” Read more…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen