Karen

Neon or Nude? Let Your Nails Decide With the Nails Inc. Neon and Nude Collection

July 17th, 2012 by Karen 27 Comments

nails inc neons nudes

With fall fever in full effect wherever cosmetics are found, it’s easy to forget it’s still summer, LOL!

Well, Nails Inc. has six little reasons to remember. The trendy summer shades in their $25 Neon & Nude Collection set of six mini-nail polishes are ready for your nails now at Sephora stores and also online. 🙂

(And between you and me, they look just as adorable on nails as they do in the box.)

For these swatches, I’m wearing two layers of each of the nudes and three layers of the neons.

nails inc knotting hill gate
Knotting Hill Gate

nails inc portabello
Portobello

nails inc westbourne grove
Westbourne Grove
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Equal Parts Love and Lust

July 17th, 2012 by Karen 1 Comment

Tom Ford Beauty Cheek Color in Love Lust, $55 (!). Available now at Neiman Marcus stores and online at neimanmarcus.com.

Dinner at Benu

July 16th, 2012 by Karen 7 Comments

A few pics from dinner at Benu last Saturday.

It’s kind of a fancy-shmancy Asian-inspired restaurant in San Francisco (my friends are foodies…I just like it when the meal doesn’t involve standing at my kitchen counter and eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich).

Each dish was like a work of art. Seriously, I felt like I was in an episode of Top Chef!

Why Wear So Much Shimmer on Your Cheeks? The New NARS Multiple in Undress Me Has Multiple Reasons

July 16th, 2012 by Karen 20 Comments

nars multiple in undress me

With all the smokey purples and shimmery platinums blazing on eyes over at NARS fall 2012, I can see why FranÃ§ois Nars (can I call you FranÃ§ois, Monsieur Nars?) decided to go the sheer pink route with the new Multiple in Undress Me ($39). Smokey eyes and chill cheeks? — a classic pairing, like a more beautiful version of peanut butter and jelly (incidentally, my dinner tonight, because I was too lazy to cook).

But because it’s from NARS, this creamy, multitasking stick, which is designed to lavish both lips and eyes, comes with a twist. Yes, it’s jam packed with oodles of silver glitter. More like buckets, really. I’m talkin’ so much glitter that my shimmer-loving, sequined-covered, feathered-headdress-wearing inner drag queen snaps in full approval.

After I swipe a single layer of Undress Me on my skin and buff it down with my fingers, the glitter reveals itself like a phoenix rising!

nars multiple in undress me product shot

nars multiple in undress me swatch
Undress Me unblended (left) and blended (right)
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MAC Unsung Heroes: Kohl Power Pencil Liner in Feline

July 16th, 2012 by Karen 22 Comments

mac feline
Wearing MAC Kohl Power in Feline with MAC Eyeshadow in Soba on my eyes

Meow Felines — they’re feisty, they’re fun, and they make a mean smudgy eyeliner.

Er…come again?

You heard me. Say meow to MAC Kohl Power in Feline ($15), a blacker-than-black eyeliner, and no, I don’t purr over it just because it’s catty, although that aspect of it certainly doesn’t hurt.

Yes, it’s true that I get a cat lady thrill every time I put my paws on this creamy, pitch-black pencil, which works out to about every other day, but part of that’s because I think it’s fantastic for drawing soft, smudgy lines.

Mrow Its claim to fame? Color — or rather, the absence of it. Like the blackest of nights, Feline is very dark. Shoot, it almost makes MAC Smolder Eye Kohl look bright!

Feline is part of MAC’s permanent collection now, but when it was a limited edition product, it was like a rare breed of cat, and the fact that it wasn’t available everywhere, all the time, elevated it, at least in my home, to cult status.

Each time it made an appearance in a limited edition collection (remember it from D Squared?), I’d be like, “I gotta go to the mall! Add to my Feline stockpile!” — words that trigger panic in poor El Hub every time he hears them.

Meow Perhaps rightly so, he fears that my feline affliction will someday spiral out of control. I’ll start wearing my bathrobe 24/7 and won’t be able to leave the house for fear of my 10 cats getting into trouble. Truth be told, he is a wise man to plan for such a scenario. 🙂

mac feline swatch

Mrrow There are many great black liners to choose from in MAC’s permanent collection, and each is special in its own way.

Like Graphblack, which excels at drawing precise, skinny lines; Blacktrack, which makes quick work of crisp cat lines and sails through tight lining water lines; and Smolder, which loves being layered and smudged beneath eyeshadows.

Purr Feline’s fame rests on its absence of color. It lacks the blue, purple or green undertones that we often see, making it darker, richer and moodier than its MAC counterparts…kinda like the Dark Knight of MAC black liners.

It’s easy to lose oneself in these deep, rich Feline eyes. Wearing Feline, brown eyes appear browner, green eyes greener; it really seems to emphasize the natural color of your eyes.

Pfft Feline is also categorically creamy, creamier than Smolder, even, and that soft texture allows it to create softly blurred smudgy lines.

I use it all the time for undone liner looks, like smokey looks and soft cat eyes.

Often I’ll smudge and layer it beneath a neutral eyeshadow. It’s one of my favorite things to wear with Soba or Woodwinked for quick daytime smokey eyes.

mac feline
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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 229

July 16th, 2012 by Karen 94 Comments

July 16, 2012 Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll Vol. 229

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 four years. I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.

Mood:
Mellow right now. I just finished a run and no longer have that ants-in-my-pants wiggly feeling. Running really does soothe the savage beast!
Your favorite frozen treat?
Well, I’ve got quite the sweet tooth, so this answer changes all the time, but right now I’m all about Trader Joe’s Coconut Fruit Floes. They’re coconut water popsicles with shredded coconut bits, and they taste so good!
What energizes you?
So many things! Listening to upbeat music, hanging out with friends and getting in a solid 10 hours of precious, sweet sleep are just a few.
Last time you went to the beach?
May. It’s been too long!
What makeup or beauty products do you use to fight shine?
GURL. MAC Blot is the business for keeping the oily spots on my forehead and nose in check.
What would you do if you had one extra hour of free time today?
I’d probably take a nap. Or, maybe I’d use the time to cook a really good dinner.
Have you ever bought anything after watching an informercial?
No, but I came this close once after seeing the infomercial for P90X. Coincidentally, I was also eating a donut at the time; that may have been a contributing factor to the sudden and intense urge to exercise vigorously.
Can you count how many times you’ve watched Dirty Dancing?
Honestly? Maybe about 500 times, give or take. I had it on VHS tape in the late â€˜80s and watched it every day after school for, like, years.
Heroes or villains?
Although villains always seem to have the more interesting origin stories, I’d have to go with heroes, especially underdogs.
Weekly goals:
Nothing too exciting this week: try a new hairstyle, call my parents and eat a salad every day for lunch.

Hello, sweet friend. 🙂 I hope your day is off to a good start.

If you’ve got some time, please come say hello in the Monday Poll. I always love to hear from you!

To complete the Monday Poll, just copy the following list, and paste it with your answers in the comments.

1. Mood:
2. Your favorite frozen treat?
3. What energizes you?
4. Last time you went to the beach?
5. What makeup or beauty products do you use to fight shine?
6. What would you do if you had one extra hour of free time today?
7. Have you ever bought anything after watching an informercial?
8. Can you count how many times you’ve watched Dirty Dancing?
9. Heroes or villians?
10. Weekly goals:

Enjoy the rest of your Monday, and remember — you’re doing great!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 200

July 15th, 2012 by Karen 14 Comments

Tabs for L'Oreal Paris Hollywood Hair Shampoo and Conditioner

Two hundred Sundays. You and I have spent 200 Sundays with Tabs.

What does that mean? Well, it means that Tabs may be the Linda Evangelista of feline supermodels, and the funny thing is, he never imagined he would go this far. Back when a talent scout discovered him wandering the streets of Mill Valley, he thought, “Sure, maybe I’ll book some catalog work or a runway show at the mall.” And look at him now — the number one most requested plus-size kitty model in the entire world.

Do I feel crazy working for a cat? No. Absolutely not. I’m really proud of Tabs and how far he’s come. A lot of the time people think that plus-size kitty modeling is just turn your head here, move your tail there, but it’s actually really hard on your body and mentally exhausting as well.

Of all the campaigns Tabs has worked on over the years, I think the most memorable for me was the MAC Reel Sexy campaign, just because it took forever to get that huge purple wig into place, LOL!

That was a fun one. The shoot was in this big vintage theater, and the photographer, Mario Testino, had to get really creative to get the shot he wanted. Tabs loves old Bond films, so Mario had the theater owner play Goldfinger on the big screen.

It worked. Tabs was totally enthralled, forgot that the camera was there, and Mario got the shot. The rest is kitty modeling history.

Tabs doesn’t plan to retire anytime soon. In fact, he had a bunch of big jobs this week, and here they are. Hope you enjoy.

Onward to 300! 🙂

Tabs for the Illamasqua Eagle Eyes Quad

Tabs for Make Up For Ever Tail Tint
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Two Ways to Win a $50 eGift Card from Sephora!

July 14th, 2012 by Karen 504 Comments

WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is Buckycatt! Congratulations, Buckycatt! 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
Win a $50 eGift card from Sephora

(BREAKING NEWS) The new Tabs for Sephora has been such a big hit that the company decided to expand the collection by adding a new value gift set. For the same $49.99 price, you get one XXL Tabs and a selection of beauty goodies hand picked to beautify cat ladies and their cats.

The set comes with a sneak peak sample of Dolce & Gabbana’s newest fragrance, Light Blue for Tomcats, a full-size pot of Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Black Cat Eyes, a tube of NARS Larger Than Life Lipgloss in Red Abyssinian and a sample-size pan of Urban Decay Eyeshadow in White Whiskers.

What a deal!

Act now. Supplies are limited.

Tabs hopes that if you win this weekend’s Sephora gift card giveaway, you’ll consider taking home one of the sets. He believes they’re a really good deal. 🙂

What folks are saying…

“Hi Karen. Oh my goodness! I can’t believe I won! :O Thank you so much! You, Tabs, and your blog are amazing! Thank you for keeping me updated on all things beauty and more importantly, for keeping me entertained! Keep doing your thing! Thank you again.”
-Jacqueline

“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

“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)

“Never before have I been so pleased to check my email right before bed!!! Thank you so, so much! I truly enjoy your blog and check it almost daily! Thanks again! This made my night!”
-Melissa, Edmond, OK

“Hi Karen. Thank you so much, I’m so excited, I’ve never won anything before. My name is Hana … I just turned 25 (today is my birthday!) Yay! Thank you.”
-Hana

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, what’s your favorite flower? Do you do anything with your brows (like fill them in)? Do you ever wear cat eye makeup? What’s the prettiest fragrance bottle you’ve ever seen? Have you ever finished a bottle of perfume? Describe your favorite sweatshirt — you get the idea.
Second, you can enter by following me on Twitter @karenmbb and retweeting (RT) the following message:
- Follow @karenmbb and RT to Win a $50 eGift Card from Sephora! http://bit.ly/LXBirC

The deadline to enter is Sunday, July 15, 2012 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 Buckycatt! Congratulations, Buckycatt! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂