Karen

Lips Luxe Out With Dior Addict Lip Balm in Crystal Coral

May 14th, 2012 by Karen 31 Comments

dior addict lip balm

Remember when all it took was a single tube of Strawberry Lip Smackers?

Now that I’m hopelessly addicted to makeup, I spend hours every day (okay, more like several minutes) contemplating my lipstick, lip liner and gloss.

And those are just the lip products! 🙂

Don’t get me wrong — most of the time, I love it. I love the process, but sometimes I miss those old Lip Smacker days when my makeup was always easy.

If you’ve ever wondered whatever happened to those no-pressure lip looks, I think one of them may have been hiding in this tube of Dior Addict Lip Balm in 003 Crystal Coral ($30).

New for summer, this pigmented coral reminds me of a Revlon Lip Butter, only much more luxurious. It’s a super fancy limited edition luxury lip balm fortified with moisturizing shea butter and lip plumping hyaluronic acid spheres, and it shimmers ever so slightly on my lips.

It’s a truly loveable lip balm in charming pink packaging, and it almost couldn’t be any easier to use (unless it applied itself). No lip liner, no brush, no mirror — nada. The hardest part is probably pulling it out of my purse.

dior addict lip balm

dior addict lip balm swatch
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Chanel’s Peche Cuivre Le Crayon Khol Intense Eye Pencil Softly Brightens Lids and Lash Lines

May 14th, 2012 by Karen 30 Comments

chanel peche cuivre le crayon khol intense eye pencil

Thanks to Chanel, I’m turning peachy beige! First it was my nails. Then my cheeks and lips, and now my eyes!

This summer, Chanel die-hards with a weakness for uber-natural makeup eye looks and the Le Crayon Khol Intense Eye Pencil line won’t have to scrounge around for an eyeliner to light up their lash and water lines — not with the new Peche Cuivre waiting expectantly on counters.

Is your eyeliner makeup mojo more about subtle definition than crisp, sharp lines? If it is, feast your lids on this limited edition shimmery shade. It graces lids with a shy hint of shimmery, peachy beige — nothing fussy, frightening or overdone — and it even comes with a convenient pencil sharpener.

I guess that’s the least Chanel could do for asking $28 for it…

It’s also boldly emblazoned with that gorgeous logo, there to remind you of life’s luxuries while you sharpen it in the restroom at work (been there, done that!).

chanel peche cuivre le crayon khol intense eye pencil

chanel peche cuivre le crayon khol intense eye pencil swatch
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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 220

May 14th, 2012 by Karen 72 Comments

the makeup and beauty blog monday poll

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:
Let me put it this way: I’ve got a smile on my face. 🙂 I had a really nice time with my family yesterday, and today El Hub is working from home, where he can keep me company.
Three things on your bucket list?
1) To grow and eat my own watermelon (I know it’s silly, but I’ve always wanted to do it), 2) to spend a month wandering through Italy, and 3) to cover the Cannes Film Festival for MBB!
If tattoos only lasted a year, would you be more/less likely to get one?
Hmm… What an interesting proposition. Well, I know myself pretty well. I think I’d be more inclined to get one, probably get something, think it was neat for about a month, and then get tired of looking at it and spend the next 11 months regretting it and obsessively trying to cover it up, LOL!
Something that drives you nuts?
The phrase, “You do you, and I’ll do me.” Damn you, Jersey Shore!
What’s the number one quality you value most in a pencil eyeliner?
Texture. Good ones gotta glide across my skin. If there’s any tugging involved, I can’t deal.
Three things that inspire you?
1) Regular people who change the world for the better, 2) traveling to new places and 3), believe it or not, long, hot showers.

I feel like I come up with my best ideas in the shower…
Does the sound of silence make you uncomfortable?
Not at all. I tend to get over stimulated in noisy situations. Yup, I’m not one of those people who can carry on two conversations at the same time.

I also think that being able to sit quietly and comfortably with someone can be one of the most intimate things you can share.
What’s one sentence that summarizes 2012 for you so far?
It hasn’t always been easy, but I feel like we’re getting somewhere.
Your best experience on public transportation?
Once, while I was on the ferry coming home to Marin from San Francisco, the captain of the boat got on the intercom and pointed out a whale skimming along the surface off our bow.
Weekly goals:
To log at least 12 miles on the treadmill, go to yoga class at least once (I miss being stretchy!), check out the Novato Public Library, and make fish tacos for dinner.

Good morning and happy Monday, my friend. 🙂 Did you have a good weekend? I hope you got everything you needed to get done and still had some downtime.

If you get a moment, please stop by and say hi 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. Three things on your bucket list?
3. If tattoos only lasted a year, would you be more/less likely to get one?
4. Something that drives you nuts?
5. What’s the number one quality you value most in a pencil eyeliner?
6. Three things that inspire you?
7. Does the sound of silence make you uncomfortable?
8. What’s one sentence that summarizes 2012 for you so far?
9. Your best experience on public transportation?
10. Weekly goals:

I hope inspiration finds you this week.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Loved to Pieces

May 14th, 2012 by Karen 9 Comments

One of my brother’s favorite childhood toys, Bialosky Bear. He lives with my parents. 🙂

Strike a Pose, There’s Nothing to It

May 13th, 2012 by Karen 9 Comments

My mom hamming it up on Mother’s Day.

Love you, mom!

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 191

May 13th, 2012 by Karen 13 Comments

Guess who arrived home today from the East Bay to find a bouquet of freesias (my favorite!) and a lovely handmade Cat Mother’s Day card from Tabs with a spa gift certificate inside?

Here’s a hint: it wasn’t me.

Oh, sure — you might think that Tabs, who on rare occasions calls me “Mom,” or perhaps he’s just mispronouncing “Ma’am,” would have at least hooked me up with a card, but noooo.

Oh, well… If he doesn’t make it up to me on Pet Administrative Professionals Day, then he’ll be in big trouble.

And I mean BIG! — like the demand lately for plus-size kitty models. 🙂

Here are some of the campaigns he worked on this week…

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Outfit of the Day, Vol. 10: Adding a Little Extra Something to Jeans and a White Tee

May 13th, 2012 by Karen 10 Comments

outfit of the day volume 10

Just because you’re rockin’ jeans and a white t-shirt doesn’t mean your outfit has to be boring. 🙂

With some minor adjustments, an outfit of everyday basics can still look pretty polished and chic.

For brunch today, I started with a standard white tee (this one’s theme appropriate) and my favorite pair of jeans, but instead of just slipping on some flip-flops and calling it a day, I dressed it up a bit with some silver hoop earrings, a white bracelet, a big bag and a pair of neutral snakeskin print heels.

Then I went to town on a huge stack of mixed berry pancakes!

outfit of the day volume 10
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The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

May 13th, 2012 by Karen 13 Comments

Happy Mother's Day

Rise and shine, morning glory! 🙂 I hope you slept well. I’m heading out to the East Bay today to visit my family and wish Mom a happy Mother’s Day.

We’re taking her out to brunch, and then just hanging out at the house. My folks are leaving for a three-month trip to the Philippines soon, so this will be the last time I see them before they go.

It’ll be weird with them away for so long…not that I’m a 36-year-old woman or anything, LOL! No matter how old I get, I still feel like a kid whenever I talk about my parents.

On the home front, I’ve resolved, yet again, to finally decorate my dining room.

I know, I know, I’ve said that before, but things are starting to reach critical mass. We’ve been living here for three years, and I’m still staring at moving boxes. So over it!

El Hub has no absolutely home decorating skills or interest in the project whatsoever, and I’m not naturally good at home dÃ©cor either, so it keeps getting put off.

Mark my words (oh, boy…), by the end of summer, it’s getting done!

I started by bookmarking a whole bunch of room pics I found on potterybarn.com last night. I never knew this before, but they have this neat online tool where you can browse for decorating ideas by style and room.

I think my style’s somewhere between “Mediterranean” and “Global Chic.”

They also have some decorating how-to articles and a room planner that looks pretty neat.

Inspiration. I sure could use some, so if you have any ideas, send ’em my way!

All kinds of inspiration, too. Not strictly home dÃ©cor. Anything that gets your creative juices flowing, like this picture of 83-year old model Daphne Selfe does for me.

She’s been gracing runways and magazine spreads since the 1950s… Isn’t that incredible?

“I’ve never had anything done to my face,” Selfe recently told the Daily Mail. “Not that poison, not a face-lift. I think it’s a waste of money. Anyway, I couldn’t afford it!”

I was just checking out some of the pictures on makeup artist Troy Jensen’s website when I found her.

While I was there, I also drooled over this look he did on model Crystial Graham pairing blue mascara with a deep cherry lip stain and gloss, and bookmarked Makeup Makeovers in 5, 10, 15, 20 by makeup artist Robert Jones; photographer Veronique De Viguerie’s series, Women Around the World (be sure to turn on the captions to read the story behind the pics); and fashion photographer Melissa Rodwell’s very touching story (it made me cry) about losing her pet companion of 13 years, Lulu the dog.

On a lighter note, kittens! Have you heard? A litter of kittens was recently adopted by a Yorkie mom. And in other kitten news, did you know that there’s a a secret kitten ? Yup, it’s almost as enlightening as this gang of kittens discovering a tortoise for the very first time. 🙂

A few other things I’ve been using or thinking about lately…

iCloud’s Find My Phone feature is beyond cool! I actually used it to find my iPhone this week, which I’d lost. Saw where it was on a map (it was at home; left it under a blanket). You can even remote lock, remote erase, and send messages to your phone from icloud.com. — icloud.com
Evernote is like my day planner now. Best thing about it is that the phone app syncs with their website, so I can type long notes and lists quickly on the website using a regular keyboard that then appear automatically on my phone. I have to-do lists for home stuff, blogging stuff, trip planning, my grocery list, home furnishing ideas… Also, it’s totally free. — evernote.com (and various app stores)
When I travel to the tropics, I like bringing a rugged waterproof camera with me, one that I can take swimming, snorkeling, hiking and kayaking. Not only can they take pics and video where regular cameras can’t, but they just make vacation more fun. I brought the Canon PowerShot D10 with me to Kauai last month (there’s also the brand new D20 now, which adds full HD video), and it did a great job. I used it for most of my outdoor pics. — Canon PowerShot D10

The posts you might have missed