Karen

Two Ways to Win a $50 eGift Card from Sephora!

March 31st, 2012 by Karen 546 Comments

WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is Kristy! Congratulations, Kristy! 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

Wow! The rain is coming in sideways right now and it’s freakin’ me out! The big pine trees on the hill outside are whipping wildly around in the wind, and I can literally see the rain moving horizontally.

Scary!

I hope the power doesn’t go out…

And in non-weather-related news, happy Saturday! 🙂 Welcome to the weekend. Despite the angry skies outside, I feel pretty optimistic today, pretty good overall. I’ve got a warm cup of coffee by my side, electricity and Internet access (at least for the time being), an oftentimes affectionate cat (who’s asleep at the top of his cat tower right now, apparently unbothered by the storm), friends to keep me company (thank you, btw) and my man (who’s currently putting batteries in all the flashlights).

Everything I need.

And while I don’t particularly need an egg over easy right now, I really, really want one, so while I go get my breakfast on, why don’t you enter this weekend’s Sephora eGift card giveaway? I’ll be right back!

What folks are saying…

“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)

“Hi Karen and Tabs. Wow! Thanks so much for this! It’s hard to believe I actually won something. I can’t wait to shop my little heart out! Thanks again. Love to Tabs! And I love your blog with the Tabs stories. ;+)”
-Sophie, St Petersburg, FL

“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. 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

“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 blush under $20? Where do you see yourself in 10 years? What’s your favorite way to waste time? How do you take your coffee? Have you ever been to a spa? — 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/H3LcXj

The deadline to enter is Sunday, April 1, 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 Kristy! Congratulations, Kristy! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

Lacquer Lust

March 31st, 2012 by Karen 5 Comments

Tom Ford Beauty spring 2012 Nail Lacquers, $30 each. Available now at Neiman Marcus stores and online.

I seriously can’t wait to paint my nails!

Be Right Back

March 30th, 2012 by Karen 7 Comments

“Be right back, babe. I’m just gonna go down the street with my camera to shoot the crap outta that tree.”

— Me to El Hub earlier today (my favorite tree in the neighborhood is in bloom!)

Sailing the Seven Seas of Illumination with Rouge Bunny Rouge: The Seas of Illumination Highlighting Liquid in Sea of Showers

March 30th, 2012 by Karen 30 Comments

rouge bunny rouge sea of showers

Careful there, makeup lover. Beware the Rouge Bunny! She’ll hop into your life, steal your liquid highlighter-lovin’ heart, and then spring away with your entire makeup allowance (and then some).

Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Shh! Do you hear it…? That voice on the wind? It’s saying, You’ll love my peachy golden highlighter, my love. It’s the siren song of RBR’s shimmery Seas of Illumination Highlighting Liquid in Sea of Showers, and it’s my favorite thing from the lavish line so far. It’s also — brace yourself — 72 bucks.

Cruel, cruel rabbit, why dost thou charge so much? Just a couple tiny drops of this multipurpose highlighter turn my upper cheekbones into incandescent light bulbs! Almost. The formula is surprisingly pigmented, shimmery and long-lasting. I’ve clocked it at 14 hours once already, and most of the time when I go to remove it at night, it hasn’t even begun to fade.

rouge bunny rouge sea of showers
Seas of Illumination Highlighting Liquid in Sea of Showers; one of four shades, $72 each

rouge bunny rouge sea of showers

I’ve also tried mixing Sea of Showers with different foundations, from full-coverage Laura Mercier Oil-Free Supreme to sheer NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer, and my skin always seems fresher and more luminous when I’ve added a drop or two.

rouge bunny rouge sea of showers
Wearing Sea of Showers on my upper cheek bones, brow bones, temples and down the bridge of my nose
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The Doctor Is in…the Drugstore: Physicians Formula Spring 2012

March 30th, 2012 by Karen 37 Comments

Physicians Formula spring 2012

I can appreciate a haughty high-end beauty product if it knocks it out of the park, but my heart belongs to drugstores.

When you can get two bags of groceries (complete with Cheddar Bunnies and Mango Bars) to go with a budget-friendly blush, powder, lipgloss, concealer and a trio of tinted eyeliners, and still spend less than a $108 blush, the drugstore beauty products deserve some extra wiggle room when it comes to packaging and quality. Pretty good starts to look pretty great when you only cost $12.95, like the new Physicians Formula pH Matchmaker Powdered Blush (I love that dotted border inside the pan!).

Here’s a quick look at it and the rest of the doctor’s collection of beauty bits for spring 2012…

Youthful Wear Cosmeceutical Youth-Boosting Powder

physicians formula cosmeceutical youth boosting powder 1
Youthful Wear Cosmeceutical Youth-Boosting Powder in Illuminating Translucent, $13.95; also available in a shade called Mattify Translucent

A youthful youth-boosting powder? Um, marketing much? LOL!

physicians formula cosmeceutical youth boosting powder 2
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Sisley L’Orchidee Highlighter Blush: This Beautiful Blush Costs More Than a Benjamin!

March 30th, 2012 by Karen 31 Comments

Now that’s a lot of tacos. Sisley Cosmetics, a brand I don’t know a lot about, hopes to answer the question, “What does $108 look like?” Their new Lorchidee Highlighter Blush breaks the $100 barrier, but here’s the thing: I think it’s actually really, really good.

$108 is unbelievable for a blush, but for all that coin you do get a natural look that lasts all day and a glow like you just won the Mega Millions jackpot.

Luxurious from front to back — from the silver chariot/pan it rides in, to the powders so finely milled that the grains are almost microscopic — Lorchidee is a sight to behold. The coral, pink, brown and golden colors blend together seamlessly to give cheeks a softly radiant glow of golden peachy pink.

But even though I feel almost regal wearing this blush, I can’t see it working its way into my everyday makeup bag. It’s just too pricey for something like that.

Now, my special occasion makeup bag? Yeah, maybe there. 🙂