Karen

Fountain

March 16th, 2012 by Karen 1 Comment

Keep an Eye Out for the Too Faced Summer Eye Summertime Sexy Shadow Collection

March 16th, 2012 by Karen 22 Comments

too faced summer eye

Earlier today, as I sat upstairs in my office staring out the window, I realized that I spend a lot of time staring out the window. 🙂

I’m pretty sure the neighbors think it’s creepy… I’ve caught them staring back a few times, but whatev. A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do, right? Letting my mind wander helps me work stuff out.

I have noticed that I think about different things depending on the weather. When it’s raining and overcast like it’s been this week, I keep getting distracted. Instead of contemplating lip plumpers, verbs and things I can photograph on top of Tabs, I’ve been daydreaming about summer, beaches and hanging out by the pool.

Thank goodness for the new Too Faced Summer Eye Summertime Sexy Shadow Collection ($36), which is really just a palette… It’s part of the new limited edition Too Faced Summer 2012 collection, and it’s been the only thing keeping the weather from getting me down.

The palette contains nine shimmery, summery shadows in beachy bronzes and browns, accented with warm coral, pink and teal (here are the swatches). It also has a few how-to cards that show how to create three different eye looks.

too faced summer eye

too faced summer eye
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My St. Patrick’s Day Multi-Colored Manicure in Different Shades of Green

March 16th, 2012 by Karen 17 Comments

My Lucky St. Patrick's Day Nails

Tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day, and that means two things: 1) that today is St. Patrick’s Day Eve, and 2) that I get to be Irish tomorrow, thanks to El Hub and the Irish Proximity Effect. He says that because he’s one quarter Irish, I get to be part Irish by proximity for 24 hours.

And I plan to put that time to good use. 🙂

For some folks, St. Patty’s Day means beer, and lots of it. Me? I use my Irish By Association card as a free pass to eat as much fried food as I can.

Like fish and chips.

Oh, I love fish and chips… The precious little basket they come in, dousing them with vinegar and salt, and that first crunchy bite of melt-in-your-mouth batter and flaky fish…

I’m sorry, where was I?

Oh, yeah! St. Patrick’s Day. Almost as much as the food, I also like to see folks getting green in the spirit of the day (please leave me a link to your look!), and I usually try to add a little something green to my beauty routine. This year, it’s with a multi-colored manicure in different shades of green.

A St. Patrick's Day Nail Tutorial

I actually didn’t start out planning to do something with more than one shade, but when I sat down with a few polishes, thinking I’d pick one right then, I couldn’t decide.

So I used all three — Dolce & Gabbana’s Mint ($20), Sonia Kashuk’s Making Waves ($9.99) and China Glaze Ray-Diant ($8).

A St. Patrick's Day Nail Tutorial
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Which Way Did You Vote for MAC By Request?

March 16th, 2012 by Karen 26 Comments

The riddle of time travel remains a nut science has yet to crack, but even though we can’t alter the past (yet), we can shape the future!

With the new MAC By Request collection, MAC is giving 18 of their former bestselling Eye Shadows, Lipsticks and Lipglasses a second chance at stardom, and it’s by people’s choice on Facebook.

The three top vote getters in each of the three categories will go on sale again in the limited edition release beginning this August in North America (online only) and in internationally sometime this fall.

Missing your favorite MAC colors from days of yore, like the kinder, gentler days of The Jersey Shore’s first season (when Sammi and the Situation were, like, a thing)? Act now, because MAC is taking requests for comeback colors. Now through March 30, cast your vote on Facebook for the colors you’d like to make an encore appearance in MAC By Request. The top nine fan favorite shades will go on sale again beginning this August, exclusively online.

I was able to track down 13 of the 18 eligible colors… Have you made your decision yet? Which of these former stars (three each per category) deserves a comeback? The shades not shown here are Candy Yum Yum and Moxie among the Lipsticks, Icescape among the Lipglasses, and Moth Brown and Solar White for the Eye Shadows.

I cast my votes for… 🙂

Lipsticks: 3N, Eden Rocks and Rocker
Lipglasses: Cult of Cherry, Flash of Flesh and Bait
Eye Shadows: Cool Heat, Guacamole and Heavenly Bliss

Eye Shadows

mac by request eyeshadows
Eye Shadows clockwise from the blue pan on the left: Cool Heat, Heavenly Bliss, Guacamole and JetÃ©

mac guacamole
Guacamole

mac heavenly bliss
Heavenly Bliss
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It’s a Miracle!

March 16th, 2012 by Karen 10 Comments

A Miracle of Maracuja, that is.

The new eight-piece Tarte Miracle of Maracuja Set, available now at QVC.com for $59.96 (a $200 value).

The set includes:

An Airbrush Finish Bamboo Blush Brush (a QVC exclusive);
An Airblush Maracuja Blush in Amused (a QVC exclusive);
A Maracuja Waterproof Creaseless Concealer in either Fair, Light, Medium, Tan or Deep;
A full-size bottle of Pure Maracuja Oil;
A Cashmere Waterproof Gliding Liner in Black (a QVC exclusive);
A tube of Lights, Camera, Lashes! Mascara;
A Maracuja Divine Shine Lip Gloss in Peaceful (a QVC exclusive); and
A Beauty & the Box Amazonia Clay Eyeshadow Quad (a QVC exclusive).

tarte miracle of maracuja

Looks Fishy

March 15th, 2012 by Karen 2 Comments

What a Beautiful Bouquet: It’s Summer in Italy, Circa 1950, and the Dolce & Gabbana Spring/Summer 2012 Bouquet Collection Is in Bloom

March 15th, 2012 by Karen 39 Comments

Dolce & Gabbana Bouquet Collection

Someone’s a very sleepy sheepy out here (that would be me)…

I’m actually so beat right now that these pieces from the new Dolce & Gabbana Bouquet collection are barely speeding up my heartbeat at all.

And that’s freaky weird because I’m all over these rainbow shades and the mix of shimmers and creams.

The 18-piece release for spring/summer has some fun, flirty bits for eyes, lips and nails. The theme: 1950s Italian summers.

Okay, I’m down. I like the ’50s, Italy and summers, so it sounds like a win to me. 🙂

What do ya think? And how about those pastel nail lacquers? Even exhausted, I think my heart just skipped a beat.

dolce gabbana bouquet collection eyeshadow quad
Smooth Eye Color Quad in Bouquet 152 (new), $59

dolce gabbana bouquet collection eyeliner
Crayon Intense Eyeliners in Shimmer (repromote), Lilac (repromote), Agave (repromote), Lemon (new), Acqua (new) and Mint (new), $29 each

dolce gabbana bouquet collection lipgloss
Lipglosses from the top to bottom: Acqua (repromote), Raspberry (new), Innocence (repromote), Shimmer (repromote) and Pink Diamond (repromote), $29 each
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The China Glaze Prismatic Collection: Your Nails, Now in 3D

March 15th, 2012 by Karen 39 Comments

China Glaze Prismatic Collection

BAM! A single ray of white light streams through a prism and explodes into a rainbow of colors on your nails.

That’s the idea behind these new Prismatic polishes from China Glaze. The limited edition launch of six eye-catching glittery nail polishes ($8 each) really improved my spirits this afternoon. The gloomy, gray sky looming over the Bay Area felt like a big wet blanket on my mood.

It was bringing me down… But then I started swatching. 🙂

china glaze ray diant
Ray-Diant

Filled with glitter and holographic particles, these glimmering multi-colored metallics almost look like they’re hopping off my nails! — like they’re 3D powered, which is kinda cool.

As usual, China Glaze formulated the entire line, which bursts into professional beauty supply stores and salons in April, without DBP, toluene and formaldehyde.

In all of these swatches, I’m wearing two layers…

china glaze polarized
Polarized
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