Karen

How to Make a DIY Mojito Salt Scrub with Mango Butter

October 2nd, 2011 by Karen 31 Comments

About the Author
The following guest post was written by Jenny of My Funny Valentine. You can also find Jenny on Twitter.

DIY Mojito Salt Scrub with Mango Butter

There’s something so rewarding about making your own skin care products. You have total control over the quality of the ingredients that go into your creations, the feel of the product, and the scent of the product (I’m only a control freak when it comes to skin care, I promise!).

I personally love salt body scrubs. If you’ve ever been to my house you know that my shower area is cluttered with jars of scrubs of every description — some store bought, but mostly ones that I’ve made myself. It feels amazing to massage a handful of scrub into your skin after a long day, and the salt scrubs that I make leave my skin both polished and moisturised.

So, why did I make a scrub based on mojitos? Well, because mojitos are just the BOMB!

This particular scrub is super easy to make, even if you’ve never made DIY bath and body products before. Unlike some DIY oil-based scrubs, this one rinses clean because it has a built-in emulsifier.

Ingredients

You should be able to find all of these at your local health food store, or online at stores like Garden of Wisdom Skin Care.

10g mango butter (weight 0.35 oz)
5g cetyl alcohol (weight 0.18 oz)
20g olive oil (weight 0.7 oz)
7g avocado oil (weight 0.25 oz)
7g pomegranate oil (weight 0.25 oz)
10 drops peppermint essential oil
10 drops lime essential oil
3 drops grapefruit essential oil
1g vitamin E 500IU (roughly 2/3 tspn)
0.8g Polysorbate 80 (roughly Â½ tspn)
A few drops of optiphen
70g salt

Mojito Salt Scrub
[Continue reading…]

What I’m Reading, 10.02.11

October 2nd, 2011 by Karen 10 Comments

What are you reading these days?

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

October 2nd, 2011 by Karen 2 Comments

Makeup and Beauty Blog Weekly Roundup

Good mornin’, glory. 🙂 Hope you got a good night’s sleep. Mine wasn’t bad, even though I stayed up way past my bed time reading Gunn’s Golden Rules.

I love that man… He seems like such a genuinely good, kind person. I think I’m gonna send him a fan letter.

Very few signs received so far for The 2011 Breast Cancer Awareness Month Sign Project. I know you’re busy, but it only takes a minute if you have a camera phone (I’m just sayin’).

And yes, I do fully intend to keep prodding you (politely at first) about this over the next 29 days because I think it’s worth it. My mother-in-law is a breast cancer survivor (going on three years now), and I know how much seeing last year’s support signs meant to her and to the many women I’ve heard from about them. Plus, on top of your good deed, you’d be entered for a chance to win more than $1,100 in free makeup. You could even donate some of it if you won (again, I’m just sayin’).

In other news, MoneyBall! Or, as Tabs puts it, kitty balls! I watched it last night with El Hub, who isn’t a baseball fan, a fact he had to repeatedly remind me of before, during and after the movie. He liked it though. We both did. I grew up just a few miles away from Oakland Coliseum in the East Bay.

It was weird seeing Brad Pitt driving along the same freeways I use to visit my parents’ house… Dang, the life of an actor, right? One minute they’re in Oakland, California. Next minute they’re filming a zombie movie in Scotland. Freaky.

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

MAC UNSUNG HEROES
MELON PIGMENT

Here in Marin County â€” how should I put this? â€” tie-die is the new black. I joke, but this area is a mecca for different ways of thinking, and while my younger self probably would have giggled at some of the self-improvement techniques I’ve been trying lately, my older self has more of an open mind.

One of my new favorite things is to sit on my deck at sunset and mentally list all of the good things that happened that day. Some days the list is shorter than others, but I can usually come up with at least one or two things.

Plus, there’s a great side effect of catching a good sunset: makeup inspiration. Read more…

PACIFICA COLOR QUENCH LIP TINTS
PROVE THAT MAKEUP IS THE BEST MEDICINE

Imagine, if you will, that it’s Friday night, 7:57 p.m., in a sleepy little town called Novato.

The sun has set, and I have the cover of darkness now. I’m almost positive I’m going to get away with it. I slowly withdraw the keys to the car from a bowl sitting on a table by the hall. They barely make a sound. Just a quiet jingling, barely audible, and I think I’m safe.

I start toward the door, my eyes checking the corners for signs of movement. The coast is clear. I walk faster now, my sneakers all but silent on the tiled hallway floor.

Almost there. I reach the door and take the knob in my hand, turning slowly. I have one foot out the door when…

“Where ya headed?” Read more…

BUMBLE AND BUMBLE SHINE ON (AND ON)
FINISHING SPRAY IS DIVA KITTY APPROVED!

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to live with a creature so beautiful, so genetically blessed, that the mere sight of his silky fur fills supermodels with envy and makes stylists question their careers, let me tell ya, it ain’t easy.

Don’t get me wrong â€” I love Tabs’ shiny coat. It’s one of the reasons I fell in love with him. Even though he’d been living on the streets when we met, he had fur like a feline Adonis. Read more…

STAR LIGHT, STAR BRIGHT, THE BELLE DE NUIT HOLIDAY COLLECTION
FROM GUERLAIN GETS IT RIGHT

A few weeks ago I walked into an air-conditioned Williams-Sonoma store that had Christmas decorations up and a fancy holiday window display (complete with garland-covered pine tree flocked with fake snow).

In early September.

I’m just sayin’.

Funny thing is, when it comes to fashion and makeup, I actually like super early seasonal releases; they appeal to my inner princess â€” you know, the one who makes grabby hands at pretty products and says, “Gimme, gimme, gimme!” with big anime eyes. Read more…

3 LESSONS LEARNED
FROM GETTING BANGS

I’ve had other brushes with bangs, like the time my mom cut my hair into a lopsided Dorothy Hamill bowl cut, or the gravity defying â€˜do I wore for a time in my hair bear teenage years (that thing ensnared more insects than a Venus Flytrap!), but none of them prepared me for the full-on blunt-cut bangs I embraced a few months ago.

And that’s because they weren’t just bangs. Dude. They were BANGS! â€” all caps, bold, with an exclamation mark.

I’ve liked having them these past months, but I gotta say â€” I wish I’d given more thought to what I was getting into before I took the plunge, because these real deal bangs have been a commitment. Read more…

THERE’S GLOSS AT THE HEART OF EVERY DOLCE & GABBANA
PASSION DUO GLOSS FUSION LIPSTICK

Dear Diary,

My list of the day? Makeup I’d Wear If I Were a Vampire.

But not just any vampire. Not one of those goody-two-shoes Cullens. I’d be more like Pam from True Blood, and I’d wear dark lipstick, skintight jumpsuits and leather. I’d hang out at all the coolest underground vampire techno clubs, too, because, as you know, vampires must techno.

Yeah, I’ve watched Blade one too many times…

Moody dark burgundy Dolce & Gabbana Passion Duo Gloss Fusion Lipstick in Intense ($34) would go right up at the top of my list. One of 20 gloss/lipstick hybrids in the recently launched Gloss Fusion Lipstick line, it’s perfect fare for creatures of the night! Read more…

WITH THE $22 JK JEMMA KIDD SMOKE IT UP I-KIT
YOU CAN SMOLDER FOR LESS

Each of the five powder eyeshadows in the new $22 JK Jemma Kidd Smoke It Up I-Kit are so easy to blend that they could have been made by KitchenAid! â€” and with loads of pigment, they look and perform just like Jemma’s fab fall full-size shadows (which usually run $16 apiece).

The result is an affordable palette able to produce some of the quickest, easiest smokey eyes I’ve seen this fall. With lesser shadows, blending out the edges and layering darker shades can take (me) forever, but with the I-Kit I can bang out a smokey look in less than 10 minutes. Read more…

MAC UNSUNG HEROES
MOCHA BLUSH

Instead of doing one of the millions of things I should have been doing this morning, like shaving my toes (those hairs pop up overnight!), figuring out what to do with the rest of my life, or assisting Tabs with his aromatherapy (by rubbing catnip leaves on his cheeks, which he loves), I lined up all of the dark MAC lippies I plan to wear in October.

Of course, some of the brand’s old-school baddies were there, like Russian Red, Dubonnet and Paramount, as were a few newer colors from Styledriven and Posh Paradise.

I was separating tubes by finish (obsessive much?) when an idea struck me like a wayward jar of Fluidline flying through the air. Read more…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Essie Cocktail Bling Winter 2011

October 1st, 2011 by Karen 11 Comments

A quick look at the Essie Cocktail Bling collection (new for winter 2011).

From the left: School of Hard Rocks, Brooch the Subject, Bangle Jangle, Bobbing for Baubles, Cocktail Bling and Size Matters.

Swatches/review coming soon.

MAC Unsung Heroes: Paramount Lipstick

October 1st, 2011 by Karen 16 Comments

mac paramount lipstick

As silly as it sounds to get emotional about a lipstick, I got verklempt when I sat down to write about today’s MAC Unsung Hero, Paramount Lipstick ($14.50), because it’s been a such a pivotal color in my makeup life.

My BFF introduced me to it about 15 years ago in college; since then it’s been on my lips or by my side (literally, in a purse or a pants pocket) through some of the most important moments of my life.

In the living room at my parent’s house, I’m wearing it in a graduation picture taken a few seconds after I walked across the stage to get my diploma. The color also holds the distinction of being the very first MAC product I ever purchased (shout-out to the MAC Arden Fair counter in Sacramento!).

When I pulled out Paramount this morning it hit me like a ton of bricks!

Wait — not like that. I mean that I realized I should add it to my list of MAC Unsung Heroes. 🙂

Plus, hello! — it’s a perfect color for fall!

mac paramount swatch

mac paramount swatch
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Marisa Tomei: Her Best Hair?

October 1st, 2011 by Karen 3 Comments

Whether she’s In the Bedroom with The Lincoln Lawyer or working out with The Wrestler, Brooklyn babe Marisa Tomei (born December 4, 1964) is a star.

The Italian American’s theater-loving parents deserve some of the credit, though, for exposing her to Broadway shows at an impressionable age. Some of the talent she saw on stage must have rubbed off on her, because by 19 she was already working with soap — operas, that is — as Marcy Thompson on As the World Turns.

Ironically, her big break came opposite a compact co-star (Joe Pesci) in 1992’s My Cousin Vinny, for which she won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress over Venessa Redgrave, Judy Davis, Miranda Richardson and Joan Plowright.

Yeah, it was kind of a big deal.

She’s one of my favorite actresses…although I could have done without that scene in Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead with Phillip Seymour Hoffman where he’s buck naked (GAH!). I like that she also seems like a real woman who’s comfortable aging with grace.

Next week (Oct. 7) she lights up screens nationwide in the political drama, The Ides of March, with George Clooney, Paul Giamatti, Evan Rachel Wood and (for the second time this year!) Ryan Gosling.

Lucky girl. 🙂

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The 2011 Breast Cancer Awareness Month Sign Project and Giveaway

October 1st, 2011 by Karen 197 Comments

WINNER: Drum roll, please…Â Patti! Congratulations, you’re the winner of more than $1,000 in makeup from MAC, Make Up For Ever, Clinique, Estee Lauder and Bobbi Brown. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share a sign this year. Hopefully someday soon, a cure will change the meaning of Breast Cancer Awareness Month for people around the world.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month Hey, friend. I’ve been sitting here for the past half an hour trying to figure out how to put my feelings into words. I write a sentence, then cross it out, write a sentence, cross it out.

I can’t think of a more elegant way to say it, so I’m just gonna say it…

You and I have been together for a really long time. Going on five years now, which is like 20 years in Internet time, and I think of you like a sister. Sure, we don’t fight over who got to wear that oversized Esprit sweater to the dance or argue about who got to use the car last Friday night, but watching you move about your life and just chatting about whatever — the books we’re reading, the food we’re eating, the makeup we’re lemming, the pets we’re loving — I feel like we’ve become a part of each other’s lives.

And just as there are defining moments that bring family members closer together, I think The Breast Cancer Awareness Month Sign Project we started last year did that for us.

Many of us reading right now have been affected by this dreadful disease, and I hope we stand together again this year to show our support for our sisters, our mothers and our friends. It’s such a small gesture, really, but I hope that in some small way the good wishes we send out into the universe help someone through a difficult time.

I’ve run donations for breast cancer charities in the past, and I encourage you to also support the cause that way if you’re able to, but I know that you’ll have many opportunities to give and show financial support on other sites this month. What we’re doing here this month is about increasing awareness, showing support and standing with solidarity — like a psychic hug and a hand squeeze — to the men (yes, men), women and families facing this disease.

Join me this Breast Cancer Awareness Month by taking a picture of yourself with a sign like the one at the top of this post, and you’ll be entered to win a prize package worth more than $1,000 in makeup and beauty products provided by MAC, Clinique, Make Up For Ever, EstÃ©e Lauder and Bobbi Brown. It can be a large sign or a small sign, like on a Post-It, or a camera phone pic of yourself with your sign written on your arm.

For this year’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month Sign Project, so many great sponsors stepped up to the plate. I can’t thank the wonderful people at MAC, Clinique, Make Up For Ever, EstÃ©e Lauder and Bobbi Brown enough for their generosity. If you’d like to know more about what a few of these brands are up to this year for BCA, check out BCAcampaign.com.

One (1) lucky lady or gentleman will win an epic package of prizes provided by MAC, Clinique, Make Up For Ever, EstÃ©e Lauder and Bobbi Brown (a $1,126 value).

MAC Beauty Powder in Alpha Girl ($25)
MAC Cremesheen Glass in Looks Like Sin ($18.50)
MAC Paint Pot in Vintage Selection ($17.50)
MAC Big Bounce Shadow in Black Diamond ($16.50)
MAC Big Bounce Shadow in Count Your Assets ($16.50)
MAC Eye Shadow in Diva in Distress ($19.50)
Clinique Chubby Stick in 01 Richer Raisin ($15)
Clinique Chubby Stick in 02 Whole Lotta Honey ($15)
Clinique Chubby Stick in 03 Fuller Fig ($15)
Clinique Chubby Stick in 04 Mega Melon ($15)
Clinique Chubby Stick in 05 Chunky Cherry ($15)
Clinique Chubby Stick in 06 Whoppin’ Watermelon ($15)
Clinique Chubby Stick in 07 Super Strawberry ($15)
Clinique Chubby Stick in 08 Graped-Up ($15)
Clinique Great Lips, Great Cause Key Ring ($16)
Clinique Happy Heart Body Wash ($26)
Clinique Happy Heart Body Cream ($30)
Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion Luxury Size ($38)
Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief ($46.50)
Clinique Quick Blush in Pronto Pink ($22.50)
Clinique All About Eyes Serum ($26)
Clinique Superbalm Moisturizing Gloss in Grapefruit ($14)
Clinique Long Last Glosswear SPF 15 in Air Kiss ($14)
Clinique Color Surge Butter Shine Lipstick in Fresh Watermelon ($14.50)
Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara in Black ($10)
Clinique Colour Surge Eye Shadow Quad in Pink Chocolate ($25.50)
Clinique Colour Surge Eye Shadow Duo in Strawberry Fudge ($18)
Clinique Vitamin C Lip Smoothie in Pink Me Up ($17.50)
Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Powder ($30)
Make Up For Ever Smoky Lash Mascara ($22)
Make Up For Ever Highline Eye Shadow Palette ($45)
Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes #2L ($18)
Make Up For Ever Aqua Liner #14 ($23)
Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense #30 ($19)
Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense Moulin Rouge ($19)
Make Up For Ever Lip Line Perfector ($18)
Make Up For Ever Lab Shine #S2 ($18)
Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Blush #4 ($25)
Make Up For Ever Uplight #22 ($29)
Make Up For Ever Faux Lash #157 ($15)
Bobbi Brown Pink Ribbon Collection in Ruban Rose ($44)

First, take a picture of yourself holding a sign (or ask a friend to take one of you) that reads, “October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.” Whether you show your face is up to you, but I think it would be great to see your lovely mug. 🙂 (If you sent in a picture last year, please send in a new one.)
Send it to me! You can either email it to me at karen@makeupandbeautyblog.com, OR post it to your blog/Facebook page, OR tweet it to me @karenmbb, OR post it using a photo sharing site like PhotoBucket or Flickr.
Third, leave a comment at the bottom of this post with either a link to your picture or a note to tell me that you sent it by email.

The deadline to enter is Sunday, October 31, 2011 at 11:59PM PST.
Entrants must have a valid email address to win.
A maximum of one entry per person; entries must include a picture (linked or emailed) and a corresponding comment left at the bottom of this post.
Giveaway 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).
I will choose the winner at random (1 winner) from all of the entries received by the deadline on October 31.
Your entry picture must remain online and visible for a minimum of 48 hours after the deadline.
All entries become the property of Makeup and Beauty Blog (specifically Tabs) and will not be returned; they may also be republished in this or a future post on the blog.
The winner will be announced here within 48 hours of the deadline.
If the winner cannot be contacted or does not respond within three (3) days, an alternate winner will be selected at random again.
Void where prohibited by law.

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Security Camera Captures Local Zinnia Thief in the Act

October 1st, 2011 by Karen 3 Comments

Welcome to October! 🙂 Well, it’s fall. No turning back now. Here’s a pic of the hills and the gray sky behind our place just after dawn this morning (and some security camera snapshots of a prowler who was sneaking around in the garden…)

Karen

Ingredients

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

Which of Marisa's hairstyles do you like best?