Karen

Just wanted to say a quick hi and to wish all the mom’s out there a happy Mother’s Day. 🙂 I would love to be able to say that Tabs made me a fancy breakfast in bed, but, yeah, not gonna happen. He is, however, snuggling with me as I write this in my chair.

How’s it going this weekend? What have you been up to? I’ve mostly just piddled around the house here, but I did sneak out to the mall for about an hour last night. I had to return a jacket to Nordstrom, which, incidentally turned into quite an adventure.

I lost the receipt, but all of the tags were attached. A nice salesgirl was helping me with the return when a breathy, impatient woman walked up behind me at the register. She was one of those toe-tappers, huffing and puffing about having to wait in line. “I just have a pick up,” she barked, shooting laser beams at the salesgirl with her eyes.

I felt awful for the girl at the register, but she took it all in stride. I haven’t worked retail in a long time, but I remember having to deal with fussy customers being one of the toughest parts of the job.

Well, I better run. I’m heading out to the East Bay to take my mom out to brunch. You have a great day today. I’ll be back soon.

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

THIS DIAMOND IS A GIRL’S BEST FRIEND
MAKE UP FOR EVER AQUA LINER IN DIAMOND BLACK

Freakin’ epic! I can’t remember ever getting this fired up about a black eyeliner before (maybe MAC Feline? — aka one of the most purrrfect black pencils evah), because, c’mon, it’s black eyeliner. Are they useful? Absolutely, but sometimes it’s hard to get stoked about a staple when there are so many fun, distracting colors around.

That is, unless that staple is Make Up For Ever’s new Aqua Liner in Diamond Multicolor Black ($23). When it reached out and grabbed my attention, it almost knocked me down! If you’re able to try just one thing from this new line of waterproof liquid eyeliners, please make it Multicolor Black. No kidding — this shade is the bidness in a glittery jet black.

So what are the Aqua Liners? They’re a new range recently added to the Make Up For Ever permanent line. Available in a mix of bright and neutral shades in matte, iridescent and diamond finishes, they’re a lot like the other pigmented, long-wearing, quick-drying waterproof liners that’ve been popping up over the past year. Like the MAC Superslick Liners and Stila Sparkle Waterproof Eyeliners, they sport long, skinny applicators with pointy tips, and they last a really long time, withstanding sweat, running water and occasional (hella weird) eyelid kisses from husky tabby cats (SIDE NOTE: Yes, it feels strange to have your eyelids licked by a cat). Read more…

THE NEW BOBBI BROWN SUMMER 2011
ALMOST BARE COLLECTION SHOULD LOOK GREAT WITH A TAN

Bobbi B. is back with a new makeup collection for summer, and judging by the look of things, she’s been chillin’ at la playa.

The new Bobbi Brown Almost Bare Collection, available now in stores and online, looks just like a day at the beach. As she so often does, Bobbi kept things simple and clean, incorporating two dark matte bronzers, three glittery glosses and a repromoted scent (from where the collection gets its name). I think the products seem more Mexican Riviera than Jersey Shore, but the two bronzers, which are both quite dark, will probably thrill Snooks all the way from the top of her pouf down to her Uggs.

Am I the only gal who gets grumpy about tiny 0.14-oz. tubes of $20+ gloss? I bet I’m not. By comparison to 0.17-oz. MAC Lipglasses, these new 0.24-oz. limited edition High Shimmer Lip Glosses are practically huge! And they come with a doe-foot applicator, too. Read more…

LET’S GIVE A BIG ROUND OF APPLAUSE
FOR THE LUSH TINY HANDS MOISTURIZING BAR

Okay, so it kinda looks like an artifact from Raiders of the Lost Ark — a relic buried long ago in a booby trapped cave. But it’s not. The new Lush Tiny Hands Moisturizing Bar shouldn’t be hidden from prying eyes. No, it should be cautiously (more on that in a sec) brought forth from its little tin and given a big round of applause.

After doing some spring cleaning last weekend, my hands looked rough, cracked and felt sore (and don’t even get me started on my cuticles). My paws needed a hand, so I took it as an opportunity to test Lush’s solid moisturizing bar. Read more…

9 THINGS THAT
MADE A DIFFERENCE

It never hurts to take stock of the things that’ve made a difference and influenced your life in positive ways. Here’s my list, in no particular order. Can’t wait to read yours.

(Oh, and because this is MBB, feel free to mix in both beauty related and non-beauty related things!)

1. More sleep

When I was in high school and college, I would pride myself on being able to whirl through my days on five or six hours of sleep, but when I hit my mid-20s, and it happened almost suddenly in fact, I started waking up cranky and feeling groggy all the time.

I figured out the problem after I went to bed early one night, hours before my usual bedtime. The next morning I felt like a new girl, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. I could have been a superhero with all of the energy coursing through my veins.

Crap! I’d been sleep deprived for almost a decade.

My sweet spot seems to be about eight hours of sleep, and when I’m able to get it, not only do I mentally and physically function better, but I see the difference in the mirror. My dark circles look less dark and scary, and I don’t break out as much.

Now, every so often, I go through bouts of insomnia (so annoying), but I really try to get as much sleep as I can. Going to bed early at least once a week helps. Read more…

A STILA STUNNING IN SAYULITA
PALETTE HUMP DAY FACE OF THE DAY

Rise and shine, morning glory. I felt like wearing my green dress today, so I thought I’d incorporate some green in my eye look, too. A color called Palm Tree from Stila’s new Stunning in Sayulita Palette provided the green.

The $14 palette (BARGAIN ALERT!) comes with four powder shadows, a powder blush and a bronzing powder, which, hello, is so light that it probably performs better as a highlighter on my tan skin.

For this look, I followed the little tutorial that comes with the palette (I appreciate when companies include these things; they’re cheap to make and great for ideas and inspiration) and then wrapped it up with Bobbi Brown’s High Shimmer Lip Glosses in Bellini on my lips. Read more…

DOING LAUNDRY JUST GOT COOLER AT THIS LAUNDROMAT
NEW TOCCA LAUNDRY DELICATE FINE FIBER WASH

It seems so obvious now, but I think I just figured out the real reason why Tabs has always preferred to sleep on the floor instead of the bed. The second I put fresh sheets down washed with the new Tocca Laundry Delicate Fine Fiber Wash, he was like, “Wow, this bed is AWESOME!” He couldn’t wait to roll around on the duvet cover and brush his cheeks on the pillows. Apparently, he has a taste for the finer things, and drugstore laundry detergents just won’t do.

I should have known. I love Tocca, too. The brand is known for their Italian-styled perfumes and candles, but maybe that’s about to change. I started collecting their scents about a year ago, and now I’m hopelessly addicted to a few (I’m in love, love, LOVE with Bianca, in particular).

I can say with 100% certainty that I’ve never been this excited to do laundry in my life. Read more…

ESSIE SUMMER 2011

Yesterday I dug out my old surfing wetsuit and tried to put it on. No. Such. Luck. Not without a gallon of Crisco and a whole lot of prayer.

Le sigh…

I haven’t surfed up here in years, but I’m starting to get desperate. Since I don’t see a tropical trip on the horizon, either I brave these frigid waters again, or I dry up like a land-locked fish.

And the Essie Summer 2011 Color Me Braziliant Collection (six colors; $8 each) is only making things worse. It arrives in June, right around the time I’d love to be out galavanting on a beach vacation. Read more…

MAC SURF BABY
CHEEK POWDER IN MY PARADISE: A DIVA IN DISGUISE

Don’t let the cute hibiscus fool you. Limited edition MAC Surf Baby Cheek Powder in My Paradise, the one and only blush in the upcoming Surf Baby collection, is a total diva in disguise.

The pretty packaging fooled me at first. It lulled me into expecting a run-of-the-mill peachy gold blush, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. My Paradise roars with pigment. It reminds me of NARS Orgasm, except three times as intense, with a lot more reddish orange inside. Yup, you better bring a fan brush to this makeup dance. Read more…

MAC UNSUNG HEROES
HUMID EYESHADOW

“If you’re going to San Francisco,” the song goes, “be sure to wear some flowers in your hair.” Flowers like the ones that bloom 365 days a year inside the gigantic 19th century greenhouse that is the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park. It’s the oldest municipal wooden conservatory remaining in the United States and one of my favorite places in the city to visit with a camera.

From the steamy, lush jungles of the Lowland Tropics Room to the giant Victoria amazonica water lilies of the Aquatic Room, the structure must contain every conceivable shade of green (they practically drip from the walls!). Not only is it a very peaceful, beautiful place filled with exotic plants, but by virtue of it basically being a gargantuan greenhouse, it also reminds me of one of my favorite MAC shadows, the appropriately named Humid ($14.50).

A MAC artist introduced me to Humid a few years ago. I told her I was looking for one green to rule them all! “This is the only green you’ll ever need,” she said, as she handed me the pan. Read more…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen