Karen

7 Ways to Win a $50 eGift Card From Sephora! (Ends Monday)

November 29th, 2014 by Karen 310 Comments

To whom it may concern,

It’s still dark outside and it’s almost 8. This, I do not like.

Stupid rainy weather!

Doh, as a Californian, now I feel obliged to say, “But we do need the rain,” which is true. It’s been way too dry here lately. All the creeks and ponds were drying up before this latest storm, and I bet the heritage oak trees on my hill are growing very narrow rings this year…

How’s the holiday shopping coming along? I was ahead of schedule, but now I’m starting to fall behind. I gotta get out there and brave the crowds! — and I could also use some vitamin M (makeup).

Good reason to visit Sephora. 🙂

I hope all is well in your neck of the woods. Good luck in this weekend’s giveaway.

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).

Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.
Open to U.S. and international readers.
You must be 18 or older to enter (or otherwise an adult based on your local laws).
Your comment can be about anything at all, but here are some ideas if you’re stuck:
- One way to make your manicure last longer?
- Bedazzled statement eyebrows: yes or no?
- The last time you felt fierce?
- A piece of clothing you recently realized you desperately need to buy?
- Flannel shirts: yes or no?
- Favorite hair salon?
You can enter in up to seven ways to boost your chances of winning.
The giveaway ends on Monday, December 1, 2014 at 11:59 PM (Pacific Time). 🙂
Full terms and conditions are available in the widget.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. If you’re a fragrance lover, don’t forget to also enter this i smell great giveaway going on now. You could win $188 in products from the brand new i smell great line. It’s by the creator of CLEAN perfume.

I Found You, Ms. New Bootie…

November 28th, 2014 by Karen 16 Comments

If La Maison de Chanel ever starts a biker gang, a la Sons of Anarchy, I feel like these quilted booties by Matisse would be a non-negotiable part of the uniform.

They’re my latest loves from DSW.

Originally $209, but I got ’em on sale last week for $69.

On the DSW website, they’re listed at $99.94, so just FYI. You may want to check your local store.

Oh! And the website also states that the upper part of the shoe is made from synthetic leather, but I’m not so sure about that. The box for my pair says the leather’s real.

I dunno…

They’re super comfy, and I love the quilted pattern. I think it adds a little sweetness to an otherwise @ss-kickin’ shoe.

The heel is also low enough that I could probably run away from zombies in these if I had to (which is always important), and the shaft is well insulated for warmth. 🙂

Clé de Peau Beauté Perfect Lash Mascara: So Close to Perfect That It Almost Makes Up for the Price

November 28th, 2014 by Karen 22 Comments

Clé de Peau Beauté Perfect Lash Mascara, $50 — Clé de Peau Beauté Perfect Lash Mascara in Black ($50)

Clé de Peau Beauté Perfect Lash Mascara may be the most expensive mascara I’ve ever touched.

It’s $50! — a price that makes Guerlain Cils D’Enfer, Chanel Le Volume and YSL Faux Cils look like castoffs in a discount bin.

Logically, I know that it’s completely insane to even consider a mascara that costs as much as two bags of groceries at Trader Joe’s (that’s a lot of Pretzel Slims), but oh, my gosh, it’s the mutha-truckin’ ish.

I don’t have a lot to work with in the lash department naturally, but when I wear Perfect Lash, I look like I got lash extensions in Beverly Hills. My short, wispy lashes look impeccably long, lifted and defined, and I feel like a 1940s screen siren when she bats her eyes.

One layer works well, but I prefer two.

Clé de Peau Beauté Perfect Lash Mascara, Before (top) and after (bottom) two coats — Before (top) and after (bottom) two coats

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Should You Say Eye Do to Eyeko Makeup?

November 28th, 2014 by Karen 22 Comments

Bangs and a British accent are partly responsible for attracting me to Eyeko makeup.

I desperately wanted to believe that lining my eyes, coating my lashes and filling in my brows with Eyeko products would summon the powers of makeup magic, so that suddenly, one misty morning, I’d awaken with fab fringe and a bangin’ British accent like Alexa Chun, the stylish model/TV presenter/writer and face of the Eyeko brand.

Hey, man, you never know… Stranger things have happened. 🙂

If, one day, I’m pimpin’ Lloyd Christmas hair in my pictures and start a post with, “I fancy a pasty this morning and a spot of tea!” you’ll know the deal.

I’ve been using some of Eyeko’s permanent collection products lately — a couple of their liquid liners, a mascara and a brow filler — and here are a few thoughts…

Visual Eyes Liquid Eyeliner ($19)

This waterproof liquid liner’s thin, flexible felt tip says “meow!” to the part of me that loves kitten flicks and skinny lines (it’s a BIG part). It’s preternaturally precise, but I have to make quite a few passes with it to get the color fully opaque, and that’s a bit of a bummer.

I’ve been using Mocha, the brown shade, but it’s also available in Ebony and Marine.

Eyeko products from the left: Brow liner, Eye Do Liquid Eyeliner, Visual Eyes Liquid Eyeliner, Me & My Shadow in Charcoal and Eye Do Mascara — From the left: Brow liner, Eye Do Liquid Eyeliner, Visual Eyes Liquid Eyeliner, Me & My Shadow in Charcoal and Eye Do Mascara

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Thanksgiving Spread

November 27th, 2014 by Karen 41 Comments

Your nephew did a wonderful job assisting me with Thanksgiving today. He kept close watch as I prepped the food in the kitchen, and then supervised the actual eating at the table.

Such a dedicated kitty. 🙂

The crab was a success by the way. In case you were wondering, yes — crab tastes pretty darned good dipped in gravy (who knew?).

Now I’m off to swan dive into my third (!) slice of pecan pie.

Can I get you a slice? Would you like it with, or without whipped cream (or one of each)?

A Pair of Kinky Boots That Should Fit Most Everyone: The MAC Kinky Boots Collection

November 27th, 2014 by Karen 17 Comments

MAC Kinky Boots Lipstick and Lipglass — Wearing both the Kinky Boots Lipstick and Lipglass

We interrupt your Thanksgiving food coma to bring you this important shoe-related announcement…

One does not need to own a pair of kinky boots to appreciate the MAC Kinky Boots collection.

But please don’t let that stop you from shoe shopping. 🙂

Kick up your heels and dance to the tune of this limited edition lipstick and gloss, which were inspired by Kinky Boots, the Broadway musical (fun fact: MAC Viva Glam alumna Cyndi Lauper wrote the music and lyrics for the show!).

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Happy Thanksgiving, My Friend!

November 27th, 2014 by Karen 41 Comments

“Gobble gobble!”

It’s Thanksgiving here today in the U.S., and Tabs, El Hub and I will be celebrating with a small festive Thanksgiving feast featuring large quantities of ~~turkey!~~ crab!

Yes, crab (we’re trying something different).

But we’ve got some of the traditional fixin’s too, like we’ve got stuffing, cranberry sauce, green beans, pecan pie, mashed potatoes (and gravy, of course, purr Tabs)…

I can’t take credit for everything. I did make the potatoes, some corn and prepped the crab (like that’s hard), but some of our local eateries also helped, which is code for, “Some of it came from Whole Foods and Costco.” The plan for the day is to stay in my jammies as long as humanly possible, watch football (go Niners!), relax and start eating at noon, hopefully wrapping up the eating portion of the activities around 5:30, at which point I will most likely pass out. 🙂

Thank you, as always, for keeping me company and for putting up with my product review bizarreness (WOW! Bizarreness is actually a word?). Stay warm and have a wonderful day. Talk to you soon.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Cool-Toned Grays Signal a Smoky Black Friday at MAC: Available for One Day Only, the $25 MAC Smoky Black Friday Veluxe Pearl Fusion Shadow Trio

November 26th, 2014 by Karen 9 Comments

Ya know…we should really figure out some sort of long-range communication system that doesn’t involve technology, just in case the sh*t ever hits the fan, and the Internet goes dark, and we need a way to ask each other important questions like, “Girl, are you doing any Black Friday shopping?” or, “What do you think of the new MAC Smoky Black Friday Velux Pearlfusion Shadow Trio?”

My first thought was carrier pigeons, but then many of us have cats…

So now I’m thinking smoke signals, but I haven’t figured out the vocabulary yet.

Like, how would you say, “I think the three Veluxe Pearlfusion Shadows in this online exclusive are just OK,” with a small fire and smoke?

I don’t know…

I’d also want to say, “I probably wouldn’t take off my hoop earrings and throw down if there was a shortage of these trios and I was forced to fight for the last one, but I might reach for one on a Friday night if I wanted to do a fast and shimmery smokey eye that didn’t require a ton of work.”

But that seems like a lot to say with puffs of smoke…

MAC Smoky Black Friday swatches — Wearing Smoky Black Friday on my lids and MAC Matte Lipstick in Nouvelle Vogue on my lips

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