Karen

Just Cats

October 31st, 2014 by Karen 9 Comments

You know you’ve reached the crazy cat lady point of no return when you walk into a store, see a bone china mug with an orange tabby on it wearing a strand of pearls and posing in a bed of purple and yellow flowers, and you grab it without a moment’s hesitation because YOU HAVE TO HAVE IT LIKE RIGHT NOW.

I found this Just Cats mug by Roy Kirkham at HomeGoods last weekend (during the same visit when I found the apple coring doohickey) for $6.

I did some searching online, and apparently it’s part of a set of mugs, each with a different painting of cats and flowers, and it seems like they’re discontinued, which is a huge bummer, because who wouldn’t want a full set of bone china mugs covered in cats and flowers?! 🙂

Diamond in the Rough or Hidden Gem? The New Smashbox on the Rocks Photo Op Eye Shadow Luxe Palette Is Both!

October 31st, 2014 by Karen 20 Comments

Basically, if a beauty burglar raided a fortified diamond emporium that also stocked jewel-toned eyeshadows and then crammed her beauty booty into a single palette, that palette might look like the new 28-pan Smashbox On the Rocks Photo Op Eye Shadow Luxe.

Clearly designed to entice with endless eyeshadow possibilities and pics of holographic cushion- and emerald-cut bling, this limited edition palette is filled with a nice selection of surprisingly complex jewel-toned shades that are almost as dazzling as a diamond-encrusted tiara.

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The Latest From Nudestix for Holiday 2014: Makeup Pens and Pencils for Casual Convenience

October 31st, 2014 by Karen 24 Comments

Wearing the new Nudestix Lip Pen in Bare Matte ($24) and the #GILTYLOVE Holiday Kit ($49), available now at Sephora

Eaack! What was that?! Did you see it? I thought I saw something behind me…

Oh, well. Never mind. I guess it’s gone. 🙂

I was just about to tell you how much I like Nudestix, an upstart makeup line out of Toronto. I like how all of their stuff seems, I dunno, kind of unstructured and casual.

A quick swipe here, a little pat there and some blending with a fingertip, and voila! You’re done. But you still look like you put in some effort.

With these pieces on your lids and lips, no one will mistake you for something that just fell off a vegetable truck and rolled to the side of the road (an issue that plagues me often).

It’s makeup to wear while you’re lounging next to a fireplace, sipping hot cocoa in a button-up flannel, leggings and a cozy scarf, perhaps also with some fuzzy Yeti slipper-boots, which your cat will hate with a passion (of course). In other words, it’s casual makeup.

Nudestix Gilty Love Holiday Kit — #GILTYLOVE Holiday Kit, $49

For their first holiday collection ever, they’ve released a limited edition $49 set of three Magnetic Eye Colors called #GILTYLOVE. (Did you just say “hashtag” out loud? Because I totally did.)

The artwork on the tin, which houses three full-size creamy pencil eyeshadows in shimmery taupe Twilight, peachy gold Gilt and matte black Night, is by Canadian artist Jessica Gorlicky.

I like to use these pencils as accents. Like here, for depth and nuance, I’ve applied Twilight (the taupe) on my lower lash lines, Night on my water lines and Gilt on my brow bones and in the inner corners. (Side note: I’m wearing Giorgio Armani Orient Excess palette on my lids, and that’s LORAC Front of the Line Pro Line Liquid Eyeliner in Navy on my lash lines.)

The $49 tin (a $72 value) is available now exclusively at Sephora stores and online.
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Sailors With Brown, Green and Hazel Eyes May Want to Enlist in This Navy: LORAC Front of the Line Pro Liquid Eyeliner in Navy

October 30th, 2014 by Karen 22 Comments

LORAC Front of the Line Pro Navy — Meow, cat eyeliner! Wearing the new LORAC Front of the Line Pro Liquid Eyeliner in Navy, $23

If LORAC had a Navy (they do), and it was recruiting (they are), I’d tell the ladies in charge that this sailor is going to need a steady supply of Front of the Line Pro Liquid Eyeliner if you want her to sign up.

Because I am not about to get stuck at sea without the proper tools to do cat eyes.

Huh-uh.

I’d also add that I absolutely, positively don’t do boats.

Sorry. Just one of my stipulations. 🙂

Ulgh, all the bobbing up and down… Makes me a little nauseous, which is kind of funny, seeing as how I come from Navy stock (my dad was in the service), and I love the ocean.

Weird.

New LORAC Front of the Line Pro Liquid Eyeliner in dark blue Navy ($23) is the latest shade in the brand’s fabulous line of liquid liners.

I’ve been a fan of the original black version for years. I like it because it’s relatively inexpensive, I can get really crisp lines with it, and the long, flexible tip makes it easy to draw those little flicks at the ends of my cat eyeliner.

A dark bluish black (no green in it), Navy has a gorgeous satiny finish that loves lash lines, and it’s strong as iron! It easily lasts all day.

I think it really does a lot for brown, green and hazel eyes (and other eye colors too).

The tube I’ve been using, though, might be a little wonky, and I’m actually hoping it’s a manufacturing error. For reasons unknown, this particular pen is nowhere near as easy to wield as the other Front of the Lines I’ve used, and I’ve gone through three or four of them over the past few years.

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Next Stop: Kitties! The New Giorgio Armani Orient Excess Palette Clutch Is Almost Purr-Fect

October 30th, 2014 by Karen 32 Comments

Tickets, please! Please have your tickets ready. Now boarding for the Giorgio Armani Orient Excess!

Good afternoon! My name is Karen, and I’ll be your conductor today.

This is a holiday train. Before we leave Novato station, all tray tables and seat backs must be in the upright position. Fasten your safety belt, and please keep your new Orient Excess Palette Clutch ($100) in sight at all times.

A two-piece holiday set, the $100 limited edition Giorgio Armani Orient Excess Palette Clutch includes a lush, velvet clutch and a two-tiered palette with an illuminating powder and three powder eyeshadows.

Be advised that pickpockets are known to target passengers on the train, and thefts have been on the rise ever since this two-piece set arrived on Giorgio Armani counters (it’s also available online).

Management believes that a local criminal syndicate of crazy cat ladies is responsible. The CCLs have been targeting the set’s blue compact for two reasons.

First, the thieves are unable to resist the sumptuous design on the illuminating face powder; second, the three powder eyeshadow colors remind them of kitties.

The three eyeshadows on the shadow tier of the round palette are classic Armani. No fallout whatsoever, and they’re smoother than a tomcat lothario.

CCLs report that the shades look kind of like cat fur colors. The dark brown on the far left reminds them of a Havana Brown, the middle shade a Russian Blue, and the golden taupe on the far left evokes a Siamese.

According to one CCL, “The shimmery finish doesn’t emphasize the fine lines on my lids, either.”

When asked about the compact’s illuminating powder, the CCL replied, “It’s not my favorite. It’s very sheer, and I can barely see any sheen or shine on my skin. I dig subtle finishes, but this one’s a little too quiet…”

She did, however, like the clutch. “Totally cute!” she said. “But it’s small and doesn’t fit a lot. Just a compact, a lipstick and maybe your ID. You can forget about your phone though.”

Speaking as a part-time CCL who only moonlights as a conductor, the blueish gray shadow in the center totally reminds me of a Russian Blue in my neighborhood.

I may or may not have exclaimed, “Ooh, kitties!” the first time I put these shadows on my lids.
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When You’re Suddenly Struck by an Urge for Pink Hair, There’s Redken Color Rebel Temporary Hair Makeup in Punked Up Pink

October 30th, 2014 by Karen 32 Comments

Redken Color Rebel Punked Up Pink — Good morning!

This morning, shortly after my second cup of coffee but before I put on any makeup, this happened.

Yes, I’m rocking pajamas, and I have not yet filled in my brows (wassup, Raul?!), but I so overtaken by the pink power of Redken’s Color Rebel Hair Makeup in Punked Up Pink ($25) that I couldn’t wait to take pics.

With a low mess factor, it’s a super-easy-to-use temporary hair color. I did this in about 20 minutes.

This color, Punked Up Pink, leans a little more magenta than pink on my dark chocolate brown hair.

The thick, water-resistant formula starts out like a lotion but dries to a fine powder, which, I’m learning right now, lasts through blow drying and styling with a round brush. It’s also supposed to stand up to flat ironing, curling and other kinds of styling, but I haven’t tried those yet.

Twisting the applicator dispenses the product, which comes out through a sponge at the top.

You apply from the sponge directly to dry hair, comb it through, and either wait for it to air dry, or use a blow dryer to speed things along. Apply additional layers for more color intensity.

Redken says that after it sets, the color can last up to two shampoos, depending on how porous your hair is and how much of the product you use.

A couple things though…

Use gloves. The product doesn’t come with a pair, but I wish it did. I thought I’d be able use it and just walk away without pink fingers if I washed my hands between layers (I did two or three for each section of hair), but even with washing and trying to be careful, I have a couple of bright pink freckles on my fingers.
Wait until you’re done applying the color before you style your hair. The lotion-y formula starts wet, so any heat styling done before using it will go bye-bye.
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Tom Ford Lays Out the Welcome Matte With the Holiday 2014 Color Collection

October 29th, 2014 by Karen 38 Comments

Tom Ford Lip Color Matte — The new Tom Ford Holiday 2014 Color Collection

Tom Ford must moonlight as a matte scientist…because his new 13-piece holiday Color Collection is all about matte!

[crickets]

Get it…? Matte scientist? Sorry, I know that was a totally substandard pun.

Let me try again…

This year, Tom Ford is channeling Spencer Tracy with an all-star cast of matte lipsticks to make sure we’re all living in a matte, matte, matte, matte world!

Get it? Spencer Tracy? Because there was a movie…

Never mind.

Last try…

I am so matte right now.

(How matte are you?)

I am so matte right now that Tom Ford could hire me to be one his eight new Lip Color Matte lipsticks, badum-tish!

Good enough! 🙂

Lips take center stage in the new 13-piece Tom Ford Holiday 2014 Color Collection (Tom also released some other holiday sets and perfumes), with a new line of eight Lip Color Mattes.

Sadly, they’re a double take-inducing $50 each, but day-um! — Tom did some serious work on these because I think every one is absolutely freakin’ beautiful.

Tom Ford Spice Tom Ford Lip Color Mattes from the bottom left: Black Dahlia, First Time, Velvet Cherry, Ruby Rush, Flame, Plum Lush, Pussycat and Pink Tease — The Tom Ford Lip Color Mattes from the bottom left in Black Dahlia, First Time, Velvet Cherry, Ruby Rush, Flame, Plum Lush, Pussycat and Pink Tease

Crazy pigmented, they lay down color like Tabs lays down for a nap — smoothly — and without any patchiness in sight.

As if that wasn’t enough, the lightweight formula lasts a good, long time. I haven’t had them on long enough to clock them down to the minute, but I’m going to say six or seven hours (they remind me of a thicker, longer-lasting version of the Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet Intense Long-Wear Lip Colours).

Tom Ford Lip Color Matte Swatches, Top row: First Time (left) and Pink Tease, (right); second row: Pussycat and Plum Lush; third row: Flame and Ruby Rush; bottom row: Sweet Cherry and Black Dahlia — Top row: First Time (left) and Pink Tease, (right); second row: Pussycat and Plum Lush; third row: Flame and Ruby Rush; bottom row: Sweet Cherry and Black Dahlia

I’m crushing Hulk-caliber hard on the nude shades in First Time, Pink Tease and Pussycat. Oh! — but that bright orangey red (Flame) is also a stunner.

For eyes, Tom included two glossy, neutral cream shadows as spicy counterparts to the matte lipsticks.

Tom Ford Cream Color for Eyes in Platinum — Cream Color for Eyes in Platinum

Tom Ford Cream Color for Eyes in Spice — Cream Color for Eyes in Spice

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The Chanel Collection Plumes Precieuses de Chanel Holiday 2014: Feathers and Diamonds to Tickle Fancies and Make Hearts Flutter

October 29th, 2014 by Karen 41 Comments

Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour in Phenix — Makeup by the new Plumes Precieuses de Chanel holiday 2014 collection. Eyes: Les 5 Ombres de Chanel Eyeshadow Palette in Oiseaux de Nuit. Upper cheekbones: Camelia de Plumes Highlighting Powder. Lips: Rouge Allure Velvet Luminous Matte Lip Colour in La Flamboyante. Nails: Le Vernis Nail Colour in Phenix.

Feathers and diamonds, the inspirations for the new Plumes Precieuses de Chanel holiday 2014 collection, are two things that Tabs and I love in almost equal measure (well, I’m more partial to the diamonds, but he goes buck wild for the feathers!).

The nine-piece holiday release has just started to alight and sparkle on Chanel counters (it’s also available online), and it’s steeped in classic colors. Red and gold enliven lips and nails, while luminescent peach and platinum gold highlight cheeks, and subtle, sophisticated gray, black, beige and gold luxuriously glimmer on lids.

Can I just say that I think the marketing visuals for this collection are off the hook gorgeous??

I LOVE those eyes! — and how the gold wraps around the inner corners to merge with the smokey black lower lash lines, and the shimmery gray goes all the way up to the brows.

The velvet matte red lips and glossy red nails? Also killer. The whole ensemble combines bold and sophisticated in a way I’d happily wear every day, if I thought I could get away with it.

Chanel Collection Plumes Precieuses de Chanel Holiday 2014 — LOVE. IT.

All of the pieces are limited edition, so if you see something you love or like, better to grab it sooner than later.

Here are the items aggressively tickling my fancy…

Camelia de Plumes Highlighting Powder, $72

Chanel Camelia de Plumes — Camelia de Plumes Highlighting Powder in Platine, a soft platinum sheen, $72

If I could bathe in a claw-foot tub filled with this stuff, I would, and with as much as that would probably cost (according to my calculations and based on an 80-gallon tub, about $2.6 million), people would wonder if I made a deal with the devil. Looking at the otherworldly glow of my skin from the platinum gold sheen, they might also assume I was doing an extreme wheatgrass juice cleanse, but I digress…

When light catches the high points on my face while I’m wearing this, it looks like there are creamy streams of starlight on my cheeks.

Seriously. Lovin’ on this.

Chanel Camelia de Plumes Swatch — Camelia de Plumes

Les 5 Ombres de Chanel Eyeshadow Palette in Oiseaux de Nuit, $80

Chanel Oiseaux de Nuit — Les 5 Ombres de Chanel Eyeshadow Palette ($80) in Oiseaux de Nuit, with a luminous white, a soft grayish lavender, an intense dark gray, an intense black and an antique gold

If you like your eye looks bold, you probably won’t have lusty dreams about this palette. Its shadows are closer to moderately pigmented than high, and I see it more for ladies and gents looking for softly defined, luminous lids.

The shadows blend like buttah and behave well, with very little fallout (even the black shade), but be careful if you tend to over-blend, because these are so buttery that things can turn muddy fast. I repeat: keep control of your blending brush.

Chanel Oiseaux de Nuit Swatch — Oiseaux de Nuit

Rouge Allure Velvet Luminous Matte Lip Colour in La Flamboyante, $35

Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet Luminous Matte Lip Colour in La Flamboyante, a bright orangey red, $35 — Rouge Allure Velvet Luminous Matte Lip Colour in La Flamboyante, a bright orangey red, $35

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