Karen

Last-Minute Halloween Costume Idea: I’m Miss World (or the Live Through This Cover Art)

October 24th, 2014 by Karen 23 Comments

For better or worse, the ’90s are back.

On the one hand, I’m hoping this does not mean the reincarnation of lumber jack boots (NOOOOO!). On the other, I’ve been having a lot of fun listening to music I haven’t heard in ages.

This last-minute Halloween costume was inspired by an album I had on repeat for months back in the day, Hole’s Live Through This.

The costume came together pretty quickly. Done in less than an hour, and it was easy since there wasn’t a ton of blending. The makeup took about 20 minutes, and the hair about 15.

1. Crazy eyes!

I wanted the eyes to be dramatic like the girl eye’s on the album cover, and I didn’t want to spend a ton of time blending eyeshadow on my lids since the smeared mascara was probably going to overpower the eyeshadow anyway.

So, to start, I grabbed a frosty silver cream shadow and applied that all over my lids and crease. Then I rimmed my water lines with a black kohl pencil and popped on a pair of fierce false lashes.

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I Like Big Buns, and I Cannot Lie: The $5 Mia Beauty Bun Ease Subdues Savage Strands and Sends Scrunchies Scurrying

October 24th, 2014 by Karen 30 Comments

These days, I have about this much patience for my hair…

Seriously, I just can’t freaking deal! Even the curling iron feels like too much work.

So lately I’ve been all about #thatscrunchielife, because it only takes about 10 seconds to either corral my mane into a low side pony…

…or put it up into this haphazard ponytail/bun number I lovingly call my “crazy cat lady hair.”

I have come to the realization, however, that as tempting as it is, woman cannot live on scrunchies alone. Eventually, we have to leave the house, and when we’re out there in the big, bad world, it really does help to look like a responsible citizen. It makes strangers less likely to run away when you say things like, “I’m looking for a velvet king or princess costume for my 20-pound cat.”

In that vein, and to expand my hair style horizons, I’ve started using the $5 Mia Beauty Bun Ease.

I grabbed it primarily because of the instructions on the box, which make using it sound so easy (“Just tuck and roll!”). The six-piece kit comes with everything you need to whip up a large four-inch diameter bun — one bun-holder thingy, a ponytail elastic and four large bobby pins — so you don’t have to buy anything else.

Before using it, my major worries were 1) that it would give me a headache, 2) that it wouldn’t stay in place, and 3) that it would be a chore to use, but since it was only $5 ($6 at Target), I figured that I wasn’t risking too much if it didn’t work out.

I’ve been wearing it pretty much all week long, and I’m happy to report that it’s great! It stays in all day, doesn’t make my head hurt, and it’s a cinch to use.

With it I can knock out a casually messy bun in one or two minutes. I’ll just gather my hair into a ponytail, slip it into the bun contraption, spread the ends of my hair over the edge, and roll the bun down. Then I secure it with the four bobby pins that come with the kit.

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Things Never Go Well When I Start Doing My Makeup Before __________ Happens

October 24th, 2014 by Karen 16 Comments

Oh, where to start??

Things never go well when I start doing my makeup before coffee happens, because hello! — I’m officially not awake until about 10:30…regardless of when I physically get out of bed. 🙂

Seriously, though, clean brushes. That’s my real answer. I’m pretty good about washing my brushes now (almost always daily), but that’s only because I learned the hard way that dirty brushes equals muddy blending. I like to have clean brushes because blending for me is hard enough as it is, and I need all the help I can get.

Let’s see…what else?

Ah! Primer. When I don’t start with primer, it all goes to sh*t. Primer just seems to make everything that comes after it apply more smoothly and makes things easier to blend. It’s a step I never (almost never) skip.

Your turn, babe. How would you finish the following sentence: Things never go well when I start doing my makeup before __________ happens.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!

Last-Minute Halloween Costume Idea: MEOW! A Simple, Sassy Kitty Costume

October 23rd, 2014 by Karen 35 Comments

Candy, costumes, crazy makeup and cats! As much as I love Halloween, and I do love Halloween, I don’t think I’ve ever planned a Halloween costume more than one week out, which is kind of funny, considering how with certain other aspects of my life, like packing for trips or making playlists, I’m a compulsive over-planner.

I mean, dude! — you should see my running playlist. I have every track planned down to the last minute/mile. I kid you not.

With Halloween, though, I’m all about fast and loose. I think I’m addicted to the last-minute thrill, the pressure of putting something together at the last minute and seeing it all come together. 🙂

I wasn’t even planning on dressing up at all this year, truth be told. I dunno… I just haven’t really been feeling it lately (it happens), but today, as I was squeezing my employer’s front paws into his velvet royal tabby costume, I felt inspired.

So I whipped up this simple, sassy kitty costume using some things I had on hand/paw.

Step 1: Start with smokey eyes

I’d already done these cat-shaped smokey eyes earlier, and I think they exude Halloween drama, so I started with them.

To ramp things up you could add falsies, which would be super cool. I wanted to, but I’d just applied the long claw nails (see step 3) and didn’t want to risk poking my eyes out, LOL!

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Fall Makeup Trends With Dolce & Gabbana National Makeup Artist Christian McCulloch

October 23rd, 2014 by Karen 9 Comments

Dolce & Gabbana Perfect Mono Cream Eye Colour

Teach me the ways, *sensei!* Dolce & Gabbana National Makeup Artist Christian McCulloch talks fall makeup

Come meet Christian this Saturday, October 25

Bay Area babes and dudes and out-of-towners visiting the area, you’re in for a treat. Dolce & Gabbana’s National Makeup Artist, the fabulous Christian McCulloch, will be visiting Saks Fifth Avenue in San Francisco’s Union Square on Saturday, October 25, and he’ll be doing makeovers!

Christian has worked his magic on some of Hollywood’s hottest ladies, including Scarlett Johannsson, Christina Hendricks and Olivia Wilde. More importantly, he complimented me once on my brows. 🙂

Christian will be at the Dolce & Gabbana counter inside Saks from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. He’ll be there to introduce and answer questions about the new fall collection and fall’s latest looks. Based on the one time I met him, I think you’ll have a blast and could learn a lot (he’s kind of a ham!).

Call (415) 438-5225 to book an appointment for a makeover with Christian while he’s in town. No minimum purchase necessary, and it’s free to attend.

Speaking of Christian and fall and Dolce & Gabbana, I asked him a few questions by email recently, and here’s what he had to say about trends for fall…

QUESTION: So which beauty trends are you most excited about this fall?

ANSWER: Fall 2014 is all about warm, natural looks softly illuminated by iridescent tones. I love this ethereal, yet bold look because it transitions wonderfully from day to night. This modern take on a natural look is created with a clean lid and a strong, bold brow.

Illuminate the eyes with soft, nude shades — I’m loving Dolce & Gabbana Perfect Mono Intense Cream Eye Colors in Nude and Gold Dust ($36 each).
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A Bounty of Beauty Awaits in theBalm Balmsai Eyeshadow and Brow Palette

October 23rd, 2014 by Karen 57 Comments

I’d fully intended to channel the spirt of the bikini babe on the front of theBalm’s new Balmsai Eyeshadow and Brow Palette ($39.50) this morning by doing a light, colorful, tropical surfer babe eye makeup look, but then I started listening to The Smiths and this dark smokey eye happened…

Oops.

Oh, well. I am human and I need to be loved! 🙂

Oh, Morrissey… How I love your emo warbling. I think you really get my pain, the pain all the way down in the marrow of my bones (my lower back still hurts after the half marathon).

Speaking of things that really “get it,” theBalm always seems to know what I want/need in an eyeshadow palette. Their Balmsai palette has a great combination of neutral matte and shimmer finishes fabulous for classic looks, as well as some fun teal, blue and purple shades for spice.

On my lips: Illamasqua Glamore Lipstick in Naked and MAC Cremesheen Glass in Stately Shimmer

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Purr-Fect Cat Eyeliner Flicks Are Easy With This Quick Makeup Tip Using MAC Fast Response Eye Cream and a Q-Tip

October 22nd, 2014 by Karen 18 Comments

Throughout the long, hallowed (not really) history of Karen’s Cat Eyeliner Life, Volume I, I’ve drawn a lot of cat eyeliner looks on my cat lady lids, and over all those years, I can count on one paw the number of times I’ve drawn two perfectly angled flicks. That’s how rarely it occurs!

Most of the time, it’s my left flick. The right will be OK, but the left will turn out wonky, angled either too low or too high, or too short or too long.

It’s pretty much guaranteed that one or both flicks will need an adjustment.

One quick way to fix your flicks is with an eye cream and a Q-tip. What I’ll do is soak a Q-tip with a little bit of the cream, then run that along the edges of the flick to instantly sharpen them and/or fix any mistakes, all while adding some extra moisture around my eye area (something I need anyway).
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