Karen

Bronze Kitteh Says, “Mrow! I Can Haz Lush?”

January 24th, 2014 by Karen 11 Comments

I scooped out every last drop of my limited edition Lush Celebrate Hand and Body Lotion in the bathroom this morning…

Man, I love this stuff! I started using it last month (it was an LE product from their holiday collection) and got hooked immediately.

It smells very sparkly and citrusy (like a mimosa!), and my alligator-like dry skin soaks it up.

I’m kicking myself now for not picking up a spare, but on the bright side (assuming it’s still available), I guess I have an excuse to visit a Lush store soon. 🙂

Oh, and regarding those sad brass kitty bookends, they were a gift from my brother and his girlfriend a few years back.

Wish I knew where they got ’em… If I ever find them online I will definitely let you know. #catladysolidarity

What Are Your Top Three Beauty Pet Peeves?

January 24th, 2014 by Karen 47 Comments

1. Dear product, please don’t go

When I fall in love with a product that’s absolutely perfect in every way, and I wonder, “Where have you been all my life!?” and things are going great for us, and I’m telling everyone about how great it is, and then it gets — gasp! — discontinued.

Case in point: BECCA’s Cabrera Liner, a near perfect purply bronze liner pencil combo, of which I have five backups (yes, I love it that much).

On that dark, dismal day I wear that last stick down to the nub, you’ll find me huddled in a corner somewhere, rocking back and forth as glittery tears stream down my cheeks in slow motion…

2. The bad breakup

When I fall head over heels for a product, but it ends up giving me breakouts, WAH!

Happened a while back with Make Up For Ever’s HD Foundation… It’s been years, but I’m still not over it. If you can wear it, you’re so, so lucky!

3. Packaging woes

This last one is rather specific, but it’s on my mind because I wore the product yesterday, and it made me grit me my teeth. You know MAC’s Pro Longwear Concealer? It’s the bomb dot com when it comes to concealing dark circles, right? But the packaging — it comes in a small glass bottle with a pump — drives me absolutely batty.

The pump has a hair trigger. It’s super touchy, and I always end up dispensing way too much product.

OK, but then when the bottle is running low, it’s hard to get to the last drops, because MAC affixed the cap in a way that doesn’t let you unscrew it. So you can’t open it up. You’re kindastora forced to get a new bottle, even though you know there’s still a good amount of product left in there.

Grrr…

So, beauty pet peeves! Let’s discuss. What are your top three? Please share in the comments.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!

I’m Actually Asleep Right Now, and I’m Dreaming About These…

January 24th, 2014 by Karen 19 Comments

I know, I’m talking about food again. Sorry! What can I say? The PMS is raging right now like a culinary maelstrom, and no amount of calories can satiate it.

I would seriously consider trading my tubby tabby for a plate of these plantain chips and some Puerto Rican food right now…

I took these pics during lunch last weekend at Sol Food in San Rafael.

Mmm… Fried plantain chips (with sort of a Thousand Island-ish dipping sauce).

I had a po’ boy sandwich with breaded, fried shrimp. Guhghll… So good.

El Hub had the pollo al horno plate with roasted chicken, beans, rice, a salad with lemon vinaigrette and two fried plantains (one sweet and one garlic).

I may be sleeping right now (it’s 2 a.m. out here in Cali), but I don’t care. I AM SO HUNGRY, DUDE! 🙂

The New Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Plastic Passion Spring 2014 Collection, and an Important Announcement

January 23rd, 2014 by Karen 30 Comments

Wearing OCC Pool Boy Lip Tar, one of six new shades from the spring 2014 Plastic Passion collection

It is with a heavy heart that I must share some sad news…

The OCC Plastic Passion Spring 2014 collection

I learned today, moments after swatching the Plastic Passion spring 2014 collection by Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics, that I am not nearly cool enough to pull off bright blue matte lips.

And worse still, I probably never will be. 🙁

I introduce exhibit A — a picture of me smiling while wearing Pool Boy, one of six new Lip Tar shades in the release.

I look like a demented clown plotting ways to season and eat a small child for lunch, LOL! I feel like a citizen of the Capitol in Panem…

[Continue reading…]

The Halogen Katrina Bootie: Because You Can Never Have Too Many Pairs of Black Shoes

January 23rd, 2014 by Karen 21 Comments

Booty, booty, booty, booty rockin’ everywhere!

(Side note: I rue the day Bubba Sparxxx released that song.)

I finally put the Nordstrom gift card I got for Christmas to use (thank you, El Hub!). When I saw these Katrina Booties by Halogen on nordstrom.com, to paraphrase Liz Lemon, yes, I had to go to there.

Never mind that I needed another pair of black shoes about as much as Tabs needs an extra serving of gravy tonight.

You can jazz ’em up with a cute black dress for a night on the town, or dress them down with skinny jeans or leggings and a t-shirt.

They’re practical, yo! At least that’s what I told myself when I put them in my cart…and then again when I hit the checkout button. 🙂

A Pink and Bronze Face of the Day Using the NARSissist Eye Palette, With Help From MAC and Urban Decay

January 23rd, 2014 by Karen 25 Comments

A few things…

First, this morning I tried on a pair of skinny jeans I ordered online and got stuck in them.

Seriously.

Apparently, I wasn’t paying close enough attention and ordered the wrong size.

Yeah…

I’d managed to shimmy into them up to my thighs when I realized that something was very wrong, and if I’d kept going, I’d need prayer and the Jaws of Life to get out of them.

Lesson learned here, kids. If you’re going to purchase the Citizens of Humanity Avedon skinny jeans, go up at least one size.

Second, SWV lives!!!

I found them while channel surfing last night. SWV Reunited on WE. The combination of early ’90s R&B and reality TV gets me weak in the knees… I can hardly speak. I lose all control. Then something comes over me… 🙂 Hahaha!

Third, I realized this afternoon that pinkish bronze metallic eyes are totally fun. And not too hard to create, believe it or not! I got the idea from a pink and bronze eye look I saw on UD’s website.

For this face of the day, I went with a few products from MAC, NARS and Urban Decay.

[Continue reading…]

If You Could Only Wear One Eye Look For an Entire Year, What Would It Be?

January 23rd, 2014 by Karen 37 Comments

This one’s easy. 🙂 That would be smoked out brown shadows on my lids with a shimmery gold in the inner corners (’cause I need all the help I can get with the whole “bright eyed” thing), a black kohl pencil on my water lines and black cat liner on my upper lash lines.

Oh! — and copious amounts of mascara, of course, on both my upper and lower lash lines.

In the pic at the top I’m wearing MAC Ricepaper Eye Shadow (my brow bones), MAC Cork Eye Shadow (crease and lower lash lines), MAC Mulch Eye Shadow (crease, lids and lower lash lines), MAC Femme Fi Eye Shadow (inner corners), Tom Ford Eye Defining Pen (upper lash lines), Urban Decay 24/7-Glide On Eye Pencil in Perversion (water lines) and Guerlain Cils D’Enfer Mascara (lashes) and MAC Brun Eye Shadow (my brows).

MAC Mulch Cork Bamboo FOTD — Wearing a few all-star brown eyeshadows from MAC’s permanent collection

For daytime, to keep it casual, I’d pair it with a glossy nude lip. Side note: my current No. 1 nude lip combo is MAC Boldly Bare Lip Pencil topped with Urban Decay Naked Lipgloss in Liar. I’m wearing it in The Fab 5: BECCA Cosmetics and Hourglass Cosmetics videos. Try it some time!

And for a date night/going-out version, just add bright pink, coral or red lips. 🙂

Now what about you? If you could only wear one eye look (every day) for an entire year, what would it be?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Good morning, gorgeous! Since we’re on the subject of eye looks…I’m obsessed with this one I saw on urbandecay.com.

Check it:

I’m all about that metallic shimmer, those “BA-BAM!” brows and those long, luscious lashes…

So quiet. So bold.

Wait — quietly bold…?

Anywho, I’ve been awake since forever (roughly 5:00 a.m.) on account of this particular thug:

I have NO idea what’s going on in that little kitty brain, but every day this week, he’s jumped up on the bed, plopped down on my chest, and kicked on the purr machine at exactly 5 o’clock.

And if I fail to start petting him immediately, he repositions himself with his tum across my neck…like a 20-pound tabby scarf, LOL!

It’s funny now, but it wasn’t very funny at 5 a.m.

Yep, you know cats. There is no method to their madness.

I hope things are most excellent on your end of the keyboard. How’s your week going so far?

Be a Doll, and Hand Me One of Those Seven Recently Revamped Napoleon Perdis China Doll Gel Eyeliners

January 22nd, 2014 by Karen 20 Comments

The recently revamped Napoleon Perdis China Doll Gel Eyeliners

Next time you watch Project Runway (if you watch Project Runway), keep an eye on Heidi Klum’s lower water lines… She uses a trick with white liner to make her eyes look brighter, and it works!

I’ve been looking for a white gel liner to wear on mine for what feels like centuries. I’ve tried MAC’s Fascinating Eye Kohl, off and on, but have never really been happy with the wear time, and on me, unfortunately, it smudges.

All this is to say that I have soaringly high hopes for these recently revamped Napoleon Perdis China Doll Gel Eyeliners — in particular, one of them, a white matte shade called Yang. I’m crossing my fingers that it won’t wiggle or scoot shortly after I get it on my water lines.

Yang is one of seven shades in the line. Napoleon nixed the parabens, which had been in the formula before, and added four new shades to the line in golden Double Happiness, navy Dynasty, blackened gold Forbidden City and pewter Lotus.

These are designed to be worn on lash lines, water lines, as cream shadows, or as bases for powder shadows, and they’re billed as long-wearing and smudge-proof.

We shall see (she said, rolling her hands together conspiratorially). I’m gonna try Yang on my water lines tomorrow. Bright eyes, here I come! 🙂

All seven China Doll Gel Eyeliners are available now at Napoleon Perdis stores, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and online at napoleonperdis.com for $25 each.