Karen

Which Would Be Harder To Give Up — Makeup or Nail Polish?

October 11th, 2013 by Karen 31 Comments

Ah, the burning questions that keep me up at night…

After much tossing and turning, I’ve decided that it would definitely be harder to give up makeup.

I mean, I am absolutely, positively nuts about having my toenails polished. In fact, I don’t think I’ve left the house with unpainted toes since high school (’cause when my long toes are naked, I look like I have monkey feet!), so that would not be an easy habit to break…but giving up concealer, brow filler and gloss would be even tougher.

What about you? Which would be harder to give up — makeup or nail polish?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Honk If You’re a…

October 11th, 2013 by Karen 7 Comments

CRAZY CAT LADY!

Gotta give a special shout-out to MBB reader (and Tabs super-fan) Phoenix. Phoenix is a 9-year-old budding makeup artist and feline enthusiast who loves bright colors and green nail polish (heck, who doesn’t?).

Phoenix and his makeup mentor, my friend Heidi, felt that I, as a professional pet assistant, needed this Crazy Cat Lady car magnet.

I tend to agree. 🙂

Thanks, guys! Hope you’re having a great Friday so far.

The New Too Faced Jingle All the Way Pop-Out Makeup Palette Leaves a Makeup Message After the Beep

October 11th, 2013 by Karen 14 Comments

To all the beleaguered pet assistants and/or ladies (and dudes) living under the tyrannical paw of their feline overlords…please do not expect to actually keep the cute iPhone case that comes with the Too Faced Jingle All the Way Pop-Out Makeup Palette ($25).

Because once your cat captor sees the adorable pink and gold design, basically, you’re toast. He or she will claim it as their own quicker than you can say, “Siri, what time does Petco close tonight??”

Ha! I made myself laugh… 🙂

This gift set is all kinds of cute! The iPhone case (iPhone 5 only) is a neat twist, but yeah, there’s also a makeup palette (which cleverly pops out).

Talk about perfect stocking stuffers.

Just be careful to hide it from your makeup-loving, fashion-forward pet; otherwise, you’re liable to lose it. Shoot, I had the case on my phone all but two seconds before Tabs claimed it as his own.

The moment I finished replacing his current Kate Spade phone case for this one, I got a text from Tabs that read, “stop pouting, strt swatching 11 shadows, blush, bronzer asap, thx.”

Whatever tabby wants, tabby gets (sigh). Remind me again why I signed up for this gig…

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A Closer Look at the Lovely NARS Guy Bourdin Holiday Collection

October 10th, 2013 by Karen 35 Comments

NARS Exhibit A Blush — Wearing Exhibit A Blush, Mississippi Cinematic Eyeshadow and Goodbye Emmanuelle Cinematic Lipstick from the new NARS Guy Bourdin collection

Earlier this week, the day after I posted a quick look at this collection, I learned that the release, specifically the tie-in to Guy Bourdin’s sometimes dark, disturbing photography, sparked a controversy. I’ve decided to cover the collection because I see this as an issue of art, personal preference and freedom of expression. As someone who was in an abusive relationship, I could say more, but I don’t intend to say anything further about it in public.

The Blushes ($29 each)

The first products I ever fell in love with from NARS were their blushes (can I get a what-what for Amour?!), and the blushes in this release reminded me of that. The brand has some of the best blushes around. In classic NARS fashion, the three here in the Guy Bourdin collection last all day long, look natural, and I don’t have to load a dozen layers on my cheeks to see them.

NARS Exhibit A — Blush in Exhibit A, a matte vivid red

First, there’s Exhibit A, a re-promote from the permanent line. It’s a vivid red with a matte finish…

NARS Coeur Battant — Blush in Coeur Battant, a magenta

Then, there’s Coeur Battant, also a matte, but this one’s an intense magenta.

NARS Day Dream — Blush in Day Dream, a peachy pink

Lastly, there’s Day Dream, a peachy pink with an opalescent, almost angelic shimmer.

The big theme here? Pigment. One or two swipes across each of these pans is all it takes for bright color on both cheeks. For reals! Even Day Dream, which I thought I’d have to layer, only requires a couple swipes.

But because these blushes lay down lots of color, they can be very tricky to use. Even with a light touch, it’s easy to go overboard with them (at least for me). If you’ve never worn blush before, you might want to go for something sheerer. There are lots of great beginner’s blushes out there, but I don’t think these three are among them.

If, on the other hand, you’re already comfortable with blush (or if you’re just an adventurous beginner), you should be totally fine.

And yeah, I know you’ve got mad blush skills, yo! — but still, I’d opt for either a skunk brush or a fan brush, instead of a regular blush brush, to avoid over-applying. Might as well make it easier on yourself, ya know?

MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A

NARS Day Dream Blush — Blush in Day Dream

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Makeup Storage Ideas: Using a Deluxe Bead Organizer for Eyeshadow Singles and Paint Pot Jars

October 10th, 2013 by Karen 23 Comments

So, each of these $7.99 Deluxe Bead Organizers from Jo-Ann holds 30 eyeshadow pans or Paint Pot jars.

And if you feel extra ambitious and/or loopy, you could even make labels to take your makeup organizing to the next level.

LOL! This is what happens when you worked at a law office as the gatekeeper to a file room filled with files on over 400 cases. I still bear the metaphorical scars…

What Are Your Most Reliable, Gotta-Get-It Drugstore Makeup Products?

October 10th, 2013 by Karen 75 Comments

That’s L’OrÃ©al’s matte reddish coral Le Matte Colour Riche Lipstick in She’s So Matte on my pout…

I’ve been on a drugstore makeup tear lately, and I’m curious — what budget makeup products do you absolutely swear by? Is there a line of drugstore foundation you love? A particular brand/shade of lipstick you’ll always go out of your way for? An eyeshadow, waterproof mascara or liquid liner?

Let me know. Spill the beans in the comments. What are your most reliable, gotta-get-it drugstore makeup products?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. How’s it going? 🙂

P.P.S. Not drugstore related, but if you’re an MBB reader in NYC, Illamasqua’s Creative Director, Alex Box, will be at the 59th Street Bloomingdale’s today from 6:30-8:00 p.m. to celebrate the launch of the brand at the store. She’ll be doing live beauty demonstrations, so it’ll be a great opportunity to watch her work some serious makeup magic. How cool is that?! Wish I could be there, but Tabs wouldn’t give me the time off…

With a Bold Performance, the Inglot Pippin Collection Puts on Quite a Show

October 9th, 2013 by Karen 21 Comments

A long time ago (the ’90s), in a galaxy far, far away (high school), I proudly wore the badge of “Musical Theater Nerd.”

Still do, actually. It was one of the best times of my life, and I think that when you still know the lines to West Side Story after 20-something years (that’s what a few hundred hours of rehearsals will do to you), they should send you a “Musical Theater Nerd” lifetime membership card…

Memories of old rehearsals came flooding back to me when I’d heard that Inglot was collaborating with the Broadway musical, Pippin.

The brand is currently sponsoring the makeup for the Tony-Award winning production, which is running now in New York (I’ve never seen it but would love to), and the new nine-piece Pippen collection commemorates the show.

If bold blues, reds and golds — and gobs o’ glitter — make you belt show tunes, you can wear these pieces for eyes, cheeks, lips and bods while you perform. 🙂