Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup
A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict
An oldie but a goodie! It originally appeared with the summer 2013 Midnight Bloom collection, but now it lives in the permanent line.
I’m obsessed with that mint green pan in the upper left…
LOVE! 
This delectable dessert is $59 and available now at Saks Dolce & Gabbana counters and online.
For fun, think of a caption for the bottom pic. Channel your inner Tabs, and imagine what he might say. Perhaps something thuggish like…
“Uh! Check out these guns, girl!”
Or…
“Pardon me! Didn’t you see the sign out front!? This tanning bed is taken, hello.”
Anyone else up yet?
Just a quick hi from Novato. It’s actually before the crack o’ dawn out here, about 4 o’clock in the morning, and I’m getting ready to head to the airport.
I’m zipping down to Southern California to talk shop and spend a spa day with Too Faced Cosmetics in Rancho Palos Verdes, ooh la la!
It’s a short flight from the Bay, so I’ll be back tonight in time to give Tabs his gravy (priorities, ya know?).
Got my camera gear all packed up, and I plan to take one or two zillion pictures. Swing by when you can throughout the day (and check in on Twitter and Instagram). If I spot anything interesting — anything at all — you’ll be the first to know.
See you soon from SoCal. 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Bay Area beauty lovers, do you have plans this Saturday?
If you’re free from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. and in the mood for makeup, swing by the Saks Fifth Avenue store at Union Square in San Francisco, and meet Christian McCulloch, Dolce & Gabbana’s new National Makeup Artist.
He’ll be creating custom summer makeup looks by appointment, free with purchase (no minimum, holla!).
To book your 30-minute appointment, just call (415) 438-5225, and then set Siri to remind you on Saturday morning. “Siri, remind me about my awesome makeover.” 🙂
Who is Christian McCulloch?
Fascinated by the power of makeup’s transformative qualities, McCulloch began his career as a makeup artist in Sydney, Australia in his teenage years. His first major project came shortly after with his work gracing the pages of Australian Vogue before the age of twenty-two.From there he continued to establish himself as an industry trendsetter and has worked with global publications, including Vogue (US, China, Germany, Japan, Mexico and Turkey editions), Allure, Interview, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle (French, German, UK and US editions), V Magazine, W Magazine (US and Korea editions).
Throughout his career, MuCulloch has become known for his fine attention to the quality of skin, his bold experimentation with color and his precision with contour; as well as his strong smoky eye, which has made him a favorite of many beauty editors and celebrities.
Outside of fashion, McCulloch is one of the most sought after makeup artists for top Hollywood actors including: Rachel Weisz, Kate Winslet, Tilda Swinton, Selma Blair, Rachel McAdams, Joy Bryant, Jennifer Connelly, Naomi Watts, Hilary Swank, Cameron Diaz, Anne Hathaway, Nicole Richie, Kanye West, Milla Jovovich, Rachel Zoe, Emma Stone and Jessica Biel.
— Dolce & Gabbana
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Could nixies, fairies and sprites be responsible for Pixi True Teal’s enchantingly smooth formula, which flitters across skin like butterfly wings?
Are nymphs gathered around a tiny table somewhere behind a magical dimension door in the back of a nondescript Chinese restaurant somewhere, plotting ways to lure more beauty lovers into falling in love with True Teal’s supernatural pigments?
Or have I simply endured one too many conversations with El Hub about Dungeons & Dragons?
Either way, I’ve been looking for a new teal liner to wear this summer, and Pixi’s $15 Endless Silky Eye Pen in No. 6 True Teal is the frontrunner.
Just look at that color! And it’s so smooth and pigmented…
It has some of the same fairy magic that Chanel Azure does in the way it appears to change color from teal to a dark ocean blue in the light.
More magic…
One swish along my lash lines, and I’m set for the day. The formula doesn’t even find its way into my creases, which I really appreciate. 🙂
It performs fantastically on lash lines, but I don’t think it likes the water as much as Bobbi Brown Jet. I like the job Jet does better along my water lines.
These Pacifica Purify Coconut Water Cleansing Wipes? You need to get on these, babe. They popped up at Target a couple months ago. I think they’re pretty new to the beauty scene, but dang! — they’re great.
Each pack comes with 30 biodegradable, moistened cleansing towelettes, perfect for removing makeup, among other things.
I’m lovin’ the groovy blue and yellow packaging, the practical button closure (because it really sucks when your face wipes dry out, right?) and the appetizing coconut scent, which is making me crave a big piece of Hawaiian haupia (coconut pudding).
Mmm… Coconut water.
Oops! Had a little bit of drool there. 🙂
I’ve had some bomb-@ss coconut water in my day. The BEST was on a visit to the Philippines, just me and my mom, when I was 21. We stayed with family in Manila but drove out to the countryside one day to visit other relatives.
El Hub and I were in the mood to try something new last weekend, so we hit up El Huarache Loco, a Mexican restaurant in Larkspur in southern Marin.
I ordered a hurache (a sandal-shaped corn masa cake filled with beans topped with salsa, cilantro, crema, queso fresco and onions) with nopales (cactus) and a jicama salad (jicama, bell peppers, cabbage and onions with a pineapple vinaigrette).
El Hub ordered the chicken mole “El Huarache Loco.”
We also ordered chips and salsa to share.
Two-second roundup: meh, just okay. El Hub wasn’t crazy about his dish (the sauce to him tasted “off”) and my hurache was pretty bland. I did like the jicama salad. Crunchy and light, and the flavors were on point.
It surprised me that they actually charged for chips and salsa (really, now?). It would’ve been nice if it was complimentary.
I may go back for the jicama salad if I’m craving it something fierce and too lazy to make it myself. Maybe.
Tarte’s Park Ave Princess Bronze & Glow Matte Bronzer & Cheek Tint, $32. Available now at Sephora, Ulta and online.
