Karen

Big Snakes on a Blog! Or, the New MAC Year of the Snake Large Eye Shadows in Once Upon a Time, Altered State, Carbon and Aztec Brick

February 5th, 2013 by Karen 52 Comments

MAC Year of the Snake Large Eyeshadows in Altered State and Carbon — Here I’m wearing the new $21 MAC Year of the Snake collection Large Eye Shadows (available now exclusively online) in Altered State on my lids and in my creases, and Carbon in the outer corners and along my lower lash lines

Here’s to hoping that these four new Large Eye Shadows from MAC are the closest I ever come to having snakes on top of my eyes!

Not that I have anything against snakes (of the reptilian variety). My aversion to slithering creatures doesn’t extend to snakes. It’s more of an anti-worm policy (they’re so slimy and squiggly, YUCK!). I’m definitely not anti-snake.

I actually think they’re pretty cool and inspiring, really. All sleek, graceful and frightening at the same time, kind of like Grace Jones in Conan The Destroyer.

And speaking of Conan, these snake-patterned 0.10-ounce pans are also pretty huge (twice the size of MAC’s regular 0.05-ounce pans).

MAC Once Upon a Time Large Eye Shadow from the Year of the Snake Collection — Once Upon a Time, a metallic vanilla with a veluxe pearl finish

MAC Aztec Brick Large Eye Shadow — Aztec Brick, a frosted copper with a veluxe pearl finish

MAC Carbon Large Eye Shadow — Carbon, an intense black with a matte finish

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Too Faced Added a Bushel of Berries — Yes, for Spring — to Their Moisturizing La Creme Lipstick Line

February 5th, 2013 by Karen 22 Comments

Too Faced Loganberry Swatch — Here I’m wearing the new Too Faced $21 La Creme Lipstick in berry pink Loganberry, one of four new berry shades available now at Too Faced counters and online at toofaced.com

Berries in the springtime? Absolutely! Why not? 🙂

Too Faced just added four new shades to their deliciously creamy and potently pigmented La Creme Lipstick line, and if you love berry shades, your makeup bag runneth over with good luck.

Too Faced Bumbleberry, Loganberry, So Berry Sexy and Teddy Berry La Creme Shades for Spring 2013 — From the left: Bumbleberry, Loganberry, So Berry Sexy and Teddy Berry

Too Faced La Creme Spring 2013 Bumbleberry, Loganberry, So Berry Sexy and Teddy Berry Swatches — Swatches from the left on my NC42 skin: Bumbleberry, Loganberry, So Berry Sexy and Teddy Berry

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For Chic Burgundy Cheeks, Try the New NARS 413 BLKR Multiple

February 5th, 2013 by Karen 23 Comments

The question is, would I wear the new sheer burgundy cream stick Mutiple in NARS 413 BLKR on my eyes?

Hmm… Probably not, unless I were planning to attend an apocalypse party or wanted to celebrate the mid-season return of The Walking Dead this Sunday night with an undead chic look.

Burgundy eyeshadow plus Karen’s eyelids equals zombie time! But if burgundy’s your jam, you could wear it on your eyes, because NARS designed their (The?) Multiples to work pretty much everywhere — eyes, cheeks, lips, and even your bod, where you could use it to contour.

Dark, imposing and almost Medieval in stick form, 413 BLKR manifests into a much more approachable sheer matte burgundy on cheeks, where it gives a tint like I just spent an hour outside on a sunny hillside, looking up at the clouds and daydreaming…

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Too Faced’s New Spring 2013 La Creme Lipstick Shades

February 5th, 2013 by Karen 11 Comments

Say hello to Too Faced’s four new La Creme Lipsticks. From the left: Bumbleberry (a satin garnet), Loganberry (a berry pink), Teddy Berry (a dusty rose) and So Berry Sexy (a fucshia berry).

P.S. Too Faced just started a giveaway where you can enter to win a dress by designer Misha Nonoo along with some sweet Too Faced spring 2013 goodies (a Sweethearts Blush, a Romantic Eye palette and a La Creme Lipstick in So Berry Sexy). For deets and to enter, visit toofaced.com.

The Face of an Angel

February 5th, 2013 by Karen 19 Comments

Umm, NOT.

Guess who’s on his mommy’s sh*t list? One very uncooperative diva kitty model. Tabs wasn’t in the mood to pose at all with the new MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pots ($18.50 each). Once I placed them on his tum, he let me sneak in three measly shots, and then he got up, walked across the room, plopped down again and shot me dirty looks for the rest of the day.

MAC Took a Shine to Snakes This Year, and Their Efforts Are Slithering Into Makeup Bags: Introducing the Three MAC Year of the Snake Lipsticks

February 4th, 2013 by Karen 38 Comments

MAC Freckletone Lipstick from the MAC Year of the Snake Collection — Here I’m wearing the new MAC Freckletone Lipstick ($15), one of three Lustre Lipsticks from the new Year of the Snake collection, available now exclusively online at maccosmetics.com

[RING! RING!]

ME: Yellow.

EL HUB: Hi, sweetie.

ME: Hi.

EL HUB: How’s it going? Have you had lunch yet?

ME: I’m at Petco.

EL HUB: Getting gravy for Tabs?

ME: No, I’m looking at snakes.

EL HUB: …

ME: And I’m listening to Biggie on my headphones and actually doing The Snake while I watch them.

EL HUB: Not.

ME: Yes.

EL HUB: Why are you doing that?

ME: It’s research…and I’m looking for inspiration to help me write about the new MAC Year of the Snake collection lipsticks.

EL HUB: [LAUGHING] Okay, is it helping?

ME: It is! I’m doing like Don Draper. Remember that Mad Men episode where he said, “Think about it deeply, then forget it. Then an idea will jump up in your face”?

EL HUB: No.

ME: Well he did.

EL HUB: Maybe you could just write about how weird it is to do The Snake in the middle of Petco while actually looking at real snakes.

ME: Hmm… It does sound weird when you say it that way. 🙂

What was the first thing I noticed about the three new lipsticks in the Chinese New Year’s-inspired MAC Year of the Snake collection? That’s easy — their righteous reptilian packaging!

MAC Cockney Lipstick MAC Year of the Snake Collection — Cockney, a sheer yellowish red with multi-dimensional pearl and a Lustre Lipstick finish

Those intricate snake patterns along the sides of the bullets? So cool! I just love those kinds of little touches. It turns something as ordinary as a tube of lipstick into a little work of art.

MAC included two brights — Cockney and Plumful — and one neutral — Freckletone — with the collection, all of them in the MAC Lustre Lipstick formula, which is one of my favorite MAC formulas on account of how easy it is to wear.

Lightweight, smooth, shiny and moisturizing, the Lustres last for me from 3-4 hours. When I want to wear a lipstick but feel like my lips are parched and desperately seeking TLC, I’ll often reach for a Lustre.

MAC Plumful Lipstick MAC Year of the Snake Collection — Plumful, a rosy plum with a Lustre Lipstick finish

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I’m Drawn to the New Dior Diorshow Art Pen

February 4th, 2013 by Karen 25 Comments

Dior Diorshow Art Pen in Catwalk Black — Wearing the new Diorshow Art Pen in Catwalk Black ($30), coming March to Dior counters and Dior.com

I guess you could spend the entire eight hours that Dior’s new quick-drying, long-wearing Diorshow Art Pen ($30) lasts on lids stomping on catwalks and smiling with your eyes. 🙂

Or, you could spend that same amount of time…

Watching the last three episodes of Homeland, Season 2, while wondering whether it’s too late and/or unrealistic to consider a career as a television writer (I’d love to work on something like 30 Rock).
Finishing four loads of laundry and shaking your fists in fury after you find your very furry, very misbehaved cat rolling around on top of a freshly washed load of light-colored laundry like it’s his job.
Writing several long lists, like “Things to do before my birthday,” “Where I want to be in 5 years,” and “Ways to make the world a better place.”
Watching the entire Super Bowl from start to finish, and then having a “Hallelujah!” moment when you realize that you were actually able to follow what was going on, thanks to your husband’s patient football tutelage.
Watching the Puppy Bowl, while mumbling about how cats always seem to get the short end of the stick when it comes to prime-time TV coverage…
Coming close to tears TWICE during the commercial breaks (the Clydesdale horse one and the gorgeous imagery in “God Made a Farmer”)… Freakin’ PMS!!

I really like this liner. It’s available in a single shade, Catwalk Black, a rich, true black without any blue tones that dries quickly to a high-gloss finish. One swipe delivers intense pigment, so I can quickly line my eyes without having to keep adding layers.

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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 257

February 4th, 2013 by Karen 51 Comments

You might be wondering, “So what the heck is this Monday Poll thing anyway?”

Well, it isn’t much of a poll. It’s more just a constantly evolving (devolving?), somewhat random list of questions I’ve been putting out to readers every Monday morning for the past four years. I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.

How do you feel today?
When I worked at my old law gig, there were Monday mornings when I’d walk into my cube, and the first thing I wanted to do was roll myself into a cocoon under my desk behind a pile of boxes and stay there all day. Truth be told, I feel that way this morning, but I’m working through it. And talking to you always makes me feel better. 🙂

What was the highlight of your weekend?
Seeing my friend Cindy on Friday night. We went to dinner and watched Warm Bodies together.

About the movie, thumbs up! Who’d a thunk it? A zombie romance… It’s a little campy, of course, but great screenplay. They cut out parts of the book that didn’t need to be in the movie.

What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?
Flying out to Milan by myself for Fashion Week was probably the most adventurous I’ve been in years.

Which reminds me — I need a new adventure!

Favorite new makeup/beauty product this winter and why?
I’m lovin’ the new Dim Light Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder. I swear it takes 10 years off me — POOF! — like that.

If you were a car, what kind would you be?
A souped up, light blue Mini Cooper. Small, spunky, stylish.

If you could be any character from fiction, whom would you be?
Harriet the spy. And now, would someone please fix me a tomato sandwich? And if you need me, I’ll be hiding in the dumbwaiter. 🙂

In one sentence, how would you describe your outlook on makeup?
Classic with a twist.

What’s one piece of clothing, or an accessory, you wish you could add to your wardrobe?
UGH! PANTS. I desperately need pants. All of the non-stretchy pairs I have keep falling off my butt. And I’m over it.

What are you wearing on your face, lips, eyes and nails today?
Nothing yet, but I’ve got Guerlain, MAC and Dior spring products on my mind (and waiting on my desk to test).

What are your weekly goals?
To get either some wall shelves for my office or some gigantic cabinetry, to have fun writing, and to treat myself kindly. NO negative or critical self talk. That annoying voice needs to pipe down.

To complete the Monday Poll, just copy the following list, and paste it with your answers in the comments.

Le List

1. How do you feel today?
2. What was the highlight of your weekend?
3. What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?
4. Favorite new makeup/beauty product this winter and why?
5. If you were a car, what kind would you be?
6. If you could be any character from fiction, whom would you be?
7. In one sentence, how would you describe your outlook on makeup?
8. What’s one piece of clothing, or an accessory, you wish you could add to your wardrobe?
9. What are you wearing on your face, lips, eyes and nails today?
10. What are your weekly goals?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen