Karen

Sweet Holiday Treats and a Virtual Beauty Break at Sephora

October 19th, 2012 by Karen 45 Comments

In case you were wondering what conversations are like before you go to bed when you and your man have been together for 10 years…

El Hub: We should bake some chocolate chip cookies this weekend.

Me: YEAH WE SHOULD!

El Hub: Not those bullsh*t ones from the Toll House tube. They’re good —

Me: But they’re a little too sweet!

El Hub: … I was gonna say they all taste the same. But yeah, I guess they are a little too sweet. And they don’t have anything cool in them like M&Ms.

Me: Yuck! I don’t like M&Ms in my cookies…

El Hub: How can you not like M&Ms in your cookies?

Me: The crunchy shell. It’s just too much. It’s like it defies natural cookie law. I like my mine with semi-sweet chocolate chips. Sometimes with nuts. But not too nutty.

El Hub: You’re too nutty!

Me: Haha. I’ll get a bag of chocolate chips at the store tomorrow, and we’ll make cookies from scratch. It’s easy. We’ll just put M&Ms in yours and leave mine pristine and pure, the way chocolate chip cookies were meant to be. 🙂

No big surprise, but I woke up this morning craving cookies for breakfast.

The only ones we had in the house were the macarons I got at Bouchon Bakery yesterday in Yountville…

sephora holiday 2012 — Cookies…the breakfast of champions!

I guess they’ll have to suffice. We’ll need fuel for our trip to Sephora today.

Here, have one. Or two. We’ll need the sustenance. 🙂

Yes, we’re skipping work/school/watching the kids (just strap ’em in the stroller and bring ’em along!) to go look at makeup this morning. There are way too many great holiday noms on the shelves right now, and I refuse to go without you. You know the old saying: “Two makeup nerds are better than one.”

Let’s look around…

LORAC Eye Candy Full Face Collection, $59

Oh, wow! — the six palettes in LORAC’s new Eye Candy Full Face Collection look like chocolate bars!

I love that…

LORAC Eye Candy Full Face Collection Tantalizing Cocoa — LORAC Eye Candy Full Face Collection in Tantalizing Cocoa

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A Winning Combination

October 19th, 2012 by Karen 10 Comments

Purple and glitter!

You know you can’t say no. 🙂

That’s Zoya Aurora, by the way ($8).

What Are You Wearing on Your Nails?

October 18th, 2012 by Karen 24 Comments

I’ve got Nicole by OPI Mer-Maid For Each Other ($7) on my paws.

It’s a new shade for fall; I painted it on late last night when I otherwise should have been sleeping…

(That’s one of the things insomnia is good for — late-night at-home manicures.)

So I’m really diggin’ this duo-chrome effect. One minute it’s teal, and the next it looks green!

Pretty cool. 🙂

I really wanted to show you what it looks like underwater, like when I’m washing my hands or doing the dishes, because I think it looks neat! — like a mermaid’s tail — but it was logistically challenging (holding the camera with one hand while the other was underwater)…

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A Tip to Get a Relaxed Brow Look That Still Looks Sharp: It’s All in the Brush, Naturally

October 18th, 2012 by Karen 15 Comments

makeup tips for eyebrows — Using a MAC 239 brush to fill in mah brows!

My fellow eyebrow enthusiasts, STOP! Lend me your ears…your brows and your favorite flat eyeshadow brush. 🙂

Instead of filling in the sparse areas of your little caterpillars with a brow powder and an angled eye brush, try using a stiff, flat eyeshadow brush with a rounded edge instead.

I think it just creates a really natural brow look, but still one that’s sharp and put together.

Wish I could say that the idea struck me like a bolt of makeup lightening, BAM! — but it was more a product of necessity being the mother of invention.

One day I couldn’t find my MAC 266 Small Angle Brush — the same one I’ve been using for years to fill in my brows (it must have fallen and rolled under the dresser or, more likely, Tabs hid it) — so I grabbed a MAC 214 Short Shader Brush instead.

Don’t ask me why. It just seemed like a decent idea at the time.

And I guess it was because I loved the results! It’s a more natural, relaxed brow look. They’re a little thicker and slightly undone, but I think it’s a great look for casual makeup.

If you don’t happen to have a 214, try another flat eyeshadow brush, or a perhaps something like the MAC 239 Eye Shader Brush or Laura Mercier Smudge Brush. I’ve also used them for this, and you get basically the same look.

I think the key is to try an eyeshadow brush that’s a little stiff, ideally one with a slightly rounded head.

Did that into your favorite brow powder, tap off the excess, and fill in those sparse spots…

brushes for filling in eyebrows — From the left: MAC 214 Short Shader Brush, Laura Mercier Smudge Brush, MAC 239 Eye Shader Brush

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Unsung Heroes: Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation

October 18th, 2012 by Karen 41 Comments

Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation Review — Wearing Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation in 12

What’s lightweight, covers imperfections like a master painter’s brush and flatters faces with a flawless, natural-looking matte finish?

Is it A) your beloved Jason Voorhees mask from Friday the 13th, B) Tabs the cat or C) the $42 Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation?

If you answered C, yay! 🙂 Count yourself among the lucky crew of Skin Base fanatics.

I just recently discovered this full-coverage, hydrating foundation, and dang if it’s not all kinds of awesome, blossom.

I’ve been wearing it off and on for the past few weeks, both in pics here on the blog and out and about (Trader Joe’s pumpkin madness, y’all!), and I’m finding myself reaching for it more and more often when it comes time to put on my warpaint.

Illamasqua refers to Skin Base as “the ultimate foundation” and claims the moisturizing, matte formula smooths skin, controls shine and creates a skin-matched finish that still looks natural. Heck, they say it’s even undetectable in HD footage (ooh, I wanna give that a try…)!

Sounds like a lot of hype, right? Well, you know what? I’m a believer.

illamasqua skin base foundation swatches — Swatches of Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation in 12 (one of 17 shades) unblended on the left and blended on the right

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Empties

October 18th, 2012 by Karen 19 Comments

I keep forgetting to Back to MAC all of my empties. They make for a neat picture, though!

The Mystic’s Gaze

October 18th, 2012 by Karen 13 Comments

The L’Oreal Paris Studio Secrets Professional Shadow Quad in The Mystic’s Gaze ($9) from the Project Runway collection, available now at drugstores and online.

Some rich-looking colors for a pretty good price.

What Do You Think of These Pieces From the New Aerin Beauty Line?

October 17th, 2012 by Karen 37 Comments

Have you seen the new Aerin Beauty line?

It’s a new luxury lifestyle brand that debuted earlier this year, and these are some of their first forays into makeup. I’m pretty sure these pieces are from the new holiday collection (I’m trying to confirm that with the company).

There are also categories for skincare, fragrance, home products, footwear and jewelry in the new brand.

If these pieces here look at all familiar, it might be on account of Aerin — last name Lauder, as in the late EstÃ©e Lauder, the founder of the global empire/beauty brand. Aerin is her granddaughter and the founder of this new line.

The hush-hush colors and luxurious packaging look ultra chic to me, and very true to the original spirit of the EstÃ©e Lauder brand, which I guess shouldn’t come as a big surprise.

This is my first experience with Aerin Beauty, and I’m liking the subtle colors, finishes and textures so far. There are a couple of brights here, but for the most part, the color palette is pretty subdued.

Here’s a quick peek at some of the new pieces. Have a look, and let me know what you think. 🙂

aerin beauty makeup holiday 2012 holiday style palette 1 — Holiday Style Palette

aerin beauty makeup holiday 2012 lipticks — Mini Lipsticks from the left: Winter Rose, Lolabird, Love and Dahlia

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