Karen

What’s That Twinkling in the Sky? Oh, That’s a Satellite of Love! NARS Satellite of Love Highlighter Blush

September 5th, 2012 by Karen 30 Comments

NARS Satellite of Love Highlighting Blush

“Kitty Glitter Enthusiast.” I’m thinking about adding that to my business cards, which currently read, “Assistant to the CEO, Tabs the Cat Industries, LLC.”

Made for cat ladies I looked around online for a place to play Kitty Glitter for free, but I don’t know… I don’t trust those online casinos.

The couple hours I spent hootin’ and hollerin’ in front of that penny slot machine last weekend filled my eyes with sparkles, and I’ve been extra obsessed with glitter ever since.

It’s either that…or NARS Satellite of Love Highlighting Blush.

Like a Snickers bar, this $28 illuminating highlighting powder, one of 22 pieces in the new Andy Warhol Pop Holiday 2012 collection, really satisfies. 🙂 It instantly brightens faces with its sheer, peachy powder and golden glitter.

Lately when glitter calls, I grab a skunk brush and carefully, lightly apply Satellite of Love on my upper cheekbones, down the bridge of my nose and atop my cupid’s bow. Careful is the key word, too; otherwise, we’re talkin’ disco diva territory (which I admit, sometimes I like).

nars satellite of love swatch
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You Look Fabulous

September 5th, 2012 by Karen 2 Comments

The new NARS Andy Warhol Eyeshadow Palette in Flowers 1 ($55), one of 22 pieces in the new Pop Holiday 2012 collection. Coming to Sephora and sephora.com October 1.

I Found a Mug Made Just For You

September 4th, 2012 by Karen 4 Comments

Purr-fect for your morning cup of tea!

Bucking Holiday Trends, NARS Introduces Nails to Andy: The New NARS Andy Warhol Nail Polishes Pop On Fingers and Toes

September 4th, 2012 by Karen 18 Comments

nars andy warhol nail polish
NARS Andy Warhol Pop Collection Holiday 2012 Nail Polishes from the left: 15 Minutes, TV Party, Superstar, New York Dolls and Back Room

When people ask you what you did over the holidays, you say, “I don’t do reindeer sweaters, Santa hats or candy canes.”

And one year, when you won a 10-pound Costco fruitcake at the company Christmas party, instead of having it for dessert, you hurled it through a window (who no one was watching, of course).

If traditional holiday fare doesn’t light your fire, cheer up, my little emo buttercup! NARS may have a cure for your inner grinch.

nars andy warhol nail polish
From the left: Back Room, New York Dolls, Superstar, TV Pary and 15 Minutes

The new nail polishes in the NARS Andy Warhol Pop Holiday 2012 collection ($18 each) might not restore your faith in Rudolph and Frosty, but they may make you say “hrmpf!” a little less often than you do when you see super traditional holiday nail polishes in shades of red, green, silver and gold.

The five creamy, limited edition shades arrive on Sephora shelves and sephora.com next month, along with the rest of the new 22-piece (!) holiday collection for eyes, cheeks, lips and nails.

Black Back Room, purple New York Dolls, teal Superstar, lemon yellow 15 Minutes and vivid orange TV Party take a detour from the usual holiday nail polish route and look more like something you might see a cocky rocker chick wearing in a smoke-filled club.

nars andy warhol tv party
TV Party

nars andy warhol 15 minutes
15 Minutes
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Party Till the Break of Dawn With Lightweight, Long Lasting MAC Prep + Prime Natural Radiance

September 4th, 2012 by Karen 30 Comments

mac prep prime natural radiance review

Tabs loves big bashes as much as the next cat celebrity. In fact, he’s known among members of the A-list cat community for throwing some of most lavish shindigs and soirees in the feline world. Of course, as his assistant, I get saddled with the prep work, while he gets to have all the fun.

Today he has me scoping out potential venues for his upcoming Halloween bash. Views are a must, which means it has to be a climbing friendly venue with some height (maybe something like this). He also wants a no-host gravy bar, fresh sushi, catnip cocktails and a DJ (I’m interviewing some dude named David Guetta for the job tonight).

Somewhere in there, I also have to order 723 custom-made kitty masks and schedule 22 menu tastings (not surprisingly, the only part of the party planning process Tabs likes).

So, yeah…it’s fixin’ to be a long night.

I guess it’s a good thing I’m wearing the new MAC Prep + Prime Natural Radiance. 🙂

mac prep prime natural radiance product shot

One word: awesomeness!

Like the Highlander of face primers, there can be only one! — and for me right now that one is Natural Radiance ($40 for a 1.7-ounce bottle). (At least for now, LOL!)

It’s a lightweight gel primer with a texture halfway between an airy mousse and a creamy lotion; the consistency reminds me of Clinique’s Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel.

Applied after moisturizer but before foundation, it’s designed to extend the wear time of face makeup and blur fine lines, pores and imperfections, making the skin appear (almost) flawless, and ready for you to pop your favorite face products on top.

mac prep prime natural radiance ingredients

mac prep prime natural radiance swatch
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Share a Tip Tuesdays: Try This Tip to Spice Up Your Smokey Eyes

September 4th, 2012 by Karen 26 Comments

Here’s one simple trick to take your smokey eyes to the next level: blend a little bronzer along the edge of the eyeshadow on your lids and along your lower lash lines with a fluffy domed brush like the MAC 217.

Nothing too dramatic, but I think it gives a dash more depth and dimension to the look, especially when I’m wearing a shimmery shadow and use a matte bronzer for this trick. The contrast between the matte and shimmery products just werks.

If you don’t wear bronzers, no worries. You could give it a try with your favorite brown eyeshadow, or maybe even a blush. 🙂

Thanks for playing Share a Tip Tuesdays! Here are some of the makeup cleanup tips you left on last week’s post in the comments. Some great tips here…

“I always do the wings of my eyeliner before I line my upper lashline; since I have a monolid the wings are all you really see, so I perfect those first.”
–Christine

“While working with glittery pigments, you can use some medical tape to gently lift off any fall out from the cheeks/under eye. The adhesive picks up the loose glitter but leaves the base makeup intact. I saw a makeup artist use this trick, pretty neat I’d say!”
— Ankita

“One trick I’ve learned recently is to pat my setting powder into the skin. I always used a powder brush to brush and set my powder, but have since switched to a flat top brush to really dig the powder into the skin. This guarantees that my foundation will last all day and the oiliness is under control for a little while longer. Plus, I don’t get that heavy buildup powder can sometimes show. I also use this technique with certain foundations. I’ll spread, then pat.”
–Nadege

“I do my eyes first and I noticed this ‘scooting’ problem with fallout you speak of. So what I do now is apply only my face primer before I do my eyes. The primer keeps the fallout from sticking and sinking to the skin — so its very easy to brush off afterwards. I then go back and apply foundation after eyes!”
— Slick

“Whenever I’m out of eye makeup remover I grab the nearest facial moisturizer, put some on a q tip and erase any mistakes. It works like magic!”
— Gabi

“A few months ago, I decided to start using a new baby shampoo to start cleaning my makeup brushes. I decided to use Johnson’s Baby No More Tangles Extra Conditioning Shampoo. This baby shampoo is awesome at cleaning my makeup brushes!!! I was able to quickly clean all of my makeup brushes in half the time it took me to clean them with Johnson’s regular baby shampoo. Each of my brushes’ bristles looked great after I cleaned them. They also did not have any residue that some brush cleaners and other baby shampoos can leave behind. I highly recommend this baby shampoo for cleaning all types of makeup brushes.”
–Nadia A

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