Another shot of the MAC Ruffian Manicures, $25 each. Available now exclusively online at maccosmetics.com.
Press On, Ruffians
A Cat From Kai
An artist’s model cat! A sweet and thoughtful birthday gift from my friend, Kai.
Even Ruffians Like Long Nails: The New MAC Ruffian Manicures in Spectator, Demoiselle and Demilune
Press on, fellow lacquer lover! Press on…these new beige, red and black temporary press-on nails from MAC.
Leave it to MAC to make press-on nails neat again… They took something I enjoy doing — painting my nails — and said, “Yeah, but check this out.”
The 24 nails in each of the three new MAC Ruffian Manicure sets come in a variety of nail shapes and sizes, and they aren’t just pre-painted in solid colors. They’re like straight up nail art!
In the first set, Demilune, a black matte sits atop a golden chrome strip along the base; Spectator, the second set, bookends a glossy cream-colored center with glossy black stripes; and the third set, Demoiselle, paints thin white and black arches at the very tip and base of a gorgeous, glossy red.
All three sets are available online now in North America ($25 US, $30 CDN) and coming in September to select international locations.
They’re designed to be applied to bare, natural nails, and they’re pretty easy to apply…except for one potential sticking point, but more on that in a sec.
It’s nice that the sets come with 24 nails each, so you stand a good chance of finding 10 among them to fit the shape and size of each of your fingernails (MAC, what about mah toes?!).
When you go to put these on, be careful lining them up along the base of your cuticles before pressing them down, because that adhesive? — that stuff is no joke. Way stronger than Lee Press-On Nails from back in the day.
Granted, the adhesive is probably not strong enough to keep your nails from moving while you play an epically long piano sonata or type out a novel…but it should be sticky enough for a night on the town.
And despite the uber-glue, the nails are still relatively easy to remove. Just ease each one off by peeling slowly from the side. If you’re careful, you should be able to get in another 3-4 uses before the adhesive loses its mojo.
I think it’s also cool that they don’t leave behind any sticky residue once they’re removed.
For Lips to Go With a Hip Victoriana Aesthetic: The MAC Ruffian Collection Lipsticks
Wearing MAC Ruffian Gold Lipstick, $14.50
Slowly but surely, one Marshall’s visit at a time, I’m moving away from my natural tendency to dress like a 13-year-old skater boy from The Valley and toward a hopefully more fashionable future as a 30-something-year-old woman with killer shoes and a quirky Cali girl sense of style…
…she wrote, sitting at her desk in an over-sized O’Neil surf tee and a pair of board shorts with cargo pockets.
LOL! Okay, it’s a process. A really, really slow process. 🙂
But one of the best parts of this slow-going effort to take my wardrobe more seriously has been figuring out what makeup to wear with different looks.
Like for my current fashion phase, beachy summer dresses, I’ve been gravitating toward neons and brights.
How long the phase will last, however, is hard to say…especially now that I’ve seen the new MAC Ruffian collection.
Looking for a lipstick to wear with a streetwise Victorian style? Something to go with that tweed jacket and that top with the bell-sleeves and ruffles, perhaps?
If so, it’s MAC Ruffian time.
The six-piece online exclusive is a collaboration between MAC and Ruffian, the NYC-based design duo of Brian Wolk and Claude Morais. Their clothes have an upscale, vintage vibe, with ready-to-wear (but hard to afford) pieces ranging from $800 for a shirt to $1,800 (!) for a jacket, and fans include edgy actresses Maggie Gyllenhaal and Kirsten Dunst.
For the MAC Ruffian collection (available online now in North America, and coming to select international MAC locations this September), Brian and Claude directed their design aesthetic into three Lipsticks ($14.50 US and $17.50 CDN) and three Ruffian Manicure sets ($25 US and $30 CDN) in classic, timeless shades of red, gold, beige and peach.
From the left: Ruffian Gold, Ruffian Red and Ruffian Naked Lipsticks
I took a break from summer brights and neons today to try the three lipsticks, and the first thing that came to mind: Chanel. And then Sir Arthur Conan Doyle… Or something he might have written, had Sherlock Holmes investigated a crime against Chanel (NO!). “It has long been an axiom of mine that Chanel should influence more things.”
True dat. 🙂
The red and gold are reminding me of 2010’s Shanghai-inspired Chanel Noir’ Et Or.
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Make Up For Ever Eye Prime
The new Make Up For Ever Eye Prime, $22. Available now at Sephora and sephora.com.
Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 225
- 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.
- Mood:
Super chill. I had a nice, relaxing weekend, ahhh… - Who makes your favorite hand cream?
In my book, Caudalie. Their Hand and Nail Cream is hands down (haha) the best.I must wash my hands 10 times a day and always try to follow up with hand cream. Caudalie’s is lightweight, absorbs quickly, and I swear I can hear my hands sighing with relief when I use it.
FYI, if you keep multiple tubes of hand cream in different parts of the house, in your purse, your car, on your desk, and on top of your nightstand, you’re officially obsessed!
- What are your favorite slang words/phrases?
That’s a hella good question, yo. “Hella” is definitely one of mine. I’m also fond of, “That’s hella bad,” with “bad” meaning “good.”I guess you can take the girl out of the East Bay…but you can’t take the East Bay out of the girl. 🙂
- Are you able to do detailed desk work while listening to music?
Depends on the work and the music. I love to think that I can, but truth be told, I have to pause the funky beats when I’m doing anything beyond filing, labeling, and taking pictures or notes. Most of the time I read and write in silence. - What’s guaranteed to make you roll your eyes?
Individuals who refer to themselves as “we.” Dude, I know it’s just you. You’re not a “we” unless you have a secret android robot/identical twin I don’t know about. - What’s a makeup or beauty product that reminds you of someone?
Christian Dior Poison perfume makes me think of my mom; she’s worn it as long as I can remember. And Revlon Orange Flip Lipstick reminds me of my glamorous granny. - Where do you go for good ice cream?
San Francisco’s The Ice Cream Bar. Been there three weekends in a row, thanks to this stretch of warm weather in the city (SF can be foggy and chilly this time of year). I’ve never had a better homemade waffle cone, and they make a mean basil ice cream! - Would you rather see or be seen?
Well, am I wearing stretchy pants? Because if I am, yeah, I think I’d rather just see. But if my hair is behaving and I look pretty well put together (and I’m not covered in 5 pounds of cat hair), I don’t mind being seen. - Time to style your raggedy mop. Where do you go?
I got to see Alis over at A Line Salon in Corte Madera. She has a gift for styling wavy and curly hair, and she’s creative with color. I can also always count on her to talk me out of making rash hair decisions (which has happened many times). Love ya, Alis! - Weekly goals:
Right now, the only thing I’m thinking about is hitting the neighborhood pool at least once this week. My to-do list is scary long, but those are just things that have to get done. Making it to the pool is something I want to do.
Happy Monday and good morning, friend. 🙂 I hope your neurons are fired up this morning! Do you have minute for the Monday Poll?
- To complete the Monday Poll, just copy the following list, and paste it with your answers in the comments.
1. Mood:
2. Who makes your favorite hand cream?
3. What are your favorite slang words/phrases?
4. Are you able to do detailed desk work while listening to music?
5. What’s guaranteed to make you roll your eyes?
6. What’s a makeup or beauty product that reminds you of someone?
7. Where do you go for good ice cream?
8. Would you rather see or be seen?
9. Time to style your raggedy mop. Where do you go?
10. Weekly goals:
Have a good one today. On Mondays, I always tell myself to focus on one thing at a time. Just one thing. You get that first one finished, and things start getting easier from there. 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Cute Crepes with Silly Faces
After my brother’s birthday dinner last Saturday, we had crepes for dessert from Belly Good Cafe & Crepes in Japantown. They’re known for their soft crepes and cute presentation.
Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 196
“Hi, this message is for Tabs. Tabs, this is Joss Whedon. It’s about 9:30 Sunday night. I just saw you in tonight’s True Blood and man! — awesome. Awesome job. Hey, I’ve actually been meaning to call you for a while, you know, apologize in person for the way things ended after Cat Avengers but…well, I’m sorry. It wasn’t my decision, man. It was the studio. If it had been up to me, you definitely would have gotten top billing.
“But anyway, that’s why I’m calling now. I want to make it up to you. This role… The role of a lifetime, Tabs. Call me. I’m working on something new that…well, you’d be perfect in it.
“This is it. We’re talking Academy Award-type role here. Intrigue, adventure, romance — and you, you’d be perfect as the main character. I wrote him with you in mind. The main character, he’s vulnerable, but not too vulnerable. The strong, silent type. Think Ryan Gosling’s character in Drive, only with four legs and fur.
“Anyway, man, just call me. Have your girl call my assistant, and we’ll set something up. We’ll do lunch. Call me. 555-555-1212. Cheers.”
–CLICK–
Just another night at Tabs the Cat Industries, LLC. 🙂 When I wasn’t checking voicemails for Tabs, I was out getting some emergency groceries for the week. Now I’m just settling down with a mug of tea and firing up tonight’s True Blood on the DVR.
Tabs has a cameo, and I hear he’s supposed to be good…
Between filming on location in Louisiana and doing a commercial for Friskies in Miami, Tabs also did some modeling this week, including jobs for Benefit, Estée Lauder, Sephora, Bobbi Brown and Vera Wang.
Here are the latest pics from his kitty modeling portfolio…
