He was stalking what I think he thinks was a lizard on the deck, but it was actually just a leaf.
NOTE: He is not a kitty genius, contrary to his assertions.
by Karen 11 Comments

He was stalking what I think he thinks was a lizard on the deck, but it was actually just a leaf.
NOTE: He is not a kitty genius, contrary to his assertions.
by Karen 20 Comments

MAC Beth Ditto Pro Longwear Lipcreme in Heart Hangover on my lips
Sure, I’ll take a salty caramel, but I think I’ll pass on the chocolate-covered bacon.
It’s a big seller, you say? Really…? Who buys it? Yeah, I guess I can see it as a novelty, mixing contrasts like that. I guess that’s also what MAC had in mind with the new MAC Beth Ditto Pro Longwear Lipcremes ($17 each).
I don’t know. Something about the mix of quiet colors and bold brights just feels right to me.
LOL! No, not like chocolate and bacon. 🙂 Probably more like salt and caramel.
The hushed hues in You’re Perfect Already (a neutral pale pink) and Love Long Distance (a light mauve) look like they were made with lighter lovelies in mind, while bronzed beauties and darker divas might fall in love with lush, vivid Heart Hangover (a deep purple), Dear Diary (a bright neon pink) and BOOYAH!! (a bright orange).
If you’re new to the Pro Longwear Lipcremes, you’re in luck (here’s a review)!
They’re like the MAC Amplified lipsticks, version 2.0. Creamy, moisturizing pigments with a touch of vanilla flavor and scent, and they last all day long on me, even through drinks and meals.

MAC Beth Ditto Pro Longwear Lipcremes from the left: Heart Hangover, Dear Diary, BOOYAH, You’re Perfect Already and Love Long Distance

Swatches from the left: Love Long Distance, You’re Perfect Already, BOOYAH, Dear Diary, Heart Hangover

Love Long Distance, Snob, Pink Popcorn, You’re Perfect Already, Innocence Beware, BOOYAH, Watch Me Simmer, Reel Sexy, Dear Diary, Girl About Town, Quick Sizzle, Heart Hangover, Approaching Storm and Paramount
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by Karen 10 Comments

MAC Casual Colour Nail Lacquers from the left: Delicate, Fiestaware, Please Me and Style Tip
There’s a time and a place for crazy glittery nail polish, but when you’re more in the mood to kick back, there’s also MAC Casual Colour ($16 each).
The four new laid back limited edition nail lacquers released with the MAC Casual Colour collection get nails ready for everyday tasks, like grocery shopping, watering the plants, cleaning the back of the stove and catching the bus on time. Nothing too outrageous here. Just four basic, user-friendly, wearable shades.
Here I’m wearing two coats on each of my nails…

The MAC Casual Colour Nail Lacquers from the left: Delicate, Style Tip, Please Me and Fiestaware
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Morning! 🙂 Please, come in. How sweet of you to stop by on my last official Saturday as a 36-year-old.
Got a pre-birthday celebration lined up with my friends Jen and Cindy today. Hard to believe they were also at my 16th birthday party…which was 20 years ago!
We’re spending the day in San Francisco together, first with drinks at the W Hotel, and then with some pampering at the Bliss Spa (located in the W).
I CANNOT WAIT! I could really use a massage. My back has more knots in it than a bad macramé project, I kid you knot. Time to get tenderized like a hunk o’ meat!
After that, it’s over to the Samovar Tea Lounge for tea and noms.
Should be a great day. I don’t get to see Jen and Cindy nearly enough. We’re all so busy now.
Got my iPhone all charged up, and Tabs will be on call here managing the blog.
Have a great day today, and good luck in this weekend’s giveaway. Talk to you soon.
What folks are saying…
“Thanks so much, Karen. Just in case you were wondering what I got with it, I decided to go with the Clarisonic Mia–I’ve been wanting it for years now, but have never purchased it because of the price. Your eCard helped me finally buy it! I look forward to using it. Thanks again!”
-Jane“Shut the front door! OMG Karen, you have made my day. 🙂 I’m sick in bed with the flu and this has just cheered me up immensely!!!!!!!! BTW, I’m the one that sent you that pic of my pug in a wig a few weeks back LOL! Thanks again, honestly, I’m beyond giddy right now.”
-Angel“Oh my goodness! Thank you so much Karen (and Tabs, of course)! I really appreciate this! I’d been eyeing the Anastasia brow pencil in Strawburn to match my red hair!”
-Chelsea (and Jiji the kitten and Quincy the bunny)“Never before have I been so pleased to check my email right before bed!!! Thank you so, so much! I truly enjoy your blog and check it almost daily! Thanks again! This made my night!”
-Melissa, Edmond, OK“Hi Karen. Oh my goodness! I can’t believe I won! :O Thank you so much! You, Tabs, and your blog are amazing! Thank you for keeping me updated on all things beauty and more importantly, for keeping me entertained! Keep doing your thing! 🙂 Thank you again.”
-Jacqueline“Hi Karen. Thank you so much, I’m so excited, I’ve never won anything before. My name is Hana … I just turned 25 (today is my birthday!) Yay! Thank you.”
-Hana

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
by Karen 4 Comments

MAC Casual Colour clockwise from the purple pot on the lower left: Evening Stroll, Have a Lovely Day!, Keep It Casual, Keep It Loose, Lazy Sunday, Out for fun, Relaxation
and Weekend Getaway, $20 each.
by Karen 6 Comments

Tabs will tease you
He’ll unease you
All the better just to please you
He’s precocious
And Tabs knows just
What it takes to make a pro blush
All the CCLS think he’s a spy
He’s got Bette Davis eyes
by Karen 14 Comments

I can’t decide if the new candy-colored MAC Beth Ditto Nail Lacquers ($16 each) remind me more of Starbursts or Jordan Almonds…but Nocturnelle, the black crème, has to be licorice.
The lot of ’em (all limited edition) had me craving candy and humming happy tunes all afternoon.
I applied three coats of three of them, the brighter ones — Near Beth Experience (the light yellow crème), Life and Beth (the milky peach crème) and Vagabondage (the mid-tone lavender crème) — and two coats of Nocturnelle.
Is it just me, or do these remind you of candy…?
And they’re not half bad as nail lacquers, either. I think MAC’s stepped up their nail polish game over the past few years. I used to have big issues back in the day with their durability, and with their finishes falling a little flat, but these high-shine shades here would probably shine just fine without a top coat.
They also seem to be getting more durable. With MAC’s more recent shades, when I wear them with a good base coat, I can usually get at least 6-7 days before chipping; if I add a top coat, that tacks on a couple more days.

MAC Beth Ditto Nail Lacquer swatches from the left: Nocturnelle, Vagabondage, Near Beth Experience and Life and Beth
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by Karen 14 Comments

If science fiction movies have taught me anything, it’s that aliens and robots live among us, and 99.9% of the time, they’re not here to party.
As we await the development of a foolproof means of rogue robot/alien detection from the scientific community, most of us still depend on tried-and-true, old-fashioned techniques…
…like dogs. They’re pretty reliable robot detectors (see: the Terminator movies), but since my employment contract with Tabs includes a clause prohibiting close canine contact, I need something else.
Perhaps something like the new Powder to the People from the MAC Beth Ditto collection ($38).

Powder to the People
In my experience, the robots I’ve encountered — I can’t speak for the aliens — have often struggled to understand certain aspects of the human condition, like emotion, music and other forms of creative expression.
Powder to the People, a limited edition polka-dotted powder for eyes and cheeks, definitely pushes one to think creatively with their makeup, by asking things like, “What should I do with this offbeat collection of sheer, semi-matte pink, peach, brown, blue and yellow?”
That’s the kind of creative thinking liable to expose masquerading robots and aliens.
Where a human might see Powder to the People’s multicolored dots (which aren’t over-sprays) and get the creative urge to whip up a watercolor eye look instead of the bright, shiny eye makeup they usually wear, a robot would get confused.
“Danger! Danger! Multiple makeup choices…does not compute.”
But as a human, you’re designed to handle creative decisions. You might decide to highlight your eyes and cheekbones with the powder and a MAC 224 Tapered Blending Brush (although I’d probably steer clear of the blue on days other than Halloween), or use a smaller face brush like the MAC 109 to carefully swirl the pink, brown, yellow and peach shades together (again, avoiding the blue) to create a blush.
Humanity has its privileges. 🙂
Next time I find myself at a MAC counter beside someone I suspect of being a robot or alien, I’m gonna slip Powder to the People in front of them and ask, “How would you wear it?”, all the while, watching their eyes…
The eyes are the key…

Powder to the People shades swatched individually on the left and swirled together on the right
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