Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup

Isn’t it funny how sometimes when you go shopping, you go in for one thing and end up leaving with something completely different? Well, my pants have been fitting me kinda strangely lately (I’ve been running a lot), and since it isn’t cool to have your bum accidentally fall out of your jeans, I went to the mall yesterday afternoon to get a couple of new pairs from Old Navy.

And I figured that since Sephora is right across the street, I might as well pop in. Next thing you know, I’m at the NARS blush display swatching for like 45 minutes (WHEE!)…

Sephora V.I.B. Haul: NARS blushes and hair essentials from Bumble & Bumble and Phyto

…and then I’m at Marshalls trying on tops.

The yellow Michael Stars tee on the left was marked down from $59 to $12.99!

And since Petco was next door, of course I had to check out their rescue kittens (of course).

Much to Tabs’ relief, though, none of them came home with me.

You better believe I’m not sharing my gravy…

All in all, it was a successful Saturday shopping experience, except that I didn’t find any pants! 🙂

In other news, have you ever wondered what happens to lipsticks that get lost and disappear? Like where they go?

Check it — I finally found the answer…

They’re consumed by a creature called the Lipstick Monster!

LIPSTICK MONSTER

FREQUENCY: Rare
SPEED: Slow
ARMOR CLASS: 5 (immune to bludgeoning weapons)
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Can sense the presence of lipsticks in the area
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
INTELLIGENCE: Low
ALIGNMENT: Hungry
SIZE: L (8′ tall)

A few beauty posts that caught my eye…

• Chanel Illusion D’Ombre Mirifique Is on Many Fall Favorites Lists This Year — My Funny Valentine
• Essence Vampire’s Love Trend Edition Nail Polishes — Nihrida
• A Geek Chic How-to: Makeup + Glasses — Unplggd
• 33 Hours Without Sleep and the Havoc It Wreaks on Your Health and Skin — My Women Stuff
• A Step-by-Step Orange and Taupe Eyeshadow Tutorial — Makeup and Macaroons
• Anastasia Beverly Hills Beauty Express for Brows and Eyes — Makeup Your Jangsara
• Tweezerman Professional Classic Lash Curler Review & Pictures — Swatch and Learn
• I Collect Hair Tips Like It’s My Job (Which It Is!), and Here are 5 New Ones, from the Best Styling Prodz to Where to Buy Hair Accessories — Beauty Editor
• Revlon Lip Butters: Because You Haven’t Heard Enough About Them Yet — Bloomin’ Beauty

The Weekly Roundup: MBB Posts You Might Have Missed

LANCÔME MUST HAVE RED THE BOOK ON CLASSIC COLOR AND SHINE
BEFORE CREATING MINI LES VERNIS IN SHADE 102

Somewhere out there is a bottle of Lancôme’s Mini Le Vernis in Shade 102 looking for a new nail to call home. One of five nail lacquers in the new Lancôme The Golden Hat Foundation Holiday 2011 Collection, it’s a true red-lovers dream, with a creamy finish that matches L’Absolu Rouge Lipcolor in Caprice to a T.

One coat delivers rich, opaque coverage and Swarovski-like shine, and if that wasn’t enough, the brush is just the right width, with firm bristles that don’t splay, making the brush easy to control. Read more…

THE SHEER, SHINY GLOSSES IN THE NEW GLOSSED OVER
PUREOPTIC LIPGLOSS COLLECTION ARE A WORK OF TARTE

Rich holiday reds are so much fun, but sometimes I wanna get low…maintenance with my lip color.

On days like that, I like sets like these. The eight glosses in Tarte’s new $29 limited edition Glossed Over PureOptic Lipgloss Collection make sheer, shiny lip looks as easy as 1-2-3.

Available exclusively at QVC.com, the set includes eight 0.04-oz. travel-size PureOptic Glosses (the full-size 0.14-oz. ones cost $21 each) in Nectar, Nude, Pink Blush, Coral, Warm Pink, Nude Pink, Mauve and Berry.

Ironically, Tarte describes these as pigmented and rich on their website, but on my lips, all eight shades? Not so vivid. Even the brightest one here, Coral, looks rather sheer to me, and increasingly so as I smack my lips a few times. Read more…

NAILS WILL SPARKLE LIKE A DISCO BALL
WEARING DEBORAH LIPPMANN’S HOLIDAY 2011 COLLECTION

Not even strobe lights could compete with the glare from the glitterific shades in Deborah Lippmann’s latest collection of nail lacquers. I hope you’re ready to pump up the jam, love, because this disco ball’s droppin’, haaay! It’s time to hit the dance floor with Deborah’s holiday collection.

This ode to sparkle and shine, available now, contains six separate nail polishes, four limited edition and two permanent shades ($16-18 each), and the $42 three-piece Get This Party Started set (with full-size bottles).

Today my nails took four of the individual polishes and the entire Get This Party Started set out for a joy ride. With their fun flecks of glitter and rich metallic finishes, these colors are just begging to be worn on a dance floor. Read more…

BECCA MINERAL BLUSH IN WILD HONEY CREATES
SWEET CHEEKS THAT NEVER GO OUT OF STYLE

It was a dark and stormy night…

Wait — no it wasn’t. Not even close. It was actually a Lost Weekend earlier this fall, and matte Becca Mineral Blush in Wild Honey ($32) was there.

The sweet cheeks this pigmented peachy nude powder blush creates are always in style, but they feel like they hail from a kinder, gentler time, a time when afternoons meant studying at the library after school, and your cheeks would flush at a smile from your crush or a single word like, “Hi.” Read more…

TARTE PUTTIN’ ON THE GLITZ IS
GREAT IN A CLUTCH

Indecisiveness doesn’t go well with Tarte’s new holiday kit. Nope, the $48 Puttin’ on the Glitz kit comes with three interchangeable palettes, but you can only fit one of them in the cute silver clutch at a time.

Hmm…

Being a fiend for accessories, my pulse jumped when I heard about this clever limited edition cutie and its 18 powder eyeshadows, highlighter, bronzer and lipgloss. To make it easier to tote the products around (but not all at the same time), Tarte included the clutch, which incorporates a mirror for touch-ups and slots for bills and credit cards. There’s also a tutorial booklet with pretty helpful directions for three different looks. Read more…

THE JUICY COUTURE TROY SURRATT LIP GLOSS
IS QUITE A SWEET TREAT

To dip or not to dip — that is the question. Whether ’tis nobler on the lips to suffer the slings and arrows of bacterial infection, or to take arms against a tin that contains the tastiest glosses I’ve worn in a really long time…

Even though I’d prefer tubes to a tin, my taste buds are like, “We don’t care!” The new glosses in the Juicy Couture Troy Surratt Lip Gloss Set, a collaboration between Juicy Couture and celebrity makeup artist Troy Surratt (whose resume reads like my iTunes workout playlist, and includes the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Mary J. Blige, Fergie and Janet Jackson), smell and taste just like my movie theater Achilles’ heel…

Gummy bears! Read more…

I’VE GOT ANASTASIA BRIGHT EYES, BIG CITY
IN MY SUBURBAN SIGHTS

My inner urban girl, the one who after 10 years living in the surburbs still tells herself that “it’s only temporary,” loves that Anastasia gives a shout-out to city girls with the name of her $39 Bright Eyes, Big City Brow & Eye Collection kit.

The kit, one of four available now from Anastasia for the holidays, comes with a nice array of eye and brow products put together to create natural, wide-eyed looks.

Anastasia’s known for bodacious brow products, and they’re my favorite pieces in this kit. With the brow/eye powders, gel, tweezers and mini brow brush, perfect brows are just a minute or two away. Read more…

SKINCARE FOR THE CHANGING SEASONS
5 WAYS TO WINTERIZE YOUR SKIN

I ticked off the tabby the other day when I had to cut short our regular morning walk. There was a chill in the air that I just couldn’t shake — certainly not in the sweatshirt, jeans and flip-flops I’d gotten used to wearing on our little jaunts — and even though the first official day of winter doesn’t arrive for more than a month, Jack Frost was already nipping at my toes.

From here on out, at least for the next few months, it’s cold weather season, and that means dry air, dry skin and cold, cold, cold.

For me it also seems to mean scaly shins and crusty cuticles that get worse and worse every year. Thankfully, I’ve figured out a few ways to keep my skin from staging a revolt as the temperature drops. Here are five ways to winterize your skin care routine. Read more…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen