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7 Ways to Win a $50 eGift Card From Sephora! (Ends Monday)

April 5th, 2014 by Karen 339 Comments

Rise and shine, morning glory!

I love that phrase… 🙂 I’ll tell you the story behind why I use it one of these days.

How did you sleep? Did you have any dreams? I don’t remember if I did last night. Sometimes I do, but last night is just a sleepy blur.

The sun is out this morning, but I don’t know how long it’ll last, so after I finish my French toast, I’m going for a long walk outside (yes, I’m brining cat treats).

Not much new to report. Last night I did see the new Captain America movie with El Hub and thought it wasn’t bad. Honestly, though, sometimes the superhero movies sort of merge together for me. I love sci-fi — you know that — but the Marvel comic themes generally stick to a handful of story lines. Vengeance, misunderstood hero, quest for power, greed, bizarre need to destroy the world in order to rebuild it anew.

Anywho, I hope you have a nice weekend lined up. I have some blog work to do (some BIG stuff happening next week), but I’ll try to spend some time outside. I do have to repair the damage the storm did to the garden on my deck.

Oh! And guess what? Some neighborhood birds totally destroyed the planter filled with cat grass seedlings for Tabs. I guess they found the seeds yummy.

Yeah, Tabs was none too pleased about that.

Good luck in the giveaway. Talk to you soon. 🙂

One (1) Sephora eGift card containing $50 sent to the winner by email (international readers, you may opt to receive $50 sent by PayPal instead).

Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.
Open to U.S. and international readers.
You must be 18 or older to enter (or otherwise an adult based on your local laws).
Your comment can be about anything at all, but here are some ideas if you’re stuck:
- How do you feel about cosplay? Have you ever dressed up in costume for a convention or anything like that?
- Have you ever been on a work retreat? How was it?
- Write a quick haiku. Here’s mine: Yesterday I strayed; I played with other kitties; it made Tabs jealous.
- What’s the best concealer and why?
- What’s something you love about yourself?
- When was the last time you went to a library?
You can enter in up to seven ways to boost your chances of winning.
The giveaway ends on Monday, April 7, 2014 at 11:59 PM (Pacific Time).
Full terms and conditions are available in the widget.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Hello, Kitty!

April 5th, 2014 by Karen 19 Comments

I’ve been extra crazy for Hello Kitty lately (and by lately I mean forever)…

Homegirl even has a satellite office/display now at Barnes & Noble. “Oooh! Temptation.”

And Target…

Which is where I saw these Hello Kitty gardening gloves I’m kinda jonesing for. The only thing stopping me is that they’re made for children, haha! Or adults with extremely small hands.

And then there’s this Hello Kitty jewelry in the March issue of Vogue Japan.

I’d rock those pearls in a hot second!

Do you like Hello Kitty?

Floral Fireworks

April 4th, 2014 by Karen 11 Comments

Happy 4th of April, whee! Let’s pop some fireworks!

Don’t these cool flowers look like a fireworks display? I spotted them at Anthropologie a little earlier today.

They’re real. Not plastic. I don’t know what they are, though…

Speaking of Anthropologie, am I the only person who makes a beeline for the sale section as soon as they walk into the store? I’m always hoping to find something cute there, but alas, no luck today in that department.

I did like this green peplum top, but it wasn’t on sale. I think I’m going to wait and see if it gets marked down.

LOL! I really am my mother’s daughter…

7 Cat Lady Things You Could Do While Wearing the 7 New NARS Lip Gloss Shades

April 4th, 2014 by Karen 29 Comments

NARS Priscilla Lip Gloss — A crazy cat lady holding a cat flask while wearing the new NARS Lip Gloss in Priscilla, a shocking pink

What are some things you can do while wearing the seven brand new shades in the newly reformulated NARS Lip Gloss line?

Hmm… Well, you could start writing that young adult novel you’ve been meaning to, and by “you” I mean me (and maybe also you); you could have donuts for dinner; or, if you’re a cat lady like me, you could…

1. Hug your cat while wearing NARS Lip Gloss in Tasmania

NARS Tasmania Lip Gloss — That’s me wearing NARS Lip Gloss in Tasmania, a pink cantaloupe

If time permits, bury your face in his or her tummy while saying, “Mmmmm, delicious tabby belly meat!”

Do this until he or she gets angry.

2. Fall in love at the Humane Society while wearing NARS Lip Gloss in Sixties Fan

NARS Sixties Fan Lip Gloss — Here I’m wearing NARS Lip Gloss in Sixties Fan, a pomegranate

While there, you could also seriously consider adopting a cat. Or two. Or twelve. And pretend not to hear your husband when he says, “Twelve is just too many!”

I mean, how could you not fall in love with a kitty like Kanji, a gorgeous boy with the most beautiful blue eyes in the world?!

3. Wear a cat t-shirt to the mall while wearing NARS Lip Gloss in Salamanca

NARS Salamanca Lip Gloss — That’s NARS Lip Gloss in Salamanca, a pink flamingo, on my lips

Bonus points if the cat on your shirt is wearing glasses.

4. Look for kitty-themed home decor at Anthropologie while wearing NARS Lip Gloss in Quito

NARS Quito Lip Gloss — Here I’m wearing NARS Lip Gloss in Quito, a bright strawberry pink

Why?

Because surrounding yourself (and your kitty and non-kitty companions) with cat-themed home decor takes your cat lady-ness to the next level.
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How Do You Store and/or Organize Your Makeup Brushes?

April 4th, 2014 by Karen 33 Comments

under eye concealer brushes 3 — Brush lovin’

Right now? Not very well! LOL. Right now my makeup brush storage situation is kind of a hot mess.

I just underwent a major brush housecleaning where I washed a gajillion brushes, and when they were dry I put them all in a makeup bag — this old rectangular Sonia Kashuk bag with a zippered top. It’s very deep, so it holds a lot.

So there’s no rhyme or reason to it. The bag doesn’t have any compartments, so the brushes are all mixed together. Whenever I need one I have to rummage through it.

Kinda driving me nuts. (Note to self: organize brushes this weekend!)

Before I did that big brush cleaning, though, I though I had a good system. I kept all of my brushes in two separate Sonia Kashuk Roll-Up Valet bags — the face brushes in one bag and the eye brushes in the another.

Each of the bags has four compartments, into which I separated the brushes according to brush head shape.

Flat eye brushes went in one compartment, domed brushes in another — that kind of thing.

It really worked for me. I just have to get back in the habit and do the initial organizing again.

If you’re interested, Sonia’s Roll Up Valet is available now at Target stores and target.com. The black, white and green print in these pics is no longer available, but I’ve seen some other cute styles out there for spring.

So, because inquiring minds (like mine!) want to know…

How do you store and/or organize your makeup brushes?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S.

Have Color, Will Travel With the Estee Lauder Lip Color Luxuries Travel Exclusive Palette

April 4th, 2014 by Karen 12 Comments

Estee Lauder Lip Color Luxuries Travel Exclusive

If your lips are lookin’ for love on the road, keep your eyes peeled for the new Estee Lauder Lip Color Luxuries Travel palette. It comes with six of EL’s Pure Color Lipsticks.

This one’s for babes who’ve been bitten by the travel bug, as it’s a travel exclusive, available now at select (which means difficult to predict) airports and duty-free stores worldwide. The price varies and depends on location, but here in the US, these palettes typically go for $40-60.

Shades from the left: that’s Hint of Peach, Crystal Baby, Mandarin Pop, Wildly Pink, Marvelous Mauve and Abstract Violet.

Clinique Makes It Official With the $28 All About Shadow Quad in Going Steady

April 3rd, 2014 by Karen 8 Comments

Clinique All About Shadow Quad in Going Steady

Purple eyeshadow?

Yes, please. 🙂

This cutie-pie palette wants to go steady. It’s Clinique’s All About Shadow Quad in — wait for it — Going Steady ($28), and you can find it now at Clinique counters and clinique.com.

Wanna go steady?

It’s Champagne and Roses All Around With the New 413 BLKR Blush and 413 BLKR Illuminator

April 3rd, 2014 by Karen 27 Comments

Wearing the new NARS 413 BLKR Blush and Illuminator — Wearing the new NARS 413 BLKR Blush ($30) and Illuminator ($30), available now exclusively at NARS Boutiques and narscosmetics.com

413 — that’s, like, a pager code, right?

LOL! Oh, puh-leaz! Don’t even pretend like you don’t know what I’m talking about. 🙂 I know you got all smiley and giggly when your crush sent you love emergency pages in the (911 143) middle of the night, circa 1995.

Oh, wait. That was me.

Actually, in this instance, 413 is not in reference to the language of pager love, but rather shorthand for a collection of NARS makeup products called 413 BLKR.

It includes 413 Multiples, Nail Polishes, Eyeshadows, Lipsticks — all manner of cute things.

The numerical nomenclature is a shout-out to the address of the very first NARS boutique, located at 413 Bleecker Street in New York, and the 413 BLKR products were created in the spirit of New York City’s unique energy.

NARS 413 BLKR Blush and Illuminator — The two newest additions to the NARS 413 BLKR line

Recently, NARS added two new pieces to the 413 BLKR fam — 413 BLKR Blush ($30) and 413 BLKR Illuminator ($30).

Rosy matte 413 BLKR Blush, an intense rosy pink powder blush, is super smooth and incredibly pigmented. A little goes a long way with this one, so you might want to use a light touch.

Shimmery champagne liquid highlighter 413 BLKR Illuminator looks like it could be frosty, based on how it looks in its tube, but that’s just because it’s fired up about the prospects of getting on skin, where I think it’s actually very subtle and beautiful.

NARS 413 BLKR Illuminator — 413 BLKR Illuminator, a shimmering champagne

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