2012年9月10日星期一

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 221

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 221

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the mbb monday poll
At the Bay to Breakers with two Beastie Boys fans paying tribute to MCA. Notice the people in the background looking up? They’re staring at a wave of tortillas being tossed into the air, a Bay to Breakers tradition.

  • 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?),Cheap NFL Jerseys, 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.
  1. Mood:
    Surprisingly alert! — because I went to bed early last night and slept well, but I’m also very achoo!. Sneezy. My allergies have been extra awful lately.

    I’ve actually been up since 5:30 this morning, which is pretty darn early for me. And yes, it was on purpose. :) In a weird way, having to get up at 4 yesterday morning for Bay to Breakers inspired me to get an earlier start today. I forget sometimes that the earlier you get up, the more stuff you can get done in the day…until you utterly pass out from exhaustion after the 6 o’clock news, LOL!

  2. If you could telepathically make your pet understand one thing, what would it be?
    I’d want Tabs to know how much he’s changed my life for the better. Things were good before,Cheap Jerseys, but when he came along, everything got better. He’s always good for a laugh and a smile.
  3. Do you do anything in particular to celebrate the start of summer?
    Not really. No big parties or BBQs. Mostly, I just like to get the deck ready, putting up the umbrella, refreshing the planters and putting out the comfy cushions for the chairs. I like to turn our little deck into an extended living/dining room for summer.
  4. Eyes/Cheeks/Lips?
    It was still dark outside when I said Hey, Sailor! before dawn this morning.

    I’m wearing Barefoot Eyeshadow and Blue Stripe Eye Pencil on my Eyes, Launch Away! Blush on my cheeks, and Blessedly Lipglass on my lips.

  5. Do you have a special spot where you like to read?
    I do. When it’s not too hot or cold outside, I like to read in the papasan chair on the deck; otherwise, I just park my bottom on the left side of the living room couch (always the left side, but for no reason in particular; just feels right).
  6. Is there a song that always puts you in a good/better mood?
    Is there ever,Topshop Cheeks in Luminescence Is Sticking It to MAC Nymphette! Soooo many songs, but Jessie J’s Domino has been my favorite feel good jam for a few weeks.
  7. Do you keep a pair of casual shoes by the front door?
    My pink and black Reef flip-flops are never far from the door…unless I’m wearing them, or unless Tabs has hidden them somewhere.
  8. Tell me about your weekend. What did you do?
    I spent a lot of time “filling my well,” so to speak,Coach wallets, which for me means doing things that I find relaxing. Like cleaning and organizing the living room.

    It might sound weird, but I definitely feel better when the house is clean and I feel like like things have been put away in their proper place. So yeah, I cleaned like a crazy person…

    I also spent some good quality time with friends, and that always recharges my batteries.

  9. What scent are you wearing today?
    MAC Turquatic is following me around this morning.
  10. Weekly goals:
    Jut a lot of life maintenance things. I’d like to go to a couple of yoga classes this week, which I say every week, even though I haven’t gone to one in a while. I’d also like to keep getting up at 5:30 in the morning, but we’ll see how long that one lasts…

    Oh, and I’m really gonna try to keep the living room tidy, but some of that depends on Tabs (whose toys are always strewn about) and El Hub, who leaves empty glasses of dried protein powder and Gatorade bottles everywhere. They follow him around like his entourage, LOL!

In other news, I feel like I’ve been up forever! Is this how getting up at 5:30 feels…?

What a strange, interesting world. :)

Tabs, of course, loves the idea of his assistant getting to the office earlier in the day. He’s been following me around,Saturday Surfing_19,Wholesale NFL Jerseys, chirping out demands all morning long. You know, demanding the attention he feels he so richly deserves.

Hope your day got off to a good start. Feel free to vent in the comments if you need to (I’ll be your sounding board).

  • To complete the Monday Poll, just copy the following list, and paste it with your answers in the comments.



1. Mood:
2. If you could make your pet understand one thing, what would it be?
3. Do you do anything in particular to celebrate the start of summer?
4. Eyes/Lips/Cheeks?
5. Do you have a special spot where you like to read?
6. A song that always puts you in a good/better mood?
7. Do you keep a pair of casual shoes by the front door?
8. Tell me about your weekend. What did you do?
9. What scent are you wearing?
10. Weekly goals:

Promise me you’ll try one thing this week. One little thing that only takes a minute. Take a minute to tell yourself some of the things you love about yourself. “I love that I…” Like so many of the things suggest, yes, I know it’s cheesy,Coach factory outlet, but cheese is good!

Especially when I’m struggling with something, a decision or an obstacle, it really helps me get to a good mental place.

Not cheese, but the other thing. :)

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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Get Eyes That Pop- MAC Cream Color Base in Pearl

Get Eyes That Pop: MAC Cream Color Base in Pearl

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MAC’s Cream Color Base in Pearl ($16.50) makes colors really pop,Cheap NFL Jerseys, taking eyeshadow to a brighter, bolder, and more diva-superstar level. With Cream Color Base, your eyeshadow is like an A-list celeb; without it,Christian Louboutin Uk, it’s like Jen Bunney from The Hills. It’s one of those products that every eyeshadow junkie needs to have in her makeup bag.

mac-cosmetics-cream-color-base-pearl.jpg

Pearl’s a soft, pale gold-colored product with just a touch of shimmer. Layered beneath powder eyeshadows, it intensifies color. To the touch, it feels like a cream blush. The picture below shows 1) MAC Parrot eyeshadow by itself and 2) applied on top of a layer of Pearl:

mac-cream-color-base-pearl-parrot.jpg

Pretty,Cheap Jerseys, yah? Pearl comes in a standard issue blush pan, so what I do is pick up the product from the pan with a synthetic flat brush like the MAC 239 and apply it directly onto the lid area (not the crease or the browbone), while trying to avoid applying too much. It’s easy to overdo it with Pearl. Too much can cause caking and lead to the product migrating around the eyelid.

If your lids are extra oily, you might want to prime the area first with a layer of eyeshadow primer like Laura Mercier Eye Basics.

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At $16.50, Pearl’s a great bargin, because not only can you can use it as an eyeshadow base, but it also works well as a highlighter for your face or lips. You can apply it to bare skin or underneath (or on top of) foundation or powder to play with different looks and textures.

And the pan is ginormous. MAC Cream Color Base is one of my favorite MAC products,Coach Outlet Coupon, and I recommend it to people all the time. I hope you give it a try!

Purchase MAC Cream Color Base in Pearl online or at your favorite MAC counter.

I worked from home today. Look who stopped by for a visit!

He bossed me around…
ft-the-writing-cat.jpg

got up in my grill…
ft-up-in-my-grill.jpg

and then took a nap before demanding his pay for the afternoon (a plate of Friskies).
ft-hella-lazy-ass-beast.jpg

How’s your Friday’s been? Mine’s been peaceful and mellow, and tonight I’m going to watch a movie. All the talk yesterday about Patrick Swayze and Dirty Dancing gave me the itch to watch it for the 123,The New LORAC Holiday Lip Gloss Collection Is Tie Dye For,445,Coach Outlet Coupon,643 time, so tonight I’m hitting the video store.

dirty-dancing-shes-like-the-wind.jpg

Do you have plans for tonight? I hope it’s something fun,The Bronze Goddess Is Back- Estee Lauder Summer 2010!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

For more cheeky posts like this one, sign up to receive my updates by email. :)

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Skynet Returns, Now Judging Beauty Pageants

Skynet Returns,I’m Having a Maritime with These $5 Rimmel Glam’Eyes Trio Eye Shadows,Cheap Jerseys, Now Judging Beauty Pageants

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Beauty in the eye of the beholder

Imagine asking, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” and having the mirror actually answer. Someday soon it may — if the mirror contains computer chips programmed to run new software developed by Canadian university undergraduate student Joshua Chauvin.

Chauvin and fellow Canadian researches have found that a computer can be trained to rate human facial attractiveness the same way that people do.

To test their creation,Cheap NFL Jerseys, the researchers asked a group of people to rate the attractiveness of other people in images, and then asked the computer to follow suit. Eighty-five percent of the time the computer’s ratings fell within one point of the human rating.

According to Chauvin…

“So what (the neural network is) doing is coming up with its own rating for those images based on some sort of understanding of what it thinks the population finds as attractive.”

source: CTV.ca

The technology isn’t ready to start replacing beauty pageant judges yet,Coach Factory Outlet, but who knows? To his credit, Chauvin sees the potential for more practical uses for it, like one day using the software to corroborate a doctor’s diagnoses by identifying certain facial characteristics of some diseases.

Perhaps less altruistically,coach handbags on sale,Saturday Surfing_19, he also sees the software being used by marketing and advertising companies to assess how their target audience may respond to the models hired for different ad campaigns.

This young researcher’s name (Chauvin) sounded French to me, so I pulled up Yahoo,Coach Handbags! Babel Fish to check the translation.

What are the odds? :)

Gotta love the irony

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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A new stunning collection by Sandra Backlund is ou

A new stunning collection by Sandra Backlund is out!

pic
Sandra Backlund,Cheap Jerseys,”Don’t Walk.” Photo by Denise Grünstein

Titled “Don’t Walk” and made entirely of red knits,Coach Outlet Online Store USA, it is the fifth collection by the Swedish designer, who started out by studying fine arts in college, then textiles and art history and only later decided to pursue fashion and enrolled at the Beckman’s School of Design in Stockholm. Her varied background shows through in her beautifully constructed,Cheap NFL Jerseys, intricate work,coach outlet handbags, which often stands away from the body yet at times reiterates it in the very material she uses to create clothes. Her very first collection “Body,MAC Make-Up Art Cosmetics Face of the Day with the Notoriety Quad, Skin and Hair,Korres Face Primer- All Hail the $10 Tube!,” partially employed human hair, which she carefully and painstakingly “styled” into garments by sewing it onto a fabric lining, then combing, cutting, braiding and finally pinning it.

Most of her work plays with the traditional silhouette, often distorting and transforming it in different ways. She admits to working along the lines of a sculptor rather than a tailor in building her clothes from a number of small pieces which she then joins together in different ways to create novel and ever-changing shapes. (see,Gucci Italia, sandrabacklund.com)

Francesca

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Josie Maran Blush in Fever Is Making My Temperatur

Josie Maran Blush in Fever Is Making My Temperature Rise

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Josie Marah Fever Blush Swatches Reviews Photos

“Doctor, you have to help me,Cheap NFL Jerseys! I think I’m seeing things.”

“Oh?”

“Yah,Topshop Cheeks in Luminescence Is Sticking It to MAC Nymphette, I just saw a woman who looked feverish! — but I mean that in the best possible way.”

You see, there’s a fever going around (no, not Justin Bieber), but this fever’s more of a blessing than a curse. It most certainly IS contagious, however, and it’s spreading fast.

Fever ($20),Cheap Jerseys, one of three new blushes from eco-friendly Josie Maran, launched exclusively at Sephora earlier this summer as part of a completely new line of blushes designed to lend a light flush to cheeks.

Blossom (a soft peach), Fever (a rosy beige) and Passion (a fresh pink) each contain Moroccan Argan oil,Coach Outlet Online Store, an oil rich in vitamin E,Louis Vuitton handbags outlet, and JM claims that wearing them improves a variety of skin trubs, including dryness and hyper pigmentation.

Conveniently, I have both of those trubs, LOL!

Josie Marah Fever Blush Swatches Reviews Photos
Josie Maran Fever on NW20 skin


Josie Maran Fever on NC35 skin

Josie Marah Fever Blush Swatches Reviews Photos
Wearing Fever

Since I started wearing Fever about a week ago, I haven’t noticed any improvement in my skin, but I must admit I didn’t really expect to. Luckily, I like how natural the color looks and how long it lasts on my skin, and JM really outdid themselves on the packaging, too, with a nifty biodegradeable compact (so cool!).

Fever itself feels like velvet and blends seamlessly into my skin. Too bad about the limited color selection (just three?), but I hope to see JM release some additional colors soon. I like Fever for $20, but I’d love love it for $15. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B+/A-

You might like Josie Maran Fever Blush if��
  • You’re looking for a rosy blush with a matte finish
  • You want a healthy, natural-looking cheek flush
  • You don’t like to spend a lot of time blending your blushes
  • You want a blush that’ll last all day long
TGIF!

Girls, I’m BEYOND HAPPY tonight! I just got home from grocery paradise, aka Trader Joe’s,Saturday Surfing_19, where I picked up picnic food (sandwiches, chips, dried nuts, Vitamin Water) for tomorrow’s day trip to Lake Berryessa with El Hub. I haven’t been swimming in ages,Coach Factory Coupon, so I hope the water’s warm! I’m not too thrilled about showcasing my muffin top in public, but I’ll get over it.

Have a great night (get your beauty rest!). Time to give Tabs his gravy. :)

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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Benefit to Release Rare Beauty, a New Makeup Set I

Benefit to Release Rare Beauty, a New Makeup Set Inspired by Snow White & the Huntsman

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Benefit Cosmetics Snow White & The Huntsman
Image via Collider

Benefit CosmeticsExciting news, Benefit babes (and fairy tale lovers)! This spring,Cheap NFL Jerseys, Benefit and Universal Films partner up on a limited edition makeup set inspired by the upcoming movie.

Rare Beauty ($45), meet Snow White & the Huntsman. :)

The film, which hits theaters June 1 and stars Kristen Stewart as Snow White and Charlize Theron as evil Queen Ravenna,The Sula Beauty Eye Crayon in Never Say Never May Prefer Drier Lids Than Mine,Cheap Jerseys, looks like Grimm for grownups to me, and I like the spooky new look.

Benefit products also appear on the actors in the film, as they are the movie’s exclusive beauty partner.

More details (and product pics) coming soon, but from what I’m gathering through the grapevine, the set will include makeup to recreate Snow White’s super black lashes, flushed cheeks and milky skin.

Rare Beauty, a set inspired by Kristen’s look in the film, arrives in stores, boutiques and counters this May,Louis Vuitton Official Website, but die-hard Bene-babes don’t have to wait that long. It will officially launch online on April 17 at benefitcosmetics.com.

I saw the movie trailer in the theater before The Hunger Games last week, and it looks pretty darn great,Coach Factory Outlet Store Online! It even got El Hub’s attention.

Poor guy will indubitably have to put up with me whispering random Benefit makeup tidbits through the movie when we see it, like,Christian Louboutin Shoes, “I think they used High Beam on Kristen’s upper cheek bones in that shot…” and, “I bet Charlize is rocking Hoola right there.” LOL!

Benefit will also be hosting a contest where winners will be able attend a private screening of Snow White & the Huntsman in their hometown (with 50 of their closest friends,The Smashbox Masquerade Collection Unleashes a Sultry, Smoldering Makeup Fantasy for Fall 2010!). If you win, um… I’m just sayin’. You found out about it here. :)

I’ll have more info on Rare Beauty over the next few days. Stay tuned.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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A New Look at NARS Spring 2011 with Tzigane, Holly

A New Look at NARS Spring 2011 with Tzigane, Hollywoodland, Bateau Ivre and Nouveau Monde

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nars spring 2011

When the NARS spring 2011 makeup collection sprung earlier this month, it didn’t strike with the force of a thousand Easter bunnies. In other words, it didn’t knock me off my feet.

I liked the repromoted Angelika and Super Orgasm Lip Glosses but felt the Soft Touch Pencil in Celebrate, the Lip Gloss in Nana and the Pure Matte Lipstick in Madère were just okay. Seriously, what’s a 35-year-old suburban gal gonna do with a neon green eyeshadow (Celebrate) that lasts all of 5 minutes on her skin?

And then came today.

I tried four more goodies from the collection this afternoon — the Lipstick in Tzigane, Soft Touch Shadow Pencil in Hollywoodland, Eyeshadow Duo in Bateau Ivre and Eyeshadow Duo in Nouveau Monde — and now NARS is singing my tune.

THESE are the kinds of products I was hoping to find in this collection; until today, I just didn’t know they were here.

They must have been hiding like Easter eggs. :)

The look features fresh,MAC Cosmetics Face of the Day- Hot Pink and Silver,Cheap Jerseys, exciting eyes with a touch of fun color, and a lovely lipstick I could easily wear to work (or a brunch date!). It’s modern,Cheap NFL Jerseys, yet wearable makeup with a springy edge, and I can totally see myself cruising the neighborhood with it on as I walk my plus-sized tabby down the street.

nars spring 2011
Clockwise from the lower left: Eyeshadow Duo in Nouveau Monde, Lipstick in Tzigane,Christian louboutin outlet online store, Soft Touch Shadow Pencil in Hollywoodland and Eyeshadow Duo in Bateau Ivre

Lipstick in Tzigane, $24

Like a favorite pair of black shoes, this sheer pinkish rose goes with almost everything. I think it would look amazing with smokey looks, cat eyes and probably even bright eyeshadows as well. Unscented and unflavored, it feels light on the lips. If you happen to own NARS Blush in Amour or Sex Appeal, Tzigane should look great with either one.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A+