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Archives for April 2008

Face of the Day: MAC Smokey Brown and Purple Eye

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Mama always said, “When life hands you insomnia, hide your dark circles with concealer.”

Okay, my mom didn’t actually say that because she doesn’t wear makeup (I know! The apple fell so far from the tree!).

Anyhoo, I was inspecting the purplish nether regions under my eyes this morning and feeling pretty crappy because of the whole no sleep thing, so I decided to run with it and try a purplish-brown smokey eye. The result improved my sour mood and put a lil’ spring in my step, for sure!

The shadows I used from left to right:

I haven’t been a regular user of matte shadows in the past, but I went all out with them this time. Thanks to MAC Senior Makeup Artist Jennifer Karsten’s advice, I’ve decided I’m going to work diligently to couple them with shimmer shades to create more depth in my eye makeup looks.

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The color map below shows where I placed the different eyeshadows…

  1. MAC Frisco – browbone
  2. MAC Saddle – crease
  3. MAC Star Violet – lid
  4. MAC Sable – outer third of lid
  5. MAC Showstopper – outer V
  6. MAC Retrospeck – inner third of lid
  7. MAC Newly Minted – upper lash line (I smudged this on top MAC Technakohl eyeliner in Graphblack)
  8. MAC Saddle and Sable – lower lash line

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Trying to balance the look, I kept the lips neutral and the cheeks light.
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You Must Choose: Trapped in TV Land

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Last night I slept a total of about 3.5 hours because of different things on my mind, but in that time I managed to have a few vivid dreams, including one where I was trapped in the 80’s sitcom The Golden Girls.

Perhaps the dream was a cry for help, but, honestly, I can’t think of another TV show in which I’d rather be trapped. I love that show!

Sure, the ladies of The Golden Girls are more than twice my age, but I can’t get enough of Blanche, Dorothy, Sophia and Rose’s hijinks. Plus, the show is set in Miami — hello, surfing. Let the hilarity ensue!

In the dream I moved into the house and became the fifth Golden Girl. Sophia taught me how to cook Sicilian food, and Rose asked if I could post a picture of her new hairdo on the blog. Yup, good times.

I hope I have a Sex and the City dream now, but I really can’t see myself living in New York because I’m a wuss when it comes to cold winters.

Speaking of TV dreams, could you imagine being stuck in The Hills? I can see myself hanging out with Lo and Whitney, but the show’s male characters are terribly sub-par. Could anyone have a meaningful conversation with Spencer or Justin Bobby, the ambassadors of lame?

If you could transport yourself into any show on TV, what would it be? YOU MUST CHOOSE!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

MAC Makeup Tips: MAC Does Makeup for Music, Too

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You probably already knew that MAC provides makeup and makeup artists for fashion shows all over the world, but did you know that MAC does makeup for music tours, too? If you have tickets to rapper Kanye West’s Glow in the Dark North American tour (April-June, 2008), expect to see MAC in action. The MAC team is creating the looks for several of the dancers, backup singers and accompanying musicians on the tour.

And Glow in the Dark isn’t the first MAC/Kanye partnership. They’ve been at it for years, with MAC working on a number of Kanye’s tours, special performances and videos.

To find out more about how MAC works with performers on large concerts and events, I spoke with MAC Senior Makeup Artist Jennifer Karsten. Jennifer worked on Kanye’s Touch the Sky tour, his 2007 MTV Music Video Awards appearance and the Flashing Lights video.

Jennifer did the makeup for the girl in this video. Yo, shuttle the kids into the other room before you watch this because the end is kinda graphic.

Unlike the full-time singers, dancers and musicians who travel with an artist on tour, MAC artists are usually assigned at each stop along the way. How do all these different makeup artists in different cities maintain a consistent makeup look throughout a lengthy tour? “We all communicate through the senior artists and global communications,” Jennifer says, “so everyone knows what the look is and to keep the continuity going.”

MAC artists working on high-profile music events face challenges that makeup artists working fashion shows don’t often face. Large concerts are complex productions. “When you’re dealing with someone more high profile,” says Jennifer, “you have a lot more channels to go through.” It can be more difficult or challenging to really get the look correct because you’re filtering an idea through someone else.

For one of his performances at the 2007 MTV music video awards, Kanye wanted a futuristic, glamorous, high fashion makeup look. The MAC team envisioned a glossy, futuristic cat eye (ooh, me likey!). MAC artists created a “test look” on one of the orchestra performers. It then took six hours, several calls, and pictures taken with cell phones to get the test look approved. That left the team with only 20 minutes to replicate the look on the rest of the orchestra.

And, ultimately, fashion show makeup isn’t meant to overshadow the clothing. That’s not always the case in a concert, where the makeup often defines the look.

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MAC Makeup Tips – Concert Makeup

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Essie Summer 2008 Nail Polish Collection: Help!

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When I got home from work this afternoon, my inner crazy possessed me to inhale half a bag of Trader Joe’s Reduced Fat Cheese Crunchies. After washing off my neon-orange fingers and chewing three Tums (note to file: do not eat half a bag of cheese crunchies in one sitting), I pulled out my Essie Summer 2008 nail polish stash and painted each of the nails on my left hand (and the pointer finger on my right) different colors. This is what too many cheese crunchies can make a woman do.

Essie Summer 2008 contains six shades ($8 each), and I lurve them all.

  1. Guilty Pleasures — pink strawberry
  2. My Place or Yours — pink rose
  3. Escapades — shimmerless red coral
  4. Risky Business — red with tangerine shimmer
  5. Secret Stash — fuschia
  6. Movers & Shakers — bold hot pink

Guilty Pleasures
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My Place or Yours
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Escapades
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Risky Business
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Secret Stash
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Movers & Shakers
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Which of these is your favorite? I can’t decide which one is mine. I need help!

The shade that gets the most votes will be the color I wear the rest of the week.

Aren’t you glad we’ve gotten Monday out of the way? I had a bad case of the Mondays this morning, but things started looking up in the afternoon.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

For more fun beauty bits, try your luck with my random post generator. Click for a totally random post.🙂

Bobbi Brown Beach Shower Gel, Take Me Away!

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If I had my way, I’d live near a beach in the tropics and go surfing every morning before work, but, alas, I live in Northern California, where the water temp hovers around 50 degrees Fahrenheit all year round.

Since fate hath dealt me this cruel and ironic hand, I’ve resorted to several different tricks to capture that beachy, laid-back, surf-all-day-’til-your-arms-give-out feeling. For example, on days when I’m missing Hawaii somethin’ fierce, I’ll watch the Kuhio and Waikiki beach webcams and drink margaritas while listening to the Steve Miller Band (“Some people call me the space cowboy…”).

But while helpful at times of makeup despair, booze is not a long-term solution, and last weekend I discovered a new (and alcohol-free!) form of surf therapy. It’s called Bobbi Brown’s Beach Shower Gel ($32), and it smells just like a day at the beach.

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The second I rubbed the foaming gel into my skin in the shower I felt transported to Waikiki beach. Bobbi says the scent contains jasmine, sea spray and mandarin, but I’d characterize it as more a mix of the ocean, sunblock, off shore breezes and clean beach towels. That may not be the most sophisticated definition of the fragrance, but I think it’s apt. My nose knows (ha ha) the smell of the beach, and how much this tube of shower gel captures that scent is kinda miraculous.

After I lathered up and rinsed off in the shower, I actually couldn’t stop smelling myself for hours. I was like a fiend for it, and every single time I caught a whiff, I felt like I was at Waikiki beach, drinking in the sunshine and enjoying a warm day by the ocean.

Bobbi, take me away…

Oahu’s famous Waikiki Beach

Bobbi’s Beach scent comes in various forms…

  1. Beach Fragrance – $55
  2. Beach Body Oil – $28
  3. Beach Shower Gel – $32
  4. Beach Body Lotion – $35
  5. Beach Body Scrub – $35
  6. Beach Suncreen Body Spray SPF 15 – $25
  7. Beach Sandbar Soap – $16

Bobbi Brown Beach Shower Gel

Price: $32
Use: To clean yo’ stinky self
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A+

For a limited time, when you buy any two Bobbi Brown Beach products you’ll also snag this cute tote fo’ free.
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Today Marin Was Like Hawaii

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Shark’s Cove: awesome snorkeling spot on the North Shore of Oahu in Hawaii

Hi, ladies! It was just too nice outside for me to sit in front of the computer today. It seems like I spend more time at my computer desk than I spend anyplace else!

What have you been up to today?

I’m working on a couple projects for you guys that I hope to have ready to share soon. One has to do with MAC Cosmetics, and the other has to do with finding makeup bargains, which is something I hold near and dear to my heart!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. You know what time it is! Are you ready for the week’s best posts from the lovely ladies of the Beauty Blog Network?
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Lancome Star Bronzer Plus Clinique Fireberry Glosswear Equals 3-Minute Makeup

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That cherub’s got junk in his trunk!

Not only does Lancome’s new limited edition Star Bronzer ($50) for face and body work like a charm; it looks like one too.

Doesn’t it look like the cherub in the pan is hugging the sun?

Star Bronzer gave my cheeks a warm glow, and, coupled with Clinique Fireberry Glosswear, helped me do this easy summer look.

Lancome obviously had fun with this compact. Within the image in the pan are three different bronzing colors. I love the golden brown matte from the cherub’s bum.

Here are swatches of the three most distinct shades from different parts of the compact:

  1. A shimmery bronze with golden sparkle swatched from the sun to the left of the nekkid cherub
  2. A warm golden brown matte from the cherub’s arse
  3. A shimmery yellow gold from the cherub’s wings

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What a great bronzer for summer! Too bad it’s a little on the expensive side. I do love how it looks with Fireberry Glosswear. I discovered how compatible the two products are by accident this morning.

I wanted a latte from the coffee shop across the street, but I didn’t want to leave the house without minimal makeup (I don’t want to scare the local children with my dark circles).

3-Minute Makeup

I grabbed my MAC 116 blush brush and swiped Star Bronzer onto the applies of both cheeks. Then, I added Dior Concealer to hide my dark circles and curled my lashes with Shu Uemura’s Curler.

I used a MAC 266 brush and MAC Concrete eyeshadow to fill in my brows and finished the look with Clinique Fireberry Glosswear lipgloss. Done in less than three minutes.

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Don’t you love it when you find cheek and lip colors that complement each other? I like how the bronze and gold tones in both Star Bronzer and Fireberry work together.

Lancome Star Bronzer

Price: $50
Use: A powder bronzer
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B
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Chanel Ombre Essentielle Soft Touch Eyeshadow: Bonjour Credit Card Debt

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Chanel’s eyeshadow quads (aka instant credit card debt) are one of my weaknesses. For months, whenever I’d hit a Chanel counter I’d go straight for the quads, fiddling joyfully with them and looking for my next favorite palette.

But a while ago, while at Nordstrom peeping the summer collection, I decided to swatch all of the Ombre Essentielle Soft Touch Eyeshadow singles. I loved them all! Hello, more credit card debt.

I’m glad I didn’t overlook the singles because the colors seem richer and more vibrant than those in the quad.

Unfortunately, as far as eyeshadows go, the singles ain’t cheap ($27.50, eep!), but if high-end makeup is your thing then these shadows belong in your collection. They’re available in matte, shimmer and satin finishes and come in a whopping 25 different shades.

On the Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus websites there are only 24 of them listed; Midnight, the elusive 25th shade, is only available online from Chanel.

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Chanel Ombre Essentielle Soft Touch Eyeshadow Shades – All 25

  • Abricot (listed as “Apricot” on the Nieman Marcus website)
  • Amethyst
  • Bambou (“Bamboo” on Neiman Marcus)
  • Beige
  • Candide
  • Cinnamon
  • Ebony
  • Fizz
  • Gold
  • Island
  • Ivory
  • Jungle
  • Khaki
  • Lagoon
  • Lavande (“Lavender” on NM)
  • Lotus
  • Mahogany
  • Midnight (available on Chanel website)
  • Nomade (limited edition)
  • Quartz
  • Safari
  • Sand
  • Silvery
  • Starlight
  • Tigre (limited edition)

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I grabbed two of the shades, Safari (a shimmery gray-taupe) and the limited edition Nomade (a cool light pink with gold glitter sparkles), and this week they made their way into my workday makeup rotation.

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While you can mix and match the Ombre Essentielle Soft Touch Eyeshadows, I prefer using the two shades I have all by their lonesome. Individually, they’ve been great for creating simple washes of color over the entire eyelid.

When I use them I apply a layer of eyeshadow primer first, like Too Faced Shadow Insurance. Then, I grab one of three brushes — the MAC 252, MAC 217 or the Sephora All Over Shadow brush from the Smokey Eye brush kit. Any one of the three can do the job.

I swipe the brush across the pan to load it up with color, but before applying I tap it against the side of the sink to unload any excess shadow.

Gently patting my eyelid with the brush has given me better results than when I swept the brush back and forth. I do it until I’ve got an even layer of color on each eye.

Chanel Ombre Essentielle Soft Touch Eyeshadow

Price: $27.50
Use: Eyeshadows for a simple wash of color
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B+/A-

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