Bath Bombs from Basin White in Las Vegas.
It’s the Bomb
Archives for October 2009
A Mirage in the Desert
A view of The Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas. Isn’t it weird that they have dolphins decorating the front gates?
Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 59
Ahoy, ladies! Tabs tried on his Halloween costume this afternoon and modeled it for me in the living room. What do ya think? Too much? 🙂
He’s going to a party next Saturday night, but I wasn’t invited… I still don’t have plans. I may just stay home and give out candy. That’s always fun.
Loading ...Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
What Were Your Best and Worst Beauty Experiences of the Week?
What were your best and worst beauty experiences of the week?
MY BEST:
Painting my nails with Lippmann Collection’s nail polish in Happy Birthday. Seeing the sparkles on my fingertips makes me smile. 🙂
MY WORST:
I was out running errands the other day when I brushed a hand across some stiff hairs on my chin… lovely. They were that really annoying kind, the stubbly ones not quite long enough to pluck. I kept obsessing about ’em, touching my chin throughout the day and trying, unsuccessfully, to remove them with my fingernails, LOL! Eventually, I got a good enough grip with some tweezers at home…
What were your best and worst beauty experiences of the week? Lemme know in the comments!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Blogging for Breast Cancer: Cooperation Is a Beautiful Thing
Good morning, ladies. 🙂 I hope you slept well.
Can you believe that today’s the last Sunday in October? November’s right around the corner. By this time next week, we’ll have said goodbye to yet another Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which means no more pink ribbons for a while (they’ll go back into storage).
Why it’s personal to me…
I’m kinda melancholy about it, but I feel like the world made good BCA progress this year. No cure yet, and much of the increased awareness comes via corporations commercializing the cause, but ultimately the how/why doesn’t matter, does it? More of us are aware of the disease than we were a month ago, and that’s a good thing no matter what.
Strike while the iron’s hot
There are still seven October days left for one final push to raise funds for research and support. That’s why I’m upping the ante in our MBB fundraiser for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. I pledge to match every $1 you donate through the widget here with $2 of my own (up to $500 total). If you can give $5, I’ll match you with $10 (for $15 total).
And if you make a donation to Komen through a different blog or through their site directly, just e-mail me a picture/scan of your receipt, and I’ll make the same 2-1 match (up to $500 total).
I feel like we should strike while the iron’s hot because soon we’ll move on to other causes, and the holidays will take center stage.
Please help make one final push before the end of October. 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Retro Roundup: A Year Ago on Makeup and Beauty Blog
2008
- How Do You Wear Red Lipstick? Tips and Tricks: Like the Ol’ Faithful of lip looks, a red lip is one of the most reliable, fool-proof ways to steal the spotlight. But red and other bright lip shades can be challenging colors to wear. Here’s my secret to wearing reds.
- 10 Fantastic Smokey Eye Tutorials: I’m always looking to get better at doing smokey eyes. I’ve come across hundreds of smokey eye tutorials, and I think these 10 are some of the most helpful ones. I hope you find them useful, too!
- 11 Great Makeup Wipes and Cleansers: A few days ago of you gals then offered up your fave makeup removing wipes and cleansers in the comments. Here’s a list featuring your recommendations and why you love ‘em!
- 5 Makeup Storage Idea Starters: If you’re like me and struggle to stay organized, here are a few simple makeup storage ideas.
2007
- A Trip to the Bliss San Francisco Spa: I went to the Bliss Spa at the W Hotel in San Francisco to get a pedicure yesterday, and all I have to say is the place effing rules. I briefly thought about keeping it as a secret and not blogging about it, but then I’d be doing all women with jacked-up feet a serious disservice.
- MAC Reviews: Invisible Set Powder, Paint Pots and More: Invisible Set definitely keeps me less oily throughout the day, but on my skin it really depends on what type of base it adheres. I’ve tried it with various types of coverage, from light tinted moisturizers to medium coverage liquid foundations. By far the best results were from the heavier coverage products.
- Makeup and Beauty Tips for Breast Cancer Patients: Meet my friend, Mary Anne. She’s a breast cancer survivor and the coolest dentist I know. One of the many challenges for Mary Anne was navigating the world of makeup and beauty as a cancer patient. Here are a few great tips that she’s learned this past year on how to stay beautiful both inside and out.
- Have You Heard of DHC? They’re a RAD Japanese skin and cosmetics brand where you can buy a bunch of stuff with no English on the packaging, but you always end up with something cool. Their products are based on high quality olive oil and free of unnecessary coloring agents or irritating fragrances.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
The Beauty of Blog World 2009: A Beginner’s Guide to Web Traffic
Even though Blog World wrapped up last weekend, I wanted to talk a little about traffic building because it was one of the most discussed topics at the event.
Assuming it’s one of your goals (it doesn’t have to be), the experts had a lot to say about building readership/viewership to websites and blogs. Today I’m going to gloss over the jargon and give you some tips you can implement on your own.
Previously in The Beauty of Blog World…
- The Beauty of Blog World 2009
- The Beauty of Blog World 2009: How to Earn More Money from Your Blog
- The Beauty of Blog World 2009: How to Make Better Videos
Tip #1: Produce desirable content
This one’s the most important tip but also the hardest to define. “Content is King,” the traffic experts say, but what do they really mean? Answer: If you think about it, what draws you to your favorite makeup counters, stores, websites and blogs? In my case, I visit MAC counters because I’m *obsessed* with their makeup; I read Zen Habits because it helps me relax. Ultimately, we visit the places that give us what we want.
As a practical matter, I think it’s harder (although not impossible) to attract readers to personal journal blogs because, let’s face it, our lives usually aren’t as interesting as we think they are. But when we blog with passion about specific topics (keeping in mind that no one owes us their time), we tend to attract people with similar interests.
Tip #2: The power of key words
What words would someone use on Google to find your blog?
Whatever they are, those are some of your key words, and you want to use your key words in as many places as you can — in your domain name (i.e. lipstickeyeshadowandgloss.com, catsinuniform.com), in your URLs (i.e. catsinuniform.com/cat/uniforms/catuniforms.php — the parts between the / slashes), in your post titles (Cat Uniforms Under $10, My 5 Favorite Lipsticks of 2009, Don’t Gloss Over These Lipsticks, etc.), within the text of your posts and also within the text using HTML header tags (h1, h2, h3, h4). The more you use your key words, the more credit your blog will get from Google and the other search engines for searches using those terms.
Tip #3: Links
Not only do links translate into direct traffic to your blog, as they get clicked wherever they appear, but they also contribute to your placement in the search rankings on Google.
[Continue reading…]
Saturday Surfing
G’morning, surf divas. 🙂 I’m so glad the weekend’s finally here!
I woke up to the sound of Tabs chirping at the windowsill. He was fixated on some doves by an old oak tree outside and couldn’t contain his excitement.
It was like his little kitty brain was plotting his escape.
Ever since my little brother said he thought Tabs suffers from Stockholm syndrome (LOL!), I’ve been wondering if Tabs sees himself as a hostage…
- How to make frighteningly cool fake blood — Bella Sugar
- Gala’s magical guide to getting well — Icing
- Guerlain’s red hot Rouge G Lipstick — Temptalia
- Would you wear this crazy striped lip look?— TheNotice
- Best looking salad I’ve seen all day — We Heart This
- Makeup packing tips for one-bag trips — Beautiful With Brains
- How to pick a flattering lipstick color — Tokyostargirl
- A butterfly Halloween makeup look — Shops2Much
- Fashion this blue and green eye with the Too Faced Smoky Eye Palette — Chic Profile
- I haven’t exercised in a month and thus qualify for this T — A Peek at Sarah’s World
- These Cole Haan boots make me happy — Manolo’s Shoe Blog
- What makes a good first paragraph? — Nathan Bransford, Literary Agent
- How to forget stress by giving yourself to the moment — Zen Habits
- Get into the Halloween spirit with a new wallpaper for your desktop — Lifehacker
My favorite video game of all time!!
This poem is like candy for my soul…
… and so is this super-rad example of kick arse video editing.
The world’s coolest fish tank.
How’s your day coming along? I’m sorting through boxes and may go for a run if it warms up outside.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen