HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Yay! Hip-hip-hooray! We made it, ladies. For our last post of 2009, a farewell to some of my favorite bright eyeshadow looks and tutorials from the past year (the image sections are clickable links).

How do you feel about 2009 now that it’s behind us? Was it a good year for you? Truth be told, I’m glad it’s history. I feel ready for 2010!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Good morning, ladies. Yes, the rumors are true. In a little more than 12 hours, we’ll close the book on 2009 forever and begin a new chapter titled “2010″, a brand-spankin’ new year filled with promise and hope for us all.

With a lead like that, it feels like I should do something special tonight, LOL! Ya know, it’ll be special, no matter WHAT — even if I end up just spending the night home with the two men in my life (El Hub and Tabs). So far my plans involve the three of us, a couch, Hulu and perhaps a glass (or three) of something bubbly.

What about you? What’s on your dance card tonight? While I think I’m staying in, I still have designs on my New Year’s makeup, and I’m thinking about something with fireworks.

Like…

Makeupgeek: Magnificent Sparkles

MichellePhan: Glamorous Salute to 2010

QueenofBlendingMUA: Glitter Eyes

pixiwoo: Deeep Purple

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• Hi there, ladies. Sorry I’ve been incommunicado lately. I’ve been running ragged since early this morning. While I was in Hawaii last week, a dear friend of mine, someone I’ve known most of my life, lost her father to cancer. This morning was the funeral, and while it was a nice ceremony and a fitting sendoff (music played a big part as it was one of his greatest loves), it was still an emotional day for us all.

  Then, after the funeral, I swung by my parents’ house in the East Bay for a low-key birthday celebration for my mom.

  I’m pretty spent right now but have so much I want to share… I think it’ll have to wait, though, until I’ve gotten some sleep.

  How was your day? What was the highlight?

  Tonight, I went digging through the blog archives and found this post from almost three years ago. I’m due for a new DMV picture soon, and this post came to mind.

  I double dare you to email a scan/photograph of your DMV picture to me (karen@makeupandbeautyblog.com ). Pretty please? And if you’ll let me, I’d like to post it on the blog.

  Nighty night…

  Your sleepy neighborhood friendly addict,

  Zzzzzz…

My mission today is possibly one of the biggest of all of beauty challenges: I have to go to the DMV to take a new license picture and somehow make it look cute.

The nasty florescent lighting, the institutional blue paper background … there are many elements that point toward certain disaster. Plus, I think the picture-taking dude that works at the nearby DMV REALLY HATES his job. He purposely waits for your eyes to be crossed, or for you to look like you’re confused before he snaps away, thus preserving your startled doe-in-the-headlights look for all eternity.

The only decent license picture I ever took was when I was 21 and weighed 20 pounds less … needless to say, I need a little bit more help now, since the fresh blush of youth and innocence has left (I’m not bitter!).
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Written by Kristen of Sugar Social

Today Kristen of Sugar Social puts a spell on you with MAC’s pretty pink bag.

MAC’s Put a Spell on You Pink lip bag, part of the Magic, Mirth, and Mischief! holiday collection, makes lip color dreams come true. For just $36, you get a full-size Dazzleglass in Baby Sparks (light pink with sparkles), a full-size Dream lipstick (pearly beige-pink), and a small Dervish lip liner (a neutral-toned pink with flecks of subtle shimmer) — all squeezed into a cute metallic silver bag. Better still, the colors look great on all skin tones.

I have a beauty confession to make… Before purchasing this bag, I never wore lip liner. Not once. I hate the typical lip liner look, with a harsh line circling the mouth and a too-light lipstick or gloss filling in the lips, but I promise you, this bag will NOT give you that look.

The tried-and-true trio of lipstick, lip liner and gloss may seem like a no-brainer, but they can be worn together in surprisingly different ways. Below is my favorite look.

Substitutes

Dervish lip pencil and Baby Sparks Dazzleglass are part of MAC’s permanent collection. They can be recreated with other colors as well like…

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We hear ‘em every year — wait, no, every season! — a new batch of makeup and beauty trends. Which ones will go mainstream, and which ones won’t? Everyone loves playing prognosticator every once in a while, right? Err, at least I sure do.

Oh, if I missed a trend that you expect us to see a lot next year, do tell. Let me know in the comments.

Which 2010 beauty trend is most likely to succeed?

• 1. The glow-and-lip stain look
• 2. The classic red lip
• 3. Enhanced eyebrows
• 4. The "extreme" hair bun
• 5. Back to the '80s
• 6. The fake tan
• 7. Semi-permanent false eyelashes
• 8. Mood-enhancing beauty products
• 9. Slicked-back hair
• 10. Woven tresses
• 11. Even MORE eco-beauty
• 12. Nail art

View Results

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen