Karen

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 507

June 24th, 2018 by Karen 6 Comments

This morning’s patrol was very serious business. It warranted a purple alert due to a turkey gang sighting on the hill. Tabs spotted the ringleader and scared him off, after which point things were pretty uneventful.

A lot of people and cats don’t know this, but purple is the official Tabs the Cat Industries LLC company color, and a purple alert signifies an all-hands-on-deck emergency — something like a hostile turkey takeover or cat corporate espionage.

The last time we had a full-on purple alert was when a kitty modeling competitor (Harris the cat) vandalized the official company catnip plant in the front yard.

Tabs went BALLISTIC.

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Saturday Surfing, June 23rd, 2018

June 23rd, 2018 by Karen 8 Comments

fit simplify resistance bands — Operation: J. Lo Booty

I woke up this morning and saw a rainbow…of resistance bands! Got these for my birthday. Now sweatin’ like a mofo.

Here’s the workout I’m doing:

Feel that booty 🔥 burn

Have you ever used resistance bands before? OH EM GEE. Dude, they don’t look like much, but they are no joke. They’re an ultra-portable, affordable way to up your workout game.

resistance band workout — Apparently, they double as jewelry!

Think heavy-duty rubber bands. You wrap them around different parts of your body during specific exercises where your muscles work against the resistance of the bands, and the different colors and sizes of the bands correspond to different levels of tension. Some are equal to a 10-pound dumbbell; some are quite a bit more or less.

Slip one around your knees or ankles, and suddenly your squats and side lunges are next level. I’m talking serious burn 🔥 (in a good way)! You can also use them for upper body (like for assisted pull-ups) and core work.

resistance band workout 2 — That’s Harris the cat, by the way…

One can only endure so many burpees because they are truly the devil’s work, and when I want to exercise but can’t bear the thought of going to an HIIT class or struggling through a run, a resistance band workout is almost fun.

Or, at least, different. They’re an easy, low-impact way to mix things up.

Now, I’m gonna go jump in the shower and de-funk myself, although I don’t know why I bother, because it’s supposed to be 90-something today, so I’m just gonna end up all sweaty again anyway. While I embark upon said useless endeavor, here are some stories that caught my eye this week:

If you’re a woman of color, here’s a guide to finding a nude lippie for darker skin tones.
New brand to watch out for at Sephora: 7 Virtues. To support local residents and families in war-torn areas, the brand sources raw ingredients from places caught in conflict and actually overpays to help farmers provide more for their families.
Soon, fans of “the ‘gram” will be able to watch hour-long videos through something called IGTV. Side note: would anyone be interested in watching me ramble for an hour on Instagram about cats? INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW.
I’m a big fan of unisex scents (see: Clean Reserve Sel Santal), so I can’t wait to sniff these three new fragrances Chanel is launching for girls AND guys.
What’s in a name? Former Allure Editor Linda Wells is launching a new makeup line called Flesh. Here she talks about the semi-scandalous name and their products (she was going for controversy). The article is also filled with fun facts (which you know I loooove), like how the Peach Crayola crayon color used to be called Flesh, but it was rebranded during the start of the civil rights movement.

Well, I just found what I’ve been missing all my life: CHOCOFLAN!!!

I definitely did not look like this when I danced to Push It at the eighth-grade dance…

Current summer soundtrack

What are you up to this weekend? Is it hella hot there too?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Unsung Makeup Heroes: NARS Deep Throat Blush

June 22nd, 2018 by Karen 4 Comments

What’s an unsung makeup hero? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar screen of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. The long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.

I realize that NARS Orgasm is widely believed to be the true tour de force of the NARS blush multiverse, and for sure, I totally get why so many people love it…but NARS Deep Throat to me is a far better peachy pink option. Hands down.

Like Orgasm, it looks incredible on a wiiiide range of skin tones, but it lacks Orgasm’s intensely golden pearl, which in this case is a good thing, particularly if you have pores — like I do.

I actually like that I can’t see Deep Throat’s golden shimmer unless I’m way up in a magnifying mirror. Most of the time, all you see is the lovely color.

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Old Navy Leggings/Summer 2018: Dressing Room Try-Ons and a 50% Off Sale

June 22nd, 2018 by Karen 25 Comments

Question: Where does one go looking for a mu’umu’u or caftan in the spirit of Mrs. Roper?

Answer: Among other places (Marshall’s, Target, etc., and so on, everywhere), Old Navy!

Unfortunately…I didn’t find anything in the loose-fitting brightly colored dress department this time, but I did find some crazy cute workout leggings on sale for 50% off.

FIFTY PERCENT!

The same power that compels me to 1) shimmy-shimmy-cocoa-pop across a busy intersection to retrieve a wayward dollar bill in the middle of the road and 2) discourages me from paying full price for anything (also known as “I’m turning into my mother”) almost — ALMOST — made me get two pairs.

But here’s what stopped me: squats. I was stopped by squats. None of the pants were 100% squat-proof. Mind you, they didn’t feel flimsy, especially the two I almost bought (the navy polka-dot one with the mint green drawstring, and the printed green pair with the pink stripe down the side). The fabric on those was thicker than the Champion brand leggings at Target, for comparison, but thinner than (much pricier) Zellas and Senitas.

But when I bent over or dipped into a deep test squat, I could see the tag (and my underwear) through the material, which was…not good, so I didn’t get them. My leggings absolutely NEED to pass the squat test; otherwise, how else am I gonna get a J. Lo booty?! That thing won’t build itself.

If you’d be mostly wearing these to look cute in, I’d say go for it. They’re bright, vibrant, soft, and the patterns are SUPER cute. I’d suggest trying on a pair with a high rise (holds everything in) and a 7/8 length. I love me some 7/8 tights. They have a hem that hits just above the ankle, so the bottom hem isn’t flooding into your shoes, and they aren’t as short as crops or capris, so they can pass for, ya know, real pants.

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The MAC Oh, Sweetie Lipcolour Collection Is a Frosted Sugar Rush

June 21st, 2018 by Karen 5 Comments

mac oh sweetie collection — Got a sweet tooth?

I like to bake.

Naw, dawg, I LOVE TO BAKE.

Love. It. 🍞🥧😍🎂🍰❤️🍪🍩

What’s that? You need a cake baked from scratch? Brownies? Lemon bars? A loaf of artisan bread?? I GOT YOU, GIRL.

That said, when someone tells me that they don’t like sweets, or they claim to never, ever order dessert, my lips immediately form into a tight smile and my right eye starts twitching…because I’m completely short-circuiting inside.

HOW CAN YOU NOT LIKE DESSERT…? 1011101011010101111010110100010011101010111

That does not compute.

Thankfully, it’s sweet stuff galore in the MAC Oh, Sweetie Lipcolour collection. In fact, the glosses are named after desserts.

Here’s a look at some of them…

The MAC Oh, Sweetie Lipcolours ($17 each, 15 LE shades)

The collection is fronted by jet-setting German fashion influencer Caro Daur. (I’ll pause for a moment if you want to google her…) She’s so chic, right? I would like some of that Euro girl magic, okpleaseandthankyou.

Honored to be part of the new @rogervivier book #LoveVivier 👠👼🏼 featured next to icon @inesdelafressangeofficial and all my favorite fashion colleagues 🌟 thank you for the loyality, trust and kindness @rogervivier – adore the brand and the amazing team behind it💕💕💕

A post shared by Caroline Daur (@carodaur) on May 24, 2018 at 12:53pm PDT

These Lipcolours are like metallic MAC Cremesheens, and they vary in terms of the amount of opalescent pearl they contain (some have more than others). The non-sticky formula is on the thinner side, too, and they shine just like a Cremesheen.

I like the less shimmery ones like Raspberry Pavlova more than the others, because the super shimmery metallic ones like Banana Muffins and Strawberry Mousse make me look CAH-RAY-ZAY.

And I don’t need any help in that department. 🙂

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