Can I have a fan blowing my hair back like this 24/7? Please?

Even though summer’s quickly slipping away, I’m not ready to let it go. It’s hella hot again today in Nor Cal, so I couldn’t resist busting out this summery look with shimmery golden brown eyes.

Remember the Too Faced Natural Eye Palette from a few days back? I followed the Fashion eye look instructions, adding Cargo’s awesome Plant Love Eyeliner in Black to the waterline for a little extra oomph.

The other stars in this summery show are NARS Blush in Torrid and our girl MAC Nymphette.

Excuse the fan action, LOL! It’s sooo cheesy but I *love* it.

How’s it going out in your neck of the woods? Got any exciting Friday night plans? I’m not sure what I’m doing yet, but whateva it is I hope it involves air conditioning!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Hola, my Salt n’ Pepas. Before you read any further, I swear to you this MAC Make-Up Art Cosmetics face of the day started off totally normal (see above).

With the Notoriety quad in hand, I followed the MAC online face chart for the Cocomotion eye look, tweaking it just a little by swapping Arena eyeshadow for Shroom and Cork for Brownscript.

I was pretty happy with how the golden reddish brown eye turned out, so I proceeded to snap some pictures like I normally do…

But things took an odd turn when I uploaded them into this post.

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Earlier today I needed a little help getting over the hump day blues, so I pointed my browser in the direction of Urban Decay’s big friends and family sale.

From now through August 20, get 30% off online orders with coupon code FNFF1 at checkout.

I was looking at the online fall catalog when I felt a sudden urge to play.

This was my inspiration for the eyes…

…and then I tried a version of these nude lips here:

LOL, pardon the fan action. I couldn’t resist.

I was actually sweating bullets in these pics because it was like hot soup in my apartment today.

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G’morning, ladies!

A few of you asked to see details of the Bobbi Brown Ivy League look I tried on Monday.

Nicole and Nancy wanted a breakdown of the eyes. They took about eight steps. If you were comfortable trying any of my 4-step eye makeup looks, I think you could easily do this look as well.

My Bobbi Brown Ivy League eyes

Oh, if you’d like to tone down the look, swap the black pencil liner for a brown one or omit the lining along the lower lash line entirely.

1. I start by applying Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Forest Shimmer Ink (a dark green with golden flecks) on my lid and just up into the crease with a Sonia Kashuk Synthetic Concealer Brush, smoothing away any harsh lines with a fingertip.
2. Then, using a MAC 217 Blending Brush, I pat Bobbi Brown Metallic Eyeshadow in Bash (a shimmery forest green) over the lid and just barely into the crease.
3. Next, with a MAC 226 Small Tapered Blending Brush, I sweep MAC Mineralize Eye Shadow Quad in Assemblage (a shimmery gold) into the crease.
4. Applying a light color under the brow bone can add definition to eye makeup, so I pat on some MAC Eyeshadow in Arena (a shimmery golden peach) with a MAC 239 Eye Shader Brush.
5. For a slightly smokey eye, I line my upper lash line with Bobbi Brown Creamy Eye Pencil in Jet (a matte black) and diffuse/fade the edges by running the pencil’s attached sponge along them. Then, still with the same pencil, I line my upper and lower waterlines.
6. To emphasize my lower lash line while still keeping it soft, I draw a line along it (ideally, getting between the roots of each lash) with Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Forest Shimmer Ink.
7. Then, I soften the lined lower lash by gently swiping Bobbi Brown Metallic Eyeshadow in Bash along the outer half (toward the ear) with a MAC 226 Small Tapered Blending Brush.
8. Finally, still with the MAC 226, I swipe MAC Arena along the inner half of the line (toward the nose).

All done.

Possible alternatives for Bobbi Brown Metallic Eyeshadow in Bash

Swatches from left to right: Bash, MAC Humid, the light and dark green shades from the Chanel Murano quad

Thanks for suggesting so many alternatives to Bash in an earlier post. I think MAC Humid comes pretty close, and the two darker green shades in the new Chanel Murano quad should also work.

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Bobbi Brown’s makeup doesn’t always knock my socks off, but her new Ivy League collection is frickin’ OFF THE CHAIN! For serious.

Click here to see an eye map and the list of products I used for this look.

Eyes and lips

This morning I tried a back-to-school face of the day using the Ivy League items I talked about here.

Bobbi done me so right with these colors, particularly the forest green, deep black and gold shades for eyes and those high-gloss pink lips.

Some non-Bobbi stuff up in my mix

Most of the makeup I used for this look is Bobbi’s, but I also popped some of the gold shade from the MAC Assemblage Mineralize Eye Shadow Quad in the crease and swept Neutrogena Soft Color Bush in Divine Wine on the apples of my cheeks.

The Ivy League collection makes me want to cheer for Bobbi Brown, yea!

I can’t wait to wear this look in the fall.

How do you feel about Ivy League? Do you like it as much as I do, or do you think you might pass?

A potentially weird observation about people…

At the grocery store last night (aka my home away from home), I was loading up on cans of wet food for Tabs when I spied a woman sniffing different bottles of detergent to decide which one to buy.

Apparently I’m not the only person who does that, LOL!

How’s it going today?

I’m feeling the urge to see a movie tonight… I know it’s a weeknight, but here’s what I’d like to see: 500 Days of Summer. It stars Zooey Deschanel (love her).

I dunno… We’ll see how adventurous I feel come 6 o’clock.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen