Beauty product reviews, makeup tips and news from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict.
August 19th, 2009 | Karen | Filed in: Nails
Chicas, can I borrow you for a second?
I’m suffering from a little bit of post-dental visit brain fart. No shots were involved (thank gawd!), but I was on edge the entire time and have yet to fully decompress from the experience.
Painting my nails always chills me out, so I’m gonna take it easy tonight and do an at-home mani/pedi.
Will you please help me pick a polish? I can’t seem to decide on a color, but I’d like it to be one from Essie’s fall collection ($8 each).
The six-piece collection comes in shades of gray, taupe, pink, blue and orange…
Chinchilly
Angora Cardi
Mink Muffs
Midnight Cami
Bright Tights
Pink Parka
Please let me know which color you heart most in the poll or the comments. My paws thank you!
Loading ...What are you up to tonight? Will you be chilling at home too?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
August 6th, 2009 | Karen | Filed in: Nails, Product Reviews
Watch yo’ back, Jason Bourne. If I were a super spy, I’d totally keep a bottle of Dolce & Gabbana Nail Lacquer ($20) with me to wield against my adversaries. The sleek bottle (lovin’ the embossed gold cap) doubles as a combination camera/GPS locator/flame thrower/Sonicare toothbrush!
With flash
Just kidding. 
But before I painted my nails with it last Sunday, I actually checked to see if my bottle of shimmery dark purple Midnight had any gadgets embedded on the D.L.
Without flash
I think Midnight’s a regal, all eyes-on-you kinda color — a rich, shimmery purple that looks like royalty on fingertips and toes.
Like the third bowl of porridge in The Story of the Three Bears, the thickness is juuust right (not too thick or too thin), and the brilliant shine and opaque coverage (I’ve been using two coats) remind me of something Chanel or Dior would whip up.
Continue Reading…
July 28th, 2009 | Karen | Filed in: Nails, Product Reviews
Swatch of Gondola
Don’t make me bust out my Cabbage Patch, Chanel. Because I will!
Le Vernis Nail Colour in Gondola, one of two new Chanel shades for fall, puts my inner vamp on red alert. I haven’t felt this excited about a Chanel nail polish since last spring’s Vendetta (swoon!).
I’m gonna have to say Miss Coco got her groove back…
Gondola, along with her sister Intermezzo (more on her in a few), arrive as part of the Chanel Venice collection for fall.
A dark, plummy magenta with golden sparkles, Gondola applies smoothly, dries quickly and doesn’t leave streaks. LOVE! Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A+
Swatch of Intermezzo
Intermezzo may be the less flashy shade of the two for fall (she’s a quiet, shimmery white shade in the bottle), but she absolutely shines once you get her on your tips.
The color flashes from white to gray, pink and purple — kinda like a liquid version of MAC’s duochrome eyeshadow, Vex.
Intermezzo tended to streak a little on my nails, but it was nothing a good base coat (or third layer) couldn’t fix. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B+
After what I thought were a couple of ho-hum nail polish releases, it’s nice to see Chanel bust some serious moves for fall.
I really like these colors, but what do you think? Are they worth a $23 splurge?
This afternoon I have to find El Hub’s birthday present. Wish me luck, and thanks for all the ideas. I saved the list and tucked it away for future reference.
How’s your Tuesday been? I stayed up late last night reading (almost done with the second Sookie Stackhouse book!) but sure paid the price for it today.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
July 23rd, 2009 | Karen | Filed in: Just For Fun, Nails
Good luck!
San Francisco is famous for foggy summer days, especially through July and August. It’s part of the city’s charm, not knowing what to expect from the weather, and why visitors to SF should always dress prepared.
Sometimes, though, when it’s warm almost everywhere else in America, SF’s overcast days get *really old*.
Up here in Marin County this morning, about 10 miles north of the city, I woke up to one of those foggy summer days.
I decided to brighten my outlook with brightly colored nails — a crazy mix of colors from the new Sally Hansen HD Hi-Definition Nail Color collection ($6 each).
Here are seven of the collection’s eight shades (click here to see the eighth color, Digital, a shimmery cool pink).
Hi Def
Cyber
Lite
Pixell Pretty
Three D
Hi Res
Blu
To make the vibrant, shimmery polishes in this collection, Sally says they used liquid crystals and pure pigments. The colors are supposed to be as clear and brilliant as high definition TV.
Looking at these colors, I can’t help but smile. The shades are like little bursts of bright color on my nails!
I think it’s time for a giveaway.
Five lucky ladies will win a set of Sally Hansen HD Hi-Definition Nail Colors with all eight polishes (a $50 value).
The prize includes…
Entering is easy. There are two different ways, and you can do both of them for two chances to win.
First, you can enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post. In it, tell me what brightens your mood on a gloomy day.
Bright nail polishes, upbeat dance songs and Tabs are all things that cheer me up.
Second, enter by following me on Twitter and retweeting (RT) the following message:
RT @karenmbb: RT to Win $50 in Sally Hansen HD Hi-Definition Nail Color. http://tinyurl.com/n78vxw
I’ll choose the five winners at random from among the people who enter by 11:59 PM PST on Saturday, July 25.
Kali tihi!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. To celebrate the launch of the HD Hi-Definition collection, Sally Hansen’s hosting an online sweepstakes with prizes like an HD TV, an iPod and a bunch of Sally Hansen goodies. Head over to the Sally Hansen website to enter.
Good luck!
July 15th, 2009 | Karen | Filed in: Nails
Today procrastination hit me like Naomi Campbell’s cell phone! Instead of looking for a new freelance writing job, I painted my nails with Les Vernis nail polish in Indigo Paris ($18).
It’s a hypnotic shade (seriously, I can’t stop staring at my fingers) from Lancome’s Declaring Indigo Fall 2009 collection.
My fingertips look like I dipped ‘em in dark blue calligraphy ink, and all I used were two thin coats (enough for opaque coverage).
I wish it were cheaper (le sigh)…
Ooh! This is the color I want my fantasty 1979 El Camino painted in (to ghost ride my whip, ya’ll!).
Have you ever worn a blue nail polish before? I wasn’t sure I’d like it, but I’m glad I gave it a try.
Come hell or high water, my cookies are hitting the hay (”haaaaay!”) early tonight. This staying up till 2 to watch True Blood is fun, but it renders me totally useless the next day.
What’s on your agenda tonight? Got any plans? I’m a little excited about going to bed early… Is that sad?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
