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Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 580

November 17th, 2019 by Karen Leave a Comment

This time of year always reminds me of one of the most astounding acts of selflessness and courage I’ve ever seen.

The year: 2012. The place: New York City, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The night before the parade, disaster struck the team in charge of the company float for Tabs the Cat Industries LLC. The float wasn’t going to be ready in time because the white roses the team special ordered from Belgium got held up in customs, so Tabs stayed up all night long decorating the entire float himself with local flowers he picked himself from around Central Park.

And as if that weren’t incredible enough, Tabs purr-formed the role of Master of Ceremonies the next morning and walked beside the company float (he also danced atop the float with Beyoncé).

It was one of the most historic displays of dedication by a corporate cat executive in American business history.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Saturday Surfing, Nov. 16th, 2019

November 16th, 2019 by Karen 9 Comments

trader joes 12 days of beauty items — Mmm… All the yums…

Happy Caturday, my friend!

One of the perks of adulting 24/7 is that you can actively pursue unapproved, unsanctioned frivolous endeavors, like buying yourself an advent calendar from Trader Joe’s and opening everything at once WEEKS before the actual holiday officially starts!

Having the freedom to do things like this almost — almost — makes up for having to deal with people stealing your parking spot. Or, for having to pay the bills. Forever.

(Kinda sorta. Not really.)

Quick TJ’s advent calendar update

I’ve been using a few of the things from my new 12 Days of Beauty Calendar this week, and all I have to say is, “HELLO, YUM-YUMS,” because everything I’ve tried so far smells like food!

Delicious-smelling delights are to be found in the…

Blueberry & Acai Facial Scrub: This smells exactly like a fresh blueberry smoothie, and the grains are the perfect level of “scrubiness,” in that they aren’t too aggressively gritty or too unhelpfully gentle.
Warm Vanilla Body Butter: The scent of hella bougie vanilla extract will follow you around for hours when you slather this thick, moisturizing butter on your bod.
I need an XXL size tub of this ASAP.
Brown Sugar Scrub: How many people are singing D’angelo to themselves when they use this in the shower I wonder? Hmm… It’s super moisturizing (watch out, though, because it makes the bottom of the bathtub slippery after you rinse off), and the sugar grains are substantial. It smells like freshly baked sugar cookies.
Rose Facial Oil: This scent of this light, yet hydrating, face oil takes me back to my childhood, when my friends and I would roll up to the Asian store and buy French rose pastille hard candies!

If you live near a TJ’s, I recommend grabbing one for yourself (and the ladies in your life) ASAP. It’s sooooo good, you guys.

Anywho…since it’s Caturday and all, Rosie Posie wanted to say a quick “meow” from her own personal fainting couch, which is also known as “Connor’s big girl bed.”

These girls have the cutest bedtime ritual. Every night, right before bed, Rosie hangs around and listens while I sing Connor her goodnight lullabies and read her a book. Then, when I turn off the light and leave the room, Rosie hops on the bed and stays with Connor till she falls asleep.

Every day I learn a little more about Rosie and fall more in love. 🙂

On that note, here’s this week’s reading…

This reusable $7 beauty spatula is designed to scrape out every last morsel of goodness from your beauty products. WANT!
The best drugstore primers, according to makeup artists
16 under-the-radar skincare products beloved by dermatologists
*The* must-have beauty item that active members of the military always pack when they’re deployed might surprise you.
What to do when you try a new product and your skin freaks-the-eff out
Red lipstick superstars under $10
Allegedly, these half-sized Christmas trees prevent curious kitties from attacking ornaments, but I’m pretty sure Tabs would’ve still found a way to destroy one…
How to use beauty products that you probably have sitting around your house to remover stickers from books!
Who, exactly, is Estée Laundry?

I’m so ready.

Pecan or pumpkin pie?

YES!

Note to self

Don’t believe me, just watch.

Step by step

What’s on your plate for today? I hope you’re doing at least a little something for yourself, and I hope it feeds your soul.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Layer Your Liner for Flickering Feline Flicks in a Flash

November 15th, 2019 by Karen 7 Comments

urban decay starfire — Kitten flicks with a little flash of glitter give you a lot of bang for your buck.

Layering liners. I’ve been doing this a lot lately because 1) it’s fast (since you don’t have to be terribly precise or do any razzle-dazzle complicated eyeshadow blending) and 2) because it lets you unleash the full fury of your creative side by conjuring up all sorts of fun finishes.

For this look, I drew a baby cat eye flick on my upper lash lines with a black felt tip pen liner, then ran a glittery bronze liner right along the edge for sparkle.

Next, I lined my lower lash lines with a pearly bronze pencil liner, smudged the edges, and topped it off with the same glittery bronze liner I used on the upper lash line.

I also defined my lids with a quick sweep of orange-brown eyeshadow, but that was totally optional. You could skip it and just wear liner, and do your brows and mascara, for a complete eye look.

One last thing: my feline flicks are pretty subtle here because I wore this to work, but if you’re going to a par-tay or other to-do, you could go bigger and bolder with your cat eye flicks. Or, you could pat EVEN MOAR GLITTER on your lids.

Makeup worn in this look

Eyes: MAC Texture (lids), Charlotte Tilbury Feline Flick Liquid Eyeliner (upper lash line), Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner in Starfire (upper and lower lash lines), Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Smog (lower lash line), It Cosmetics Superhero Mascara (lashes), Covergirl Ultrafine Brow Pencil in Soft Brown (brows)

Cheeks: MAC Sunbasque blush

Base: MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NC42 mixed with MAC Strobe Cream in Pinklite set with Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Golden (this is my go-to base combo)

Lips: MAC Mahogany lip liner all over with a little bit of MAC Paramount lipstick blended on top

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF! 🤗

Product Spotlight: MAC Opalescent Powder in Rising Star, From the New Starring You Holiday 2019 Collection

November 14th, 2019 by Karen 6 Comments

mac rising star — Shoot for the Stars, Rising Star!

This Rising Star from MAC 🌟 is shooting straight to the top of my list of “Best of the Best Makeup to Wear With MAC Teddy.”

(Wait…doesn’t everyone keep that list around?)

Of all the things in the new MAC Starring You holiday makeup collection (which is the sub-collection of makeup within the mega collection of LE holiday items, including the kits and palettes), warm golden Rising Star ($36) face powder is the 1) most wearable eye product IMO, and 2) the kindest to fine lines, which makes it the star of the show in my book.

And, oh yeah, it looks amazing when you wear it with MAC Teddy! (Totally key.)

Rising Star is a warm golden pressed powder in the MAC Opalescent Face Powder fam. It’s a pressed powder with finely-spun grains of granulated powder that practically float atop your skin, and it’s designed to be worn as a highlighter.

Are you familiar with the Hourglass Ambients? If so, MAC’s Opalescent Face Powders are very similar in terms of texture and finish, but with slightly higher shine.

As a highlighter, it gives cheeks a soft, subtle candlelit glow…but I like to take my cues from MAC artists who use it as an eyeshadow! That’s where I think it really shines (pun intended).

I buff it on top of my lids with a MAC 217, and it automatically adds a glam “Charlotte Tilbury-ness” to my lids, especially when I wear it atop a base of MAC Teddy liner.

It’s an easy and elegant eye look, which is totally my style, and best of all, the powder lasts all day. I wore this eye makeup to the bakery the other day, and it stayed put for a solid 14 hours!

mac rising star k — Rising Star Powder layered on top of a base of MAC Teddy liner

mac rising star look — Makeup worn in this look

Makeup in this look

Eyes: MAC Teddy (base), MAC Rising Star (lids), Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow (crease), MAC Extended Play Perm Me Up Lash (lashes), MAC Concrete and It Cosmetics Prow Power (brows)

Base: Estee Lauder Double Wear mixed with Becca Backlight Priming Filter

Cheeks: NARS Amour (this looks really great with MAC Smoked Almond lipstick)

Lips: Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk, MAC Smoked Almond, NARS Chelsea Girls

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

To Me, From Me

November 13th, 2019 by Karen 17 Comments

trader joes 12 days of beauty — You guys, I had to do it!

LOOK WHAT I FOUND AT TJ’s!

This 12 Days of Beauty gift box is $20, and it comes with 12 beauty minis exclusive to Trader Joe’s. Everything it comes with is listed on the back (and reproduced below), so it’s not a super-hard-to-figure-out surprise…but if you don’t wanna know what it comes with (SPOILER ALERT), look away meow.

I’m serious, look away!

This is your last warning…

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