Karen

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 647

February 21st, 2021 by Karen 7 Comments

This week Rosie learned that space and fashionable style are not mutually exclusive.

She was very excited about the Perseverance landing on Mars last week and wanted to celebrate with a special collar commemorating the event.

You know Rosie; she’s normally all about numbers, and she’s a no-nonsense, no-frills kind of girl, so I was shocked when she chose this sparkly space rock-inspired pendant for our stroll around the neighborhood this morning. She and Connor pretended they were exploring the Martian surface. Of course, Rosie insisted on taking point. She was Mission Commander, after all.

They collected several Martian rock specimens for study, hoping to find signs of underground gravy. It was one small step for Rosie, one giant leap for kitty kind.

I would like to call special attention to the following photo. I know that Rosie doesn’t aspire to be a kitty model, but if anything were to indicate that she could work it like the best of ’em, like the legend — you know who — this pic would do it.

Look at those lashes! And that nonchalant intensity!

I swear I’m not trying to push her into any particular direction, but if somebody called to ask if she wanted to star in an upscale luxury campaign, I would have to sit down and have a serious talk with her about potential and it not being wasted.

Colonel Tabs, Astrocat/Supermodel

It’s a well-known fact that Tabs washed out early from the astronaut training program. I mean he was gorgeous, and he got high scores for his ability to connect with people on camera, but when it came to the actual science…let’s just say that numbers weren’t his strong suit.

He did star in quite a few space-related kitty modeling campaigns though…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Saturday Surfing, February 20, 2021

February 20th, 2021 by Karen 9 Comments

Good morning and happy Caturday, fellow feline-and-fabulosity aficionado! 😺💅🤗 Guess which lucky lady got treated to this delightful tray of breakfast treats this morning?! Chef Coco prepared this spread for me, and I gotta say…my family knows me pretty well because I love to start my Saturdays with a croissant.

How much do you wanna bet there’s a real café somewhere on this planet that serves French fries and bow-tie pasta for breakfast? I bet.

—–> This week is MBB’s 14th anniversary. HOLY WOW! Yup, I started blogging in February of 2007. For a quick statistical analysis, that’s 14,064 blog posts and more than 3,516,000 words, NOT INCLUDING our comments, and here’s the very first thing I ever posted.
Makeup looks inspired by book covers is VERY COOL!
Yes please — 8 expert secrets for smoother, shinier hair.
OK, I don’t know how accurate this guide to buying niche fragrances based on the perfume you wore as a teen is (LOL!), but I quite enjoyed the trip down memory lane with the shout-outs to CK One, Clinique Happy and Gucci Envy.
You could buy this fancy fragrance with ginger notes to banish the kitchen smells in your home. Or…you could open a window! I’m just sayin’…
How pros fix broken nails…
The most aesthetically pleasing makeup palette looks like a work of art.
Ice nails are a thing!
Mystery of the day — is this farting robot a cat? It appears vaguely cat-like to me…
Meet Gabe Adams, the 22-year-old TikTok star who doesn’t need hands to do glamorous, colorful makeup looks.

But can it beg for treats?

GET IT, MIMI!

Will somebody please pry these worn-out skinny off me and put me in these clothes, THX.

I can’t stop looking at her nails.

My fave Britney video…

Note to self…

A fighter’s mindset

One of the reasons I love Pilates: you don’t have to wear shoes.

Well, I think I found my next makeup project.

So, what’s for breakfast today? Whatever it is, I hope it’s tasty! Can I have some? 😁

Have a wonderful weekend!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Lancôme Idôle Lash-Lifting & Volumizing Mascara’s Got Lift and Length Locked Down When It Comes to WFH Chic

February 19th, 2021 by Karen 7 Comments

lancome idole lash — Lancôme’s latest mascara lifts and fans.

Can we talk about how great mascara is for a minute?!

I mean, very few things survived The Great Makeup Culling of 2020 in my makeup bag. But mascara did.

I usually go for “all teh drama” (See: Bite Beauty Upswing, Laura Mercier Caviar) because I like my fringe brash and bold. I like volume, length, curl and all the drama for your mama, but if you primarily want length and lift, you might like Lancôme’s latest. It’s called Idôle Lash-Lifting & Volumizing Mascara, and it’s $26.

It lifts, fans, curls and separates lashes with a cool curved brush and a lightweight gel formula that doesn’t make my lashes crunchy, clumpy or heavy.

I think it creates a lovely natural-ish lash look that really goes well with minimal makeup, like brows that a lightly filled in, sheer bases, soft blush tints and maybe a lipstick or balm. Think WFH chic.

If, however, you need more KAPOW in the same price range, check out Bite’s or Laura’s mascaras.

lancome idole mascara after — Wearing two layers of Idôle

lancome idole mascara before — The before!

Idôle is available now, and it comes in just one shade, Glossy Black. A full-size tube is $26, but they also have a travel-sized tube for $14.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!!!!

Honest Beauty Everything Cream Foundation and Honestly Bright Eyes Tinted Eye Cream: A Sheer Base and Concealer Combo for a Natural Look

February 18th, 2021 by Karen 2 Comments

honest beauty cream foundation bright eyes tinted eye cream — Current sheer base situation: Honest Beauty Everything Cream Foundation and Honestly Bright Eyes Tinted Eye Cream

Connor Claire has been home with me this week for winter break, so I’ve been relying on these two base products from Honest Beauty because, if you’re in the mood for something cruelty-free and easy with very sheer coverage, check ’em out! They’re in the permanent line.

Honest Beauty Everything Cream Foundation, $21.99

This demi-matte cream foundation comes in a compact with a sponge, which you can use to sheer them out or build them up from sheer to medium coverage. As for myself, I have dry cheeks and an oily t-zone, and this foundation does really well on the oily patches. It also does well on my dry cheeks, as long as I keep it sheer there. When I build it up on dry skin, the formula latches onto any dry flakes.

I think if you are going to wear this strictly as a sheer base, you should be fine no matter what your skin type, but if you’re going for something with more coverage and you’ve got a lot of natural texture via flakes and whatnot, something like MAC Studio Fix Soft Matte Foundation Stick would be a better.

Everything Cream Foundation is available in 12 shades:

Snow — fair, warm undertones
Shell — cool peachy undertones
Vanilla — light-tan with warm undertones
Bisque — light-medium with peachy undertones
Beige — medium with cool undertones
Camel — medium with warm undertones
Amber — medium-tan with cool undertones
Honey — medium-deep with neutral undertones
Almond — medium-deep with cool undertones
Cocoa — deep with cool undertones
Walnut — deep with neutral undertones
Espresso — deep-dark with cool undertones

I’m an NC42 in MAC, and Camel is my shade match in this line.

Basically, this stuff is fab if you have oily skin and like a sheer base, with the option of dialing up the coverage.

Honestly Bright Eyes Tinted Eye Cream, $23.99

This tinted eye cream is packed with hyaluronic acid and has a subtle pearly finish. It brightens your under-eye area but doesn’t look heavy and doesn’t exaggerate any fine lines. I’m at the point in my makeup life where under-eye concealer is a tricky subject…because if I put too much on, I end up looking older than I am, but if I don’t use enough, I look really tired… With this product, I get a good amount of brightening and coverage, and I can get there without the obviousness of traditional concealer. It’s genius! — however, there’s one MAJOR downside.

It only comes in two shades. 🙁 BOO. I’m wearing the lighter shade, Sandstone, right now, but by late spring and early summer, I’ll probably end up having to mix some Terracotta, the darker shade, into it.

The final verdict? This is really good, guys, especially if you’re in the 40+ camp like I am, and you don’t need your under-eye concealer to cover you like a thick blanket.

Just wish it came in more shades!

honest beauty everything cream foundation camel honey — The two shades closest to my tan skin tone (I’m an NC42 in MAC) are Honey and Camel. Camel is currently a better fit.

honest beauty everything cream foundation camel after — I’m wearing Everything Cream Foundation in Camel and Honestly Bright Eyes Tinted Eye Cream in Sandstone.

honest beauty everything cream foundation camel before — Obligatory before shot without any makeup!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

New Hair! (February 2021)

February 17th, 2021 by Karen 54 Comments

I finally got my hair choppity-chop-chopped, and oh, my gosh! — the relief is palpable! After carrying what felt like a 10-pound wet dog on my head since early last year, I feel like a whole new person. Physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. All the “lly” words. It felt great to unload that reminder of 2020 for me.

I found a salon in my area that offers outdoor haircuts and made an appointment with a gal named Ariana Benoit (found her through a local moms group on Facebook).

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A post shared by Ariana Benoit (@hairart_ariana)

One of the group members posted a pic of her layered lob after Ariana had cut it, and she looked so happy and cute. I always get a little nervous when stylists I haven’t gone to before cut my hair because I’ve have so many bad haircuts. Plus, pandemic. But I had to do something because the weight from my hair had been giving me headaches every day.

Even though everyone was masked up and taking precautions, to reduce the amount of time I’d have to be in the chair, the salon suggested I wash my hair at home and arrive to the appointment with it wet, so that’s what I did. I also double-masked and wore my glasses.

I brought a couple of inspiration photos with me to the appointment, with the idea that I would keep my hair long for now.

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A post shared by SAL SALCEDO (@salsalhair)

Truth be told, I’ve been a little out of my mind lately (I think I’ve hit the pandemic wall, le sigh), and although I was tempted to ask her to chop it all off, I didn’t want to do anything too extreme. It’s probably not the best idea to make big changes when you aren’t feeling emotionally super strong, ya know?

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A post shared by Karen | Makeup and Beauty Blog (@karenmbb)

Ariana really took the time to see where my hair naturally wanted to part, then guided me through what realistically it would and wouldn’t do. She suggested going with a Bridget Bardot-style cut with curtain bangs so I could keep the length, yet drop the weight. The curtain bangs would also allow some softness around my face for when I need to throw my hair up into a bun or a ponytail (which is often).