Just For Fun

This one’s for my ladies

January 10th, 2008 by Karen 59 Comments

I spent most of this morning in a super bad funkiness (and not in a fierce way) ’till I heard this Mary J. Blige song, Just Fine. The lyrics brought me so much happiness; it reminded me how powerful words can be when your spirit needs cheerleading.

Feels so good, when you’re doing all the things that you want to do
Get the best out of life, treat yourself to something new
Keep your head up high
In yourself, believe in you, believe in me
Having a really good time, I’m not complaining
And I’m a still wear a smile if it raining

This is my fight song for today. 🙂

Anyway, on rainy, gloomy days like this one I like to think about all of the warm places I want to visit some day, so I’ve been looking at pictures of tropical surf spots all morning. Just for fun I planned a surf trip hitting up Costa Rica, South Africa, Indonesia and Australia. A tropical trip needs some tropical makeup (of course!) so I wouldn’t leave home without some lipgloss, like Prescriptives Lip Strips lipgloss ($29.50 each) from their spring Technotropics collection. Each compact has five complimentary sheer glosses in cream, shimmer and sparkle finishes, which you can wear alone or blend together to create different looks. There are two shades, Tropical Warm (on the left) and Techo Cool (right).

The lipglosses are sheer and subtle, perfect for a tropical beach vacation. Calgon, take me AWAY!

Prescriptives Techno Cool Lip Strip Swatches

Prescriptives Tropical Warm Lip Strip Swatches

No tropical surf fantasy is complete without a few hot nights on the town, and because a girl cannot live on lipgloss alone (sorry, Lil’ Mama) I’d bring a few of my new favorite Shu Uemura shadows ($20). Finely milled with lots of color punch, these cute lil’ pans are an eyeshadow junkie’s dream come true. If you’re clumsy like me, be careful when you’re opening them up, otherwise you just might end up taking out a big chunk with your thumbnail like I did when I opened up the yellow shadow. 🙁

From left to right: Matte (M) Beige 800, Metallic (ME) Yellow 300, Metallic (ME) Blue 640

I never, ever thought I’d be able to rock the yellow shadow, but Yellow 300 is very wearable, not scary, and totally boss. I’ve been wearing Beige 800 on my browbone, Yellow 300 on my lid, and Blue 640 from the top lash barely into the crease. It’s colorful yet not over the top!

Are you feeling good today? I hope you are. If you need a lil’ lift gimme a shout; maybe we can help each other get through the funk with some Mary J. Blige and some girl talk!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Makeup and Beauty Blog Looks Back on 2007

December 31st, 2007 by Karen 29 Comments

Ahhh, the last day of 2007. I always get a little sad when I know something is coming to an end; I guess it’s the thought of a part of my life ending and knowing I’ll never be able to go back (unless I drop $10 million for those time travel plans on eBay).

When I started this blog, I never imagined how much fun it would be. This year has been, to quote my eighth grade East Bay self circa 1989, “hella cool.”

Dita Von Teese – Interviewing MAC Viva Glam spokesperson Dita Von Teese at the Macy’s Passport fashion show was a trip. She was so stunningly beautiful and I was so nervous. The other day, I listened to the audio recording of the interview and laughed because I even SOUNDED sweaty.

Paris Hilton – The Dita experience really helped, though, when the time came to interview Paris Hilton for the release of Can Can, her new perfume. It was a level of celebrity that I’d never experienced before — body guards, press folks, rabid fans foaming at the mouth. It was the first time I’d interviewed a really high profile celebrity AND the first time I had to do it in a room filled with people watching me. What a learning experience.

SF Fashion Week – But my favorite event of the year was hanging out with MAC backstage at SF Fashion Week. I fell in love with a few products, learned a lot and met other beauty bloggers, like Erika and Christine.

Laura Mercier – There was plenty of Laura Mercier love last spring.

Tokidoki bag – The Tokidoki bag fit all my stuff AND rocked my world.

Neutrogena Body Clear Body Wash – Unfortunately, I experienced getting pimples on my butt for the first time. Fortunately, Neutrogena Body Clear Body Wash saved my ass (pardon the pun).

43 makeup things – Thanksgiving was an excuse to eat turkey, wear stretchy pants and think about the 43 makeup things I’m thankful for.

43 non-makeup things – Thanksgiving also provided an opportunity to give thanks for everything else.

Chanel Glossimers – I became a fiend for Chanel Glossimers.

Philosophy’s Purity Made Simple – And Purity Made Simple simply rocked my world.

Chanel Garden Party Quad – Chanel’s National Artist John Fussell helped me fall in love with the Chanel Garden Party Quad, and now there’s no turning back!

Smashbox’s Lori Taylor – Smashbox’s Lori Taylor gave some backstage tips from L.A. Fashion Week.

Billy B. – I met and interviewed one of the nicest guys in the beauty biz.

MAC’s awesome Louise Zizzo – Louise Zizzo saved me from myself when the MAC Mattene collection came out.

Celebrity makeup artist Bruce Grayson – Bruce Grayson’s makeup tips from the Emmy’s red carpet.

Dear Makeup and Beauty Blog – I heard from Shy in Chi-town.

Guide to Smart Clubbing – You asked for tough love, and in the Guide to Smart Clubbing I gave it to ya (hey, I’ve had a lot of practice).

Curiositease – And my number one makeup love, MAC, didn’t let me down.

Pigments and Glitters – Remember when I was grouchy about Pigments and Glitters?

MAC Loose Beauty Powder – I fell in love.

Smoke Signals – It rocked my world.

MAC Mad Libs – We had a lil’ fun together.

MAC Mattene lipsticks – Where’s my plaid shirt and my Pearl Jam CD? MAC Mattene lipsticks took me back to the 90s.

A quick smokey eye with MAC shadow – Oh, this is old school.

But the best thing that happened to me this year was meeting all of you. It’s been fun getting to know you and learning about your lives. You’d think that it would be hard to make a connection behind a computer screen, but sometimes I feel like we’re all just having a cup of coffee together and gabbing about makeup.

I hope you make the most of this fantastic last day of the year!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

New Year, New You: What Are Your New Year’s Resolutions?

December 30th, 2007 by Karen 20 Comments

We need a resolution

I’ve heard that 80 percent of people give up their New Year’s resolutions within a few months. Seriously? I know it’s easy to fall back into bad habits, but I suspect someone in marketing invented that statistic. They make us feel bad about ourselves so they can sell us things we don’t want or need. I know plenty of women who set and achieve their goals.

A still shot of singer Aaliyah from the We Need a Resolution video. I love the song and the makeup in this video (check the blue on the lower lashline). I miss her and wonder what her New Year’s resolutions would have been if she were still alive.

When you think about it — big goals are really just little goals stitched together. You can say that you want to learn how to do an uber-hot smokey eye this year, but it ain’t gonna happen if all you do is buy a pot of black eye shadow and use your pinky finger and some spit. You’ve got to figure out where to apply the color, what brushes to use, how to use those brushes, how to blend the colors without overblending … you get the picture. You have to put the time and effort into the little steps.

So, this year, even though I’m going to focus on the end game, I also plan to devote 110% to all the small goals along the way, ’cause a bunch of well executed little goals result in a big goal achieved in the end.

I’ve also felt a real urgency to make things happen, moreso than I did when I was younger. I don’t just want to pass through this life without making my mark, ya know?

Anyway, have you thought about your New Year’s resolutions? Here are mine:

1. To work on my fitness.

In 2005 I started lifting weights and watching what I ate. Initially, all I wanted to do was lose weight for my wedding, but weight lifting and eating right changed my life forever. It wasn’t just a matter of dropping a few dress sizes. As I started building muscle and getting stronger, I stood taller, felt tougher, and gained more confidence in myself. It’s weird, but the day I was finally able to bench press my body weight on the Smith Machine, I felt truly beautiful.

Unfortunately, my schedule’s been crazy lately, and I haven’t been disciplined about lifting weights or eating well. I’m looking forward to getting back into fighting shape again. Yes, it’ll be nice to fit into my skinny jeans again, but what I really miss is how both my body and my mind felt balanced when I was taking better care of myself.

Oh, and if one of your goals is to get into shape this year, let me know! I would love to be your cheerleader. It always helps to have a friend remind you that you *can* do this!

2. To get to appointments early.

There are things I know I do well, like sarcasm, leg waxing and detecting B.S. from a mile away. There are also many things I know I don’t do well, like estimating travel time. I can never seem to get where I need to be on time! I used to believe that a gypsy cursed me to be at least 15 minutes late for anything, but deep down inside I know it’s because I don’t manage my time efficiently. Face it, Karen, it takes more than five minutes to do a complicated smokey eye.

So, this year I’m going to make the effort to get to my appointments 15 minutes early. Granted, for most people, showing up early is not as hard as running a marathon or becoming an astronaut, but for your girl it will be.

3. To learn a few new things.

On my list so far: how to play acoustic guitar, learning a martial art and digital photography.

4. To not let what haters think/say/do bother me.

I’ve always admired people who can just let all the bad stuff roll off them like water off a duck’s back. I know learning how to “just let it go” will take some time, but one thing I’ve started doing lately is asking myself, “Will this same thing bother me in one year?” It helps to put things in perspective.

5. To push myself creatively as a writer.

Write hard, die free. ‘Nuff said.

What are your New Year’s resolutions? I can’t wait to hear ’em.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

1-800-Confess

December 29th, 2007 by Karen 29 Comments

fussy-tabby-true-confessions-final

Confession #1: I had my first makeup nightmare last night.

I stayed up really late last night to write the Chanel Aurora Blues Spring 2008 review. I went to bed at 2 a.m., only to have a Chanel makeup nightmare in the hours that followed.

In the dream, I was running around and caught within a swarm of people and getting really upset because no one would listen to me. I kept yelling, “The dark blue in the outer V! We’ve got to use the dark blue in the outer V!” But it was like I was invisible.

I considered the symbolism. Was the dream a window into my current psyche? That, or I guess it could’ve been indigestion (I ate a bag of caramel corn around midnight). Hmmm….

Confession #2: I’m wearing stretchy pants right now.

I had to bust out the stretchy pants before I sat down tonight to write this post ’cause I’m stuffed to maximum capacity.

I spent the day driving and eating all over the Bay Area. I went to San Jose for brunch with friends, and then to Berkeley for my mom’s birthday dinner. Now, I’m home and tired. Why is the repetitive lifting of my fork to shovel food into my gullet so exhausting? I don’t know.

Confession #3: I’m in fight mode.

I recently watched a show on TV where a professional BMX biker talked about what makes a person a champion. He said that when most people feel like they’ve hit their maximum limit — whether it be in sports, academics, or whatever — they give up. Champions are the few who hit that limit but have the will to push past the challenges and pain to achieve more than they thought they could.

It’s kinda been a challenging few weeks (I’ve had writer’s block the size of ALASKA), so one thing that’s been helping me is listening to music that helps me push past the pain.

No, I’m not listening to Eye of the Tiger.

Several Kanye West songs are on heavy rotation, like Touch the Sky, Stronger and Champion.

This is the story of a champion
runners on their mark and they pop their guns
Stand up stand up here he comes
Tell me what it takes to be number one
Tell me what it takes to be number one

An awesome video of a live version from the VMA’s of Kanye West’s Champion