I have an urgent and important question for you, friend!
Are you ready…?
Brace yourself. Here goes: what’s your karaoke song?
LOL!
Okay, so maybe it wasn’t important in the Merriam-Webster sense of the word, but I’m curious.
Me? I have a couple of musical standbys honed by the fires of fifty Filipino family gatherings! Seriously, you can always count on two things at a Filipino party — 1) a redonkulous amount of food and 2) karaoke! 🙂
Myself, I like to warm up with a little Phil Collins…
“She’s an easy lover! She’ll take your heart but you won’t feel it!”
And then really get the crowd going with Cheap Trick…
“I waaaant yoooo to want meeee!”
The later meets the three crucial criteria of a top karaoke song. It’s upbeat, almost everyone knows the words to it (so they can sing along), and it doesn’t require any complex vocal gymnastics, which is good because I reserve that kind of thing for my car or shower.
Next time I hit the mic (hopefully soon — karaoke, anyone?), I’m wearing Anastasia’s new holiday 2012 eye makeup kit, because not only does it pay homage to my go-to karaoke tune, but the colors are just plain pretty!
The $34 limited edition Want You to Want Me kit’s lush velvet case houses enough eye makeup to keep your eyes glowing softly while you rock all night long.
The kit includes…
- A gift box with a velvet cover, chain detailing and a magnetic closure (so pretty!)
- An eyeshadow palette with nine powder shades in mostly shimmery brown, beige, taupe and purple colors; the palette pops out of the larger velvet box for easy touch-ups on the road
- A black liquid eyeliner with a thin brush applicator
- A clear brow gel
- A small dual-tipped brush
If you have trubs with eyeshadows that disappear like David Copperfied halfway through the day (POOF!), you just might fall for this palette. I mean, these are shadows Methuselah would like! That is, they last a really, really long time.
I wore them a few times last week layered on top of primer, and I barely noted any creasing or fading, even after 12 hours of wear. I bet they’d handle oily lids with aplomb.
Unfortunately, I do notice a bit of fallout with them when I forget to tap my brush to remove the excess product before applying, but that’s become second nature for me now.
In this case, I’m willing to live with a little fallout (and tapping the brush helps) from the shadows on account of their incredible wear time, and without the minor fallout, I think these shadows would be poi-fect.
Oh, and for my gals with fine lines (right there with ya, boo!), the satin finish from the shimmery shades are so, so forgiving. They look quite shiny in the swatches, I know, but once I get them my lids, the shimmer mellows into more of a soft glow. If you like wearing shiny finishes but feel like you can’t do frosts because they seem to highlight wrinkles, you’ll want to try on this palette.
As for the rest of the kit…
- The dual-tipped brush: The small heads at both ends of the dual-tipped brush aren’t exactly awe-inspiring…but they do a decent job of lining along my lash lines. Beyond that, though, I’ll use a different brush.
- The brow gel: To quote Bill (and Ted) from their ’80s adventure, “Excellent!” The matte finish looks natural to me, and the firm hold freezes my caterpillar brows in place and keeps them there all day.
- The liquid liner: I dig the deep black color and matte finish, but the brush hella stresses me out! I had trouble drawing crisp lines with it and ended up swiping it on the back of my hand first, and then using my Sonia Kashuk Bent Brush to apply it from there.
All told, the Want You to Want Me Holiday Kit succeeded in making me want it. It may not be perfect, but I think there’s some great stuff here, like the long-lasting shadows and brow gel.
PRICE: $34
AVAILABILITY: Available now at Sephora stores and sephora.com
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+
Sock it to me!
Today for the first time in months, I woke up cold and put on a pair of socks.
On the one hand (foot?), I’m thrilled about the return of boot season (yay!), but I’m stone cold mad about the prospect of winter…
Have you noticed that the days are getting shorter, too? Time to say so long to the great sunlight in my office at 4 in the afternoon. Now that’s when I’m turning on the lamp on my desk, boo!
Oh, well… At least I have my cat lady socks to keep me warm. 🙂
Do you have any fun pairs of socks? What’s your favorite pair?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Emily says
September 10th, 2012 at 5:08 pmThis set looks great for cooler weather. I really like that those neutral shades go well together in many different ways.
Also, hooray for boot weather! One of the best looks and feelings is some skinny jeans tucked into boots with a warm and cozy sweater! Love love love!
Thanks for the swatches and review Karen!
Emily recently posted … Thoughts This Week: Fall Trends & Favourite Polish Brands
Karen says
September 10th, 2012 at 6:32 pmHi Emily,
I love that look too. Have you seen any cute boots for fall? I’m on the hunt for a new pair.
Kelsey V. says
September 10th, 2012 at 5:19 pmI love the look of this palette! I don’t exactly have too many pink or purple tones in my collection yet, so I think this will make a great addition!
Kelsey V. recently posted … Mini Ulta Haul!
Karen says
September 10th, 2012 at 6:31 pmHi Kelsey,
Sounds like this would be a good way to add some new, fun shades into your eyeshadow collection.
What colors do you usually like to wear?
Kelsey V. says
September 11th, 2012 at 1:26 pmUsually I am more of a beige or silver (like Verve from Urban Decay, which has become one of my go-to shades) kind of girl for everyday, but I really have been trying to branch-out and even try some more daring looks like I did this weekend with my first attempt at a wearable rainbow eye, which actually turned out quite well!
Kelsey V. recently posted … Essence Mail-Call!
Michelle Robertson says
September 10th, 2012 at 5:42 pmI love your earrings! Where are they from?
Karen says
September 10th, 2012 at 7:53 pmHi Michelle,
They’re by Kate Spade. I got them a few seasons ago…dunno if they still make them, but if you live near a store it might be worth popping by to see!
Dawn says
September 10th, 2012 at 6:06 pmShimmer that does not accentuate fine lines–that’s what I need! This kit looks very tempting.
What other items are you wearing here? Very pretty!
Karen says
September 10th, 2012 at 6:30 pmHi Dawn,
I’m wearing a new gloss by Anastasia (review coming soon!) and LORAC Pro Cheek Stain in Petal Pink.
What makeup did you wear today?
Katherine G says
September 10th, 2012 at 6:10 pmThis looks like a great palette! It has a lot of neutral colors, which is good. They can be used with a lot of other colors or look great on their own. You look beautiful! My favorite socks are actually hiking socks from Walmart. They are so thick and have this soft towel like lining. They also keep my feet really warm. You can find them in the hunting/camping section there.
Karen says
September 10th, 2012 at 6:29 pmHi Katherine,
Those socks sound GREAT. The thickest pair of socks I own are Thorlo running socks, and when I work out in them it feels like I’m running on clouds. I’ll definitely have to check out those out next time I stop by Walmart.
Hope you feel better soon. 🙂
Crystal says
September 10th, 2012 at 6:42 pmI still have these kitty toe socks from when I was really into crazy socks in high school. They pair well with my gangsta kitties shirt that I wear when I lounge around at home 😛
Speaking of Filipino parties and the food, I made Chicken Adobo for dinner! Good ol’ comfort food 🙂 Just wish I had some
ube pan de sal from Valerio’s for dessert! Mmmm…
Karen says
September 10th, 2012 at 7:48 pmHi Crystal,
Gangsta kitties! I want that t-shirt!
Oh, and girl…I haven’t had chicken adobo in forever. Sounds so good right now.
Would you believe I’ve never been to Valerio’s?
Heidi says
September 10th, 2012 at 7:03 pmVery nice looking kit!
I’m a major Cheap Trick fan so I love your karaoke choice! For me, my friends and I have three standbys — The Romantics’ What I Like About You, The Knack’s My Sharona, and The Scorpions’ Rock You Like a Hurricane. Fun times!
When the nights start to get cold it’s time for me to bust out my pair of purple Tweety and Sylvester socks — so glamorous!
Karen says
September 10th, 2012 at 7:49 pmHi Heidi,
My Sharona is so fun. It’s one of my favorite car tunes. 🙂
So, Tabs is wondering if Missy has ever tried Greenies treats. They are his new favorite snack!
Heidi says
September 10th, 2012 at 9:22 pmShe was given some Greenies a long time ago, but she wasn’t impressed. I don’t think it was a seafood flavor so that’s probably why. She’s pretty committed to only eating seafood flavors, no poultry or meat (she takes after her mama in that regard). I’ll have to give it a try sometime with one of their seafood varieties.
Lulle says
September 10th, 2012 at 7:42 pmThis palette seems great for soft, classic looks! You look very pretty wearing it, and the gloss + earrings really compliment the eye look.
Lulle recently posted … Balm Jovi Rockstar Face Palette by theBalm – Pictures
Karen says
September 10th, 2012 at 7:50 pmHi Lulle,
Thank you! And you’re right, this would be very nice choice for wearable, soft looks.
Hope you had a nice Monday!
Agata says
September 10th, 2012 at 7:45 pmIt looks pretty. Also I like your earrings.
Karen says
September 10th, 2012 at 7:52 pmHi Agata,
Thanks! I got them a while back from Kate Spade. There was also a really cute matching ring but I missed out on it!
Did you have a good Monday?
Agata says
September 11th, 2012 at 11:35 amI love bows 🙂 I saw a similiar ring at Target!
I did have a good Monday. I cannot wait to finish work today, I invited my friends over for an Italian dinner. We are having homemade pasta and meatballs with home made sauce and I made tiramisu for dessert 🙂
Anne says
September 10th, 2012 at 9:52 pmThe palette looks so pretty…by the way I was at the Kate Spade outlet on Sunday and I saw the earrings and matching ring nit I remember correctly the earrings were $28 and the ring is also about the same price. Buy 2 or more you’ll get 20% off. Hope that helps
Sunny @ Mostly Sunny says
September 11th, 2012 at 2:01 amThis kit is SOOOO beautiful on you! I love the packaging as well 🙂
My fun socks are a pair of multicolor ones with stripes. They’re also toe socks so it’s really quite entertaining when I put them on!
Nina says
September 11th, 2012 at 5:40 amMy karaoke song (and we go quite a bit because theres a proliferation of karaoke places around here – the kind w/ the private room where you can sing to your hearts content for a measly 25dollar per hour fee) is anything by Madonna. I start off w/ Dress You Up, segue into Material Girl and finish with a soulful rendition of Crazy for You. Embarassing but true.
I am on a palette kick these days, after buying the Urban Decay Smoked and Black palettes, the oo Faced Return of the Sexy and the LORAC Pro palette. This might be a good addition to my palette team.
Kiss & Make-up says
September 11th, 2012 at 7:23 amVery cute gift box. And I like that lipgloss on you, Karen!
Kiss & Make-up recently posted … The war against wrinkles: eye contour care
Kim says
September 11th, 2012 at 8:02 amI love your kitty socks! I don’t really have any cool ones, myself, but I do have a decent selection of jammie bottoms. My faves are a fleece Superman pair and a flannel pair that’s red with sheep. 🙂
This is a nice looking palette but I thought the finish was a bit shimmery for me. It’s probably just the photos, as you say.
I love that song (and Surrender). I only sing Karaoke in a duet (minimum) but I’d say our go-to is Janice Joplin’s Bobby McGee. And, when I say “go to”, I don’t mean great sounding. Just that we like to sing it. 🙂
OrangeLipstickBlog says
September 11th, 2012 at 9:20 amI love the chains/letters on the front of the palette! It would look nice on my vanity, yes? Lol.
OrangeLipstickBlog recently posted … Ocho Loco is just as amazing as I had hoped!
Ankita@corallista says
September 11th, 2012 at 10:10 amThe packaging is so beautiful! What blush are you wearing Karen? it looks lovely!
S says
September 11th, 2012 at 10:33 amTOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART
Heather says
September 11th, 2012 at 1:56 pmVery very pretty looks to be had with this lovely palette! Now if only it came with a nice, opaque lip color that harmonizes with the eye colors, the palette would be perfect for me. Love the cat socks, btw!
: )
BeckBeck says
September 11th, 2012 at 3:10 pmMy all time greatest karaoke performance was Whitney Houston’s “Saving All My Love For You,” but I think I’d have to be having a pretty confident day to attempt that in front of just anybody… I’ve also done well with Avril Lavigne (“I’m with YOUUUUUUUUUU!”) and, embarrassingly enough, classic country tunes like Stand By Your Man.
I’ve got to stop with the neutral palettes, so I don’t think I’ll be picking this one up. I’ve got both UD Nakeds plus two custom MAC 15-pans and innumerable smaller palettes, so I’m set for several lifetimes!
Becca @ The Beauty Sample says
September 11th, 2012 at 5:28 pmLooks beautiful. I really like it when you wear your eyeliner like this–it’s beautiful and you have the perfect eye shape for it! (jealous!)
Becca @ The Beauty Sample recently posted … Liebster Award!
Joyce says
September 12th, 2012 at 6:59 amThanks for the swatches! I’m deciding between this one or Laura Mercier luxe color portfolio from last year’s holiday collection (on sale). They are both neutrals and purples. Which one would you recommend more?