Dolce & Gabbana The Illuminator in Eva From the Holiday 2014 Collection

Wearing Dolce & Gabbana’s The Illuminator in Eva on my upper cheekbones, and MAC Satin Lipstick in Toxic Tale from the MAC Red, Red, Red Collection on my lips

To think that once upon a time, many, many moons ago, gorgeously glowing skin was just something that happened sometimes on one of Mother Nature’s whims.

“Ooh! My cheeks are a little oilier than usual today? Woot! That means my skin will glow like Sheila’s, the cave-girl who lives down the way.”

Well, OK, that’s probably not exactly how it went down back in prehistoric days…but throw a girl a bone here please! I had awful insomnia last night (stayed up too late watching TV), so it’s the best I can do under the circumstances.

I did have a point though…

Now that we’re modern women living in modern times, we have access to a much wider range of illuminators than ever before, from frosty highlighters that leave your cheekbones lookin’ like Rihanna’s in a video (shine bright like a diamond!), to shimmers so soft that you can barely see their candlelit glow on your skin, and everything in between.

Dolce & Gabbana’s new six-piece holiday 2014 collection has a very interesting illuminator named Eva ($51, called The Illuminator in Eva; there’s also a bronzer in the collection called Desert), a creamy beige face powder blended with tiny flecks of gold glitter. It has a soft, sheen-like finish that reminds me of the Hourglass Ambient Powders, only the sparkly flecks seem finer…

They create a slightly different effect that’s flat-out gorgeous.

Available now in a limited edition holiday version with a pretty design on the pan (but also available in the permanent line) online and at Dolce & Gabbana counters.

Three of six pieces in the Dolce & Gabbana holiday 2014 makeup collection

The Illuminator in Eva

Perfect Mono Eyeshadow in Pure Gold ($36)

Nail Lacquer in Lover ($25)

The Illuminator in Eva, Perfect Mono Eyeshadow in Pure Gold and Nail Lacquer in Lover

Mighty lovely… I don’t know why, but I always crave Dolce & Gabbana more this time of year.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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Oh, Hello, Cutie! The Hello Kitty “The Red Bow Beauty Diaries” Holiday Set Is a Hello Kitty Fangirl’s Dream

Hello Kitty “The Red Bow Beauty Diaries” $25 holiday set

Dear Diary,

I have a confession to make…

I don’t know if the limited edition $25 Hello Kitty “Red Bow Beauty Diaries” holiday kit was made for kids or grownups.

But, uh, I don’t really care.

Is that wrong…?

I love this damned thing! And I don’t give a crap if I’m wearing the same makeup that little Susie is rocking to Brianna’s ninth birthday sleepover because ? and here’s the kicker ? there’s a bonafide letter from Hello Kitty inside the set!

Yeah, the actual kitty HERSELF.

For real though, I get the feels every time I read it, and I actually think it was written directly to me ? Karen from Union City, California.

Or not.

Diary, I think this set was made special for people who grew up loving Hello Kitty, because, truth be told, the makeup isn’t great. I’d say it’s just a step up from the pieces in a little girl’s toy makeup set.

While pigmented, the glitter liners rub off easily, and the lipsticks, gloss and cream eyeshadows are woefully sheer.

As for the pink hair mascara, it feels smooth when I put it on but turns crusty when it dries.

Weird.

Nostalgia is the best thing about this set, which I can get behind, because I’ve been a fiend for Hello Kitty since the ripe old age of 7.

The adorableness is strong in this one… It comes with lots of extras for fans, like a tiny plastic coin purse and nail stickers and a little HK charm and hair tie.

Something tells me that Pat McGrath probably won’t be using these products to create cutting edge runway looks backstage in Milan, but so what, right? Not everything has to be runway ready.

As a sweet, simple trip down memory lane to a time when I kept a journal with a unicorn on the front (it was my first diary ever!) and proudly carried my red Hello Kitty lunchbox to school, this is pure great.

The set contains…

Milk Money coin purseCharmmy hair tie1974 figurine 16 x All Better bandages 2 x All Eyes on Hello Kitty eyeliner appliques 1 pair Supercute accent nail appliques 2 x 0.10 oz XOXO lip glosses in Strawberry Pink, Toffee Nude 2 x 0.14 oz Pretty in Pearl Eyeshadow Sticks in Hot Cocoa, Champagne Rose 2 x 0.14 oz Electric Slide liquid liners in Violet, Royal Blue 2 x 0.12 oz Plush Pout lip balm in Cherry Red, Coral Crush 0.30 oz Pink Streak hair mascara

Swatches from the left: Hair Mascara, Cream eyeshadows, glitter liners, lipglosses and lipsticks

Regularly $49, according to the Sephora website (which seems like too much to me), it’s on sale now for $25.

What do you think, Diary? A fab gift for a Hello Kitty fangirl like me?

Speaking of kitties, in case you glance up and notice a somewhat robust-looking tabby cat in a window wearing a statement necklace and serving some SERIOUS FACE, you’ll know who it is.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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The Clinique Nutcracker Suite Act I Three-Piece Holiday Collection Is Totally En Pointe

Even though the pink and glitter in The Nutcracker Suite, Clinique’s new ballet-inspired holiday collection, are totally en pointe, they will not help you pirouette your way to ballet greatness.

Wearing the Eye and Cheek Compact, Chubby Stick Baby Tint and Blended Face Powder from the Clinique Nutcracker Act I, part of The Nutcracker Suite holiday collection

But I can see why you might think they should…

After all, it does make a certain kind of sense to think that since your makeup looks like a ballerina’s from The Nutcracker, you should probably be able to dance like one, too, and then you bust out some plies on your creaky knees and scowl at your ballet teacher when she says something snarky about your butt sticking out too far!

Er, well…maybe that’s just me and my childhood dance trauma.

The Clinique Nutcracker Act 1, part one of two sub-collections in the Clinique holiday collection

Clinique worked with the American Ballet Theater to choreograph the collection’s color palette, mining the ballet company’s Nutcracker costume archives for inspiration.

The five-piece Nutcracker Suite collection is divided into two parts ? Act I and Act II ? with lots of dainty pinks and plums and a sprinkling of silver glitter finer than the finest snowflakes.

The products I’m looking at today are from Act I, which was inspired by the Waltz of the Snowflakes sequence in The Nutcracker.

Two words: pink and glitter.

The Nutcracker Act I Compact ($36)

Truth be told, I was afraid there was going to be entirely too much pink up in the mix with these three pieces ? and I’m a girl who loves pink! ? but there’s a lot of it here.

In The Nutcracker Suite Act I compact ($36), for instance, there’s a shimmery pink eyeshadow with silver glitter and a rosy pink blush with a satin finish.

Then there’s the creamy light pink Chubby Stick Baby Tint Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm in Budding Blossom ($17).

And then there’s the Blended Face Powder in Snowflake Dreams ($24), a bluish pink highlighter/body powder with large flecks of silver glitter.

Yo, it’s a LOT of pink.

The Snowflake Dreams Blended Face Powder, $24

But beside the other colors in The Nutcracker Suite Act I compact, I think the preponderance of pink makes sense, where it acts as a supporting background color, kind of like the dancers in the chorus, for the shimmery, silvery taupe eyeshadow (like a less frosty version of MAC Satin Taupe), the glittery grayish black eyeshadow (super pretty when it’s blended on top of a creamy black kohl base) and the frosty whitish beige eyeshadow.

Altogether, they aren’t your typical red/gold/black holiday steeze, and I like ‘em for that.

The Budding Blossom Chubby Stick Baby Tint Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm ($17)

With glittery eyeshadows like these, you run the risk of some fallout, but Clinique dialed the glitter down a few notches here, and it prevents any full-scale glitter bombs. I notice very little fallout from any of the shadows in the compact.

Swatches from the left of the beige, pink, taupe and black eyeshadows in the Act I compact; the pink blush from the Act I compact; and the Snowflake Dreams Face Powder and Budding Blossom Chubby Stick Baby Tint

The only time I’ve felt a little iffy about the glitter sitch in Act I has been while using the Blended Face Powder.

That piece is CRAZY glittery.

Like, if you aren’t careful when you apply it and wear it during the daytime outside, people might assume that you were out all night clubbing and just haven’t had time to go home and wash your face yet.

So yeah…use a light touch with the Blended Face Powder.

I’m also wearing Eyelure Texure 117 false lashes

I also think the glitter in the collection is offset by the smooth, satin pink blush (not patchy at all) and the sheer, moisturizing, light pink lip balm (lasts a couple of hours), both which should see a lot of use through winter and into the spring.

If you’d like to take a twirl with The Nutcracker Suite, you can find the entire collection pirouetting now on Clinique counters and online.

Gurl! It’s that time of year when I can’t go into a Trader Joe’s without leaving with at least a little something tasty and holiday-themed.

You have GOT to try these holiday teas if you haven’t already. They’re so tasty! Plus, the only way I seem to be able to finish everything I need to finish during the day now is if I’m caffeinated up to here.

LOL! It’s true though…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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So Sweet, You’ll Want to Keep These Treats for Yourself: The Fresh Sugar Holiday Sets

Fresh holiday 2014

“Sugar, above all else!”

If I were to leave my mark and carve my mantra above a doorway with a blunt object and my bare hands, that would be it, because as far as I’m concerned, sugar dominates ? sugar kills it, bro! ? over the salty, the sour and everything else.

Since I’m a girl who can devour a pecan pie all by herself in less that 48 hours (hey, at least when I ate those two slices for breakfast, I had the “restraint” to skip the whipped cream), I’m all about the sweet stuff, and that includes these sugar-themed holiday sets by Fresh, a brand I’ve been kind of obsessed with lately (I totally blame it all on their Black Tea Toner and Fresh Life fragrance, which will forever be my Fresh gateway items).

This year the brand has several sugar-themed holiday sets for the pecan pie-eating, doughnut-print-loving sweet tooth in yo’ life.

The Fresh Sugar Legends set

The tints in this seven-piece set are sheer enough to quality as “easy to wear” but colorful enough to stand on their own, which should make them a good gift option for just about anyone with a pronounced sweet tooth…because they’re also sugary scented and flavored. One taste and you’ll be smackin’ your lips for more…MORE!

One for every day of the week

Perfect for gift-giving, or for keeping for yourself.

I’m just sayin’…

You could stash the travel-size 0.07-oz. tubes of Tinted Sugar Lip Treatment in a bowl by the door, and then grab a different color each day of the week on your way out (you won’t even need a mirror to put them on).

Marvel as the wind whips your hair, and yet none of the strands get stuck to your lips.

YES!

Lips like sugar…

The set includes sheer rouge Sugar Passion, sheer sunny red Sugar Cherry, warm nude Sugar Honey, sheer rose Sugar Rose, sheer hot pink Sugar Tulip, pink blossom Sugar Petal and flirty berry Sugar Berry.

The Fresh Sugar Dream set

Like a spa in yo’ bathroom, yo!

The brown sugar Face Polish and Sugar Lip Treatment in the Fresh Sugar Dream set perfectly pampers faces and lips, but the Brown Sugar Body Polish is what really makes this set. Brace yourself for a body so clean and smooth that you’ll swear someone else actually did the scrubbing work.

I was so excited about this set that I opened it before taking pics!

When I took this jar of exfoliating Brown Sugar Body Polish (which smells like mouthwatering sugar cookies) and a washcloth into my shower, the amount of dirt that sloughed off my body would’ve made Pigpen say “Dayum!”

Holy crap! Must be due to the large size of the sugar granules. Those things do not mess around.

Incidentally, since this polish is oil-based, watch your step, ’cause it can leave the bottom of the bathtub or shower slippery.

For serious, real-deal exfoliation that will leave you smelling like a bakery

Like the Sugar Legends set, this would be a great fit for just about anyone. It might be extra thoughtful, though, for the friend in your life who’s been overwhelmed and needs a break. You could even include a nice candle and a note, perhaps offering to babysit (or cat sit) for them.

The Fresh Dare to Bare Sugar Lip Ritual set

Sooth and smooth your pretty pout with this lovely five-piece set. Start by gently shooing flakes away with the Sugar Lip Polish, then moisture with the Sugar Lip Serum Advanced Therapy, and smooth your lip lines into the background a bit with the Sugar Advanced Lip Therapy Lip Treatment.

Hey, sugar lips

Lastly, add some color and/or shine with either the glossy Sugar Shine Lip Treatment or rosy tinted Sugar Rose Titned Lip Treatment SPF.

Recommended for the girl (or guy) about town, since the pieces are travel-sized and easily totable.

Look for all three sets, along with the rest of the Fresh holiday 2014 collection, at Fresh boutiques, Sephora and online.

Ugh, I need to talk about what went down last night!

No spoilers here, but watch out for the comments if you haven’t seen the episode yet. Needless to say…my heart felt a little heavy this morning.

Did you happen to watch The Talking Dead afterwards? I actually applied to be an audience member for last night’s episode and was put on the wait list, so I stuck close to home all weekend long hoping for a call, but it wasn’t meant to be… I was fully prepared to throw a few things into an overnight bag and book a last-minute flight down to SoCal.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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Major Storm Could Snarl Holiday Travel in U.S.

Wednesday will be the busiest travel day of the year in the United States, and it could be a rough one for millions of people.

A major winter storm called a nor'easter is forecast to hit the Eastern seaboard from Maine to North Carolina -- the day Americans hit the roads, rails and skies for Thursday's Thanksgiving holiday.

Meteorologists said coastal regions could expect heavy rain and high winds, while some areas to the west could see as much as 40 centimeters (15 inches) of snow.

A man walks with a gas can along Como Park Boulevard in Lancaster, New York, as he looks at a minivan go by with snow on its roof on Nov. 20, 2014. /AP

Large cities including Boston, New York and Philadelphia will feel the impact.

Travelers are warned to get an early start and to expect delays at airports.

Conditions are expected to be much better for Thanksgiving Day, when families gather to enjoy turkey dinners, football and parades.

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Retailers Capitalize on Early Holiday Shopping

Retailers are trying to jumpstart Christmas shopping, as customers have started hitting stores earlier in recent years despite economic uncertainty.

Sales more than doubled in November during the last five years, according to supermarket chain Lotte Mart.

Christmas items are taking a growing proportion of sales in November, as many retailers kick off the holiday shopping season as early as possible to draw more shoppers amid sluggish sales.

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