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Archives for September 2017

Saturday Surfing: September 30th, 2017

September 30th, 2017 by Karen 4 Comments

What are these? Persimmatoes? Mini-pumpkins?

Another day, another Trader Joe’s shout-out.

What-what!

Whatever, dude. I’m there a lot… What can I say?

Aren’t these petite pumpkins cuuuute? My first thought was, “Can I eat these bad boys??” But I don’t think so. I think they’re just for display.

My second thought was, “Ooh! Good colors for a makeup look.” 🙂 Maybe a creamy, satiny reddish orange lip with thick winged liner in a blackened greenish brown with a hint of greenish gold. Or maybe an ombre liner that goes from greenish gold in the inner corner to blackened greenish brown toward the outer wing?

And what about the cheeks? Maybe an orange blush? But that might be orange overkill… I don’t know. I’d have to see the lips and liner first.

Hmm, giving myself ideas…

orange lipsticks
From the left: MAC Nifty Neon, Morange, Neon Orange and So Chaud; NARS Geraldine

The light orange on the left isn’t rich enough, obvs, but I could probably figure out a way to work it in. Maybe as a cream blush?

What do you think I should do for the lips? MAC Chili? Tom Ford Flame, Cristiano, Wild Ginger? NARS Lana?

While you ponder that, here are some of the beauty stories that got me thinkin’ this week.

  • My favorite part of this story about cult face cream La Mer is when Max Huber, the guy who invented it, puts the cream in his eye.

    Not on his eyelid, but, like IN HIS EYE.

  • Stock photography supplier Getty Images bans pictures that have been Photoshopped to make the models look thinner or better endowed, but really, they only go halfway, because they *still* accept pics with digital changes to hair color, skin (like with blemishes and wrinkles removed) and facial shape (like nose slimming, for example).
  • How to decode a beauty/skin care product label
  • I was moved by this blog post on change and have been thinking about this quote all week long: “The change today means a goodbye, but it also means a hello…”
  • The global skin-lightening biz is booming…and that bums me out, man.
  • What does hypoallergenic really mean?
  • More evidence that Estée Lauder is basically running sh*t in the cosmetics industry: shares of the company have surged 27.4% in the last six months.
  • This article is kinda dry and technical, but I think it’s well worth a read for the info on the Personal Care Products Safety Act and the Cosmetic Modernization Amendments of 2017, which could impact beauty product safety in the United States.
  • The tech that went into the NYX app.
  • A mom uses her kids as lookouts while she steals makeup…
  • Wise words from Rose-Marie Swift, the founder of RMS Beauty: “My one advice is to not live in your ego. When you think you know everything you already have lost. I have been in the industry for over 30 some years if not more and I still am learning things every day. Never close off your thinking to new ideas, techniques and opportunities that may be given to you.”

OK, who’s ready to go to Starbucks with me? 🙂

I can also swing by Peet’s too. But I refuse to go to Blue Bottle. It’s so good, but the one time I went, I was up for three days.

Have a great weekend, my friend. Try to get in some rest if you can.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 4 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun

Hack a Trader Joe’s Southwest Salad, and Turn It Into the Easiest, Yummiest Taco Salad Ever

September 29th, 2017 by Karen 9 Comments

Introducing the new Karen Especial Taco Ensalada! — now with more homemade!

Ish. Homemade-ish. 😉

Who doesn’t like the taste of a good homemade dish? I love homemade, but I don’t necessarily always love to make it.

Sorry! It’s true though… I got a kid, I’m 42, and I’m tired.

Well, even before I had the kid I was tired, but one thing I do like to do and always have is take something pre-made, especially something from Trader Joe’s, and put my own homemade, fine-tuning spin on it. I like making pre-made meals taste the way I want them to, and it’s kinda fun to make something your own.

I got the idea for this DELISH salad from an Instagram post by vlogger Stephanie Nicole. She posted a taco salad, and the picture made me weak in the knees. I wanted that salad immediately, but I didn’t wanna do a bunch of chopping…

So it was time to hack that ish!

It all starts with a Trader Joe’s Southwest Salad. Then I make my own dressing (I also got the recipe from Stephanie Nicole), add some extra flair, mix it all up, and devour.

I’ve had it for lunch twice this week. I would say that it serves two…but, you know, I can happily eat all of it by myself. 🙂

If this sounds intriguingly delicious to you, here’s what you do!

First, open the Trader Joe’s Southwest Salad. There’s a whole bunch of tasty treats in it, like diced peppers, cheese and whatnot… I usually toss the sliced onion, though, because I’m not a fan of raw onions in my salad.

I usually also ditch the dressing that comes with it, because it’s not my fave, and I like to make my own.

Then, plop the salad into a big bowl.

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There are 9 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun

A Few Current Clarins Loves (Oh, and My Face Is So Dry Right Now That It Hurts to Smile)

September 29th, 2017 by Karen 9 Comments

current clarins loves
Current Clarins loves, clockwise from the upper left: Hydra-Essentiel Rich Cream, Double Serum Complete Age Control Concentrate, Extra-Firming Mask and Super Restorative Total Eye Concentrate

It’s been like this for a couple weeks now, I think because the weather’s changing, and we had to turn on the heater at night, bluh. So my skin is very, very, very upset about it, and it hurts, especially around my nostrils, where the skin is this close to cracking. It even hurts to smile, so whatever you do, don’t say anything funny… Haha! Ouch! I made myself laugh.

Not fun.

Whenever my skin gets like this, I always turn to Clarins. I’ve been using their moisturizers and serums for years. I also used their Tonic Oil on my tummy when I was pregnant with Connor, and I didn’t get any stretch marks at all. I don’t know if it helped, but who knows? Maybe.

Anywho, I love their moisturizing products, and I know they won’t make my skin freak out while it adjusts to the new fall normal.

Here’s my current Clarins arsenal:
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There are 9 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Clarins, Skin Care

MAC Nicki Minaj Lipstick and the First PSL of the Season

September 28th, 2017 by Karen 22 Comments

mac nicki minaj the pinkprint swatch
MAC Lipglass in Please Me, MAC Lip Pencil in Dervish and MAC Nicki Minaj Lipstick in The Pinkprint

I was going to go get my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season today (#TEAMPSL) without even filling in my brows or curling my lashes, but then I saw The Pinkprint, one of the MAC X Nicki Minaj Collection Lipsticks, and wondered what Nicki Minaj would do…

Because she’s kind of a bad-@ss, and I can’t picture her going low-key to Starbucks. Nah, she’d be all decked out with full-on glam and a pink wig.

Probably. 🙂

In honor of Miss Nicki’s latest MAC collab (she’s done others before), I put on mah eyeliner, mah lipstick and a smile, then grabbed my first PSL of the season…which was iced, actually, because it was hot enough here for shorts and a t-shirt.

With my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season and the new MAC Nicki Minaj Lipstick in The Pinkprint, along with a few other MAC lip goodies. (See below!) Oh, and please note the little photobomber in the left-hand corner…

Light nude pink The Pinkprint is one of two lip products in the collection with LE packaging, and it’s the product I’m playing with first from the release because I thought it would look yummy with blue eyeliner.

mac nicki minaj pinkprint swatch
The Pinkprint Lipstick on its own without any accouterments

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There are 22 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: MAC Makeup, Makeup, Product Reviews

Trader Joe’s Find of the Day

September 28th, 2017 by Karen 11 Comments

Normally the skull decoration thing isn’t my cup of tea. I dunno…. The eye sockets freak me out, but I saw these Dia de los Muertos-themed planters at Trader Joe’s yesterday and thought they looked kinda cute with their succulent hair…

Get it? Succulents??

Anyway, they’re $9.99 each.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 11 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun

Tom Ford Boys & Girls: The Cutest Little Lipsticks That I Ever Did See

September 28th, 2017 by Karen 16 Comments

tom ford lips and girls
A handful (literally) of the new Tom Ford Boys & Girls Lipsticks ($36 each and available right meeeeeow)

When ya can’t decide which Tom Ford lipstick to wear, you wear them all. 🙂

These are from the new Tom Ford Boys & Girls lipstick collection available on counters now. They’re creamy and moisturizing, which is what I need today because my lips are killing me, Smalls!


Wait for it…

My kisser is crazy dry this morning, with a large scoop of EVEN MOAR DRY on the side. I mean, if my lips were a desert, they’d be frickin’ Death Valley right now.

Whoops! — there’s goes a tumbleweed. Let’s wait for it to roll by…

Thankfully, these Boys & Girls Lipsticks are hella moisturizing, and I think my dry lips and dry-lipped ladies will approve.

They also all have girl names, but after an exhaustive search, I’m sad to report that there isn’t one named Karen. 🙁

What’s up with that, Tom?

tom ford fabiola
Fabiola
tom ford monica
Monica

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There are 16 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Lips, Makeup, Product Reviews, Tom Ford Beauty

#FoundationFocus: Mostly Matte With a Subtle Pink Sheen Using MAC Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15 and Strobe Cream in Pinklite

September 27th, 2017 by Karen 12 Comments

mac studio fix nc 42 k final look 2
Natural-looking skin with a classic MAC foundation

I threw it waaaaaaay back to the old school today with MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation.

C’mon, MAC girls, I know y’all went through a phase when you wore this for a minute. I know I totally did! It was my jam back in the day. I’m talking late ’90s, early 2000s. It was the first MAC Foundation I ever tried.

Oh, the trouble I got into while wearing this… So great. 😉

macfixfam
MAC Studio Fix Fluid — old school and effective!

Full-coverage matte MAC Studio Fix Fluid is THE foundation I think of when I picture classic full-on glam MAC makeup, but here’s the deal: it’s surprisingly flexible. You can easily change the look of it if you’re feeling creative, which is how I was feeling this morning after I watched this video with MAC Artist Nemah Hasan.

She mixes Studio Fix Fluid Foundation with Pinklite Strobecream…

So genius, right? Why didn’t I ever think to try that?

Anyway, it inspired me, so today I put my own spin on it. I did a mostly matte, skin-focused makeup look with a subtle pink sheen. I think it’s quite sheer and natural looking, which I’ve been loving lately.

Here’s how I did the foundation…

1. Prep your skin first by spritzing a few sprays of moisturizing MAC Prep + Prime Fix+.

mac prep prime fix
My love, always and forever, MAC Fix+
mac fix plus k
Moisturize meeeee

LOL! I look like I just emerged from an ocean swim in this pic! My face is drenched. For the record, it’s not easy to take a self-portrait when you’re spraying your face with Fix+.

I do this to moisturizing my skin and make the foundation look smoother.

2. Prime your skin with MAC Prep + Prime Skin.

mac prep primes skin
Just a dab

Today was my first time trying this smoothing face primer. The colorless formula contains tiny, seductive sparkles that I can’t really see once they’re blended in, unless I look very closely. I like it. It smooths ‘ze pores while delicately blessing you with radiance. Ah…

mac prep primes skin k
Don’t forget to let it dry before applying foundation.

3. Mix equal parts MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation and MAC Strobe Cream in Pinklite.

mac studio fix strobe cream pinklight brush
MAC Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15 in NC42, MAC Strobecream in Pinklite, and the 190 Foundation Brush

Adding Pinklite Strobe Cream sheers out the Studio Fix Fluid a bit.

I wanted to keep the sheen on my cheeks and chin, so, when I was done with the foundation, I set my forehead and the sides of my nose with a little MAC Mineralize Slinfinish Natural in Medium Golden using a MAC 140S Synthetic Fan Brush.

mac 190 foundation brush
I mixed equal parts on the back of my hand.
mac studio fix nc42 k
Fingers work too, but I was feeling fancy today.

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There are 12 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: MAC Makeup, Makeup

Neutrogena HydroBoost Exfoliating Cleanser and Hydrating Serum

September 27th, 2017 by Karen 12 Comments

neutrogena hydro boost
Neutrogena Hydro Boost

Nobody ever sat me down and told me this — I wish they had, because it was hard-learned knowledge: one day, your skin will probably change.

Mine did. I used to have very oily skin. When I was teenager, I was oil slick city, and my skin stayed that way throughout my 20s. Now, though, it’s mostly dry, except for my oily forehead and nose.

If I still had that same skin I had back in the day, I’d probably love new Neutrogena Hydro Boost Exfoliating Cleanser ($8.99) and Hydrating Serum ($19.99).

I think that both of these additions to the Neutrogena Hydro Boost line are mid-level moisturizers. If you have oily or normal skin that still likes/needs some extra moisturizing, but never quite gets so dry that it hurts to smile, then either of these might be a good fit for your face.

Buuut, before we go any further, can we just talk about the packaging for a second?

It’s beautiful, isn’t it? Bright, blue and cheerful? But, like, if you look at both of the bottles, they say “HYALURONIC ACID” right there on the front with a little squiggly symbol to get your attention.

Hyaluronid acid shows up in many highly rated moisturizing skin care products (here’s an excellent post on The Beauty Brains about it), but it’s listed down at the bottom of the ingredients for the Exfoliating Cleanser…

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Exfoliating Cleanser: Ingredients
Water, Sodium C14-16, Olefin Sulfonate, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Glycerin, Sodium Hydrolyzed Potato Starch Dodecenylsuccinate, Acrylates Crosspolymer-4, Cellulose, Polysorbate 20, Citric Acid Sodium Benzoate, Glycolic Acid, Fragrance, Lactic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Disodium EDTA, Carica Papaya (Papaya) Fruit Extract, —-> Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid

And it’s also halfway down the list for the Hydro Boost Serum…

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Serum: Ingredients
Water, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Isododecane, Dimethiconol, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Benzyl Alcohol, Sodium Lactate, Cetearyl Olivate, Bisabolol, Chlorphenesin, Sorbitan Olivate, Sodium PCA, Fragrance, —-> Sodium Hyaluronate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sorbitol, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Sodium Hydroxide, Proline, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Propylene Glycol, Citric Acid, Magnesium Aspartate, Zinc Gluconate, Copper Gluconate

So it sure doesn’t look like one of the main ingredients in either of these… I’m just sayin’.

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Exfoliating Cleanser

This face wash , which feels like a jelly, exfoliates in two ways — one physical, and one chemical. The physical way seems to be via little beads, but the back of the bottle says that this doesn’t contain plastic microbeads.

I’ve been trying to figure out which ingredient actual does the physical exfoliating, but I haven’t figured it out yet. If you can tell from the list what’s doing the deed, let me know.

Whatever it is, the particles feel small, soft and mildly gritty, and they aren’t painful. This feels like an expensive exfoliating product from a high-end brand.

[Continue reading…]

There are 12 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Drugstore Beauty Finds, Face, Neutrogena, Product Reviews, Skin Care

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