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R+Co

Air Dry Adventures!

May 25th, 2022 by Karen 7 Comments

There’s something so inspiring about a fresh chop! Now that my hair is shorter and has more shape, I’m excited to do stuff to it again. (It’s been a while!)

On that note, I’m trying some new things. I’m on a quest to find products that help my mane look presentable after air drying.

  • R+Co Sun Catcher Power C Boosting Leave-In Conditioner: A leave-in conditioner that adds mega moisture without weighing strands down. You can use it on wet and dry hair! I’m on a mission to boost volume, which is why I wanted to try it.
  • R+Co Zig Zag Root Teasing + Texture Spray: A lightly tinted texturizing spray that lifts roots. You can also use it on the mid-shaft and ends for lift, shape and hold.
  • R+Co Sail Soft Wave Spray: A lightweight spray that encourages soft, natural looking waves. You spray it on wet hair before air drying or using heat tools!
  • dpHue ACV Daily Scalp Serum: An oil-free serum that’s supposed to balance and hydrate the scalp while also encouraging hair growth.
  • Urban Decay Naked Half Baked Palette: A travel palette of powder shadows inspired by the iconic shade Half Baked. I know this isn’t hair related, but I’m wearing it today so I figured it deserved a shout out, too!

Building those happiness muscles, day 10

Welcome to hump day, friend. How is it Wednesday already?

OK, so the two things that I’m grateful for today:

  1. Watching my daughter dance. She’s been rond de jambe-ing since she was in my tummy! It’s so fun to watch her grow as she dances.
  2. Hair claw clips. Seriously, so great when it’s hot outside!

What are you grateful for today?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 7 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Hair, R+Co, Urban Decay

November 2018 Favorites

December 10th, 2018 by Karen 19 Comments

november favorites

Because it’s cold, I’m already getting nostalgic for November! Here are some things I loved the heck out of last month…

1. Onomie Boosting Lip + Cheek Sticks ($30 each)

onomie lip cheek

These are super sheer compared to some other creams products out there, like the MAC Cream Colour Bases, but don’t walk away just yet. I don’t really use them when I’m gonna be taking pics for MBB, because they’re too subtle for photography, but for regular life, like when I’m wearing the most minimal of minimal makeup (a recurring theme when you live with a demanding tabby and a toddler), they’re B-O-M-B. They add just enough color to cheeks and lips to liven things up so I don’t look totally dead, ha ha.

I blend concealer under my eyes and skip the tinted moisturizer/foundation completely, then plop on a coat of mascara, and dab and blend one of these tints on my cheeks and lips.

It’s a very Megan Markle makeup look, and I’m into it.

Comes in six shades. I wear the Berry the most.

2. Juno & Co Microfiber Velvet Sponge ($6 each, or four for $20)

juno sponge

You can use this soft and squishy makeup blending sponge wet or dry to apply or set foundation, powder and/or concealer. The surface of the sponge feels velvety, similar to velvet fabric, which makes a big difference in the finished look. It’s a more airbrushed and polished look than you get with the beautyblender-y makeup sponges out there.

3. R+Co Television Perfect Hair Shampoo and Conditioner ($30 each)

randco television waterfall

You know when your hair feels coated, weighed down and heavy? UGH, I hate that feeling. It’s like living with a family of filthy forest animals on your head 24/7. Anyway, with this shampoo and conditioner, you can completely avoid that issue. They’re for smoothing, moisturizing *and* volume, and they’re made for all hair types, from fine to thick and wavy like mine, and everything in between. When I use this set, my hair is what I call, “light and fluffy.” My only wish is that they came in bigger bottles!

The scent is lovely, too. I detect lavender, pineapple, tangerines and warm, white musk.

4. R+Co Waterfall Moisture + Shine Lotion ($29)

Again for the girls and guys who like hair that isn’t coated with a thick layer of goo. (R+Co is good at that.) This intense leave-in conditioner and frizz-fighter is just as moisturizing as their High Dive Moisture + Shine Cream (don’t even ask me how many bottles of that I’ve gone through), but it retains more volume in your strands, so it flattens the hair less than High Dive.

Both are brilliant, but if you have long or medium-length hair, and you’re all about floofy marshmallow volume, this is the one you’ll want, especially if you like violets, oranges and caramel, which is how it smells.

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There are 19 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Clinique, Fresh, Hair, Juno, Makeup, Makeup Tools, Onomie, R+Co, Skin Care

REVIEW! MAC Mirage Noir Slow As You Go Eye Shadow and Mother o’ Pearl Pearlmatte Face Powder

May 15th, 2018 by Karen 19 Comments

mac mirage noir slow as you go

Playful plum and purple today! I’m wearing MAC Slow As You Go from the new Mirage Noir summer collection on my lids, Mother o’ Pearl on my cheeks (also from MAC Mirage Noir) and Brave Lipstick on my lips (MAC permanent)

I went for ’80s today… Don’t know if I quite got there, but it’s all good. 🙂 I still like how this look turned out.

So, plums and purples today. And I found this top that I’ve had forever. It’s by Halogen, and I got it at Nordstrom a zillion years ago.

I wanted my makeup to complement the top, which is something I don’t do very often — coordinate my makeup with my clothes — especially lately. Lately my clothes have basically been an afterthought (although I’m working diligently to change that), but today I thought I’d coordinate. Plus, big hair. I was going for ’80s hair…or a modified version, but I’ll get to that in a sec.

First, the two key ingredients in this look… LOL! Ingredients. 🙂 What, are we making brownies? OK, the two key “elements” are a purple eyeshadow called Slow As You Go, and a plummy golden bronzed cheek/face powder called Mother o’ Pearl.

Both are from the new MAC Mirage Noir summer collection available now.

MAC Slow as You Go Eye Shadow ($17)

You’re gonna dig this if you’re a fan of MAC Trax. Slow as You Go is similar, but I actually think I like it more than Trax because it’s shinier (in a good way) and more richer. Like Trax two point oh. It’s also silky soft and blends like a dream. And — this is important — it doesn’t make my eyes water like so many other purples do.

❤️❤️❤️❤️ 4 out of 5 hearts.

Did you know? Golden purples like Slow as You Go pair very well with MAC Powersurge and MAC Prunella eyeliners. 😉

mac mirage noir mother o pearl slow as you go
Makin’ mah heart flutter!

MAC Mother o’ Pearl Pearlmatte Powder ($34)

This plummy gold has a slightly warm bronze undercurrent. It’s like a combo bronzer, blush and highlighter. Normally I just mix it all together and sweep that on my cheeks and blend.

Technically, it’s a powder, but it feels almost like a cream, and the opalescent finish is pure purr-fection.

It’s like a bronzier MAC Plum Foolery, but not as shiny.

❤️❤️❤️❤️ 4 out of 5 hearts.

Did you know? You can also use Mother o’ Pearl as an eyeshadow. Yup, it’s also approved for lids.

mac mirage noir other o pearl k
CHEEKS!

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There are 19 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, Face, Hair, MAC Makeup, Makeup, Product Reviews, R+Co Keywords: mac, mac cosmetics, mac mirage noir

R+Co Control Flexible Paste for Styles That Hold Tight But Never Feel Stiff

September 22nd, 2017 by Karen 5 Comments

r and co control review
R+Co CONTROL Flexible Paste, taming unruly baby hairs one strand at a time

Why are those tiny little hairs along the edge of your hairline called baby hairs? Is it because they’re cute and cuddly and adorable? Naaaaaw, girl. I think they’re called baby hairs because they’re unruly. OK? You can’t control them, they’re unpredictable, and, at any given moment, riiight when you think you have the situation under control, BAM! — they go bananas. HAHA! At least my baby hairs (and my baby) do.

I have a mega crop of baby hairs where my bangs part in the front, and I don’t know about yours, but mine are all uneven and at weird lengths, and — yay, lucky me! — they stick up and out at jarring angles, so I walk around lookin’ like I’ve just been electrocuted.

Girl, if there’s no product in them, I look CRAY, but this new hair styling product by R+Co called Control ($27) really helps. I’ve been using it for a week, and now I’m like ROUGE BABY NO LONGER RUN SH*T HERE.

Control is a soft, waxy styling paste with a semi-matte finish, and it grabs, holds and keeps flyaway hairs in place. It’s strong, but it’s not ’80s-style hairbear stiff, so my bangs can still move and don’t look heavy and greasy.

These days, my numero uno #hairgoal is for my mop to look casual, like IDGAF. Sure, I might’ve fussed over this hair, but nobody needs to know, LOL! In other words, I want the antithesis of prom/beauty pageant hair. Nothing overly lacquered or styled.

r and control before
Baby hairs say WASSSSSUP
r and control after
What baby hairs? Um, please excuse the rand-o white hairs… I’m between coloring appointments and apparently couldn’t be bothered to use Rita Hazan Root Concealer.

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There are 5 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Hair, Product Reviews, R+Co

Bumble and Bumble Prêt-à-Powder Très Invisible Dry Shampoo: Another Great Dry Shampoo to Add to Your List

September 21st, 2017 by Karen 9 Comments

bumble and bumble pret a powder tres invisible dry shampoo
I may or may not have just sprayed half a pound of this new dry shampoo on my roots…

Man, this stuff smells good! It’s all powdery and musky…and naughty, with just a hint of sweet jasmine.

Can a fragrance smell like you’re purposefully trying to get in trouble? Because that’s how this dry shampoo smells to me. 🙂

There are actually two versions, both of them new from Bumble and Bumble, and both of them with darned-near impossible-to-pronounce (for me) French names, seeing as how I butcher everything en français.

I think I’ll just call them “the new Bumble dry shampoos.” They’re available now in pretty blush pink packaging for $29 each, which gets you a 3.1-oz. bottle.

One of them, Très Invisible, is for normal-to-oily hair, and the other one, Très Invisible Nourishing, is the more moisturizing version for dry, damaged or coarse hair.

They’re called “invisible” because that’s how they’re supposed to look in your hair, even if your hair is dark.

The directions say to spray them from 10-12 inches away from your hair, and to concentrate on your roots, which is pretty is standard for dry shampoo. I can’t see the product at all unless I get carried away and use a ridiculous amount, and even then, I can’t see it anymore after I brush the powder through my hair, which is a step you’re supposed to follow with these.

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There are 9 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Hair, Product Reviews, R+Co

Empties

September 14th, 2017 by Karen 10 Comments

recent empties september 13
It’s crazy how this always happens at the same time!

I stepped into my bathroom to take a shower the other day — because, apparently, I shower three times a day now because I’m so freaking sweaty — and discovered that a bunch of products I used all summer long have all gone empty at the same time.

Thing is, I use things items practically every day, so you’d think I would have noticed sooner that my industrial-sized bottle of honey mango shower gel was running low, but nooOOOOooo. As if out of nowhere, it’s empty.

I’m curious — what are some of your recent empties/things you’ve run out of lately? I’m kind of a voyeur who loves hearing about things people have finished to the last drop.

Here are mine…

1. Alba Botanica Very Emollient Bath & Shower Gel in Honey Mango Replenishing Moisture for Extra Dry Skin ($12.99)

When I got this 32-oz. bottle for $12.99 at Target, it was for both me AND El Hub. So it wasn’t just for me! It doesn’t contain parabens or pthalates, and the light mango scent smells divine when I’m lathering up, but it doesn’t linger on the skin, which my husband likes (I guess he doesn’t want to smell like mangoes at work). I always feel squeaky clean after using it.

Now it’s empty.

2. Caudalie Nourishing Body Lotion ($30)

An old fave from years ago that I rediscovered earlier this summer. It’s so good that I seriously considered cutting open the bottle with a knife to extract the last drops, but I decided that that was probably a bad idea… I didn’t want to accidentally cut off my pinky.

3. Burt’s Bees Baby Shampoo and Wash ($14.59)

OK, this one isn’t technically one of my empties. It’s one of Connor’s.

It creates LOTS of bubbles, which she loves to play with in the bath, and it doesn’t sting her eyes.

P.S. She loves it when we use it as a shampoo, and I style her hair into a baby mohawk.

P.P.S. Someone needs to invent a baby emoji ? with a mohawk.

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There are 10 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Burt's Bees, Caudalie, Just For Fun, Kate Somerville, Pixi, R+Co

R+Co Analog Conditioning Cleansing Foam Is Airy and Epic

August 31st, 2017 by Karen 15 Comments

r+co cleansing foam conditioner

My shower is a veritable convener belt of hair products. I’m always rotating different ones in and out, and rarely will the same thing stay in there for weeks or months, but it does happen occasionally when I love something A LOT, which is happening right now — this very second! — with $29 R+Co Analog Cleansing Foam Conditioner.

UGH, it’s so good, babe! Like change-your-life good.

Analog cleansing conditioner is unlike anything I’ve ever used. It’s a foam, man! A foam! And it’s airy and light like the top layer of a pumpkin spice latte.

It has moisturizing argan oil and antioxidant-rich green tea, and it doesn’t have harsh mineral oil, parabens or sulfates.

Metaphorically, the fragrance is fresh, fancy, young and expensive to me, with notes of orange, fig, guava, musk and some other things that I can’t put my finger on… I’ll call it “new money minimalist.” It reminds me of something Pinrose would do.

You use it like a regular cleansing conditioner. You wet your hair, massage the foam from roots to ends, then rinse. Unlike most cleansing conditioners, however, many of which leave a film behind and make your hair feel heavy with product, Analog’s frothy foam rinses out completely and makes my hair feel full, light and bouncy, even when I conditioner-wash multiple days in a row.

The end result is clean, hydrated hair with volume.

rco cleansing foam conditioner
I washed with R+Co Analog, applied R+Co High Dive leave-in conditioner, then let it air dry overnight. The next morning, I curled it with a ghd Curling Iron, then sprayed R+Co Sail Soft Wave Spray on my waves.

Oh, and most importantly, when I use it, my hair actually feels clean! You know how some cleansing conditioners leave your scalp feeling like you’re the human version of Pigpen from Peanuts? Like they left behind a layer of sweat and grime in your roots, even though you massaged the living crap outta your hair and thoroughly rinsed, leaving you to feel like a filthy beast?

Yeah, Analog doesn’t do that. The foam breaks down all the oil, grease and dirt on my roots, my scalp and my strands. When I step out of the shower, my scalp feels legit clean.

r+co cleansing foam conditioner

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There are 15 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Hair, Product Reviews, R+Co

R+Co Death Valley Dry Shampoo Hits Holy Grail Hair Status

August 3rd, 2017 by Karen 5 Comments

r co death valley
They’re alive! ALIVE!!! It brings my roots back to life!

R+Co Death Valley Dry Shampoo may have a morbid-sounding name (“The place where oily roots go to die.”), but, ironically, it makes me feel so alive! — like, in a “Damn, this is so good!” kinda way.

A $29 can of Death Valley is right up there with the gold standard in dry shampoo/texturizing sprays for me, Oribe’s Dry Texturizing Spray, WHICH IS HELLA BOMB, but it’s $42…

Like the Oribe spray, Death Valley feels like nothing in my hair. I can’t feel it sitting on my scalp or anywhere (other than a bit of a gritty feeling) and the mist shoots out super fine, so it’s virtually invisible, even on dark hair.

My hair feels a bit gritty when I use it (just a bit), but by no means would I call it crispy. So, your hair will not feel like uncooked Ramen noodles.

Like all R+Co products, it smells like fancy perfume, which I love. The scent is R+Co’s “Rosy Eyed” fragrance, which is a blend of bergamot, fig, tonka beans, cedar wood and lotus flower.

And you know what I heard through the grapevine? Oribe and R+Co are owned by the same company, Luxury Brand Partners, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the lines share some recipes.

I mean, you can find similar formulas across the Estée Lauder brands (MAC, Bobbi Brown, etc.), so I’m just saying… I wouldn’t be surprised.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 5 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Hair, Product Reviews, R+Co

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