Ulta

What I Brought Home From Ulta Recently

March 15th, 2024 by Karen 1 Comment

Happy Friday, my friend! TGIF. 🙂

So, this seems to happen a lot — I get the urge to either cut or dye my hair, and instead of doing either, I go to Ulta and I buy a bunch of hair products. LOL! Don’t ask me why, but it seems to scratch the itch.

The Elnett hairspray is an old standard that I like to pick up from time to time, and so is the Pureology Color Fanatic spray leave-in conditioner. New to me things are the Living Proof Triple Bond Complex and the L’Oreal Ever Pure Bond Strengthening Concentrate, which were both purchases inspired by spending way too much time on Abbey Yung’s Instagram.

Pureology Color Fanatic Multi-Tasking Leave-In Spray

Living Proof Triple Bond Complex

L’Oreal Ever Pure Bond Strengthening Concentrate

MAC Maximal Lipsticks in Velvet Teddy and Sweet Deal

As usual Rosie had to get up in the mix!

I also finally got around to picking up two of the MACximal lipsticks. Of course I had to grab a tube of my go-to Velvet Teddy. I also grabbed a warm pink called Sweet Deal. I haven’t worn them out in the world yet because no joke, I spend a grand total of less than five minutes putting on makeup every day, and I usually default to a Laneige Lip Glowy Balm because it’s easy. But I want to do it soon!

What do you have going on today? I’ve got work until about 4, and then I’m taking Connor to a dance performance in town. Then I’m going to outsource dinner (aka get takeout) because the last thing I want to do on Friday evening is stand in front of the stove.

Have a great Friday!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

3 Things Beauty Lovers Do

September 13th, 2023 by Karen 9 Comments

1. They revel in getting a great deal

Yesterday I practically danced out of Ulta because I paid $5.97 for an $83 Murad Serum!

A little backstory: Ulta is in the midst of their awesome 21 Days of Beauty sale. Every day for 21 days, they feature a handful of different products on sale that are usually half off!

One of yesterday’s products was Murad Environmental Shield Rapid Dark Spot Correcting Serum, a glycolic and tranexamic acid serum for fading hyperpigmentation, which I’ve been wanting to try forever.

A 1-ounce bottle is usually $83 (!), but yesterday it was on sale for 50% off, so you could snag one for the sweet price of $41.50.

But guess what? I got an even bigger deal by cashing in $36 in Ulta points.

All in all, I ended up paying a mere $5.50 for my bottle, plus 47 cents for tax.

Heck, I’m still happy about it and dancing in my chair as I type this, LOL!

2. They find like-minded beauty lovers in the most unexpected places

So, I’ve had a couple of doctor’s appointments this week to check on some things, and you know me. I try so hard to be strong and tough on the outside, but inside, I’m an emotionally mushy meatball and end up crying at the drop of a hat.

Anyway, I was at the OB/GYN getting some tests done on Monday and started getting weepy – nervous tears, purr usual – when the doctor said, “Hey now, if you cry, you’ll mess up your beautiful makeup.”

I ended up laughing because I felt so totally seen! That morning, I purposefully wore sleek cat eyeliner and a few cool-toned shadows on my lids thinking that nice eye makeup on would help me to avoid any tears.

I mentioned this to the doctor and she started laughing, too, and she said that it sounded like something she’d do as well. It lightened the mood significantly, and we both got a good chuckle.

3. They can talk about makeup even when things get weird

Speaking of makeup bringing people together, in the same conversation, I just happened to be wearing a hospital gown and not much else. Needless to say, I felt a little vulnerable.

It got less weird though, when the doctor mentioned that she wanted to try Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty line, and the nurse and I immediately jumped in to tell her that it was really good and what things she should buy.

Funny how talking about beauty can make even the most awkward moments a little easier to bear.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

A Mother’s Day Shopping Trip: Self-Care at Ulta

May 12th, 2022 by Karen 7 Comments

Good morning, my friend. I’m raising my cup of coffee to you in a *toast.* Here’s to another beautiful day (it’s a sunny one here in Marin county this morning), and to being tender and gentle with yourself.

I’ve been needing TLC, so last Sunday, I took a Mother’s Day self-care trip to Ulta.

My brows and lashes have been driving me crazy, so I decided to restock some old school favorites in the hopes they’d help.

For my brows, I grabbed the OG of brow fillers, Anastasia Brow Wiz (my shade is Medium Brown) and Clear Brow Gel.

As for mascara, I turned to an old friend, MAC Extended Play Gigablack, which I’ve been wearing on and off since 2013 (!). If you want curl hold, length and separation, this mascara is great.

I’m trying to get back into the habit of painting my nails! Right now I’m using the three-step OPI Infinite Shine system, which combines lacquer and gel technology. I already have a couple of colors and the top coat, so during this trip I bought the base coat and a nude pale pink, Bubble Bath.

Oh, and since Connor was with me, I let her pick out a polish. She close Turn It Up by Orly, a glittery beauty!

My hair… I can’t even. It desperately needs some TLC! I’m scheduled for a cut next Tuesday, thank goodness. I just gotta make it to next week without chopping it all off in the middle of the night.

To tide me over until then, I thought it might be nice to try some new things: a claw clip by Kitsch (I’ve loved everything I’ve tried from them so far), a minty scalp conditioner by Not Your Mother’s Naturals (I’m hoping it will make a good co-wash) and a leave-in by Verb (ended up returning it because the scent was too strong).

You know what? I’ve decided to fully embrace the fact that I’m a lady who loves fancy body lotion. With that in mind, I bought this gorgeous, heavy glass jar of Body Cream by KEYS Soulcare, which is the skin care line by Alicia Keys (yup, the singer).

It’s a shea and cocoa butter body cream, so it’s rich and thick, and it’s scented with a gorgeous warm, herbal mix that smells like sandalwood and sage to my nose. The scent is present enough to notice, but it doesn’t overwhelm my senses. I really love it.

Oh, and random, while I was reading the copy on the box, I noticed that e.l.f. is mentioned as the distributer. Neat!

Last but not least, I bought some cotton pads and a nail polish remover. All in all, a very satisfying self-care trip.

Building those happiness muscles, day two

For the next fourteen days, I’m noting a couple things that I’m grateful for. If you care to join me, please share in the comments.

Anywho, today it’s sliced fruit in my water (strawberries are especially yummy) and mechanical pencils. Both are simple pleasures which make my life so much better.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen