Daily Beauty

Coming Soon: The New Mustela Maternite Skincare Line for New Moms and Moms-to-Be

November 3rd, 2015 by Karen 21 Comments

My skin feels tight!

No…I don’t mean “tight” as in that hella cool/rad/rocking way. I mean tight, as in a balloon that’s about to pop. 🙂

This is mostly because of what I’ve dubbed “The BG Zone,” aka “The Baby Girl Zone,” aka “My Tum and Boobs,” and even though the rational right half of my brain realizes that this is normal and just a prelude to bigger (haha) things to come, and that the real-deal fun is right around the corner, I’m still trying to brace myself, which includes incorporating some new skin and body care products into my routine, like these new products by Mustela.

They’re a French brand known for their skin care products for moms and babies, and they have a brand new line of lotions, balms and creams to help with stretch marks, body firming and itching…which happens sometimes when your skin feels stretched to its limits and you’re about two breaths away from bursting. The new Mustela Maternity Skincare line debuts online this month and at Target, Babies R Us and Buy Buy Baby stores.

“For over 60 years, Mustela has been an expert in skincare innovation for babies and mothers-to-be. Thanks to a strong foundation in dermatological research, Mustela products are safe, gentle, and formulated specifically for your baby’s delicate skin. Paraben-, phthalate-, and phenoxyethanol-free, Mustela is, most importantly, proven safe for you and your baby.”
— Sephora.com

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Makeup Shopping Update: Amore Pacific, MAC, Estee Lauder and Formula X for Sephora

October 20th, 2015 by Karen 44 Comments

amore pacific camore pacific cusion compactusion compact

Because friends always share their beauty finds (to help each other figure out what’s hot and what’s not), here are a few things I picked up last weekend…

Amore Pacific Control Cushion Compact in 208 ($60)
I’ve been dying to try a cushion compact foundation ever since I saw makeup artist and Butter London Global Colour Ambassador Katie Jane Hughes use one to blend concealer. This one even comes with a refill compact, so it’s like getting two foundations for the price of one. I wore it for the first time yesterday, and the coverage was sheer and lightweight and looked natural and absolutely lovely! I picked up shade 208, which is the darkest one available. Sadly, the shade range is very limited (boo), and 208 is a little peachier than I’d like. So I love the coverage, but I’m still on the fence about this particular shade for me… I’m gonna keep wearing it around the house for a couple more days to see how I eventually feel about it.

Estee Lauder Little Black Primer ($24)
A restock. I just can’t live without this lash primer.
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The Rouge Bunny Rouge Discovery Coffret Fragrance Sample Set

October 16th, 2015 by Karen 5 Comments

As there are seven fragrances in the new $50 Rouge Bunny Rouge Discovery Coffret set, that means that you can wear a different Rouge Bunny Rouge scent every day of the week, which, according to my calculations and an independent double-blind study performed by Tabby Technologies, a Tabs the Cat Industries LLC subsidiary, you now have seven more reason to obsess over Rouge Bunny Rouge. 🙂

There are seven little fragrance samples in this set, and I think they’re all pretty great. Rouge Bunny Rouge likes to do things a little differently, and they stay in character with these scents. They’re unlike most standard-issue fruity florals that crowd the shelves at Sephora.

These combine fragrance notes in ways my nose has never met before, and because RBR is a boutique-sized brand and isn’t huge, the odds of you passing by someone on the sidewalk wearing the exact same scent are slim to none.

Soooo, if you or someone you love is a fragrance hound who loves interesting, uncommon scents that are hard to come by, this collection of samples could be a good deal.
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These Neutrogena Healthy Skin Blushes Are My Latest Drugstore Beauty Infatuation

October 1st, 2015 by Karen 18 Comments

neutrogena healthy skin blush — The Neutrogena Healthy Skin Blushes

Close your eyes, and imagine your favorite, coziest, most comfortable sweatshirt. How warm and soft it feels…

Now, you step out of the shower. Ooh! — the tiles are cold, and you reach over and grab your glorious sweatshirt, then pull it on over your head. Then you put your arms through the sleeves.

Ah… So soft and snuggly.

OK, basically, these powder blushes feel like that! 🙂

neutrogena healthy skin blush 10 rosy — Neutrogena Healthy Skin Blush in 10 Rosy

My goodness, they’re soft.

(How soft are they?)

Well, if you, like me, have clumsy Shrek hands early in the morning and you attempt to open one of these, try not to accidentally jab it with a nail, because you’ll probably take out a huge divot. That’s how incredibly creamy and soft they are.

According to Neutrogena, they have a gel base, which is supposed to make the application smoother.

neutrogena healthy skin blush 20 vibrant — Neutrogena Healthy Skin Blush in 20 Vibrant

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L’Oreal Colour Riche Le Matte and La Lacque Lip Pens

September 30th, 2015 by Karen 15 Comments

loreal le matte le lacque lip pens — Starting from the top, that’s L’Oreal Le Matte Lip Pencil in 100 Matte For Me, 102 She’s So Matte, 104 Game Set & Matte, 106 Mad for Matte and 198 Matter-R of Fact; and La Lacque in 201 Lacque-y Charm, 203 Lacquerizied, 205 Lacque and Roll, 207 Lacque-y You and 209 Choco-Lacque

Oh! Nice to see you again, L’Oreal Colour Riche Le Matte. And you, too, La Lacque. You two Lip Pens are only $9.99 each, and I remember you from last fall. You were released as limited edition lippies, weren’t you? And now you’re back.

From the outside, these twist-up full-coverage lipsticks (no sharpener needed) look pretty much the same as they did last year, and they still don’t twist all the way down, so sometimes the caps scrunch the tips (Grr… Why?!). Other than that minor hiccup, I think they’re great. They have the same smooth, pigmented formula, excellent coverage and respectable five-hour wear time.

Pretty good deals for $10.

If at all possible, though, try to sniff one in the car before you bring it all the way home, because the rosy scent is VERY strong. Thankfully, it fades after about 10 minutes, but still.

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Bra Extenders, or “The Best Things Since Pre-Made Cookie Dough”

September 22nd, 2015 by Karen 31 Comments

This triple-pack of Bra Strap Extenders by Hollywood Fashion Secrets comes with one black, one white and one beige extender. The beige one is currently missing from this pic because I’m wearing it, and if I wasn’t, I’d probably either be furiously biting my fist, or yelling at the trees outside my window, because none — and I’m talking NONE! — of my bras fit at the moment. Without these bra-boosting doohickeys, I’d be very, very uncomfortable.

Basically, they’re the best things since pre-made cookie dough. Possibly even even better.

You just fasten one of them in the back with the little hooks to your too-tight bra, and that extra few inches of stretchy nylon makes all the difference in the world. These little guys will give you extra breathing room if you’ve put on a little weight lately and feel like you’re hauling around ginormous boulders instead of boobs.

Before these I thought I’d have to spring for a whole new batch of bras, which I really didn’t want to do. I know that I’ll still have to get some new bras eventually as Baby Girl gets bigger, but for now, these work.

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Huge Beauty Event at Space NK Stores Tomorrow, Sept. 12

September 11th, 2015 by Karen 3 Comments

If you live near a Space NK store (here’s a store locator), there’s a bad-@ss in-store gift-with-purchase offer happening tomorrow, one day only, Saturday, September 12. It’s called “Autumn Beauty Edit,” and it’s going to be happening at each of their 23 U.S. stores (I think it’s U.S. only).

The kicker is the size of the gift. It’s a HUGE $400 value if you buy $250 or more at the store. So that’s $650 of products for $250.

It’s part of a big deal beauty event where you can also get a makeover, learn about fall trends with the in-store makeup artists and, of course, play with products.

It probably won’t be too hard to hit $250 because Space NK is a very high-end store (read: expensive), and their stuff is kind of pricey…but coupled with a $400 GWP it seems like a pretty good deal.

You get a ton of stuff and this huge Space NK clear makeup bag, which also holds a surprising amount.

In total you get (a $400 value)…

Space NK Limited Edition Cosmetics Bag
Bumble & bumble Repair Blow Dry (15ml)
By Terry Mascara Terrybly in Black Parti-Pris (4g)
Cane + Austin Miracle Pad (x 5)
Chantecaille Faux Cils Mascara in Black (4g)
Darphin Stimulskin Plus Reshaping Divine Serum (3ml)
Diptyque Eau de Parfum (assorted, 12ml)
Eve Lom Cleanser (20ml plus muslin cloth)
Goldfaden MD Fresh A Peel (5ml)
Hampton Sun Continuous Mist Hydrating Aloe (30ml)
LOVE THIS ——> Hourglass Femme Rouge Lipstick in Icon (0.85g)
James Read Tan Accelerator (25ml)
Juara Candlenut Body Crème (44 ml)
Kat Burki Rose Hip Intense Recovery Eye Serum (7ml)
Kevyn Aucoin The Flesh Tone Lip Pencil in Bloodroses (0.68g)
Lancer Intensive Night Treatment (7.5ml)
Leif Kakadu Plum and Macadamia Nut Hand Balm (75ml)
Lipstick Queen Chinatown Glossy Pencil (assorted, 3.1g)
Malin + Goetz Vitamin E Facial Moisturizer (30ml)
Mila Moursi Cryo Serum Ice Cube Infusion (5ml)
Mio The Activist Firming Active Body Oil (30 ml)
Miriam Quevedo Extreme Caviar Restructuring Luxe Serum (50ml)
Natura Bissé Tensolift Neck Cream (5ml)
Oribe Supershine Moisturizing Cream (15ml)
Original & Mineral Atonic Thickening Spritz (50ml)
Philip B. Nordic Wood Hair & Body Shampoo (15ml)
R+Co Death Valley Dry Shampoo (2.25oz)
Radical Skincare Eye Revive Crème (5ml)
Ren Wake Wonderful Night-Time Facial (10ml)
Rodial Pink Diamond Instant Lifting Serum (5ml)
Roloxin Lift Revitalizing Facial Treatment (0.07oz x 2)
THIS —–> Sunday Riley Good Genes (10ml). (It saved my skin after a bad breakout on my chin that lasted, like, three years.)
Tata Harper Regenerating Cleanser (15ml)

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Freshly Painted Purple Paws: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Boho-a-Go-Go

September 8th, 2015 by Karen 12 Comments

My nails did NOT wake up like ‘dis. I went to bed last night with two fresh coats of Essie Bell-Bottom Blues on my fingers (along with a new base and top coat combo I’m trying, Sally Hansen Green Tea + Bamboo Strength and OPI Top Coat), but apparently I didn’t give the whole thing enough time to cook properly, because I woke up this morning to a mess of smudges and scratches.

Honestly, I should’ve known better. It was kind of dark in the living room where I did my mani, and I was bone tired, too. I was ALSO watching the season finale of Mr. Robot, so I wasn’t paying much attention to my nails (are you watching that show, BTW?).

Anywho! First thing this morning I took the whole mess off, then later today at my desk I busted out this here deep purple Sally Hansen Miracle Gel in Boho-a-Go-Go.

So, these Miracle Gels, if you haven’t tried them already, are fan-friggin-tastic. The gel formula cures using the ambient light around you, so you paint your paws with a couple coats of whatever Miracle Gel color you’re in the mood for, then pop a layer of Miracle Gel Top Coat on top, then wait about 15 minutes for the whole thing to dry. They last on my claws from 8-10 days, which is nothing short of miraculous (hahaha) for my paws (I put them through a lot).
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