Hair

5 Things to Know About OUAI Anti-Frizz Hair Sheets (Starting With How to Pronounce “OUAI”)

January 31st, 2018 by Karen 9 Comments

ouai anti frizz sheets — Perfect for wallets and pockets

Did you ever think you’d get this close to my roots…?

I kid, I kid! 🙂 No, you really don’t need to be all up in my cowlick, and you REALLY don’t need to be all up in it now that my roots are starting to peek through, OMG. When the heck is my next hair appointment!?

Anyway, there’s an unruly grotto of hair at my hairline with strands that jut and shoot out at weird angles, and I usually have to coax them into place with a dab of flexible hair paste and hairspray.

That usually does the trick, but when it doesn’t… Say hello to these OUAI Anti-Frizz Hair Sheets.

(Hello!)

1. It’s pronounced “way.”

2. These smell like Pottery Barn.

SERIOUSLY. You know that smell that immediately invades your space when you walk into a Pottery Barn store? Well, these sheets smell exactly like that — like expensive white pillar candles with notes of magnolia, wax and overstuffed, over-sized down chairs.

Mind you, I like it. It’s just very strong, and it lingers a while.

3. Tear, tame, then toss.

These individually packaged sheets, which come 15 to a box for $18, are soaked with hair-smoothing oil. You just tear one open to get to the sheet, which feels like an oil-coated piece of wax paper, then smooth the sheet on your hair wherever you need to de-frizz.

Ingredients:

Isopropyl Isostearate, Polysorbate 20, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Oil, Fragrance (Parfum), Steardimonium Hydroxypropyl Panthenyl PEG-7 Dimethicone Phosphate Chloride, Benzyl Salicylate, Hexyl Cinnamal

4. They’re better for touch-ups than they are for primary frizz control.

As you can probably see from my cowlick pics, one sheet corrals most of the renegade hairs, but a few stragglers get away. It doesn’t catch every fly-away, and a few fly-aways are fine with me, but I still wouldn’t 100% rely on these sheets for intense de-frizzing.

I think these are great as convenient once-in-a-while things, but they’re $1.20 each. That seems kind of expensive for a single use, doesn’t it? Like, sure, I’ll put one in my makeup bag for when I have an important meeting ~~at HomeGoods~~, and I want a last-minute tszuj to look my best, but if all I’m doing is heading to baby story time, I don’t think I’d use one of these.

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Low Double Side-Roll Ponytail Hair Tutorial: An Easy, Casual Alternative to Messy Buns (ALL SKILL LEVELS)

January 31st, 2018 by Karen 13 Comments

Sometimes I wear this low-key style as an alternative to the messy bun I’ve been rocking for, oh, the last 1,456 years. LOL! It’s uncomplicated and quick, and you can make it as purposefully messy or neat as you want (always good to have options!).

Oh, and you can do it in less than 10 minutes.

It’s also great for when you’re two (or, let’s be real, three) days into your blowout, and you want to skip washing your hair one more day but can’t bear the thought of wearing it down.

Note: You can still do this style if your hair is shorter than mine, too. Just do one low roll and skip the second.

Tools:

2 Ponytail holders that match your hair color
Bobby pins that match your hair color
A texturizing spray (optional)
Hairspray

Steps:

1a. Optional first step: spray texturizing spray from mid-shaft to ends for texture and volume.
1b. Begin by gathering your hair into a loose, low side ponytail, and secure with an elastic band.
2. Part hair above the hair-tie.
3. Pull pony up, over and through the part to form a low roll.
4. Ease out a few strands to add volume and texture to the roll.
5. Wrap a section of hair around the hair tie, and secure with bobby pins.
6. Next, wrap another elastic band about three inches down from the first low roll.
7. Repeat steps 3 through 6 to form a second low roll.
8. Finish by spraying lightly with hairspray. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Oribe at Costco

January 23rd, 2018 by Karen 15 Comments

Girl! In case you were wondering where the discounted luxury product party’s at, it’s at Costco, LOL!

I was aimlessly meandering around the vitamin and supplement and beauty product aisles when I spotted something “Oribe” on a shelf, which was crazy because I’ve only seen Oribe at salons.

But Costco is selling full-sized 3.4-oz. bottles of Côte d’Azur Hair and Body Oil for $29.97 — bottles that normally sell for $75 a pop.

That’s over half off, dude!

I wasn’t even there expecting to find a deal like that. I went because I’d heard that my favorite protein drinks were on sale for 20% off (public service announcement), but you know how it is… Costco. There’s those lines, and it’s almost impossible to go in and grab one thing and leave. It just feels totally wrong to me on so many levels. You gotta walk around, have some quinoa samples, check out the deals on extra large wedges of sharp cheddar cheese, read some book covers, and contemplate buying at least one 10-pack of underwear, or a leather recliner, or a lemon tree.

That’s just how it is when we’re talking about Costco. You need to take it aaall in and embrace the chaos, because sometimes that leads to epic discoveries and great beauty deals.

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Herbal Essences bio:renew Micellar Water & Blue Ginger Shampoo, Conditioner and Foam Conditioner

December 29th, 2017 by Karen 25 Comments

I’m all gingered out, man! Gingersnaps in my tum, Ginger Soufflé on my skin, and now Blue Ginger in my hair, because Herbal Essences. Blue Ginger is the latest in their bio:renew line.

Did you know there’s actually such a thing as blue ginger? I had no idea. Didn’t know it was a real plant. I knew about red ginger, but not blue.

Basically…if it smells anything like Herbal Essences Blue Ginger Shampoo, Conditioner and Foam Conditioner (excited about this!), then it must smell otherworldly.

Because these are Herbal Essences products, the fragrance is front and center and lingers, and that’s the point. It’s a little spicy and a little sweet, like candied ginger, with bright lemon and lily notes.

I spend half my day smelling my hair when I use these products, ahhhh!

Blue Ginger & Micellar Water Shampoo — $5.99 (what!?)

Blue ginger isn’t the only plant in this. It also contains aloe and sea kelp, but the micellar water and the price are why it caught my eye in the first place. It’s $5.99 for the shampoo (same goes for the two conditioners).

I’ve seen micellar water in skin care many times over the years (what exactly is it?), but I’ve never seen it in a hair product before.

herbal essences blue ginger shampoo ingredients — Micellar Water & Blue Ginger ingredients

When you work the shampoo into your hair, cleansing oils encapsulated in water gently remove grit and grime without stripping your strands or irritating your scalp.

This is super gentle, and it doesn’t weigh my hair down, strip my color or encourage my dandruff. It’s for all hair types, too, from color treated to fine hair, thick hair, you name it. I can’t recommend it enough, and it’s such a good deal.

Blue Ginger Conditioner — $5.99

The matching Blue Ginger Conditioner is also made for all hair types. It doesn’t, however, contain micellar water, but it still de-tangles and de-frizz just fine. I like it…but I don’t love it like I love the other conditioner in this line…

Blue Ginger Foam Conditioner!

herbal essences blue ginger conditioner ingredients — Blue Ginger Conditioner ingredients

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The Shu Uemura Super Mario Bros. Collection Is Not Playing Games

December 21st, 2017 by Karen 4 Comments

super mario makeup collection shu uemura hair — When your middle school gaming dreams come true!

Look, ma, all those hours spent playing Super Mario Bros. on Nintendo — the O.G. version, the one before the 64! #datingmyself #nerdalert — were *not* a waste of time (“You should be reading the dictionary instead of playing games, Karen!”), because now I’m one of select few ’80s video game enthusiasts/beauty lovers who totally gets all the references in the Shu Uemura holiday collection.

super mario makeup collection shu uemura lipsticks — The Lipsticks (pink tubes) are sheer and the Tinted in Balm (black tube) is pigmented.

super mario makeup collection shu uemura packaging — Holla if you get the references…

See, that’s Mario swimming among the sea creatures in the underwater levels on the Cleansing Oil Shampoo ($57) and Cleansing Oil Conditioner ($58), and on the hair oil, Essence Absolue ($69).

Oh, and the pipe on the hair Master Wax ($39) jar and the brick walls on the lipstick tubes! And the Star Charm dangling from the Lash Curler!

super mario makeup collection shu uemura lash curler — Baby, you’re a star (the charm is removable).

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DRYBAR Double Standard Cleansing + Conditioning Foam

December 21st, 2017 by Karen 9 Comments

I like foam in my gingerbread lattes and foam in my cleansing conditioners! I’m addicted to both.

WHAT’S A FOAM CLEANSING CONDITIONER?

Did you know that foam cleansing conditioners were a thing? Like O.G. cleansing conditioners, they gently wash and condition your hair (yes, at the same time), but unlike the traditional cleansing conditioners (co-washes), which have a lotion-like consistency, the foaming varieties are lighter, airier, and don’t weigh down your hair, resulting in a big boost in volume.

I had no idea they even existed until I started using R+Co Analog (it’s AMAZEBALLS), which, incidentally, I used to the very last drop.

I love it, but like a good beauty junkie, I wanted to see what else is out there, which is how Drybar Double Standard Cleansing Conditioning Foam ended up in my basket on my last Sephora trip.

It’s $28 for a 6.6-oz. bottle, and it’s just as good, IMO, if not a little better, than Analog in some ways.

Either way, I’m all about that #foamlife now. There’s no way I’ll ever go back to ye olde timey cleansing conditioners!

WHO’S IT FOR?

You name it — thick hair, fine, curly, color-treated manes.

The gal at Sephora who talked me into it told me that women who exercise a lot love it because it gently, but oh, so thoroughly, removes sweat and oil from your scalp, and it does it without stripping every micro-ounce of moisture or color from your head.

It’s a good fit for people who like to wash their hair daily but don’t want the drying effects that come with daily shampooing, or, peeps who want to avoid the buildup they get from traditional co-washes or heavy conditioners.

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Oribe Gold Lust Pre-Shampoo Intensive Treatment: Newest Hair Obsession

December 20th, 2017 by Karen 12 Comments

oribe pre shampoo treatment — Ah… Good stuff!

Legit. My stylist friend Alis — hair whisperer/red lipstick enthusiast/friend to the kittehs — used Oribe Gold Lust Pre-Shampoo Intensive Treatment pre-shampoo mask on me last Sunday, and my hair still feels like silk. It’s like sexy slow-mo Super Bowl commercial hair.

My brush slides right through it, all the way down, zooooop, and when I run my fingers through it, the strands feels soft and moisturized, like slippery, twirly cooked spaghetti.

Beyond boosting moisture, the mask is also supposed to reduce split ends and breakage long term and protect your color, thanks to UV filters.

Alis applied the mask, which smells like sandalwood and jasmine and feels like a hybrid gel-balm, on my dry hair from midshaft to the ends while my color processed on my roots.

Between the chatting, tea drinking and shameless reading of Us Weekly magazine (even the reeeeeeally old ones), I lose track of time at the salon, but I think it was on there for 30 minutes or so.

Then, Alis rinsed it out, worked shampoo and conditioner through, and styled.

Even now, days later and after a co-wash with Drybar Double Standard (more on this in a few) and a styling session with my trusty ghd curling iron, I can still feel the after effects of the mask’s softness and bounce, and seriously, where the heck did all the knots I usually have go? I have, like, no tangles.

See, this is why I listen when Alis raves about something, because the results are otherworldly hair.

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Rita Hazan True Color Shampoo, Color Gloss and Hydrating Conditioner

November 7th, 2017 by Karen 4 Comments

Rita Hazan is arguably the queen of celebrity hair color. She does Beyonce’s hair, J. Lo’s hair, Jessica Simpson’s hair… Need I say more? She’s unarguably the queen of my roots! I’ve bought her Root Touch Up Concealer more times than I’d like to count during more Sephora VIB sales than I’d like to admit. It’s one of my ride-or-dies.

I didn’t know until recently that she also has a small hair care line with shampoo, conditioner, hair glosses (they add shine and temporary color) and a couple of hair treatments, and everything’s focused on retaining and maintaining color in color-treated hair.

Being the scent junkie that I am, I immediately went into horizontal fainting couch mode after I started using her True Color Shampoo ($26), Ultimate Color Gloss in Brown ($26) and True Color Hydrating Conditioner ($26), because everything smells exactly like Estée Lauder’s Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia, also known as “my Hawaiian gardenia floral fantasy come true,” and that scent lingers in my locks for days.

I’ve been using all three products for about a month now, starting immediately after the last time my friend Alis colored my hair, and my mane has remained really dark and shiny. I love it.

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