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Hair

Your Hair Has a New Secret Weapon, and It’s a Tool for Teeth

June 24th, 2015 by Karen 11 Comments

toothbrush as hair tool final

Why walk around with a misbehaving mop when your favorite dental dynamo can help? Yaaaas, girl! Toothbrushes aren’t just for cleaning teeth (or gunky lash combs) anymore. They’re also great for taming unruly stray hairs.

Here’s what you do…

  1. Grab a spare toothbrush — the stiffer the bristles, the better. Ideally, you’d want to dedicate a spare NEW one, but if you have an old one sitting around, and it doesn’t gross you out to repurpose it, go for it.
  2. Spray the bristles with your favorite firm-hold hairspray, and don’t be afraid to douse that ish!
  3. Now, gently comb the wet toothbrush through any rebellious stray hairs — much like you’d use a hair brush — to get them to obey orders and fall into place.

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There are 11 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Beauty Tips, Hair, Makeup Tips/How To

Are There Any Hairstyles You’d Absolutely Never Do?

June 23rd, 2015 by Karen 32 Comments

bob, bangs and pink hair
Flashback 2012: A bob, bangs and pink hair…

When it comes to mah hurr, I think I’m pretty adventurous, open to most styles, and I’m down to switch it up every 15 seconds or so (OK, well, like every three or four months).

And I never like to say “never,” because you can’t predict how your tastes will change, but I am comfortable saying that there are certain hairstyles that I’m relatively positive I will never even attempt to try.

Like a pixie cut.

I love it on other people! — don’t get me wrong — but I know that I couldn’t handle the growing-out process. I had super short chin-length hair once in the late ’90s, and I still shudder when I think about it creeping down the back of my neck when I was trying to grow it out. I cut it at least four times because I just couldn’t handle the growing-out part.

I don’t think I could do a mullet or a shag, either. Again, I’ve seen them on some very fashionable girls who can legit rock ’em, and they look very trendy and chic, but I don’t think I’m nearly bad-@ss enough to pull them off. Maybe if I had some tattoos…

Any sort of severe blunt cut would probably also be a bad idea. My hair requires layers in order to function, LOL! When it’s all one length, it just looks flat and heavy…and very Cousin It.

Let’s see, what else…? Oh! — I don’t think I’d ever, EVER get a reeeeallly tight perm. See: leftover childhood trauma. When my grandma went to beauty school back in the day she used my hair to practice!!

Bless her heart… She meant well, but what transpired was not at all cute.

Hmm… It looks like I’m less adventurous than I thought, LOL! 🙂

How about you, sweets? Are there are hairstyles you’d absolutely never do?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 32 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Hair, Just For Fun

Bumble and Bumble Surf Infusion Oil and Salt-Infused Spray Waves Hello to Volume and Goodbye to Crispy Hair

June 22nd, 2015 by Karen 28 Comments

bumble and bumble surf infusion
Bumble and Bumble Surf Infusion oil and salt-infused spray for soft, touchable waves

I love beachy wave sprays, but I do NOT love that crispy thing that many of them do to mah hurr.

Beachy waves = yes. Crunchy hair = nooo.

Apparently, I am not alone in this tale of beachy woe because Bumble and Bumble whipped up a solution. Their new Surf Infusion oil and sale-infused spray coaxes coifs into shiny, beachy waves without “dat crunchy feeling.” This is compared to most of the beachy wave sprays I’ve tried, which leave behind a matte finish and hair that feels a tad gritty.

bumble and bumble surf infusion
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There are 28 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Bumble and Bumble, Hair, Product Reviews

10 Things Under $10 at Sephora

June 18th, 2015 by Karen 14 Comments

10 Things Under $10 at Sephora

Sometimes a girl (or guy!) just wants to treat herself to a trip to Sephora, and while she’s there, maybe find herself something that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.

Ya feel me?! I think you do. 🙂

I was there earlier today under the guise of “searching for a Father’s Day gift for my dad,” while also looking for an inexpensive treat for…myself. Here are 10 potential beauty treats for less than $10 each, whoop-whoop!

1. Purely Pure Organic Cotton Facial Pads ($6)

2. Express Dry Shampoo ($9)

3. Instant Nail Polish Remover Wipes ($5)


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There are 14 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Hair, Just For Fun, Nails, Skin Care

New Hair!

May 19th, 2015 by Karen 40 Comments

k-hair-june-2015-2

Ah… Fresh roots!

And fresh color.

Just what I needed before my birthday. 🙂

Back from the salon, and my hair’s a few shades lighter. My friend/stylist extraordinaire Alis at Fox + Stone salon in Corte Madera lightened up my dark chocolate brown base and made it warmer, and then painted in some lighter pieces. She also cleaned up the long layers and my bangs a bit but didn’t take much off, because I still want to keep growing out my hair (hey, it’s something to do).

If you ever want a change but don’t want a major cut, I highly suggest playing with color. It’s fun, and you have a lot of options.

I usually go to a salon now, because dude! — I wish I was talented enough to do something like this by myself with an at-home coloring kit. I know that it’s possible, because I meet people who do it all the time, but I learned the hard way that I’m not meant to color my own hair, because every time I’ve done it, I’ve done something wrong.

So now I leave it to the experts.

k-hair-june-2015

What I’m wearing…
Lips — MAC Matte Lipstick in Persistence (from the new The Matte Lip collection)
Cheeks — Dior Diorksin Nude Tan Tie Dye Edition in 002 Coral Sunset
Top — LOFT

When was the last time you did something with your hair color, and what did you do?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 40 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Hair

Oribe Airbrush Root Touch-Up Spray Is One Hella Awesome Hair Product

May 5th, 2015 by Karen 16 Comments

Oribe Airbrush Root Touch-Up Spray
Two of the new Oribe Airbrush Root Touch-Up Sprays, $29 each

MIND BLOWN.

That’s all I have to say about Oribe’s new Airbrush Root Touch-Up Spray. That, and “wallet on five-alarm fire, holy sh*t!”

Honestly, and I know that I say versions of this all the time, but the last thing I needed was to get addicted to a $29 root touch-up spray in a tiny 0.7-oz. bottle, but it is what it is!

When your hair reaches that point when you really, really, REALLY should’ve gotten your roots done a week ago (or…a month ago), but your next salon appointment is still two weeks away, and then you spray this on your roots, and essentially see your hair revert back to its pre-rooty-root glory days in less than 30 seconds right before your eyes, it’s magical.

And dangerously addictive.

Because of the price.

oribe airbrush touchup spray
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There are 16 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Hair, Oribe, Product Reviews

Hair How-To: Messy Reverse French Braids

March 2nd, 2015 by Karen 22 Comments

Messy reverse french braid

I rue the day that sleek, perfect, not-one-hair-out-of-place hairstyles come back into fashion because, duuuuude! — when that happens, I’m pretty much screwed.

Take this messy reverse French braid, par exemple. I don’t know why, but whenever I wear it, I usually get one or two compliments, and it seems like the messier and crazier it looks, the more it makes an impression.

Long live messy hair! 😀

Here’s how I do it…

  • I start by prepping my roots with a dry hairspray to add some lift and volume (here I used Klorane Dry Shampoo with Nettle for oily Hair).
  • Next, I spray a texturizing spray from mid-shaft to the ends, and my ride-or-die is Kerastase Spray a Porter (SERIOUSLY THE BEST!!).
  • Then, I part my hair and do a reverse French braid (which is basically the same thing as a regular French braid, but instead of pulling the hair over to create the braid, you pull it under) on one side, and secure it with an elastic ponytail holder.

    Then I do the same thing with the other side until it meets the first braid. After that, I gently pull the elastic off the first braid and use it to secure both braids together at the point where they meet.

  • A quick spritz of an uber-hold hairspray (like Kerastase Laque Noire Extra Strong Hold or something similar) all over, and I’m done.

Messy reverse French braid
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There are 22 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Hair

The ghd Curve Classic Wave Wand: For Loose, Screen Siren-Style ’40s Waves the Very First Time

February 25th, 2015 by Karen 14 Comments

ghd Curve Classic Wave Wand
Rockin’ loose Hollywood starlet waves with the new ghd Curve Classic Wave Wand ($245)

[SHH…] I’m growing my hair out so I can take full advantage of the new ghd Curve Classic Wave Wand, and yes, it’s a secret that El Hub does not need to know (although he’ll eventually realize it), because it would bring him too much joy. 🙂

That man. I swear, I get my hair cut half an inch, and he freaks out!

What is it with dudes and long hair?

So, this wand is really freaking cool. Like, $245 cool, which is how much it costs, and that’s coming from a girl who usually doesn’t like clip-less hair tools.

I know, I know — clip-less wands are super popular these days, but I’ve got trauma, man. When I used one a few years back, I nearly burnt my fingers to a crisp, and after that incident, I started sticking to curling irons with clamps, like the ghd Curve Soft Curl I tried earlier this month.

ghd Curve Classic Wave Wand
In my paw for scale…

Buuut one must be willing to try new things (both with hair and in life), which is why I decided to give the ghd Curve Classic Wave Wand a whirl.

And now I’m so glad I did, because I love so many things about it.

First, the shape. Check it: the barrel is a flattened oval, almost like a curling iron, but instead of creating traditional bouncy, round curls, it builds loose, s-shaped, old-school Hollywood waves on medium length and long hair.

ghd Curve Classic Wave Wand
By the power of Greyskull!!

Like the equally expensive and comparably impressive ghd Curve Soft Curl, this ghd tool, the Classic Wave Wand, comes with all the bells and whistles.

From ghdhair.com…

  • Oval barrel designed to create classic deep waves with movement
  • Cool tip designed for more comfortable curling
  • Safety stand for securing the tong on a hard surface while not in use
  • Patented tri-zone® technology locks in your curls with the right, even heat
  • Advanced ceramic coating specially designed for smoother curling
  • On-off switch and indicator press and hold design avoids accidental use during styling
  • Light & sound indicate on-off and ready to use
  • Sleep mode automatically turns off if left unattended for 30 minutes
  • Universal voltage and professional length swivel cable

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There are 14 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: ghd, Hair, Product Reviews

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