Hair

Purple Lids With the UD Prince Let’s Go Crazy Palette | Twist by Ouidad, a New Curly Hair Line at Target | Nail Salon Shenanigans

May 27th, 2021 by Karen 15 Comments

I wonder if somewhere doves are crying because they really wanted to love the purple palette from the new UD Prince collection but instead were disappointed by it. ?️?

Speaking of birds…on a completely unrelated note, I was harassed by a goose while we were camping last weekend! Please note the sandals with the socks, ha ha ha!

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Anyway, hi. ? I took the Let’s Go Crazy palette out for a spin yesterday hoping that it would impress me on some level, but I’m still not crazy about it. If you’re going to do a palette from this launch, pick up the one with the black packaging instead (U Got The Look). It’s so much better on every level.

I used three shades from the purple palette — light pink Alphabet Street and two of the purples, Baby I’m a Star and Delirious — and it took a long time to build up the purple on my lids. There was some serious fallout, too… Oh, OK, well I just lifted the palette up to look at it, and half of the pan of Disco Nights (the really soft blue glitter) fell out and into my lap.

Hmm… OFFICIALLY, NOT MY FAVORITE.

*insert doves crying*

There are some other items of note, though, that I wanna call out. Like, I’m wearing the liquid luminizer and the pressed powder as my base… Yup, that’s it. The luminizer has a very soft pearl that doesn’t draw attention to pores, so it just adds a lovely subtle glow, especially when worn all over the face. I added a tiny touch of the powder in the center of my forehead to dial down the pearl a bit, and the overall effect is really natural and beautiful.

Oh! — I’m also wearing the black pencil liner on my waterline and upper lash line, and, FYI, this formula moves around quite a lot, at least on me, and ends up smudging pretty intensely on my lower lash line. I’m constantly cleaning it up, but hey, if you’re into the whole grungy rockstar thing, this pencil definitely sets you up for success in the smudging department.

If you noticed that my hair looks a little different today, then THANK YA KINDLY! I’m wearing it wavy today because I’m trying out a new curly hair line called Twist by Ouidad. It’s available at Target, and every item in the line is an affordable $9.99 (MSRP). The products are made for all types of textured hair — wavy, curly, coiled, you name it — and their main purpose is to give curly haired guys and gals a customized level of moisture. The idea is to maximize your type of curl pattern with the exact level moisture your hair needs.

Now, I have naturally wavy hair, and it’s very, very, VERY thirsty, probably even thirstier now that I’ve grown out my grays, so getting enough hydration all up in my strands is a constant struggle. To find out what products would work best for me, I took their handy-dandy hair quiz. Three items that were recommended were Big, Rich & Dreamy Ultra Hydrating Co-Wash, Hype It Up Weightless Refreshing Spray and Rally The Curls Weightless Curl-Defining Primer.

I used the co-wash the other night and loved it. My hair felt clean but didn’t feel stripped. Definitely going to keep this one in the rotation! When I got out of the shower, I worked in the spray and the primer from roots to ends, then gave my curls a good scrunch before air drying overnight. In the morning, I refreshed the curls with more spray and scrunched again.

The good: I really like the volume and that my curls feel soft and not crunchy. I also like the light definition of my waves.

The not-so-great: I don’t know yet if I like the scent… The products are intensely scented, LIKE, SO, SO STRONG. I mean, the scent is nice, like an expensive Byredo pefume, but it’s all up in my business and everybody else’s business, too. Yesterday morning at dropoff I was standing a few feet away from Connor’s preschool teacher, and the first thing she said to me was, “You smell really good! What perfume are you wearing?”

Nope, not perfume. ‘Twas my mane!

So, yeah, if you see this line at Target, you might want to slyly open a bottle and give it a sniff to make sure you like the scent. Oh, and don’t even pretend you don’t ever open up the shampoo and conditioner bottles to smell them when you’re browsing, either. ? I always catch people doing it, and then I give them the “What’s up” nod because I do it all the time. HA HA HA!

One last thing: I saw this on a friend’s feed last night and just about died laughing. I do my own nails, but I would totally go to this salon!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The Magic That Is the Samnyte Hair Finishing Stick, and a Friday Face of the Day With Bliss Block Star Sunscreen

May 14th, 2021 by Karen 11 Comments

First of all, I took these pics in the garden of the place we’re staying at in Sonoma just as a bunch of dudes in man buns walked by…so if I’m looking slightly amused, that’s why. 🙂

Second, what sorcery IS this? Meet the best dang product ever to tame your cray-cray flyaways — the Samnyte Finishing Stick.

I’ve always struggled to tame those tiny baby hairs around my face. I’ve clipped ’em down, coated them with flexible paste, and sprayed the living sh*t outta them with hairspray, but all of those would-be solutions left me wanting; my hair still always ended up sticking up and out every which way. Plus, adding more product usually made my bangs and roots look greasier, heavier or flakier…

NOT A CUTE LOOK!

The Samnyte Finishing stick is a magic wand! It’s a clear, quick drying, extra strong hair gel in a tube with a curved mascara wand. Just a few quick strokes through my baby hairs, and each and every wayward flyaway lines up neatly in place.

samnyte finishing stick before — The before shot, with some stray hairs shooting through

samnyte hair stick review — Put a bit on the bangs…

samntye finishing stick after — And here is the after. So smooth!

Here’s the kicker: even though those baby hairs still get tossed around by wind and the occasional Legally Blonde bend and snap, they’ll eventually, more or less, fall back into place. I just pat them down with my finger or a little more of the gel if I have it around (since it’s shaped like a mascara wand, it’s portable).

The gel also dries to a matte finish, so your hair doesn’t end up looking all shiny and crunchy like those ‘80s hair bears. Added bonus? Two tubes are just $8 on Amazon. Me and my baby hairs are forever changed.

While we’re at it, I actually put on makeup!

Item #12 on the list of “All the Ga-Jillion Ways the Pandemic Changed Me” is that days (weeks?) would pass without me putting on any makeup. One unexpected bonus, though, to not wearing as much face paint was that I got so much better about wearing sunscreen.

In these pics I’m wearing two layers of Bliss Block Star, a tinted physical mineral sunscreen as my base! I used the “two finger rule,” which is when you squeeze two strips of sunscreen from the tip to the base of the index and middle fingers, to apply the first layer to my face and neck, waited 15 minutes for it to set, then applied a second layer, again using the two finger rule.

Once the second layer set (I waited about 5 minutes), I applied eyeshadow, liner, blush, sheer under-eye concealer, brow pencil and liquid lipstick.

I haven’t worn this much makeup regularly in a while, and even though I know it wasn’t a lot compared to what I used to wear back in the day (like, 2019, HAHAHA), it still felt like a lot. Craziness.

BTW, I’m falling more and more in love with Bliss Block Star every day. If you’re looking for a super sheer base that leaves your skin smooth and matte, I think you’ll love it. All kinds of makeup seems to layer well on top of it, too — powder, gel, cream, liquid, you name it.

Like foundation or tinted moisturizer, though, you have to be careful about it getting on your clothes because it does have a tint. If I reapply it during the day (usually at lunch, and then again in the late afternoon), I use a different sunscreen on my neck and chest.

Right now my go-to of choice is Sun Bum SPF 70 Sunscreen Spray because it’s clear, so it doesn’t stain my shirts, and it feels light on my skin.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!!! 🙂

Checking In: Beauty Deals at Costco, a Truly Game-Changing Tip to Make Life Less Gross, and Missing My Girl

April 13th, 2021 by Karen 20 Comments

pretty purple flower bokeh — From me to you.

Hi there, my friend. This flower up top is for you!

Hopefully it brightens your day a little. 🙂

I went to Costco last week to buy an XXL bag of blueberries because El Hub is convinced that eating copious amounts makes his brain work better. Side note, I’m all for it, because maybe all those blueberries will help him realize that all I want for my birthday in June is expensive Jan Marini skin care, haha! Just for fun last night, I put everything and the kitchen sink from her line in my online cart, and OMG, you don’t even want to know the final price before checkout.

Anyway, Costco. While we were there, I saw some good beauty deals…

First up, this three-piece Essie Gel Couture Polish set for $19.99. It includes two different nail polishes and the awesome Gel Couture top coat. If you bought all three items separately at Ulta, you’d pay $35, so this is a steal.

I’ve got mad love for the Gel Coutures and think they’re among the best things Essie makes. The polishes dry quickly, last a long time, and they’re soooo easy to remove (no special gel-removing accoutrements or any complicated processes with foils). They also have high-shine finish, which I love.

FYI, at the Costco in Novato, the color selection’s pretty limited. There are two sets — one with a darker blue and navy (Brocade Crusade and Embossed Lady) in it, and another with a light taupe-pink and dark brown (High Sewciety and Pearls of Wisdom). Still a good deal though!

I also saw a three-pack of L’Oréal Magic Root Cover Up for $9.99. One bottle is usually $9.99 at Target, so this is another great deal. Lots of colors to choose from too.

Root sprays are basically like concealer, but for your hair, and they’re great for when you’re between coloring appointments. You pick a shade that matches your hair color, spray a little on your roots to hide them, et voila! MAGIC! The color comes out the next time you shampoo your hair, so FYI, they aren’t permanent.

I used to use root spray back in the day, and the L’Oréal one is pretty good (although the best one, hands down, is Rita Hazan’s). If I were still coloring my mane, I’d definitely be stockpiling.

As you know, we’re all fastidiously washing our hands these days, so, with that mind, when you get a moment, place the following items into the trunk of your car: a big bottle of water, hand soap and a towel. That way, you can always wash your hands — WITH SOAP AND WATER! — when you’re out and about and return to your car.

water bottle soap trunk car — From now until the end of time, I’ll have water, soap and a towel in my trunk.

I don’t know why I didn’t think to do this until now, but a friend of mine recently told me that she whenever she has to drive to the store or go out into the world now she always washes her hands when she gets back to her car with her portable water and soap, rather than just using a hand sanitizer.

I just started doing it too, and I don’t think I can ever go back to sanitizer alone now, because it feels so good to have my hands clean, truly clean, when I get back into my car. I pop a squat next to one of my tires, and I wash my hands right there in the parking lot. Sometimes people stare…but honestly I don’t even care. To each her own. I feel a little less gross, and that’s all that matters to me.

Connor’s back to preschool this week, and I miss her terribly. We didn’t have the most exciting spring break. There wasn’t any skiing or beaches involved, but it was so nice to do little things with her every day, like going to the pet store to visit the guinea pigs, and going to the park together. We went down so many slides!

Sometimes, I can’t believe that one day she’ll probably live far away from me. For now, at least while I can, I’ll keep sliding with her…

coycoy slide with mama — Best use of a phone camera: taking selfies while you slide down “the big slide” at the park.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Checking In: New Hair Brands at Target, and the Eternal Conundrum | Wardrobe Woes and Camisoles | Flossin’

March 11th, 2021 by Karen 19 Comments

HOMEGIRL. There are so many new hair care lines at Tar-ghey! I’m talking about stuff beyond the usual suspects, a la Pantene, Garnier, L’Oréal. I was there yesterday perusing shampoos, and I almost short circuited in the “clean hair” aisle.

There are so many new up-and-coming brands!

I swear, I stood there for 20 minutes trying to decide whether to stick to the Odele Shampoo, Conditioner and Leave-In I’ve been using and loving for months, or whether I should try something new… That’s the eternal conundrum for beauty lovers, isn’t it? Do you stay with what works for you, or do you succumb to temptation to try something new??

This time, I ended up staying with my Odele staples, but I’m grabbing the Function of Beauty Wavy Hair Shampoo and Conditioner next time I’m there.

First of all, look how cute the packaging is! I’m such a sucker for pretty pastels.

Now, look closely at the bottles… See the different lines and how some are curlier than others? The lines correspond with the hair type each bottle is made for. Super cute and totally GENIUS.

Feel free to geek out. ?

Apparently, the way this brand works is that you identify the shampoo and conditioner ($9.99 each) for your hair type first — straight, wavy, curly or coily — and then decide on an add-on called a “booster” ($2.99) to mix into your shampoo and conditioner. Each booster has a specific job, like to add volume or heat protection, and you can add as many or as few boosters as you want to create a custom hair brew.

I don’t think I’ve seen anything like this before. Seems very innovative!

After checking that out, I headed over to the clothes section because I needed a new camisole to wear with a white button-up shirt I recently got.

Actually, let me back up a little first…

I haven’t owned a practical white, long-sleeve button-up shirt (or button-down shirt, however you like to say it) in a very, VERY long time. Long story short, I’ve been putting off buying new clothes for years, and my body completely changed when I had Connor. I held onto the belief that I’d eventually get back into my pre-pregnancy wardrobe, but ya know…it’s just not gonna happen. It only took me five years to accept this, but hey, better late than never!

I’m having to rebuild my wardrobe from scratch, but I had no idea where to start, so I googled a checklist of wardrobe basics, and I found this one by a wardrobe stylist/Youtuber named Erin Busbee. She specifically caters to fashion for women over 40, and I’ve learned a lot from her videos.

One of the things on her list of basics is a white button-up shirt, so I bought this one because of the great reviews, and I’ve been looking for a camisole to wear underneath it, because I’m not about to show my DNKY bra to all the parents at preschool pickup, LOL!

At Target, they have a camisole, that’s also a bodysuit, by a brand called Auden. It’s $16.99 and comes in beige, white and black.

Seriously, where has this been all my life? I normally don’t like to wear camis because I can’t stand when the fabric bunches up around my waist, so I love the idea of having a body-hugging tank that I don’t have to keep readjusting and pushing down.

One last thing — Target carries my favorite floss now, Cocofloss.

I ran into it in the section I lovingly call “THE DEATH TRAP,” which is the display in the makeup department with all the tiny sampler bottles of lotions and potions and whatnot.

I realize this floss is hella expensive, but let me tell you — your teeth will be the cleanest they’ve ever been in your entire life! JUST DO IT, and thank me later. ?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

New Hair! (February 2021)

February 17th, 2021 by Karen 54 Comments

I finally got my hair choppity-chop-chopped, and oh, my gosh! — the relief is palpable! After carrying what felt like a 10-pound wet dog on my head since early last year, I feel like a whole new person. Physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. All the “lly” words. It felt great to unload that reminder of 2020 for me.

I found a salon in my area that offers outdoor haircuts and made an appointment with a gal named Ariana Benoit (found her through a local moms group on Facebook).

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One of the group members posted a pic of her layered lob after Ariana had cut it, and she looked so happy and cute. I always get a little nervous when stylists I haven’t gone to before cut my hair because I’ve have so many bad haircuts. Plus, pandemic. But I had to do something because the weight from my hair had been giving me headaches every day.

Even though everyone was masked up and taking precautions, to reduce the amount of time I’d have to be in the chair, the salon suggested I wash my hair at home and arrive to the appointment with it wet, so that’s what I did. I also double-masked and wore my glasses.

I brought a couple of inspiration photos with me to the appointment, with the idea that I would keep my hair long for now.

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A post shared by SAL SALCEDO (@salsalhair)

Truth be told, I’ve been a little out of my mind lately (I think I’ve hit the pandemic wall, le sigh), and although I was tempted to ask her to chop it all off, I didn’t want to do anything too extreme. It’s probably not the best idea to make big changes when you aren’t feeling emotionally super strong, ya know?

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Ariana really took the time to see where my hair naturally wanted to part, then guided me through what realistically it would and wouldn’t do. She suggested going with a Bridget Bardot-style cut with curtain bangs so I could keep the length, yet drop the weight. The curtain bangs would also allow some softness around my face for when I need to throw my hair up into a bun or a ponytail (which is often).

new hair february 2021 pony — I wanted some softness around my face for the days when I wear my hair up.

I’m really happy with how it turned out, and I almost feel like myself again. ?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Briogeo Now at Ulta!

January 22nd, 2021 by Karen 8 Comments

briogeo at ulta — Now you have another reason to visit Ulta!

Wait — hold up! Now I’ve got yet another excuse to fill my Ulta cart, because now they carry Briogeo hair products at Ulta.

YESSSS! ?

A couple of their products are pretty well known, like their Be Gentle, Be Kind Avocado + Kiwi Mega Moisture Superfood Masks and Don’t Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Masks. Both won Allure Best of Beauty and Reader’s Choice Awards in 2020.

But the brand is probably BEST known for their haircare products for curly, wavy and textured hair; mind you, they do have products for all different types of hair.

They’re considered a “clean line” (air quotes, because there really isn’t a standardized definition for what “clean” means in the beauty industry), because everything’s vegan, cruelty-free, gluten-free, and they omit sulfates, silicones, parabens, artificial dyes, DEA, and phthalates. That’s good. Instead, they incorporate what they call the NOVA complex, which is a proprietary blend of natural oils, vitamins and antioxidants.

The founder, Nancy Twine, used to work in finance, and she started the company after tragically losing her mom in a car accident.

“That profound loss changed my world, and also inspired me to begin a soul-searching journey to find new meaning and purpose in my own life and create a meaningful career rooted in inspiration. This journey led me to reconnect with memories which brought me the most joy and happiness: the times I spent with my mom when I was young, concoting our own beauty treatments from scratch in our home kitchen (something she learned from her mom growing up in rural West Virginia).”

— Nancy Twine, Founder and CEO of Briogeo (from official Briogeo PR)

They have a great reputation for their products for wavy and curly gals, and I’ve used their Don’t Despair Repair Deep Conditioning Mask before and loved it. It’s rich yet lightweight, and it moisturizes my very dry ends without weighing everything down.

I’m also stoked to give these few things a try…

Be Gentle, Be Kind Avocado + Kiwi Mega Moisture Superfood Mask ($36): Inspired by green smoothies, this deep conditioning mask contains antioxidant kiwi (known for its high levels of vitamin C), spinach extracts and rich avocado oil, and is made for all hair types.
Curl Charisma Rice Amino + Avocado Shampoo ($24): A hydrating shampoo that cleanses curly hair without stripping. Contains shea butter and avocado oil to enhance softness without weighing hair down.
Curl Charisma Rice Amino + She Curl Defining Conditioner ($24): A moisturizing conditioner loaded with rice amino acids to seal the hair cuticle and lock out frizz-causing humidity and fermented tomato to encourage the formation of uniform curls.
Curl Charimsa Rice Amino Leave-In Defining Creme ($20): A moisturizing and de-frizzing leave-in with light, flexible hold.

Are you familiar with Briogeo? If you are, you’ll have to let me know how you feel about their products!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF! ?

Q & A: Have You Ever Done Your Highlights Successfully at Home?

October 21st, 2020 by Karen 14 Comments

Girl…HELL, NO, and the funny thing is, I’ve tried quite a few times, but it turned out terrible EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. You might’ve thought I would’ve learned my lesson after the first attempt, but nope! I just kept coming back for more.

I vividly remember using one of those boxed chunky highlight kits in the mid-’90s with my cousin…who wasn’t really my cousin. If you’re Filipino, you probably already assumed this because when someone is referred to as your “cousin,” you don’t even have to be marginally related to them. As long as your moms or dads knew each other even tangentially, then they were immediately dubbed “cousins.”

But I digress!

This girl (my cousin who wasn’t really my cousin) and I both had jet black hair, and we decided it was a good idea to use a highlighting boxed kit made for blondes (yes, you read that correctly). One of us had heard from a friend of a friend that if you wanted black hair to lighten, you had to use what the blonde gals used.

The kit came with a plastic cap, which you placed on top of your hair. It had dots on it, and you’d pull chunks of hair through the dots using something that looked like a crochet needle… All veeeeeeeery scientific, as you can tell. LOL!

I just remember sitting there in her bathroom with that crackly cap on my head and the pieces of hair jutting through it and thinking that my mane was going to look bomb. ?

I’m pretty sure we end up with Oomopa Loompa orange strands and it looked 100% terrible, but at the time I thought it was the sh*t.

So teenage me would’ve answered this question, “Yeah, I’ve done my highlights, and they were totally successful!”

But me now is like, “Um, no. Because, girl, your hair was straight-up orange! But I forgive you because you didn’t know any better.” HAHAHA!

How about you. Have you ever successfully done your own hair highlights at home?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Q & A: Have You Ever Dated Anyone With a Perm?

October 7th, 2020 by Karen 13 Comments

ramen noodles perm curly hair — Asking for a friend.

I feel like if we were in the thick of ’80s, the chances of most of us answering “yes” to this question would be extremely high! HAHAHAHA!

By the time I was of dating age, most dudes I knew didn’t have perms (mullets are another story, though), so no, I’ve never dated anyone with a perm.

Hmm… Well, now that I think about it, I can’t say that with 100% certainty because I did go out on a date with a dude with ramen noodle-esque curly hair that looked like Justin Timberlake during the N’Sync era! His hair was coated in very hard-looking gel, and the curls were shiny and ultra sculpted. His entire mane was one solid unit; not one lick of it moved. I spent the entire date wondering if his hair was naturally curly or if it was permed.

Anyway, now I’m thinking about how El Hub with a perm, and it’s cracking me up! Knowing him, though, he’d still find a way to pull it off. LOL!

So how about you? Have you ever dated anyone with a perm? AND, OH MY GOSH…I cannot wait to find out if anyone actually answers “yes” to this!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen