Just For Fun

Hi, guys. Happy Caturday! It’s Memorial Day weekend, a.k.a. the unofficial summer kickoff. A lot of folks are hitting the pool or beach or other sunny points beyond armed with sunscreen, which is why I wanted to call attention to a related story evolving here in the U.S.

I’ll link some videos and articles below, but in a very abbreviated nutshell, a third-party lab recently tested a bunch of sunscreens and sun after-care products and found that 78 of the products they tested were contaminated with benzene, “a known carcinogen linked to a variety of harmful effects.

My hope is to not freak you out, just to highlight a developing story.

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Along with a summary of their findings, the lab released two lists, one of the products that were contaminated with benzene, and another list of products that weren’t. They also included specific lot numbers of the batches they tested.

I was shocked to see some big brands among those on the contaminated list (Neutrogena, Banana Boat, Elta MD). I was even more shocked to see that the La Roche Posay Anthelios 60 Sunscreen Lotion Spray I bought last month was on the naughty list.

So, the first thing I did was check the lot number on the bottom of my bottle, and the lot numbers didn’t match, so I breathed a short sigh of relief…but still. I’m tossing it to play it safe while this story develops.

Refreshingly, one of the other sunscreens I’ve been testing/wearing lately, Sun Bum Original Lotion SPF 70, was on the list of sunscreens that weren’t found to contain benzene, but some of the others — CeraVe Tinted Mineral Sunscreen, Bliss Block Star, La Roche Posay Anthelios 60 Melt-In Sunscreen Milk and Sun Bum SPF 70 Spray — weren’t among those that were tested at all, so…

It’s a lot to take in, I know. A dermatologist on YouTube who I really like, Dr. Dray, does a thorough overview of the situation and the info we have so far, and I found it extremely thoughtful and helpful, if you’re interested in researching it further.

Cassandra Bankson, a medical esthetician whose channel I also like, offered another good breakdown…

One thing is, there are a lot of sunscreens out there, as you know, and the lab only tested 294 of them, which doesn’t come remotely close to the whole kit and caboodle. Until the FDA gets involved or makes a statement, or issues any recalls, my plan is to continue to wear sunscreen and sun protective clothing, but I’ll stick to sunscreens I can find on the nice list for now, just to be as cautious as one can be in this sh*tshow, I guess.

Here’s some more information…

• The Valisure study/recall request and list of sunscreens that do contain benzene is here
• The Valisure list of sunscreens that do not contain benzene is here
• From Shape: A New Report Found the Carcinogen Benzene In 78 Popular Sunscreens
• From Dermatology Times: Detectable Levels of Benzene Noted in Some Sunscreen Batches, Valisure Highlights Controversy of Benzene Contamination in Sunscreen Products and Physician Weighs in on Sunscreen Contamination Controversy

In less serious news…what are you up to this weekend? What’s the weather like there? We’re still figuring out what we’re going to do, but I’m thinking first barbecue of the season. ?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Good morning, glory! Rise and shine, pal o’ mine! ?

How to play

Pick one or the other for each of the questions below, and copy/paste your answers in the comments. Can’t wait to see your picks! Mine are listed below. ?

This or That: The Beauty Grab Bag Edition, Part II

• Chemical or physical sunscreen?
• Tweezer or lash curler?
• Lip tint or cheek tint?
• Mascara wand — curvy or straight?
• Neon bright liner or neon bright nails?
• A set of press-on nails or a salon gel mani?
• Bronzer — shimmer, matte or satin?
• Leave-in conditioner — essential or unnecessary?
• Eye gloss — yes or no?

Chemical or physical sunscreen?

Yes to both! But if I have to choose one…I’ll go with a physical sunscreen with a lovely tan tint.

Tweezer or lash curler?

At this point in time, my chin hairs are screaming “TWEEZERS, LADY!”

Lip tint or cheek tint?

Cheek tint, preferably something in a sheer, summery coral that’s easy to blend.

Mascara wand — curvy or straight?

Straight.

Neon bright liner or neon bright nails?

I’ll do the highlighter yellow nails, please.

A set of press-on nails or a salon gel mani?

I had a traumatic experience trying to remove a salon gel mani a few years ago, so press-ons it is! (Hey, they’ve come a long way since the ’80s, and some of them are actually really nice.)

Bronzer — shimmer, matte or satin?

Matte would be lovely, thank you so much.

Leave-in conditioner — essential or unnecessary?

SO ESSENTIAL!

Eye gloss — yes or no?

Sure, why not?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Happy Tuesday! ?

So…what is the Monday Poll?

Excellent question! It isn’t, contrary to its name, an actual poll, like with little clicky buttons. It’s just a list of five more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007). I love reading your answers, and it helps me get my week off to a good start. ?

1. Hair or makeup?

Um…both? But if I gotta choose…I’ll go with hair, because when my hair isn’t done, I feel sloppy.

It’s the grays (hairs). I love ’em, but when I don’t do any smoothing or taming of the crazy baby hairs, I look like a Disney villain, which I guess could be a good thing in some circles?

2. Loose waves or pin straight?

Waves, no doubt! I’ve done pin straight before, and while it’s entirely possible, thanks to the miracle of straightening products and flat irons, it’s a HUGE pain in the @ss. It takes a lot of time, effort and damaging heat, and, frankly, I can no longer be bothered.

3. A scent you like wearing when the weather warms up?

Victoria’s Secret Amber Romance reminds me of summer…and bugs. First time I bought it, I actually got it to keep mosquitoes away (LOL!), but I quickly got into the habit of wearing it whenever it’s hot out.

4. What’s your secret to a successful manicure?

Acquire products that dry quickly, so you aren’t stuck sitting around waiting for them to dry, so find thee a quick-drying topcoat ASAP.

Also…WEAR YOUR GLASSES!

5. The three makeup products you’re currently using the most?

Laura Mercier Caviar Mascara, the Honest Beauty Get It Together Palette, and although it’s technically *not* a makeup product, Bliss Block Star.

6. What does your pillowcase look like?

Well, it looks like a torbie cat ripped it to shreds, haha. See, I have a tan silk pillowcase. Technically, it works because it covers my pillow, but I can’t really tell if it’s doing my hair or my face any favors.

Anywho, it has snags all over it because Rosie likes to make biscuits on my hair in the middle of the night before she falls asleep on my head (!), and her claws repeatedly snag the pillowcase, thusly destroying it.

7. Last thing you bought online?

It was either a bottle of vitamins or a mop. I can’t remember which, but it was one of those.

8. Ballerina bun or French twist?

French twist, because it’s easier for me to do and requires way fewer hair pins. It’s also less likely to give me a headache.

9. What do you put on your pancakes?

A little butter, lots of maple syrup, and blueberries or sliced strawberries. YUM!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Here are the questions to copy/paste with your answers in a comment. Talk to ya soon.

1. Hair or makeup?
2. Loose waves or pin straight
3. A scent you like wearing when the weather warms up?
4. What’s your secret to a successful manicure?
5. The three makeup products you’re currently using the most?
6. What does your pillowcase look like?
7. Last thing you bought online?
8. Ballerina bun or French twist?
9. What do you put on your pancakes?

P.P.S. Hello there, friend! ? Here’s a big smile and a (((HUG))) for you this morning. Please remember to be patient with yourself today, OK?

Hello, and happy Caturday! ? Peep this adorable bag I saw at the bookstore the other day whilst browsing for books to bring camping this weekend (I’m on the Russian River today!).

You know what I just noticed? The Van Gogh Starry Night/Sunflowers kitty has his left ear cut off and bandaged!

BTW, kudos to you if you can name the other cat references on this ^ bag.

I also thought this pair of very purrfessional socks was très cute…

This purrticular (OK, I’ll stop the puns now) kitty has a very official Rosie vibe, don’t you think?

Oh, and these are the books I picked up at the bookstore to read out in the middle of the woods — The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi, and The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes.

Both are Reese (as in Witherspoon) Book Club picks. I couldn’t put down the last one I got a couple weeks ago — The Jetsetters by Amanda Eyre Ward — so I took a chance and grabbed two more in the hopes that they’ll be just as engrossing.

Speaking of reading, here’s your beauty news (and otherwise) for the week.

This week’s reading

• Say hello to these AAPI-owned makeup brands.
• Confetti eye makeup is a thing. ?‍♀️
• So are “wolf cuts…”
• And so is “skunk hair…”
• According to this dermatologist, these are the 3 skin care products everyone 40 and up needs in their routine.
• Everything you need to know about retinol…
• What are polygel nails?
• I’m not a nail art person for my own nails, but I think I might wear one of these cute designs.
• Oh, the power of technology…

What else have you been reading?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

I may have mentioned this to you already, but I recently culled my closet. No joke, I Kon-Mari-ed the living crap out of it! I donated all the pre-Connor clothes that no longer fit me (which was most of my wardrobe, to be brutally honest) and only kept what 1) fit me perfectly, 2) didn’t look hella raggedy, and 3) made me feel AMAZING.

I did keep a few items that have sentimental value, including a $15 dress I found at Marshall’s, which I wore to a fancy party 1999. I got numerous compliments on it, and several people assumed it was Versace. It very much was not, ha ha ha!

Anyway, I basically rebuilt my closet from scratch using a checklist of wardrobe basics I found through Erin Busbee, a stylist who caters specifically to fashion for women over 40, and for first time in a really long time, I feel like I can get dressed in the morning without feeling stressed out or bad about my body.

Another first: each piece in my closet absolutely works for me, and there is no dead weight. NONE. Each item has a purpose, and everything gets worn.

IT FEELS GREAT!

What’s been especially great is the feeling of freedom. It feels good to finally say goodbye to all of the clothes that didn’t fit me, and while it was hard at times (like saying goodbye to the brand new black Kate Spade dress I never lost enough enough weight to get into), letting it go has given me 1) more physical space in my home and 2) more mental space in my mind.

This has got me thinking a lot about how scaling down my wardrobe could be applied to other parts of my life, including (WAIT FOR IT) my makeup collection.

I love and have loved and will always love makeup so, so much, and right now, I have a lot of it.

If I’m completely honest with myself, only a small percentage of it still gets worn.

I think it might be time to let some things go.

But yet, it’s hard, since it’s still very fun for me to try new things and collect fun pieces.

I don’t see myself as ever being the person who has just, like, one makeup bag of tightly edited down products, because I love having options!

Still, I can’t help but wonder if there’s a way to narrow down the scale and scope of it so I feel the same way about makeup that I do about my closet. I wonder if it would just as feel good to have NO. DEAD. WEIGHT. in my makeup collection.

Would it be freeing to have a succinct group of eyeshadows that I truly and deeply love? Or a small group of nude lipsticks, all of which get worn and used frequently?

I’ve had this idea floating around in my mind for the last week or so, to perhaps narrow my collection down using a manageable number like 10. For example, only keeping 10 nude lipsticks that I absolutely adore. I could also do, I dunno, 10 red lipsticks that I love, or maybe 10 bright lipsticks? I dunno, that still seems like a lot of lipstick! Yet, at the same time, it also doesn’t seem like nearly enough, HA! I can easily see myself going down the road of “Why have 10 nude lipsticks I love when I could easily have 20?”

And, seriously, how would eyeshadow work? Would I keep 10 neutral eyeshadows? (OMG, IMAGINE HOW HARD THAT WOULD BE) Or would it be 10 browns? Maybe I could even do 10 warm browns, 10 cool browns…

In typical Karen fashion, I’m 100% over-complicating this, but I think you get the gist of it. There’s got to be a way to have a makeup collection that feels robust and complete, but not redonkulously overwhelming.

I’d love to hear how you handle your current collection. Do you keep it small and manageable, or do you just go for it and hold onto ALL OF THE THINGS. I’m curious to know how you keep things in check and from getting too out of control.

From one makeup lover to another…the struggle is real. Talk to you soon, ‘k?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen