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Just For Fun

Is There a Graceful Way to Go Gray?

May 18th, 2017 by Karen 43 Comments

Literally counting the seconds to my next coloring appointment

I’ve been dyeing my hair for what feels like forever. I think the last time I rocked my natural color from roots to ends, gosh… It must’ve been when I was in my 20s. Maybe? It’s been a really long time.

I’m currently two weeks out from a hair coloring appointment with my friend Alis, who lives and works in Las Vegas but visits here to California every couple of months and takes some appointments (I usually go every six to eight weeks).

Girl, I love going to the salon. It’s like a getaway experience for me. For two hours, I tune out, read trashy magazines and just get to be pampered for that short block of time. 🙂 Ah…

But even though it’s a fun thing for me, little by little, it’s starting to feel less like a treat, and more like hair handcuffs, because now whenever I go, it’s like, “Ugh, gotta cover up these grays!” My hair is getting to the point where my roots are very obvious while they’re growing out.

I’m seriously considering letting my hair go to its natural raw state, but I just don’t know if there’s an elegant way to make the jump to gray, especially with dark hair.

Yes, this is not a serious problem in the greater scheme of things. I realize this, but still.

Maybe it would be easier if I were completely gray. I’m probably about 15% now. Actually, more than that. Maybe 20%. 30%? Anyway, now gray hairs are starting to show up in my baby hairs on my forehead and, like, in my bangs and on the veeeeeery top of my head, so they aren’t as easy to hide.

If I were 100% gray already, at least it would be a single color, like cool girl gray hair, but that’s not the case. I would be salt ‘n’ pepper, but without the dope rhymes or Spinderella.

[Continue reading…]

There are 43 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Hair, Just For Fun Keywords: going gray

How to Not Lose Your Damn Mind When You’re Shopping for Beauty Products

May 17th, 2017 by Karen 10 Comments

Nope!

When I’m at Sephora and one of the sales associates walks up to me with an empty basket, I turn into the emoji with the crossed hands, like, NO!

Literally. So. Me.

Those baskets are my downfall, man. I can go into a Sephora with one specific item in mind, but if someone hands me a basket while I’m there, it’s suddenly, “Oh, shampoo! I definitely need a new one, and here’s an eyeliner I’ve been wanting to try, and what a pretty glitter shadow! Yup, I need that too. Now, hmm… What did I come here again for??” Seriously, those baskets are a free-for-all, and I’m throwing stuff in there like there’s no tomorrow.

So, I live and die by this beauty shopping rule: I can only go up to the cash register with whatever I can hold in my hands.

It sounds so #basic, but it’s surprisingly effective! If you, too, are prone to walking into a Sephora (or a Target or Ulta or really anyplace with shopping baskets) and going into a fugue state while beauty shopping, limit yourself to whatever you can hold in your hands. It’ll basically save you from yourself.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 10 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun, Makeup Tips/How To

The Lust List, Vol. 9: Stuff I Kinda Want

May 16th, 2017 by Karen 24 Comments

Moar, she said. MOOOOAR!

Me: Karen, you should stop cruising the interwebz, because whenever you do it, you always end up with even moar lemmings.

Also Me: Karen, you shouldn’t stop cruising the interwebz, because whenever you do it, you always end up with even moar lemmings.

Do you see the problem here? Ah, the eternal conflict…

Sometimes I like to pretend that it makes a difference when the things I’m lusting after are things I know I would use all the time, like…

  1. Sephora Collection Colorful Shadow & Liner ($14 each) — The purple pencil I picked up last week was my gateway pencil into this line of cream stick shadows/eyeliners. I didn’t even realize there mattes until I got back home and looked them up on the Sephora website. Of course, now I want all the browns, as well as electric blue My Boyfriend’s Jeans, because it’s hard to find electric blue shadows/liners that are matte. Have you ever noticed that?
  2. Bumble & Bumble Sunday Shampoo ($25) — I want to be a rebel and use this on a Saturday! ? I had an ill-fated run-in with a Klorane shampoo and conditioner for dry hair last week, and now my hair feels heavy…like it has 10 years of product built up in it. A friend recommended this clarifying shampoo, and I’m definitely gonna get it because I need something to get all of this stuff outta my hair. Plus, I read recently that clarifying shampoos can help with color-treated hair by removing excess product, so your hair color doesn’t look dull. I don’t know if that’s true, but I’m hoping it is?
  3. Pretty Vulgar Bird’s Nest Blurring Beauty Mousse Foundation ($44) — Gimme anything that with the word “blurring” in the name. The mousse part sounds cool, too. Lightweight!
  4. Drunk Elephant Umbra Tinte Physical Daily Defense Broad Spectrum Sunscreen SPF 30 ($36) — I’ve been using a few Drunk Elephant products for about month now, and I really like them a lot. This is their new tinted sunscreen, and I’m intrigued.
  5. Brooks Ravenna 8 ($110) — I think I’ve finally mostly recovered from the cold/cough from Hades I had. Dang, that thing lingered. I’m ready to get back into running again, and these colors remind me of Skittles.
  6. Athleta Ready Set Go 2 in 1 Short ($59) — It was HOT here in Novato a couple weeks ago, and I noticed one night at the gym where I go to my HIIT class that they have really crappy air conditioning. I was miserably hot in my Zella capris, which usually keep me cool, so I’m looking for some new workout shorts, but I don’t want to be wearing tight shorts, you know what I mean? And I don’t want shorts that are so loose that they go flapping in the wind and let everyone see my butt cheeks while I’m doing burpies. These shorts from Athleta look perfect! There’s a tighter base layer with looser shorts on top, so the boo-tay isn’t on display for all the world to see. I just wish they weren’t so expensive.
  7. May Coop Raw Sauce ($43) — My friend has dry skin (hey, Marisol!) and totally recommends this. Not that I need to throw another product up into my skin care mix, but it’s been windy here lately, and the wind sucks all of the moisture outta my face, especially my cheeks.
  8. Lancôme Matte Shaker Liquid Lipstick ($22) —
    Breyerchic mentioned these Matte Shaker Liquid Lipsticks in the comments on a post and said that I NEED one in my life… This orange coral one is calling to me.
  9. Urban Decay Naked Skin Shapeshifter ($45) — Urban Decay recently released these powder/cream contouring/highlighting blush palettes a while ago, and even though I’m not a contouring person (she says for the millionth time), I wanna try them, mostly because I think the packaging looks cool.

Have you been wanting anything lately? Wait — let me rephrase that. 🙂 What have you been wanting lately?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 24 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 475

May 15th, 2017 by Karen 39 Comments

karen and connor monday poll may 15

So…what is the Monday Poll?

Well, it isn’t exactly a poll. It’s more of a constantly evolving (devolving?), somewhat random list of questions I’ve been putting out to readers every Monday morning for the past 10 (!) years. (It’s like a kickstart for your brain.) I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.?

1. What’s on your nails?

Chanel 560 Coquillage Nail PolishI’ve got a fresh coat of Chanel Coquillage (from the summer collection) on my fingers, but the Smith & Cult Bitter Buddhist on my toes is two weeks old.

I have a bad habit of wearing my pedicure polish longer than I should… I swear, my toenails look like vampire talons right now, and it’s NOT cute.

Too much info?? Maybe? Like that’s ever stopped me before. 🙂

2. A recent beauty-related find worth mentioning?

The IT Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Palette, which has some great easy-to-blend matte shadows (review coming this afternoon!), and since my time management skills have been less than nonexistent lately and were totally WHACK last week, I need all the help I can get. I’ve been using this palette for single shadow lids, then adding a colorful liner.

3. A recent non-beauty-related find worth mentioning?

GIRL, you get in your hoopty right now, and drive to TJ’s to grab yourself a bag of Heavenly Villagio Marzano Tomatoes.

They are SO good. They’re like tomatoes that graduated summa cum laude. They’re about the size and shape of Brazil nuts and flavorful like homegrown tomatoes.

Mmm…

I had to stop myself from finishing the whole bag like grapes in one sitting. Even the Coywolf is obsessed.

4. What was the last beauty or skin care product you got at a drugstore (or at Target or Walmart)?

It was some Burt’s Bees lotion I got for baby girl.

5. Write a nice note to yourself about this week.

Karen, I know you’re a little tired today (I got the Monday blues), but you’re doing great. Be patient with yourself, hang in there, and remember that many tasks seem daunting at the very beginning, but they usually get easier as you go along.

May the force be with you, and may your mani stay shiny and your liner stay smudgy. I hope the universe sends ya some good news this week. Or, en lieu of good news, I hope it sends you chocolate.

Have a good one, friend! 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 39 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 449

May 14th, 2017 by Karen 13 Comments

The time goes by so fast… That’s such a cliché , but it’s a cliché because it’s true. It really does seem like yesterday Tabs was this bouncy kitten with bright green eyes and a crooked tail who would pounce in and out of my apartment. Now he’s like the crabby old man who begrudgingly lets me hug him him and hold him and pet him.

He’s still all sweetness at heart, though, and being his pet mom has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. He’s been my constant companion, dance partner and sounding board for 10 years.

Thinking back, the first time I really felt bonded to him was the first time we took him to the vet. He was still more or less a neighborhood stray at the time, and we think he was about a year old. He would come around our old apartment building, but he always left on his nightly adventures at night.

[Continue reading…]

There are 13 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun, Tabs

Saturday Surfing: May 13th, 2017

May 13th, 2017 by Karen 2 Comments

Oh, my gawd, is that The Rock on a package of nail polish?

Yeah, I think it is!

How random is this? Maybe I’m late to the party, but I had no idea they were remaking the old-school Baywatch show as a movie (quick question, though: why??), and the nail brand Artistic (they do gel polishes that require curing with an LED or UV lamp) is coming out with a Baywatch movie-themed collab this month.

Some of these shades look like colors I’d wear, like Resting Beach Face. Haha! Cheeky name. 🙂

Happy Saturday and happy Mother’s Day weekend!!!

How are you today, friend? This might sound weird, but I’m REALLY excited about going for a run on the treadmill in a little while. I fell out of the habit when I caught a cold last month, and I feel it. My back aches, and I get tired more easily. I’m back to going to my HIIT high intensity interval training classes two days a week, but it’s amazing how quickly I start getting out of shape if I cut back on exercising even a little.

So I’m looking forward to logging some miles today. A little sweat is good for the soul.

Speaking of that, you know what else is good for the soul? Concealer. And lipstick. And mascara. And maybe some brow gel, too. 🙂

On that note, here are some beauty stories that caught my eye this week…

  • Back in the day, getting your roots done was hella sketchy!
  • Beautiful pans and gorgeous warm shades await you in the new Clarins Sunkissed Summer Collection.
  • The new creamy, dreamy Dolce & Gabbana Miss Sicily Colour Balms.
  • Sometimes I forget that beauty products (with the exception of color additives) don’t require FDA approval before going to market. Now Senators Dianne Feinstein and Susan Collins are proposing a bill that would give the FDA the authority to regulate the safety of beauty products.
  • This new trend is a mother… A mother of pearl, that is!
  • Erin of The Hauteblogger shares her most loved BECCA products on her podcast.
  • How cute is the packaging for the MAC Steve J. & Yoni P. collection?
  • We could see more “friendly” bacteria in skin care soon.
  • These Bay Area makeup thieves were crazy organized! — I’ll give ’em that. Look at all those bins!
  • Um…this isn’t helping with my current state of Charlotte Tilbury makeup lust!
  • Because I’m a voyeur like that — these 19 people share the five products they use daily.
  • According to a makeup artist, these are the seven products you should never spend more than $10 on.


This is blowing my mind! You can get big waves without using a heat styler? Who knew!


This updo is chic and easy. Gonna try it this weekend.

OK, I’m heading to Costco in a few. Wish me luck. I need to get industrial-sized bags of spinach and kale to make some healthy juices next week.

To all the moms out there, including my fellow pet moms, happy early Mother’s Day. Talk to you soon.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 2 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun

The Lust List, Vol. 8: Stuff I Kinda Want

May 10th, 2017 by Karen 31 Comments

Pricey palette mania!

What is it about pricey makeup palettes — or me, for that matter, haha! — that makes me wish I could give them all a happy home? Especially the warm ones with a golden brown, a taupe, golden beige and/or peach?

I want to tell them all, “Come live with me, little lovelies, and we shall skip and prance under the light of the full moon.”

On that note…please try to ignore the crazy lady typing on her keyboard, and proceed ahead to this week’s Lust List. 🙂

  1. Charlotte Tilbury Seductive Instant Look in a Palette ($75) — Thanks, gals, for telling me that the Charlotte Tilbury Seductive palette looks great on medium and darker skin tones! Now it’s on mah wish list.
  2. MZ WALLACE Mia Bedford Nylon Crossbody Bag ($325) — This is a straight-up mom bag, and yes, I want it. I’ve been carrying around the same brown Kipling nylon bag FOR YEARS, and it’s starting to look a little long in the tooth… This one’s much more stylish. I like the gold hardware and the red accents. Classy. PLUS, LOOK AT ALL THOSE POCKETS. They’ll come in handy for Connor’s binkies and all the Ziploc plastic bags I seem to need at all times.
  3. Tom Ford Nude Dip Palette ($83) — I have one of Tom’s quads with this same powder shadow formula (it’s even silkier than TF’s other quads, and the shimmer looks almost glossy), and this version? [INSERT DROOL HERE] I’m all about neutral taupe, browns, peach and beige.

    Been wanting this FOREVER but have yet to add it to my collection. One could probably wear it along with the Charlotte Tilbury Seductive palette, yes?

  4. BECCA X Chrissy Teigan Glow Face Palette ($46) — I’ve put this in my cart — no joke — at least five times, and when I finish writing this post, I’ll probably do it again. This palette is a collab with model and cookbook author Chrissy Tiegan, and it sold out on the Sephora website in about two seconds.

    It’s still on the BECCA site, though! There’s a bronzer, two highlighters and a blush in it, and everything’s warm toned, which is so my jam. My rationale for getting it is that if I also get one for my mom (despite the fact that she hardly ever wears makeup, so this makes NO SENSE AT ALL), I should also be able to get one for myself. Right? RIIIIIIIGHT!

  5. Chanel Contour Eyeshadow Brush #20 ($38) — I’m doing a terrible job of convincing myself that I don’t need any more Chanel eyeshadow brushes…

    Why do they have to be SO SOFT?? I keep picturing a whole slew of them in a dainty jar on my desk, and now I can’t un-see that image.

Hit me with what you got on your lust list. I can take it! (And I just might add to mine, haha!)

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 31 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Becca, Chanel, Charlotte Tilbury, Just For Fun, Makeup

Required Reading for May: The New Trader Joe’s Fearless Flyer

May 9th, 2017 by Karen 17 Comments

So, laugh if you will. That’s fine by me! But I love when a new Fearless Flyer comes in the mail. Last night I had to chose between the new Trader Joe’s Fearless Flyer, Real Simple, Allure and Nylon for bedtime reading, and I chose the Fearless Flyer (of course!).

Um…best bedtime reading ever?! Because when was the last time you dreamed about pre-made Gyro meat? Fo’ reals, the Fearless Flyer will do that to ya.

Oh, and also, Trader Joe’s is the place to go now for low-key, affordable beauty products. Believe it. They have a new Organic Argan Oil, and it’s only $6.99 for a 1.7-oz. bottle (a bottle of Josie Maran’s Argan Oil at Sephora is $48 for the same size).

Incidentally, did you know that we get argan oil by extracting it from the kernels inside the fruit of the argan tree? And that to get to the kernals, the fruit is usually peeled and cracked by hand?

Yeah, because apparently they couldn’t get the Terminators to do it. 🙂

The things you learn from the Fearless Flyer!

In other news, TJs also has a new citrus-scented body wash that was made by “a very well-respected maker of high quality beauty care products, whose products sell for much higher prices at other retailers”?

Hello, mysterious! Color me intrigued…

[Continue reading…]

There are 17 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun

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Welcome to Makeup and Beauty Blog

Welcome to Makeup and Beauty Blog! My name is Karen, and I’m a freelance writer obsessed with makeup.

Makeup and Beauty Blog features daily product reviews, makeup tips and beauty news — like an interactive version of a monthly print magazine, except with occasional pictures of my cat.

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