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Mariska Hargitay: Her Best Hair?

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mariska-hargitay

With the craziness of my recent move and last week’s trip, I have *yet* to set up my TV, which means no Detectives Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler for me tonight, boo!

They star in one of my favorite guilty pleasures, Law and Order: SVU (SVU = Special Victims Unit; they investigate sex crimes and crimes against children). I’ve been watching the show for years. I adore the characters and the actors who play them, particularly Mariska Hargitay.

Mariska, born Mariska Magdolina Hargitay on January 23, 1964, comes from showbiz roots. The daughter of 1950s sex symbol Jayne Mansfield and former Mr. Universe Mickey Hargitay, the beauty queen (she was Miss Beverly Hills USA in 1982, and was a fourth runner up Miss California) appeared in several popular ’90s TV shows, ER and Seinfeld among them, before landing her career-defining role on SVU in 1999.

Playing the dedicated, empathetic Detective Olivia Benson also inspired her real life effort to start Joyful Heart, a foundation which provides support to women victims of sexual assault.

And, get this — homegirl speaks five languages (English, Hungarian, French, Spanish and Italian)! SO COOL!

Can ya tell I’ve got a girl crush? 🙂

Which of Mariska's hairstyles do you like the best?

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Brainstormers Unite! Maximizing the Sephora Friends and Family Sale

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Happy Hump Day, gals! Have y’all done any Sephora Friends and Family hauling yet (using code FF2009 for 20% off online purchases from now through November 2)? MBB reader DJ needs some help generating ideas. Can you help? 🙂

Hi Karen,

What with the friends and family sale happening at Sephora now, do you have any recommendations? I know the main things I’d like to stock up on, but there are little items, like a really good hand cream or brush set, that I’d love your input on. Thanks!

-DJ

Hi DJ,

Sure thing! Here’s a list of some of my Sephora makeup and beauty faves (en lieu of just saying, “I want everything in the entire store!”)…

Eyes

Cheeks

Face

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Does Your Beauty Routine Change in the Fall?

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Mine does, for sure.

A few of the things I do when the leaves begin to fall…

  • I switch to richer moisturizers on my face and body (to compensate for moisture-sapping colder temps)
  • I wear darker lipstick colors and more frequent smokey eyes
  • I spritz on fragrances with heavier notes like musk and rose

How about you? Have you changed your beauty routine for fall?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Bloggerati Spotlight

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The DailyMakeover Beauty Bloggerati

Good morning, beauties. 🙂

There’s no denying it — we’ve entered the rainy season out here in Northern California. Let’s hope all those wine grapes growing up in Napa Valley appreciate all this wetness and put it to good use, LOL! And I guess the weather also gives me an excuse to cruise for new boots…

BOOTS!

I hold them in high footwear regard, right behind platforms heels and flip-flops, and I’ve had my eye on this pair of Fiddler booties from Seychelles.

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Be still my booty heart!

Do you have a favorite pair of boots?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Oct. 19

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  1. Mood:

    2. Hyper-organized and hopeful — I’m surrounded by seven Post-It notes filled with lists, and dag-nabbit, all this stuff is gonna get done some how, some way.

  2. List three things currently inspiring you.

    3. 1) The weird, quirky writing on Woot!. 2) Projects like Operation Beautiful that use the interwebz to spread a positive message. 3) Piet Mondrian.

  3. MAC or PC?

    4. MAC attack!

  4. Gladiator sandals: yay or nay?

    5. Nay (I have long monkey toes).

  5. Lips and cheeks:

    6. Stuff from Chanel Holiday: Aqualumiere Lipstick in Maldives, Aqualumiere Gloss in Canari and Les Tissages Lames de Chanel.

  6. What’s one quality you like about yourself?

    7. I’m not afraid of what the beefy gym rats refer to as “the heavy lifting.” Even if something seems intimidating, I’ll jump in and find a way to get it done.

  7. Fragrance?

    8. D&G Rose the One (LOVE!) Eau de Parfum.

  8. Name three ways you’ve changed in the last 10 years.

    9. Hmm, 10 years ago I was 24, and since then I’ve changed in both positive and not-so-positive ways. Nowadays, I’m less afraid to tell people “No.” I also feel emotionally steadier and less volatile than I did back then. On the flip side, I’ve become more set in my ways — it’s definitely more of a challenge for me to deal with change now than it used to be.

  9. Outfit?

    10. Diva Bootcut Jeans from Old Navy (sooo comfy and affordable), brown cardigan sweater, dark purple tank top and brown peep-toe heels.

  10. Weekly goals:

    11. Keep my work life organized, deal with at least one moving box a day, avoid the temptation to cover my desk in clutter and exercise at least twice.

Hey, bootcut divas! 🙂 Happy Monday! It’s raining out here in Marin County, and even though it’s gray and gloomy outside, I’m feeling sunshiny on the inside.

I think a big part of it is this article I read yesterday on how to overcome burnout and stay motivated.

If you’ve been feeling run down or find yourself struggling with school/work, maybe give it a read.

Last night I took some time to process and really think about the tips and tricks from the article, and today I’m feeling very hopeful about the week to come.

Well, it looks like there’s a break in the storm, so I’m heading outside for a quick walk.

If you’ve got a little time to spare, can you take a moment to check in? I’d love to hear what’s going on in your neck of the woods.

Copy the list below, and paste it in the comments with your answers. Talk to you soon!

Le list

1. Mood:
2. List three things currently inspiring you.
3. MAC or PC?
4. Gladiator sandals: yay or nay?
5. Lips and cheeks:
6. What’s one quality you like about yourself?
7. Fragrance?
8. Name three ways you’ve changed in the last 10 years.
9. Outfit?
10. Weekly goals:

You kick some arse today, okay?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sunday Surfing

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Hiya, ladies. I hope you had a relaxing Sunday. Mine was mellow. I needed to recover from traveling. I slept in, read a little (A Writer’s Coach by Jack Hart), watched the new 30 Rock on Hulu and cooked a peppery shrimp stir-fry for lunch.

I did a little recreational web surfing, too…

What are you up to?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 58

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Tabs doesn't see the point of shaving

Do you use shave gels and creams?

Tabs is fascinated by shaving… He says he doesn’t see the point. I, on the other hand, don’t have his same appreciation for fur. 🙂 I shave about every other day, most of the time using whichever shower gel I have on hand at the time, but I do think I get closer shaves when I use a designated shaving cream, gel or lotion.

It’s more about being lazy than anything else, something I’m sure Tabs can appreciate.

Do you use shave gels and creams?

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The Beauty of Blog World 2009: How to Make Better Videos

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The Beauty of Blog World 2009: How to Make Better Videos

If a picture’s worth 1,000 words, what’s a moving picture worth? Blog World 2009 speaker Cali Lewis of GeekBrief.tv posed that question at the convention yesterday, and it really made me think…

The answer depends on the quality of the video, right?

I’m on a mission to improve the quality of my videos (not just for the blog, but for home/travel videos too), so I sought out the sessions on video yesterday and took copious notes.

Tip 1: Write a script

When it comes to video, material trumps production quality, but watch any random 10 videos on YouTube, and what do most of them have in common? According to Sara and Lee O’Donnell, the couple behind Average Betty, the most popular short-form food entertainment web series online, most of them weren’t made with a script.

It doesn’t have to be fancy — even a few notes scribbled on index cards — but working from an outline or script can really make your videos stand out.

Tip 2: Choosing the right camcorder

“Buy a camera with the biggest lens, best glass and best sensor you can afford,” says Cali. Of course, that’s more for professional setups. Serious home movie makers and beginning web videographers might take a look at the Kodak Zi8 (about $180). Not only does it shoot in 1080p high definition video, but it’s image stabilized (less shaky in your hands) and has an external microphone jack (more on that later), too.

If you’re willing to spend more, both Cali and the O’Donnells mentioned the $550 Canon VIXIA HF200 HD Flash Memory Camcorder. It can do everything the Kodak Zi8 can do, does it better and does more.

For help choosing a camcorder, check out camcorderinfo.com.

Tip 3: Use an external microphone

Poor audio can ruin even the highest quality videos, and the microphones built into most small camcorders just aren’t very good. They struggle to capture clear voices more than a few feet away from them, and they tend to pick up too much background noise outside.
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