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Just For Fun

Which Sunscreens Stand Up to Sweat?

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Hey, ladies. Did you catch this article in the New York Times the other day on women in the military?

“The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are the first in which tens of thousands of American military women have lived, worked and fought with men for prolonged periods. Wars without front lines, they have done more than just muddle the rules meant to keep women out of direct enemy contact.

They have changed the way the United States military goes to war. They have reshaped life on bases across Iraq and Afghanistan. They have cultivated a new generation of women with a warrior’s ethos — and combat experience — that for millennia was almost exclusively the preserve of men.”

-NYTimes.com

It got me thinking about reader Sandra. She heads overseas later this year.

Hi Karen,

I need some advice! I am getting deployed to the Middle East this winter for a year and want to know what heavy duty sweat-proof, high-SPF sunscreen you can recommend for everyday use on my face. I would like to have something that feels light, offers moisture, and stays put with a ton of sweating. I would be wearing my tinted moisturizer over this product.

Thanks!

Hi Sandra,

I REALLY love Shiseido 55+, aka better than sliced bread.

It’s sweat-proof, moisturizing, comes in a high SPF and feels light — neither greasy nor sticky — on the skin. On top of all that, it doesn’t have an overwhelmingly sunscreeny scent.

At $38, it’s more expensive than drugstore sunscreens, but I think it’s the best basic sunscreen I’ve ever used.

As for less costly drugstore alternatives, I love Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch SPF 30 ($12). Like Shiseido 55, it’s sweat-proof, light and non-greasy/sticky, but I don’t think it’s quite as moisturizing. A layer of moisturizer worn beneath it should help.

Neutrogena makes versions of it in higher SPFs (70-100). I’ve tried them, too, but didn’t care for them as much; the higher SPFs were noticeably thicker and harder (took longer) to massage into my skin. Personally, I’ve never noticed a difference in sun protection between products containing SPF 30 and 70, but I haven’t skin tested with a control to see if that’s true.

Safe travels, Sandra! I hope this helps. Drop by the blog whenever you can while you’re over there to let us know how you’re doing. 🙂

Ladies, let’s give our girl Sandra a hand. Can you recommend any suncreens that stand up to sweat?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Bloggerati Spotlight

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The Beauty Bloggerati

Heya, ladies. Thanks for helping me with my mani/pedi earlier tonight. After a lovely dinner of Trader Joe’s Creamy Corn and Roasted Pepper Soup (yum), I ended up going with Midnight Cami (the shimmery dark blue) on my toes and Angora Cardi on my fingers. 🙂

Hope you’re having a nice night. Is it Friday yet?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Two Ways to Win Your Bath and Body Works Signature Scent

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The giveaway is now closed to new entries, and the winners are being contacted. 🙂 Good luck!

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Are you on the hunt for a signature scent? If you are, take a look at the new online fragrance finder by Bath and Body Works.

Riddle me this

It asks you a few questions about your mood, tastes and dislikes, and then matches you up with a Bath and Body Works scent. I’ve seen things like this before, but I like the way this one’s done.

Last week it helped me find Sweet Pea ($27). 🙂

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Looking for a new fragrance for fall; need a boost to get through a challenging week (hello!) — take a minute to try out the Fragrance Finder, and enter to win today’s giveaway.

The prize

Bath and Body Works is sponsoring the prize. Five lucky ladies will take home one bottle of their signature Bath and Body Works Eau de Toilette scent (a $30 value).

How to enter…

Entering is easy. There are two different ways, and you can do both of them for two chances to win.

First, you can enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post. Use the Bath and Body Works Fragrance finder to find your signature scent, and then reveal the name of your fragrance in the comments. 🙂

My scent is Sweet Pea!

Follow me
Second, enter by following me on Twitter and retweeting (RT) the following message:

RT @karenmbb: RT to Win Your Bath and Body Works Signature Scent. http://bit.ly/KTxlH

Recap…

  1. Enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, and don’t forget to use a valid email address so I can reach you if you win.
  2. Follow me on Twitter and retweet the following message:

    RT @karenmbb: RT to Win Your Bath and Body Works Signature Scent. http://bit.ly/KTxlH

I’ll pick five winners at random from among the people who enter by 11:59 PM PST on Thursday, August 20.

Vidimo se!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The giveaway is now closed to new entries, and the winners are being contacted. 🙂 Good luck!

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Aug. 17

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  1. Mood:

    2. A little sleepy (waiting for the caffeine to kick in) but feeling optimistic about the day.

  2. How many times have you been in love?

    3. Three.

  3. Do you prefer cream or powder blush?

    4. I love both! I go through phases where I’ll wear one more than the other, and right now I’m all about powder blush.

  4. Are/were you a good student?

    5. Yup, total nerd.

  5. Eyes/lips/cheeks:

    6. I was going through storage drawers last weekend and found some long lost Stila Front Cover Look Palettes I haven’t worn in forever, so they’re going into makeup rotation this week. Today I went with Palette No. 4‘s neutral shades. Eyes: Icon eyeshadow (a shimmery pinkish peach) over the entire lid and Twig eyeshadow (a shimmery rich chocolate) as a liner. Lips: Inviting lip gloss (a shimmery peach). Cheeks: Heat powder blush (a peachy tan matte).

  6. How do you feel about camping?

    7. I can deal if there’s a cabin with electricity, internet access and indoor plumbing, LOL! If I have to sleep in a tent, put quarters in a shower to get hot water or hunt wild pigs, I’ll pass. 🙂

  7. Are you happy?

    8. At this very second, yes. Overall, mostly. I’ve been working a lot lately, and it’s starting to wear me down. Plus, the condo/house hunt has been emotionally exhausting and isn’t settled yet. I’m doing my best to stay positive.

  8. Do long distance relationships work?

    9. I’ve never had one so I don’t really know, but I’m leaning toward no.

  9. Outfit:

    10. Light blue wide-leg Gap jeans, white button-down shirt with red, black and blue stripes.

  10. Weekly goals:

    11. Try to look at old problems in new ways, bust out some old MAC (Smoke Signals, baby!) and Stila palettes to try some new looks, set up a lunch date with friends.

Hola, my SWV’s (LOL, remember that band?). I’m guzzling my second cup of tea and praying it kicks in *very* soon. I hope you’re feeling more awake than I am.

I bet your to-do list is waiting patiently for you to tackle it, but before you dig in, can we catch up? Just copy the empty list, and paste it with your answers in the comments. 🙂

Le list

1. Mood:
2. How many times have you been in love?
3. Do you prefer cream or powder blush?
4. Are/were you a good student?
5. Eyes/lips/cheeks:
6. How do you feel about camping?
7. Are you happy?
8. Do long distance relationships work?
9. Outfit:
10. Weekly goals:

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. What’s SWV?

Behold!

Don’t Miss These Summertime Drugstore Gems

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I’ve been on a drugstore beauty kick lately, and here are some of my favorite gems of the summer so far.

I’m a little bummed the weekend’s almost over, girls. They never seem long enough, ya know?

Did you do anything fun? I had a pretty good day. I went to dance class early this morning, spent a couple hours working and then went to see The Time Traveler’s Wife.

I loved the book and wanted to see the film even though it got kinda panned by critics (Rottentomatoes 36%). I’m glad I did, too, because I think it absolutely does justice to the book — both sad and happy at the same time.

Enjoy the last few hours of the weekend. Have a great night (are you watching True Blood?). 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays with Tabs the Cat: How It All Began

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About three years ago I started to notice a chubby tabby cat skulking around my apartment building. I’d see him every few months or so, sneaking around the cars in the parking lot, but whenever I’d try to get his attention, he’d just flash me a dirty look and walk away.

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Then, one day I opened the apartment door and there he was, sitting in the hallway in front of me. He meowed and walked over, so I bent down and scratched his chin. When I stood up again, he walked passed me into the apartment like he owned the place.

So began our dysfunctional friendship. 🙂

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Over the next few months I’d see him just once or twice a week. He’d scratch at my door or meow, so I’d feed him a spoonful of tuna and give him a kitty massage. I felt used, but loved.

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Around this time last year he started to visit more often — eventually every day — and began to feel more like a member of our family.

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I was starting to get attached, but he was so outgoing and sweet that I figured he must have lived with people at some point. I never saw him wear a collar, though, and he was always starved and covered in fleas. Maybe he’d just gone astray.

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The time came to get him checked by a vet. I braced myself for potentially bad news — that he might be sick or microchipped and belong to someone else. Nope. It turned out he was perfectly healthy (except for worms) and didn’t have a microchip. My heart leapt! Tabs had officially become my cat.

I’ve known other cats, but none like Tabs. He still plays like a kitten, shows tons of affection and isn’t afraid of people at all. Sometimes, I feel like a proud stage mom when he’s complimented on his looks, LOL!

Yes, I fully embrace sounding like a crazy cat lady. Ain’t no shame in that game. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

What Were Your Best and Worst Beauty Experiences of the Week?

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MY BEST:

Stumbling across a trick to get crisp lines in cat eye looks. Who knew how well a makeup wedge sponge wet with eye makeup remover and run along the edges of liner could work? I had some of my sharpest, best defined lines evah. WHOLE new eyelining world. 🙂

MY WORST:

Discovering a new batch of white hairs in my bangs. How do those suckers develop so quickly? I swear they appear overnight, like beauty crop circles or poison mushrooms. Le sigh…

What were your best and worst beauty experiences of the week? Please share yours in the comments.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Jennifer Aniston: Her Best Hair?

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Jennifer Aniston: Her best hair?

If it weren’t for that fateful audition in 1994, Hollywood may have only known Jennifer Joanna Aniston (born February 11, 1969) as the girl who starred in Leprechaun and the short-lived Ferris Bueller TV show.

But Friends changed everything for Jen, who played Rachel from 1994 until the show ended in 2004. It garnered her an Emmy, a Golden Globe and numerous People’s Choice Awards. It also established her as one of America’s favorite actresses.

Now Jen favors a lot of longer looks (compared to the shorter hairstyles she wore a lot in Friends), but she’ll still switch things up by moving her part or adding curls.

Which of Jennifer's hairstyles do you like best?

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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