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Just For Fun

Do You Do Beachy Waves?

July 24th, 2009 by Karen 34 Comments

Do you do beachy waves?

Are any of you gals going to the beach this weekend? I wish it were warmer here right now because I sure could use a beachy break.

The bay out here is always pins-and-needles cold — not exactly bikini friendly — even when it’s hot outside, and most swimmers will wear a wet suit in the water.

I would, too, if they didn’t make me look and feel like a sausage, bluh!

Even when it’s too cold for the beach, I still like to dress the part, which is why I’ve been all about sundresses, flip flops, sunglasses and hair with beachy waves for the past few weeks.

There are different ways to do ’em, but here’s an approach that I use.

How I do my beachy waves

  1. For me it all starts the night before. I get better results in the morning when I’ve washed and conditioned my hair before bed. Lately, I’ve been using and loving Living Proof No Frizz Shampoo and Conditioner ($48).
  2. After my shower, I wrap my hair with a highly-absorbent microfiber towel like the Aquis ($18; hello, awesomeness) for 15-20 minutes. Then, I remove the Aquis, which has sucked out most of the excess water, and air dry until bed.
  3. Right before bed I apply and comb through a leave-in conditioner like Living Proof Leave-In Conditioner ($24), concentrating on the mid-shaft to the ends.
  4. With my hair conditioned, I put it in a loose French braid; the thicker the pieces in the braid, the bigger the waves the next morning. I secure the end of the braid with a ponytail elastic band (I like these summery, bright bands from Bumble & Bumble’s Bandball, $20), and then I hit the haaaaay.
  5. The next morning, I remove the braid and gently run my fingers through the waves, misting with Bumble & Bumble Curl Conscious Reactivating Mist ($22). I think it gives the waves some extra spring.
  6. For extra definition and hold, I spray on a light hold styling product like Redken Layer Lift ($15) on the upper and middle layers; when I want a softer, slightly messier look, I’ll use Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray ($22) instead.
  7. To finish, I scrunch the ends and let the products dry. 🙂

Drugstore alternatives

You can also substitute any of the above products with the following drugstore goodies…

  • Shampoo and conditioner: Suave Professionals Vibrant Shine Shampoo and Conditioner ($3.50 each, $7 together)
  • Leave-in conditioner: Aveeno Nourish+ Condition Leave-In Treatment ($7)
  • Ponytail elastics: Goody StayPut Ellastics ($4)
  • Curl re-activating mist: CurlFriends Texturizing Mist ($11) or Garnier Fructis Wave Enhancing Spray ($3.50)
  • Hair styling product: Aussie Sprunch Spray ($3.50) or Sunsilk Waves of Envy Sea Mist ($4)

Do you do beachy waves? What products/techniques do you use to get the look?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 34 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Hair, Just For Fun

Bloggerati Spotlight

July 24th, 2009 by Karen 3 Comments

The Beauty Bloggerati

    These bras transform before your eyes

  • Like Transformers, these bras are more than meets the eye — The Jet Set Girls
  • Some of the best nail care tips I’ve EVER seen — Makeup Bag
  • TODAY Show Style Editor Bobbie Thomas digs DIY beauty — Spoiled Pretty
  • Everyone’s drooling over Weleda Salt Toothpaste 🙂 — Beauty Blogging Junkie
  • Carmindy loves lip balm — Positively Beautiful
  • 5 reasons to love a Brazilian blowout — A Mom in Red High Heels

I’m a little late with my morning greetings today, girls, so without further ado, GREETINGS! Looks like we’re almost through another week.

Up until a couple days ago, I thought I was going to be interviewing superheroes and heroines at Comic-Con in San Diego this weekend. Wouldn’t that have been cool? I had it all planned out — with pictures and video of costumed guys and gals in comic-themed makeup — but my plans changed when we found a potential new place to live.

So I’ll be staying local this weekend, keeping El Hub and Tabs company. Do you have any plans for the weekend?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Special shout out to Daily Makeover’s Beauty Bloggerati crew, who are holding it down in The Big Apple this weekend. Hope you’re all having a great time. Wish I could be there.

There are 3 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun

Two Ways to Win the Sally Hansen HD Hi-Definition Nail Color Collection

July 23rd, 2009 by Karen 247 Comments


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


sally hansen hd hi definition nail color all

San Francisco is famous for foggy summer days, especially through July and August. It’s part of the city’s charm, not knowing what to expect from the weather, and why visitors to SF should always dress prepared. 🙂

Sometimes, though, when it’s warm almost everywhere else in America, SF’s overcast days get *really old*.

Up here in Marin County this morning, about 10 miles north of the city, I woke up to one of those foggy summer days.

I decided to brighten my outlook with brightly colored nails — a crazy mix of colors from the new Sally Hansen HD Hi-Definition Nail Color collection ($6 each).

Here are seven of the collection’s eight shades (click here to see the eighth color, Digital, a shimmery cool pink).

sally hansen hd hi definition nail color hi def
Hi Def

sally hansen hd hi definition nail color cyber
Cyber

sally hansen hd hi definition nail color lite
Lite

sally hansen hd hi definition nail color pixell
Pixell Pretty

sally hansen hd hi definition nail color three d
Three D

sally-hansen-hd-hi-definition-nail-color-hi-res-final
Hi Res

sally hansen hd hi definition nail color blu
Blu

To make the vibrant, shimmery polishes in this collection, Sally says they used liquid crystals and pure pigments. The colors are supposed to be as clear and brilliant as high definition TV.

Looking at these colors, I can’t help but smile. The shades are like little bursts of bright color on my nails!

I think it’s time for a giveaway. 🙂

The prize

Five lucky ladies will win a set of Sally Hansen HD Hi-Definition Nail Colors with all eight polishes (a $50 value).

The prize includes…

  1. Hi Def: a shimmery green
  2. Cyber: a shimmery purple
  3. Lite: a shimmery yellow
  4. Pixell Pretty: a shimmery teal
  5. Three D: a shimmery orange
  6. Hi Res: a shimmery red
  7. Blue: a shimmery blue
  8. Digital: a shimmery hot pink

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. In it, tell me what brightens your mood on a gloomy day.

Bright nail polishes, upbeat dance songs and Tabs are all things that cheer me up.

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

RT @karenmbb: RT to Win $50 in Sally Hansen HD Hi-Definition Nail Color. http://tinyurl.com/n78vxw

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 $50 in Sally Hansen HD Hi-Definition Nail Color. http://tinyurl.com/n78vxw

I’ll choose the five winners at random from among the people who enter by 11:59 PM PST on Saturday, July 25.

Kali tihi!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. To celebrate the launch of the HD Hi-Definition collection, Sally Hansen’s hosting an online sweepstakes with prizes like an HD TV, an iPod and a bunch of Sally Hansen goodies. Head over to the Sally Hansen website to enter.


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


There are 247 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun, Nails

Rihanna: Her Best Hair? (Part 1)

July 23rd, 2009 by Karen 14 Comments

rihanna-hair-poll

Known for her edgy, short hairstyles, pop singer Rihanna (born Robyn Rihanna Fenty on February 20, 1988) recently tried a look that took a lot of us by surprise.

Raised in Barbados, Rihanna moved to the U.S. at 16 to pursue her music career after being discovered by an American record producer on vacation in Barbados with his family.

Since her 2005 debut, Music of the Sun, Rihanna has gone on to sell more than 12 million albums worldwide, win a slew of awards, and has become a bona fide style trendsetter.

This year has been a rough one for her personal life, but I hope things stay on the up and up for her now.

Hang in there, RiRi!

Which of Rihanna's hairstyles do you like best?

View Results

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 14 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Hair, Just For Fun

Bloggerati Spotlight

July 22nd, 2009 by Karen 3 Comments

The Beauty Bloggerati

    Rocker Bye Baby on Etsy

  • Meet Etsy guru Amber Schwingle of RockerByeBaby — A Mom in Red High Heels
  • Chicago Hair Tips — The Jet Set Girls
  • Do you SPF your bod all year long? — Beauty Blogging Junkie
  • How to fix a hair color catastrophe — HUEman Behavior
  • Does Nordstrom’s national beauty director predict any fall makeup trends? — Spoiled Pretty
  • Brighten your outlook with these four summery scents — Makeup Bag

Happy hump day, homies! I’m making my morning tea right now and browsing the Sephora website for Illamasqua goodies. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 3 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun

What’s Your Favorite Drugstore Makeup?

July 22nd, 2009 by Karen 54 Comments

sally hansen diamond 12 hour lip treatment flawless

Drugstores are treasure troves of fantastic makeup bargains, like my current favorite, Sally Hansen Diamond 12-Hour Lip Treatment (the shade above is called Flawless).

The product comes in a ton of vibrant (and highly moisturizing) colors, feels thin and non-sticky on my lips and packs *lots* of eye-catching shine.

Plus, at $7 a tube (sometimes less on sale), they don’t break the bank. 🙂

NOTE: Walgreens has Diamond 12-Hour Lip Treatment on sale now for $4 each!

What’s your current favorite drugstore makeup product, and why has it stolen your heart?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. I just found out that Sephora online is now selling Illamasqua. Woot!

There are 54 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Drugstore Beauty Finds, Just For Fun, Makeup

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, July 20

July 20th, 2009 by Karen 67 Comments

072009-monday-poll-tabs-haaaay-1

  1. Mood:
  2. Pretty happy. I have a feeling this week is going to be a good one. 🙂

  3. What’s one of your strengths?
  4. You’ll have to drag me to hell before I give up on something I want. It’s both a blessing and a curse.

  5. What’s your favorite flower?
  6. Lilies — all kinds.

  7. What’s one tip/trick you use to keep your makeup organized?
  8. As dorky as it sounds, organizing by collection name and date helps me keep track of things. I like to keep makeup from a specific collection in a clear Ziploc bag and then stick a label with a name and date on it: MAC Colour Craft, July 2009. If I’m feeling extra ambitious, I’ll throw in an index card with notes on the colors. Totally OCD, I know, but I cover a lot of releases and this helps me access stuff quickly and easily.

  9. Eyes/lips/cheeks:
  10. I’m feeling kinda crafty today — MAC Colour Crafty, that is. Eyes: Mineralize Eyeshadow in Assemblage, Fluidline in Blacktrack, Dazzle Lash Mascara in Dazzle Black. Lips: Lipstick in Madly Creative. Cheeks: Mineralize Skinfinish in Triple Fusion.

  11. Do your pets have nicknames? If yes, what are they?
  12. Tabs has a whole slew of them: Tabarella, Tab Money, Coco Tabby, Coco, Smokey Eyes, Internet Millionz (yup, with a “Z”), The Mau, Tabs Christian…

  13. What are your favorite TV shows?
  14. True Blood, although I can’t watch it right before bed because I end up with freaky dreams. Also, anything by Joss Whedon or J.J. Abrams works for me!

  15. Would you date a guy with abnormally hairy ears?
  16. He’d either have to have long hair to cover those suckers up, or a stellar personality, or both.

  17. Outfit:
  18. Gray summer dress, light blue sweater, blue flip flops.

  19. Weekly goals:
  20. Make an appointment to visit the Fresh store in San Francisco (dang, their body care stuff smells SO GOOD), go to dance class at least once, research house paint and carpet colors, brush Tabs, organize the mountain of paper on my desk.

Hey, ladies. Can you believe it’s already Monday? Last weekend felt like it went by too quickly. Sometimes I wish I could put the Saturdays on slow-mo, so I could draw them out and enjoy the time even more.

I always look forward to checking in with you on Mondays. It’s like coffee with girlfriends at work. 🙂 If you find a little time from your to-do list this morning, let me know how you’re doing by copying the empty list below and pasting it with your answers in the comments. Talk to you soon!

Le list

Mood:
What’s one of your strengths?
What’s your favorite flower?
What’s one tip/trick you use to keep your makeup organized?
Eyes/lips/cheeks:
Do your pets have nicknames? If yes, what are they?
What are your favorite TV shows?
Would you date a guy with abnormally hairy ears?
Outfit:
Weekly goals:

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 67 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun

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

July 19th, 2009 by Karen 49 Comments

051508-post

My best: Being blown away by Lancome’s new blue bombshell, the Declaring Indigo collection for fall! Artliner in Indigo Charm, oh, how I love thee…

My worst: I’ve been rockin’ Medusa mane all weekend long. Yes, my hair’s been a frizzy, poofy, unruly mess, ugh! Thank goodness for black ponytail holders and headbands. 🙂

What were your best and worst beauty experiences of the week? Spill the beans in the comments.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 49 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun

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