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Kitsch Pro

A Mother’s Day Shopping Trip: Self-Care at Ulta

May 12th, 2022 by Karen 7 Comments

Good morning, my friend. I’m raising my cup of coffee to you in a *toast.* Here’s to another beautiful day (it’s a sunny one here in Marin county this morning), and to being tender and gentle with yourself.

I’ve been needing TLC, so last Sunday, I took a Mother’s Day self-care trip to Ulta.

My brows and lashes have been driving me crazy, so I decided to restock some old school favorites in the hopes they’d help.

For my brows, I grabbed the OG of brow fillers, Anastasia Brow Wiz (my shade is Medium Brown) and Clear Brow Gel.

As for mascara, I turned to an old friend, MAC Extended Play Gigablack, which I’ve been wearing on and off since 2013 (!). If you want curl hold, length and separation, this mascara is great.

I’m trying to get back into the habit of painting my nails! Right now I’m using the three-step OPI Infinite Shine system, which combines lacquer and gel technology. I already have a couple of colors and the top coat, so during this trip I bought the base coat and a nude pale pink, Bubble Bath.

Oh, and since Connor was with me, I let her pick out a polish. She close Turn It Up by Orly, a glittery beauty!

My hair… I can’t even. It desperately needs some TLC! I’m scheduled for a cut next Tuesday, thank goodness. I just gotta make it to next week without chopping it all off in the middle of the night.

To tide me over until then, I thought it might be nice to try some new things: a claw clip by Kitsch (I’ve loved everything I’ve tried from them so far), a minty scalp conditioner by Not Your Mother’s Naturals (I’m hoping it will make a good co-wash) and a leave-in by Verb (ended up returning it because the scent was too strong).

You know what? I’ve decided to fully embrace the fact that I’m a lady who loves fancy body lotion. With that in mind, I bought this gorgeous, heavy glass jar of Body Cream by KEYS Soulcare, which is the skin care line by Alicia Keys (yup, the singer).

It’s a shea and cocoa butter body cream, so it’s rich and thick, and it’s scented with a gorgeous warm, herbal mix that smells like sandalwood and sage to my nose. The scent is present enough to notice, but it doesn’t overwhelm my senses. I really love it.

Oh, and random, while I was reading the copy on the box, I noticed that e.l.f. is mentioned as the distributer. Neat!

Last but not least, I bought some cotton pads and a nail polish remover. All in all, a very satisfying self-care trip.

Building those happiness muscles, day two

For the next fourteen days, I’m noting a couple things that I’m grateful for. If you care to join me, please share in the comments.

Anywho, today it’s sliced fruit in my water (strawberries are especially yummy) and mechanical pencils. Both are simple pleasures which make my life so much better.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 7 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Anastasia, Hair, Just For Fun, Kitsch Pro, MAC Makeup, Makeup, Nails, OPI

Product Spotlight: Kitsch Pro No-Snag Elastic

June 17th, 2020 by Karen 2 Comments

kitsch pro elastics
Saving you from the messy bun, one elastic at a time

Perhaps the best $3 I ever spent at Ulta! In an attempt to get my mop out of the messy lockdown scrunchie bun (it’s threatening to become a permanent fixture on my head), I’ve been wearing a half-up, half-down pony using these black no-snag mini elastics by Kitsch Pro.

They’re small, thin black plastic hair ties with a flat edge and a slick finish that allows you to easily slip them into your hair to secure ponytails and braids. I’ve used this type of elastic before, and this is the only one that doesn’t pull or break any hairs as I’m putting my hair up or down in a ponytail. It won’t move for nothing, and you won’t end up with a handful of broken hairs when you take it out.

kitsch no snag elastics

Granted, they aren’t built to last… Each elastic is good for maybe two uses at the most, because they come out misshapen and useless, which is a bummer… I still like ’em though.

If your hair is on the thinner side, I think you might like them too. Or, if you live with little girls, they’d be great for tiny ponytails and braids.

Available in clear, brown and black, and a pack of 100 elastics is three bucks!

Your Friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 2 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Drugstore Beauty Finds, Hair, Kitsch Pro

Ulta Hair Haul

November 7th, 2019 by Karen 6 Comments

ulta hair haul

If you happen to be on the lookout for a new dentist, might I suggest finding one with an office in close proximity to an Ulta? Because, and I say this from personal experience, you will never miss another cleaning if you can simultaneously promise yourself that you can go to Ulta afterwards. LOL!

This celebratory hair haul happened this week because — woo-hoo! TMI moment ahead — my gums are in grrrrrrreat shape. My pockets are all twos and threes, with nary a deep pocket in sight.

Hence, the aforementioned victory lap around Ulta, and this much-needed hair haul!

First, the backstory… I went to put my hair up before work the other day and realized that most of my black ties and bobby pins were gone.

SERIOUSLY, where do they go?

(Does anybody actually look as cute as this girl on “The Fit Girl Club” headbands packaging when they work out? Because I look much, much scarier than she does when I drop down to do burpies…)

scuni fit girl club

Anyway, I’m stoked about these bungee elastics because I read somewhere that one of my favorite hair stylists and makeup artists, Britt Sully, loves them for creating unfussy, casual cool-girl hair.

kitsch bungee elastics

Also, I really hope these no-snag elastics do what they’re supposed to do, because I’ve been wearing Dutch braids quite often lately, and the elastics I’ve been using (I think they’re by Goody) keep breaking on me, and I pull hair out every time I remove them.

kitsch no snag elastics

Really, how long do you think it’ll take before I lose these black hair ties? Honest question.

I give ‘em about six months before it’s “Welcome to the abyss!”

scuni ponytail elastic-thick hair
[Continue reading…]

There are 6 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Beauty & Planet, Hair, Kitsch Pro, Scuni, Ulta

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

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