Product Reviews

R+Co Death Valley Dry Shampoo Hits Holy Grail Hair Status

August 3rd, 2017 by Karen 5 Comments

R+Co Death Valley Dry Shampoo may have a morbid-sounding name (“The place where oily roots go to die.”), but, ironically, it makes me feel so alive! — like, in a “Damn, this is so good!” kinda way.

A $29 can of Death Valley is right up there with the gold standard in dry shampoo/texturizing sprays for me, Oribe’s Dry Texturizing Spray, WHICH IS HELLA BOMB, but it’s $42…

Like the Oribe spray, Death Valley feels like nothing in my hair. I can’t feel it sitting on my scalp or anywhere (other than a bit of a gritty feeling) and the mist shoots out super fine, so it’s virtually invisible, even on dark hair.

My hair feels a bit gritty when I use it (just a bit), but by no means would I call it crispy. So, your hair will not feel like uncooked Ramen noodles.

Like all R+Co products, it smells like fancy perfume, which I love. The scent is R+Co’s “Rosy Eyed” fragrance, which is a blend of bergamot, fig, tonka beans, cedar wood and lotus flower.

And you know what I heard through the grapevine? Oribe and R+Co are owned by the same company, Luxury Brand Partners, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the lines share some recipes.

I mean, you can find similar formulas across the Estée Lauder brands (MAC, Bobbi Brown, etc.), so I’m just saying… I wouldn’t be surprised.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The Summer of Skin Care! Getting to Know Tula, and Why Are There Probiotics in Their Skin Care?

August 3rd, 2017 by Karen 10 Comments

tula skincare review — Hello, Tula! From the left: Tula Skincare Multi-Spectrum Eye Renewal Serum ($68), Pro-Glycolic 10% pH Resurfacing Gel ($34) and Hydrating Day & Night Cream ($52)

If I’m going to name the bald spot in my brow Raul, I should also christen any bacteria that I’m purposefully putting on my face. It’s the right thing to do.

So, every time I use any products from Tula Skincare, I’m going to say hi to Brandon and Brenda — also known as Bifida Ferment Lysate and Lactococcus Ferment Lysate.

“What’s poppin’, Brenda? Hey, hey, Brandon!”

Because Tula products contain probiotics.

What’s Tula Skincare all about?

They’re an NYC-based skin care line, and I think they’ve been around for a couple years now. Their name, Tula, means “balance” in Sanskrit, and all of the products, which range in price from $20-100, contain probiotics.

Yup, microorganisms. Bacteria. They combine them with AHAs, antioxidants, retinols and superfoods to help naturally balance your skin.

tula hydrating day night cream — The Hydrating Day & Night Cream

The line includes a cleanser, toner and a lot of moisturizers and anti-aging products, none of which contain parabens. Some of the products, like the Pro-Glycolic Resurfing Gel (which is a gem, but more on that in a few), and all of which contain probiotics.

According to the website, the line doesn’t test on animals, but they don’t make any cruelty-free claims.

Bacteria in skin care

So what’s the deal? Why are people purposefully putting bugs in skin care? You may have heard about it, because it’s pretty trendy right now.

To clarify, these are the “good” bacteria. The idea is similar to, like, eating Greek yogurt or drinking kefir, both which have “good” bacteria — living organisms to help digest food, reduce inflammation and regulate tummy troubles.

Probiotics in skin care products are supposed to fool the skin into focusing on good bacteria and not the harmful ones that worsen inflammation, like acne and rosacea, but there isn’t a ton of clinical research out there to supports its effectiveness.

Some signs are optimistic.

tula eye serum applicator — The applicator for the eye serum

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5 Botanically Based Bodacious Skin Care Products Worth Trying at Space NK

August 2nd, 2017 by Karen 8 Comments

sunday riley kat burki malin goetz — Plant-powered skin care!

There’s a bounty of botanical-based skin care products at Space NK meow, and here are five of my favorites at the moment.

1. Sunday Riley C.E.O. C + E antiOxidant Protect + Repair Moisturizer ($65)

This rich, mega-moisturizing anti-aging moisturizer has an oil-soluble version of vitamin C called tetrahexydecyl ascorbate (or THD ascorbate) that some researchers believe can penetrate skin better than old-fashioned vitamin C.

Vitamin C is notoriously fickle/unstable, but tetrahexydecyl ascorbate is stable and less irritating than other forms of vitamin C, making it suitable for peeps with sensitive skin, too.

sunday riley ceo moisturizer — Hurry, get the C.E.O.!

I just started using this, and my skin, which has been drier than usual, laps it up. Along with THD ascorbate, it contains an exfoliating botanical extract called lime seed pearl, commonly known as “finger lime.” It’s a plant, native to Australia, and it contain hundreds of tiny capsules of lime juice. They look like caviar.

2. Sunday Riley C.E.O. C + E Micro-Dissolve Cleansing Oil ($38)

This cleansing oil also has lime pearl, as well as THD ascorbate, white willow bark, turmeric and evening primrose. It makes quick work of my foundation, concealer, lipstick and blush, but it makes me tear up when it touches my water lines, so I have to grab something else to remove my eyeshadow, mascara and liner.

sunday riley ceo cleansing oil — White willow bark contains salicin, which is the precursor to aspirin.

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A Pony Tale About the Mia Beauty Tony Ties…

August 2nd, 2017 by Karen 11 Comments

If we had the technology to locate all of the black hair elastics that disappear into the ether, we’d be running missions to Mars already and basically winning at LIFE.

Where do they go?!

The last of mine disappeared recently (How? Why?), so I bought a pack of Goody Ouchless Elastics for Thick Hair, and girl…ugh. Don’t do it. They break easily, slip right off my ponytail, and essentially drive me nuts every time I wear one.

But, on the glass-half-full side, they led me to rediscover my love for the Mia Beauty Tony Ties, which are SO GREAT! 🙂

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Meet the MAC Power Hungry Palette From the New MAC Girls Collection

August 2nd, 2017 by Karen 19 Comments

I keep telling myself, “Karen, let it go, girl. LET IT GOOOOOOO.” But I just can’t! So this one’s for my fellow word nerds who also noticed an absence of alliteration in the name of the new MAC Power Hungry Palette and can’t let that sh*t go (oh, gawd, please tell me I’m not the only one!).

13 Alternate Alliterative Appellations for the MAC Power Hungry Palette

Power Perfectionist
Power Professional
Power Player (thanks, Kim, for mentioning this one in the comments!)
Power Performer
Power Participant
Power Producer
Power Provider
Power Protagonist (my personal pick)
Power Partner
Power Principal
Power Person
Power Professor
Power Patrician

I mean…a little alliteration never hurt anyone. 🙂

Power Hungry is the second palette I’ve played with from the MAC Girls collection (I really liked the first one, Rockin’ Rebel), and it’s the neutral palette in the girl gang.

mac power hungry swatches — I’m an NC42 for reference.

It’s sort of like MAC’s take on a UD Naked palette, except without a black or gray shadow, and with an additional big pan of highlighter.

Lots of layering

I have mixed feelings about it… Browns are my jam — you know this — and I like how soft these feel when I touch them, but I need to do A LOT of layering for them to show up.

mac power hungry palette k closeup — Check the highlight, though!

Even for this natural-ish eye makeup look I’m wearing, I must’ve put on six or seven layers of Bling Mistress, Bossing It and Something’s Fishy. I actually lost count!

It was a lot… Let’s just say that.

Frowsy Foils

Even then, I wasn’t very happy, because the powders, which are in MAC’s Foil formula, aren’t as finely milled as the Foils in Rockin’ Rebel. The grains are larger this time, and they reeeeeeally like to drop from my lids and my brush onto my cheekbones.

The highlight is the highlighter

I do love the highlighter, though! It’s more blinged-out than my preferred soft and glowing highlight style, but I like the soft opalescent effect I get from using a tiny touch on my skin.

You can also reach spotlight status easily, too, if brighter, bolder boss-lady bling is more your thing (the look is similar to what you get from the MAC Extra Dimension Skinfinishes).

mac power hungry palette k — That’s Power Hungry on my lids, my upper cheekbones and down the bridge of my nose.

I really love the colors themselves, but you might have to bust out a base like the Paint Pots if you’re an NC42 or darker to get them to translate truthfully on your skin. Maybe something beige…like Painterly or Bare Study. Soft Ochre would work, too.

Power Hungry arrives with the rest of the MAC Girls collection August 3rd at select MAC locations and online. Like the other palettes, it’s $39.50 and will only be available for a limited time.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Countdown to National Lipstick Day on July 29th! Chanel Rouge Coco Ultra Hydrating Lip Colour in Edith

July 28th, 2017 by Karen 3 Comments

chanel edith rouge coco — That’s my girl, Edith! (Chanel Rouge Coco in Edith, $37)

One more sleep ’til National Lipstick Day! (As if we needed a formal holiday to celebrate lipstick.)

Today I wore warm pink Rouge Coco Ultra Hydrating Lip Colour in Edith ($37), one of my faves in the moisturizing Ultra Hydrating Lip Colour line.

I guess I didn’t have enough water yesterday (bad Karen!), because when I woke up this morning, my lips were extra dry, and when my lips feel particularly parched, Rouge Coco it is! Ah, so moisturizing…

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When I Wear These Lune + Aster Vitamin C+E Lip Glosses, I’m a Rebel, Artist, Editor-In-Chief and a Soccer Mom

July 28th, 2017 by Karen 5 Comments

Connor Claire carries her soccer ball ⚽ everywhere. When we play outside, she kicks it around and chases after it, laughing the entire time and smiling with her eyes. It’s the cutest thing!

connor soccer ball — Future goalie for Team USA?!

I’m wondering if this means that I’m a soccer mom now and can legit rock this gloss by Lune + Aster called Soccer Mom?! I’m going to go with a “yes.”

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Meet the MAC Girls, and Rock Out With Rockin’ Rebel

July 27th, 2017 by Karen 13 Comments

mac girls collection review top1 — Howdy, MAC Girls!

Hmm… Looks like a few palettes are missing from the new MAC Girls collection. (Coming soon! August 3rd!)

I see a Rockin’ Rebel, a Fashion Fanatic and a Mischief Minx…but where’s Feline Friend? Or Pooped Parent? Or Nutella Nut? Methinks MAC missed an opportunity. Those would have spoken to many real life MAC Girls.

Which MAC girl are you?

MAC’s limited edition MAC Girls collection contains six $39.50 palettes, each with eight eyeshadows and a big pan of highlighter. Every palette has a different personality. There’s Rockin’ Rebel, which is the one I’m wearing today, with blues, greens and golds. Mischief Minx, a.k.a. “the warm palette,” keeps cozy with toasty tones of orange, gold and brown. Fashion Fanatic flirts with bright berries, purples and pinks. Basic Bitch — the smokey palette — is a bad-@ss bevy of cool grays, purples and silvers. In Prissy Princess, pinks, grays, browns and taupes reign supreme. And Power Hungry is the only palette in the release that doesn’t have an alliterative name…and it’s bugging me because I can’t think of a catchy pun that starts with “P.” It’s the palette with neutral beiges, browns and bronze.

A couple things are jumping out at me. Like, I can’t remember the last time MAC released a collection that was exclusively comprised of palettes. Can you? Because their palettes are usually just one component of a larger launch, like they usually do for holiday. So that’s cool (and weird!).

mac rockin rebel — I’m about as rebellious as a slice of cheese…but I’d still wear Rockin’ Rebel.

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