Skin Care

IT’S BACK, BABY! Trader Joe’s Rose Oil Ultra Moisturizing Hand Cream Is Back!

May 8th, 2018 by Karen 21 Comments

trader-joes-rose oil hand cream on shelf — Time to stockpile!

When it comes to rumors, generally I take the advice I got from Timex Social Club when I was in sixth grade.

I choose to ignore them.

Started by the jealous people…

BUUUUUT when a friend told me that she asked a clerk who told her that TJ’s famous Rose Oil Ultra Moisturizing Hand Cream (which sold out at our store in, like, two seconds) would be back in time for Mother’s Day, I told myself that it was probably just a rumor started by a bored TJ’s employee who messes with the hearts and minds of skin care enthusiasts.

Still, I always checked the shelf in the beauty aisle, just in case, hoping and against hope that I’d see my beloved hand cream again.

Lo and behold, I did! It’s baaaaaaack! ?

If I’d had a portable fainting couch with me, I would’ve whipped it it out in the store.

I grabbed two boxes like I was grabbing bottled water for the apocalypse, and yet I’m already kicking myself for not getting more.

I’m serious, this cream is the only thing keeping my hands from going full-on T. rex ? claw. Look for it every time you go to TJ’s. It’s marvelous!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Does Your Skin Change With the Seasons?

May 4th, 2018 by Karen 9 Comments

Girl, yes. So. Much. Yes.

The funny thing is, or at least the cruelly ironic thing is, that it didn’t change much at all that I can remember when I was in my teens and 20s. I used to have much oilier skin then and got frequent breakouts all year round. That was the status quo for about the first half of my life.

Sh*t got real in my mid-30s, and now I feel the seasons in my pores, LOL!

I’m probably also hyper aware of my skin now, whereas I didn’t think about it much back in the day, but as the temperature and the humidity changes, and yes, even in California we do have seasons. 🙂 But yeah, when the seasons change, my skin freaks out.

My skin is definitely feeling the effects of spring right now. First, I’m taking allergy meds, which are making my skin even drier than usual, and I’ve also been getting hives that pop up at the most inopportune moments, like right when I have to meet somebody for the first time, and I’ve got a big-@ss red bump on my left cheek the size of my fist.

Second, because it gets really windy here in spring, I get windburn, and my skin physically hurts. It feels tight and kind of taught. It’s like a sunburn. 🙁
Yeah, my hives are no joke.

So, long story short, yes, my skin changes with the seasons, and I have to adjust my skin care and my makeup (mainly my base makeup, like primers, foundations and powders) accordingly.

How about you? Does your skin change with the seasons?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

What’s One Thing That Drastically Made Your Skin Worse?

April 27th, 2018 by Karen 46 Comments

k goofing off — I say blergh to breakouts!

I’ll tell you one thing I’m never gonna do again… Although, you know what? In beauty, one should never say never, because you just never (haha, say it one more time, Karen!) know how you’ll feel in a few months or years, or what will be in vogue at any given moment, so I’ll tell you one thing I’m probably never gonna do again. I’m probably never gonna do another crazy extensive multi-step skin care regimen.

I tried one last December and January. I was using multiple serums, toners and treatments, both in the morning and at night, and I think it was just too aggressive for my face. I started breaking out in places I never break out, and my face was just HURTING, like all the time. Even applying lotion was painful. Plus, the regimen was too time consuming! I felt like I was always in the bathroom waiting for something to dry so I could layer something else on top.

In February, I quit that nonsense. Eight weeks had passed, which I figured was enough time to assess whether the routine was working (and it was wasn’t working, that’s for sure), so I scaled everything back and returned to using the products and lines I’ve had good luck with in the past.

Here’s what I’ve been using for the past two months…

Morning

Gentle cleanser — Avene Tolérance Extrême Cleansing Lotion, which I wipe off with a basic cotton washcloth

Benzoyl Peroxide cream — Kate Somerville Anti-Bac Clearing Lotion (I wait till my skin is completely dry, then apply four pumps all over my face)

Moisturizer/sunscreen all-in-one — Clarins Extra-Firming Day for All Skin Types, and/or Drunk Elephant Umbra Tinte (I’m less fond of the Drunk Elephant one; I don’t think it’s as moisturizing as the Clarins)

Evening

Oil-based makeup remover — I’m currently using the one by Tatcha because I had it around and needed to finish it up. I had been using the Tata Harper one before that. Honestly, I don’t think you need to go fancy with this step at all.

Gentle cleanser — Avene Tolérance Extrême Cleansing Lotion and a basic cotton washcloth

Acid Toner — Biologique Recherche p50 1970 (the hype is real! I wait till my skin is completely dry before applying it with a cotton pad)

Moisturizer — Clarins Extra-Firming Night (the last thing I do before bed, after I use the toner)

So, yeah, a much less intense multi-step skin care routine for this girl now.

(You should have seen it before!)

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF. 🙂

Raw Sugar Body Butter in Raw Coconut + Mango

March 20th, 2018 by Karen 7 Comments

I keep a Target list on my phone because it’s common knowledge that if you go to Target without a list, you’ll leave with a cart filled with nonsense, and you’ll probably forget to actually get the items you need (story of my life). I keep the list because that way I know I’ll get what I, ya know, actually need, LOL!

Anyway, one of the things on my list right now is Raw Sugar Body Body Butter, which I recently discovered, and it’s been an amazing product find.

It’s affordable — $9.99 for a 7-oz. jar! — but it feels like and performs as well as the $34 Caudalie Body Butter I love so much.

It’s a thicker-style body butter, so it isn’t as fluffy as the body butters at Origins or Pacifica, but despite how dense it is, it still absorbs quickly (weird!).

It’s also moisturizing as all heck.

[Continue reading…]

Well This Just Happened

February 23rd, 2018 by Karen 9 Comments

trader joes rose oil ultra moisturizing hand cream backups — Stockin’ up

I’m actually surprised I didn’t walk out of Trader Joe’s with more than three boxes of this hand cream.

Not to say that I didn’t come close… But I didn’t have a basket. And I was only supposed to zip in and out before HIIT class. And I didn’t want to be late. So I didn’t really have time to carry a tall stack of them awkwardly across the store.

Now, if I’d had a few extra minutes and/or a basket, I would’ve totally been that person who walks up to the register with a box of these mini ice cream cones and an armful of hand cream. LOL.

I talked about this hand cream before, but long story short, it’s hella moisturizing, smells fantastic and only costs $4.99. It’s a bargain rose-scented dupe for L’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream.

[Continue reading…]

Trader Joe’s Rose Oil Ultra Moisturizing Hand Cream

February 21st, 2018 by Karen 43 Comments

No, girl, seriously, if Trader Joe’s sold this in life-size buckets or barrels, I would strip down and just dunk myself into them from toes to chin, and I’d do it every day — perhaps even multiple times a day — because this new hand cream (AHHH!) feels soooo good.

I got it at the store last Saturday. TJ’s has a few rose skin care products, actually. There’s also a rose oil and a rose facial toner, and this is the Rose Oil Ultra Moisturizing Hand Cream. It’s $4.99 for a 3-oz. tube and feels exactly like L’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream to me.

Both list Shea Butter as the second ingredient, so maybe that’s why.

It has that, like… How can I explain this? You know how your hands will feel good for about five minutes when you put on some hand creams, but then go back to feeling dry again afterward? Well, when I rub this stuff in, my skin feels quenched for hours.

It’s been really dry and windy here in Northern California lately. Before I started using this, the skin on my hands literally HURT, but this Rose Oil is making everything better.

[Continue reading…]

5 Things I’ve Been Loving Lately

February 2nd, 2018 by Karen 38 Comments

senita athletics top — Cute cutouts for the win

1. Tops with back detailing

Cutouts and braids and peek-a-boo details, oh, my! I’m into tops with cute back action right now, because, let’s be honest…the only part of my body NOT covered in food at any given moment is my upper back. And if it’s the only part of me that’s going to be devoid of half-chewed Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies and organic string cheese, by golly, it’s going to be cute!

2. Kate Somerville Wrinkle Warrior Pink Plumping Mask

This moisturizing gel mask is pink and sparkly — although I can’t quite figure out how the shimmer works, because I don’t really see it on my skin when I look directly at it; it’s like sneaky side sparkle — and smells a like little like a triple berry smoothie.

It’s SUPER hydrating, too. I’ve been using it a few times a week in the morning when my skin feels even drier than usual.

kate somerville wrinkle warrior pink plumping mask — Sparkly!

When I apply a layer after cleansing and toning in the morning, eat breakfast and putter around for a bit, then wash it off, my skin looks and feels plump and moisturized. Kate S. says the moisture magic is from something called “HA3,” which stands for three types of hyaluronic acid, but really, every time I see “HA3” on the jar, I think “Ha-Ha-Ha!” instead. 🙂

All jokes aside, I love this as a makeup prep step in the a.m. because everything I put on top of my skin after it — foundation, concealer, powder, etc. — looks much smoother.

3. Classical Art Memes

These are totally a thing.

[Continue reading…]

Origins Original Skin Pore Perfecting Cooling Primer Has Plenty of Chill

January 25th, 2018 by Karen 3 Comments

origins original skin primer — Origins Original Skin Pore Perfecting Cooling Primer ($32 for a 1.8-oz. can)

Could someone please explain why all of these chill-inducing skin care products are launching in the middle of winter? First Kate Somerville’s Cryogenic thingamabob, and now this — Origins Original Skin Pore-Prefecting Cooling Primer With Willowherb? Both of them feel freezing when you put them on your face, and that’s the last thing I need help with right now. Mother nature is taking care of that all by herself, thank you very much. (Side note: I’m wearing the thickest, most unsexy socks right now…but they’re so warm!)

I will say, though… This primer is kinda cool, both literally and figuratively. It’s a tinted, airy, mousse-y foam makeup primer, and like the Jelly Cleanser it just launched with, it has willowherb extract to help with hyper-pigmentation.

It does feel cool to the touch when it first comes out of the can — not painfully freezing cold or tingly or anything, but it is chilly enough to get your attention. I find it refreshing, like holding a chilled washcloth to your face, and the effect wears off in about 10-15 seconds.

You work a little on bare skin after washing your face and applying your skin care for the day, but before applying your makeup, and it helps everything you apply afterward (foundation, concealer, powder, etc.) look smoother and last longer.

On my 40-something combo skin, it works as a moderately potent smoothing primer (I can definitely see a difference in pore size when I use it), similar to BECCA Backlight (but without the shimmer), Hourglass Veil or MAC Prep+Prime Natural Radiance, but not as intensely smoothing as a silicone-heavy primer like Make Up For Ever Smoothing Primer or Urban Decay Urban Defense, both of which fill pores like painter’s putty for your skin.

[Continue reading…]