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It’s a CeraVe Jamboree! CeraVe Healing Ointment Soothes Dry, Cracked Skin

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cerave healing ointment
Good stuff!

This month I’m highlighting skin care products from CeraVe, a most-excellent drugstore brand. It’s a CeraVe jamboree! This week’s allstar is a bomb balm for soothing cracked, dry skin — CeraVe Healing Ointment.

When I put this on, my skin goes ahhhh!

If your skin ever gets so dry that it cracks and stings — which is what happens to me on the corners of my lips and around my nostrils on occasion — this balm is the product you never knew you needed.

(I just smothered a thick layer on my lips, and now all is right with the world…)

CeraVe Healing Ointment is a thick, non-greasy unscented balm made to soothe, moisturize and relieve chapped, chafed or cracked skin. It contains hyaluronic acid and CeraVe’s signature ceramides for hydration, along with petrolatum, an occlusive ingredient that locks in moisture.

cerave healing ointment
Ingredients

You may have heard about petrolatum — which is regularly found in lotions and creams because of its ability to seal in moisture — as it’s been negatively viewed in some skin care circles, but according to some dermatologists, the bad rap is unwarranted. This post by Byrdie on petrolatum does a great job of breaking it down if you want to know more.

This particular product works for me, and my skin loves it, especially now that 1) it’s winter, and 2) I’ve been riding the retinol train every night. C’mon ride the train…the retinol train. WOO WOO!

Sorry, random ’90s dance flashback moment! (You know you love that song though.)

Benefits

  • Made to protect, soothe and moisturize skin
  • Suitable for dry, cracked and chafed skin
  • Fragrance-free and lanolin-free
  • Ceramides: Help restore and maintain skin’s natural barrier
  • Hyaluronic acid: Helps retain skin’s natural moisture
  • Non-comedogenic, preservative-free and dye-free
  • Accepted by the National Eczema Association

— cerave.com

I apply it on dry, cracked spots throughout the day whenever I need it, and all over different parts of my body as needed — lips, heels, on minor paper cuts (why do I get so many?), cuticles and all over my hands. The moment I rub it in, my skin physically feels better. The stinging stops, as does any itching or tightness. In a day or so, things are back to normal again.

cerave healing ointment
Seriously, I couldn’t wait to rub this into my hands, LOL!

Want more CeraVe?

LOVE THIS SO MUCH! I keep a mini tube in my little black backpack, a tube on my nightstand (I like to slather it on before bed) and a tube on my desk because that’s when I usually look down at my hands on the keyboard and realize — HOLY CRAP — that those paws need some moisture ASAP.

Yes, you can type right after you apply it because it really isn’t greasy at all!

A 3-oz. tube is $9.99, and you can find it at drugstores, Target and Ulta. By the way, Ulta still has buy one, get one for 40% off on their website, so if you like a deal, there ya go.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Happy National Dress Up Your Pet Day! Rosie wanted to wear her favorite calculator collar today.

karen and rosie dear tabby tee daffodil
I’m wearing the Dear Tabby Tee in Daffodil.

9 Reasons to Love Berets

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yay for berets
A beret is always a good idea.

1. They camouflage cray-cray hair

A beret instantly hides unruly baby hair so you don’t walk around looking like a mad scientists who hasn’t slept in days.

Added bonus: If the thought of brushing your mane sounds exhausting, a beret is your best friend! Just tuck those unruly strands underneath a chic beret.

2. They make great pop songs

Prince wrote a song about a raspberry beret found at a secondhand store. Can you imagine Raspberry Beret being something like Raspberry Bucket Hat or Raspberry Newsboy Cap or Raspberry Beanie? I don’t think so!


I would totally wear that cloud suit.

3. Cats love them!

Whether they’re wearing them, sleeping on them or attempting to tear them apart with their claws (ahem, *Rosie*), cats certainly love berets.

tabs in a beret
Goodness gracious, he certainly was a beautiful beast!

4. Berets effortlessly work with your favorite bold lip

Berets and bold lips are purrfection. This one is Chanel Eclosion, by the way, from the Spring-Summer 2021 collection.

eugenia kim beret
Not a Raspberry Beret, but still a beret nonetheless!

5. No ears required!

Unlike earrings, glasses or a face mask, berets doesn’t rely on your ears for support (really, our ears are doing so much these days), so rejoice in your ear freedom as you jauntily place a beret atop your head.

6. An equal-opportunity hat

Both ladies and gents wear berets, so if your significant other has one you’re fond up, take note — it’s totally up for grabs!

7. A hat with history

The beret has long graced the heads of many iconic individuals throughout history, and they’ve often been symbols of revolution.

A few beautiful berets to consider…

8. Famous people wear them…

Which may or may not be a plus, ha ha ha! Fun fact: Ernest Hemingway, cat fancier and novelist, liked berets.

9. You can have a beret for every mood

Depending on the material and size of said beret, you can either go chic and minimalist; or big, floppy and bold. There’s a beret for every occasion.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Unsung Makeup Heroes: Urban Decay Stay Naked Threesome in Naked

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urban decay stay naked threesome top
One of THE BEST things Urban Decay makes IMO, hands down!

What’s an unsung makeup hero? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar screen of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. The long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.

I’m totally over pervy names for beauty products (Anyone else? I feel like it’s just lazy language!), but the Urban Decay Stay Naked Threesome is one of the best everyday products in the entire line, so I just shake my head, accept the perviness, and call it my favorite bronzer-blush-highlighting palette instead.

This trio of fab face powders comes in light, medium and dark options. I use the medium one called…wait for it…Naked.

UD often has a well-deserved rep for bold bling-bling products, but this palette is surprisingly subdued. It’s really a workhorse because it removes the guesswork from picking products for perfectly flushed cheeks.

Naked includes a warm medium golden bronzer (don’t worry, it’s not too orange) with a soft sheen finish, a warm golden beige highlighter with a pearly finish, and a matte warm pink blush.

urban decay stay naked threesome swatch
I’m an NC42 in MAC.

The delicate powders have a dainty, Chanel-esque quality when they’re on my cheeks, which I love (ya girl cannot do overly aggressive powdery powders now that her pores have been ballooned due to age she’s older/wiser ?). All three are pigmented, too, yet I can still blend and smooth any edges with ease.

More to love…

  • The colors last all day.
  • Vegan
  • Sturdy, secure packaging with a big mirror (Side note: It does not include a brush, which I’m cool with because I end up using my own anyway.)
  • Works great with both warm and cool lip colors — particularly pinks, reds and corals.
  • Bronzer and highlighter can double as a eyeshadows in a pinch.
urban decay stay naked threesome
I’m wearing the bronzer, blush and highligheter.

Oh, and if you’re feeling too lazy to do a separate blush, bronzer and highlighter, just swirl all three powders together with a large face brush, and blend a light layer over bare cheeks or your favorite tinted moisturizer. Magic, I tell ya!

Naked is totally worth the coveted space in your everyday makeup bag. It’s $36, and you can find it now in the Urban Decay permanent line.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 660

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hello monday pond ivc
I hope the sunshine finds you today.

So…what is the Monday Poll?

Excellent question! It isn’t, contrary to its name, an actual poll, like with little clicky buttons. It’s just a list of five more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007). I love reading your answers, and it helps me get my week off to a good start. ?

    1. Pick one — furry boots or sequined vest?

    Sequined vest! — presumably because it would be easier to clean?!

    Maybe?

    Maybe I’m wrong, but I can see furry boots being magnets for leaves, mud and whatnot. A big pain in the butt to keep tidy.

    2. Are your holiday decorations still up?

    Nah, everything’s been stored away. I like to put the decorations away shortly after New Years, because I know from experience that if I don’t do it then…we’ll still have our Christmas lights up in March. ?

    3. Weirdest spice or condiment in your kitchen?

    Banana ketchup. It’s a Filipino thing!

    4. Yellow or orange?

    Orange.

    5. Something healthy that you can do for yourself this week?

    Refrain from using my phone for at least an hour before bed, which I want to do because that thing is just too stimulating.

    6. High-tops or high heels?

    High-tops, because I can sprint at a moment’s notice in them if need be. Plus, I’m terribly out of practice wearing heels. I’d take a step and probably just fall over, LOL!

    7. Do you have any original art on your walls?

    If Connor’s drawings count, then yes. Otherwise, no. But I would love to have some original paintings on my walls someday.

    8. Something you’re looking forward to in the spring?

    Seeing my favorite tree in bloom once again. ? It always takes my breath away.

    9. Your most-used hair accessory?

    My scrunchie, of course.

    Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

    Karen

    P.S. Here are the questions to copy/paste with your answers in a comment. Talk to ya soon.

    1. Pick one — furry boots or sequined vest?
    2. Are your holiday decorations still up?
    3. Weirdest spice or condiment in your kitchen?
    4. Yellow or orange?
    5. Something healthy that you can do for yourself this week?
    6. High-tops or high heels?
    7. Do you have any original art on your walls?
    8. Something you’re looking forward to in the spring?
    9. Your most-used hair accessory?

    P.P.S. Good morning and happy Monday! Just a quick reminder in case you need it — you’re focused, you’re strong, and you’re getting better every day. Let’s do this! ?

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 641

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Tabs was primarily known for his fashion sense and his flair for fabulousness and the food-related arts, but he wasn’t just a husky tabby. Sure, he was celebrated for his perfection of the feline form, but his mind was equally robust.

I think if he had had more hours in the day, in addition to kitty modeling and all of his other various businesses and philanthropic projects, he would have been the Elon Musk of cats. I was actually tidying up some of his old papers the other day, and I found what I think were napkin drawings of his plans for Space X.

I really do wonder where Elon got all of his ideas… Was Tabs up in the mix, and I just didn’t know about it? I know for a while they were texting…

Not all of his frenemies knew about his brilliant mind. They just assumed he was a pretty boy tabby with nothing but cobwebs up top, but really he was always planning and strategizing.

He loved all things technology and was on the forefront in the realms of robotics, coding and science.

Pretty Girl Rosie, PhD

Science is Rosie’s first and apparently only love. (Well, besides Temptations treats.) She could talk about formulas and numbers all day long. One day I asked her what she thought about advanced math, and five minutes into the conversation my brain turned into pudding. She’s so smart! And she’s not afraid to flaunt her brilliance.

This new pendant came in the mail the other day, and I just thought it was a shiny bauble from Tiffany, but noooo. Rosie has informed me that it is a completely new element that she synthesized in her lab. (Side note: Where is this lab? I live with the cat, and I have no idea where it is.)

Anyway, it’s apparently able to conduct multiple sources of energy at the same time. I don’t quite understand it. She was trying to explain it to me, and I sort of just passed out because it was way over my head.


[Continue reading…]

Saturday Surfing, Jan. 9, 2021

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popcorn peanut mms
Have a delicious day.

Salutations on this spectacular Saturday! Hi, friend. ?

OK, not-so-serious question for you… Have you discovered the wonder of combining popcorn with a handful of Peanut M&Ms?

Basically, IT IS A REVELATION. It’s my new favorite snack, and I can’t get enough of it. You get the salty popcorn coupled with the sweet chocolate. (Even Connor is obsessed!)

The trick — yes, there’s a trick to maximizing its greatness — is to start with a varietal of popcorn that isn’t too heavily flavored, and is only slightly salty. That way the popcorn-ness doesn’t clash with the candy. ?

I recommend Angie’s Boomchickapop Sea Salt Popcorn, which I get at Target, because it comes in a big bag, so I’m able to just toss a handful into a small bowl when I need something to tide myself over. Plop a few Peanut M&Ms in there, and you’re set.

I have yet to enjoy this delectable delicacy as my breakfast…but I’m tempted to right now. ?

Saturday Surfing


An old-school jam with a new school spin


Oooh!


I love this.


Super pretty


This is totally my style.

It’s been drizzling off and on this entire week, so today we’re going hiking at the Fairway waterfall again to see if it’s a raging river now because of the rain.

I hope it’s raging!

What are your plans this weekend? I hope you’re doing well.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

New Urban Decay Stay Naked Hydromaniac Tinted Glow Hydrator: Long-Lasting Hydration in a Skin-Like Base

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urban decay hydromaniac
There’s a new base in town.

I was perusing the list of ingredients for Stay Naked Hydromaniac Tinted Glow Hydrator, Urban Decay’s latest foray into moisturizing foundations, and I started getting thirsty! It contains fermented black tea, also known as kombucha (which is such a great word, isn’t it?) and ginger extract (for skin brightening) — both which sound like the start of zesty afternoon drink that you’d pour over ice and squeeze a wedge of lemon into.

AHHH, delicious!

Urban Decay has a new hydrating, long-wearing base with a luminous finish called Stay Naked Hydromaniac Tinted Glow Hydrator. It has some pretty ingredients for brightening and moisturizing, like kombucha, marula and argan oil, and ginger extract. It comes in 12 shades that are $29 each (1.1 ounces), and you can grab it now on the Urban Decay website.

INGREDIENTS (INGRÉDIENTS): AQUA / WATER / EAU, PHENYL TRIMETHICONE, DICAPRYLYL ETHER, GLYCERIN, TRIETHYLHEXANOIN, CETYL PEG/PPG-10/1 DIMETHICONE, DEXTRIN MYRISTATE, HYDROGENATED STYRENE/METHYLSTYRENE/INDENE COPOLYMER, PEG-8, SYNTHETIC FLUORPHLOGOPITE, PENTYLENE GLYCOL, POLYGLYCERYL-4 ISOSTEARATE, SODIUM CHLORIDE, PHENOXYETHANOL, DISODIUM STEAROYL GLUTAMATE, CHLORPHENESIN, ETHYL MENTHANE CARBOXAMIDE, SACCHAROMYCES/XYLINUM/BLACK TEA FERMENT, ALUMINUM HYDROXIDE, PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRA-DI-T-BUTYL HYDROXYHYDROCINNAMATE, TOCOPHEROL, HYDROXYETHYLCELLULOSE, ARGANIA SPINOSA KERNEL OIL, SCLEROCARYA BIRREA SEED OIL, ZINGIBER OFFICINALE ROOT EXTRACT / GINGER ROOT EXTRACT, SODIUM CITRATE, CITRIC ACID, POTASSIUM SORBATE, BIOTIN. [+/- (MAY CONTAIN / PEUT CONTENIR): CI 77891 / TITANIUM DIOXIDE, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499 / IRON OXIDES]. (D250959/1)

Hydromaniac is Urban Decay’s latest foray into skin-like bases, and it’s designed as a medium-coverage product to even out skin tone and freckles ever-so-slightly, although it can be layered for full coverage). The lightweight liquid foundation moisturizes with marula and argan oils while leaving a luminous, natural-looking finish behind.

urban decay hydromaniac 50
I’m wearing 50 underneath my eyes, on my cheeks and in the center of my forehead. The lipstick is Urban Decay Menace, and the blush/bronzer/highlighter is the Urban Decay Stay Naked Threesome palette in Naked.
urban decay hydromaniac 50
The obligatory “before” pic

The luminosity isn’t “blinged out” to the extreme, so you don’t get a high-shine pearl, a la Charlotte Tilbury’s Hollywood Flawless Filter. This is more like the subtlest sheen. It’s comparable to medium-coverage tinted moisturizers like Skin Feels Good by Lancôme and Ultra Repair Tinted Moisturizer by First Aid Beauty. If you like either of those, you’ll probably dig Hydromaniac too… Well, that is, if you can find a shade that matches your skin.

I’m STILL a MAC NC42 after all these years, and I’ve ended up with 50 Medium Warm, which is a little bit too light for me to haphazardly blend all over my entire face, but I can wear it under my eyes, on my cheeks and down the center of my forehead, which is where I like the most coverage anyway. It has a minor highlighting effect on my face, too, which I like. I just have to really buff out the edges to prevent any obvious lines of demarcation where the product fades into my jawline and up into the the perimeter of my forehead.

A few more things of note…

  • Pore blurring: Hydromaniac has a minor blurring effect, which I think is lovely.
  • Long wearing: Urban Decay calls it a “24HR” formula, and to remove it, I do need to do a double cleanse with an oil-based cleanser first, followed by CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser afterward.
  • No SPF: Many similar lightweight foundations/tinted moisturizers contain SPF, but Hydromaniac does not.
  • Vegan formula: Yup, it’s vegan. ?
urban decay hydromaniac 50 swatch
Medium Warm 50

Bottom line, I like the interesting ingredients, and I appreciate that Urban Decay is offering something for people who prefer less coverage than full. My skin still looks like my skin, and I love how I don’t feel it sitting on top of my face. It’s very comfortable! I’d say that there’s also a good amount of moisture, but I wouldn’t rely on this as my one-and-only face moisturizer.

The only thing is…I sure do wish there were more shades. If you can find one that works for you, I say go for it!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!

A Little Chanel Les 4 Ombres Tissé Vendôme Eyeshadow Quad Love

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chanel tisse vendome
Chanel Les 4 Ombres Multi-Effect Quadra Eyeshadow in Tissé Vendôme ($62)

Quick shout-out to a quad I’ve been loving lately! — Chanel Les 4 Ombres Tissé Vendôme.

I wear the two browns and the beige the most, and the lighter golden taupe-brown has a sheen finish. It’s fantastic for simple, elegant washes of color on the lids.

chanel tisse vendome
Golden taupe-y browns forever! Also, I’m wearing the Cats & Makeup Sweatshirt.

You can buff the darker brown (which also has a sheen finish) into the corners for depth, but I usually like to keep it simple and wear it as a liner, applied with either a wet or dry angled brush.

The satiny beige comes in handy for soft, subtle highlights on the brow bone and inner corner.

chanel tisse vendome
That’s Tissé Vendôme on my lids and Urban Decay Menace Lipstick on my lips.

That coral shade is actually pretty handy too! Pair it with coral or peach blush or lipstick. I like to blend it onto the mobile part of my lid (the area that moves when you blink) to highlight that area and bring it out a bit more (helps my eyes look less hooded).

chanel tisse vendome swatch
For reference, I’m an NC4.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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