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Review: Bumble and Bumble Creme de Coco Masque

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Sorry for the late post, guys! I got home from the airport around midnight last night and woke up a little jet lagged. All morning I felt like I was slow-motion Karen, like my brain was moving at the speed of soup!

I took a nice, long shower to get my rear into gear and did much-needed post vacation beauty maintenance before heading to work. I used Volcanic Ash Exfoliator by MAC Cosmetics to exfoliate my feet and body (review to follow shortly!) and Bumble and Bumble’s new Creme de Coco Masque ($24) on my hair, a once-a-week moisturizing conditioner that’s supposed to make hair shiny, smooth and soft.

It’s the newest member of Bumble and Bumble’s Creme de Coco family and chock full of coconut oil, a common ingredient in beauty products for skin and hair. The folks at Bumble and Bumble say that Creme De Coco Masque takes coconut oil to the next level with “breakthrough Japanese technology.” I’m not exactly sure what they meant by that, but it sounds sufficiently awesome.

In a coconut and vegetable derived base, Creme de Coco also contains mango and shea butters, avocado oil, and botanical extracts of olive leaf, nettle, horsetail and mallow. I think it sounds like a yummy salad.

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I returned from Hawaii with a tan, macadamia nuts, kona coffee … and dry, crunchy, damaged hair. Go figure. There’s a certain poetry to using a product filled with tropical ingredients to repair the damage done to my hair by sun and salt water.

A few years ago I went through a bout of extra crispy hair and tried Bumble and Bumble’s Deeep (with three Eees) Conditioner, another weekly hair masque treatment. I liked it and remember that it worked back then, so I was eager to try out Bumble and Bumble’s Creme de Coco.

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Still in the shower after washing my hair, I massaged two silver dollar’s worth of Creme de Coco Masque into my hair, spending extra time to work the product into the dry ends. Directions on the bottle suggest leaving it on for at least seven minutes before rinsing, so, while I waited for the Masque to do its thang, I took the opportunity to exfoliate my body, because I’m all about multi-tasking. 🙂
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Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection 55 for Face and Body: Goodbye Zombie Tan

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I’m going to be in travel mode and midair much of the day but still wanted to check in and say hello.

Hello! 🙂

I’m sitting here in the living room of my in-law’s place listening to the neighborhood chickens go nuts (they must be sad to see me go) and hearing mangos regularly drop from tall trees with loud thuds in the backyard jungle.

Even though I won’t be hitting the beach today (or for a long time, for that matter), it’s still sunny outside, so I’ve slathered myself up with Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion SPF 55 PA +++ ($37), the sunscreen I’ve reached for more than any other on this trip.

Containing two active sunblock ingredients — octinoxate (UVB protectant) and zinc oxide (UVA and UVB protectant) — Shiseido 55 blocks both kinds of damaging ultraviolet radiation. My ample “testing” over the past week also showed it to be highly water resistant — hello, a total must for my sweaty self. The product marketing claims Shiseido 55 remains active for up to 80 minutes in water. Based on my experience with it, that estimate seems about right to me.

I’m a sunscreen addict, and most of the other high SPF lotions I’ve tried either don’t absorb well — I’m talking five minutes of vigorous rubbing to sufficiently cover one arm — or they leave a whitish-grey film on my skin, aka zombie tan. Shiseido overcame both issues with this product. It absorbs quickly and doesn’t leave a white or grey cast.

BEAUTY ALERT: MAC Cosmetics Coupon Code

This morning a gal pal at MAC sent this much appreciated coupon for their online friends and family sale. Good today only. Type in MACFF8 at checkout to get free shipping and 15% off your purchase. Cool Heat, anyone?

Many sunscreens, especially high SPF ones, feel thick and greasy like Vaseline. Shiseido 55 doesn’t. It never feels sticky, greasy or uncomfortable at all, not even on my neck, and I totally dig the light, beachy fragrance.

Yes, $37 is a lot to pay for a 3.3 oz bottle of sunscreen when you can buy a bottle of BullFrog Sunblock for $8, but this is our skin we’re talking about. I put the bulk of my skin care budget toward sun protection because of how crucial it is to wrinkle prevention. This product is worth its weight in gold.
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3 Simple Travel Beauty Tips

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“I’m on my way, I’m on my way, home sweet home.” — Motley Crue

Today is my last full day in Hawaii. I head home tomorrow, and, as is the case after most vacations, I feel both a sense of sadness (crap, I have to go back to the real world?) and extreme relief (I can’t wait to sleep in my own bed).

As I rifled through the bag I’ve been living out of for the past week, I realized I learned quite a few things on this trip, some of them beauty-related. Most were born out of my bad habit of waiting until the last minute to pack.

What I Learned on Summer Vacation

  • Bring Wet Ones Travel Packs to clean makeup brushes. These are convenient no matter what kind of vacation you’re planning. In humid locales, brush heads used with moist products like concealers never completely dry out and become breeding grounds for mold and bacteria. I’m so glad I remembered to toss a few of these travel-sized anti-bacterial wipes into my makeup bag for the trip. The packaging didn’t take up lots of space, and I can clean all of my brushes with a single wipe.

  • Body lotion can double as shaving cream in a pinch. In my last-minute frenzy to pack, I forgot a few things, one important one being shave cream. I had to improvise because hairy bikini lines are totally not cute. Out of desperation I tried shaving with Curel lotion and my trusty Venus Breeze razor. Lo and behold, it actually worked pretty darn well. No bumps and a close shave, too.

  • Face lotion doubles as eye makeup remover. Would you believe I also forgot to pack eye makeup remover? I had travel samples of both Philosophy’s Hope in a Jar ($28) and H2O+’s Night Oasis ($36) moisturizer and both did a fine job removing waterproof mascara. To use it I worked a dollop onto my lashes and lids with my fingertips, and then wiped it off with a cotton ball.

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Mariah Carey Hairstyle Celebrity Poll

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Pop diva extraordinaire Mariah Carey visited the island of Oahu last week to film a video for her song, I’ll Be Lovin’ U Long Time. I was really hoping to run into her at the mall or Matsumoto’s Shave Ice, but, alas, that didn’t happen. Instead, to get my Mariah fix, I listened to some of her songs (Vision of Love was the *jam*, ya’ll) and looked at old and new pictures of her on a few fan sites. One of the things I noticed was how her hair has evolved over the years. I liked her tight, old-school curls, but I’m partial to the big, bouncy curls she wears a lot now.

In other Mariah news (can’t you tell I’m a fan?), Women’s Wear Daily reports that she just recently released a new perfume called Luscious Pink, created in conjunction with Elizabeth Arden. A followup to last year’s M by Mariah Carey, Luscious Pink is a floral with notes of Sicilian bergamot, Tahitian tiare petals, lily of the valley, sandalwood and white musk. I haven’t caught a whiff of it, so that’s off the marketing.

The collection includes eau de parfum sprays in three sizes — 1 oz. for $39.50, 1.7 oz. for $55 and 3.3 oz. for $65 — as well as a 6.8-oz. body lotion for $28. I guess it’s so new that it’s not yet listed on the Elizabeth Arden site. When I get back home this week, I’m going to try to get my hands on a bottle and will let you know what I think. If you get your hands on it between now and then, let me know if it moves you.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Beauty Snacks: Sites of the Day, June 14

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Malie Organics
Treat yourself to natural beauty with organic skin care products from Hawaii. The folks at Malie (mah-lee-ay) created this wonderful line of body care products and home fragrances using ingredients from the lush, tropical rain forests and rich volcanic soil of the ancient Garden Island of Kauai. I love the pretty packaging, and the scents remind me of Hawaii.
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Body & Soul Cosmetics
Body & Soul makes a complete line of high-quality cosmetics in classic colors paired with vintage-inspired packaging. The line brings back a time when cosmetics were crafted to be glamorous, so that women could adorn their vanities with jeweled compacts, crystal perfume bottles and delicate powder puffs. Ooh, la, la — sign me up!
body&soul cosmetics

Philip Rickard Honolulu
Philip Rickard jewelers creates high-end Hawaiian heirloom jewelry, a popular jewelry style here in the islands characterized by gold bangles and intricate engravings of Hawaiian symbols and words. Gwen Stefani is a fan and wore some of Rickard’s bracelets in her music video for the song Luxurious.
Philip Rickard Honolulu
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Clinique Liquid Facial Soap, Mild: A Handy Travel Buddy

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Last week, while packing for my trip, I couldn’t find my precious little travel-sized bottle of Philosophy’s Purity Made Simple. What a bummer! I love that stuff. It’s my overall, all-time favorite facial cleanser, but it was nowhere to be found, so I tossed a tube of Clinique’s Liquid Facial Soap into my travel bag and hoped for the best.

Risky move? Maybe. Before this week, I’d never used the product before. It came into my life about a month ago as part of a gift with purchase.

I have sensitive skin, prone to breakouts, especially when I use new facial products. I certainly didn’t want to be wrestling with a new crop of zits while on vacation, but because my face generally tolerates Clinique products well, I decided to chance it.

The product comes in two versions, mild and oily (the stronger one). I have the mild version. A dime-sized amount of the clear, non-scented cleanser removes all of my makeup (even the waterproof Clarins Wonder Mint mascara I’ve been wearing every day) and leaves my skin feeling crisp and clean without a lot of tightening. After about a week of use it hasn’t yet broken me out.
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5 Tips to Beat Seasonal Skin Problems

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When seasons come and go, changes in temperature, humidity and sun exposure can really play tricks on skin. Here are five of my favorite skin care products and tips to deal with seasonal skin problems.

  • Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief: This Great Moisturizer Doubles as a Mask
    “Rapid temperature and humidity swings wreak havoc on skin. When we leave a heated building and head out into the cold, or enter an air conditioned building on a hot day, our skin works to maintain its moisture balance, and while it’s adjusting to environmental swings, skin will delay its own ability to repair.”

  • Clean and Clear Advantage Invisible Acne Patch
    “When work deadlines and sleep loss collide, like they did for me last week, I expect to get a few zits on my face (sigh). My latest little sebaceous gift included a painful pimple right beside my left nostril. Like most women, I usually dread pimples, but this zit (I named her Eva) gave me the perfect excuse to try out Clean and Clear’s Invisible Acne Patch.”

  • MAC Moisturelush Cream: Say Buh-bye to Dry
    “Everyone’s skin changes with age, but for women dry skin strikes earlier than it does for men. Guys experience moisture loss in their skin later in life than women do. A woman’s skin tends to become considerably drier after menopause. Thankfully, there’s moisturizer.”

  • Moisturize in a Flash with Olay Quench Mousse
    “When I hear the word ‘mousse’ I think of Bullwinkle, or maybe a creamy chocolate mousse (yum), or perhaps hair mousse, but I don’t think of moisturizing lotions — that is, until now. Introducing Olay Quench Mousse, Olay’s latest entry in the crowded field of body moisturizers.”

  • Your Skin Care Cheat Sheet: Retinols and Retinoids
    “Vitamin-A derivatives have a molecular structure small enough to penetrate skin’s lower levels, where they strengthen and replenish collagen and elastin. Clinical research going back 20 years confirms the anti-aging properties of retinoids like Retin-A and Renova.”

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

MAC Cosmetics Cool Heat Face of the Day: Climate Blue Love

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The MAC Cool Heat collection debuts today, and not even 2,500 miles of open ocean can stand in its way. Here’s a quick Hawaii-inspired face of the day with a few of the products. 🙂

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On the eyes I used…

  1. Too Faced Shadow Insurance on the entire lid (underneath all of the other products)
  2. MAC Soft Brown Matte in the crease
  3. MAC Climate Blue Eye Shadow on the upper lash line
  4. MAC Warm Chill Eye Shadow on the inner corner of the eye lid
  5. MAC Cool Heat Eye Shadow on the lower lash line
  6. Chanel Inimitable Mascara in Noir Black on the upper lashes

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Of the Cool Heat products I’ve used so far, Climate Blue Eyeshadow moves me the most. I love its soft texture and dark blue color.

The rest of the look…

Brows

  • MAC Concrete Eye Shadow

Dark circles (yep, they came with me on vacation!)

  • MAC Select Moisturecover Concealer in NW 25
  • Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder #2

Face

Cheeks

Lips

  • MAC Cremestick Liner in Pink Treat
  • MAC Slimshine Lipstick in Tropic Glow
  • Chanel Glossimer in Astral

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These pictures were taken at Haiku Gardens, just steps away from my in-law’s house. It’s a beautiful garden with a pond (and resident turtles) and a small chapel for weddings. Haleiwa Joe’s Seafood Grill, perched on a hillside overlooking the garden, is packed every night with diners from the area. It’s also one of comedian Adam Sandler’s favorite hangouts when he visits the island.

The entire MAC Cool Heat Collection…

Eye Shadows, $14 each

Solar White (frost) – frosty muted white gold
Warming Trend (veluxe pearl) – frosty light taupe
Warm Chill (frost) – frosty seafoam green with gold pearl
Gulf Stream (frost) – frosty mid-tone blue green with green pearl
Cool Heat (frost) – frosty teal with multi-dimensional pearl
Climate Blue (velvet) – mid-tone violet blue with pink pearl
Blue Flame (veluxe pearl) – dirty metallic navy blue

Slimshine Lipsticks, $14.50 each

Tropic Glow (frost) – blue pink with silver pearl
By Degrees (frost) – neutral brown pink
Gentle Summer (frost) – light clean yellow pink with white pearl
High 90’s (frost) – clean pink orange
Swelter (frost) – sheer clean red

Scents, $22.50 each

Turquatic – notes include cedar, lotus leaves
Turquatic Heat – notes include lotus flower, jasmine, Tahitian tiare flower

If these colors appeal to you, get out there and snag your Cool Heat loot! If you’re a US resident and live near a MAC store, print and bring this coupon with you to the counter to get 15% off your purchase.

I enjoyed snorkeling at Shark’s Cove yesterday and saw lots of amazing fish. I believe I even swam with a few different schools (unless we were all just headed the same way). How academic, LOL! 🙂
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