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Checking In: A Surreal Moment at Whole Foods, Rare Beauty Liner Update and Happy Friday

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I wrote this!

Hi, my friend. I’m back from vacation and typing to you from my keyboard home in the Bay Area.

First things first because apparently it’s a lesson I need to learn over and over again! If you ever anticipate coming home at midnight jet lagged from a flight, chances are you’re going to be starving, so you should probably have a few easy things on hand to eat in the cupboard, just in case.

The other night, when we walked through the door, I totally forgot that I cleaned out the fridge before we left for our trip. We were all ravenous by the time we got home and there was nothing of substance to eat, so Connor and I ended up with Lucky Charms and El Hub had microwaved rice with soy sauce. It wasn’t pretty, but it got the job done.

Moral of the story is to have just-in-case food around for when you get back!

Anywho, on one of our final days in Hawaii, I had a surreal moment at the Whole Foods in Kahala. We were there buying lychees when I stumbled into the beauty section and found a big hair project I worked on earlier this year on the shelf – a new line of shampoos and conditioners from Everyone.

This was the first time I saw the collection in a store, so it was pretty cool. I wrote the labels and helped name the products!

Oh, and remember the Rare Beauty liquid liner I raved about last week? I don’t know what happened, but I opened it up a few days ago and the ink was leaking into the cap. BOO.

I mean, the liner brush still works if I clean it off on a tissue, but there’s just so much wasted product! I still have the receipt and am going to see if I can exchange it at Sephora. Will keep you posted on what happens.

Let’s see, what else? Well, even though Hawaii is only three hours behind California time, I’m still feeling jet lagged. This morning, I forced myself to wake up at 7 even though my body felt like it was 4! It usually takes me about a week for my body to get adjusted to a time difference, which feels like a long time. Is it the same for you? Or are you one of those lucky people who can readily bounce between time zones?

Last but certainly not least, I hope everything on your end of the keyboard is going great. Happy, happy Friday to you!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Beauty Q of the Day: Do You Have Any Beauty Regrets?

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Baby Karen 15 years ago, in 2008!

Do you have any beauty regrets?

This question came about after a long discussion with my neighbor about sunscreen! He’s fair skinned with red hair, and he mentioned how he regrets tanning when he was in his 20s and 30s. Now that he’s older, his skin has sun damage that’s difficult to deal with.

I never tried to actively tan, but I do wish that I wore sunscreen consistently at an earlier age. When I was a kid, I was outside all the time, especially in the summer, and often for hours on end. The only time I wore sunscreen, though, was when we went to the beach or the lake. Crazy! And when I started wearing sunscreen daily, it wasn’t until college.

Anywho, beauty regrets. Here are some of mine in no particular order!

  • Not wearing enough sunscreen at a younger age and not often enough
  • Plucking my brows to oblivion in the ’90s
  • Aggressive tugging on my eyelids to apply makeup, especially eyeliner
  • Believing I “needed” to contour my nose to make it straighter; this went on for a while and in I’m glad I found my way out of it because it wasn’t doing any favors for my mental health

But by far the biggest regret is not really truly appreciating what I had at the time, because my goodness, I see pictures of myself when I was younger and can’t believe I had that much collagen. (Or hair, for that matter.) If I could, I’d go back in time and give Baby Karen a big old hug, and tell her that she 1) doesn’t really need all that concealer, and 2) she’s going to be just fine.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 791

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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 more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007).

1. How do you feel about beauty products you have to scoop out of jars?

I’d rather have a tube or a jar with a pump, but if the product works for me, I don’t mind a jar. I know a lot of beauty lovers have strong feelings about scooping creams and whatnot out of jars, though!

2. Something you’re looking forward to in the fall?

Spending holidays with El Hub. For the last few years he’s had to go into the office on Thanksgiving and Christmas, but this year he’ll be home!

Oh, I’m also looking forward to cooler weather. LOL!

3. Surfing, snorkeling or stand up paddle boarding?

Stand up paddle so Connor can sit on the board and hang out with me while we explore.

4. Ranch dressing or Italian?

Ranch so I can dip my pizza and baby carrots in it. 🙂

5. Is your hair curly, straight or somewhere in between?

Somewhere in between. My top layers are wavy, and the inner layers are straight.

Aloha and happy Monday, sweet girl. We’re still on Oahu but we’re down to the last few days of vacation and will be headed home soon. This part of a trip is always so bittersweet! It’s been so much fun to spend time with my family and take a break from everyday life, but somewhere along the way, I’ve become quite the creature of habit. I miss my bed and my usual routine, LOL! Anywho. I hope your Monday is filled with sweetness and light.

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. How do you feel about beauty products you have to scoop out of jars?
2. Something you’re looking forward to in the fall?
3. Surfing, snorkeling or stand up paddle boarding?
4. Ranch dressing or Italian?
5. Is your hair curly, straight or somewhere in between?

Saturday Surfing, July 22, 2023!

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Happy Caturday from the beach

Happy Saturday from this cat lady! I got a text from Rosie and her petsitter warning me that I should not even think about bringing home a cat from this trip. LOL! I guess she got wind of my latest Hawaii mission: to befriend kitties at the beach!

I’ve met cats before on beaches on Kauai; they just live at the beach, eating scraps and living off the land and the goodness of strangers. I’ve yet to hang out with any beach kitties on Oahu, though, and I’m hoping that will change on this trip. 🙂

How are things on your end of to the keyboard? I hope that your Saturday has been calm and peaceful so far.

This week’s reading


So pretty


Love a smokey eye


My vibe right meow

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Hawaii Vacation Beauty Products, Part 2

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Aloha

LOL to this pic of my head and this palm tree!

I was taking a sunset walk and checking to see if the eyeliner that I had applied earlier in the day — the Perfect Strokes Matte Liquid Liner by Rare Beauty — was still on.

It’s by far one of the best on-the-whim beauty buys I’ve made in a long time! It’s a liquid eyeliner with a long, flexible tip that’s very fine, so it’s easy to draw thin, precise lines — purr-fect for the tiny little kitten flicks I’ve been into lately.

I picked it up on a whim at Sephora before leaving the Bay Area, and it’s stayed on through the humidity, drizzle and, ahem, sweating like a beast glistening on a sunset walk. LOL!

Added bonus, the pigment is rich and dark, so I can scribble a quick line and flick and then be on my merry way.

I applied it earlier in the day and wore it with a cute new hat I bought from Splash Hawaii at the Kahala Mall.

Then I wore it all day, and it was still on after a long and sweaty 45-minute sunset walk.

See the tiny lil’ flick and the thin line on my upper lash line?

I love, love, love it. If you’re looking for a liquid liner that’s easy to use and stays on all day, grab it!

It’s been a while since I’ve seen an Hawaiian sunset (at least a few years), and yesterday evening Oahu reminded me just how stunning it is when the sun dips behind the horizon.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!

Hawaii Vacation Beauty Products

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You’re extra beautiful today, Oahu!

Please excuse my paws in these photos. They’re extra t-rex because I was holding these beauty products over a railing with dear life, LOL!

Anywho, I always like seeing the beauty products people bring with them on vacation. Here’s what I’ve been using on this trip!

Sunscreen

Hair

  • Kenra Volume Spray Super Hold Finishing Spray 25
  • Bumble and Bumble Seaweed Air Dry Cream
  • I didn’t bring any shampoo, conditioner or body wash because the place we’re staying at has Malie Organics Mango Nectar hair and body products!

Body

Face

Hope things on your end are great!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Summer Beauty Buddies: The Gehwol Biosana Swiss Foot File

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Your feet will thank you!

“BRB, I need to cheese grate my feet.”

Yes, I just used cheese grater as a verb.

Dang, those foot calluses are stealthy! I can’t pinpoint exactly when mine emerged, but halfway through the summer I noticed my once soft, smooth regular ol’ tootsies suddenly transformed into a full-on blocks of parmesan.

‘Tis the price one pays when you stomp-walk around the pool barefoot. Sigh!

Anywho, I got a $26 Gehwol Biosana Swiss Foot Files from Nordstrom years ago, and it is the best thing I’ve found for exfoliating away all calluses on my feet.

I know what you’re probably thinking. $26? FOR A FOOT FILE?

Girl, listen. If you’re going to cheese grate the crap out of your feet, this one does it better than all the other discount versions you’ll find elsewhere. So much gross stuff comes off with a quickness! It’s weirdly thrilling.

One key is the multi-directionality. You can go up, down, left, right, really all the ways you can think of. With this file so it’s easy to get into all the nooks and crannies.

I like to soak for 10 minutes, and then I start with the rough side of the file to get the bulk of the thick skin off. Then I do some “fine tuning” with the side with the finer grit.

FYI, I’ve done a lot of reading on how much of your callus one should remove during the process, and most sources say that you should probably not take it down completely. Leave a little on for cushion, so to speak.

Your tootsies will be transformed, I tell ya!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Beauty Q of the Day: What Beauty-Related Tasks Can You Do Well?

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Minimal makeup for the win!

What beauty-related tasks can you do well?

Painting nails? Coloring your hair? Waxing your brows?

For me, I’m OK at the following:

  • Painting nails — I can do simple manis/pedis, which is all I need.
  • Styling my hair — I can do most styles on my hair, as long as I watch a tutorial.
  • Waxing — I can do everything except my brows. I tried to do my brows once and it was a disaster!
  • Brows — Speaking of brows, I’m OK at plucking and shaping mine.
  • Minimal makeup — Because it’s been my jam for like YEARS now, ha ha ha!
  • Pairing eye/cheek/lip colors together — Even though I haven’t worn a full-on glam look in a while, I think that I did enough makeup in the past to still know what shades work together without needing my hand held.
  • False lashes — I rarely wear them anymore, but I tried putting on a pair a while back and it was just like riding a bike.

How about you? What beauty-related tasks can you do well?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Happy Tuesday! I took an early morning walk and was reminded by Hawaii just how beautiful she is. The clouds, the water, the trees — Oahu is truly magical.

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