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A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict

Saturday Surfing, July 23, 2022!

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hello saturday

Happy Saturday, sweet girl. I hope you get the chance to rest and relax this weekend. Remember, it’s a good thing to slow down and recover. We all need it!

This week’s reading


Smokey!


Talk to me, Doc.


Oui, oui.

What are you up to today? I’m going to get in a quick workout and then take Connor to the park.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Fighting Eel Clothing, a Fresh Hawaii Find!

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The Nadine Cardigan by Fighting Eel Hawaii

Butter soft jersey? Check. Wrinkle-resistant fabric? Check? Super cute prints? CHECK!

Fighting Eel Clothing is my new favorite fresh find from Hawaii.

They’re a luxury resort-wear line based out of Honolulu, and everything they make is designed and sewn locally. Their clothes — a mix of rompers, pants, dresses, shirts and cardigans — are comfortable and chic, with prints inspired by local floral and fauna.

I recently bought the Nadine Cardigan ($143), a functional piece that you can dress up (throw it on top of a little black dress) or down. I’m wearing it with jeans and a white tee for a more causal vibe.

Did I mention it also has pockets? Yeah, that pretty much sealed the deal for me.

I purchased it at the Fighting Eel store at the Kahala Mall, however if you’re not on Oahu at the moment, you can also buy it online!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Checking In: A Quick Hello!

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Hello, there!

How goes it? I hope your lipgloss is sparkly and your base is behaving (I’m wearing Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua today, so I’m set). We’re back in the Bay, and it feels like I’m relearning my pre-Hawaii routine all over again. Is it just me, or is the transition from a vacation back to real life terribly jarring? The first few days back are rough!

Lots of stuff has been happening at work, so I’ve been dealing with that, but I just wanted to stop by and say a quick cheerio and hello, and to mention a few things…

1. “Persuasion” on Netflix

I watched this movie based on the Jane Austen book on the plane ride home. It stars Dakota Johnson as the main character, Anne Elliot. Side note: Is it just me or is Dakota’s voice always kinda whispery? I have a really hard time imagining her yelling.

Anywho, take mixed signals and marriage proposals, and then add a dash of listening to other people’s advice rather than your own heart, and you get this movie. I quite enjoyed it, although I do feel like the screenplay’s shoutouts to modern slang were a bit much for me.

2. Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream

I got a sample of this intensely hydrating face cream made with Japanese purple rice as a birthday gift perk from the Sephora Beauty Insider program. I have dry skin and it works great! A full-size 1.7-ounce jar is pricey at $69 (!), but if your skin is perennially parched and you’re on the hunt for a super-rich cream, you might want to try the travel-size 0.34-ounce jar, which is $20.

3. Urban Decay Scorch Eyeliner

I’ve been wearing it as an eyeshadow on my lids lately as an eyeshadow! It’s the purr-fect summery bronze shade.

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Scorch
The smokin’ hot Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Scorch
Urban Decay Scorch Swatch
Urban Decay Scorch Swatch

How are things on your end?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 738

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plumeria yellow
Have a beautiful day!

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. Denim skirt or denim vest?

    I’ll take the cropped GAP denim vest I used to wear in 1995. I donated it to a thrift store in 1998, le sigh. Wish I kept it! Also, I’m short waisted, and skirts, denim and otherwise, never seem to fit me quite right.

    2. Ice cream cake or ice cream sundae?

    A simple ice cream cake, please. Ice cream sundaes have too much stuff going on between the syrup, the ice cream and the toppings — it’s too much for my taste buds.

    3. Dry brushing: yes or no?

    I’m going to give it a no. I did it once out of curiosity and it was terribly uncomfortable.

    4. How’s your chess game?

    Terrible. My Connect Four game, though, is 🔥.

    5. Have you ever fostered any animals?

    No, but I’d love to foster cats or kittens someday.

    6. Do you wear any jewelry when you go to bed?

    Nope, not usually. Sometimes I’ll keep my wedding and engagement rings on if I’m very tired, or if I’m in a situation where I’ll most certainly lose them if I take them off and never find them again, like camping.

    7. Last skin care active ingredient you used?

    Does SPF count?

    8. Do you have more lipsticks or nail polishes?

    More lipsticks at the moment.

    9. Do you think Ben and J. Lo are gonna make it?

    You know, I really wanna believe in love. So, yes!

    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. Denim skirt or denim vest?
    2. Ice cream cake or ice cream sundae?
    3. Dry brushing: yes or no?
    4. How’s your chess game?
    5. Have you ever fostered any animals?
    6. Do you wear any jewelry when you go to bed?
    7. Last skin care active ingredient you used?
    8. Do you have more lipsticks or nail polishes?
    9. Do you think Ben and J. Lo are gonna make it?

    P.P.S. Aloha for one last time. We’re headed back to the Bay Area today, so I’ll see you on the other side of the Pacific very soon. Have a great Monday!

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 719

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Meow-loha! Rosie wanted to say a quick hi from Novato. Connor, El Hub and I are still on Oahu but headed back tomorrow. Rosie has been living it up with her petsitter back home in California, getting major lurvies and all-you-can-eat gravy and pets. Frankly, she’s in no big hurry to see us back, although she is running low on graph paper and mechanical pencil lead, which she needs to work on her calculations.

As you know, she’s a kitty scientist and an engineer; consequently, she goes through lots of graph paper.

Rosie’s busy schedule prevented her from joining us on this trip, but she’s very interested in visiting Hawaii someday, especially Volcano National Park on The Big Island.

Connor and I have been meeting with some of the leading feline scientists and researches on the island on Rosie’s behalf, like today we met with Dr. Cutie Pie here, who is Hawaii’s leading cat botanist.

She knows everything there is to know about the tastiest tropical plants.

We’ve also had our eyes peeled for cute kitty-themed items that we think Rosie would like, including this cute box of chocolates…

While Tabs enjoyed Hawaii’s night life and had a rich kitty modeling career here, Rosie would probably prefer to spend her time on the University of Hawaii campus.


Dr. Cutie Pie, Hawaii’s leading cat botanist.


Dr. Cutie Pie


Professor Peanut.


Cutie Pie and Peanut researching in the field.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Saturday Surfing, July 16, 2022!

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orange and red hibiscus saturday surfing june 26 2021
Good morning!

Happy Caturday, my friend. Short and sweet Saturday Surfing today because I’m off to an early walk along the beach. We’ll be leaving on Monday, so I’m getting as much time near the ocean as I can sneak in.

Have a wonderful Saturday!

This week’s reading


I’ll take all the easy hairstyles!


Ageless glow makeup.


The 411 on peptides.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Foodland, a Hidden Hawaii Gem for Gifts and Souvenirs

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Happy Friday from the west side of Hawaii!

Aloha, my friend. I’m deeply enamored at the moment with Foodland market here on Oahu. It’s kinda like Whole Foods but with a local vibe.

Foodland is the best!

We’ve gone three times in the last three days to pick up local snacks, drinks, sushi and pre-made bento boxes (portable to-go meals with rice, protein and a vegetable), and every single time, I swear I find something new and cool I’ve never tried before.

Case in point — a local brand of herbal teas called Shaka. I had the Lemon Lokelani Rose the other day and now I’m drooling a little just thinking it, yum!

What’s also very cool about Foodland is you can also not-so-typical gifts and souvenirs made locally. In addition to snacks and teas, you’ll also find cards, body care products, candles and more. I found them in the end caps all over the store.

A few things that caught my eye…


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Vacation Beauty Shoutout: elf Holy Hydration Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm

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Aloha, friend! If you’re headed to a sunny summer vacation spot and plan on slathering yourself with sunscreen, make a note to pack a jar of this solid balm cleanser by elf. Technically it’s designed to remove makeup, but I’ve found it works like a charm to melt off even the most stubborn waterproof sunscreen, and yes, you can use it all over your body — not just on your face.

It’s basically like the first step of a double cleanse. Before I step into the shower, I rub Holy Hydration Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm on my face, neck, shoulders, arms, legs and feet. Then, when I’m in the shower and my skin’s wet, I work the balm with my hands to help break up the sunscreen even more. After I rinse it off, I do a second cleanse with a shower gel!

Sounds like a lot, I know, but I’ve found this process is much faster and easier than trying to rub off the sunscreen with a small face towel, soap and elbow grease.

Oh, and added bonus, since the balm is solid, it’s carry-on friendly. A 2-ounce jar is $11, and you can find it at drugstores and Ulta.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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