Karen

Briogeo Now at Ulta!

January 22nd, 2021 by Karen 8 Comments

briogeo at ulta — Now you have another reason to visit Ulta!

Wait — hold up! Now I’ve got yet another excuse to fill my Ulta cart, because now they carry Briogeo hair products at Ulta.

YESSSS! ?

A couple of their products are pretty well known, like their Be Gentle, Be Kind Avocado + Kiwi Mega Moisture Superfood Masks and Don’t Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Masks. Both won Allure Best of Beauty and Reader’s Choice Awards in 2020.

But the brand is probably BEST known for their haircare products for curly, wavy and textured hair; mind you, they do have products for all different types of hair.

They’re considered a “clean line” (air quotes, because there really isn’t a standardized definition for what “clean” means in the beauty industry), because everything’s vegan, cruelty-free, gluten-free, and they omit sulfates, silicones, parabens, artificial dyes, DEA, and phthalates. That’s good. Instead, they incorporate what they call the NOVA complex, which is a proprietary blend of natural oils, vitamins and antioxidants.

The founder, Nancy Twine, used to work in finance, and she started the company after tragically losing her mom in a car accident.

“That profound loss changed my world, and also inspired me to begin a soul-searching journey to find new meaning and purpose in my own life and create a meaningful career rooted in inspiration. This journey led me to reconnect with memories which brought me the most joy and happiness: the times I spent with my mom when I was young, concoting our own beauty treatments from scratch in our home kitchen (something she learned from her mom growing up in rural West Virginia).”

— Nancy Twine, Founder and CEO of Briogeo (from official Briogeo PR)

They have a great reputation for their products for wavy and curly gals, and I’ve used their Don’t Despair Repair Deep Conditioning Mask before and loved it. It’s rich yet lightweight, and it moisturizes my very dry ends without weighing everything down.

I’m also stoked to give these few things a try…

Be Gentle, Be Kind Avocado + Kiwi Mega Moisture Superfood Mask ($36): Inspired by green smoothies, this deep conditioning mask contains antioxidant kiwi (known for its high levels of vitamin C), spinach extracts and rich avocado oil, and is made for all hair types.
Curl Charisma Rice Amino + Avocado Shampoo ($24): A hydrating shampoo that cleanses curly hair without stripping. Contains shea butter and avocado oil to enhance softness without weighing hair down.
Curl Charisma Rice Amino + She Curl Defining Conditioner ($24): A moisturizing conditioner loaded with rice amino acids to seal the hair cuticle and lock out frizz-causing humidity and fermented tomato to encourage the formation of uniform curls.
Curl Charimsa Rice Amino Leave-In Defining Creme ($20): A moisturizing and de-frizzing leave-in with light, flexible hold.

Are you familiar with Briogeo? If you are, you’ll have to let me know how you feel about their products!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF! ?

I’ve Found the Perfect Pale Blue Denim Nail Polish, and It’s Only $8

January 21st, 2021 by Karen 13 Comments

duri when in rome — When in Rome, a stunner of a shade by Duri. Tee: Nap Then Attack

I’ve hoarded/fan girl-ed pastel blue nail polishes ever since Hard Candy Sky burst on the nail scene in the 1990s.

I kid you not — my mind was BLOWN.

For you young’ns out there, this may come as an unfathomable surprise, but the world used to have limited nail polish color options. Yes, there was a time when you couldn’t easily find a bottle of blue polish because it wasn’t a thing yet.

Craziness, I know!

In my case, ever since that fateful bottle of Hard Candy Sky, I’ve been a bonafide creamy pastel blue hoarder. If you love ’em as much as I do, don’t sleep on When in Rome, a pale denim grayish blue by Duri.

A hidden gem ?

Duri is a small, family run under-the-radar brand from New York, but you can find them at nail salons…for whenever we all start going back to them…as well the Duri website, Walmart and Amazon.

Duri carries a full range of nail products at reasonable prices, like When in Rome, which is just eight dollars!

What make it stand out in a sea of baby blues?

When in Rome has a slightly lavender-gray undertone, which gives it a moodiness uncommon to pastel blues, so it’s less like baby blue “It’s a Boy!” baby shower decorations, and more like an expensive pair of light wash denim blue skinny jeans.

Or, imagine the sky on a cool, crisp, clear winter day. That’s When In Rome. It’s moody yet hopeful…which sounds like me in a nutshell, HAHAHA! ?

It’s completely opaque, by the way, so there isn’t any sheerness at all, and it’s durable too! I’m already five days in, and I’ve yet to see a chip or dent.

If you happen to find yourself perusing the Duri website, FYI, the pics for When in Rome look completely different than what I see in real life! I’ve triple-checked my bottle and also searched online, and When In Rome is definitely a pale blue everywhere else. Weird!

Still, I’m lovin’ the shade, and after weeks of naked fingertips, I’m excited to paint my paws again. ?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

This Matte Brown Classic Eye Makeup Goes With Everything

January 20th, 2021 by Karen 7 Comments

eyeshadow breakdown eye makeup goes with everything — This is an easy, everyday classic eye look.

If I were cruelly forced to select a tiny handful of eye makeup looks to wear for ~~the rest of my life~~ the rest of the winter, this matte brown look with brownish black eyeliner would definitely make the cut.

Not only is it relatively speedy to do (say 15-20 minutes start to finish), it’s also easy because it doesn’t heavily rely on intense blending.

A banging’ brew of browns

So, what makes it relatively easy? Answer: The two brown shades — the golden brown on my lids (MAC Cork) and the warmer orangey brown in my crease (MAC Saddle) — are similar tones, which makes blending them together easier.

In fact, if you’re REALLY pressed for time, you can even skip the warm brown in the crease, and just wear the golden brown eyeshadow all over your lids.

That said, I do like the warm brown in the crease because, especially when I’m wearing a little bronzer, a warm brown in the crease ties everything together nicely.

Always adjustable

Another added bonus to this look is that it really does work with everything — bold lipsticks, nude lipsticks, no lipstick at all (for when I’m masked up). It’s quite flexible.

eyeshadow breakdown eye makeup goes with everything bright lip — With a bold lip color, MAC Powder Kiss Liquid Lipcolour in Escandalo. Long Live Lipstick Tee in Red Hibiscus.

eyeshadow breakdown eye makeup goes with everything nude lip — I feel good in this makeup! Long Live Lipstick Tee in Driftwood.

Base notes

Oh, and about that eyeshadow base — in the pics above, I’m purposefully wearing a beige cream eye primer with a beige powder eyeshadow buffed on top, which are lighter than my skin tone. I do this because, when I want browns to show up on my brown skin, I have to go lighter with my base. That makes them pop. I recommend going with a base that’s similar to your skin tone.

Sometimes, though, I skip the beige base entirely and just do a swish of golden brown eyeshadow all over my lids, like in this pic below:

See how the brown shadow adds a touch of depth to my crease? But not as much as it does when there’s a beige base underneath? I think it still works, though.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Today is inauguration day here in the US. Congratulations and good luck to President Biden and Vice President Harris!

Road Tripping in the North Bay Area: Historic Sonoma Plaza

January 19th, 2021 by Karen 10 Comments

sonoma plaza ka walking — Big trees and wide paths

We’ve been sticking pretty close to home for a while, as you can probably imagine (because you’re in the same boat!). We haven’t ventured out of town much at all, but yesterday we drove up to the cute town of Sonoma about 20 miles north.

I have a friend who lives up there (hi, Marisol!), and after a quick socially distanced visit, during which I dropped off one of the aloe plants I repotted over the weekend, we stopped at Sonoma Plaza to do some exploring.

Sonoma Plaza is a large outdoor square with playgrounds, trees, paths, duck ponds and plenty of picnic tables. It’s surrounded by wine tasting rooms, restaurants, shops and the last of the 21 Spanish missions built in California. Most of the stores and restaurants are currently closed, of course, but the walk around the area is beautiful.

Before I go on, to ensure that this post is at least marginally makeup related, here’s the five-minute makeup look I wore. It’s been my go-to look as of late.

Brows: Urban Decay Brow Blade (super long lasting, and so easy to use)
Lashes: Urban Decay Cannonball Mascara (waterproof, doesn’t flake)
Liquid liner: MAC Brushblack Brushstroke Liner (ultra black and draws sharp edges with ease)
Eyeshadow: MAC Cork (the best for carving out a soft crease)
Under-eye concealer: Estee Lauder Instant Fix Concealer in Medium Deep
Face Powder: MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Golden (used this alone as a base, no foundation)
Blush: MAC Warm Soul Mineralize Blush

k and coco sonoma — Five-minute face of the day!

We walked all over the plaza, exploring the paths and different areas of the park, and doing some hardcore socially distanced people watching. It’s been an unusually warm January here, so there were people about, but everyone was wearing masks and social distancing.

The trees! There are so many of them!

k sonoma big tree — Seriously, some BIG TREES!

sebastian theater sonoma — Historic buildings surround the square.

mercato sonoma — Prospective eateries for a future date…

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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 661

January 18th, 2021 by Karen 31 Comments

k balancing on log — Always trying to find my balance!

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. Sweet or sour?

Sweet!

2. Ponytail or braid?

Right now, a braid, ideally low and loose.

On that note, I’ve officially reached a tipping point with my hair.

It. Is. Driving. Me. Crazy.

Whenever I wear a ponytail, I get a headache, unless I wear it at a very specific angle, which is more work than I want to do… My hair is REALLY stressing me out.

3. What color are your eyes?

Dark chocolate brown with a faint dark blue navy ring around the iris (but you gotta look super close to see it).

4. How good are you about purging your makeup collection?

Hmm… Well, not super good, but I’m getting better at it, slowly but surely. I used to keep everything (AND I MEAN EVERYTHING) indefinitely, even expired items for nostalgia, but all I want to keep now are things that haven’t expired and that I wear all the time… Got no room in my life for ongoing nonsense!

5. Which way do you part your hair?

I don’t know anymore! I was parting it on the left for a while, because that seemed to be the way the cray-cray gray hairs instinctively wanted to go, but I’ve come to realize that my hair is toying with my mind. It’s a no-win situation! Lately, I’ve been parting it to the right, but that doesn’t seem to be helping either.

So, yeah, I have no idea at this point, HAHAHA!

6. Highlights or lowlights?

Neither?!

7. Are you a nail biter?

Nah, that was never really one of my things.

8. Have you ever felt self-conscious about your smile?

Girl, yes! ? All throughout my tweens and teenss. I wore braces for many, many years and was never completely comfortable with the metal flash in pics. I would try to smile as naturally as I could with a closed mouth. ?

Actually, I’m still self-conscious about my smile, to be honest, because it seems to exaggerate the hooded-ness of my eyes in pics (or at least I think it does).

Also, this might be in my head, but I swear I look considerably older when I smile. I know that getting older is a mandatory ride, and you gotta just come to terms with it at a point, so I try to maintain a good attitude and do it gracefully, but I’ve been kinda struggling with it lately… Hopefully, this too shall pass.

9. Something fun you did over the weekend?

Oh! — Connor and I did a little bit of gardening. It was warm out here, up into the 70s, so we hung out on the deck and repotted some plants.

aloe plant deck cocobaby — Aloe?! Happy Monday!

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. Sweet or sour?
2. Ponytail or braid?
3. What color are your eyes?
4. How good are you about purging your makeup collection?
5. Which way do you part your hair?
6. Highlights or lowlights?
7. Are you a nail biter?
8. Have you ever felt self-conscious about your smile?
9. Something fun you did over the weekend?

P.P.S. Good morning! Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day here in the US. I hope your day got off to a calm and peaceful start, sweet friend. Take care! ?

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Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 642

January 17th, 2021 by Karen 2 Comments

Rosie is a cat of science and claims that she has no interest in anything fashion or modeling related. I really want to believe this is true because, you know me, I am 100 percent behind lady cats in STEM. That said, I was shocked today when I saw her nosing around the climate controlled room where we keep all of Tabs’s couture collars.

Rosie was in the floral section, and while she browsed for a collar to wear, I took a trip down memory lane thinking of all the groundbreaking kitty modeling campaigns Tabs did before he crossed the Rainbow Bridge, especially those involving flowers…

Dr. Rosie, Plant Geneticist

Rosie does have a strong interest in botany, particularly plant genetics, which is why I think she chose this collar today. I’m assuming she was cooking up some kind of experiment. Who knows? She’s a mystery. I do know that the yellow flowers in this collar play off the orange patches in her fur nicely.

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Saturday Surfing, Jan. 16, 2021

January 16th, 2021 by Karen 9 Comments

welcome to the weekend trader joes hibiscus teas — Have a glorious day!

Good morning! Guess what…?

We made it! IT’S THE WEEKEND.

Oh, yeah. ?

OK…so, normally I’m a coffee kinda girl, but lately I’ve been all about tea, like this one from Trader Joe’s. I kid you not, this one is so good. I had it tucked away in my cupboard, buried behind boxes of green tea and decaf green tea, and accidentally noticed it while reorganizing things. The pomegranate gives it a bit of sweetness, and the lemongrass and hibiscus a bit of tart, and it has a good kick to it, too! That white tea, man. It’s surprisingly potent! I feel kinda buzzy and shaky right now, which is probably not the best state to be in whilst painting one’s nails, hahaha!

Oh, well! I’m trying to decide between these three colors by Duri…

What do you think? Help me decide.

This week’s reading

I’m seriously, SERIOUSLY thinking about cutting my own hair.

Please save me from myself.

NO, seriously.

Obsessed

Connor asked me if she could take horse riding lessons yesterday, and then we watched this video three times in a row.

I spy Gregory Arlt!

Iconic

Current theme song

Yes, please.

Blasting this right now.

How are you doing on this lovely day? ???

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

5 Things I’ve Been Loving Lately

January 15th, 2021 by Karen 13 Comments

1. Cat Lover’s Pad

The cover says it all. “100 Sheets of Cats Cats Cats!” ? ? ? First of all, it’s a lined notebook, and each page has a different illustration of adorable kitties in all their glorious shapes, sizes and colors.

It’s become my go-to notebook for short lists, which is saying something because you know I love lists!

2. Schitt’s Creek

Friends raved about this Netflix show. Heck, EVERYONE seemed to rave about this show and its ensemble cast, but something about it didn’t fire me up for a long time. I watched the first episode about a year ago and thought, “Eh…” and dismissed it. I thought the main characters were, well…kinda self-entitled and not very likeable, but I gave it another try a couple weeks ago, and wow! — I’m so glad I did because I’m fully onboard now.

There’s a lot more to it than I thought. At a surface level, it’s a comedy about an obscenely wealthy family that suddenly loses their fortune and are forced to relocate to a small rural town named Schitt’s Creek.

It’s one of those shows that just gets better and better as the characters develop over time, and you get the sense that the family members learn to appreciate each other and what they have so much more. I’ve laughed and cried more times than I can count. Plus, the styling and makeup (more on this in a second) are incredible.

3. Lucky Bromhead

She’s an Emmy-nominated makeup artist, and she did (and still does) the makeup for key cast members on Schitt’s Creek. She’s the one responsible for Moira’s killer red lips and smoky eyes, and Alexis’s casual-but-chic boho vibes. Love her work!

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4. The Farmhouse collection from Crate & Barrel

I got some dishes, bowls and mugs from the Farmhouse collection at Crate & Barrel to replace all of the random, mismatched dishes in my kitchen, and I love, love, LOVE them. Each piece has some heft to it and feels sturdy, and the soft cream color and lines give the pieces a warm and casual vibe.

The Farmhouse collection is one of Crate & Barrel’s open stock lines, meaning that you can just roll up to the store and buy a single plate or mug at any time.

This is GREAT for our family because El Hub is pretty much the destroyer of all dishes, mugs and bowls. HE BREAKS EVERYTHING. I seriously cannot fathom how because I’ve only broken one or two dishes in my entire life!

SIGH.

All I know is that now, whenever he inevitably breaks one of my new dishes, I will always be able to replace it. ?

crate barrel farmhouse collection — Organized cabinets give me life.

5. This 30-minute spin class…

By the time I was done with this home spinning workout, I was dripping in sweat, but dang if I didn’t feel great. The instructor is fantastic! She does a bang-up job of keeping you motivated, and I also get the sense that she’s working just as hard, too. There are a few ads throughout the class…which normally annoys me, but they happened at times when I was gasping for air and actually didn’t mind having the extra time to recover.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF! ✨