Karen

Hairy Beast Be Gone! Neutrogena Rainbath Shower and Shave Body Wash

August 29th, 2008 by Karen 10 Comments

I was cruising around my ‘hood the other day when I saw the above poster in front of a salon. It conveys how I’ve felt practically *every day* since puberty. Seriously, where does all the hair come from??? It’s like I’m a Play-Doh Mop Top Hair shop.

The only good thing about being a hairy beast is that it always gives me a valid excuse to try new hair removal accoutrements.

One such miracle of hair removal is Neutrogena Rainbath Shower & Shave ($7.50) body wash. It’s a combination body wash and shave liquid with aloe vera to soften and moisturize skin.

I’m in love with the fragrance. The bottle claims it’s “marine scented,” but I think it smells like towels, fresh from the dryer, mixed with lemons and a dash of soap — refreshing and clean, and it totally wakes me up when I use it in the morning.

As a shave gel it works great. It’s not as thick or rich as gels like Gillette Satin Care Alluring Avocado; consequently, it doesn’t clog my beloved Venus Embrace razor, and with it I get really close shaves.

No nicks, razor burn or bumps, either, after I’m done hacking off my fur — nothing but smooth, soft skin that feels moisturized and smells fresh.
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9 Things I Would Like to Try

August 28th, 2008 by Karen 44 Comments

1. A fancy honeymoon. El Hub and I just had our second anniversary. With our jobs and whatnot we never went on a fancy honeymoon. I can’t complain, but I’d sure love to go to Italy!

2. Guitar lessons! My lil’ brother got me this guitar for Christmas. It rarely sees any action. I can paw at it like a cave girl, but the sound it emits frightens the cat.

3. Making out with C. Bale. Just kidding! Kinda…

4. Blogging from Paris, Milan and Tokyo Fashion Weeks, all in one year!

5. Riding as a passenger in a smokin’ fast jet, like the kind the Blue Angles fly! Fast cars and motorcycles don’t do it for me, but there’s something about fast jets…

6. Sleeping in every morning for an entire month. I’m sooo not joking, yo.

7. Watercolor painting.

8. Not doing anything productive at all on the weekends.

9. Sipping a warm cup of coffee on a NY rooftop at the crack of dawn, looking out across the city as it comes to life.

Do you have a list of things you’d like to try? Please share them in the comments. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sites of the Day: Summer Roundup

August 28th, 2008 by Karen 11 Comments

Back in May I started blogging about some of my favorite sites. They run the gamut from beauty to fashion to just random cool stuff. Here’s a gallery of some of my favorites, in no particular order. Have fun! 🙂

MakeupAlley
You don’t even know how many hours I spent browsing Makeup Alley at my previous job. They would have fired my ass if they ever found out! One of the most extensive makeup review sites on the Web, it also has an active forum of members who are very passionate about makeup. I regard it as an instrumental learning tool for any girl (or boy) interested in cosmetics.
makeupalley
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Does Benefit Powderflage Powder Concealer Report for Duty?

August 27th, 2008 by Karen 61 Comments

Trapped behind enemy lines, miles from base and cut off from reinforcements, I crawled the distance to the freestanding Benefit store under cover of darkness…

Not really, but I did stop by the Benefit store after work this afternoon to conduct recon on their new Powderflage powder concealer ($28).

It didn’t take night vision goggles to appreciate the cute outer packaging.

What can I say? I got a thing for camo and pink. 🙂

Each cutie pie camo can contains a wee lil’ jar of highlighting powder and a small fan brush.

Benefit claims Powderflage’s pink, shimmery powder (it contains mica) disguises dark circles and fine lines under the eyes. Well, I got some real deal Holyfield dark circles, so Powderflage had its work cut out for it.

First, in the store, I removed all of the makeup under my eyes (trying hard not to scare the store patrons in the process).
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Clean and Clear Soft In-Shower Facial Passes with Flying Colors

August 27th, 2008 by Karen 70 Comments

Pimples, meet your match! Clean & Clear’s Soft In-Shower Facial ($7) kicks clogged pores to the curb, quickly, and on the cheap.

I’ve been using this stuff for about two weeks now, and the results have been akin to watching a shirtless Jack Black run around in stained tighty whities — gross, yet awesome at the same time.

The company claims In-Shower Facial does double duty, thoroughly cleaning the skin with exfoliating grains and alpha hydroxy (glycolic) acids while moisturizing at the same time. I call this stuff magic in a bottle because it actually lives up to the claims. All kidding aside, my skin looked clearer and felt softer immediately after using it.

Immediate Results

Over the weekend, a gang of tiny pimples set up shop on my chin. I used In-Shower Facial on Monday, and by this morning the three baddest members of the gang had all but disappeared — and this was without a secondary acne treatment. Purified pores was what I wanted, and that’s exactly what I got.

I’ve had to exercise restraint because I get really tempted to pop my pimples. Yup, gross. So far I’ve resisted the urge.

To treat mild to moderate breakouts, I also like Clean & Clear Advantage Acne Spot Treatment, applied once in the morning and once at night.

Fast and Cheap… But In a Good Way

Not only does In-Shower Facial make quick work of small pimples, it’s quick and easy to use. I followed the simple directions on the back of the tube, using the treatment in place of my regular cleanser while in the shower. I slathered a layer of the powder-scented paste onto my face (avoiding my eyes), waited a minute, massaged my skin gently to exfoliate, and then rinsed. The paste warms a little as it’s rubbed on the skin. I think it feels nice.
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MAC Cult of Cherry Face of the Day Using the Shadowy Lady Quad

August 26th, 2008 by Karen 73 Comments

Haaaay, shady lady! Okay, I know you’re not shady… It’s just that for some reason every time I think of the MAC Shadowy Lady quad from last week’s Cult of Cherry collection I am compelled to shout “shady lady!”

A few days ago, reader Lexi asked to see a face of the day with the Shadowy (Shady!) Lady quad. That sounded like fun, so here’s the look I wore to work yesterday — a light purple eye with a bright blue liner.

Lips

Products

How to Get the Lip Look

First, I lined my lips with Pink Treat Cremestick.
Next, I applied one layer of Lightly Ripe Lipstick directly from the tube onto my lips, blotted my lips with a tissue and then added a second layer for good luck.
To finish the lips, I topped them off with a layer of Rich & Ripe Lipglass.

Cheeks

Products

Get the Cheek Look

Using a 129 powder/blush brush, I swept Blooming atop the apples of my cheeks and then up into the hairline.
Next, I applied Stila Sun Bronzer with a 116 blush brush, starting near the outer corner of my right eye and swiping down the curve of the cheek bone (under the apple of my cheek). Then, I swiped back up the same way. From there, I swiped the brush over the right temple onto my upper forehead just below the hairline (reverse and repeat the process on your left).

Eyes

Products

The Eyes: Step by Step

First, with a 266 angled brush, I shaded in my brows with Concrete.
Then, I patted Painterly Paint Pot over the entire eye with a 239 eye shading brush.
Next, I dusted Light Fall over the Painterly Paint Pot on the eye with a 252 eye shader brush.
Using a 217 blending brush, I applied Smudged Violet onto my lids, blending out the edges with the same brush.
To make the outer corner look a bit smokier, I added Shadowy Lady with a 224 tapered blending brush and applied the color with a small, circular motion.
To line my eyes, I wanted something a bit different than my regular old black liner, so I wet a 212 flat brush with a spritz of MAC Fix+ and swept the wet brush head across a pan of Deep Truth eye shadow. I applied the wet shadow to my upper lash line, thickening the line as it got closer to the outer corner my eye.
To finish the eye look, I curled my lashes and added two coats of Prep + Prime Lash followed by two coats of Zoomblack mascara (on the upper lashes only).

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Beauty Snacks: Sites of the Day, August 26

August 26th, 2008 by Karen 5 Comments

We Love Beauty
I always like to start off these Sites of the Day posts with a bang, and I think this week’s bang is a loud BOOM! One of the sharpest looking beauty blogs this side of the Mariana Trench (look at those BANGIN’ Photoshop collages in the posts!), We Love Beauty shares secret beauty tips and tricks that, according to creator Ben Bennet, “…until now, only celebrities have been privy to.”

SMW Photography
I think some of the most inspiring and most breathtakingly beautiful websites out there belong to wedding photographers. SMW Photography blew me away the first time I visited. It’s a creative effects melange that makes me want to get married all over again. You hear that, El Hub?!

Rock Your Look
Have you ever tried karaoke? Be honest — it’s a lot of fun, right? JC Penny sponsors the Rock Your Look site, where users submit karaoke clips of themselves taken with webcams at home. Some of the clips are laugh-out-loud hilarious. It’s like American Idol without the color commentary from the judges.

Nubby Twiglet
What a great name: Nubby Twiglet. Art personality and graphic designer Nubby Twiglet posts daily musings on art, fashion, design and business as well as glimpses of her personal work and travels. Nubby Twiglet, Nubby Twiglet, Nubby Twiglet, LOL!

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Share Your Philosophy on Beauty [WIN A PRIZE]

August 25th, 2008 by Karen 90 Comments

UPDATE 8/27/08: The giveaway is closed. Congrats to Kristina! She won the Philosophy gift set.

I’ve been bad about my diet this week, so this morning I put myself on a no junk food regimen, which means no chips or soda (boo!). Thank gawd for Philosophy’s The Soda Fountain ($30), a fun trio of soda-scented body washes. The Root Beer, Cherry Cola and Fruit Punch scents smell just like fountain soda, yum! Each gets my body squeaky clean and, no joke, even curbs my carbonated cravings … sorta. They even work as shampoos or bubble baths.

And take a look at this limited edition Soda Fountain Lip Shine Trio, featuring three soda-fountain scented lipglosses for $28.

Philosophy Giveaway

Enter today’s Share Your Philosophy on Beauty giveaway!

The Prize

Philsophy Amazing Grace and Soda Fountain

A gift set containing the following Philosophy products: Amazing Grace Perfumed Shave Gel (7 oz.), Perfumed Buffing Wash (16 oz.) and Perfumed Body Spritz (8 oz.), and a 3-pack of Philosophy’s new Soda Foundation lip shines (colors: Root Beer, Cherry Cola and Fruit Punch); $94 value.

How to Enter

To qualify, leave a comment below with your philosophy on beauty. What makes someone beautiful? It can be as brief or as long as you like (up to a maximum of 250 words), and there are no right or wrong answers. 🙂 I’ll choose the winner at random from among the people who enter by 11PM PST on Tuesday. Be sure to use a valid email address when you comment so I can reach you if you win.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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