Karen

Fans of Frost and Bright Color Will Break Hearts Wearing the LORAC Alter Ego Eye Shadow Palette in Heartbreaker

June 19th, 2015 by Karen 20 Comments

lorac alter ego heartbreaker — LORAC Alter Ego Eye Shadow Palette: Heartbreaker ($24)

I wonder if Sasha Fierce (Beyonce’s not-so-secret alter ego/identity) would like LORAC’s new Alter Ego Eye Shadow Palette in Heartbreaker ($24).

I’m guessing she would…and it wouldn’t surprise me to also find out that she insists that every item in her makeup bag have the exact same hot pink packaging.

Heck, that’s what I’d do if I were Sasha! 🙂

This limited edition summer season palette of 10 powder shadows is available now exclusively from Ulta.

Within the hot pink packaging (LOVE IT) you’ll find a surprising number of colorful eyeshadows…

A satiny tan
A satiny peach
A shimmery reddish plum
A shimmery bronze
A satiny warm beige
A shimmery bright blue
A frosty gray
A frosty light blue
A shimmery deep purplish brown
A frosty light blue

I’d probably wear one or two of the colorful shades together, and then ground them by working in a combination of the tan, peach, beige and/or bronze.

I think you could totally incorporate more than two of these colorful shades in the same look, of course, but for me, between the shimmer and the frost, and with the intensity of the pigments, it could easily turn into a whole lotta look, you know? If you like wearing a lot of color on your eyes and you’re completely comfortable with high-shine frosts and shimmers, you could do it up with this palette and go shimmer/color crazy!

Considering the amount of shine here, the shadows are easy to work with, and they range from moderately to highly pigmented. I haven’t noticed any problems with fallout, either.

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10 Things Under $10 at Sephora

June 18th, 2015 by Karen 14 Comments

Sometimes a girl (or guy!) just wants to treat herself to a trip to Sephora, and while she’s there, maybe find herself something that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.

Ya feel me?! I think you do. 🙂

I was there earlier today under the guise of “searching for a Father’s Day gift for my dad,” while also looking for an inexpensive treat for…myself. Here are 10 potential beauty treats for less than $10 each, whoop-whoop!

1. Purely Pure Organic Cotton Facial Pads ($6)

2. Express Dry Shampoo ($9)

3. Instant Nail Polish Remover Wipes ($5)

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Last Minute Father’s Day Gift Ideas at Sephora

June 18th, 2015 by Karen 6 Comments

Father’s Day is hours away (it’s this Sunday, ack!), and purr usual, I’m scrambling to find my dad a gift.

Is it just me, or is it surprisingly hard to shop for dudes?

I never know what to get my dad. He has more than enough flashlights, socks, radios and pocket knives, so I think this year I’ll get him something related to men’s grooming.

I guess that I could always fall back on a tech gadget or a case of beer (and there’s always beef jerky). Any of those would make him really happy, too, but he’s always seemed to like getting shave cream or cologne.

I think that most guys — at least the guys in my life — like it when they get grooming gifts because they’re the kinds of things they never buy for themselves.

Honestly, I don’t know… It’s just a theory. 🙂

Anywho! I stopped by Sephora this afternoon to look around. Here are some last-minute Father’s Day beauty-related gift ideas…

Skin care kits and shaving sets

Skin care kits and shaving sets are always a good place to start. I think my dad would love The Perfect Shave Kit by Anthony ($65), which comes with a face cleanser, pre-shave oil, shave cream and an after shave balm, and the Jack Black sets ($24-55) look like something most dads would like, too.

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SPONSORED: 5 Secrets to Rejuvenating Your Skin

June 18th, 2015 by Karen 5 Comments

Advertorials like this one are brought to you by my sponsors. They’re carefully chosen based on what I think you might like; however, this post was entirely written by the sponsor.

Brought to you by Hada Labo Tokyo.

In need of a little skin reboot? We hear you! While washing your face should be an essential part of your everyday skincare routine, a face wash alone is not powerful enough to clear out unwanted oils and dirt. The main reason for a less-than-stellar-finish is a loss of brightness, which is most often the result of a build-up of dead skin cells, fine lines, dryness, and enlarged pores. The solution? A complexion-boosting routine designed to keep your skin hydrated, glowing, healthy, and refreshed.

Below you will find five skin rejuvenating secrets (and the products that go above and beyond the call of duty). Ready, set, get to work!

Cleanse Your Way to Clean

Regardless of your skin type, everyone should use a gentile, non-abrasive cleanser. Our go-to formula gives skin a deeper clean than a plain ‘ol hydrating cleanser, washing away dirt, oil, and impurities. The result? Skin that feels refreshed, healthy, and silky-smooth. We especially love that it’s fragrance, alcohol, and sulfate free.

Scrub It Up

Instead of scrubbing your face with a grainy, rough scrub, opt for one that has acids or brightening ingredients to dissolve the dead skin. Choose an exfoliating product that helps protect skin with anti-aging properties of antioxidants, which reduces free radical damage. This will stimulate circulation and leave skin gorgeous and glowing. What more could you ask for?

Make Room for a Masque

An anti-aging masque is the key to a flawless finish. Looking for a one-of-a-kind spa treatment at home? This soft cotton facial masque drenches skin with a full bottle of anti-aging serum to boost hydration, smooth fine lines, and restore firmness and bounce to your skin. Use it once or twice a week for 10 minutes and prepare for seriously hydrating results.

Say Yes to Serum

A super-concentrated serum will not only correct discoloration, smooth fine lines, speed cell turnover, and provide necessary moisture, but it will also give you that highly coveted, just-got-back-from-vacation glow. Serums also protect the skin from stress and stimulate collagen production.

Never Forget to Moisturize

Do not even think about leaving the house without applying a SPF-infused moisturizer. Protect your skin against early signs of aging with a lightweight, fast-absorbing formula (we love this one!) that will act as an invisible primer under makeup. Bonus: it’s infused with Super Hyaluronic Acid (don’t let the name scare you – it’s suitable for all skin types) and will leave skin feeling and looking supple and radiant.

Treat your skin right and achieve a more radiant and fresh appearance. Only Hada Labo Tokyo™ products feature Super Hyaluronic Acid™, a powerful, yet skin-friendly combination of 3 types of Hyaluronic Acid, to provide deep, multi-layer, and long lasting hydration that will help you maintain flawless looking skin.

For more information on maintaining beautiful, youthful skin, visit hadalabotokyo.com.

The LOFT Riviera Sailor Shorts and J. Crew Gingham Button-Down Shirt That I’ve Practically Been Living In…

June 18th, 2015 by Karen 26 Comments

For all intents and purposes, I have been living in this J. Crew Factory Gingham Shirt.

Gingham, like ’90s lips, is having a moment right now (I’ve been seeing it all over the place), but even though I think this shirt seems pretty trendy and “now”, I also think it might last me a few seasons (I hope). Because print-wise, gingham’s also a classic.

But the print isn’t the only thing I love about this shirt. It also breathes, because it’s 100% cotton and feels very comfy. I brought it with me to NOLA last week, and no matter what I was doing or where I happened to be, whether on a frigid air-conditioned plane or slogging along a humid French Quarter street, it felt good and stayed pretty wrinkle-free throughout the day, which is a huge, huge plus.

Wrinkly clothes are the bane of my existence, I swear…

It’s available in a range of sizes, both petite and regular, and different prints, too.

Today I’m wearing it with a pair of coral LOFT Riviera Sailor Shorts I picked up a while back.

DUUUUUUUDE, I love these shorts. The color feels so summery, and I love the button detailing on the front.

FYI: the front doesn’t have pockets. Those buttons are just there for display, which is kind of annoying (because I’m all about pockets, because where else am I gonna keep the cat treats?!), but at least there are a couple of real-deal functional pockets in the back.

The shorts are available in coral, black and a gingham print, and they’re currently 40% off right now online.

I’m just sayin’… 🙂

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Upgrade Your At-Home Manis With the Tweezerman Pushy and Nail Cleaner

June 17th, 2015 by Karen 8 Comments

Seriously, the last thing I ever expected to fall head over heels for was this little tool from Tweezerman. It’s the $18 Tweezerman Pushy and Nail Cleaner, and it’s one of those things that didn’t look like much at first, but it turned out to be really, really handy. Now I use it on the regular.

It’s a dual-ended stainless steel nail tool with a flat spatula-like pusher on one end to push back cuticles, and a small angled scooper on the other end to clean under and around nails. The whole thing is metal and about five inches long.

Sounds simple, right? Well, this particular doodad also does what it does very well. The edges on both ends are smooth, so they don’t scratch your nails, and the shaft is textured in places to make it easy to grip while you’re getting out all the gunk (eww!). It also feels substantial and comfortable in my paw.
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The Kate Spade Packable Straw Fedora: Some Hats Were Made for Packing, and That’s Just What They’ll Do

June 17th, 2015 by Karen 8 Comments

Can we talk fedoras for a minute?

Every summer I try to avoid them, because I’m not Justin Timberlake, and sometimes I feel like he’s the only person who can legitimately pull them off.

But some fedoras are really cute.

Really, really cute.

I spotted this one at a Kate Spade store last May and struggled, unsuccessfully, for weeks to erase it from my Lust List, only to eventually give in after employing every excuse in the book.

“I need a hat to protect my hair color!”

“I’m going on vacation!”

“It’s my birthday month!”

“There’s a bow on it!”

Honestly, though, this hat is awesome. It’s the pinnacle of summery straw hat fedoras in that it’s not only super cute, but it’s also packable, which means that you can store it flat in your bag or luggage, and then when you unpack it at your destination, it pops back into shape.
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How to Keep Your Makeup Looking Fresh in Hot Weather

June 17th, 2015 by Karen 35 Comments

how to keep your makeup fresh in hot weather — Sweating like Keith on the banks of the Mississippi…

There was a moment last week on Magazine Street in New Orleans when El Hub and I were sitting at a booth in a cafe while sipping iced strawberry lemonades to cool down when I officially realized just how unfathomably hot and muggy summertime New Orleans is/was. I was leaning back in the booth and spacing out, just staring blankly at a ceiling fan and the artwork on the walls when I leaned forward, and I felt the back of my sticky, sweat-soaked dress literally peel away from the vinyl.

Yup, ’twas pretty gross.

I think I sweated through that entire trip, but I also got some extra sweaty hands-on experience getting my makeup to stay put in hot, humid weather.

Gotta love silver linings. 🙂

I could’ve just gone barefaced and not worn anything, but where’s the fun in that?

Things to help your warpaint last through hot and/or humid weather…

Primer
Powder
Setting spray
Blotting papers (which we’ll talk about in a minute)

For me, these are all hot-weather non-negotiables.

In cooler climates, when it comes to makeup improv and leaving things out of my routine, I usually have a more go-with-the-flow attitude, but when faced with extreme heat and humidity, I think it really helps to use these products if you don’t want your makeup to slide off your face.

Primer

Starting with primer, I used two last week (the Make Up For Ever Step 1 Skin Equalizer Smoothing Primer and NARS Pro Prime Smudge-Proof Eyeshadow Base pictured above), one for my face makeup and one for my eyes.

Really, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of different kinds of primers out there, but I look for ones that do these two things to really help my makeup last longer: 1) smooth out the surface of my skin, and 2) latch onto whatever I happen to layer on top of them, be it BB cream, foundation, concealer, powder, what have you.

To apply a face primer, I blot my skin first with a tissue to remove any excess oil or moisture. Then I massage the primer on my oiliest spots — my cheeks, nose, chin and forehead.

After that, I do the same thing with eye primer, blotting first, then applying it to my lids, into my brows (to help my brow products last longer), and under my eyes (to keep my concealer in place).

I give them about five minutes to absorb, then blot one more time with a tissue before applying my foundation, concealer, etc., on top.

Powder

mac mineralize skinfinish natural — MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Tan and a Chanel travel-size face brush

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