Karen

Question of the Day: How Many Bottles Do You Have in Your Shower?

April 16th, 2015 by Karen 54 Comments

Things that make you go hmm... — Things that make you go hmm…

Shampoos, conditioners, body washes, body lotions (yup, I keep mine in the shower), shave creams, etc. Go check, and count ’em all up. Or, take a quick mental inventory.

I did a major culling a few weeks ago during a feng shui shower frenzy and removed a few shampoos and body washes, but there’s still a lot in there.

At last count (just now), there are 18 bottles!

What can I say? I’m a girl who likes options. 🙂

I think it’s related to my childhood (isn’t it always?). My mom wasn’t big into bath and beauty products, so we always only had two bottles in our shower — just one shampoo and one conditioner. That was it.

Then when I left home for college, I lived with a roommate who had six different bottles of shampoo and conditioner in the shower, and it BLEW MY MIND.

It never occurred to me that you could, you know, legitimately own and use a variety of shampoos and conditioners. There is not a law that requires the use of just one.

And then body washes came into vogue, and all heck broke loose. It was a new world with endless possibilities, LOL!

So these are the bottles in my shower right now…

3 bottles of shampoo
5 bottles of conditioner
7 (!) body washes
1 body scrub
2 face washes

How about you? What’s in yours?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Funny thing is that none of the bottles are El Hub’s. 🙂 He doesn’t care what he uses. I think he just grabs anything when he’s in there. Sometimes I wonder if it’s even a soap, haha.

Urban Outfitters Beauty Haul: Tony Moly, Hair Therapy and The Gnarly Whale

April 15th, 2015 by Karen 14 Comments

I’m really hoping that including Tabs in this picture is enough to distract you from the fact that 1) I’m in my pajamas, 2) I’m not wearing any makeup, and 3) I’m wearing this totally weird hair treatment cap by Kocostar Hair Therapy.

If it isn’t, here’s a T. rex claw for good measure…

I’m not purposefully going for milkmaid chic in this look. 🙂 The hair cap is one of the things I picked up at Urban Outfitters a few weeks back.

Dude! If you haven’t been there lately, you have to go. There’s a lot of cool sh*t and neat brands in their beauty section.

Like this cap by Kocostar Hair Therapy ($8). It’s pre-moistened with conditioner. After shampooing and towel drying, you stick your hair inside the cap, seal it shut with the sticker on the back, and wait 15 minutes for your hair to absorb the product (I’m thinking/guessing that the heat from your head is some kind of activator).

Then rinse it all out.

Now, OK. First of all, it was really hard to get all of my hair up into this cap. I tried putting it into a loose bun at the top of my head, and then sticking the cap over it, but my hair kept falling out, so I ended up holding the cap upside-down and diving into it.

Of course, then I couldn’t get the sticker thingy to stay stuck…

Eventually, I figured it out (but it wasn’t incredibly easy).

After letting my hair sit inside the cap for 15 minutes, I removed the cap and rinsed my hair. It felt coated with a thick, heavy goo, which took a really long time to rinse out, but I do think my hair looked a little shinier than it did before…

I dunno. At least my head smelled good (like Gummy Bears).

About some of the other things I picked up…

The Gnarly Whale Thai Coconut Beach Waves ($14) — Wow, this is really lovely! I get soft, beachy waves without stickiness or crunchiness. Totally like a softer hold version of Kerastase Spray a Porter. Smells great, too (like coconuts).
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Balm Desert Bronzer/Blush by theBalm: In This Desert, It Rains Bronzer and Blush

April 15th, 2015 by Karen 11 Comments

thebalm balm desert — thebalm Balm Desert Bronzer/Blush $21

Wha!?

Is it a bronzer? Wait — no. Is it a blush?

Actualmente, Balm Desert ($21) is both. It’s a new reddish tan face powder by theBalm that you can use as both. It works as a bronzer and/or a straight-up blush.

You could probably also use it as a contouring shade, since it leans neutral/cool…

If you already scrolled down and saw the swatch, your pores may be freaking out right now because of what looks like a slight sheen, but tell them to chill out. Balm Desert looks more matte in real life.

I’ve noticed that theBalm’s powders have a light and fluffy quality to ’em that makes them really easy to blend. It also makes them challenging (also known as “messy”) to work with at times, and Balm Desert’s the same way. Running a brush across the pan lifts a lot of product, and messiness may ensue, but you can head it off by tapping your brush against something to unload the excess.

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Guerlain Summer 2015: Bronzed Skin, With Accents of Blue, Hot Pink and Yellowy Gold

April 15th, 2015 by Karen 24 Comments

Hand on my heart, toes in the sand and face to the summer sun, Guerlain’s Summer 2015 Collection threw me for a loop.

Mind you…it was a colorful, lovely loop, but still — a loop, nevertheless.

I’m more accustomed to seeing them summon golden goddesses for summertime, with baked bronzes, toasty tans and luscious corals, all of which, you know, I absolutely LOVE, but they took a different path to the sun this time down a boulevard of bronzed skin (of course), with accents of blue, hot pink and yellowy gold.

It’s more color than I’m used to seeing from them this time of year, but I’m cool with that. I love wearing color, especially when it’s handled elegantly like this.

The collection includes two bronzers, two lipsticks, two waterproof cream eye shadows (a first for the brand!) and a nail polish. All of them are limited edition and coming to Guerlain counters and online this May.

This being Guerlain, and with us talking about summer, it only seems right to start with a Terracotta bronzer. This year, the two My Terracotta Bronzing Powders in the release ($55 each) are wearing special outfits! The pans come with a — I’m not sure how to describe it — scuba suit?

A very fancy scuba suit…

Basically, the cover slips on and off the compacts like a rubbery, silicone sleeve. The sleeve for 02 Natural Blondes is turquoise, while the sleeve for 03 Natural Brunettes is coral.

The first thing I did when I opened 02 Natural Blondes was sniff the pan. LOL! You have to do it, man. Like Guerlain’s other bronzers, these have their trademark tiare flower scent (which I love!).

Tiny flecks of shimmer wink at me when I see the pan sitting in the sun, but the shimmer doesn’t really register on my skin. I’m fine with that, though, since my pores and I usually prefer matte bronzers to shimmers.

Even though the bronzer shown here in this post is 02 Natural Blondes, you don’t have to be fair-haired to wear it. This deep, warm and toasty orange-bronze should suit a wide range of skin tones, depending on how it’s worked. It’s easy to blend and very pigmented, so the bronzed effect is noticeable immediately. You don’t have to use much at all, and if you do, things will go orangey.

As for eyes, the new Summer Waterproof Cream Eye Shadows ($32 each, available in two shades — a shimmery beige called White Sand and a shimmery turquoise called Blue Ocean) are a first for the brand. Cream shadows with a fluffy mousse-like texture, you apply them directly to bare lids with the included doe-foot applicator. Wear them alone or as bases for powder shadows.

Guerlain Summer 2015 Collection: Pictures

guerlain blue ocean nail — Guerlain Le Vernis Nail Lacquer in 700 Blue Ocean, $26

guerlain blue ocean eye — Guerlain Summer Waterproof Cream Eye Shadow in Blue Ocean, $32

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On a Scale of 1-10, How Adventurous Are You When It Comes to Skin Care?

April 15th, 2015 by Karen 31 Comments

How adventurous are you when it comes to skin care? Do you play it safe and stick to tried-and-true products that you’ve come to know, or do you charge boldly unto the epidermal breach, always ready and willing to try new things? Inquiring minds want to know.

I’m usually up for trying new things when my combo skin is behaving, but when I’m breaking out or going through a bad bout of dry or oily or otherwise sensitive skin, I go back to the basics I know and love — the things that I know will clear up said situation (for breakouts, it involves a combination of a benzoyl peroxide product with one containing salicylic acid, coupled with doing the other things I know I should be doing anyway, like drinking enough water, getting to bed at a decent hour and eating my dark leafy greens).

If I’m not breaking out, then yeah, I’ll try new things, especially face masks!

GURL, don’t even get me started on the masks, because we’ll be here for days.

Unless you want me to get started on the masks. 🙂 Because then I will. Because I just tried a new one by Clinique called the Even Better Brightening Moisture Mask ($36), and I like it very much.

Masks, why do I love thee so much? Is it because of the instant gratification?

Yes, I think it is. That, and the whole spa angle. A good masks taps into that part of my brain that makes me feel like I’m treating myself to a spa.

I have a section of shelf dedicated to them, and I wear them so often that El Hub doesn’t even comment anymore when I walk into the room wearing a thick layer of goo all over my face, haha! He’ll be like, “Hi, babe. Do you want to rent a movie tonight?”

Tell me, on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the skin-care equivalent of Indiana Jones, what’s your skin care adventure quotient? How adventurous are you when it comes to skin care?

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Happy hump day, my friend! 🙂

Friends I Made, Places I Went, and Things I Ate Last Weekend

April 14th, 2015 by Karen 25 Comments

Pretty much whenever I go anywhere, I bring a camera with me, because 1) my phone is a camera…and it’s usually with me (haha, dumb joke), and 2) because you have to take pics of everything; otherwise, it never happened, LOL!

These are just some pics from my adventures with my in-laws last weekend. We took them sightseeing around Sonoma and Marin Counties.

One of the places we went is the cute town of Fairfax in West Marin, which is nestled up against the mountains, on the other side of which is the Pacific Ocean.

It’s a quaint, tiny little town, almost like an island up in the mountains, because it’s off the beaten path from the highways, and the people are very friendly.

While we were there, I made the acquaintance of a cute pup named Coffee.

I’m super obsessed with her ears!

If you ever make it out to Fairfax, I highly recommend brunch at the Hummingbird Cafe. It’s a breakfast/lunch diner, and their menu has New Orleans-style flair.

I swear…their beignets are so good you’ll want to cry.

I ordered a Frenchman Po’ Boy, and it came STUFFED to the gills with fried shrimp and fried green tomatoes. Needless to say, this was my cheat meal for the week…

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Hourglass Cosmetics Summer 2015: Introducing the New Ambient Lighting Bronzers and a Full-Sized Incandescent Electra Ambient Blush

April 14th, 2015 by Karen 13 Comments

The Hourglass Summer 2015 Collection, available now at Hourglass counters and online

Fellow Hourglass fanatic and probable feline porcelain figurine lover, go grab your biggest, fluffiest, pouffiest (wait — I don’t think that’s even a word) powder brush, and hurry back.

You’re going to need that brush when you work with these new Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzers.

YAAAAAAS GIRL! 🙂 Hourglass totally went there. First, they gave us the glorious Ambient Lighting Powders, then the awesome Ambient Blushes, and now these! — the new Ambient Lighting Bronzers (available in two shades, $50 each).

hourglass cosmetics summer 2015 — From the left: the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzers in Luminous Bronze Light and Radiant Bronze Light, and Incandescent Electra Blush

Both bronzers, as well as a new full-sized version of Ambient Lighting Blush in Incandescent Electra (Remember Electra from the the Ambient Blush palette? I’m a fan.), are new for summer 2015. They’re also being added to the permanent line (available now at Hourglass counters and online).

Notice how the bronzer pans are comprised of two shades, one lighter than the other? Those lighter areas are veins of Radiant Light and Luminous Light Ambient Lighting Powder running through the Bronzer.

Hourglass recommends the Luminous Bronze Light one for fair-skinned/lighter lovelies, and Radiant Bronze Light for medium/deeper-toned divas.

Now, the darker areas within each of the pans is the actual bronzer. Hourgless figured out a way to combine warm, golden orange bronzers with cooler, ashier-toned taupes.

Interestingly, though, the warm orangey bronzer is what shows up in swatches, and also when I apply these on my face, which I do with a big fluffy powder blush, which creates that whole sun-kissed, golden bronzed effect I like.

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Tom Ford Summer 2015: New Cream and Powder Eye Colors, Bronzers and More

April 14th, 2015 by Karen 38 Comments

I’m looking lovingly at the Tom Ford Summer 2015 Collection and thinking, SWOON! — first, because of the limited edition white and gold packaging (hello!), which looks almost like, I dunno, really expensive jewelry? — and second, TIDE PENS.

OK, I know that was kind of (very) random…but hey, that’s why we hang out. 🙂 You feel the randomness, I feel the randomness, we all feel the randomness to-geh-thurrrrr.

Anywho… Like I was saying: Tide Pens. I always carry one with me whenever I wear white because no matter how hard I try to keep whatever I’m wearing pristine and stain-free, I find a way to get makeup or a pen smudge or cat food all over it.

But I don’t have to worry about that with these beauties from Tom, because even if I do get a little Sheba Chicken and Liver on one of the compacts, they’re easy to clean. All you have to do is wipe.

Yeah…

I have no idea how this train of thought ended up at Cat Food Station, but I apologize for that. Let’s move on, shall we? We have new Tom Ford products to get to. 🙂

The new Tom Ford 2015 Soleil/Summer Collection is available now online and at Tom Ford counters, and it’s a beauty inside and out. I had a full-on “OH, MY GAWD, BECKY!!” meltdown in my living room this afternoon, no kidding. El Hub looked at me like I’d lost my damned mind.

The 16-piece collection is freaking breathtaking from, like, every possible angle. Just looking at the pieces — from the shimmering Eye Colors, to the deliciously golden plummy Eye and Cheek Compact, to the luscious lipsticks and the toasty, sun-drenched bronzers — makes me feel like an eccentric billionaire (you know, the one who promises to fund the fabulous cat lady lifestyle I’m destined to lead, LOL!) is about to treat me to a Tahitian vacation at the Four Seasons, just so that I can sit by the pool. The release exudes summer, gold and rich, like you’re about to make it muthu-f*cking rain wearing just a white bikini, bronzer and five-inch spiked heels.

I mean…Tom Ford, though. He owns that sexy/luxurious makeup thing.

Of course, the products are also expensive enough to trigger panic attacks. For instance, the Eye and Cheek Compact in Pink Glow is $95 (HOLY WOW!), the Cream and Powder Eye Colors are $60, and the Sheer Lipsticks are $50.

Can you feel your heart pounding in your chest? Are beads of sweat forming on your brow? Yeah, we have officially entered CRAZY EXPENSIVE MAKEUP TERRITORY, which is where Tom Ford apparently resides.