Hair

Have You Ever Lightened Your Hair and/or Brows?

March 11th, 2014 by Karen 26 Comments

MAC Viva Glam Nicki 2 Lipglass — Do blondes really have more fun? Inquiring minds want to know!

Hair, yes, brows, no, although I have seriously considered lightening the latter, particularly when I’ve had ombre hair.

The only thing that’s stopped me has been the maintenance aspect. I just haven’t thought I could deal with the upkeep… My brows are naturally dark and, having really dark roots, I can’t imagine the in-between stage.

Oh, too much…

My hair, though, I’ve lightened quite a few times. I think my first attempts were in middle school, and oh, my gosh! — do you remember Sun-In? I remember using it in — I think it was sixth or seventh grade? — and having, like, straight-up orange hair!

I also used that cream bleach made for upper lip hair by Jolene that you could get at the drugstore? Again, I ended up with orange hair…and an orange mustache, haha!

But, you know, I was young and had no absolutely idea what I was doing. All I knew was that it was fun (except for when it really didn’t work out). 🙂

By high school, I’d grown out of that phase and kept my hair mostly dark, but I went through another hair-lightening spell in college when I had a single thick, almost bleach-blonde streak in my bangs, a la Rogue from X-Men.

Looking back on it…I think I might’ve looked a little crazy-pants, but I thought it was hot sh*t at the time, LOL!

Through my 20s and my 30s up till now, I’ve gone back-and-forth between various shades of caramel. I think that with hair color, especially when you lighten it, it almost feels like you’re taking on a different personality. Everything — your clothes and even the way your makeup looks — seems different. I think it’s fun.

My hair is now probably the darkest it’s been in a really long time, but I may go light again soon…

Who knows? I’ll probably do something on a whim. 🙂

How about you? Have you ever lightened your hair and/or brows?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Adventures in Oribe: Getting To Know the Oribe Hair Product Line, and Insider Hair Stylist Tips

February 25th, 2014 by Karen 22 Comments

Today I was a hair model for an Oribe class — Hair modeling for my friend Alis in a class on Oribe products…

I experienced, not one, but two major revelations in that class on Oribe hairstyling products earlier today at Corte Madera’s Fox + Stone Salon.

The first, how to pronounce the word, “Oribe.”

Oh-ree-bay? Or-rib-bay? Oh-ruh-hibe?

This is where I get my hair done! Fox + Stone Salon in Corte Madera, California.

Turns out it’s OR-bay! — she said, her eyes widening to the size of saucers when she heard Northern California Brand Manager Karen Kerr pronounce it.

I swear the clouds parted when I heard it, LOL!

Karen was there at the salon to teach the stylists there about Oribe’s products, and I was invited, along with two other ladies, to be a hair model.

Which brings me to the second revelation I mentioned — that I now know what it feels like to be a puppy at a dog park, because there was a lot of petting going on…and by that I mean that the stylists in the class were instructed to repeatedly touch my hair and that of the other models.

Yup, another one to cross off ye olde bucket list. 🙂 “Have 20 people touch my hair in one day.” Check.

Three Hair Models, Three Hairstyles

There were three separate stations, one for each of the models, among which the stylists would move to play with the products on each person’s hair.

There were three hair themes — Curl Power, Full-Blown Bombshell (which I was desperately hoping to be picked for, not gonna lie) and Big, Bold and Beautiful, which was the theme I was assigned.

Big, Bold and Beautiful

My hair’s job was to sit there and showcase three products from Oribe’s line — their Foundation Mist, Creme for Style and Maximista Thickening Spray.

I use Oribe’s Shampoos and Conditioners at home and have had really good luck with them, so it was interesting to learn more about the products, the best ways to use them and what makes them tick.

Step 1: Wash and Condition

After washing my mop with Oribe’s Shampoo for Brilliance and Shine ($46) and Conditioner for Beautiful Color ($42), they sat me in my chair and went to work.

Step 2: Prep With Foundation Mist

Oribe’s Foundation Mist ($24) works kind of like a makeup primer for your hair. I found out that it’s not really designed for hold, but rather to prepare hair for styling by evening out the texture of every strand from root to end.

My stylist buddy Alis, who works at the salon and invited me today, explained it like this: sometimes hair has natural dips in the strands, which are like potholes. Foundation Mist does something called “evening out the porosity,” which means that it fills in those potholes, turning the strands into one long, smooth road.

With the strands filled in, any styling products layered on top apply more smoothly and evenly, and basically perform better.

Oribe Products for Big Bold Beautiful Look from the left: Foundation Mist, Creme for Style and Maxinista — From the left: Foundation Mist, Creme for Style and Maxinista

On top of that, Foundation Mist also offers UV protection, which is particularly helpful for color-treated hair.

To use it, just spray it all over your hair, from roots to ends, and don’t be afraid to saturate those strands!

Step 3: Condition With Creme for Style

After prepping my hair with Foundation Mist, the stylists worked in Oribe’s Creme for Style ($38), a creamy leave-in conditioner ideal for thick, heavy hair.

Layering is an important part of the Oribe philosophy, and this lightweight cream adds firm, yet flexible, hold and volume, among other things. You can apply it to either wet or dry hair, curly or straight, for shine, separation and body. It’s also great for giving extra oomph and structure to blowouts.

The stylists squeezed a pearl-sized amount into one of their palms and rubbed their hands together to thin and distribute the product, which they then applied from the mid-shaft, all the way to the ends. Whatever was left over, they ran through my hair at the crown of my head.

Creme for Style also conditions hair, and like Foundation Mist, it provides UV protection.

Step 4: Crank Up the Volume With Maxinista Finishing Spray

Next came the blow dryers! Two stylists dried my hair until it was about 80 percent done. Then it was time for the finishing touches with a round brush and the final product for my big, bold and beautiful look, volumizing Maxinista Thickening Spray ($28), which is used to create BIG volume, like the kind you see in big, puffed-out, blow-dried hair.

K with Alis — That’s my friend Alis on the right

[Continue reading…]

Spice Up Your Side Braids With This Easy 5-Minute Hair How-To

February 21st, 2014 by Karen 23 Comments

Kristin Perry Daisy Flower Braid In — Flower power!

Not gonna lie — the Katniss side braid has been saving my @ss the past few months. Whenever I’m too lazy to really do anything substantial with my hair, a casual side braid werks.

But ya know, even tried-and-true hairstyles can benefit from new twists.

When I stumbled across the Daisy Flower Braid in by Kristin Perry Accessories ($14), I thought, yes! This’ll spice up ye olde side braid quite nicely without adding any time to the process.

It’s a long suede cord with embroidered daisies and golden leaf detailing at the ends. You work it into braids for extra texture and to add some color to your hair.

To use it, I start by gathering my hair into a low side ponytail, which I secure with an elastic. Then I wrap the cord around the base of the ponytail several times to conceal the elastic.

Once done with that, I tie a loose knot, then double up the cord. Then I section the hair in the ponytail into two parts, leaving me with the three components of the braid — the first section of hair, the second section and the doubled-up cord.

Next part’s easy. Just braid the three components together. When I get to the bottom, I grab another elastic to secure the end of the braid, wrap the cord around it several times to conceal said elastic, and tie the ends of the cord in a knot.

[Continue reading…]

Which Way Do You Usually Part Your Hair?

February 19th, 2014 by Karen 32 Comments

Center part or side part, and do you ever switch sides?

I’ve always had a natural side part above my right eye (so the left side of the screen in pics). That’s where my hair parts naturally when it gets its way.

But then there was that six-month period in 2004 — the Dreaded Wrong Part Incident, when my part went the opposite way (above my left eye), and I hated every minute of it.

It happened one day because the gal who used to cut my hair was just totally checked out. It was her last day before a long vacation to Thailand, and I guess she really wasn’t paying attention, or was in a rush to get out the door.

She had been cutting my hair for about a year, so I assumed I was in good hands.

I started reading a magazine in the chair, and when I looked up, my hair was parted the wrong way and chopped past the point of no return.

At first I thought, “OK…change is good. I can roll with this, and I can’t really do anything about it now.”

That faux calm lasted about half a day…

For strange, cruel reasons, my layers wouldn’t sit properly, and the waves insisted on going every which way. Whenever I looked in the mirror, I felt like I was staring at a stranger.

You wouldn’t think that something as minor as a part could make such a difference, but I swear, it totally does!

How about you? Which way do you usually part your hair?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Good morning and welcome to le hump!

Today is a very exciting day. 🙂

Why’s that, you ask? Well, the contractors say that I’m supposed to have gas again by this afternoon, yay!

Wait — that came out wrong.

Anywho, woo-hoo! Believe you me, I will be celebrating by taking a shower tonight. Counting the hours, minutes and seconds until I can shave the pelt of fur on my shins, LOL!

P.P.S. Speaking of warmer days, last night I finished a book I think you might like. It’s called A Hundred Summers, by Beatriz Williams.

I started reading it last weekend and could not put it down. It’s like a cross between a mystery and a romance. A myst-romance, or romance-ery.

From amazon.com…

“Memorial Day, 1938: New York socialite Lily Dane has just returned with her family to the idyllic oceanfront community of Seaview, Rhode Island, expecting another placid summer season among the familiar traditions and friendships that sustained her after heartbreak.

“That is, until Greenwalds decide to take up residence in Seaview.

“Nick and Budgie Greenwald are an unwelcome specter from Lily’s past: her former best friend and her former fiancé, now recently married—an event that set off a wildfire of gossip among the elite of Seaview, who have summered together for generations. Budgie’s arrival to restore her family’s old house puts her once more in the center of the community’s social scene, and she insinuates herself back into Lily’s friendship with an overpowering talent for seduction…and an alluring acquaintance from their college days, Yankees pitcher Graham Pendleton. But the ties that bind Lily to Nick are too strong and intricate to ignore, and the two are drawn back into long-buried dreams, despite their uneasy secrets and many emotional obligations.

“Under the scorching summer sun, the unexpected truth of Budgie and Nick’s marriage bubbles to the surface, and as a cataclysmic hurricane barrels unseen up the Atlantic and into New England, Lily and Nick must confront an emotional cyclone of their own, which will change their worlds forever.”

I was sucked in from the start, totally immersed in a world of love triangles, family secrets, friends and frenemies. The story, on a reverse scale of 1-10, with 10 being Lifetime movie-caliber predictable, I give it a two…which in this case is good! 🙂 Lots of twists and turns and memorable characters. Highly recommended!

When Was the Last Time You Braided Your Hair?

February 12th, 2014 by Karen 23 Comments

Dude, side braids are the best thing ever!

I wanted to shower before leaving for the hospital yesterday (The procedure went fine, BTW. My arm is A-OK), because I didn’t know if I’d have to skip a couple days once I had a bandage on, but I didn’t have time to really futz with my hair, so I straightened my bangs with a hairdryer, and put the rest of my mop in a side braid.

I like side braids because 1) they don’t give me a headache like tight buns (Haha! I said tight buns…) and ponytails sometimes do, and 2) they’re fairly easy and have that casually messy look I like.

Mad props to The Hunger Games movies for re-introducing them into my life. 🙂

Before those movies came out, I think the last time I actually wore braids of any kind was back in middle school. In seventh and eighth grades I was all about french twists and fishtail braids.

I wore ’em all the time! — but as I got older, I guess I started looking at braids as more for kids and moved on to ponytails, buns and french twists instead.

Now, though (thanks, ironically, in part to a series of young-adult movies), I’m back in love with braids.

Seriously, if you haven’t worn them in a while, give ’em a whirl!

Today’s hump day hair question for you: when was the last time you braided your hair?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. In case you were wondering what it’s like to be doted on by a tabby cat nurse, the following image pretty much sums it up…

Tabs believes in the healing power of touch. And proper nutrition, obvs. Can’t you can tell by his “healthy” physique?

Last night he ordered El Hub to make me dinner (fish and rice) and then insisted that I eat a scoop of Three Twins’ salted caramel ice cream for dessert.

Whatever tabby wants, tabby gets. 🙂

It’s Wednesday (woo-hoo!), which means we’re halfway to the weekend! What’s shakin’ in your neck of the woods? What’s on your agenda today?

Bangs: Yea or Nay?

February 11th, 2014 by Karen 45 Comments

All about the side sweep (that’s Hourglass Femme Rouge Lipstick in Fever on my lips, by the way!)

To quote the great Ricky Martin, “She bangs, she bangs…”

Nothin’ like a little Ricky Martin to start your morning. 🙂

Good morning!

Well, I managed to get my booty on the treadmill last night and keep it there for a short time (small victories, right?), and while I was shuffling along to Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream, some of my freshly shorn side-swept bangs escaped from my ponytail, which got me thinking…

Bangs.

Have you ever had a ‘do with dramatic bangs before? When you were considering it, were you nervous at all?

I was. It’s a big change, and you have to deal with new hair products, clipping them back when you exercise, and then growing them out again when you feel like another change. They can be quite a commitment.

A bob, bangs and pink streaks, circa January 2012

It seems like bangs are something you either love or hate.

Hello, Lloyd Christmas — A blast from the past… The Lloyd Christmas.

I’m firmly in the bangs “yea” camp, and over the years, I’ve had a variety of bangs — like ’80s-style big hair bear bangs, Lloyd Christmas bangs, and my current side-swept bangs. I think they’re fun, and I like the way they frame my face. 🙂

How about you? What’s your position on bangs? Do you love ’em or loathe ’em? Or are you impartial when it comes to bangs? Inquiring minds want to know.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Happy Tuesday, babe. I may not be around too much this afternoon because I have a minor in-patient medical procedure scheduled for 1 p.m. at the hospital. It’s nothing big at all — just a small boo-boo on my elbow that hasn’t healed, but I should be in and out of there in two twitches of a tabby’s tail.

I hope all is well in your corner of the world. I’ll see you soon. Have a wonderful day.

An Easy 5-Minute Hairstyle To Try: The Textured, Braided Bun

February 3rd, 2014 by Karen 22 Comments

You know when your hair reaches that maddening length — that hellacious hair point of no return — when trying to wrangle it into place becomes about as easy as trying to ride a bucking bronco?

I’m at that point.

I probably should’ve gotten a haircut about a month ago, but eh. You know how it goes…

The side braid has been totally saving my butt lately. It’s cute and easy (and I feel like Katniss Everdeen when I rock it), but I still like to switch things up.

Enter the messy braided bun! 🙂 It’s just as easy and only takes five minutes.

I got the idea from L’Oreal Consulting Celebrity Hairstylist Mara Roszak, who works her hair magic on glam red carpet gals like Emma Stone, Olivia Wilde and Mila Kunis, in an online webinar. I asked Mara for an easy, trendy hairstyle I could do in five minutes, and she suggested a textured bun.

Importantly, it’s easy. Just start by putting your hair into a ponytail. Then, braid the pony (haha, I just wanted to write, “braid the pony”), and secure the ends with an elastic.

That’s the Unicorn Sliver Amethyst Necklace by Crystal Cactus…

[Continue reading…]

How To Do an Easy, Cute Half-Up, Half-Down Hairstyle

January 10th, 2014 by Karen 15 Comments

Good morning and happy Friday, friend!

It’s been a little slow going here this morning at Casa de MBB because I stayed up late last night partying like a rock star…

Uh, not. Actually, I got sucked into a movie I started watching at 9 called The Brass Teapot (pretty good, Twilight Zone-ish) and stayed up past my usual 10 o’clock bedtime.

Forget brass teapots… Could someone please pass the coffee pot? Stat.

So I’m feeling kinda tired, but also actually pretty good, too. Last night during dinner El Hub and I had a long talk about the importance of positivity in our lives.

Yes, I know that sounds hella cheesy, but ya know, I am a hella cheesy person and proud of it. 🙂

It’s especially important as we get older…because more and more of the people we know start getting sick, passing away and facing truly difficult situations.

Sorry. I don’t want to bring you down at all (that’s never my goal, ever), but I just think it’s important that we try to be as optimistic and happy as possible in our lives, because what else is there, really? You gotta keep that boat afloat, ya know? As hard as it is sometimes.

Anywho, that’s enough waxing philosophic for now… How about a video?

This one’s just a quickie.

I posted a pic last week of my hair half up, half down to showcase an ear cuff I like by Kristin Perry, and a few of you asked to see a tutorial.

Well, I don’t know how much of a tutorial this turned out to be, but I tried.

The style’s pretty simple — kind of funky and Hunger Games-ish, which is probably why I like it so much — and you may be able to do it with products you already have around the house.

Products mentioned in the video

A flexible hold hairspray like Pantene Pro-V Touchable Non-Aerosol Hairspray Flexible Hold ($4)
A hairbrush (I used a Mason Pearson Pocket Mix Brush that I got as a gift, but any hairbrush will do)
Goody Bobby Pins ($3)

Do you have any well-behaved earrings at home that deserve to be shown off? Hint-hint! This is a good hairstyle for that.

You know, I really enjoy making these videos, but they are very challenging in different ways than writing and taking pics. A big thing I’m still trying to figure out is where to place the camera. I probably should have backed up a couple feet for this one to show my entire head, but we live and learn, I guess.

Oh, well. I still hope you like it and give it a try (even if it’s only in secret at home).

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. tgif. 🙂