Hair

With the craziness of my recent move and last week’s trip, I have *yet* to set up my TV, which means no Detectives Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler for me tonight, boo!

They star in one of my favorite guilty pleasures, Law and Order: SVU (SVU = Special Victims Unit; they investigate sex crimes and crimes against children). I’ve been watching the show for years. I adore the characters and the actors who play them, particularly Mariska Hargitay.

Mariska, born Mariska Magdolina Hargitay on January 23, 1964, comes from showbiz roots. The daughter of 1950s sex symbol Jayne Mansfield and former Mr. Universe Mickey Hargitay, the beauty queen (she was Miss Beverly Hills USA in 1982, and was a fourth runner up Miss California) appeared in several popular ’90s TV shows, ER and Seinfeld among them, before landing her career-defining role on SVU in 1999.

Playing the dedicated, empathetic Detective Olivia Benson also inspired her real life effort to start Joyful Heart, a foundation which provides support to women victims of sexual assault.

And, get this — homegirl speaks five languages (English, Hungarian, French, Spanish and Italian)! SO COOL!

Can ya tell I’ve got a girl crush? 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Jennifer Kate Hudson’s journey from American Idol finalist to Academy Award and Grammy Award winner shows that coming in first isn’t always best.

Born September 12, 1981, her early exit from Idol in 2004 didn’t slow her down at all. She subsequently broke into the worlds of acting, modeling and now parenthood.

After a tragic 2008, things are looking up. Last August she and fiance David Otunga (aka Punk from I Love New York Season 2) welcomed their son, David, into the world.

Congrats!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. (Shhhh… I have to whisper because I’m in class right now. It’s a session on typography/fonts — an obsession of mine. Did you know that Arial is a Microsoft-created copy of Helvetica they commissioned in the 1980s to avoid having to pay a license to use Helvetica? Weird, huh?)

I think Rachel McAdams (born Rachel Anne McAdams on November 17, 1978 in Ontario, Canada) pretty much rocks.

I mean, c’mon — what’s not to like? She gets points from me for having the guts to wear pink hair (you go, girl!). That, and she starred in The Notebook, one of my all-time favorite flicks. 🙂

Rachel’s been acting since 12 but didn’t get her big break until comedian Rob Schneider’s The Hot Chick. Then came Mean Girls (remember her in that?).

Her career’s been on an upswing lately, and Forbes magazine recently named her the third most Bankable Actress in Hollywood.

As for her hair, Rachel’s locks are as varied as the characters she plays, with styles in bunches of different colors and lengths.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. I’m here at the airport in San Francisco waiting for my flight… If I don’t check back in for a few hours, have a great day. 🙂

I’m speeding through my chores (vacuuming and unpacking some boxes in the kitchen) so I can play hooky this afternoon and catch Whip It at the movies.

It’s Drew Barrymore’s (born Drew Blyth Barrymore on February 22, 1975) directorial debut.

Who knew Gertie (remember E.T.?) would come so far? It wasn’t easy, though (two stints in rehab before 15), but she’s carved out successful careers in acting, film producing, and, now, directing. Homegirl’s like the Jill of all Hollywood trades!

When it comes to her hair, Drew often changes the color, length and texture. It has a girl-next-door vibe and never looks overly lacquered or perfect. I like that it looks like the kinda hair I could do myself, ya know?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Actress and breast cancer survivor Christina Applegate (born November 25, 1971) hit it big in the late-’80s, landing a role as the big-haired, ditzy Kelly Bundy on Married With Children.

Kelly B. made Christina famous, but it wasn’t her first TV gig. Her first was *starring* as an infant of three months old on the soap opera, Days of Our Lives. 🙂

It was her big break!

That role as “Baby” (LOL!) catapulted Christina into guest appearances on Charles in Charge, Silver Spoons and Family Ties.

When Married With Children finished filming after its successful 10-year run, Christina went on to star in movies, a Broadway musical (Sweet Charity) and a short-lived sitcom, Samantha Who?

I’ve always liked her comic timing (and that beautiful blonde hair!) and have followed her career for years. I was just as shocked as everyone to hear last August that she’d been diagnosed with breast cancer. Having a gene marker that indicated an aggressive form of the disease, she chose to undergo a double mastectomy.

Today, with her cancer in remission, she’s back at work, not only acting but also sharing her story with others.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The giveaway is now closed, and I’m contacting the winner by e-mail. Good luck!

It may not have been wrenched from a stone like Arthur’s Excalibur, but the T3 Featherweight Hair Dryer feels that enchanted to me. When it entered my life two years ago (like mana from heaven!), it changed my life forever!

This thing isn’t merely a gizmo or an electronic doohickey. It’s mythic — an object worthy of flat-out worship. 🙂

Why? Because of how much time it saves.

Drying my mane with my old broke-ass hairdryer used to take me 45 minutes, at least, but the T3 cuts that down to 15. 15!

To me, it’s one of those rare beauty products that totally lives up to the hype.

Every half an hour it saves is an extra half an hour to sleep, to plot world domination or to drool over, say, Agent Ballard.

Not only does it dry hair like greased lightning, it’s super quiet (shhh…) and barely weighs a thing.

This month the T3 line celebrates their five-year anniversary, so let’s join the party with a giveaway!

The prize

Thanks to the good folks at T3, one lucky lady will take home a T3 Featherweight Dryer ($180 value).

How to enter…

Entering is easy. There are two different ways, and you can do both of them for two chances to win.

First, you can enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post — in it, tell me why you’d like a T3 in your life. 🙂

I use some of the time it saves me to watch brainless, mind-numbing reality television — the kind of television that’s good for my soul.

Second, enter by following me on Twitter and retweeting (RT) the following message:

RT @karenmbb: RT to Win a $180 T3 Featherweight Dryer http://bit.ly/XLKSs

Recap…

1. Enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, and don’t forget to use a valid email address so I can reach you if you win.
2. Follow me on Twitter and retweet the following message:
   
   RT @karenmbb: RT to Win a $180 T3 Featherweight Dryer http://bit.ly/XLKSs

I’ll pick the winner at random from among the people who enter by 11:59 p.m. PST on Sunday, September 27.

Oodgay ucklay!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The giveaway is now closed, and I’m contacting the winner by e-mail. Good luck!

Through her humanitarian work, traveling as Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency to more than 20 troubled spots around the world, Angelina Jolie (born Angelina Jolie Voight on June 4, 1975) may have done more to change the way modern celebrities are perceived than anyone else in Hollywood today.

With an Academy Award (Girl, Interrupted, 1999), a growing family and one foin-ass boo, Jolie seems to have it all.

As for her look — the luscious lips, smokey eyes and the estimated 13 tattoos she has have often overshadowed her hair, but I think she’s always worn it well.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen