Product Reviews

Neutrogena Fresh Cooling Body Mist Sunblock: Crazy Cool

June 7th, 2008 by Karen 39 Comments

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Aloha nui loa, girls! 🙂 Greetings from the island of Oahu. The day is young, but, as I’m sure you know, it’s never too early to think about sunscreen. On the agenda for this morning: a trip to downtown Honolulu (the biggest city on the island), to watch the 92nd annual Kamehameha Day Floral Parade. My camera is locked and loaded!

Even though it’s early in the morning here, I’m glad I brought along my can of Neutrogena Fresh Cooling Mist Sunblock SPF 30 ($9). The sun here feels stronger than it feels back in San Francisco. Even through partly cloudy skies it can cause bad sunburns, even on someone with brown skin. An aerosol, spray-on sunblock, Fresh Cooling Mist Sunblock SPF 30 is one of my favorite sunblocks. It’s lightweight and portable, waterproof and non-comedogenic.

Stepping off the plane yesterday was like stepping into a steam room. It was 88 degrees and humid outside, and today should be about the same. Knowing what to expect upon touchdown, I ducked into the bathroom on the plane shortly before landing to spray Fresh Cooling Mist Sunblock onto my arms and legs. The formula leaves a cooling sensation on my skin, which also helps to wake me up after a flight through different time zones.

While I often bring this sunblock with me on sightseeing trips, I won’t rely on it if I’ll be spending an entire day at the beach. I use it to supplement lotion sunblocks. If I were going to be out in the sun and water all day long I would go through a can of Fresh Cooling Mist in no time. It may be waterproof, but it doesn’t have the staying power that most lotion SPFs have. But when you’re stepping outside the door and want quick sun protection on your exposed parts in 10 seconds or less, you can’t go wrong with a small bottle of Fresh Cooling Mist.

Snag Neutrogena Fresh Cooling Sunblock SPF 30 at your favorite drugstore or find it online.

Neutrogena Fresh Cooling Body Mist Sunblock SPF 30

Price: $9
Use: For quick sun protection in a cooling spray
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

From the airport yesterday I ended up at the legendary Duke’s restaurant in Waikiki, named after a giant of the surfing world, for a quick drink on the beach. Like everything in the Waikiki neighborhood of downtown Honolulu, Dukes caters to tourists. Be that as it may, they’ve got one hell of a view.

Some highlights of Duke Kahanamoku’s remarkable life 1890-1968

1890 Born in Honolulu on August 24 to Duke and Julia, full-blooded Hawaiians and descendants of royalty.

1912 Won 2 Olympic Medals in Stockholm — a Gold while setting the world record for the 100 meter freestyle and a Silver with the U.S. freestyle relay team.

1920 Won 2 more Gold Medals for Swimming in the Antwerp Olympics for the 100 meter freestyle and on the U.S. freestyle relay team. Recommended surfing as an Olympic event.

1922-30 Lived in Los Angeles and played parts in 28 Hollywood movies.

1925 Heroic board rescue of eight drowning men at Newport Beach, CA.

1929 Rode a monster wave for more than a mile at Waikiki beach (likely the longest ride in modern times).

1966 Inducted in the Surfing Hall of Fame, becoming the first person to be inducted into both the Swimming and Surfing Halls of Fame.

1968 Died in Honolulu on January 22, followed by a Waikiki Beachboy funeral.

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Fight Frizz with Fekkai Summer Hair Zero-Humidity Frizz Control

June 5th, 2008 by Karen 30 Comments

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I finally started getting ready for my trip, and the first thing I packed was Fekkai Summer Hair Zero-Humidity Frizz Control ($22), a hair treatment spray designed to combat frizz and to protect hair from sun damage. It’s humid in Hawaii, which does a number on wavy hair like mine. I’d have a bird’s nest in no time without my Fekkai. The company says the product seals the hair cuticle. That’s marketing fancy talk, but I do know that on previous trips to the tropics, after I’ve spritzed it on damp, washed hair and brushed it through with a wide toothed comb, my hair has stayed smooth and frizz-free.

Zero-Frizz isn’t just a hair smoothing spray. It smells great (like coconut and citrus) and even contains a UV protectant Fekkai calls Solarshield, designed to prevent sun damage and lightening. And no alcohol here, which is a big plus, as hair products containing alcohol tend to be drying.
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Ojon Rub-Out Dry Cleanser: Shower in a Bottle

June 4th, 2008 by Karen 43 Comments

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I was up until three last night/this morning reading my new book, The Time Traveler’s Wife, and, because I stayed up so late, I woke up late. After writing my first post, I was left with barely 15 minutes to get ready for work.

Not good.

Making matters worse, my hair was extra greasy and gross (sexy, I know) this morning. With very little time to get ready, I had to make a difficult decision — either I could wash my hair, or skip washing and use the time to apply minimal makeup instead.

I chose to go with the minimal makeup, but my questionable decision didn’t subject the general population to stinky Karen hair. Nope! I used one of my favorite secret short cuts for time strapped mornings: dry shampoo.

It’s an absorbent spray-on powder you apply to your roots to cut down on oil and grease. It can’t replace a cleansing hair wash, but it helps in a pinch.

The product I’m using goes by the name of Ojon Hair’s Rub-Out Dry Cleanser ($24), and I like it a lot.

One big issue I’ve had with dry shampoos in the past is that quite a few brands smell really terrible, but not Rub-Out. It smells like a mix of citrus and baby powder. The product does a great job cutting down on the shine and relieves any scalp itchiness. I wouldn’t say it cleans hair, but it certainly makes it look better.
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Stila Multi-Effect Mascara: A Brush with Destiny

June 3rd, 2008 by Karen 13 Comments

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BREAKING NEWS: Stila’s Multi-Effect Mascara ($20) creates thick, fatty-bo-batty lashes! Check out how my lashes go from zero to luscious in just two coats.

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I gotta hand it to Stila for the curved brush they packaged with Multi-Effect Mascara. The thing flat-out rocks, helping the product deliver amazing thickness. The arch fits perfectly into the curve of my lashes (and probably yours, too), better than any other curved brush I’ve used before. With it I can really get into the lashes and coat them from root to tip.

I’m definitely loving the thickness Multi-Effect and its magical brush provide, but I was also hoping to see a more dramatic difference in length and lash curl. Stila says Multi-Effects is designed to create, well, multiple effects — longer, thicker and curlier lashes — but after two coats the difference I saw in length and curl were minimal. It held the curl but lengthened to a lesser degree than Shu Uemura’s Precise Volume Mascara does.

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Get the Look for Less: Sonia Kashuk Eye Shadow Duo in Double Whammy

June 3rd, 2008 by Karen 37 Comments

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Remember the MAC Cosmetics blue and green face of the day from a few weeks ago? Parrot ($14), a turquoise eyeshadow, and Sprout ($14), a sea green, featured heavily in the look. While I think they’re both fabulous colors, I wanted to find another more budget-friendly option, considering how $28 is a lot to pay for two colors that may not get a lot of regular use. Enter Sonia Kashuk’s Eye Shadow Duo in Double Whammy ($7.99). It offers two very similar blue and green shades for a quarter the price.
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Stila Sun SPF 15 Bronzing Powder: Here Comes the Sun

June 2nd, 2008 by Karen 55 Comments

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“Here comes the sun, little darling, and I say, it’s all right.”

When I stare lovingly at Stila’s Sun Bronzing Powder SPF 15 ($28) compact I always think of Here Comes the Sun, one of my favorite songs by The Beatles. I love the compact’s cheerful design and pretty bronze case. How can something so small put me in such a wonderful mood?

Sun Bronzing Powder isn’t just pretty on the outside, though. This pressed powder delivers a glowy warmth and comes in two shades, codenamed 01 and 02; I’ve used 02, a warm brown matte with just the tiniest bit of sparkle.

I feel like my skin glows after applying Sun Bronzing Powder. It’s a very subtle glow that people may not even notice, but I can. I can really see the difference when I apply the powder shortly after putting on foundation.

Normally, when I apply foundation it evens out my skin color and tone. That’s a good thing, but sometimes foundation creates too much uniformity, aka mannequin skin. Bronzer helps spice up the canvas produced by foundation alone.
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Wellness by Clean: Tranquility in a Bottle

June 1st, 2008 by Karen 10 Comments

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Between the blog, freelancing and my day job at the literary agency, I’ve been pretty busy lately. It’s nothing like how busy those of you with young children or full-time class schedules are, but it’s still been enough to stress me out. To say I’ve been on edge for the past few months is probably the understatement of the year, so when I heard about two new Wellness by Clean perfumes ($76 each), both created to help women relax and to feel rejuvenated, I had to try ’em out. They’re expensive, but so is therapy.

Clean claims that spritzing either eau de parfum, Harmony or Purity, on your pressure points induces a sense of tranquility, like a spray-on spa treatment.

Harmony:
Top notes — Italian lemon, eucalyptus, tea and dewberry
Middle notes — rose, jasmine, orange blossom
Base notes — cedar wood and musk

Purity:
Top notes — bergamot, mandarin, tea and dewberry
Middle notes — rose, jasmine, muguet (Lily of the Valley), germanium
Base notes — cedar wood, sandalwood, leather and musk

I am impatient with fragrances. If the top notes — that is, the initial burst of fragrance — don’t hook me, I usually look elsewhere, but that’s not how it played out with either of these perfumes. Both scents had powerful top notes that almost overwhelmed my sensitive nose, but the subsequent middle and base notes more than made up for the initial shock.

Initially, Harmony smelled like a huge basket of lemon rind strapped to my face, and Purity smelled like crushed mint leaves in my nostrils, but as soon as the dominant top notes mellowed out and transitioned into the milder middle and base notes, I began to feel some of the rejuvenating effect.

Harmony turned into a soft, powdery jasmine and rose floral fragrance; Purity morphed into a warmer floral with rose notes blending with musk and sandalwood.

I feel that Purity is the more invigorating, rejuvenating fragrance of the two, while Harmony is the more soothing scent.
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Lancome Le Stylo Waterproof Long Lasting Eyeliner Lasts Through Tears of Joy

May 31st, 2008 by Karen 34 Comments

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G’morning! It’s pre-coffee early here, but I wanted to pop in to say hi. My younger brother’s graduating from college today, and I’m heading home to the East Bay (about 30 miles from here) to watch him cross the stage in his cap and gown. I’m so proud! When it comes to seeing or talking about my brother’s accomplishments, I turn to mush; a few years ago I watched him and his band perform on stage (he plays guitar) at a punk club and broke into tears of joy amid a sea of moshing mohawks and tattoos.

My little brother’s worked hard to reach today, and I’m so very proud of him. The odds that I’ll burst into tears during the ceremoney are high, so I’m wearing my new favorite waterproof eyeliner, Lancome’s Le Stylo Waterproof Long Lasting Eyeliner ($23) in Noir, a deep, rich black.

Le Stylo Waterproof reminds me a lot of my beloved MAC Technakohl liner. Like Technakohl, it has a twist-up tip and a creamy formula that glides on without tugging or pulling. Le Stylo outlasts Technakohl, though, when applied to the waterline, which is why I’m using it today. It also sports a sponge smudger on one end — handy for diffusing harsh edges and lines.

Le Style Waterproof comes in seven shades — Bronze (bronze), Cafe (brown), Minuit (blue), Prune (purple), Fumee (grey), Noir (black), and Green Buzz (dark green). I can’t wait to grab a couple more!
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