Video

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. 🙂

I’ve gotten a few requests for a video on the curly hairstyle I wear a lot in pics, so here goes.

Best (or at least my favorite) part about this style is that it’s easy. All you really need is a curling iron and some hairspray (and a sense of adventure!).

OOH! And get this: after you curl your hair, you can probably keep the same style for a couple (or few) days if you don’t wash your mop.

It’s the ultimate in lazy girl hairstyling. 🙂

Products mentioned in the video

• Revlon Perfect Heat Styling Iron 1-1/2″ ($16)
• Pureology Colour Stylist Fortifying Heat Spray ($26)
• Tresemme Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Spray ($5)
• Pantene Pro-V Touchable Non-Aerosol Hairspray Flexible Hold ($4)

Thank you for watching! Hope you’re having a great night.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. That’s NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Yu on my lips, in case you were wondering.

Ah, fresh roots… Love that feeling. 🙂

I’m still basking in the afterglow of my trip to the salon on Monday and reveling in my new (darker) hair color.

Getting my hair colored is one of my favorite things to do. Almost everyone in my family goes gray early (and I’m not ready for that yet), and I’m also pretty adventurous with my hair. Color for me is a fun way to change things up without having to make a permanent commitment.

Plus, I get to hang out with Alis, a fabulous stylist at A Line Salon in Corte Madera, and a buddy of mine. Alis has been cutting and coloring my hair for several years now, she always gives me good advice. In this video she gives a few tips for things you can do to keep your hair color looking fresh well after you leave the salon.

If you live in the Bay Area, I can’t recommend Alis enough. She’s well worth a trip across the Golden Gate Bridge. Not only is she super nice, but homegirl can seriously cut and color some hair! Without her, I’d have Medusa snakes on top of my head, I kid you not.

Parking at A Line’s really easy, too, and once your hurr is did, you can strut up the street with your new do and celebrate with a slice of pizza at Stefano’s.

Alis books up pretty quickly, so you’ll want to make an appointment at least three weeks in advance — sometimes a month, depending on the season (like right now she’s extra busy). You can reach her through the links below…

• Alis on Instagram
• A Line Salon (go to the section marked “Stylists” and then to “Alis Dokakis” for more info)
• A Line on Yelp
• A Line on Facebook

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. I decided to take sort of an admin day today to catch up on a few things. You know how it is — Christmas stops for no woman, and I’m running pretty far behind on my shopping.

I’m proceeding to test the MAC Magnetic Nude collection products while I go about my day and run my errands, and I’ll be posting those reviews soon (but probably not today).

Hope you’re having a good one so far. Are you completely done with all your Christmas shopping?