Through the magic of Hulu, I’ve been watching old episodes of My So-Called Life, the mid-’90s TV show that made Claire Catherine Danes (born April 12, 1979) a star.

Claire was just 15 years old when she landed the role of Angela Chase on the show, which fans loved for its authenticity, but her work was short-lived as the show only lasted a season. Despite the short run, it earned her an Emmy nomination and won her a Golden Globe.

Life as a teenage actress led to her first onscreen kiss, which incidentally occurred before her first one in real life. NOTE: I wouldn’t complain if 1) my first kiss was with Jordan Catalano and 2) they paid me to do it, haaaay.

After the show ended, Claire’s career took off, with roles in more than two dozen films, including Little Women, Romeo + Juliet (with Leonardo) and more recently Stardust, opposite Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert De Niro.

FUN FACT: Claire turned down the role of Rose Dewitt Bukater in Titanic, which later went to Kate Winslet.

On a bizarre note, Claire is a bit notorious among Filipinos as a result of remarks that appeared in a 1998 article for Vogue. Claire’s comments led to her being declared persona non-grata by the government of the country.

I still remember the e-mails from my mom with the subject line, “BAN CLAIRE DANES!!!” and thinking, “What the heck did Angela Chase get herself into?”

While I forgive her for her comments about my birthplace (she was just 19 at the time), as a die-hard Terminator fan, I’ll NEVER forgive her for Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, bluh!

Which of Claire's hairstyles do you like the best?

• 1. Loose waves with side-swept bangs
• 2. Shoulder length with height in the front
• 3. Updo with side-swept bangs
• 4. Mid-length bob with a side part
• 5. Red bob with a center part
• 6. Sleek, chin-length bob
• 7. Updo with twists
• 8. Long and straight with a side part
• 9. Shoulder-length and brown with a side part

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Silicone-free drugstore conditioners are like pop stars who write their own songs — few and far between.

That’s why my eyes lit up when I read the ingredients on this bottle of Garnier Fructis Body Boost Conditioner ($5 for 25 oz.) at Tar-ghay.

I’ve been searching for a new product to condition wash my hair with, and I wanted something silicon free (for an explanation of condition washing from an old 2007 MBB post).

Why no silicone?

Because I’ve been hearing good things about silicone-free condition washing. From a hair performance point of view, silicones are said to add smoothness, slip and shine (from my experience, I agree), but many women refuse to use them, believing that they build up and weigh hair down over time.

Condition washing with Garnier Fructis Body Boost

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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?

Which of Mariska's hairstyles do you like the best?

• 1. Shoulder length with a side part and long bangs
• 2. Updo with side-swept bangs
• 3. Chin-length bob
• 4. Short with side-swept bangs
• 5. Long and straight with bangs
• 6. Updo with height in the front
• 7. Loose waves with a center part
• 8. Short and spiky
• 9. Chin-length curls

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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!

Which of Jennifer's hairstyles do you like best?

• 1. Short, black, chin-length bob with bangs
• 2. Sleek updo with a side part
• 3. Short, angled bob
• 4. Updo with bangs
• 5. Tight, shoulder-length curls
• 6. Short, layered bob with side-swept bangs
• 7. Shoulder length curls with bangs
• 8. Short, brown, chin-length bob with side-swept bangs
• 9. Long and curly with bangs

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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?)

Good morning, girls. Hope you slept well. I wanted to touch base before running off to the Convention Center.

Each October (admittedly, more now than in past years), I get a few limited-edition breast cancer awareness (BCA) products for myself and to give as gifts to friends and family.

I’m amazed by how much Breast Cancer Awareness Month has changed over the past few years. Like almost everything else in our part of the world, the event’s been heavily commodified and commercialized, but I’m okay with that. If the sight of those little pink ribbons in every nook and cranny of our lives increases our awareness of the disease (even if we don’t always like the way some choose to use it), I think it benefits us all.

So here are four of my BCA favorites of the year. *LOVE* the Foot Petals heart-shaped pad…

Sonia Kashuk Bag Lady Cosmetic Case

How ’bout the print and dual zippers on this pretty pink makeup bag? It’s one of several items from Sonia Kashuk’s Shop Pink Do More collection from breast cancer survivor and beauty genius Sonia Kashuk.

Cute, right? It holds a ton of makeup, and 15% of the purchase price goes to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Where to buy: $12, check your local Target store

Papyrus Blank BCA Notecards

I first spied these cute blank notecards at Papyrus a few months ago.

The colors and designs always bring a smile to my face…

Each box comes with four different illustrations (20 cards total), with 10% of the price going toward The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and this is something they’re doing not just throughout October but year round.

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