Archive for the 'Just For Fun' Category

I love drugstores, and not just for the ice cream. Entering Walgreens is like entering another realm. I love everything about drugstores — the soothing soma-esque music, how they lock up the perfume in glass cases, the weird seasonal lawn gnomes, the Christmas ornaments, the kiddie pools — I love it all.

And weird people always hang out at drugstores in the middle of the night. I know this because I am one of them, and I’m never the only person there.

No self-respecting drugstore is complete without a beauty section, and here are some of my favorite drugstore beauty finds, all together costing a whopping $29.

• Bag Balm is Udderly Fantastic, $6
  “[From the label]… thoroughly wash treated teats and udder with separate towels before each milking. To avoid contamination after each milking, bath the udder with plenty of hot water, strip milk out and dry skin. Apply BAG BALM freely and massage gently with this proven ointment twice daily. This product contains no alcohol.”
• Neutrogena MoistureShine Lip Soother SPF 20 Lipgloss, $6
  “At $14 bucks a pop, I’m not about to risk losing Glosswear, so on beach trips I’m bringing along my tube of Neutrogena MoistureShine Lip Soother SPF 20 in Sheen ($6). This lil’ tube of gloss works like a charm, costs half as much as Glosswear does and still provides great SPF protection.”
• Rimmel London Soft Kohl Kajal Eye Pencil in Jungle Green, $3
  “This beautiful emerald eyeliner is soft, glides easily, has all-day lasting power and gives a shimmery pop of color. And it’s only $2.99 at Walgreens, hello! If you’re feelin’ the itch to try a jewel-toned green liner, this is the perfect way to test the waters without having to spend a lot of money.”
• Freeman Papaya and Lime Overboard Shine Conditioner, $4
  “I got softer hair this week for $3.99. I think that’s quite an accomplishment. I’ve been conditioner washing with Freeman Papaya and Lime Overboard Shine Conditioner, and now my hair is so smooth and bouncy-looking that I feel like I belong in a hair commercial, running like a fool with my arms up through a field of flowers while dappled sunlight caresses my new $3.99 hair. Fo’ reals.”
• Maybelline Pure Makeup Foundation, $6
  “I lurves my Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer, but truth be told my cheap ass hates having to pay $42.00 for it. There’s got to be a decent drugstore foundation out there that doesn’t cause break-outs. Could the answer be Maybelline’s Pure Makeup foundation?”
• Crest Vivid White Toothpaste, $4
  “Just when I thought that I met the coolest dentist ever, she frightened the bejeebus out of me by giving me a totally scary lecture on the importance of gum health. There were many, many, many frightening pictures of gingivitis and swollen gums. It ain’t pretty, folks. I’ve been touting the virtues of mint floss ever since.”

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

I have openly confessed to having questionable taste when it comes to fragrances (hello, Britney), but I can’t help it — I like what I like. These are just a few of my favorite scents.

• Chanel Coco Mademoiselle
  “Even though Coco Mademoiselle is in the oriental fragrance family, it doesn’t smell stuffy or old-lady at all. It’s youthful and sophisticated. You won’t smell like an old lady who lunches and totes small terrier dogs in Burberry outfits. You will smell like a confident young woman strutting down the street in a classic black suit.”
• Estee Lauder Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia
  “To closely match the scents of flowers in nature, Lauder used a fragrance technology they refer to as ‘Nature Intact,’ and with it the perfumers really hit this one on the nose (pardon the pun). Wearing the scent makes me feel like I’m wearing a tuberose lei.”
• Elizabeth Arden Mediterranean Breeze
  “Something about the fragrance reminds me of fresh, clean water (similar to Aqua di Gio Women and Cool Water Woman), like I’m sipping lemonade on the verandah of a fabulous Spanish villa overlooking the sea.”
• Lancome Miracle Forever
  “I sometimes find food-based perfumes overly sweet, especially when fruit scents are involved, but Miracle Forever mingles the fruit and cream well; one scent never dominates the others. You get just a touch of black currant, not a whole basket up in your grill. The result is warm and chic.”
• Britney Spears Midnight Fantasy
  “It’s a fun, flirty, youthful smell. I’d wear it on date night or the weekends but not to work because it can be a lil’ bit too Wet Seal/Forever 21/Limited Too if administered in too heavy a dose.”
• CAN CAN by Paris Hilton
  “… she [Paris] went home to do a little good ole’ fashioned market research. ‘I’ll have them smell,’ said Paris of her friends and family, ‘and see what they like best.’ With their input, she chose the fragrance she thought would appeal to the widest audience. The result was CAN CAN, a fruity floral with notes of clementine flower, cassis, nectarine, musk and amber.”
• Covet by Sarah Jessica Parker
  “… when I got this wee bottle of Sarah Jessica Parker’s Covet I was more than prepared to haterade all over it, but a mix of curiosity and masochism drove me to place a few drops on my wrist. I waited and waited and waited for the eau de self-centered celebrity to kick in … but then was pleasantly surprised to find that I liked how it smelled. In fact, it actually smells pretty good — like lemons, your boyfriend’s sweater and baby powder brewed together in a cauldron for a really long time.”

Since we’re on the subject of fragrances, do you have a fragrance crush? If so, what do you like about it?

Happy hump day, friends! Let’s make it a good one.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Flying Saucer
I wish I had a tricked out flying saucer that could zip me over to the UK for shopping trips. I’d love to meet UK fashion and beauty blogger Selina Jervis. On her awesome Flying Saucer blog, she displays her daily fashion adventures in all their photographic glory, and she sounds like a cool person, too. Don’t fear flying saucers, yo!

The Daily Cookie
If you need a dose of sweetness, head over to The Daily Cookie. Lilan blogs about all things beauty and spices it up with reality TV talk, recipes and restaurant reviews. If you’re having a rough day, she’s always there with kind words to cheer you up.

Specktra Beauty News
A stellar blog for breaking MAC news, Specktra Beauty News is an extension of the busy Specktra makeup forums. The Specktra beauty girls preview and review the full gamut of makeup and beauty products, but they excel at covering MAC.

Snarkstress
OMG! Did you hear Brangelina had their twins? I just read about it on Snarkstress.com. Liberty Kontranowski dishes on celebrity gossip ala Us Weekly (one of my secret favorites). I can always count on Snarkstress to give me the scoop.

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1. Mood: Ready for battle. It’s going to be a hectic week at work, but I’m giving it my best shot
2. Cheeks: MAC Cosmetics Sunbasque blush
3. Fragrance: Can Can by Paris Hilton
4. Sweet tooth: Meyer lemon cupcakes from Kara’s Cupcakes
5. Celeb crush: LOL, you already know this answer
6. Makeup crush: Dior AirFlash foundation and the Becca Avalon palette
7. Outfit: White and navy blue striped seersucker pants, navy blue tank top, white cotton blazer
8. Hair: Yep, it’s still dark (I’m not yet used to the new/old color). Today I’m wearing it down in loose waves.
9. Songs of the day: Izzo by Jay-Z (lovin’ ya, Jigga!); No Air by Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown
10. Goals for the week: To rise to the challenge and to ROCK IT!

Your turn! Just copy the list, insert your answers and leave ‘em for me in the comments.

Le list

Mood:
Cheeks:
Fragrance:
Sweet tooth:
Celeb crush:
Makeup crush:
Outfit:
Hair:
Song of the day:
Goals for the week:

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

• The 2007 American Beauty Tour
  “Eye pencils are emollient, which means that after you apply the pencil, it always moves around unless you set it with shadow or powder. You don’t have to set your eyeliner with the same color. Try layering it with different colors to get added dimension.”
• Final Night of San Francisco Fashion Week 2007: Backstage Makeup Tips from 5 MAC Artists
  “Always make sure you blend out your liner whenever you are using a dramatic look with color. If you’re wearing eye shadow color, use a 212 brush to blend out your line to make it more smoky and smudged right by the lash line.”
• Face of the Day: An Easy Day Look with MAC Mulch Shadow
  “I’m kind of clumsy, so I like to do eyes first. That way if I totally screw up I don’t have to bother with re-doing foundation, powder, blush, etc. I also do this because inevitably there will always be niblets of shadow all over the place, and I like to swipe the under eye area clean before applying concealer.”
• Face of the Day: Minimal Makeup for Busy (or Lazy!) Days
  “I’ve been super busy lately, so I’ve gotten my makeup routine down to three (YES THREE!) minutes. In this pic above, it took me less than ten minutes to get from completely ready, including hair, makeup and clothes.”
• Fabulous Post-Vacation Skin and Hair Products to the Rescue!
  “Incredible Spreadable Scrub plus exfoliating gloves from Parissa equals skin smoother than a baby’s butt. Seriously. Incredible Spreadable Scrub is a salt and olive oil based exfoliator, so if you have open cuts or just got waxed don’t use it cause it will hurt like a mofo. But if your post-vacay skin needs some serious scrubbing then this gets the job done.”
• Makeup and Beauty Blog’s Beach Essentials
  “Most experts recommend reading the list of ingredients to look for two things. The first is to see if it [sunscreen] has broad-spectrum (UVA and UVB) coverage. The second is to see if the broad-spectrum sunscreen contains avobenzone, titanium dioxide, or zinc oxide. These ingredients provide significant UVA protection.”

It’s been yet another wonderfully mellow Sunday, and I’m sad to see the weekend slip away. Right after my run this morning, El Hub and I headed to Jamba Juice (seriously, just rename it Jamba Crack already) and then waited in line for 20 minutes at the Apple store to see the new iPhone. ‘Tis a fine piece of technology, I must say.
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According to a recent article in Women’s Wear Daily (subscription required), eight trends will set the tone for beauty in 2009.

1. High Impact Makeup Colors: Bold colors for lips, eyes and cheeks
2. Budget Luxury: Getting the latest looks on the cheap
3. Do It Yourself: At home waxing, hair coloring and laser hair removal
4. Makeup as Jewelry: Beauty products as fashion accessories
5. Bright Nail Colors: Bold nails are back
6. Messy Updos and Buns: Sloppy chic
7. Real Women Have Curves: Love your body
8. Organic Beauty: Go green without sacrificing quality

I think all of these are pretty accurate, but I’m surprised they didn’t talk about matte makeup looks. I have a feeling matte is coming back in a big way.

Do you predict any upcoming beauty trends that aren’t listed here? What did the experts miss?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Imelda
It’s not unusual to like shoes. I like shoes. Most women do. But Imelda (yes, in honor of that very same one) doesn’t just like shoes — no, with them she defines her very existence and life itself!

Raging Rouge
Jen always gets the scoop on the best cosmetics and beauty bargains. How does she do it? Ya got me, but if Sephora.com is offering 10% off all purchases with a coupon code, Jen will know about it. She’s a top beauty blogger with an eye for detail and someone you can turn to for accurate news.

Total Beauty
Total Beauty burst onto the beauty scene less than a year ago, and in that time they’ve become one of the top, corporate-backed health and beauty e-magazines for women. Product reviews, how-tos and quick tips, samples and contests, message boards and a section dedicated to beauty, health and fashion blogs — Total Beauty has a lot to offer.

Crazy Blind Date
Crazy Blind Date likes to keep things simple. On very short notice they can set you up on quick dates with total strangers at public places like bars and coffee shops (safety first!). You’re not allowed to see their picture or even communicate with your dates beforehand. Yes, it’s risky, but that’s why they call it Crazy Blind Date.

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