Face

I Was Addicted to Bronzer and Lived to Tell

March 26th, 2019 by Karen 18 Comments

benefit hoola caramel hoola toasted — When you’re wearing a new shade of Benefit Hoola Bronzer and go off on a tangent…

It’s alright.

It’s totally OK.

I’ve gone through it, you’ve gone through it, we’ve all gone through it…

Bronzer addiction!

Yeah, it’s a real thing. LOL.

Mine happened circa 2014, which was when I believed that one could never wear enough bronzer, and I literally piled it on. I was so into bronzer that I had a dedicated bronzer makeup drawer, and I went into that drawer to pick out one, two or sometimes even four (!) different bronzers to wear every morning.

It was that serious.

I was reminded of this phase on my makeup journey because of the new Hoola Bronzers by Benefit. Benefit just launched two new ones, darker shades, in Toasted and Caramel ($30 each), and as I daintily swept Toasted across my cheeks today with a big, fluffy brush, I thought about how differently I handle bronzer now than I did back in the day. Karen from back in the day would have looked at me now and said, “What the heck, dude?! You aren’t wearing nearly enough bronzer!”

benefit hoola caramel hoola toasted swatches — Oh yeah, still an NC42!

Back in 2013-’14, I wanted to wear all. The. Makeup.

Every last bit of it. Primer, powder, color correctors — all the bells and whistles. And bronzer was my favorite thing. I was fascinated by how one seemingly simple product could completely transform the shape of my face.

With a few carefully placed swipes (OK, more than a few, ha ha ha!) and, let’s get real, NOT A LOT OF BLENDING, I’d sharpen my cheekbones and make my button nose look thinner and my forehead look less wide — the latter two being things I’d always been particularly self-conscious about. Before long, I got used to seeing that different, rearranged version of my face in the mirror.

benefit hoola caramel — Me: You should probably take out those crazy clips first. Also me:

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10-Minute Makeup Must-Haves: Clinique Chubby Stick in Amp’d Up Apple

March 21st, 2019 by Karen 17 Comments

clinique ampd up apple chubby stick — TBH, this was more like 5-minute makeup! Concealer on cheeks and under the eyes: Maybelline Instant Age Rewind in Golden; eyeshadow: Clinique Chubby Stick Shadow Tint in Ample Amber; mascara: MAC Extended Play Perm Me Up Lash; liner: MAC Coffee Eye Pencil; lipgloss: NARS No Regrets; AND BARE BROWS, AHHH!

The 10-Minute Makeup Must-Haves series shows off some of *the best* makeup for speedy (but sensational!) skin, eyes, cheeks and lips.

This is gonna sound so cheesy, but this is my feel-good blush. 😊 I just feel really good when I wear it. It’s Clinique Chubby Stick Cheek Colour Balm in Amp’d Up Apple, and it’s $24. When I put a bit of this beautiful matte pinkish brown on my cheeks, I look like I just finished a round of crossover jumping jacks (which are surprisingly difficult)!

Wearing this blush is like working out…without having to actually work out. Cheeks look lovely and healthy with Amp’d Up Apple’s wash of pink color, so you look like you *did* show up, and you’re ready to bring it. When you want a little more than basic contrast, it’s a great way to go. Methinks there’s something very chic French girl about it.

clinique ampd up apple chubby stick swatch — I’m an NC42, but Amp’d Up Apple should work well on most skin tones.

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Product Spotlight: Avène XeraCalm A.D Lipid-Replenishing Cream

March 14th, 2019 by Karen 4 Comments

avene xeracalm ad — And your dry skin says ahhhhhhhhhh

This cream for face and body soothes fussy skin. It’s approved for use on infants, children and adults, too. Excellent for red, dry, irritated and sensitive skin. A real hidden gem!

This cream has a weird name… Avène XeraCalm A.D Lipid-Replenishing Cream. Don’t expect that to roll off your tongue when your friend asks you for a mega moisturizer recommendation for super sensitive, dry, flaky and/or irritated skin while you’re attacking a basket of the epic, legendary brown bread at The Cheesecake Factory.

Side note, you’re welcome… 😊

cheesecake factory brown bread — You can get this 🍞 at Safeway now!

But I digress…

Initially, I bought XeraCalm face and body cream, which is $34 for a 6.76-oz. tube, for Connor. Poor thing gets these raised patches of red, itchy, flaky dry skin in winter, and this cream is the only over-the-counter product that soothes her discomfort and completely removes the dry spots.

And it works fast! Whenever she gets a bout of irritated skin and we use this, she’s back to her normal non-itchy self in a day.

From aveneusa.com:

“Rich, lipid-replenishing cream directly targets itching, redness and irritation to nourish and restore skin prone to atopic dermatitis and eczema. Formulated with minimal ingredients essential to rehydrating and maintaining a healthy balance in skin’s microbiome. The microbiome is the top layer of the skin filled with microorganisms like bacteria, yeast, and skin flora – their job is to defend against bad bacteria. The microbiome environment can easily be influenced by temperature, hormones, UV exposure, and even skin care. Patented I-Modulia helps to maintain a well balanced microbiome while supporting the skin’s defense system for a normal, healthy skin. Exclusive, patented airless pump keeps the cream completely sterile and safe for its entire use without any preservatives, parabens, dyes or fragrance.”

INGREDIENTS: AVÈNE THERMAL SPRING WATER, GLYCERIN, MINERAL OIL, CETEARYL ALCOHOL, OENOTHERA BIENNIS OIL, CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE, CETEARYL GLUCOSIDE, AQUAPHILUS DOLOMIAE EXTRACT, ARGININE, CARBOMER, EVENING PRIMROSE OIL/PALM OIL AMINOPROPANEDIOL ESTERS, GLYCINE, SODIUM HYDROXIDE, TOCOPHEROL, WATER.

But then I started using it on my face and neck about a month ago, shortly after my skin started peeling and turning red from the retinol I’m using.

Now…I am addicted.

I had been using Fresh Seaberry Oil, which I still love/like, but it just wasn’t moisturizing enough for the intense redness and sensitivity caused by the aggressively exfoliating retinol.
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DHC Is Now at Ulta…

March 13th, 2019 by Karen 9 Comments

dhc deep cleansing oil — You can find this bad girl at Ulta now!

Which means that you (and I) can roll up to the store and grab a bottle of Deep Cleansing Oil — which is THE BEST — right off the shelf.

Who said beauty dreams 💤 don’t come true?!

To summarize, I love this stuff. I know I’ve talked about it at length, but in case you missed it…this $28 makeup removing cleansing oil is the real deal. It makes everything, even waterproof and long-wearing mascara and liner, instantly melt away. Also, it doesn’t cloud up my vision, which is an annoying side effect some other cleansing oils have.

Oh, yeah, and ALSO, because you only need to use one pump, a bottle will last for months.

I have textbook combo skin, and this oil doesn’t give me breakouts or make my cheeks feel tight. I think it works faster than Fresh Seaberry Skin Nutrition Cleansing Oil, and it’s not as drying as Neutrogena Ultra Light Face Cleansing Oil & Makeup Remover.

Even though shopping online is so easy to do now, sometimes I just wanna run into a store and get something.

Yay! Now I have another reason to “just run in” whenever I’m near an Ulta. 😊

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Let’s Bond Over Blush

March 13th, 2019 by Karen 47 Comments

flesh beauty blushes — Flesh Tender Flesh Blushes in Caress (top) and Glaze (bottom), $26 each

Can we please bond over blush? Because I have a new appreciation for its power.

It’s REALLY powerful!

This occurred to me last week while conducting the “just one thing” experiment. I realized that applying blush on a bare face was one of the things that made the biggest impact.

Every beauty article ever written on blush basically says the same thing — that blush makes you look healthy and vibrant — but like, really, when you don’t have other stuff going on with your makeup and your face is otherwise bare, you can REALLY see just how powerful blush is.

Yeah, I’ve been loving on my blush a little extra lately. 😊

flesh beauty mac clinique blushes — Current blush crushes

I have a couple new favorites, and they’re from a brand called Flesh, which is the line by Allure magazine founder Linda Wells (launched last summer and available at Ultar), and the powder blushes are bomb! I’ve been going back and forth between Caress, which is a matte tan/warm brown (almost looks like a bronzer), and Glaze, which is a deep reddish coral with subtle gold shimmer. I’ve had extremely dry skin for a couple weeks because of winter, and because I’ve been using a retinol at night, but when I wear these powder blushes, which are ridiculously smooth, I can’t even see the dry patches.

flesh glaze — I’m wearing Flesh Tender Flesh Blush in Glaze.

They practically float on top of my skin above the flakes. It’s super cool. Both colors, by the way, are somewhat intense, so if you tend to be heavy-handed with your blush (which I do sometimes because I’m so used to doing makeup for flash photography), just so ya know, grab a makeup sponge or a buffing brush — basically whatever you use to buff down your foundation or concealer — and stipple the leftover base makeup on top of the blush. That should tone down the brightness and lift away any excess product. Or, just, you know…go in with a light touch. That’ll work too! LOL!

Don’t ask me why I only just figured this out right now, but I bought this empty six-pan MAC blush palette years ago, and it didn’t occur to me until last week (!) that you can actually remove the frame that holds the pans and stick your blushes directly into the palette.

DUH, KAREN!

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