Hair

Easiest French Twist With the Mia Beauty Lockettes (LOVE THESE!)

January 22nd, 2020 by Karen 7 Comments

I have to wear my hair up at the bakery, and there are only so many high ponytails and messy buns I can take.

I HAVE REACHED MY LIMIT!

Enter these fantastic doodads. They’re the Mia Beauty Lockettes, and they’re comprised of dual interlocking plastic combs with wavy teeth, and I’ll be darned if they aren’t the easiest way to lock down a French twist.

Chic, elegant, easy, and once you get them in, you can basically rock out like a headbanger and do cartwheels, and these suckers will stay in place!

They’re they’re so easy to use, too. All you have to do is gather your hair up into a French twist, then stick one comb into one side…

And the other comb into the other, thereby interlocking the teeth.

And that holds your French twist in place.

I have a good amount of hair. It’s past my shoulders, and I expected my hair to bust out, but the Lockettes keep every strand secure.

They come in brown or black for $6.99 a pair, and you can find them online and at drugstores. HIGHLY recommended.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Space Buns and Sparkly Purple Lids

November 12th, 2019 by Karen 11 Comments

triple hair buns — I may or may not have about a billion bobby pins in my hair at the moment.

I’m sure this tri-bun hairstyle has an official/formal name, but I intend to call it “space buns,” because there’s something undeniably Star Wars about it…

If I were hurtling through space on a rocket bound for Mars, and I was required to wear my hair up (to protect the sensitive electronic equipment from static discharge, you see), you better believe I would NOT be rocking a basic low pony.

SPACE BUNS ALL THE WAY, GIRLFRIEND.

Side note: Connor calls this a “pony hairstyle” because she’s into horses at the moment.

Maybe it’s the stars twinkling in the firmament…but sparkles and space buns just seem *right* to me, hence the purple glitter in this look.

mac wishful thinking — Wearing some newness from the MAC Holiday collection

I got a few compliments from my coworkers when I wore this to the bakery the other day. 🙂 It was nice. I think it was because this is one of those looks that isn’t too over the top in terms of base and lips (I kept the foundation super sheer and the lips glossy and subtly sparkly, which boosts the wearability for daytime), but I think the glitter is punchy and fun enough to catch your eye.

If you like this type of makeup, you need to follow Katie Jane Hughes on Instagram ASAP. She’s a celeb makeup artist known for her sheer base, the wings she does, and her penchant for sparkle. It’s very inspiring!

I’m using some new MAC products from the very sparkly Staring You holiday collection, by the way. This collection, which is out now, has new Spellbinder Shadows in glittery holiday shades (you might remember these ionized eyeshadows from 2016).

mac starring you holiday 2019 — The new, limited edition MAC Starring You holiday 2019 collection, available now

Two things if you plan on picking up one of these loose shadows: 1) most definitely DO NOT skip wearing an eyeshadow base; and 2) apply it using a stiff, flat eyeshadow brush, or your fingers.

If you’d like to chat more about the Spellbinders, drop me a comment. I’m happy to help!
[Continue reading…]

Ulta Hair Haul

November 7th, 2019 by Karen 6 Comments

If you happen to be on the lookout for a new dentist, might I suggest finding one with an office in close proximity to an Ulta? Because, and I say this from personal experience, you will never miss another cleaning if you can simultaneously promise yourself that you can go to Ulta afterwards. LOL!

This celebratory hair haul happened this week because — woo-hoo! TMI moment ahead — my gums are in grrrrrrreat shape. My pockets are all twos and threes, with nary a deep pocket in sight.

Hence, the aforementioned victory lap around Ulta, and this much-needed hair haul!

First, the backstory… I went to put my hair up before work the other day and realized that most of my black ties and bobby pins were gone.

SERIOUSLY, where do they go?

(Does anybody actually look as cute as this girl on “The Fit Girl Club” headbands packaging when they work out? Because I look much, much scarier than she does when I drop down to do burpies…)

Anyway, I’m stoked about these bungee elastics because I read somewhere that one of my favorite hair stylists and makeup artists, Britt Sully, loves them for creating unfussy, casual cool-girl hair.

Also, I really hope these no-snag elastics do what they’re supposed to do, because I’ve been wearing Dutch braids quite often lately, and the elastics I’ve been using (I think they’re by Goody) keep breaking on me, and I pull hair out every time I remove them.

Really, how long do you think it’ll take before I lose these black hair ties? Honest question.

I give ‘em about six months before it’s “Welcome to the abyss!”

[Continue reading…]

Have You Ever Had an At-Home Hair Dye Mishap?

October 16th, 2019 by Karen 18 Comments

you hair me soft cream mbbb post — Talk to me about hair, babe!

At the time, I probably wouldn’t have described any of my attempts at dyeing my hair at home as “mishaps,” but looking back…every single time I dyed my hair in college could have, in fact, been characterized as a massive mishap. LOL!

Nothing ever looked quite right when I did it myself. Not then, not now. DIY at-home hair dyeing is just not my forte (which is one of the reasons I’m growing out my gray).

I think the worst incident was the time I did my own highlights and wound up with chunky, streaky orange tiger stripes. 🐯 Of course, I didn’t know any better at the time and thought I was the ish… Thank goodness this was before social media was a thing, because I would have been #hashtagging things like #chunkyhighlightsftw and #DIYtigerstripes.

I really hope your answer to this question is “no,” but just in case it isn’t, talk to me. 😁 Have you ever had an at-home hair dye mishap. If so, what happened?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Down the YouTube Rabbit Hole: Braids!

September 10th, 2019 by Karen 11 Comments

dutch braid messy bun — I like big braids!

You can always count me in for 1) a Keanu Reeves movie and 2) an iced latte, but a fun bun? These days, they’re hit or miss for me. Sometimes, you can’t beat a quick and messy bun for convenience, but there are also days when haphazardly shoving my hair up just won’t do.

I’m the type of gal who absolutely NEEDS to get out of her pajamas first thing in the morning; otherwise, I feel absolutely useless, and lately it’s been the same way for my hair. I need to style my hair in order to feel productive, which is why I’ve been all about braids.

The half-up Dutch braid I’ve been wearing for a while doesn’t take too much time to do (less than 10 minutes), and I feel mostly functional when I’m wearing it.

I found a good how-to video for it on YouTube last week. It’s the first style in this roundup of 10 styles, and I modified it slightly by using small hair ties instead of bobby pins.

Dude, I’ve been watching SO MANY braiding videos on YouTube lately, and you don’t even wanna know how deep I stumbled down the rabbit hole last weekend! I bookmarked a bunch of cute styles that looked easy enough to do…

These all look totally doable.

I say “yes” to crown braids!
[Continue reading…]