Hair

Checking In: The Hask Mask in a Tub, New (Old) MAC Eyeliners, and Baking a Sprinkle Cake

September 22nd, 2020 by Karen 25 Comments

baked sprinkle cake final — I baked a cake!

Hey, guys. Happy Tuesday! Has the universe ever sent you a gentle reminder that perhaps you should probably get back to doing what you love? I got one of those nudges to start baking again (it’s been months) because I made this kick-butt cake a few days ago… Granted it was from a mix, but still!

Of course I had to share it with you… 😁

It’s the Sprinkle Party Snack Cake Mix With Frosting by a brand called Baked. I picked it up randomly at Cost Plus World Market a few weeks ago because it was on sale and…I liked how the box looked!

baked sprinkle cake — The box comes with the frosting and the dry ingredients for the cake.

connor stirring the batter — My sous chef

I could whip up a cake from scratch, but eh, baking requires attention, precision and, well…heart. I haven’t had much leftover soul to invest in baking sweets lately, but then I found this cake mix. Not only did it make things easy, but the cake actually tastes homemade. Highly recommended!

The mix includes a packet of dry ingredients for a butter-based vanilla cake with rainbow sprinkles, and another packet for plain with vanilla frosting. The instructions are pretty detailed, too, which makes it easy to not mess up.

THIS CAKE IS SO GOOD. It’s light-as-air and melts in your mouth, and it doesn’t have that obvious taste of your typical boxed cake. Hard to explain, but to me boxed cakes all taste the same — kinda oily and heavy, without much flavor. Anyway, this one’s really, really good, and so is the frosting.

If you happen to live near a World Market, I suggest grabbing a box!

Anywho, that lovely cake opened up a metaphorical baking door, so I’ve made even more goodies since then, including brownies, chocolate chip cookies, and marbled cookies, which are half chocolate chip and half dark chocolate.

Chocolate chip cookies and brownies, YUM!

chocolate chip cookies september 2020 — The most beautiful thing I ever did see…

I’m thinking of making a pie next, because rumor has it that Trader Joe’s has a pre-made gluten-free pie crust. Or, maybe I’ll make some savory scones, or perhaps I’ll finally try my hand at croissants?!

Sorry, I’m getting distracted. Before I lose my train of thought, I have one more World Market thing to show you — this box of dark chocolate sprinkles!

It’s from Holland and from a brand called DeRuijter (“masters of bread toppings”), and the picture on the front looks like a loaf of French bread cut in half with the dark chocolate sprinkles on top.

chocolate bread sprinkles — OK, so how does this work, exactly?

Can somebody please explain what’s going on here? Do you eat the bread with just the sprinkles on top, or do you toast the bread in an oven to melt the sprinkles? Or, are the sprinkles attached to the bread with Nutella or peanut butter or something? Or, do you just eat it plain like a dark chocolate sprinkle sandwich?

If someone from Holland could please explain just exactly how this works, please fill me in, because I don’t know what’s going on here, and I would love to, LOL!

Now, to ensure that this post is marginally related to beauty, I finished the packets of Hask Hair Masks I got a while back, so I popped into Ulta to grab some more and found out that they sell the Argan Oil version in a jar for six bucks!
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Checking In: A CRAZY Orange Sky, Maine Coon Cats and Kitten Fur Perfume

September 10th, 2020 by Karen 15 Comments

orange sky september 2020 — Welcome to the next level of Jumanji!

You guys. When I said that every day lately has been like a new level of Jumanji, I was not kidding. When I woke up yesterday morning, the sky was a terrifying shade of orange.

Yeah, and it was SO DARK outside that the street lights, which are light activated, stayed on till 10, despite the fact that sunrise allegedly occured at 6:40(!).

It was dark. I’m talking pitch black until almost 8, and then it only got dusky dark after that.

There are still a bunch of wildfires in California right now, and the sky over the Bay Area is currently this shade of orangey red.

Oh, yeah, and ash is also falling from the sky like post-apocalyptic snow… It’s all over the cars.

Next stop: vampires! 🧛‍♀️

Is this freaking me out? Totally. Because, of course, being the science fiction enthusiast that I am, I’m thinking, “This is how all post-apocalyptic novels start.” The sun goes away. Then all the plants die, and shortly thereafter, everything goes to sh*t. This is the beginning of the vampire uprising. By the end of next week, we’ll all be bloodsuckers. (See: 30 Days of Night. See also: the Van Helsing TV series.)

I really want to be wrong on this theory, and yes, I know I probably am, HAHAHA! Let’s face it, I do have a penchant for the dramatic. 😁 But, just in case we are on the verge of a vampiric uprising, we had a good run. It’s been a thrill.

Yeah…as if it hasn’t already been said enough, 2020 has been so freaking cray!

Agro exfoliation

Looking at the glass as half full in all this, I’m grateful that my house is currently — knock on wood — intact, and that I have a roof over my head. I’m also thankful that I still feel like laughing at myself (can’t take this for granted, for real). Also glad to have the mental space to contemplate not-so-serious things, like starting a skincare program for dealing with dark spots right MEOW, instead of waiting for the first rains like I had originally planned (because, seriously, I don’t even know when we’re going to see a sunny day again.)

So, yeah, I had this whole plan for aggressive exfoliation and was going to start with some products I’ve been wanting to try that target discoloration and uneven skin tone.

The first: Blue Algae Vitamin C Dark Spot Correcting Peel by Algenist. It’s pricey at $85, but it’s supposed to be good at resurfacing and exfoliating skin to reveal a smoother and more even-toned complexion. I dunno why, but I have this vision of it peeling away all the layers of dead skin on my face to reveal smooth skin on the face of a very crabby, cranky baby. LOL!

(I. WISH.)

I also have the Discoloration Correcting Serum from Good Molecules on deck. They’re kind of like The Ordinary because they have no-frills, stripped-down packaging, and everything is very affordable. This serum is $12, and the primary active ingredient is niacinamide.

Because kittehs make everything better

Since I’ve been low-key anxious over the past few days, I’ve been doing things to sooth the savage beast, and one of these things I’ve been doing lately is watching videos of a Maine Coon cat exploring the wilderness.

The channel is called The Explorer Cat, and it stars a very fluffy, round-faced Main Coon kitty with white, orange and black fur. I really love the video of kitty testing the waters and swimming! Yes, this cat swims. Kind of amazing.

Highly recommended if you need to calm-the-eff down!

Purr-fume!

On that cat-related note, out of sheer curiosity, I had to smell this perfume after reading about it a few weeks ago: Demeter Fragrance Library Kitten Fur.

Of course, the million-dollar question is, “Does it actually smell like a kitten’s fur?” Well, I can tell you what my tubby Tabby’s fur smelled like — like a yeasty rustic bread loaf! — and this perfume smells nothing like that. Rosie’s fur smells like Temptations, and the last real, live kittens I actually smelled, Rosie’s babies, smelled like cat food, laundry and litter, HAHAHA!
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Target Hair Haul! Help for Dry, Thirsty Hair With Hask Argan Oil Hair Mask and Shampoo, Pantene Damage Repair Nourishing Overnight Restoring Serum, Odele Leave-In Conditioner and Air Dry Styler

September 9th, 2020 by Karen 16 Comments

odele pantene hask — Just a few affordable hair goodies from Target!

Hi, guys! 👋 Got dry hair? GIRL. I feel you. 🤦🏾 I went to Target last week because my ends have been feeling bone dry lately, and here’s what I picked up. I think you might like these things, too!

Lately when I get up in the morning, my first thought is, “What’s gonna happen today in this level of Jumanji?” Because seriously, life right now could pass for a crazy dangerous video game. Smoke-filled air from wildfires, ash falling from the sky, dusky twilight at 10am, economic crisis, a pandemic… If I stepped outside and saw a herd (flock?) of angry ostriches stampeding toward me, honestly, I would not be shocked.

Weird and unexpected things are happening almost daily, on both a large and small scale. In the category of “not a big deal in the larger scheme of things but still mildly concerning in my immediate world” is the current state of my hair.

It’s wicked dry!

Has your hair ever gone from pretty decent to crazy wicked dry in a matter of weeks? Something verrrry mysterious has sucked the moisture out of the ends of my mane, which has gone from relatively healthy (for someone who hasn’t cut it in over a year) to drier than horse hay.

My best Scooby Doo detective agency guess is that it has something to do with the smoke in the air, coupled with the stress from the wildfires and the virus the past few weeks. I’m also long overdue for a cut, and that’s not helping, either.

Anywho, I recently went to Target and picked up a few things that have helped with the dryness. If you have dry, thirsty hair, they might help you, too.

Two goodies by Hask

This first one is an old love, Hask Argan Oil Hair Mask ($2.49). When I reviewed this workhorse for dry hair last year, I said:

My hair feels silky soft, but not in the way that feels like your hair is coated in sedimentary layers of silicone… The tangles and knots are gone, and the obnoxious white ramen noodle flyaways in my hairline — which normally stick up at every unfortunate angle you can imagine — are relatively tame and smooth and lying in one direction (SAY WHAT?!).

Ya know what? It’s as fabulous as ever. Just as great as the $$$ masks at high-end lines like Kerastase.

hask argan oil mask shampoo — Hask Argan Oil Repairing Shampoo and Hask Argan Oil Repairing Deep Conditioner

I stretch one package out to use it twice. Depending on how thick your hair is, you should be able to get anywhere from 2-5 treatments, I think.

I also grabbed a bottle of the Argan Oil Repair shampoo by Hask ($5.99), although I’ve yet to try it. I’m hoping it’ll be just as good as the mask. It’s sulfate- and paraben- free.

A lightweight but rich hair serum with volume for days…

Now, onto Pantene, which is currently one of my favorite drugstore hair brands and has been ever since Rosewater Shampoo and Conditioner from the Nutrient Blends line came into my life. If you have unruly or dry hair that needs TLC, the Rosewater line is a gamechanger.

This time around, I grabbed a bottle of their Fortifying Damage Repair Overnight Repair Serum ($7.99), a rich, moisturizing serum for dry hair that doesn’t weigh it down (and therefore preserves your volume).

pantene fortifying — Pantene Fortifying Damage Repair With Castor Oil Overnight Restoring Serum

It feels like a thin, runny lotion, so it’s easy to work through your strands. Massage it through your mane, starting from the ends and working up, after you shampoo and condition, and let it air dry.

I’ve used it a few times so far, and I’m already in love because my ends are definitely a lot softer and smoother and less crunchy overall. I also love how bouncy my hair looks. I’ve been embracing my natural volume lately, and this definitely does not weigh it down.

It’s pronounced “oh-dell.”

Their Leave-In Conditioner ($11.99) and Air Dry Styler by the Odele ($11.99), which is a vegan cruelty free line only available at Target, are also new to me.

Confession time: I bought these two because I liked the font. LOL!

odele leave in conditioner hair styler — The Odele Leave-in Conditioner for Deep Moisture, Detangling + Frizz Control, and the Air Dry Styler

odele closeup — That lower case “e” though! 😍

Speaking of fonts, I’m pretty sure that seeing Papyrus on the Hask Argan Oil Shampoo is slowly going to chip away at my soul every time I see it in the shower! 🤣

Gosh, I’m all over the place today… OK, technically, Odele is pronounced “oh-dell” (which is a phonetic translation of Norwegian for “to share”), but I keep wanting to call it “oh-dah-lay,” as in “Órale” in Spanish.
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Air Dry Hair Faves: Frizz Fighting and Moisturizing Products for Smoother Strands

August 25th, 2020 by Karen 12 Comments

alterna bumble r and co — Frizz fighting and moisturizing!

Anybody else living with crazy quarantine hair?

Yeah, girl, I’m with ya. The last haircut I got was in May…of 2019, so what’s sitting on top of my shoulders at this point is basically like 90% hair and 10% head. HAHAHA! Since I haven’t really had any place fancy to go other than Target and Trader Joe’s, I haven’t styled my mop in ages; however, for the sake of my sanity, I still put effort into applying styling products and leave-ins before air drying because, if I don’t, this hair veers into mad scientist territory, and to quote Hall and Oates, “I can’t go for that (no can do).”

Cue all the quintessential styling potions and moisturizing leave-in lotions, most of which can be used on a wide variety of hair types, from fine to thick, coarse, curly and everything in between.

creamy dreamy purples open — Pandemic hair don’t care.

I have long wavy hair that naturally veers into dry, frizzy, unruly territory. The top half from my roots to the mid-shaft is my natural color, which is peppered with silvery strands. The bottom half is a melange of miscellaneous shades of hair dye.

The following products have been getting me and my mane through the last few months with my sanity (somewhat) intact…

Alterna My Hair My Canvas Easy Does It Air Dry Balm: Smooths frizz, adds lift

This vegan balm is the bomb (totally dated slang, but you know I had to go there) because it does a little bit of everything — smooths flyaways, adds shines, coaxes out curls and adds moisture to thirsty strands — all without weighing hair down. I use this mostly for my silver hairs, which when left to their own devices are hella frizzy like dry ramen noodles gone wild. I do two squeezes of this balm, each about the size of a MAC eyeshadow pan in its packaging, into the palm of my hand, working from my roots down to my ends, and my hair looks so much smoother and silkier and generally less crazy. If you deal with frizz or unruly grays, this will be your jam! $29 for a 3.4-oz tube.

INGREDIENTS

Water/Aqua/Eau, Glycerin, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Isododecane, Polyacrylate-13, Octyldodecanol, Octyldodecyl Xyloside, PEG-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Butylene Glycol, Polyisobutene, Polysorbate 20, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Phenethyl Alcohol, Caulerpa Lentillifera Extract, Lilium Candidum Flower Extract, Bambusa Vulgaris Extract, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Seed Oil, Charcoal Powder, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Polyurethane-35, Fragrance (Parfum), Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Citral, Citronellol, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool.

Alterna My Hair My Canvas Glow For It Universal Gloss: Shine without weight

This non-greasy shine-enhancing, frizz-defying serum is made for all hair types, but particularly normal, oily, coarse and/or curly hair. Like the Easy Does It Air Balm, it’s made from vegan ingredients and doesn’t leave my hair feeling like it’s coated with a thick layer of product. My hair just feels like regular hair when I use it, which I love. Universal Gloss mixes well with other styling products, too, and I like to swirl two to three pumps into the Air Dry Balm before working it in. Use this if you want shiny strands that don’t feel like greasy coated noodles! $26 for a 2.5-oz. bottle with a pump.

INGREDIENTS

Cyclopentasiloxane, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Dimethiconol, Bambusa Vulgaris Extract, Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil, Caulerpa Lentillifera Extract, Charcoal Powder, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Oil, Glycerin, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Seed Oil, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Water (Aqua, Eau), Fragrance (Parfum), Benzyl Salicylate, Linalool, Citral, Geraniol, Limonene, Eugenol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Citronellol.

Bumble and bumble Save the Day Repair Fluid: A lightweight leave-in for intense moisture

Packed with antioxidant camellia flower oil, this leave-in conditioner repairs and moisturizes dry and damaged ends. The lotion-like formula feels thin and lightweight, but it’s also rich enough to handle the thirstiest strands. It packs a major hydrating punch! Made for all hair types and cruelty-free. $45 for a 3.2-oz. bottle with a pump.

INGREDIENTS

Water , Dimethicone , Glycerin , Cetearyl Alcohol , Hydrogenated Lecithin , Dimethicone/Peg-10/15 Crosspolymer , Dimethiconol , Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil , Caffeine , Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Oil , Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Seed Oil , Chenopodium Quinoa Seed Extract , Sisymbrium Irio Seed Oil , Arabidopsis Thaliana Extract , Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein Pg-Propyl Silanetriol , Perilla Ocymoides Seed Extract , Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil , Coco-Glucoside , Hydrogenated Castor Oil/ Sebacic Acid Copolymer , Dihydroxypropyl Arginine Hcl , Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein Pg-Propyl Silanetriol , Ethylhexylglycerin , Caprylyl Glycol , Linoleic Acid , Saccharide Isomerate , Tocopheryl Acetate , Silica , Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane , Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate , Panthenol , Lecithin , Xanthan Gum , Fragrance , Citronellol , Citral , Limonene , Phenoxyethanol , Mica , Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891)

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When Was the Last Time You Dyed Your Hair?

July 28th, 2020 by Karen 39 Comments

karen side bright eyeshadow — Rockin’ my natural hair color

Ah, let me tell you about the life of a lady with grown-out roots! Hair dye is a CONSTANT topic of conversation between me and my neighbors, it seems, because when I run into my buddies who live nearby, we’re always talking about the last time we went to the salon to touch up roots. It’s the newest way to make polite conversation between women, ha ha ha!

For me, it’s been a minute since my hair was dyed. Fall of 2018 was the last time. That’s when I started this little experiment of growing out my grays. How much you can see them depends on how I part my hair and the lighting, and although I’ve been told it looks nice, I’m still keeping the door open again to color my hair in the future ’cause I like to switch things up every once in a while (although the pandemic has prevented that from happening, so it probably won’t be for a long time!).

How about you? When was the last time you dyed your hair?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen