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Hair

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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There are 12 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Alterna, Bumble and Bumble, Hair, Oribe, R+Co

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

There are 39 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Hair, Just For Fun

Product Spotlight: Kitsch Pro No-Snag Elastic

June 17th, 2020 by Karen 2 Comments

kitsch pro elastics
Saving you from the messy bun, one elastic at a time

Perhaps the best $3 I ever spent at Ulta! In an attempt to get my mop out of the messy lockdown scrunchie bun (it’s threatening to become a permanent fixture on my head), I’ve been wearing a half-up, half-down pony using these black no-snag mini elastics by Kitsch Pro.

They’re small, thin black plastic hair ties with a flat edge and a slick finish that allows you to easily slip them into your hair to secure ponytails and braids. I’ve used this type of elastic before, and this is the only one that doesn’t pull or break any hairs as I’m putting my hair up or down in a ponytail. It won’t move for nothing, and you won’t end up with a handful of broken hairs when you take it out.

kitsch no snag elastics

Granted, they aren’t built to last… Each elastic is good for maybe two uses at the most, because they come out misshapen and useless, which is a bummer… I still like ’em though.

If your hair is on the thinner side, I think you might like them too. Or, if you live with little girls, they’d be great for tiny ponytails and braids.

Available in clear, brown and black, and a pack of 100 elastics is three bucks!

Your Friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 2 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Drugstore Beauty Finds, Hair, Kitsch Pro

Have You Cut Hair (Yours or Someone Else’s) During Quarantine?

May 15th, 2020 by Karen 19 Comments

Chop!

Not yet! But El Hub just got some Wahl clippers from Costco and has been going on and on about how they’re allegedly goof-proof, and how I should totally trim his hair for him, and I’ll do just fine…

To that I say “ruh-roh!” 😬 There are many hair-associated tasks I do fairly well… Hello, I’ve waxed my own lady bits (too much info?!). But none of my at-home barbering attempts have gone anyplace good.

I’ll let you know if I accidentally (or perhaps subconsciously) carve a cat face on the side of his head. 🙀

How about you? Have you cut any hair in quarantine yet?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!

There are 19 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Hair, Just For Fun

What’s Your Go-To Shelter-In-Place Hairstyle?

May 8th, 2020 by Karen 19 Comments

stay at home hairstyle scrunchi

I don’t know if squeezing this mop on the top of my head into a bun and loosely securing it with a scrunchie qualifies as a hair “style,” but that’s as good as it gets at the moment. 🙄 I figure, as along as most of the hairs are in the bun, I’m doing OK!

Soon enough, the time will come when I’ll be able to get a trim. Until then, I’m going to refer to my mussed mane as “editorial” and tell everyone that it’s messy on purpose, ha ha ha! 👍

How about you? What’s your go-to shelter-in-place hairstyle?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF! OMG, TGIFx10!

There are 19 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Hair, Just For Fun

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Welcome to Makeup and Beauty Blog
Hi there! I’m Karen, your friendly neighborhood beauty addict, and I’m a Bay Area girl who hoards brown eyeshadow and covets coral lipstick. Every morning, I wake up and say, “I’m going to do something other than a smoky eye today.” Then…I end up doing a smoky eye anyway (most days). When I’m not putting on makeup, taking pictures of makeup or writing about makeup, which I’ve been doing daily since 2007 (!), you’ll find me hanging out with my hubby (“El Hub”), my four-year-old daughter (Connor Claire) and my torbie girl cat (Pretty Girl Rosie, a.k.a. PGR).

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