• Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To MakeupMakeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup

A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict

  • Home
  • About
    • About
    • Contact
    • FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
    • Advertising & Media
  • Categories
    • Product Reviews
    • Makeup
    • Skincare & Fragrance
    • Style & Fashion
    • Hair
    • Nails
    • Tips & Tutorials
    • Just for Fun
  • Brands
  • Store

Skin Care

At What Age Did You Start Having a Skin Care Routine?

July 14th, 2020 by Karen 11 Comments

High school, 1993, when I was an avid Clinique 3-stepper

It wasn’t really anything I thought about when I was younger. I would just wash my face with whatever soap was around, and then I’d remove all the suds with a washcloth… Pretty standard stuff for an elementary and middle school-aged girl. I don’t think I even used face lotion (GASP). And sunscreen? What the heck was that?

But when I was 12, I started breaking out, and that’s when I started a skin care routine.

Granted, it wasn’t great! I remember going to the dermatologist and the doctor giving me a really drying benzoyl peroxide soap called PanOxyl bar, which was so stinky and drying, and it bleached all of my t-shirts and towels… That was pretty much the extent of my first skin care routine. 😂

My routine finally got “official” in high school when I started doing the Clinique 3-step process.

Do you remember the light green plastic soap case that came with the bar soap? I remember taking that thing everywhere — on band trips, to sleepovers. That soap was my jam back in the day. I wonder if it still comes with the soap. Hmm…

Anyway, I continued that routine through college, which was when I *finally* started using a sunscreen. It was one by Oil of Olay. I used it because that’s what my mom used, and it was affordable for my student budget.

How about you? At what age did you start having a skin care routine?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 11 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun, Skin Care

Summer Faves and Raves: Neutrogena Skin Care

July 10th, 2020 by Karen 14 Comments

neutrogena skin care summer 2020

Good mornin’! Happy Friday to you. 👋 I hope your day is getting off to a good start.

Simply for discussion purposes, here are a few drugstore Neutrogena faves I’ve been loving lately…

Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser

This paraben-, phthalate- and sulfate-free bad boy’s made for all skin types, but it works extra well for sensitive skin (including acne-prone peeps like moi). This oil-free face wash whisks away oil, sweat, makeup and anything else on your face without stripping your skin. I’ve loved this cleanser for years, and I typically return to using the Foaming Formula in the summer because of how quickly it removes leftover sunscreen and makeup from the day. Great stuff!

$9.99 for a 12-oz. bottle with a pump.

Neutrogena Shampoo Anti-Residue Formula

This basically brings my hair back from the dead! 🧟‍♀️ If you lean on smoothing hair products to control frizz AND remove leftover residue from shampoo, conditioner and styling products, this gentle but effective clarifying shampoo is SO money. It’s made for all hair types, including color-treated manes, and I use it once or twice a week in place of my regular shampoo to deep clean my roots and strands. Afterwards, my hair looks and feels more voluminous.

$6.99 for a 6-oz bottle.

Ultra Sheer Face Mist Sunscreen 55

I literally — literally — never leave home without this because I always have a bottle in my little black backpack. I usually do a mineral sunscreen before I leave the house (Elta MD), but I like to touch up with this physical sunscreen when I’m out and about. It’s a sheer, non-sticky liquid sunscreen that feels lightweight and comfortable. I mist a few few pumps in my hands, and then work the liquid onto my neck, arms, face and wherever else I want/need sun protection.

$17.49 for a 3.5-oz. bottle with a pump.
[Continue reading…]

There are 14 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Drugstore Beauty Finds, Neutrogena, Product Reviews, Skin Care

This or That: Fragrance Edition

June 10th, 2020 by Karen 12 Comments

byredo gypsy water
I’m gonna go with this one.

How to play

Copy and paste the following questions with your answers in a comment. Can’t wait to see what yours are! Mine are down below…

Copy and paste

  • Floral or oriental?
  • Body splash or scented lotion?
  • Byredo Gypsy Water or Chanel No. 5?
  • Citrus or gourmand?
  • Rollerball or solid?
  • Eau de parfum or eau de toilette?
  • Spray on wrist or spray on neck?
  • Dior Poison or Calvin Klein Obsession?
  • French or Italian perfumes?

Floral or oriental?

Floral

Body splash or scented lotion?

Scented lotion

Byredo or Chanel?

Oooh, so tough… Gonna go with Byredo, since I wore Gypsy Water for like THREE YEARS STRAIGHT.

Citrus or gourmand?

Citrus

Rollerball or solid?

Rollerball

Eau de parfum or eau de toilette?

Eau de parfum

Spray on wrist or spray on neck?

Neck

Dior Poison or Calvin Klein Obsession?

Honestly, both give me a headache, but my mom used to wear Poison in the ’90s, so I’ll go with that for nostalgia’s sake.

French or Italian perfumes?

Italian, since I’ve fallen in love with so many Dolce & Gabbana scents — Light Blue (wore it on my wedding day), The One, Sicily (RIP), Dolce, D&G Anthology 18 La Lune.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. How was your hump day? What did you do?

There are 12 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Fragrance, Just For Fun

Have You Ever Purchased a Perfume Without Smelling It First?

May 22nd, 2020 by Karen 36 Comments

clinique my happy
Yes, they smell just as pretty as they look.

Although I’ve gotten close a few times since stay-in-place went into effect because of 1) a Nordstrom gift card that’s been burning a hole in my wallet for months, and 2) an intense craving for something new and citrusy, I still have yet to buy a perfume without smelling it first.

Bright lemon, orange and grapefruit notes always cheer me up. I just feel lighter, less weighed down when I smell like fruit, LOL! So, I’ve been rotating through my usual citrus staples, a set of Clinique Happy fragrances (the original Happy has notes of ruby red grapefruit, boysenberry bush flower, Hawaiian wedding flower) and Annick Goutal’s effervescent Eau d’Hadrien (bergamot, citrus accord, grapefruit, lemon, cédrat, cypress, galbanum, basil, juniper berry, ylang-ylang, woody accord).

I’d still to try something new, though, like Jo Malone Grapefruit Cologne or Fresh Citron de Vigne.

How about you? Have you ever purchased a perfume without smelling it first?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!

There are 36 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Fragrance, Just For Fun

Product Spotlight: Hawaii Edition

November 29th, 2019 by Karen 9 Comments

A few things (aloha and TGIF, BTW):

1. Running in 85-degree weather with 67% humidity is like hauling your limbs slow-motion through corn chowder.

Wait — now that I think about it, merely existing in humid weather is like that. I am SWEAT-TAY in Hawaii, man.

2. If you’re staying with your in-laws in their one-bedroom condo with one bathroom and your child is a toddler, it’s probably a good idea to lock the bathroom door while you’re in there; otherwise, said child *will* open up that door, and she’ll only do it when your booty is hanging out for all your relations to see. #truth

3. Here are a few beauty products I’ve been using and loving on this trip.

1. Honua Hawaiian Skin Care Aloha Youth Serum

This lightweight skin serum contains a mix of plant oils and extracts that ancient Hawaiians used to protect their skin from the sun and environment, like the noni plant, which contains vitamin C and antioxidants. I’ve been using it for over a month now for brightening and moisture and have definitely noticed an improvement in my skin tone. I didn’t hesitate for a second to include it in my carry-on quart of liquid items. I’m that hooked. A 1-oz. glass bottle with a dropper is $58.

2. Gillette Simply Venus Disposable Razors

I’ve used disposable razors before, and they’re almost always never as good at getting as close to your skin as razors with refillable cartridges are, but this is the exception. The slight curve in the handle easily allows me to maneuver it into all of the nooks and crannies I’d like to de-fuzz, and when I’m done, I’m smoother than smooooove. It’s a drugstore gem! 💎 $6.99 for a pack of four razors.

3. EltaMD UV Clear Broad-Specture SPF 46

OH, MAN… SO GOOD. This is the best face sunscreen around, hands down. It’s a physical sunscreen, so it’s great for acne-prone and sensitive skin, but it’s levels above the rest of ‘em because it truly is invisible on skin. Absolutely no white cast whatsoever. To top it all off, it’s lightweight and absorbs easily (so you aren’t sitting there for ages rubbing it in), layers well underneath makeup, and it packs plenty of skin-loving punch, with bells and whistles like lactic acid and sodium hyaluronate. $35 for a 1.7-oz. bottle with a pump.

4. Aveeno Baby Sensitive Skin Continuous Protection SPF 50 Sunscreen Stick

Because it’s a solid, there’s no danger of spilling, and because it’s compact, I can haul it around with me easily, along with the rest of the crap toddlers need in my “mom purse” (you know, the purse with a sh*t-ton of pockets and a leash for your keys). I can quickly run the smooth stick across Connor’s skin with minimal protesting, and I also use this as a touch-up sunscreen throughout the day.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 9 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Aveeno, Drugstore Beauty Finds, Gilette, Honua Hawaiian Skincare, Product Reviews, Skin Care

  • « Previous Page
  • Page 1
  • Page 2
  • Page 3
  • Page 4
  • Page 5
  • …
  • Page 134
  • Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

About Makeup and Beauty Blog

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).

SHOP THE STORE


Long Live Lipstick Tee 💄



Blush Is My Crush Tee



Mascara & Kitties Tee



Thank You For Being a Friend Tee



You Hair Me Tee


Recent Posts

duri when in rome

I’ve Found the Perfect Pale Blue Denim Nail Polish, and It’s Only $8

duri when in rome

This Matte Brown Classic Eye Makeup Goes With Everything

sonoma public library

Road Tripping in the North Bay Area: Historic Sonoma Plaza

aloe plant deck cocobaby

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 661

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 642

Social

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Featured Posts

Lady Unicorn

Weird Things I Like to Do

brows fill out beforehand

Before You Pluck or Wax Your Brows, You Must Do This

current bare skin status

What’s One Thing That Drastically Changed Your Skin for the Better?

red brown smokey eyes tutorial top pic 2

A Glamorously Grungy Makeup Tutorial: Smoky Reddish Brown Eyes and Vampy Matte Lips [MODERATE SKILL LEVEL]

Copyright © 2020 Makeup and Beauty Blog. Get in touch.