Archives January 2023

MMMWAH!
Hey, man, I’m not about to get up in the middle of The OA just to touch up my lipstick, because Netflix marathoning is severe business.

LAUGH OUT LOUD! #forrealtho

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Follow these three steps to longer-lasting lipstick, and you may never have to hit “pause” again.

1. Prep those lips!

Prepping and priming your lips will turn your pout into a best canvas. use a lip primer and/or a lip-prepping product, and I know that MAC makes one. I used it a long time ago and thought it was OK, but you know…you can also prep your lips with something you might already have in your makeup bag — liquid foundation or liquid concealer.

Just dab a tiny amount of either one on your lips, and spread it all over for an impromptu lip primer.

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2. get hold of that lip liner

After outlining your lips, fill them in with the same liner (Because why would you use two different lip liners? Dude, it isn’t 1995 anymore.) to give your lipstick a smooth, waxy base coat (here’s how I do it).

În cele din urmă…

3. apply your lipstick

You can do it straight from the bullet (hello, lazy lady), or you can use a lip brush, but I think a brush does help my lipstick last a little longer.

There’s something about a lip brush that really gets the product in there as close as possible to the skin, and for whatever reason, my lipstick lasts longer.

But it’s not a substantial difference… You absolutely don’t have to do it.

Either way, apply your first layer, then blot it with a tissue, and then add a second layer.

By following these steps, you’ll help your lipstick last up to its potential, instead of just having one product on your bare lips clinging to them for dear life.

And for extra wear time

Lightly dust a bit of loose translucent powder (or blush) on top of your lipstick using a tapered blending eye brush or your finger. just pat the powder directly on top for outstanding wear time (note: this also gives your lipstick a matte finish).

My new dutch oven

Let’s not even go there about how late I am with my Christmas shopping this year.

*suspin*

Anyway, while I dueling with other buyers at Target yesterday, I spied with my smoky eye this 6 quart Threshold Dutch oven (WITH A LID! LOL). It was on sale for $39.99 (full price: $49.99).

I’ve been wanting a dutch oven for ages, so I splurged and got myself one. Merry Christmas to me!

The first thing I’m going to make with it is this coq au vin recipe I found on reciptetineats.com.

Oh, that website… Their food photography is out of this world! I made one thing from the web site so far, a cashew chicken dish, and it was… I don’t even have the words to describe how good it was. It was that good.

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That dutch oven better look out, woo hoo!

Your friendly neighborhood lipstick addict,

Karen.

I’m having one of those days, babe. It’s been so hard to focus this morning, and I don’t know if it’s because I stayed up a little later than usual…

Well, later for me. I was up till about 10:30 (night owl!) reading big little Lies by Liane Moriarty.

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It’s such a terrific book! I have the itch to read a chapter now, but I shouldn’t…

It’s about three ladies who live in a beach town in Australia. Their lives intertwine when their kids all start kindergarten together. Then, gasp! — there’s a murder at the school! ?

It’s not fluffy, though. My brain doesn’t feel numb. It’s poignant, intriguing, funny and sad at the same time. The story grabbed me like a lasso and pulled me along.

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Anyway, I’ve been staying up late reading, and I think that’s kinda messing with me.

Aaand, I’ve also been browsing the web on my phone a lot more than usual, and I swear, that really does mess with my ability to concentrate. note to self: quit falling into the Facebook/Instagram black hole before bed and early in the morning.

When I feel out of it like this, I try to have an easy day, but there’s always stuff to do, you know? just gotta opt for it.

We haven’t talked a lot lately about non-makeup things, have we? We must catch up! I’ll go first…

Let’s see… Well, I went to the dentist last week and found out that I have a cavity (yay!). I made a decision to get it sorted out quickly, because I knew that if I didn’t, I’d obsess over it. Asa am facut. I went back a couple days ago for the filling.

Distracție…

Actually, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be.

Gosh, I can’t even remember the last time I had a cavity. It’s been years and years. I pointed out it on Instagram, and someone said that getting cavities after having a baby or breastfeeding is pretty common because the baby leeches minerals from you (yes, like a parasite).

Deci da. I went to the dentist, which is not my favorite thing to do, but it wasn’t bad this time. The hardest part was the dental mouth frame thingy they had to use to keep my mouth open during the procedure.

THAT was absolutely exhausting. My jaw still hurts.

Oh, and the sunglasses weren’t my idea. My dentist gives them to his individuals to make the bright headlamp less blinding. I wish I’d taken a side picture of them because they said, “I SF Symphony.” Haha!

And those Bose noise-cancelling headphones? NU-MI VINE SĂ CRED! They’re amazing! They don’t completely cancel out every sound, but they dampen the background noise. Este ciudat! You can still hear someone talking in front of you, but if there’s music playing or other ambient sounds, it gets filtered out. Este uimitor. I plugged them into my iphone and listened to music the whole time while they serviced my teeth.

Definitely made the experience less traumatic.

Oh Doamne! So, I read about this hair contraption thing called the PonyDry a few weeks ago. It’s generally something you wrap the ends of your hair in to keep them dry so you can wash your roots without having to commit to washing your entire head of hair.

I’ve been wanting to try it, but also not wanting to try it, because I think I can improvise a homemade version, and I tried last night with a shower cap and a headband I got from a benefit press kit…

It kinda sorta worked, but not really. The ends of my hair stayed mostly dry. They were just a little damp, and I did shampoo and condition my roots, so my hair felt a little bit cleaner, but I don’t know if I rinsed everything out well because my scalp feels a little itchy today.

Gotta keep perfecting the design (haha).

In food-related news, I don’t know if I’ve pointed out my most current breakfast kick. So, I normally feel like crap in the mornings, and I’m practically useless and non-functional until I get some food in my stomach and a cup of tea of coffee, and when I find a breakfast food that I like, I’ll make the same thing until I get completely sick of it. For the past few months, that’s been frozen waffles with peanut butter and raisins, which was nearly the only thing I ate while I was pregnant with Connor.

Anyway, I’m getting sick of it again, so I tried this smoothie that my pal Nicole posted on Instagram with avocado, zucchini, two tablespoons of peanut butter and half a thing of chocolate-flavored Premier Protein.

It’s tasty and keeps me full for a long time. We’ll see how long this kick lasts!

Also, on Tuesday I made this fish piccata using frozen tilapia filets and this recipe from skinnytaste.com.

Honestly, if it wasn’t for skinnytaste.com and TJs, I don’t know what I’d eat (probably just waffles). It was delicious and only took about 30 minutes to make.

If you’re still reading, hi! I’ve got one a lot more quick story. I just stopped Connor Claire from throwing a tantrum by distractingea cu un scutec umplut cu poop (!). Mâinile mele erau pline, dar am avut scutecul într-o pungă de gunoi și am început să-l iau în jur ca și cum ar fi o pereche de nunchks. Inutil să spun, ea a încetat să plângă, lol!

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Cum funcționează lucrurile pentru tine? TGIF, prietene.

Dependentul dvs. de recurs de vecinătate prietenos,

Karen.

new shower staple
I like foam in my gingerbread lattes and foam in my cleansing conditioners! I’m addicted to both.

WHAT’S A FOAM CLEANSING CONDITIONER?

Did you know that foam cleansing conditioners were a thing? like O.G. cleansing conditioners, they gently wash and condition your hair (yes, at the same time), but unlike the traditional cleansing conditioners (co-washes), which have a lotion-like consistency, the foaming varieties are lighter, airier, and don’t weigh down your hair, resulting in a big boost in volume.

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I had no idea they even existed until I started using R+Co Analog (it’s AMAZEBALLS), which, incidentally, I used to the very last drop.

I love it, but like a good beauty junkie, I wanted to see what else is out there, which is how Drybar double conventional Cleansing Conditioning Foam ended up in my basket on my last Sephora trip.

It’s $28 for a 6.6-oz. bottle, and it’s just as good, IMO, if not a little better, than Analog in some ways.

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Either way, I’m all about that #foamlife now. There’s no way I’ll ever go back to ye olde timey cleansing conditioners!

WHO’S IT FOR?

You name it — thick hair, fine, curly, color-treated manes.

The gal at Sephora who talked me into it told me that women who exercise a lot love it because it gently, but oh, so thoroughly, removes sweat and oil from your scalp, and it does it without stripping every micro-ounce of moisture or color from your head.

It’s a good fit for people who like to wash their hair daily but don’t want the drying effects that come with daily shampooing, or, peeps who want to avoid the buildup they get from traditional co-washes or heavy conditioners.

In case you’ve never used a foam cleansing conditioner before…

Cum să-l folosească

After wetting your hair, apply the cozy, caramel latte-smelling foam to your roots.

Massage it in like you would a regular shampoo to break up the oils, dirt and grime.

(Note: Don’t expect big bubbles as you do this, in case you were wondering.)

When you feel your roots are sufficiently de-gunked, work the remaining amount down to your ends (you might need an additional dollop if your hair goes past your shoulders like mine), then rinse it out.

Si asta e! No need for additional conditioner, although Drybar does recommend using a regular shampoo/conditioner combo after using double conventional two to four times, presumably to prevent product buildup.

LOTTA lift and CURL

My wavy, color-treated hair is on the drier side, and the first time I used double Standard, I awoke the next morning with more waves than usual and lots of lift at the roots.

Like it does when I use R+Co Analog, my hair feels legit clean and hydrated afterwards. No dry ends! My scalp doesn’t flake or otherwise go nuts either, and my manufactured dark chocolate hair color stays on my strands, instead of washing down the drain.

Ce e inauntru?
THE final WORD

Îmi place. double conventional does all the terrific stuff Analog does, but I think double Standard’s conditioner, which is just as hydrating, feels a tad lighter than Analog, which is why I end up with so much volume and curl.

I still love Analog to pieces, but double conventional is up there, too. I don’t think you can go wrong with either, but I’d recommend double conventional if your hair is very fine, and your priority is loads o’ lift.

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Another big plus: it’s easy to find, because it’s carried at Sephora and Ulta.

Dependentul de frumusețe din cartierul prietenos,

Karen.