Orangey, a friendly orange tabby with a cute pink nose who lives across the street.
Neighborhood Cats: Orangey
Archives for February 2013
Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 231
A RELAXING TIME: PART 7
by Tabs the Cat
The first of the werewolves came into view, a long-legged black one the color of the crows Tabs policed from his favorite window at home in Novato.
Slowly, Tabs crouched down low at the edge of the roof until his chin was resting on the rain gutter.
The werewolf was stalking, sniffing, its head close to the ground like a metal detector. It was in the driveway now exactly where Tabs and the gray cat had gone through. Tabs expected the wolf to pick up their scent.
It was a bright night with the full moon, and it occurred to Tabs that he was probably easy to spot where he was with the moonlight behind him, but he stayed frozen like an Egyptian statue, not daring to move a muscle.
The only thing he did do was slowly close his eyes until they were just barely open and breath steadily. Cats were good at things like this. Hiding in plain sight. But Tabs imagined that werewolves were also good at hunting.
The second one entered the driveway. This one Tabs recognized from the wooden shed back on the frozen lake, and it was huge! Bigger than the black one by half, with mottled brown and gray fur and thick, broad shoulders.
The black werewolf seemed to bow reverently and made a whining noise as the larger one approached.
Tabs couldn’t believe just how big the bigger werewolf was. Keeping perfectly still with his eyes open barely a fraction of an inch, Tabs compared the creature to the nearby pickup truck, and wagered they were almost the same size.
Or maybe that was just the terror talking…
Tabs remained motionless while the two werewolves inspected the area, following their snouts. As they exhaled, their hot breath was visible in the frigid air.
They circled the pickup truck in opposite directions, checking carefully behind the tires.
Whew! Tabs thought. Good thing I didn’t hide there.
The werewolves must have picked up the scent because they remained quiet and moved stealthily, and they were focussing a lot of attention in this area.
Minutes passed. It was so cold up there on the roof that Tabs started shivering. He desperately wanted to hop up and start moving to warm his bones, but there was no way he was about to do that.
He would just have to deal with the cold. It wouldn’t be the first time…
He thought back to all of those long, cold nights he spent fending for himself and battling for scraps on the mean streets of Mill Valley in his kitten hood. Those were some cold nights, too.
Feezing, and feeling somewhat secure that the wolves would not find him, and even if they did, would not be able to reach him on the roof, Tabs allowed his mind to wander.
He thought about his makeup collection, his coveted online kitty modeling portfolio, gravy, his favorite hill at home and his assistant…
She was actually pretty nice, he concluded, even when she got on his last nerve.
Somewhere off in the woods, a branch cracked. It wasn’t a natural sound. Tabs heard it, and the werewolves heard it, too. Both of them appeared in the driveway from wherever they’d been searching and looked in that direction, standing tall on all fours, with their heads erect and their ears perked.
“Mrrrrrrowww!” came a distant voice. Help me! Please help!
Tabs felt his heart drop. It was the gray cat.
— TO BE CONTINUED —
To follow our story from the beginning…
Craving This for Breakfast
Two Ways to Win a $50 eGift Card From Sephora!
WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is kimpcole! Congratulations, Candee! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂
Have I told you about Tabs’ new favorite way to wake me up?
He jumps on the bed, walks across my chest and stands perpendicular to my throat with his tummy draped across my neck.
He waits for a moment or two like that, and then, PLOP! — lays down and starts purring like a Mack truck until my eyes open.
Imagine a furry, 20-pound infinity scarf holding you hostage in bed, and basically, you get my mornings for the past week. 🙂
No Tabby alarm clock today, though. When I woke up, all I found was the postcard above on El Hub’s pillow with a note telling me to take the day off.
Whatever you’re up to today, I hope it’s fun.
And before you head out on your adventures, don’t forget to enter this weekend’s Sephora eCard giveaway.
What folks are saying…
“Hi Karen!!! Wow, that news definitely gets a hoo ray ray and an elephant!!! (I’ve maybe been watching too much Boardwalk Empire.) Thank you so much!!!”
-Shana“What a lovely surprise it was to see your announcement (after completing one of many exams/papers/projects I have this crazy week)! The eCard will definitely ease expenses for this broke, beauty-obsessed college student. Thank you, Karen and Tabs!!”
-Katie“Thanks so much, Karen. Just in case you were wondering what I got with it, I decided to go with the Clarisonic Mia–I’ve been wanting it for years now, but have never purchased it because of the price. Your eCard helped me finally buy it! I look forward to using it. Thanks again!”
-Jane“Shut the front door! OMG Karen, you have made my day. 🙂 I’m sick in bed with the flu and this has just cheered me up immensely!!!!!!!! BTW, I’m the one that sent you that pic of my pug in a wig a few weeks back LOL! Thanks again, honestly, I’m beyond giddy right now.”
-Angel“Thank you SO much Karen! OMG! Wishes really do come true! I can’t believe I won! You have no idea how much this will help me through the holidays. I’ve been an avid fan of your blog for the past two years. Your witty and creative entries, informative makeup information, and beautiful photos have kept me hooked. I look forward to more of it. Goodness, you’ve
seriously just made my week and it’s only Tuesday night!”
-Zharlynne“Oh my goodness! Thank you so much Karen (and Tabs, of course)! I really appreciate this! I’d been eyeing the Anastasia brow pencil in Strawburn to match my red hair!”
-Chelsea (and Jiji the kitten and Quincy the bunny)
- One (1) Sephora eGift card containing $50 sent to the winner by email (international readers, you may opt to receive $50 sent by PayPal instead).
- There are two ways to enter, and you can do both of them for two chances to win. First, you can enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, a comment about anything at all, like, how would you rate your cooking skills? What’s the most challenging thing for you when it comes to eye makeup application? What’s one thing you love about your life right now? What’s your favorite Pop Tart flavor? How many lip glosses do you have in your purse at the moment? How often do you wear eyeliner? What nail polish do you have on your toes right now? What does your dream hairstyle look like?– you get the idea.
- Second, you can enter by following me on
Twitter @karenmbb and retweeting (RT) the following message:
- Follow @karenmbb and RT to Win a $50 eGift Card from Sephora! http://bit.ly/XEknOA
- The deadline to enter is Sunday, February 17, 2013 at 11:59PM (PT).
- Entrants must enter using a valid email address and/or Twitter account to win.
- A maximum of two (2) entries per person — one within the comments at the bottom of this post, and a second entry via Twitter addressed to me @karenmbb.
- Contest is open to individuals of any country who have reached the age of majority according to their local laws (18 in the United States with these exceptions: Alabama and Nebraska, 19; Mississippi, 21).
- Sephora eGift Certificates can only be redeemed online and are not valid in stores or available for purchase or redemption in Canada. International winners may opt to substitute the Sephora eGift card prize for $50 sent directly to their email address by PayPal instead.
- Tabs and I (heretofore referred to as “T-Money and K-Dawg”) will select one (1) winner at random from the entries either left in the comments at the bottom of this blog post or addressed to @karenmbb on Twitter.
- The winner will be announced here within 48 hours of the deadline.
- Void where prohibited by law.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is kimpcole! Congratulations, Candee! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂
Butter London’s Spring 2013 Nail Lacquers
Five of Butter London’s six spring 2013 shades ($15 each) From the left: Fruit Machine, Kerfluffle, Jasper, Fiver and Molly Coddled. Available now at Nordstrom stores, Butter London counters and online.
Tabs Hearts Shoes
He especially enjoys sleeping on them. The stinkier, the better.
Unsung Makeup Heroes: Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense Lipstick in 39
I’m thinking about having the words, “It’s Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense Lipstick in 39,” printed on a t-shirt, and I’ll tell you why.
Because whenever I wear it, I must get asked 10 times a day what I’m wearing on my lips.
It’s almost as flattering as the lipstick itself. 🙂
If I had that shirt, I could just smile, open my jacket and BAM! — point at the shirt.
Once you start wearing this satiny, orangey coral ($19, available now at Make Up For Ever Boutiques and counters, Sephora stores and also online), you’ll see what I mean.
It’s one of those colors you can’t miss when it walks into a room, so be prepared to answer questions about it as you go about your day.
I think it has something to do with the opacity, for one. The bright block of solid color really showcases your lips. That, and the orangey tones, which are just so…bright.
A Lazy Girl’s Improv Beauty Trick for Smooth, Silky Legs
[Ding-dong.]
[Knock, knock, knock.] Hello?
Oh, hai! 🙂 My name is Karen, and I’m here in your neighborhood today on behalf of the Inner Lazy Girls Coalition to spread the word about a Lazy Girls trick I discovered last night.
Do you have a second to chat about wayward leg hair?
You do? Great!
First, please tell me you’re not one of those lucky ladies like my mom who never, ever has to shave. Because if you are, I will pull your hair…
Totally kidding! There will be no hair pulling. This isn’t Jerry Springer circa 1995.
So, hairy legs. Last night while I was getting dressed for my Valentine’s Day dinner with El Hub, I slipped on my date night dress and realized — whoops! I hadn’t shaved my shins since last Sunday.
My hair and makeup were already done, so I wasn’t about to jump in the shower, and a sink shave with my usual EOS Shave Lotion was also out of the question because the bottle was empty (I think my husband has being using it on the down-low).
I looked around the bathroom and had a MacGyver moment when I saw this bottle of Suave Advanced Therapy Lotion ($5) sitting on the shelf.
