Karen

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 876

April 28th, 2025 by Karen 11 Comments

Words of wisdom from author A.A. Milne (he wrote “Winnie the Pooh”)

So…what is the Monday Poll?

Excellent question! It isn’t, contrary to its name, an actual poll, like with little clicky buttons. It’s just a list of more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007).

1. What sports would you have liked to have played as a kid?

I would’ve loved to have taken dance classes. I think I would’ve enjoyed soccer, too.

2. Would you rather listen to the radio or replay a favorite album?

Replay a favorite album. Speaking of that, my family will probably freak out if I play the greatest hits from Fleetwood Mac one more time.

3. Have you ever had a job where you had to be on your feet all day?

Yup. I’ve done retail and worked in the back of the house in a bakery. Gotta have supportive shoes!

4. Do you have any travel plans for the summer?

Right now we’ve got one camping trip to the Russian River planned, and that’s it. I think eventually we’ll add on a last-minute trip to Tahoe but as of now we’re sticking close to home, which is fine with me.

5. What scent are you wearing today?

I’m wearing the new one from Chanel, Chance Eau de Splendide. It’s lovely! I mostly like the rose and iris notes.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Here are the questions to copy/paste with your answers in a comment. Talk to ya soon.

1. What sports would you have liked to have played as a kid?
2. Would you rather listen to the radio or replay a favorite album?
3. Have you ever had a job where you had to be on your feet all day?
4. Do you have any travel plans for the summer?
5. What scent are you wearing today?

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 859

April 27th, 2025 by Karen Leave a Comment

Things are a little different now under Rosie’s feline leadership — less kitty modeling, fewer lavish parties, and we don’t fly business class anymore. Lot more science, though. 😂 So, on the one paw, we’re on the cusp of developing a new fusion-powered AI robot that can dispense crunchies, but on the other paw, daily life can be a little…boring. But that’s OK! We like boring now.

Here’s a quick look back at a typical spring day when Tabs was in charge. He made everything seem exciting, even just going for our morning walk.

Tabs was hongry today on our walk. Not just hungry, but hongry. He was ravenous! He didn’t even care about the giant turkeys gobbling on the hill or the little kids shouting at the neighborhood playground. He was too busy hunting for the freshest, tastiest shoots of grass, which were hard to find today because the condo landscapers mowed the hill this week.

Tabby loves Novato so much, and we’re coming up on the best time of year for kitty exploring. The days are nice and long now, which means that he can go for more walks.

The only problem is that everyone else has the same idea, so there are also more trespassers and violators of the Tabs the Cat Industries LLC property perimeter.

Consequently, sometimes Tabs has to flex his kitty muscles to show ’em who’s boss, and he’s always ready to throw down, because you never know when some other cat will attempt a hostile takeover. As I’m sure you know, the kitty modeling business is cutthroat.

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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 875

April 21st, 2025 by Karen 5 Comments

So…what is the Monday Poll?

Excellent question! It isn’t, contrary to its name, an actual poll, like with little clicky buttons. It’s just a list of more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007).

1. How many lip products do you typically carry with you: 1-2, 3-5 or 5+?

Lately, I’ve been pretty streamlined, so it’s usually one or two things – lipstick and a gloss!

2. What nail colors have you been into lately?

Pale opaque baby blues. Perhaps I’m having a mid-’90s nostalgia moment, ha! Remember that baby blue nail polish by Hard Candy? I couldn’t get enough of it.

3. Which would you rather do: an afternoon outdoor picnic or late night stargazing?

Afternoon picnic because I’m pretty sure I’d be too sleepy to stargaze late at night, hahaha!

4. Scrambled or sunny side up?

Both! But if it’s scrambled, I’ve got to be the one making the eggs. I’m weirdly picky about my scrambled eggs. If there even the tiniest bit overdone, I won’t have anything to do with them.

5. Something that you think is truly wonderful about spring?

Something I think is truly wonderful about spring is all of the songs of all the different birds I’ve been hearing in the morning. When the songs overlap, it sounds like I’m listening to a nature channel on Spotify. It reminds me that there’s always life around us.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Here are the questions to copy/paste with your answers in a comment. Talk to ya soon.

1. How many lip products do you typically carry with you: 1-2, 3-5 or 5+
2. What nail colors have you been into lately?
3. Which would you rather do: an afternoon outdoor picnic or late night stargazing?
4. Scrambled or sunny side up?
5. Something that you think is truly wonderful about spring?

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 858

April 20th, 2025 by Karen 1 Comment

So, yeah. One of Tabs’ little-known side hustles would have made him even MORE super popular around the neighborhood but, unfortunately, he had to keep his real identity under wraps.

I mean, he wanted to promote it, but his contract with Easter Bunnies Inc. had an airtight NDA.

So it was a pretty thankless job, but still…highly rewarding.

As you can imagine, Easter was a favorite around here.

All of us at Tabs the Cat Industries, LLC were always busy during that critical first quarter trying to maximize the company’s gravy quota, so by Easter we were worn out.

That’s when Tabs would always decide on his spring goals, and when they were good, it definitely helped set the tone for the rest of the year. 😹

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 874

April 14th, 2025 by Karen 4 Comments

It’s going to be a wonderful week, my friend!

So…what is the Monday Poll?

Excellent question! It isn’t, contrary to its name, an actual poll, like with little clicky buttons. It’s just a list of more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007).

1. Group chats: love ‘em or leave ‘em?

It depends on the group, hahaha! I mostly love ‘em, and for those chats that I wanna leave (but can’t for whatever reason), well, that’s when the mute button comes in handy.

2. Full, medium or sheer?

Hmm. For things like face makeup, then medium or sheer, although to be honest medium feels like full coverage for me these days! When it comes to, like, nail polish, though? Opaque all the way. I’ve got no time for sheer nail polish these days. Oh, and does this apply to perfume, too? Because if we’re talking about scents, I’ve been more into medium and sheer scents lately.

3. Did you pick up anything during the Sephora sale?

Not this time, no. I was going to grab another bottle of Supergoop Protec(tint), but I kinda forgot, so oh well! It’s not like Sephora isn’t going to have another sale, ya know?

4. Does it feel like spring let in your neighborhood?

Yes, because according to my allergies (ah-choo!) and the 70-degree weather today, spring is officially here.

5. Do you own a record player?

Nope, although I kinda want one! Now if only I could find my vinyl copy of Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” from the ‘80s. I had it all the way through senior year in college, and it disappeared during one of the many moves while I was a 20-something.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Here are the questions to copy/paste with your answers in a comment. Talk to ya soon.

1. Group chats: love ‘em or leave ‘em?
2. Full, medium or sheer?
3. Did you pick up anything during the Sephora sale?
4. Does it feel like spring let in your neighborhood?
5. Do you own a record player?

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 857

April 13th, 2025 by Karen Leave a Comment

Sure, Tabs was a great boss, brilliant thinker, a total disruptor who dominated everything he ever tried, but let’s be real… He was a really tough employer.

He was so demanding! “Meow!” he’d say, or “Mrrow!”

A lot of the time, his directives had to do with treats (of course), or petting — specifically, deep-tissue kitty massage.

I did my best, but I was only human, which yeah, was a bit of liability. That’s why Tabs spent years developing the perfect robotic assistant.

We even released a couple pretty good ones. In fact, our Tabby Dynamics subdivision was the first to bring a bipedal humanoid cat assistant to market.

When Rosie took over as CFO, I thought she’d be different. She had a bit of a softer streak than Tabs, but we quickly realized that she was also pretty demanding.

She isn’t as tough as Tabs was, but I think it’s fair to say that one of our pet assistants has trouble with bananas.

That’s one way to describe it…

She may not be the best assistant.

Because of this, a couple weeks ago Rosie resurrected the Tabby Dynamics personal pet assistant project. She found the original schematics for the designs Tabs created and got to work on an updated version.

There’s already a prototype, and things are looking great! Today it passed a critical juncture. It successfully administered crunchies into Rosie’s food bowl.

Huzzah! Success!!

I just hope it doesn’t put me out of a job.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 873

April 7th, 2025 by Karen 4 Comments

Here’s to good things happening this week!

So…what is the Monday Poll?

Excellent question! It isn’t, contrary to its name, an actual poll, like with little clicky buttons. It’s just a list of more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007).

1. How would you rather spend some unexpected afternoon free time: watching a movie, going for a walk or reading a book?

I’d love some extra time to read! I recently found a new-to-me author that I enjoy, Rebecca Searle, and I’m going through all of her books.

2. What did you last cry about?

Well, I went to the OBGYN last week, and I had a mini-meltdown when the nice nurse took my blood pressure. I think it’s a little bit of leftover post-traumatic stress from going to the doctor so much last year along with some hormonal stuff (dang this peri-menopause).

3. What would you rather do with a friend: play card games, have a picnic in the park or go to the farmers’ market?

Let’s go to the farmers’ market and sample all the delicious spring fruit and then bring home $20 strawberries and a sourdough baguette!

4. Pick a free hair service (done by a stylist you love, of course): haircut, highlights, a smoothing treatment or extensions?

I haven’t had a haircut since August (!), so a cut would be great.

5. Something memorable that happened in March?

Last month was a busy one for our family with lots of memories made! My favorite one, though, was seeing Connor compete in an individual improv dance competition (her first performance without her team) and watching her move onto the final round. She didn’t take home one of the top three prizes, so she was a little disappointed, but she did receive a scholarship, which was great.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Here are the questions to copy/paste with your answers in a comment. Talk to ya soon.

1. How would you rather spend some unexpected afternoon free time: taking a nap, going for a walk or reading a book?
2. What did you last cry about?
3. What would you rather do with a friend: play card games, have a picnic in the park or go to the farmers’ market?
4. Pick a free hair service (done by a stylist you love, of course): haircut, highlights, a smoothing treatment or extensions?
5. Something memorable that happened in March?

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 872

March 31st, 2025 by Karen 15 Comments

So…what is the Monday Poll?

Excellent question! It isn’t, contrary to its name, an actual poll, like with little clicky buttons. It’s just a list of more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007).

1. What could you use most right now: cuddles with pets, a hot cup of tea or a nap?

I’m drinking a hot cup of tea at the moment, and I’m not too sleepy, so I’ll take the cuddles from the pets.

2. On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, how concerned are you about AI?

Girl. As someone who named her daughter after a great science fiction heroine who rises up to help defeat the robots, I’m going to give this a solid 10. I’m freaked out, man!

3. Something unexpected that happened to you recently?

Well, I saw a bobcat out of my window when I was at work last week! (See the pic at the top.) The campus has a lot of trails and open space, and I frequently see deer and other animals out and about. This was the first time I ever saw a bobcat, though. She was pretty cute! Immediately after taking the picture, I texted it to El Hub, and he said, “Don’t go out there and try to make friends with that cat, sweetie.” HAHAHA!

4. What would you rather have miraculously show up on your doorstep: dinner every day for the next week, a new pair of shoes, a cute cat who wants to adopt you or two bags full of groceries?

Dinner every day, for sure. In this scenario the meals would be delicious and nutritious, too.

5. A beauty product that you used to think was glamorous?

I thought Jean Nate was the height of sophistication when I was in elementary school, LOL!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Here are the questions to copy/paste with your answers in a comment. Talk to ya soon.

1. What could you use most right now: cuddles with pets, a hot cup of tea or a nap?
2. On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, how concerned are you about AI?
3. Something unexpected that happened to you recently?
4. What would you rather have miraculously show up on your doorstep: dinner every day for the next week, a new pair of shoes, a cute cat who wants to adopt you or two bags full of groceries?
5. A beauty product that you used to think was glamorous?