Just For Fun

How to play

Pick one or the other for each of the questions below, and copy/paste your answers in the comments. Can’t wait to see your picks! Mine are listed below.

This or That: The Back-to-School Beauty Edition

• First day of school: do you plan your outfit ahead of time, or wing it at the last minute?
• Bold lips on the first day: yes or no?
• If you said yes to bold lips, which would you rather wear: red or pink?
• Do you start off the school year with a totally new hairstyle, or do you keep the one you currently have?
• For picture day, do you wear your hair up or down?
• For picture day, do you wear your glasses, or do you take them off?
• What’s more important for your daily mid-morning touchup: powder or lipgloss?
• What’s more important for a daily afternoon touchup: hairspray or dry shampoo?
• Pick one: Caboodle or makeup bag?
• On the first day of school, would you rather wear a new pair of shoes that you haven’t broken in or a comfortable pair of extremely well-worn shoes you love?
• Perfume or fragrance on the first day: yes or no?
• Paint your nails for your first day: yes or no?

First day of school: do you plan your outfit ahead of time, or wing it at the last minute?

I’d plan it ahead of time. In fact, I’d plan out every outfit for every day of the whole week!

Bold lips on the first day: yes or no?

I’ve definitely done it before, so my answer is yes.

If you said yes to bold lips, which would you rather wear: red or pink?

Red, but with stipulations. It would have to be matte to reduce the likelihood of it smearing all over my teeth and face.

Do you start off the school year with a totally new hairstyle, or do you keep the one you currently have?

Keep the one I have. I’d save the dramatic change for the middle of the year to maximize the impact, ha!

For picture day, do you wear your hair up or down?

Down, no doubt! Wearing it up just seems like an invitation for something to go terribly wrong. I totally know my mane, and even if I cemented every stray hair into place with an updo, something would find a way to spring out.

For picture day, do you wear your glasses, or do you take them off?

I could go either way, but eh…I’d probably take ’em off so my winged liner could be recorded for posterity.

What’s more important for your daily mid-morning touchup: powder or lipgloss?

Lipgloss.

What’s more important for a daily afternoon touchup: hairspray or dry shampoo?

Hit those flat roots with some dry shampoo, baby! 🤗

Pick one: Caboodle or makeup bag?

Caboodle. Vintage. Pink and mint green.

On the first day of school, would you rather wear a new pair of shoes that you haven’t broken in or a comfortable pair of extremely well-worn shoes you love?

Back in the day, I would’ve suffered for great shoes. 👡

Perfume or fragrance on the first day: yes or no?

Sure, why not?

Paint your nails for your first day: yes or no?

Definitely, yes, and survey says it would be a last-minute mani completed right before bed the night before. 😁

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Howdy, neighbor. I’ve got back-to-school on my mind right now because Connor’s first day of kindergarten is tomorrow, and I’m already feeling all the feels. 😿

Fall smoky eyes are on my mind, and so while I was looking through my MAC eyeshadow stash for browns, I realized that a couple of my staples have sadly been discontinued. Brown Down and Bamboo, I will always love you!

I’m also in perpetual mourning over my favorite waterproof mascara, Urban Decay Cannonball. I have two tubes left, and I’m cherishing every last swipe.

How about you? What discontinued beauty products do you miss dearly?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. How are you doing today? Lots going on in the world right now. I hope you’re hanging in there.

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 five more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007). I love reading your answers, and it helps me get my week off to a good start. ?

1. Your finish of choice for foundation?

Queen, I think you know how I roll. 👸 It’s demi-matte or satin ’til the end!

2. A word that makes you cringe?

Every day I imagine a new way to eradicate “moist” from existence. It’s super gross on its own, but even grosser when you say it repeatedly. Moist, moist, moist, moist, moist. UGH, NO!

3. Something you loved as a teenager?

I’m almost embarrassed to admit this…but I absolutely adored going to the New Park Mall in Newark, California. 😁

Union City, the town I lived in, didn’t really have a place teens could hang out, so you had to either take the bus or find a friend (or, god forbid, a parent) to drive you to the mall, and the New Park Mall was the most exotic place in the world to me!

Oh, my. Yes, my world was so blissfully small back then.

4. Action movies or romantic comedies?

I’ll go with rom-coms, but only ones with happy endings; otherwise, I’m not showing up to the party.

5. What’s your go-to nail polish color these days?

Strangely, I haven’t worn polish in weeks!

What can I say? Like Bananarama sang all those years ago, it’s been a Cruel Summer. 😂

Now, if I could get it together, I’d do a mint green by Olive & June.

6. A movie you know so well that you can easily quote from it?

Amy Heckerling’s masterpiece, Clueless.

7. How are your pets doing?

Rosie’s alright! Just as loving and thoughtful as ever. Only thing is, she’s been a little too enthusiastic about eating these days, so I’m a little worried about her weight from a health perspective (no body shaming allowed on my watch). I’m looking around to find a previously loved cat wheel to help her exercise.

8. Things you like and don’t like in your salad?

Things I like:

1. When the greens and various accoutrements are cut up into small, bite-sized pieces that you don’t have to cut
2. A protein like eggs or tuna
3. Avocado

Things I don’t like:

1. When the greens and various accoutrements are huge
2. Raw onions
3. Obnoxious amounts of mystery sauce

9. Do you know how to do Chinese jump rope?

Honestly…I can’t remember a thing about it now! But back in elementary school, I did some damage on the playground with Chinese jump rope. I played to win, suckers! 🤣

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. Your finish of choice for foundation?
2. A word that makes you cringe?
3. Something you loved as a teenager?
4. Action movies or romantic comedies?
5. What’s your go-to nail polish color these days?
6. A movie you know so well that you can easily quote from it?
7. How are your pets doing?
8. Things you like and don’t like in your salad?
9. Do you know how to do Chinese jump rope?

P.P.S. Well, hello, old friend! Happy Monday to you. Remember to smile today, OK? 🤗

Oh, my gosh! 😲 Look what greeted me first thing this morning (see above, but I warn you — brace yourself). I hadn’t opened this Chanel cream shadow in a while, and this morning when I took it out to play, it fell out of its jar.

The horror!

Could this be the universe’s not-so-subtle way of encouraging me to visit a counter to get a new cream shadow to love? Hmm… 😹

In other news, while we’re on the topic of cream shadow, what are your faves? Let me know in the comments. Inquiring minds want to know.

This week’s reading

• Some winter makeup trends to keep an eye on!
• Here’s how to figure out if your makeup is expiring.
• Is your long-lasting makeup toxic?
• How Avon transformed the economic landscape for women around the world.
• In case you’re looking for some ideas for your shopping cart for the Dermstore sale.
• A step-by-step guide to making your favorite fragrance last.
• 16 nude lippies made for darker skin tones.
• Allegedly, these are universal red lippies!
• Science confirms what cat ladies have known since the dawn of time.
• Note to self: paint your paws. 💅
• United Airlines gives all of their flight attendants the OK for tattoos, nail polish and makeup.

Summer street style in New York

Note to self…

I am obsessed with Gemma!

One of my favorites…

So pretty!

Say hello to my husband, Keanu. 😁

You know what’s on my mind this morning? Resting. Man, I’ve been feeling worn down lately… It’s my nature to go-go-go, and when I’m tired, I usually just try to push through it, but I’m realizing more and more how important it is to listen to your body and just slow down. I don’t know if you need to hear this, but if you do, I hope you take some time to rest your mind and body this weekend if you’re able to. Don’t mean to preach, but you know what I mean. Gotta recharge your batteries.

Extra squeeze-y hugs to you today. Have a great day. Talk to you soon. 🤗

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Once upon a time, it was makeup! 🤪 But these days, my hair takes up the biggest chunk of time in my beauty/getting-ready routine.

There are just A LOT of steps involved. It drives me nuts! The most involved part is the washing and conditioning, because I work out pretty much every day now, so my scalp gets super sweaty and oily and requires…attention. Plus, on top of that, I have pretty bad seasonal allergies, so when I go outside, my hair absorbs pollen, dust, ash from local wildfires, or whatever other allergens are floating around outside on any given day. I absolutely have to wash my hair before I go to bed; otherwise, I hit the hay with hella allergens all up in my business, which consequently get all over my pillow and the bedding, and bothers me all night long.

Funny thing is…I don’t spend nearly as much time styling my hair as I spend cleaning it. It only takes me about five minutes to do a semi-decent hairstyle with a large-barrel curling iron, or to do a messy braid or bun. In fact, it takes way less time to get my hair ready to go “out into the world” than it did when I was in my 20s and 30s because I’ve long since embraced my natural waves and no longer go to battle with them (go figure).

The next most time-consuming part of my routine is the skin care, and basically it’s keeping track of all the layers, then waiting for them to dry. Man! Ever since I decided to wage the good fight against hyperpigmentation, time it takes me to do my skin care routine has increased exponentially. Mind you, I’m OK with that because it does seem to be helping…

Oh, and putting on sunscreen multiple times a day takes up a lot of time, too.

The least most time-consuming (least most?) part of my routine is any actual makeup, when I wear it, followed by panting my nails.

How about you? What’s the most time-consuming part of your beauty routine?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Happy Tuesday! 😺

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 five more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007). I love reading your answers, and it helps me get my week off to a good start. ?

1. Plum or lychee?

Lychee, preferably cold and juicy.

2. How are your hot roller skills?

They are…not great! I’ve tried using them before, multiple times, but I can never get the rollers to sit quite right. There’s something super awards about it for me. Also, because I have a great deal of hair, there usually aren’t enough rollers in those sets. I’d rather just use a curling iron instead.

3. Something you loved as a child?

The Care Bears. I was crazy about ’em, even though I never owned one of the plushies.

I really, really wanted one, though.

4. Biking or roller blading?

Biking, and if it’s outdoors, we’re going at a slooooow and lazy pace because — hey, man, when I’m outside, I don’t want to be working too hard on bike, ya know? Now, if, instead, we’re indoors on a stationary bike, then BRING IT!

5. What’s your go-to serum?

SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic is my jam right now.

6. A skin care item (or items) you used in ’90s?

Oh, so many! Clinique 3-step with the bar soap in the green plastic tray, Noxzema Face Wash and Noxzema Pads, St. Ives Apricot Scrub, Nivea Lotion takes me way baaaaaack. Oh, and all the toners! Ten-O-Six lotion, Sea Breeze, Witch Hazel… If a toner were able to practically melt your face off in the ’90s, it’s safe to assume I used it.

7. Do you sweat a lot?

Yeah, when I’m working out, I sweat like a mofo’! During the course of my everyday life, I would say that I’m moderately sweaty, but more so when it’s hot out.

8. Things that help you put your best foot forward?

Getting a good night’s sleep, meditating first thing in the morning, drinking lots of water… Oh, and wearing an outfit that makes me feel good.

9. Jump rope or dancing?

Dancing! 💃🏽

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. Plum or lychee?
2. How are your hot roller skills?
3. Something you loved as a child?
4. Biking or roller blading?
5. What’s your go-to serum?
6. A skin care item (or items) you used in ’90s?
7. Do you sweat a lot?
8. Things that help you put your best foot forward?
9. Jump rope or dancing?

P.P.S. Hello, my sweet friend! I’m so grateful to see you here today, and I hope the week ahead is filled with so much joy. You are important and so, so loved. Have a good one, OK? 🤗