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 Eyeshadow Edition

• Cool or warm toned eyeshadow?
• Cream eyeshadow stick or cream eyeshadow with a doe foot?
• What’s worse — eyeshadow fallout or eyeshadow creasing?
• Eyeshadow primer — yes or no?
• Which pan would you rather have — a workhorse brown that stays on all day or a blazing bright purple that’s easy to blend?
• Loose or pressed?
• Eyeshadow primer — yes or no?
• Eyeshadow along your lower lash line — yes or no?
• Matte or satin?
• Glitter or pearl?
• Would you rather have an eyeshadow palette with brights or neutrals?

Cool or warm toned eyeshadow?

Yaaargh! I love both! Cool does a better job of carving out a crease, but warm tends to be more flattering on my skin tone…so I guess warm?

Cream eyeshadow stick or cream eyeshadow with a doe foot?

I’ll take the shadow stick in a heartbeat!

What’s worse — eyeshadow fallout or eyeshadow creasing?

Fallout!

Eyeshadow primer — yes or no?

I haven’t really been doing any intense blending lately, so I’m going to pass. But if and when I get back in the mood to do more elaborate looks, then I’ll say yes, since primer really does seem to make a difference when you’re doing elaborate things with shadow.

Which pan would you rather have — a workhorse brown that stays on all day, or a blazingly bright purple that’s easy to blend?

Ooh, this is tough! What the hell, I’ll go with the purple…

Loose or pressed?

Pressed.

Eyeshadow along your lower lash line — yes or no?

Sure why not!

Matte or satin?

Satin because it’s easier to blend, but it has to be one that isn’t very shiny.

Glitter or pearl?

Glitter!

Would you rather have an eyeshadow palette with brights or neutrals?

Do you even know me at all? LOL! I’ll take the neutrals!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen ?

P.S. Happy Friday! How’s it going on your end? This week felt exceptionally long to me (on Tuesday I was already ready for it to be over with, LOL!), so I’m really happy to have made it to today. I’m also *very excited* about lunch today because I went shopping yesterday at Trader Joe’s and grabbed another bag of the Harvest Apple Salad Kit, ? otherwise known as “the most bomb salad at TJ’s right now.” It’s excellent as is, but if you have the time, I highly recommend joojing it up with chopped fresh apples and pomegranate seeds.

Mmm… I did it the other day and immediately gobbled it up! TJ’s sells prepackaged pomegranate seeds in a cup near the salad section, BTW, but I just buy the whole fruit and dig ’em out.

Your tummy will thank you!

One last thing: I woke up with this song stuck in my head…

P.P.S. TGIF!

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. Clam chowder or linguine and clams?

I’ll take the clam chowder as long as it’s New England clam chowder, and then only if the clams are already out of their shells and chopped up into teeny, tiny little pieces.

I swear I’m not picky! Just totally weird about clams. If they’re still in the shells, forget about it. I had way too many traumatic incidents eating them as a child…

2. 2020 skinny jeans or 1995 vintage jeans?

Gimme the skinny jeans please with a high rise and a little bit of stretch…but not too much.

3. Your favorite punctuation mark?

I do love an exuberant exclamation mark every once in a while!

4. Something about you that sounds made up but is true?

When I was a teenager, I was almost kidnapped. ?

5. If your pet was a fan of a TV show, what show would it be?

Ya know, even though Rosie is a serious intellectual, I can see her getting sucked into The Bachelorette against her will.

6. Have you ever fallen down a flight of stairs?

OMG, yes! I accidentally tumbled down a flight of stairs at the San Francisco Orpheum theater during intermission while watching Wicked… I was wearing high heels and took a wrong step. Pretty sure my lady parts flashed half the mezzanine, too, but ya know, it was SF. Since everyone there had probably at one point or another been unintentionally exposed to body parts, nobody batted a lash.

I was mortified though.

7. Cold scrambled eggs — great or gross?

SO BEYOND GROSS. I can only eat scrambled eggs when they’re warm and silky soft. If they’re even a smidgen overcooked, I can’t. I just CANNOT.

8. Are you wearing a scent today?

Other than the scent of exhaustion? Kidding! (Kinda.) I’m wearing Lancôme Idole today. It’s so fresh and floral and light, and I love it. The official scent notes are…

• Top notes: Bergamot (Citrus), Juicy Pear, Pink Peppercorn
• Middle Notes: Rose and Jasmine
• Bottom Notes: White Musk, Vanilla, Patchouli, Cedarwood

9. What’s for lunch?

I have half a TJ’s Buffalo Ranch Chopped Salad kit that I need to finish, so I’ll probably have that.

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. Clam chowder or linguine and clams?
2. 2020 skinny jeans or 1995 vintage jeans?
3. Your favorite punctuation mark?
4. Something about you that sounds made up but is true?
5. If your pet was a fan of a TV show, what show would it be?
6. Have you ever fallen down a flight of stairs?
7. Cold scrambled eggs — great or gross?
8. Are you wearing a scent today?
9. What’s for lunch?

P.P.S. Hello there, sweet girl! I know you’re probably very busy today, but if you have a moment and the weather cooperates, try to enjoy the outdoors a little. I hope you have a beautiful day.

The trees in my neighborhood have been extra showy lately…

Hello, friend! Welcome to another weekend. We made it…and, therefore, you deserve pancakes. ? Because can one really consider Saturday Saturday if it doesn’t include pancakes? Hmm… I don’t think so.

Lemon blueberry LOVE

I highly recommend these sheet pan lemon and blueberry pancakes, also known as “the best thing ever.” You can quickly whip up the batter (the key is to not overmix!), pour it into a large baking sheet, and shove it in the oven.

Fifteen minutes later, you’ve got a massive tray of pancakes. All done at the same time. And you don’t even have to stand at the stove to babysit them.

They’re SO GOOD!

I’ve been making them with a couple of substitutions. Like, I replace the flour combination with straight-up gluten-free flour (because El Hub’s celiac), and I use whole milk instead of buttermilk because it’s what we usually have in the house.

FYI: the Lancôme Friends & Family sale

After we get our pancake on, I’m going to spend a little time with this pretty lady by Lancôme today…

This creamy pan of mate raspberry deliciousness is from the Le Monochromatique line, and it doubles as a blush and a lipstick. You could quite possibly use it as an eyeshadow, too, if you’re feeling feisty. I’m having a lot of fun playing with these. Basically, I’m low-key obsessed.

If you’re curious about ’em and think you might want to take a dip, wait till November 17th, because that’s when Lancôme starts their Friends & Family Sale this year, and you can get 25% off on makeup, fragrance and skincare gift sets on their website. Might be a good time to grab a bottle of La Vie Est Belle or Idole as a present for yourself (or someone else!). I’ve been talking nonstop about both scents to anyone who’ll listen to me, and here I am gabbing again… I just think they smell great!

• Speaking of Black Friday beauty deals, here’s a big ol’ list! The Kate Somerville one looks rad!
• Just in case you were looking for an advent calendar for your BFF (best feline friend)…
• Let’s take a nose dive into the science of smell.
• A new perfume for those who want to smell like a bookstore…
• What is Alpha Arbutin?

My favorite Tammy Wynette song. Also, her hair and makeup in this video are MAGIC!

Well, now I’ve got to wear this to preschool pickup and/or drop off. It’s the right thing to do.

Take me back to freshman year of college, please.

Anybody know where I can get a Prince Muppet?

And while you’re at it, please direct me to a place where I can purchase Cher’s abs.

Beautiful and timeless.

I should watch this 1,045,099 times because apparently now I’m feral.

Well this is interesting!

Love you, Daniel.

Have a wonderful day! Please try to get some rest, if you can. It’s important. You deserve a break.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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. Last person you held hands with?

The Coywolf, while walking up the stairs.

2. Yoga or Baby Yoda?

Baby Yoda in a heartbeat!


3. Do you ever get scared in the middle of the night?

Oh, hell yeah. Most of the time it’s something silly and irrational, like wondering if I’ll see the Bloody Mary ghost in the mirror when I go the bathroom in the middle of the night. ? But sometimes it’s real-deal fear rooted in worry about finances, the future, our health… All those big scary things that keep adults up at night.

4. Did you grow up playing video games?

I did! ?️ We had an Atari AND a Nintendo in our house, and my brother and I played games together (Super Mario Brothers was our favorite), but we weren’t playing 24/7. I wouldn’t say we were hardcore gamers.

5. How do you feel about your first name?

Well…funny thing. I’ve always liked it, but now that the Internet doesn’t like Karens, it isn’t always an easy name to have.

6. Can you do the splits?

Absolutely not!

7. How good are you about wearing sunscreen during winter?

I’d say it’s hit and miss for me, but I’m trying to be better about it.

8. A red lipstick you like?

Stila Beso!

9. What’s easier for you to use — gel liner or liquid liner?

Liquid liner, ideally with a flexible pen tip because it’s faster and easier than dealing with a brush and potted gel.

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. Last person you held hands with?
2. Yoga or Baby Yoda?
3. Do you ever get scared in the middle of the night?
4. Did you grow up playing video games?
5. How do you feel about your first name?
6. Can you do the splits?
7. How good are you about wearing sunscreen during the winter months?
8. A red lipstick you like?
9. What’s easier for you to use — gel liner or liquid liner?

P.P.S. Hi there, friend. Just wanted to say that I think you’re wonderful. We’re all doing the best we can, and your efforts aren’t going unnoticed. I see them. Hang in there.

Sending you hugs and couch cuddles from the Girls Club at MBB. ?

WOO-HOO! It’s the weekend, my friend. Greetings from a keyboard in Novato, California. It dips below 60 degrees here in Marin County now, which basically means that everyone is wearing 20 million layers of down, HA HA HA! Welcome to California.

I hope you’re feeling well. I busted out my favorite cozy down vest yesterday, and look what I found in the pocket…

Apparently, I put one of Connor’s newborn socks in the pocket for some reason years ago, and it’s been there ever since. Now I can’t bear to take it out, so I’ve actually washed it with the vest several times. ?

Anywho, you know what I realized recently? We’ve been asking a lot of our ears in 2020. Between the masks and the glasses and the earrings, I feel like there’s just one too many things going on, and that’s in addition to, you know, using my ears for their intended purpose (i.e. listening).

Ears are the unsung heroes of 2020! ?

On that note, here’s today’s reading…

• Just in case you were on the market for a lipstick gun that was previously used by a spy… ?️‍♀️
• WHAT THE WHAT!? I’m shocked that Kate Somerville Anti-Bac Clearing Lotion didn’t make it onto this list of best skin care items on sale at Sephora right now.
• Is virtual makeup the future? L’Oréal thinks so. They just released “Signature Faces,” a type of augmented reality in which your smartphone does a lot of the work of painting your face.
• Speaking of your smartphones…a feline fan has worked fur-iously to build “MeowTalk,” an app that translates cat sounds into human language. Side note: do we really want to know what our cats are saying to us though? I’m pretty sure they’re talking trash all the time. ?
• Dark lipsticks that look good on everyone…
• The pink lipsticks that everyone should own (according to J.Lo and friends)…
• Six winter makeup trends to try right meow, according to celebrity makeup artists…
• What makeup does one purchase on a $30 college budget?

Yes, I’m obsessed.

Peep Pat’s red lipstick!

The easy-listening ’80s cover you didn’t realize you needed until just right now

I’m special…SPECIAL!

Low-key obsessed with Michele

Has it gotten cold yet where you live?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Congratulations, President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris. Best of luck.