Just For Fun

I have an auntie (I think she’s my auntie… To be honest, I’m not really sure. She’s a lady of a certain age who I’ve always called “Auntie,” but I don’t know if I’m actually related to her, HA HA HA!) who has her eyeliner and brows periodically tattooed every few years, and every single time I see her, I think, “Now THAT is commitment to your eyeliner.”

I don’t think I could ever commit to that degree to a particular liner color or style, although I do go through phases where I’ll wear my liner a certain way for weeks or months… Like, last spring and summer, I was heavily into a very thin, very dainty barely-there black liquid liner kitten flick. And before that, I was into brown pencil to tightline, and then brown along the lower water line (which was then smudged ever-so-slightly on the outer corner).

So, I go through phases.

My current eyeliner phase has me loving slightly thicker, I guess, cat eye flicks? A little bit more substantial than a dainty feline flick, but still not a full-on bat wing.

(Side note: I’ve been very inspired by Charlotte Tilbury’s style lately, which I think has something to do with it.)

How about you? How do you like to wear your liner these days?

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. What are the first few things you do when you get home after a long day?

First, I say hi to Rosie, because she meets me at the door. Next, I take off what I call my “outer shell” (shoes, jacket, purse and whatever accoutrements I’ve got on my person) and head to the kitchen, where I set everything down (Connor’s lunchbox, my water bottle, half-eaten Luna bars, etc.) and wash my hands because the world is GROSS. LOL.

At this point, if Rosie the cat is still milling about and hasn’t resumed completing the tasks on her very busy, very packed kitty schedule, I’ll give her some treats and love.

2. In your estimation, what’s the most impressive dish you make?

I gotta say…I’ve been told that my lasagna’s pretty epic.

3. What color are your socks on this fine day?

Today, my footsies are all about dark gray and neon green, because I’m wearing a pair of random, obnoxious below-the-ankle workout socks I grabbed in the dark this morning.

They came in a pack of six, and they’re dominating my sock drawer right now. They also don’t match the black pants and pink sweatshirt I’m wearing today. At all. LOL.

4. What are five beauty products you normally scrimp on?

Hmm… Well, the answer to this question changes a lot, but lately it’s been 1) body wash, 2) hairspray, 3) razors, 4) body lotion and 5) nail polish remover.

5. And what are five beauty products you normally splurge on?

1) Foundation, 2) face powder, 3) perfume, 4) mascara and 5) pimple cream!

What the world needs now…

Is more chalk art! 🙂

Seriously.

If you haven’t created a work of personally meaningful chalk art on a street or sidewalk yet this decade, it’s not too late to do one now! I highly recommend it. It’s surprisingly relaxing and significantly cheaper than a massage at a fancy spa.

Connor and I did these yesterday afternoon (Rosie supervised)…

Also, this is pretty much how winter has looked in our neck of the woods, except for the full-on rainy days. For the most part, it’s been sunny, crisp and cool, with daytime highs in the low-50s, and lots of leaves on the ground.

Sending you a little sunshine on this beautiful Monday, my friend! 🙂

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 are the first three things you do when you get home after a long day?
2. Most impressive dish you make?
3. What color are your socks today?
4. What beauty products do you normally scrimp on?
5. What beauty products do you normally splurge on?

Sometimes I feel like a lone wolf weirdo prancing my way through life…

But I know, deep down inside, that I cannot be the only person who gets cheap thrills out of things like the $3 Trader Joe’s Mystery Bags.

(Good mornin’, by the way.)

How cool are these?! They’re supposedly available at all Trader Joe’s stores in the US. For $2.99, you get a collection of three randomized reusable TJ’s shopping bags that are only available during the holidays. The designs are regionally specific, so you just never know if you’re going to get the bags from New York or Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Las Vegas — YOU JUST DON’T KNOW.

I hope I get ones from far flung locales…like Key West!

I wonder — are there TJ’s stores in Key West? Inquiring minds want to know. I’m going to try to hold off until Christmas to open mine, but history has shown that I don’t have that type of restraint, ha ha ha.

On that note, I’m off to wrap some presents. Here’s your reading for the week.

• A few clean beauty ideas for sparkling holiday makeup (I kinda sorta want the palette!).
• Blushed lids, pops of glitter, bold liner — these makeup trends are supposed to be big in 2020.
• Holy moly! I think I just found my entire Christmas wish list in this roundup of 60 life-changing gifts on Amazon! (Um, I may or may not have just bought the HELESIN Gap Covers.)
• Makeup artists offer their inside tips for acing glowing and neutral soft glam makeup.
• Wash your makeup sponges frequently, y’all.
• Thicker hair doesn’t necessarily mean it’s stronger, says science.
• On that note, here are 14 products a veteran beauty writer swears by for thinning hair.
• Apparently, cats don’t like it when humans use filters to look like felines.

I just discovered Kati’s videos and have learned so much.

Stuck on replay

This made me laugh so hard.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

I say this every December, but where did the year go?? Has it really been a year? I worked as a legal assistant at a law firm in my 20s, and one of the lawyers said something I still remember. He said that time moves faster as you get older, and I didn’t understand it at the time, but I totally get it now. Nowadays, it feels like I go from task to task to task until I pass out. Then I wake up and do it all over again. Then I look up and it’s December, and another year has passed!

Anyway, my life (and my makeup) changed in quite a few ways this year…

The biggest change happened in the spring, when my sweet boy Tabs crossed over to the rainbow bridge.

I’ve finally gotten to where I can think about him without feeling a sharp pain in my heart… There’s still sadness, but it’s somewhat easier to bear. I really, really miss that thug, and I still have days when I really wish I could hold him and smell the fur on his “delicious belly meat” just one more time, but it’s getting better.

We took out our Christmas decorations last weekend, and I found his Christmas stocking and got a little teary… I’m going to hang it up and put in a can gravy for Christmas so his spirit will know that his people still love him and think about him during the holidays. 🙂

(That may be the craziest cat lady thing I’ve ever written.)

I hope he’s OK with Pretty Girl Rosie — who moved in with us in October — sharing our space. She’s a sweet, dainty torbie girl who unexpectedly pranced into our lives last October. It’s a different type of love than I had for Tabs, for sure, yet it makes my heart feel a little fuller knowing that our home is a safe place for another abandoned kitty that would’ve otherwise stayed a stray.

Another big change that also happened recently — I started working part time as a baker at a bakery. It’s a weird pivot for someone who’s been writing about makeup steadily every day for the last 13 years (!), I know, but when the opportunity opened up, I got the same tingly feeling that I had when I started MBB. It’s a move, my gut tells me, that will lead to many good things (both figuratively and literally).

This fall Connor also started going to preschool five days a week, from Monday through Friday (she’s going to be four in March; can you believe it?). I miss her like crazy — some days it’s so intense that I physically ache, which probably sounds nutty, but it’s true — but she’s flourishing in school, and it felt like the right time for the both of us to start learning, little by little, how to spread our wings on our own.

So this has been the most time I’ve had to myself in five years, and it’s been a (welcome) shock to the system.

OK, makeup wise, I still love me some neutrals. That hasn’t changed, ha ha! And it probably won’t, either. What has changed, though, is that I’ve pretty much stopped wearing false lashes (thanks, Lash Boost!). I also rarely do looks that involve complicated blending these days. I mean, I’ll still go full glam on occasion, like once every other full moon, but most days I’m doing a more pared-down style, which takes me 10 minutes. 15 max. And I’m fine with that.

That’s where I am in this season of life, but who knows? Maybe someday I’ll get back to doing daily super intense looks with shading and lashes and all the steps. I do still love the artistry of it all. 🙂

How about you? How has your life and your makeup changed in 2019?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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. What’s your morning grooming routine as of late?

First things first: totally late Monday Poll today, I know! It’s been one of those days!

So, I splash hella cold water on my face, and yes, it’s a little uncomfortable, to say the least, but it immediately wakes me up (and I need all the help I can get).

Then comes the usual slew of face potions, followed by body lotion on my limbs.

Next, after I finish about an hour of morning maintenance tasks, blogging, writing, etc., I’ll do my makeup, and then my hair last.

Oh — and kinda-sorta off topic, but I’ve been doing 5-minute makeup a lot lately, and Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter has been my workhorse! I’m thinking of getting another bottle at the Sephora holiday sale happening now (along with a few other CT things… She’s been my EVERYTHING lately).

2. Candy canes or hot chocolate?

Hot chocolate with milk. Ideally, not *too* sweet, either.

3. What shoes are you usually wearing on a typical weekday?

Some version of the Nike Winflo Zoom… Peep these hot pink ones I want to treat myself to!

4. What kind of bed do you prefer?

I like my beds firm with a slightly squishy mattress, a few down pillows that conform to the shape of my head (but not so many pillows that they cover the entire bed), and sheets and blankets that feel cool and soft on my skin.

I also like to make the bed first thing in the morning… It doesn’t have to have hospital corners or anything, but I if I don’t do the bed right away in the morning, I feel disheveled whenever I walk into the room.

5. Favorite reindeer?

Rudolph, obvs, because I love stories about outsiders who triumph against all odds in the end!

Feeling all the big feelings

The big news around our house this weekend (’cause I live with a toddler!) was that we went to see Frozen 2 for the second time in two weeks…and ya know what? I liked it even more than I did the first time around.

I won’t spoil it for you, but let’s just say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s one of those animated movies you can totally watch and appreciate as an adult. It has those layers.

Themes include self-discovery, learning from mistakes, making difficult choices that involve sacrifice, dealing with grief and heartache, and DUDE — I left the theater feeling all the big feels.

Watch it if you haven’t already! I’m pretty sure you’ll love it.

Happy Monday. 🙂 Did you day get off to a good start?

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’s your morning grooming routine?
2. Candy canes or hot chocolate?
3. What shoe are you usually wearing?
4. What kind of bed do you prefer?
5. Favorite reindeer?

What skin tone do you suppose this bronzed Hello Kitty charm is according to MAC? I want to say she looks like an NC42, but I’m kind of biased that way. ?

Happy Caturday, señorita!

Wow, it just occurred to me that the Christmas countdown is officially ON. It’s getting close! El Hub and I mentioned getting our tree this weekend, so I think we’re going to do that.

This will be Rosie’s first Christmas with us, and I’m not sure how she’ll react to having a conifer smack dab in the middle of the living room. Will she attack it from afar and climb the trunk? Will she stealthily tip it over while my back is turned? I guess we’ll find out!

You know how it is with cats… It’s always an adventure. ?

On that note…

• May the fierce be with you, because Pat McGrath’s releasing a new Star Wars-themed LE makeup collection. ?
• These squishy kitty paw makeup brushes are purr-fect for cat ladies who love ‘ze face paint.
• Did you know that there are two classifications of wrinkles — static and dynamic?
• In case you’re also kind of obsessed with Keanu Reeves (’cause I am), here’s why his beautiful silver-haired girlfriend, artist Alexandra Grant, doesn’t dye her hair.
• Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2020 is…Classic Blue!
• Essie just launched a line of (cleverly-named) quick-dry polishes called Expressie.
• Speaking of new nail releases…Sally Hansen has a new vegan nail polish line. ?
• Only a lucky chosen few “cat whisperers” can decipher the code of feline facial expressions. ?
• When I win the lottery and build my not-for-profit kitty sanctuary for strays, you better believe the first thing I’m putting in the design plans are these kitty ladders.
• How Nordstrom uses robots and shelves inspired by ants to deliver lipstick faster…

*tears*

YUM!

This liner is purr-fection.

How are you doing this weekend? What are you up to?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen