Just For Fun

I haven’t…at least if we’re talking about makeup (hair is a different story, but we’ll get to that in a second). The reason this is on my mind today is because I recently read an article in which the author’s ex-boyfriend’s affinity for natural-looking/nude makeup, and his dislike for certain nail polish colors, determined what she wore for years, and it was only after she broke up with him that she realized she could wear whatever she wanted.

I grind my teeth a little (OK, a lot) when I think about how I would have responded had I been in a similar situation as a young woman, because to a degree I’m a people pleaser, and I can see myself making those accommodations for someone I loved.

As for my hair…I dated a dude my senior year in college who was kind of an @sshole, but he was the type of guy parents loved because he totally sucked up to them and was really good on paper — smart, good grades, ambitious, on the track team, sights set on a political career — but deep down inside, he was not the nicest person.

Anyway, he had this weird controlling streak that was sneaky and subtle, and it would come out whenever he’d try to manipulate me into looking a certain way. Like, when I met him, my hair was super long (longer than it is now), and he kept making comments about how he liked short hair on girls. Then, he’d go into this story about how every time he’s ever mentioned it to other girls he dated, they’d always eventually cut their hair…for him.

BARF! Thank goodness I never cut my hair for that goof.

Another thing he did was subtly comment on how he disapproved of my clothes, and how my ripped jeans looked “sloppy” and my t-shirts were too casual and blah, blah, blah. (Weird, though, that he never picked on how I wore my makeup, right?.)

The relationship didn’t last long, and yay for me! — I never saw or heard from him again after graduation. I imagine he’s somewhere in the world with a woman who had long hair at one time but now wears it short and secretly regrets cutting it…

Have you ever dated someone who expected you to wear your makeup a certain way? Or your hair? Or your clothes?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Do yours start to water at the very thought of lining your waterline, or can your eyes handle everything — glitters, loose pigments and All. The. Colors?

Inquiring minds want to know.

I used to fall into the latter category, but not so much anymore. Up until about a year ago (don’t ask me why this has changed because I don’t know), I could wear almost anything on my eyes, and I’d be fine. Occasionally, a purple shadow or liner would make my left eye tear a little, but that was the extent of the drama.

Now, though? Totally different story. Around the the last time my skin changed (as it tends to do every few years for me, it seems), the skin around my eyes and my lids also got much drier. My lids, lash lines and inner corners are picker than they used to be, especially my water lines. I can only tolerate certain liners now, and I’m hesitant to stray beyond my eye comfort zone, lest I end up in Weepy City.

Purple and orange shadows are usually the worst offenders for me, as are glitters and shimmers (and, strangely, my left eye). At least for the time being, I can still wear most mascara and liquid liners, but we’ll see how long that lasts!

What’s the situation with your peepers? Are they super sensitive or totally chill? Are some colors, products or brands more irritating for you than others?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

So…what is the Monday Poll?

Good question! It isn’t, contrary to its name, an actual poll. 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 gazillion years (more than 10!). I love reading your answers, and it helps me get my week off to a great start. ?

1. How are you in terms of driving on curvy mountain roads?

I do OK, but if and only if the following three things are in play: 1) I’m alone, 2) it’s daytime and 3) I know where I’m going. If it’s dark, I’m lost and the peanut gallery is in the backseat, then we’re screwed, LOL!

2. You must choose: Get your hair done at an amazing salon for free for an entire year, or get two front row seats (for you and a friend) to the biggest shows at Paris Fashion Week, along with 5-star accommodations?

YARGH, my practical side says to go with the hair for a year, and that’s what I’d probably end up doing, but I know myself pretty well, and I have a feeling I’d struggle with the decision for weeks and leave it up to the last second to make a final call. There would be a 5% chance up until the very last second of going to Paris!

3. First TV show jingle that pops into your head?

“The Doc is in, and she’ll fix you up. If you’re a toy, then you’re in luck! It’s OK, don’t be afraid, the Doc really knows her stuff.” Side note: props if you know this tune!

4. Last time you got a gel manicure (if ever)?

Two weeks ago and that sucker is still hanging on! I’m getting tired of the color though (a creamy teal by OPI, unfortunately I don’t remember the name), so even though I could get another week’s worth out of it, I’m gonna take it off in the next day or so.

5. Something you think you could be really good at with a little training?

Any of the balancing obstacles on American Ninja Warrior. I couldn’t do any of the other obstacles on that show — nothing that involves climbing, hanging or jumping, so basically almost EVERYTHING — but the ones that call for straight up balance, I know I could totally do.

Happy flowers

I saw these beauties at TJ’s yesterday. Aren’t they pretty? There’s something about yellow flowers that always make me smile, and I hope they bring a smile to your face today, too.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Question time! Here are they are to copy/paste with your answers in a comment. Talk to you soon.

1. How are you in terms of driving on curvy mountain roads?
2. You must choose: Get your hair done at an amazing salon for free for an entire year, or get two front row seats (for you and a friend) to the biggest shows at Paris Fashion Week, along with 5-star accommodations?
3. First TV show jingle that pops into your head?
4. Last time you got a gel manicure (if ever)?
5. Something you think you could be really good at with a little training?

Good morning, guys. Before we get to Saturday Surfing, I just wanted to say that if you or anyone you know is affected by the Carr Fire in Shasta County, we’re thinking of you here at Casa MBB. As you know, my in-laws lived in Redding for years (they moved back to Hawaii two months ago), and we still have family there. Stay safe.

Right now I have ramen noodles instead of arms.

Please note that this ? (in the pic at the top) is the lamest raising of roofs ever, but this is how far up my arms go now because my upper body is toast. In HIIT class the other night, I tried — tried being the key word here — doing some pull-ups, and now I’m so sore that in order to dress myself this morning, I had to bend over and do a weird shimmy-dive into my shirt because I literally cannot raise my arms.

So, if you were hoping to have someone join you today in throwing your hands up in the air and waving them ’round like you just don’t care, because, ya know, SATURDAY! — normally I’d be totally down, but I’m going to leave you in the lurch for now. Sorry, homie.

• I love that so many straight men, like writer Ben Yu, are embracing makeup. I applaud his systematic process to using bathroom selfies to figure out what products work best for him (um…GENIUS), and how he says that makeup isn’t for anyone else but himself (“I’m wearing it for me”). YOU GO, BOY.
• How breaking up with a boyfriend finally set one woman free to try the makeup looks she really wanted to wear: “He insisted I only wear natural makeup, lipstick was out of the question, and probably the most bizarre rule was I could wear no red nail polish. Looking back, I should have seen this as a red flag, literally, but I was in denial and inexperienced and spent three years of my life only painting my nails ballet slipper pink.”
• Please note: If skinny ’90s-style brows truly are back in style again, I will be hiding in a remote cave in a secret location and will remain there until Liam Neeson’s character in Taken finds me, OR, big bushy brows come back.

• I watched this wacky but deliciously provocative movie last month called Sorry to Bother You, and while I’m not even gonna get into the plot because it’s full-on crazy (so many layers!), one of the best things about the movie is one of the character’s makeup (Detroit, played by actress Tessa Thompson). Her looks are really super cool and totally doable if you’re feeling feisty and creative. They were done by lead makeup artist Kirsten Coleman, who after reading the script said, “…it became clear to me that Detroit was an artist and was passionate about being the opposite of standard or what is expected.” Kirsten said that they chose Afropunk influences inspired by the creative community of people who use “…their bodies as canvases to express themselves through fashion and makeup.”

One of the many looks from @sorry2botheryou on the ever bold @tessamaethompson. This was a simple but fun look: @makeupforeverofficial Ultra HD Foundation, @tomford Exclusive Lash & Brow Tint in Blue on brows and lashes, @glossier Generation G Lipstick in Leo, @urbandecaycosmetics Naked Blush Palette in Strip, & @kevynaucoin The Sensual Skin Enhancer as a concealer. Earrings and outfit by @thereeldesign! #sorry2botheryou #sorrytobotheryou #sorrytobotheryoumovie #tessathompson #detroit #makeupartist #mua #brows #film #indie

A post shared by Kirsten Sage Coleman (@kirinrider) on Jul 12, 2018 at 9:35am PDT

• Well color me intrigued! Gucci Westman (makeup artist to the stars and all-around fashion darling known for impeccable taste) has a new makeup line coming out, and everything in it (except for the bronzer) can be applied with your fingers.
• From my favorite read of the week: “For me, the problem was that I started believing the only time I look beautiful is when I have a full face of make up on. That is the inner struggle I have had to come to terms with this past year. Changing my own way of thinking about makeup has helped me embrace the fact that my natural skin, age spots and all, is just as beautiful. I want to teach my daughter that women don’t have to change their appearance, or hide their imperfections, in order to be presentable to the world. It is a subtle change I am making in order to re-write the intentions of how makeup is used in my household.”
• Facial Popsicles are a thing, and no, you don’t eat them. But yes, you can make them at home.
• J.Lo, my eternal business (remember when she was just a backup dancer on In Living Color?) and booty inspiration, just turned 49, and despite her accomplishments over the last year — a new movie coming out this fall, a Las Vegas residency, a new makeup collection — many of the articles mentioning her birthday chose to focus instead on how she looks…for her age. GRRR!
• —-> This story on the evolution of Armenia’s beauty industry, as told by women who witnessed it.

Made this for dinner last Wednesday, and it was delicious AND easy.

I’ve recently realized that I’d rather do strength training than cardio any day of the week.

A beautiful remake of one of my favorite songs

Nobody messes with Saint Stevie!

Of course now I’ve been binge-watching pull-up videos.

Lots of helpful info, but what’s with all the booty slapping? It’s kinda weird, right?

Technically chin-ups, but you know how I feel about Sarah Connor. THOSE ARMS, DAYUM! ❤️

Can you do a pull-up? If you can, you’re super bad-@ss.

On that note, I’m off to go stretch for 10 years.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

All this talk about under-eye concealer, and about forgoing it lately, has me thinking about the kinds of makeup that people *don’t* wear. Incidentally, I’m actually surprised to hear that so many of you gals (and guys) forgo under-eye concealer! I’m really shocked. I thought I’d be in the minority, but I don’t think I am.

Anyway, I’m scrolling through my makeup mental list, and here’s what I’ve got…

• Powder lipstick. I realize that this is rare, but NARS released a palette of them in the Erdem collection, and even though it was kitschy cool, the lazy lady in me was NOT having it.
• Gel liner… I KNOW. This too has been a relatively recent development, and my MAC Blacktrack is very sad about it. 🙁 These days, I do either pencil liner or liquid liner because it’s faster for me, and I don’t have to use an extra brush. I can see myself going back to Blacktrack eventually, though…
• Liquid blush — specifically Benefit Benetint (or really any of the liquid tints from Benefit). Loved them in my 20s, but I rarely wear them now.
• False lashes. The time they take, and I don’t do enough often enough to justify the extra glam.
• Loose pigments. Just sooo messy.
• Any and all forms of contouring products. Nope, not for me.

That’s all I can think of at the moment…

How about you? What are some categories and kinds of makeup you never, ever wear?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Rise and shine, pal o’ mine! Happy Tuesday. Some of mine, in no particular order…

• Hot, crispy French fries with lots of salt
• When roots sprout from a plant cutting. I have a small jar of water on my kitchen windowsill right now with a cutting in it from one of my plants from The Lady Sanctuary, and every time I see the little roots growing from it when I wash the dishes, I smile. 🙂 Because it’s a reminder that life finds a way to keep going.
• Ladybugs
• My tabby’s fluffy ear tufts
• Stumbling upon a friendly horse while I’m hiking
• When El Hub tucks me under the covers before saying goodbye when he leaves for work at the crack of dawn in the morning
• Hearing Connor say a new word for the first time. The latest additions to her vocabularly include “happy,” “cookie,” “apple” and “ham!”

How about you? What are some little things that bring you joy?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

So…what is the Monday Poll?

Good question! It isn’t, contrary to its name, an actual poll. 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 gazillion years (more than 10!). I love reading your answers, and it helps me get my week off to a great start. ?

1. Once a week for a year, would you rather get a free manicure and pedicure by a trained professional who comes to your house, or a free 60-minute massage at your favorite spa?

Seriously, this one’s SO brutal because I just got my nails done for the first time in two years, so the wonderfulness of having professionally painted paws is still fresh in my mind, but despite the joy I would get from looking down at perpetually perfectly painted nails…I’d still go with the massage, because I love that loose-y goose-y feeling after an intense deep-tissue session.

And it would HAVE to be deep tissue. I got a Swedish massage a few years ago, and it just felt like someone was rubbing lotion on me for an hour.

2. Your favorite cheese?

A sharp white cheddar with BITE, and I’d like a piece right now with a handful of cotton candy grapes. Thx!

3. If you had to be haunted by a ghost, by whom would you choose to be haunted?

Well, duh! Tabs, obviously. 🙂

4. Last time you wore false lashes?

Honestly, I can’t remember. It was definitely more than six months ago… It may have been more than a year?

5. What time did you get up this morning?

5:45, and it was relatively easygoing this morning. I had minimal sleep inertia, which is surprising considering that I stayed up later than I wanted to last night. I started The Glass Forest and couldn’t put it down.

I’m still a little groggy, but what else is new? LOL!

Come on ride the train…and ride it (WOO WOO!)

Can you remember the last time you rode a train? Last year a new passenger rail line called SMART that goes from Sonoma to Southern Marin started up in my neck of the woods, and I rode it for the first time yesterday!

El Hub, Connor and I were in the mood for adventure, so we took it up to Santa Rosa in Sonoma, where we grabbed lunch and did some sightseeing for a couple hours.

Dude, that train is all kinds of fancy! There are power outlets by every seat, hooks for bikes, overhead bins for your stuff, bathrooms *and* a snack bar! The scenery on the way to Santa Rosa was gorgeous, too. Rolling hills and farmland, vineyards, cows, horses.

It reminded me of the trains El Hub and I rode when we went to Europe before we were married a billion years ago.

Of course, yes, I sang “Come on ride the train…and ride it. Woo! Woo!” the entire time.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Question time! Here are they are to copy/paste with your answers in a comment. Talk to you soon.

1. Once a week for a year, would you rather get a free manicure and pedicure by a trained professional who comes to your house, or a free 60-minute massage at your favorite spa?
2. Your favorite cheese?
3. If you had to be haunted by a ghost, by whom would you choose to be haunted?
4. Last time you wore false lashes?
5. What time did you get up this morning?