Just For Fun

So…what is the Monday Poll?

Well, it isn’t exactly a poll. It’s more of a constantly evolving (devolving?), somewhat random list of questions I’ve been putting out to readers every Monday morning for the past 11 (!) years. (It’s like a kickstart for your brain.) I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.

1. Would you rather wear a ballgown or a tuxedo?

Depending on what I’d be doing, I could see myself wearing either, but I’d rather wear a ballgown. Ballgowns are pretty and fancy and they feel extra special, because how often do you get to wear a ballgown?

Plus, I love my black stretchy pants because they’re comfortable. But pants in general — like, regular structured pants — are hard to find that fit my body shape. I have long legs and a short torso, and pants are generally very uncomfortable for me…if they aren’t black and stretchy. 🙂

2. What’s the best way you know to start and keep a good habit?

I’m old school and analog, so I like using a printed calendar and those shiny star stickers that teachers give kids on their reports.

I like to track whatever habit I’m trying to build by taking a star, and putting one on each day that I do whatever I’m supposed to for the goal I’m trying to achieve. Like, if I want to exercise at least five times a week for a month, I’ll put one of the stars on the calendar whenever I do a workout.

There’s something satisfying about seeing those stars lined up on the calendar, and a key part of this is having a reward at the end; otherwise, what’s the point? Yeah, it’s fun to see the stars build up, but I also need to be working toward something, like a pair of new shoes, a facial, a small splurge at Sephora.

3. How well do you twerk?

Can I just answer this question with a bunch of old lady gray hair emojis? ?????? Because I’m not exactly sure what twerking is… It’s freaking, right? Well, that’s what we used to call it back in my day.

So, I don’t know how to answer this question…but I’ve got decent hip action, so I’m gonna say, “pretty well,” although I’m not sure I’ve ever done it before.

4. What was the last live play/concert/show you went to?

It’s been a while. The last live event I went to was a show in the city with my friends Jen and Cindy last year. We watched Roman Holiday, the musical interpretation of the Audrey Hepburn movie.

To be honest, I fell asleep, but that’s not uncommon for me in dark rooms these days. Even in the middle of the day.

5. A makeup item you loved that was sadly discontinued?

MAC Matchmaster Concealer. It was (I still have a stick left, and I’m cherishing that stick) the best under-eye concealer if you have dry skin under your eyes. It sits incredibly well, doesn’t look heavy and has a slight sheen, so the coverage doesn’t look matte or, let’s be honest, crusty.

I’m really crabby about it going off into the black hole of discontinued MAC products…

And while we’re at it, Coffee Eye Pencil… It was THE BEST basic brown liner.

Happy Monday

This is random, but you know what place is poppin’ on a Sunday Morning?

(I realize that this is Monday, but I just figured this out yesterday.)

Trader Joe’s is really poppin’ at 9 a.m. on Sunday. There’s nobody there. No lines, and no crazy people trying to mow you down with their cart, although there was one lady who freakin’ tried to mow me down when I was in front of the olives, and I was about to tell her to slow her roll, but then I was just like, you know what? Take a breath. It’s gonna be OK.

So, next Sunday you know where to find me.

And you know where I am now. 🙂 I’m chilling in front of my computer, counting down the seconds before the baby wakes up.

I hope you have a good day today and a great week. I hope we all have a good day.

BTW, did your team win yesterday? Tabs was happy to see the Eagles pull it off. As for me, I’m more about the snacks than the actual game. We had hot dogs, TJ’s onion dip and potato chips, and I also got some frozen garlic fries from TJ’s that were alright.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Hiya, friend! Have you had breakfast yet? Some Saturdays I’m all about making a big breakfast with eggs, pancakes, bacon — the whole kit and caboodle — but sometimes I’m like “Naaah…” LOL!

Sometimes I need the rest more than the breakfast, ya know? So I’m just gonna chill on the couch with my cup of coffee, this episode of The Great British Baking Show Masterclass (Paul Hollywood is making baguettes!) and this delicious RX Chocolate Sea Salt Protein Bar.

Perhaps a grapefruit will be peeled and eaten… Perhaps not. We’ll see.

My friend Alis introduced me to these bars, and they’re SO good. She’s a busy hairstylist and works long days, so she’s always looking for quick healthy snacks that she can eat at the salon.

I think she gave me one of these bars while my roots were processing, haha!

Anyway, this one tastes like a brownie (and who doesn’t want brownies for breakfast?!), and they’re made with an amazingly simple list of ingredients. This one has dates, egg whites, almonds, cashews, chocolate, cocoa, “natural flavors” (eh, ya know, they want to keep their secret recipe) and sea salt.

The Chocolate Sea Salt one is my favorite flavor (Connor likes them too).

What have you been having for breakfast lately? Do you have a routine? Cereal? Oatmeal? A cheesy omelet?

In other news…

• This guy actually does pretty well! You go, Bob Herzog! (Facebook)
• Scientists ?? are having fun with Amazon reviews. They’re leaving reviews on everyday household products and beauty products like nail polish and dental floss, and describing how they use the products in actual scientific experiments.

  Like, clear nail polish is used to apply pieces of brain to glass slides (no way!) and also comes in handy during species collection. (Apparently, so does dental floss, in case you were wondering.)

• Makeup artist Linda Cantello, a.k.a. THE INVENTOR OF THE SMOKY EYE, breaks down the history of the look and how it evolved in the ’90s with Tom Ford during his Gucci days.

  According to Linda, if it takes you longer than two minutes to do, you’re doing it wrong. She recommends sketching the shape with a black pencil, and then building it out with a liquid eyeshadow.

• Cat ladies, this is totally a thing —> wedding pics ??? with your cat.
  

  You wear your wedding dress, your cat hangs out with you (hopefully he or she is NOT too interested in clawing at your gown!), and a photographer captures the moment for prosperity.

  Sadly, I met Tabs after I got married, but if he had been around, I would’ve done this in a heartbeat! Heck, El Hub probably would’ve made him his best man.

• I mean, there’s NO WAY my entire makeup collection could fit into this $14 acrylic organizer from Amazon, but I’m still intrigued by it. It gets four-and-a-half stars with almost 2,000 reviews, so it’s gotta be somewhat good, yeah?
• How did NASA’s first lady astronauts in the late-1970s handle things like menstruation and collecting urine samples in zero gravity when it had never been done before? Regarding bathroom hygiene during spaceflight, Smithsonian Space Shuttle Curator Valerie Neal says that, “They tried creating some sort of form-fitted plastic devices that you could tuck in close that would serve as a funnel, attached to a hose and plastic bag, but that was too messy.” Two women in the program were mothers, and they brought up the idea of adult-sized disposable diapers, which weren’t readily available at the time.

  That’s NASA — and mom! — ingenuity for ya.

Oh, and if you need me today, I’ll be here trying to remove the remnants of this Chocolate Sea Salt bar from my molars. They’re tasty but CRAZY sticky!

Have a wonderful weekend.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

As of last Saturday, Jan. 27, 2018, I am officially an apprentice self-taught bread baker, and I made bread all weekend long. In two days, El Hub, Connor and I have already eaten two huge loaves. TWO!

If you want a ? loaf — or loaves — and you happen to be within cat walking distance, let me know. I can hook you up. First come, first serve!

Granted, I can’t guarantee that the loaves will be aesthetically pleasing. After all, this isn’t The Great British Baking Show (Paul Hollywood would talk mad crap about my loaves), but they should be edible…ish.

Haha!

I’m totally for #allthecarbs, but there’s going to have to be some kind of rationing or self-control involved, because I can’t keep eating this much bread… I just can’t.

I actually made three loaves on Saturday — one rustic no-knead loaf that I proofed overnight, and two French bread loaves that proofed for a couple hours. I gave one of the French breads to Cindy as a belated birthday present when I saw her on Sunday before we went to the museum.

Well, it was supposed to be French bread, but it looked like a focaccia gone wrong… It might have been the weirdest, or the most awesome, birthday present I’ve ever given anyone. 🙂

The first loaf was a rustic, no-knead round bread that was easier than I expected it to be thanks to Laura in the Kitchen.

It was deeeelicious! Almost like sourdough! Even though it turned out flatter than I hoped, it had nice big holes you could swim through, and apparently that’s something you want when you bake certain types of bread, which is something I learned from The Great British Baking Show.

You also want height, which, unfortunately, my rustic loaf lacked, because the dough deflated at some point overnight while it proofed in my microwave.

I still don’t know what went wrong (Was it the plastic bowl? Did the microwave get too cold?), but I’m determined to figure it out.

The second and third loaves were French breads, and they were more challenging. The recipe I used was supposed to be a good one for bread beginners, but I guess I did something wrong. I dunno… Bread is kind of mysterious. Unlike cooking, where you can usually figure out a way to salvage something if something goes wrong, I think baking bread is less forgiving. There isn’t as much leeway for incompetence, LOL.

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