Just For Fun

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 483

January 7th, 2018 by Karen 7 Comments

Tabs the Cat: Inspiring cats, kittens and pet assistants everywhere

One of Tabs’s ongoing endeavors — one that he feels very passionate about — is his work mentoring talented kittens. He strongly believes that the kittens are our future. Teach them well, and let them lead the way. So he strives to inspire them and help them be the best they can be.

Ultimately, his goal is to lift the kitten community up, but I also find his words inspiring.

Sure, you could live your life as a sad kitten, but you don’t have to. You can achieve all of your goals, whatever they are.

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Saturday Surfing, January 6th, 2018

January 6th, 2018 by Karen 18 Comments

Good morning! Hoppy Caturday! ??

It’s sunny here this morning, thank goodness. It looks like we’re getting a break from the rain. I’m on my second cup of coffee, and the caffeine is coursing through my veins and making me contemplate something I’ve been contemplating all week long, the new season of Black Mirror on Netflix.

Season 4 is out!

Anyway, I love the show. It’s a modern day Twilight Zone where technology always plays a central part in every story.

That’s where the term “black mirror” comes from. According to the show’s creator, Charlie Booker, “…any TV, any LCD, any iPhone, any iPad — something like that — if you just stare at it, it looks like a black mirror, and there’s something cold and horrifying about that, and it was such a fitting title for the show.”

If you’re stuck inside today, marathon Black Mirror.

Most of the episodes take unexpected traumatic turns, and I’m not gonna lie…I’ve been mentally scarred! There are things I wish I could un-see, LOL. A lot has to do with the current state of A.I. and where it might be headed. Seriously, it’s almost enough to make you want to pack your bags and move to a remote farm on Kauai, where they don’t have any internet connection or cell service AT ALL.

I think I could do that, live the rest of my life in lo-fi style and live off the land. I’d have aloe plants all over the place and break off leaves and smear them all over my body.

It’s a good show, even if you aren’t a sci-fi fan. I’m still waiting for them to do a makeup-technology episode.

Oh, wait — did you say makeup, K-dawg? I SURE DID.

If I were in an episode of Black Mirror, I’d want it to be set in a near future where I could roll up to Walgreens on my lunch break, talk to a holographic A.I. makeup artist and 3D print a customized, personalized lipstick…
Actually, we’re almost there now. Pretty soon you’ll be able to apply Russian Red without a mirror.

Yeah, I wouldn’t mind that future. It certainly beats a future with killer robot dogs, or having my consciousness uploaded to the cloud for eternity.
Speaking of technology, Neutrogena is introducing an techie attachment to the iPhone called SkinScanner that lets you scan your face at 30X magnification to detect areas of dehydration, large pores (dude, as if I needed technology to tell me THAT), ~~wrinkles~~ experience lines, etc.
On one hand, I’m totally interested in ways to combine beauty and technology to gain more insight into things and customize solutions, but on the other hand, NO. I don’t need a “smart hairbrush” pointing out all of the alleged wrongs my mane is currently committing. Thoughts?
I’m always looking for interesting, talented makeup artists to follow, and Liz Sharp’s work recently caught my eye. She’s known for makeup, hair, special effects and body art, and in 2017 she won the title of Makeup Artist of the Year at the Australian Beauty Industry Awards.

If you’ve been following the Claire’s makeup recall, the retailer is now claiming that their products don’t contain asbestos.
Storytelling sells scents, which is why perfume descriptions are never really about smell. According to this article on the link between scent and memory, the feelings evoked by fragrances are stronger triggers than the actual fragrance notes themselves. “Humans evolved to use scent as a survival tactic,” the article says. “Although our sense of smell is not as well developed as that of other mammals, like dogs, we have long needed our noses to help us make life-or-death decisions… However, we also have unconscious reactions to scents that have nothing to do with survival, but with recollection, because of the physical link between scent and memory in our brains.”
Remember when the Winter Olympics turned ice skating into a Lifetime movie when Tonya Harding tried to destroy her rival, Nancy Kerrigan? The makeup artists who worked on I, Tonya,, a new movie that chronicles the sordid event, recreated the early ’90s looks by deconstructing every last detail in photographs to accurately capture the big-banged, red-lipped, French-tipped beauty style of the time.

For some reason, that reminds me… I haven’t worn nail polish in ages (just going through a phase), but I’m ready to get back on the train.

I liked this short video on the history of nail polish…

Do you have a base coat you really like? I’m looking for a new one because I had to chuck the old bottle of Sally Hansen Green Tea & Bamboo Strengthener I had for ages. It got goopy and thick.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Happy Saturday. 🙂

5 Things I’ve Been Loving Lately

January 5th, 2018 by Karen 44 Comments

The first one of 2018!

1. “The future has an ancient heart.”

The first time I read this quote by painter, writer and activist Dr. Carlo Levi, it was in a book called Dear Sugar, by Cheryl Strayed. (She’s the woman who wrote Wild.)

Like most quotes, it means different things to different people. I like to think it means that someday in the future, if I’m lucky, my heart will brim with knowledge and love gleaned from a rich life of experiences and time with friends and family.

2. Babies in raincoats

Can I still call her a baby? I know she’s officially a toddler. She turns 2 in March (!). I can’t even believe that.

Please note how she turned her rattle into a charm bracelet.

3. Cocktail-ing skin care products

The new year has me thinking about skin care, like ACID TONERS. I just ordered the famous Biologique Recherche P50 1970 toner last week, so I’ve been doing this intense multi-step process in the morning and at night, and ya know what?

I’m already over it.

Even when I’m multitasking and doing other things, I get antsy and want to get on with my life as I’m waiting for two separate layers of toners dry, followed by three separate serums that take a couple more minutes each…

My routine at the moment is up to 10 steps, and that’s JUST the morning.

It might be overkill, I know, but I don’t want to give up yet. I have started mixing products to save a little time, though. I blend two of the serums together in my palm, then pat the concoction on my face and neck. Same with my moisturizers. I used to apply a layer of face oil, wait, then do a separate face balm, but now I just mix the oil and balm together and plop them on.

In my perfect skin care scenario, I would only do three or four steps max. Dunno if I’ll ever get there, but I keep trying.

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The Monday Poll: What Was Your Biggest Makeup/Beauty Accomplishment of 2017, and What Are Your Biggest Beauty Goals for 2018?

January 1st, 2018 by Karen 78 Comments

Last pair of eyes of 2017! ??? (Dampen your brush for more impact this New Years Eve ?) Shadow courtesy of @bobbibrown ?

A post shared by S I R J O H N (@sirjohnofficial) on Dec 19, 2017 at 9:59am PST

My biggest makeup/beauty accomplishment was finally getting back into makeup after not being very interested in it throughout most of 2016, and also, with that, figuring out that I could do my makeup in a relatively short amount of time (it is possible!).

Because prior to last year, I’d always had it in my head that in order to do beautiful makeup — and I know that beautiful is a subjective term — but in order to do fantastic brows, eyes, base makeup and lips, it had to be this complicated, time-consuming process that required two hours at a minimum, because that’s how long it always took me.

But early last year I read something by Sir John (@sirjohnofficial), who’s one of my makeup heroes. He does these understated, elegantly natural but simultaneously glam looks that blow my mind, and he said that one of the things that helped his career early on was the fact that he was fast and could get makeup on the models very quickly.

Had a killer time working with @olivier_rousteing & @nabilharlow for the #BalmainxLoreal presentation.?? @nabilharlow you're the best!! Major things coming from @lorealmakeup ?and @balmain

A post shared by S I R J O H N (@sirjohnofficial) on Jul 21, 2017 at 8:16am PDT

So, basically, every time I put on makeup last year, I gave myself 15-20 min max to do whatever the look was, whether it was something basic to go to the library for story time, or glam with lashes and everything. I gave myself 20 minutes, and that was my cutoff.

I learned that I still have a lot to learn, but now I can do a lot of makeup in 20 minutes. Much more than I could before.

A few things really helped. The first thing, and I think it’s the biggest thing, is that I learned to look for opportunities to combine products, and to view products perhaps in a way that you don’t usually see them traditionally used in YouTube videos, where it’s all step by step, where you do foundation first, then you do concealer, then powder, and you put everything all over your face.

So now when I want to wear heavier coverage, sometimes I’ll mix my concealer into my foundation to save myself a step, instead of applying them both separately.

Also, I learned that bronzer is surprisingly flexible. I learned that I can just use bronzer on my cheeks to warm up my skin, add some structure, even though I’m not a big contouring person, and then I can skip the blush. Bronzer goes a long way, and I also embraced using bronzer as a crease color, which I know I’ve talked about before, and MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Give Me Sun! is my current fave and has been for a long time. They have a satin finish, so they reflect some light and don’t look flat, which also means that you don’t have to spend forever and a day blending them, and they don’t look super powdery or heavy. Plus, a pan will last you FOREVER. I’ve had my pan of Give Me Sun! for years, and I’ve barely put a dent in it.

Hourglass also makes one called Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzer in Radiant Light that’s a tiny bit shinier than the MAC Mineralize Skinfinishes, so when I want to look extra glow-y and healthy, that’s the bronzer I use.

Also in the time-saving vein, but with a lot of complex looks, gradients are a big deal — the transitions from one color into the next, light to dark, that kind of thing. A lot of the time, you’ll see them done using a multi-step process, with lots of individual eyeshadows seamlessly blended into each other. One thing I learned last year and do all the time now is that you can use the same black pencil that you tightline with, and run it along the top of your lash line… I only do it halfway, from the outer corner to the midpoint. I’ll do a thin line — not too much, because if I do too much, it’s too much to contend with. Then I’ll smudge the edges with a brush. Then, I’ll take a cream shadow or a creamy pencil in a different color — something lighter, like a taupe, gold or bronze — and do a thick line all the way across the top lash line, from the inner corner to the outer corner, so it’s layered on top of that black. Then I’ll blend everything together with my finger, and I’ll have that look of that gradient without a lot of complicated doohickery.

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Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 482

December 31st, 2017 by Karen 14 Comments

This morning was the last patrol of the year for Tabs, and it was relatively uneventful, until a neighbor’s dog started barking, which prompted Tabs to bolt all the way up the hill and around the house to the front door.

Of course, Sir Tabby still got in enough time to inspect the perimeter for intruders, nibble some grass and bamboo, and watch me slip and slide down the hill on my bum.

It was not one of my most graceful moments…

Overall, 2017 was a good year for Tabs, but it was a year of big change.

The baby, who isn’t such a baby anymore, finally learned how to pet without patting, which is a big deal, because now there’s another set of hands in the house capable of giving Tabs the lurvies he so richly deserves.

The neighborhood cat and dog situation, however, took a turn for the worse. There are now at least three big dogs and three nosy cat neighbors living on our little circle, and there were multiple “incidents” involving feline trespassers and cat confrontations this year. Thankfully, none of them resulted in all-out combat, but a couple came close.

When it comes to the cats, Tabs usually stands his ground, but he doesn’t mess around with the dogs.

One of the neighborhood cats must have trespassed on the company property at some point between now and last night, because Tabs’s favorite decorative catnip plant got straight-up mauled. Something ravaged it and shredded it to pieces, so Tabs wants me to review the security tapes tonight. If they reveal the culprit, I’m pretty sure Tabs will want to press charges.

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Saturday Surfing, December 30th, 2017

December 30th, 2017 by Karen 16 Comments

These are my backup glasses. They’re by Bebe and 10 years old.

OK, so, you know how I’ve been talking about wanting to get new eyeglass frames for, roughly, forever?

I keep putting it off because I have the hardest time committing to couches and, apparently, eyeglass frames, but things escalated this week due to events beyond my control (I lost my glasses), so I need to get a new pair TODAY.

I mean, I do have a backup pair in the house, but they’re too strong and give me a headache if I wear them more than 10 minutes, so I’m headed to the optometrist soon.

I checked Costco, but everything had so much bling on it. Somebody suggested that I check Kaiser, where we have our insurance, for less bling-y glasses, so that’s where I’m going.

I browsed around their website and saw some cute Kate Spade frames, which I’m hoping I can try on today.

So, that’s something, right? I’ll finally have new glasses. New glasses, new year! 🙂

About that, can you believe it? It’s already 2018? Wow, I just got used to writing 2017 on my checks…

Are you doing anything tomorrow night? The baby and I are still recovering from our colds, so I’m lobbying Tabs and El Hub for us to get Chinese takeout and watch cheesy movies at home. That sounds perfect to me. I want to be cozy, comfortable and stuffed when it turns 2018.

I’m a little excited about seeing Mariah Carey try again on New Year’s Eve. Remember that whole debacle last year? You know me, I’m Team MC, so I hope she knocks it out of the park.

In other news, I did a lot of reading this week. I finished a novel called The Wicked City by Beatriz Williams (it was OK…a quick read), and I just started a murder mystery called The Perfect Stranger by Megan Miranda.

It’s taking me a while to get into. I’m seven chapters in and… Well, I hope it picks up soon.

Are you reading anything good? Here are some articles that caught my eye this week…

I’ve spent the last 48 hours binge-reading TophCam, a blog that mainly covers skin care, but also occasionally delves into makeup. The author, Chris, is a college student who’s also worked in the beauty industry, and he does long, detailed reviews. I really appreciate his in depth Guide to Vitamin C and love his clean, elegant product photography. I’m visually inspired.
If you’ve bought any makeup from Claire’s for yourself or others, there’s a chance those products could contain asbestos (!)
Yet another reason to avoid cosmetics testers: you could end up with fecal material ? on your face.
This three-year-old toddler blends her shadow 100 times better than I did when I was in high school.
Have you watched Bright on Netflix yet? It’s kind of a weird premise…like Dungeons & Dragons meets Southland. Will Smith plays a cop in present-day, alternate universe L.A. Everything in their world is pretty much the same as ours, except for the magical creatures everywhere. There are fairies, elves, orcs, and I even saw a dragon ? flying in the background in one scene. It’s like LOTR up in the mix. I liked it. Even if you really aren’t into that kind of thing, watch it for the makeup. There are so many intricate, complicated looks that I legit believed orcs and elves were among us… But can somebody tell me why the names of the makeup artists were omitted from the credits??

I haven’t seen the new Blade Runner movie yet, because why you gotta redo something that doesn’t need to be redone?? Anyway, I’m still crabby about it, but after reading this story about the makeup artists who worked on the film, I kinda wanna see it. Kinda.
How Lil’ Kim’s money nails wound up at the Museum of Modern Art
The 11 most popular beauty products at Target in 2017
No more selfies, and possibly no more dark or colorful nail polish for Meghan Markle when she marries into the royal family… Ouch. The nail polish is a bummer, dude!

Almost another year in the books, my friend. Let’s make these last two days of 2017 good ones. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

5 Things I’ve Been Loving Lately

December 29th, 2017 by Karen 26 Comments

The last one for 2017!

1. Winter sunrises

They’ve been epic here in NorCal lately. Red, pink, orange and violet-tinged clouds almost every morning. The other day I ran outside at 6:30 in pajamas, a down coat, wool socks and flip-flops to take this pic because 1) #noshame, and 2) the sky looked like a sci-fi Van Gogh painting.

One of my neighbors drove by on her way to work, and I could see she was laughing at me.

I hope it was laughing in a good way, LOL!

2. This “Fleetwood Cat” tee

ERHMAHGOODNESS. Cat-themed band tees are a thing! Did you know this…? I did not know this.

My world is forever changed.

This one is from Etsy seller JackalopeClothing.

3. The Real Techniques Contour Brush ($8.59 in a four-brush set at Target)

It’s b.o.m.b. for blending under-eye concealer.

I’m usually a “blend with your fingers” gal when it comes to under-eye concealer because of the whole body heat thing making it more pliable, but I recently found this brush at the bottom of a drawer I was cleaning out (long story, but I lost it a while ago), and now I remember why I was all about it for so long.

mac fix plus — Here it is with some bottles of MAC Fix+.

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Jaclyn’s Famous Ginger Snap Cookies and a Quick Hello

December 27th, 2017 by Karen 34 Comments

gingersnap cookie recipe — You’ve gotta try ’em!

Good morning, friend. If you could only hear my voice today…because it sounds even more cartoon-y than usual. I’m sniffling, I’m sneezing, and the space between my eyes feels like 1,000 tiny elves held a rave there last night, LOL!

Yeah, I caught a Christmas cold, but thankfully I feel better today than I did yesterday. I’m smiling my way through it because — hi! How can you not smile when you’re surrounded by so many yummy baked goods? Like — ERMAHGERD — the cookies. I’ve eaten so many cookies over the past few days… Dozens of cookies (What’s that old saying about feeding a cold?). Biscotti, chocolate-chip walnut, sugar plum pecan balls dusted with powdered sugar, Spanish almond vanilla cookies with dulce de leche filling, and THE BEST DAMN GINGERSNAPS I’VE EVER TASTED.

I’ll get back to beauty blogging in a bit, but I haven’t been wearing a lot of makeup the last week anyway. I do have to tell you about some body products from Origins and new shampoos and conditioners by Herbal Essences I’ve been testing, but can we just continue talking about cookies for the time being?

Like…these gingersnaps that I made this year for the very first time. I have to thank my friend Jaclyn (She comments all the time, and she’s super nice. Please say hi to her!) for hooking me up with her world famous gingersnap recipe.

If you like ginger, these are the ish, and they’re surprisingly easy. No fancy baking accouterments necessary, although I did use a drying rack. They’re the perfect balance of sweet sugar and spicy ginger. I followed Jaclyn’s recipe to a T.

I made a bunch and portioned them into cute little bags to share with my neighbors, and everyone raved about them! I’ll make them again next Christmas, for sure.

Jaclyn’s World Famous Ginger Snaps

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cloves

1 tsp gingerv

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup shortening

1 egg

1/4 cup molasses

Recipe:
Sift/mix dry ingredients, except sugar, in medium bowl. Set aside. Combine sugar and shortening in large bowl. (I use a fork to combine the sugar and shortening.) Add in molasses and egg. Add dry ingredients to the wet. Mix well. Cover with wax paper and refrigerate for an hour. Pinch off dough and form into balls, then roll in sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Devour!

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