Just For Fun

You can start anywhere you want, but I think I’ll start at the beginning, because that’s usually a good place to start, to borrow a sentiment from The Sound of Music.

I was lucky. I didn’t have any skin issues when I was very young, but I did started breaking out when I reached the sixth grade. I’d get these little pimples on my forehead, and I remember my mom taking me to a dermatologist, who gave me something called a PanOxyl Bar, which was a soap that smelled awful and bleached all my t-shirts, and a tube of super strong benzoyl peroxide.

They made my skin feel raw, but they kinda helped. Basically, I didn’t know what I was doing, and I didn’t incorporate any moisturizing products. My mom, who has perfect skin, really didn’t know how to help me either.

I pretty much continued to break out through high school, but the breakouts were minor. Just a few small pimples here and there. I used the benzoyl peroxide consistently, and it did help.

But things got more complicated in college. In my second year, I went through some sort of hormonal shift (my acne has always been tied to my hormones), and the few small pimples I’d been dealing with turned into big, painful pimples on my cheeks.

I started taking Accutane, and it was the only thing that really helped. It’s still controversial, and it was even more controversial back then, but it helped me a lot. It cleared up my skin, which remained clear until I hit my mid-30s.

I think that’s when I went through another hormonal shift. I started getting chin acne (but you already know about that).

I’m in my early-40s now with drier skin (which used to be super oily) that’s still acne-prone. I use benzoyl peroxide daily (Kate Somerville Anti-Bac Clearing Lotion), both in the morning and at night.

Now I’m more concerned about evening out my skin tone and dealing with fine lines than I am about preventing and treating breakouts.

I do have some fine lines under my eyes and around my mouth, but I like to attribute them to smiling. 🙂 I guess I smile a lot, because I’ve got the wrinkles to show it, LOL!

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1. WHAT!? Why is this thing SO STIFF? ?
2. OK, how long has this been here? Because I swear to god, I just looked at my chin 5 minutes ago, and this wasn’t there.
3. Am I growing a goatee now?
4. Where the hell are my good Tweezermans?!
5. I officially hate seeing my pores in this 15X magnifying mirror.
6. Would it be lame if I just used Jolene bleach and bleached this sucker into oblivion?
7. (As I repeatedly fail to pluck it) This thing must have roots, AAARRRGH!
8. Maybe if I cut it real close with some scissors?
9. I am officially the hairiest person. My next job will be the bearded lady at the circus.
10. OH, THANK GOD, it’s out! I got it! I got it! ?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

So how do we feel about the unicorn beauty trend happening now?

In case you haven’t noticed, unicorns have been spotted behind many makeup counters lately. It’s a whole trend. There’s even a unicorn-themed collection happening over at Tarte right now…

And a while back Too Faced released a lipstick called Unicorn Tears. There’s also a beauty brand called Unicorn Snot (!).

They’re everywhere. EVERYWHERE. Which is a weird thing for a creature that has generally been quite rare…

To me, “unicorn beauty” means all things glitter, holographic and rainbow, and it’s on point right now in makeup, hair and nails.

I’d like to know how you feel about this, because I’m totally conflicted. The part of me that believes that Rainbow Dash is my soulmate is obviously into it, but then another, equally compelling part of me thinks, “I’m a 40-something lady and a mom. Do I really need to revert to the same look I wore to raves in the ’90s?”

Neither side has yet to win this debate. I’m still deliberating. 🙂

For me, I think it’s fun in touches here and there, like a holographic lip, but I gotta be careful not to go overboard.

The unicorn beauty trend — give me your thoughts.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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 10 (!) 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. Glitter or gloss?

Gloss

2. Classic or modern?

Classic

3. Apples or oranges?

Apples

4. Stay in or go out?

Go out

5. Cats or dogs?

Cats

6. Highlight or contour?

Highlight! (But you knew that already.)

7. Email or snail mail?

Snail mail

8. Cream or powder blush

Cream

9. Pizza or tacos?

PIZZA!!!

10. High heels or cowboy boots?

Um…cowboy boots?

11. Backpack or purse?

Purse

12. Face mask or hair mask?

Face mask

13. Bra or no bra?

Gimme that over-the-shoulder boulder holder

14. Neutrals or brights?

Neutrals

15. Calm or chaos?

Calm

16. Sunrise or sunset?

Sunrise

17. Sharp or smudgy?

Smudgy

Sometimes it’s hard to be excited about Mondays, ya know? It’s easier to get excited about coffee or chocolate or kittens or French fries. Sometimes Mondays, though? Not so much.

But today I feel really good. I feel like I just left the nail salon, and my toes are freshly done (although they aren’t). I don’t know why. I feel like I can handle anything today. I can take on the world!

How are you, my friend? I hope you feel good, and if you don’t right now, I hope you feel better soon. Sending you good thoughts and positive vibes. 🙂

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My dearest family, frenemies and fellow felines,

As you know, I’ve managed the day-to-day operations at MBB and Tabs the Cat Industries LLC for nearly a decade, and in that time I’ve discovered many effective ways to motivate and manage my employees, all of which I’ll be sharing with the world in my upcoming book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective Feline Managers.

Here’s an excerpt from the book, which will be published by Random House in May 2017. As my most beloved fans, I wanted you to get the first glimpse of the greatness.

1. Inspire by example

I firmly believe in leading by example. If you want your employees to be fabulous, you must be fabulous yourself. Don’t come to work looking sloppy and unkempt, like some ragamuffin kitty who just walked in from a street brawl, and expect your employees to take you seriously. Get your fur done. Visit the claw salon on a weekly basis. If your business has a formal dress code, wear a tie.

2. Track productivity

Not to say that you need to track every move your employees make, but I do find it valuable to hold my staff accountable for every minute of every day, just so that I know they’re keeping up with their assigned duties. Some cats install camera systems, which are effective, but I’m old school. I prefer to follow my employees from room to room, thereby sending the message that the boss is always watching.

3. Set expectations

It’s important to establish boundaries in the workplace and clearly define what is and isn’t acceptable behavior. For example, I had an employee — let’s call her “Sharon” — refuse to give me a full-body massage once because she was allegedly “too busy,” so I immediately swatted her with my paw, climbed up on her chest and demanded a deep-tissue massage right then and there. Sharon hasn’t refused a rub-down request since.

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I wouldn’t call it special, but there are a number of unofficial nail-painting places in my abode.

This is going to sound weird (so what’s new, right?), but one is at my keyboard, so I can paint while I type and multitask at the same time.

But if I’m not doing it there, I’m painting them on the floor in the living room, usually while catching up on Being Mary Jane, The Walking Dead or This Is Us. I lay down a beach towel in case there’s spillage, and I put my painting stuff on top of a magazine.

How about you? Where do you usually paint your paws?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen