Just For Fun

Merry Christmas, everyone! ???⛪

Sending you a huge, heartfelt hug. I hope you’re having a joyous holiday right now. I can hardly believe that another year is coming to a close and we’re celebrating another Christmas together. I think this is our tenth!

You guys…this was a big year in my corner of the world, and you were my sisters from another mister. Honestly…I didn’t know sh*t! I had no idea what I was doing during Ms. Connor Claire’s big debut and the months right after it (still don’t).

Like the Fisher Price Rocking Chair?? Would have never known about it if it weren’t for you. I would have been crawling around in the dark in tears the entire nine months without your help. The eight weeks before Connor was born and the three months after were some of the most exciting and terrifying of my life, and I thank my lucky stars for you, because I would have been… I’m gettin’ teary… I would have been a freaking mess.

All of you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. ?

Like Tatiana — you virtually held my hand and reassured me that, yes, it was gonna be hard, but things would be alright. And my friend snoopysteph from Chicago, who I met years ago through the blog, she’s a mom of two, and she checked up on me every few weeks to see how things were going during my pregnancy. I’d say, “I’m fine,” but then I’d usually start crying.

So many of you…

Thank you, Jen, Adia, Anna, Marcella, Carolina, Jessica and Nicole — thank you, girls, for your kindness, your company and your brilliant beauty posts after Connor was born. I hope you got something helpful and rewarding out of the internship, and I hope we stay in touch.

My beauty priorities have changed over the past year. I mean, I still appreciate eyes on fleek, multiple colors in the crease and blending that just knocks your socks off, but it’s just that…baby’s gotta eat every three hours. ? I don’t have as much time as I used to, and I’m in a minimalist makeup phase now. I’ll still do a smoky eye, but maybe it’s not a 15-step smoky eye. Maybe it’s a three-step smoky eye now.

That’s one of the things I love about makeup: it evolves, and we evolve with it. Like…not to get too deep on you.

As I sit here, I cannot believe I’ve done this (blogging) for 10 years. Honestly, I don’t know if I’m gonna be doing it for 10 more, but we’ll see what happens. I just want you to know that over the next year and the years after, I hope that we’re friends, that we stay in touch, and that we get to talk to each other, whether it be every day, like I do with some of you, or maybe once a week or once a month. I hope that I get to be one of the lucky people who gets to hear about the good things that happen to you. Thank you for being a part of my life.

Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas from the bottom of my painted heart, and have an amazing 2017. This is going to be our year to shine. ?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addicts,

Karen, Connor Claire and Tabs

To be honest, I don’t think it’s in the cards for me this year. I’m Filipino, and my family will be celebrating tonight and staying up all night long (yes, I sang that like Lionel Richie).

But we literally stay up all night long! I mean, maybe we’ll zonk out at like 1 or 2, but that’s after a whole lot of food, fun and karaoke. By the time Christmas morning rolls around, I can’t handle much. I might brush my teeth (maybe), or sometimes I’ll roll out into the living room with furry teeth and a furry tongue, and that’s totally fine too. When I go to midnight mass, which I used to do more often when I was younger, I will wear some makeup, but it’s been a few years since I’ve done that.

Perhaps in a few years when Connor’s a little older and we get up early to open presents by the Christmas tree, I may put in the effort to stick some concealer under my eyes because, you know, I’m 41 now… You can do the math. 🙂 By that time, who knows how good the cameras will be on our phones? And I just don’t need to have that captured for posterity.

So my answer will probably change in a few years.

How about you? Do you plan to wear any makeup on Christmas morning? Props to you if you are, girl.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

This blog is about two posts away from becoming the Makeup and Beauty and Trader Joe’s Blog.

Yo, I go there almost every day!

In my defense…it’s only a few minutes away, and the parking’s really easy. And they have things like Chocolate Chip Frozen Waffles to rock my carbohydrate-loving world.

Last time I was there I checked out the holiday beauty products, and this year their stocking stuffer game is totally on point.

There were so many gift sets! And most of them are less than $10 each.

I can totally vouch for this trio of body butters. I got a set for myself (merry Christmas to me!), and I love it. They’re moisturizing enough for my dry heels and scary winter cuticles.

The Coriander one is my favorite, which I didn’t expect. I thought it would make me smell like a Chipotle burrito (they put cilantro on everything, am I right?), but nope. It smells sweet, herbal and fresh — kinda like that Gap Grass perfume back in the day.

Next time I go, I think I’m going to get a few of the grooming sets for El Hub, my brother and my dad. Then I might just steal the shave cream from El Hub’s set to keep for myself, haha.

No shame, no shame. 🙂

Have you tried any of the beauty products or toiletries from TJ’s? Am I missing out on anything great?

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 NINE (!) 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. Flats or high tops?

High tops. Because I can wear socks with them, which I definitely NEED today because it’s freaking freezing here right meow.

2. Three things you’re grateful for today?

1. A good night’s sleep. ‘Tis wonderful!
2. The Ergo Baby 360, which is basically a versatile backpack, except that instead of carrying books and laptops, you stick a baby in it. You can wear it on your front, your back or on either hip for hands-free babying.
3. Central heating.

3. When I was growing up, I wasn’t allowed to…

Well, there were A LOT of things I wasn’t allowed to do because my family was strict, but one of those things was slumber parties.

Like, whenever I was invited to an official slumber party, I could go to the actual party to open presents, have cake or watch movies or what have you…but I had to go home before the actual slumbering began. 🙁

Sometimes I was allowed to spend the night at my best friend’s house, but she lived next door, and our families had known each other for years.

4. What’s something you could happily eat every day?

Frozen waffles. I’ve always loved ’em. Even when I was pregnant and basically hated all food for the first few months, the only things I could eat were frozen waffles (especially with peanut butter and raisins on top).

5. How do you know when you’ve had one too many drinks?

I get really, REALLY hot somewhere around the middle of my second glass. My forehead starts sweating, and at that point I figure that I should probably slow my roll and switch to water.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Here are the questions to copy and paste…

1. Flats or high tops?
2. Three things you’re grateful for today?
3. When I was growing up, I wasn’t allowed to…
4. What’s something you could happily eat every day?
5. How do you know when you’ve had one too many drinks?

P.P.S. I hope your tum gets gloriously filled with yummy holiday treats this week and that you get to do massive amounts of fooling around online when your boss isn’t looking. 🙂

Lipstick, lipgloss — whatever I’ve got on my lips — yeah, I usually like to take it off before I eat, just because I don’t eat in the most…graceful way.

Girl, when I eat, I’m hungry. I kinda shovel the food into my mouth, which I’m sure is mortifying my mom at the moment, but whatever. It’s not like I’m at a State dinner or anything. I’m usually in my living room, and it’s me and a baby, El Hub and a cat. And an episode of Gilmore Girls. So nobody is watching me that closely, but I still like to take off any lip products.

I’m sure part of that is habit because I’ve been doing it since I was a teenager. I just take my napkin and blot whatever I’ve got going on, and then I eat. It just makes my world a little neater and — how shall I say this? — makes me look less like a clown as I eat.

I don’t know… Are you one of those talented people who can wear a matte red lip and successfully eat soup, a main dish and dessert without getting red lipstick all over the place?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF, my friend! 🙂 Is anyone else seeing Rogue One? El Hub and I got tickets for this afternoon. I gotta be honest, I’m pretty excited about the movie, but I’m very excited about the popcorn.