Just For Fun

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 448

November 7th, 2016 by Karen 42 Comments

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. Team Contour, or Team Highlight?

Oh, my gosh! — pom-poms for Team Highlight, because a) for me it’s just so much easier to blend a shimmery highlight, and b) the results are much more instantly gratifying.

Honestly…I know that contouring is a big thing in makeup these days…but I just can’t stand it. I feel like it’s overdone, and everybody and their mama feels the need to reshape their face.

Why?? I don’t want to feel like I have to make my nose look straighter or my cheeks look more chiseled. I like the way my face is, and I don’t want it to be sharper. I like the roundness of it. I like the chubbiness of my cheeks.

Anywho…

2. Do you have any tie-dye anything?

Nope, and the only time I ever had a tie-dye anything was freshman year at college. It was one of those getting to know you events, and everyone had to bring a white shirt to tie-dye.

I really wasn’t feeling the whole tie-dye process, so I made a gradient on my shirt instead of a traditional tie-dye. It had a patch of blue, then a patch of green, then a patch of yellow… There was really nothing tie or dye about it, and that was the closest I’ve ever gotten.

3. What were you doing in the year 2000?

Fabulously messing up in life. I had just graduated from college, was in my early 20s, and I had no idea what I was doing… Still don’t have any idea what I’m doing.

I was living in San Francisco at the time and working as a junior legal assistant at a law office, which meant that I filed stacks of papers in a filing room that I had practically all to myself.

My boss was so chill… Some days I would come into the office, shut the door and actually take naps at my desk.

In hindsight, I recognize that this was a bad thing… 🙂

4. How often do you check social media?

Probably too much. I glance at Instagram and Facebook every few hours. I wish I checked them less often because…does anybody out there have a sloppy, messy life? I do.

5. Do you ever skip wearing makeup to work?

For sure. Even though I’m here writing about makeup, I don’t sit at my desk wearing false lashes every day. Some days when I’m testing products, I’ll wear just one thing, instead of doing a complete look, or I won’t wear any makeup at all because I’ll be working on a non-makeup project.

The early bird…

Waking up early on the mornings on the weekend — who knew? So bomb. I woke up early on both Saturday and Sunday, which I don’t do all the time, but I might do it more often now.

I got up early on Saturday because I had plans for lunch with a friend, and I wanted to take care of the grocery shopping first, so I got up, got ready and went to Trader Joe’s at the crack of dawn.

Dude, Trader Joe’s is the place to be at the crack of dawn. It was just me and five other focused ladies, and it was great because, for the first time ever, I had my cart with me the whole time! It’s usually so crowded there that I have to park my cart somewhere, stake out a spot, walk to the kale or whatever, and then walk back and put the kale in the cart.

It was nice to have my cart in front of me for once…

I also plan to get up early tomorrow to avoid the lines at my polling place. Tomorrow is Election Day here, and it’s gonna be…frantic.

In the spirit of trying new things, I also want to try some new looks this week. I hope that you try something new as well, whether it’s a new makeup looks or something else in your routine.

Life is short, ya know? You might as well switch things up every once in a while.

Whatever you’re up to, my fellow citizen of the earth, I hope you have a great week.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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

1. Team Contour, or Team Highlight?
2. Do you have any tie-dye anything?
3. What were you doing in the year 2000?
4. How often do you check social media?
5. Do you ever skip wearing makeup to work?

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 422

November 6th, 2016 by Karen 11 Comments

I always wonder what Tabs is dreaming about when I see his little paw twitching in his sleep.

Is he thinking about the time he cornered a lizard outside on the hill, when he had his paw on it, and the lizard straight up and bit him, and he freaked out? Or is he thinking about the time when he was on his harness and caught a baby bird by the front door?

He only has a 10-foot leash, but he bolted instantaneously off the walkway into the yard. I didn’t have time to react. All of a sudden, I look down and my wonderful little tabby has a tiny bird in his mouth! It was a nightmare…

Well, it was a nightmare for me and the bird, but it might’ve been the greatest dream in the world to Tabs.

Or, is he thinking about the first time I gave him bacon? Maybe he’s just laying there thinking, “Uoh…bacon,” like Homer Simpson does.

Is he dreaming about his kittenhood and his kitty siblings? Does he ever dream about his kitty mom? Does he think about her? Sometimes that thought makes me sad…

I wonder… Do cats dream in images kind of like we do? Does he ever dream about us? Does he dream about me? Does he hear my voice? If he does, what do I sound like in the dreams? Do I sound like the grownups in Peanuts cartoons? “Wah-wah wah-wah-wahhh.”

Is he just feeling emotions like comfort, happiness and fear, or does he actually see memories of things that have happened to him in his life?

Does he make up stories in his mind? Are his dreams fantasies? Like, does he dream of walking into the dining room one day to find a stack of bacon three feet tall? Does he dream of a litter box the size of a playground or other things like that?

I wonder…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

For an Easy, Elegant Eyeliner Look, Use an Eyeshadow and an Angled Brush Instead of a Pencil

November 4th, 2016 by Karen 12 Comments

I spent an inordinate amount of time this week in stinky workout pants and t-shirts covered in baby food. Or, I dunno…sometimes it’s been my food, to be honest.

No reason in particular. It’s just been one of those weeks.

But, ya know, at least I’ve had elegant eye makeup. 🙂 I’ve been doing this thing where I use eyeshadow and an angled brush instead of pencil liner to line my upper lash lines, and I’ve been doing it because I haven’t been sleeping well, which means Dark Circle City.

When my dark circles are darker than usual, I’ll skip lining my lower lash lines, even though I usually love a little smoke or even a pop of color down there, because man! — when I look tired, if I add anything to that lower lash line area, it just looks worse.

But I will line my upper lash line, and I like doing it with an angled brush and an eyeshadow for a few different reasons.

First, because I love that slightly diffused look, which is easier for me to do with an eyeshadow and a brush than a pencil eyeliner all by itself.

Second, and I don’t know if this is just me, but there’s a process when I use a pencil. It isn’t just grab and go. Most of the time, the one I want to use is dull from the day before, so I have to sharpen it.

Then, I have to really carefully draw a thin line along my upper lash lines with it, because I like those nice, thin liner lines. But then I have to diffuse the edges of the lines with a brush, so…it still involves using a brush, even when I’m using a pencil.

Instead, with an angled brush and an eyeshadow, all I have to do is dip my brush into the shadow, give it a spritz with MAC Fix+, and sort of tap it along my lash lines.

It’s easier to get the kind of look I usually like, and I think it’s even faster than using a pencil.

Plus, you know, with makeup, it’s all about the fine details, like the subtlety of your gradients and the values and colors moving from dark to light, and I think that when you have gradients in subtle places, like in the edge along your lash line, it can really make your overall look more elegant.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!!!!!!

Your Favorite Indie/Costume Jewelry Lines?

November 3rd, 2016 by Karen 12 Comments

Ann Taylor necklace — I got this necklace at Ann Taylor last year, and I wear it all the time.

Ann Taylor, babe. Ann. Taylor. She’s my BFF when it comes to costume jewelry.

That’s really the only kind of jewelry I wear on a daily basis — costume jewelry. I mean, I have my wedding and engagement rings, but everything else — earrings, necklaces, bracelets — it’s almost entirely costume, because I know myself. I gotta be careful. I lose the good stuff, and I don’t want to be stressed out worrying, “OMG! I can’t do it! I can’t lose these earrings!!!”

I have costume pieces from super bargain level like Forever 21 to pricier costume pieces from indie lines and brands like Kate Spade and Ann Taylor, but Ann Taylor is my current favorite. The pieces are well made and last. Seriously, I’ve banged ’em up, but they still look new.

Ann’s style is classic and conservative (for costume), but not boring to me at all, and she always adds an extra flourish of some kind to keep things looking modern.

loft lace shorts — Here’s another Ann Taylor necklace I wear all the time…

The prices are great for what you get. Ann Taylor’s necklaces, and really all of their jewelry, is a little pricey…but it’s not as expensive as Kate Spade, for instance. They may charge $100 for an intricate, fancy necklace, but here’s the thing: You don’t have to pay full price. I get all of my Ann Taylor jewelry, like this layered pearl necklace, during their kick-@ss 50% off sales.

And this necklace goes with everything from a casual white t-shirt to a fancy black dress. I love it! I pounced when I saw it on sale for 50% off.

So, yeah. It’s Ann Taylor for me. How about you?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. How’s your Thursday coming along? I had to help my family with something yesterday, so I was offline more than usual. What did I miss?

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 447

October 31st, 2016 by Karen 35 Comments

1. What’s your favorite scary movie?

I don’t know if it counts as a traditionally scary movie because it’s not Carrie or Halloween or that one with Jason Voorhees that I can never remember because they all kind of blend together…but it’s The Craft, that classic film about a quartet of angtsy teenage witches…

Haha! I cracked myself up…

I’ve watched that movie so many times, though. The style is so gloriously ’90s. Heck, I may watch it again tonight. It’s a Halloween classic for me.

And then there’s Rosemary’s Baby, too. I’m more of a suspense person than a blood, guts and gore person. I’d rather wonder about the big reveal at the end than jump in my seat at ear-piercing sounds.

I like the simplicity of Rosemary’s Baby and how the evil characters are just the people in her everyday life. She’s completely unsuspecting…

2. Do you own a feather boa?

Well, yeah, obviously! 🙂 I think I own two.

3. Do you ever cry listening to music?

All the time, especially when I’m PMSing…

Actually, even when I’m not PMSing. Some songs just make me super emo.

Don’t even get me started about the time I heard Adelle’s Someone Like You for the first time. I was parked at a stoplight to make a left turn one day when I was driving home (I think it was also raining, which may have contributed to the water works) and heard that song for the first time.

I burst into tears.

Yes, I’m that person crying by herself while listening to Adelle in the car.

4. Would you ever get a matching tattoo with someone?

Hell, no! That would be the kiss of death for me. I’m not about to put a matching tattoo on myself. I’m too fickle. I’d think it’s really cool one day, but the next day I’d be like, “What the #$$%@ did I do!?”

Then the other person would feel bad because I’d have this tattoo I want to remove… Yadda, yadda, yadda — bad idea.

5. If you could be on a ’90s TV show, which show would it be?

This is a really tough one because, on the one hand, Saved by the Bell, and how cool would it have been to hang out with that crew?

But I think I’ll pick 90210 — the old version with Donna, David, Brenda, Brandon, Kelly, Dillon and that whole group, because I always thought they needed a sassy brown girl, and that sassy brown girl could have been me.

I would have been all up in that Brenda/Dillon/Kelly love triangle, too!

Happy Halloween!!!

Good Monday morning, my friend. 🙂 Did you do any Halloween partying over the weekend? No partying for me, but Connor Claire is looking forward to rocking her monkey costume to the mall tonight.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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

1. What’s your favorite scary movie?
2. Do you own a feather boa?
3. Do you ever cry listening to music?
4. Would you ever get a matching tattoo with someone?
5. If you could be on a ’90s TV show, which show would it be?

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 421

October 30th, 2016 by Karen 13 Comments

There was a time when Tabs would have darted down the stairs, leaping over three or four of them at a time, the instant he heard me call, “Tabby! It’s time for your Halloween photo shoot (and the treats and lurvies that come with it)!!”

But he’s a mature tabby now. He walks down the stairs more often than he runs, but I think Halloween is still probably his favorite holiday…

Oh, wait! I forgot about Thanksgiving, so it would be Thanksgiving first (you know, ’cause of the turkey), and Halloween second.

He loves, Christmas, too, but he doesn’t like winter because it’s cold outside, so we don’t go for as many walks.

This year for Halloween he’s wearing his very stylish King of Hearts cat costume, which, amazingly enough, still fits! I thought it might be a little snug for him, but it’s not.

If Tabs could really go trick-or-treating, it’s easy to know what he’d like to get in terms of treats and snacks — turkey (including gravy), tuna, bacon and Oven Roasted Chicken Feline Greenies. Together, they’re the keys to his heart.

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How Often Do You Break Out of Your Makeup Comfort Zone?

October 29th, 2016 by Karen 13 Comments

urban decay full spectrum palette — Contemplating deep thoughts while wearing the Urban Decay Full Spectrum Palette…

All the time? Sometimes? Hardly ever? Or are you so stuck in your ways that you can’t even remember the last time you tried something different?

I, my friend, fall into that last group. It’s actually been a long time…

Well, before those crazy rainbow eyes from the other day.

Like, a looooong time…

I realized this while scrolling through my Instagram feed the other night (Do you ever do that just to see what you were doing this time last year? Anyways!). I thought, “Hey! I used to try different stuff all the time!”

I want to get back into the habit of doing that, because I really haven’t for the past 10 months. Most of my looks have been some variation of neutral eyes with a little liner, so it’s time to start breaking comfort zone barriers down!

How about you? With your makeup, how often do you bust a move and try something completely new?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Happy Caturday. 🙂

ConnorClaire.com Product Spotlight: #bbloggers Tee

October 28th, 2016 by Karen 6 Comments

You know you’re rollin’ deep with the beauty blogging crew when you seriously start thinking about shaving your swatching arm.

You know you’re rollin’ deep with the beauty blogging crew when you have about 300 effed up macro pictures of your left eye because that’s how many it took to get one decent shot of the eyeshadow look you did for today’s post (gah!).

You know you’re rollin’ deep with the beauty blogging crew when you put off washing your makeup brushes (and you’ve got hella makeup brushes, fo’ reals) FOR WEEKS, letting them pile up until it takes you — I’m not kidding — 45 minutes to get through them all! The struggle is so real!

You know you’re rollin’ deep with the beauty blogging crew when you can recall, with shocking accuracy, the first makeup collections you fell in love with (mine were Barbie Loves MAC and MAC Smoke Signals).

You know you’re rollin’ deep with the beauty blogging crew when you get your camera so close to a pristine pan of product that you accidentally put a dent in said pan with the edge of the lens when you’re taking macro shots. DOH!

You know you’re rollin’ deep with the beauty blogging crew when you can write 600 words on a single black eyeliner and feel hella good about it when you’re done.

And you know you're rollin' deep with the beauty blogging crew if you love reading about makeup, writing about makeup, talking about makeup and generally obsessing about makeup all day long.

That's what the #bbloggers Tee stands for. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen