Just For Fun

Happy Caturday! Please note, if you’re looking for apple pie for breakfast this morning, feel free to grab a virtual slice at my house. 😀

Pie for breakfast is a post-Thanksgiving tradition at our house. Just for fun, this year Connor and I decided to put kitties on our crust…

I’ll be the first to admit the crust looks a little rough, but it tastes absolutely delicious! I used this delicious gluten-free pre-made dough from Target.

Would you like your slice with a cup of coffee or a cup of tea?

This week’s reading

• A short history of eyeliner, makeup’s sharpest weapon.
• C-beauty is a thing.
• A beauty Q&A with one of my faves, Jennifer Coolidge!
• Meet Christa Kaimimoku-Wong, the makeup supervisor for the Broadway production of “Wicked.”
• Target’s being sued for using a makeup brush cleaner trademark.

Lisa says this look is undetectable in daylight

Yes please

How to do liner on hooded eyes

Lip color fun

What are you up to today? We’re decorating our yard with Christmas lights and ornaments. So fun!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Happy Thanksgiving, my beautiful friend. I hope that you find some joy and a little time for yourself today. And if perhaps a slice of pie (or two) comes your way, I hope that it’s your most *favorite* flavor, as life is too short for bullsh*t pie!

Holidays like T-day are often painted in movies, marketing and social media as this perfect picture of being with family and friends. While my hope for all of us is to have that warm, cozy, unconditional love surrounding us, I know that’s not always the case.

Some may need to go to work because they don’t have any other choice. Others may be having a difficult time managing relationships with people in their lives or are feeling lonely. It might not always be the ideal picture we have in our minds.

I don’t know if you’ll find it helpful, but when I’m experiencing what Connor and I like to call “BIG FEELINGS,” something that I’ve found useful is to write a list of glimmers, which are small pockets of joy. I usually just do it on my phone.

Anyway, our celebration this year is going to be super mellow. Just me, El Hub and Connor, along with a bunch of cracked crab drowned in butter, salt and lemon. There will be a movie or two, more living room dancing, snuggling with Rosie-Pose and several walks up in the mix as well.

It’s gonna be a great day. 🙂

Sending you good thoughts and well-wishes for the holiday, and just in case you need it, here’s a big hug from across the keyboard.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

So…what is the Monday Poll?

Excellent question! It isn’t, contrary to its name, an actual poll, like with little clicky buttons. It’s just a list of more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007).

1. Mashed potatoes or stuffing?

Mashed potatoes with lots of butter and salt.

2. Your least favorite Thanksgiving dish?

Turkey! I don’t really like it at all.

3. Pumpkin pie — with or without whipped cream?

I’d much rather have a slice of pecan pie, but if I had to have pumpkin, sure, I’ll have a dollop of whipped cream.

4. What does your ideal Thanksgiving holiday look like?

Me, El Hub and Connor would take a trip to Japan, and then after a day of exploring and sightseeing, we’d have Thanksgiving dinner at a sushi restaurant.

5. The best holiday movie?

“Little Women,” but it has to be the 1994 version with Winona Ryder and Christian Bale.

6. Best and worst parts about Thanksgiving?

Best parts are hanging out with El Hub and Connor, and eating the leftover pie! The worst part is family drama. There’s always something, sigh!

7. How’s your Monday going?

It’s flying by because I’ve been at my desk all morning getting ready for a job interview I have tomorrow. Good stuff is on the horizon, I know it… It just takes a lot of prep to get there. 🙂

I hope everything with you is peaceful and calm, my friend. Have a great rest of your Monday, OK?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Here are the questions to copy/paste with your answers in a comment. Talk to ya soon.

1. Mashed potatoes or stuffing?
2. Your least favorite Thanksgiving dish?
3. Pumpkin pie — with or without whipped cream?
4. What does your ideal Thanksgiving holiday look like?
5. The best holiday movie?
6. Best and worst parts about Thanksgiving?
7. How’s your Monday going?

Hey, friend. Welcome to Caturday! 😀

It’s a rainy one here in the Bay Area today. I’m going to keep it mellow with a manicure (it’s been too long) and a marathon on Netflix.

I’m thinking of doing Essie Not What It Seams…

By the way, in case you were unaware, the new season of “The Crown” is out.

It’s the purrfect day to get under a snuggly blanket and watch a few episodes with a kitty friend.

This is Rosie’s preferred method of cuddling!

This week’s reading

• The history behind season 6 of “The Crown.”
• In robotics, uncanny valley is a theorized relation between the human likeness of an object and a viewer’s affinity toward it. Anyway, now it’s a TikTok trend!
• Across the globe, eyeliner is wielded as a powerful tool.
• Here’s how makeup designer Kazu Hiro used extensive prosthetics to transform Bradley Cooper into Leonard Bernstein.
• Human Material Loop turns human hair into textiles.
• Scientists have created 3D-printed hair follicles in lab-grown human skin tissue.
• Cream blushes for dry skin!
• The Danessa Myricks Blurring Balm Blush looks really lovely.
• Meet the adventure cats!
• “What my grandmother’s lipstick taught me about the past.”

Interesting

I kind of love this

Behind the scenes with Danessa Myricks

A hooded eyeshadow tutorial on hooded lids

Love it

What are your plans for the weekend? If you’re in the SF Bay Area, stay safe on the roads!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

1. Barebells Creamy Crisp Protein Bars

These protein bars taste so good – kinda like a not-to-sweet mix of a Rice Krispie Treat and a Milky Way. Each bar has 20 grams of protein, 200 calories and no added sugar.

Plus, they don’t get stuck in your teeth, which I love! I can’t deal with bars that give your jaw a workout and leave you feeling like you’ve been chewing on a nasty old leather shoe for 20 minutes.

If I’m having major indecision first thing in the morning at breakfast (it happens to me a lot), I eat one of these and a banana and I’m good for the entire morning.

They’re kid friendly too, as Connor loves them. I now keep one in my purse for emergency snack-age!

I get ’em from Trader Joe’s, by the way.

2. Vincent Ford

He’s a London-based makeup artist, and his work is beautiful and approachable. Whenever I scroll his feed I feel so inspired! I especially love this “Pretty Grunge” look that he posted recently.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Vincent Ford (@vincentford)

Now you wanna wear smoky eyes and gray gloss, right? LOVE IT.

3. Walking around and seeing fallen leaves everywhere

On one hand, my fall allergies are, like, “Nope!” On the other hand, I cannot help but be in awe of the thick carpeting of leaves on the ground. It’s magical!

I think especially it’s cool how I can’t tell where my normal paths start and stop. And of course there’s the poetic beauty in the trees letting go of their leaves… Sigh, I love it so much.

4. The “Quiz Lady” movie on Hulu

This comedy stars Awkafina, Sandra Oh and Will Ferrell, and even though it’s totally predictable, it’s 100% enjoyable.

Two sisters, free-spirited Jenny and game show-obsessed Anne, team up to save their kidnapped dog from a loan shark. Of course, hilarity ensues!

If you’re in the mood for something light and fun, hit play.

(Side note, I thoroughly enjoyed Jenny’s crazy outfits. Sandra Oh goes all in with the character.)

5. The “Quiz Lady” soundtrack!

The soundtrack is so, so fun. I’ve found lots of new songs and artists to listen to!

This song, “Guerilla” by Remi Wolf, is my favorite. Fun fact, she went to Palo Alto High School here in the Bay Area.

Oh, and I can’t sit still when I hear this song by Scissor Sisters. Put it on your workout/dance playlist ASAP.

I don’t understand half the lyrics in these songs, but I’m feeling them.

Happy, happy Friday to you, my friend!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

So…what is the Monday Poll?

Excellent question! It isn’t, contrary to its name, an actual poll, like with little clicky buttons. It’s just a list of more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007).

1. Pen or pencil?

Pencil! I love a mechanical pencil with an eraser attached to it. Ideally with lead that’s 0.7mm 2HB. If you know, you know.

2. Your most used emojis?

Some combination of the following – 😭🤣😂!

3. Do you wear glasses?

GIRL. So many glasses. I pretty much quit wearing contacts during the pandemic, so now I have glasses for distance, reading glasses, sunglasses (prescription and non-prescription)… SO. MANY. GLASSES.

4. How easily do you fall asleep?

It depends on what’s on my mind and/or what part of my cycle I’m in. Generally, though, if I get enough exercise in that day, I can fall asleep pretty quickly.

5. Ice in your drink – yes or no?

In iced tea and fruity juices, sure, why not?

6. MAC or Bobbi Brown?

Oooh. MAC, always.

7. One of your biggest hopes?

I would love to make it to a ripe old age so that I can be around enough to help Connor get through the tough parts of her 20s and 30s. I had her later on in life (I was 40), which has pros and cons, but that’s another story for another time.

Good morning, friend! Happy Monday to you.

How are you feeling today? I hope you’re OK.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how to stay grounded and present in my body lately because I’ve been feeling a little more anxious than usual, and so I’ve started doing this practice called “5, 4, 3, 2, 1” again.

I learned it years ago and find it helpful when I feel like I’m getting too much in my head. It’s a quick way to draw yourself back into the present moment and find some focus. I hope you give it a try this week.

Enjoy the rest of your Monday!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Here are the questions to copy/paste with your answers in a comment. Talk to ya soon.

1. Pen or pencil?
2. Your most used emojis?
3. Do you wear glasses?
4. How easily do you fall asleep?
5. Ice in your drink – yes or no?
6. MAC or Bobbi Brown?
7. One of your biggest hopes?