Just For Fun

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. What’s something you’re looking forward to in October?

Visiting a pumpkin patch with Connor and El Hub. We go to the same one every year, and it’s always so much fun!

And honestly, I’m also looking forward to moving ahead with my life. I’ve been feeling stuck and sad lately, and I’m so tired of being in that space. I’m ready to change the vibe. I know it won’t happen overnight. This month I’m going to just keep treating myself with an abundance of love and allow the care and kindness sent from the universe to enter from all sides.

That’s my plan and I’m sticking to it. 🙂

2. Pick a nail polish color – bright cherry red or dark blood red?

Dark blood red, please, and the darker the better. I’d love a sturdy, shiny topcoat, too.

3. Your favorite snack lately?

Ooh, dried apricots and a handful of pistachios (gotta be pistachios in the shell, though)! I’ve been trying to balance out most meals and snacks with a combination of carbs, fiber and protein and this combo really hits the spot.

4. Something that decorated your childhood bedroom that you loved?

When I was a teenager, I used to have a poster that my granny got me. It was of a Nagel-inspired lady with a single tear rolling down her cheek and the word “memories” at the bottom of the poster. I loved it and thought it was so cool.

5. Updo or a blowout?

Blowout so I don’t have to deal with the headache I always get with an updo.

Happy Monday to you, my friend. Right now I’m enjoying my second cup of coffee and reveling in the simple pleasure of just how darn good it is! Like, do you ever just stop and smell your coffee? Holy crap, it’s amazing, right? Anyway, I’m just trying to stay fully present today, and apparently that involves swooning over the scent of a deliciously milky cup of coffee, ha ha ha.

What have you got going on this week? Whatever you’re up to, I hope love surrounds you from all sides!

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. What’s something you’re looking forward to in October?
2. Pick a nail polish color – bright cherry red or dark blood red?
3. Your favorite snack lately?
4. Something that decorated your childhood bedroom that you loved?
5. Updo or a blowout?

Hi, friend. To say that this was one of the emotionally hardest weeks I’ve had in a while is an understatement. Thank you for making the load a little lighter with your kind and thoughtful messages about my granny’s passing.

For weeks now, I’ve been looking for a sign from her in nature, a hello of sorts from wherever she is in the universe, and I think it came yesterday afternoon.

(Yes, I know it might seem silly to some, but it’s something that really helped me when Tabs died.)

Connor and I were headed to the dance studio for practice. She opened the door, stepped outside, and then, with a very calm, steady voice said, “Mom, don’t freak out, but there’s a baby snake right next to the doormat. Stay calm and don’t scream.”

So, of course I screamed. And then I jumped about 20 feet into the air!

The baby snake quickly scooted away underneath the house, and I swear, it looked absolutely delighted with my reaction.

Seeing snakes in our neighborhood this time of year isn’t surprising because we’re surrounded by open space on the hills with tons of animals, but I’ve never seen a snake right on our doorstep.

Later that evening, we looked it up because Connor desperately wanted to know what type it was. Apparently it was black with a red collar around its neck — details which she provided because I was too busy freaking out, ha ha ha. We found out it was a ring-necked snake, which lives in our area but is a very rare sighting.

I want to believe it was granny saying hi while keeping me on my toes. Now that I think about it, she was way too feisty to send me a sign through a delicate butterfly or a dainty hummingbird. A spunky snake wearing a red necklace and showing up unexpectedly on my doorstep is totally her style. I’m sure wherever she is, she’s cracking up.

I totally recognize that it could’ve been purely a coincidence, but here’s the thing. Today she’s being laid to rest; I can’t help but acknowledge the splendid timing of it all.

Anyway, I’m so emotionally tired. I’ve been sad and happy at the same time… It’s a weird feeling.

So, today, I’m going to take time to care for myself by focusing on the glimmers, which are the opposite of triggers. Glimmers are moments that happen throughout your day which spark moments of joy and peace.

Writing this has sparked some joy, so thank you for listening.

Please take some time today to find your glimmers, if you can. They’re out there waiting for us. Sometimes they might even show up as a spunky baby snake on your doorstep. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

At 5:45 in the afternoon, as I was making bunny ears with Connor’s shoelaces to get her out the door in time for dance class, my beautiful, spunky, red-haired granny took her last breath and left this earth.

It made me think of one of the biggest lessons I learned about grief when Tabby died all those years ago; it’s so very odd — and frankly quite cruel — that life demands you buckle up and keep going, even when massive seismic shifts happen and you’re hurting so very much.

I’d like to think that granny would’ve liked that Connor was on her way to the dance studio to do something active, since my granny, up until the last few years, was always out and about.

When she was younger, she loved walking and especially loved riding her bike, and when I was really small, sometimes she’d pop me into her bike basket and take me for a ride around the neighborhood. I remember being so little and cruising around the block with her and laughing so hard, the wind tousling my hair. I thought it was the funniest thing in the whole world.

Most of my memories of her are from when I was very young, and now they’re faded into snapshots, but in every one, I can always see her smiling at me. I can hear her voice telling me how much she loves me.

With her passing, now there is one less person on this earth who knew me as a child. One less person who loves me.

I am no longer a granddaughter.

As I sit in my house and look out my window at the blue sky and clouds and the bright green leaves on the oak tree rustling outside, I’m reminded once more what a joy it is to be young, alive and to have my autonomy. To be able to wake up in a place that’s all my own. To be so very loved by my daughter and my husband.

Note to self — there’s absolutely no time or room in life for nonsense. Run towards those people who love you, full speed, and hold tight.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Good morning and happy Saturday to ya! I hope your weekend is off to a quiet and peaceful start.

For the last few weeks, it’s become really clear to me how wonderful it truly is to just be alive, so one thing I’ve been trying to do is to break old patterns and try new things.

To not get overwhelmed, I told myself that it could be the teeny, tiniest new thing to try, and even just one new thing would be just fine.

I ended up trying quite a few new things! I wrote it all down in a short list because seeing something in print always gives me a sense of accomplishment and makes me feel like it’s real. It also gives me the motivation to keep going. 🙂

New things I tried and breaking old patterns, September 18-22

• Cooked a couple vegan meals for lunch — roasted pepper chickpea pasta on Tuesday, cherry tomato gnocchi on Wednesday and garlicky cannellini bean stew (served with a thick slice of multi-grain bread, yum) on Thursday.



• Walked a new route around the neighborhood and saw a red beautiful hibiscus plant that I’ve never seen before in someone’s yard.



• Listened to Olivia Rodrigo’s new album “Guts” in its entirety (so good).
• Breaking an old pattern — When things get hard, I retreat inward, get quiet and push people away. Instead, I shared what’s been going on with my friends here on MBB and a few friends I’ve had IRL for years. I’m so glad I did this because I’ve received the loving support I desperately wanted and needed. It’s a relief to know I don’t have to carry this heavy load on my own.

This week’s reading

• According to the “Allure” Best of Beauty list, these 33 items are the best drugstore steals right meow.
• There’s a lot to love in the “Hair Love”-inspired TV series “Young Love.”
• According to derms, these are the 20 best peptide serums for healthy, radiant skin.
• Why do kitties respond to the “pspsps” sound?
• Cats pay more attention to their owners than we think. Say what?!
• The Hollywood Forever Cemetery is serves as a home to over 130 stray animals.

Why are empties so fascinating?

Oooh

Because I love a natural look

Have a wonderful rest of your day. Gentle reminder that you are a good person and you deserve so much love and kindness!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

A quick hello

Hi, sweet friend. I’ve been having a hard time sitting down to write lately, so please enjoy this repost from October 2018 featuring Charlotte Tilbury products and lots of talk about Starbuck’s legendary Pumpkin Spice Latte.

I need to cheer myself up today, so I’ll be headed to Starbuck’s shortly to pick up my first PSL of the season. Here’s to the power of simple pleasures, like delicious fall coffee drinks.

Hope everything on your end has been steady and peaceful. Hugs to you.

Pumpkin Spice Jewels

I don’t want you to think I’ve been neglecting my pumpkin spice devotion, seeing as how it’s now October, and therefore officially pumpkin season.

SO MANY PUMPKINS EVERYWHERE. One can’t even whip her high pony without bumping into one, and I still have mad love for pumpkin spice, as demonstrated by this look, which I call “Pumpkin Spice Jewels.”

A few things I learned in the process of doing my makeup…

1. This Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino will shake you to the core

Or, should I say, “shake your core”? Because when I’d finished about half of it my body literally started shaking from all the caffeine.

I’d never had one of these before. It’s just a pumpkin version of a regular frap (like the other drinks I’ve tried in this series, I got the recipe from theMacroBarista on Instagram).

I could only finish half of it because I couldn’t take any more caffeine. I dunno… Maybe you’re made of stronger stuff than I am, but if not and you’re also a wimp when it comes to caffeine, you can still admire it from afar (because it’s certainly nice to look at).

2. I may need to build an alter to worship Charlotte Tilbury

Her stuff is so spendy, but when it comes to that effortless, dewy skin-that-looks-like-skin, C.T. has that game on lock. I’m wearing her new Magic Away Liquid Concealer ($32) and Genius Magic Powder ($45) in this look, and I didn’t really have to do any of the buffing, blending and dabbing that’s usually involved in achieving a no-makeup makeup look.

I just swiped a concealer wand on my face (I’m wearing shade 8 underneath my eyes and shade 9 on the rest of my face), blended with my fingers, then dusted a sheer veil of the powder with a fluffy brush, which took all of two minutes.

I love how my skin looks when I wear C.T.’s stuff. Like, I can’t even tell I’m wearing makeup, and it doesn’t budge. Not one bit.

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