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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, May 2

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  • You might be wondering, “So what the heck is this Monday Poll thing anyway?”
    Well, it isn’t much of a poll. It’s more just a constantly evolving (devolving?), somewhat random list of questions I’ve been putting out to readers every Monday morning for the past three years, which I guess makes this somewhere around Vol. 168. I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.
  1. Mood:

    2. Absolutely sparkly! 🙂

  2. Something you’re coveting at the moment?

    3. A vacation. Big time. One where the only things on my to-do list are adventure, photography and delicious food (oh, and warm beaches). I was hoping to visit Italy before my birthday in June (I really want to see the Cinque Terre), but it doesn’t look like that’ll happen unless I win the lottery and/or get all my sh*z together by mid-May.

  3. In your opinion, what’s an overrated beauty product?

    4. YSL Touche Eclat. I know lots of women love it, but it doesn’t really do it for me.

  4. An underrated beauty product?

    5. CeraVe Moisturizing Lotion! My skin love, love, LOVES how moisturizing it is. It’s also non-comedogenic and available at most drugstores for about $11.

  5. What was your best birthday party?

    6. Well, I’ve never really had a big one, mostly just small get-togethers with a few friends. Last year’s was one of my favorites. My two BFF’s, Jen and Cindy, took me up to Napa to get pampered and stuffed with good food and wine. That was such a wonderful day…

  6. Where do you go when you need to clear your head?

    7. If it’s warm outside and I have the time, I’ll go to the beach. Everything seems better after a few minutes of listening to the waves break and feeling the sand between my toes. If not the beach, then I usually work things out on the treadmill. I figure a lot of stuff out when I’m putting one foot in front of the other.

  7. Your favorite local eatery?

    8. Tuttimelon! It’s a self-serve frozen yogurt place about five minutes away. Seriously, I could eat a cup their taro fro-yo every single day.

  8. Guys in jeans shorts — yea or nay?

    9. I’m gonna have to go with nay.

  9. Favorite post-hangover meal?

    10. Back in my 20s I had a stomach of steel, so it was either a massive stack of pancakes or a veggie cheeseburger and fries. These days, it’s saltine crackers, oy!

  10. Weekly goals:

    11. To remember to believe in myself, and to try to make some headway on a difficult writing project I’ve been putting off for a while. I also want to start fixing up and decorating the deck off my living room. Right now it’s completely empty, just a big wooden box, but I’d love it to be a place where El Hub, Tabs and I can spend time this summer.

To that end, I went to a gardening store last weekend to look for cat-friendly plants but got totally distracted by their roses. The red ones get most of the love, judging by how few of them were left in stock, but I prefer the yellow ones, like in the pic at the top. Aren’t they bright and cheerful? 🙂

Is there someplace where you like to spend warm days and weekends, like a park, patio or garden?

You have a great day today, okay? I hope things haven’t been too crazy so far. If you have a moment, let me know how you’re doing today by filling out the Monday Poll. I always like to hear from you.

  • To complete the Monday Poll, just copy the following list, and paste it with your answers in the comments.



1. Mood:
2. Something you’re coveting at the moment?
3. An overrated beauty product?
4. An underrated beauty product?
5. Your best birthday party?
6. Where do you go when you need to clear your head?
7. Your favorite local eatery?
8. Guys in jeans shorts — yea or nay?
9. Favorite post-hangover meal?
10. Weekly goals:

Let’s all have a wonderful week and get May kicked off to a good start. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 137

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Tabs for Stila Sparkle Waterproof Liquid Liner

While I’ve been sweatin’ my tail off cleaning the house and organizing my makeup collection, Tabs spent the day at the beach. Can you believe that? The nerve, right?

He said it was for “a work thing” with Stila. Yeah, right. If you call surfing “work.”

I remember when Tabs and I used to go to the beach all the time, but that was before he got famous. We would tandem surf, with him in front and me steering on the back of the board (Ha! Could you imagine!?). Those were good times…

Here’s a quick look at some of the kitty modeling jobs Tabs had this week. 🙂

Who is Tabs the Cat? About three years ago I befriended a stray, flea-bitten tabby cat with a bad case of worms. I could see he’d fallen on hard times, but his profound knowledge of high fashion and department store cosmetics led me to believe that he was more than meets the eye. We became fast friends, and now he’s actually my boss (and a successful kitty model).

Tabs for Milani Cat Flash Liner

Tabs for MAC Prism Fur Tint
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How Do You Apply Blush? Do You Bounce or Swirl, or Do You Have a Different Method?

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Mission: Impossible. That’s what I’m going to start calling my efforts to organize my makeup collection. At the rate things are going, I should be done in roughly 10 years, give or take. I just keep getting distracted/hypnotized by all the pretty colors and end up spending more time playing than actually organizing. Instead of putting things into the appropriate bins, I put them on my cheeks. 🙂 I’ve also been staging things for pictures like the one above…

Seriously, I’m not getting anywhere, and, yes, I’m sitting here with hot pink blush on my right cheek and a shimmery plum on my left.

About blush, that reminds me. How do you apply it? I usually do it one of two ways, either bouncing or swirling the brush, and the brush is usually just a standard blush brush like the MAC 129 ($34), unless the blush I’m going to apply is highly pigmented or dark. In those cases, I’ll go with a fan or duo fibre skunk brush instead, both of which apply a little less product per layer.

mac 188 small duo fibre face brush
My current favorite blush brush, the MAC 188

Sometimes, when I want to lay down more concentrated color on the apples of my cheeks or if I’m applying a cream blush, I’ll ditch the brushes altogether and use my fingers.

Just like women did in ye olden days. Almost. Back then they’d use their fingers, too, except sometimes without the blush. They’d just pinch their cheeks to turn them rosy red. I’ve done it before…in a pinch (sorry!). 🙂

In choosing a brush for blush, I also consider the size of a brush’s head and the size and shape of my face. I don’t have a lot of room on my cheeks for big brush heads, so I prefer small-to-medium ones. Big ones tend to splay on me, depositing color like a puff on the skin around my cheeks.
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The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

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The Makeup and Beauty Blog Weekly Roundup

Heavens to Murgatroyd! It sounds like dueling sneezes up in here. Both Tabs and El Hub have bad allergies, and Zyrtec is the only thing keeping me in the game.

Good morning, young lady. 🙂 How are you doing today? Have you had breakfast yet? I’m in the mood for something good. Maybe pancakes and eggs.

Oh, you might be interested in this. Last night I read a few reviews of a new-ish camera that looks pretty interesting. It’s the Canon PowerShot S95 (about $400). It’s very expensive, but it boasts an unusual combination of features you don’t see often on little point-and-shoots, like a very fast f/2.0-4.9 lens, which basically means it’s equipped to take pics in fairly low light. The lens also opens up to 28mm at the widest, which means it sees more of the scene than most little cameras at 35mm do. Makes it a little better for shooting in cramped spaces and for panoramic landscape and architectural pics. The wider angle means you don’t have to step back quite as far to get the entire subject in the frame. In this particular camera’s case it’s only slightly significant (the difference between 28mm and 35mm).

If you’re interested in this sort of thing, here are the cameras I use right now…

  • Canon T2i — a DSLR that supports interchangeable lenses; my main workhorse; the newer T3i model adds a very useful flip-out LCD (with it I’d be able to check myself in the LCD when the camera is mounted on a tripod in front of me)
  • Canon G11 (the newer G12 is nearly the same) — a mix between a little point-and-shoot camera and a bulky DSLR; has a flip-out LCD but doesn’t support interchangeable lenses; does give you manual control over aperture, shutter speed and exposure
  • Canon SD950IS — a basic little Canon point-and-shoot that takes unbelievably crisp, vibrant pictures; most of Canon’s point-and-shoot cameras take fantastic pictures

I think these are all great cameras for swatches, closeups and portraits. Where the DSLR takes the clear lead is with taking pictures of moving subjects (like Tabs) because it supports very fast lenses like the 50mm f/1.4 that are able to freeze action better than a point-and-shoot. Fast lenses are also better in low-light situations. The camera also supports wider-angle lenses than the lenses that come with the little ones.

Every so often I’m asked about the cameras and lenses I use, and I always try to explain how the best pieces of camera equipment I own are the manuals that come with each camera. Even the least expensive point-and-shoot cameras can usually take pictures that look just about as good as the pics the most expensive cameras can take when they’re used correctly.

I try to keep these two things in mind when I’m taking pics…

  • Light, light, light! The more the merrier. Natural sunlight produces more accurate colors than yellowish soft-white indoor light bulbs do (although stores do sell daylight bulbs as well). Bright light also means not having to use a flash, and flashes can alter colors.
  • Camera shake. Even when you try to hold a camera perfectly still, there’s still a slight movement when you press the shutter button, and that movement can make pictures blurry. That’s why I use tripods so often and/or the camera’s self-timer. Light is a cure for camera shake because it allows the camera’s shutter to open and close quicker (because it doesn’t have to be open for as much time to capture the light it needs). So, if your pics are coming out blurry, open more windows, step outside in daylight, or bring another bright lamp into the room.

I’m always looking for new photography tips, so please share if you have any.

Before you jet, here’s a quick look back at some of the things we talked about in makeup and beauty this week. Hope you have a great day. 🙂

The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed

Milani Lip Flash Pencils BE BOLD ON A BUDGET WITH THESE
$7 MILANI LIP FLASH PENCILS

Hey, cutie. Before driving out to the East Bay this afternoon, I didn’t intend to spend a lot of time on my makeup, but then one thing led to another, etc., etc. Before I knew it, I’d swatched the entire line of Milani Lip Flash Pencils ($6.99).

Remember these? We talked about a shimmery bronze one a while back called Lip Flash.

Not bad for $7, right? Have a look at these, and let me know what you think. These party girl glosses are bold, shimmery and in yo’ face. I’ve been pairing bronzy brown Lip Flash, probably the tamest one of the batch, with brown, gold or bronze smokey eyes. The other seven come in various shades of pink, red, magenta and purple and should be a blast to wear with crazy false eyelashes, glitter and a pair of dangerously sky-high heels. Read more…

NARS Dogon Duo NARS SUMMER 2011, SWEET RELIEF
AND RANDOM ACTS OF BEAUTY

Most mornings I’m awakened by a chubby tabby cat set to go off about a minute before the regular alarm on my phone. It’s a very unusual alarm in that I’m actually the source of the sound, which is like a painful yelp. It works like this: Tabs, who usually sleeps in his kitty bed on the floor, climbs up onto my bladder and launches from it into the air, “Whee!”

And it even has something like a snooze button because after he does it the first time, I usually drift back to sleep, so he does it again about 10 minutes later. This repeats over and over until I finally get out of bed.

But this morning the tabby alarm clock malfunctioned in a glorious way! Instead of using my bladder as a springboard, Tabs climbed up onto the bed and gently snuggled his way into my arms like a present. Of course, I soaked it up as long as I could (cat ladies, you know what I’m talking about), listening to him purr and feeling the curve of his warm kitty body against mine as rays of sunlight filtered in through the windows onto his fur. It was so peaceful and calm that I almost couldn’t get out of bed! Read more…

Urban Decay Urban Bride Set HERE COMES THE URBAN BRIDE!
WILL YOU SAY “I DO” TO URBAN DECAY’S NEW URBAN BRIDE?

Places, everyone. It’s time!

Maestro, queue the Wedding March.

Here she comes! Urban Decay’s new $42 Urban Bride gift box is coming down the aisle. And just in time for wedding season to Ulta, select Macy’s stores and also online.

Isn’t her dress beautiful (I hear it’s an exclusive Urban Decay)? Urban Decay timed the limited edition wedding-themed set to coincide with the release of Bridesmaids next month (May 13), a new comedy starring Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph and Rose Byrne. In the story, Annie is her BFF’s Maid of Honor, whose life unravels as she tries to get the bridesmaids all set for the big day. I’m a fiend for chick flicks, so it sounds like my cup of tea.

The set (how adorable is that box?) comes with six long-wearing Urban Decay products for face, eyes, lips and body. Read more…

MAC Big Bounce Eyeshadows HOW TO GET THE MOST BOUNCE FOR YOUR BUCK
FROM THE NEW MAC BIG BOUNCE SHADOWS

Do you remember flubber? It was a rubber-like, super bouncy substance created by an absent-minded professor in 1961. Actually, by THE Absent-Minded Professor in the Disney movie of the same name. I suspect MAC might have lured the professor out of retirement to help them develop the upcoming MAC Big Bounce Shadows ($16.50 each) because, like flubber, they’re also quite bouncy and unusual.

The rich colors don’t feel like anything I’ve ever felt before. Think dense whipped cream, if that makes any sense, and when I tap the pans with a finger, I can actually feel them bouncing back in a very cool, weird way.

Hopefully these 16 shadows with metallic and/or pearl finishes are easier to corral than flubber was. Getting that stuff to stay put was almost impossible, but these shadows are supposed to bounce onto counters May 5 as part of the new MAC Flighty collection.

For help getting the most bounce from these beauties, I turned to one of my favorite MAC senior artists, Romero Jennings (are you following him on Twitter?). Read more…

Chanel Bronzing Powder in Bronze RoseSOLEIL TAN DE CHANEL MOISTURIZING
BRONZING POWDER IN BRONZE ROSE IS LIKE SUMMER IN A PAN

Lately, I’ve been super obsessed with the idea of the South of France and the Cannes Film Festival taking place there next month. Plus, you know how much I like surfing, and apparently, Cannes has some really great surf spots, too. Who knew?

Chanel’s new Soleil Tan de Chanel Moisturizing Bronzing Powder in Bronze Rose ($50) is fueling this obsession. It launched a couple weeks ago with the new Chanel Les Fleurs D’Ete Summer Collection.

Doesn’t it make your heart flutter? love It’s like summer in a pan, ah…

If it seems like you’ve seen this film before, you have a good eye, my friend. A similar four-color powder bronzer premiered with Chanel’s Cote D’Azur Summer Collection back in 2009, except that story starred four shimmery golden browns instead of a shimmery pinkish gold; a peachy pink; a warm, golden orangey brown; and a light baby pink. Read more…

MAC Studio Fix Boldblack Lash MAC STUDIO FIX BOLDBLACK LASH
FEELS AS LIGHT AS A FEATHER, STIFF AS A BOARD

When I was a kid, every slumber party I went to started with 16 Candles, progressed to crank calling cute boys from class, and ended with us playing light as a feather, stiff as a board.

For the game, one of us would lie down on the floor. Then, a bunch of us girls would lift her, using just two fingers on each hand, while chanting, “light as a feather, stiff as a board,” over and over again. I have no idea why this was considered fun, but we got the biggest kick out of it and did it all the time.

Ah, to be young and easily amused… 🙂

MAC’s new Studio Fix Boldblack Lash mascara ($14) reminds me of that old game. Launching April 28 on counters with the new Fashion Flower Collection (NOTE: it’s available now online), Boldblack will join the MAC permanent line. Read more…

MAC Naked Lunch Shadow MAC UNSUNG HEROES
NAKED LUNCH EYESHADOW

What I wouldn’t give to learn the story behind the name of today’s MAC Unsung Hero, Naked Lunch ($14.50).

Was there really a lunch in which the attendees were naked (eww!)? If so, I wonder what was on the menu… I assume that soups and other hot foods were absent, as well as beans and cheeses that encourage, um, bloat.

I’m all for culinary adventures, but when it comes to my lunches, I think I’ll stick to wearing clothes and this powder shadow from MAC’s permanent line.

When I need something foolproof to wear with my favorite browns, I often reach for Naked Lunch. It casts a candlelit glow on my skin that ignores my fine lines, and it blends like a makeup dream. Read more…

Chanel Les Fleures D'Été de Chanel Glossimers I’M JUICED ABOUT THESE CHANEL
LES FLEURES D’ÉTÉ DE CHANEL GLOSSIMERS

Mango overload! Mango overload! Help! I have no idea what to do with the four ripe mangoes that have been sitting in my kitchen since Easter, all delicious-looking and filled with juice. Salsa? Marinade? A smoothie, perhaps?

Around this time every year, I get a craving for two things: 1) mangoes and 2) shimmery, sheer glosses like Pensée (a shimmery coral) and Pink Peony (a shimmer pink). And what do they all have in common? One word: juice.

The luscious, juicy glosses are two of the three Glossimers from this summer’s Les Fleurs D’Été de Chanel collection, and I think they look delicious on tanned skin. Delicious, yes, but not altogether surprising, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

I, on the other hand, am a little surprised that Chanel chose to go such a traditional route with these when they repeatedly broke so much ground last year with products like the Khakis, Riva and this spring’s Ombres Perlees Palette. Read more…

MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation A MANIC MANGO THURSDAY AND
MY NEW FOUNDATION ROUTINE

As a devoted fan of Laura Mercier Oil-Free Liquid Foundation for years, I was heartbroken to find that Laura changed the color of my go-to shade (NOOOO!). Or, rather, I’m fairly sure she did. I bought a bottle recently that seemed dramatically darker and pinker (is that a word?) than it always had before, so I checked other bottles at several counters just to be sure, and, yup, they were different too.

What a disappointment… It always covered everything, never caused breakouts, and has always been so easy to apply.

I drifted like that, crushed, in foundation no-man’s land for a while and returned to using my trusty Chanel Mat Lumiere, which I love for everyday wear, but I don’t feel like it photographs very well on me (I think it looks a little flat).

I also tried Make Up For Ever HD, which I think looks fantastic and photographs well, but hello, pimples!; and MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation (great coverage, but it smothers my skin) but wasn’t really wowed by either. Read more…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Two Ways to Win a $50 eGift Card from Sephora!

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  • WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winners is Ceci! Congratulations, Ceci! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

Win a $50 Sephora eGift card from Makeup and Beauty Blog
Good mornin’, glory. 🙂 How did you sleep? I slept pretty well, and I must admit I’m surprised. We streamed a movie called A Kiss of Chaos (ugh! gratuitously violent, disorganized, El Hub’s regrettable choice) last night, and I went to bed expecting nightmares that I’m REALLY glad I didn’t have.

Do you use Netflix? Their online streaming deal keeps getting better and better. We have the $7.99/month plan and use it almost every single day. El Hub even streams movies to his phone. He does it while he’s jogging, which amazes me. I’d get seasick trying to watch on that small screen, so I stick to watching them on the TV.

The movie selection’s a little iffy. Lots of B-movies and middle-of-the-road flicks that go straight to DVD, but they do sprinkle in some big blockbusters to enhance the overall flavor.

I’ve learned all sorts of interesting film factoids through the service, like this one about Cuba Gooding Jr.: did you know that he’s starred in almost 60 movies? Yup, it turns out he’s one of the hardest working actors in Hollywood, and Netflix’s streaming service carries a bunch of his films (I use the term loosely).

I’d always thought Cuba’s career evaporated after Jerry Maguire, Snow Dogs and Radio, but that’s not true at all. He cranks out about two new movies every year, year after year. Of course, most of them head straight to DVD, but I’ve caught a couple that haven’t been complete stinkers like Linewatch (I really enjoyed this one) and Hero Wanted.

Sorry, I know that didn’t seem beauty related, but it was in a way. I went to bed last night about 99% certain I was going to have deep, dark circles under my eyes this morning thanks to nightmares caused by A Kiss of Chaos, and I’m totally surprised I didn’t. Got me thinking about Netflix, I guess.

And if I had gotten up with bad dark circles today, I might have found relief with help from the subject of today’s first post (Sephora). I guess you know what that means. It’s…

A Makeup and Beauty Blog Giveaway!

Win a $50 eGift card from Sephora

  • One (1) Sephora eGift card containing $50 sent to the winner by email (or $50 sent by PayPal instead).

  • There are two ways to enter, and you can do both of them for two chances to win. First, you can enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, a comment about anything at all, like, if Hollywood made a movie about your life, who would you like to see play you? Regular popcorn or kettle corn? What’s your dark circle routine? — you get the idea.
  • Second, you can enter by following me on twitter Twitter @karenmbb and retweeting (RT) the following message:
    • Follow @karenmbb and RT to Win a $50 eGift Card from Sephora! http://bit.ly/llOUl5

  • The deadline to enter is Sunday, May 1, 2011 at 11:59PM (PT).
  • Entrants must enter using a valid email address and/or Twitter account to win.
  • A maximum of two (2) entries per person — one within the comments at the bottom of this post, and a second entry via Twitter addressed to me @karenmbb.
  • Contest is open to individuals of any country who have reached the age of majority according to their local laws (18 in the United States with these exceptions: Alabama and Nebraska, 19; Mississippi, 21).
  • Sephora eGift Certificates can only be redeemed online and are not valid in stores or available for purchase or redemption in Canada. The winner may opt to substitute the Sephora eGift card prize for $50 sent directly to their email address by PayPal.
  • Tabs and I (heretofore referred to as “T-Money and K-Dawg”) will select one (1) winner at random from the entries either left in the comments at the bottom of this blog post or addressed to @karenmbb on Twitter.
  • The winner will be announced here within 48 hours of the deadline.
  • Void where prohibited by law.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

  • WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winners is Ceci! Congratulations, Ceci! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

Nostalgic Beauty Brands Are Like Comfort Foods

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My parents have lived in the same house since the ’70s, and it’s weird how my memories of it all sort of blur together. In my mind’s eye that house is like a temporal vortex caught between worlds. One, the modern era of Blu-ray players, wifi and universal remote controls; the other, a land of tan bathroom counter tops and Oil of Olay.

Olay… It’s funny how some memories stick with you forever. As far back as I can remember, my mom has liked Olay, and I can’t remember ever not seeing a jar of the Beauty Fluid somewhere in the house.

Sometimes, when I’m out browsing beauty aisles, my eyes will settle for a moment on something from Olay, and I’ll feel a little closer to home.

Nostalgic brands are like comfort foods

There’s a neat article in the April issue of Global Cosmetic Industry (GCI) magazine about nostalgic brands (Aspirational Consumers Turn Nostalgic, by Miriam Quart, GCI, April 2011) and how some brands that were once considered “the bee’s knees,” but have since fallen out of the limelight, are now staging comebacks. For many of us, beauty, fashion and personal care products from Olay, St. Ives, Infusium23, Pert, Levi’s and others still conjure up memories of “the good ole days,” and consumers tend to think of their old standbys as tried-and-true gems.

It’s a sign of the times

“Marketers used to be able to bank on ‘aspirational’ consumers indulging in affordable luxuries…” Quart says in the article, “but there has been a dramatic shift in consumer behavior during the recent economic downturn.” Some feel a little less optimistic about things, more unsure, and they’re turning to those old familiar, comfortable brands they’ve long known and loved.
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NARS Summer 2011, Sweet Relief and Random Acts of Beauty

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There are few things I adore more than random acts of beauty like…

My tabby alarm clock

Most mornings I’m awakened by a chubby tabby cat set to go off about a minute before the regular alarm on my phone. It’s a very unusual alarm in that I’m actually the source of the sound, which is like a painful yelp. It works like this: Tabs, who usually sleeps in his kitty bed on the floor, climbs up onto my bladder and launches from it into the air, “Whee!”

And it even has something like a snooze button because after he does it the first time, I usually drift back to sleep, so he does it again about 10 minutes later. This repeats over and over until I finally get out of bed.

But this morning the tabby alarm clock malfunctioned in a glorious way! Instead of using my bladder as a springboard, Tabs climbed up onto the bed and gently snuggled his way into my arms like a present. 🙂 Of course, I soaked it up as long as I could (cat ladies, you know what I’m talking about), listening to him purr and feeling the curve of his warm kitty body against mine as rays of sunlight filtered in through the windows onto his fur. It was so peaceful and calm that I almost couldn’t get out of bed!

Sweet relief

When I finally did sit up, the first word out of my mouth was “Hallelujah!” Today’s was the first morning in — I can’t even remember how long — that I’ve gotten up without pain. I’ve been PMS-ing for what feels like an eternity, and “the girls” have been uncomfortable and sore, so much so that even lying in bed hurts. Does that ever happen to you?

Sleeping in my regular bras hasn’t helped because the hooks and wires dig into my skin, and the sports bra I tried was way too binding. But last Saturday at Macy’s I stumbled upon a line of stretchy one-piece bras from Barely There and decided to give them a try.

I got the one called the ComfortFlex Fit Bandini (comes 2 for $26). It’s basically a super soft, non-binding sports bra without any hooks or wires, and it fits snugly to keep everything in place, but yet isn’t so tight that it cuts off the circulation while I’m sleeping.

Two words: sweet relief!

The best thing since…frozen waffles

After making my way downstairs this morning and fueling up on caffeine and peanut butter toast, I took a generic Zyrtec and put on Tabs’ harness to take him outside for a quick walk.

For some, taking allergy meds may not qualify as a random act of beauty, but JEEZ! — it’s so nice to be able to enjoy spring without sniffling or sneezing from allergies, or feeling sleepy or foggy-headed from meds. Back in the day, the over-the-counter stuff hardly helped at all, and I always had dreadful seasonal allergies. It may not be makeup, but Zyrtec is still beautiful to me.

May I have some eye candy?

While Tabs explored the great outdoors from the safety of his kitty harness, I snapped a bunch of pics, like this one of a blooming bush.
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