Just For Fun

After the light, make a left turn at Butt Hole Road…

Britain takes the cake for embarrassing place names! My favorites: East Breast and Slutshole Lane, LOL!

I’ll have the Chanel No. 5 with a side of beans, please

Ever wonder why there are coffee beans at the fragrance counter?

The 80s are back! And this time they ain’t messing around

I guess if JT can bring sexy back, Urban Outfitters can revive the hair scrunchy. True confession: I have one in my bathroom drawer right now. It’s purple, and I use it to put my hair in a ponytail when I’m washing my face. 🙂

MAC Spring and Summer 2009 pics and previews

One word: HOT!

Who’s the final Cylon?

LOL! Okay, if you actually understood the above sentence (hint: it has to do with sci-fi), then you might be interested in the Battlestar Galactica series finale spoiler.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. It’s an overcast and dreary day out here on the lovely San Francisco Bay. 🙂 Have a great day today, no matter what the weather’s like.

I still can’t believe it’s 2009… I hadn’t even gotten used to writing “2008” on my checks, and then this New Year’s thing happened, LOL! What’s up with that?

At this time last year I was working for the literary agency, freelancing and blogging on the side. Not much has changed since then, really, except that I recently left the agency to go back to school for journalism. The blog is still my main creative outlet and undoubtedly the one thing that keeps me sane.

Today’s my first day of classes, yea! Very excited, a little nervous, and a little bittersweet. I’ll be back in a classroom for the first time in almost 10 years, yikes! I wonder if I’ll be the elder stateswoman of the journalism department…

In honor of time, here’s a look back at some of the posts that appeared on the blog around this time last year.

MAC Makeup Tutorial: Russian Red, an Ode to Madge

“I’m not shy about my obsessions — Christian Bale (marry me!), the MAC 266 brush and the Terminator series (more on this later) — but by far the deepest of my frivolous obsessions is for our Madge-esty almighty, Madonna, an obsession I’ve harbored since the tender age of eight.”

Paint it Pink, Paint it Black: Treat Yourself this Valentine’s Day

“Sometimes on the Big V you’re in lurve (how precious), but sometimes you’re not; sometimes you’re just plain bitter (it happens to the best of us). So, to celebrate the love and the pain of Valentine’s Day, this post kicks off Paint it Pink, Paint it Black, a series featuring pink and black themed makeup and beauty products to help you make the most of this Valentine’s Day — no matter what.”

Specktra for Beginners: What It Is, and How It Can Help You Be Beautiful

“Women (and men) are flocking to Specktra’s makeup and beauty forum, but for makeup newbies, sifting through the sheer volume of information on the site can be overwhelming. Specktra is one of my favorite beauty resources. Its members are generally nice, and on the site you’ll find lots of useful makeup application and product information, much of which appears on Specktra before it appears anywhere else.”

Beauty in Time: 9 Things I Would Say to My Younger Self

“Last week’s What’s in Your Purse post was a lot of fun, wasn’t it? I get a kick out of making strange lists, and I take it a lot of other people do too. I was thinking last night about an article I read a few months ago where people talked about what they’d tell their younger selves, so I made a list of the things I’d tell my 22-year-old self (yikes! that was 10 years ago?!) if given the chance.”

Paint it Pink, Paint it Black: Going Black to the Gym

“This Valentine’s Day, if your date for the evening is with the gym or a punching bag (try it sometime), you might as well look cute. Work it out with these road-tested gym makeup tips:”

MAC Moisturelush Cream: Say Buh-bye to Dry

“I was nervous to try MAC Moisturelush Cream because I had a bad incident with MAC Green Gel Cleanser last spring that left me with a less-than-stellar opinion of MAC’s skin care products. Lord knows I loves me some MAC, but I wasn’t a believer in their skin care line. Since ‘the incident,’ I’ve been hesitant to try anything new from them. But I sucked it up, took a chance, and I’m sure glad I did.”

Makeup Brush Lust: Billy B Paint Brushes Rawk!

“For years, the only brushes in my life were toothbrushes, hairbrushes and random brushes with destiny. I was content using the sad lil’ sponge applicators and teeny standard issue brushes that came with eyeshadows and blush. When I look back at my pictures from high school and college (aka, ‘the brush drought years’) my makeup didn’t look bad … but it definitely didn’t look good, either. My application was splotchy, and there was no blending to be had within a three-mile radius.”

It’s hump day, ladies! Let’s have ourselves a good one. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty student,

Karen

San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers

1. Mood:

Still sleepy but slowly waking up

2. Weekend highlights:

1) Being able to go for a run outside in shorts and t-shirt thanks to unseasonably warm weather, and 2) watching The Duchess on DVD

3. Favorite TV show(s):

30 Rock, Law and Order SVU and The Mentalist

4. Outfit:

Jeans and a brown sweater

5. What I wore to the prom:

A long black halter dress with white detailing on the bustier. If I remember correctly, it had a slit in the back, and I wore it with white, elbow-length gloves, LOL! I remember choosing the dress because I thought it was something the ladies of En Vogue would have worn.

6. Something I’d like to learn:

Stand up paddle surfing

7. Cheeks and lips:

Stila Pomegranate Crush Lip & Cheek Stain on both!

8. Favorite pair of shoes:

Yellow platform sandals from Aerosoles, because they’re comfortable and make me feel like I’m six feet tall

9. Hobbies:

Blogging, knitting (although I’m not very good at it), photography, collecting old books and baking

10. Weekly goals:

To make it to my first class on time, to watch my food portions, to go to bed early and to start a bunch of Excel tracking spreadsheets for writing projects

Your turn, homie! Just copy the empty list, and paste it with your answers in the comments.

Le list

Mood:
Weekend highlights:
Favorite TV show(s):
Outfit:
What I wore to the prom:
Something I’d like to learn:
Cheeks and lips:
Favorite pair of shoes:
Hobbies:
Weekly goals:

Shall we get this party started? 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Cleans computer keyboards *and* hair

Did you know that canned air dusters (ya know, the ones with the skinny straw) also work to keep dreads and cornrows flake-free?

I now pronounce you man and wife… Now pass the fire sauce!

Forget the expensive wedding planner. To cut costs couples are tying their knots at Taco Bell.

Here, kitty, kitty

Are you excited about the upcoming MAC Hello Kitty collection? Don’t the Lipglasses look cute?

Your love is like a heat wave…

This year Motown, the record label behind some of the most awesome girl groups of all time (Martha and the Vandellas, The Marvelettes, etc.), turns 50! Now you, too, can get that classic Motown girl group look, but I have to warn you — it involves LOTS of hair spray.

Tabs: Sean Jean of the cat world

Besides chasing butterflies, Tabs the cat spends hours each day working on his new fashion line. If you look closely, you can spot his logo on this guy’s coat. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Happy Saturday!