Just For Fun

Hey there, friend. How’s it going? My week has been cray-cray. Yet despite this, I’ve somehow still managed to hit up the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. LOL!

Ya know, I didn’t really buy anything beauty related. I spent my lunch money on rebuilding my closet! I did a serious purge a while back and since then have been saving up for wardrobe basics. I bought tops in neutral colors (including this white lace top), jackets (a black blazer and a denim moto) and some bralettes. The sale’s still going on, so if you find something you like, grab it before July 31, which is when it ends.

Anywho, did you know that when you buy online from the Nordstrom website, you can have your items shipped to a Nordstrom Rack (which is Nordstrom’s chain of “discount” sister stores)? Oh, and did you also know you can return items you buy at Nordstrom to Nordstrom Rack? I only realized this recently.

The advantage of this is that if you live far from a Nordstrom store but close to a Nordstrom Rack (there’s one in my town about 10 minutes away from my house), it allows you to make Nordstrom online purchases and returns easily. This is both wonderful and dangerous for me!

While I was at Nordstrom Rack yesterday to pick up my Anniversary Sale loot, I came across a display for recycling beauty products. Nordstrom now has a program called Nordstrom BEAUTYCYCLE, and they accept several different types of beauty packaging for recycling. Very cool!

Let’s see, what else has been going on? I’ve been making a yummy, quick dish for dinner lately — Thai basil shrimp. I got the idea from this recipe I found on Laura in the Kitchen. The original recipe calls for chicken but I just swap it out for shrimp. I also substitute the chili for bell pepper because I don’t like a lot of heat.

I love this meal because it’s fast! If I start making rice right before prepping all the ingredients, I can get an entire meal done in about 30 minutes.

One thing of note: shrimp cooks faster than chicken, so I adjust the time down to avoid overcooking the shrimp. Also, since we eat gluten-free food at our house because of El Hub’s wheat allergy, I use gluten-free soy sauce, oyster sauce and fish sauce, which I buy at Whole Foods.

Before I go, this little habit has been saving me lately! I set alarms all throughout my day to remind me to stop and take 10 deep breaths. I’ve been feeling overwhelmed lately and taking the time to breathe and reset definitely helps maintain my sanity.

Anywho, miss ya. Hope things on your end of the keyboard are steady and calm.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

One of the things I still do when the credits roll at the end of a movie, especially when there’s ’60s-style makeup!

I do this All. The. Time.

Maybe that’s because I’m watching movies all the time, LOL!

It’s easier with older movies that run the credits in the beginning of the movie because you kind of have to sit there anyway. I did it the other day with a movie on Netflix I’ve been meaning to watch called Valley of the Dolls.

I KNOW! So late to the party. I had an idea of what the makeup would be like — ya know, ’60s cut creases, all that good stuff — so when the credits were rolling in the beginning I looked for who did the makeup, and it was none other than Ben Nye. The same Ben Nye behind the famous Ben Nye Banana Powder.

If you haven’t seen this movie yet, watch it for the cut-crease action, if nothing else. It’s based on the bestselling book of the same name, and it follows three young women as they make their way through their 20s, and how each of them deals with fame, fortune, success and failure in a patriarchal world. Bottom line: there’s a lot of drugs.

The movie itself… I think it’s a little campy and OTT, but it was released in 1967, so it’s got that ’60s vibe. I love the styling and the fashion and the sets, and I LOVE the makeup, of course. Cut-crease action, winged liner, long lashes and orangey coral lips.

I dunno, but I think it just might inspire me to abandon my 15-minute minimal makeup phase… Who knows?

I’m curious, though. When you watch movies, do you ever check the credits to see who did the makeup? Inquiring minds want to know.

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. A food that you’ve been craving lately?

Toasted cinnamon raisin bagels and cream cheese! YUM. I buy the kind by Dave’s Killer Bread to get a little extra protein.

2. Where’s your calm and happy place?

Physically, my bed right before I fall asleep every night. Mentally, you can find me on Hideaways beach on Kauai.

3. Have you ever driven a boat?

Girl, no. I’m the last person you want driving anything motorized on a body of water, LOL! I’m too nervous behind the wheel.

4. How do you handle your regular routine being disrupted?

Honestly, not too well these days. After I got pregnant and had Connor I became a strict creature of habit; it’s the only way I’ve been able to get through all the stuff I need to get through on a daily basis. When even the smallest thing gets thrown into the mix, it’s a lot harder for me to handle the change than it was when I was younger.

5. Smudgy eyeliner: your thoughts?

It has its time and place. I do love how it’s more forgiving compared to a crisp line.

6. Are ponchos a good idea?

Yeah, sure, why not? I love a flowing poncho on occasion. Makes me feel like I’m wrapped up in a snuggly blanket!

7. What’s harder: applying concealer or applying blush?

Oh gosh, by far applying concealer. But blush can be hard, too – the blending part is no joke. I can’t just rush through it unless I want to end up with two circles on my cheeks.

8. What sunscreen are you wearing today?

Good ol’ Avene Solaire UV. A true hero!

9. Peptides: love ’em or leave ’em?

Meh. I’m undecided at the moment. I’ve yet to find a peptide-related product that rocks my world. (Side note: if you know of one, feel free to share it with the rest of us!)

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. A food that you’ve been craving lately?
2. Where’s your calm and happy place?
3. Have you ever driven a boat?
4. How do you handle your regular routine being disrupted?
5. Smudgy eyeliner: your thoughts?
6. Are ponchos a good idea?
7. What’s harder: applying concealer or applying blush?
8. What sunscreen are you wearing today?
9. Peptides: love ’em or leave ’em?

P.P.S. Good morning, friend. Happy Monday! I just wrote myself a reminder to take deep breaths throughout the day. Feel free to do the same for yourself! It really does help. 🤗

Happy Saturday, sweet girl. I hope you get the chance to rest and relax this weekend. Remember, it’s a good thing to slow down and recover. We all need it!

This week’s reading

• What’s the best-smelling street in New York?
• Did you know Prince had his own fragrance back in the day? Oh, and so did Burger King.
• Lots of skin care with peptides launched in July, apparently.
• Your complete guide to CO2 laser resurfacing (in case you were looking for one).
• Skin care deals from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale!
• The best sunscreens of 2022, according to Consumer Reports.

Smokey!

Talk to me, Doc.

Oui, oui.

What are you up to today? I’m going to get in a quick workout and then take Connor to the park.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

How goes it? I hope your lipgloss is sparkly and your base is behaving (I’m wearing Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua today, so I’m set). We’re back in the Bay, and it feels like I’m relearning my pre-Hawaii routine all over again. Is it just me, or is the transition from a vacation back to real life terribly jarring? The first few days back are rough!

Lots of stuff has been happening at work, so I’ve been dealing with that, but I just wanted to stop by and say a quick cheerio and hello, and to mention a few things…

1. “Persuasion” on Netflix

I watched this movie based on the Jane Austen book on the plane ride home. It stars Dakota Johnson as the main character, Anne Elliot. Side note: Is it just me or is Dakota’s voice always kinda whispery? I have a really hard time imagining her yelling.

Anywho, take mixed signals and marriage proposals, and then add a dash of listening to other people’s advice rather than your own heart, and you get this movie. I quite enjoyed it, although I do feel like the screenplay’s shoutouts to modern slang were a bit much for me.

2. Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream

I got a sample of this intensely hydrating face cream made with Japanese purple rice as a birthday gift perk from the Sephora Beauty Insider program. I have dry skin and it works great! A full-size 1.7-ounce jar is pricey at $69 (!), but if your skin is perennially parched and you’re on the hunt for a super-rich cream, you might want to try the travel-size 0.34-ounce jar, which is $20.

3. Urban Decay Scorch Eyeliner

I’ve been wearing it as an eyeshadow on my lids lately as an eyeshadow! It’s the purr-fect summery bronze shade.

How are things on your end?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen