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Merry Christmas, my sweet friend! 🎄❤️🎅 I hope your tummy is filled with yummy Christmas goodies, and I hope you feel warm, safe and loved. If you’re flying solo this year, please let us extend a virtual holiday hug to you, and please know there’s someone out there thinking good thoughts for you on Christmas day. You’re not alone. Connor, Rosie-Pose and I send you best wishes and hopes from the little town of Novato.

This has been quite a year, hasn’t it? Again. I don’t know about you, but all of this “keep on keepin’ on” has taken a toll, and I’m all over the feelings circle this year!

I’ve felt sadness, despair, exhaustion, heartbreak and SO MUCH worry, but I’ve also felt joy, relief and hope, especially during this holiday season. I appreciate the basics more than ever before — health, security, love, having a roof over my head and food in my tum. Everything else, to quote Tabs the cat (miss you, buddy), is “Just gravy.” 2021 has been deeply humbling.

Thank you for always giving me a reason to smile every time you visit. 😊 Ever since I started this blog in — wait for it — 2007 (!), thank you for sharing your stories, your beauty recommendations, your hopes, your fears, your congratulations, your time and your wonderful company. Most of all, thank you for simply being a nice person on the internet, which seems to have become something of a rarity these days.

But not here. Not ever here. I can honestly say that my experience blogging every single day going on almost 15 years has not been the nasty, petty, hurtful, negative online experience we hear and see so much about nowadays. After 14,372 blog posts — yes, that’s right — I still love it because of you.

I’m so grateful for you and for the connection we’ve made online.

Have a restful and joyful Christmas, my friend. May your day be merry and bright. Happy holidays.

Sending so much love! ❤️

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

OK, I’ve finally figured out what we’re doing for Christmas Eve dinner… We’re ordering sushi! 😃 But if that doesn’t pan out, then Thai food, and if that’s a no-go because they’re too busy, then I’m chucking frozen pizzas in the oven and some gluten-free chicken nuggets. 👍

You see, this is the new “Pandemic-Times Karen,” and I’m not even cranky about it. 🙄

One thing these past couple years has taught me is to appreciate downtime, because pre-Covid Karen would have pushed and pushed and pushed…to wrap all the presents, cook dinner and dessert from scratch, and decorate the house from top to bottom, but Pandemic-Times Karen plans to roll with the punches and enjoy the time with my family. I’m not even gonna stress about any of it. No matter what, there will be something special to eat, because eating something special over the holidays is a big deal for our family, but just because I didn’t plan an elaborate menu and make something myself doesn’t make it any less special.

As for today? I’m doing the last of the wrapping…and I’ll also be doing some beauty-related maintenance while I’m relaxing. TMI, but what else is new? It’s been a while since I’ve waxed my upper lip, so I’m gonna grab my Bliss wax in the blue cup and take care of that.

It’s kind of amazing how upper lip hair just sneaks up on you, isn’t it? Before I know it, I’ve got a full-on Disney villain mustache.

I’m also going to put on a hair mask while I wrap presents and maybe paint my nails, too.

Oh, one last thing before I roll — you’ve probably been hearing Christmas music all over the place, but in case you need a little break from it, here’s what I’ve been listening to…

1. “Dynamite,” by BTS

Warning: after you listen to this song, you may have it on repeat for a few days.

2. “Look Up,” by Joy Oladokun

One of the dance teams at Connor’s holiday dance recital performed to this song, and I totally teared up!

3. “Day Ones,” by Tobe Nwigwe

I’ve been listening to this song first thing in the morning all week long. I found it through a great Apple TV+ show called “Swagger” (it’s about a group of teens in a recreational basketball league),and the song is the intro.

Have a great rest of your Christmas Eve!!! If I don’t see you tomorrow, please have a very merry Christmas and happy holidays! Talk to you soon. Love you and miss you. 😊

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

You know those dollar bins that greet you right as you walk into Target? Right by the carts and hand sanitizer? It’s the place to be if you want to get sucked into buying ALL THE THINGS you never knew you needed. Case in pint, this “Shitt’s Creek” 2022 calendar!

I’m old school in that I like to write my project due dates onto a physical calendar; things sink in more when I put a pen to paper for some reason.

Anyway, it’s a shout-out to one of my favorite feel-good shows (I’ve watched the entire series twice), and possibly the best thing I bought at Target all year!

Each page has a scene from the show and a funny quote. This one’s my favorite…

Last night, I accidentally fell into a rabbit hole that involves — wait for it! — cat DNA testing. You read that correctly.

Did you know that such a thing existed? I had no idea.

Anyway, you swab your cat’s mouth (can you imagine?) and then send the saliva to a lab. They’ll then run several DNA tests so you can discover genetic info about your kitty friend’s lineage and whatnot.

The reason why I ended up even contemplating this is because of the Lynx tips on Rosie’s ears. I’ve always wondered where they came from.

I have a sneaking suspicion that Rosie would claw my eyes out if I tried to swab the inside of her cheek for the purposes of deoxyribonucleic acid testing, so I probably won’t do it, but FYI, the technology exists, and it’s out there!

OK, so I can sneak in some beauty things into our chat today, FYI, if you’re a dry shampoo enthusiast, you might want to see if your go-to is on this list as the FDA recently recalled several drugstore dry shampoos. Please check your stash ASAP!

I haven’t used dry shampoo in years because I now wash my hair every day; I can no longer handle feeling a thick layer of sweat after I work out on my scalp. Are you an every day hair washer, too?

Another beauty-related item: raise your paw if your face has skin been exceptionally dry! I’ve resorted to slathering CeraVe healing ointment all over my lips and around the bottom half of my face at night before I go to bed.

I can’t remember where I read or saw this, but when you sleep your skin loses a lot of water, and applying a thick, protective product like CeraVe Healing ointment helps. I’ve been doing this for the past two weeks for the past few nights, and my skin, especially at the corners of my mouth, seems to be less crabby.

The process, by the way, is called slugging, and you can do it with any thick, occlusive product like Vaseline.

How’s it going on your end of the keyboard? Two more sleeps until, Christmas, woo hoo!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

How to play

Pick one or the other for each of the questions below, and copy/paste your answers in the comments. Can’t wait to see your picks! Mine are down below.

This or That: The Holiday Edition, 2021!

• Ugly Christmas sweater or matching family PJs?
• Santa hat or reindeer headband?
• Candy cane or hot chocolate?
• Glittery gold nail polish or glittery silver nail polish?
• Fresh or faux Christmas tree?
• Pick one beauty gift set: skin care sampler or fragrance coffret?
• Matte red lipstick or shiny red lip oil?
• With snow or without?
• White lights or colorful lights?
• “Die Hard” — a Christmas movie or a straight up action flick?
• Pick one beauty gift: limited edition eyeshadow palette or a set of mini lipsticks?
• Perfume as a gift: yes or no?
• Caroling or sledding?

Ugly Christmas sweater or matching family PJs?

Ugly Christmas sweater — a non-itchy one (because itchy sweaters are the worst) that doesn’t shed all over the place.

Santa hat or reindeer headband?

Santa hat! I like the casual vibe.

Candy cane or hot chocolate?

Hot chocolate, yum!

Glittery gold nail polish or glitter silver nail polish?

Glittery gold nail polish, in a shade of gold that isn’t too warm or yellow, please.

Fresh or faux Christmas tree?

Fresh!

Pick one beauty gift set: skin care sampler or fragrance coffret?

Oooh, tough. I’m going to go with fragrance coffret for now, but ask me again in 10 minutes, ha!

Matte red lipstick or shiny red lip oil?

Shiny red lip oil. My lips have been crazy dry lately.

With snow or without?

If it was just me, then without. I’d rather be somewhere warm, like Hawaii, for the holidays. Connor loves snow though, so while she’s still small, I’ll go with snow.

White lights or colorful lights?

White warm lights that don’t twinkle (it drives me nuts when strands of lights blink on and off at different rates).

“Die Hard” — a Christmas movie or a straight up action flick?

Christmas movie, all the way!

Pick one beauty gift: limited edition eyeshadow palette or a set of mini liquid blushes?

Let’s go with the blush.

Perfume as a gift: yes or no?

This really is tricky, because perfume is so personal. I’d say yes, but only if it was someone I knew very well.

Caroling or sledding?

You know, I’ve actually never gone caroling, so I’ll pick that.

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 beauty topic that you’ve been interested in lately?

Niche perfumes! I love the idea of finding scents that are a little off the beaten path. I kinda stumbled into it through work because I’ve been reading a lot of perfume reviews to feed my brain different ways to describe scents. If you happen to be into niche fragrances, please let me know your favorites. I’d love to hear about them.

2. The name of a new product you’ve tried recently?

Last week I took my new bottle of Avene RetrinAL 0.1 Intensive Cream for a spin, and WHOA. I was not ready for the level of exfoliation. I sometimes forget that I need to ease myself into these things, ya know?

3. Have you ever had really long nails?

Yeah, I had long, natural nails up into my mid-30s. They were fun to paint but a pain to keep up.

4. Speaking of nails, red nail polish or blue nail polish?

Blue nail polish! Dark blue, with a shiny finish please. Yes, I’m still thinking about that Chanel nail polish.

5. Big hoops or little hoops?

In non-pandemic times when I didn’t have to wear a mask, big hoops. Currently little hoops, because I just can’t deal with too many things getting in the way of my mask. Between earrings, my glasses, my hair — it’s just too much!

6. What did you have for dinner last night?

A Cesar salad and a hunk of rosemary focaccia bread thanks to Trader Joe’s. Lately I’ve been really crabby about cooking and the salad kits at TJ’s have been saving my life.

7. Hot chocolate with or without marshmallows?

With tiny little marshmallows, please.

8. Where’s the farthest place you traveled this year?

Oahu last summer. It had been a while since we’ve visited El Hub’s side of the family.

9. Gold, silver or bronze eyeshadow?

I’ll take bronzer, please.

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 beauty topic that you’ve been interested in lately?
2. The name of a new product you’ve tried recently?
3. Have you ever had really long nails?
4. Speaking of nails, red nail polish or blue nail polish?
5. Big hoops or little hoops
6. What did you have for dinner last night?
7. Hot chocolate with or without marshmallows?
8. Where’s the farthest place you traveled this year?
9. Gold, silver or bronze eyeshadow?

P.P.S. Hello, my friend! How’s your Monday going so far? I hope something unexpectedly cool happens to you today! 🤗

Clearly, my aloe plant is one of those souls that’s been able to kick butt during these pandemic times. Check her out. She is thriving! 🏆

Side note: I’m removing one of the leaves and using it to moisturize my cuticles tonight. ✔️

Awkward segue, but you know what I just realized today?? I haven’t given a single thought to the food situation ’round these parts for Christmas Eve. Like, I’m normally all about planning every single food-related detail weeks ahead of time, sometimes months, because I get very excited about eating all teh things at Christmas.

Seriously, it’s such a big part of Filipino culture — good food with family to celebrate the holiday, and there are quite a few dishes you only eat on special occasions — but I haven’t given any thought to it yet. Don’t have any idea what I’m gonna make or bring when we go see my family in the East Bay later this month.

I mean, hopefully, depending on the state of the world next week… 😞

Like they have for most people, the last couple years have changed me PROFOUNDLY. I used to be almost an obsessive planner, but now I’m so hesitant to make plans at all because part of me thinks, “Oh, we’ll have to change plans at the last minute anyway, so why bother planning at all? I’ll just wing it.”

I’m of the mind that things will either be great or terrible, but either way, it’s fine! LOL. Strange days. Strange days indeed…

I wasn’t really a big fan of improvising holiday plans in the “before times,” because planning gave me a sense of control, but now I’m just like Elsa. I let it go. 😂

Seriously, I’m thinking about baking chocolate-chip cookies for Christmas, making homemade pizzas at home and calling it a day. I think that might make me happy! In the end, I know it’ll be fine as long as there’s something a little special at the meal, and chocolate-chip cookies from scratch are always special.

This week’s reading

• If you want glowing skin, Rihanna’s makeup artist recommends pairing concealer with a skin tint. Side note: I totally agree!
• Just in case you’re looking for a last-minute fragrance gift for a teenager!
• Looking for nail art inspiration? Here are 45 ideas.
• Speaking of nail art…
• Reese Witherspoon hearts ❤️ Biossance.
• I just can’t with TikTok beauty trends… I JUST CAN’T.
• Happy reunions with cats? Yes, please.
• Cats and dogs have facial expressions, and we’re only just starting to understand them.

Love this look

I’m low-key obsessed with Marisa.

I don’t really know what’s going on here, but I love it.

Mood music

Trying this…

Feeling festive

What are you up to today? I have some last-minute Christmas shopping left to do, along with some last-minute Christmas returns. You know how when you go shopping, and you don’t plan on getting anything for yourself, but then you buy all of these random “just for me gifts” because you’re out of your mind? And then when you get home, you’re like, “Wait, what was I thinking?”

Yeah, that’s my life right now.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen