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Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 629

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Along with exhibiting a growing interest in the kitty modeling arts, Rosie has been going through the company archives of Tabs the Cat Industries, LLC to study the work of the company’s founder and try to ascertain how he achieved kitty modeling greatness.

With Halloween approaching, she paw-selected the following seasonal ad campaigns featuring Tabs as her Halloween favorites, all of which were filed in the company database under “Fabulously Frightening.”

Rosie’s Sunday walk

Connor escorted Rosie on her morning walk today while she inspected the grounds and performed her cat calisthenics.

Tensions weren’t high this time, which was nice, because Harris was nowhere to be found.

Rosie was able to truly relax and recharge once she was confident Harris wasn’t around. It was great that she could do her stretches without having to constantly look over her shoulder.

Oh! — last night Rosie also worked late to help us decorate the company entrance with customary seasonal accoutrements. She’s really becoming a valued member of the Tabs the Cat Industries, LLC team.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Saturday Surfing, Oct. 17, 2020

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Eat cake for breakfast! This one is gluten-free chocolate chip cake with cinnamon sugar.

OK, totally shook. I had the weirdest dream last night… Well, technically, early this morning, because the ones I have just before I wake up are for some reason the strange ones.

(Good morning, by the way. Please feel free to help yourself to some chocolate chip cake for breakfast because that’s how we roll around here.)

Anyway, the dream included this dude…

keanu
Old-school Keanu

Otherwise known as my boyfriend, otherwise known as Keanu Reeves. In my dream he was the present-day bearded and long-haired John Wick-version of Keanu.

We were at a wine bar on a date, and it started off all cute and sweet, but things went south when Keanu proceeded to get totally and completely sh*t-faced, sloppy drunk.

I was not in the mood at all for nonsense and had no patience for his toddler-esque tomfoolery, but I still wanted to stay on the date and not go home quite yet, so in the stern “Mom Tone” usually reserved for bratty children, I said to our server, “I CANNOT DEAL WITH THIS MAN RIGHT NOW!” And then I parked his drunk @ss at a table with some random nerdy looking comic book dudes and went about my business of having a good time.

I found a chair in a quiet corner so I could enjoy my wine in peace, but then, naturally, because it was a weird dream, the wine bar morphed into a very crowded Filipino house party (WHAT THE WHAT?). Next thing you know, I was saying to some old classmates that I ran into, “Ya know how we skipped class that one afternoon to watch The Matrix? You’re never gonna guess who I’m here with right now.”

Someone then mentioned that I should check on poor drunk Keanu, and so I found him, still totally drunk. I told him I’d take care of him and offered to get him an aspirin, which I had in my little black backpack, and a glass of water.

(Apparently, even in my dreams I am also overly prepared at all times.)

But then…I COULDN’T FIND MY BACKPACK, which also had my phone, keys and wallet. And I started stressing about this big time.

At this point in the dream, I was in that in-between space where you can either fall back asleep or wake up, and because I didn’t want to deal with the anxiety of searching for my missing backpack in the dream, I actually woke myself up, hahaha! So sorry, dream Keanu! ?‍♀️


Bumping this while I bake today.


This is what I’m making, by the way.


I love it when her cat starts mewling in the background because WELCOME TO MY WORLD.


Just started doing this.


I’m so ready.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

How Many Years Have You Been Wearing Makeup?

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I started wearing purple eyeliner when I was a tween, and so when I crunch the numbers…WOWZA. Officially, for the makeup record, I have been wearing le face paint for more than 30 years (about 32, to be exact).

THIRTY YEARS.

That’s a lot of liner and lipstick, my friends. ?

How about you?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF.

This or That: Nail Polish Edition

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smith cult dark like me swatch
Gimme all the shiny, burgundy nails please! (This is Smith & Cult Dark Like Me, by the way.)

How to play

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

Copy and paste

  • Treat yo’ self! Do you get a fancy-schmancy spa manicure or a pedicure?
  • Short or long fingernails?
  • Base coat or top coat?
  • Regularly scheduled manicure maintenance: at-home or salon?
  • Glitter or cream finish?
  • Cuticles: cut ‘em or leave ‘em alone?
  • Faux press-on nails or nail polish stickers?
  • Nude nail polish or dark nail polish?
  • Over the top nail art: Y or N?

Treat yo’ self! Do you get a fancy-schmancy spa manicure or a pedicure?

Well, in the dream scenario, if I were really treating myself, I’d get both done, hahaha! And I’d be in a robe, and Keanu Reeves would be feeding me warm chocolate chip cookies…but if I had to pick just one, I’d go with pedicure, since it would last longer.

Short or long fingernails?

Short please! I cannot deal with the sound (or the feel) of my fingertips clack-clack-clacking on a keyboard. Also, I swear the second they get just a touch too long, I start obsessing over cutting my nails. I can’t think about anything else.

Keeping them short is also a practical thing. Nothing gets stuck underneath them when I cook, garden or play outside with Connor, and I don’t have to worry about them breaking.

Base coat or top coat?

Top coat, baby! Essie Gel Couture ALL. DAY. LONG.

Regularly scheduled manicure maintenance: at-home or salon?

At-home, even before pre-pandemic times, because I’m crazy picky about manicures, they’re easy for me to do at home, and woo-hoo! — I save a little money by doing ’em myself!

Glitter or cream finish?

I do love me some bling, but I’m going with cream since it’s easier to remove.

Cuticles: trim ’em or leave ’em alone?

Leave ’em alone!

Faux press-on nails or nail polish stickers?

Both have come a loooong way in the last few years, I gotta admit… I’ll go with the nail polish stickers.

Nude nail polish or dark nail polish?

It’s fall; let’s do the dark!

Over-the-top nail art: Y or N?

I think it looks really cool and would love to try it at least once, but no for now. No patience for the process. Plus, my kids (plural because one girl child, one lady cat!) would TRASH all that fancy artwork in a hot second, and that would break my heart.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen ?

5 Things I’ve Been Loving Lately

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5 things i've been loving lately

1. Bold-ish brows

OK, after months of wearing a chill, super relaxed brow look (and sometimes just skipping brow products entirely!), I’m back in the habit of doing a full brow again, and I had one of those “Why did I ever stop doing this?” moments.

When I put a little effort into my brows — extending the tail on my right brow and filling out the skinny spots (I’m talking to you, Raul!) — it’s kind of fantastic, and I feel like I can get away with less makeup.

Remember when Jeremy Renner said “Brows, Lashes, lips frame the face”? He really was the makeup prophet of our times…

By the way, I’ve been into an old-school UD product as of late, their Brow Beater pencil in Neutral Brown.

SO. GOOD.

It’s the one with a twist-up pencil on one side and a brow brush on the other. It’s harder than many pencils, and it stays put (the softer ones seem to disappear faster). It also looks natural because it has a perfect balance of pigment.

urban decay brow beater neutral brown
Good brow day! I’m wearing Urban Decay Brow Beater Pencil in Neutral Brown.

2. Chocolate sprinkles on toast

Thank you for educating me about Dutch hagelslag, otherwise known as “chocolate sprinkles on buttered toast,” otherwise known as “a delightful breakfast treat!” I bought a box of chocolate sprinkles at World Market a while back because the picture on the box was just so weird, and curiosity got the best of me.

Thanks to you, I now know that the secret to making this work is to lightly toast your bread, then butter it (Kerrygold salted butter is THE WAY), and then douse that mo-fo with all the chocolate sprinkles and then some.

Sounds and looks a little weird, but it’s really good.

Um…as you can see, someone couldn’t wait, LOL!

3. Name Bubbles

The Coywolf started her last year of in-person preschool last week (we’re a little nervous, but yeah), and every item she brings with her to school needs a label. I found these really cute ones from Name Bubbles. Shipping was fast, and the labels don’t come off in the wash.

Coycoy wanted whales because she’s been into animals lately…

name bubbles whales
These are handy!

4. Drooling over fall doorway decor…

What is it about fall door decor?! I have no interest in spring or summer entryways, but fall and winter? I’m like, dang! — PUT UP ALL THE CRAP.

fall door
Snazzy fall door decor by Pottery Barn

5. This Hawaiian-style chicken and coconut rice plate

OMG, this dinner. I made this a few weeks ago, and the family raved about it, so now it’s in our weekly rotation. It’s Hawaiian chicken (made it in my Instant Pot), coconut rice, Hawaiian-style mac salad (I almost wrote “MAC salad”) and Thai-inspired cucumber carrot salad. It’s got Asian flavors of pineapple, soy sauce (I used gluten-free Tamari because El Hub has Celiac) and coconut. Great blend of sweet and savory.

hawaiian chicken instant pot coconut rice
The new go-to dinner at our house

What have you been loving lately?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Product Spotlight: It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better Foundation + Skincare

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it cosmetics your skin but better foundation skin care 1
Well this is a gem!

This is GREAT stuff! I haven’t been this excited about a base product in eons. If you’re into a natural matte look and want a foundation that covers juuust enough, It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better Foundation + Skincare is so on the money.

OK, I get it. Everyone’s masked up, we’re in a pandemic, hardly anyone’s been wanting to wear makeup, myself included, but I’ve been falling back into my face painting groove lately, and part of the reason is because of this new foundation from It Cosmetics.

It handles basically every lighting and photography situation I’ve throw it. It makes my skin look dayum good, if I do say so myself, AND IT FEELS LIKE NOTHING ON MY FACE!

Here’s Tan Warm 42.5 in natural daytime light, without any powder or primer, with a 10-minute makeup look. The eyeshadow is the Urban Decay Born to Run Palette; the blush is Charlotte Tilbury Ecstasy; and the lipstick is NUDESTIX Mystic, in case you’re wondering.

Your Skin But Better Foundation + Skincare is a medium-coverage liquid foundation with a very natural looking matte finish. If you want enough coverage to even out areas of pigmentation and redness, along with some minor pore blurring, but you don’t need to hide everything and the kitchen sink, it’s perfect.

Lazy ladies who still lurve wearing makeup now, this one’s for you, because there’s no trickery required to get it to look nice. I do one pump, and then use my fingers to rub and work it in. Then I quickly blend with a skunk brush, and that’s it. You don’t need a primer underneath it or a powder to set it, either. Use it all by itself, and it stays put all day long (yup, even with a mask on).

For reference, I have combo skin. It’s dry on my cheeks and around my mouth, and oily on my forehead and my nose, and this foundation handles all of the various areas well.

I think it also looks good where I have “experience lines.”

it cosmetics your skin but better foundation skin care natural light blues
Here it is in indoor natural light.
it cosmetics your skin but better foundation skin care natural light green look
Here’s the foundation in outdoor natural light.

I will say that if you’re extremely oily, you’ll probably want to set it with a light dusting of powder. I wouldn’t go too heavy with it though because this foundation’s ability to look like real skin is its superpower, and using a whole mess of powder will just undermine that magic anyway.

Also, it’s super lightweight, which I probably should’ve said right at the beginning, LOL! The formula is on the thinner side, much like Dior Nudeskin Air, so it’s featherweight and feels like nothing, which is actually the reason I started wearing it. After months of barely wearing any base, I have absolutely no tolerance for face products that feel heavy, and this one feels like nothing at all.

It’s available now at Ulta in 40 colors (hello, Fenty effect) for $39.50 each for a 1-oz. glass bottle with a pump. Oh, and speaking of colors, I wear it in Tan Warm 42.5 (but will switch to Tan Warm 41 once my toasty summer tan disappears in month or two), and this is the first time I’ve ever been able to wear an It Cosmetics foundation without having to mix it with something else. Seems like they FINALLY figured out that not every “tan” or “medium” shade has to have a sh*t-ton of peach undertones, and both Tan Warm 42.5 and 41 are pretty good matches for warm skin with yellow undertones.
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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 647

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love notes to myself october 12 2020
Love notes to myself

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 five more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007). I love reading your answers, and it helps me get my week off to a good start. ?

    1. One piece of clothing you wear year after year?

    My black Zella leggings because they’re SOOOO COMFY, and comfy is my new M.O. I’m done — ABSOLUTELY DONE! — wearing uncomfortable clothes. The Zellas are super soft and keep me warm (but not too toasty). They also have enough compression to hold everything in without making me feel like a sausage about to burst. Most importantly, they don’t fall down.

    2. One piece of clothing you’d never wear?

    Uh… Hmm… The red latex costume Britney Spears wore in the Oops!… I Did It Again Video? The material doesn’t look like it breathes very well, and I’d probably pop the seams out while doing squats and such. LOL!

    3. A good book you’d recommend to a friend?

    Where the Crawdads Sing, by Delia Owens. I read it a while back, and it’s one of those books that sticks with you. I couldn’t put it down. Plus, the writing is gorgeous!

    4. Secret to hosting a good party?

    Letting go of that perfect picture you have in your head of how things will go, because when you accept that things will, in fact, not go as planned, it’s alllll gravy.

    Also…”adult beverages” help. HAHAHA!

    5. A beauty trend you don’t (or didn’t) understand?

    Full-on red eyeshadow/eyeliner without any browns or neutrals to ground the color. I mean, I totally get the look is artsy and edgy, but does anyone actually look good with it on?

    6. Favorite restaurant?

    The State Room Brewery in San Rafael, because their pizzas are bomb, and they have a separate gluten-free kitchen (El Hub has Celiac).

    7. One place you could happily visit for the rest of your life?

    Kauai! I love the small town feel of it, the beautiful hikes, the secluded beaches and waterfalls and monk seals and turtles and tropical birds and papaya, guava, mango, pineapple… AHHH!

    8. One beauty item you’ve been using a lot lately?

    I’ve been putting on a few drops of Fresh Kombucha Antioxidant Facial Treatment Essence every morning and evening after I wash my face, and my skin has been so happy. It’s not as dry and tight since I’ve been using it and seems smoother and more even-toned.

    9. What color (or colors) are most of your clothes?

    I wear a lot of black and gray, which I didn’t realize until I reorganized my shirts by color not long ago (I previously organized everything by sleeve length, so tank tops, tees, long sleeves, etc.). I’ve never been afraid of wearing colorful clothes, so this was kinda shocking to me… I must’ve blacked out or something while I was Konmari-ing my closet one day.

    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. One piece of clothing you wear year after year?
    2. One piece of clothing you’d never wear?
    3. A good book you’d recommend to a friend?
    4. Secret to hosting a good party?
    5. A beauty trend you don’t (or didn’t) understand?
    6. Favorite restaurant?
    7. One place you could happily visit for the rest of your life?
    8. One beauty item you’ve been using a lot lately?
    9. What color (or colors) are most of your clothes?

    P.P.S. Just a quick reminder that you’re doing great! Don’t ever forget that you are so, so loved. ?

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 628

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Tabs loved Halloween, as you know. We would get RSVPs to his annual Halloween party six months out, and I kept all of his Halloween treat and beverage recipes, like the following…

Shrimp Catnip Cocktails

Catnip Jello Parfait

Gravy Shooters

Rosie upping her modeling game

I’m shocked. Rosie’s been really upping her modeling game lately. As an academic, that girl can study, and she’s been watching endless tape of Tabs during the height of his runway career, picking up pointers and the nuances of kitty supermodeling. She told me that she has a PhD in biomechanics, which is probably why her muscle control is out of this world. When you understand the science behind the poses, you can really next level it. Or that’s what she tells me when she slow blinks.

I offered to leave the house free if Rosie wanted to throw a small get together with some of her kitty friends this Halloween, but I’ve yet to get a firm answer. She goes back and forth. She’s not quite the social butterfly like Tabs was, but I think she wants to spread her wings. We’ll see.

I’m stocking up on catnip essence and fresh catnip just in case she pulls a last-minute diva move at the witching hour and says, “Let’s throw a party!”

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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