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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. ?

Welcome to the “Pick One” edition of the Monday Poll!

1. Pick one:

• Let met put on some pants.
• Let me take off these pants.
• What the heck are pants?

Me: What the heck are pants?

2. I am more likely to survive…

• Going to Target.
• Going to battle in Thunderdome.
• Honestly, neither.

Thunderdome. It would easier to deal with than Target. HA HA HA!

3. During a global pandemic, I will most likely be baking…

• Lemon bars.
• Chocolate chip cookies.
• Sh*t pies to serve to all my enemies.

Chocolate chip cookies, please!

4. When I put false lashes on myself it looks…

• Pretty darn great.
• Like a mutant spider is about to bite my face.

Well, it’s been a while, so I’ll take the mutant spider for $100, Alex. 🙂

5. I left the house today…

• Without wearing a real bra.
• Without my purse.
• Without my mind.
• With a cat in a baby stroller.

I left the house today without a real bra or my mind, but I wish I’d left with a cat in a baby stroller instead!

6. Item most likely to be found in my bra…

• Popcorn.
• M&Ms.
• Cookie crumbs.

Popcorn — specifically kettle corn by Orville Redenbacher!

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. Pick on: Let me put on some pants, let me take off these pants, what the heck are pants?
2. Target, Thunderdome, or neither?
3. During a global pandemic, I will most likely be baking: lemon bars, chocolate chip cookies, or sh*t pies to serve to all my enemies?
4. When I put false lashes on myself it looks: pretty darn great, or like a mutant spider is about to bite my face.
5. I left the house today: without a bra, without my purse, without my mind, or with a cat in a baby stroller.
6. Item most likely to be found in my bra: popcorn, M&MS, cookie crumbs.

P.P.S. Good morning! ?

Kitty toe beans before breakfast? YES, PLEASE. It’s Caturday, after all, and Rosie’s pretty pink torbie toe beans are putting some spring ??? in my step.

I’m about to load up on allergy meds because El Hub and I are going to attempt to do some yard work. We’re in the beginning stages of a DIY front yard makeover, and I know this much about it: there will be no planting of yummy and delicious foliage, because the last time El Hub attempted a yard makeover, he planted pansies, and the neighborhood deer family treated our front yard like it was a drive-through buffet!

Which leads me to this question for the gardeners out there: what do you think about hydrangeas? Are there are any cat-safe and deer-resistant varieties?

I really like how they look, but I don’t have any experience growing them. Any info you can share is much appreciated!

Well, I better go don my grubby gardening clothes now. Time to get my hands into some dirt! Here’s your Saturday Surfing reading for the week. ??‍?

• “I got addicted, used to seeing my face with contour.” <--------- Lizzo said this recently about how being addicted to makeup shifted her perception of herself based on what she always saw in the mirror. I know this feeling all too well, which is partly why I hardly ever wear false lashes and sculpt my nose and cheekbones these days.
• Be on the lookout for hairy, drunk neighbors bearing baked goods (yes, you just read that), because Americans are purchasing fewer shaving and beauty products during the shelter-in-place orders, and loading up on baking supplies and (surprise!) alcohol.
• I’m happy and thankful that people are taking the shelter-in-place seriously (it was recently extended through May in this part of California), but I also REALLY miss things from our pre-March life…like popping into Sephora to spray a new perfume on my wrist, and restaurant food, and… I could go on.

  Anyway, here’s a deep dive into one of my favorite fragrance lines with Maison Francis Kurkdjian…and when we finally all go back to our new version of Back to Real Life 2.0, try to hunt down Maison Francis Kurkdijian Femin Pluriel and give it a sniff. It’s my favorite.

• Psychologists break down how to stop biting and licking your lips, a habit otherwise known as a body-focused repetitive behavior (or BFRB) — any self-imposed action that causes damage to the skin, hair or nails.
• Artificial intelligence is being used in the perfume world now and, FYI, we’re about two shakes away from entering the Matrix, Neo! OK…maybe not, but it *is* fascinating to me that a machine — which has no sense of smell or memories linked to scent — can combine fragrance notes in ways that we as humans would arguably never dream of putting together. ?❤️
• Here’s a look at Marilyn Monroe’s skin routine prescribed by Hungarian dermatologist Dr. Erno Laszlo. (Psst… It involved an oil cleanse.)
• If you’re a front-line worker or know one who could use this info, please pass it along: How to Care for Your Skin If You Wear PPE at Work, According to Dermatologists.
• In a surprise to absolutely no one, cats are sabotaging Zoom calls by demanding chin scratches, food and attention. ?
• Feeling like a motivated cat lady today? Why not crochet a tiny couch for your best feline friend?!
• For the beauty lover who has everything: a Chanel USB flash drive in the shape of a Rouge Coco Flash lipstick.

Me and Connor in 20 years.

For my birthday this year, I’m gonna ask El Hub to make one of these for Rosie.

Why was watching this so satisfying?

I love Monika’s makeup style.

Been doing this guided breath work meditation first thing in the morning all week long.

Got any socially distanced plans for today?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

1. Clinique Chubby Stick Shadow Tint for Eyes

I’ve been crabby lately.

I’m sure I’m not the only one, but I’m frustrated, and I’ve cried on more than one occasion.

I also haven’t really been totally jazzed about wearing tons o’ makeup, particularly over the past few days, but I have felt the urge one or two times, and this has been the only eyeshadow I can handle.

The Chubby Sticks are semi-sheer creams you can blend with your fingers (or a brush), and they’re precious gems when it comes to 10-minute makeup. I have them in a number of shades, but I definitely wear Portly Plum and Ample Amber the most.

2. Modern Love, on Amazon Prime Video

The biggest downside to this series is that there’s only one season! I think it’s so ridiculously well-written, authentic and poignant. I can’t even explain… It’s one of the best-written shows I’ve ever seen. The stories are based on the Modern Love column from The New York Times. Each self-contained episode thoughtfully explores many kinds and facets of love, from what it means to love, and to be loved.

Each episode is touching, but totally not in a corny and predictable rom-com sense, and the entire season is a work of art! If you’re a wimp like me and can’t currently handle shows with violent story lines, please give it a watch. Highly recommended.

3. Banza Pasta

Of all the gluten-free pastas I’ve tried (can’t believe I just typed that), the vast majority of which taste like stinky feet, Banza is among the best. It’s made from chickpeas (very high in protein!), but I can’t really taste any background chickpea “flavor.” The texture’s also very close to traditional glutinous pasta. I’ve served it to people without them knowing it was gluten-free, and no one has even noticed before.

I like the spirals, shells and linguine the best because they don’t fall apart, even a little. I’m not a big fan of the spaghetti, however, because it breaks apart too easily after it’s cooked.

Most of the pasta shapes recommend an 8-10 minute cook time, but I usually do 7 minutes, because anything more than that and it’s way too squishy. (I like my pasta al dente.)

4. The reporter who went live on air with no pants

For real, though, he only did what the rest of us are doing. #teamnopants all day, every day.

5. This trick to measuring out ingredients on the scale

I will do anything to avoid washing YET ANOTHER DISH, so this little trick has me shook. Say you want to measure out a tablespoon of peanut butter (16g) for a snack. All you do is pop your jar of peanut butter on the scale, hit “tare” to zero it out, and then remove however much peanut butter you want to use directly from the jar. The scale will show you how much you used. (See the negative sign in front of number 16?)

Mind blown!

This saves me from putting a clean plate or bowl on the scale just to measure out ingredients.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Someday, folks will tell tales of a time when going to Target was, like…fun. They’ll gather around campfires, and I’ll tell the story of how the newborn cowolf and I would go to Target every day to stretch our legs, get out in the world and see people. There were so many “hellos!” from smiling strangers ? on those trips. So many kisses blown to the baby. ?

Yeah…none of that happened on my last visit.

I left the store shaking. I saw so much rudeness and uncool behavior inside, like people pulling off their masks while shopping, others darting in front of people to grab products from shelves, and people barking at employees for trying to enforce the 6-foot radius. Sometimes I wonder if we’ll ever go back to life as we knew it, and how different will the next new normal be? Will we need annual vaccines? Will children on playgrounds two years from now still be wearing masks?

I find myself wondering why, back in the day (two months ago), I never realized how sweet and carefree it was to just wander around a store…

A few good things did result from my last Target “adventure,” like, I was finally able to pick up some staples we’ve been out of (hello, Banza gluten-free pasta! Have we talked about this delicious stuff yet?), and I was also able to browse beauty products in person for the first time in a looooong time.

First thing I grabbed was a bottle of Aveeno Stress Relief Lotion to go with my Stress Relief Body Wash…

Although, at this point in the quarantine, you’ll probably need to dip me in a vat of this stuff and leave me there for a few weeks to even marginally decrease my stress level, ha ha ha!

Also, on a whim I grabbed Pantene Miracle Moisture Boost with Rose Water Shampoo and Conditioner, partly because I liked the rosy scent, and partly because I’ve been wanting a dedicated shampoo-and-conditioner set for frizzy hair. More and more of my grays are coming through every day, and they look like rebellious ramen noodles! Anywho, there’s a boxed set that comes with both the shampoo and conditioner for $12.99, which saves a buck over buying them separately.

I’ve used them twice and so and totally love ’em. My hair looks smoother, and it doesn’t feel weighed down. And I like these enough to want to try some other things from the line, like the silicone-free shampoo and conditioner.

Let’s see, what else? Oh, yeah, the last industrial-sized bottle of nail polish remover on the shelf made its way into my cart, as did this package of rainbow glitter clips by Scunci…

I got it as a surprise for Coycoy. We’ve been experimenting with different hairstyles, and she loves wearing lots of clips neatly in a row.

That’s all the Target haulin’ I’ve done lately, and it may be all the Target haulin’ I do for the next month. We’ll see… Marin County just extended our shelter-in-place order until June 1st.

Hope you’re hanging in there, my friend. Sending virtual hugs. ?

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 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. ?

Welcome to the Quarantine Edition of the Monday Poll!

1. Are you an essential worker?

In the larger scheme of the pandemic, no. But here at home I’m essential, since someone needs to remember to feed all the coworkers! I’m also the main person preventing the youngest human child from going totally and completely feral.

2. How many drinks have you had since the quarantine started?

I’ve had a couple of hard apple ciders with dinner, but I may or may not be *this close* to day-drinking on the daily now.

3. If you have pets/children/other dependents, are they driving you bonkers?

Not quite yet (but close!). Rosie has taken to shredding the painted kitchen doorjamb with her claws, but that’s about it. Connor has been pretty easygoing as long as we stick to our daily schedule. If we deviate from it, though, all bets are off!

4. Have you picked up any new hobbies?

Does trying to contact a real live human being at the unemployment office count?

5. Any special occasions you’ve missed (or will miss) during the quarantine?

A couple trips and events have been postponed. My dad also turned 70 this past weekend, so we packed up the 4Runner with our camping chairs, camp table, snacks and drinks, and a portable 5-gallon toilet bucket, and celebrated by driving out to their house in the East Bay for a social distancing backyard birthday party. There were no hugs exchanged, unfortunately, but we got to chat, sing Happy Birthday, and explore their beautiful backyard (they have so many fruit trees!).

6. What’s your quarantine meal?

All the baked things… It’s funny, I bake more now than I did when I was working at the bakery.

Sunday funday

We’ve been going a little stir crazy lately, so we took to the great outdoors yesterday to get some of our wiggles out at one of our favorite hiking spots in Novato, Mt. Burdell. It borders miles and miles of open space, and it’s pretty remote as far as local hiking goes.

We came across a handful of other people, and when we did, everyone was good about staying at least six feet apart, unlike at Target the other day, which was basically a sh*t-show. When I left the store, I was shaking from the stress and shock at the rudeness I saw in the store. Another pandemic adventure in the books!

Needless to say, I really needed to clear my head and get out of the house for a while, so we hiked, sat in some trees and watched some local wildlife, which included watching a group of cows shading themselves near a creek, passing a couple of horses on the trail, watching a jackrabbit dashing down the hillside and a pair of deer bounding across a field of tall grass. Also a turkey vulture took flight almost directly over our heads, and IT WAS HUGE.

And the colors! The wildflowers are blooming right now, and the grass is still green from the winter and spring rains, so the hills are dotted with bright orange, yellow and purple. It looks like a scene from the opening credits of The Sound of Music.

If it weren’t for my allergies (achoo!) and ticks and snakes, I’d spin around the hillside every morning.

Have a nice Monday, friend. I hope something good happens to you soon.

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. Are you an essential worker?
2. How many drinks have you had since the quarantine started?
3. If you have pets/children/other dependents, are they driving you bonkers?
4. Have you picked up any new hobbies?
5. Any special occasions you’ve missed (or will miss) during the quarantine?
6. What’s your quarantine meal?