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I was thinking about how last summer, when we went camping, I ran into a nice lady in the women’s bathroom who was the most stylish person I’ve ever seen at a campground. Her hair was up but neat, she had on what looked like minimal makeup (base, blush, brows, bronzer, liner, mascara and gloss), and her clothes didn’t have a speck of dirt on them—and she was wearing a white shirt! I couldn’t get over how one could be so cute and clean while camping!

Anyway, this got me thinking about what beauty minimalists and maximalists wear when having outdoor adventures. The most I’ll do these days is tinted sunscreen, brow pencil, mascara and gloss. If I’m really paring back, then any ol’ sunscreen will do.

Oh, and the hair? Forget about styling it. I’ll brush it and put it into a pony or a high bun, and hope that it doesn’t look too crazy.

Or, I’ll throw on a hat because truth be told I’m self-conscious about my hairline. It’s receded a bit since I hit my mid-40s, and I swear the wild white baby hairs make me look like I’m a crazy physics professor who mumbles to herself while walking to and from class. Eh, it is what it is.

Side note, I saw a video yesterday where a gal sprayed root cover-up spray on her scalp to hide the sparse bits on her hair line, and it looked really good from afar! If I tried it, though, I would probably sweat all the spray off and have dark black sweat running down the side of my face. Plus, I’m thinking it would look kinda weird to have the dark spots there with my salt and pepper hair.

Deep hair thoughts, I know!

What level of beauty do you do when you’re doing outdoorsy things? Do you wear makeup or style your hair like you usually do, or do you opt for a paired down version of your regular beauty routine? Or do you skip it all together?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Today is my last day of working from home for a while. I’m hoping I get to do it again soon! Although, I do have to say, going into the office does have one good thing, and that’s the ability to draw a very firm boundary between home and work life. My experience has been that when I work from home, both the two blur into each other a little too easily.

Have a great Tuesday!

Good morning and happy Caturday!

I know it’s only the first week of July, but it already feels like summer will be over soon — at least it does for our family’s calendar, which currently revolves around the school year schedule.

It’s weird, but I guess it’s because when I was in school back in the ‘90s, I remember summer feeling like it stretched out forever. Somewhere between July and early August was when it felt like the days were twice as long, but maybe that’s because I was a latchkey kid and spent most of my summer days holed up in the house, LOL!

Raise your hand if this was your summer experience growing up. I don’t think it was uncommon for the era.

Also, my parents didn’t really believe in extracurricular activities unless they involved playing the piano. If you had to pay for an activity or if said activity didn’t enhance your chances of getting into a good college, (according to the Filipino grapevine in the Bay Area during that time), forget it, ha ha ha!

I honestly don’t even remember how I spent my days during the summer. I think there was a lot of watching MTV and “Divorce Court” (remember that show?), reading magazines and calling friends on the phone.

Anyway, my point is, now summer feels like it goes by in a flash, and on my list of things to do today are buying new uniforms for Connor and searching for a water bottle for her that hopefully won’t get gross quickly and will not get lost (where do all the lost ones go, sigh).

How’s your summer been so far, by the way? I hope that it’s been good to you, and that you’re getting some time to do some things you want.

Speaking of summer, is it just me, or does it feel like social media puts pressure to “make the most of the summer” and “capture all the memories” and do “all the things?”

I keep seeing posts that say that you only get X amount of weeks per summer, and you only get X amount of childhood summers for your kids, so this is the time to make it the best you can. And then I see people doing “all the things,” and, I’m like, well, I guess that looks like fun, but does every weekend have to be some sort of epic Instagrammable adventure?

For example, yesterday Connor, El Hub and I hung out in our front yard and read for a couple hours in the shade while Marnie hung out with us. And then we drove to a nearby picnic spot, ate lunch, read some more and then hung out on the grass next to a pond. And then we got soft serve.

Yes, adventure is fun, but I also think some time spent where one can just be is nice, too.

Hope things on your end are good. What’s your plan for the day? Connor and El Hub are fishing right now, so I’m going to finish up some writing and then Marnie and I are going to do a little dog training.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Have a happy and safe Fourth of July, my friend!

What are you doing today? We’re headed out to a barbeque with family friends in a few, and then Connor and I will probably swing by the pool. It’s supposed to be a hot one here in Nor Cal today!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Last weekend Connor and I went on a raspberry picking adventure at a u-pick farm.

Have you ever visited a u-pick farm? There’s quite a few up here, and there a lot of fun, especially with kids.

At Boring Farms (yes, that’s the name), which is located about 30 minutes north of Marin county in the rural town of Sebastapol, you can pick as many raspberries off the vine as your heart desires!

Here’s how it works. You first make an online reservation and pay for a parking pass. Then on the day of your adventure, you arrive at a designated time before 12.

Before you enter the farm, you receive a short lesson from Rachel, the owner, on how to pick raspberries and where to pick them, and which of the different species has more thorns or less. We stuck to the areas with the minimal thorns!

How to eat raspberries properly

Rachel the owner says you’re supposed to use your tongue to push the raspberry up against the roof of your mouth to break it open. That way you get maximum flavor and minimum seeds in between your teeth. Who knew?

Another thing I learned from Rachel is that it’s wise to wear boots that cover your ankles when you’re raspberry picking. I had on cropped jeans and no-show socks, and my ankles kept getting poked by the plants.

Anyway, you then get a box to fill up with an many berries as you want. When you’re done, you pay for them by the pound.

Oh, at the register there’s also raspberry snacks available, including raspberry lemonade and raspberry popsicles. Connor opted for chocolate covered raspberry popsicle option.

If you want, you can bring in a picnic lunch and enjoy it by the pond, and then you can visit with the cows that live on the property.

One last thing—wear a hat because there isn’t a lot of shade in the picking area. Also, maybe think about taking your allergy meds beforehand, or bring them with you. I had a massive allergy attack that day and was basically out of commission once we got home. Eek! Still, it’s a fun thing to do if you’re ever up in Sonoma county and want to be outdoors.

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. Summer or winter?

For the record fall is where it’s at, LOL! But if I had to choose between the two, I’d go with summer.

2. Lipstick or lip oil?

Lipstick baby.

3. One of your talents?

I have the knack for organizing large amounts of information down into snack sized bites.

4. Your favorite work lunch?

At TJ’s there’s a spring roll with shrimp and peanut dip that’s tasty and easy to eat. Side note, when I’m in a hurry to scarf my lunch down, the last thing I wanna eat is a big bowl of salad. Too time consuming with all that chewing! Anywho, if they don’t have the shrimp spring roll available, the tofu one is good too.

5. Something that makes you feel peaceful?

Right now it’s when my immediate family is all sleeping under one roof together. I know Connor’s childhood and teenage years will go by fast, and soon enough she’ll spread her wings. I truly cherish the sense of peace I have when I know that she’s safe and sleeping in her bed at night.

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. Summer or winter?
2. Lipstick or lip oil?
3. One of your talents?
4. Your favorite work lunch?
5. Something that makes you feel peaceful?