Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup

Happy Caturday, my friend. You know that all is well in the world when you walk into a HomeGoods and see a plethora of cat lady mugs ??☕ on the shelves near the cash registers.

(This is an important signal.)

One could build an entire collection of kitty-themed mugs based solely on quick jaunts to HomeGoods. (Ha ha ha, is there even such a thing? I’m lucky if I get out of there in half an hour.)

I love the chonky kittehs on the “Catfinated” mug and the sweet Siamese posing betwixt the flowers, especially.

Today, I’m enjoying my morning brew from my trusty XXL kitty teacup, which was also a HomeGoods find, and catching up on my reading.

I’m smack-dab in the middle of reading Maida Heatter’s Brand New Book of Great Cookies (FEELING THIS SO HARD) and The Modern Cook’s Year, by Anna Jones (eh, kinda boring). I’m also listening to an audiobook of Michelle Obama’s autobiography, Becoming.

So many books, so little time.

By the way, for all my fellow chocolate-chip cookie fanatics, according to Maida Heatter, the key to making the perfect chocolate-chip cookie is doubling the vanilla, and using chocolate bars cut into pieces, instead of chips. Then, pop the batter in the fridge.

Who wants to make these cookies with me??

Before we start, here’s this weekend’s reading, and yay! — there were LOTS of cat stories in the news!

• Good news! Your cat may not totally hate you. A new study by animal behavior researchers suggests that cats may bond to their people, just like dogs and babies do.
• You know you’re a crazy cat lady dude when your cat is the best “man” at your wedding.
• Meet Dr. Leon, an attorney who also just so happens to be a cat! His duties include welcoming guests to the office, and, being cute. Oh, and you know he’s official because he has a name badge. ?‍?
• Estimates indicate that more than half of the indoor cats in the U.S. are overweight. While some kitties can self-regulate their food, most indoor cats need help keeping the pounds off.
• Kitties always find their way home — even plush toy kitties! Meet Plurna the cat, who went missing for 14 years but was recently found.
• The best makeup, hair and nails from Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2020, according to Allure.
• Artificial skin is a thing.
• Apparently, baby pink nail polish is back. (Um…am I the only one out there who didn’t know it left?)
• Will somebody please explain to me why these Barbies look like Kardashians…

Happy fall, y’all!

Doing this ASAP.

I’ve been watching time management vids all week long.

Note to self…

I’m all about the 10-minute makeup life.

Have a wonderful weekend! ?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Highs and lows. I got the idea for this post from a moms group meeting I went to this week. At the end of the meeting, everyone went around the table sharing their highs and lows for the week, and I liked the idea so much that I’m “borrowing” it for MBB — except this one has a beauty-related section.

My beauty highs

On the “high” front, I tried two braided hairstyles this week (tutorials linked below), and I like how they turned out. I think they looked more complicated than they actually were. In fact, thanks to the tutorials, they were pretty easy. No tricky or intense braiding, and I didn’t have to contort myself into weird positions, LOL!

This looks hard, but it’s surprisingly easy.

I did the first hairstyle in this series of three ‘dos.

Also, I re-discovered an oldie but goodie, NARS Lovejoy blush…

I picked up this rosy, plummy bronze while digging through a drawer of neglected products in my office, and I tried it with the MAC Woodwinked/Satin Taupe eyeshadow combo I’ve been into lately. Lovejoy looks really good IMO with purplish golden taupe eyeshadow.

My beauty lows…

UGH. I had a couple. Like, earlier this week, I poked my right eyeball with the tip of a mascara wand (Chanel Dimensions de Chanel, in case you were wondering), and that was NOT fun.

Yeah…it hurt for a day or so.

Also, I desperately need a haircut. The reason I’ve been wearing hair up and in braids is because it’s really uncomfortable to wear it down now. It’s past that point of no return where I should get it cut, but I’ve been too cheap and too lazy!

I have it on my calendar to get one in October, so we’ll see if it actually happens. You’ll know based on whether my hair is still in braids come Halloween, LOL!

Non-beauty highs…

I signed up for my first Spartan race!

What’s a Spartan race, you may ask? Well, it’s basically an intense obstacle course with lots of running, and from what I understand…they’re difficult.

The one I’m doing is a sprint, and it’s a shorter version of the longer courses. More importantly, there’s no mud involved. ?

Normally, with these obstacle course things, there’s mud involved, and I’m not having that. I don’t like mud in my bodily crevices or in my socks or in my shoes, but the one I’m doing is mud-free. ?

I’m doing it with a group of people from my HIIT class. They’ve been bugging me to join them on one of these for ages, so I’m joining their team.

Should be fun… I’m kind of at a point where I feel like I have a little extra oomph in the tank to train for something, so I’m excited about that.

And non-beauty lows…

The point of these “lows” sections isn’t to wallow in misery or obsess over the not-so-great things that have happened, but I think it’s helpful to look at recent events that were…less than ideal, to perhaps seem them through a different lens and maybe think of ways to confront challenges or work around them.

For me, my low this week involves my daily work life/career. Basically, I don’t know where I want to be in five years, and I’ve been thinking about that a lot.

It’s not about MBB, which I still love. It’s more about…working by myself at home and feeling lonely. I’ve been doing what I do the same way for a really long time, and I don’t know if it’s time for a change.

In five years, I will have been blogging on MBB for — wait for it — 17 years! That’s crazy town.

Anyway, frustration over my work comes out sideways in other ways. Like, I have less patience for myself and less patience for my family members.

Take a moment to think about your highs and lows this week

Please share them if you feel like it.

Happy Friday, by the way!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF! ?

OK, get up right now.

That’s it. Get out of your chair. Stand up and wiggle that booty a little, because once you press play on any of these Jess Glynne songs — take your pick, any one! — you’ll be swaying and moving and booty-shaking in less than five seconds.

I am of the school of thought that music has the power to set the tone of your day, and if you want to be energized, inspired and ready to have a fabulous day, pick any one of these songs.

I’m ready for this.

I stumbled upon Jess Glynne and immediately fell in love…

Admittedly, my reaction may have been influenced by an endorphin rush, as I was driving back from the gym a few nights ago and listening to the radio when I heard my first Jess song: Hold My Hand. I was feeling SO GOOD after cranking through a great workout on a rowing machine in a back-breaking amount of time, so I was loopy, and when I heard it, I started chair-dancing like a maniac.

If you saw someone waving her arms like she was in da club while driving down South Novato Boulevard the other night in a gray Mazda 3, FYI, Jess Glynne was happening in that car.

I don’t know a lot about her, but I do know that she’s got a fabulous curly mane (I kinda want to embrace my inner curly girl) and a penchant for wearing beautiful, bold winged liner (of which you know I’m a fan).

Let me point you in the direction of a few of my favorites songs so far…

First off, THIS SONG. If I could gift wrap my spirit, my deepest inner core, in a pop song, this would be the song. This is how I feel when I feel my best.

My spirit animal, in a pop song
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With the Fenty effect happening all over beauty right now — high end, mid range, budget — you can literally walk into any beauty department and find a plethora of foundation shades.

It’s incredible! We’re living in amazing times, people. Revolutionary even! Still, I can’t help but wonder how often people actually find shades that exactly match their skin tone.

Do you still mix and match multiple shades? Have you actually found anything lately that perfectly matches your skin tone? If so, does it make you wiggle and giggle ’cause you’re so blown away!? ?

(Sorry, I hang out with a toddler so I say things like that.)

Has the Fenty effect personally affected you? Have the broader ranges of foundation and concealer shades changed your world? Is it easier for you to walk into a Sephora or Ulta and find a perfect match? I would really like to know, because I still end up mixing, matching and tweaking.

Let me know in the comments! I’m really, REALLY curious.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen