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Good morning, meow mix! Do you ever have temporary bouts of cat clothing-related insanity? I’m going to venture a guess now that this does not come as a shock, but I do, and mine routinely occur at Target.

I was there the other day when I saw this children’s dress… Or is it a tunic top? I’m not exactly sure what it is, TBH! It was on a rack. When I saw it, I paused and thought, “Hmm… If I can find it in an XL, I bet I could wear it as a t-shirt!”

LOL. Then I came to my senses… Can ya blame me, though? That cat is super cute! ?

Oh, and I also saw this interesting mint green coat that reminds me of the bathroom rug my parents had in the ’80s, ha ha!

I kinda wanted to get it, but I held back because I already own enough clothing that makes me look like a Muppet…

On that note, let’s get to this weekend’s reading.

• In case you were wondering what to do if your cat is peeing on your boyfriend’s laundry…
• Up until recently, the scientific community mostly ignored the bio-mechanics of cat grooming, but researchers recently discovered that the spiny bumps on cat tongues, which are known as papillae, are actually curved backward toward the throat, and they’re now applying this knowledge of cat tongues to the development of cutting-edge technology for hoomans.
• Netflix has a new drama coming out called Perfume, and it isn’t about the dark goings-on at a haunted fragrance counter… In it, a criminal profiler investigates a series of murders that trace back to a group of boarding school students who once experimented with psychologically manipulating people using scents.
• Even the Queen loves Charlotte Tilbury!

• What does “clean beauty” even mean? There isn’t a clear-cut definition here in the U.S., and the marketing can be hella confusing.

  This post talks about common chemicals used in cosmetics (including parabens and phthalates), and what different camps of people within the beauty world think of them.

• Good to know —> Google is working on motorized shoes ? for virtual reality.
• This baby sloth loves eyebrows! (Side note: I wonder what he or she thinks about Instagram brows.)
• This photo moved me to tears.
• A dermatologist’s guide to layering your skin-care products.
• Things to keep in mind if you’re a darker diva and you’re thinking about microblading your brows.
• In case you haven’t noticed, teen heartthrob hair is having a may-jah moment.

Have a great rest of your weekend. Stay dry.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Happy Thanksgiving, sweet friend. Let me be the cheeseball/ball of cheese that I am for a second, OK? I’m here to remind you 1) that you are ❤️ loved, 2) you are capable, and 3) you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be in life, even if you don’t feel like you’re quite “there” (wherever that “there” is) yet in your journey. I’m thankful every day that we’ve somehow, through the magic of the interwebz, gotten to know each other.

Like a lot of women, I crave connection. Need it. Thrive on it. Feeling like I’m part of a tribe makes life feel a little less…well, tedious. Like I don’t have to go it all alone.

I’ve been thinking a lot about this line I heard recently in a horror show I watched on Netflix called The Haunting of Hill House (of all things!), where one of the characters talks about preparing children for the dangers of “the real world,” and what she says stuck with me. “It [the real world] has teeth. It is hungry, and it is stupid, and it eats and eats mindlessly.”

Sometimes, I feel like I’m being chewed up and consumed by all of the adulting I have to do all the time — bills, work, the drudgery of everyday things like vacuuming the couch and cleaning the bathroom. How do you get through it all without feeling like you’re stuck on a hamster wheel? How do you feel less lonely?

Answer: You find friends where you can, and you hold onto them. Tight. And that’s what I cherish most and am thankful for the most here at MBB — all of the friendships I’ve made along the way (since 2007!). Without you gals, I’d be outta my frickin’ mind by now. Really. Granted, that may sound a little dramatic (what, me dramatic? NO WAY!), but if life had taken a different turn and I were doing something else instead, like teaching underwater basket weaving to tourists on a remote island, I know that I’d probably be fine…but there would most definitely be a hole in my heart. An emptiness. There would be something missing.

I am so, so thankful that we found each other in this little corner of the world. I’m grateful to you for your thoughtfulness, your compassion, your wit and your joie de vivre, and I’m happy to say that I’m one of the lucky women who has a tribe of girlfriends to turn to.

Thank you for being a friend, and yes, I just quoted The Golden Girls! ? Thank you for having my back, because I’ll always have yours.

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Eat an extra helping of mashed potatoes for me, will ya?

With lots of love, your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

I might sound like a broken record…especially when I say, “I might sound like a broken record,” which is a phrase I know I use all the time, but I think it’s important to be open about taking care of one’s mental health. I know the holidays can be a stressful time, so here are a few things on my “Positivity Playlist” at the moment, in case you need a little help this week.

Time for some Electricity on repeat…

I’ve discussed some of this before, but when I was going to therapy a couple years ago (just needed someone to talk to about work, life, self-doubt, motherhood, loneliness, aging), one of the things my therapist and I talked about was conscientiously trying to see the proverbial glass as half full, rather than half empty, and how it can take a LOT of work sometimes to see the world in a positive light.

I still think about this all the time because, depending and on how I’m feeling, it’s either really easy for me to feel positive and grateful for the things I have in my life (even though it’s far from perfect), or it’s really hard, let’s be honest. Some days I feel like everything’s a sh*t show, and I can’t handle it.

One of the most helpful techniques I’ve come across for me has been actively recognizing that when I feel that “life is a sh*t show” feeling coming on, I openly acknowledging it to myself.

You know how you can smell the rain coming before it happens? It’s a little like that. When I start to feel that feeling creeping up on me, I recognize it, acknowledge it (“Oh, here we go!), and then turn to my positivity toolbox.

Pretty sure I’ve mentioned all of these things before, but here they are again:

1. I make it a point to do a little extra cardio, whether it’s jogging, walking or doing a workout DVD or YouTube video, because those endorphins really do help me a lot.
2. I try to get some extra rest by going to bed early.
3. I leave myself encouraging, positive notes everywhere — Post-its, on mirrors, on my wrists. Side note: The notes are usually written with an Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil, LOL!
4. I listen to songs that make me wanna move my booty and dance around (see below).
5. I fire up a Ted Talk on positive thinking.

Something here usually makes me feel better. They definitely don’t make me feel worse.

Here’s what’s on my Positivity Playlist right now…

I hope this can help you in some way, too, even if it’s just to get your heart pumping and your body moving.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen