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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. ?

1. What are you like when you’re really, really tired?

An absolute joy to be around! ??? People can’t get enough of my sunny demeanor, and my cup runneth over with patience. (Yes, that was sarcasm.)

2. Which eyebrow is your “good” eyebrow?

My left. It’s the one that bothers me the least, even with Raul (a.k.a. “the bald spot”)! My left brow is longer than my right, and I like where the arch is positioned, so it’s easier to fill in. My right brow is significantly shorter and straighter than the left one, and the arch isn’t as defined, so it takes more work to fill in.

3. What makes your skin ? happy?

When I get enough sleep, drink obnoxious amounts of water, and use Kate Somerville Anti Bac Clearing Lotion.

4. What are you doing for Thanksgiving?

GIRL, I’m not cooking for three families! I made a reservation at a restaurant, which means, for once, that all I have to do is show up! And I’m here for that!

5. Who runs the world?

Cats. And rich old dudes. ??

Who caved in the second weekend of the Sephora VIB sale?

Alternatively: Who fell prey to the second weekend of the Sephora VIB Sale? LOL! Come on, come clean!

I must’ve checked to see if the Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Glow Palette had been restocked, oh…about 100 times. Never mind that I had signed up to get a restock notification last week, ha ha ha! Apparently, I really, really want to go there.

I didn’t though, but I still put a bunch of stuff in my cart anyway, just for kicks (including this CT kit and the Drunk Elephant Marula Oil, which everyone raves about).

Totally not makeup-related, but thanks for all the meal recommendations for feeding guests. I went to Costco over the weekend, got some pre-made dishes and side dishes from the refrigerated section, a few salads, and a rotisserie chicken (which just happens to be gluten-free, hooray!). I also made a huge pot of chili, which has carried over for several meals. Seriously, where would I be without you? Probably in a corner rocking myself back and forth slowly and whispering “safe place, safe place.”

Thanks again.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Question time! Here they are to copy/paste with your answers in a comment. Talk to you soon.

1. What are you like when you’re really, really tired?
2. Which eyebrow is your “good” eyebrow?
3. What makes your skin happy?
4. What are you doing for Thanksgiving this year?
5. Who runs the world?

CHECK THIS OUT. (Oh, and happy Caturday, friend.) You know that I’m solidly #teamtraderjoes, but I was absolutely shocked — SHOCKED! — to discover a glaring absence in/around the subject of this advent calendar I saw for sale.

They only have one for dogs.

Naturally, I expected to find one for the kitties as well, but I couldn’t, and believe me, Connor and I examined every shelf with a fine-toothed comb.

I can’t believe TJs would do us cat ladies like that! I really do hope they come to their senses and release a cat one soon…

LOL.

Ironically, even if TJ’s did sell one for cats and I brought it home, how much you wanna bet Tabs would be more interested in the packaging or the paper bag I brought it home in?

I still want to get him one though. #catladymoments

Now, on to this week’s reading…

• Possible TMI moment: I get new pajamas for Connor Claire about every three months because that’s how long it takes her to grow out of them, but I haven’t gotten myself new pajamas since at least 2015.

  On that note, according to hyper-enthusiastic reviewers on Amazon, these PJs are the cats meow.

• Ballet shoes are finally available in tones for women of color, and all I have to say is HOORAY!

• Could this be the workout-wear of the future? Nike has filed patents for self-cleaning shoes and a “smart” bodysuit capable of teaching you yoga.

  If it isn’t too late to make a suggestion, I would prefer a bodysuit that could actually do the yoga for me. Let’s see you make THAT happen, Nike.

• And this is why Ryan Gosling is perfection: Homeboy needs makeup to make himself look BAD. LOL! I mean, I just roll out of bed and look terrible, but for RyGos, it takes a village.

• This naturally occurring compound used in some perfumes can smell both floral and fecal. Freakier still? The poo scent is supposed to make your fragrance smell better.

  Um…wow AND gross?

• Here’s an article on how to win over someone else’s cat, and all I have to say is GOOD LUCK WITH THAT, since cats are well-documented @ssholes.
• These two cats have been attempting to get into the same Japanese museum for two years, and the Internet is rooting for them. Obviously.
• The ancient Egyptians were the most EXTRA of cat people. Case in point: this recently opened tomb, which revealed 100 gilded feline statues, along with dozens of mummified cats.
• The latest on Japanese beauty street style
• Interesting! —> The Beauty of Human Imperfection: Our flaws show how our past shaped our present.

• I don’t even know where to start with this trend of “DIY nose jobs.” People on Instagram (where else?) are now reshaping their noses using something called scar wax.

  One hand, I think it promotes a negative view of certain nose shapes (Girl, if I had a dime for every time some stranger on the Internet said my nose was “too flat” or “too wide”). On the other hand, it’s pretty darned creative.

• Something I’ve always wondered: Should the bride pay for her bridesmaids’ hair and makeup?
• In case you have $25K sitting around and you want a diamond-encrusted makeup brush.
• I was touched by this story on the kindness of strangers, but I was also totally shocked. Do people actually get into cars with people they don’t know? (I mean other than taxis, buses, Lyft, Uber…)

This cat is my hero.

Booty-shaking goals

One of my favorite songs, and this rendition is all sorts of beautiful.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend, whatever you’re up to.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

A few weekends ago I colored my hair for the first time in…I dunno? Ten years?

It’s been a while.

For the record, it’s still not my most favorite ?? activity, and it isn’t remotely as relaxing or therapeutic as going to the salon, and it’s still preternaturally messy (even got some dye splatter on one of the bathroom walls, and of course it stained, yaaaay), but I’ve been looking for ways to save a little money, and doing my color at home again was an obvious choice.

In the benefits column, I don’t have to make an appointment anyplace because I can do it whenever I want ?, which is a huge, huge plus. I like the fact that I can do it when Connor’s taking a nap and just be done with it.

Also, my hair color routine right now isn’t particularly involved, so I think it should be manageable. I use a demi-permanent color, which fades gradually, so I feel like there’s less chance of me mucking things up and ending up with striped orange hair for three months. I’m only really trying to cover up my grays, and I’m sticking pretty close to my natural hair color, so nothing too extreme.

Now, if I were trying to lighten my hair or do some kind of cool highlights or an ombre effect, then I wouldn’t even attempt a DIY route without doing a lot more research and planning, because I can see something like that going very, very wrong. LOL.

Nonetheless, the color turned out OK — a little darker than I’m used to, but you know, it works for now. I’ll do it for a while and see how I feel in six months.

How about you? What was your most recent beauty DIY adventure, and how’d it turn out?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen