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

Stop it! Homegirl doesn’t want to hear it…and I’m not listening when you say, “Karen! The last thing you need on this earth is another brown eyeshadow.” *plugs ears and closes eyes* LA-LA-LA-LA-LAAAAA!

I emptied out my neutral palette drawer yesterday (for the heck of it), and this is what I found.

See anything that looks familiar? How many of them do you recognize?

If you can name them all, then BOW DOWN! You’re the mac daddy/daddy mac of the neutral palette universe.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

How many shades do you use on average in a typical look?

One? Two? Twelve? Six? Seven? More?

I’m desperately trying to power my way through this “just a little liner” phase I still find myself trapped in, and we’ll see if the new Urban Decay Ultimate Naked Basics palette (coming soon…in 18 days!) helps.

It could… I’ve been playing with it, and I really like the wear time. Been putting in some looong days lately, and the shadows last at least 8-10 hours on my lids without any creasing.

The shades are all mattes, and they seem to apply darker on the skin than they appear in their pans.

For the past few months or so — really, for the past year, if I’m being completely honest — I haven’t had the patience to put on a lot eye makeup, so I’ve been wearing one or two shadows, tops. Like, I’ll do a single brown matte all over my lids, then line my upper lash line with a darker matte shade, usually a dark gray or black.

But I’m working my way out of that and growing more interested in wearing more shades day by day. With this palette, I’ve been wearing from four to six of the shades at a time, so that’s a big step.

How about you? How many eyeshadows do you wear in a typical look? Also, feel free to include any creamy base eyeshadows you wear.

Talk to you soon!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. I’ve been listening to a lot of The Pretenders lately, and this one is currently on repeat this morning…

P.P.S. Have a terrific Tuesday! 🙂

You might be wondering, “So what in tarnation is this Monday Poll thing anyway!?”

Well, it isn’t exactly a poll. It’s more of a constantly evolving (devolving?), somewhat random list of questions I’ve been putting out to readers every Monday morning for the past NINE (!) years. (It’s like a kickstart for your brain.) I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.

1. What’s the first thing you do at the sink every morning?
   I wash my hands…because the very first thing I do when I get up is use the loo, LOL!

   Oh, did I tell you yet that I found the absolute best hand soap?? Yeah, it’s the Foaming Hand Soap by Michel Design Works, and my mother-in-law got me hooked on their stuff a while ago.

   They come in a great selection of interesting scents like Green Meadow and Hyacinth Iris, and they’re SUPER foamy. They also don’t make the skin on my hands dry.

   I’ve seen them on Amazon for about $10, but I get mine at Marshalls for $5.99. When I see them in the beauty section I stock up.

   No joke, last time I bought, like, six of them in one fell swoop. A lady standing next to me in line asked if they were any good, and I was like, “Honey! Let me tell you about these soaps…” and I talked her ear off.

   Anywho!

2. A type of junk food you’ll do almost anything to keep from having to give up?
   There is absolutely no way I’ll ever give up ice cream…without a fight, because a world without ice cream would be like a world without kittens.

   It would be a very sad and depressing place. 🙁

3. Just generally speaking, what kind of beauty products do you like?
   Um…all of them? But seriously, I like products that make my life easier somehow, whether that’s a no-brainer lipstick that I know will go with every eye and cheek color under the sun, or a tool or accessory that saves me time when I’m getting ready.

   I also like products that make me feel like I’m indulging myself or being pampered, even if it’s just an otherwise ordinary day, like perfumes, body lotions, face masks or scrubs.

   Oh, and products that help me look less tired are primo! Really, I could talk about that forever…

4. Fill in the blanks: “If you want _____ you have to _____.”
   If you want to succeed you have to work your @ss off. If you want cats you have to carry cat treats (not really, but they help). If you want pizza you have to call me because I want some too. 🙂
5. What’s the best sweat-proof makeup?
   I have to go with good ol’ MAC Blot.
6. Do you have a lucky charm?
   Does my cat count?

Your turn. 🙂 Just copy and paste the following questions into a comment with your answers. I look forward to reading ’em!

1. What’s the first thing you do at the sink in the morning?
2. A type of junk food you’ll do almost anything to keep from having to give up?
3. Generally speaking, what kind of beauty products do you like?
4. Fill in the blanks: “If you want _____ you have to _____.”
5. What’s the best sweat-proof makeup?
6. Do you have a lucky charm?

OK…how is it Monday already? And the end of August? Wow, how’d that happen?

Rise and shine, babe! How was your weekend? Mine was busy but good. I was finishing up that secret squirrel project (which reminds me, guess what) so I didn’t really do anything, but that gives me an excuse to treat myself to Starbucks this morning (hello, pink drink!).

How are you doing? I hope there’s a smile on your face. 🙂 You’re gonna have a great week, BTW. I just know it.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen