Are you the kind of person who can just stroll right into a hot tub like it ain’t no thang? Because I am not.
My friends Jen and Cindy are. They won’t skip a beat. They’ll just swoop right in, but I swear it takes me like 10 minutes to slowly lower my body into the hot water inch by inch, and even when I’m finally submerged down to sitting level, I remain uncomfortable for at least five minutes.
We actually have a hot tub here in our condo area, and in the almost 10 years I’ve lived here, I’ve only ever used it for my feet! I like to find the strongest jet and use it for an improv foot massage, haha!
Life tip right there, friends. When your tootsies hurt from stomp-walkin’ all day long, track down a hot tub. 😉
There aren’t any hot tubs in my immediate future today, but we are going to the beach, and by “beach” (air quotes), I’m referring to a Northern California beach, which is NOT like California beaches are usually portrayed in the movies. Up here the water isn’t Baywatch blue (more like a murky, suspicious green…), and it’s usually too chilly to comfortably swim in without a wetsuit.
I recently heard about a beach called Heart’s Desire on Tomales Bay, which is about an hour west of here on the Pacific coast, that’s supposed to be really nice, especially for the little ones. It’s a protected bay, and the water’s allegedly warm enough for swimming, and it’s shallow. No tides, waves or sharks.
I like the sound of that!
I wish there were a way for Tabs to come along. As you can imagine, he’s quite a boss beach kitty, but it’s a drive out there, and he doesn’t like cars…unless we’re talking about his custom baby blue Aston Martin.
Now, while I go stuff the beach bag with 12 million bottles of sunscreen, here are some good reads I ran into this week…
-
I wear mascara daily. In fact, I probably wear mascara more often than I don’t, so, needlessly to say, I’m a fan.
Is it just me, or doesn’t it seem like there’s always another new bigger, better mascara hitting the scene? And yet I’ve still not found *the one* mascara to rule them all.
Hmm…
I thought this article was pretty cool. It takes you through pretty much the entire process of bringing a new mascara to market, from brainstorming, to development, testing, packaging and marketing.
-
OK, has anyone here tried the Frownies Facial Patch? You’ve probably heard about them. They’re these patches that you put on your face that are supposed to smooth wrinkles between your brows and across your forehead.
(Side note: there’s a famous scene in Sunset Boulevard where the main character, a fading silent film star named Norma Desmond, pulls some Frownies off her forehead.)
Cool! Current president Kat Wright says that “Frownies are a non-invasive, non-toxic strategy against wrinkles since they are designed to help rejuvenate facial muscles under the skin.”
-
I appreciate anything that promises to make burpees more fun (they truly are the devil’s work), which is why I need (YES, NEED) a pair of these sneakers by Athletic Propulsion Labs, otherwise known as APL. Through the power of science, their shoes will supposedly supercharge your physical abilities by allowing you to jump higher, run faster and stretch further.
Normally, I’d chalk this up to marketing fancy talk, but it appears to actually work. The shoes have even been banned by the NBA for providing players with an undue competitive advantage.
- People are getting creative with their beauty shoplifting (!), as two ladies in Texas used a stroller to lift more than $1,000 in beauty products at Ulta.
- This beauty shoot featuring the stars of Netflix’s GLOW (Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling!) wearing ’80s-inspired hair and makeup is all sorts of fabulous! (The show’s second season just came out.)
I’m especially loving Alison Brie’s purple eyes and coral lips. She plays Ruth Wilder, one of the main characters.
I mean, I’d actually wear that whole getup she’s wearing to go to the library, LOL!
OK, that’s it for now. Time to go fill the cooler for the beach! You have a wonderful weekend, alright?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Hope you guys have a great time, that sounds like an awesome beach! Even the beaches in SoCal never seem to look like the ones in the movies, the water is so dark and it’s overcast until at least noon. I’ve always dreamed about vacationing somewhere where the water is warm and clear… 🙂
Those Frownies look interesting, as at almost-35 I’ve started noticing my makeup settling in to my brow lines by the end of the day (guess I’m pretty expressive!). So far my solution has been less makeup, but not sure that’s a good long-term solution! 🙂
The mascara article was really interesting! I just tried the new Glossier mascara yesterday actually. It seems pretty nice. May not be dramatic enough for my tastes though, ?
Nope, not me, I love me some hot tubs! I’m all in there, just like your girlfriends. LOL. And I love hot showers. It’s all bad for you, I know. But that’s what moisturizer is for 😛 You can pry the hot, steaming, pulsing, jetted water out of my cold dead hands. 😀
Wow, Betty is unrecognizable in that shoot! That is some makeup! I’ve never really understood 80’s over the top glam makeup, but I guess it’s just fun. ‘The age of excess’. I love what Alison said about sneakers! Yas! ‘A cool statement sneaker is a woman’s answer to looking amazing without having to suffer in painful heels’. So much this! I love it. That’s my motto now.
So not down with the hot tubs. Hot tubs = germ factories in my little OCD world.
That is just odd to me, living near a coast and having to hunt down a good beach. On the Gulf coast, I defy you to drive 5 miles and not find at least 2 good beaches and an amazing local fish restaurant/oyster bar.
I have a few of APL sneaks in my collection and they’re really cool! Not sure about their ability to supercharge my burpees but they look good! Lol! I always get them whenever net-a-porter is on sale though (like now!) I refuse to buy full price!
Where in California do you live? My husband and I always go to Newport Beach in Orange County every summer. It is our home away from home. It has so many nice areas surrounded like Huntington Beach, Laguana Beach, and Balboa Island. Can’t wait for out vacay!!
Mascaras I love: “Better than Sex” by Two Faced and “It’s a Long Story Mascara” by Arbonne. I don’t leave the home without mascara on either.
Hi Karen!
Thank you for yet another amazing Saturday addition of what you’ve been up to this last week!! The mascara article was awesome!! I have not tried any of those, I have found my little holy grail in LOreal’s Telescopic the one I thought I’d never find at the drug store – lengthens, enough volume, and no raccoon eyes! If I, the mascara snob am satisfied, there’s something to it… I do like Benefit’s BIG-gal Lash – I have tried the travel size. I would purchase the full-sized. It’s that good. I did NOT know Channel had a new one, thank YOU very much.
I hope you guys had an awe struck day with the little one. YES to no sharks!! I don’t like hot tubs either… floating bacteria…
I always enjoy your writing.
Take Care,
Gina and Gracie.
Hi Karen, have a great day at the beach! Sounds like a Ct shoreline or Maine beach you’re at! My brother in law lives in California&has taken his toddler twins to Hearts Desire. Check it out definitely.
APL sneakers -are they good support? I am healing from stress fractures in right foot, looking for a great shoe to start walking again, can’t wait to move it already!