Karen

Good morning, friend! I hope you’re doing well on this lovely Caturday. Short and sweet Saturday Surfing today (and for the squeamish, absolutely no mention of poop…other than this sentence) because it’s sunny ? here right meow, and I need to get some vitamin D.

It’s absolutely necessary for me to function properly — allergies be damned! I’m a little sniffly, but you know what? The sun’s out, so the fun-bun’s coming out as well.

Um…no, my buns aren’t hanging out. ? But my hair bun is!

Now for your weekly dose of reading…

• The best thing I read all week: this piece on how cats get their makeup done for movies. Brace yourself, but the process usually involves kitties nibbling on food and treats, drinking water, and using the litter box while getting their makeup applied!
• First, there was K-beauty. Then J-beauty. So what’s the next big thing? G-beauty, of course, according to the New York Times.
• The simple act of washing your face can be so, so powerful.
• Sephora’s new skin care line is in stores now, and everything is $20 or less.
• People are now getting Botox applied to their head to decrease sweating so blowouts will last longer. On one hand, I’m like, “OK, I give you points for creativity!” but on the other hand, I’m like, “You know you can save that money for retirement, right?”
• Scientists are only just beginning to untangle (haha) the mystery of the mane and how different types of hair came to be.
• These are the bestselling OPI shades of all time (all of which you can *still* buy). Do you have any of them in your collection?

I hope the weather’s nice and you’re doing something fun today. If you’re headed outside, don’t forget your sunscreen!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Because I sure can’t, LOL! And that’s funny to me because I can remember seemingly smaller makeup-related details to a T, like the day I bought my first tube of MAC Paramount Lipstick, but I have absolutely no clue which nail polish or eyeshadow or gloss I wore on my wedding day, or the liner I wore to the prom, or the lipstick I wore to college graduation (although I’m pretty sure I was wearing MAC Paramount).

It’s like I have makeup amnesia for all of the big events of my life!

I’m guessing that I was probably just caught up in the moments on those particular days, since I’m the type of person who likes to get up in the mix and follow everything that’s happening because it lets me exist under the illusion that I have some semblance of control over my life.

It’s so weird to me, though, that I can remember certain minutiae, like chasing down the pastry chef who forgot to put the cake topper on the wedding cake, but I can’t remember the name of the delicate, semi-sheer pink shade of OPI polish I wore on my nails.

Regarding my wedding day, I do remember having a general look in mind and asking the makeup artist to do something smoky with neutral browns, and peachy cheeks and lips (SURPRISE!).

How about you? Can you remember the makeup details for your big life events?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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. Longest plane ride you’ve ever taken?

It was 14 hours! We went from San Francisco to the Philippines. I was in my early 20s at the time, and I went there to visit family with my mom. Funny thing is, I don’t remember being uncomfortable on the plane or thinking that it was taking forever. I just remember the plane touching down in Manila and everyone — and I’m talking EVERYONE — clapping uproariously like we’d just finished watching the world’s greatest movie. “Woo-hoo!” That was the first and only time I’ve been on a flight where that’s happened. Apparently, everyone was just so dang happy to be getting off that thing, LOL!

2. Your go-to under-eye concealer at the moment?

The one from Maybelline with the sponge tip applicator.

3. What did your makeup look like in the early 2000s?

GIRL. I wanna say it was a mess, but looking back it was pretty typical of the era. Filled in, pencil-thin brows (MAC Concrete and an angled brush, baby!), frosty eyeshadow from lash line to lid (usually a taupe Clinique duo I discovered in college called “Fawn Satin”), a taupe pencil liner, mascara, concealer, blush and glossy lips (either MAC Nymphette or Spite).

4. Have you ever lived on a farm?

I haven’t, but I think I’d like to, especially if it was still relatively close to neighbors and maybe 10-15 minutes from the suburbs and civilization. I can definitely see myself living on a plot of land with animals, but I couldn’t deal with being too isolated.

5. “If you’re going to be hanging around with someone all day, they might as well smell like _______.”

Pizza. ?

Totally kidding. ? Can you imagine smelling salty pepperoni all day long?

So…I’m going to say something from Dolce & Gabbana, since they make so many scents I like.

BONUS QUESTION: Are you currently marathoning any shows?

Yup! I’m in the middle of season one of Fixer Upper. Watched a few episodes last weekend and learned this so far: People usually choose the house that needs the most work, and Jo-Jo will almost certainly knock down a few walls, paint everything white, wrap a few ceiling beams with cedar, and add a kitchen island.

Activation energy

Hey, friend! To quote the coywolf, “Good morning! It’s a beautiful day.” And it is, because you and I are here, we’re doing the damn thing, and we’re doing it with a smile on our face. ?

That was SUPER CHEESY, I know, but I can’t help it. Sometimes I like extra cheese in the morning. Part of it is because I like to watch motivational TED Talks when I wake up because, and I’ve only said this *a million times*, but I’m naturally not a morning person, so in order for me to get up and get cracking to where I want to do something other than stay in my bed underneath my warm and toasty covers, I try to get other people to give me the boost I need to attack my to-do list.

Every day, I slowly chip away at wanting to make some kind of mark on the world.

I watched a TED Talk this morning called “Stop Screwing Yourself” (seriously, what a great title), by relationship expert Mel Robbins, and it’s one of my favorites so far.

The crux is that people need something called “activation energy” to get up and do the things they were put on this earth to do.

I know it sounds corny, but when Mel talks about it, it’s totally not. The video also discusses how you overcame incredible odds just to merely exist on this earth, so heck, you might as well do something with it.

Activation energy is that little extra push you need to do the things you want to do, and I feel like one of the things I’m meant to do is help others, in my own way, even if it’s just making someone giggle or think, and in order for me to do that, I usually need some extra help in the morning. Hence this video.

I hope it helps you in some way. Take a little time to listen to it if you can.

On that note, I’m going to imbibe more coffee (one of my prime sources of activation energy!) and hop ? to it. Have a good day, ‘k?

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. Longest plane ride you’ve ever taken?
2. Your go-to under-eye concealer of the moment?
3. What did your makeup look like in the early 2000s?
4. Have you ever lived on a farm?
5. “If you’re going to be hanging around with someone all day, they might as well smell like _______.”

BONUS QUESTION: Are you currently marathoning any shows?