Karen

Me, last night.

Well…more like me yesterday afternoon at approximately 5 p.m., give or take, because that’s when people in Toddler Town have dinner.?‍♀️ And while other people in the restaurant were enjoying their sushi dressed like actual adults, I was sporting my (Connor’s) stethoscope and pink sprinkle doughnut glasses, but I digress…

It being Caturday and all, I hope you’re relaxing right meow. If you feel so inclined, here’s some light reading for you…

• When I was a child, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, which was on the air from 1968 to 2001, was one of my favorite shows, and there’s a new documentary out about Mr. Rogers’ life called Won’t You Be My Neighbor, with fun factoids like…until her death, his mom knitted all of his zip-up sweaters. Also, Mr. Rogers had a thing for the number 143, and he maintained a weight of exactly 143 pounds throughout the last 30 years of his life.

• This article was an eye-opener: It discusses the consequences of farming (like deforestation and water pollution) and sourcing some of the ingredients that are commonly used in beauty products. According to the article, child labor is often used to farm and process cocoa, mica and shea butter.

• My favorite read this week was this piece about how one young woman used to think her mother’s devotion to outward beauty was oppressive, but the woman changed her mind when she reached adulthood. From the article…

  “In South Korea’s ultra-competitive, image-obsessed society, beauty was a physical marker of one’s commitment to success. Beauty was a weapon that could be deployed to fight patriarchy, a source of power for getting ahead despite patriarchal constraints that limited options for women. As the head nurse of an operating room in South Korea, my mother went from having nothing to living her best life. She commissioned custom-designed outfits for her curvy figure, ensuring she always looked impeccable. For my mother, beauty meant empowerment and independence. After immigrating to the U.S. in 1976 and losing her career and independence, beauty was one thing my mother could maintain. No matter how hard things became, she got out of bed every morning and performed her beauty regimen with precision and allegiance.”

• I would LOVE to see this exhibit at the V&A Museum in London called Frida Kahlo: Making Her Self Up, just to see her makeup. She wore Revlon, Coty and Talika!

  If you go, you’ll be able to see her bright pink Revlon blush, her favorite lipstick (called “Everything’s Rosy”), and a nail polish in “Raven Red.”

• British makeup brand Jecca is new to me, but I’ll be on the lookout for it, and apparently it’s on L’Oreal’s radar, too.

  It was started in 2015 by makeup artist Jessica Blacke, who began offering makeover sessions to the transgender women in her hometown of Cardiff, Wales, after hearing some of her clients talk about how they felt overlooked by the big beauty brands. In response, she launched her own online store with products that cater to specific needs, like covering “beard shadow,” which is when facial hair growth is visible under the skin.

Thanks for the ear worm, Jennifer!

How to wear one foundation three different ways

So, who’s gonna bake these with me?!

I’m #sorrynotsorry about posting that chocolate chip cookie recipe, by the way, because it would be absolutely wrong of me to have to make it alone. Be a friend and bake a batch with me. 🙂 Please? COME ON!

In other news, today’s my and El Hub’s 12th (!) anniversary, so we’re heading to the East Bay to have lunch and catch a movie. Whatever you’re up to, have a spectacular rest of your day and a wonderful weekend. Talk to you soon.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Ya know…I totally don’t. With how pricey products are, and how misleading marketing often is (hello, every mascara commercial in the world), and how brands routinely make objective claims about subjective benefits and ingredients, I don’t. As much as I love makeup and the beauty industry in general, most beauty brands have no qualms about making bold claims about what products will and won’t do, so if something doesn’t do that for me (and I can usually tell right away), and I know that it isn’t going to work, I’ve got no issues returning it.

Granted, I try to do it right away, because I know myself waaaay too well. If I don’t return something I don’t like right away and let it sit around too long, I will miss the return window.

Oh, and I don’t know if it makes a difference, but I do try to keep the amount of the product that I use down to a respectable minimum, because I’m not about to roll up to a counter with an empty bottle of shampoo or conditioner and ask for my money back, LOL!

A company’s return policy is also very important to me, so I try to only buy beauty products from places that allow me to bring things back after they’re used. I like Sephora, Nordstrom and Ulta for this.

I realize that beauty retailers and brands that sell directly through their website probably have a different perspective on returns, because some people WILL take advantage, but until beauty brands are able to 100% guarantee that a product will/won’t do what it claims, and until they stop using misleading qualifiers and phrases like “promises to improve the appearance of fine lines…” I’m gonna make some returns.

How about you? Do you ever feel bad or embarrassed about returning beauty products?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. How was your Fourth? Were there fireworks involved?

It’s Independence Day!

It being a holiday and all, what are the chances of Tabs giving me a raise today? Or a day off?

Lukewarm? Slim to none? Because things have been hoppin’ here lately at the shared headquarters of Makeup and Beauty Blog and Tabs the Cat Industries LLC. It’s been very busy!

First of all, this has been Potty Training Week here…which is like Shark Week only messier. Connor’s been learning the ropes and making big girl moves. So far, so good. We’re chugging along, and all I have to say is that you haven’t lived until you’ve held a celebratory poop dance party in your bathroom. Try it sometime.

Speaking of potty training, the Interwebz has FEELINGS about potty training. There are so many strong opinions on pee and poop training. It’s kinda frightening! Some peeps are definitely not afraid to let you know everything you’re doing wrong, and I don’t want to get up in that sh*t storm (haha!).

I say live and let live. Poop and let poop!

Also — and this is why I haven’t been posting very often — I’m still finishing and working behind the scenes on some new designs for the Connor Claire store.

They’re almost ready. There’s a lot of back and forth in getting design mockups and trying to get things to look and fit exactly right, so it’s time consuming.

But they’re almost, almost ready, and I can’t wait to show you!

So, that’s what’s new on my end. How about you? Are you doing anything for the 4th today? We’ll be firing up the BBQ and maybe, hopefully, hitting up the pool.

Probably no fireworks, though, unless we drive someplace to see a display.

Whatever you’re doing, be safe and have fun. Talk to you soon. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

So…what is the Monday Poll?

Good question! It isn’t, contrary to its name, an actual poll. 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 gazillion years (more than 10!). I love reading your answers, and it helps me get my week off to a great start. ?

1. Emoji you use the most?

I use ? way more than any person with good sense should. I also abuse the sweets-related ones, like ?, ? and ?.

2. Skeleton prints on clothes — cool or creepy?

(Side note: I’m mostly asking this because I saw a girl at the beach on Saturday wearing a one-piece with an x-ray of a skeleton on it.)

Creepy, man! I don’t need be reminded of what’s in your inside on the outside.

3. Walk me through what needs to happen in order for you to have a good hair day?

OK, starting the night before, I either have to shampoo and condition, or do a conditioner wash, because if I don’t, and my roots are greasy in the morning, I’ll feel unkempt the entire day.

While I’m still standing in the shower after the shampoo or conditioner wash, I’ll twist my hair and wring out as much water as I can. Then, I’ll wrap a towel around the ends, and wring out even more, as much as I can.

(Incidentally, I never, ever vigorously rub my hair with a towel because it always makes my hair frizzy.)

Afterwards, I’ll work a leave-in conditioner into my hair from the mid-shaft through the ends with my fingers, comb it through using a wide-toothed comb, and let my hair dry overnight.

Assuming Tabs doesn’t sleep on my head (as he’s wont to do!), that process sets me up with loose waves the next day. In the morning, I’ll take either a large-barrel curling iron or a flat iron to add some loose waves around my face, then spray everything with a beach wave spray.

4. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Hopefully not as tired and sleep-deprived? Just kidding! Kind of… Not really.

Let’s see… Connor will be 12, so I’d like to still be working in the beauty industry in some capacity, hopefully still 1) writing and 2) still able to be home around the time she gets home from school, especially during her middle school years. Hopefully. Because I remember those years being particularly awkward and hard, and even though she’ll probably want nothing to do with Mom, I’d still like her to have that as a safety net if she needs it.

5. One thing inspiring you at the moment?

Dude. This is so my power song right now!

Mid-week holidays

This year July 4th is on Wednesday, and while I’m not one to say no to a national holiday, I think it would’ve been even better if we had the couple days leading up to it off, too, amIright? OK, OK… I might just be looking for another excuse to sleep in. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Here are the questions for you to copy and paste with your answers in a comment:

1. Emoji you use the most?
2. Skeleton prints on clothes — cool or creepy?
3. Walk me through what needs to happen in order for you to have a good hair day?
4. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
5. One thing inspiring you at the moment?