Karen

So…what is the Monday Poll?

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 10 (!) 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. Do you have any cowlicks?

Oh, my gosh, yes, and it is so annoying. It’s right at the tip of my widow’s peak, and it wants to go right when I want the hairs there to go left. Girl, I don’t even know why it’s so stubborn.

I’ve been parting my hair down the middle lately (a recent development), and because I used to be strictly a side sweeper, I only recently learned, because of this whole parting-the-hair-down-the-middle process, that this cowlick exists.

It just WILL NOT do what I want it to do. It’s like, nope! Sorry, lady. I’m gonna go this way, and you have no say in the matter at all.

2. What are three things that are guaranteed to bring a smile to your face?

Hmmm…

1. Fluffy tabby kittens
2. Big, bright-eyed babies with chubby cheeks
3. Finding stuff on sale

3. A woman who inspires you?

There are so many, but the first one who comes to mind is Michelle Obama.

4. Who was the last person you said thank you to?

Hmm… Oh! It was El Hub. I thanked him for giving Connor a bath last night. I was downstairs making chocolate-chip cookies (nothing fancy, just the pre-made chunk ones you get out of a bag), and I could hear her laughing and splashing and squealing like she was having the best bath ever in the history of babies.

She always has much more fun with him, because I’m more of a taskmaster. I’m focused on efficiently moving through the steps. “OK, hair washed, CHECK. Hands washed, CHECK.” And dad is all about the fun.

5. How aggressive are you when you drive?

At the moment, not very aggressive, but I used to get super crabby behind the wheel. Then one day I was just like, “Ya know…this is a waste of energy. Flipping off this guy in his Porsche Boxster will just make my blood pressure go up, and I don’t need that in my life.”

Now when people cut me off, or honk at me, or do obnoxious things on the road — because there are a lot of obnoxious drivers in the Bay Area who drive like they’re in Thunderdome — I take a few deep breaths and repeatedly remind myself that this is not gonna matter in five years. When I say that to myself enough, the urge to chase someone down so that I can yell at them through my window and throw an obnoxious gesture goes away.

BONUS QUESTION: How are you feeling today (be honest!)?

Well, it’s early on Monday, so I’m cautiously optimistic…but also a little disappointed that the weekend is over. It went full-on fall last week — heavier air, colder, wet leaves everywhere — and I don’t think I’ve fully caught up to the weather. When it’s rainy, it always takes me longer to wake up.

I’m not the type of person who goes to 100% the moment their eyes open in the morning. It takes me at least an hour, and when it rains, especially when I’m super comfortable and snuggly underneath the covers, it’s even harder.

Other than that, I feel pretty darned great. I got up early, so I’ve been getting stuff done before the baby is awake, and the house is in a relatively non-chaotic state, which always calms me down.

So the short answer is that I feel calm, centered and positive about the day…but a little physically tired.

My mission this week…

Find a rain coat.

I used to have one ages ago, but I can’t find it. I’m pretty sure I konmari’d it a while back because it did not spark joy. In fact, it sucked the joy out of me whenever I wore it, because the sleeves were too short, so my wrists would always get wet when I was out in the rain, and the hood would always slip back whenever it was on my head, so the front of my forehead would always get wet.

So I’ve been looking for a new rain coat, but they’re all so expensive! I’m not about to spend $140 on a rain coat right now.

I did see some cute ones at Target, though. Which one do you think is better? This sporty Waterproof Rain Jacket by C9 (I wish it covered more of the bum, though) which is currently on sale for $40, or this olive hooded anorak by A New Day, which is on sale for $35?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Have a wonderful and productive week. I hope some good news comes your way. 🙂

P.P.S. Here are the questions to copy and paste:

1. Do you have any cowlicks?
2. What are three things that are guaranteed to bring a smile to your face?
3. A woman who inspires you?
4. Who was the last person you said thank you to?
5. How aggressive are you when you drive?
BONUS QUESTION: How are you feeling today (be honest!)?

I know it’s a big trend now to trick out your house in holiday decor right after Halloween, and I totally get it. I get excited about Christmas, too, but I gotta force myself to slow my roll, because Thanksgiving also counts!

I also get the urge to fast forward to Christmas, but T-Day deserves its due. It’s one of the most meaningful holidays, and not just because of the pecan pie (well…). I usually also get to spend some extra time with El Hub, because he takes a couple extra days off from work when he can, and then I just love hanging out with friends and family, and feeling cozy and safe, and taking in the sights and smells of fall. It’s a reminder to be grateful.

And, of course, the food is awesome.

It is though. 🙂

Which leads me to Thanksgiving decor. Ever since getting the new couch, I’ve been wanting to add some color and de-neutralize the room, and I was tempted to jump right in with the Christmassy accessories, but I decided to take my own advice and slowed my roll. So, I did an autumnal/Thanksgiving theme with throw pillows and a wreath.

Dude! I don’t know why throw pillows are so stressful. I was chatting with a friend a couple weeks ago, and she said that it took her six trips to HomeGoods to work out the pillow situation in her living room.

It took me about the same amount of time, HAHA! I had a hard time deciding on like… I dunno, I always see pictures of sectional couches with pillows that look purposefully mismatched, but they still work together, and it was hard for me to figure out how to find things that weren’t too uniform looking (?).

I started out trying to do matchy pillows, but nothing looked quite right, so I googled pictures of sectionals with couches and noticed that, in almost all of the pictures, there are an uneven number of pillows. It’s almost always either five or seven.

The bigger sectionals typically have seven throw pillows — each of them different. Then I read a post on a decorating blog that talked about how, when you pull together a group pillows for a couch, think of the pillows as working within a color scheme. That totally helped me.

It finally came together when I found an autumnal wreath and the pillow with pumpkins and leaves. I liked the colors and ended up following their lead in choosing the other the pillows for the couch. I looked for rust, orange, wine, burgundy and gold, and for different textures, and eventually brought together a bunch of pillows that match (I think so) but aren’t identical.

LOL! I get that this has been a lot of pillow talk, but it was so much harder than I thought it would be!

Point is, if you’re looking for pillows to decorate your space with, start with one that you love, and use that color palette as a jumping-off point.

One of the things about these pillows, by the way, is that they make it so nice to get cozy in the corner and read. I love curling up on the couch with a book and a blanket and reading. 🙂

Speaking of getting cozy and reading, here are some stories that caught my eye this week…

• Pretty soon we might have the ability to virtually try on our makeup with the help of AI (artificial intelligence) that was originally developed for security and defense purposes. This was by far the most interesting story I read this week, and all I have to say is GOOOOOOO SCIENCE!
• For my Hawaii peeps: y’all are getting a new La Labo store at the Ala Moana shopping center.
• If your dog’s Christmas wish list includes perfume (totally reasonable), you can now gift him or her this cologne made especially for canines. Fancy!
• Scented lingerie is a thing now. This lingerie line sells underthings made with handcrafted French lace and woven from threads that have been scented with fragrant microcapsules of perfume.
• MAC is doing a collaboration with Puma, and um…if they do some MAC-branded Pump sneakers, I WILL FREAKING LOSE MY SH*T.
• There’s been a lot of talk here in the US lately about increased FDA regulations on cosmetics. Last May, Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-California) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) reintroduced the Personal Care Products Safety Act (S1113), and Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) recently proposed the S2003 FDA Cosmetic Safety and Modernization Act as an alternative. Here are the differences between the two acts.
• A woman is suing Sephora and claiming that she got herpes from their lipstick samplers.
• Women of color are increasingly able to influence the cosmetics market through their purchases.
• Look out for a new liquid lipstick from Fenty Beauty on November 23rd (!).
• The Lipstick Lobby is part of a growing number of companies that are making activism trendy.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, my friend! Let me know what you’re up to.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Happy Veterans Day!

It’s hard for me to believe that there was actually a time pre-selfie, when the selfie ? didn’t exist. Even though it really wasn’t that long ago. (Think about it: was anybody selfie-ing back in 2002? NAW, DAWG!)

I like them for practical reasons, like checking to see if my eyebrows are relatively even, gauging just how tired I look on a scale of 1 to zombie at any given moment, figuring out if I have asparagus stuck in my teeth…

Of course, they’re also handy for capturing special moments with friends and family. Those are always fun. 🙂

I can’t say that I loathe them, but I have friends who do, and they’ll stop at nothing to avoid taking a selfie.

Believe it or not, the person in my life who loves them the most is my mom! She’s always angling for a selfie, no matter how routine or mundane whatever we’re doing is. Running to Target? Let’s take a selfie! Sitting on the couch watching Sesame Street with the baby? TIME FOR A SELFIE. It’s cute. She has a bunch on her phone with her and my dad, and half of them have a thumbprint in the frame.

Ahhh… Parents!

Which leads me to our very important question of the day. Selfies: love ’em or loathe ’em?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. T.G.I.Brat! ?

Dudes…Trader Joe’s is always awesome, but it’s awesome DELUXE during the holidays, which is when they reach the peak of their awesomeness because their shelves are packed with seasonal goodies and treats. MMM!

Here are three I’ve been loving lately…

1. Pecan Pumpkin Instant Oatmeal

This first one comes in a box with eight pumpkin-flavored packets of what’s essentially next-level upgraded instant oatmeal. It’s on the sweeter side, but it isn’t too sweet (to me), and I love the little bits of pecans.

Sometimes I’ll make it on the stove, or sometimes in the microwave, and I usually use coconut milk (something called “Coconut Beverage,” which comes in a carton in the TJ’s dairy section) to thicken it and make it creamier than it is if if you make it with water.

When it’s ready, I put in a big honkin’ scoop of peanut butter and a quarter cup of whole milk, and it’s enough to keep me going till lunch.

I served it to some house guests a couple weeks ago for breakfast, and everyone was like, “WHAT?! This is the best oatmeal I’ve ever had!”

I have to agree. It’s the best oatmeal I’ve ever had.

2. Organic Pea Soup

Here’s another new fave I just recently tried. I started seeing it at the store about a month ago. It’s their Organic Pea Soup, and it’s next to the pre-made salads, sandwiches and wraps at my TJ’s.

It’s SO GOOD.

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All the time? A few times a week? Once in a blue moon? Never?

I think full-on glam is a phase. I know I’ve gone through it…repeatedly. 🙂 I think almost everyone who likes makeup goes through a glam phase. It’s like wanting a pony…

Last time I went through it (which was probably 2015), the full-on glamn-ness was so hardcore that I was wearing A LOT of makeup. I was doing ALL. THE. STEPS. too.

I was even doing the brows, where I’d fill them in with two shades of brow powder, then use pencil, then carve them out with concealer, and I mean everything was extreme.

I hardly went out in the world without any makeup on. In fact, I remember going to a spa with my friends Jen and Cindy and getting a massage while wearing a full face of makeup through the entire thing. I was THAT serious about it the last time.

It doesn’t necessarily make a ton of sense…but who cares? It was a phase. It’s what I liked.

It’s fun! I love seeing girls and guys in full-on glam because I’m just in awe of the artistry and the creativity, but, you know, I just can’t do that all the time now… I’m currently not in that phase. I think at one point in time I was watching nonstop YouTube tutorials and got it into my head that everyone everywhere wears that much makeup. I felt like my makeup skills were at their best at that time, but at least for now, full-on glam is not happening around here.

It’s been a hot second since I wore full-on glam Instagram-style makeup. I rarely do it now, but there was a time… I definitely feel like I’ve lost a step in terms of my makeup game since I stopped pushing the envelope as much, so I need to practice a bit more, but I do the best I can with the time I have.

Without a doubt, though — doing all the contouring, the bronzing, the layering, everything — pushes your skills. It’s just very time consuming, and I’m not in the ideal place to do it very often right now.

How about you? How often do you wear full-on glam Instagram-style makeup?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen