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. So, your makeup routine — what’s the easiest part?

Of my regular routine? My brows, for sure.

But they used to give me so much grief. Now, though? Ever since I grew them out? All I do is I fill them in with a brow pencil, which is usually the amaze-balls MAC Brow Sculpt. Then I comb through them with spoolie on the back end, and end with a little bit of Benefit Ready, Set, Brow Gel.

That’s it, and it all takes less than a minute.

Granted, I’m not obsessed anymore about getting my brows to look perfectly symmetrical. I used to be a few years ago, but I don’t mind now when they look a little messy and more more naturally bushy and unkempt.

2. And what’s the hardest part?

Skin. My foundation, concealer and powder. It’s because I’m admittedly obsessed with getting my skin to look as natural as possible, and the microsecond that I start to feel like my coverage looks heavy, I just can’t take it. I’ll remove everything and start all over again.

As I’ve gotten older, my tolerance for full-coverage foundation has decreased, even though I still think it looks amazing in pics. I still wear full-coverage sometimes, but now I generally spend a lot of time blending and layering to end up with something that looks like I’m not wearing anything at all… It’s sort of a catch 22. I spend a lot of time figuring out what formulas are going to work for mu skin on any given day.

So, yeah. Skin. By far, it’s the most complex and time consuming part of my rigmarole.

3. How well do you think you’d handle super stardom/being a famous celebrity?

If we’re talking about Katy Perry-level famous, I don’t think I’d handle it well. I can’t imagine not being able to leave my house without dodging photographers in my front yard.

On the other hand, if I were indie film star famous, where I could still get a cup of coffee down the street and maybe only be recognized by a handful of people, I think I could handle that gracefully.

But anything more than that would push my ability to be polite.

4. How often do your nails break?

Almost never (knocks on wood)! That said, I have other beauty struggles. Like, my hair is hard to manage, I have a bald spot in my brow that just won’t go away (I’m talking to YOU, Raul), and I dealt with acne when I was younger, but I’ve never really had to worry about my nails breaking.

Here’s a funny thing, though: I realized that I might be pregnant when my nails started breaking! Several fingernails and one of my toenails broke over a short period of time, which had never happened before. So I knew something was up.

5. Metallic lips: yes or no?

Yes-ish. I like ’em, but I’m more of a light opalescent metallic kind of girl.

I can’t deal with full-on melted metal lips.

6. Can you share a piece of life/beauty advice?

Uh…beauty-wise, don’t hang out on Instagram too much or it’ll give you a complex.

Life-wise, here’s something that my friend Erika said to me the other day, and it really resonated. She said that some days you have to be comfortable lowering the bar for yourself — lowering your expectations, LIKE REALLY LOW. In other words, sometimes giving your best has to mean just allowing your house to be a complete mess or accepting that the baby is still in her pajamas at 3 p.m. or and making cereal for dinner. And you have to allow yourself that sometimes and be fine with it.

Happy Monday, my friend

My brushes are washed, my desk is devoid of piles of paper, and I’m excited because… Connor turns one this week!!! Yup, officially, she won’t be an infant anymore. She’ll be a toddler. Her birthday is this Thursday, but we’re going to have a little party for her with just us and the grandparents on Saturday.

I’m also starting to get spring fever, and I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am about that. I can’t wait to wear dresses and sandals again…

Oh, sandals! You know, at this point, after the winter we’ve been having, I’d even be happy with open-toed ankle booties. I’m that desperate.

Did you watch the Oscars last night?

I hope your week gets off to a brilliant start and that you feel clear-headed and strong. I also hope that whenever you need to find something in your house, office or purse, it’s right there at your fingertips when you need it, because that’s such a great feeling, isn’t it?

Have a good great one! 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Here are the poll questions to copy/paste:

1. So, your makeup routine — what’s the easiest part?
2. And what’s the hardest part?
3. How well do you think you’d handle super stardom/being a famous celebrity?
4. How often do your nails break?
5. Metallic lips: yes or no?
6. Can you share a piece of life/beauty advice?

P.P.S. Did you watch the Oscars last night?

Good mornin’ and happy Caturday! ?

How cute are these flowers?? Aren’t they sweet? See the kitties? My friend Marisol sent them to me for the blog’s 10th birthday, and they’ve been brightening my days all week. 🙂

I hope your coffee is hot and breakfast is on. Just out of culinary curiosity…are there any delicious pancakes involved? I could really go for some pancakes right now… Maybe I’ll make some.

Please tell that me your to-do list is mercifully short today. It’s Saturday, after all. You deserve a day of rest!

My list is relatively short…for now. I’m embarking upon a very daunting eight-week spring cleaning project, so I got some large plastic bins from The Container Store for camera doo-dads and beauty products in my office.

They aren’t fancy, but hopefully they help.

As for choosing to do it for eight weeks — where did I get that number? Well, I started this thing back in January where I try to focus on one personal project at a time for eight weeks. In January, I decided to eat healthy for eight weeks, and I did it! So that’s the rationale.

Sure, I fell off the wagon a few times and had, like, a cupcake or a bite of ice cream, but I managed to meet my goal.

Doing the eight-week-blocks thing just seem to make big projects easier for me to handle.

In other news…

• Sir John (makeup artist to Beyoncé, Naomi Campbell and Joan Small, among others) is my makeup spirit animal. He’s worked with both Pat McGrath and Charlotte Tilbury and spills the beans about them in this in-depth piece.

  He also talks about his favorite makeup and why he wishes that the baking and contouring makeup trends would just stop already.

• Remember that scene from The Craft where Robin Tunney’s character instantly changes her hair color? That witchy magic was the inspiration behind this color-changing semi-permanent hair dye invented by chemist/fashion designer Lauren Bowker. SIGN ME UP.
• Speaking of hair, if you’re having a bad hair day, no worries! Just wear a Lego Hair Bike Helmet!
• I’ve always felt like I do my best creative work alone, but according to some experts, the most groundbreaking creative works are collaborative efforts.
• No more metallic robot face! ? Here’s a technique for strobing that yields natural-looking results, and it’s easy.
• Is that a mint green mascara in the new Givenchy Gypsophila Summer 2017 Collection??
• Hello, shower oils, and buh-bye, dry skin.
• Um, not that I need another bluish green lacquer, but that shade from the new batch of Chanel spring 2017 nail polishes needs to get on my nails ASAP.
• Makeup tips for the bronzer-challenged!
• What’s the difference between NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer and NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer? Sabrina from The Beauty Look Book breaks it down.
• Long-wearing, creamy and pigmented? The NYX Pin Up Pout Lipsticks look absolutely delicious!
• And in case you missed it, here are the deets on the new MAC Work It Out Crystal Glaze Glosses and Mascaras, the new Hourglass Voyeur Liquid Liner and body care goodies from Yuni.

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