Karen

You might be wondering, “So what in tarnation is this Monday Poll thing anyway!?”

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 seven 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 a favorite mug?
   Yup, I’m drinking from it right meow. I’ve had it since the ’90s, and I swear — if El Hub ever breaks this mug, there will be HELL to pay.

   It’s huge and beige with wine-colored painted stripes and some mint green touches, and I can barely wrap my hand around it. My mom got it for me (I think it was from Costco).

2. Can you concentrate with music playing in the background?
   Absolutely not.

   Well…actually, I take that back. It depends on the task. If it’s something where I have to be very mindful of my time, or something that requires a lot of creativity or heavy mental lifting, then no. No music. None.

   Or, if I’m lost. Like, if I’m driving someplace and I’m lost, I’m that one annoying person who says, “Shh! Shut it down!” and I’ll turn off the radio.

   But if I’m doing something involving numbers or math, like, if I’m balancing my checkbook or paying bills, then I’m fine with background music.

3. Do you like scented powder products, and if you do, what’s your favorite one?
   Girl, I die over Guerlain Terracotta bronzer every single time I open the compact.

   It doesn’t matter if it’s freezing cold and I’m feeling frumpy in my office, suddenly it’s like I’m wearing a designer bikini and hanging out at a five-star resort.

   I love that tropical, beachy gardenia, tiare flower smell…

4. Are you a hot pink lipstick kinda girl/guy?
   Well, hello! — yes. 🙂 I haven’t always been though. Before I started the blog, I would have never even thought to go there, but now it’s like, “Oh, it’s Tuesday morning? Let’s put on a hot pink matte lip and walk around the block…”
5. How’s your hair today?
   Freshly washed but in need of styling, and it’s currently up in a messy bun.

   I know, BIG surprise.

   I think I’m gonna do some loose curls in a little while…

Your turn. 🙂 Just copy and paste the following questions into a comment with your answers. I look forward to reading ’em!

1. Do you have a favorite mug?
2. Can you concentrate with music playing in the background?
3. Do you like scented powder products, and if you do, what’s your favorite one?
4. Are you a hot pink lipstick kinda girl/guy?
5. How’s your hair today?

Good morning, glory, and happy Monday! How’s it going today so far? I’m still on a post-weekend high out here… The baby shower on Saturday was so much fun! I hadn’t seen some of the people who made it there in so many years, and it was really nice. I even cheated a little on my diet and had a piece of sugary cake. Of course it was ridiculously delicious, as is often the case when you have something that you aren’t allowed to have/haven’t had in a long time… Man, why is that?

How’s everything out yonder way? What are you up to this week?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sometimes I feel like my beauty life is an episode of The X Files, because weird sh*t happens, and it happens over and over again.

Like this morning. I got up, washed my face and grabbed a pair of tweezers to tweeze my brows, and when I looked in the mirror, I noticed that my brow situation had gone full-on Yeti.

How this happened, I have no idea, but it was a rainforest up there! They seemingly went from normal to jungly and overgrown overnight.

I see myself in the mirror every day, so you’d think I’d pick up on these things sooner and be like, “Oh! Gosh, Karen, you’re turning into a Sasquatch…” but no. I’m apparently totally oblivious until the one day when I look up and see a thick carpet of hair growing on my brows…and my upper lip…and my chin. And it all just comes outta nowhere.

Now if I could only get those hairs to migrate over to my lashes…

Anyway, this is all to say that I finally tweezed today, and I feel like a whole new girl! It’s glorious! 🙂

I don’t know if you tweeze, but if you do, how picky are you about your tweezing implements? I’m super picky, but I swear by Tweezermans. I use the ones with the wedge-shaped tips to do my brows and upper lip hairs because I can grab a lot at once, and for those stiff, hard-to-remove witchy hairs on my chin (I mean, let’s get real — we all get the witchy hairs!), I use the ones with the sharp, pointy tips.

Did you know that you can get your Tweezermans sharpened? Yeah, if you send them in, they’ll sharpen them and send them back (thing is, it takes a while), and I think it might even be free!

I’ve never done it before, but I want to one of these days. If you’ve done it before, let me know. I’m curious…

So, while I was tweezing the living daylights out of my brows this morning in the magnifying mirror (my best friend and worst enemy), I spotted a minor breakout on my nose, so I grabbed these new POREfessional Instant Wipeout Masks by Benefit, which I’ve been meaning to try.

They’re $32 for eight masks, and they haven’t been around long. They’re designed to exfoliate and remove gunk from clogged pores on your forehead, nose and/or chin, and the star ingredient is a kind of mushroom extract that’s supposed to clean and shrink enlarged pores. And they also have a minty scent and menthol in them, so you get a bit of a crisp, cooling sensation, too.

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OK, I know that going to bed without removing your makeup is a big beauty no-no, but…let’s get real here: it happens.

Back when I was going out dancing a lot in my early 20s, I’d zonk out before removing my makeup at least once or twice a month (GASP!).

I know.

When I’m passing out on a friend’s couch at 4 a.m., washing my mug is the last thing on my mind, but that was a kinder, gentler time for my skin when I could get away with things like that… It was the time before serums, anti-aging creams and skin-related doodads and doohickies, also known as “the time when I could pretty much do anything, and my skin would be OK.”

Oh, how things have changed! I can’t really do that anymore, and ya know what? I don’t want to.

So, yeah, these days, never, although that might change after BG comes along… Heck, I probably won’t be wearing or removing much makeup at all for a while after she’s born. But ya never know!

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!