Giveaways

“Let her play with Lego, for crying out loud!”

I’m sitting here on the couch with the laptop watching Extreme Guide to Parenting, and I just heard El Hub yell that from the other room.

And he’s not even watching the show. He’s just eavesdropping, LOL!

Rise and shine, pal o’ mine! It’s caturday! 🙂 Do you know where your husky tabby is?

The one who manages this office is disgruntled and pacing around the house because he wants to go outside. There are these crows who are sort of casing the joint. They’re sitting in the closest tree branches, cawing at the top of their crow lungs, and it’s p*ssing Tabs off. He’s like, “Dammit! Those effing birds!”

Poor kitty…

In other news, it’s giveaway time. Good luck to you. I hope you have a great weekend, too. El Hub and I are talking about going kayaking again on the Russian River tomorrow, but we’ll see. We have a couple other things to do. One of them, actually, involves something special for the cat enthusiasts tomorrow afternoon, so if you have a kitty (or two or 12), be sure to check back tomorrow.

• One (1) Sephora eGift card containing $50 sent to the winner by email (international readers, you may opt to receive $50 sent by PayPal instead).

• Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.
• Open to U.S. and international readers.
• You must be 18 or older to enter (or otherwise an adult based on your local laws).
• Your comment can be about anything at all, but here are some ideas if you’re stuck:
  • What was your favorite toy or game growing up?
  • Have you ever braided someone else’s hair?
  • Have you ever had super skinny, thin brows?
  • When was the last time you wore false lashes?
  • Do you currently dye your hair?
  • Do you put mascara on your bottom lashes?
• You can enter in up to seven ways to boost your chances of winning.
• The giveaway ends on Monday, September 1, 2014 at 11:59 PM (Pacific Time). 🙂
• Full terms and conditions are available in the widget.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

UPDATE 8/24/14: What’s shakin’? I mean, other than the GROUND BENEATH MY FEET. So, this morning at 3:20 a.m. (incidentally, shortly after the witching hour), I’m jostled awake in bed by a 6.0 earthquake. Almost immediately, El Hub says like a drill sergeant, “Get up, up, up! Doorway, now!” We wobble together to the doorway, and then when the quake doesn’t quickly stop, we decide to make our way downstairs, thinking that we should probably get out of the house. We’re almost to the front door when the shaking suddenly stops.

The quake was centered about 10 miles north of us near Napa, so pretty close, but we appear to have made it out unscathed. No visible damage to the house, and everyone is fine…although Tabs was definitely freaked out. He just needed some extra soothing. 🙂 I hope you’re doing well.

*sigh* I would love to be playing in the tropics right now and having my coffee with fresh papaya at a beachside cafe overlooking a bright blue lagoon while we make our plans for the day. Should we hike to that waterfall on the map we got from the concierge, go snorkeling, or just take a chill drive around the island and sightsee? Or do you think we have time to do all three?

Aah! That sounds like heaven to me. 🙂

Meanwhile, back in Novato… LOL!

Rise and shine, morning glory! It’s going to be a beautiful day, even though most of us aren’t lounging about in the tropics.

What are you up to today? I’m just prepping for my trip tomorrow, doing laundry, packing, charging up my cameras, spending some time with the tabby, stuff like that. Nothing too exciting.

I hope you have a nice weekend lined up. I’ll be around, purr usual. Talk to you soon.

• One (1) Sephora eGift card containing $50 sent to the winner by email (international readers, you may opt to receive $50 sent by PayPal instead).

• Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.
• Open to U.S. and international readers.
• You must be 18 or older to enter (or otherwise an adult based on your local laws).
• Your comment can be about anything at all, but here are some ideas if you’re stuck:
  • What’s your favorite place to vacation?
  • Have you ever gotten a bad sunburn?
  • What’s been your favorite summer movie so far?
  • What’s something you would love to learn?
  • Have you ever worked as an intern?
  • What did you wear on your best makeup day this week?
• You can enter in up to seven ways to boost your chances of winning.
• The giveaway ends on Monday, August 25, 2014 at 11:59 PM (Pacific Time). 🙂
• Full terms and conditions are available in the widget.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

You know that movie The Time Traveler’s Wife?

I watched it again… It was on TV last night.

That movie is just so incredibly sad, isn’t it? But neat. It’s like, here’s what happens when something that could be a gift is actually a curse.

Rachel McAdams sure knows how to pick those heart-wrenching love stories…

Speaking of gifts, happy caturday! Every day we share together, my friend, is a gift, and yes, that’s corny, but I do not care. Not one bit. 🙂

How’s it going this morning? Did you do anything interesting or fun last night? El Hub and I had dinner at a Japanese place here in town that we hadn’t been to before (eh, it was OK), and then walked down the street and got ice cream at Powell’s Sweet Shoppe, and that store is always fun. I’m serious, if Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory had a satellite corporate office, it would probably look just like that store. They have every kind of candy imaginable, from chocolate-covered bacon necklaces to giant rainbow lollipops to caramel peanut clusters the size of small watermelons.

And after that we watched that movie at home. Pretty quiet evening.

Your nephew seems to be in good spirits this morning. Right after I woke up I pet him for a while, so he met his quota for lurvies, and as you know, his moods are pretty much entirely dependent on food and love. Like mommy like tabby.

Well, that’s about it for me. I’m gonna go make my first cup of coffee now and something to eat (Eggo waffles, perhaps?). Good luck in this weekend’s giveaway. Talk to you soon. 🙂

• One (1) Sephora eGift card containing $50 sent to the winner by email (international readers, you may opt to receive $50 sent by PayPal instead).

• Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.
• Open to U.S. and international readers.
• You must be 18 or older to enter (or otherwise an adult based on your local laws).
• Your comment can be about anything at all, but here are some ideas if you’re stuck:
  • Would you want the ability to time travel if you couldn’t control when it happened, or to what time you went?
  • What’s your favorite animated movie?
  • Have you ever ridden a scooter?
  • What’s the best smelling shampoo?
  • Which do you wear more often: big dangly earrings or small studs?
  • Have you ever been to a water park?
• You can enter in up to seven ways to boost your chances of winning.
• The giveaway ends on Monday, August 18, 2014 at 11:59 PM (Pacific Time). 🙂
• Full terms and conditions are available in the widget.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

They say, “It works a lot of your hip flexors,” when you rent a kayak. “Down here, around here.” But they don’t really tell you about your arms, your back, your shoulders, your thighs, your butt or your fingers (from holding the paddle).

Yeah…little sore this morning, LOL!

That’s what four hours in a kayak will do to you when you’re no longer the, uh…springiest of chickens.

But it was worth it. I had a blast.

In other news, OMG! Kittens hasn’t been too kind to me yet. I lost another $2 last night (it’s a penny slot), which is better than losing more than that, I guess. I’m going to give it one last try today… I’m not the biggest gambler in the world, so I mostly stick to penny slots. I think the grand prize mega jackpot on OMG! Kittens is something like 4000 pennies…but I’d prefer a kitten jackpot. 🙂

Have a great weekend, whatever you’re up to, and good luck in the giveaway. Tabs has been texting me off and on throughout the trip. He and his petsitter played Dungeons & Dragons last night. Tabs is a ninth level paladin named Chevalier… I guess he fought some hell hounds.

• One (1) Sephora eGift card containing $50 sent to the winner by email (international readers, you may opt to receive $50 sent by PayPal instead).

• Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.
• Open to U.S. and international readers.
• You must be 18 or older to enter (or otherwise an adult based on your local laws).
• Your comment can be about anything at all, but here are some ideas if you’re stuck:
  • What’s your favorite melon (water, honeydew, cantaloupe, etc.)?
  • Have you ever had wallpaper in a room? What did it look like?
  • Have you ever lost any makeup on vacation?
  • What’s the best waterproof mascara?
  • Have you ever tried stand-up paddling?
  • Who makes the sturdiest nail polish?
• You can enter in up to seven ways to boost your chances of winning.
• The giveaway ends on Monday, August 11, 2014 at 11:59 PM (Pacific Time). 🙂
• Full terms and conditions are available in the widget.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

And now, the next thrilling installment of A TABBY IN SEPHORA — one cat’s quest to find a fabulous fur brightener. (Scroll down to the P.S. to reread Part 1.)

A TABBY IN SEPHORA: PART 2

Tabs checked the display for Urban Decay Fabulous Feline Fur Brightener one last time, peering behind the boxes of the Tortie and Orange Tabby shades in the front. His whiskers probed the back of the dark shelf.

“Mrow!” he barked. Nothing! This was totally unacceptable. It wasn’t so much about the fur brightener anymore. His fur was already striking and bright. He was more upset that Choupette was actively trying to sabotage him.

“Um, sir?” The sales associate gestured to him from behind the counter. Grumbling under his breath, Tabs walked over.

“So the order’s all set,” the associate said, peering down at Tabs through a pair of shiny black Warby Parker glasses. “It should be here Monday afternoon.”

Lovely, Tabs thought, his eyes narrowing. Monday. That would mean he wouldn’t have it for any of the kitty modeling parties this weekend.

“Oh!” the sales associate said, seeing something on her computer screen, “This is weird. There’s a note here that says to call someone named Choupette when we get more of the Tabby shade in stock.”

Tabs couldn’t believe his ears. Choupette had this whole thing planned out! She must have known that Tabs would hear about a new fur brightener from a big brand like Urban Decay and would visit the closest Sephora store to his house. She was cunning. Tabs had to give her that.

Suddenly, the spark of an idea. “Mrow?” Tabs asked, looking up at the associate. What about dogs?

“Dogs?” the associate replied. “What about them?”

“Meow-wow?” he said. Is there a version for dogs?

“Oh, of the fur brightener? Let me check.” She started typing on her keyboard. “Looks like, wait, yes, here! There is a version for dogs. Urban Decay Cute Canine Coat Brightener.”

Bingo! Tabs thought. If it comes in a version for black, gray and brown fur, it just might work. “Mrrrow?” he asked, keeping his paws crossed.

The associate’s eyes widened as she seemed to understand. “Ah,” she said, “let me check.”

Tabs could hardly contain his excitement. He started kacking uncontrollably like he did when he watched birds. If Tabs were to show up to Karl Lagerfeld’s party tonight with his fur even brighter than usual, Tabs would be the talk of the town tomorrow, and that would show Choupette who’s boss.

“Aha!” the sales associate said, looking victorious. “Yes, it does come in a shade for dogs with black, brown and gray fur.”

“Mrrrow,” Tabs said. Excellent.

–TO BE CONTINUED–

Good morning, glory! Happy caturday! I hope you liked that little story. Stay tuned for part 3, where we find out what happens at Karl’s party… 🙂

How’s it going this morning? What did you do last night? We came this close to going to see Guardians of the Galaxy, but then I wussed out. The thought of chilling out in pajamas and watching TV on the couch was too hard to resist.

We started watching a BBC psychological crime drama on Netflix called Luther, starring Idris Elba and WOW! It’s great. Every episode is like Silence of the Lambs. I’m not kidding. It’s that good. And scary. And intense.

Other than that, not much new to report. The only thing on my agenda for today is going for a run on the treadmill and spending time with Tabs and El Hub.

Good luck in this weekend’s giveaway. Have a great one, and I’ll talk to you soon.

• One (1) Sephora eGift card containing $50 sent to the winner by email (international readers, you may opt to receive $50 sent by PayPal instead).

• Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.
• Open to U.S. and international readers.
• You must be 18 or older to enter (or otherwise an adult based on your local laws).
• Your comment can be about anything at all, but here are some ideas if you’re stuck:
  • Did you get any new makeup this week?
  • What’s your current favorite app on your phone?
  • Is there a piece of furniture that means a lot to you in your house?
  • Have you had any watermelon yet this year?
  • What’s the highest height from which you’ve ever jumped into water before?
  • Do you like to gamble?
• You can enter in up to seven ways to boost your chances of winning.
• The giveaway ends on Monday, August 4, 2014 at 11:59 PM (Pacific Time). 🙂
• Full terms and conditions are available in the widget.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Mrow! If you missed it the first time around, here is part 1 of A TABBY IN SEPHORA.

A TABBY IN SEPHORA: PART 1

“Hello,” the sales associate said as Tabs entered the store. “Can I help you find something?”

“Meow…” Tabs replied, a little unsure. The sales associate smiled expectantly. Tabs knew that he wanted something to brighten his fur, but these stores were always so overwhelming to him. So many rows and rows and aisles and stacks of products taller than him. He didn’t know where to start.

The associate nodded. Tabs, as if on auto-pilot, moved deeper into the store, pulled by an unseen force. Fur brighteners, fur brighteners, fur brighteners, he reminded himself, trying to stay focussed.

Around him were dozens of displays with sparkling glass vials, vibrant posters and trays filled with pigmented products. A mix of perfumes filled the air.

Cats and cat ladies walked up and down the aisles, exploring the many treasures. Many chatted with sales associates. “This one is great for soft paws,” he overheard one of the associates say. She was standing beside a husky Russian Blue Tabs recognized from his neighborhood.

Tabs stopped in front of a display placed at cat eye level. New Urban Decay Fabulous Feline Fur Brightener! it read. “Meow,” he purr-chirped. Yes!

The display showed that it was available in eight colors. He saw Orange Tabby, Siamese, Tortie, and yes! Tabby too!

He pawed at the small boxes, looking for the shade, but there were none to be found. Shoot, he thought, I think they’re out.

“Meow?” he asked the nearest sales associate.

“Let me check,” she said, heading behind the counter. “Yeah, those have been really popular lately. It’s weird, a seal-point Ragdoll came in yesterday and purchased all of the ones in the Tabby shade we had in stock.”

Choupette! Tabs immediately thought. That cat was always trying to sabotage him.

“I’m sorry,” the sales associate said, “it looks like we’re completely out, but I can order one for you if you’d like.”

“Meow-rrow,” Tabs said. Yes, please. That would be great. There had to be a reason Choupette didn’t want Tabs to get his paws on that shade. A good reason, indeed.

–TO BE CONTINUED–

You know when you’re too tired to cook and just want good food to magically appear in front of you? Yeah…that’s exactly how it was last night.

Good morning, glory! I hope you had a good week. Mine wasn’t bad at all, and any week that ends with pizza and a movie ends on a high note (unless either of those is terrible).

That’s what we did. We grabbed slices for dinner and then went to see Lucy, that new sci-fi flick with ScarJo and Morgan Freeman. She plays someone exposed to a new drug who starts being able to use more of her brain power, but it comes with a big catch 22.

Not great, but not bad either. There were some cool parts, and she does kick some @ss.

Today, now, I’m just hanging out. I don’t really have any big plans. Tabs is sleeping in the other room, I just finished watering the plants (TONS of tomatoes ready to pick), and now I’m saying hello to you.

Hello.

What are you up to today? Is it hot out there? It’s, uh, like Death Valley out here… It was about 95 degrees yesterday, and it’s supposed to be almost that hot again today.

Yeah…we don’t have a working air conditioner, and it usually doesn’t matter because it rarely gets that hot here, but this is one of those weeks. Late in the day my office has been like a sauna, and even Tabs leaves the room.

It’s kind of funny, actually. If you could see the shenanigans and hoops I hop through to take face pics without my makeup melting off, you’d laugh. Let’s just say that I get pretty creative with fan placement, cross ventilation, towels and ice…

In other news, you know what time it is, right?

(Here’s a hint: it’s giveaway time.)

I hope you enter. Good luck. 🙂

• One (1) Sephora eGift card containing $50 sent to the winner by email (international readers, you may opt to receive $50 sent by PayPal instead).

• Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.
• Open to U.S. and international readers.
• You must be 18 or older to enter (or otherwise an adult based on your local laws).
• Your comment can be about anything at all, but here are some ideas if you’re stuck:
  • If your pet had a catchphrase or slogan, what would it be?
  • Invent a cake you’d like to try. Tell me about it.
  • How many cups of coffee and/or tea do you have on a typical day?
  • Telekinesis or clairvoyance?
  • What are your five current favorite makeup brands?
  • Favorite Asian makeup/beauty brand?
• You can enter in up to seven ways to boost your chances of winning.
• The giveaway ends on Monday, July 28, 2014 at 11:59 PM (Pacific Time). 🙂
• Full terms and conditions are available in the widget.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

A TABBY IN SEPHORA

“Hello,” the sales associate said as Tabs entered the store. “Can I help you find something?”

“Meow…” Tabs replied, a little unsure. The sales associate smiled expectantly. Tabs knew that he wanted something to brighten his fur, but these stores were always so overwhelming to him. So many rows and rows and aisles and stacks of products taller than him. He didn’t know where to start.

The associate nodded. Tabs, as if on auto-pilot, moved deeper into the store, pulled by an unseen force. Fur brighteners, fur brighteners, fur brighteners, he reminded himself, trying to stay focussed.

Around him were dozens of displays with sparkling glass vials, vibrant posters and trays filled with pigmented products. A mix of perfumes filled the air.

Cats and cat ladies walked up and down the aisles, exploring the many treasures. Many chatted with sales associates. “This one is great for soft paws,” he overheard one of the associates say. She was standing beside a husky Russian Blue Tabs recognized from his neighborhood.

Tabs stopped in front of a display placed at cat eye level. New Urban Decay Fabulous Feline Fur Brightener! it read. “Meow,” he purr-chirped. Yes!

The display showed that it was available in eight colors. He saw Orange Tabby, Siamese, Tortie, and yes! Tabby too!

He pawed at the small boxes, looking for the shade, but there were none to be found. Shoot, he thought, I think they’re out.

“Meow?” he asked the nearest sales associate.

“Let me check,” she said, heading behind the counter. “Yeah, those have been really popular lately. It’s weird, a seal-point Ragdoll came in yesterday and purchased all of the ones in the Tabby shade we had in stock.”

Choupette! Tabs immediately thought. That cat was always trying to sabotage him.

“I’m sorry,” the sales associate said, “it looks like we’re completely out, but I can order one for you if you’d like.”

“Meow-rrow,” Tabs said. Yes, please. That would be great. There had to be a reason Choupette didn’t want Tabs to get his paws on that shade. A good reason, indeed.

–TO BE CONTINUED–

Rise and shine, morning glory. 🙂 Happy caturday!

Did you do anything fun last night? We pretty much took it easy out here, buuut I did see kittens.

Yup, after dinner we stopped by a local shopping center (I needed ice cream), and the pet food store there had three black and white kitten siblings up for adoption.

I seriously considered bringing all three of them home…

In other news, we watched a fantastic WWII miniseries this week on Netflix called Generation War. It’s from the German perspective (English subtitles), which we don’t see a lot out here, about a group of five young friends and what happens to them during the war. Highly recommended.

Whatever you’re up to this weekend, I hope it’s grand. I’ll talk to you soon.

• One (1) Sephora eGift card containing $50 sent to the winner by email (international readers, you may opt to receive $50 sent by PayPal instead).

• Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.
• Open to U.S. and international readers.
• You must be 18 or older to enter (or otherwise an adult based on your local laws).
• Your comment can be about anything at all, but here are some ideas if you’re stuck:
  • Have you ever played charades? How about Twister?
  • What’s the shortest you’ve ever had your hair?
  • Where were you born and raised?
  • What’s something a lot of people don’t know about you?
  • What’s the longest you’ve ever held the same job?
  • A store you always enjoy visiting?
• You can enter in up to seven ways to boost your chances of winning.
• The giveaway ends on Monday, July 21, 2014 at 11:59 PM (Pacific Time). 🙂
• Full terms and conditions are available in the widget.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

THE COFFEE AND THE BLOGGER

“Please, nice lady,” said the terrified cup of coffee. “Please don’t drink me.”

“Why not!?” barked the groggy, bleary-eyed beauty blogger as she ambled toward the carton of almond milk on the counter. “You’re mine! And I need you!”

“But…” pleaded the cup, “if you drink me, I’ll disappear, and I don’t want to disappear.”

The beauty blogger’s left eye twitched uncontrollably, and her hands were twisted into claws. “Bah! I don’t care! I’m not awake yet and I need my coffee!” Clumsily, she dumped the milk-like liquid into the cup, filling it close to the brim.

“Grgglrgl!” the cup cried. “I can’t swim!”

“Oh, shut-up!” the blogger screamed. “Just shut-up already!”

–THE END–

OK, that was dumb.

SO dumb.

LOL! But I am really that tired right now, and I have no sympathy whatsoever for the coffee I am about to consume, bwahahahahahaaa! 🙂

Hi, babe. How’s it going this morning? What did you do last night?

I made pasta for din-din and watched some PBS specials on Netflix, one about Chatsworth, which is the palatial house where Downtown Abbey takes place, and the second one was about Selfridges, the department store in London (founded by an American, who knew?). And then I watched the first half of Titanic again (because we all know what happens in the second half).

Sometimes TV is the world’s greatest cure for a frazzled mind, ya know? There are times when I literally need for my brain to be turned into mush.

In other news, I’m counting down the seconds till tomorrow because I’m heading into the city to meet my two girlfriends for the day, and I haven’t seen them in a while.

So that’ll be fun.

I hope you have a great weekend lined up. I’ll be around, as usual, so I’ll talk to you soon.

• One (1) Sephora eGift card containing $50 sent to the winner by email (international readers, you may opt to receive $50 sent by PayPal instead).

• Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.
• Open to U.S. and international readers.
• You must be 18 or older to enter (or otherwise an adult based on your local laws).
• Your comment can be about anything at all, but here are some ideas if you’re stuck:
  • How do you take your coffee?
  • What’s your favorite summer fruit (for me, peaches, cherries and watermelon)?
  • On average, how many eyeshadows do you wear at a time?
  • What was the last meal you prepared?
  • Have you ever been to London?
  • A movie that scared you as a child?
• You can enter in up to seven ways to boost your chances of winning.
• The giveaway ends on Monday, July 14, 2014 at 11:59 PM (Pacific Time), which is, incidentally, someone’s birthday. 🙂
• Full terms and conditions are available in the widget.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen