Just For Fun

As sunlight ? streams through my window this morning, a sparrow ? outside is cheeping, one of my neighbors is hammering away at something in their garage, and cartoons are playing in the background… I’ve been doing this thing lately where I focus on one of my senses — like hearing! — to stay present and “in the moment,” and I gotta say, the Saturday symphony ? is music to my ears.

How’s your day going, friend? If you haven’t had a hot beverage yet, may I suggest a Honey Citrus Mint Tea from Starbucks? My friend Marisol gave one to me the other day, and it was life-changing! Apparently, it was created by a customer and ended up being so popular that Starbucks added it to the menu.

It tastes like mint, honey, green tea and lemonade, and it’s absolutely DELICIOUS piping hot. Thanks, Marisol, for introducing this blessed elixir into my life!

Now, on to today’s reading…

• Makeup artist Scott Barnes is busy! He’s known for crafting Jennifer Lopez’s signature glow and has worked with her on several major projects, including doing her makeup for Hustlers and her recent Super Bowl halftime performance.
• Just in case you were unaware, meow is the purrfect time to bust out that Riesling you’ve been saving for a special occasion, since it’s National Drink Wine With Your Cat ?? Week! (Apparently, one day wasn’t enough.)
• Speaking of cats and wine, here are some feline-friendly vino options. I’m thinking Rosie might want to try a “meow-lot,” ha ha ha!
• Growing up, we ate Filipino food every day. I love all kinds of food, but we always followed my dad’s lead, and all he ever wanted to eat was Filipino food. (I didn’t even try Thai or Japanese until I was 18 and had left home for college!) Anyway, there really wasn’t such a thing as “Filipino restaurants” back then, but now they’re all over the country. Here’s a list of the best 25 Filipino restaurants in the United States.
• If you happen to be in Washington D.C., you might want to check out this museum dedicated entirely to language and words.
• There’s a company called Frida that makes postpartum recovery products for moms, and this ad — which for me was a 100% accurate depiction of what it was like after birthing a baby — was rejected by the Oscars for being “too graphic.”

Note to self…

This looks like so much fun.

In college I listened to a lot of Cheryl Crow.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Seemingly random question: Have you visited the toy section at Target lately? — because HOLY SPICY GUACAMOLE. Times have changed.

I was at the store with Connor the other day because she’s been home from school this week for mid-winter break, and well, apparently, dolls as a general toy category have become Instagrammed out!

Yup, did you know that there are dolls with color-blocked eyeshadow, bladed brows that could cut glass, and smudged-out smokey lower lash lines?

Is it just me, or do these dolls look like they received lip injections?

Instagram baddie winged liner is also alive and well (in case you were wondering).

It’s interesting to see how social media beauty standards have influenced so much! — including dolls in the toy aisle!

I guess that’s a good thing? Hmm…

One welcome change, though, is the variety of skin tones that are available for dolls now. It’s a much more inclusive world! There are so many more skin tones and hair types than there were when I was a kid.

Now, there are even male dolls with fabulous, fluffy hair, and guess what? They’re wearing makeup too.

I thought they were girls with short hair wearing suits at first, and my immediate response was, “That’s cool!”

I’ve since been informed by my friend Cindy that this trio of dudes is the Korean boy band, BTS.

Please note their Cara Delevingne bushy brows… 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!

I walked into Sur La Table last weekend looking for dough rails, which are these doohickeys that make it easy to roll out your cookie dough to a specific thickness, but while I was there I realized two things…

1. I have no idea how to pronounce Sur La Table… Is it sir-la-tay-bull or sur-la-tab-lay?? I’ve been pronouncing it with the “tab-lay” for years, but I may have been making it fancier and more complicated than it really is.
2. There’s kitchen stuff in there for cat ladies! ?? Who knew?

If I didn’t have a plethora of spatulas in my kitchen, I’d totally get that spatula at the top… Please note the crabby expression on the gray tabby’s face.

Oh, and the side-eye on this Coffee Meow mug. Hehe! It reminds me of how Tabs constantly loved to remind me of my human incompetence. I swear, cats are the best at throwing you shade from a mile away.

The kitties on this Tiffany blue mug look a lot friendlier and less likely to claw your eyes out, and the black cat looks so surprised and delighted, like it just got some unexpected noms from a stranger carrying cat treats in her purse (you know who you are, and you are my people).

There are also lots of interesting non-cat-related things there, of course, like this cake decorating brush kit, where the brushes bear a strong resemblance to tapered eyeshadow brushes. I bet they’re handy for blending and diffusing edges and lines… 🙂 And they might even work for blending your crease color in a pinch!

I just about died when I saw these adorable matching “Mommy and Me” aprons. I love the print, shape and the cheerful spring colors, but they could definitely use a couple of pockets.

Speaking of pretty prints, LEMONS GALORE! ??? I want all the things with a lemon print. Elegant, yet casual. WANT!

Last, but not least, I’m currently looking for an extra large pastry board and trying to decide between a wood or a marble one. Sur La Table’s is marble and supposed to be good… Just an FYI, in case you have a friend or family member who loves baking cookie/bread/pastry, and you’re looking for a special gift.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Hope you had a nice weekend. What are you doing today?

So…what is the Monday Poll?

Excellent question! It isn’t, contrary to its name, an actual poll, like with little clicky buttons. 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 quadrillion years (since 2007). I love reading your answers, and it helps me get my week off to a good start.

1. What kind of stuff do you like to binge watch?

All kinds of stuff, but I’m a big sucker for period pieces set in the English countryside, like Downton Abbey and Midsomer Murders. I also like classic literature adapted for the small screen.

As long as whatever it is isn’t too gory or apocalyptic (a genre I used to love but am now — meh — ambivalent about), I’m down with it.

Oh, and I also love cheesy, soapy romances with happy endings! ?

What can I say? I don’t want to be challenged by my television programming. Real life is scary enough as it is.

2. Rain, or snow?

Rain, ideally a light tropical drizzle someplace warm like Hawaii, where the rain smells fresh and feels incredible on your skin.

3. What’s your favorite eyeshadow brush?

Ooh! — anything dome-shaped, like a MAC 217, because they’re just so flexible. Great for packing on shadow, swiping out the edges, and they work for creams, powders, and you can even use ’em as face brushes in a pinch to apply highlighter, blush, or to blend out the edges of your cheek color.

Seriously, I’ve also used domed brushes to apply lipstick for a watercolor look. They’re extremely versatile.

4. Favorite nail polish?

For the time being, anything quick drying. (Hello, Essie Expressie!) When I have a little extra time, my go-to color is Essie Angora Cardi. ?

5. Have you ever locked your keys in your car?

Not yet (knocks on wood!), but it has been one of my nightmare scenarios ever since I first started driving. Every time I get out of the car, I make a habit of having my keys in my hand. I don’t like to put them in my purse or a pocket, because if I can feel them in my hand…I know I won’t be locking them in my car.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Here are the questions to copy/paste with your answers in a comment. Talk to ya soon.

1. What kind of stuff do you like to binge watch?
2. Rain, or snow?
3. What’s your favorite eyeshadow brush?
4. Favorite nail polish?
5. Have you ever locked your keys in your car?

Good morning, my sweet! Happy Saturday. ?

Crazy cat lady moment: aren’t these the cutest CCL socks? They’re a Valentine’s Day gift from El Hub, and I gotta say, when he gets it right, he *REALLY* gets it right.

I’m pretty sure Tabs briefly dated the kitty model on these socks…

So, don’t laugh, but I’m heading to Target in a few because I’m in the mood for a pale pastel pink polish, so I’m thinking either Buns Up or Crop Top and Roll from the Essie Expressie line will do the trick.

I might be a little obsessed. ?

While I contemplate the life-changing nature of quick-drying nail polish, you can catch up on your reading for the week.

• Ever wish you could spring out of bed with all your face paint already in place? Here’s everything you need to know about permanent (and semi-permanent) makeup.
• It looks like brands are once again shifting their marketing focus to makeup artists, rather than social media influencers.
• Beauty Chemist Alyssa Space recently opened a non-profit in Detroit, Myspace Beauty Lab, where kids can explore and create makeup through STEM. I would’ve LOVED this as a child!
• Beautycounter (which is sold through a multi-level marketing program) aims to be the first beauty brand to have physically audited every one of their mica mines to guarantee a fully traceable supply chain by the end of 2020.
• “Ambergris is, well…no one really knows, but it either comes out of the back end of whale, or it’s regurgitated. But it is not usable when it first comes out of the whale. It needs to float around on the sea for a couple of years, and then it gets cast up on the beach before you can use it.” <---- This is from a perfumer’s take on the recent wave of vagina-inspired scents made by celebrities (side note: did I really just write that sentence??).
• A matchmaker breaks down how to smell like the best version of yourself when you’re on a date.
• HOW RUDE! A 4-year-old French bulldog was stolen out of a Bay Area salon by a man who allegedly lured him away with mangoes.
• This salon in Indiana offers sensory-friendly haircuts for children by playing music on low and handing out toys so kids can feel calm and free of stress while they’re getting a trim.
• Cats in China are wearing face masks amid the coronavirus crisis.
• Ah, the eternal question… Does your cat really hate you?
• For my beauty friends on Oahu, there’s a new cat cafe in Kaimuki called Popoki and Tea. (side note: this neighborhood is El Hub’s old stomping grounds!).

Connor’s fourth (!) birthday is coming up in March, which means I’ll probably cry tears of nostalgia as I watch this…

Welcome to the soundtrack of my pre-teen and teenage years (I played A LOT of Chopin on the piano).

The song I’ve been listening to first thing in the morning

Oh, and let me know what you think of the last video (the Sigrid song). I’m getting Adele vibes from it.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen