Just For Fun

Poppyseed, asiago, cinnamon raisin, blueberry… I’m thinking about bagels this morning, and not just because of their carb-o-licious goodness. I’m currently “reading” an audiobook called Take Control of Your Life by Mel Robbins, and it’s about fear and learning how to move past it. I just finished a story in it about bagels, of all things.

In the book, Mel talks about viewing things as either obstacles or opportunities, and she tells a story about two men who finish a foot race. There are free bagels at the finish line, and one guy says, “Oh, look, there’s free bagels. Let’s go get some.” But the other guy says, “The line is too long.”

Both men look at the bagels in different ways. The guy who sees the yummy bagels in yo’ tummy focuses on the opportunity, while the other guy sees the obstacle (the long line).

Interesting, huh?

Which person are you? I think I’m the person who automatically sees the obstacles, but I’d like to be the person who focuses on the yummy bagels, so that’s what I’m working on now…

Just some food for thought on this lovely morning.

And now, Saturday surfing!

• Lady Gaga’s Haus Laboratories makeup line will be available exclusively on Amazon, and it looks like there WILL BE shimmer.
• 11 purr-fect pieces of fashion for your favorite feline fanatic.
• You may soon be the one asking your little brother if you can borrow his concealer, because all the big players — L’Oréal, Shiseido and Estée Lauder — are developing makeup for men. Currently, the most robust line for men is by a brand out of Japan called Fiveism, which has more than 80 products from nail polish to eyeshadow to everything in between.
• Ulta plucked Frida Khalo’s famous unibrow in the imagery for the new Frida Khalo-themed collection, and I cannot roll my eyes far enough back into my head.
• Wondering how to outsmart facial recognition software? All you have to do is paint your face like one of the members of the Insane Clown Posse. ?
• The Louvre is launching a collection of fragrances inspired by their most famous pieces.
• Is there a difference between toners and essences?
• Experts weigh in on beauty apps, and whether they put you at risk.
• Fun facts about Ernest Hemingway’s cats! ?
• 5 tech gadgets for an instant summer glow, according to Vogue
• Speaking of beauty technology, you may want to skip the world’s first Bluetooth hair straightener, because it can be easily hacked.
• An Allure beauty editor’s guide to the annual Bronner Brothers Hair Show

I 100% enjoyed this, and it turns out my favorite X-Tina video is the same as hers, too!

Speaking of Christina!

I like this version of one my favorite songs of all time.

Thank you, universe, for the gift that is Lizzo.

Speaking of bagels, here’s how they’re made.

I think it’s a good time to hunt down a bagel. Ooh! — one with cream cheese and smoked salmon! ?

Have a great weekend!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Connor is a busy, busy bee! At some point within the last month, she entered the phase where she repeats every word she hears — from me, her dad, the TV, school.

Sometimes, it’s endearing, like when she’s learning new words and phrases. (Yesterday we were bird watching, and she said, very matter-of-factly, “Let’s write down all the observations in a notebook.”)

Other times, it’s full-on shocking.

What did you just say…?

So…in the Trader Joe’s parking lot last Sunday, which unfortunately is one of the places I GO HAM because some drivers are extra nuts on the weekends, someone rudely stole the parking spot I was just about to pull into. Reflexively, I said, “Are you f*cking kidding me, lady?” which was followed two seconds later by a sweet, high-pitched voice in the back seat that echoed, “Are you f*cking kidding me, lady?”

RUH ROH! Time to lock down the “colorful” language, Karen!

Also, when Connor isn’t repeating everything she hears, she’s saying N.O. to everything else.

“Connor, will you please pick up your toys?”

“No.”

“Babylove, let’s go upstairs and get ready for bed!”

“No.”

“Cocobaby, how about we get into your car seat so we can drive you to camp?”

“NO!”

I’ve read that it’s a common developmental thing around this age… Toddlers are starting to feel independent and like having a sense of control over the world around them.

Redirection: err day, all day

Because I don’t want to spend the whole day fighting her or giving timeouts (Have you tried to reason with a toddler? It’s a fruitless endeavor.), when “no” happens, I do lots and lots and LOTS of redirecting.

Like, if I say, “Connor, let’s go to the potty before we leave for ballet,” and she says “no,” I try different tantalizing ways to get her up the stairs, like, “Why don’t you show me how you count your numbers? Tell me many stairs it takes to get to the top!”

If she says “no” to that offer, then I might try, “How fast can you make it up the stairs? Want to show mommy how quick you are?”

And if that also gets a “no,” I’ll go with something like, “Can you walk up the stairs on your tippy toes? Can you show me how to do it?”

Basically, come at it from different angles until she says “yes” to one of them.

Then, once she’s up the stairs, I’ll use a similar tactic to get her to the bathroom: “Want to hop like a bunny or a kangaroo to the bathroom? It’s your choice!”

And when we finally, FINALLY make it to the toilet, things just keep rollin’ from there. “Oh, look! We’re at the potty. Did you know that mommy’s underpants are purple and have a bow? Do yours have a bow? Oh, yours are purple, too? THAT’S SO COOL! Listen, while we’re here, why don’t we have a seat on the potty? You don’t have to pee, but if you’re sitting there and you want to, go right ahead.”

Redirecting takes a lot of patience and creativity, and tasks take 10 times longer than they would if she just did them, but gosh, it adds so much harmony to our day. Otherwise, everything — I’m talking EVERYTHING — is a massive battle.

Anyway, it’s working for us…for now.

This is the easy stuff?

And I realize that these things are probably small potatoes compared to the challenges ahead. I’m constantly reminding myself to enjoy this phase because it just gets harder from here.

Like, last week at her summer school/camp, her favorite teacher and closest buddy were both on vacation, so the first thing she said when I picked her up was, “Mama, when I was at the playground today, I asked someone to play with me and she said no, so I played by myself, and that made me sad.”

I swear, my heart broke a little.
[Continue reading…]

I think all of these are great. What are your faves?

• Foundation
• MAC Studio Fix Foundation
• MAC Face and Body
• MAC Mineralize Foundation/Loose (sadly discontinued!)
• Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup
• Estée Lauder Double Wear Light Stay-in-Place
• Estée Lauder Double Wear Nude Cushion Stick Radiant Makeup
• L’Oreal True Match Lumi Healthy Luminous Foundation
• Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Tint
• Concealer
• Maybelline Age Instant Age Rewind Concealer
• Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Concealer
• Sephora Bright Future Gel Serum Concealer
• MAC Pro Longwear Concealer
• Benefit Boi-ing Hydrating Concealer
• Primer
• Urban Decay Urban Defense Complexion Primer Broad Spectrum SPF 30
• BECCA Backlight
• Powder
• MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural
• Chanel Poudres Universelle Libre Natural Finish Loose Powder

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

As I was cleaning out the glove compartment in my car, I found an expired travel bottle of contact lens solution (I can’t tell you how many times one of my contacts has felt wonky or popped out in the car.)

This made me wonder two things…

First, do people ever actually put gloves in their glove compartment? And second, what beauty products do other people keep in their car? ??

Currently, all of the following items are in my car, and while I realize that a few of them aren’t technically “beauty products,” I’m still putting ’em in there.

• 1 bottle of contact lens solution
• 1 contact lens case
• 1 extra pair of glasses
• 2 tubes of hand cream (one in the front seat, one in the back)
• 2 industrial-sized tubes of hand sanitizer (again, one in the front seat, one in the back)
• Lip balm (several tubes, all over the place)
• Wet Ones wipes
• Baby wipes
• Paper towels
• Garbage bags (a relatively new addition, which came about after I threw up when I was driving home from the gym and had to keep the barf in my closed mouth because I had nowhere else to put it)
• A brow pencil (because sometimes I have Mom brain and forget to fill them in; it also doubles as eyeliner in a pinch)
• A hair brush
• Several hair ties (both standard-issue black and colorful ties for toddlers)
• Tweezers and a magnifying mirror
• And this might be TMI, but extra underwear (both for me and for coywolf, because you never know)
• Dental floss (because how many times have I left someplace with a piece of carrot or a sesame seed stuck in my back teeth!)

Now that I think about it, I really should put a toothbrush and toothpaste in there, too. Maybe a travel bottle of Listerine as well…

What about you? What beauty products do you keep in your car?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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. Something you collect?

In addition to my growing collection of rocks and shells from various locales, I also collect refrigerator magnets from places I’ve been, or places my friends and family have been. They’re all over my fridge (obvi), holding up receipts, grocery lists, recipes, old pictures, and the gift cards I need to use up, already.

In the pro column for magnets is that they’re souvenirs you can actually use, ya know? Plus, they don’t take too much room in your suitcase, and they aren’t usually too expensive.

2. Have you ever played soccer?

Not really, but I wish I had. We played a few weeks in middle school PE, and I remember *not* totally hating it, because we got to run around a lot, and I was OK with running.

3. Matte, demi-matte or dewy?

Demi-matte today!

4. Lemon or lime?

Lemon, because they’re easier to squeeze, and I can get more juice outta them. Plus, lemon bars, lemon pasta sauce, lemon cookies… Yum! ?

5. Great skin starts with [FILL IN THE BLANK].

Honestly…genetics. Most of the people who wake up with flawless skin got dealt a great hand, but but drinking lots of water, going to bed early, and wearing sunscreen definitely do help IMO. Visiting a dermatologist can help, too. It was through a derm that I found out about Accutane, which was the only thing that helped the cystic acne I had when I was 19.

Saucy magnets

Whoever made these magnets totally gets me, ha ha ha!

Spotted them at a tchotchke store in Sausalito when El Hub, coywolf and I went to dinner last weekend for our wedding anniversary… Thirteen years! And we were together for five years before that.

It’s a miracle I haven’t killed that man in his sleep (yet)…

The place we ate, Copita, was pretty good. I ordered the fish tacos and a cherry margarita. Only thing is…the tacos were teeny, tiny, so I was still hungry when I left the restaurant.

On the bright side, though, it left plenty of room for a big scoop of Three Twins Salted Caramel ice cream in a sugar cone. ?

*Always* a sugar cone!

Which leads me to an unexpected bonus question: sugar cone, cake cone, waffle cone or cup?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Question time! Here they are to copy/paste with your answers in a comment. Talk to you soon.

1. Something you collect?
2. Have you ever played soccer?
3. Matte, demi-matte or dewy?
4. Lemon or lime?
5. Great skin starts with [FILL IN THE BLANK].

P.P.S. Have a wonderful week. ?

Hi, friend. How’s it going today? What are you up to? I hope it involves food and fun, whatever it is. ???

I don’t know if it exactly qualifies as fun, but I’m heading out the door for an early HIIT class at the gym. After that, though, I’m taking coywolf to a playdate because, apparently, I am now an Uber driver at the beck and call of a threenager, ha ha ha!

But first, a little Saturday surfing…

• When a product claims to be paraben-free, does that also mean that it’s better for your health? It’s still unclear whether parabens are dangerous, but if they aren’t being used in a beauty product, then chances are another preservative is.
• I’m all for doing everything you can to keep your skin in the best possible shape, but am I the only person who thinks that mini-fridges made specifically for beauty products are a little extra?
• Tell your man that he needs to start wearing sunscreen underneath his beard, ASAP.
• In perfume jargon, where does the term “Oriental” come from?
• I see you, Coty. The best performing stock so far this year belongs to a cosmetics company.
• The best MAC lippies for fair skin, according to experts.
• Speaking of lip products, dermatologists love these lip balms with SPF.
• Whole Paycheck Whole Foods is on a mission to become a destination for beauty junkies.
• How to choose the perfect brow shade to fill in those fuzzy little caterpillars.

Get ready to move that booty.

El Hub and I are also celebrating our 13th wedding anniversary this weekend (!). We’re heading down to Sausalito for dinner at a restaurant we haven’t been to before called Copita (gluten-free Mexican). And by “dinner,” I mean that we have 5 p.m. reservations at a (hopefully) child-friendly restaurant! 🙂

Happy Caturday to you. I hope you have a beautiful weekend.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen