Just For Fun

Hello and happy Caturday!!! If you ever need shelter from the metaphorical storm, might I suggest Marshalls? — because every time I go there, I find so many cute kitty-themed things.

I went a couple days ago, and these blank kitty cards were soooo tempting, but I already have an entire drawer filled with cat steno that I need to work my way through…

I also really wanted the kitty toothbrush holder at the top, but I passed because it had a slight chip in one ear. ?

Oh, and then there were these cute jars, too…

Ah, so much cuteness! I might go back later today so see if any of these are still there, but I’m not holding out hope because you know how Marshalls is. If you snooze, you lose! You can literally turn around, and something you just saw on the shelf a minute ago will have disappeared.

But I digress…

Breakfast. It’s calling me, and I need to take care of that, so while I go do that, here’s some light reading to keep you occupied.

• The history of how one of beauty’s boldest pioneers, Helena Rubinstein, took makeup from being an accessory for “ladies of the night” and turned it into a coveted luxury item.
• According to Tarang Amin, the CEO of e.l.f Cosmetics, the brand’s mission is to make luxurious beauty accessible to all. “We take products that are unaffordable to so many consumers — products that are great but might cost $40 or $50 — and make them attainable.”
• A deep dive into the skin care cult treatments on the rise and the science behind them.
• Dang, Gwyneth Paltrow can certainly SELL SOME STUFF. In the last 10 years, she’s transformed a newsletter into a lifestyle brand and a rapidly rising e-commerce business.
• Weirdest thing I’ve read all week: mysterious bundles of hair are turning up on the streets of Santa Barbara!
• Minnesota “hockey hair” is totally a thing. The main ingredient? Volume. (Obviously!)
• 5 things you should always ask at the hair salon. Side note: I would add in a sixth question, and it would be “Could you please not butcher my mane?”
• You know what they say — it takes a (cat) village. A team of four (!) kitties played Goose the cat in the new Captain Marvel movie.
• These pics of feline enthusiasts practicing yoga with their cats will make you wish you could downward dog with your best feline friend like right meow.
• When a special cat enters your life, you’re hooked for life, and sometimes that love motivates a person to write a book.

Um, where is this train and how can I get on it?

British movie stars discuss which American accent is the hardest

You know I’m all about that chunky braid life.

How’s it going on your end of the keyboard this weekend? ?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

I’ve been doing some form or fashion of a chunky braid for the last month because it’s the only way I’ve been able to tolerate my hair. I’m way overdue for a cut, but I’ve been putting it off because I keep getting the urge to chop it off into a short, spunky bob.

Although I feel like I’m walking around with 20 pounds of hair on my head, I don’t want to do anything drastic or spur-of-the-moment, so I’m making myself wait!

So yeah. Not only does the chunky braid (or CB, as I like to call it) lift the hair off my shoulders and keep it out of my eyes, but it also tames the wayward silvers at my hairline and weaves the color of my natural hair into the colored bits in a way that isn’t jarring.

What’s your current go-to hair style at the moment? High pony? Pixie cut? Low bun? Loose waves?

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. What do you love about your hair?

Frankly, not much at the moment. It’s been driving me CRAY since I started growing out my natural color… It’s those rebellious silvers at along my hairline, man!

I do appreciate how fast my hair grows, though, because it’s made all of the terrible haircuts I’ve gotten throughout the years easier to endure.

2. Fruity or spicy? ??️

Fruity, please.

3. When was the last time you sent a handwritten letter?

Geez… Honestly, I can’t remember. I think the last time I actually wrote a handwritten letter to someone, and not just filled out a greeting card, might’ve been in the ’90s?

I suspect that it could have been a love letter to some lame boy who didn’t deserve my awesomeness. ?

4. Who do you resemble in your family?

I look a lot like my dad, who in turn looks like my glam granny.

5. I think it’s really important to _____.

Get enough sleep, and yes I know I sound like a broken record and it’s trite and cliche to say, but seriously, sleep makes everything so much better!

I’m a firm believer in going to bed at 8 sometimes.

I also think it’s important to remind yourself daily that you are enough, just as you are.

Heck, we gotta tell ourselves that multiple times a day, even. Do it every time you have a meal, or walk up and down a flight of stairs, or catch a glimpse of your bad self in the mirror.

Whatever the catalyst, just say it!

BONUS QUESTION: Cheesecake or ice cream?

The Golden Girl in me is saying “cheesecake” today, but I’d say yes to both in a heartbeat right now if I could. NO SHAME.

Spring shades

About those nail polishes at the top…I’m more of a green/blue/purple kinda girl when it comes to nail polish on my fingers, but those dainty bridal pastels at the top are totally doing it for me today. I like the idea of short nails in a pale semi-transparent cherry blossom petal pink or peach with a shiny top coat.

The cherry blossoms ? are springing up all over my neighborhood right now (it’s that time of year!), so yeah.

A pastel pedicure is another story, though. I love pale shades like these on my toes, especially during sandal season, WHICH IS COMING UP SOON! I seriously can’t wait to free ‘ze feet. They’ve been oppressed by socks for way too long, LOL!

Random side note: Do you remember how some dudes wore Tevas or flip-flops or Adidas slides year round in the ’90s? Even when it rained? When I was in high school and college, there was always that one guy in class who would roll up to lecture wearing sandals in the middle of a deluge.

As you can tell, I’m totally over the rain ?️ and the ❄️ cold. Are you antsy for spring, too?

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. What do you love about your hair?
2. Fruity or spicy?
3. When was the last time you sent a handwritten letter?
4. Who do you resemble in your family?
5. I think it’s really important to be _____

BONUS QUESTION: Cheesecake or ice cream?

Hello and happy Caturday! I feel like Smokey the Bear saying “Only you can prevent forest fires” in this picture. I was taking pics of makeup and listening to Taylor Swift and… Well, you can guess how that went. I almost deleted the pics, but eh, life is short. If you can dance and laugh at yourself, you must not be doing *everything* completely wrong, ha ha! ?

On the VIP subject of nails, I finally painted mine yesterday afternoon while Connor was napping. This is two coats of Sally Hansen Mega Strength in She-Ro. Let’s hope it lives up to its name.

Oh, and please excuse the somewhat haphazardly done edges. I was too lazy to remove my contacts or look for my cheaters, so I couldn’t really see what I was doing. (Side note: If you ever want to challenge yourself, try painting your nails when you’re practically blind.)

On that note, now would be a really great time to 1) catch up on your weekly beauty reading, and 2) paint your nails! ?

• If you drive a Subaru ? and wear perfume (or wash your hair with shampoo, use fabric softener, or wear nail polish or makeup), FYI, you may want to take your car in for a checkup, ASAP. Apparently, Subaru is recalling some vehicles because of chemical compounds emitted from common consumer products that are messing with brake light switches and rendering them useless.
• Women who work as flight attendants for Virgin Atlantic airlines are no longer required to wear wear makeup. The airline is joining other major carriers in easing their dress and grooming requirements after complaints about them turning female employees into sex objects. Side note: In the ’70s, Southwest Airlines had their flight attendants wear hot pants.
• These cats have a job to do: “Cats Clocking In” (CCI) matches cats deemed unsuitable for traditional adoption with homeowners and businesses that need “rodent deterrent” services.
• Dexter the cat’s family feared the worst when he went missing months ago in the California Camp Fire, but he’s been reunited with his family.
• Inspired by the designer’s recent engagement, Marc Jacobs Beauty is offering free wedding makeup to three LGBTQ+ couples.
• I can’t believe this actually happened, but a young woman says that her ex dumped her because she duped him by wearing makeup to cover up her acne. Seriously, WHAT?! Honey, you’re better off without this dude.
• The best setting powders for oily skin, according to Women’s Health magazine.
• Ginseng is an O.G. superfood, and you can find it in many Korean skin care products right now.
• Aged to Purr-fection is a social program that brings together senior citizens living in assisted living facilities with friendly feline visitors.
• The FDA has confirmed the presence of asbestos in some Claire’s makeup products, which has sparked calls in and out of the agency to expand their regulatory safeguards of cosmetics.

This lil’ mini panther is so happy to be eating.

4 Levels of Spaghetti & Meatballs!

A 1930’s inspired makeup tutorial

Grace Coddington is one of my favorite cat ladies.

I’m off to drink a little more coffee now… OK, a lot more coffee. What do you have going on today?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

First of all, happy International Women’s Day from me and the Coywolf! Here are a few inspiring stories of women making a difference in our world today.

Much less interestingly, all of the awesome Revlon black hair elastics I started using a while back have disappeared into the mysterious black hole located inside my house, so I went to Target to replace them and found these…

SERIOUSLY! They’re huge. I don’t know if they’ll be able to handle my mane, but we shall see. Side note: I wonder what Jason Momoa thinks of them, ha ha ha!

Lastly, I desperately need to paint my nails! Having my nails done always makes me feel like I’ve got my sh*t together and makes the world around me seem less chaotic. (Am I the only one?) Gonna try out this new brand by Sally Hansen called Mega Strength.

How are you (and your nails) doing on this beautiful Friday? What’s new?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF! ?