Just For Fun

Um…how many fall wreathes does one home need? — because even though I just put up this Pier 1 fall leaf wreath (say that five times fast), I kindasorta also want this one I saw at Trader Joe’s…

Don’t ask me why I have a soft spot for circular autumnal decor. There’s no rhyme or reason. I’m just into it!

I also saw pumpkins at TJ’s when I was there and wanted to get one, but I’m afraid it’ll be rotten by the time Halloween rolls around. But seeing as how so many people start decorating for Christmas right after the last trick-or-treaters go home, I dunno… Maybe it makes sense to get a starter pumpkin now.

Have you started putting up any fall decorations?

Wait — before you answer that, your reading for the weekend…

• Want to save some ? shopping at the mothership Sephora? Here are 6 ways to save your hard-earned coin, according to Sephora ex-employees.
• A male Shadow Creek High School student in Pearland, Texas recently received disciplinary action for refusing to take off his makeup. The school says that he violated a rule in the district’s dress code that reads, “Boys may not wear makeup,” and now community members have banded together to support him, saying that the rule is outdated.
• Fave read of the week: this piece on Terry Barbar, a MAC artist who’s been with the brand for 25 years. He says: “Truly, MAC lipsticks were known through word of mouth because everyone in the fashion industry had been talking about how they were given out at shoots, things like, ‘Linda Evangelista wore this…’ So people came in asking for the shade they’d heard about, which meant the brand sold makeup in a completely different way to everyone else. At the time, all the other brands were selling luxury, which almost said, ‘You can hope to be this but you never will be.’ Whereas with MAC, I think it immediately gave people products they could use themselves. They worked; they gave people an immediate identity.”
• 10 famous authors and their cats, including one of my childhood faves, Judy Blume. She had a calico!
• Thinking about starting your own business? Perhaps in beauty? Then you might be interested in what Karissa Bodnar, the founder of Thrive Cosmetics, a direct-to-consumer brand that sells vegan, cruelty-free makeup made without parabens, latex and sulfates, has to say about growing your beauty business. The former makeup artist and formulator for L’Oreal says that it’s important to know and understand the “why” behind your business from day one. “There’s nobody that’s going to work as hard as you,” she says, “and if you don’t know your why — why you’re starting this business — it’s going to be really tough when you’re up at 4 a.m, printing labels and packing orders for customers.”
• I’ve always been interested in the path people take to discovering their love of makeup. For John Reel, a young Nebraska man who loves wearing makeup, it helped him build his confidence.
• 11 beauty lessons a young woman learned from her makeup artist mom
• I’m always keeping an eye out for new indie brands, and this one from San Francisco looks promising. Christina Choi Cosmetics is aimed at a diverse audience — professional women, moms and the transgender community. Christina began her beauty career at MAC and BareMinerals and started her own line in 2011. Everything’s made in the USA, and you can check it out online or at her Union Square studio at 500 Sutter St. and Powell.

All hail the genius who decided that Channing Tatum needed to lip sync Beyoncé

Old-school jam

I had no idea En Vogue was still touring, did you?!

Inspiring

I’m finally going to see the Crazy Rich Asians movie today! Gonna drive out to my parents’ house in the East Bay to see it with my high school friends, Jen and Cindy, while Connor hangs out with her Lola and Lolo (those are the Tagalog words for “grandma” and “grandpa”).

What’s your plan for this beautiful Caturday?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

What’s the longest you’ve ever had the same hair style?

Hmm… I’d have to say four or five years. I had basically the same long, dark brown layers from 2014 until just recently. Now it’s a little shorter, and I’m trying a center part, which is a new thing for me, and demi-permanent chocolate color, which is also new for me.

I also went about five years between the ages of 16-21, also that time with long hair with layers well past my shoulders.

I just realized something… Both of those long stretches when I had long layers were periods of massive change in my life, and whenever there’s a lot uncertainty in my life, I tend to stick to the familiar…at least when it comes to my hair.

How about you?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

What would you do with your 26-hour Tuesday? Because I’m a glutton for punishment…I’d probably be tempted to do something productive. There are so many things I want to do around the house, but I’d also love to coordinate a block of time with El Hub so he could take Connor on a daddy/daughter date. And then maybe I’d just rest and recharge on the couch with a book or Netflix.

Or, I’d take a nap. ?

I know, such lofty goals. ?

Or maybe I’d go to the movies and get a big tub of popcorn (kettle corn sandwich-4-life!). I still want to see Crazy Rich Asians.

Of course, I’d probably fall asleep at the movies, too, because I’m *that* person now, ha ha ha!

Your turn. You have a 26-hour Tuesday today. What do you do? GO!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

So…what is the Monday Poll?

Good question! It isn’t, contrary to its name, an actual poll. 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 gazillion years (more than 10!). I love reading your answers, and it helps me get my week off to a great start. ?

1. Last thing you bought for yourself?

After all the talk about private versus public leggings last week, I finally took the plunge and bought some leggings that I can actually — GASP! — wear outside the house. Like, in front of real live breathing people. HA HA HA! Oh, Karen. You’re a mess. Anyway, they’re these cute black leggings with mesh paneling and a mesh side pocket. They’re called the Holly Pants by Senita.

2. Your top 5 movies of all time?

1. Godfather
2. Godfather II
3. The Sound of Music
4. Casablanca

5. Apocalypse Now <—- although sometimes this gets switched out for other movies because it's so heavy and I can only watch it once every five or so years. Sometimes I replace with Amy Heckerling's Clueless, which sounds kinda silly, I know…but it always makes me laugh, and I can watch it over and over again. Again, it’s a dialogue thing for me. I love the use of slang and how it doesn’t feel forced or fake. It’s just fun!

   And when it’s neither of those two, it’s Dirty Dancing…because nobody puts baby in the corner.

3. Speaking of movies, how do you feel about movies with ambiguous endings?

SERIOUSLY. I. CANNOT.

There was a time when I was cool with endings that didn’t tie stories up in a neat bow, but nowadays I am unabashedly Team Happy ? Ending. I want resolution, I want the characters to get what they want, and I want to feel satisfied that the last 90 minutes weren’t for naught. I 100% know that this has to do with real life and how challenging “adulting” has been the past few years. I want — no, I need — to have that sense of escape, and to know that, on screen at least, everything is going to be alright.

4. Pointy or round-toe shoes?

Depends. If the shoes are flats (which I’m all about these days), then pointy toes, as long as they aren’t long or overly pointy. I like a bit of a point because that extra length makes me look taller, but when it’s too pointy, 1) I feel very witch-y, and 2) I tend to trip over my shoes… Funnily enough, the tripping never happens when I’m alone. It’s always when I’m in a crowded place surrounded by people.

If there’s a heel, on the other hand/foot, I can go either way, but again, if the toe is pointy, I don’t want it to be witch-y pointy.

5. Eyeliner?

Oh, heck yeah! Gotta tightline that mo-fo, homie. I’m still having a moment with Chanel Mat Taupe;. It’s been my go-to for months.

“Shoe fog” is a thing

Apparently, I’ve been floating around in a thick shoe fog because I looked into my closet today and found these black patent-leather BCBG flats, which I’ve had for years but totally forgot about.

Living in the same pair of cushion-y running shoes has taught me one thing — dressy flats aren’t all that comfortable. Or, at least, I haven’t found a pair yet (that last) that are comfy. I had a pair of leopard-print Dr. Scholl’s (Don’t hate! They were super cute.) a few years ago, but they fell apart after a year.

So anyway, I’m on a mission to find a cute pair of tan flats for fall. If you’ve got any suggestions, holla at a cat lady.

In other news, Monday. How’s your’s going? ?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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

1. Last thing you bought for yourself?
2. Your top 5 movies of all time?
3. Speaking of movies, how do you feel about movies with ambiguous endings?
4. Pointy or round-toe shoes?
5. Eyeliner?

This is what happens when you’re a toddler who watches Leap!, an animated movie on Netflix about a French orphan who dreams of becoming a ballerina, over and over and over again for a month… You go to Tiny Toes Ballet for the first time and stomp-walk into the center of the room like you’re auditioning for a principal role in The Nutcracker.

Oh, and if you’re wondering what it’s like to attend a toddler ballet class, it’s similar to watching a very cheerful but somewhat desperate person try to herd cats for 40 minutes.

The instructors do their best to encourage the children to follow them, and even try to bribe them with stickers and coloring pages, but ultimately the little dancers do what they want, when they want, and go where they want, and that includes posing and twirling with very serious ballet faces, ha ha ha!

Now, for this week’s reading list…

• A few years ago, when I was only washing my hair two or three times a week, I relied heavily on dry shampoo on the days in between to get me through life. Now that I’ve fallen back into the habit of washing my hair with shampoo and conditioner, or just doing a conditioner co-wash, every day, I only use dry shampoo maybe once a week.

  Why am I telling you this?

  Well, I’m kind of relieved I broke my dry shampoo addiction because according to some people in the hair industry, too much (I’m not sure how much is too much, though) dry shampoo can be bad and can lead to thinning hair or even permanent hair loss.

• Seriously, this is a thing: chicken wings dipped in gold.

  Would you eat them? GIRL. I would order the wings, scrape off the gold, take it home in a Tupperware (covertly, of course), and have someone make me a charm for my favorite necklace!

  Kidding!

  (Kind of.)

• Speaking of noms, what makes chocolate-chip cookies ? so addictive? According to some researchers, they’re as addictive as cocaine, holy crap!
• ***FANCY LADY THINGS ALERT*** Christian Louboutin is launching a cream eyeshadow, and it’s $50 per shade.
• Every town in America has a hair salon, a nail salon… Could a makeup salon be the next big thing? Own Your Wonder, located in Washington, D.C., is a beauty bar where clients can walk in and get à la carte makeup services. They do makeup for special occasions, big events, and they also do everyday makeup for peeps who want a touch-up for a big meeting or a date.

  Prices start at just $15!

  I would totally go if there was one in my town.

• How to wear blush if you have rosacea

• Remember when “Glow” wasn’t only a Netflix show about ’80s lady wrestlers? Back in the day (like, 2002), Glow was also a celebrity fragrance by Jennifer Lopez, and according to this story it’s the best celebrity perfume of all time.

  Fun fact: The nose who formulated Glow was veteran perfumer Louise Turner. She went on to create Love by Chloé and Margiela’s Lazy Sunday Morning.

• Oh, the horror! Cats — mysterious creatures they are — are now losing their privacy because of technology. Yes, the same gizmos used to track prisoners on parole are now being used to monitor cats…
• This, of course, leads us to the eternal question pondered by cat ladies across the millennia: Does your cat actually hate you?

• This new service in New York is like Rent the Runway, but for workout clothes. (Yes, you read that right.) Now you, too, can sweat in previously worn leggings and sports bras!

  Um…fun?

Here, kitty, kitty, kitty…

Here’s what nail polish is made from…

I can’t handle the cuteness.

What it’s like to walk your dog in Switzerland

How beautiful is that video of Switzerland?? Makes me wish we were there right now twirling around in a field like in the beginning of The Sound of Music.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen