Just For Fun

I’ve been in a reading mode lately thanks to a little-known (nowadays), fantastical place called “the library.”

LOL.

So many books, so many stories to discover. Oh, and the smell of real, actual, honest-to-goodness old paper pages? Don’t mind me — I’m the person standing in the aisle with a book pressed up to her face inhaling and exhaling a little too enthusiastically. Feel free to stare and get your freak fill for the day.

By Terry Baume de Rose Lip Care ($60)

Anyway…in order to ensure that this blog post is at least marginally related to makeup, 🙂 here’s the bougie lip balm I’ve been putting on at night lately before I start reading: By Terry Baume de Rose Lip Care. It’s rich, moisturizing and lightly rose scented (tastes a bit like roses too).

I like it just as much as the Nuxe Balm I’ve loved for years, but it’s shockingly expensive ($60!), so despite my fondness for it, I’ll be moving on when I finish the pot…unless I win the lottery, of course.

And if that happens, then BRING ON THE BOUGIE, BABY!

“An ultra-glamorous, multi-protective and nutri-plenishing SOS treatment for double use: lips and nails. Ultra-rich, it soothes the driest and most delicate areas. This precious balm is creamy, non-sticky, humectant and silky and features a delicate rose fragrance.”

— barneys.com

❤️❤️❤️❤️ 4 out of 5 hearts.

Now, onto the books…

Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin

This has been my favorite of this latest batch o’ reads. It’s about mothers and daughters and moving on and living with the consequences of our mistakes.

At the center is Aviva Grossman, a young, ambitious congressional intern who gets caught up in a scandal that forces her to make big changes in her life.

Each of the main characters in the story — Aviva’s mom Rachel, Aviva, Aviva’s daughter Ruby, and the wife of the congressman — each take turns as the narrator, so you get to see the events unfold from different perspectives, and each voice is so crystal clear that you feel like the characters are right there with you.

Cravings by Chrissy Teigan

Yes, I read cookbooks before bed…and yes, that’s ill advised when you’re hungry. And yes, this was written by the same Chrissy Teigan who’s also a Sports Illustrated model, a mom to two babies, John Legend’s main squeeze, and the person who collaborated with BECCA to create one of my favorite palettes of all time.

She’s a big foodie, too. I haven’t made anything from the book yet, but I will. It all looks so good… If I had a 3D food printer (you know, if they existed), I’d make the scalloped potatoes, the Frito Pie bar, the basil chicken and the coconut rice for my lunch today.

(Also, if you can tear your eyes away from all the melted cheese, you might notice that Chrissy’s makeup is totally on point throughout the book.)

[Continue reading…]

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. What’s the scoop on your makeup today?

It’s been hot, so I’m hell bent on getting away with wearing as little makeup as possible (as little as I can handle right now). I did a quick 10-min beachy bronzed look with warm brown lids, coppery rose gold cheeks and glossy nude lips using a few new things and old faves. I used BECCA Be a Light Face Palette, Covergirl TrueBlend Matte Liquid Foundation, MAC Eye Brows Styler in Spiked (been lovin’ this lately), Tarte Lights Camera Lashes Mascara, MAC Coffee Eyeliner, BECCA Glow Gloss in Rose Gold and a little bit of MAC Matchmaster Concealer (more on this in a sec).

2. How often do you tackle DIY projects?

Not that often, but I wish I felt like I had the time and metal space to do them more often, especially home-improvement DIYs, because I love the idea of being capable enough to do simple things by myself like changing curtain rods and installing new blinds.

3. Something recent that made you feel really great?

Somebody in my HIIT class last week tried guessing my age and asked if I was 28 (!), and I was like GIRL, YOU SO CRAZY! ? I smiled through the entire class (even the squat burpees!)

4. Where’s your favorite place to go hiking?

Indian Valley nature preserve here in Novato. It’s really great in the spring (assuming I’m hopped-up on allergy meds) when you can hike up to a hidden waterfall, because the closer you get to it, the crazier the plants are! It’s like a lost world. Last time El Hub and I did it, we saw these red and white spotted mushrooms that looked straight outta Super Mario Bros.

5. A beauty product you’re currently prowling for?

For reasons I don’t understand, my under-eyes have been even drier than usual, and my usual go-to products (Make Up For Ever HD and MAC Matchmaster Concealer) aren’t sitting quite right, so I’m on the prowl for a full-coverage concealer that works really well on extra, EXTRA dry skin.

Got any recs?!

DIY/home improvement project ideas?

UPDATE 6/25/18: Lady Sanctuary Herb Garden 2018 — my dill plant left this world and transitioned to the ancestral plane last weekend… I guess it couldn’t take the heat, and I don’t blame it because neither can I! I swear, in the 10 years or so I’ve lived here in Novato, it’s been getting hotter and hotter.

Anyway, RIP, dear dill plant. 🙁 I’ll miss you…particularly in potato salad. 🙂

I’m gonna stop by the garden store this week to get a replacement. Or some chives, maybe? Or mint? What’s easy to grow?

Have a spectacular week, babe. Can’t wait to hear from you.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Here are the questions for you to copy and paste with your answers in a comment:

1. What’s the scoop on your makeup today?
2. How often do you tackle DIY projects?
3. Something recent that made you feel really great?
4. Where’s your favorite place to go hiking?
5. A beauty product you’re currently prowling for?

I woke up this morning and saw a rainbow…of resistance bands! Got these for my birthday. Now sweatin’ like a mofo.

Here’s the workout I’m doing:

Feel that booty ? burn

Have you ever used resistance bands before? OH EM GEE. Dude, they don’t look like much, but they are no joke. They’re an ultra-portable, affordable way to up your workout game.

Think heavy-duty rubber bands. You wrap them around different parts of your body during specific exercises where your muscles work against the resistance of the bands, and the different colors and sizes of the bands correspond to different levels of tension. Some are equal to a 10-pound dumbbell; some are quite a bit more or less.

Slip one around your knees or ankles, and suddenly your squats and side lunges are next level. I’m talking serious burn ? (in a good way)! You can also use them for upper body (like for assisted pull-ups) and core work.

One can only endure so many burpees because they are truly the devil’s work, and when I want to exercise but can’t bear the thought of going to an HIIT class or struggling through a run, a resistance band workout is almost fun.

Or, at least, different. They’re an easy, low-impact way to mix things up.

Now, I’m gonna go jump in the shower and de-funk myself, although I don’t know why I bother, because it’s supposed to be 90-something today, so I’m just gonna end up all sweaty again anyway. While I embark upon said useless endeavor, here are some stories that caught my eye this week:

• If you’re a woman of color, here’s a guide to finding a nude lippie for darker skin tones.
• New brand to watch out for at Sephora: 7 Virtues. To support local residents and families in war-torn areas, the brand sources raw ingredients from places caught in conflict and actually overpays to help farmers provide more for their families.
• Soon, fans of “the ‘gram” will be able to watch hour-long videos through something called IGTV. Side note: would anyone be interested in watching me ramble for an hour on Instagram about cats? INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW.
• I’m a big fan of unisex scents (see: Clean Reserve Sel Santal), so I can’t wait to sniff these three new fragrances Chanel is launching for girls AND guys.
• What’s in a name? Former Allure Editor Linda Wells is launching a new makeup line called Flesh. Here she talks about the semi-scandalous name and their products (she was going for controversy). The article is also filled with fun facts (which you know I loooove), like how the Peach Crayola crayon color used to be called Flesh, but it was rebranded during the start of the civil rights movement.

Well, I just found what I’ve been missing all my life: CHOCOFLAN!!!

I definitely did not look like this when I danced to Push It at the eighth-grade dance…

Current summer soundtrack

What are you up to this weekend? Is it hella hot there too?

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. Best music festival?

It’s been years! Actually, now that I think about it, I don’t know if I’ve ever been to one? I vaguely recall wanting to go to Lilith Fair in the late ’90s but not going, and then somehow ending up with a reusable Starbucks cup that said “Lilith Fair” on it. So I’m gonna say Lilith Fair.

I’ve never been, but I’ve heard good things about BottleRock in Napa, which isn’t too far from my house. Bruno Mars was at the last one.

2. _____ has leading man hair.

Mr. Big from Sex and the City. I re-watched the first movie a couple days ago, and he’s the first well-haired person who popped into my mind.

That reminds me, I just finished marathoning the best show! It’s called The Bold Type, and I found it in Entertainment Weekly. It’s about three 20-something millennial women who work in the magazine industry in New York, and I really, really like that the show isn’t afraid to let them fail. The characters are also generally pretty likable. It’s like Sex and the City in a way, but I think the girls seem nicer.

3. Favorite accent?

If we’re talking about speaking accents, I wouldn’t mind having an English accent. If I could sound like a royal, that would be cool.

If, however, we’re talking home accents, I do like throw pillows for my couch. 🙂

4. I wish I had a robot that would…

Do everything I didn’t want to do, like pick up Connor’s toys at the end of the day, and if it could also cook every single meal for me and watch Connor for a couple hours every once in a while to give me a break, that would be great!

5. Which has been causing you the most drama lately — makeup, skin or hair?

My skin. I mean, I haven’t been breaking out or anything like that, but I’ve been staying up late playing with my phone, which I know I shouldn’t be doing, and reading books from the library, so my dark circles are darker than usual.

~ The best Chinese food ~

(Yes, I’m hungry right now.) Up here in the North Bay, the options are kinda limited, but I’m not picky when it comes to Chinese food. I like almost everything (lately, especially Jenny Low’s!).

I will say that I think a lot of the Chinese food around here tastes a little bland, for lack of a better word. I can’t explain it, but it doesn’t taste like I remember Chinese food tasted when I would go to Cindy’s house in high school and her grandma would make us stir fry. There was just so much flavor! And I don’t remember having anything like lemon chicken.

Have an amazing week, babe! I hope you also have some yummy Chinese food. Talk to you soon.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Here are the questions for you to copy and paste with your answers in a comment:

1. Best music festival?
2. _____ has leading man hair.
3. Favorite accent?
4. I wish I had a robot that would…
5. Which has been causing you the most drama lately — makeup, skin or hair?