Just For Fun

You know you’re a rebel when you take your coffee in a teacup.

YES.

I get a lot of questions about this Cat Whiskers cup and saucer set by Roy Kirkham, which I got at Homegoods, I believe (although it might have been Marshalls).

I’m doing something called “dessert for breakfast” this morning…

(It’s a thing.)

Well…I’m making it a thing if it isn’t already. (I’m sure it is.)

The other night I made a delightful apple crisp for dessert, thanks to this cooking site I recently found called Mel’s Kitchen Cafe.

It’s got, like, apples, oatmeal, butter, brown sugar, and it’s so tasty and breakfast-y that I’m going to also deem it appropriate for the first meal of the day.

Mmm… *makes crunching noises* Sorry, I get caught up in my food. (It happens!)

In other news, I’m still trying to decide if I want to dress up for Halloween. Connor Claire and Tabs will, of course (of course), but I myself haven’t been feeling it, man. Some years, I’m totally in the mood to dress up, but this whole month has been off kilter… It’s mostly because of the Sonoma and Napa fires, which are, for the most part, now under control (HURRAY!). We ended up getting a little rain yesterday, and it really helped.

I’m finally starting to feel playful again, so I dunno… I feel like you need to feel super playful to do Halloween right.

We’ll see… I plan to think it over today during my nap.

Yup, that’s how we do it here at MBB. 🙂

I also hope to get in some high-intensity couch reading, and if that’s also something on your agenda, here are some stories that caught my eye this week…

• Studies have actually been done on whether one should wear makeup to work.
• Once upon a time, the names for makeup colors were driven by sentimentality…rather than shock value.
• Here’s a new spot to shop if you’re into cruelty-free beauty.
• Wait — so, you’re telling me that there are people out there buying underwear that purposefully mimics the look of a camel-toe crotch…? WTF? And now I’m ready to retreat into my cave, where I will live alone for the rest of my days.
• I never thought I’d say this about hospital food, but these meals, which were served to a woman in a Japanese maternity ward, look damn delicious.
• How do you create a makeup line that truly includes all teh colors?
• The 411 on Guerlain’s new liquid lipsticks…
• Speaking of liquid lipsticks, Make Up For Ever has some new shades.
• Dior’s holiday packaging suuure looks luxe.
• Pink and black eye makeup? I’m down!

So, dessert for breakfast. Who’s with me? 🙂 And what’ll you have? (Someone please say chocolate cake.)

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The fires are slowly but surely being contained, and the air has cleared up enough to go for walks again. We went for one on Monday evening and found a sign advertising a new neighborhood business…

For The Nail Polish Club!

Two dollars a hand… That’s a TOTAL bargain compared to the local nail place I usually go to, and it’s great if you’re, say, right-handed and can only paint the nails on your left hand decently. If you only need help painting the nails on one hand, you can call The Nail Polish Club, and they’ll assist you for just TWO BUCKS!

Oh, they also do nail art. It’s 50 cents for add-ons like glitter, stickers or flowers-slash-dots.

What I love most is the specificity of the sign. They’re available for clients on Tuesdays, and each appointment is 30 minutes. 🙂

Seriously, though, too cute! Connor and I wanna join.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

It’s been both good and bad, depending on the era, but they’ve gotten SO MUCH BETTER since I used them in the ’90s! Back then it was all about Lee Press On Nails, and all of my friends used them… I don’t know why, because they were terrible!

I tried ’em a couple times, and they never stayed put, never quite fit my nails correctly, and they looked super fake.

Fast forward to today, and I don’t know what technological advances have been made in the press-on nail industry since those janky Lee Press Ons, but now they’re actually really good.

I think the imPress press ons are truly great. You generally get more size, style and length options than you used to in the Lee days, so not just long talon-like French nails, which were the only option way back when.

Oh, and the glue?

THE GLUE!

It’s better by leaps and bounds, like it’s space glue or something that came from an advanced alien civilization. Now I can stick some nails on and even correct them if I need to, and they’ll last a few days, even through hand washing and showers.

I remember in high school doing my press-ons before my first class in the morning and having them fall off by lunch, LOL! They’re so much better now.

What’s been your experience with temporary press-on nails? Tell me the good, the bad, the ugly in the comments. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The last beauty product I regret buying. Hmm… Well, there were a couple Fenty things that I thought were just eh. Like, the translucent setting powder didn’t really rock my world (it looked a little too powdery for me), and the concealer stick, while I ? the color, doesn’t give me the coverage I need.

Ah, beauty regrets… We’ve all had ’em. What was your last one?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

So…what is the Monday Poll?

Well, it isn’t exactly a poll. It’s more of a constantly evolving (devolving?), somewhat random list of questions I’ve been putting out to readers every Monday morning for the past 10 (!) years. (It’s like a kickstart for your brain.) I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.

1. You’ve been kidnapped (!), and the last person you saw on TV is trying to rescue you. Who is it?

Oh, boy. I wish I could say it was UnStabler from Law & Order SVU…but it was Hannah from Girls.

So, yeah. Basically, I’m screwed. I’m gonna stay kidnapped!

2. Describe your life right now in one word.

Wow, one word? That’s a lot of pressure, but I’m gonna go with messy!

3. How do you think you’d do if you answered “Yes” to every question anyone asked you this week?

I’d be STRESSED OUT. Granted, it would probably lead to some interesting adventures…and possibly a few arrests and hospital visits.

As long as I could put in 50% effort or less on everything, I’d be OK.

4. Tea or coffee with your scone?

I’m going to do something that will be very un-Karen for me lately and go with tea, because I found the most delicious sweet tea from Trader Joe’s. It’s their Berries & Cherries Herbal Blend, and it tastes like dessert in a cup. I don’t even add honey or sugar or anything. Other than berries and cherries, it also has dried apple, hibiscus, orange peel, rose hips and beet root in it, and I’m telling you, it’s SO GOOD!

5. If you could try a new hair style today, and it would be done by the world’s greatest hair stylist, what would you do?

I’m not in the mood for very much today as far as style challenges, so I would do some clip-in bangs…which I’d prefer to real bangs, because I think I’m over and done with that (she says for the millionth time but doesn’t really mean it).

I wouldn’t mind a temporary clip-in pair that looked cute, though.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Here are the questions to copy and paste:

1. You’ve been kidnapped (!), and the last person you saw on TV is trying to rescue you. Who is it?
2. Describe your life right now in one word.
3. How do you think you’d do if you answered “Yes” to every question anyone asked you this week?
4. Tea or coffee with your scone?
5. If you could try a new hair style today, and it would be done by the world’s greatest hair stylist, what would you do?

P.P.S. Happy Monday. Have a good one this week.

The dawn has been different every day this week. The bright, buttery sunlight that usually streams through my office windows most mornings has been an angry, oppressive sour gray tinged with red, and I can’t lie… It’s been terrifying.

The Sonoma and Napa fires keep inching closer. This whole part of California is all dry hills and trees, but we aren’t in any immediate danger.

El Hub and I were making our “just in case” plans the other night, like what we’d do if the winds picked up again like they did last Sunday night, when they blew across these hills at 50mph, which happens pretty often here in fall. The gas tanks have been filled, bottled water ready, clothes, devices are kept at or near 100% charged, and my family in the East Bay is staying ready in case we have to drive out there in the middle of the night for an evacuation.

Late Wednesday night, El Hub woke up at 2 smelling strong smoke inside the house. He said it was even a little hard to breathe, so he thought that another fire had started nearby. He walked around the neighborhood in the dark for an hour looking for signs of fire, but it was just that a slight shift in the wind had brought more of the smoke down from Napa and Sonoma.

I’m sorry, friend. I hope this isn’t bumming you out. I usually like to start Saturday Surfing on a cheerful note, but this has been on my mind lately, and it’s not a one-day thing. The worry wears on you. Everyone I’ve run into here in the North Bay has been on edge this week, myself included. I actually just heard a whole mess of loud sirens go by, which has been happening constantly for days, and my palms started sweating. “Does that mean there’s something close??” My mind is racing. “Sh*t, I’m still in my pajamas. Where’s Tabs?? I’ll have to strap the baby into her carrier first, then pop Tabs in his carrier… I hope he doesn’t fight me. Gotta grab the papers! The hard drives! Oh, no, where are my keys??”

Anyway, it’s been like that for days.

I’ve been trying to stick to my routines and do my work while reminding myself that stuff is only stuff — material things that can be replaced — but when you’re sitting in your office at noon but it’s dark like dusk outside and smells like the inside of a chimney, it’s hard to concentrate. The danger feels real and present, so all of this stuff is in my head…

I’m trying, though. Trying to stay busy and keep living life as usual, because what else can you do? And that’s why we’re doing Saturday Surfing right now. 🙂

• There have been so many amazing stories of survival this week, like this local couple who sheltered in a swimming pool as the houses surrounding them burned to the ground.
• When I have acne, it takes MONUMENTAL effort for me to not pick at my skin, which is why this post by Facenomics hit home.
• This is how Teen Vogue transformed into an online cultural juggernaut.
• This dude Photoshops himself into his childhood pics, and the results are hilarious! He’s got some mad post-production game.
• In the “Who would’ve thunk it?” category, there are spaces called “rage rooms” where you can go and break sh*t to let off steam.
• A whole lotta nudes from Lipstick Queen
• These cute metallic nails polishes by Pacifica look festive and very fall.
• My new favorite account on Instagram is The Hair Historian. They post pics of old paintings with a focus on hair, and I just love seeing bobs and braids styled though the ages.
• Well, this is a first! As this Scandlewood “striptease candle” burns (it’s from a new brand called Heretic), it reveals a very naked Dita Von Teese (Side note: I interviewed her like a billion years ago, and I’ll never, ever, ever forget her beautiful porcelain skin.)

Samantha is the cutest, and her reviews are THOROUGH. I especially like this video of drugstore dupes for high-end makeup!

I always learn something new from MAC Senior Artist Cher Webb. Her style is glam but totally doable.

I don’t mean to get too emo, but if you feel safe and steady this weekend, and you’re surrounded by people you care about, please cherish it, my friend. Love you. Have a good weekend.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen