Just For Fun

Good morning, glory! How’s it going this morning? I’m pretty excited right now because 1. it’s Saturday, which means that El Hub doesn’t have to go to work, so we can spend more time together, the whole family, and 2. because I’m going to a new salon today.

Well…I’m going to a new salon, but I’ll be seeing my same long-term hair tamer/friend, Alis. She moved from Fox + Stone Salon in Corte Madera to a new place up the street from there called Plum.

I can’t wait to see her new space, and I’m stoked because my roots are a hot mess right now.

Seriously, thank goodness for Rita Hazan…

Plum is also closer to this pizza joint I like that sells de-lish thin-crust slices, so Mr. Cheese Pizza With Pepperoni and Olives, HERE I COME! ?

In other news, I just realized that Halloween is 12 weeks away, which is kinda freaking me out because that means that Christmas is right around the corner.

OK…maybe not right around the corner, but you know what I mean. It’s sneaking up fast.

I like the holidays, but I long for the days when they were easy, and all I had to do was show up and O.D. on mashed potatoes and gravy and then fall asleep on the couch.

Alright, I’m getting ahead of myself… It’s still summer, I know. Good day to go to the pool.

Speaking of that, does anyone else get excited about using sunscreen?? Have you tried Neutrogena Pure & Free Baby Sunscreen? I got it before our trip to Hawaii in June on the recommendation of a friend who has a daughter around Connor’s age, but El Hub and I liked it so much that we started using it on ourselves!

They also have a Wet Skin spray version, which I’m thinking will be good for today. I vaguely remember using it once before, but I can’t remember if I liked it.

I don’t usually start with spray sunscreens, but I like to use them to touch up between applying lotion sunscreens… If that makes any sense.

If you’re headed to the pool or the beach this weekend, have fun! 🙂 If you’re in the mood for more reading before you go, here are some beauty (and non-beauty) stories that caught my eye this week…

• Kiehl’s is now available at Sephora!
• Something I’ve always wondered: How the heck do goths handle summer?
• I spent SO MANY hours playing Super Mario Bros. when I was a kid, so the Shu Uemura x Super Mario Holiday Collection is making me SQUEEEEEE!
• Can brands like MAC and NARS claim that they don’t test on animals if they sell their products in countries that require animal testing for beauty products?
• At a press conference, actress and L’Oréal Brand Ambassador Helen Mirren admits that their moisturizer “probably does f— all.”
• Princess Awesome sells cute girls’ clothes with unconventional prints that promote math, science and space exploration, which is SO COOL! I’m gonna get the Coywolf a Rockets Dress, which just might be her first official uniform in her quest to reach Mars.

  (BTW, Princess Awesome also makes accessories for adults, too.)

• How to travel for a month with only carry-on luggage (and still look cute!)
• What does $1,200 in rent get you in these 10 U.S. cities?
• I read a lot about bacteria this week (long story), and this video on cellphones was both fascinating and gross.
• The 19 best foods for health and happiness
• Medical care is often disjointed or difficult to access for post-partum mothers, and the baby is the focus of attention.
• Someone invented a hammock for boobs.
• The Sweet Valley High series was my fave in my tween years, and it’s getting a movie adaptation.
• If you’re looking for a new gig, NASA is hiring someone to defend Earth from aliens…and it pays a 6-figure salary, so MOAR money for makeup, obvs.
• And just in case you missed it, the MAC Girls collection launched this week! I feel like Rockin’ Rebel, Mischief Minx, and Fashion Fanatic deliver the goods (but I’m not too crazy about Power Hungry).

  Also, the Summer of Skincare is in full swing. This week I took a look at probiotics in skincare products and the Tula line, as well as 5 bodacious botanicals from Space NK.

  And if you’re going to any beauty conferences soon, here are three ways to make the most of them.

  Lastly, keep your eyes peeled for these three up-and-coming beauty brands.

Try to get some rest this weekend if you can. (I know, easier said than done.) I’m partially saying that to also remind myself, because downtime is necessary for mental health. It really is. So chill for a second, OK? It’s important.

Have a good weekend. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Over the course of the past 48 hours, I have made and eaten a particular type of sandwich THREE TIMES.

It’s so good!

And it’s easy to make too.

It’s been hotter than a tabby on a hot tin roof this week in Novato, and surprisingly muggy and humid, ugh. The last thing I want to do is stand in front of a hot stove, which is where the sandwich comes in, although it does require 2-3 minutes of cooking…so not much.

It’s a quick and easy riff on this egg sandwich recipe I found on Skinny Taste, which I lovingly think of as the website that basically taught me how to cook.

Step #1: The mayo. Spread as much or as little mayo as you want on two slices bread.

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The Marina Green is one of my favorite parts of San Francisco, because over a short walking distance, you get expansive views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Tiburon, Sausalito, the Bay, Angel Island and Alcatraz, all right there across the way.

It’s a gorgeous place to walk, bike or jog, but not just for the views along the water. The huge houses on the other side of the street look like mini mansions!

They have — and this might sound kinda strange to say — AMAZING windows. I’m not an architecture buff by any means, but I love looking at window shapes for some reason… And there are lots of them to look at!

On the weekends it’s kinda hard to park in that area, though. That’s one thing. There’s a huge parking lot next to the big green lawn, but unless you have enough patience to circle for 20 minutes, it’s not the easiest place to find a spot.

I’ve had pretty OK luck finding parking in the residential cross-streets, and then just walking back to the Marina Green, but you never can tell in San Francisco… Parking is always an adventure.

If you go, bring an extra layer or two (like a sweatshirt and a light jacket), because it can get windy and cold by the water.

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Beauty expos and conventions like Generation Beauty, IMATS and Beautycon can be a blast, because not only can you score fab freebies, but you can find out what your favorite lines have in the hopper and discover brand new brands you haven’t heard of before.

But they can also be overwhelming…

There are just so many people, so many booths and SO MANY LINES to stand in (LOL!)… Oh, the humanity! You really gotta be in the right mindset, and I think it also helps to be prepared. Next time you go to a big beauty conference, try these three things to make the most of your beauty expo extravaganza experience.

1. Arrive early

A lot of makeup enthusiasts like to go to these beauty conventions for a chance to grab some free swag and snag snazzy products at a discount, but the thing is, if you want to do some of the funnest stuff, you have to wait in a line…and the lines at Gen Beauty last weekend, especially the lines to the big brand booths, were almost Disneyland-caliber. Easily 30-45 minutes. And they got longer as the day went on (so get there early).

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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. How many times did it take to pass your driving test?

It only took me once, barely, but I got hella lucky. I barely passed the driving part by the skin of my teeth. I got through the written test fine, but the actual driving ? part on the road? It was touch and go. I think I got in the low-70s. I passed, though! Mind you, I’m not gonna win the Indy 500 or any drag races any time soon, but I think I’m a decent driver.

2. Have you ever lived with strangers?

Oh, my gosh, yes, and I wouldn’t recommend it at all. In almost every housing situation I had in college, I lived with people that I didn’t know beforehand, and, except for one person, I haven’t kept in touch with any of them.

If I could go back and talk to my younger self, I’d tell her that meeting people and talking to them for half an hour won’t give you enough info to tell if you can get along with them day in, day out.

Oh! — and then when I moved to San Francisco after school ended, I lived with a bunch of strangers again, and sh*t was always getting stolen from my room.

I know that it works out for some people…but it didn’t for me.

3. What blush/bronzer are you wearing today?

I’m still on a Chanel cream blush kick, so I’m wearing No. 24 today on my cheeks.

I haven’t been wearing bronzer lately, though, and it’s been like a month. I think it’s because I’m darker than usual from taking the Coywolf to the pool a few times, so I don’t feel the urge to bronze.

4. What are some things that instantly boost your mood?

1. A scrumptious iced coffee drink
2. The sound of the Coywolf laughing
3. A quick 5-minute walk outside
4. Listening to whatever song I’m crushing on at the moment
5. Putting on lipstick (of course)

5. Did you hang with a certain clique in high school?

Band geeks for life, yo! ? And when I wasn’t hanging out with the band geeks, I was usually with some of the AP students from my classes. So nerdy, man!

Also, I briefly hung out with some drama kids in my senior year, but to be honest they were a little too much for me… I couldn’t hang.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Have a great one, girl! Here are the questions to copy/paste.

1. How many times did it take to pass your driving test?
2. Have you ever lived with strangers?
3. What blush/bronzer are you wearing today?
4. What are some things that instantly boost your mood?
5. Did you hang with a certain clique in high school?

Good morning and happy Caturday! — and, dun-dun-dun! — happy National Lipstick Day. Celebrating lipsticks nationally, all across the land. ?

This whole week I kept planning to wear a bright and crazy color on the actual day, but I ended up wearing one of my go-to MAC everyday pinkish browns, Creme in Your Coffee , and I’m actually going to wear it when I head out to Starbucks to get a coffee in just a bit.

Speaking of MAC, if you happen to be headed to the counter or store this morning, they’re giving away free full-sized lipsticks to celebrate National Lipstick Day. You don’t have to buy anything, either, just show up! Get there early, though, because it’s while supplies last.

Before you go, if you’re interested in doing a little more reading, here are a few stories that caught my eye this week…

• Super Mario cosmetics are coming to Japan! Seriously! On that note, does anybody in Japan wanna track these down for me?!
• Totally down for this: the glorious ’90s aquatic perfume genre is back.
• Luxury beauty brands may soon be coming to Amazon.
• How to use acids and retinols in a skincare routine
• A solar eclipse is coming, and here’s what you’ll see from where you live (this tool is U.S. only).
• Sephora tries a teeny, tiny store format.
• How It Cosmetics became a top-selling beauty brand
• Pretty matte and metallic palettes by Stila
• Techniques to help you practice positivity
• 50 ways women entrepreneurs can fund their businesses
• I have no desire to be in a giant maze (I’m a little claustrophobic), but if I had to be stuck in one, it would be the giant lavender labyrinth in West Michigan.
• Millennials are buying homes, not for kids or marriage, but for their dogs.
• Boomer parents: “One day, this will all be yours.” Grown children: “Noooo!” Seriously, though, I can relate to this sooo much. My parents tend to hang onto things, and I’m trying desperately to get them to get on the Konmari train.
• 5 ways to smell like the beach
• Yellow eyeshadow is a do at all ages.
• 5 habits that can make you mentally tougher.

Of course you’ve gotta listen to a song called “Lipstick” on National Lipstick Day. And yes, sometimes I listen to country music!

An acoustic version of “Gypsy,” one of my favorite songs. Love you, Stevie!

What lipstick are you wearing today?! Did you go with a bright shade or a mellow shade?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen