Just For Fun

Novato is a sleepy little town. There’s Napa north of us, Oakland to the east across the Bay, and San Francisco to the south, but Novato itself isn’t a hotbed of excitement and activity (unless you count the huge raging celebrity parties thrown by Tabs).

Sometimes, though, exciting things do happen here…like we just got a Nordstrom Rack.

It’s only been open a couple weeks, but I’ve already gone twice, and I’ve learned a valuable. Basically, if you walk there looking for something specific, like a white scoop-neck tee, good luck to you. May the gods be with you! Because the store must be a quarter of a mile long. It’s HUGE, and you absolutely have to be in the mood for a treasure hunt.

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I stumbled into the craziest cat lady store last weekend. It’s a spunky, sparky, creative clothing, shoes and accessories store called Hot Polka Dot, and it’s right in the middle of bustling downtown Petaluma.

It’s like discovering a dragon’s treasure trove of kooky ? cat lady flats, tanks, tees, dresses, purses, earrings — you name it. If you can put a cat on it, it’s probably for sale right meow at Hot Polka Dot.

I did see some things for the non-feline-loving population, but the inventory is predominantly cat, cats and more cats.

CATS!

I aaalmost got this black-and-white sleeveless dress, but it was on the sheer side and didn’t have a lining…

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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. Whatcha wearing on your lips?

Oh, not much. Just Urban Decay Rehab Makeup Prep Lip Love balm for the time being. I’ll put on lipstick later (haven’t decided what color I want to go with yet), but my lips have been drier than usual, ever since I started upping up my glycolic acid game.

Lip Love is so bomb, BTW. It’s pretty thick and very moisturizing, and it actually lasts on my lips for hours. It’s not a typical disappearing lip balm that you have to reapply 50 times per day, although you can do that also if you want.

2. The fictional character you’d most want to have on your side in a zombie/alien/killer virus/government takeover apocalypse?

Rick Grimes from The Walking Dead, and maybe — just maybe — I’d make it through the first day without being turned into a zombie or transported up to the alien mother ship.

And if Rick were unavailable, then Brienne of Tarth, because homegirl does not f*ck around.

3. In your estimation, what’s a beauty brand that doesn’t get its due?

Pai Shau.

I discovered their shampoo (hair cleanser) and conditioner a few months ago and since got distracted by other hair products, but that’s mostly because of my beauty product ADD. The more I think about it, the more I’m realizing how much I loved the way they made my hair look and feel, so I need to revisit Pai Shau again very soon.

4. How do you feel about the Dirty Dancing remake?

Frankly…I’m pissed about it. Seriously, what crazy person decided that the first movie, which is PERFECTION, needed to be remade?

Of course, I still plan to watch it anyway…even though I’m hating on it at the moment. 🙂

5. How do you think you’d look with a beard?

Quite dashing! I’d keep it closely trimmed and neat. It would probably be salt and pepper, which would make me looked very distinguished, LOL!

I’d ROCK a beard.

6. Chili or mac & cheese?

Shoot, girl, why can’t I have both at the same time!?

OK, well, if I have to choose, then I choose mac & cheese (haha, I almost just typed MAC & cheese). With truffle oil.

7. What’s something kinda weird you like doing?

Sometimes when I get home from the gym I’ll sit in my car in the garage and listen to music for 15 minutes.

Because there are no little humans or animals up on me, and nobody asking me questions, and I can just rock out by myself.

Happy Memorial Day to you

I think I’m gonna take it easy today, which sounds perfectly alright to me. Yesterday I went to my friend’s baby shower in the city, and then in the afternoon I went and got my roots done, so right now I’m basking in the glory of freshly dyed roots, ah…

Are you doing anything holiday related?

It just occurred to me that today would be a great day for burgers, fries and/or chips, so we may do that later for lunch. This seems like good snacking weather. LOL!

Have a great Memorial Day and a splendid week. Sending sweet hugs and kisses to ya, and I hope something important goes your way. Talk to you soon.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Among many other things I’ve been doing this morning (endless laundry; chillin’ with Connor, Tabs, El Hub and Sesame Street; and getting ready to plant half a dozen basil and tomato plants), I’ve been ooh-ing and ah-ing over that beautiful picture up above of model Ruby Rose on the Urban Decay website. She’s wearing a monochromatic pink makeup look with pink lids, pink cheeks and pink lips.

I’ve never tried a top-to-bottom pink look before, but now I want to… I’m a little afraid I’ll end up looking cray, but whatevs. Now I just have to choose the right lip color…

What about deep, creamy fuchsia UD Firebrid??

Weekend plans

What are you up to this weekend? I’m gettin’ fired up because I’m heading to meet my cat-and-makeup-loving bud Stephanie (she has six cats!) for Lunch at Cafe Zazzle in Petaluma. I’ve never been there before, and I was just looking at the menu, because when I go out to eat, homegirl likes to be prepared, because I’m the WORST at ordering food at the last minute. Invariably, feeling the pressure to make a decision, I’ll pick something I don’t want, and then when the server walks away, I’m like, “Shoot… Why did I order that?”

So it’s a thing, and I don’t want to have food envy this time…

I’m also looking forward to getting my roots done after that (YAY!), and then tomorrow I have a baby shower to go to. My friend Mary Anne is going to be a mommy soon, and all I can think about is holding that newborn in my arms! Aaah!!! 🙂

Oh, yeah, in beauty news, here’s some stuff that caught my eye this week…

• The #makeuphoarder in me wants to get all up on these Clé de Peau Beauté cream blushes. GORGISSIMO!
• Jouer’s Skinny Dip collection is all about the mad sparkle.
• How to easily wash your clothes when traveling
• Speaking of skincare, here are 5 things to try from Kate Somerville
• Beauty secrets from Mathilde Thomas, founder of Caudalie skincare
• Seriously, I could spend ALL DAY looking at people’s handwriting.
• All you wanna-be unicorns ? out there (and I know you’re out there) may enjoy Jessica’s massive roundup of unicorn- AND mermaid-themed beauty tools.
• I’m always looking for ways to keep my pics fresh, and one of the easiest ways is through props. Here are 48 places to find them (and many of them are affordable!).
• There are some great Memorial Day sales at Ulta this weekend… I’m just sayin’.
• Wait — what? Someone’s trying to make sunscreen in the shape of pearls? And by golly, they look super cool!
• Latest on the list of mascaras I want to hoard — Trish McEvoy’s High Volume Mascara.
• I’ve been reading and scouring the Interwebs for cutting edge info about skin care lately, and this brand (Derma E) looks great!

AHAs versus BHAs

In my mind, Caroline Hirons and I are BFFS. OBSESSED WITH HER!

Samantha is the cutest. I wanna hang with her and her cat Roux.

Lorde’s brows look INCREDIBLE in this video. Been listening to this song on repeat…

I like this Sam Smith song too.

Hope you have a hella fab Memorial Day weekend. Let me know what you’re up to. Hopefully you get some meow time to relax.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

I told myself that if I run three times this week, I can reward myself with something from today’s Lust List…

Never have I been so motivated to lace up my sneakers.

See, that’s the secret to working out — straight-up bribery! 🙂

Here’s some of the stuff I’m currently lusting after…

1. Chanel Ombre Premiere Longwear Cream Eyeshadow ($36) — These potted cream shadows are like Pokemon in that you gotta catch ’em all! I have a few of these, and I love them, so, of course, the next logical step would be to hoard the browns.

   This one is 806 Terre Brulee, and it looks like Bambi’s coat.

   I have dreams of owning every single color in the line.

2. Senita Athletics Swift Shorts in Black ($24, but currently on sale for $19) — Thank you, Abbey, for the heads up about this indie workout wear shop for women. These shorts are similar to the Athleta ones from last week’s list but more affordable. They’ve got a hidden compression layer underneath the actual shorts, so the person behind you in class won’t see your booty cheeks hanging out when you’re doing squats.

   I’ve been combing through the reviews, and it sounds like the products are generally well made and affordable. Hello, promising!

3. Jetoy iPhone 7 Case ($24) — I wanna upgrade my phone just so I can roll around with this banana cat on my case. I LOVE HIM!!!
4. Jetoy Cat Face T-Shirt ($38) — Is there such a thing as too many cat-themed tees? I don’t think so!

   I like the draping cut of this tee. It sure looks comfy.

5. Giorgio Armani Life is a Cruise Sunset Eye Palette ($88) — When I think of sunset eyes, I usually think an ombre effect with sunset colors like red, orange and yellow, so this approach by Armani is a surprise.

   Generally, I find Armani’s eyeshadows to be lovely but overpriced… That dark green on the bottom, though, has me feeling something-something, and I dig the wave design on the pan.

6. Viseart Theory Highlighter, Blush & Bronzer in Enamored and Ablaze ($45 each) — I bought my first Viseart eye palette at the last VIB sale, and dang if it wasn’t my gateway product for the brand. Now I wanna try their new face palettes, which have a bronzer, blush and highlighter.

   I’m all about Ablaze, which is the one with the coral blush in the middle.

7. First Aid Beauty FAB Skin Lab Retinol Serum 0.25% ($58) — Eventually, I plan to get a prescription retinoid up in my skin care mix, but I think I have to get my skin accustomed to the weaker retinol version first.

   I’ve heard that this 0.25% serum works well for sensitive skin types, but I’m a little confused as to why it has vitamin C in it, because I’ve read that you want to avoid layering retinols and vitamin C together.

   Eh, I might ask for a sample anyway at Sephora next time I go.

8. Clinique Pop Lip Shadow Cushion Matte Lip Powders ($19.50 each) — I’m so curious about these!

   They look like shadows…and they have a powder formula, but they’re for your lips.

   What!? Mind blown.

   I’m dying to find out if these are good! Of course I want to try the bright colors first, and Fuchsia Pop is at the top of my list (well, it’s at the bottom of this list, but you know what I mean).

OK, girlfriend, sharing is caring. Now that you know what’s on my list this week, I need to know what’s on yours.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Good morning, sweet girl! It’s nice to see you. 🙂 I’m glad you could stop by this morning. I hope you’re on your way to do something fun.

Oh, my gosh, speaking of that, it just dawned on me that it’ll be June in like 5 seconds! — and I don’t really have plans yet for fun summer activities, other than a trip we’re taking to Hawaii next month, which I am extremely, ridiculously, out of my mind excited about.

But I mean other things, too, because I don’t know if going to Sephora and Ulta count as fun summer activities.

Well, actually, of course they do. 🙂

But seriously, Connor’s bigger now, so I’m looking for other summery things to do, like I’ve heard that the Oakland Zoo and Heart’s Desire Beach in Tomales Bay are supposed to be fun for the kiddos.

Anyway, I’m working on that this weekend, I also have to do, you know, boring prerequisite life stuff, like paying bills, vacuuming, maybe planting some tomatoes on the deck garden, cleaning the dish rack because it gets ugly hard water stains, going grocery shopping because we’re out of chips.

You know, errand stuff.

Oh, and tomorrow I’m going to dim sum with my mom and brother, which should be fun.

Whatcha up to? Is the weather warm there? It looks like it’s going to be nice here today. It’s definitely getting warm.

Before you go, here are a few stories that caught my eye this week…

• In case you’re curious about how the amaze-balls BECCA X Chrissy Teigen palette looks on lighter skin tones.
• Well, it looks like I’ll be scouring the corners of the earth this summer to find these new Frida Kahlo-inspired lipsticks, because they are EVERYTHING.
• Pore busters for sensitive skin — yes, please!
• Buuuuuut wait! Where are the cats in the new Paul & Joe summer collection?
• Best makeup setting sprays so that you can set it and forget it.
• Um…is this my long, lost child?! This kid asked for a Golden Girls-Themed Birthday Party!
• A possible dupe for Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara? L’Oreal’s Voluminous Lash Paradise looks awfully similar.
• Tattoos are the new toupees.
• Speaking of hair, is it true that your hair changes every seven years?
• I can’t believe this is possible: you can travel around the world and stay at people’s houses if you take care of their pets.
• I wish something like this would happen in my town: a rouge floral artist is going around NYC making huge arrangements in mundane things like trash cans.
• Not beauty related, but this story haunted me all week. My Family’s Slave is about how Filipino writer Alex Tizon’s parents had kept a peasant woman named Eudocia Tomas Pulido as a household slave (!), even after emigrating to the U.S. from the Philippines.
• For my creative peeps: happiness research shows the biggest obstacle to creativity is being too busy.
• I love looking at old pictures, and these snapshots show how in many ways motherhood is still the same as it was 50 years ago.
• Someone is going to museums adding smiles to classical art pieces using FaceApp, and it’s hilarious.
• 6 grammar mistakes everyone makes
• And just in case you missed them on the blog this week, some thoughts on the BECCA Sunlit Bronzers, the hair brand IGK, the coco-nutty new items from Marc Jacobs, the Surratt versus the Shiseido lash curler and the most amazing purple liner (it’s affordable, too!).

I’ve always wondered what would happen if you baked a log of cookie dough…

Because I still can’t get over Chris Cornell…

Oh, and if you have the chance to eat a scoop of ice cream today, I say GO FOR IT. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen