Just For Fun

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. What’s one new thing you’d like to try this week?

Opening a coconut. I would like to open a coconut this week.

I’ve never opened one before! But this is the week, because I want to use it for some pics… Of course, I’ll probably eat it, too, if things go well and I don’t end up having to drive myself to the emergency room.

2. Fog, sunshine or rain?

Sunshine…on my shoulders…makes me happy. 🙂

3. What are a few things that help you fall asleep?

1. A shower before bed always relaxes me.
2. A cup of herbal teal (can’t go wrong with Sleepytime)
3. Not playing with my phone when I’m trying to get sleepy
4. Oh! — and not watching anything too stressful or scary right before bed (Midsomer Murders FTW!).

4. What’s one of your greatest hopes?

That I live long enough to guide Connor through her early 30s, because you know how it is in your 20s… Those can be some rough years, and I want to be around to help her navigate through them.

On that note, now I’m going to eat something with antioxidants and take a vitamin.

5. What are the chances of you ever getting the cartilage on your ear tattooed (yes, it’s a thing)?

Preeetty low.

Like, so low that there’s no chance. Zero percent. Mind you, I like how some of them look (and how I could probably hide one behind my hair if I wanted to), but I’m just not hip enough to pull it off. Plus, I’m not into unnecessary pain, man.

6. Have you tried the Starbucks unicorn drink yet?

Nah! I’ve seen it all over Instagram, and yeah, it’s awfully pretty in pics, but I don’t have any desire to try it. It looks too sweet for me. I’d rather have a pink drink or a green tea latte, ya know?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Here are the questions to copy/paste.

1. What’s one new thing you’d like to try this week?
2. Fog, sunshine or rain?
3. What are a few things that help you fall asleep?
4. What’s one of your greatest hopes?
5. What are the chances of you ever getting the cartilage on your ear tattooed
6. Have you tried the Starbucks unicorn drink yet?

The time went by so fast yesterday! I had such a great time talking with you gals at the SpaceNK meetup (today’s the last day of the $20 off $100 online sale), and I may or may not have gotten a little verklempt, Pav, when you handed me that Wayne Goss eyeshadow brush as a gift before you left. I put it in my pocket and kept it there all afternoon.

Kelly, it was nice to finally meet you after chatting with you online for almost 10 years! I can’t believe you live literally up the road from me. And, Genesis, I really do hope we get those beignets together soon, and I hope you love that Kevyn Aucoin liquid highlighter as much as I do.

I wish I’d gotten a picture with you, Ian! You have to tell me if you like that Artis face brush.

Ailyn, Sarah, Stephanie, Christie, Jessica, Rosanna and all the rest of you gals, thanks for making it a great afternoon.

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Yes, I know it’s CAT-urday, but here’s a pic of Detective Stabler with a very sad-looking Golden Retriever puppy…just because. 🙂

Speaking of fantabulous shows, I needed a brief Midsomer Murder marathon break, so I started watching The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu.

Dude. This show? Incredible! It’s haunting and beautiful and disturbing and thought-provoking and knocks my socks off on the regular!

The 20-second summary: a militaristic religious fundamentalist group rises to power in a dystopian United States where a mysterious calamity has made most of the men and women sterile, except for these so-called “handmaids,” who are basically people who exists solely to produce babies.

It’s based on a book by Margaret Atwood of the same name, and Elisabeth Moss from Mad Men plays the main character, Offred.

I mean…once upon a time I thought that zombies were the scariest things about the apocalypse, but NOPE! I was wrong.

They’re only up to four episodes so far, and new ones come out weekly on Hulu, so you could catch up fast.

PLEASE watch it if you get a chance, and let me know! I want to talk about it.

The show also uses music in really cool, interesting ways. Like, I’ve had Don’t You Forget About Me by Simple Minds stuck in my head all week.

Sooo much ’80s realness right there. 🙂 Talk about the soundtrack of my childhood.

Moving on now… Here are some beauty articles that grabbed my attention this week.

• The ultimate lazy girl’s guide to 2017 summer makeup collections
• Some remarkable women in history that you may (or may not) have known about, like Constanza Ceruti, the only female high-altitude archaeologist in the world, and Mary Ann Shadd Cary, who was the first African-American newspaper editor in North America.
• I kind of love how this sheet makes makes you look like ? Batman. Oh, yeah — it’s supposed to help with wrinkles, too.
• In case you hadn’t noticed, Estée Lauder is kicking butt right now.
• Take a peek inside Laura Mercier’s (yes, *the* Laura Mercier) makeup bag.
• In this week’s thrilling installment of Crazy Things Seen on Instagram…people are using their iPhones to blend products.
• Birkenstock (as in the shoe brand) has a new skin care line.

  I mean, if Christian Louboutin can do it…

• 13 matte foundations for peeps with oily skin
• Raul (a.k.a. the bald spot in my eyebrow) is very intrigued by these two-toned brow pencils by Stroke of Beauty.
• Learn everything you’ve ever wanted to know about tote bags! Fun fact: tote bags were first introduced in the 1940s to carry ice.
• I’m thinking that my next career should be red carpet celebrity beard wrangler…

  Yes, this is a real job.

• Clarins has new Lip Oils, including a mint green one. Want!
• The cutest margarita mani tutorial that I ever did see.
• Ooh! Here are some of Rae’s favorite drugstore beauty tool gems.
• 5 products you need for the easiest beauty routine.
• I have to admit that I can’t understand a word on MAC Karrie’s Blog, but her pictures of Acqua Di Parma Arancia di Capri perfume need no translation. Breathtaking!
• I’m so inspired by this extensive list of SO MUCH makeup inspiration from K-Pop Beauty. (Lots of inspiring going on there.)
• Six simple habits of lucky people.
• How L’Oréal is turning itself into a sustainability leader
• Pat McGrath’s Ultraviolet Blue was MADE for smoky looks.

Have a great rest of your day and a wonderful weekend if I don’t see you at the SpaceNK Larkspur meetup this afternoon.

Do something fun, and I’ll talk to you soon.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

I didn’t want any gals/guys who can’t make the SpaceNK Larkspur meetup tomorrow to feel left out (but please do make it if you can!), so I got SpaceNK to hook us up. 🙂 Get $20 off your purchase of $100 or more May 5-7 at spacenk.com with code MBB17.

Terms and conditions (i.e. the small print)
This offer comprises $20 to spend on any product on the website at www.spacenk.com/us. Your order must total $100 on full price products before delivery has been added. Sale items, gift card purchases and promotional items are excluded from this promotion. The promotional code (MBB17) must be entered in the promo code box on the Shopping Bag page before checkout for the offer to apply online. This offer is only available online between Friday, May 5 and 11:59 p.m. PST on Sunday, May 7, 2017. Shipping promotion spend thresholds are calculated after discount. The offer is restricted to one per customer, and promotional codes cannot be applied retrospectively. This offer cannot be transferred to any future orders and cannot be applied to any products that are exchanged for another in-store or online. The offer is not refundable, and there is no cash value/alternative. SpaceNK reserves the right to end it early or extend it without notice.

I hope to see you tomorrow at the store! I’ll be there bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at noon. 🙂

MBB Meetup at the SpaceNK Larkspur store
Saturday, May 6th
noon – 2 p.m.
Marin Country Mart
2011 Larkspur Landing Circle
Larkspur, CA 94939
(415) 419-5904

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!!!!!!!

Hey, love. You know, I can’t even begin to count the number of times we’ve chatted in the comments, not just about makeup, but about all the little things that happen in our everyday lives — what we’re reading, what we’re binge-watching, and what our crazy cats are doing to put us in our place (LOL!). Sometimes, it’s just a quick “Have a nice afternoon.” But all of those little things we’ve shared over the last 10 years have meant so much to me.

If you happen to be in the Bay Area on Saturday, May 6th, please swing by the Space NK store in Larkspur for a MBB Meetup from noon – 2 p.m. It’s a beautiful store in a lovely mall with lots of cool brands you can’t find at many other beauty stores, and while you’re there you can grab a makeover or a quick skin treatment.

More importantly, we’ll get to hang out!

I will FINALLY get to hug you (if you’ll let me, because I’m a hugger, just to warn you!) and thank you for not just reading the blog, but for sharing the ups and downs over the years.

Of course, we can chat about makeup, too. If you’ve been jonesing for something new — makeup, anti-aging skin care, a new fragrance, a Mother’s Day gift for Mom — I’ll try to help with that.

MBB Meetup at the SpaceNK Larkspur Store
Saturday, May 6th
12 p.m. – 2 p.m.
Marin Country Mart
2011 Larkspur Landing Circle
Larkspur, CA 94939
(415) 419-5904

See you (hopefully) soon!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The Coywolf just turned 14 months old, and she’s just as sassy as ever. This tropical blue ensemble was a gift from her Nana and Grandpa from their trip to Hawaii.

Connor Claire loves carrying around this hairbrush for some reason, LOL! It’s her new favorite thing.

She tries to brush her hair with it…mostly with the wrong side, but it’s still adorable.

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OK, I know this is a weird question, because it seems weird to answer questions like this about yourself, but if you only knew! This is a blog, so I get to toss out the bad pictures, haha. I swear, it takes 20 pics like the one above to get a single decent shot, and the only reason I can look semi-OK in pictures now is because I’ve been doing it every day for 10 years!

Hoh! I’ve taken some really, really awful pics… JUST HORRIBLE. But I’ve figured out a trick or two, like turning my body a certain way (when I have my right shoulder facing the camera, I like that better) and tilting my head at certain angles (chin slightly tucked, and I imagine that there’s a string pulling me up from the top of my head to elongate my neck). If I do all of that stuff, I look much less cray-cray than I otherwise would if left to my natural devices.

I mean…it only took a decade and a million pics, LOL! Now after all of that, I think I’m moderately photogenic.

How about you? Are you photogenic? Do you like the way you look in pics? Also, do you have any surefire how-to-take-a-good-picture tips?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Happy hump day. 🙂