Just For Fun

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 409

August 7th, 2016 by Karen 9 Comments

“Mrowww!” — which translates to “Victoryyy!” That’s what Tabs hopes to shout this week after he competes in his Summer Cat Olympic events in Rio.

Yes, as I’m sure comes as a surprise to absolutely no one at all who’s reading this… 🙂 Tabs is a favorite to win gold for Team U.S.A. in a number of events…

Like butt showing, which he’s been practicing for his entire life.

He’s also expected to win at least one silver medal. He came in second to world champion French fence sitter Jacques Durand in the prelims, but you know what they say about the Cat Olympics. Anything can happen.

His other best chance to take home the gold is in the bacon hiding competition, which he’s really only been practicing for a few months. His training started one morning when I gave him a small piece of bacon after breakfast, and he picked it up out of his food bowl and ran away with it to hide it somewhere in the house!

I never found it…

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The Day in Beauty Vol. 26: A Wide-Toothed Comb, Thai Basil Chicken and a 90210 Flashback

August 6th, 2016 by Karen 19 Comments

This, my friend, is my new BFF.

It’s a pink wide-toothed comb that I got from Sephora a while back, and I’ve been using it lately because…my hair is falling out. I’m at that postpartum point, and even though I was expecting it to happen, it’s still been a shock.

It’s weird cleaning out the shower drain after a shower and finding big clumps of hair, and when I put my hair back into a ponytail before going for a run, I can feel how much thinner it is.

I posted about it on Facebook last week, and several girls mentioned taking pre-natal vitamins and eating a balanced diet with lots of protein, so I’m doing both. And I also read that using a wide-toothed comb and being really gentle when you wash your hair can help.

I don’t know if you’ve ever experienced any kind of hair loss, but if you have any suggestions — anything you’ve found helpful (or not so helpful) — please let me know in the comments. I’d really appreciate it.

Speaking of getting enough protein…

I made this Thai basil chicken dish the other day, and I wish I’d stopped to take a picture of it, but I was too ravenous at the time, so I wolfed it all down in 2.5 minutes!

I’m salivating just sitting here thinking about it. 🙂

Have you heard of skinnytaste.com? That’s where I got the recipe.

I LOVE that girl’s website. Her name is Gina, and I’ve made at least a dozen of her recipes. They’re always healthy and delicious and pretty easy to make (the ingredients are stuff you can find at any grocery store).

Basil is my favorite herb — Basil = my favorite herb

Seriously, the Thai basil chicken blew my cat lady socks off. It tasted as good as something from a Thai restaurant, and it came together quicker than it would’ve taken me to actually order takeout and pick it up.

I already had the ingredients in my kitchen except for one of them, the serrano chili, so I substituted red pepper flakes instead.

Try it sometime!

In other news…

I’m still on a ’90s kick, which might have something to do with all of the matte brown lipsticks all over the place, and probably also has something to do with that I love the ’90s concert I went to a couple weeks ago.

Anyway, do you you remember this song by Jeremy Jordan from the Beverly Hills 90210 (the O.G. version!) soundtrack? It’s called The Right Kind of Love…

My buddy Marisol and I listened to the soundtrack on the drive home from that concert. I hadn’t heard it in years, but I still remember the words! Amazing.

Do you remember this guy? I was super obsessed with him for a while there, haha.

Thank goodness today is Saturday, because girl! — I’m exhausted. Today I’m just really looking forward to painting my toes, which are in desperate need of some TLC, and seeing my parents. They’re coming over for a visit.

I hope you’re doing something fun. Talk soon, ‘k?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Cray-Cray Lipstick Colors (Green, Blue, Black, etc.): Love ‘Em or Leave ‘Em?

August 5th, 2016 by Karen 23 Comments

Feeling slightly crazy with a side of cray in this mint green lipstick by Make Up For Ever — Feeling slightly off-kilter with a side of cray in mint green Make Up For Ever Artist Rouge Lipstick in C601

What do you think of all the cray-cray lipstick colors that are popular right now? Do you love ’em or leave ’em? In other words, how often do your lips take a walk on the wild side?

I like to know they’re around (a girl’s gotta have options). I mean, I’ll wear them if the timing’s right, like I can see myself wearing something out there to one of the free makeup classes at the Sephora by my house, but I don’t think I’d wear one to a dinner party or for date night or something like that.

I guess I’m more of a lipstick traditionalist that way.

How about you? Cray-cray lipstick colors: love ’em or leave ’em?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF! 🙂

What Are Your Winged Liner Woes?

August 4th, 2016 by Karen 37 Comments

I’ve been thinking a lot about winged liner (a.k.a. cat eyeliner) lately.

More than usual.

Maybe it’s because of all the liners that’ve been launching lately, like the colorful Too Faced Sketch Marker Liquid Art Eyeliners at the top.

How often do you think about winged liner? How often do you wear it? And what are your winged liner woes and struggles? I’d like to help.

Are your wings always uneven? Are your lash lines always a different thickness? Whatever your winged liner woes, tell me about them in the comments. Maybe I can help. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 434

August 1st, 2016 by Karen 27 Comments

You might be wondering, “So what in tarnation is this Monday Poll thing anyway!?”

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 NINE (!) 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.

What’s the coolest thing about your hometown?
The diversity. Union City is a melting pot of different cultures, and I never realized just how cool it was until I left. On my parents’ street there are Filipino families, European families, Indian families, Vietnamese families, Mexican families — and high school was like that too. So many different people. There’s just a lot of diversity in a small place.

How do you feel about buffets?
I’m a big fan. But the food has to be good, though. I’m not about going to buffets just for the sake of eating massive amounts of food. I’m very picky about my buffets.

The Bellagio buffet in Las Vegas? Mwah! Perfection. So much good food. Crab legs and lobster and caviar and so many desserts! I can’t even… Thinking about it makes me tear up a little.

They have a dessert island with special chefs who can make you a dessert right then and there. It’s magical.

What’s something that drives you nuts?
When my toenails are too long and I can feel them bumping up against the inside of my shoes…

Ugh! I can’t take it.

But when I finally win the lottery and hire my in-house beauty team like Mariah Carey’s, I won’t have to worry about that anymore. I’ll just get up in the morning, roll on down to the beauty salon after feeding Connor, and trained professionals will do my makeup and my hair and give me a manicure and a pedicure.

This would be after the massage, of course, because there would also be a spa. Then I’d be ready to face the day! 🙂

What was your favorite class in school and why?
I loved English literature because I really love to read, and it felt like I was getting away with murder. All we had to do was read a book, answer some questions about it and maybe write a little… That’s not school. That’s fun!

What’s something nice someone did for you that you’ll never forget as long as you live?
I know it’s small and kind of ridiculous, but I went to Old Navy a few weeks ago because I couldn’t fit into any of my summer clothes, and I was kind of depressed about it. I needed some new shorts, and when I was paying for them, the salesgirl said that she thought I looked very beautiful that day, and it made me feel a little better.

Sometimes the most memorable moments are about timing more than anything else.

Your turn. 🙂 Just copy and paste the following questions into a comment with your answers. I look forward to reading ’em!

1. What’s the coolest thing about your hometown?
2. How do you feel about buffets?
3. What’s something that drives you nuts?
4. What was your favorite class in school and why?
5. What’s something nice someone did for you that you’ll never forget as long as you live?

Good morning, glory! It’s Monday morning. A fresh week and a fresh start. The trip to Redding was fun but very hot. Of course. I think it hit 112 one day, LOL! That’s Redding, for ya.

Have a wonderful day, my friend. I’ll talk to you soon.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 408

July 31st, 2016 by Karen 12 Comments

The first thing Tabs always does when he goes outside to inspect the garden on the deck is walk straight up to either the one zucchini squash plant or one of the tomato plants and take a big chomp out of the biggest leaf.

Maybe it’s how he samples the merchandise, and every time I say, “No, Tabs!” I think he takes it as a polite suggestion, like he’ll take it under advisement.

He loves gardening, but mostly in a supervisory capacity. Most of the time he doesn’t actually like to get his paws dirty.

He also likes to rub his cheeks against the corners of the pots and planters after inspecting them. It’s his official stamp of quality control approval. “Inspected by Tabs.” And he also has to do his weekly 360-degree inspection of every square inch of the entire garden, where he checks behind the plants, in between them and even on top of the planters. It’s something to see a 20-pound tabby squeezing into a potted plant.

Next year his plans are to create a larger container area strictly planted with cat grass, sort of like a portable lawn that he can stretch out on without his girth hanging over the sides. It will be an engineering marvel akin to one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Tabs is doing the landscape design, but the project lead will be El Hub. 🙂

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The Day in Beauty Vol. 25: Chanel’s New No. 5, and a Hello From Redding, California!

July 30th, 2016 by Karen 25 Comments

chanel no 5 leau — The new Chanel No. 5 L’Eau

L’eau, the places, we’ll go! I’d love to take you to Paris or Hawaii, my friend…but for now, how about Redding, California? 🙂 That’s where I’m writing you from today.

Confession: I love me some Chanel, but I’m not really a Chanel No. 5 sort of girl. I’ve worn it many times over the years in the hopes that I’d fall in love with it because of its storied history and iconic past and, you know, because it’s Chanel, but it always felt like a pair of shoes that never quite fit me as perfectly as I’d like. Scent is such a personal thing, and No. 5 always seemed a little too serious for me.

I remember going to Filipino parties when I was young and being forced to hug aunties that I didn’t know, and they would always be wearing Chanel No. 5, and noisy jewelry, and they always had big hair, and when I hugged them, it would tickle my nose (the big hair AND Chanel No. 5).

No. 5 L’Eau is a new version coming to Chanel counters this fall — a reimagining of the scent — that will sit alongside the original, and I LOVE it.

With L’Eau, you definitely get the sense that you’re wearing No. 5, but it’s noticeably different. It still carries many of the original’s same notes, like May rose, but in a lighter elixir that seems more delicate and, dare I say, more fun.

Lemon, mandarin and orange stand front and center. To my nose, L’Eau seems airier than the original No. 5 and almost weightless, like a brush of tulle against naked skin.

Look for it this fall at Chanel counters. The 3.4-oz. bottle shown here is $132.

Enjoy the rest of your Saturday, babes. It will be a hot one here in Redding, as it always is this time of year (over 110 degrees!), so my big plan for the day will involve finding the coolest spot in an air conditioned room.

I checked in with Tabs this morning over Skype, and he and his favorite petsitter haven’t thrown any ragers yet. Let’s hope they don’t.

What do you have going on this weekend?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The Day in Beauty Vol. 24: The Best Black Liquid Liner and a Makeup Tip for Late Nights

July 27th, 2016 by Karen 40 Comments

essie pre show jitters swatch — Essie Gel Couture in Pre-Show Jitters ($11.50)

I Love the ’90s…

That was the name of the concert I went to last Saturday night — I Love the ’90s — with my friend Marisol, and it was the first time I stayed out late since…

Shoot, I can’t even remember, but it’s been a looong time. I’ve been serving hard time in baby jail for almost five months now, and even before Connor arrived, back when I was still pregnant, I wasn’t going out a lot because I was ginormous, always tired and constantly uncomfortable.

Anywho, like I was saying, I hadn’t been out since forever, and when we were driving back home in the middle of the night from Jackson, California, which is a small town — I’m sorry, Jacksonites — out in the middle of nowhere, I suddenly got the feeling that I was wearing 20 layers of makeup on my face.

I wasn’t wearing a ton, though. Just, like, NARS tinted moisturizer, some powder, a little bit of cat eye makeup, so nothing too cray, but after being out and about in the summer sun for a few hours and perspiring at the concert, that drive home was rough.

I couldn’t wait to get home and wash my face, and Marisol said the same thing.

Has that ever happened to you? — where you get the sudden urge to wash your face in the car on a long drive home in the middle of the night? I mean, Marisol and I can’t be the only two people.

Oh! — I just thought of a genius (if I do say so myself) idea for the next time I’m out and about in the wee hours (whenever that may be). I’ll bring along a pack of makeup wipes to keep in the car! 🙂

That way I can remove my makeup, wipe down my face, and let my skin breathe. Then when I get home, I can just fall right into bed, ah…

By the way, these new Clinique Take the Day Off Micellar Cleansing Towelettes are SO BOMB.

Clinique Take the Day Off Micellar Cleansing Towelettes for Face & Eyes ($14 for 50 wipes) — Clinique Take the Day Off Micellar Cleansing Towelettes for Face & Eyes ($14 for a pack of 50 wipes)

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