Just For Fun

Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Vol. 344

October 12th, 2015 by Karen 55 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 seven 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.

How often do you venture out of your makeup comfort zone?
Maybe twice a week… Or sometimes three. Fairly often, I guess, but not as often as I’d like. Heck, though, if I had all the time in the world, I’d go buck wild. I’d be trying something new every day, like a new eyeshadow placement or a different blush technique, because what would it matter? If I had unlimited time, even if something turned out looking absolutely hideous, I’d just wipe it off and start fresh.

One new thing I’ve been doing a lot lately are quick timed eye looks of five or 10 minutes just to see if I can do ’em, because, truth be told, I’m naturally prone to dilly-dallying.

Last Saturday I tried this five-minute makeup look by Lisa Eldridge, and actually did the dang thang in five minutes! The only thing I didn’t do was the spot concealing, which I swapped out for a black tight-line along my upper lashes instead, because that’s how I roll, yo.

What’s a makeup, skin care or hair care product that’s been rocking your world lately?
Ooh! Avene Eau Thermale Thermal Spring Water ($18), which I used last Saturday instead of MAC Fix+.

My skin’s been very dry lately because it gets freakishly windy out here in Novato every fall. (It knocked my favorite flower planter off our deck the other night.) And the vampiric wind sucks every molecule of moisture from my skin, especially after I go for my daily walk.

I wanted to try this Avene spray because I’d heard that it’s supposed to be soothing and great for sensitive skin, and it is! I’ll use it right when I start my whole makeup process (before putting anything on). I spray it directly on my bare skin, and then I also like to spray it on my face again after I’m done, like after powdering, bronzing, blushing, etc., because it also takes everything down a notch so my face makeup looks less like cake frosting.

‘Tis good stuff!

What are you wearing on your nails right meow?
The remnants of last week’s RMS Beauty Nail Polish mani with creamy orange Curious and shimmery golden Solar.

I totally intended to do my nails last night and go with something dark and dramatic, but I fell asleep watching TV on the couch, whoops!
When you take breaks during the workday (I hope you take breaks), do you like to take them with someone else, or do you prefer to spend the time alone?
Ya know…it kind of depends on whether I’m hormonal, haha! Normally, I’d always rather take my breaks with a friend, but when I’m really moody, I think it’s better for everyone involved if I take them by myself. 🙂

Someone you admired when you were a kid?
Country singer Crystal Gayle!

Fo’ reals, though. I greatly admired her long and glossy brown hair…

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

1. How often do you venture out of your makeup comfort zone?
2. What’s a makeup, skin care or hair care product that’s been rocking your world lately?
3. What are you wearing on your nails right meow?
4. When you take breaks during the workday (I hope you take breaks), do you like to take them with someone else, or do you prefer to spend the time alone?
5. Someone you admired when you were a kid?

Happy Monday, sweet pea. I hope your coffee (or tea) tastes extra wonderful today.

I’m having a good one so far because yesterday I managed to get Tabs to wear a seashell mermaid bra top…

Yup, cross that one off mah bucket list! 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 367

October 11th, 2015 by Karen 23 Comments

It’s that time of year again! Preparations are in full swing for the annual Tabs the Cat Halloween Kitty Costume Ball, a charity event to benefit Husky House Cats International, an organization dedicated to placing extra large, lovable kitties with talented pet assistants.

This afternoon Tabs did his preliminary costume fittings, and he’s having a hard time deciding between Octo-kitty ($7.49) and Mermaid Tabs ($7.50). Right now he’s leaning toward Octo-kitty, but I’m partial to Mermaid Tabs… I just think the green goes better with his eyes.

What do you think?

If you and/or your cat work in the kitty modeling industry, keep your eyes peeled for your invite to the ball. We’ll be sending them out this week. 🙂

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Comment to Win a $50 eGift Card From MAC! (Ends Monday)

October 10th, 2015 by Karen 397 Comments

** THE GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED **
This giveaway is closed, and the winner has been contacted (CONGRATULATIONS, MELISSA!!!), but check back next Saturday for another giveaway.

Rise and shine, morning glory! There’s magic in the air… Can you feel it? It’s making the hair on my arms stand up. 🙂

Whatever you’re up to this weekend, I hope you’re having fun. I know you’re probably busy, too, and have some chores to do, but it’s important that you also take a little time for yourself. You need to recharge those batteries, my friend.

I have yet to figure out my plan for the day, but I anticipate a good breakfast (or brunch!) and a trip to the mall.

Good luck in the giveaway, and I’ll talk to you soon.

One (1) MAC eGift card containing $50 sent to the winner by email (international readers, you may opt to receive $50 sent by PayPal instead).

Enter by leaving a comment below.
Open to U.S. and international readers.
You must be 18 or older to enter (or otherwise an adult based on your local laws).
Your comment can be about anything at all, but here are some ideas if you’re stuck:
- Without looking them up online, can you remember any makeup company jingles or slogans?
- If you could replace any piece of furniture in your house, what would it be?
- Have you ever arm-wrestled?
- What was your last makeup or skin care “Eureka!” moment?
- Have you ever seen anyone shoplift before?
- Have you ever ordered makeup or skin care from a company overseas?
One entry per person.
You must use a valid email address to win.
The giveaway ends on Monday, October 12, 2015 at 11:59 PM (Pacific Time). 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Assuming You Don’t Already, Do You Think You Could Do Someone Else’s Makeup?

October 9th, 2015 by Karen 35 Comments

Tabs contouring with his new Real Techniques Contour Brush — When your cat asks you to contour his cheeks, of course you say yes…

I’ve done event makeup for family members, and they seemed pretty happy with the results, so yeah, I think I could do it, especially if the makeup wasn’t too involved. I can handle smoky eyes, or winged liner and red lips, or a soft neutral bridal look, but a cray-cray cut crease with intense drag queen-caliber contouring? Probably not.

Well, maybe…if I had an entire day to work on it.

Eyeliner, though, is one of those things that’s always hard for me to do on other people because I’m terrified of poking someone’s eye out! Also, lash curling, again, for the same reason…

If you do makeup on other people and have any suggestions, please let me know in the comments! I think it’s definitely a different skill than doing makeup on yourself.

So, today’s million-dollar question? Assuming you don’t already, do you think you could do someone else’s makeup? And if you have done it before, how did it go?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S.

5 Things I’ve Been Loving Lately

October 8th, 2015 by Karen 39 Comments

1. Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill

I read a very interesting story the other day in this week’s Entertainment Weekly about Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill. The album turns 20 years old this year (GULP!). Can you believe that…? It seems like I was just listening to it yesterday in my college dorm while doing o-chem and pondering the meaning of life… LOL!

So the article had some interviews with people who were involved in making the album, like Alanis, of course, who was 20 at the time, and her writing partner Glen Ballard. They had a very organic writing style, apparently. At times they’d write an entire song a day, and they finished with the whole album in weeks.

I hadn’t listened to the album in years, so I put it on the other day, and ya know what? It holds up really well! My favorite song used to be One Hand in My Pocket, and it still is…

I’ve been singing it to Baby Girl a lot this week. 🙂

2. Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo ($22)

At the risk of sounding totally and completely gross, I haven’t washed my hair since Sunday night.

It’s Thursday afternoon now, sooo… Yeah. I’m trying to see if I can make it to Saturday. Which will be five days.

Why am I so excited about this?

Well, Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo. Stuff is pretty great.

My long hair is a pain in the booty to style, so I’ll usually wash it on something like a Sunday night, then curl it the following morning. Then I’ll try to see how long I can go before washing it again, because I just dewnt like to deal with the drama.

Dry shampoo really help. With a good one like this one from Living Proof, my roots don’t get too oily or stinky throughout the week.

The one I’d been using is from Klorane, and I still think it’s very good, but I think Perfect hair is even better. Like, “change your life” better!

So, about dry shampoos, after I’ve used one for a few days in a row, the powder, which is what they’re made of, starts to build up at the roots, and I can feel it piling up and sitting there… Usually after three days or so, I’ll get to the point where I just can’t stand it anymore.

Living Proof is supposed to have some newfangled dry shampoo technology, and the way I understand it, you’re supposed to brush the fine powder spray through your hair, and when you do this, it sort of whisks away the oil, dirt and funk, to “clean” (air quotes) your hair. 🙂 There’s also a fresh, light time-release fragrance that I like.

I bought it on a whim at Sephora a few weeks ago and have been using it a lot since. It works great! Straight up, this is the cleanest and freshest my hair has ever felt while using a dry shampoo, so homegirl is already making plans, yo! When the next VIB sale hits, I’m gonna stockpile.
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Do You Ever Use Those Free Skin Care and Fragrance Sample Packets That Are in Some Magazines?

October 7th, 2015 by Karen 30 Comments

Um…yeah, but I seem to hoard them more than I actually use them.

Whenever I find a good one, I pull it out and save it in this bag I have where I keep sample packets for trips, but I always somehow forget about the bag whenever a trip comes along and end up filling and using those little sample jars you get from Nordstrom instead.

*shakes head*

So, as I sit here looking at my bag of sample packets, I think I’m done saving them for a rainy day… I’m just gonna start using them right now, so please excuse me as I dig into this packet of Chanel Hydra Beauty Micro Serum that I tore out of a magazine two months ago (I plan to use this tip to get every last drop out of it, by the way).

How about you? Do you ever use those free skin care and fragrance sample packets that are in some magazines?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Bump Watch: 18 Weeks

October 7th, 2015 by Karen 52 Comments

Hello, belly and Baby Girl! Now that she’s officially 18 weeks old, she’s popping out for all the world to see.

I feel like I’m walking around all day, errr-day with a melon under my shirt because she’s gotten pretty big over the past month, and now she’s growing fast, too.

Just how big is she now? Well, here she is with a Grande Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Decaf Latte for comparison, haha.

For the most part, I’m still getting around pretty well, but it is getting a little harder to chase Tabs around the house, to sprint up and down the stairs and to walk up the steepest hills in our neighborhood.

I know it’s only temporary, and this is a special time. Pretty soon Baby Girl will be out in the world, but for now, it’s just me and her.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

On a Scale of 1-10, How Much Do You Hate Having Your Hair in Your Face?

October 6th, 2015 by Karen 27 Comments

On a scale of 1-10, with “1” being no big deal and “10” being white hot burning hatred, how much do you hate having your hair in your face?

For me it depends on a few factors, like what I’m doing at the time, and how janky my hair is. Like, if I’ve been working out, and I’m all sweaty and gross, I’m at level 10, because I absolutely cannot stand having any stray strands stuck on my sweaty face, UGH!

I actually have an elaborate pre-workout hair regimen that I’ve followed for the past…well, forever, it seems. What I’ll do is put my hair up in a ponytail, usually with two rubber bands so the ponytail doesn’t loosen and slip out, and then I’ll put on a headband and secure it with no fewer than four bobby pins.

And said ponytail must be placed very specifically. There’s a sweet spot for it. It can’t be too high or too low, because if it’s too high, my hair will whip around and still hit me in my face, and if it’s too low, I can feel it on the back of my neck…which I don’t like, so yeah, the process is kind of intense, but it’s my thing and it works for me. Basically, when I’m exercising, I have to keep my hair far, far away from my sweaty face.

The rest of the time, it doesn’t really bother me when my hair gets in my face, as long as my hair is somewhat clean, and by “somewhat,” I mean that it isn’t too greasy or stinky. For example, when I’m at the end of fourth- or fifth-day hair and it’s oily and smells like fried food, then yeah…it’s annoying, so up it goes.

How about you?

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Just For Fun

1. Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill

2. Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo ($22)

On a scale of 1-10, how much do you hate having your hair in your face?