Just For Fun

Hell yeah, I would! There are so many great drugstore beauty products out there, and some of them are better than the high-end fancy-schmancy stuff at department stores, so I’m an equal opportunity makeup wearer and lover.

Like I would DEFINITELY still use L’Oréal True Match Lumi foundation and Rimmel Natural Bronzer, for sure, among other things.

How about you? If money was no object, would you still wear drugstore makeup?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF! 🙂

MAC Haute Dogs or MAC Fabulous Felines — which team are you on?

Goooooo, CATS! I’m Team Cat this time. 🙂 I loved the three color stories from the Fabulous Felines collection, and I think that launch was the first time MAC did a lot of colors for the Superslick Liquid Eye Liners. I also liked the different combination of colors in the quads. They really did look like cat fur! — but were still very wearable and interesting at the same time.

From MAC Haute Dogs, I like the lip colors, and I think the quads are easy to blend, but they’re also kind of sheer…

Team MAC Haute Dogs (Fall 2015)

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Sometimes I do, and the funny thing is…most of the time when it happens, I’m around close friends and family.

This occurred to me on the weekend trip I took to Napa with my friends Jen and Cindy a few weeks ago.

Neither of them are big into makeup. In fact, they hardly wear any at all, so when we’re hanging out together, especially when we go somewhere and stay overnight, they always seem to be waiting for me to get ready.

Like, one night that weekend we had reservations for dinner at a fancy-schmancy restaurant, and Jen and Cindy were ready to go in two minutes, but I took about 20, and that’s only because I was rushing!

And the makeup I ended up doing was minimal, too. I refrained from doing the whole rigamarole I would have normally done when going someplace nice.

It’s interesting… I definitely wear less makeup when I’m around them, but it’s not because they say or do things to make me feel uncomfortable. I mean, one of ’em might say something like, “WOW! That’s a lot of work,” but we’ve known each other for years, and they know how much I love hair and makeup.

Sometimes I just feel a little uncomfortable because I don’t want to be the one making everyone wait.

I do feel a little more uncomfortable sometimes when I’m doing my hair and makeup around family and someone says something like, “When I was young, my friends and I never wore makeup,” or “You’re such a pretty girl! You don’t need to wear so much makeup.”

Hmm… OK, thank you? But…I really like it. 🙂

I always try to be considerate and careful about what I say when I’m around people who aren’t into makeup because to each her own, right? I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, so instead of getting all confrontational about it, I’ll usually just make a joke of it with something like, “A little lipgloss never hurt anybody!”

Sometimes it still bugs me a little to hear the anti-makeup remarks, but it’s not worth getting into a fight over. I’ll save that for when there are bigger fish to fry, you know?

What about you? Do you ever feel uncomfortable wearing makeup around people who don’t?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Please tell me I’m not the only one breaking out right now. Sad panda! I’ve got a few tiny whiteheads along my hairline, my jawline, and some on my chest as well, and this is probably TMI, but I’m going there anyway…but I have one on my left booty cheek, too.

AND IT HURTS.

Anywho! Thank goodness the ones on my face at the moment aren’t the painful red kind I get sometimes on my chin, because those are the worst.

This current breakout is probably half due to not sleeping well at night because of this extreme heatwave we’ve been having (and us not having air conditioning), and half due to Three Twins Salted Caramel Ice Cream, which I’ve been eating A LOT of lately. Whenever I up my dairy intake, I break out, but dangit! — why’s it gotta taste so good?

Is anyone else breaking out right now? Inquiring minds want to know.

In fact, let’s do this as a poll…

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. What are you breakout triggers? My main ones are dairy, hormones and not drinking enough water.

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.

1. Mountains or ocean?
   I love both for different reasons, but I’m a water baby at heart. I’ll take the ocean — ideally warm, tropical oceans with gentle, rolling waves and clear teal blue waters…

   I feel at home by the sea.

2. In my opinion, if you want to be successful at something, you have to be __________.
   • Persistent and unafraid to make a complete fool out of yourself (sometimes)
   • Willing to set aside your ego
   • Willing to try new things and let go of the past
   • I think it also helps to be likable, since it usually takes a lot of people up in the mix to be successful at something…unless you live by cutthroat rules, but in my experience, people like to hire/work with people who can not only get the job done, but are also polite, friendly people who would be fun to hang out with.
3. Places where you feel safe?
   • In my bed at home
   • The living room at my parents’ house in Union City
   • In quiet, air-conditioned libraries with big windows (no idea why)
4. What’s your stance on wearing rhinestones on your face?
   If you’re into it, why the heck not? I went through a phase in the ‘90s when I desperately wanted to be Gwen Stefani and wore them all the time, even to class, LOL!

   Granted, I probably looked ridiculous, but who cares? I had fun. 🙂

5. Have you ever had your tarot cards read?
   I have not, but I’d like to someday. It sounds very interesting!

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

1. Mountains or ocean?
2. If you want to be successful at something, you have to be __________.
3. Places where you feel safe?
4. What’s your stance on wearing rhinestones on your face?
5. Have you ever had your tarot cards read?

Good morning, sweet girl (or boy)! I hope you slept well. It’s a quiet, still morning here in Novato…one of those mornings that you know is going to be an epically, scorchingly hot day, haha!

We’re in the midst of a record-setting heatwave here in the Bay Area with temps around 100 degrees, and when your place doesn’t have air conditioning, well…you gotta get as much work done as possible by about 2 p.m., because after that, the heat is unbearable.

Yesterday El Hub and I took refuge at the mall. We hit up the Chipotle in San Rafael (“Guacamole is extra.”), and then watched that new Jason Bateman thriller called The Gift.

Oh, my gosh — SO good. And so many plot twists. I may or may not have screamed, “AHHHHHHHHHH!” at the top of my lungs during one of the startling scenes (El Hub yelled, “OH, SH*T!”). Yes, we are those people, LOL!

Enjoy the rest of your Monday, and have a peaceful week. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen