Just For Fun

Garlic fries: my rationale for eating them includes the fact that they are made of vegetables; therefore, eating a large pile of garlic fries is practically the same thing as eating a salad. Also, since I like to smother mine with ketchup (aka “tomatoes”), it’s like I’m topping them with extra vegetables, so I’m being extra healthy. 🙂

OK, I know, this is completely insane logic, but let me have my thing. I think garlic fries should be a bonafide food group.

In case you were wondering…those garlic fries up above were not my breakfast (although I have totally done that)! I took this pic at the ballpark on Wednesday at the Giants game with my friend Marisol.

I barely know anything at all about baseball, so I’m not a hardcore fan like Marisol is, but I still like going to the games because, I mean, the food (obviously), and hanging out with a friend.

And it’s fun to people watch and be outside.

So, here’s an SF Giants fun fact: when a hometown player is up to bat, they have their own theme music! Yeah, they pick out a song before the season starts, I guess, and whenever they’re up to bat, it blasts over the stadium speakers.

This, of course, got me thinking about my own “up-to-bat” song… I’m 95% sure that it would be Cheryl Lynn’s Got To Be Real.

OK, enough rambling. Let’s get on with today’s open thread. 🙂

Whatever you feel like chatting about — makeup, blogging, photography, cats, food, fashion (don’t get me started on my new favorite store, LOFT), shoes or whatever. Or, maybe you’d just like to tell me about your cats in great detail. That would be very cool too. Whatever you’re in the mood for.

See you soon in the comments!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!

Shampoos, conditioners, body washes, body lotions (yup, I keep mine in the shower), shave creams, etc. Go check, and count ’em all up. Or, take a quick mental inventory.

I did a major culling a few weeks ago during a feng shui shower frenzy and removed a few shampoos and body washes, but there’s still a lot in there.

At last count (just now), there are 18 bottles!

What can I say? I’m a girl who likes options. 🙂

I think it’s related to my childhood (isn’t it always?). My mom wasn’t big into bath and beauty products, so we always only had two bottles in our shower — just one shampoo and one conditioner. That was it.

Then when I left home for college, I lived with a roommate who had six different bottles of shampoo and conditioner in the shower, and it BLEW MY MIND.

It never occurred to me that you could, you know, legitimately own and use a variety of shampoos and conditioners. There is not a law that requires the use of just one.

And then body washes came into vogue, and all heck broke loose. It was a new world with endless possibilities, LOL!

So these are the bottles in my shower right now…

• 3 bottles of shampoo
• 5 bottles of conditioner
• 7 (!) body washes
• 1 body scrub
• 2 face washes

How about you? What’s in yours?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Funny thing is that none of the bottles are El Hub’s. 🙂 He doesn’t care what he uses. I think he just grabs anything when he’s in there. Sometimes I wonder if it’s even a soap, haha.

How adventurous are you when it comes to skin care? Do you play it safe and stick to tried-and-true products that you’ve come to know, or do you charge boldly unto the epidermal breach, always ready and willing to try new things? Inquiring minds want to know.

I’m usually up for trying new things when my combo skin is behaving, but when I’m breaking out or going through a bad bout of dry or oily or otherwise sensitive skin, I go back to the basics I know and love — the things that I know will clear up said situation (for breakouts, it involves a combination of a benzoyl peroxide product with one containing salicylic acid, coupled with doing the other things I know I should be doing anyway, like drinking enough water, getting to bed at a decent hour and eating my dark leafy greens).

If I’m not breaking out, then yeah, I’ll try new things, especially face masks!

GURL, don’t even get me started on the masks, because we’ll be here for days.

Unless you want me to get started on the masks. 🙂 Because then I will. Because I just tried a new one by Clinique called the Even Better Brightening Moisture Mask ($36), and I like it very much.

Masks, why do I love thee so much? Is it because of the instant gratification?

Yes, I think it is. That, and the whole spa angle. A good masks taps into that part of my brain that makes me feel like I’m treating myself to a spa.

I have a section of shelf dedicated to them, and I wear them so often that El Hub doesn’t even comment anymore when I walk into the room wearing a thick layer of goo all over my face, haha! He’ll be like, “Hi, babe. Do you want to rent a movie tonight?”

Tell me, on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the skin-care equivalent of Indiana Jones, what’s your skin care adventure quotient? How adventurous are you when it comes to skin care?

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Happy hump day, my friend! 🙂

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. I would love it if __________.
   …I could wake up every morning to the scent of breakfast. That’s something I really miss about my childhood. Nowadays, I’m the one who usually makes breakfast, but I remember waking up back at home, especially on Sunday mornings, and smelling eggs and pancakes and other yummy food, like, wafting through the doorway, and that would REALLY wake me up.
2. What’s your stance on emojis as a valid form of communication?
   

   (I’m cool with it.)

3. Wedges or kitten heels?
   Wedges, for sure. Ironically, I have never gotten along with a pair of kitten heels, which is kind of weird, considering how I’m a cat lady and all.
4. Who makes your favorite chocolate?
   This one’s tough because there’s so much good chocolate out there to love!

   But I’m a See’s girl. A See’s Candies girl. There’s one conveniently/dangerously down the street from my house, less than five minutes away.

   I do also have a soft spot for old-school Cadbury milk chocolate (the bars with the fruit and nuts).

5. What’s one thing that has brightened your morning so far?
   Well, I put on shorts for the first time in months (yay!), and hopefully I’ll be able to walk outside in them. It’s supposed to be really nice out here this week.

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

1. I would love it if __________.
2. What’s your stance on emojis as a valid form of communication?
3. Wedges or kitten heels?
4. Who makes your favorite chocolate?
5. What’s one thing that has brightened your morning so far?

Hello and happy Monday, my friend! You know…sometimes I just don’t know what to say here, because I feel like I’ve kind of said it all before, but the sentiment is always the same. I hope you have a wonderful week and that everything falls into place for you (and for me), and that there’s no drama whatsoever.

And if there is some drama, I hope you are able to handle it gracefully.

Here’s a cup of tea (she said, nudging the cup and saucer toward you), and I’ve got mine too. Have a great Monday and a great week. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

What’s up, girlfriend? Happy Friday. 🙂 Also known as Fri-yay.

Fridays are good days for ripped jeans around here. At least for me. El Hub feels differently about it. He’s always poking fun at me for wearing these (the ones in the pic at the top). He calls them my “railroad scamp pants” and says that all I need now is one of those long sticks with the red and white checkerboard handkerchief tied to the end with some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in there and maybe a can of anchovies…

Oh, well. I like ’em! This pair is by Blank NYC. If you ask me about them in the comments, I’ll give you the scoop because guess what…?

It’s time for another OPEN THREAD!

Let’s catch up in the comments. I’m gonna be around. Valid topics of discussion include makeup, jeans and other garments, refreshing beverages, tasty recipes, work romances and other conundrums, seasonal allergies (so sniffly today!), roller skates, blogging, photography, movies, TV shows (Game of Thrones this Sunday!), cats, dogs, rabbits, flamingos, ferrets and…OK, pretty much anything.

See you in the comments.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!

Since it’s Thursday and all (edit: it’s just random; there’s no logical reason), I’m wondering what’s been making you want to clutch your pearls with delight.

Here are seven things that have been giving me major smiles lately. 🙂

1. Yes to Coconut Ultra Light Spray Body Lotion for Very Dry Skin ($9.99)

Otherwise known as “Lotion for the Laziest of Alligator People.” My skin is so dry that it makes alligator skin look moisturized! But this stuff totally takes care of it (everywhere except on my Fred Flinstone feet, where I need something thicker). It leaves my skin feeling soft, but not greasy, and smelling faintly of coconut.

How moisturizing is it?

Pictures yourself standing in a tropical lagoon under a Hawaiian waterfall…and in this waterfall scenario, you look hot, of course.

Wait — to be honest, that’s hard to do because the water is really pouring down, so hold on to your bikini bottoms! (File this under “Life Lessons Learned the Hard Way.”)

Anyway, tangent.

I keep this stuff in my shower and spray it on my skin after toweling off (while I’m still in the shower). It’s easy to work in, and the bottle conveniently works when you hold it upside-down, which is super cool. I suggest spraying it into your palm first, and then massaging it into your arms and legs. That way you don’t accidentally spray the lotion all over your floors and walls.

2. Yes to Grapefruit Basil Liquid Hand Soap ($3.99)

And since we’re on the subject of saying yes to things, I also love the brand’s Yes To’s Grapefruit Basil Liquid Hand Soap ($3.99). It makes quick work of any dirt/gunk/oils/tabby hairs on my paws and works fast. It’s also non-drying (yay!) and lightly scented with grapefruit, which is one of my favorite things to eat.

Incidentally, sometimes I feel like I’m alone in this, because everyone around me detests the taste of grapefruit… Are you into it? Grapefruit 4-EVA is all I have to say.

3. The bkr 1-L Bottle in Sugar ($42)

This bkr water bottle! I’ve only been using it for a week, but I’m freaking ready to put a ring on it. I carry this thing everywhere!

Granted, it’s a lot heavier than a back-to-basics, standard plastic water bottle, but I don’t mind. I kinda like the solid glass heft. (The thick rubber sleeve should hopefully keep it from cracking if it’s ever dropped from a reasonable height… I’ll you know about that when/if it ever happens.)

The handle on the cap also feels juuuuuust right. I don’t know if the designers conducted any ergonomic studies or anything, but this bottle feels great in my hand.

I also like mouth because it’s not too huge/wide, and with every other water bottle I’ve owned, I end up spilling water all over my shirt all the time.

Doesn’t happen with this. I keep trying to find an excuse to get one of the smaller ones, too (I love the ones with the heart design) but yeah…one is enough for now.

I hope they make the liter-sized ones with a heart on it soon. Call me crazy (go on!), but I swear my water tastes better when I drink it from this bottle.

Yes, I know that’s impossible. 🙂
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