Just For Fun

1. The lob

So, pretty much the best haircut ever! I saw someone with it on Instagram one day last summer and knew I had to try it. It’s basically an a-line shape, slightly shorter in the back and longer in the front. Good way to go shorter with your ‘do without having to go full-on short, if that makes any sense. You get the sensation of having short hair without actually…you know, having to chop off most of your hair.

2. Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray

BAH! Perfection in a bottle, but why does it have to be so expensive ($21.50 for a small 2.2-oz. bottle)?

You can use it as a dry shampoo, to lift your roots, to add volume, or just as a light hold hairspray.

Really, the only thing it doesn’t do is address the meaning of life.

OK, well, I’m exaggerating…a little.

3. HomeGoods

Just take my money already. This store… It’s home decorating nirvana. Every time I go is a treasure hunt. I never know what I’m gonna find.

(A secret squirrel told me that you have to go on the certain days when they get their shipments in, so ask an associate at your local store.)

Anything and everything you can imagine for your house/apartment/igloo/condo — they probably carry it, at a steeply discounted price.

It is SO fun. Every time you go you’ll find cute stuff.

4. The MAC Brooke Shields Gravitas Palette

I can’t remember the last time I freaked out this completely over a MAC palette with so many amazing MAC neutrals, and it FLEW off the shelves. Even at $85, it was a major, epic MAC moment and well worth the price.

5. Laura Mercier Flawless Fluide Foundation

For me this is the. Best. Foundation out there right now. Basically a Hogwarts-caliber makeup miracle, and I love it so much that I would have a full-on breakdown if Laura discontinued it.

Please, Laura, don’t! I would immediately go into emergency stockpile mode and crawl to the ends of the earth for it. It’s THAT serious.

It covers everything, mellows out my pores, and it doesn’t feel heavy at all.

6. The Avocado Egg Rolls at the Cheesecake Factory

On the one hand, I’m glad I discovered these, because eating them is what I imagine strolling through the pearly gates to heaven would feel like… Sublime, ethereal, surreal.

But I almost wish I hadn’t discovered them because they’re also a billion calories! I’m serious. You probably just went up a dress size looking at this picture.

7. The Guerlain Night at the Opera Holiday Collection

There was so much glowing goodness in this collection that my eyes are rolling back in my head as I type this.

Ahh… Oh, yeah.

The Meteorites Perles d’Etoiles Illuminating Pearls and the Petrouchka Palette for Eyes and Cheeks — both super expensive, but pure perfection on every level.

8. Chanel New Moon cream shadow

Sparkly! New Moon is one of those weirdly wonderful colors that only Chanel could do this good. It’s a glittery copper with colorful sparkles, and I should’ve grabbed a second one when I had the chance, sigh….

9. The Progressive Wedge & Pop apple slicer doohickey

One of the (many) things I got at HomeGoods this year. It’s just this thingamabob that cores your apples for you, all nice and neat.

Yeah, it’s kind of useless, because you could also use a knife, but I love it. And I use it daily.

10. Gamma Ray Computer Glasses!

Yet another thing I use daily. El Hub got me these one nice, random day to help my eyes, which ache sometimes from hours and hours of staring at the computer screen.

The only thing is that the lenses are always getting smudges on them, so I’m cleaning them literally all day long.

But they definitely help my eyes.

11. Kate Spade Studs

I will forever remember 2014 as The Year of My Kate Spade Studs ($38). I started wearing them earlier this year, and they’ve pretty much become the only earrings I want to wear.

I’ve always thought of myself as a big earrings gal, but right now I’m really into simple studs. And I totally blame Kate Spade and her comfortable, adorable studs that look a lot more expensive than they really are (these are only $38!).

They’re also available in different colors, go with practically everything, and when I wear them, I don’t have to worry about Tabs swatting at big ol’ dangly hoops.

12. The MAC Alluring Aquatic Collection

So, being a water baby and all…I was totally enthralled by this collection’s aquatic theme.

The release was all about the MAC In Extra Dimension formula, and the bronzers? SWOON.

Serious contender for my favorite MAC collection of 2014.

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I’m kinda wishing I hadn’t chopped off my hair because now I really want to learn how to do intricate braids… You know, like those fancy combinations with the fish tail and the french braids in the same look.

Funny how the grass is always greener on the other side…

I’d also love to learn how to do really good ’40s-style finger waves and Victory rolls.

For makeup, I want 2015 to be the year when I finally break out of my smokey eye comfort zone, so I want to be able to do more variations on different kinds of glam makeup looks, like daytime-friendly glam, BIG glam, softer and more natural glam…

If it’s glam, I want to be all up in that ish!

I also want to experiment with more ’60s makeup looks. Like last month I watched an Audrey Hepburn movie called Charade, and Audrey’s cut crease and black cat liner action in it was INSANE.

I think I could probably do something like that now if I had a whole day to just futz with my makeup, but since Tabs keeps me on such a short leash (haha), I want to be able to do things like that faster.

Talk to me, babe! What are the next hair or makeup looks, styles or techniques you’d like to learn?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Happy New Year’s Eve morning! 🙂

P.P.S. Let’s party like it’s 1999 with The Purple Ones at Fenix in San Rafael tonight! Be there!!

Seeing as how tomorrow is the very last day of the year…I think it does have more significance that a normal day, since we’re wrapping up 2014 and all!

I want to spend the day feeling good about myself and having fun with El Hub and Tabs. 🙂

I’ll probably do just enough to feel put tougher, but I don’t want to spend half the day futzing with my makeup and hurr (although, admittedly, sometimes I do).

Makeup-wise, I’m thinking easy, polished neutral eyes and a nude lip, like what I wore in the Mia Beauty Braidie post a few days ago.

It’s a look I can knock out pretty quickly (about 25 minutes if I’m focused), and I like the way it looks in the mirror.

If we end up staying in tomorrow night, I may just leave it at that, but if we go out for New Year’s Eve, I dunno… Perhaps I’ll top off my lids with a MAC Pressed Pigment, or add a sparkly Urban Decay Glitter Liner to my lash lines. And/or false lashes and a bold, bright lip.

As for my hair, I’ll be rockin’ the messy, choppy waves.

Most of the time these days we stay in for New Year’s, but we’re trying to get tickets to see a Prince cover band (She wore a raspberry beret! The kind you find in a second hand store!) at a nightclub in San Rafael.

Fun!

It’s very last-minute, so it may not pan out, but I hope it does! If it doesn’t, then I guess we’ll just be playing Prince at home and dancing around the living room. 🙂

Hey, babe! How about you? Gazing into the future for a moment, how are you (probably) going to do your hair and makeup tomorrow?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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 hate to shop for…
   For someone who frequents Home Goods so much, I actually hate shopping for home stuff because I’m terribly indecisive when it comes to picking stuff for walls, or for the furniture. It’s just I have this irrational idea that once I get like a pillow I’m gonna be stuck with that pillow for the next 20 years, and I can’t – so I stand there, like I’m literally in the aisle looking at all the pillows, but what if I don’t like this blue seashell pillow when I’m like 55, I’ll still have to look at it till then, and it paralyzes me.
2. I love to shop for…
   Everything else (other than home stuff), but shoes and makeup and kitty things especially. And coats.

   Basically, I like shopping for anything that will still fit if my weight can fluctuate up and down.

   Oh, and purses.

3. You have three minutes to freshen up your makeup, so what do you do?
   Well, the first thing I do is fix my wonky right brow, which is shorter than my left brow, so the tail end usually fades throughout the day…

   So I’ll fix my right wonky brow, then I’ll give my lashes a quick curl — but very gently, of course, because I don’t want to pull out any eyelashes. Then I’ll throw on another layer of mascara, and quickly rim my eyes.

   Since I wear nude lips a lot (just because they’re easier for me and I don’t have to deal with lip pencil or whatever), I’ll usually do another layer of whichever nude lipstick or gloss or lip liner I happen to be wearing.

   I kind of like to be a little shiny because I like my skin glowing, but if I have an extra 20 seconds or so, I’ll powder my forehead, which tends to get a little shinier than the rest of my face.

4. What’s the oldest thing in your closet that you still wear all the time?
   Years ago (I think it was 2007) when I interviewed Paris Hilton, I’d been out of the corporate workforce for a long time, so I had to get an interview outfit. I bought this basic black dress at H&M for like $20 that I still wear.

   It’s black jersey, easy to pack. It’s not really trendy… It’s kind of one of those timeless cuts, got short sleeves, hits right above the knee. I can dress it up, I can dress it down, and it’s stretchy. 🙂

5. What are some things you’d like to do more of in 2015?
   Mostly, I would like to forgive myself more. I tend to beat myself up mentally for the things I do wrong, and I don’t want to do that so much, so I’d like to forgive myself more.

   I’d also like to exercise more, but I don’t know if that will necessarily translate into doing another half-marathon, but I’d like to sweat more. I’d also like to see my friends more, and develop my friendships more. And I’d like to do more new things.

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

1. I hate to shop for…
2. I love to shop for…
3. You have three minutes to freshen up your makeup, so what do you do?
4. What’s the oldest thing in your closet that you still wear all the time?
5. What are some things you’d like to do more of in 2015?

It’s the last Monday of 2014!

MONDAY!

I’m halfway through my second cup of coffee and really looking forward to my run this morning, because I did not exercise at all over the Christmas break.

Well, I did exercise my mouth… 🙂 And my tum. By repeatedly shoving lots of sugary things and carby things into them.

How was your weekend? Did you spend it with family or friends? Was it busy? Relaxing?

What about New Year’s? Per usual, I don’t have any plans yet. El Hub and I usually just go out to dinner, then come home and sit around, maybe watch the ball drop at midnight. I keep telling myself to try something new this time, so maybe we will. Who knows?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Every year through my teens and mid-20s, the drill on Christmas was more or less the same: sit around the table at my parents’ house for a couple hours and stuff myself silly. Then, bundle up, get in the car, and hit up my friends’ houses.

Both Jen’s and Cindy’s families lived less than five minutes away, so I’d swing by Cindy’s place first, say hi, and grab a bite to eat. Cindy’s grandma was an amazing cook, and she wouldn’t let me leave before feeding me. Even though I’d already be full by then, I always made room for her homemade Chinese food. 🙂

Next, I’d stop by Jen’s house, which was always so fun and full of life. Her mom and dad headed the church choir, and Christmas at their place was extra exciting. There was always music, lots of food, and all of the younger cousins — who are all grown up and married now! — would be somewhere underfoot, begging me to play with them.

After that, I’d make one final visit to my friend Mark’s house across town, for even more food (!) and family time.

Things are a little different now… I still go home to my parents’ house and gorge myself on Filipino food — that hasn’t changed — but Cindy’s family has since moved to another town, and after Jen’s parents passed away, and she and her brother sold the house, Jen now spends the holidays with her husband’s family in Florida. And my other good friend, Mark, his family now lives overseas.

I don’t know where I’m going with this… I guess what I’m trying to say is that for me, spending this time with you on MBB every Christmas is like one those old house visits. I stop by, you stop by, and we chat in our virtual living room, eating virtual Christmas cookies (COOKIES!), talking shop and wishing each other happy holidays.

It’s a good tradition, and it reminds me that I’m not all alone out here in front of the keyboard, typing the words, “Cats, cats, cats…eyeshadow!” into oblivion.

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This year was an eye-opener for me in terms of hair and makeup. I learned many things, like to make my next appointment at the salon before I leave the salon (otherwise, I’ll just forget, and by the time I remember, my roots will be out-of-freaking control), and how a messy sock bun can help you make it through one more day without washing your hair.

I also realized that Laura Mercier’s Flawless Fluide is basically a makeup miracle in a bottle, and Smashbox’s Pore Minimizing Primer is capable of some seriously amazing skin-smoothing feats.

But the biggest hair/makeup lesson I learned was to push past the point in my eye makeup when everything looks like a hot mess.

I call it: the metaphorical makeup hump

It’s that moment in the eye makeup application process that I like to call (air quotes) “the metaphorical makeup hump,” when you feel like you’ve just jumped off a bridge, and you’re plummeting to the ground, and you start to freak out because you’re not sure if somebody remembered to tie your bungee cord to something solid.

I learned that at this point you have to press on and push through the doubt; the look will come together eventually, if you Just. Keep. Going.

For me, the feeling usually strikes when I’m trying something out of my comfort zone, or when I’m doing a look where there’s very specific placement of dark colors, and everything looks terribly janky when I get to the hump, like a “don’t picture” in a “dos and don’ts” column in a glossy magazine (“Don’t do this!” and then you see a picture of me with half-finished smokey eyes looking all confused, haha!), but if I see it through, things usually fall into place.

How about you? What have you learned about your hair and/or makeup this year?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Merry Christmas Eve!