Just For Fun

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. If there’s one thing I can do in this life, it’s __________

   …befriend stray cats. 🙂

   They can sense the cat lady-ness radiating off me in waves… Either that, or they smell the treats in my pocket, haha!

   Also, I’m like a shoe-shopping savant. I’m the girl to call when you want/need a shoe enabler.

2. What product in your makeup bag/toolkit do you wear more than any other?
   Over the past few months, it’s been Laura Mercier Flawless Fluide Foundation, but more immediately, over the past few weeks, the Hourglass Ambient Blush palette, and the past few days, NARS Pure Radiant Concealer.
3. How has your life changed this year?
   Definitely for the better with my daily working workflow, thanks to a couple of tweaks.

   I used to start my days at the behind-crack of dawn and have my butt glued to my computer for, literally, 12-14 hours, often without breaks.

   Now, I force myself, hook or crook, to get out of my chair by 4 p.m. (and I usually start working at 7:30 a.m.)

   Sometimes it’s hard. Very hard. Because I don’t nave a naturally super fine-tuned concept of time (read: I’m always running late), and I’m the kind of person who always like to do a little extra, sneak in a little extra something into her work.

   But now I’m a much happier person overall, so I guess that would be the biggest change for me this year.

4. One of your greatest indulgences?
   Ooh… Sleeping in on Saturday mornings and just waking up when my body feels like it, instead of waking up with an alarm, and then just having a leisurely day.

   I like to prep the Saturday morning giveaway over coffee (as you know), and either watch some (hopefully brainless) TV or read and nom on something that, ideally, I didn’t have to make, like a croissant from a local bakery.

5. What beauty products are on your nightstand right now?
   A tube of Hourglass No. 28 Lip Oil, which I put on every night before bed.

   And a big bottle of Amlactin lotion, which I got at Costco.

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

1. If there’s one thing I can do in this life, it’s ____________.
2. What product in your makeup bag/toolkit do you wear more than any other?
3. How has your life changed this year?
4. One of your greatest indulgences?
5. What beauty products are on your nightstand right now?

Happy Monday to ya, sweetpea. How was your weekend?

Mine was nice. El Hub and I drove up to Redding to visit his parents and see their new house, while Tabs held down Fort MBB with his favorite sergeant/petsitter.

Just a laid back weekend, really, but I’m a BIG fan of those. 🙂

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. What’s one keepsake you absolutely treasure?
   I have this groovy dress that my mom used to wear back in the ’70s. It’s an a-line mini in a beige lace material with an oversized ’70s-style collar, pearl buttons and sheer sleeves.

   She gave it to me when I was in high school, and I’ve kept it with me all these years, through 10+ moves.

   I’m not normally very sentimental about my clothes, like it’s easy for me to say goodbye to clothes and pass them along to others to love, but I love this dress. My mom designed it for herself and took the design to a seamstress to have it made when she still lived in the Philippines.

   I can see her now, my mom, a newly married young woman in the ’70s, tooling about town in her groovy mini dress. Maybe in some wedge heels! 🙂

2. Who’s the most generous person you know?
   El Hub. That man would give you the shirt off his back, even if it meant he would freeze to death.
3. We’re having PB&J sandwiches for lunch! What kind of jelly would you like?
   Raspberry for me! — or strawberry, if we’re out of raspberry, and if we don’t have either one, marmalade will do.

   Just please, no grape jelly. I’m NOT feelin’ that with my PB&J.

4. Which would you rather do — spend an afternoon putting together a complicated piece of Ikea furniture with 500 screws, or spend an afternoon cleaning out boxes in a dirty, dusty garage filled with cobwebs, spiders and lizards?
   Uh…both sound pretty miserable to me, but I guess cleaning out the garage? It would be dirtier, yes, but less mentally taxing.
5. Something you feel passionate about?
   Writing about makeup (obvs), and talking about it, and wearing it, and shopping for it, and taking pictures of it. After almost eight years of talking about makeup on a daily basis, I still enjoy it.

   I’m also passionate about adopting strays and shelter animals. Every one of the animals I’ve been lucky enough to assist over the years has been a former stray.

   There are so many great cats and dogs out there waiting to be loved!

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

1. What’s one keepsake you absolutely treasure?
2. Who’s the most generous person you know?
3. We’re having PB&J sandwiches for lunch. What kind of jelly would you like?
4. Which would you rather do — spend an afternoon putting together a piece of complicated Ikea furniture with 500 screws, or spend an afternoon cleaning out boxes in a dirty, dusty garage filled with cobwebs, spiders and lizards?
5. Something you’re passionate about?

December…

I KNOW! It’s like it silently moonwalked into the room when I was looking the other way.

Have you put your tree up yet? I did go to Target last weekend and got some new ornaments, stockings and lights, but no tree yet. Hopefully, tonight or tomorrow. That’s what we’ve been talking about.

The new Christmas tree balls I got are allegedly shatter-resistant, but we’ll see about that… Tabs is the ultimate durability test.

He always swats at the ornaments and also LOVES to drink water from the tree stand, even though he knows it’s strictly forbidden.

Cats…

Have a good one today, whatever you’re up to. Try to stay warm out there!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

“Gobble gobble!”

It’s Thanksgiving here today in the U.S., and Tabs, El Hub and I will be celebrating with a small festive Thanksgiving feast featuring large quantities of turkey! crab!

Yes, crab (we’re trying something different).

But we’ve got some of the traditional fixin’s too, like we’ve got stuffing, cranberry sauce, green beans, pecan pie, mashed potatoes (and gravy, of course, purr Tabs)…

I can’t take credit for everything. I did make the potatoes, some corn and prepped the crab (like that’s hard), but some of our local eateries also helped, which is code for, “Some of it came from Whole Foods and Costco.” The plan for the day is to stay in my jammies as long as humanly possible, watch football (go Niners!), relax and start eating at noon, hopefully wrapping up the eating portion of the activities around 5:30, at which point I will most likely pass out. 🙂

Thank you, as always, for keeping me company and for putting up with my product review bizarreness (WOW! Bizarreness is actually a word?). Stay warm and have a wonderful day. Talk to you soon.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen