Just For Fun

Well, I’m adventurous when I have time and really no place to go (other than the living room), but if it’s for a work thing or a family get-together or some other event where I kind of want to play it safe, I’ll usually do some form of neutral brown, bronzy gold cat eye, and lashes if I have the time.

That’s my safe-bet look. I’ve probably done it about a million times before.

How about you? When it comes to eye makeup, are you adventurous, where you frequently try new looks, or do you generally stick to one safe look that you’re really comfortable doing?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. I know I’ve been unusually quiet this week. Between the trip to Nashville, entertaining the parents last weekend (which, ya know, I love ’em, but they can be work sometimes) and all of the big collections coming out, I kind of just needed a mental health day, so I slept in, did some laundry, actually finally unpacked from Nashville (only been a week!) and spent some time with my husband.

We went to see Oculus last night, and it was enough to keep me out of antique shops for the next, oh, rest of my life, actually!

Great horror movie, but seriously, if you don’t want to develop a fear of antique mirrors, stay away from Oculus.

Hope you are doing well out there. Your nephew says “meow.” He’s been getting more emails than I am. I am so not kidding.

One day…? Two days? Three days?? Four?!

My max is three days.

Or four. Sometimes I can do four as long as I haven’t worked out.

Buuuut, the longest I’ve ever gone was five days, and that was pretty rough. I had a really killer blowout, and I wanted to get as much milage out of it as I could.

I remember my scalp feeling really greasy on the fifth day… I almost went through an entire bottle of dry shampoo. 🙂

How about you? What’s the longest you can (happily) go without washing your hair?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

You might be wondering, “So what the heck is this Monday Poll thing anyway?”

Well, it isn’t much of a poll. It’s more just a constantly evolving (devolving?), somewhat random list of questions I’ve been putting out to readers every Monday morning for the past seven years. I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.

1. Ponytails — high or low?
   Low ponies (LOL! Sounds like a bummed-out horse) because they don’t give me headaches as much as high ponies, although I do like the look of a high pony. I think they’re very elegant and chic.

   So both, I guess. High and low ponies. 🙂

2. List all of your leopard-print shoes, clothes, mugs, bags, scarves, furniture, cat collars, etc.
   Hmm… Surprisingly, I don’t actually have as much leopard print as I’d like. I have a…
   • Pair of high heels, which are a tad too high for me, so I don’t really wear them… I just like to look at them.
   • A scarf from Target that my mom got me for Christmas
   • A pink vinyl leopard-print makeup bag
   • A baggy leopard-print sweater from Target…with the face of an actual leopard on it

   Wow, that’s it… Not as much as I thought. I think this is something I must rectify ASAP.

3. Do you do music festivals like Coachella?
   Not really. When I watch a concert, I like to be sitting on the couch with the Tivo remote so that I can pause for bathroom and snack breaks and don’t have to wait for two hours standing up for the headliner to start.

   LOL! I’m so grumpy.

4. Have you ever had a rain-related hair or makeup mishap?
   I’ve definitely had hair mishaps, like the time I’d just gotten my hair blown out stick straight in the city, and it started raining like crazy. Of course, I didn’t have an umbrella…
5. Which of the following do you use: hair dryer, curling iron, flat iron, waving iron, hot rollers?
   D., all of the above.

   The hair dryer and curling iron most often.

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

1. Ponytails — high or low?
2. List all of your leopard-print shoes, clothes, mugs, bags, scarves, furniture, cat collars, etc.
3. Do you do music festivals like Coachella?
4. Have you ever had a rain-related hair or makeup mishap?
5. Which of the following do you use: hair dryer, curling iron, flat iron, waving iron, hot rollers?

Last weekend hanging out with my family over Easter I really thought a lot about counting my blessings. Life is very short, and everything is temporary, and I see that much more clearly as I get older.

I think it helps to take a moment from time to time when you feel stressed out to close your eyes and think about some of the things you’re grateful for. It helps prevent any potential meltdowns/orange alert incidents.

Have a good week, my friend.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

I have mad love for all of ’em — creams, powders and liquids — but lately I’ve been reaching for liquid and powder highlighters more often than creams.

I don’t dislike cream highlighters, though. I think it’s mostly just a phase… You know how it is.

It really depends on the situation and the look I’m going for. Like, some mornings when I get up and I feel like my skin looks kind of dull and blah, I’ll grab MAC Strobe Cream or BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector and apply that all over on my face first. Or, I’ll mix a bit in with my moisturizer or foundation for a dewy effect and some extra dimension.

Again, it depends. I won’t necessarily do this when I know I’ll be taking pictures because of the way all-over shimmer shines when you add a flash up in the mix.

OH! And I’ve also recently realized that I like applying liquid highlighter to specific areas of the face using a flat foundation brush for a really pretty, casual, “I just got a facial at the spa” look.

Highlighting powders — I love! Particularly for pics, because they make it easy to control where I place the shimmer on my face. When pictures are involved, I like my highlights to be more precise, since all-over shimmer makes me look like I’m running a marathon (i.e. sweaty).

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You might be wondering, “So what the heck is this Monday Poll thing anyway?”

Well, it isn’t much of a poll. It’s more just a constantly evolving (devolving?), somewhat random list of questions I’ve been putting out to readers every Monday morning for the past seven years. I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.

1. Have you ever walked up to someone and asked for their autograph?
   Nobody really famous, but when I was a kid and we’d go to Disneyland, I’d walk up to Minnie Mouse with my autograph book and be like, “Excuse me, Ms. Minnie? Would you please sign my book??”

   That was a really big deal for me because I was very shy.

2. What’s the oldest piece of working technology in your home (record player, tape recorder, etc.)?
   Well, the other day I was doing some cleaning, and I found my old Blackberry from 2007. I didn’t test it out, but I’m pretty sure it still works.
3. What’s one essential personal care product (cuticle oil, Wet Ones Wipes, a particular hand cream, Purell, etc.) that you have to have with you when you travel?
   I ALWAS have to have Wet Ones Wipes with me. I am that freaky lady who wipes down her tray table on the plane, the armrests, and when I get to the hotel I give everything a once over.

   I actually just did that right now, haha! 🙂

4. Has anyone ever painted, drawn or sketched a picture of you?
   “Draw me like one of your French girls.”

   No.

5. What’s your stance on wearing rhinestones on nails?
   I am pro rhinestones on nails. I’m a strong supporter, but I do believe that they shouldn’t be a rhinestone free-for-all. I think it should be regulated rhinestones.

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

1. Have you ever walked up to someone and asked for their autograph?
2. What’s the oldest piece of working technology in your home (record player, tape recorder, etc.)?
3. What’s one essential personal care product (cuticle oil, Wet Ones Wipes, a particular hand cream, Purell, etc.) that you have to have with you when you travel?
4. Has anyone ever painted, drawn or sketched a picture of you?
5. What’s your stance on wearing rhinestones on nails?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Save the cheerleader, save the world…

Your burning beauty questions for Hayden Panettiere! I needs them! I have a short interview with Hayden, who’s a Neutrogena Brand Ambassador, here in Nashville this afternoon. Should I ask her about skin care, color products, or what her makeup routine is like on the show, Nashville? Lookin’ for help with question ideas…

I can’t guarantee what I’ll be able to ask, but I’ll try to get as many questions answered as possible. I can be very persistent, so ya never know… 🙂

Just leave your questions here in the comments for me because I’ll be checking the blog all the way up till the interview starts.

Up above, that’s a typical minimal makeup look for me. Here’s what I’m wearing…

• MAC Brun Eye Shadow in my brows
• BECCA Ever-Matte Skin Shine Proof Foundation on my cheeks and around my mouth
• Clinique High Impact Mascara on my lashes
• MAC Pro Longwear Concealer on my undereye area
• Clinique Ginger Pop Cheek Pop Blush on my cheeks
• MAC Patentpolish Lip Pencil in Innocent on my lips

Do I consider myself a makeup minimalist?

Generally, no, not really. I’m a product junkie through and through.

I mean, I usually sit down intending to do something quick, but it so often turns into a full face of makeup! Given any extra time at all, I will gladly keep playing with brushes and makeup until I am forced to stop. 🙂

Poor El Hub… He knows all too well that “I only need 5 minutes to get ready” is code for “See you in half an hour! Maybe. Probably not.”

Sure, there are times, like when I’m tired or just not in the mood, when I don’t wear any makeup at all or just do the bare minimum, like if I’m running out of the house at 8:52 p.m. to buy emergency gravy before Petco closes (it happens more often than you’d think) or when I’m traveling.

For me, my minimum usually involves brows, mascara, under-eye concealer, a little foundation, blush and gloss.

How about you? Do you consider yourself a makeup minimalist, or do you always go full-bore?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Good morning, my friend. 🙂 How goes it? I’m waving a sleepy hello to you this morning.

It’s been quite warm here this week, so we’ve been sleeping with the windows open at night. It’s so nice to have a breeze circulating in the the room, but oh! — I’m payin’ the piper when the birds go cray-cray before dawn.

Don’t get me wrong, there are worse ways to wake up than birds singing… I just wish they’d start after my alarm, LOL!

Which reminds me, Carrot.

No, not the awesome veggie. It’s a new productivity app I just installed on my phone. Two apps, actually. There’s an alarm and a to-do list manager. Both of them have sassy A.I. personalities to keep you on task.

It’s like having a sassy assistant. If you don’t get your stuff done on time, Carrot gets mad and gives you attitude (Haha! Sounds like Tabs). From what I’ve read, the apps are pretty popular.

I guess they’re like tough love? I dunno… Gonna give them a try today, and I’ll let you know.

What’s shakin’ on your end of the keyboard? Happy hump day.