Just For Fun

Did a friend introduce you to it? Or was it your sister or your mom? Did it happen quickly or take a long time? Or was it something that cropped up spontaneously — pure makeup happenstance — where you were totally oblivious to makeup until the one random day you spotted a particular tube of lipstick and BAM! — fell in love? What’s the story behind your interest in makeup? Here’s mine…

First, I was always fascinated by makeup, but my mom, not really being a girly kind of girl, didn’t keep a lot of it around our house, so I didn’t have many opportunities to play with it until that one fateful day…

I think I was around six or seven at the time. Mom had bought a bunch of stuff (a nice haul!) at a Mary Kay party, but she never wore any of it. It all ended up in a bathroom at home that nobody ever used.

So, I would sneak into the bathroom and hold the eyeshadow palette in my hands, gazing at the untouched pans, and thinking that the palette was just about the coolest thing ever.

One morning, I tried to sneak it out of the bathroom, but it was a total fail. I had it under my Hello Kitty t-shirt, and as soon as I stepped into the hallway, it dropped, landing right in front of my mom, haha!

I didn’t get in trouble, but I’m pretty sure my mom thought the incident was weird…

Fast forward a few years to middle school, where I was surrounded by chicks who wore eyeliner. That was the thing at our school at the time — colorful pencil eyeliners in purple, blue and green.

I wasn’t allowed to wear makeup, and I didn’t dare bring it up with my parents because they were strict, so I just stared in envy at my classmates as they lined their eyes in the bathroom.

This was after everyone doused their hair with Aqua Net, of course. Hello! — it was the late ’80s, and we all had hair out to [ here ].

Then, one day, I found a purple Lancome liner in the band room.

Yes, I was a band geek. I know you can picture it, LOL!

I asked around to see if anyone had lost an eyeliner, but no one claimed it. In no time, I was sharpening the tip with my pencil sharpener and drawing a shaky line along my upper lash line in the girls’ bathroom.

Maaaaaaan, that was it. I was hooked. For the rest of seventh grade, I wore that pencil almost every day. Granted, I had no idea what I was doing with it and looked a hot mess — I wish there had been beauty blogs at the time — but I loved it. I’d put it on in the bathroom at school every morning, and take it off before going home every afternoon. It was my secret beauty ritual, and the unofficial start of my interest in makeup. 🙂

So, my friend. Is there a story behind your interest in makeup? Were you introduced to it by a friend? Did you start wearing it as a teen? Or as an adult? I would love to hear your makeup story in the comments (and please, it doesn’t have to be long or involved). I’d just like to know a little more about you.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Happy hump day!

Big hair? Ombre and dip-dye? Perms? Brazilian blowouts? Featherlocks? Or how about the half-shaved head?

Like sands through the hourglass, these are the hair trends of our lives… 🙂

There has to be at least one you’re relieved you didn’t take part in.

For me, I’m thinking about the pixie cut, because there was a time there when almost all the girls I knew chopped their hair into a short pixie ‘do (it was right after Victoria Beckham cut her hair in 2008, if I remember correctly), and while they looked SO CUTE and loved the freedom of not having to fuss with long hair, I’m glad I never took part.

As much I love the look on other people, I don’t think it would have turned out that way for me. My hair is thick and wavy, and it grows like a weed. I would have ended up needing a trim at least once a month, and the growing-out phase would have been a nightmare inside a nightmare inside a horror movie.

Yeah, scary. Because my hair has a mind of its own, and the wavy pattern doesn’t fall gracefully on my head like a Pantene commercial. Instead, my hair haphazardly juts out all over the frickin’ place, and I can only imagine how the in-between phase would’ve looked…

Totally and completely cray.

So, my friend, let’s talk hair today. What hair trends are you happy you skipped?

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. What’s one lipstick you never get tired of?
   MAC Impassioned. It still takes my breath away after all these years…
2. A fear you’d like to conquer?
   Honestly, sometimes I feel like I’m afraid of doing things the right way, if that makes any sense at all. I just want to get out of my own way in 2014 and stop with the self-sabotage. No more working so late that I’m wasted and tired the next day, no more procrastinating in the mornings — stuff like that.
3. How often do you curl your lashes?
   Every. Single. Day.

   Mine are pin straight!

4. What’s one thing you’ve been putting off doing?
   Going to the optometrist… I desperately need new contacts. I cam hartly see teh keybpard anumore. 🙂
5. Best celebrity to be trapped on a desert island with?
   I’m sure RyGos would be lovely company (and easy on the eyes), but from a survival standpoint, Survivorman’s Les Stroud would probably do more to keep me alive and get me home in (hopefully) one piece.

   GO LES!

6. Something beautiful (anything at all)?
   The sound of wind chimes tinkling in the wind, the quiet early mornings in my neighborhood right before the sun climbs over the horizon, El Hub and Tabs napping together peacefully on the couch.
7. Would you rather wear a dress or pants?
   A dress, for sure. But it has to be something comfortable — not binding — with pockets.
8. Your favorite comfort food?
   Grilled cheese sandwiches, preferably with tomato soup on the side.

   El Hub is no chef (sorry, babe!), but the man makes a mean grilled cheese.

   It’s perfection! I’m telling you, girls (and guys), if you can, marry a man who makes a good grilled cheese sandwich.

9. What’s a fragrance/scent that reminds you of high school?
   Oh, gosh, CK One… In senior year everyone and their mother wore that scent.
10. What’s one thing you did last weekend?
    Rented Don Jon and thought, eh, it was OK. I think it tried to be more profound than it actually was.

    It wasn’t the explicit content that bugged me. I just thought a lot of the dialogue fell flat. I liked Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s acting and directing, but the movie didn’t rock my world. In this case, I have to politely disagree with the Rotten Tomatoes rating of 81%.

Now it’s 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 lipstick you never get tired of?
2. A fear you’d like to conquer?
3. How often do you curl your lashes?
4. What’s one thing you’ve been putting off doing?
5. Best celebrity to be trapped on a desert island with?
6. Something beautiful (anything at all)?
7. Would you rather wear a dress or pants?
8. Your favorite comfort food?
9. What’s a fragrance/scent that reminds you of high school?
10. What’s one thing you did last weekend?

First poll of the year, buddy! I think we should commemorate the occasion with extra coffee. 🙂

A lot more coffee.

I had a tough time falling asleep last night, so I’m a little groggy this morning. The caffeine will help, though, I’m sure.

Have a good one today. Your nephew says, “Mrow.”

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

For the record, I’m not exactly a speed demon in the A.M. (totally not a morning person). Couple that with my penchant for, as my mom likes to call it, “dilly-dallying,” and we’re left with something other than a model of efficiency and proper time management.

Like on a typical morning it takes me…

• 15 minutes — wash my face, brush my teeth, do my daily morning skincare routine and “handle some business” in my office, aka the bathroom (whatever, it’s the truth)
• 10 minutes — shower if I’ve exercised that morning (tack on 5 more minutes if I need to wash my hair)
• 5 minutes (or 20) — do my hair if I didn’t wash it the night before and it’s already curled or straightened; 20 minutes if I need to style it from scratch
• 20-25 minutes — makeup
• 15 minutes — figure out the clothing/accessories/shoes situation, and get dressed

All in all, about an hour or so, give or take 15-20 minutes, and that’s assuming I’m moving at a good clip (for me), and not getting distracted by things like the #StarbucksDrakeHands videos…

How about you? How long does it take you to get ready in the morning? 10 minutes? 45? An hour or two?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!

Thank you for all the great blog post ideas yesterday. Apparently, among other things, I need to do a hair tutorial, STAT. Alrighty then (she starts planning…).

What are you up to today? Tabs has me running around, per usual, and I’m also waiting for a furniture delivery because for Christmas El Hub and I got each other a new media stand from Cost Plus World Market.

Finally! No more TV on the floor…

Dude…when you and your partner start getting each other furniture for Christmas and you’re both really excited about it, I think that’s when you know you’ve reached the point of no return in your relationship, LOL!

Have a good one today. 🙂