Just For Fun

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 four years. I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.

1. Have you ever awkwardly slipped or tripped in front of a large group of people (hopefully without getting hurt)?
   OMG, YES! I was watching Wicked with my friend Cindy at a fancy theater some years back. Our seats were up in the nosebleed section, at the top of these really steep steps, and right at the start of intermission, Cindy and I decide to go grab a snack in the lobby, so we start heading down the stairs, and somehow — WHOOPS! — I miss a step and tumble all the way down…

   Of course, I was wearing a dress with a flowy skirt at the time, and um…apparently I gave the patrons a different kind of show, if you know what I mean.

2. Do you do blue eye liner?
   Absolutely. I have brown eyes with a faint ring of dark blue around the outer edges, and I like the way blue liner makes the ring look more intense.
3. Can you recommend a comfy pair of flats?
   I can now! The striped pair of Dr. Scholl’s flats I saw at DSW last Friday.

   Only reason I didn’t get them was because I couldn’t get over the huge silver buckle… Reminded me of the Green Bay Packers logo (and I’m a 49ers fan).

4. Your current favorite makeup or beauty indulgence?
   I seem to have developed a serious affinity for pricey eye creams and potions, which is probably linked to the fact that I’ll be turning 38 (!) in two months.

   Anywho, lately I’ve been loving lightweight (but not light on pocketbooks; it’s $98!) Guerlain Super Aqua-Eye Serum, which moisturizes the heck out of my eye area. Plus, it absorbs quickly, doesn’t irritate my eyes and smells like roses.

5. Did you deal with any sibling rivalry when you were growing up?
   Oh, yeah. Big time. I was wildly jealous of my younger brother because I felt like my parents favored him. He got away with everything!

   It led to many fights, but we eventually got over it…in our 30s, haha!

6. I’m excited about _____.
   The Host!

   It’s the new Stephenie Meyer movie coming out this Friday, and I’m thinking about going to the midnight showing.

7. Name a great book you loved so much that you’ve read it at least twice.
   The Age of Miracles, by Karen Thompson Walker. The writing will take your breath away (at least it did mine).
8. Do you keep the fortunes from fortune cookies?
   If they move me in some way, then yes, I keep them in my wallet for months. Sometimes years.
9. How often do you do DIY (do it yourself) projects?
   Um, never? But I love the idea. I want to be one of those ladies in the Lowe’s commercials happily painting a room or refinishing a dresser. It seems very satisfying… I just don’t ever seem to have enough time.
10. Some of the best advice I ever received was to…
    …be yourself. Unless you can be a unicorn. Then, always be a unicorn. 🙂

To complete the Monday Poll, just copy the following list, and paste it with your answers in the comments.

Le List

1. Have you ever awkwardly slipped or tripped in front of a large group of people?
2. Do you do blue eye liner?
3. Can you recommend a comfy pair of flats?
4. Your current favorite makeup or beauty indulgence?
5. Did you deal with any sibling rivalry when you were growing up?
6. I’m excited about _____.
7. Name a great book you loved so much that you’ve read it at least twice.
8. Do you keep the fortunes from fortune cookies?
9. How often do you do DIY (do it yourself) projects?
10. Some of the best advice I ever received was to…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Beauty rituals that relax me…

• Painting my nails
• Doing a face or hair mask
• Massaging in a hand cream/cuticle oil
• Exfoliating (hurts so goooOOOoood!)
• Spritzing on a nice perfume

Beauty rituals that stress me out…

• Filling in my brows (it’s been really hard getting them symmetrical lately)
• Removing wayward chin hairs (those little stubs!)
• Washing my brushes, mostly because I like doing it daily
• And applying bronzer, because if I’m not paying attention/half-@ss it, I end up looking muddy

How about you? What are your most relaxing beauty rituals and the ones that stress you out?

You 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 four years. I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.

1. Matte or glossy lips?
   Matte for work and serious things, glossy for fun and games.
2. Have you ever found your foundation holy grail? — a perfectly matching brand and shade?
   It was in the jungles of Peru…

   Kidding. No, but there was DuWop’s Foundation of Youth in Beige. When Sephora stopped carrying it a few years back, it got pretty difficult to find. Loved the color and formula, but I could have done without the brush.

3. Whom do you take after more, your mother or father?
   Probably my dad. We both have the same weird sense of humor.
4. Have you ever seen a ghost?
   Can’t say I’ve ever seen one, but I have felt something. A presence. I was visiting my parents’ house some years back and napping in their bedroom when I awoke with a start. I was sure that something was there in the room with me, hovering in the air.

   No chairs moved or anything like that. In fact, everything was eerily still and quiet, but I was sure beyond any doubt that I wasn’t alone at that moment.

5. When was the last time you climbed a tree?
   Surprisingly, not that long ago! I climbed one of the old oak trees in my front yard for the MAC Wonder Woman post in 2010.

   I was in full Wonder Woman regalia, too — boots, top, headband, the works. I climbed the tree to fetch Tabs, who was helping me with the pictures for the post. His job was to pretend to be stuck in the tree, and then I’d rescue him with Wonder Woman’s magic lasso, but after the shoot, he didn’t want to come down.

   He was just chillin’ in some low branches.

   Yup, I got some funny looks from the neighbors that day…

6. What did your prom dress look like?
   It was long and kind of column shaped, with a halter top and a leg slit. The top half around the bust was white, and the bottom was black.

   I was going for an En Vogue look, haha! Man, I was such a cheeseball…

7. What’s one phrase you find yourself repeating often?
   “All one word, no hyphen.”

   I say it all the time when I’m explaining my last name to strangers. Monterichard. It’s long, French and pretty uncommon here in the States. I get a lot of, “Richard? The last name is Richard?”

8. What’s the longest you’ve ever had your hair?
   It was down to my elbows in high school, but there were a lot of girls in my class with hair that went all the way down to their bums. But I never wanted to do that. My hair was too heavy and really hard to control.
9. Have you ever jumped in a fountain?
   I want to every time I see one, but yes only once. 🙂 When I was kid on a family vacation with my younger brother and cousins. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing where we all jumped in fully clothed.

   Now, though, for some reason, I can’t remember if/how we dried off before getting back in the cars.

10. How would you describe your weekend in a playlist of three songs?
    This Must Be the Place by the Talking Heads, Don’t Forget About Us by Mariah Carey, and Right Here by SWV.

To complete the Monday Poll, just copy the following list, and paste it with your answers in the comments.

Le List

1. Matte or glossy lips?
2. Have you ever found your foundation holy grail/matching shade?
3. Whom do you take after more, your mother or father?
4. Have you ever seen a ghost?
5. When was the last time you climbed a tree?
6. What did your prom dress look like?
7. What’s one phrase you find yourself repeating often?
8. What’s the longest you’ve ever had your hair?
9. Have you ever jumped in a fountain?
10. How would you describe your weekend in a playlist of three songs?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Let’s both have a kick-@ss week!