Just For Fun

1. Mood:

Is sleepy a mood? 🙂 I’m sure I’ll feel perkier after I have some tea.

2. What are your favorite hair products at the moment?

Yes to Cucumbers Color Care Conditioner and Kerastase Chroma Sensitive Cleansing Balm. I’m on my second bottles of both of them. I’m also really digging Suave Touchable Finish Hairspray, which I still can’t believe only costs $3.

3. How do you feel about Chanel No. 5?

I feel like the original is a little too heavy for me, but I do love the lighter Eau Premiere version. I have a bottle and take it out at least a few times each year.

4. Do you ever wear sunglasses?

Oh, sure. Gotta protect mah peepers from sun damage, ya know? But I don’t usually spend a lot of money on them because they tend to disappear (I lose ’em) or break.

5. Your preferred method of bikini line hair removal?

It used to be waxing, but now, not so much. I don’t have patience for the pain anymore. Now I just shave. It’s quick, easy and painless.

6. Three beauty products every woman should have?

1) A good broad-spectrum sunscreen (don’t forget your neck, hands and feet, yo!), 2) eyeshadow primer and 3) the Shu Uemura lash curler.

7. Three other things every woman should have?

1) a belief in herself, 2) courage and 3) compassion.

8. Do you consider yourself lucky?

So far, yes. I believe in the phrase, “The harder you work, the luckier you get,” but I also think random chance plays a big part in everything.

9. Something you’re looking forward to today?

Um, taking a nap? 🙂 I also hope I can sneak away to a coffee shop for a couple of hours to do some reading. I need a little downtime to refill the well, so to speak.

10. Weekly goals:

Get to bed by 10 every night this week (we’ll see), clean the bathrooms, run at least four times, and try not to eat too much crap, LOL!

El Hub talked me into seeing a new Woody Allen flick with him called Midnight in Paris. Now, I usually need to be in the mood for a Woody Allen movie (I get a little tired of his schtick sometimes, but what do I know? I’ve also seen every episode of Jersey Shore), and I wasn’t yesterday, but I actually ended up thinking it was great.

I won’t write any spoilers, but I will say it contains some gorgeous shots of Paris and good performances by Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams — oh, there’s even a time machine, LOL! Yeah, the movie’s a little wacky, but it works.

Are you doing anything for Memorial Day? Our little circle is holding a barbeque this afternoon, and I might stop by later if I’m not completely and totally knocked out. I’ve been taking the generic brand of Zyrtec from Target for my allergies, and I swear it makes me sleepier than the regular one does.

Do you have a minute before you jet to say bonjour in the Monday Poll?

1. Mood:
2. What are your favorite hair products at the moment?
3. How do you feel about Chanel No. 5?
4. Do you ever wear sunglasses?
5. Your preferred method of bikini line hair removal?
6. Three beauty products every woman should have?
7. Three other things every woman should have?
8. Do you consider yourself lucky?
9. Something you’re looking forward to today?
10. Weekly goals:

You enjoy the rest of your Monday, okay?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

It might sound silly to say that I learned valuable life lessons from a discount sale on designer purses, but it’s true. And these days, a girl’s gotta get her pearls of wisdom wherever she can. Let’s face it, we ain’t gettin’ it from TV — well, except for that tidbit on Top Chef about not letting others handle your meat.

Anywho. Last week, after hunting and gathering like a sweaty beauty beast over the deeply discounted purses and accessories in Kate Spade’s online sample sale, I learned the following lessons I would now like to share.

1. To hesitate is to meditate in a horizontal position

This popular phrase from martial arts can also apply to shopping. It means that if you don’t act when you know that you should, like when every fiber of your being says, “Do it! Add that gold seahorse bracelet to your cart!”, you’re liable to end up out cold on the floor, or out of luck, as the case may be.

In my case, I missed out on a possible birthday bracelet gift to myself. Along with the purses I liked, it was one of the things I wanted to get for my birthday next month, but by the time I got around to clicking it, it was already gone.

Kinda like that time in kindergarten when I desperately wanted to be in the school play, but I was too shy and scared to volunteer. Or that time in college when I wanted to study abroad but was too afraid to confront my parents, and by the time I finally did, the deadline had passed.

2. Crime doesn’t pay, but research does

No joke, but in the months leading up to the sale, I think I’d already tried on every one of the sample sale purses at the Kate Spade store by my house. Every time I’d stop by the mall, I’d swing by the KS store. So when the sale hit, GURL, I was ready! I knew exactly which purses would fit my body, and which colors worked best with my wardrobe.

Which brings me to this: if you plan to invest in something pricey — be it a bag, a post-graduate education, a house or a car — conduct as much recon as possible beforehand to help you make the right decision.
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1. Mood:

Super excited! So much so that my heart is beating like a hummingbird’s. Next week I’ll finally be able to share the so-far secret details about that Toronto trip I took earlier this spring, and I seriously can’t wait!

2. What are you wearing?

My black skinny jeans; a black floral print top with a gray, khaki and beige print; a gray button-down cardigan; black platform sandals; a black Dakine purse that I got from Marshalls for, like, $15 (SCORE!); and gold heart-shaped hoops.

Oh, and I know it’s not technically part of the outfit, but I’m also toting around a lint brush to periodically pull kitty fur from the black pants. They’re like magnets for the stuff!

3. What’s one song you absolutely cannot stand?

Ugh, Birthday Sex. As soon as I hear the first few bars, one of my eyelids starts to twitch.

4. Are you happy with your height?

I wouldn’t mind being a little taller… Forget that — I wish I was a baller! Okay, so maybe not a baller, but I’d take a few extra inches if they were offered. 🙂 I’m only 5’1”, but in my mind I’m epically tall, like 5’6”, LOL!

5. Of all the places you’ve been, what are some of your favorites?

San Diego for the mellow vibe, comfortable climate and beaches; Paris for…well, just about everything — the museums, the romance, the food (!); New York for many of the same reasons as Paris; and Hawaii for the beaches, the people, the trade winds and the rainbow of colors everywhere.

6. Something that comes easily to you?

Hmm…buying shoes? But seriously, maybe writing, at least most of the time, except for bouts of writer’s block (when they hit, they hit HARD). Oh, and running isn’t too hard for me, not that I run very far or fast, but once I get going I’m like a hamster on a wheel!

7. Big, gaudy cocktail rings — yea or nay?

I used to think they were tacky, but not anymore. They make great conversation starters at gatherings and parties.

8. What are the keys to success?

You tell me. I don’t know if there really are any skeleton keys that work the same way for everyone. I like to think that there are lots of different ways to reach goals, but tenacity, kindness and occasional episodes of good luck rarely hurt.

Also, as I’ve gotten older, and this is just as disappointing as it is true, but it also seems like the whole “It’s not what you know, but who you know” thing comes into play more often than not.

9. Imagine you’re at an awesome summer barbeque. Describe what we’d find on your perfect lunch plate.

Roasted, salted corn on the cob topped with melted butter (NOM!), potato salad, Hawaiian-style macaroni salad, chips and a veggie hot dog with lots of ketchup and relish…and maybe also a scoop of steamed rice and a few grilled shrimp (ya know, if there’s any room left on the plate).

10. Weekly goals:

To stick to my deadlines (something I wasn’t very good about last week); to run at least four miles, three times before Saturday; and to carve out some extra play time with Tabs every day. According to that Jackson Galaxy guy, play is very important for happy kitties.

Hello, hello, and happy Monday, pretty. 🙂 Wow, I feel weirdly great today. Almost manic. I think it might have to do with the stretching I started doing first thing in the morning, but I don’t know. I’m not naturally a flexible person, and I don’t do any upside-down crazy yoga poses or stuff like that, just a few basic leg, arm and back stretches for a few minutes before I get out of bed. It really gets the blood flowing.

1. Mood:
2. What are you wearing?
3. What’s one song you absolutely cannot stand?
4. Are you happy with your height?
5. Of all the places you’ve been, what are some of your favorites?
6. Something that comes easily to you?
7. Big, gaudy cocktail rings — yea or nay?
8. What are the keys to success?
9. Describe what we’d find on your perfect barbeque lunch plate…
10. Weekly goals:

Sending you positive vibes through the intertubes right now… To receive them, just place your hand on the monitor for five seconds. Trust me, it works. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen