So…what is the Monday Poll?
Excellent question! It isn’t, contrary to its name, an actual poll, like with little clicky buttons. It’s just a list of more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007).
1. Jasmine or gardenia?
Gardenia. I like how the flowers look and the scent always makes me think of the tropics for some reason.
2. If you could have a podcast about anything, what would it be about?
As crazy as it might sound, I think interviewing cat ladies (and cat gentlemen) about the feline loves of their lives would be fun and interesting.
3. How sensitive is your skin on a scale of 1-10 (with one being not sensitive at all and 10 being off the charts sensitivity)?
I think I’m somewhere in the middle right now. My skin seems to like acids and exfoliators, so I can use most without incident. I can also still try and wear most makeup products (including foundations and powders) without worrying about breaking out.
4. What hair styling products do you use the most and the least?
I use a lot of flexible hold hair spray and spray gel. Both are great for taming frizz and calming crazy baby hairs. For items I use the least, let’s see – dry shampoo, stiff gels and sprays. Also, mousse. I rarely use it, but I know it’s supposed to be great for volume, so I might get on that train someday.
5. Something you love to eat but hate to cook?
Ooh, girl… I love any and all fried vegetable situations. There’s this Filipino snack made with fried squash that I love called okoy, but I detest making it because frying makes such a mess!
Hello my friend and happy Monday. I just finished a video meeting and as I type this I’m wearing a full face of makeup. Maybe just for fun I’ll put something colorful on top of the neutral situation on my lids to see where it goes? Or maybe I’ll just take a nap. LOL! Today I’m starting a purposeful “reset and rest” period, and I promised myself plenty of downtime.
Side note, I have my window open and I just heard a bunch of wild turkeys clucking in my front yard. You know you live in the ‘burbs when a gang of giant turkeys sashay through your walkway like it’s Fashion Week or something.
How have you been? I hope things are joyful on your end of the keyboard.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. Here are the questions to copy/paste with your answers in a comment. Talk to ya soon.
1. Jasmine or gardenia?
2. If you could have a podcast about anything, what would it be about?
3. How sensitive is your skin?
4. What hair styling products do you use the most and the least?
5. Something you love to eat but hate to cook?
1. Jasmine or gardenia?
Oooh this is tough! I’m into most floral scents. I’ll say Jasmine.
2. If you could have a podcast about anything, what would it be about?
Houseplants or raising twins.
3. How sensitive is your skin?
Somewhat sensitive. I have red cheeks (I suspect I have rosacea) so I try to use calming and redness reducing face products.
4. What hair styling products do you use the most and the least?
Most: Mousse, Hairspray, and Dry Shampoo.
Least: Gel, Pomade, anything silicone based or heavy.
5. Something you love to eat but hate to cook?
Does baking count? Cheesecake – I have never made it but I love to eat it!
I thought our family pictures were doomed yesterday – one of the girls vomited up her breakfast and lunch and the other was having bouts of diarrhea! But somehow after their nap they were just fine and we were able to do the pictures after all!
I’m so glad you were able to get the family pictures done. Are the girls OK?
1. Jasmine or gardenia? I’m currently wearing a jasmine scented body mist from Ua skincare in Hawaii that smells heavenly.
2. If you could have a podcast about anything, what would it be about? Pet adoption. The last time I was interviewed for a podcast on a new book, several older listeners said I sounded just like Erma Bombeck. Guess I’ve lived in the upper Midwest TOO long 🙂 (I’m from SW Washington).
3. How sensitive is your skin? About an 7 on the 1-10 scale. I can’t use ingredients from the mint family (peppermint, lavender, etc.). Instant painful rash. The only minty or lavender products for cleansing I do well with is Wild Ice Botanicals B-Meltee (my fav. gel cleanser) which has wintergreen which is NOT in the mint family and Honua Cream Cleanser which has lavender but it’s not a key ingredient.
4. What hair styling products do you use the most and the least? Most -Phomolliant styling foam from Aveda. Least? Hairspray of any kind.
5. Something you love to eat but hate to cook? Thai food. All the slicing and chopping is not fun – I prefer baking.
Hi Brigid!
I prefer baking too.
I remember you mentioning a few times that you eat vegan and I thought I’d pass along this delicious recipe which I made last Saturday!
https://www.astigvegan.com/squash-and-long-beans-in-coconut-milk/
1. Jasmine or gardenia? Gardenia
2. If you could have a podcast about anything, what would it be about? I’m into true crime but there’s tons of these podcasts so I’d probably go with something cat or home remodeling related
3. How sensitive is your skin? Better than it used to be. I can finally use retinol products. I was prescribed very harsh retinols to treat acne which a) didn’t work b) made me super sensitive to them & c) made the skin peel off my face. Also my acne finally cleared up around age 40 which made it much less sensitive
4. What hair styling products do you use the most and the least? Most – heat protection spray, styling cream & texture cream. Least/never – mousse, gels, hairspray, dry shampoos
5. Something you love to eat but hate to cook? Patatas bravas – Spanish potato dish that involves boiling, frying & baking the potatoes. Super yummy but labor intensive
I get turkeys in my yard often along with deer, raccoons, possums, foxes, etc. I live in the woods. One morning a turkey was on my deck bumping his head on my sliding door. I don’t think he was the brightest bulb on the tree
1. Jasmine or gardenia?
Jasmine. Gardenia sets off my allergies.
2. If you could have a podcast about anything, what would it be about?
Books and the reading life, for sure.
3. How sensitive is your skin?
On a scale of 1-10, 100 million. I’m allergic to the chemicals used to make suds and foam in soaps, cleansers, shampoos, etc.
4. What hair styling products do you use the most and the least?
I usually just use a little heat protectant and hairspray. Maybe some lightweight oil on low humidity days. I never use mousse or gel anymore.
5. Something you love to eat but hate to cook?
Risotto. Our electric cooktop is basically either full rolling boil or “is this thing even on?!”. I can’t do the fine heat adjustments to make risotto or other rice dishes.
I am very much here for Turkey Fashion Week. 100% would watch.🦃😄
1. Jasmine or gardenia? I absolutely love both—they’re fragrance and flowers— but since we have a lot of jasmine in our garden, I’ll say gardenia because I don’t get to smell it very often.
2. If you could have a podcast about anything, what would it be about? It would be about co-existing in peace and harmony with the abundance of wildlife that is found in the hills and fields where I live.
3. How sensitive is your skin? I have mild rosacea so my skin is always on the sensitive side, but the flare ups have become less severe and less frequent over the years because I have learned to manage it well thanks to my dermatologist.
4. What hair styling products do you use the most and the least? I’m a hair product minimalist. I use shampoo and conditioner every other day. Much less frequently I use hairspray. As for everything else? Nada!
5. Something you love to eat but hate to cook? I can’t get enough of makloubeh. It is a meat, veggie, and rice dish of Palestinian origin that is eaten—and loved—throughout the Arab world. Because I’m vegetarian, when I’m layering the ingredients I always avoid putting meat in a small portion of it.
1. Jasmine or gardenia? I love both, gardenias remind me of my grandma, but the scent has been overused. Jasmine the plant gets messy but the scent is heavenly.
2. If you could have a podcast about anything, what would it be about? Pugs. Or coffee. Or both!
3. How sensitive is your skin? Probably a four, I don’t break out or anything.
4. What hair styling products do you use the most and the least? Most, the Eva NYC 10 in one spray, and least, gel.
5. Something you love to eat but hate to cook? Lasagna. It’s time consuming. But delicious.
1. Jasmine or gardenia? They both smell lovely but I prefer the look of vining jasmine plants
2. If you could have a podcast about anything, what would it be about? Food
3. How sensitive is your skin? My neck and décolleté are probably an 8 or 9 when it comes to any active ingredients but my face is more like a 6
4. What hair styling products do you use the most and the least? I use leave- in conditioners most and gels or hairspray the least
5. Something you love to eat but hate to cook? Empanadas. They’re not terribly complicated but it’s just a lot of steps. I made some last week and I was like “I should make these more often!”
1. Jasmine or gardenia? I like both, but jasmine (real) is a lot more common in perfumes. I don’t think they make Jungle Gardenia anymore, but it was pretty good. I think I prefer jasmine as it is not quite as heavy.
2. If you could have a podcast about anything, what would it be about? Not sure, since all the good topics have already been taken and I’d probably have nothing new to say.
3. How sensitive is your skin? Moderately, though my oncologist keeps saying I have eczema when I complain about my skin problems.
4. What hair styling products do you use the most and the least? Leave-in conditioners, and I used to use Biosilk a lot (still would if it wasn’t so expensive) the most. Never got into using mousse as my hair was quite thick until about 11 years ago. Now I think I need to start wearing a partial hairpiece in the back due to the thinness that’s getting worse (typical female baldness pattern). Almost every woman you see on TV is wearing one of those, even when they’re young, because they want their hair to look as impressive as possible.
5. Something you love to eat but hate to cook? Now that I’m apparently cooking for one for the rest of my life, just about everything. It’s such a hard conversion. Hard to shop for one, hard to cook for one, hard to care about life when alone, especially when you’re in “early old age” as I am.
By the way, I don’t think you’ll find wild turkeys in a Texas suburb. I’ve lived in this place longer than I want to say, and I’ve only once seen a bird that MIGHT have been a wild turkey flying in South Texas some years ago. The most impressive birds I see around here are Canada geese (mostly in fall/winter) and red-tailed hawks. On rural drives you’ll see vultures from time to time.
1. Jasmine or gardenia? Gardenia for sure. Jasmine just seems too sweet.
2. If you could have a podcast about anything, what would it be about? Probably decluttering/organization.
3. How sensitive is your skin? I have major issues with fragrance-added products and I’ve started developing prolonged redness to anything that includes physical exfoliation. Then there’s the acne I get from most, but not all, sunscreens. I can handle most acids though.
4. What hair styling products do you use the most and the least? I use creams and gels the most. Mousse is only for the winter (low humidity) or when I am OK with a fair amount of frizz/puffiness. I don’t use dry shampoo, hairspray, or heat protectant since I don’t use heat tools often, maybe a dryer 5-6 times a year.
5. Something you love to eat but hate to cook? I love a good hummus and falafel sandwich with homemade pita (and can make it all) but it requires a fair amount of planning.