ADVERTISEMENT
Just a gentle pointer in case you needed one.
I saw this piece of canvas wall art for $14.99 at TJ Maxx last weekend and couldn’t resist. I’m going to hang it in my kitchen so El Hub and Tabs (and any other poor soul who’s subject to my questionable cooking) can see it when they pass through.
ADVERTISEMENT
I feel like the kitchen is the center, the heart of our house, so it belongs there.
Oh, my gosh. Gimme those foamy bubbles every time! They make bath time so much better.
Buuut, I won’t say no to bath salts if there are no bubbly options available. I mostly just like sitting in the tub…although I haven’t taken a real bath since I got pregnant with baby Girl. I’m just a little nervous about slipping or not being able to get out, because my balance has been off.
ADVERTISEMENT
I mean, a shower gets the job done, but a bath gets it done so much better. I miss ’em!
The other ish is the whole cleaning the bath/shower thing. My tub is about 30 years old. It has seen better days, if you know what I mean, and the only time I like to take a bath in it is during the few days after I thoroughly clean it.
How about you? Baths with or without foamy bubbles? Inquiring minds want to know.
ADVERTISEMENT
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. TGIF!
You might be wondering, “So what in tarnation is this Monday Poll thing anyway!?”
Well, it isn’t exactly a poll. It’s a lot more of a regularly evolving (devolving?), somewhat random list of questions I’ve been putting out to readers every Monday morning for the past seven years. (It’s like a kickstart for your brain.) I’ve always took pleasure in reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you take pleasure in reading mine.
What’s one thing every woman must do at least once?
Travel by herself (safely and smartly, of course). even if it’s just an overnight jaunt.
I love traveling with other people, too, but there’s something liberating about doing exactly what you want to do, when you want to do it, without having to coordinate your plans with someone else.
Wanna eat carrot cake cupcakes for breakfast and then spend the entire afternoon at a museum dedicated to tabby cat-inspired art? Boom, done.
Bedazzled statement eyebrows: yes or no?
I guess if I were one of Gwen Stefani’s backup dancers, then maybe…but for 99.9% of the scenarios I usually encounter in real life, I’m gonna have to opt for no.
What’s one of the tasks that always seems to be on your to-do list?
“Clean office.”
I feel like I’ve been committing to clean my office for about four years…
I am Sisyphus, and my office is my boulder.
Holiday gifts: what’s your strategy?
To minimize the probability of getting another plastic banana holder for Christmas, straight-up ask for a gift list.
If I don’t get a list, I’ll try to find something fun that reflects the person’s interests (their favorite band, hobby, that kind of thing).
Something in your closet that you love so much that you’d be delighted to have in every available color?
My Zella Live-In Leggings. I have them in black, purple, gray and dark gray, but there’s also a light blue. Karl Lagerfeld himself would need the Jaws of Life to wrest these things from my clutches, mwahaha!
ADVERTISEMENT
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 thing every woman must do at least once?
2. Bedazzled statement eyebrows: yes or no?
3. What’s one of the tasks that always seems to be on your to-do list?
4. holiday gifts: what’s your strategy?
5. Something in your closet that you love so much that you’d be delighted to have in every available color?
ADVERTISEMENT
Cats & makeup Sweatshirt ??
$42
Shop Now
One of my favorite things to do this time of year is open my curtains first thing in the morning to see the Christmas lights on all of the houses in the dawn’s early light.
Aaaaand, it’s raining here again. and it’s gloomy and misty, but that’s OK, because my heart is filled with sunshine and kittens!
Anywho, the Christmas lights. I don’t know why, but seeing them first thing in the morning always brings a smile to my face.
In other news…I did a little a lot more Christmas decorating last weekend.
Nothing too fancy. just one string of white lights around the inside of my office window, where it’s visible from the street; some ornaments on the orange tree in the front yard, so now it’s a Merry Citrus (haha); and I hung a want wreath from Trader Joe’s on the front door, complete with plaid ribbon for flava.
Today, my plan is to do some swatchin’ first thing, then assist the tabby for a few hours, and then take El Hub to the doctor’s office for something called an endoscopy this afternoon, because he’s been having some tummy troubles lately… I’m always a little nervous about medical things (who isn’t?), but I’m just trying to focus on delighted thoughts.
ADVERTISEMENT
I hope your Monday got off to a good start. Your nephew says “mrow!” by the way.
Your friendly neighborhood appeal addict,
Karen
You may be wondering, “So what in tarnation is this Monday Poll thing anyway!?”
Well, it isn’t precisely a poll. It’s more of a constantly evolving (devolving?), somewhat random listing of concerns I’ve been putting out to visitors every Monday morning for the past nine (!) years. (It’s like a kickstart for your brain.) I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, as well as I hope you enjoy reading mine.
Recent junk food craving?
Yesterday it was a significant plate of fries as well as a veggie burger with cheese as well as avocado…and a tall vanilla milkshake to laundry it down.
I didn’t get it, though, because, well, I had leftovers at house that I wished to finish, however soon…
Right now I might go for a pancake breakfast from McDonald’s. I haven’t had one of those in ages.
How do you believe you’d do if you had to have long, pointy nails for a week?
I’ll never understand exactly how Ri-Ri pulls it off, since woman — I’d be a mess!
When my nails get even a millimeter beyond the tips of my fingers, I feel totally non-functional, so I can’t imagine… exactly how would I modification Connor’s diapers, or type, or pet Tabs, or laundry dishes, or apply eyeliner, or chop fruit?
I’d most likely end up in the hospital.
Has anything funny occurred to you lately?
Well, I was taking out the garbage last week one night as well as accidentally dropped my secrets into the bin.
Please note: never, ever accidentally decrease your secrets into a big garbage bin, particularly down at the curb at night, since getting them out is a comedy of errors.
Of course, my secrets dropped all the method down to the bottom of the bin and, of course, our bin is unusually huge, so I couldn’t just reach down into the bin as well as get them out, so I had to take all of THE GARBAGE BAGS out of the bin, one at a time, as well as stack them up around me, as well as then utilize a shovel to reach down into the bin as well as fish out my keys.
Also, I couldn’t see what I was doing since it was dark outside…
It was like a sitcom sketch.
How much flavor and/or warm do you like in your food?
Just sufficient to flavor, I guess, without overtaking the dish.
Like, if I’m eating a plate of broccoli, I want it to really taste like broccoli, ya know?
For heat, I’m a overall wimp. I don’t mind a bit since it keeps things interesting, however when a meal is hot for the benefit of setting your mouth on fire, I can’t handle it.
What was your last major makeup fail?
LOL! I used a red liquid lipstick to run tasks a couple weeks back as well as somehow ended up with lipstick smeared outside my lip line.
No kidding — I appeared like the Joker, as well as I looked that method for hours since El Hub, who was with me the entire time, failed to state anything!
I honestly don’t understand if he was secretly chuckling at me on the inside (because that’s something I’d totally do), or if he believed I did it intentionally, or if he was just paying absolutely no interest whatsoever.
The Joker.
That’s exactly how I looked.
ADVERTISEMENT
Your turn. just copy as well as paste the complying with concerns into a comment with your answers. I look ahead to reading ’em!
1. recent junk food craving?
2. exactly how do you believe you’d do if you had to have long, pointy nails for a week?
3. has anything funny occurred to you lately?
4. exactly how much flavor and/or warm do you like in your food?
5. What was your last major makeup fail?
ADVERTISEMENT
Cats & makeup Sweatshirt ??
$42
Shop Now
Here, sweets, let me get you some coffee. I believe I’m gonna requirement the genuine stuff today.
Cream? Sugar? jar of Nutella as well as a spoon? right here ya go…
How many times have we spent our Mondays together? If you’ve been visiting MBB since the start, that might be 494 Mondays!
Wow, that’s a great deal of Mondays…
Today my primary goal is to savor the bit things, such as this hot cup of coffee, the tapping noise of my fingers on the keyboard (it’s comforting), a feline on my lap as well as Connor’s smile.
ADVERTISEMENT
Hi, friend. What’s on your to-do listing today?
Your friendly community beauty addict,
Karen
You might be wondering, “So what in tarnation is this Monday Poll thing anyway!?”
Well, it isn’t exactly a poll. It’s a lot more of a regularly evolving (devolving?), somewhat random list of questions I’ve been putting out to readers every Monday morning for the past seven years. (It’s like a kickstart for your brain.) I’ve always took pleasure in reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you take pleasure in reading mine.
White nail polish or black nail polish?
OK, how about white polish for my fingers, and black nail polish for my toes? and while we’re at it, can I just say how awesome it is to have white nail polish as a real option? — because waaaaay back in the day I’d resort to painting my nails with White Out.
Yeah, ew.
Probably wasn’t the healthiest thing to use, and to be honest, it wasn’t very attractive either, but we were kids being kids!
Last appeal get you made based on a friend’s recommendation?
There’ve been a couple. yesterday at Ulta with my favorite appeal enabler, Marisol, I grabbed a bottle of Garnier’s clean + Nourishing Cleansing Oil, which she highly recommended. My cheeks have been crazy dry lately, and she has dry skin too and loves the stuff, so I made a decision to give it a whirl. I also picked up Sally Hansen’s nail Nutrition green Tea + Bamboo nail Strengthener on her recommendation, because when I pointed out that my nails have been splitting (boo!), she said it helped hers a lot.
Yellow gold, white gold or rose gold?
Yellow gold…with rose gold being a close second.
How often do you wear suits?
These days, never. I think the last time I wore a suit was around 2005 for a job interview. I wore black suits when I worked in a law firm because they were easy and brainless (just add shirt!). I also think that suits helped me look a little older and a lot more mature (and not an intern), which, believe it or not, was a problem I used to have (but these days, that’s soooo not an issue, LOL!).
I still have and wear those same black suit jackets on occasion, like with skinny jeans, a white tee and gold jewelry. I like that combo.
Do you spend a lot more time on your makeup or on your hair?
My makeup, definitely. With my hair, I try to do the bare minimum, which indicates styling it on the first day after a wash (usually with a curling iron, which takes me about half an hour), and then just brushing it through and using dry shampoo on the roots, which takes less than five minutes, on the days until the next time I wash it.
If I’ll be taking pics or doing a video, my makeup normally takes longer than usual, too, but I can normally do it in 30 minutes if I’m really pressed for time and rushing. It can take an hour or longer for a lot more complicated looks. If I’m just doing makeup to run an errand or meet a friend for coffee, though, that’s normally takes about 15-20 minutes.
ADVERTISEMENT
Your turn. just copy and paste the following questions into a comment with your answers. I look forward to reading ’em!
1. White nail polish or black nail polish?
2. Last appeal get you made based on a friend’s recommendation?
3. Yellow gold, white gold or rose gold?
4. how often do you wear suits?
5. Do you spend a lot more time on your makeup or on your hair?
ADVERTISEMENT
Cats & makeup Sweatshirt ??
$42
Shop Now
Hey, sweet girl! delighted Labor Day to ya. I hope you’re enjoying the long weekend.
I got to sleep in a few minutes this morning, but Tabs has me on the clock today… You know how it is with international kitty supermodels — you’re always on call, LOL!
No, really. I’m trying to finish the few things on my to-do list early because it’s meant to hit the mid-90s here today, and homegirl needs to be out of her office by 3 p.m. at the latest, lest she melt.
Wish me luck!
ADVERTISEMENT
You have a stunning Monday, ‘k?
Your friendly neighborhood appeal addict,
Karen
I feel like if I fess up to this, the makers of that Hoarders show will come and get me, but what the heck! — I love eyeshadow palettes.
Who doesn’t, right? but I think I might possibly love them a little much more than usual…because I hold on to them FOREVER, and I tell myself that this is ok because powders last such a long time (even though I know that the experts say you’re expected to throw them out after a certain period of time), so even when I hold on to a palette forever for “archival” purposes or nostalgia, it’s completely fine.
ADVERTISEMENT
I just really like the idea of opening a compact and having everything best there (I think I even like them much more than singles). and when they have special limited edition colors, too, like if it’s an eye palette from December 2005, and it has this one color with the purple sparkles that you just can’t find anywhere else — that brings me terrific joy.
Off the top of my head, and I know this is so cliché, but I love the O.G. naked palette — the very first one — and Chanel Kaska beige (OMG! Why’d they discontinue it!?).
Oh! — and I have this one limited edition palette from MAC, and it’s so NOT exciting, but I use it all the time. It’s Rick Baker Monster’s Bride — I think I’ve talked about it before — but it has Club, Brun, Carbon, some other things… just stuff I use all the time.
It’s actually broken, in fact. The top fell off, but I still love it.
ADVERTISEMENT
Cats & makeup Sweatshirt ??
$42
Shop Now
And then there’s the terrific MAC Brooke Shields Gravitas palette, with the gray packaging, and it’s got all those stunning neutrals, none of which are overly cool-toned or warm…
Other than eye shadow palettes, I’d have to say that fragrances are the second many substantial part of my collection, because I love the bottles, and smell is probably my best sense.
ADVERTISEMENT
How about you? What’s the most substantial part of your charm collection (eyeshadow singles, palettes, lipsticks, nail polishes, blushes, etc.)?
Your friendly neighborhood charm addict,
Karen
This walk takes about an hour, and we go about three or four miles.
My favorite time to go is about an hour before the sun sets, because that’s primo critter time, also known as “the best time to spot deer,” although the only critters I saw today were a standoffish tuxedo cat and one very handsome quail.
ADVERTISEMENT
Let’s go!
Novato is a beautiful town right next to wine Country, and there are lots of fruit trees and interesting plants, like apples and pears and pomegranates, and sometimes they even grow right along the sidewalk.
Technically, these delicious-looking noms belong to other people, so I haven’t picked one yet…but I AM SERIOUSLY tempted TO EVERY TIME.
I don’t know how much longer I can resist…
Gotta stay hydrated…
Watch out! That’s poison oak. There’s a lot of it in this area…
You know what they say: “Leaves of three, let it be!”
And that’s the very edge of the San Francisco Bay way off there in the distance…
ADVERTISEMENT
I hope you had fun. thanks for coming with me on my walk.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
The new hourglass Vanish Seamless surface foundation Sticks ($46 each) as well as Vanish Seamless surface foundation clean ($46)
It’s type of outstanding exactly how far foundation has are available in such a fairly short amount of time. There are so many products on counters now that are getting close to realistic-looking skin. I’m speaking completes as well as structures as well as colors as well as coverages that are virtually imperceptible, as well as all I have to state to that is “yay!” This is a pattern deserving of an all-caps WOOT-WOOT.
Houglass Vanish Seamless surface foundation Sticks in warm beige as well as beige ($46 each)
These new $46 hourglass Vanish Seamless foundation Sticks are the latest realistic-looking foundations to jump into the ring, providing the protection of a concealer, the maneuverability of a liquid as well as the weightlessness of a powder.
ADVERTISEMENT
And that’s all great, however I likewise like exactly how quick they can be utilized (roughly a minute or two). It’s like boom, boom, boom! — a bit swipe here, a bit swipe there, cheeks, nose, forehead, chin. then blend that in with a clean for lovely, even-toned skin without any type of of that heaviness, or that caked-on nonsense where it feels like you’re using a mask.
From the left: bare skin, then a layer of beige by itself, as well as then beige used with extra makeup
They’ll be offered in Sephora stores for $46 each (26 shades) starting July 21. That is expensive…but they are concentrated, so ideally they’ll last a while.
To utilize ’em, I’ll take one of the sticks (see exactly how they’re shaped like a triangle?), put two dots on my cheeks (because that’s where I like a bit more coverage), a dot on my nose, two dots on my forehead as well as a dot on my chinny-chin-chin. then I’ll blend that in with the new $46 Vanish Seamless surface foundation Brush.
ADVERTISEMENT
Cats & makeup Sweatshirt ??
$42
Shop Now
The resulting surface looks delish.
Wearing hourglass Vanish Seamless in beige set with NARS Translucent Crystal deal with Powder
Using the word “vanish” in the name was a great phone call because, seriously, I can’t see or feel this on my skin. It does seem to disappear, yet at the exact same time still hides the redness on my cheeks as well as blurs my pores. as well as it does it while still letting my freckles come through.
Ugh, the finish… It’s just gorgeous! I can’t take it. It’s like a soft velvet that ever-so-slightly shows light, so it may not be your cup of tea if you’re a hardcore matte person. It would most likely be a much better in shape for you if you like your skin with a touch o’ radiance.
I wear the shade called beige as well as keep it at sheer protection on my forehead, nose as well as chin, as well as then I develop it as much as medium protection on my cheeks. as well as I can likewise develop it as much as full protection by laying a bit more as well as blending with a brush.
I like that it can go as much as full coverage, however I believe this foundation’s strengths are the lightweight formula as well as its capability to even out the skin while enabling things like freckles to peek through. It’s fantastic stuff!
ADVERTISEMENT
It’s my present go-to, which I alternating with NARS velvet Matte Skin Tint when I want a more matte finish.
Your friendly community beauty addict,
Karen
It’s December, there’s a chill in the air, it rained half the day, and there’s a carpet of colorful autumn leaves on the ground.
Yup, it’s sweater weather, which indicates that it’s also a good time to burn my new favorite candle, the appropriately named sweater Weather, by bath & Body works ($22.50). It’s currently bringing sweater-themed holiday cheer and a relaxing eucalyptus, juniper berry and sage scent to my living room ideal meow.
ADVERTISEMENT
There’s something about candles and the holidays, right? this time of year, it really feels right.
Conveniently — or, not so conveniently, depending on your perspective on scented candles — a new bath & Body works store opened at the mall by my house, and GURL, you know that saying about how you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone? Well, it absolutely applies to bath & Body Works, LOL! There used to be one in my town, but they closed a little over a year ago, and I didn’t realize how much I missed it until this new store opened at the mall.
Anyways, the candles. The store has all of their fall and wintertime stuff out now, and there are a ton of scents to choose from, but it’s not just the fragrances. The candles themselves are also great quality.
ADVERTISEMENT
Cats & makeup Sweatshirt ??
$42
Shop Now
They last a long while (35-45 hours) and burn evenly and consistently. The fragrances also fill the house, no matter where they are. Like, I can be burning sweater weather in my office upstairs, and the scent will carry down the hall, down the stairs, and into the living room.
My favorites are the candles with three wicks in the jar, because they also come with a surprisingly beneficial lid, so don’t throw it away! First, it helps to keep dust and cat hair out of the candle, but it also works as an extinguisher. All you do is set the lid back on top of the candle while it’s burning, and the flames go out, which is a better method than the technique El Hub took once when he blew out one of the candles and molten wax shot out all over the place.
If you live with a boy, please point this out to them; otherwise, they may just end up using brute lung force, which could result in wax splattering all over your living room coffee table (I’m talking to you, El Hub).
Sweater weather is my favorite of the new ones I’ve tried, but I also just finished the welcome autumn Spiced Wreath candle ($22.50), which spent a lot of of last month scenting my living room with fresh balsam sprigs, cinnamon bark and ground clove.
It kind of smelled like Christmas trees. A good one for the entryway to the house.
Also, earlier this week I started burning the Frosted Cranberry ($22.50), with its white cranberry, juicy peach and ripe raspberry notes, in my kitchen.
Love it! It’s a lot more tart than sweet, which I like, considering that I’m not really into sweet smelling scented candles.
ADVERTISEMENT
How do you feel about scented candles? Are you a fan of the ones at bath & Body Works? I can’t be the only one of us who’s addicted!
Your friendly neighborhood appeal addict,
Karen
The Delectables, by Laura Geller ($45)
Combine one part amazing shades with one part warm, add a dash of shimmer and a pinch of matte, and then bake until done.
No, this isn’t another banana bread recipe! Although I admit those are quite high on my priority list these days…
ADVERTISEMENT
I’m describing these two The Delectable Palettes by Laura Geller.
Delectable… That is a very tasty word, haha.
Delicious shades of nude ($45)
Delicious shades of amazing ($45)
All of the baked shadows within these two palettes, both of which launched this past summer, begin their journey as liquified pigments, which are then poured by hand into molds and baked, rather than pressed…
ADVERTISEMENT
Cats & makeup Sweatshirt ??
$42
Shop Now
Mmm… Why does that remind me of artisan bread?
(Yes, I’m always hungry these days.)
Making them this way is supposedly make them do better when used wet, for a lot more intensity, or dry, for a sheerer, less opaque finish.
Delicious shades of nude swatched dry
Delicious shades of nude swatched wet
Delicious shades of amazing swatched dry
Delicious shades of amazing swatched wet
With 14 shades per palette, these are bursting with color combination options and nearly endless potential, but because they’re baked shadows and not pressed, they’re normally sheerer than the powder shadows you’d find over at urban Decay.
For a sheer, Bobbi Brown-esque natural eye makeup look, apply them dry, but if you feel like really going for it, say with shimmery purples on your lids and flirty false lashes, apply them wet for a lot more intensity.
I do find these to be pretty easy to blend, and I see nearly no fallout.
I think these do well for the price, particularly for daytime wear. Both palettes are available now for $45 each at Laura Geller counters and online.
ADVERTISEMENT
Your friendly neighborhood appeal addict,
Karen
P.S.