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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.

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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?

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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…

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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…

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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…

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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.

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Your friendly neighborhood appeal addict,

Karen

P.S.

Marshmallow Fireside from bath & Body works aka my present candle jam
Candle Day at bath & Body Works, the once-a-year event where their $22 3-wick candles go on sale for $8.50, is like Christmas…except there’s no Santa Claus, no reindeer games, no tree, no presents, no going to Midnight mass as well as freezing your butt off since you got there late, as well as so you’re stuck sitting in the benches closest to the doors…

So, basically, the only thing it shares in typical with Christmas is that it comes however when a year.

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Hmm… perhaps that wasn’t the world’s finest simile, however whatevs. ?

Candle Day was last Saturday, as well as I came, I saw, I got my 3-wick candle repair on.

Did you go?! I heard from some gals on Instagram that it was managed chaos at some stores, with hour-long lines.

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I’m always in the mood for sweatshirt Weather
I waited up until late afternoon to go since I believed the crowds would be less crazy, as well as even though the shelves had been quite well chosen over by then, I got in as well as out in less than 15 minutes with a few classy goodies.

But, any type of time you go to one of these sales, if you go late in the day after the very first few waves of shoppers, it truly does assist to set your expectations type of low. You may discover a scent you like, however it may not be offered anymore in the style you want, so you have to be awesome with that.

I suggest employing a technique similar to exactly how one may scavenge supplies during the zombie apocalypse. Basically, there’s still great stuff out there, however it’ll be hidden.

Spiced Apple Toddy — the ideal kitchen area candle. Not as well sweet, not as well spicy.

Like the Marshmallow Fireside as well as sweatshirt weather condition candles I got — they were the last of the scents in these specific designs, as well as I discovered them on a table toward the back of the store behind a whole lot of other rand-o scents.

Also, don’t leave without grabbing a cover for your candles, since you can utilize them to extinguish the wicks. instead of blowing out the candle, just plop the cap on top.

Unofficial fragrance notes of my B&BW candle haul

Marshmallow Fireside — wet yearn needles after the very first snow, a crackling log on the fireplace on a cold night, freshly baked gingerbread cookies

Sweater weather condition — a comfortable knit blanket that your mother produced you, yearn tree trunks, a hot cup of cider

Spiced Apple Toddy — cinnamon sticks, a slice of homemade apple pie, just-peeled orange rinds, cloves

Am I the only person who gets new candles as well as wishes to light all of them at once? I started Marshmallow Fireside on Saturday night, as well as it took a great deal of self-restraint to withstand illumination all three at the exact same time.

Uptown funk gonna provide it to you

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Check it. This is you as well as me at the club in a few decades, babe, dancing like no one’s watching.

Your friendly community charm addict,

Karen

The makeup and charm blog Monday Poll for Monday, Dec. 22, 2014
You might be wondering, “So what in tarnation is this Monday Poll thing anyway!?”

Well, it isn’t exactly a poll. It’s much more of a continuously 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 delighted in reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you delight in reading mine.

My signature makeup look?
A smokey something-or-other with a cat eye of some sort — some version of a smokey cat eye combination, typically with nude lips because they’re easy. Or, plain lids, big lashes and bright lips.

One of my etiquette pet peeves…
I cannot stand it when the person who uses the restroom before me doesn’t change the toilet paper, when there’s clearly not enough toilet paper for the next person. They’ll leave one square or an empty roll. Really? You have to — the toilet paper’s gotta get changed! You’re already sitting on the pot, so you might as well change it. It takes like 2 seconds!

My secret charm weapons are…
Getting as much sleep as possible (if I could, I’d sleep nine hours per night) and drinking obscene amounts of water.

One or two things that are always in my fridge:
Some kind of stinky cheese (the stinkier the better) and half-eaten cans of cat food.

I will never care about…
Lamb chops.

I just really don’t like the sound of those two words together.

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Your turn. just copy and paste the following questions into a comment with your answers. I look forward to reading ’em!

1. My signature makeup look?
2. one of my etiquette pet peeves…
3. My secret charm weapons are…
4. One or two things that are always in my fridge:
5. I will never care about…

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I sure hope it doesn’t rain on Christmas, but it looks like it might.

That reminds me — when I was young, I was terrified of it raining on Christmas because my grandma once told me that when it rains on Christmas…Jesus is crying, and when you’re in the third grade, and you hear that, and it’s pouring outside, you’re like, “What did I do to make Jesus cry!?”

Yup.

My friend Cindy’s birthday party yesterday was a lot of fun. I feel like we were just celebrating her thirtieth, but this was her fortieth, and it was carb city! We had spaghetti and meatballs and yummy grilled potatoes, some grilled cheeses. It was awesome.

The Hillside supper Club in San Francisco
And we all gave her gifts that fit our personalities, like her friend Bernadette, who loves to cook, gave her a fancy imported French pâté, and then I, of course, gave her something beauty-related, a Bvlgari perfume. Her other friend, Grace, who’s kind of a jokester, got her a hot men & baby animals calendar, also known as “the gift that keeps on giving.”

This week, per my feline employer’s demands, we have to leave the premises so that he can hang out with his favorite petsitter, so we’re heading to my parents’ house in the east Bay, and then up to see my in-laws in Redding.

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Are you ready for Christmas? Are all the presents wrapped?

Your friendly neighborhood charm addict,

Karen

I swear, sometimes lip liner makes me feel like the most uncoordinated person to have ever lived. On the one hand, it should be easy, right? I mean, if a kindergartner can trace a picture of a unicorn in a coloring book, a grown woman should be able to outline her lips, but nooo! try it sometime with a dark plummy black or red. Not easy. drawing a symmetrical, even outline can be a lot harder than it looks, especially with really bright or dark shades.

Breaking the whole process down into baby steps helps, like using short strokes with the pencil and drawing the lines on my upper lip in an upward direction.

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This video is a little different than my usual review videos. It’s more on the instructional side. I hope you find it helpful, and I hope it inspires you to rock a good lip liner soon. Now’s a great time for deep plums, reds and browns.

Products mentioned

Nuxe Reve de Miel Lip Balm ($19)

Hourglass Panoramic Lip Pencil in Raven ($28)

MAC Matte Lipstick in lady danger ($17)

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As always, thank you for watching.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen