Archives 2023

So…what is the Monday Poll?

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 10 (!) 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. ?

1. If you could get a phone call from any individual today, who would it be?

Future me. Like, me in about 10 years, and I would ask her if there’s anything she’d do differently in life, work, with raising Connor…

Geez, why am I getting teary ideal now? Karen, get a grip, LOL!

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OK, if we’re only talking about non sci-fi reality, then I would like to speak to brother, because he always makes me laugh.

2. What’s something you have in your makeup collection that you absolutely love and think everyone needs to have in their life ASAP?

Let’s see… I’m checking out my Mia Moretti makeup bag ideal now, which is a mess, by the way. It was only meant to be for my makeup necessities, but I just keep throwing stuff in there, and now I can’t even zip it shut, LOL!

Anyway, I think that everyone needs NARS Translucent Crystal setting powder. Granted, it’s not very sexy, but it’s beyond terrific for setting under-eye concealer, especially if you don’t want your concealer to look heavy or powdery or cake-y. I have three of them because I’m freaked out by the thought of them going away someday.

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3. What was the last book you read?

Instant mommy by Nia Vardalos. She’s the lady who wrote and starred in My big Fat Greek Wedding, and the book is about her journey through the process of adopting her daughter. I thought it was very interesting.

Before I got pregnant with Connor, El Hub and I had been trying for a long time (years), but we just couldn’t get pregnant, so we were like, “You know what? We’re going to adopt,” and ideal when we started seriously looking into it and weighing our options, lo and behold, I got pregnant.

4. Eyeshadow is…

Unnecessarily complicated sometimes, especially on YouTube. It’s lovely, though, and it’s my makeup weakness.

5. What’s one big life lesson you’ve learned?

That learning new things can be tough at the beginning, and you might suck at them, but you just have to get through that phase and over those horrible feelings of self-doubt. Then, as you start to figure things out, they get easier. The beginning is always the hardest part.

It took me a while to learn that one.

Good morning and delighted Monday!

See that cute hot pink stroller in the top pic? Yeah, it isn’t Connor’s. It’s a pet stroller for cats! Dogs can go in it too, but you know… #crazycatlady. I saw it at HomeGoods last weekend.

I would’ve loved it for Tabs, but something tells me he would *not* be into it at all… but I’m still going to keep holding on to my hot pink kitty stroller dreams.

OK, I’m off to take a quick walk. It’s fantastic how a walk can just absolutely make me feel so much better. Lately I’ve been taking walks around the circle throughout the day; I go out, hold the baby, we do a turn or two and then come back inside. It’s just so great to get some fresh air, change my view, listen to birds and look out for the neighborhood kitty cats. It’s such a small thing, but it’s a great thing, and I think it’s extra great to have those great things on a Monday.

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Maybe try taking one or two today if you can.

Your friendly neighborhood appeal addict,

Karen

The first one of 2018!

1. “The future has an ancient heart.”

The first time I read this quote by painter, writer and activist Dr. Carlo Levi, it was in a book called Dear Sugar, by Cheryl Strayed. (She’s the woman who wrote Wild.)

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Like a lot of quotes, it indicates different things to different people. I like to think it indicates that someday in the future, if I’m lucky, my heart will brim with knowledge and love gleaned from a rich life of experiences and time with pals and family.

2. babies in raincoats

Can I still call her a baby? I know she’s officially a toddler. She turns 2 in March (!). I can’t even believe that.

Please note how she turned her rattle into a charm bracelet.

3. Cocktail-ing skin care products

The new year has me thinking about skin care, like ACID TONERS. I just bought the popular Biologique Recherche P50 1970 toner last week, so I’ve been doing this intense multi-step process in the morning and at night, and ya know what?

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I’m already over it.

Even when I’m multitasking and doing other things, I get antsy and want to get on with my life as I’m waiting for two separate layers of toners dry, followed by three separate serums that take a couple a lot more minutes each…

My routine at the moment is up to 10 steps, and that’s just the morning.

It might be overkill, I know, but I don’t want to give up yet. I have started mixing products to save a little time, though. I blend two of the serums together in my palm, then pat the concoction on my face and neck. same with my moisturizers. I used to apply a layer of face oil, wait, then do a separate face balm, but now I just mix the oil and balm together and plop them on.

In my best skin care scenario, I would only do three or four steps max. Dunno if I’ll ever get there, but I keep trying.

4. label makers

I’ve been labeling everything with mine lately, and I indicate EVERYTHING.

Yeah, it looks absolutely geeky, but who cares? My life is way less chaotic when I have a label telling me exactly where something goes after I use it.

Thank you, Epson label Printer!

I tend to put things in the most random places, BTW… Which is probably why I lost my glasses, haha!

I got these organizers at HomeGoods about a year ago.
5. Celestial Seasonings Honey Vanilla Chamomile Tea

This stuff is so delicious! The honey and vanilla are strong and sweet, but they don’t overpower the chamomile.

I got this to sip at night before bed, but I love it so much that I have a cup during the workday, too.

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What have you been loving lately? Your car’s butt warmers (shout-out to Ruchita)? wearing red lipstick as a stain (KIM!)? Cats who give their assistants Sephora gift cards (Kitty Face)? Inquiring minds want to know.

Your friendly neighborhood appeal addict,

Karen

metropolitan Decay pink lipsticks from the long-term line, $17 each
Among numerous other things I’ve been doing this morning (endless laundry; chillin’ with Connor, Tabs, El Hub as well as Sesame Street; as well as getting prepared to plant half a lots basil as well as tomato plants), I’ve been ooh-ing as well as ah-ing over that gorgeous photo up above of design Ruby increased on the metropolitan Decay website. She’s using a monochromatic pink makeup look with pink lids, pink cheeks as well as pink lips.

I’ve never tried a top-to-bottom pink look before, however now I want to… I’m a bit scared I’ll end up looking cray, however whatevs. now I just have to select the best lip color…

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What about deep, creamy fuchsia UD Firebrid??

Weekend plans

What are you as much as this weekend? I’m gettin’ terminated up since I’m heading to satisfy my cat-and-makeup-loving bud Stephanie (she has six cats!) for Lunch at cafe Zazzle in Petaluma. I’ve never been there before, as well as I was just taking a look at the menu, since when I go out to eat, homegirl likes to be prepared, since I’m the worst at ordering food at the last minute. Invariably, feeling the pressure to make a decision, I’ll pick something I don’t want, as well as then when the server walks away, I’m like, “Shoot… Why did I purchase that?”

So it’s a thing, as well as I don’t want to have food envy this time…

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I’m likewise looking ahead to getting my roots done after that (YAY!), as well as then tomorrow I have a infant shower to go to. My buddy Mary Anne is going to be a mom soon, as well as all I can believe about is holding that newborn in my arms! Aaah!!!

Oh, yeah, in charm news, here’s some stuff that caught my eye this week…

The #makeuphoarder in me wishes to get all up on these Clé de Peau Beauté cream blushes. GORGISSIMO!

Jouer’s skinny Dip collection is all about the mad sparkle.

How to quickly laundry your clothes when traveling

Speaking of skincare, right here are 5 things to try from Kate Somerville

Beauty tricks from Mathilde Thomas, creator of Caudalie skincare

Seriously, I might spend all the time taking a look at people’s handwriting.

All you wanna-be unicorns ? available (and I understand you’re out there) may delight in Jessica’s huge roundup of unicorn- as well as mermaid-themed charm tools.

I’m always searching for methods to keep my pics fresh, as well as one of the simplest methods is with props. right here are 48 locations to discover them (and numerous of them are affordable!).

There are some fantastic Memorial Day sales at Ulta this weekend… I’m just sayin’.

Wait — what? Someone’s trying to make sunscreen in the shape of pearls? as well as by golly, they look very cool!

Latest on the listing of mascaras I want to hoard — Trish McEvoy’s High volume Mascara.

I’ve been reading as well as scouring the Interwebs for cutting edge information about skin care lately, as well as this brand (Derma E) looks great!

AHAs versus BHAs

In my mind, Caroline Hirons as well as I are BFFS. consumed WITH HER!

Samantha is the cutest. I wanna hang with her as well as her feline Roux.

Lorde’s brows look amazing in this video. Been listening to this tune on repeat…

I such as this Sam Smith tune too.

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Hope you have a hella fabulous Memorial Day weekend. let me understand what you’re up to. ideally you get some meow time to relax.

Your friendly community charm addict,

Karen

Rainbow-ing it!
I’m staring out a window right now, a.k.a. writing, and it’s really dark outside! It’s the late afternoon, it’s cloudy, and it looks like it’s gonna rain. I don’t see any rainbows…yet.

I’m thinking that when I go out to go run some errands, I should probably wear layers, because when you live in California, that’s what you do. You wear layers. You kind of expect it. but with some things, like urban Decay eyeshadows, I don’t expect to have to wear layers. Their shadows are usually super pigmented. Yeah, there’s a lot of fallout, too, and I expect that. but I also expect potent pigments and a formula that’s easy to blend.

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That’s why I like them, and that’s also why I didn’t expect to have to do a lot of layering with the new $55 urban Decay full Spectrum Eyeshadow Palette.

Alas, that was not the case.

I ended up doing lots of layers with this color blocked rainbow eye look — many more than I expected to. sometimes it took me four or five layers to get really punchy color. With the bright orange spotlight on that one lid, I even ended up having to wet my brush to intensify it.

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I got the idea for this look from the bejeweled, sparkly UD logo on the front of the palette, with the colors moving into each other like a gradient. I thought, “Oh, that’s some neat color blocking. Why don’t I try that on my eyes?”

Plus, it’s a rainbow eyeshadow palette. I mean, come on. My first inclination was to use a shimmery olive and put some browns in the crease, but that would have been a missed opportunity, right? I had to taste the rainbow.

Urban Decay full Spectrum Eyeshadow Palette
$55, limited edition and available now
21 shades (18 new shades, three exclusives from past palettes)
Includes a dual-ended eyeshadow brush
It’s a followup to 2015’s urban Spectrum Eyeshadow Palette.

“We organized the shadows by color family, creating a rainbow of ombré trios: pinks, oranges, yellows, greens, blues, purples, and even a wildcard row that goes from white to black. The end result? A palette that not only looks stunning, but also delivers tons of options. create dimensional ombré looks by working within the color-coordinated trios or experiment with multiple shade groups at once. With 18 new shades, three exclusives from past palettes, and a wide range of finishes, you’ll never run out of options.”

— urbandecay.com

Shades:

Alchemy (deep fuchsia satin)
Gossip (bright metallic pink w/subtle floating pearl)
Paranoia (soft metallic blue-pink)
Warning (deep metallic copper)
Seize (bright metallic coral w/subtle floating pearl)
Jones (metallic orange w/subtle floating pearl)
Midnight Blaze (black matte w/yellow-gold pearl)
Calavera (bright yellow matte w/subtle floating pearl)
Goldmine (metallic yellow-gold)
Hundred (deep metallic forest green)
Hatter (vibrant green w/tonal micro-sparkle)
Mean (bright metallic lime green)
Minx (deep navy matte w/floating tonal pearl)
Blindsided (bright teal blue matte w/floating pearl)
Metamorphosis (vibrant periwinkle blue w/micro-sparkle)
Delirious (deep plum matte w/subtle floating pearl)
Sketch (metallic medium purple)
Faded (lavender w/gold shimmer)
Platonic (black matte w/iridescent glitter)
Iced (oyster silver w/shimmer)
Bump (white matte)

Fill Weight: 21 x 1.2 g POIDS NET/NET WT. 21 x 0.04 oz

It’s starting to look like a triple rainbow…
Oooh, rainbow!

It’s a good size palette…
I look CRA-ZAY-ZAY, and I’m totally ok with that
From the left: Alchemy, Warning, Midnight Blaze, Hundred, Minx, Delirious and Platonic
Gossip, Seize, Calavera, Hatter, Blindsided, Sketch, Iced
Gossip, Seize, Calavera, Hatter, Blindsided, Sketch, Iced
You may notice that the purple family is significantly underrepresented in this look. I wanted to there to be more purple with the blue eyeshadows, but I had a hard time with the purples in this palette.

Urban Decay is known for their purples, but I feel like these are skippier and patchier than usual. I ended up having to remove my makeup and restart that blue eye a couple of times. Ultimately, I ended up just sticking purple in the outer corner.

One of the colors I do like in this palette is the bright orange color called Seize.

No, not Lil’ Cease from Junior M.A.F.I.A.. but Seize. It’s a bright orange with some shimmer in it. I thought, “Hey, this’ll be fun as a spotlight.”

I was going to only use it as a spotlight shade in the center of the lid, but then I also put it into my crease. I think it’s a really lovely transition shade. next time I feel colorful, I’m going to use it instead of my usual browns.

Rainbows

Where are they? here in Novato, which is about 30 miles north of San Francisco, there are usually lots of rainbows. I’ve lived in different parts of the Bay area but never somewhere with quite as many rainbows. I can usually look off my deck on arainy day and catch a rainbow. sometimes even a double rainbow.

Not lately, though… It’s weird.

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Are there rainbows where you live? I hope there are because rainbows are awesome.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Oh, snap! MAC at Ulta!? Yup, pretty soon you’ll be able to stroll into an Ulta store and snag a stick of Costa Riche. MAC is going to be carried on the Ulta site and in 25 Ulta stores starting in June.
Dear Ulta: now please add a restaurant so I can get a grilled cheese and a latte while I’m there. Thx.

In this piece about why women need their girlfriends even much more as we get older, author Kari Kampakis gets some terrific guidance from a group of older gals, and I’m taking it to heart. “Don’t ever lose touch with your girlfriends, sweetheart. The older you get, the much more you’ll need them.”

Did you ever wear Love’s baby Soft? Here’s the fascinating (and in some cases full-on creepy) backstory of one of our many renowned fragrances.

Two words: magnetic lashes. Who’s the marvelous genius who created these potentially life-changing doohickeys, and can I shake her hand?!
I really want to try these ASAP, and I’m desperately hoping they won’t weigh down my lids.

Some makeup-minded thieves recently stole $4.5 million in eyeshadow palettes… holy cosmetics criminality, Batman!

Apparently, foundation is really gross. I wanted to look away when I saw the title of this post (“Here’s how much Bacteria Is actually On Your makeup Products”), but you know how it is… curious kitty and all.

I printed out this short article and put it into a file I have of suggestions on raising Connor Claire (I’m nerdy that way, and I like to be prepared): “Want to raise Empowered Women? start in middle School.”

The best places to do a little retail therapy in NYC.

The brilliant, bad-@ss and stunning Rae from the notice explores a budget charm line that looks completely on point.

What’s it really like to get a customized makeup makeover at Sephora?

POP goes the Easel! These new NARS Nordstrom exclusives look like a lot of fun.

Will your skin lurve new It Cosmetics confidence in a Compact Foundation?

5 ways to save, even if you occasionally splurge.

Ever heard of a skincare brand called Scaf?Whoever did their packaging gets a high-five from me!

If you follow the charm biz, you might find this roundup of 2017 charm & Social trends interesting.

And from earlier this week on MBB…here’s a little look at a neat indie luxury brand called Kosas Cosmetics.
I also played with a few new things from too Faced, namely the natural love Palette, the love Light Prismatic Highlighters and the Peanut Butter & Honey Palette.

In other news, benefit has some new contouring products and a spiffy pink highlighter, and here’s what it’s like to wear urban Decay’s HBIC lash trios.

Wow… THIS IS BREATHTAKING! one of these days — I promise — I’m going to learn how to ride a horse!

The many reasonable makeup tutorial to ever hit YouTube! My favorite part? “My everyday makeup routine typically starts with a primer. I use this MAC primer that a lady sold me against my will. She was really attractive, and I was threatened by her, so I was just like, ‘I’ll just purchase it because I’m intimidated by you.’”

Ooh, I’m going to try this combo with MAC Swiss chocolate and Heroine Lipstick!

I keep trying to convince my body that’s it’s ok to sleep in a little on Caturdays, but it’s like, “Nope! Not gonna do it. WAKE THE EFF UP ALREADY.”

So I’m up early…but on the #glasshalffull side, maybe I can get my chores done early. That way I can finish marathon-ing the second season of love on Netflix. I’ve got a box of Pop secret and a couch ready for my butt, LOL!

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I may or may not also run a few miles on the treadmill…but we’ll see about that.

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I hope your coffee is already on its way to your tum, my friend. may adventure find you.

Your friendly neighborhood charm addict,

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Karen

install up! It’s MAC Saddle…
I understand that a few of you gals as well as dudes who see MBB likewise trip horses, so I requirement to understand — does MAC Saddle Eye shadow in any type of method remind you of actual saddles? Is this what color saddles are? since I’ve never ridden a horse, so I have no clue.

All I understand is I like this color, man, as well as I’ve been using it for years! It’s a — now please don’t run away when I state this — matte orange brown.

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Yep, I stated orange…but it’s more brown than orange. It’s not obnoxiously orange. The bit bit of orange just provides it some warmth.

What’s an unsung makeup hero? For me, it’s an frequently underrated makeup morsel, a long-term collection product that scoots under the radar screen of many makeup enthusiasts however on a regular basis rocks my world. The long-running Unsung Heroes series features a few of my favorites.

Howdy, pardner. I reckon I’m about a MAC NC42 for refrence, if’n yer inclined to know…
Sometimes I utilize Saddle to deepen my crease as well as make my eyes look like they’re set back further in my sockets…

OK, that sounded weirder than it did in my head…but anyway, mattes are useful when you want to make something look more recessed.

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You might begin with a light brown matte like MAC Soft Brown, Soba or Wedge in the crease first, then add Saddle on top on the part of your crease that you want to look deepest as well as furthest back.

Feathering it up into the lighter brown you started with likewise produces a gradient as well as provides the look a bit somethin’-something, a.k.a. complexity.

I’m using Saddle as well as Wedge on my lids as well as in the crease, Brun as well as Mulch in the outer corners, Ricepaper to highlight the inner corners as well as my brows, as well as Feline Kohl on my water lines.

There are so many matte dark browns out there, as well as you might utilize any type of number of them in this way, however Saddle truly is something special. You’ll be blown away by exactly how simple it is to blend, since you understand exactly how difficult mattes usually are to feather out, right? Saddle blends quickly into other matte shadows, which is my hallmark for “what makes a excellent matte shadow,” as well as it’s likewise super simple to blend into other finishes, too, like satins, frosts as well as sheens.

It’s one of my tried-and-true MAC must-have traditional colors, as well as it delivers across the board — color, performance, all-day wear time, as well as it’s a great value $$$ since of its versatility.

I like utilizing it with the MAC old-school neutrals, as well as one of my preferred looks is with Wedge in the crease, Saddle up in there to deepen it, as well as then Mulch on the lid, Brun in the outer corner, as well as a highlight of Brule or Ricepaper.

Another look I like is with Soft brown in the crease as well as Sable on the lid. then I add Costa Riche on the water as well as lash lines (or sometimes I’ll go with a traditional black kohl like MAC Feline or Smolder on my water line).

Basically, if your skin tone is NC42 or NW40, or thereabouts in that general vicinity, Saddle is a amazing all-purpose crease color.

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I online for it, like it, as well as I wear everything the time. Heck, I used it once again today.

Your friendly community beauty addict,

Karen

great deals o’ Lipglass swatches coming at-chu
There are 57 (!) MAC Lipglasses in the long-term collection now ($17 each), as well as all of them just got new packaging/outfits.

Here are some fun facts you may or may not understand about them…

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None of them begin with the letter “F.”

Two of them begin with the word “love.” (Love kid as well as like Nectar)

Three of them begin with the word “pink.” (Pink Lemonade, Pink Nouveau as well as Pinkarat)

One of them is named after an insect. (Yellow Jacket)

There are three “Rs” (not two) in Prrr.

Several of them have color counterparts, like Russian Red (also a Lipstick), Impassioned (Lipstick) as well as Soar (a Lip Pencil).

Even though it’s not in the long-term collection, when upon a time there was a shade called development Revolution. ?

In addition to their even shinier outfits, they likewise got a bit bigger (update: the new tubes hold 0.10 ounces, as well as the old Lipglass tubes held 0.17 ounces).

You’ll acknowledge your old faves among them, like Nymphette, Spite as well as Lychee Luxe…

Oh, wait! Those are my old faves. The glosses themselves haven’t altered (same patent-leather radiate as well as hella sticky vanilla-scented formula). They’re just using new outfits.

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1. Angel

Angel
2. Baby’s a Vamp

Baby’s a Vamp
3. Beaux

Beaux

4. Bittersweet Me

Bittersweet Me
5. Blissful

Blissful
6. C-Thru

C-Thru
7. candy Box

Candy Box
8. candy Yum Yum

Candy Yum Yum
9. Chai

Chai
10. Chestnut

Chestnut
11. Cultured

Cultured
12. Desire

Desire
13. filthy Dark Martini

Dirty Dark Martini
14. Dive Bar

Dive Bar
15. Dreamy

Dreamy
16. Explicit

Explicit
17. Gal Friday

Gal Friday
18. woman about Town

Girl about Town
19. Gold Finch

Gold Finch
20. Heroine

Heroine
21. Impassioned

Impassioned
22. like Child

Love Child
23. like Nectar

Love Nectar
24. Lust

Lust
25. Lustrewhite

Lustrewhite
26. Lychee Luxe

Lychee Luxe
27. Misbehaving

Misbehaving
28. Morange

Morange
29. Myth

Myth
30. new Galaxy

New Galaxy
31. night & Daze

Night & Daze
32. Norwegian Sky

Norwegian Sky
33. Nymphette

Nymphette
34. undoubtedly Bare

Obviously Bare
35. Oh Baby

Oh Baby
36. Oyster Girl

Oyster Girl
37. Pink Lemonade

Pink Lemonade
38. Pink Nouveau

Pink Nouveau
39. Pinkarat

Pinkarat
40. Please Me

Please Me
41. Prrr

Prrr
42. Purple Mocha

Purple Mocha
43. Rambunctious

Rambunctious
44. Ravishing

Ravishing
45. Rebel

Rebel
46. Roulette

Roulette
47. Ruby Woo

Ruby Woo
48. Russian Red

Russian Red
49. Saint Germain

Saint Germain
50. Saucy bit Thing

Saucy bit Thing
51. indications of Spring

Signs of Spring
52. Snob

Snob
53. Soar

Soar
54. Spice

Spice
55. Spite

Spite
56. Steel Kiss

Steel Kiss
57. Yellow Jacket

Yellow Jacket
Ingredients (from the shade indications of Spring)
You have to tell me — what was the very first Lipglass you ever wore?? If you can’t remember, what’s your present favorite?

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My very first was Spite! as well as my present preferred is my all-time preferred (well, one of my all-time favorites), Nymphette.

Your friendly community appeal addict,

Karen

Uh…

Um…is anybody else low-key freaking out about the new Trader Joe’s Fearless Flyer?

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I guess they redesigned it, and I just got one in the mail the other day.

First impression? “Ooh, colorful!” but it seemed kind of thin with fewer pages than usual. then I set it aside to read later in bed. (Don’t judge! It’s usually great bedtime reading.)

I can’t believe it! Where did all the rambling intros with fun facts about coffee beans, weather patterns, ducklings and four-leaf clovers go?? Or the creative puns and silly wordplay? everything in this new version is succinct, matte-of-fact and blah. It looks great, but dayum, TJ, why you gotta do me like that!? bring back THE OLD FEARLESS FLYER!

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On that note, a little light reading for your Saturday morning (beauty and otherwise)…

The hidden history behind the Maybelline new York makeup line

Ehrmahgawhd! The print on this dress is purr-fection. WANT.

Lumpia and pancit for everyone! The food of my people is gonna be the next big culinary thing, according to Vogue.

Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about Clinique Black Honey nearly Lipstick

How do the chemicals in sunscreen secure our skin from damage?

Makeup legend Pat McGrath talks makeup, tech and what’s next in the future of beauty.

Thanks, Carolina, for giving me a severe Dior mascara lemming.

My girl Adia compiled a lengthy list of nude lipsticks for deeper skin tones, YES!

And in case you missed it, here’s the skinny on the awesome Ouai haircare line, urban Decay’s newest naked heat palette (it’s hot stuff), Milk Makeup’s skin-like Sunshine tint, and how your face powder can be a secret makeup weapon in your appeal arsenal.

Violette_Fr’s videos are binge-worthy. SO GOOD!

Playing this all the time, over and over and over again…

Makeup in 5, 10 and 15 minutes with MAC next to nothing (a.k.a. my favorite thing in the world ideal now)

I’m in last-minute vacay mode, packing and getting the place ready for the tabby’s favorite pet sitter. As Tabs describes it, he’s a consummate deep-tissue kitty massage pro. He’ll be the tabby’s on-site temp assistant this week.

I wish I could bring Tabs along on this trip, though. I briefly contemplated emptying my big green bag and trying to sneak him aboard in it, but I can see the TSA agent now. “Um…ma’am? Is there a large cat in your bag??”

Well, yeah, obviously.

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Do you ever wish you could bring your family pets on holiday with you? I wish I could every time.

Your friendly neighborhood appeal addict,

Karen

Operation: J. Lo Booty
I woke up this morning as well as saw a rainbow…of resistance bands! got these for my birthday. now sweatin’ like a mofo.

Here’s the workout I’m doing:

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Feel that booty ? burn

Have you ever utilized resistance bands before? OH EM GEE. Dude, they don’t look like much, however they are no joke. They’re an ultra-portable, inexpensive method to up your workout game.

Apparently, they double as jewelry!
Think durable rubber bands. You wrap them around different parts of your body during particular exercises where your muscles work against the resistance of the bands, as well as the different colors as well as sizes of the bands correspond to different levels of tension. Some are equal to a 10-pound dumbbell; some are rather a bit much more or less.

Slip one around your knees or ankles, as well as all of a sudden your squats as well as side lunges are next level. I’m speaking major shed ? (in a great way)! You can likewise utilize them for upper body (like for assisted pull-ups) as well as core work.

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That’s Harris the cat, by the way…
One can only withstand so numerous burpees since they are really the devil’s work, as well as when I want to exercise however can’t bear the believed of going to an HIIT class or having a hard time with a run, a resistance band workout is practically fun.

Or, at least, different. They’re an easy, low-impact method to mix things up.

Now, I’m gonna go jump in the shower as well as de-funk myself, although I don’t understand why I bother, since it’s expected to be 90-something today, so I’m just gonna end up all sweaty once again anyway. While I embark upon stated useless endeavor, right here are some stories that caught my eye this week:

If you’re a lady of color, here’s a guide to discovering a nude lippie for darker skin tones.

New brand to view out for at Sephora: 7 Virtues. To support regional residents as well as households in war-torn areas, the brand sources raw components from locations caught in dispute as well as really overpays to assist farmers offer much more for their families.

Soon, fans of “the ‘gram” will be able to view hour-long videos with something called IGTV. Side note: would anybody be thinking about viewing me ramble for an hour on Instagram about cats? INQUIRING MINDS want TO KNOW.

I’m a huge fan of unisex scents (see: clean Reserve Sel Santal), so I can’t wait to sniff these three new fragrances Chanel is introducing for women as well as guys.

What’s in a name? former appeal Editor Linda Wells is introducing a new makeup line called Flesh. right here she talks about the semi-scandalous name as well as their products (she was going for controversy). The short article is likewise full of fun facts (which you understand I loooove), like exactly how the Peach Crayola crayon color utilized to be called Flesh, however it was rebranded during the begin of the civil rights movement.

Well, I just discovered what I’ve been missing all my life: CHOCOFLAN!!!

I certainly did not look such as this when I danced to push It at the eighth-grade dance…

Current summertime soundtrack

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What are you as much as this weekend? Is it hella hot there too?

Your friendly community charm addict,

Karen

$2 a hand!!!
The fires are slowly however certainly being contained, as well as the air has cleared up sufficient to opt for walks again. We went for one on Monday evening as well as discovered a indication marketing a new community business…

For The nail polish Club!

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Two dollars a hand… That’s a overall bargain compared to the regional nail location I typically go to, as well as it’s excellent if you’re, say, right-handed as well as can only paint the nails on your left hand decently. If you only requirement assist painting the nails on one hand, you can phone call The nail polish Club, as well as they’ll help you for just two BUCKS!

Oh, they likewise do nail art. It’s 50 cents for add-ons like glitter, stickers or flowers-slash-dots.

What I like many is the specificity of the sign. They’re offered for clients on Tuesdays, as well as each visit is 30 minutes.

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Seriously, though, as well cute! Connor as well as I wanna join.

Your friendly community charm addict,

Karen