Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup

We’ve been sticking pretty close to home for a while, as you can probably imagine (because you’re in the same boat!). We haven’t ventured out of town much at all, but yesterday we drove up to the cute town of Sonoma about 20 miles north.

I have a friend who lives up there (hi, Marisol!), and after a quick socially distanced visit, during which I dropped off one of the aloe plants I repotted over the weekend, we stopped at Sonoma Plaza to do some exploring.

Sonoma Plaza is a large outdoor square with playgrounds, trees, paths, duck ponds and plenty of picnic tables. It’s surrounded by wine tasting rooms, restaurants, shops and the last of the 21 Spanish missions built in California. Most of the stores and restaurants are currently closed, of course, but the walk around the area is beautiful.

Before I go on, to ensure that this post is at least marginally makeup related, here’s the five-minute makeup look I wore. It’s been my go-to look as of late.

• Brows: Urban Decay Brow Blade (super long lasting, and so easy to use)
• Lashes: Urban Decay Cannonball Mascara (waterproof, doesn’t flake)
• Liquid liner: MAC Brushblack Brushstroke Liner (ultra black and draws sharp edges with ease)
• Eyeshadow: MAC Cork (the best for carving out a soft crease)
• Under-eye concealer: Estee Lauder Instant Fix Concealer in Medium Deep
• Face Powder: MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Golden (used this alone as a base, no foundation)
• Blush: MAC Warm Soul Mineralize Blush

We walked all over the plaza, exploring the paths and different areas of the park, and doing some hardcore socially distanced people watching. It’s been an unusually warm January here, so there were people about, but everyone was wearing masks and social distancing.

The trees! There are so many of them!

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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 five more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007). I love reading your answers, and it helps me get my week off to a good start. 🌻

1. Sweet or sour?

Sweet!

2. Ponytail or braid?

Right now, a braid, ideally low and loose.

On that note, I’ve officially reached a tipping point with my hair.

It. Is. Driving. Me. Crazy.

Whenever I wear a ponytail, I get a headache, unless I wear it at a very specific angle, which is more work than I want to do… My hair is REALLY stressing me out.

3. What color are your eyes?

Dark chocolate brown with a faint dark blue navy ring around the iris (but you gotta look super close to see it).

4. How good are you about purging your makeup collection?

Hmm… Well, not super good, but I’m getting better at it, slowly but surely. I used to keep everything (AND I MEAN EVERYTHING) indefinitely, even expired items for nostalgia, but all I want to keep now are things that haven’t expired and that I wear all the time… Got no room in my life for ongoing nonsense!

5. Which way do you part your hair?

I don’t know anymore! I was parting it on the left for a while, because that seemed to be the way the cray-cray gray hairs instinctively wanted to go, but I’ve come to realize that my hair is toying with my mind. It’s a no-win situation! Lately, I’ve been parting it to the right, but that doesn’t seem to be helping either.

So, yeah, I have no idea at this point, HAHAHA!

6. Highlights or lowlights?

Neither?!

7. Are you a nail biter?

Nah, that was never really one of my things.

8. Have you ever felt self-conscious about your smile?

Girl, yes! 😬 All throughout my tweens and teenss. I wore braces for many, many years and was never completely comfortable with the metal flash in pics. I would try to smile as naturally as I could with a closed mouth. 🙂

Actually, I’m still self-conscious about my smile, to be honest, because it seems to exaggerate the hooded-ness of my eyes in pics (or at least I think it does).

Also, this might be in my head, but I swear I look considerably older when I smile. I know that getting older is a mandatory ride, and you gotta just come to terms with it at a point, so I try to maintain a good attitude and do it gracefully, but I’ve been kinda struggling with it lately… Hopefully, this too shall pass.

9. Something fun you did over the weekend?

Oh! — Connor and I did a little bit of gardening. It was warm out here, up into the 70s, so we hung out on the deck and repotted some plants.



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. Sweet or sour?
2. Ponytail or braid?
3. What color are your eyes?
4. How good are you about purging your makeup collection?
5. Which way do you part your hair?
6. Highlights or lowlights?
7. Are you a nail biter?
8. Have you ever felt self-conscious about your smile?
9. Something fun you did over the weekend?

P.P.S. Good morning! Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day here in the US. I hope your day got off to a calm and peaceful start, sweet friend. Take care! 🤗

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Good morning! Guess what…?

We made it! IT’S THE WEEKEND.

Oh, yeah. 😊

OK…so, normally I’m a coffee kinda girl, but lately I’ve been all about tea, like this one from Trader Joe’s. I kid you not, this one is so good. I had it tucked away in my cupboard, buried behind boxes of green tea and decaf green tea, and accidentally noticed it while reorganizing things. The pomegranate gives it a bit of sweetness, and the lemongrass and hibiscus a bit of tart, and it has a good kick to it, too! That white tea, man. It’s surprisingly potent! I feel kinda buzzy and shaky right now, which is probably not the best state to be in whilst painting one’s nails, hahaha!

Oh, well! I’m trying to decide between these three colors by Duri…

What do you think? Help me decide.

This week’s reading

• Young people are purposefully drawing in under-eye bags on social media…
• A nail biter’s journey…
• Yup, big surprise. Aaaand now I want a rose-colored Caboodle.
• Patches the cat is an unsung hero!
• All hail Pat McGrath!

I’m seriously, SERIOUSLY thinking about cutting my own hair.

Please save me from myself.

NO, seriously.

Obsessed

Connor asked me if she could take horse riding lessons yesterday, and then we watched this video three times in a row.

I spy Gregory Arlt!

Iconic

Current theme song

Yes, please.

Blasting this right now.

How are you doing on this lovely day? 😺🌞💐

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

1. Cat Lover’s Pad

The cover says it all. “100 Sheets of Cats Cats Cats!” 🐈 😼 😸 First of all, it’s a lined notebook, and each page has a different illustration of adorable kitties in all their glorious shapes, sizes and colors.

It’s become my go-to notebook for short lists, which is saying something because you know I love lists!

2. Schitt’s Creek

Friends raved about this Netflix show. Heck, EVERYONE seemed to rave about this show and its ensemble cast, but something about it didn’t fire me up for a long time. I watched the first episode about a year ago and thought, “Eh…” and dismissed it. I thought the main characters were, well…kinda self-entitled and not very likeable, but I gave it another try a couple weeks ago, and wow! — I’m so glad I did because I’m fully onboard now.

There’s a lot more to it than I thought. At a surface level, it’s a comedy about an obscenely wealthy family that suddenly loses their fortune and are forced to relocate to a small rural town named Schitt’s Creek.

It’s one of those shows that just gets better and better as the characters develop over time, and you get the sense that the family members learn to appreciate each other and what they have so much more. I’ve laughed and cried more times than I can count. Plus, the styling and makeup (more on this in a second) are incredible.

3. Lucky Bromhead

She’s an Emmy-nominated makeup artist, and she did (and still does) the makeup for key cast members on Schitt’s Creek. She’s the one responsible for Moira’s killer red lips and smoky eyes, and Alexis’s casual-but-chic boho vibes. Love her work!

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4. The Farmhouse collection from Crate & Barrel

I got some dishes, bowls and mugs from the Farmhouse collection at Crate & Barrel to replace all of the random, mismatched dishes in my kitchen, and I love, love, LOVE them. Each piece has some heft to it and feels sturdy, and the soft cream color and lines give the pieces a warm and casual vibe.

The Farmhouse collection is one of Crate & Barrel’s open stock lines, meaning that you can just roll up to the store and buy a single plate or mug at any time.

This is GREAT for our family because El Hub is pretty much the destroyer of all dishes, mugs and bowls. HE BREAKS EVERYTHING. I seriously cannot fathom how because I’ve only broken one or two dishes in my entire life!

SIGH.

All I know is that now, whenever he inevitably breaks one of my new dishes, I will always be able to replace it. 🤗

5. This 30-minute spin class…

By the time I was done with this home spinning workout, I was dripping in sweat, but dang if I didn’t feel great. The instructor is fantastic! She does a bang-up job of keeping you motivated, and I also get the sense that she’s working just as hard, too. There are a few ads throughout the class…which normally annoys me, but they happened at times when I was gasping for air and actually didn’t mind having the extra time to recover.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF! ✨