Just For Fun

Chances are, as you read this, I’m running up or down the stadium stairs in San Francisco at Oracle Park. Or, I’m passed out on the ground from doing one too many burpees.

😳

The Spartan race I signed up for a while back is happening today, so I’ll be getting my sweat on with my HIIT buddies from the gym.

But before I go do that, let’s do this. It’s Saturday Surfing time. 😊

• The dos and don’ts of mixing skincare ingredients
• If you live near San Diego, the Oceanside Museum of Art currently has an exhibit called “Tiny Canvases: The Art of Nails,” which explores the history of nail adornment dating back to 3200 B.C. (!)
• Who else is watching the new season of The Crown on Netflix? If you’re just as fascinated by the British Royal family as I am, then you may be interested to hear that, according to the queen’s royal dressmaker, Angela Kelly, the queen does her own makeup every day of the year except for one — the day she records her annual Christmas speech.
• There’s a new trailer for the Cats movie, and yes…it’s still totally weird. 😿
• Will you be in/around NYC from next May to October? If so, you might want to check out the Makeup Museum. The first exhibit is called “Pink Jungle: 1950s Makeup in America” and will explore the history of makeup, as seen through the beauty cabinets of glam stars, including Monroe, Garbo and Audrey Hepburn.
• According to Cosmo, this is how to cut your hair without totally effing it up, and all I have to say that is…where the heck was this article when I was 15 and cut my hair in the middle of the night?!
• Speaking of hair, scientists have developed a new method of DNA identification that only requires a single strand.

This is what I’m doing today!

Here’s to hoping I make it back home in one piece, aghhhh!

So nervous…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Thanksgiving is almost here, and with it, our traditions. One such tradition that absolutely MUST happen in my family on Thanksgiving is the eating of the pecan pie…

I freakin’ love pecan pie. It’s what we had at Thanksgiving when I was growing up… I mean, sometimes we’d also have a pumpkin pie up in the mix, but really nobody would touch it. My mom would always get pecan, and you would know if my dad had been tasked with buying the pie because he would inevitably mistakingly ONLY buy pumpkin and forget the pecan… But my mom always knew what was up.

It’s funny, though, because as much as I love pecan pie, it seems weird to have it any other time of year. The only time I actually consume copious amounts of it is on Thanksgiving, and I look forward to it every single year.

I also look forward to spending time with my family here in the Bay Area, and whenever possible, with my family in Hawaii. It’s always nice to have a block of time to reconnect with the people who mean a lot to us, and that we don’t get to see too often anymore as grownups, and to unwind over food and fun.

We also always watch some football, and ya know…while it’s not super high up on my list, I still look forward to sitting around and talking while a game plays in the background.

Oh! — I also look forward to having seconds, a.k.a. “round two of the Thanksgiving feast.”

Like, you know, everybody eats, then pauses to take a break (and maybe take a quick cat nap on the couch), and then a few hours later you come back for the second round.

I gotta admit…I do love going back for that second (and perhaps third!) plate on Thanksgiving.

How about you? What Thanksgiving traditions are you looking forward to this year?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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. Today I’m grateful for _____ (fill in the blank).

So many things, including…

• Coffee (always coffee)
• Having gotten a good night’s sleep
• My sweet and supportive husband
• Clear, crisp fall days
• The roof over my head and the food in my tummy
• Mechanical pencils (random, but they’re kind of fabulous!)

2. An article of clothing you wear all the time?

Well, a friend of my recently gave me a pair of Athleta workout tights that no longer fit her, and let me tell you — my world has been ROCKED. If I could live in those pants 24/7, I totally would.

3. Burrito or taco?

Tacos, baby!

4. What are you wearing on your lips today?

MAC Smoked Almond lipstick, which has been my neutral jam for the past couple weeks.

5. How are your brows these days?

They were my nemesis throughout October, because I sorta forgot about them, to which they responded by growing wild and unchecked, but I trimmed the unruly bits last week, so balance has been restored to the land once again… So they’re doing fine and cooperating with me for once. LOL!

You. Are. Magical.

There’s been a lot of talk of warm white light lately at our house.

So much talk about it that I’ve started walking around the house bathed in it.

Wait — let me take a step back…

First things first, good morning! Happy Monday, my friend. 🙂

OK, so the warm white light thing. Basically, Connor recently moved from her crib to a big girl bed, and she’s at that stage where the newness has just worn off, so at bedtime lately she pulls out all the stops to get us to let her sleep with us in our bed, or just to delay us turning off her bedroom light.

One thing we do whenever she feels scared about something, after we try to talk through it logically (which doesn’t always work), is what we call “mommy magic” and she calls “Coco magic.”

The magic involves surrounding yourself with an imaginary beam of warm white light. This warm white light surrounds you with protection, with love and with anything and everything you need at that moment to feel secure and safe.

So, whenever anyone in our house needs a little TLC, we tell them to take out your magic, and surround yourself with your warm white light. As silly as it sounds, it kinda works! It works for Connor, and I’ve been doing it for myself, too (I know, I know!), and for some reason, it just feels good.

Anyway, if you feel a little scared or anxious at some point today, remember that you are magical. Anytime you need it, you can surround yourself with the special warm white light. You are loved, you are protected, and you are safe. 🙂

On that note, I’m off. I have a coffee date in a few (today’s my day off from the bakery…so of course I’m gonna hang out in another bakery, HA HA HA!), which leads me to today’s bonus question: croissant or scone??

Have a wonderful day. ❤️

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. Today I’m grateful for _____ (fill in the blank).
2. An article of clothing you wear all the time?
3. Burrito or taco?
4. What are you wearing on your lips today?
5. How are your brows these days?