Just For Fun

So…guess what?

For the first time in forever, I put on heels AND a dress to leave my house.

Yup, BOTH.

I know! I can’t even remember the last time I did that when it didn’t involve some kind of event, but I did it yesterday before going to the dentist, because I was actually feeling kinda feisty and, well…kinda cute, which never happens to me prior to leaving for the dentist.

To make a long story even longer, I did some yoga (a 10-minute flow; that’s the routine down below) before leaving for the appointment, and that just made me feel a little better and less anxious than usual — actually, almost enthusiastic (!) about seeing the dentist.

Anyway, feeling really good about myself, I put on my dress, my heels, got in the car, got on the freeway, and that’s when I realized that my knees and shins were hella dry.

(Don’t ask me why I realized this on the freeway.)

I totally forgot to put on lotion before leaving the house…

I know! When you don’t wear a dress in forever and you’re out of practice, you forget these things.

Then I remembered that I recently tossed the “emergency” lotion I usually keep in my car because it expired, so I didn’t have anything to moisturize myself with other than nude lipsticks and a Clinique Superbalm Lip Balm.

I thought, “Hmm… The Superbalm would be shiny, but it might work,” so when I got to the dentist’s office, I squeezed out a generous amount, and slathered it all over my knees and shins.

(I tried to warm it up first, though, by rubbing it between my fingers and palms.)

Lo and behold, it totally worked! So there’s a beauty hack for ya. Try your lip balm if you’re ever stuck somewhere with dry skin and don’t have any lotion.

On that note, today’s beauty (and otherwise) reading…

• Multicolored rainbow/Skittles manicures have been around forever, but since Instagram apparently just discovered them, they’re now a “thing.” LOL!
• Sephora and fashion line Moschino are doing a fun collection where the liquid highlighters look like highlighter markers, and the makeup removers look like erasers. There’s also a nail polish in a Wite-Out bottle! — which is what I used to do with *real* Wite-Out when I was a kid.
• 25 secrets your nail tech wishes you already knew
• The Black Opal Aksanti collection helps girls in the Congo.
• This woman found a lock of Charlotte Brontë’s braided hair encased in a ring in her attic… All I have in my attic are ghosts 👻 and dust mites!
• Because El Hub, Connor Claire and Tabs are all part Irish, here are 10 Irish Good Friday traditions you’ve never heard of.
• And because my first-born cat son 🐱 is also hardcore GoT ⚔️🐉 enthusiast, here are some awesome homemade Games of Thrones-inspired pet beds.
• Fun fact about Game of Thrones: Jon Snow wears high heels.
• Speaking of felines, have you heard about the mysterious wild cats of Britain?
• Cats get acne, too.

I adore Hindash’s work and can’t wait to try this!

You know how much I love her, but I love her even more because she says the words, “flute backstory,” in this video.

How to look more amazing up-close and in person

Best Ted Talk I watched this week

I did this workout just the other day! Super challenging, but I felt great at the end of it.

I’ve been doing this 10-minute yoga flow after workouts for my upper back, and it has helped with the wonkiness a lot.

Now I’m off to go take the coywolf to a local Easter egg hunt. Have a great Saturday and a 😃 happy (early) 🐇 Easter.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Girlfriend, THIS IS TOTALLY A THING. People are getting their scalps injected with Botox to make their scalp perspire less, and therefore help their blowouts last longer.

As someone who used to pride herself on how long she could tolerate going between hair washes — seriously, there was a time in my life when I could gleefully go six days without washing my hair — this may have appealed to me more at one time than it does now.

If nothing else, I would’ve SERIOUSLY considered it, but I don’t think I would have gone through with it because I don’t like needles… They freak me out. Also, knowing me, if I did get a scalp injection, it would probably leave me with a twitchy left eyelid for six months. I would’ve been better off just living with 12 pounds of dry shampoo in my hair, which is what I used to do.

Now, I’m an everyday hair washer… Yeah, I know, but my hair isn’t dyed anymore. I’m transitioning back to my natural color, so I don’t really have to worry about hair color fading, which is one good thing about growing out your grays. I’m also kind of addicted now to that clean scalp feeling. Granted, I don’t shampoo every night. I alternate shampoo every other day with a conditioner wash, which is still more hair washing than I’ve done in years…which just goes to show you: NEVER SAY NEVER.

Anyway, tangent city, HERE WE COME. 😀

Now, back to the question at hand… Would you ever get Botox in your head so your blowouts could last longer? Inquiring minds want to know!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Happy Good Friday. TGIF.

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. Who takes care of your brows?

To quote the great De La Soul, “It’s just me, myself and I.”

2. If/when you incorporate an accent nail into your manicure, which finger do you typically use?

I don’t do accent nails anymore (I prefer wearing all the same shade), but when I did, I’d always pick my ring finger, and I do it on both hands. To me it always seemed more balanced that way. I wonder if anyone out there did an accent middle finger. Or an accent thumb?

3. YOU MUST CHOOSE: Would you rather 1) have to walk around with bare feet for a week (no shoes, no socks, no slippers — absolutely nothing. Just your plain ol’ bare feet on the ground), or 2) have to skip absolutely ALL teeth-related maintenance for a week (i.e. no brushing of any kind, no flossing, no mouthwash, NOTHING)? Note: “Neither” is not a valid option. You have to pick one.

First of all, GROSS. Second, as much as it would kill me, because I’m such a stickler for oral hygiene, I’d go with option 2… I’d rather have a funky mouth than worry about stepping on a nail or broken glass.

4. What’s a perfume you’ve worn for years and still love to this day?

Estée Lauder Pleasures. My fave back in college!

5. Last thing you said to someone?

“Go back to sleep, lovie. It’s not time to wake up yet.”

Ya learn something new every day

In my case, the last tidbit of knowledge had to do with nail polish. My fingers are finally painted for the first time in two weeks, YAY! They’ve been bare for a spell because after I removed my last manicure, a peachy pastel by Sally Hansen, I told myself that I’d paint my nails in a few hours, but of course I got distracted, so the few hours turned into a few days, which turned into two weeks…

I course-corrected that on Friday and painted my nails a creamy mauve — Sally Hansen Mave-olous, one of the Miracle Gel Liners.

No chips so far! It held up well all weekend long, but I think I’m *almost* ready to shift gears into something other than a pastel… It feels like time for a change.

What’s the situation with your nails today? Are you wearing a fresh coat?

Have a good rest of your Monday, ‘k? 😊

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Question time! Here they are to copy/paste with your answers in a comment. Talk to you soon.

1. Who takes care of your brows?
2. If/when you incorporate an accent nail into your manicure, which finger do you typically use?
3. Would you rather 1) have to walk around with bare feet outside for a week (no shoes, no socks, no slippers, absolutely no nothing, just your plain ol’ bare feet on the ground), or 2) have to skip absolutely ALL tooth maintenance for a week (so no tooth brushing, no brushing your teeth with toothpaste on a finger, no flossing, no mouthwash, NOTHING)? By the way, “neither” is not an answer, you have to pick one or the other.
4. What’s a perfume you’ve worn for years and still love to this day?
5. Last thing you said to someone?