1. Mood:
   Let me put it this way: I’ve got a smile on my face. I had a really nice time with my family yesterday, and today El Hub is working from home, where he can keep me company.
2. Three things on your bucket list?
   1) To grow and eat my own watermelon (I know it’s silly, but I’ve always wanted to do it), 2) to spend a month wandering through Italy, and 3) to cover the Cannes Film Festival for MBB!
3. If tattoos only lasted a year, would you be more/less likely to get one?
   Hmm… What an interesting proposition. Well, I know myself pretty well. I think I’d be more inclined to get one, probably get something, think it was neat for about a month, and then get tired of looking at it and spend the next 11 months regretting it and obsessively trying to cover it up, LOL!
4. Something that drives you nuts?
   The phrase, “You do you, and I’ll do me.” Damn you, Jersey Shore!
5. What’s the number one quality you value most in a pencil eyeliner?
   Texture. Good ones gotta glide across my skin. If there’s any tugging involved, I can’t deal.
6. Three things that inspire you?
   1) Regular people who change the world for the better, 2) traveling to new places and 3), believe it or not, long, hot showers.

   I feel like I come up with my best ideas in the shower…

7. Does the sound of silence make you uncomfortable?
   Not at all. I tend to get over stimulated in noisy situations. Yup, I’m not one of those people who can carry on two conversations at the same time.

   I also think that being able to sit quietly and comfortably with someone can be one of the most intimate things you can share.

8. What’s one sentence that summarizes 2012 for you so far?
   It hasn’t always been easy, but I feel like we’re getting somewhere.
9. Your best experience on public transportation?
   Once, while I was on the ferry coming home to Marin from San Francisco, the captain of the boat got on the intercom and pointed out a whale skimming along the surface off our bow.
10. Weekly goals:
    To log at least 12 miles on the treadmill, go to yoga class at least once (I miss being stretchy!), check out the Novato Public Library, and make fish tacos for dinner.

Good morning and happy Monday, my friend. Did you have a good weekend? I hope you got everything you needed to get done and still had some downtime.

If you get a moment, please stop by and say hi in the Monday Poll. I always love to hear from you.

1. Mood:
2. Three things on your bucket list?
3. If tattoos only lasted a year, would you be more/less likely to get one?
4. Something that drives you nuts?
5. What’s the number one quality you value most in a pencil eyeliner?
6. Three things that inspire you?
7. Does the sound of silence make you uncomfortable?
8. What’s one sentence that summarizes 2012 for you so far?
9. Your best experience on public transportation?
10. Weekly goals:

I hope inspiration finds you this week.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Guess who arrived home today from the East Bay to find a bouquet of freesias (my favorite!) and a lovely handmade Cat Mother’s Day card from Tabs with a spa gift certificate inside?

Here’s a hint: it wasn’t me.

Oh, sure — you might think that Tabs, who on rare occasions calls me “Mom,” or perhaps he’s just mispronouncing “Ma’am,” would have at least hooked me up with a card, but noooo.

Oh, well… If he doesn’t make it up to me on Pet Administrative Professionals Day, then he’ll be in big trouble.

And I mean BIG! — like the demand lately for plus-size kitty models.

Here are some of the campaigns he worked on this week…

Continue Reading…

Just because you’re rockin’ jeans and a white t-shirt doesn’t mean your outfit has to be boring.

With some minor adjustments, an outfit of everyday basics can still look pretty polished and chic.

For brunch today, I started with a standard white tee (this one’s theme appropriate) and my favorite pair of jeans, but instead of just slipping on some flip-flops and calling it a day, I dressed it up a bit with some silver hoop earrings, a white bracelet, a big bag and a pair of neutral snakeskin print heels.

Then I went to town on a huge stack of mixed berry pancakes!

Continue Reading…

Rise and shine, morning glory! I hope you slept well. I’m heading out to the East Bay today to visit my family and wish Mom a happy Mother’s Day.

We’re taking her out to brunch, and then just hanging out at the house. My folks are leaving for a three-month trip to the Philippines soon, so this will be the last time I see them before they go.

It’ll be weird with them away for so long…not that I’m a 36-year-old woman or anything, LOL! No matter how old I get, I still feel like a kid whenever I talk about my parents.

On the home front, I’ve resolved, yet again, to finally decorate my dining room.

I know, I know, I’ve said that before, but things are starting to reach critical mass. We’ve been living here for three years, and I’m still staring at moving boxes. So over it!

El Hub has no absolutely home decorating skills or interest in the project whatsoever, and I’m not naturally good at home décor either, so it keeps getting put off.

Mark my words (oh, boy…), by the end of summer, it’s getting done!

I started by bookmarking a whole bunch of room pics I found on potterybarn.com last night. I never knew this before, but they have this neat online tool where you can browse for decorating ideas by style and room.

I think my style’s somewhere between “Mediterranean” and “Global Chic.”

They also have some decorating how-to articles and a room planner that looks pretty neat.

Inspiration. I sure could use some, so if you have any ideas, send ‘em my way!

All kinds of inspiration, too. Not strictly home décor. Anything that gets your creative juices flowing, like this picture of 83-year old model Daphne Selfe does for me.

She’s been gracing runways and magazine spreads since the 1950s… Isn’t that incredible?

“I’ve never had anything done to my face,” Selfe recently told the Daily Mail. “Not that poison, not a face-lift. I think it’s a waste of money. Anyway, I couldn’t afford it!”

I was just checking out some of the pictures on makeup artist Troy Jensen’s website when I found her.

While I was there, I also drooled over this look he did on model Crystial Graham pairing blue mascara with a deep cherry lip stain and gloss, and bookmarked Makeup Makeovers in 5, 10, 15, 20 by makeup artist Robert Jones; photographer Veronique De Viguerie’s series, Women Around the World (be sure to turn on the captions to read the story behind the pics); and fashion photographer Melissa Rodwell’s very touching story (it made me cry) about losing her pet companion of 13 years, Lulu the dog.

On a lighter note, kittens! Have you heard? A litter of kittens was recently adopted by a Yorkie mom. And in other kitten news, did you know that there’s a a secret kitten ? Yup, it’s almost as enlightening as this gang of kittens discovering a tortoise for the very first time.

A few other things I’ve been using or thinking about lately…

• iCloud’s Find My Phone feature is beyond cool! I actually used it to find my iPhone this week, which I’d lost. Saw where it was on a map (it was at home; left it under a blanket). You can even remote lock, remote erase, and send messages to your phone from icloud.com. — icloud.com
• Evernote is like my day planner now. Best thing about it is that the phone app syncs with their website, so I can type long notes and lists quickly on the website using a regular keyboard that then appear automatically on my phone. I have to-do lists for home stuff, blogging stuff, trip planning, my grocery list, home furnishing ideas… Also, it’s totally free. — evernote.com (and various app stores)
• When I travel to the tropics, I like bringing a rugged waterproof camera with me, one that I can take swimming, snorkeling, hiking and kayaking. Not only can they take pics and video where regular cameras can’t, but they just make vacation more fun. I brought the Canon PowerShot D10 with me to Kauai last month (there’s also the brand new D20 now, which adds full HD video), and it did a great job. I used it for most of my outdoor pics. — Canon PowerShot D10

Smashbox Shades of Fame High Shine Lip Gloss Set

Milani Shadow Eyez 12HR Wear Eyeshadow Pencils

Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel Bronzing Powders

Tips to Solve 5 Common Spring Beauty Bothers

Chanel Ombres Contrastes Duo in Sable-Emouvant

Outfit of the Day, Vol. 9: Romper Madness (Continued)

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine Lipstick in En Vogue

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine Lipstick in Empriente

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Have a great day!

The new Lancome Le Curler, $23, available June 2012

Well…sometimes I use my lash curler before and after applying mascara.

I know! I’m bad. It’s a big no-no among many makeup artists who say that curling lashes coated with mascara leads to broken lashes.

I don’t do it all the time. Only when my lashes straighten out right after away I finish applying my mascara, and I’m always very careful to exert just the slightest pressure on the curler before ever-so-gently easing my lashes out of them so they don’t stick to the pads and break off.

Yup, I’m a rule breaker, but you know what they say about rules (they’re meant to be broken).

Oh, and sometimes I like to wear my darkest, moodiest lipsticks in the middle of spring and summer. So what if it’s 90 degrees out? If the mood to wear an opaque matte plum to the pool strikes in the middle of August, I don’t even hesitate.

Why not, right? It’s fun to mix things up.

How about you? What makeup “rules” do you like to break?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen