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 more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007). 1. What did you have for breakfast? Protein smoothie with whey protein powder, greek yogurt, unsweetened almond milk and fruit (apples and strawberries). It’s easy, doesn’t require turning on the stove and it keeps me full for hours. 2. How did you do your hair today? I’m wearing it down, with soft, barely there waves. Kinda boring but it’s practical for me because it takes about five minutes to style. Plus wearing it down helps with the migraines (I get bad ones). 3. What’s your favorite summer month? June. It’s the end of the school year, and you feel like the whole summer is ahead of you! It’s also warm but not too hot yet. Oh, and it’s my birthday month, too. Yay, to all my cray-cray geminis![Continue reading...]

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Crisis between colleagues! Today, a special meeting of the Board of Directors of Tabs the Cat Industries, LLC was called to review a most disturbing matter — the repeated and inexplicable disappearance of Chief Feline Officer Rosie’s crunchies. At various times over the past few weeks, Rosie’s food bowl, which had been previously full, has become empty, and as you can imagine, this caused quite a corporate kerfuffle. The results of an internal investigation were inconclusive, but Rosie thinks she knows who’s doing it… Since the official investigation was inconclusive, the board hasn’t taken any action, but Rosie’s suspicions have created a lot of tension… Unfortunately for Marnie, she has a lengthy record of snack theft, so her history isn’t doing her any favors. Plus, she was captured on security footage early this morning in the vicinity of Rosie’s food bowl. When asked about it by the company investigator, Marnie lawyered up… I just hope this gets resolved soon because it’s been bad for morale in the office. 🙂 Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict, Karen

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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 more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007). 1. What made you smile today? It’s early in the day (I just woke up 30 minutes ago), but so far petting Marnie and Rosie, and re-reading the homemade Mother’s Day card Connor made are two things that made me smile. 2. What’s the first thing you do when you get home and walk through the door? Hmmm, well, I want to say that I usually take off my shoes first thing because, hello, I need foot freedom (shoes are so oppressive), but I think what I technically do is lock the door behind me. 3. What’s your favorite cereal? Does oatmeal count? If it doesn’t then, it’s Kellogg’s Special K with the dried red strawberries. I don’t really eat it for breakfast, though. It’s more of a[Continue reading...]

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It’s almost dusk here at Casa de MBB, and we’re getting cleaned up and ready for bed, but I still wanted to wish you a Happy Mother’s Day. There’s so much to say about Mother’s Day, isn’t there? It can be an emotional day in many ways for many reasons, different for everyone. People have such different relationships with their parents and their children and all of the creatures they care for, and life is fleeting. We all lose our care givers and loved ones someday, and days like today mean different things to all of us at different times in our lives. I pray and hope your day was good to you. Every Mother’s Day, just like every other day, I also think about Tabs. Oh! — sometimes when I see an old picture like this one below, I tear up, especially on Mother’s Day. I sure miss my special boy! Rosie As you may or may not know, Rosie the Magnificent has her own connection to Mother’s Day because she is… A mother![Continue reading...]

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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 more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007). 1. Pick how much ice you’d like in your drink: all the way to the brim, half full, a few cubes or no ice at all? Half full, please. That’s purr-fect! 2. Have you ever raised a puppy or a kitten? Yes. It’s a wonderful experience, but be prepared to have your nice things destroyed! Oh, and you can forget about your couch ever looking pristine again. 3. How often do you hit the snooze button in the morning? Just once. I used to just get up when the alarm went right off, but lately, eh, I’ve been loving a little extra sleep. 4. What decade has the best clothes? I’m probably biased because I wish I could go back to 1998 at least once a day, but[Continue reading...]

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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 more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007). 1. What sports would you have liked to have played as a kid? I would’ve loved to have taken dance classes. I think I would’ve enjoyed soccer, too. 2. Would you rather listen to the radio or replay a favorite album? Replay a favorite album. Speaking of that, my family will probably freak out if I play the greatest hits from Fleetwood Mac one more time. 3. Have you ever had a job where you had to be on your feet all day? Yup. I’ve done retail and worked in the back of the house in a bakery. Gotta have supportive shoes! 4. Do you have any travel plans for the summer? Right now we’ve got one camping trip to the Russian River planned, and that’s it. I[Continue reading...]

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Things are a little different now under Rosie’s feline leadership — less kitty modeling, fewer lavish parties, and we don’t fly business class anymore. Lot more science, though. 😂 So, on the one paw, we’re on the cusp of developing a new fusion-powered AI robot that can dispense crunchies, but on the other paw, daily life can be a little…boring. But that’s OK! We like boring now. Here’s a quick look back at a typical spring day when Tabs was in charge. He made everything seem exciting, even just going for our morning walk. Tabs was hongry today on our walk. Not just hungry, but hongry. He was ravenous! He didn’t even care about the giant turkeys gobbling on the hill or the little kids shouting at the neighborhood playground. He was too busy hunting for the freshest, tastiest shoots of grass, which were hard to find today because the condo landscapers mowed the hill this week. Tabby loves Novato so much, and we’re coming up on the best time of year for kitty exploring.[Continue reading...]

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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 more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007). 1. How many lip products do you typically carry with you: 1-2, 3-5 or 5+? Lately, I’ve been pretty streamlined, so it’s usually one or two things – lipstick and a gloss! 2. What nail colors have you been into lately? Pale opaque baby blues. Perhaps I’m having a mid-’90s nostalgia moment, ha! Remember that baby blue nail polish by Hard Candy? I couldn’t get enough of it. 3. Which would you rather do: an afternoon outdoor picnic or late night stargazing? Afternoon picnic because I’m pretty sure I’d be too sleepy to stargaze late at night, hahaha! 4. Scrambled or sunny side up? Both! But if it’s scrambled, I’ve got to be the one making the eggs. I’m weirdly picky about my scrambled eggs. If there even[Continue reading...]

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So, yeah. One of Tabs’ little-known side hustles would have made him even MORE super popular around the neighborhood but, unfortunately, he had to keep his real identity under wraps. I mean, he wanted to promote it, but his contract with Easter Bunnies Inc. had an airtight NDA. So it was a pretty thankless job, but still…highly rewarding. As you can imagine, Easter was a favorite around here. All of us at Tabs the Cat Industries, LLC were always busy during that critical first quarter trying to maximize the company’s gravy quota, so by Easter we were worn out. That’s when Tabs would always decide on his spring goals, and when they were good, it definitely helped set the tone for the rest of the year. 😹 Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict, Karen

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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 more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007). 1. Group chats: love ‘em or leave ‘em? It depends on the group, hahaha! I mostly love ‘em, and for those chats that I wanna leave (but can’t for whatever reason), well, that’s when the mute button comes in handy. 2. Full, medium or sheer? Hmm. For things like face makeup, then medium or sheer, although to be honest medium feels like full coverage for me these days! When it comes to, like, nail polish, though? Opaque all the way. I’ve got no time for sheer nail polish these days. Oh, and does this apply to perfume, too? Because if we’re talking about scents, I’ve been more into medium and sheer scents lately. 3. Did you pick up anything during the Sephora sale? Not this time, no. I[Continue reading...]

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Sure, Tabs was a great boss, brilliant thinker, a total disruptor who dominated everything he ever tried, but let’s be real… He was a really tough employer. He was so demanding! “Meow!” he’d say, or “Mrrow!” A lot of the time, his directives had to do with treats (of course), or petting — specifically, deep-tissue kitty massage. I did my best, but I was only human, which yeah, was a bit of liability. That’s why Tabs spent years developing the perfect robotic assistant. We even released a couple pretty good ones. In fact, our Tabby Dynamics subdivision was the first to bring a bipedal humanoid cat assistant to market. When Rosie took over as CFO, I thought she’d be different. She had a bit of a softer streak than Tabs, but we quickly realized that she was also pretty demanding. She isn’t as tough as Tabs was, but I think it’s fair to say that one of our pet assistants has trouble with bananas. That’s one way to describe it… She may not be the[Continue reading...]

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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 more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007). 1. How would you rather spend some unexpected afternoon free time: watching a movie, going for a walk or reading a book? I’d love some extra time to read! I recently found a new-to-me author that I enjoy, Rebecca Searle, and I’m going through all of her books. 2. What did you last cry about? Well, I went to the OBGYN last week, and I had a mini-meltdown when the nice nurse took my blood pressure. I think it’s a little bit of leftover post-traumatic stress from going to the doctor so much last year along with some hormonal stuff (dang this peri-menopause). 3. What would you rather do with a friend: play card games, have a picnic in the park or go to the farmers’ market? Let’s[Continue reading...]

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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 more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007). 1. What could you use most right now: cuddles with pets, a hot cup of tea or a nap? I’m drinking a hot cup of tea at the moment, and I’m not too sleepy, so I’ll take the cuddles from the pets. 2. On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, how concerned are you about AI? Girl. As someone who named her daughter after a great science fiction heroine who rises up to help defeat the robots, I’m going to give this a solid 10. I’m freaked out, man! 3. Something unexpected that happened to you recently? Well, I saw a bobcat out of my window when I was at work last week! (See the pic at the top.) The campus has a lot of[Continue reading...]

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Rosie, being scientifically oriented, has an affinity for baking. She appreciates the precision and thinks of it like working in a lab, except one where you’re able to sample the fruits of your labor. We’re all so excited because she opened her new French bakery, La boulangerie de Rosie, in Novato this weekend. I know! Very exciting. Unfortunately for Rosie, Marnie was her baking assistant, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to work out because Marnie has no regard for recipes or measurements…or really, any kind of precision. Actually, Rosie didn’t come up with the idea for the bakery herself. Tabs, as you know, was very forwarding thinking, and toward the last years of his reign he planned to open a high-end cat bakery that also catered to humans (but also cats), and Rosie borrowed the idea. We can safely assume that if Tabs had gotten the business off the ground, it would have been a huge success. Yup, everything that cat touched turned to gold. 💛 Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict, Karen

The post Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 856 appeared first on Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup.

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 more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007). 1. Which is the hardest to do: engage in small talk with strangers, ask for directions, paint your toe nails or cook a meal without a recipe? For the life of me, I can’t make most meals without having a recipe to follow. I’m not one of those people who can cook from the heart and throw ingredients together with abandon. I need precise measurements (because one person’s pinch of salt might mean something completely different to someone else) and guidelines, otherwise I’ll short circuit. 2. Do you wanna go dancing at the pink pony club? Sure, why not? I’m gonna keep on daaaaaan-cing… 3. What language would you like to be fluent in: French, Cantonese, Arabic or sign language? All of them. LOL! I think sign language[Continue reading...]

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Yup, the boss lady wants us to tighten our belts around here. It looks like the economy is slowing down a bit, so no more Tuesday all-you-can-eat turkey or free five-egg omelets in the cafeteria. She wants everyone in the company to cut back, and that includes Rosie and Marnie. Starting immediately, there will be no more kibble showers! The leadership committee is hard at work identifying opportunities for process improvement… Rosie and CHO (Chief Hugging Officer) Whiskers are upping the napping quota by a staggering 15%! That means more hugs for everyone! Or else!!! It’s gonna be rough for a while. Hopefully things turn around soon. I have faith in Rosie’s leadership ability. And where many leaders lack empathy, she really goes out of her way to show she cares about people. It’s very motivating! Marnie is totally fired up about it. I sure wish Tabs were still around because he was so good at business. He would have known how to navigate a downturn better than anyone. 😊 Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,[Continue reading...]

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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 more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007). 1. What eye makeup products have been on repeat with you lately? Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara (eh, it’s just OK), Stila Liquid Liner Micro Tip (it’s pretty good) and good ol’ Anastasia Brow Pencil. 2. How good are you about finding clothes that fit you well? I used to be OK at it, but now, I don’t really enjoy in-person shopping as much as I used to, so I don’t spend the time that one really needs to find the things that fit great. There’s always something a little off with my clothes and I just kinda live with it. Blergh! On the bright side, at least my outfit is always ironed and somewhat matching. 3. How good are you about resisting impulse purchases? Pretty good![Continue reading...]

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Tabs was a natural born optimist. He always saw the up side to everything, sought out the silver linings and took advantage of every opportunity to spread hope and joy. That might be why he liked holidays so much — because they were an opportunity to play Santa “Claws,” so to speak, and spread good tidings to everyone. Perhaps for the obvious reasons, St. Patrick’s Day was a fave. Obviously, with those gorgeous green eyes, he loved the color scheme. ☘️ And then, of course, the gold… He was also a big fan of that. 😊 Rosie has her own reasons for celebrating St. Paddy’s Day. For starter’s, alchemy… In fact, she did her PhD dissertation in turning lead into gold through targeted meows in the ultra-low frequency range, the so-called “smoker’s meow” spectrum. Marnie, however, did not get the memo regarding St. Patrick’s Day this year. Or rather, she did get the memo, but she didn’t read it. Or, well, she read it… She just didn’t understand it at all. 😹 Your friendly neighborhood[Continue reading...]

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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 more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007). 1. Which would you rather have in your makeup collection: a nail polish that never chipped, a foundation that perfectly matched your skin tone, a long-lasting mascara that was easy to remove or a lipstick that never dried out your lips? Nail polish that never chipped! In a heartbeat. 2. How good are you at doing other people’s hair? Not great. Actually, terrible. I realized I really need to work at it when I tried to do Connor’s hair in a french braid for a dance competition, and it looked so wonky it was laughable. 3. What do you do when you’re sitting on a flight next to a stranger: chat them up or put in your headphones and pretend they’re not there? I’ll do a little polite[Continue reading...]

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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 more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007). 1. Which would you rather collect: vintage clothes or vintage furniture? I could do both, but if I could only pick one, I’d have to go with vintage clothes, mostly because I don’t have a big enough house to collect furniture pieces. Sigh! Oh, and also, I don’t want to worry about my furniture being beat up by the pets and the kids playing in my house, you know? 2. How good are you with keeping secrets? If you tell me something in confidence, it’s going to the grave with me, babe; however, I do have an exception policy. If I believe someone’s in danger, then I’m gonna say something. 3. Who’s the coolest Jennifer: Jennifer Hudson, Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Garner or Jennifer Coolidge? Jennifer Coolidge, all the[Continue reading...]

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