Karen

Every year through my teens and mid-20s, the drill on Christmas was more or less the same: sit around the table at my parents’ house for a couple hours and stuff myself silly. Then, bundle up, get in the car, and hit up my friends’ houses.

Both Jen’s and Cindy’s families lived less than five minutes away, so I’d swing by Cindy’s place first, say hi, and grab a bite to eat. Cindy’s grandma was an amazing cook, and she wouldn’t let me leave before feeding me. Even though I’d already be full by then, I always made room for her homemade Chinese food. 🙂

Next, I’d stop by Jen’s house, which was always so fun and full of life. Her mom and dad headed the church choir, and Christmas at their place was extra exciting. There was always music, lots of food, and all of the younger cousins — who are all grown up and married now! — would be somewhere underfoot, begging me to play with them.

After that, I’d make one final visit to my friend Mark’s house across town, for even more food (!) and family time.

Things are a little different now… I still go home to my parents’ house and gorge myself on Filipino food — that hasn’t changed — but Cindy’s family has since moved to another town, and after Jen’s parents passed away, and she and her brother sold the house, Jen now spends the holidays with her husband’s family in Florida. And my other good friend, Mark, his family now lives overseas.

I don’t know where I’m going with this… I guess what I’m trying to say is that for me, spending this time with you on MBB every Christmas is like one those old house visits. I stop by, you stop by, and we chat in our virtual living room, eating virtual Christmas cookies (COOKIES!), talking shop and wishing each other happy holidays.

It’s a good tradition, and it reminds me that I’m not all alone out here in front of the keyboard, typing the words, “Cats, cats, cats…eyeshadow!” into oblivion.

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This year was an eye-opener for me in terms of hair and makeup. I learned many things, like to make my next appointment at the salon before I leave the salon (otherwise, I’ll just forget, and by the time I remember, my roots will be out-of-freaking control), and how a messy sock bun can help you make it through one more day without washing your hair.

I also realized that Laura Mercier’s Flawless Fluide is basically a makeup miracle in a bottle, and Smashbox’s Pore Minimizing Primer is capable of some seriously amazing skin-smoothing feats.

But the biggest hair/makeup lesson I learned was to push past the point in my eye makeup when everything looks like a hot mess.

I call it: the metaphorical makeup hump

It’s that moment in the eye makeup application process that I like to call (air quotes) “the metaphorical makeup hump,” when you feel like you’ve just jumped off a bridge, and you’re plummeting to the ground, and you start to freak out because you’re not sure if somebody remembered to tie your bungee cord to something solid.

I learned that at this point you have to press on and push through the doubt; the look will come together eventually, if you Just. Keep. Going.

For me, the feeling usually strikes when I’m trying something out of my comfort zone, or when I’m doing a look where there’s very specific placement of dark colors, and everything looks terribly janky when I get to the hump, like a “don’t picture” in a “dos and don’ts” column in a glossy magazine (“Don’t do this!” and then you see a picture of me with half-finished smokey eyes looking all confused, haha!), but if I see it through, things usually fall into place.

How about you? What have you learned about your hair and/or makeup this year?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Merry Christmas Eve!