A Monday poll from Karen of the Makeup and Beauty Blog

Karen asks; I answer.

1. Duochrome powder shadow or matte cream stick shadow?

Duochrome powder. I kind of don’t get the point of matte shadows unless I’m using them in the crease or as a liner, and those roles are the boring parts of putting on eye makeup. Give me the shimmer, the sparkle, the frou-frou every time. 

2. What blush have you been wearing lately?

Clinique Cheek Pop in Heather Pop. It’s a pink, but a slightly warm shade, so it looks natural, not Barbie. And it has a nice, subtle sheen.

3. What’s a lipstick you could wear over and over again and never get tired of?

Image courtesy of Blanche the Girl’s blog, which I regret discovering only now. 

Guerlain’s #66 in Gracia, although it is long discontinued. I stocked up when I spotted a bunch of tubes on Overstock.com. I must have bought four or five! It’s a sheer plum that I can reapply quickly and easily. It doesn’t hurt that the lipstick case comes with a pop-open mirror. So handy!

4. Lava lamp or disco ball?

Disco ball,  and I’d install it in the laundry room. It would be nice to feel festive while attempting to scale Mount Washmore.

5. Last party you went to?

Well, there was my monthly play-reading-cum-black-tie dinner, but the most relaxed festive evening I’ve enjoyed lately was an Apres Ski-themed cocktail buffet. I wore a cashmere sweater, black velvet pants, and these adorable Ferragamo loafers

Still available at a reduced price on Rue la la … run, don’t walk. 

and danced up a storm.

6. What are you going to do after you fill out the Monday Poll?

Shower, do my hair, and then make some Chex Mix.

7. Carnations or tulips?

Tulips! I love the way carnations smell—I adore that clove note. But tulips are so graceful, and a snap to arrange. 

8. Do you remember getting your ears pierced?

You bet I do. Inspired by a passage in Louisa May Alcott’s Eight Cousins, I pierced them myself when I was 14 or 15.