The Skincare Line up: June 9th, 2023

Good morning my darlings and welcome to Friday Morning. Here we look at all of the skincare used this week. It was interesting for me. Usually when I travel, I transfer my in progress skincare items into my regular skincare line up so they don’t sit around open and expiring. However as there isn’t too lng between trips, I put everything back into the bag and went back to my normal routine. Well normal with changes. Before I left I finished out my makeup remover and I took the last of my moisturizer home so I have two new products. But we’ll get into that below. So without further ado, the products use this week…

Makeup remover: Vitabrid C Daily C Balancing Cleansing Balm

Cleanser: Farmacy Whipped Greens Oil Free Foaming Cleanser

Toner: Georgette Klinger Rose Clarifying Toner

Serum: Depology Caviar Serum Stick

Serum: Dermelect Empower Anti Wrinkle Treatment

Moisturizer: Kat Burki Vitamin C Intensive Face Cream

Lips: Buxom Powerful Lips Scrub in Dragon Fruit

The makeup remover is new to me. It is from Vitabrid and it is okay. It has a light clean scent and it does take my makeup off well. It also leaves me feeling a little greasy, which isn’t that big a deal as I cleanse my face right after, but I don’t like the feeling that my cleanser has to wash off the makeup remover before it cleanses my skin. it is a decent makeup remover and I will use it, but I suspect it isn’t going to be my favorite and probably not one I will repurchase. It is just, okay.

The Farmacy Whipped Greens is now on my list of my top cleansers tried this year. Each year in the fall as the world gears up for Black Friday Sales I make a list of some of my favorite products used throughout the year so that when the sales start i can stock up on some winners. I also end up using most of them during the holiday season so that I can have fabulous skincare that I don’t have to think about while the madness of the holidays is crashing down. This Farmacy Cleanser is going on that list. And actually because my birthday is in June, when I placed my latest Sephora order I got a trio of Farmacy products in a little kit as a Beauty Insider birthday gift (You just sign up on the site and in your birthday month you can add a gift from their list with a $25 purchase). I will be filtering the products into the travel bag and can’t wait to see if they are added to the purchase list as well.

But moving on to our list…The toner is okay as well. it is a toner. The rose scent isn’t terribly pronounced which is nice. And that is really all I have to say about it. I have tried fabulous things from the brand, but this toner is like the makeup remover. it works, but it is just okay.

The Depology Serum stick is reaching it’s end and next week I will have a review up of the product with before and after pics. It can be used all over the face, but I find it best as an eye cream and on the lines around my mouth. This is where it does it’s best work and this is where i will use it.

The Dermelect serum is a creamy consistency that melts into the skin. It is less than a month and i have already seen a bit of improvement in my skin’s texture so I will gladly keep using this. It is light weight and melts in well. it does need a little time to settle in before the moisturizer is applied. if you don’t give it that time it will take far longer for your moisturizer to absorb as well, so just give i t a minute. Brush your teeth or your hair or something and then go for the moisturizer. It doesn’t take long and is worth the wait.

The Kat Burki cream is new. I have been really waiting to try this cream. It is a white cream that is slightly thicker than a water cream and smells like a high end spa. I am not sure what else to say about the scent. It is light and skincare-ish, but it also smells expensive and spa like. Not a lot is needed and when it is used the product very quickly melts into the skin without feeling heavy or greasy. I have not had any need to add in a night cream or feel that it was too heavy for the day. I am able to use it as my one moisturizer. It is the first week of use and I am usually enamored of my moisturizers on the first week of use. It is as we get further into the trial that i start noticing things. Thus far though this is a fantastic cream and I am delighted to have it in the line up.

And finally we reach the Buxom Lip scrub. What can I say, it works well and is gentle enough to use nightly. It also seems to be lasting well. I am less than halfway through the product with about a month of use. so two thumbs up for Buxom.

And that my darling is the skincare line up for me this week. There was nothing bad, just a few okay for now products that will be used up and then wiped from my memory banks. But over all, nothing was problematic, which is how I like my skincare. And so here is where I leave you to get on with your Friday. Have a great one and a fabulous weekend beyond.

Weekly Weight: June 9th, 2023

This week was not the best for me, either workout or food wise. I managed to get a few morning walks in, but I have to say I was a bit tired from my weekend trip. I don’t mind driving and going down. I am fine with that, it is just going to be something to keep in mind.

I came back on Sunday night and just jumped right back into my routine on Monday as usual. Which worked well for Monday but by Tuesday things started to go a little crazy. And much of it was just random stuff. My old vehicle was no longer highway reliable and so I got a new (new to me anyway) vehicle and it required a set of things like calling the insurance company and discussing policy changes and such as well as oil changes and general inspection.

Then because I didn’t need two vehicles, one of which could only be driven in town, that prompted a whole bunch of other things. Each individual thing wasn’t much. It really wasn’t and even added together it wasn’t much. It was just general things that you have to take care of.

The thing is that it felt like more since I didn’t have the break of a weekend. Things that should have just been simple things to check off a to do list (even if buying a new car isn’t an every day thing, scheduling routine maintenance isn’t all that onerous) seemed like far more work than usual. Everything felt like it took longer and was a bit of a slog.

And I really think that is because I worked all last week and then Friday got into a car and drove to spend the weekend helping keep someone else’s life running in a routine manner despite everything else going on and then driving back and jumping back into work.

I am not complaining. I am fine with the travel, although I am happy that her treatments are only every three weeks so there are two weeks between with no trips. I am only pointing this out because I think it means there are some things I need to take into consideration.

I need to look at my schedule and make certain that the week after travel is a light one with nothing extraneous scheduled after work. There were far too many days with things scheduled after hours this week and I am honestly exhausted. I think the week before I travel I may add a little extra to my schedule so that when I return I can coast into the upcoming week a little easier.

While I am certain no one wants to hear the details as i realign my schedule, I think it is a good thing for all of us to remember. There are times when we all need to lean on someone and there are times when others need to lean on us. I know that I am a better support when I am not exhausting myself and so I need to take the time to readjust so that I am not. It means being a little kinder to myself and giving myself a little bit of a pass sometimes.

As strange as it sounds I do have to remind myself that giving myself that break isn’t weakness or laziness, it is part of a larger system. You can’t expect a car to run without fuel, and rest is a type of mental fuel. And without the mental fuel I will not make good choices about the physical fuel either. Monday’s salad was replaced with takeout. Don’t get me wrong, I love Popeyes but no one is every going to make the claim that their buttermilk biscuits are health food. They were absolutely delicious and absolutely what i needed Monday night, but not the salad I planned. I restricted myself to the 2 piece and a biscuit which I haven’t had in about three years and it was glorious.

So not what my meal plan included. But glorious nonetheless.

And despite the crazy of the rest of the week, I did get back into my meal plan so I can’t feel too bad about it. It wasn’t a great meal plan and fitness week, but I did learn a little bit about the state of my own mental health and I know that adjustments will need to be made to get through the summer. And now I will make them. Knowing that is worth far more than any weight loss goal. Because let’s face it. If your mind isn’t right, nothing else is going to work right either.

The Daily: June 8th, 2023

Today my darlings I did not feel like putting on makeup. I felt a little gungy to be honest. So instead of putting on makeup, I went with a pore detox mask. The Super Pore Detox Mask from Beauty Pie to be exact. I love pre clearing masks. Especially when I feel just greasy and sweaty and well, gunky.

Which I do a lot of the summer.

It is the heat and humidity actually. Today it was cooler in the morning so I went on a morning walk. When I came home I rinsed off and toweled dry but still felt a little gunky. I think that might be the pollen as well as the humidity though. It seems we have hit a second wave of pollen release from the plants around here. Which is a little strange for us. usually we get hit hard in April and May and then there is a lull in June, July and August.

I like to think of it as nature deciding to hit us with only one weapon at a time, like Mother Nature’s own Geneva Convention. She can hit us with pollen OR increased heat and humidity but not both at the same time. This year the rules seemed to have changed. And we have both increasing heat and humidity along with waves of pollen.

While we figure out how to negotiate a cease fire, I went with the Pore Detox mask to make me feel a little less gunky. It is a purifying black clay mask and so it is dark on the skin as one might expect. As with all pore purging masks, the real results will be in the next day. I generally find that these sorts of masks leave me feeling fresh that day and then over night clogged pores rise and I start the morning off with an exfoliator before I start with my normal cleanser.

As I have the Nip+Fab exfoliator that I have been waiting to try I am perfectly fine with that. I will line it up on the bathroom sink for a first use in the morning. Today however this Pore Detox mask is making me feel significantly less gunky in my skin. The scent is kind of a mix of peppermint and licorice root. It doesn’t exactly smell like either, but sort of an odd blending of the two. i find it a pleasant scent. The mask went on easy and I let it sit for the required fifteen. Then I simply rinsed it off.

It came off with warm water and a washcloth, no chipping of the mud with a jackhammer required. It was an easy on, easy off sort of mask. In the morning I will see if there are actual pore clearing effects, but for the moment, my face feels fresh and fabulous.

At the moment I am trying out various Beauty Pie products. I joined as a member and want to see if it is a membership worth keeping. Thus far I have been trying out various makeup items. This is the first of the skincare items. Thus far, the makeup items have been pretty decent. One or two have been excellent but I am not sure they would justify the membership. They feel almost like items I would add if I was there. This mask however is one that I will certainly want to return to the site to pick up. I think it will be interesting to see if I feel the same about some of the other skincare elements as I work them into my routine and try them out. Of course part of that will be determined by what this mask clears, and i won’t know that until the morning. Once I have tried this Beauty Pie mask a few times to see how it works, I’ll do a proper review. Today just felt like the right day for a first use. And since I will be at my desk making up for lost time today and tomorrow, I figured a pore purge would go unnoticed.

And so my darlings, fresh faced and feeling significantly less gunky, it is back to work for me. I hope you have a fabulous rest of Thursday.

The Magic Extension of MAC mascara

Over the years I have tried, used and loved various MAC Products. The lipsticks have remained a standard favorite but over the years there were eyeshadows (one lovely one which was also used as a highlighter in the days before actual highlighters were a thing). And their cleansing oil was just fantastic. Actually they have a new one out that I want to try out.

But that is beside the point.

In general I think of MAC cosmetics as the solid standby. Generally everything works as it is supposed to so if you try something else out and it doesn’t work you have a standard to fall back on. I know, not the sexiest makeup description but when traveling there is the makeup bag with the products I am using and then in the purse there is a MAC Lipstick and a single eyeshadow just in case.

Actually I need to replace the single eyeshadow. There was a significant amount of pan showing and on my last trip I went diving into the bottom of my purse to look for a pen and it spilled out and shattered. As it gave up most of it’s product and was old enough to really have been taken out of use, I can’t really complain. But again, I digress.

Today we are looking at the MAC Magic Extension Mascara. I had a difficult time with this mascara. First off is the scent. It smells like mascara, but it is an intense mascara scent. It actually made my eyes water. Which a it was going on my eye lashes was a bit problematic. I had to open it and air it out a second before applying it to my lashes.

The wand isn’t terribly thick and it is just sort of a basic tapered end. I prefer fluffier brushes but as I once tried a mascara that had the smallest brush on the end of the wand that I had ever seen and was one of the best mascara’s I have tried, the wand isn’t a deal breaker. (it was the Beauty for Real Hi Def Mascara, if you are interested. Excellent product, dinky wand, the link will take you there, not an affiliate)

One swipe of the product darkens the lashes, two and three swipes (dipping into the tube each time) lengthens them. On average I dipped in four to five times before i was happy with my lashes. And once I was happy it was good. The lashes were long and luscious and didn’t flake. They also didn’t feel heavy. Once on, it was a fabulous mascara.

The problem is, it took a lot of product to get the lashes to look how I wanted. I’ve used this mascara off and on for about three weeks now and already the tube is really starting to feel light. It simply isn’t going to last long. As there are other mascaras that can also give me great lashes that will last longer, some for around the same price, some less expensive, it doesn’t make this a terribly good deal.

In the end I did like the mascara (although the scent is still really strong) but because it takes so much product to get my lashes right and the product gets used up so quickly, I don’t think I would repurchase. It is something i would definitely use if it came in a subscription box or a multi product set. I just don’t think the MAC Magic Extension is worth purchasing on it’s own.

Its All About the Blur with Stila

Recently I picked up the All About the Blur Primer from Stila. Back in the day I loved the Lingerie Soufflé Primer that Stila made. It came in a beautiful jar that made me want to keep it out all of the time just to look at it. And because it was out all the time, I used it more than anything else, because it was already there. It was a whipped formula with a pink tone. It evened the skin tone and provided a smooth canvas for the rest of the makeup to be applied.

Now if it was discontinued, you may ask why I am waxing poetical about it.

Don’t worry I didn’t get hit with the nostalgia stick. I am talking about it because the Stila All About the Blur really reminds me of that primer. It comes in a lovely tube that in it’s own way is aesthetically appealing as the jar. Personally I like the square ended rectanular plastic lid as it means I can store the product standing up. Plus there is just something I find appealing about the rectangle lid attached to the tube. Not sure why, but I like it.

It is practical too as it can be stored standing up and it is easier to tell how much product is in the tube. The only thing this primer doesn’t really have in common with the older version is the whipped texture. This is very much a cream that has not been whipped.

The primer is light weight, easy to apply and helps even my skin tone. It does help keep foundation from sinking into the corners of my eyes. It is okay at keeping the foundation from sinking into the lines beside my mouth. Part of that is that the lines by my eyes are affected when I squint, which I don’t tend to do a lot during the day. (it is also why I keep a pair of reading glasses within easy reach, thank you ThinOptics for always being there). I do tend to talk a lot during my day.

It is primarily movement throughout the day that will as products to sink into the lines by the side of my mouth. While this primer won’t conceal them completely, it does lessen the effect. And honestly the less I talk in a day the better it looks so it really is movement affecting it. The primer does it’s best.

Where it shines is in keeping the foundation from emphasizing the larger pores on the cheeks and nose. That is it’s strong suit and on the flat planes of the face it is a fantastic primer that really helps foundations look their best.

Which to be honest is fairly good. I would actually give this primer a nine out of ten. I would just like a slight bit more pore filling and then it would be full marks. As it is a nine is not bad. It is certainly better than average. I really enjoy this Stila Primer and will certainly be repurchasing it when this tube runs out. They have a stick formula of this as well, which I want to try out, but that is a post for another time.

The Daily: June 7th, 2023

Good afternoon my darlings. Today has been a lovely day. The sun is shining once again and I started off the morning watering the garden. I am pretty sure I will finish out the day in pretty much the same way.

And no I am not saying anything about routine, lest anyone be listening.

today is a day of paperwork. Yup, all the paperwork I missed yesterday as well as today’s fresh batch. Although I have to say calling it paperwork is a bit of a misnomer as it is mostly on the computer screen and only rarely actually gets printed out and that just for final revisions. Still paperwork seems like the appropriate term. At least I don’t know one better.

Today I had fun with a lot of new or at least new to me products. So that is much more fun to talk about than whether or not electronic paperwork can still be called paperwork. And so let’s dive in because this was a mixed bag.

Under Eye concealer: Beauty Pie Superluminous Under Eye genius

Primer: Beauty Pie Wonder Filter Velvet Finish Primer

Foundation: Beauty Pie Everyday Great Skin Foundation

Bronzer: Viseart Bronze Noix

Blush: Yensa Silk Serum Cream Blush

Setting Powder: Laura Mercier Travel Sized Powder

Highlight: Beauty Pie Triple Beauty Luminizing Wand

Eyeshadow: Julep Cream to Powder eye shadow Sticks

Mascara: MAC Magic Extension Mascara

Lips: Haus Labs Le Monster Lip Crayon in Maple Matte

Okay there are a lot of beauty pie products in here because I wanted to try a variety from the brand to see what i liked and if the membership was worth keeping. It was an interesting mix. I really enjoy the dark circle corrector. it is light weight and blends in beautifully while lightening the dark circles.

The primer and foundation from beauty pie I both liked, but I don’t think I like them together. This primer needs another foundation to shine. It works well with BB creams and light natural products this far and I think that is where it shines. This foundation really needs a pore filling product underneath. I like both products and I want to play around with them to see how much OI like them both (ie would i put them on a reorder list) but I don’t think they work well together. As a first use of the foundation though I do want to try it again. One pump did a log of coverage. I suspect it won’t be a go to foundation but more of an every so often foundation.

The bronzer is working much better now that I have cleared off the hard pan form it. It blends beautifully and is a huge pan that I can use for a long time. The Yensa blush I have fallen head over heels for and would happily use it everyday. I am going to have to rotate products more but i really like this blush.

this was the first use of the Luminizing wand and I can already tell I will want to order this as soon as the product level drops. I know that this is supposed to be a dupe for something but the truth is so many brands have a similar product right now I couldn’t tell you what it is supposed to be like. I can tell you I love it. One dot of product on the cheek and a quick blend and you have a soft glowy highlight with n hint of glitter. it is a grownups highlighter and I adore it.

I have a hard time with the Laura Mercier setting powder. The powder itself is good. I have a travel size and actually getting the powder out of the few holes in the top is so very frustrating that I don’t reach for this powder and I won’t actually travel with this travel size. I try not to bring my frustrations on the road with me. A part of me wants to try this powder in the full size to see if it is easier to work with. part of me just wants to use this up and forget about it. I might see if i can pru the inner lid up and use the powder that way.

I promise there are three separate eyeshadow shades on my lids

Today I used three Julip cream to powder eyeshadow sticks. They go on creamy and the do blend well and look like powder. they set in place. They tend to disappear on the lid a bit though. If you are going for a soft and subtle look or even just a one and done to just have something on your lids then these work. The shades I have looked so mush more pigmented on the screen. I think for light summer looks they will work, but there is not a lot of pigment going on. what is there stays for a really long time thoguh.

I used the Mac Mascara. It popped a little bit more because of the subtle shadow sticks. I did put on several layers as well which helped. it does layer beautifully, it just burns though product fast.

And then we have the new Haus Labs lip crayon. I saw it when I went to Sephora. I restocked my Stila mascara (adore) and saw this and couldn’t resist. I don’t know why the fact that it looks like a pen makes me smile, but it does. The color is a fab neutral and thus far it is creamy without being drying. I am really very happy with my impulse purchase. I think I will get a lot of use out of this lip crayon.

And that my darlings was me playing around with some new to me products. Some new loves arrived and there ae some products I will need to think about a little bit more. But for now, it is back to work for me. I will see you bright and early tomorrow morning. Have a great afternoon.

Mid Week masking with Elemis Pro Collagen Hydra Gel Eye Masks

That’s right, under eye masks are back! At least today. Today when i decided I needed a little mid week masking I reached into the box and came out with these under eye masks. Specifically they are the Elemis Pro Collagen Hydra Gel Eye Masks.

According to the website…

For eyes that need a hydration boost in a pinch, these clinically proven* eye masks are key. Formulated with powerful marine actives and hydrating Hyaluronic Acid, this unique gel treatment provides an instant skin-tightening effect whilst deeply moisturising the delicate eye area. In just 20 minutes, the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles around the eye contours are visibly reduced, for a younger, smoother and tighter look.

And so 20 minutes onto the under eyes they go. I have to say I like the feel of them. They are gel like but thin. Sometimes you get the gel masks that are heavy so either you feel like they are slipping the entire time they are on your under eyes or they feel like they are pulling the skin. which honestly, I don’t need anything pulling the skin of my under eyes down. I had a rather restless night last night.

I was chased by used car salesmen with giant teeth. I know it is a hold over from recently buying a car, but knowing why you have the dream and having the dream are two different things. hopefully the experience will fade and I can spend a little less time thinking about cars.

The undereye masks have virtually no scent to them which I found interesting. Most of the products I’ve tried from Elemis have some sort of scent with them. These just had a clear serum that had no scent. I am fine with them being unscented, I just thought it odd. They are cool on the skin and I really like the way they curve around the eye. Instead of being like giant commas, they are shaped more like crescent moons. They adhere well, cover the areas where I could use a little under the eye treatment with the anti-aging serum, namely my crow’s feet and don’t drip.

which means I get fifteen minutes working at my desk. Fridays when i mask I will relax and lean back, let the world fade away for fifteen minutes of mental clearance. For the mid week masking, I generally end up with something I can wear at the desk while checking e-mails or typing. It’s not that the fifteen to twenty minutes would cause serious damage, but somehow it makes me feel more like I am slacking off if I do that mid week rather than on Friday. Of course lately I haven’t been able to get my masking on Friday and have been doing it Saturday afternoon.

I really need to get back to the Friday Masking. Once I’m in the habit I keep it up, it is just getting in the habit again. At least on the weekends when I am not traveling.

But for now, we have the midweek masking. And after 20 minutes, the under eye gels come off. The gels are a little sticky but significantly less damp than when i applied them. My eyes feel very refreshed which i think is part of whatever caused the cooling effect. And quite honestly I did notice a reduction in the lines and puffiness under my eyes. I think to keep the anti-aging benefits I would have to keep using the masks.

Isn’t that always the way?

This one was a single that I had in my sheet mask box, so alas, I have no more. However I think I would definitely consider picking up some of these for a quick pick me up for my eyes, especially before an event where I wanted to look my best. Today it is just me and the desktop, but i feel refreshed and far more awake than when I put them on and for me, that is a really good thing to take into the rest of the day. Thanks Elemis.

Let’s talk sustainable underwear

I am doing my best to choose more sustainable options for my life. Like everyone else, sometimes I do better than others. One of the places I have had issues with is in the underwear department. To be honest, it is less the materials and the ethos of the sustainable underwear than the fact that it is really difficult to find sustainable underwear in my size.

I can find plenty of options for sustainable underwear in sizes far too small to fit me. Which always seemed strange to me. After all at my current size I use far more material than I did when I was a much smaller size, therefore a sustainable option uses more sustainable fabric. At least that has always been my thinking. I admit is is more self serving than taking the manufacturer’s views into account.

So when WAMA Underwear sent an email asking if I wanted to try out some of their sustainable underwear, I was cautiously optimistic. I poked around their site and low and behold their garments came in my size. And I was not pushing the limits of their top size. Which always makes me feel better. It is not fun to order the largest size a company makes and hoping that it fits. I was told when I ordered that the garments did tent to run a little bit small so I should probably order a size up. So that is what I did. I figured out the size based on their size guide and ordered a size up.

There are three garments I ordered. Two for the bottom and one for the top: bikini and boy shorts along with a racerback bralette to be exact. In bras I take a 42 D. By their size guide I should have ordered a 2X. I ordered a 3X and it fits perfectly. It is supportive enough for walking and exercises that don’t include a lot of bouncing. For a first wear test i wore it on a walk and then doing Yoga in the house. It worked fabulously well for that, but i wouldn’t want to go running or jumping rope in it. It holds me in, but it isn’t going to contain the bounce of a jump rope.

Which it isn’t designed to be used for hardcore workouts, so that is fine. It is a bralette, not a sports bra. The elastic band around the bottom is sturdy, but it isn’t tight enough to dig into the skin so it is comfortable to wear all day for me, which is nice. A lot of tank top style bras I have tried are either too tight on the bottom band or try to pretend they are a push up bra. This does neither, hence it’s comfortability.

The boy shorts likewise fit well. I again ordered a size up from what I would normally guess and they fit perfectly well also. The band is fitting on the belly but it doesn’t dig in. It is an inch wide elastic waistband and as it is new it has quite the sturdy snap. As I wear it, the durability of that snap will be something I will test. (along with long term wear through use and washing and continued comfortability.)

The bikini undies likewise were ordered a size up and fit as they should with no issues.

When the garments arrived, I did the standard underwear exam. I can’t not. I just hear my grandmother’s voice in my head and have to check for loose stitches. There were none. The underwear is very well made and all the seams are sturdy with no loose threads.

And before I wore them I washed the garments. My babydoll has a load of white t-shirts that have past the point of wear. They have holes and worn spots. Soon they will become dust rags, oil cloths and the occasional cloth strip used to tie up plants in the garden. For now they are just old white shirts. So to test if these darker garments bled out any pigment I washed them with the white shirts. There was no color from either the green or the black that bled onto the t-shirts.

I mentioned sustainability at the beginning and here is why. The underwear is made from 53% hemp, 44% organic cotton and 3% spandex. I am fairly certain the spandex is all in the elastic bands. Which is fine. without that, my underwear would probably loose the fight with gravity, and I think we would all prefer if that didn’t happen. Even with the cotton blended in, I was prepared for scratchy hemp.

There wasn’t anything scratchy about the garments. They feel like slightly denser cotton. They look like cotton and move and breathe like cotton, but there is a slightly denser feel to the cloth letting you know that there is something mixed in with the cotton.

fits and stays in place but isn’t constrictive

For the first wear I wore the boy shorts and the tank top under clothing on a walk in the park. I went in the morning when the temps were only around 72F with about 55% humidity. which for June is pleasantly cool and not all that humid for where I live. In the next month temperature and humidity will start climbing and even morning walks will see me soaked from the skin out. i was pleased to see that for a first use the underwear did well with the sweat of a walk. June and July are brutal months to be testing underwear, but it will certainly give it an extreme test. I will be wearing the undergarments for the next month and we will see how this material lasts through the walks and the wash. It was really comfortable for this first use, so I am pulling for it. If WAMA Underwear is sustainable, comes in my size, is comfortable and can last through a month of sweltering walks then I will be one very happy camper. Let the underwear trial begin.

The Daily: June 6th, 2023

Dear universe, when I said yesterday that it was nice to get back to a normal routine, I did not mean that as a challenge. I meant to say it with gratitude. My apologies for offending you and calling down your wrath.

Today, as you might have guessed, did not go quite as planned. My plan involved working quietly at my desk. I put my hair up in a messy knot, got my makeup on and then the phone rang. Because I am spending so much time on the highway, and my vehicle was old enough not to need to spend time on the highway, I purchased a new vehicle. Well new to me, it is a 2006 so new is relative. As my old vehicle was a 98 Mazda pick up it feels very new.

Don’t get me wrong my old vehicle was a tank. All metal body that ran well. It is just not up to highway driving and the transmission has started slipping. I do not have very many automotive skills so I would need to pay someone to replace the transmission and even then, it didn’t need to be going on highways. we have a friend who works on older trucks and also buys vehicles for parts and this morning he called and asked to buy it from me since I now need to get rid of it. I like to think it will be repaired and used. I suspect it will be used for parts. I did not ask, I do not want to know.

But he will be here to morrow to look at and hopefully take away the truck. Unfortunately when I went into the lock box where important papers are kept, the title was not there. So I tore apart the house this morning looking in every other place I could have put it, had to concede defeat and went to the county clerk’s office to get a new one.

Over all the mass search was the worst part, messy and longest because I didn’t want to give up. The county clerk just involved a long line and a ten second conversation before I passed my other documents over and got a new title printed out. The county clerk was quite pleasant actually.

It is just the chaos and mess I made in my fruitless search and the fact that I will be spending the remainder of the afternoon tidying up from the search that sort of blew apart my day.

So lesson learned, next time I am enjoying a routine day, I’m not going to mention it. And I am always going to remember to put important papers in the lock box. That actually is the annoying part. I was certain it was in there. Absolutely certain. And yet, when i looked, it wasn’t. that will continue to irk me for the rest of the day. And yes I will keep searching for the original as I tidy. That really bothers me.

Today’s Look

Primer: Beauty Pie Velvet Finish Primer

Foundation: Hide Cosmetics Invisible Oil Free Foundation

Bronzer/Blush/Highlight/Eyeshadow: Wander Beauty Getaway eye and Face palette

Setting Powder: Kimchi Chic Puff Puff Pass setting powder

Mascara: MAC Magic Extension Mascara

Lips: Buxom Cosmetics Dolly Matte Plumping lipstick

This Beauty Pie Primer does a really good job of smoothing and mattifying. I think f you have oily skin, this might be something you want to try. In the summer time i will occasionally have oil bleed through certain foundations and I think this would really help prevent that. It is not as pore filling as i would like, but it is smoothing and mattifying. It does a pretty good job of evening the skin tone as well.

This HIDE foundation I love. it is lightweight and blends easily. It is expiring in August, so I am going to try to reach for it more so that I can use it up before then. I think I am down to about half a bottle. It is not a terribly expensive foundation ($35) but it performs like much higher priced product. The container is plastic and does feel a little cheap, but the product is good.

The majority of products today came from the wander beauty palette. The reason I chose it to use is because i only used it a couple of times before and I wanted to see if it will be a good travel palette. I would love to be able to slip this into a makeup bag and have most of my products covered. That would really be helpful for weekend travel. The Bronzer is super pigmented. I dipped in lightly and got a heavy hit of product. it blended out really well though so i don’t mind that. The blush was a little darker than I liked. And while I did get it to blend, it was still heavier than I prefer today. i do think that if i used a fluffier brush that it would work better. I may try that out and see how it performs.

I wasn’t a fan of the highlighter. Which is odd, because I usually really like Wander Beauty Highlights. this one went on strong, but it didn’t blend all that well. It basically wanted to stay where it was put. I ended up going over it with my foundation brush to blend it (and the blush) in a bit better. For me that isn’t a deal breaker as I often just forget to use highlighter. The shadows are simple and neutral. They aren’t the most pigmented, which was surprising given the face products. I ended up using a little blush to add a bit of color.

It isn’t the most exciting quad of shadows, but the truth is that on these trips I will generally only be wearing makeup on the Sundays to take my mother to church. And as church wore her out completely on the weekend after the first Chemo visit I suspect that we may end up watching her church on television rather than attending in person services on the weekends I am there. But if in attendance a neutral quad like this is not a bad thing. If I can get the blush to tone down with a fluffier brush then I think I may have found a travel palette winner for the summer.

Which saves space in the bag for more skincare. Always a bonus.

The MAC mascara was fine. It took several coats to get the level I wanted. But I have to say even with multiple coats, my lashes didn’t feel weighed down. I am however blazing through this product though. The multiple coats are using it up fast so I just don’t see me repurchasing it. It is just gone too soon.

The Kimchi setting powder is my current favorite setting powder. I am going to have to set it to the side though. I have several other powders that i like enough to use, but once used up, I won’t repurchase. I need to work on using them up so they don’t lurk in the drawer while i use my favorite. So when I put things away I am going to make an effort to put it away and maybe even take out a different one for tomorrow to have ready.

And finally we get to the lip. I am really enjoying this matte lip from Buxom. I thought the shade might be too light yesterday, but today, I loved it without having to darken it. I like the slight tingle and I love that it comes with a matte finish. I prefer to have mattes and then know that if i want to make them gloss I can always add a clear gloss coat on top. I have tons of clear glosses. So that isn’t a problem. And I need to use them up as well. It is easy to make a matte glossy and a little more difficult to make a gloss matte. So for me it is cost effective to purchase mattes. And this is a good purchase. Although i do have to try out the red gloss from Buxom… But that is for another day.

Today I enjoyed what I used and found I will need to play around with my brushes to see if I can better product application. Sometimes, a product does fail due to user error. This wasn’t a fail just too much pigment for me. I am sur I can fix it. But for now, I am going to do one or two more things and then I am going to start tidying the mess I made earlier. It still bothers me that paper wasn’t where I thought it would be. especially since I know I put it there.

Subscribe and save 15% off AND free U.S. shipping on every recurring order!

Snacktime: Fibre One 90 Calorie Chocolate Flavor Doughnut

This Chocolate Flavored Doughnut from Fibre One came in my Cohorted Beauty box as an added bonus. I figured as it was a May box, letting it sit around for even longer was probably not a good idea. So I decided to make it my snack for the day.

At 90 calories it does fit in with my less than 150 calorie rule for snack time. As I look at this as a way to indulge (limitedly) in something i may not normally eat I really only worry about the calories. well that is not entirely true. When I decide to try something out for a snack I worry only about the calories. Later i figure out if the treat was worth it. I have has some higher calorie items that were worth it and some that weren’t worth bothering to eat. I have also found a few very low calorie things that felt utterly delectable and made me feel like I was indulging in something far more decadent.

It has been a tasting journey let me tell you.

The main reason I have an afternoon snack though is to keep me from reaching dinner time feeling like a ravenous beast. I find if I indulge in something small then I can approach dinner more rationally and then eat a sensible portion size. Also as mindless snacking is something to avoid, when i have a snack it makes me think I indulged and makes me more conscious of the choices I make at dinner. Somehow my brain things, “Look you have already indulged and snacked your way through the afternoon, maybe you don’t need that extra snack after dinner.”

Even if it is a small snack.

But the snack has to be worth it. It has to taste good and something about it has to be satisfying to eat. This Fibre One doughnut was… interesting.

The doughnut is more cake-y than light and airy and oddly enough was quite tasty. It has that kind of yellow cake taste to it. The sugar sprinkles were sweet with a hint of vanilla and not only were they tasty, but the differing sizes were quite pleasant as well.

Where it falls down is the chocolate. It smells very chocolaty. It tastes of absolutely nothing. It feels like soft wax in the mouth and has no actual taste. The cake and sugar bits were good, the chocolate was not something I ever want to put in my mouth again. I think this might be my one and only Fibre One Doughnut.

Clean Beauty Trial – Evergreen 2021 Offer – $19.99 with free shipping & 2 free gifts