The Daily: March 22nd, 2023

Good afternoon my darlings. I am happy to report that it is actually 49 degrees and I no longer fear for the lives of my spring flowers. It is however raining and the park is flooded so there will be indoor workouts instead of walking for today and possibly tomorrow, but no ice, so that I can live with.

I don’t know why these late frosts really bother me Possibly because it was more than a little late frost. Mostly I think it is because the week before I just started noticing that all of the trees in our yard started to have that green haze to them. You know the one? When you look directly at the tree it looks brown and winter barren, but if you look at it out of the corner of your eye, the tiny little green buds all over it give it a hazy green look. It isn’t quite budding but it has that breath before budding.

Almost but not quite spring. And then comes the late frost. It was worse this year than usual, but still not terribly unexpected and yet it always gets me.

Oh well. Soon it will be actual spring and things will get planted out into the garden and then it will be a race to get them to grow before the scorching summer sun arrives and early morning watering becomes mandatory. My older neighbor who I see walking in the park has repeatedly informed me that this summer will be a scorcher. He claims to know because of all the signs. He won’t tell me what those signs are but he gives me the wide eyes and frowny face paired with the slow head shake every time he brings it up.

He also seems incapable of passing me without making a comment on the weather. I offer a polite nod and smile but he has this need to say a few words every time we pass. He doesn’t want to stop and talk, but he just has to say a couple of words about the weather.

I think when I am older and people nod and respectfully listen to me when we pass in the park I am going to find a non-weather related topic to mention in passing. Just a sentence drop as the people I pass are trying to be polite. I’m thinking of going with Yetis. I’m sure i can cobble together enough small Yeti conversational sentences for walks in the park. Yeti sightings. Yeti aplasia issues. The shrinking of Yeti held territory due to the increasing Big Foot population and global climate change.

And yes, these are the sorts of things I think about. But for now, let’s get into makeup.

Today’s Look:

Pre Makeup Base: Embryolisse Lait Creme Sensitive

Primer: Tatcha Liquid silk canvas

Foundation: Elf Acne Fighting Foundation

Bronzer: Trestique bronzing stick

Blush: Axiology Color Cream Multi Use stick

Setting Powder: Beseme Cosmetics Aurora 1959 Pink Setting Powder

Eyeshadow: Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Diva Lights Palette

Mascara: Anastasia Beverly Hills Lash Brag Mascara

Lips: Tatcha tinted Kissu Lip Mask

The Embryolisse is a great way to start your makeup. I apply a thin amount about ten minutes before I start in on my makeup. It plumps the skin with moisture and preps it for application. Plus it has that very nostalgic scent. The formula hasn’t really changed since the 1950s and both my mother and grandmother used this as their day time moisturizer for huge swaths of my life so it has a very distinctive scent memory for me. Plus I like doing something nice for my skin just before I put on makeup.

You know I love the Tatcha Balm primer so much that I keep forgetting to reach for the liquid version. I really like this one too, mostly because it applies as a liquid but as you put it on it feels almost exactly like the balm as you smooth it over the skin. It is also a travel size that I picked up to try out. So it is sort of like a sample and I am trying to use up samples this month. i just keep forgetting I have this so i don’t use it as much. I have to say the older i get the more important a good primer is. It really helps keep foundation from automatically seeking out the fine lines.

I went with the Elf acne Fighting foundation today. of the elf foundations this one is my favorite and the one I will repurchase. while I am not constantly fighting the acne battle these days, there is just a nice lightweight feel to this formula that I really enjoy. It is one of elf’s best.

Again I stuck with favorites for bronzer and blush. I love my Trestique bronzer. For me this and the lip crayons are the best the brand has to offer. Other items are okay, but those are their hero products in my opinion, and the ones I keep repurchasing.

This Axiology Color cream is rapidly becoming my favorite cream blush. I think as I try out other cream blushes I will be bouncing between using it and the others. It is a creamy formula and in a pinch it can be used for lips and eyes. Plus it is a completely paper packaging so once I am through with it the package can be rinsed out and recycled. How fab is that?

I am loving this Beseme powder as well. Yes I know I chose all products I love today. I’ll try to stop saying that. I think though that I tried for so long to find a replacement pink powder that I just get happy every time I pick this up. tomorrow though I need to return to using up the last of the ABH powder. i want to finish it up before the end of the month so I need to use it pretty much the rest of the month to do so. The ABH Lash Brag mascara is always fabulous. Big fluffy wand, big fluffy lashes.

Charlotte Tilbury was the eyeshadow i went with. I have to say it is an expensive little eyeshadow quad so I will probably only buy one and just use it until it is gone. I bought this one on sale. I don’t mind paying more for a full palette, but it is a bit pricy given that it is a quad. That being said the shadows are really good quality and it is really easy to use. Yu start at the upper left and then work around the quad clockwise and then boom you are done. I always get more or less the same look, but it takes so little time and always looks good. For a quick morning palette or a travel bag, this is a really great quad. And I am glad i purchased it. I am also glad I picked it up on sale. And yes it really is that it is a quad that bothers me about the price.

And finally we have the lips. The regular Kissu mask is part of my night time skincare line up but I keep forgetting I have this tinted version. I don’t know if it is the tint, but it feels more like a lip gloss than a lip mask. It works like a lip mask and gives my lips a nice tint as well as excellent hydration. I need to start wearing it more as a lip gloss, especially going into the lower makeup days of summer.

And that my darlings is me on this dreary and rainy (but surprisingly warmer) Wednesday afternoon. I hope wherever you are you are having a grand mid week adventure.

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The Daily: March 21st, 2023

March just keeps chugging along doesn’t it. Today the freeze warning is still in effect but according to all sources I can find, it is supposed to warm up in the morning. I know tulips are fairly hardy but I do fear for their safety. they are no longer glazed and looking like ice sculptures and they don’t look wilted yet so I have hopes they will come through this snap in tact. Oddly the leaves are now starting to come out on my blackberry bush. They are small leaves teased out but the warm front before this current cold snap and now looking like they are regretting their optimism, but still they are there.

And blackberries always mean summer to me. So I am hoping for a bumper crop this year. I’ve already got my netting handy so at the first sign of fruiting I can protect the bush from the predations of the birds. I am actually curious as to how that will play out this year.

Usually we have problems with voles, squirrels and birds in our yard. This year the issue has been more of a feral cat situation (in the neighborhood and not just our yard) and all other wildlife seems to be giving our patch a wide berth because of it. We usually have a lot of nesting birds near us so it will be interesting to see how things progress.

It is my own little live action nature documentary.

My only role is to protect my garden otherwise I just watch it play out and occasionally scare off the cats. Last year most wildlife viewed my garden as an all you can eat salad buffet. Until this past fall when the cats decided it was a squirrel buffet with vegetable garnish. And the more the feral cat’s multiply the more my babydoll starts looking at pictures of terriers. I’m pretty sure he watched Crufts this year thinking about what kind of dog would work best against some of the rather large neighborhood cats.

Some of them are really large.

I’m not so sure I want to take that active a roll in the nature documentary that is our yard. At the moment I have a bottle of soapy water that is eco friendly and keeps bugs from eating most of my plants and chicken wire to keep things out of the garden beds. That is about as active as I plan to get. Tastes bad but isn’t actually poison and won’t hurt the ground as well as physical barricades like netting and wire. I might go as far as something that makes noise, but I am not up for all out warfare.

All of that is several months away of course as we are now struggling to get above freezing and my seedlings are in my greenhouse safe and sound from all predators and the weather. But the appearance of the blackberry leaves has started the planning.

Today’s Look

Pre Makeup Base: Embryolisse Lait Creme Sensitive

Primer: YSL Touche Eclat Blurring Primer

Foundation: Hide Invisible Foundation

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

Setting Powder: Beseme Cosmetics Pink powder

Mascara: Thrive Causmetics Mascara

Brows: Grande Cosmetics Brow-Fill Volumizing Brow Gel

Lips: Serephine Botanicals Lip Gloss and OFRA Lip Gloss in myth

I really like how everything turned out today. My plan this moth is to work through the sample sized primers and I have had this primer for a long time. Each time I think I am done with itI realize there is still just a little bit more left in the bottle and I keep it around. And even though I used it today there is still just a little bit more left in the bottle so I will continue to use it. Even though it is hard to get out of the bottle. I really love this YSL primer. I know it was all the rage a while back with everyone saying fabulous things about it and then it fell off the radar and now people say it’s time has passed, but I love this primer. It does such a beautiful job of blurring things out. And while the gold flakes are a bit much, when I use this primer under heavier matte foundation, it tends to look a bit less heavy. Even if it isn’t sparkly. I have tried several YSL makeup items and thus far this is the only one I’ve tried that I will repurchase.

This HIDE foundation is pretty good as well. It helps that it is in the perfect shade for my skin. I also know that it expires in August and so I am trying to keep it in rotation so that when August arrives I have used all of it. It is a weightless foundation that blends out so well.

Most of my face products came from the Wander Beauty Palette today. It is my first use of this palette. That bronzer is very pigmented. As is the blush. I suggest going lightly into the pan. I will say that both blend out really well, but they are more pigmented than they look.

The eyeshadows too are pigmented. I used Villa as a base, Boardwalk to darken the corners and Day dream as my shimmer. It was quick and easy to use and honestly I think I may have found my next favorite travel palette. The whole thing worked really well for me and took so little time to use. It isn’t the broadest spectrum of looks and I think I will probably end up with the same look each time I open the palette, but for a weekend trip, that isn’t a bad thing. And the size is great for a small makeup bag.

The Beseme Setting powder is amazing. I can already see myself getting refills for this compact for a long time to come. My quest for a replacement pink setting powder might have just ended because this just works so well without looking powdery.

The Thrive mascara gave me long lashes today that worked well. I might pair this with a thickening mascara in the future but for long lashes I really like this.

As for the lips. I tried the Seraphine and while I liked the color it was a little too sticky for me. I have this OFRA lipgloss that is just a little too light for me to wear on it’s own. It does make an excellent topper though. So I used it to top the Seraphine. It lightened the color a bit which I don’t mind but it also took away the stickiness from the other lip gloss. Th9is is definitely a pairing I will be using in the future.

So this is me today. Honestly I am really happy with the way things have turned out. It’s not dramatic, but then my looks rarely are. It is nice and casual yet when I had to take a video call earlier it didn’t look out of place. it was casual yet office friendly I suppose. Which is kind of where my makeup really lives. I play with the glitters and things at night and on weekends, but really day in and day out, casual and office appropriate is my lane. And I am happy with that. Especially for a Tuesday.

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The Daily: March 20th, 2023

In a season of yo yo weather, this weekend we had snow. Not a lot, just enough for people to step outside and marvel as the the tulips and late daffodils became frosted. I am not opposed to cold this deep into March. Mostly because of Easter. I remember every Easter I shivered and was freezing in my pretty summery Easter dress.

Admittedly so was every other little girl in church. Why do you do that? Everyone knows that Easter morning is going to be cold. And yet every year Easter dresses are made of thin summer weight cloth. Which you have to wear winter tights under and cover up with a coat. My Easter dress usually had a cardigan I would wear because they would take the coat off when you got to church so you could show off your pretty Easter dress. Unfortunately at our church they decided to stop running the heat because March was so warm and the building would be frigid on Easter morning.

Every Easter service I went to started off with a comment about the sudden cold snap that was so unexpected.

I think it might have been some sort of endurance test for little girls.

But I digress. Snow in March isn’t that unexpected. It only feels really strange because we had those 80 degree days in January and February. It feels like instead of progression from one season to another they decided to take all of the weather possible for the entire season and shove it into a blender before doling it out randomly.

We did get alerts for record lows all weekend so that made it feel extra strange. And all of the garden chores we had lined up were postponed. Soon my shallot and onion seedlings are going to have to go out though. They are getting to the point where the ground is necessary. They are strong enough to withstand a little cold, so I’m hoping when things warm up on Wednesday they will stay warm for long enough to let me get them out and established. I can cover them overnight after that, I just need them to have a little time before settling in.

This weekend we did start the Spring cleaning. As you might have guessed it did not include the opening of windows and airing out of the house. That, will wait for a weekend without snow. In between I ended up binge watching the Mayor of Kingston on Paramount+. It’s pretty good. I wasn’t sure I would like it but I needed a break from some of the other things I have been watching so I gave it a try. I didn’t get through the whole series but I got enough episodes watched that I am kind of hooked so I will watch the rest of the season at least. I know not terribly productive, but there was cleaning and snow. And now today is back to work.

Today’s Look

Pre Makeup Base: Embryolisse Lait Creme Sensitive

Primer: Tatcha The Silk Canvas Primer

Foundation: Yensa BC Skin on Skin Foundation

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Bronzer: Trestique Refillable Bronzer stick

Blush: Jane Iredale Blush Stick

Setting Powder: Beseme Cosmetics Aurora Pink Blush

Eyeshadow: Dominique Cosmetics Unconditional Palette

Mascara: Benefit Cosmetics They’re Real Extreme Lengthening magnetic mascara

Brows: Grande Cosmetics Brow Fill Volumizing brow gel

Lips: RMS Lip Gloss in Darling Lane

Setting Spray: Ciate London Watermelon Burst setting spray

Today my skin was feeling a little bit dry. I think it is mostly due to the weather changes. So I went in with my Embryolisse first. It is just a great hit of extra hydration before the makeup goes on and I really love it. And yes I did lose the cap to this so I am using a pencil eraser as a stopper and will be working to finish this cream and pick up a new one. It is something I always have on hand.

The Tatcha is my favorite primer and to be honest I went for the primer, foundation and bronzer because I wanted quick easy and good. These three are among my favorites. Tatcha blend out the fine lines making my skin looks smooth, the Yensa is light weight and fabulous and the Trestique is a dream to blend. The Yensa is a bit glowy so I use a setting powder to tame it as well as to set it and I am fine with how it turns out every time.

The blush is the Jane Iredale. It is a cream blush stick. The white tube already has foundation stains on it. The product is nice though. It does need a little warming up to blend out properly but once it is warm it is really good. Warming it just takes holding it in your hand for a five to ten count, then it is fine.

Then there is this Beseme powder. You know I have been looking for a good pink powder since Becca went under and the Pink Haze was no more. This is it. It is a pressed powder instead of a loose one, but I don’t mind that. I picked up the slim line compact from Beseme. It is refillable and all of their powder pans fit inside. I went with the pink toned one from the 1950s and it was exactly what I have been looking for. It goes on well without looking powdery and the pink tone brightens winter sallow skin. It also set the foundation well. And I love that it is refillable and not terrible expensive. Plus this compact reminds me of something my grandmother carried in her purse so I love having it around. In general I love the styling of Beseme’s products as well as the products themselves. I am definitely going to be using and refilling this for a while.

I am so tickled to have finally found the powder I have been looking for.

This Dominique Cosmetics palette is a six pan palette. It is really well thought out for easy use. I used the lighter pink as a base, added the crimson to the outer edge and blended, then added the shimmer with the matte white to the inner corner. I did not use the glitter today as I wasn’t feeling the glitter (it also is the only shade with fall out) but I used everything else. It is a great quick palette that performs well. I need to remember to take it out more.

I love my benefit mascara. this and Bad Gal Bang are my favorites so I have no problem reaching for either. The lips today were a lip gloss that I vaguely remember trying out but couldn’t remember how I felt. So I decided to give it a try. the color is nice, It is more pigmented than I expected. It feels like a cross between a lip gloss and a lip balm on the lips. It was sticky slightly at first but that went away almost immediately. It doesn’t dry down at all and does leave lip prints everywhere. The color wears off but even after the color is gone my lips feel hydrated. I think this too is a product I am going to have to remember to reach for more often.

And that my darlings is me today. Personally I like how things turned out. And I am over the moon about the Beseme powder. But now it is back to earth and the continuation of the regularly scheduled work day. Hope you are having a good Monday my darlings.

The Daily: March 16th, 2023

Oh my darlings have you ever planned a very logical course of events and then watched them spiral completely out of control?

I started today off with a plan. It was a good plan. I worked late last night clearing off the morning schedule and getting ready for the plan. I was on top of things. You see with everything going on there have been some things that we’ve been kind of putting off. Things that kind of need to be done during the workday and not on weekends. A nice laundry list of things from getting new contact lenses to routine vehicle maintenance.

Some of them could have been done on the weekend I suppose but sometimes the weekdays are less crowded so its easier. Anyway we had a list. It wasn’t a really long list. Usually I’ll take things like this down one at a time but there were more than usual and some were quite delayed so I made my plan.

The auto mechanics is on the far side of town, and actually a little outside of town if I am honest. So I figured I’d start there, getting in when they first opened and then working my way back. So instead of my normal morning routine I washed my face, slapped on my skincare and filled a travel mug with coffee. I then headed out across town hoping to beat the morning traffic.

I was only partially successful and it took longer than I planned.

In fact everything took longer than I planned.

Every. Single. Thing.

I don’t know if i was overly ambitious or if if everyone had the same thought i did and a similar list of things to accomplish, but it was a mad house. I planned to be out two maybe three hours. At the latest I planned to be back around lunch time. Maybe. I just walked in a few minutes ago. My very late lunch (a tomato basil sipping soup from Campbell’s Yes Well line in case you are interested) is in the microwave. I will have my soup and then I will check my e-mail. Following that, I will be starting the process of making dinner. we are having stromboli tonight and I need to make the dough.

there is no makeup today. It feels like there was no real day today.

I am also fairly certain that I am the only one in the entire State of Tennessee who not only possesses a working turn signal on their vehicle but also has the understanding of how to use it. I could be wrong, but at the moment I really doubt it.

I am now going to take some deep breaths and then I am going to have my soup. I hope your day went a little more to plan than mine did.

The Daily: March 15th, 2023

Beware the Ides of March….Beware…especially if you think you might be betrayed by a friend. But who really plans for betrayal anyway? No betrayal for me today, Just a day at the desk. I am feeling significantly less stuffy and puffy today though which is nice.

I also had a fight with my bangs. They did not not want to behave. And in the end they won and I am resigned to them just looking slightly crazy. And yes I adjusted my position in the photo so you can’t see that a section of my bangs kept threatening to rise up like it is testifying in church.

Although I’m not sure me falling asleep with wet hair is testifiable material.

I did just get a package in today that I am super excited about. I’ve started ordering restocks of things because I realized not only did I need my spring orders but I was out of a lot of things. I think everything has been so chaotic that things slipped through the cracks. And while I was doing my restocking I popped on to the Beseme Cosmetics site. They do a lot of vintage style cosmetics. 1950s lipstick, cake mascara, that sort of thing. They also have collaborations that are just fabulous. A while back I picked up the Sleeping Beauty Collaboration for my Aunt who was over the moon about it and then I picked up the I love Lucy Collab for my godmother who is a HUGE I love Lucy fan.

I got to see a grown woman squeal when she opened that one which was nice. And very surprising.

The thing is that their collabs do not last long. Half the time they are sold out by the time I find out about it and go to the site to look. So I have started lurking. Or maybe stalking is a better term. I pop into the site routinely because they have great formulas and their collabs make such fabulous gifts. The makeup is long since used up but my aunt still uses the hand mirror I picked up with the collection. Which is something I love, they have items that outlast the makeup so it feels more gift like.

Anyway no new collabs but a I was there I saw the pressed powder compact. it is refillable and one of the refills was pink powder. So I scooped it up, along with a pot of their cream blush. It comes in a gorgeous metal container that is red and gold. Anyway the package arrived today. It arrived after I put on my makeup so i didn’t use it today. I thought about it, but decided adding it on top of what I was already wearing was not the greatest idea. If you have been following me for any length of time you might recall I have been searching for a pink powder to replace my no longer being products Becca Pink Haze setting powder. I have my fingers crossed that this is it. And even if it isn’t the compact is a slimline perfect for my purse and refillable. So it will be fabulous no matter what.

I will start playing with them tomorrow but I couldn’t help but gush as they came i before this post went up.

But on with today’s makeup, before I have to get back to work.

Today’s Look

Primer: Basic Beauty Smooth and Blur Primer

Foundation: Beauty Blender Bounce Liquid Whip Foundation

Bronzer: Milk Makeup Bronzing Stick

Blush: Jane Iredale Blush Stick

Setting Powder: Anastasia Beverly Hills Translucent Setting powder

Eyeshadow: Too Faced Better than Chocolate Shadow Palette

Mascara: Pur Fully Charged Mascara

Brows Grande Brow-fill

Lips Seraphine Botanicals Long Lasting Vegan Lip in Cherimoya and Fig

Okay let’s jump in because today was interesting. This was the second use of the Basic beauty primer. I think if I had more texture to my skin then maybe I would like this. It does make my skin smooth and soft, but it doesn’t really do much of anything else. It isn’t gripping, It doesn’t really feel hydrating. It doesn’t color correct or really do much blurring. It is just smoothing. And as my skin is pretty good right now, that doesn’t really do much for me. I’ll use it tomorrow again which will empty out the small tube but I don’t think this will be a full sized purchase.

I did choose a foundation that works well on it’s own with this primer and the Beauty Blender foundation does work really well on it’s own. I can tell that I am not wearing a line filling primer underneath, but I think it still looks nice.

While I love my Milk Makeup bronzer, I think my sample is starting to dry out. I can actually feel it becoming more difficult to blend. It is nearing the end of the product so that does have something to do with it, but it does have me concerned about picking up the full size. I think this is a bronzer that you use when it is your only bronzer. While the sample is on the way out, I think I may have to use a few more products up before I am ready to purchase the full size. I think it is a product that just needs to be consistently used.

This was my first use of the Jane Iredale Blush stick. My thoughts are really positive about it. The blush blends well and is really creamy. I do have to blend one cheek at a time it feels like it wants to set if I apply it on both and then blend. But that isn’t unusual. It will be interesting to see how it wears. I only did a light application so I’ll have to play around and see how well it builds.

I like the ABH Setting powder, which is fortunate as I have an unopened backup in my drawer. I wish it had an inner lid to keep it from getting so messy, but otherwise it is fine. I think if i keep using this I might actually finish it by the end of the month. I like the powder but it is a big powder so it feels like an accomplishment. Plus it has been opened for a while now.

This was my first use of the Too faced Better Than Chocolate and I predictable went for the browns and bronze. They worked well. they applied smoothly and blended nicely with no real fall out to speak of. I think I may have to use a wet brush with the shimmers but thus far, I like the formula.

This Pur Mascara is done. This was the last of the product in the tube. It is a decent every day mascara. it isn’t spectacular but it is reliable in the lengthening department. I don’t think I am going to be purchasing the full size.

I am really loving the Grande Brow Fill as it covers in my patchy parts of my brows with no problem and holds everything in place all day.

And then we reach the lips. I like the color and I love the way this liquid lip applied. It is however the stickiest lip formula I have used in a while. Seriously the sticky doesn’t go away. Seraphine Botanicals is one of those brands that I really want to like. They always look good and I am always excited to try them but then some how there is always one element that makes me think no, this isn’t for me. This lippie has a great color and applies well and evenly. It smells good and has no taste to it. But that stickiness is hard to get over.

And that my darlings is me today. It was a bit hit or miss today, but in the end, it doesn’t look half bad. It was definitely a bit more up and down than my usual makeup,. But then i did try some new things. Which is kind of the fun of makeup. But now it is back to work for me. Have a great Wednesday.

The Daily: March 14th, 2023

I don’t know why the time change hit me harder today than yesterday but today, even though I got up on time and did my exercises I just feel really draggy. I am sure it will go away, however as I am on my own facing a computer screen for the day, I decided that makeup on an exhausted face was just too much. So I declared it a skincare kind of day.

I know that this is due to the time change, but I also know that as spring progresses there will be a few skincare days due to allergies. I have already restocked my eye masks for the spring onslaught. Once everything arrives I will put up my restocking for spring in case anyone is interested. For today, I turned to 111Skin and the Rose Gold Brightening Facial Treatment mask.

I will admit, it is not the most attractive look, but these masks are fantastic. It has a light skincare scent that has been kissed with rose so it isn’t overpowering. To me it just smells really fresh. It feels cool on the skin and it has enough serum in it to keep it in place without dripping all over the place. There are a few drips when you first put it on but I wipe them off my neck before leaving the bathroom and then have no issues. While the bits around the chin will do a little flopping as I wear this mask, the rest of it stays in place the entire masking time.

My skin feels soft and hydrated after I wear this mask and I actually feel more awake once it has been on my skin a while. I don’t know if it is the cooling element or the skin care bits but I really do feel much more awake and ready to face the world once I have used this 111Skin Mask.

I know this is not the first time I have worn this and it won’t be the last. They are one of those sheet masks that I will always keep in stock. I know I need to branch out and try some of the other sheet masks they make, but every time I reorder I always end up picking up these and calling it a day. I need to make a conscious effort when I am already stocked with these masks to o on their site and pick up a few from different lines.

But I do kind of fall into a habit with brands and cherry pick the ones I know I like. I know I like this mask, so it is the one I always repurchase. I think that might be one of the reasons I really like subscription boxes. Sometimes they end up sending me my favorite from a brand, but other times I’ll end up with something I have never tried simply because it isn’t the one thing I order from the brand.

A little more self introspection than I planned, but there we have it. I am on track with my food and exercise today, and I am taking advantage of a day alone at the computer to do a little extra skincare. That’s kind of my Tuesday. How’s yours going?

The Daily: March 13th, 2023

Good afternoon my darlings. I am just now starting to feel back on track. I know last week was a bit coocoo pants, but things have started to settle back down on that front. My babydoll is back to work. His sinuses are still draining but he is on the mend. No fever and most importantly his blood pressure is back under control.

which gives me a great deal of relief.

It also means things are back to normal, or at least normal-ish. I was able to write up a meal plan instead of moving around an under the weather man. In addition I slept this weekend. I slept a lot this weekend. I really needed it. If you added up all of my sleep from last week you would be pushing it to scrape into double digits. I more or less collapsed this weekend. Aside from meal planning, grocery shopping and making sure the seedlings in my greenhouse were watered, I watched the two new episodes of Survivor that were on Paramount+ and zoned out to a podcast on the ancient Sumerians. And Akkadians. And Babylonians.

Okay I went on an ancient history binge.

But I feel well rested. This morning was a bit harsh though. I am back to getting up a little early to get my morning workout in. It seemed extra early this morning as the time changed on Sunday. We sprung forward which is a polite way to say that someone stole an hour from me and I had to get up when it was still dark. As you can tell, I am not a fan of spring forward. I don’t mind getting up at dawn’s first ight, but I do like if dawn is at least attempting to get up with me. I do not like to get up before dawn’s arrival. I like at least a sliver of light in the sky before I wake up. If I don’t have that I feel vaguely off.

I know, in a few weeks I’ll get the dawn back and all will even out, it just seemed to be a little much with restarting my morning exercises after taking much of last week off. The exercises did help push away some of the morning fog though. Which was nice. And it was light when i finished so I did feel better. I just have to consider the workouts as a prelude to starting my day. Therefore I am waking up into the prelude in the dark and then starting the day when the day finally arrives.

I know, semantics, but it makes me feel just a little bit better. Don’t worry, I wont grouse about this until the sun shifts. I just have a tradition of grumping about the spring time change. It is just a first day grump. And now it is done so we can move on.

Today’s Look

Primer: Basic Beauty Smooth and Blur primer

Foundation: No 7 Lift and Luminate Triple Action Serum Foundation

Bronzer: Trestique Bronzing stick

Blush: Axiology Color Cream

Brows: Grande Brow-Fill Volumizing Brow Gel

Eyeshadow: ZeeSea Eyeshadow Compact Palace Identity #02

Setting Powder: Anastasia Beverly Hills Translucent setting powder

Mascara: Pur Cosmetics Fully Charged Mascara

Lips: Axiology Lip to Lid Balmies in nude plum topped with Revolution Pout Bomb Plumping Lip gloss

I’ll be honest, I looked to my dressing table and the one palette I keep out more for decorative purposes than anything else is the Palace identity Palette. The compact is so beautiful. But because it is always out, it tends to get forgotten. I open the eyeshadow drawer and choose from there, not even looking at it. Today I saw it and decided I wanted to use it, so I did. It is a lovely soft look. I do find that I always come up with the exact same shadow look when I reach for this palette. which is fine, but not something I want to reach for every day. the shadows work well. It is a nice fairly easy formula to work with and it doesn’t have a lot of fall out. And it is beautiful. I always feel kind of special using it.

I am still trying out the samples from my primer collection this month. My goal is to use all of the samples up and then decide if any of them need to be purchased in the full size. Today I went with the Basic Beauty sample. It is a clear gel and it does go on wet. I had to fan myself to dry it down. Which lent an extra note of fancy to my proceedings as I am incapable of using a fan without thinking of the old fashioned fan signals from eras gone by.

You’ll be happy to know that rejected the advances of the upstart lord trying to gain my affections. At least i think I did. I may have to run through a list of meanings.

The primer is clear so there is no covering of redness. My skin was very silky soft and there was no stickiness whatsoever. I am not certain I like the clear formula. I have a few days of use left so we’ll see how it progresses this week, but it just seemed okay when I applied it. Basic seems to be the right word for it.

I did love my No 7 though. It is a really nice formula and well, you know I think it is one of the best drugstore foundations out there. It blends out without looking cakey and it lasts all day. I am a huge fan. I will of course be rotating through foundations as I try out primers.

I went with my favorite bronzer today as well. Mostly because it was still out and I love it. The Trestique just works for me as a bronzer. And I love that it is now refillable. I did mean to try out the cream blush that came in my Beauty Fox box but I thought cream bronzer and just reached for the Axiology. I suspect that is going to become habit. I really enjoy the color cream as a blush. It blends so well and can go light or dark. I am looking forward to trying this out in the summer actually once my skin tans. I think I can actually use this shade as a year round shade, which I find exciting.

Some days it is the little things.

I also used Axiology in the lips today. I went with the plum Nude Balmies for my lips and then just wanted a little shine so i added the pout bomb from revolution. The two made a surprisingly good pairing. The shade is my lips but better and then the gloss just made them, well glossy. Over all I was pleased. It was a soft look for the day, but when I reach for this eye shadow palette i know it will be.

And for today it works. I’ll be at my desk for most of the day. I am hoping to slip in a walk later this afternoon if the rain holds off. This morning was a bit damp and drizzly. It cleared up a little about half an hour ago, so I might try to slip in some out door time before the rain returns. I don’t think the park is currently flooded. I have my fingers crossed. I’m also hoping that being up before the sun earned me some karmic brownie points. We shall see. Have a great rest of your Monday.

The Daily: March 9th, 2023

Today my darlings there is no makeup. I woke up just feeling stuffy and puffy and decided I wasn’t going to be bothered. There are days like that. And since I only have to work at home today, I am not really that worried about my bare faced bothering anyone. It is just me and the computer screen. Which is fine, somedays are like that.

I am however drinking lemon Ginger tea by the bucket and taking my sinus tabs and really hoping that this is just allergies and not something else. I am 90% sure it is just allergies but these days there is always that moment when your spring allergies kick in where you really wonder, is this just allergies?

It doesn’t help that every other ad I’ve seen this week has been for Paxlovid. I know it is because vaccination numbers are not high in my area. I am vaccinated and that is all i will say about that. However I think I might have actually memorized those commercials at this point.

I actually had a dream last night where my brain took a commercial break from the dream line itself and played the Paxlovid commercial. Seriously. I was in the middle of a dream about escaping a burning building and just before I reached the door, the screen went blank and a man in a red plaid blazer came out holding a 1960s style microphone (you know, thin with the small knobby bit at the end) he turned his back to me and said to an invisible audience “We’ll be right back after these commercial breaks. Then the ad for Paxlovid played. I couldn’t move the entire time and even the fire froze in place. Then the commercial ended and everything snapped back into motion. Even in the dream I thought that was really strange.

I do think it might be better than being dream stalked by the Dior Sauvage commercial. That was just Johnny Depp and a wolf in the background and on the other side of windows. I should also probably stick to reading before bed rather than watching television before I go to sleep. Ultimately I think that is what that means. Unfortunately I just finished my latest book and need to find something new to sink my brain into before bedtime.

But now, I am just slogging through the workload left by the disarray of this week. I also have Crufts playing in the background today in case you want the full picture. And so it is back to work for me with occasional dog breaks. Strange Thursday, but hopefully better dreams tonight.

The Daily: March 8th, 2023

It is amazing what a good night’s sleep can do. I fell asleep pretty early last night and slept like a stone until morning. You know that loggy overstuffed feeling you get when you slept really hard? that’s sort of what i woke up with this morning. It feels a little like being drugged, but is all natural.

Sleep is glorious. I just can’t say enough fabulous things about it.

Today has been interesting. My babydoll is back to work, having shuffled off the worst of the antibiotic take down of his systems. Meals are still pretty much dependent on what is actually more suitable for him. The sinus infection affected the back of his jaw and throat so instead of planning around my plans for healthy eating and weight loos it has been more about what he can eat that doesn’t hurt.

Not my favorite way to plan meals, but it was necessary. And it has thrown my internal systems a bit out of whack. Hopefully now we can start easing back into normal. While having him home sick did take a chunk of time out of my work days, me being so tired yesterday was probably the worst culprit. I thought I was actually sort of productive yesterday but this morning I started out going over everything I did yesterday and almost all of it had to be redone.

If I ever needed a clear picture of how important sleep is, I got it right there.

I can power through and keep working when I am exhausted, but the work will later have to be redone so it isn’t really being productive. It sounds like a simple thought but it is one that I seem to have to relearn a lot. Insomnia is a frequent companion in my life. I know once I reach a certain point of tiredness I should just call it a sick day and back away. I feel lazy if I do that though. I shouldn’t, because it never works out, but I do it anyway.

I suppose this is more a message to anyone else who has these sort of bouts of exhaustion or any situation that pulls focus I suppose. Sometimes it is more productive for everyone if you just step away. It isn’t laziness, it isn’t being irresponsible, it is an intelligent assessment of the situation and a logical course of action.

There is always a big gap between knowing what you should do and actually doing it. Hopefully next time I will take my own advice. Today however, I feel better, even if I have a heavy work load. I went with quick and easy for today’s makeup.

Today’s Look

Primer: Laura Mercier Pure Canvas Primer (hydrating)

Foundation: Yensa Super Serum Silk Foundation

Bronzer: Trestique Bronzing Stick

Blush: Axiology Cream Color Multi Use Stick

Setting Powder: Anastasia Beverly Hills Translucent Setting Powder

Brows: Grande Brow-Fill Volumizing Brow Gel

Eyes Axiology Lip to Lid Balmies in Rose

Mascara: Pur Fully Charged Mascara

Lips: Rimmel Stay Glossy Lip Gloss

I am currently going through my sample collection of Primers and this was the last use of the Laura Mercier sample. I do have a second sample, but I will hold off using it so I can work through some of the others in the sample box. It goes on wet and you really need to give it a minute to dry. I use a hand fan for a moment and practice the Long forgotten era language of fan movements and signals. I can’t help myself. My grandmother taught them to me when I was little and we played around with fans pretending to be Grand ladies greeting potential suiters at a magnificent ball. Now when I get a fan in my hand I can’t help but play around with them, even if I am only getting the primer to dry down. Luckily there is no one in the room to see me so it is fine. No actual suitors were slighted. Once the primer dries down though it is very sticky and really locks the makeup in place.

Today I used the Yensa Super Serum Silk Foundation. I will admit it took me a while to warm to this. I think it is because I love the BC formula Yensa makes. It is my favorite foundation actually. And when I pick this up my mind automatically goes to that. It is a good foundation though. it is more full coverage then I am used to so I make sure to go in very lightly. One pump sheered out over my face is enough to do what i want and it stays in place all day. Especially with a setting powder. It is one I always set as it is on the glowy side and the setting powder takes that down a notch. I am using the ABH Powder this month so I can finish it off. I have a second unopened one waiting. I like it, I just feel this jar has been opened long enough. It does tend to be a messy powder. There is no interior lock or regulator in the container it is just holes so there is almost always powder in the lid. Especially since I store my powders on their side in the drawer. I like being able to see which is which and that gives me the best view with the space I have. It does sometimes mean there is a mess. But it is a good powder

I love the Trestique bronzer. It is what got me started on cream face products actually. It is a creamy easy to blend formula. I can go light or I can go dark and it always works out for me. While not all of Trestique products have worked out for me, this and the lip crayons ae definite winners.

I went for the Axiology color cream as blush today because I am sort of testing out the Tarte Cream blush. Which sounds strange. I really love the blendability of the Color Cream as a blush and After a few days of kind of struggling with the tarte ne I wanted to refresh my memory in case I was making it something it wasn’t. But know, a few dots of color and a quick blend with the finger tips and this is fabulous. If you want more color, go a second or even third round. It is really easy to use (and the fact that it is fully recyclable doesn’t hurt any).. It is going to be really hard not to go ahead and lean into this often. Although I am already looking forward to testing it in the summertime heat. But that isn’t for a few more months yet.

I also went to Axiology with the eyes today, I am still playing with the balmies. I wanted something very light. I used the rose shade and it blended out really well. I went really light, mostly because this shade on me works better when it is really light. It is just a light flush to sort of make the look complete rather than something overly dramatic. The two shades I have to not really lend themselves to drama. There may be other more dramatic shades but I have other shadows for that. i like having something quick and low key I can reach for. And yeah, again, the zero waste production doesn’t hurt my love of these either.

The Pur mascara is not my favorite. it is fine but not fabulous. It worked today and luckily it is a sample size. I will use it until the sample is empty and then I will not repurchase it.

While I like the Rose shade from Axiology when I tried it on my lips it was just a shade too pink for me so I just grabbed the first thing I reached for which was the Rimmel Stay Glossy. I really like this lip gloss. I have no clue what the shade is as I can’t find it anywhere on the tube, but it has just enough color to perk up my lips and just enough gloss to make them shiny. It is a fabulous drug store find. I don’t know how many other shades I would pick up, but having this shade is something I really enjoy. It is a gloss so it doesn’t dry down at all and does wear off but the lip prints are light and the formula is more slick than sticky so I am happy with it.

And so my darlings this is me. I slept well and realized trying to be productive yesterday actually created more work for me today. Hopefully i have learned my lesson or at least served a a warning to those reading. And now it is back to work for me to fix all that I twisted yesterday. I think the second half of the week is going to be a long one. I hope it is also good.

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The Daily: March 7th, 2023

Oh my darlings, today is not a makeup sort of day. While I normally suffer from bouts of insomnia, last night my sleeplessness was helped along by my babydoll’s snortling and snuffling. It is actually a good sign as it means his sinuses are finally draining, but it doesn’t make for a very restful night for the light sleeper beside him. namely me.

Oddly the snuffling is not as bad as the brief period of absolute silence. I will get use to the sounds and start to drift off and then it would go completely silent. Which is the part that woke me up. My first thought was that he suffocated himself somehow and was now dead. So I’d stay awake until i was sure that he was breathing.

It was not a good night and I only started really drifting off around four in the morning. Which is almost like an insult if you ask me. Up all night mostly only to finally drift off and get into deep sleep as the alarm goes off. It is somehow quite cruel.

It was however a lovely morning on the porch. The weather is just now nice enough that I can take my first cup of coffee out there and have a grand time sipping in the still cool but not cold weather. Admittedly I am fairly sure the morning pollen count didn’t help me.

However as i went out onto the back porch it was a sad and desolate place. When the wind roared through I put the trashcan as well as all of the light weight patio chairs in the shed. So there was nary a seat to be found. So I stood with my coffee and glared at the feral cats who have started breeding somewhere in the neighborhood. They see me and run, but their scent is causing the squirrel’s and voles to depart so my garden is actually doing better. I don’t in general mind them, but I am a little wary of how quickly they seem to be multiplying.

However they keep their distance when I am out back so everything was fine. Except for the lack of patio furniture. Although it did leave me with a nice blank slate to study. We have the odd assortment of patio furniture that you pick up because you need something and this happens to be on sale at the end of the season because no matter how many times you tell yourself that this THIS is the year you will be picking up patio furniture, you some how miss the window and just pick up something so you can enjoy the space.

Well our mismatched somethings are beginning to wear out. I actually drifted over to the site Homary where they have some patio furniture I really adore. It actually turns the patio into an outdoor living space with furniture designed to be in the out of doors. They have a spring sale going on right now with up to 70% off for summertime goods. Like the patio furniture.

Of course there is what I like and what my babydoll likes. It is our main decorating dilemma and why it takes so long to actually make design choices. We both have very different styles and finding a compromise that actually looks good is always a trick. Sometimes a compromise ends up looking like I chose half of the room and he chose the other half. Which is something we try to avoid. Which makes us slow decorators.

And often times we put things off until whatever interim thing we are using while we make a decision no longer actually works. Which is almost to the point where we are with the patio. So I think that this afternoon I am going to brows the Homary site and pull up several things I like and hopefully one of them appeals to him as well. And oh yes, I am going to use the 70% off sale as encouragement to think about committing to a purchase.

So no makeup today but there is some plotting and planning and mooning over lovely patio furniture from Homary. I’ll circle back later to try to talk him into some of the smart bathroom features.