The Daily: December 1st, 2022

Good afternoon my darlings. Can you believe it is December already? It feels like November just evaporated. But then I sort of feel that way about all thirty day months. Add in a holiday and it just shrinks to an eyeblink. I am actually kind of proud of my self and disappointed all at the same time today. Yesterday I restrained myself from walking a lot in the fabulous weather.

I was so proud of myself for being all adult and responsible. Then the weather turned in the night and rain pummeled us from about dinner time last night to the wee hours of this morning. And the temperatures plummeted. So the park is flooded and it is really chilly and windy outside so I am now disappointed in myself for being all adult and not taking better advantage of the sunshine. I know I needed to work instead of walk but as I can’t really walk in the flooded walking trail today, I am a little disappointed in my own responsibility.

I’m sure there is some sort of internal lesson in there, but mostly I am just going to blame the weather forecast (although I should probably have looked at an update before deciding to be responsible and stay working at the desk. So I guess that is on me and not the dopplar radar).Still the work needed to be done.

Today is gray and cold with the wind blowing all sorts of bits of stuff through the air. Which means I will be getting a lot done at the desk and doing an indoor workout today. I actually don’t mind too much as I picked up a cordless jump rope to try out. It has two weighted balls on the ends of the handles rather than an actual jump rope. I took measurements and am committed to using it for a month before I review it. But I kind of like it thus far. I can use it without worrying about the rope smacking into furniture or ceiling fans when i use it indoors. I’m using it in the sun room which has space, but it does take up a lot less space than a regular jump rope when i swing, so it is easier for indoor use. And it is kind of fun too. And let’s face it, workouts are better if you actually enjoy the activity you are doing.

Today’s Look:

Primer: Tatcha The Silk Canvas Protective Priming Balm

Foundation: Kristopher Buckle Triplicity Priming Foundation Stick

Blush/Bronzer/Highlight: Marc Jacobs Omega X Three Palette

Setting Powder: Beauty Bakerie Flour Setting powder in Oat

Eyeshadow: Sweet Potato Pie Palette from The Beauty Bakerie

Mascara: Complex Culture Executive Level Mascara

Lips: Anastasia Beverly Hills Matte Lipstick in Dead Roses

Today I went with one of my favorite primers, the Tatcha silk canvas. I really just love this primer and I wanted something matte for today as well. I wasn’t really feeling glowy. Plus I have just started getting my skin back to normal post holiday so something with skincare mixed in isn’t a bad idea. It was clear enough that I was okay wearing makeup today, but a little extra help never hurts. (Plus I had a meeting this morning and needed the makeup on for it.)

The Foundation is alas from a company that has gone under. While you may be able to find this foundation at secondary sites, it is no longer being produced. I love this foundation though so I want to use up the last of my product. I am trying to make an effort to roll it in once a week so I can use it up and then send it on it’s way. Since I know I will never be able to get it again, there is the tendoncy to try and hoard it, but I know it will just go bad, so i am using it up while it is still good. With a once during the week and use over the weekends I think I can actually finished it up before the new year.

Again continuing with the theme I used a Marc Jacobs face palette today. I love this palette, especially in the winter. The tones are just perfect for my skin right now. Which is kind of amusing since it smells like coconut and makes me think of summer when I use it. The shades are more winter shades for me. And it’s slim design is perfect for travel. I picked this up from BoxyCharm as Marc Jacobs no longer makes makeup. And I’ll be honest, even though it isn;t in production any more I will keep using this until I’ve either used the products down to pan or it is too expired to use. And then I will still use it as a travel compact for the mirror. I’ll try not to use it too much for these posts since it is no longer in production but I do love it and it will make several appearances throughout the winter.

The more I use this setting powder the more I like it. the slight color is just enough to keep the powder from being blinding and it never makes me look powdery. It also locks my makeup in. Which Is pretty much why you use setting powder in the first place. So two thumbs up.

Today I had fun with the blue shade in the Sweet Potato Pie Palette. why is there a blue shade? No clue. I’m sure it is a pop of color for the orangy-red palette. It does work well with the other tones even if it isn’t pie like and I really liked using it as a psudo eyeliner today. It actually worked really well. I’ll admit I focused more on it than the rest of the eye and I could have blended it better, but I (very stupidly) did the blue first and then thought ‘Oh other shadows yeah lets put them on’. so I was working around the eyeliner effect instead of going the other way around. I will say the shadow worked really well. The brush I used was the Luxie 221 Flat definer if you are interested. It had the short stiff bristles and straight edge that I needed, plus it is wider than my eyeliner brush which gave me a little more control and let me apply in a straight line (which is not really my strong suit. I know there are a lot of you out there who are pros at this, but I tend to reach for the smaller brush as my brain thinks eyeliner and it never works for me when I try to use shadow as liner. Using this brush really helped me out.

I know it isn’t like discovering gravity or inventing the wheel, but I am kind of stoked by this. And yes I will probably be using this trick a lot in the next few weeks as I am so pleased with it. (I apologize in advance.)

Today I remember to use an eyelash curler before applying the mascara and it looked better, I think. The mascara does a good job at lengthening but the eyelash curler really helps it out. This is actually the third of fourth use of this mascara and while that isn’t much I will say that this mascara tube is now messier than a lot of my more well used mascara. For only three or four uses, that is a bit of a mess. I’m not sure how that is going to affect it moving forward. But we will see.

And today I went for the ABH Lipstick I wanted something neutral and this worked. The shade has been eliminated so I am trying to use it up, which sort of made it fit the theme of the day. The formula is fantastic though and I will be picking out more shades from this range. It is a very comfortable formula to wear. And for those interested, it is part of their 50% off sale right now. The link is in the product list above (not an affiliate code). It is just a really good lipstick. I use the traditional bullet style versions. I remember trying and liking the liquid lips from ABH but it has been a while since I purchased any from the brand so I don’t know what the formula is like now. The bullet style is fantastic though.

And that my darlings is me. Even though I groused about not taking advantage of the sun, I am thrilled I have a new to me makeup trick (even if it isn’t that groundbreaking it makes me happy).I’m not entirely sure that balances out, but I suppose the silver lining is the actual productivity. And sooner or later the rain will end and the floods recede. For now, there is more work and a cordless jump rope workout ahead of me. So I will get back to that and let you get back to your day. Have a great one.

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The Daily: June 27th, 2022

Good afternoon my darlings. Today has been a day of waiting. Or at least it feels like it has been. It is my birthday today so I deliberately adjusted my workload so today would be a light one. Tonight will be a fabulous dinner from one of our favorite local restaurants (i.e. not one I have to cook) and there is an ice cream cake waiting in the freezer for after dinner.

we get it from the local ice cream place. It is a once a year thing and each year they always looked stunned that we don’t want a message written in caramel for the small child it is no doubt for. They always look shocked that it is a birthday cake for a grown woman.

Personally I think my babydoll likes going in there and watching their surprise. I told him the cake wasn’t necessary this year and he looked so crestfallen that I recanted and planned to just do a little extra working out this week to make up for the extra calories.

So now it is waiting for after dinner.

The truth is though, despite the birthday treats waiting for the end of the work day, it feels like a waiting day because of the weather. It is looming. The air is heavy, the wind is low and feels like something big is holding it’s breath. There are clouds massing, but still holding back. We are supposed to get rain, there is an 80% chance of it, but the rain is biding it’s own time.

I always find it vaguely amusing at this time of year. In Spring it always feels like I should be building an ark and I generally find myself wondering how many cubits my back yard can hold. Then the spring rains trickle off and all the moisture hangs in the air with rain a distant memory and the world withering to a crisp around me. So I am waiting for the rain to actually break, if it will, and I am waiting for my birthday celebration.

I went on a walk because the temps have dropped a smidge. I came back drenched from the 90% humidity though and ended up taking a cold shower. My hair always looks a little crazy after that and my bangs are just misbehaving. Nonetheless, I am relatively happy with the way I look today, and that is not a bad thing on a birthday.

Today’s Look:

Primer: Yensa Tone Up Primer

Foundation: Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Foundation

Bronzer: Buxom Cosmetics Staycation Vibes Bronzer

Blush: Dominique Cosmetics Cream Blush

Powder: Laura Mercier Translucent powder

Eyeshadow: Urban Decay Naked Honey Palette

Mascara: Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir (discontinued, just using the last one up)

Lips: bareMinerals Mineralist Lip gloss

Today’s makeup was chose for a variety of reasons. I chose the primer because I love it, and know how it works with my skin. I’ve used this Yensa Primer for years (off and on) and will continue to repurchase it. I am going through my foundations one by one to see which i like, which shades work now and which I just need to use up and let go. I haven’t used the Charlotte Tilbury in a while so I figured I’d give it a go. It is a foundation that requires a bit of time. It isn’t a simple blend in and go operation. This takes a foundation brush to spread evenly, followed by a makeup sponge to get rid of the lines. I always have to take extra time around my nose as it tends to go streaky there. As much time as it takes though, it ends up looking really good when i am done. I like it and I think I will use this bottle up completely, mostly for days when i have the time to play with it, but takes time to play with so it isn’t an every morning kind of product.

By contrast, I raced through the rest of my makeup. With the nice looking foundation, it looked fine and actually I am really falling in love with this cream blush. It really blends beautifully and I am happy to use it. This shade works for me, but looking at the range I am not sure any of the other shades would work for me. I do like this one though. It is darker in the pan then on the cheeks so that is something to be aware of when shopping.

the Urban Decay I really like. I went super easy today. Mostly because I took so long with the foundation. One dip into the mattes and a tap off is all it takes then blend out and top with a shimmer. That’s what I went for today and then I called it good. The bare minerals lip gloss seemed like a good accompaniment. It is a light wash of color and a formula that not only looks good on but leaves my lips feeling nourished well after it has disappeared.

So that is me today. The shirt I am wearing actually came from my drape fit box. This has been a fantastic shirt for meetings. The material doesn’t wrinkle and it looks dressy but is super light weight and feels soft. it looks good on camera and in meetings. It may be the only thing I kept from my Drape Fit Box, but it has proven to be utterly fantastic. And now it is back to work for me. Have a great Monday everyone.

And if you are interested in Urban Decay, set your calendars as there is a sale coming up It starts on Thursday

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The Daily: June 16th, 2022

Good afternoon my darlings. Have you ever had a day where everything just chugs along as expected. No mishaps, no emergencies, no surprises? Just the day quietly moving along as planned? I know it is the sort of day that once it is passed will slip through the cracks in my memory and be forgotten in a haze, but to be honest it feels fabulous.

I think it has just been such a strange spring for me. Every time I turned around there was another large must deal with event coming down. There were some high points but there were some low points but it was a very spiky looking graph because there seemed to be no mid points.

The transmission on my vehicle started to slip and needed expensive repairs. I got a commission on a project I really wanted to work on. My brother died. I received an award. My heating and air conditioning unit needed to be replaced. One of my younger cousins had twins. One of my best friend’s father died. One of my cousin’s kid’s graduated with honors. A friend got married, two friends got divorced.

I’m sure there were a few more things in there. Some of them happened to me, some around me, but this was not a quiet spring. It was a season of emotional rollercoasters. It felt more like a cork had been popped out and everything just sort of spewed forth in one big gush. I think a lot of it might have been things that were delayed due to earlier lock downs and rescheduling issues and it just all happened to land at once. But it kind of makes me appreciate the solidly steady quiet days where things just go as intended.

Today, I watered, I worked out, I showered and dressed for the day, I worked, I had a a Smoothie Box smoothie (Orange – it was delicious) for lunch. I went back to work. Then I remembered I was going to marinade the salmon we were having for dinner (we just got a Vital Choice order, in fact because it came in around the same time as the Smoothie Box we are thinking of getting one of those small stand alone coolers Nothing large, but in the summer we eat a lot more fish so we order Vital Choice more often (plus there is a huge sale going on right now, I;ll link it below) so that it is on hand and my babydoll wants more room to stash his freeze pops. Yes those plastic tubes of colored sugar water and ice you freeze. He loves them and couldn’t find space in the freezer).

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The marinade is my favorite, equal parts maple syrup and soy sauce, freshly grated ginger, a couple of pinches of pepper flakes and that’s it. I put everything in a bag so it is easy to turn after two hours and I put the bag in a bowl in the fridge so if the bag springs a leak there won’t be sticky marinade in the fridge. We are having it with roasted green beans that have a dash of sesame oil and some sesame seeds on them. Beans are in season here so you can buy huge bags locally. I roast a whole pan and the left overs will get pureed and mixed with potato so so tomorrow we will have a sort of vegetable pancakes to go with our gochujang chicken.

Yup my biggest concern thus far was making sure I had a plan to use the leftover beans I know we will have.

Ah, normality, how I have missed you.

Today’s Look:

Primer: Sephora Smooth + Blur Primer

Foundation: Revolution Fast Base Foundation Stick

Bronzer: Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer

Blush: IBY Beauty Blush in Sun Kissed

Powder: Kim Chi Beauty Puff Puff Pass Setting Powder

Eyeshadow: Maybelline Color Tattoo cream shadow and Lottie London Metallic Pigment

Mascara: Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir (the link goes to Sephora for reference but it is out of stock everywhere and discontinued)

Lips: M2UNYC Matte Liquid Lip and TYS Lip Treat Lip Plumper

Today was an interesting mix of new and old, or maybe I should say established. I started with the trial size of primer that came in my Allure. It is one of those tubes that is mostly empty. I might be able to squeak two more uses out of it. It is from the Sephora line and I have to admit when I saw it in the Allure box I wasn’t thrilled, but I did think that if it was there then maybe it was there because it was really good. It is the sort of slippy silicone feeling primers. It works well. It isn’t fabulous but it is functional. It is the sort of thing that if i was placing a Sephora order and needed one more thing to push me over a spending limit, I might add. It is not something that I would look for or specifically go to buy. It is a $16 primer so it is more affordable, but honestly I think the Elf primers are $8 or $9 depending on where you get them and they are better. So if you were looking for an affordable primer I would go there before going to the Sephora line. It does a decent job, it just isn’t rave worthy.

The Revolution Fast Base foundation stick on the other hand is a standby summer favorite. I finished up a tube last summer and then when Revolution had a sale I restocked. This was my first use this summer and I do love this foundation stick. It doesn’t need to be warmed up, blends easily and I found my perfect match (F11 in case you are wondering). It is something that I can wear now and will be able to wear throughout the summer and into the fall when my tan fades. I generally end up using up a tube of this foundation every summer.

The Too Faced bronzer, is a regular use product, it tends to work better for me when I am more tan so it does get more use in the summer. and lets face it the compact is beautiful too so it is nice to play with.

The IBY blush I saw in the drawer this morning and could not honestly remember using. I opened it and it looked untouched. It also looked like a good shade for me. I’m guessing it came in a subscription over the winter and I thought ‘summer shade’ and put it to the side. It is a darker tone and for a first use it worked well. It isn’t highly pigmented but it beldns without disappearing which is nice. I’ll play around with it and see if I am going to add it to my summer makeup, but first use seems promising.

I like the Kim Chi Powder. It is a good quality and with the powder pudd I don’t need to use all that much which keeps it from looking powdery. I did notice if I used a brush then it could look powdery, so I always use the puff with this powder.

Because I wanted to play around with the metallic foil I just used the Maybelline to give me a little darker shade towards the edges. I really do love these color tattoo shadows. It took me a while to figure out how to work with them but in the end they turned out to be fantastic. I need to figure out how to get myself to reach for them more. It is an on going problem with the single shadows. I paired them down to the ones I really like, but I just need to figure out an organizational system that works. So it worked fantastically as always. The gold was the pone I was playing around with. It is the Lottie London. When I used a brush, there was fall out. when I used my finger there was less fall out but it was a bit messy because my finger was just too large. Today I soaked a cotton swab with Setting Spray (Benefit Cosmetics Super Setter) and it was perfect. It had the rounded tip of the finger and the dampness locked in the powder so there was no fall out but it had the maneuverability of a shadow brush. I now want to try this with all of my loose pigments. I don’t know why I didn’t try it before. It was a fantastic solution and thus far I have had zero fall out.

Even though Marc Jacobs Beauty is no more, I found an unopened back up of the Velvet noir and decided to use it. I’ll try to use it more on the days when I don’t post a daily so that I am using products available to purchase if you find them appealing (I hate when I see something I like only to find it no longer exists). this was my favorite mascara for a long time, but Marc Jacobs Beauty has closed. Also I saw an article about Revlon closing too. Which I admit stunned me more than Marc Jacobs.

Revlon is declaring bankruptcy. That seems almost unfathomable.

So we end with lips. I chose the M@UNYC because I like it, it is matte and it dries fairly quickly. I wanted to try the lip plumper over it. The TYS doesn’t have a huge amount of plumping that I can see (but it does tingle a lot) and it has the same effect over lipstick as it did on bare lips. Which was what i was testing today. And it worked.

And so that is me. I was a bit long winded today, maybe with everything seeming calmer I just felt like chatting. I hope you don’t mind. I am tickled my cotton swab idea panned out and I will be trying it elsewhere. I am also thrilled I thought up an advance plan for the left over green beans. I know, not buckets of excitement, but today, that is an amazing thing. Have a great rest of your afternoon.

The Daily: December 8th, 2021

Good afternoon my darlings. The sun is rapidly disappearing but I did manage to sneak in a walk before it vanished completely. In all honesty, I probably should have stuck to the workouts in the sunroom today. Today was cold and that wind was bitter and damp. It made my nose run, my eyes water and my lungs hurt. Not the best combo.

I will say though it did make the cup of coffee I had when I got back in after my walk feel as though it was truly the nectar of the gods. Don’t get me wrong, I love coffee and tend to drink it throughout the day. My current coffee comes from Amora so it is always good, but today it felt kind of magical. I know it probably has more to do with me and the wind than the actual coffee, but Amora does have good coffee. Oh and they have a special on right now too.

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Even though I whine a little about the wind, it was actually good to get outside. It may have been cold and damp, but there was also a freshness to the air that is lacking in my indoor workouts. I suppose I could open the windows to let the breeze blow through the sunroom, but I think that might be something to do when I am not sweating through a workout. But if it is not raining tomorrow, I may just air the house out in general. I try to open up the windows and air the house once a week when I can, but with Thanksgiving followed by rain, I missed a bit of airing time. Not that it’s bad, I just really like the freshness of a good breeze to clear things out.

Of course with the way those clouds are rolling in again, no rain tomorrow might be an iffy prospect. I’ll have to play it by ear and watch the sky and weather forecast for my chance.

Inside today I have the late afternoon sheet mask to look forward to. I am going with the Aroma Blend Moisture Mask from Shangpree. It is the Esthetician Blend. I’ve used Shangpree masks before and liked them. I have no idea what an Esthetician’s blend is so that will be a fun thing to find out about. Nothing else on the masking package is in English so it will be a play it by ear kind of thing. I have my fingers crossed it is a pleasant scent.

But that is for later.

Today’s Look:

Primer: Figs and Rouge Blurring Primer

Foundation: KVD Vegan Beauty Lock it Powder Foundation

Bronzer: Ciate London Bamboo Bronzer

Blush: Floss Beauty Cheek and lip tint

Eyeshadow: Lime Crime Prelude Exposed Palette

Mascara: Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Mascara

Lips: Wet n Wild Megalast in Cinnamon Spice

Today was interesting as far as makeup went. I’m still testing out the foundation and primer but I wanted to go to a different cream blush than the Rodial that I was testing since i wanted to compare it. I know technically the Rodial is a liquid blush but I couldn’t find my two liquid/gel blushes for some reason and I remembered that I really liked the Floss Cream blush stick. I will be looking for the other blushes this evening though. I think when i tidied up I put them in a different drawer. I’m betting they are together, I am just not sure where that together place is.

i still like the Floss lip and cheek tint as a cheek tint. I tend to pick one or the other. My two Milk cheek and lip tints became lip products, this became a cheek one. I have noticed that it is starting to dry out a bit. Only the top edge though, the rest of it is fine. I kind of scraped off the top of the stick and the product was fine. It was just the very top layer. It is in a metal tube but there is some air in it unlike the Milk products with the little plastic lid inside. I’m guessing that is why the dryness occurred. I think it may be something I have to watch out for and once this is done it may be a reason to whittle down my blush collection before I repurchase it. It is a good product, but with the current number of blushes I have it doesn’t come up all that often in rotation. Definitely something to watch.

Everything else is a standard favorite. The Lime Crime Palette is one I reach for a lot and the Wet ‘n Wild lipstick is a formula I enjoy. The Marc Jacobs mascara has been a favorite for a long time, but I think it is now discontinued so I am now using it with the knowledge that it may be the last one i have. I am going to have to go on a new favorite mascara quest at some point to replace it as my favorite. Thus far I’ve had a few close but not quite as good formulas. But I’ll wait to begin my quest in earnest next year. For now it was a great mascara to use. Over all I am pretty happy with the way today’s look came out. I even like the way my newest Ear Fleek Earrings look. It is just the right amount for today.

But alas it is Wednesday and I must get back to work if i am going to plow through the remainder of the day’s tasks. I hope your Wednesday is chugging along as you want and you are ready to face the downslope of the week as we slide into the weekend. Have a great rest of the day.

The Daily: October 28th, 2021

Today has been a nice and calm day if I am completely honest. The weathermen threatened rain, but we have sunny skies and cool temps. Walking this morning was fantastic. It was actually one of those mornings where you forget that you are walking for exercise and just walk because it is just beautiful weather to walk around in.

Which quite frankly is the best way to get exercise in my opinion.

As I’ve worked at my desk today the laundry has chugged along in the background. By tonight I will not only have all clean clothes but the sheets will be freshly laundered as well. There is just something absolutely delightful in that first sleep on clean sheets.

Not that I let them get filthy, but I change the sheets once a week. That first night with the clean sheets always feels glorious. Also since it is cool and dry out, I hauled the comforter out into the sunshine to get a bit of air so the bedroom will smell extra fresh when it is time to turn out the lights.

Somedays it is the little things.

Even though this did take a little bit of time out of my day, I decided it was worth it. Plus I got up early and plan to work late tonight actually. I’ve also worked late the last couple of nights as I get things sorted. Not only is the month ending (which always makes things a bit busy, but the rest of the year is slowly dribbling away.

Well, not so slowly at this point.

As November is about to hit I am looking back over the things I’ve tried this year, making lists of my favorites and trying to pull together a list of products I sampled and want to try out in the full size. I’m going to have to weigh the list against the items I have waiting to try out, but I will share the lists with you. In addition to my normal posts I have some getting ready for the holidays posts coming out as the season of gift buying and personal restocking occurs. As the sales have already started I know that doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone. For me the next few weeks will be an eplosion of consumerism. While there is more travel this year a large percentage of Christmas items need to be mailed.

Which means they need to be purchased and wrapped so they can be mailed out in plenty of time to reach their destinations. with the postal service already being somewhat overwhelmed I want to give my items plenty of time to get to their destinations.

So soon a shopping we will go.

Today’s Look:

Primer: Urban Decay Optical Illusion Primer

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Foundation: No 7 Lift and Luminate Triple Action Serum Foundation

Bronzer: Too Faced Cocoa Contour Palette

Blush and Highlight: Doucce Posh Powder Palette

Powder: Becca Pink Haze

Eyeshadow: Little Briar Rose Palette from Storybook Cosmetics

Mascara: Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Mascara

Lips: M2U liquid lip

First things first, I have to say I feel a distinct sense of pride. Today I finished the Urban Decay primer. It was a great primer and I loved it, but it has been discontinued so I wanted to use it up and send it on it’s way. And now I have. So long, fare well. I loved you while you were here but now must let you go.

The No. 7 Foundation is one of my favorite drugstore Foundations. There are a couple that I like actually, but this one really tops the list of them. The serum formula really blends into the skin beautifully and as it is suitable for sensitive skin it causes no problems. I always feel like my skin looks extra nice when I put this foundation on. It has a kind of glowy aspect without being a dewy kind of product. It just makes me feel like I have good lighting.

The Too Faced contour palette is an old favorite that I am trying to remember to reach for more often. I like it and I like having the variety of tones, especially at this time of year. My skin is altering tone as my summer tan fdes so playing around with shades sometimes helps me out.

I went with the Doucce palette as well today as it was quick and easy. I am really starting to like this palette. I decluttered the magnetic palette from the brand a while ago because I never reached for it and the shadow shades weren’t ones I reached for. I find myself using all thre of these blushes and all three of the highlights. This palette hasn’t been in my collection long but it is starting to grow on me.

Like the Urban Decay Primer, the Becca Powder has been discontinued. I won’t concentrate as hard on using it up as I did with the primer (I was more worried that one would expire) but it will make frequent trips to my daily look as I work through it. Clearly once it is done it will be gone. I do want to find a new pink toned setting powder that I like as much though. I think that might be my quest for the new year. It seems each year there is one makeup item I go hunting to find. Sometimes I find it, other times I get distracted. we’ll see how this one turns out.

Today I took out the Briar Rose palette from Storybook cosmetics. I don’t reach for this palette enough. The reason is that because it is so bulky I store it in the back of the drawer and forget about it. I need to find a different place for it because every time I use it I realize how much I like it. The colors all suit me and I am very much drawn to them. But the palette format, while lovely to look at is so bulky. I need to maybe use it as a table top decoration so I will reach for it more. Because I really like the shades. I actually thought about ordering more palettes from them to make a little display. Plus i like the formula. I just haven’t gotten around to looking at them. But I do need to reach for these shadows more. I love the color story of the palette and I really like how well the shadows blend. it is a really good palette, especially for me.

The Marc Jacobs mascara is always one of my favorites. Sadly it too is being discontinued. Currently the Marc Jacobs website has it at half price. I have been making an effort not to stock up on discontinued products but with this mascara it is hard. It has been my absolute favorite for a really long time. There are other mascaras that I like, but this has just been at the to f my list for a really long time and I hate to see it go. I may have to actually break my no stocking rule. I am going to try to resist though.

The M2U liquid lip is growing on me actually. The color seemed perfect with the shadows today, but i really like the formula. It is super comfortable to wear and doesn’t dry out my lips or leave lip prints everywhere. It takes a little while to dry down and it never dries down completely, but if you give it five minutes then there will be no lip prints and it will stay in place with out making your lips feel dry. This is definitely a formula I am going to have to look at more and think about picking up more shades.

Over all i am pretty happy with my look today. It is a good work look and feels comfortable enough to wear all day long. Admittedly after my walk the only place I’ve gone is to and from the laundry room, but I like to think that the fresh sheets appreciate the look as well. And even if they don’t, I’m happy with it and that is what counts.

30% off Sitewide & free Full 360 Mascara when you spend $40 with the code TREATME

The Daily: August 11th, 2021

Well my darlings, today I avoided the gym and braved the walking trail instead. The reason being the drastic number of increased cases in my area. And the fact that even though my gym has reinstated their masking policy, very few people are following it and it isn’t really being enforced.

Plus I’ve seen how perfunctory some of my fellow gym members are when wiping down equipment. So I decided the walking trail it would be. I went a little before ten this morning and thought, this won’t be too bad.

It kind of was.

I tried to get a few things done before going on the walk and it was a bad idea. I think I am going to have to get up, wash my face, put on sunscreen and go for the walk first thing until I go back to the gym. The heat actually wasn’t that bad but I was soaked by the time I got back to the house. Clothes went directly into the washing machine so they didn’t stink up the closet via the laundry basket. There was an impromptu laundry run post walk. Well post shower actually. I cooled down a bit, took the shower and then ran the laundry. Even though I can’t run the laundry every day I think my walking clothes are going directly into the machine post walk. So we again shuffle the schedule a bit until the numbers drop and the gym gets its act together.

But at least I got the walk in.

Today’s Look:

Primer: Ole Henriksen Banana Bright Face Primer

Foundation: Tom Ford Traceless Soft Matte Foundation

Bronzer: NARS Bronzer in Laguna Beach

Blush: Billion Dollar Beauty Blush in Amour

Highlighter: Billion Dollar Beauty Highlighter in Mystic

Powder: No 7 Perfect Light Pressed powder

Brows: Billion Dollar Beauty Brow Pomade in Taupe

Mascara: Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Mascara

still currently on sale

Eyeshadow: RealHer Dreams so Big Eyeshadow Duo paired with Moon Eyeshadow From Billion Dollar Beauty

Lips: Zoeva Powerful Lip Twist in Rhea

Setting Spray: Farsali Rose Gold Facial Spray

Necklace from the Rachel Zoe Collection

I am actually really pleased with the way things turned out today, look wise. I think the neutral look of everything else really should have been paired with a stronger lip, but I wanted to test out the Zoeva Lip Twist. When I did the swatch with the product, the tip bend because it was a really soft formula. Even though I was gentle in applying it, the tip fell completely off within seconds of being touched to my lip. It does have a sharpener on the end, but I didn’t use it. I rolled out the product so a little flat edge was above the tube and used it that way. It applied well in that instance and I think because of the softness of the formula, I will not actually sharpen it. I will just roll up the product a little bit at a time and use it that way. I actually like the color. It is a nude that I can wear without my lips completely disappearing into my face, which is a nice shade to have. If you use this product though, be aware it is very soft. It applies creamy though and lasts for quite a while. It wears off like a moisturized bullet lipstick formula but it doesn’t flake, it doesn’t actually dry down enough to flake. So plan to reapply after lunch.

The second item that is new to me is the eyeshadow Duo from RealHer. The shades are Imagine and Ambition. One is essentially a matte brown and the other a rosy shimmer. I liked how they performed. The matte applied well and blended easily. It did crease a little bit towards the end of the day, but I do have hooded eyes and I didn’t use a lid primer. The shimmer was okay with a dry brush but better with a wet brush. I really like this quad and would definitely consider taking it with me on my travels in place of a larger palette. I would add concealer to my lids before using it again though. I don’t think it needs a full on lid primer, but a little help from concealer might help stop the minor end of day creasing.

I did add a touch of Moon to brighten up the corners. I would add that to the travel bag as well. The Moon Shadow and the Brow Pomade may be my favorite Billion Dollar Beauty Products. actually think the Brow Pomade may be my favorite brow product at the moment. It is in my BDB magnetic palette right now. While I love the palette and frequently use the mirror on it, I think I am going to move the brow pomade out of the kit. I put it too close to the highlighter and now it has a smattering of dust on it. I think that as soon as my NARS sample sized bronzer is empty, I may use that as a single container for the Brow Pomade as it is just the right size for a single pan.

At the moment have a full finger tips worth of pan showing in the NARS. Now that the pan is showing it seems to be going quickly. I don’t know why I find that oddly fulfilling but I do.

The Farsali setting spray is almost to the half way point. It is sparkly, it is in a lovely glass bottle, but I don’t really care for the scent and I don’t think it performs terribly well. It performs well enough that I’ll use it up, but it isn’t something I will repurchase. I think that fact is highlighted more by the fact that every other product I used today is one that I would repurchase. And that includes the so soft Zoeva. Once you accept that the tip will break off and apply with the flat side, it is a good lip product. As is everything else I used today.

Actually I have been trying not to use my No 7 powder so much so that I can clear out some of the other products in my collection. It is hands down my favorite powder, drug store or otherwise. I think part of it is the formula and part of it is that the tones of the Medium really suit my skin tone. The tan may deepen or fade depending on the time of year, but the No 7 goes with the tone of it really well. I just need to work on using up and clearing out some other products.

And because I am trying to mention my jewelry as well, the necklace is from the Rachel Zoe Collection. I picked it up at TJ Maxx actually. I have a weakness for thin chains with a small charm on them. This one was just flashy enough for me. I actually quite like it. And with that, it is back to work for me. I hope the rest of your day is fantastic.

The Daily: August 3rd, 2021

Good afternoon my darlings. I hope your tuesday is going well. I am beginning to realize just how much being without the internet for two days affected my schedule. It was a long day yesterday and it will be a long day today. With luck if I put in a long day today then tomorrow will be less long and Thursday will see everything back on track.

Storing items on the cloud is nice, until there is no internet and you can’t get to the cloud to retrieve them. Fun stuff.

Again as today is mostly going to be a working at the desk sort of day, I Did my workout early, showered and then put my hair up. I went for two braids on the top of my head today wrapped around themselves and stuck in with bobby pins. I think over all it turned out well. The earrings are another Ear Fleek pair. I believe they were from the Minimalist category.

Today is not terribly exciting I’m afraid just the gym followed by a day of paperwork, so I went for a fairly simple look.

Today’s Look:

Primer: Benefit Cosmetics Porefessional Primer

Flash sale! Score 40% off Boi-ing Cakeless Concealer.* Valid through 8/4. (so starting tomorrow morning)

Foundation: Pacifica Alight Clean Foundation

Bronzer: NARS Bronzer in Laguna

Blush: bareMinerals Bounce and Blur Blush in Mauve Sunrise

Highlighter: Illamasqua Beyond Powder in OMG

Powder: ABH Setting Powder

Eyeshadow: Ciate London The Trend Edit

Mascara: Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir

Lips: MAC in Bated Breath

Setting Spray ABH Dewy set

The Pacifica Alight foundation is about three quarters of the way empty at this point so I may keep it in frequent Rotation so that I can use it up. This is a beautiful foundation though and one that I will repurchase. I just have had it for a while and want to use it up. It is a good drug store brand and one I have no problem purchasing.

As you may remember the NARS bronzer that I have is a sample size and one that I have been trying to use up. I like the bronzer but I refuse to purchase the full size until I have actually used up the sample size. I feel that using it up before purchase of a full size does two things. The first is that it doesn’t waste the product. The second is that it lets me know that it is a product I am willing to use to the point of using it up. So I know if I purchase a full size it will get used. And today, I actually hit pan in the bronzer. Not a lot of pan, just a little silver glimmer. But it does prove that my plan to use it up is working.

I don’t know why that makes me happy, but it really does.

The bareMinerals blush is one of my favorite formulas and as small as this sample is, and as often as I actually reach for it, I have yet to hit pan on it. It too will be purchased in the full size once the sample is used up.

I actually meant to reach for the Illamasqua cream highlighter today when I put my makeup on, but completely forgot and picked up the powder instead. Tomorrow, I will compare it to the powder. I managed to remember Illamasqua, just not cream instead of powder.

For my eyes I used the Ciate London Trend Edit Palette. I like how the colors blend and it is a great formula, but I do find myself wishing they had one deeper brown in the palette. The one that is deeper, has a reddish tint to it. I almost reached for my ELF Bite sized palette for a deeper brown, but decided not to. The mattes in this palette are great for a one and done look, but the mattes are similar enough that they just sort of blend into each other when used together. The shimmers are stunning though. I used a dry brush to tone it down but with a wet one the shimmers really pack a punch. I just want one darker matte to really make this palette sing. Otherwise I really like it.

The ABH Powder was a little on the powdery side today and I did pair it with the ABH Dewy set to counter act it, which seemed to work well. Otherwise I like the ABH powder. Plus it had a large amount of powder in the container so finding a way to work with it is key to using it all up. While i will continue using this powder, I don’t think I would repurchase it. This is going to be a product that I work hard to use up and then do not repurchase.

As opposed to my Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Mascara. That I will always repurchase.

So that is today’s look. Me and my braids are now taking a deep dive into editing a document. That’s right soon every comma will be in place and the sentences that seem to stretch on for paragraphs will be broken up into smaller sentences that don’t make readers lose their breath. I’m actually working with an engineer who seems to specialize in creating sentences that take up three inches of space on a page. I always get out of breath reading it. But soon all will be well. I just need to get back to it. I hope the rest of your day is fabulous.

Crest is having a sale on their whitening products in case anyone is looking to get their smile dazeling before heading into the fall.

LIMITED TIME OFFER – $25 off Crest 3DWhitestrips LED Light Kits – Code: AUG25OFF

The Daily: July 28th, 2021

When you start on a healthy lifestyle plan, especially if the plan involves losing weight, there are a few basic habits that you get into. One of them is frood planning. In general I am pretty good at this. I plan my food for the week and have one healthy snack option lined up for the day to combat cravings.

The problem is that for the past year, my meetings have predominantly been taken over the phone or on the computer. I didn’t have to drive across town to a meeting and worried about getting delayed and hungry along the way. And so when I had a meeting scheduled for today I completely spaced about throwing a protein bar in my bag so that if I was hungry by the time my meeting ended I could nosh on it instead of getting pulled in by the long like of drive-thru restaurants on the way from the meeting to the house.

Plus I forgot breakfast. And my meeting ran long. I did get in my workout before the meeting, which while good, sadly added to the issue.

It was the perfect storm.

I ended up with a container of medium fries from McDonald’s.

And let me tell you…It was delicious!

I can’t even remember the last time I had french fries. They weren’t what I planned, but they were very much appreciated.

This meeting was a bit strange actually. I think people have gotten out of the habit of meeting in person and haven’t quite made the mental switch to remembering that everyone else isn’t on the other side of the screen.

Although trust me, it would have been nice to have a mute button.

So the workout was done, and extra calories were consumed. Tomorrow I’ll tack on a little extra to my workout to make up for it. For now I am just happy to cool off for a bit.

Today’s Look:

Primer: Benefit Cosmetics Porefessional Primer

Foundation: Tom Ford Traceless Soft Matte Foundation

Blush/Bronzer/highlight: The Ultimate Glow Getter Cheek Trio from Real Her

Powder: ABH Setting powder

Mascara: Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Mascara

Lips: Bodyography lip pencil in Rosewood with YSL Lip Gloss over it

Setting Spray: Farsali Rose Gold Facial Mist

I know, some of you are looking at the list and thinking I forgot to put eyeshadow down. I didn’t. Today I just dusted a bit of blush over my lids and trusted my mascara to distract from the lack of eyeshadow. I think the Marc Jacobs had quite enough pop on it’s own.

And in case you are wondering, this is the post meeting and drive across town while eating french fries look. I started with my hair down, it was too hot so on the way home I twisted it up in the back with a clip. I added more lip gloss before the picture was taken.

Quite frankly I am impressed everything wasn’t sweated off my face. The back of my shirt was damp when I got home but the make up was in tact. Partial credit I will give to both Benefit and Tom Ford but I have to say, I think the ABH setting powder deserves a bit of credit. It locked everything down and even though it looked a little powder when I left for my meeting, the powdery look disappeared once the sun hit my skin. I may not be able to count on that in the winter, but it was a big help today.

If you are looking to stock up for fall the sale is still going on at Marc Jacobs Beauty. The Velvet Noir is on sale for $17.50 (that’s what I’m wearing today and it is consistently one of my favorite mascaras.)

In addition Benefit Cosmetics also has a sale going on. It started yesterday and runs through August 13th. If you are looking to stock up on Benefit products now is certainly the time. The link below will take you to the sale. Happy shopping!

Summer SALE-abration! Get up to 60% off bestsellers, value sets, and more! Valid through 8/13.

The Daily: July 26th, 2021

Success! Well partially, at least as far as creative driving goes. Today i managed to get myself in gear early enough to beat the construction traffic and so it took only the normal amount of drive time to get to the gym. I am going to have to play around with the drive back though as it was a full forty-five minutes.

I know some of you are thinking that forty-five minutes is fantastic and that your drive anywhere takes longer, but when the drive usually takes eighteen minutes, the forty-five feels like a lot. But at least I managed one end of the drie successfully. And I got in my monday workout as planned.

As just the thought of walking outside sends sweat rolling down my spine, the walking trail isn’t really an option today.

I’m doing fairly good on my calories today. Lunch ended up being a tomato basil salad. It was going to have Mozzarella in it but after even a brief period outside I just couldn’t face dairy. I know those of you who know me well are gasping in shock. I am oh so fond of cheese of all varieties. But this is one of those days where lighter is better and anything heavier is going to come after the sun goes down. and even then, it is debatable. So it was tomato and basil salad with a few dashes of balsamic and a sprinkle of truffle salt. The slight eartiness in the salt makes if feel oddly more satisfying than without, even though it is really a very light touch. I don’t use a lot, because I am not using a lot of salt, but as odd as it sounds, that tiny little earthy note helps trick my brain into thinking that I just ate something much heartier than I did.

and I will take all the tricks i can get.

Before I get into today’s look, I just want to say, I am very happy with the way my skin looks today. I know that is an odd segway as I usually discuss skincare on Friday’s with the line up, but My Friday Face Mask was a Pore refining one from Go-To SkinCare (The Removalist). It is supposed to clear out pores. I felt very happy with it after using it Friday, but pore clearing masks are often best seen a few days after. I used the mask friday and then used a hyaluronic acid serum right after. The next day I used a light physical exfoliator (I tend to use them only once a month or so). And today I feel like my skin looks really nice. Which is the best look of all.

Today’s Look:

Primer: Marc Jacobs Undercover Blur Perfector

currently on sale for $19.50 (down from $39)

Foundation: Elf Acne Fighting Foundation

Powder/Bronzer/Blush/Highlight: PUR 4-in-1 perfecting Powders face palette

Brows: Billion Dollar Beauty brow cream in taupe

Eyeshadow: Golden Hour Palette from Beauty for Real

Mascara: Pretty Vulgar The Feathers

Lipstick: MAC Bated Breath

Setting Spray: ABH Dewy Set

Jewelry: Mariz Jewelry

Today I went quick and easy with most of the products, choosing ones I know and love like PUR palette, Marc Jacobs Primer and Elf Foundation. The Billion Dollar Beauty Brow Cream is also very much growing on me. And you know I love The Feathers Mascara. The two things I wa testing today were the Beauty for Real eyeshadow palette and the ABH Setting spray.

With the palette, the mattes blended well but dropped a lot of excess powder everywhere and the shimmers needed a damp brush to really shine. I’ll be playing with it throughout the week but thus far i like the way it blends but I’m not so thrilled with the fall out. we’ll see how it works.

With regards to the setting spray. I have been using the ABH Dewy Set with the ABH setting powder. The powder is a little powdery so I wasn’t sure if the dewy spray was just offsetting the powderyness of the powder or if it was a kind of dewy I could live with when I didn’t need to tame down the powder. If that makes sense. Today I just used the powder in the PUR palette. It is a good powder that doesn’t need something to settle it down. While the ABH Dewy Spray does have a bit of a shine to it, it is more of a fresh faced look rather than an overly dewy wet kind of look.

While I like the spray and I don’t mind the dewiness, I think this spray is one that I will like even more when my skin enters it’s winter dry phase. Then matte products tend to make me look dry and a spray like this could come in handy. I like it now, but I think I will like it even more later. Which is a very good thing to know.

Over all I am very pleased with how my look turned out today. My hair is clipped up to keep me cool, but the earrings are a little bit of shine to make my Monday sparkle. Over all, not to shabby. Admittedly, I am mostly really happy with my skin at the moment, so I would probably be happy with most products today. Good skin days make most makeup an easy sell. Luckily most of the items I’ve sued enough before to know I like them even when my skin is acting up. I just like them better now.

The Daily: July 20th, 2021

Oh the days before deadlines, when the world is compressed into two lists: what has to get done and everything else. Luckily, I put the gym in the has to get done category and managed to sneak it in before things got busy.

This week i am trying to walk at the gym instead of on the walking trail. I’ve spent just a little too much time in the sun for my liking. Admittedly my skin looks very patchwork at the moment. My arms neck and face are quite browned but my legs are still fish belly white. I’m starting in with at least one of the sunless tanners tonight so hopefully my legs will soon be a little less fishbelly. I’m also hoping they don’t go full oompa loompa as well, but that will have to be a wait and see moment.

Today’s lunch was a lovely homemade caprese salad. While I got to use my own basil for it, I had to use store-bought tomatoes as mine are still green on the vine. It tends to be one of my favorite summertime lunches as it is quick and easy to make and since i lean more heavily on the tomatoes than I do the mozzarella it isn’t all that highly caloric. And of course well within my portion of calories. So for food and exercise i am on track.

And when I got home from the gym, there was a package waiting for me.

Isn’t it lovely? All full of Klorane goodies. While I use lots of the dry shampoo and waterproof eye makeup remover, there are a lot of products in here I have never tried. In fact the only thing in this box I’;ve tried is the mango hair mask. Everytime I order from Klorane they send samples with the order (which is how I tried out the waterproof eye makeup remover) and the mango hair mask was one I’ve received a number of times. It smells delicious and really helps with dried split ends. It also makes the bath smell like a tropical smoothie. I always end up craving a mango smoothie after rinsing it out. While I have gone through many sample sizes I am thrilled to have a full size of the mask as well as several other products to try out.

Today’s Look:

Primer: Illamasqua Hydra Veil Primer

Foundation: NYX Bare With Me Tinted Skin Veil

Bronzer: Marc Jacobs Insta Marc Hifi filter

Blush: Billion Dollar Beauty Shade Amour

Highlighter: Billion Dollar Beauty Shade Mystic

Brows: Billion Dollar Beauty Cream Brow in Taupe

Lips: Billion Dollar Beauty in Macaroon

Powder ABH Loose setting powder

Eyeshadow: Billion Dollar Beauty in Moon and Norvina Pro Pigment Palette Vol 1

Mascara: Fenty Beauty Full Frontal Mascara

Setting Spray ABH Dewy Set Setting Spray

Earrings: Mariz Jewelry

The Illamasqua primer is just perfect for the summer. It is light weight and pretty much disappears into the skin, while both hydrating and locking down the makeup layered on top of it. It does go on a bit wet so you need to put it on and then give it a minute to dry down before moving forward with your foundation. I know the brand came out with a Beyond the veil primer that mixes the beyond powder into the primer, but quite frankly I prefer the original Hydra Veil Primer. It is just very light and fresh and feels like nothing once in place.

On top of it I layered another product that feels like nothing on the skin. And that was the NYX Bare With Me tinted skin Veil. I am down to half a tube of this foundation product and I will be buying it again once it runs out. It takes down the redness and evens skin tone but feels weightless and looks natural on the skin.It is just enough to even things out and if you are having a good skin day, this is a good product to use.It provides just enough help to make your skin look great.

The blush from Billion Dollar Beauty I like just as much as I did yesterday. I think the highlighter is actually growing on me. I still prefer using a gold or pink toned highlighter as I think they work better with my skin, but this silvery one is really good for putting under neath the eyebrows. It lightens them up but doesn’t look like too much. I rather enjoyed using it there today.

Today I also used the Norvena palette to change up the look. While I chose a bright pink and the black to try out in that palette I used the Billion Dollar Beauty eye shadow in Moon for my inner corners. I was very impressed with the way it blended with the other shades. It’s pigmentation held its own with the ABH formula. It blended nicely and while I don’t think I will ever really grow fond of just the shade all over my lids it is one that I will consistently reach for to place in the inner corner. It works really well with the darkest black the Novina Palette had to offer. With the Norvina palette, the black was highly pigmented. It also had loads of fall out even after you tap the brush. It stays in place once it is there, but there is fall out during application.

The Fenty Beauty Mascara is reaching the end of its life. I’ll be using it off and on for the next week, but it is starting to get that hollow sound mascaras get when they are close to being finished. To be honest, it isn’t my favorite formula and I probably won’t be purchasing it again. It isn’t a bad mascara. It is a fine everyday mascara but there really is nothing all that special about it. It is fine, but not fantastic. Since I have mascaras I enjoy a lot more, this won’t make the repurchasing list.

For the lips I again used a Billion Dollar Beauty pan, this one in Macaroon. The shade i think is a little too light for me, but the formula is fantastic.It applies well and barely feels like it is there.

Finally I used the ABH Setting Powder and Dewy Set setting spray. The powder did look a little powdery, but that could be because I have such a light foundation product on today. Because it was a little powdery, the dewyness of the setting spray worked really well and the two balanced out. I want to try both with a foundation that is more than a tinted moisturizer, but I think I actually like them both. Which is quite nice to learn. I don’t think the dewy spray will be too dewy.