The Daily: December 7th, 2021

Good afternoon my darlings. Today, my nose is a little less runny and the sneezing is thankfully less. Which means that it is actually just the up and down weather and not an actual cold. Saturday the temps were in the upper sixties to low seventies (I know far too warm for this time of year) but it was warm air pushed in front of a rain storm. The rains came and it is now in the thirties. Such changes always make my nose feel somewhat offended. Hopefully the temps will settle down and we won’t have such major shifts for a while.

Wouldn’t that be nice?

I’m not counting on it though.

Even though the sun has actually started to peek through the clouds, the air is raw and damp and large portions of the walking trail are flooded, so workouts today were again in the sunroom. This time with an actual bit of sun included. I have to say the hand weights and yoga mat from Prosource Fit were a great investment. (they still have a 60% off sale going on right now). I’m not comfortable at the gym right now and sometimes weather prevents the walking trail from being used. I like having the back up of the weights and yoga inside the house.so I can still move a bit even if I don’t get my full work out in.

while I will never really be a gym sort of person, I’ve incorporated daily exercise into my routine for so long at this point that if I don’t at least get a little bit in each day I feel really off balance and twitchy. So it was You Tube Yoga and some workouts with weights today.

This afternoon’s sheet mask is going to be the I’m Lavender Mask Sheet from Tony Moly. I think I’ve used their Hemp mask before but I don’t recall using the lavender one so this will be a fun one to try. Hopefully it will be both hydrating and soothing without being overly floral. I don’t like when sheet masks are overly floral. They tend to make me feel like I should wash my face after, which sort of defeats the purpose of the mask serum in the first place. So we will see how that goes. I’ll let you know on the end of month masking recap.

For now, let’s talk makeup.

Today’s Look:

Primer: Figs and Rouge Blurring Primer

Foundation: KVD Vegan Beauty Lock It Powder Foundation

Bronzer: Trestique Bronzing Stick

Blush: Rodial Blush Drops

Eyeshadow: Storybook Cosmetics Little Briar Rose Palette

Mascara: Roen Lash Cake Black

Lips: MAC Love me Lipstick in Bated Breath

Glasses: ThinOptics

I forgot to take my reading glasses off when taking the pics. Personally, I love these readers. they are so light weight that they make no dent in the makeup and are super easy to wear. Also the case clips onto the back of my cell phone so I always have them with me. They are the MVP of my work life at the moment. Oh and if you think you may need readers but don’t know the strength, ThinOptics now has a Clarity kit so you can easily find out. My eyes have always been bad so glasses and readers have been a part of my life for a long time. And having readers I like to wear makes me squint less, so it helps with the fine lines around my eyes almost as much as the eye cream. After all not helping them to form is better than fighting the ones already there.

The primer and foundation I’ve been using for over a week now and I will be posting my full reviews on Thursday. The short version is that the primer is good at blurring and the foundation is more full coverage than I would have given powder credit for. In addition it doesn’t look all that powdery when on. Admittedly I used more cream products with it and skipped powder itself most of the time when using it, which helped.

The we have the blush drops. I like cream blushes. well, I like some cream brushes. I’m just not sure i like this one. when the drops are first placed on the skin I thought, that is a bit bright. then I blended it in and thought, where did it go. I added a little more and when blended it looked better. Of course today I think my entire face looks a bit on the pink side, but I’m not sure that is the blush. I certainly didn’t apply it on my nose. I think that might be due to the sneezing.

With the blush, it is a light pigment on the skin that easily blends away. I think I might want to try it with a BB cream to see if it lends itself more to a more natural look. In addition to the color, I am not entirely certain I like the texture of it against my skin. It is a heavier weight than some of my other cream blushes. I may actually swap it out for a different cream blush tomorrow so I can do more of a comparison, but to me it feels a little heavier on the skin. I may play around with it a bit more, but at the moment it isn’t looking like a top product for me,.

The storybook Cosmetics palette I always enjoy using, as long as I stay away with the blues. It is the rosier tones in this palette that I really like. The shades can be a bit powdery so tap off your brush before applying. They do blend well without becoming muddy. However they also tend to fade a but by the end of the day. You will still know you have eyeshadow on after eight hors of wear but it won’t be nearly as vibrant.

It you are interested in the palette, when I went to grab a link for reference I say that it is on sale. Usually it is $55 but right now it is $15. I think several of their other palettes are on sale as well. It is good eyeshadow, just remember to tap your brush and not to expect it to last for a full 12 hours. It’s big drawback is it’s size which is why I have it out as a decorative element rather than in the drawer. It simply takes up a lot of space. The book design is cute though. So at least it looks nice out.

The Roen mascara is a good basic mascara. It works well, but there is nothing spectacular about it. I will happily use this until it is done, but once gone I will see no real reason to repurchase it.

And finally we reach the lips. MAC is a long time favorite for the lips (although there aren’t a liot of their other products I really gravitate towards). This is a great color for me and feels very comfortable to wear. It is one I will continue to use and one that I will certainly replace when it is gone.

So that my darlings was today’s makeup look, the good, the bad, the indifferent. Well maybe indecisive would be a better descriptor than indifferent. either way there are products I love and products I will just use for now.

The Daily: November 30th, 2021

Good afternoon my darlings. The sun is shining brightly and it tempted me out into a long walk this morning. Unfortunately the wind was bitter and slashed like knives. My throat and lungs feel a bit on the raw side because of it. I was planning on a second walk later this afternoon, but i think that now, a session with my weights in doors may be a better idea.

I think that the indoor workouts in the sunroom may become a bit more frequent from here on out. Or at least until we get through the windy season. The cold I can deal with, but that wind. It just causes things inside to ache. But I am well stocked up on indoor workout gear so it should be fine. Most of my stuff comes from ProsourceFit. I’ve always found their products to be top quality. Currently they have a 60% off sale for cyber week so if you are looking to add to your personal collection this is a pretty good time. I love their yoga mats, but the big winner for me are the leg weights. Not only are they great when doing actual workouts, but they are fantastic for at the desk work outs.

when I am trying to think of the right wording for a tricky e-mail, I will occasionally put them on my ankles, push back from the desk and do seated leg lifts in my chair while my brain thinks up the right words.

All right, I admit, sometimes it devolves into chair dancing. Luckily there is no one in the office to see it. And I’m certain it burns some calories even if it probably doesn’t work out the intended muscle groups. And if I am going full confession, sometimes I shift them to my arms and do a little arm waving dance to whatever song is stuck in my head. Oddly enough yesterday it was the Kung foo Fighting Song. No clue why that popped into my brain.

Just don’t tell anyone, okay?

Today’s Look:

Primer: Fig and Rouge blurring primer

Foundation KVD Vegan Beauty Lock It Powder Foundation

Bronzer: Buxom Staycation Vibes Primer infused Bronzer

Blush: Rodial Blush Drops

Powder: No 7 Perfect Light Pressed Powder

Eyeshadow: Chella Manifest Bronze Quad

Mascara: Pretty Vulgar The Feathers Mascara

Lips: Mischo Beauty Lip Gloss in Madam

Setting Spray: Peach and Lily Glass Skin Veil Mist

As I am still testing out a lot of new products, some of these are the same as yesterday. The tart mascara from yesterday reached the end of it’s life and has been sent off to the land of fallen mascaras. Today I picked out the Pretty Vulgar mascara from my selection of open products and sadly found that this is it’s last day as well. There is almost no product left. I believe I have a second unopened one in the unopened product drawer which I will be taking out soon, if I have it. This is one of my favorite mascaras. It does really well lengthening the lashes and the curve of the wand does really well in shaping the lashes I really like how my lashes look with this mascara. The effect isn’t as great today as there was very little product left. Empty or not it is a pretty enough container that I actually want to keep it around for display purposes. To be honest I probably will keep it around until I open up a new one and put that one out to look at. It is just such a pretty looking mascara. I know, packaging isn’t everything. But since this is pretty packaging with a fantastic product, I’m okay with ogling the pretty packaging.

In keeping with the makeup recently received in subscription boxes theme I seem to have going on this week, I used the Chella eyeshadow quad today. It came in a Glossy box this month. It looks oddly almost identical to the quad I used yesterday. On the eyes the brown has more of a reddish tone though and it is not as patchy to apply. I actually applied it using the exact same colors in the exact same places that I did yesterday. The look is slightly different. To be honest, I don’t find it much more appealing than yesterday’s quad. While it is less patchy, it isn’t all that pigmented and to be honest I have these shades in better formulas elsewhere. The thing that might save this is travel. I am not certain if I have these shades in a smaller travel palette. I know I have them in larger ones. Once I finish testing them I will compare and investigate the drawer. While larger palettes have much more variation and I may keep them for one color, I will only keep quads like this if I don’t have the shades in a travel palette. That will determine if this stays or is passed on more than anything else at the moment, at least with the small shadow quads.

I’m trying not to keep what I am not going to use. Its one of my goals in the new year so I am trying to get a jump on it. there may be an end of December quick declutter just so I can start fresh in January.

The final change today in the line up was with the lips. I just could not face another day of the rose flavored lip oil. Since it is a lip product with a want that I have used, I can’t pass it on to anyone so I may use it as something pretty on the dressing table, until I run out of space and let it go. I don’t think I am going to be wearing it again. I just hated the taste.

By contrast the Mischo lip gloss has almost no taste and almost no scent. It provides a very light wash of color. I know i used the lip gloss at least once before but I didn’t remember how it performed. And I know it came in an IPSY a while ago. so I decided it counted as subscription box makeup. The light color is nice. The formula is a little waxy and like any lip gloss it leaves lip prints and wears off fairly quickly. While it is nice, I think it is something that I will use and then discard without feeling the need to replace or purchase additional colors. If future products come in subscription boxes then I will use them, but I won’t purchase it on my own. After the rose oil yesterday though, I am inclined to look on it more fondly then I might otherwise.

I’m still getting to grips with the new products in the line up and as I use them more, I’ll report back, but those were the changes made today and how I feel about them. I am sad to see my Pretty Vulgar mascara run out and the eyeshadow and lipstick weren’t my favorite, but I think I am starting to get the hang of the liquid blush at least. So that is something. It isn’t a spectacular look, but it will do for working at the desk today. And now it is back to work for me. I hope the rest of your Tuesday is fabulously productive.

Or at least fabulous.

The Daily: November 17th, 2021

Good afternoon my darlings. Today was sunny and bright, if a bit cold, so I treated myself to an extra long walk. It is quite lovely in the park near me. The leaves are blazing red and yellow right now and many of the leaves are spiraling down to the ground. There is the crunch as you walk through the previously shed leaves and the visual swirl through the air as more descent. It is multi sensory enjoyment actually. It is also my favorite time of year on the walking trail.

I have to admit that one of my favorite sights is watching the fluffier dogs enjoy themselves. Our neighborhood has a few families that have dogs designed for colder temperatures and in the summertime they just look miserable. Now is their time to enjoy the out of doors. It is kind of fun to watch them bounding through the leaf piles and bouncing around as they walk. It certainly beats watching them walk, head hung low and lounge hanging out as though they are being walked as part of an endurance trial.

This brief window won’t last for long, at least for me. The dogs will enjoy it longer, but soon the temps will drop to the point where no matter how bundled up the wind will slap my cheeks red, make my nose run and my eyes water. I know, it doesn’t get as cold as it gets elsewhere. However the wind here is vicious. And at a certain point it just becomes a better option to use the yoga mat and hand weights with a well chosen video than it is to fight though that wind. especially since I always come in craving something rich, fatty and warm. which sort of negates the calorie burning anyway.

Which is why I have the new yoga mat from Prosource Fit and the hand weights I used to workout during quarantine. I thought about going back to the gym, but I figured that I would wait until after the holiday season to look into it. Partially because the next month or so is going to be really packed and partially because my gym is located in the middle of a dense retail section and the parking lot alone looks like absolute madness.

I sat down last night and put all of the upcoming gatherings on the list. It is sort of low key until Thanksgiving and then once Thanksgiving is over, it seems like everyone is having a gathering. I think part of it is that so many have been skipped that everyone wants to make up for the lack. But I think part of it is that there are a lot more smaller gatherings. People who usually host large parties are having small gatherings and people who normally don’t like to host large gatherings are taking advantage of the trend to jump into the mix with smaller ones as well. And of course we are hosting several as well. I suspect my babydoll and I will be more social in the next month than we have been all year. Not that we don’t like people or going out, it is just a dense cluster of small gatherings.

It should prove interesting.

I’m not quite sure yet how I am going to balance fitness and baking, but I’m sure it will all work out somehow.

Today’s Look:

Primer: YSL Touch Eclat Primer

Foundation: Ciate London Extraordinary Foundation

Bronzer: Buxom Staycation Vibes

Blush/Highlighter: OFRA Midi Palette Pink Satin Blush and SOHO Highlight

Powder: Ciate London Extraordinary setting powder

Eyebrows: Diego della Parma Eyebrow pencil

Eyeshadow: No 7 Pink Blosom Eyeshadow Trio

Mascara: YSL Volume Effect Mascara

Lips: Rare Beauty lip balm in Honor

I’ll be honest I chose the primer today because the YSL themed bag from Macy’s reminded me that I still had some left. I like the primer. It works well and the slight glow it gives works well under a matte foundation. It gives it a bit of depth which I really like. Is it worth the price? Not really. It’s good, but not my absolute favorite. I wouldn’t mind using it again, but I don’t like it enough to repurchase at full price. However if YSL had a mega sale, I could see picking it up as I wouldn’t mind using it again. Right now there is only a little left in the sample size I have. The reason I haven’t reached for it to use up is that the little stick to get the primer out of the bottle has a hard time reaching the last of the product. I may actually just get something else to use to get the product out and use it up. I think there are one, maybe two applications left in the bottle and using it up rather than letting it roll around in the back of the drawer sounds like a better idea.

Today I did use the Ciate Foundation and I think I have to admit, I need a lighter shade for the winter. It turned out okay today, but I found myself treading very lightly with the bronzer and adding a bit more of the white setting powder than usual to lighten the color a bit. which means that I’ll need a lighter shade going into winter. I don’t actually mind ordering a lighter shade. It is an affordable foundation to begin with and with my Christmas gifts purchased I can actually justify picking it up at the black friday sale. So that may be on my personal black Friday shopping list this year.

Also on that list are more of the No 7 shadow trios. I really like the one I picked up. the three colors work well together and because it is only three colors it is easy to grab in a hurry. Plus because it is three colors I find myself reaching for it more than I do my single shadows. There is almost no fall out from the shadows so again that is a time saver. They blend well together and the trio is well thought out. They are not highly pigmented. There are pros and cons to that. with the darkest shade you have to apply a bit more and work to darken it, but on the plus side you won’t automatically go too dark. In the balance between buildable and pigmented, I tend to lean more towards buildable. I like to be in charge of how dramatic my eyeshadow gets. and I know part of that is because most of my looks are more office friendly than they are night’s out dramatic, but lets face it, I spend way more time in the office and at meetings than I do out dancing.

Which is a shame.

It is reality, but still a shame.

It does mean that when I do go for the glitter I really do enjoy the break and it does feel special. At the moment though this mascara feels quite special. This is my second time using the YSL mascara and I have to say I really am liking it. It is definitely more lengthening than it is volumizing, but I really like the length.

I can’t really say I am impressed with the Rare Beauty lip balm though. It is a clear lip balm so there is no color to like or not like, but it feels oddly heavy on the lips. It also smells a bit strange. Not bad, but I just can’t identify the scent. And the scent is fairly constant as it is on my lips and thus right under my nose. I’m not a fan of the fact that the scent hasn’t faded either. Maybe the scent is why it feels so strangely heavy. The packaging is nice and I will give the lip balm more tries, but thus far, it is not turning out to be my favorite product.

The lip balm, along with the fact that I am going to have to order a winter shade of foundation are really the only downers in today’s product listing though so I can’t really complain too much.

Over all I am pretty happy with the look. Also you may notice fewer fly aways in my hair today. While I am still working through the last of my current shampoo, I did open the Silk Infusion leave in conditioner from CHI after my shower last night. Today I brushed my hair and let it go. I am quite happy with the way it looks. The silk infusion isn’t heavy on the hair, but it does work really well at keeping things smooth. And despite the large amount of hair on my head, I only needed a dime sized amount of product. Which means this small bottle is going to last a really long time.

But for now it is back to work for me. I need to make up some time at the desk due to the extra long walk earlier. It is always a trade off at this time of year, but given the short window of fabulous weather, I’m happy to lean into the fitness side, even if it does mean I have to work a little bit later tonight to make up for it. Life is always a series of trade offs my darlings, but as trade offs go, this one was a pretty easy choice to make. Have a great afternoon.

Workout Waffle: July 21st, 2020

My three favorite pieces of at home gym equipment (and the foot pump that makes the yoga ball small space friendly. (and yes. there are technically two yoga mats there)

Morning all, things have been interesting here. I’ve more or less had to give up my walks outside for a little while. Its not totally unexpected, its just a bit early. Usually the dog days of August hit and drive everyone inside for sanity’s sake. I noticed it seemed a lot hotter than I remembered from last year, but looking over my notes I saw that I was still walking until the first week of August last year. This year that’s a no go as we frequently hit triple digits or sit just under them. I have to say there is something I find oddly disturbing about seeing a digital thermometer read 99 degrees. I’m not entirely sure why, 100 is clearly hotter, but 99 manages to bother me more somehow.

My baby checked the weather data for me and surprise, record highs. We are actually ten degrees warmer where I live than we usually are at this time of year.

Because clearly that’s what this year needed, a brain melting heat wave.

After all, it’s not like anything else is going on, right?

So indoor workouts it is, at least until the heat breaks. So today I’m going to waffle a bit about my three favorite items in my at home workout tool kit. I should probably mention that my house was built in the late 1940s. While it is quite spacious enough for us, there aren’t buckets of extra space. As a result I have what I like to think of as a moveable gym. It goes where there happens to be space at the moment.

The first element in this set up is my Yoga mat. Even if your activities aren’t yoga based, I highly recommend getting one. The first thing it does is it gives you a designated workout space. So what if you had to shift aside the couch to set up your personal gym? While that mat is down, it is a designated space and makes it feel somehow more official.

I know that sounds a little strange, but it really is helpful, even if only psychologically. The mat temporarily transforms the space. Plus, it is the same mat each workout regardless if you are in the back bedroom, living room or back porch. Using the same mat each time helps signal your brain (or at least mine) that even if this is where you ate popcorn and watched bad horror movies last night (Evil Dead in case you are wondering), now it is the place where you work out.

In addition the mat is textured to keep your feet from slipping and it keeps you from sweating on the carpet. Which are things I generally like and find helpful during my workout.

My second piece of equipment is a yoga ball. There are a lot of workouts you can download that use the yoga ball. It is also easily collapsible when you aren’t using it so you can easily get it out of the way if need be. If you don’t have an electric air mattress pump hanging around your house, I recommend getting the yoga ball with the foot pump. They look silly, but they are a life saver. I think most of them come with some sort of pump, but double check before you buy.

I really like the yoga balls because first off, the exercises done with them tend to be low impact so tender joints like knees are protected. and they are great if you are just getting started on a workout plan. Plus, when you start out a workout sitting on a giant rubber ball, it is hard not to think of it as fun. And seriously, how often as an adult do you get to bounce around with a giant rubberized ball? In a way that isn’t condemned by society at large?

My third item has to be my leg/arm weights. The ones I’ve got are from ProsourceFit. They are a soft material that just feels like a bag of sand and has adjustable Velcro straps so you can move them from your ankles to your wrists. I have size medium in case you were wondering.

(And no this is not sponsored, I just really like ProsourceFit. If I can’t pick something up in person I tend to order from them so their name comes up a lot when I talk about my equipment. The products are good quality and they last a really long time. Plus, they are usually on the ball with shipping. They tend to sell out of stuff because they seem to have a high turnover rate, although they are really good about restocking if they are out of something just wait a few days and check in and it is usually restocked. At least in my experience. I’ve been eyeing some Kettle bells for a while now as well as a replacement yoga mat – I have two layered because they are both worn out in places and need to be replaced – so I may be placing a new order soon.)

While these are currently my top three items for an at home workout, I am always willing to try new things, so that may change. Especially as my walks are down to nil until the heat breaks. I suspect this will mean a bump up in my indoor fitness as well as closer attention to my calorie intake. So that is this week’s workout waffle.

I’ll link Prosource Fit below in case any of you out there are looking to add to your home gym. It is an affiliate link so if you click and then buy something from them I may receive a small commission, which goes to support this channel. Even if you don’t click the link, I highly recommend checking them out. Everything I’ve gotten from them has been quality and reasonably priced. Sometimes getting those to lines to intersect isn’t easy, and with work out gear, quality matters. Stay safe out there, or in there as the case may be.