Tag: revolution

The Daily: November 16th, 2022

Welcome to Wednesday my darlings. It has been a chilly and rainy one. I actually didn’t realize how dark and cloudy it became until I took my picture for this post. I like to use natural light so the makeup I am wearing can be seen a bit more as it would look in the real world and I had to crop out the indoor overhead light as it outshone the sun outside. Which wasn’t the case this morning. It was a little cloudy when I got up but there was a little sun peeking through. Which was nice, I like having daylight when I wake up. It makes me feel better in general.

Which is why that week running up to the time change hurts so badly for me. This year it didn’t help that I’m pretty sure there was some depression and I suppose we’ll call it trauma fatigue going on. This year has been a personally rough one for me and I think that in addition to the grief and mourning for the death of my brother there was just a sense that everything was piling on without end. This month I finally got enough of a breather from any new catastrophes that I actually feel more settled in my skin than I have in a while. Its a bit like taking a deep breath after you’ve finally taken off the body shapers you’ve been wearing for too long, Delicious and slightly off balance all at the same time.

I know that was an unexpectedly heavy mention for a daily post, but as I originally started this site as a way to be honest with myself about my weight and to think through the things I do and the products I use, I try to be as honest about everything here as i can. Only the names have been changed, or at least omitted. I promised my babydoll for one that I would never put his name in a post, hence why he is always referred to as Babydoll.

But to get back on track for the day, I tried a short walk while it was still sunny and the park was flooded so I returned home, warmed up and did a short indoor workout. That wind cut right through me so there were more cups of tea then I usually have in an afternoon. I sort of slosh when i walk at the moment. But I am warm. The clouds started piling in as I returned and look like they are here to stay a while. I think it is going to be indoor workouts the rest of the week. So, let’s see the look my computer screen was faced with today.

Today’s Look:

Primer: Dr. Brandt Pores No More Luminizer Primer

Foundation: Revolution Fast Base Foundation Stick

Bronzer: Iconic London Precision Duo Contour Pot

Blush/Highlight: Cotton Candy Champagne Blushlighter Palette from Beauty Bakerie

Setting Powder: Beauty Bakerie Flour Setting Powder in Oat

Eyeshadow: Revolution Beauty Mini Reloaded Palette

Mascara: Anastasia Beverly Hills Lash Brag Mascara

Brows: Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil

Lips: Anastasia Beverly Hills Matte Lip

Today I wanted to see if I could go for a quick and easy look with no fuss. Also I was a bit in a rush and when i reached for the red lip I am currently testing out I couldn’t find it. (I actually put it away with the other lipsticks instead of leaving it out, imagine that.) It will be back tomorrow, but I did grab one of my favorite Neutral mattes from ABH to dash on quickly.

Apparently the time I set to do my makeup was the time people chose to sell me things at my front door. Today I received two church invitations, neither I’ve heard of actually, one very pushy internet provider option and someone wanting to buy the house.

I was a bit unintentionally mean with the realtor. He mentioned the housing shortage in our area and how houses like mine are being snapped up so now would be the perfect time to sell. I then asked him where I would move to if my house sold and there was a housing shortage. It seemed like a natural question but it seemed to traumatize him. which wasn’t really my intention. I gave him a shortbread cookie to make up for it. (I baked them last night).

Moving on. Everything worked well for a low key look today. The Dr. Brant lifted the Revolution foundation a bit. It is one of the more matte foundations I have and the luminizer under it did give it a bit of a glow which I liked.

In fact there really was only one thing i didn’t actually like today. It was the cream side of the Iconic London contour duo. The cream didn’t apply well. It was my first time trying the cream side so I’ll still play around with it. I tried applying with my finger and the product blended out completely. I then tried a brush and the way it blended sort of made my face look a little dirty. I got most of it off, but I am going to have to see if it is user error or product failure. I like the powder side of the duo but this cream is something else. And I do like a lot of cream products. This one I’ll have to work with.

I think I have the hang of the blush in the beauty bakery Blushlighter palette though. I dot it into place with a kabuki style brush and then blend out with the makeup sponge. I really like the subtle glow it gets with the blush alone. I did forget to use a highlighter though. But I already knew i liked their highlighters.

I went quick and easy with the eyeshadow today. I used the dark brown to blend out across the lid and then the pinkish shimmer on the inner corner and called it good. I dipped once in the pan for each shade and each eye. it gave me a really soft look for the day which I enjoy.

And then I locked down the face products with the setting powder. I am very much enjoying the Flour setting powder.

And that my darlings is me today. A bit more head space than makeup face today, but what can i say, my brain turned inwards rather than out. But now it is back to work for me. I hope you have a fabulous afternoon.



The Daily: October 12th, 2022

Good afternoon my darlings. Yesterday, I might have overdone it on the walks. The weather was just so beautiful and I had the fear of the scale in me. I can’t lie, I went to bed a little footsore. I do feel validated today though as the sky is gray and low and rain is predicted to start tonight and run for a couple of days.

It makes me feel like i planned ahead instead of going crazy for the nice weather like a prisoner suddenly let loose. Yesterday was just one of those perfect walking days and I am now glad I took advantage of it.

And to be fair the rain is a good excuse to restart my indoor workouts up again. Which i know I need to do. I just don’t enjoy it as much as I do walking so I tend to let it slide in favor of walks when I can.

There is nothing like external factors making you do something you know you should have been doing anyway. But before the afternoon indoor workout begins and the makeup comes off, let’s take a look at the makeup I put on today.

Today’s Look

Primer: Maybelline Perfecter 4-in-1 Glow

Foundation: Revolution Fast Base Foundation Stick

Bronzer: Anastasia Beverly Hills Powder Bronzer

Blush: Benefit Cosmetics Gold Rush Blush

Setting Powder: By Terry Hyaluronic Hydra Powder

Eyeshadow: AOA Neptune Quad from the Orbit Line

Mascara: Patrick Ta Major Volume Mascara

Lipstick: NARS Shanghai Express Matte

Earrings: Shop Miss A earrings 3 pair bear stud and hoop set (this is the bear in green)

I am going to be trying different foundations with the Maybelline perfecter to see how it performs. I don’t think it will ever give me enough coverage to be considered even a light coverage product even though it says you can use it on it’s own. It does make a pretty good primer however. It is a bit glowy which as it is literally called a 4-in-1 Glow shouldn’t be a surprise. It did maintain the glow under the revolution Fast base foundation stick. It isn’t pore filling, but it does some burring which I like. It is is also really light weight which i love. At the moment I am very glad I picked it up to add to my collection. We’ll see how that remains as I continue to mix and match it with products. I will say though that when purchasing, I had better luck matching my shade to the chart in front of the products than I did to the product in the container. I was nervous that this was too dark looking at the actual bottle even though it seemed to be my shade. (I have 1.5 Light Medium). So my advice is to match to the swatch rather than what appears to be in the bottle. That is what i did and it seems to have matched me well.

While I am testing out different foundations with the Maybelline I never really need an excuse to pick up the Fast Base Foundation Stick. I love this formula and I have repurchased it repeatedly over the years. I originally purchased it because I wanted a foundation that wouldn’t leak when traveling and I thought a stick would work. It does, but the formula puts it in my top three foundations. It actually beat out some pricier ones to make the cut. It also helps that this shade just works for me most of the year so I don’t need multiple shades. I have F11 in the mid summer when my tan is the darkest, i need to use a little bronzer to darken it slightly and in the whitest of my depths of winter skin I only need to lighten it with a little setting powder. I am about halfway through this tube but it is a product I will always reorder when i start to run out.

Since I do have half a tube left I didn’t reorder it in my recent Revolution order. I should have a package coming from them later today actually. I ordered the Coraline Palette. The colors just looked fantastic and I just couldn’t resist. Of course I ordered it and then a few days later I saw that the Beetlejuice line has now been restocked. (it was out when I ordered). So there may be a future order. For now though I am looking forward to the Coraline Palette. It has been a while since i have ordered any of their eyeshadows actually. But that is for the future. Moving on…

I went with the ABH bronzer today mostly because it is a highly pigmented bronzer. I like it, but it is a very bold bronze. It does blend out nicely with my normal makeup tools. I am testing out the AOA brushes at the moment and I wanted to see how they handled blending out a more pigmented bronzer. with the light look I used yesterday it wasn’t much effort. I was pleased with how well they worked today. Some brushes aren’t substantial enough for highly pigmented products. This worked today. and I love the tones of this bronzer. It just requires either a light hand or a good blending brush.

Today I use the Benefit Gold Rush Blush. I strongly suspect that it has been discontinued. It has been out of stock for a long time (since the new blush releases actually, which makes sense). so the above link will just take you to the blush page for benefit Cosmetics. I really like their blushes. This was one of my favorites and I have actually hit pan on it. I am going to try to finish it up before the end of the year. I want to try out some of the new ones or possibly go for a blush palette from them (because i like their formulas) but i want to use this up before i allow myself to purchase it. I was hoping to have it done by the time the holiday kits came out, but I got distracted. I was hoping to order the new blush(s) when I picked out the holiday kit i wanted this year (I tend to pick up one each year. well one for me, I tend to order several and then give them as gifts, but I usually end up adding whichever one features the Bad Gal Bang Mascara to the order for myself.) Looking for Gold Rush to see if it was actually discontinued or not I found the Holiday Kits and Advent Calendars are already out. (they look great by the way). So now my goal is to finish out this blush by the end of the year.

My setting powder today was the By Terry Hyaluronic Hydra Powder and honestly I was blown away by how well it worked and felt against the skin. It dimmed the shine from greasy to glow without looking powdery and it feels great against the skin. I know I sound surprised it works so well when there are loads of people who rave about the brand, but prior to this the only thing I tried from the brand was the rose lip gloss. It is intensely rose scented feels amazing on the lips and leaves them wonderfully healthy looking but tastes like you are sucking on a perfume bottle. And while you shouldn’t really judge makeup on taste, with lip products it is hard not to. It was a product i loved and hated all at the same time. This powder, I just love. It sets beautifully without looking powdery.

all four shades in the quad were used but the two silvers blended together in the middle. The lighter silver shade looks whitish/pinkish in the pan if you are looking at the palette

I had an interesting time with the AOA palette today. I recently picked up all four of the Orbit Quads from AOA (as each was only $1 it isn’t as decadent as it sounds). Yesterday I used mercury which was super easy to use and blended like a dream. Today was Neptune’s chance on the lids. I don’t like it as much. I think part of it was first use dislike though. The silvery shades I had to work with the brush to get it loose enough to go on the brush. I don’t know if it was pressed hard, or a quality of the metallic silver. It might have been an over spray. After I played with it a bit i did get it to apply well.

the quad. Once past the top pressed layer things got a bit messy

This quad has three shimmers and one Matte. I think all four of them are set up that way. While I didn’t feel I needed a second matte with the Mercury palette, here I felt like an additional matte would have been a good idea. Especially as the two silvers are virtually indistinguishable once on the eye lid. there was also more fall out this time (there was none from yesterday’s palette). but again, that could just be the silver. I will continue through the quads and see how the other two perform and then do a wrap up with all four. But at this point I don’t like Neptune as much as I like Mercury.

Every time i reach for the Patrick Ta Major Volume I feel like it is misnamed. It gives great length but it isn’t really great on volume. It is a comfortable mascara to wear on a daily basis, but it is more a lengthening than a volumizing product.

And finally today I use the NARS Lipstick. It has been a while since I used a traditional lipstick from NARS. The color and quality was always there but they were a little drying. This NARS Lipstick is a revamp. The same classic colors but a new formula. This one came in Boxy and it is fantastic. the fab color is there but the dryness is gone from the formula. It is amazingly comfortable to wear. The trade off is that it will transfer. It never dries down completely. So there will be some lip prints However the prints lighten and disappear as you wear the lipstick throughout the day, but the color remains on your lips. I love a good red lip and this is just fantastic.

And so my darlings, that is me today. I know i blathered on a bit more than usual but what can I say, there was a lot to talk about. Hopefully I didn’t lose you before the lipstick. But alas it is back to work for me now. Have a great rest of the day.

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.

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It’s Travel Time for Makeup and Skincare

Ah yes, my darlings it is travel time. Time to pick out makeup and skin care products to take with me on my trip. I know this sounds totally dorky, but I really love picking out travel products. It forces me to slim down my choices with makeup, taking only what I will need for the trip and it allows me to try out an entire range of samples that I have been stashing in the drawer and waiting for an excuse to try out. With my travel I have a rule with packing. I can either take two small makeup bags (think the IPSY Glam Bag size) and place skin care in one and makeup in the other or I can take one larger makeup bag.

Hair care always gets stashed in a separate bag regardless, mostly because those items are often wet from the shower. That will be a second post. I actually did pretty good paring down the makeup this year. I have a harder time at Christmas as when I go home there are more gatherings. But I am still proud of myself. Let’s take a quick look at the makeup I am bringing along and why.

The Travel Makeup:

  • Primer: Elf Poreless Putty Primer: This is a great primer to just smooth out the rough edges. Plus I am almost finished with it and am hoping to use it up soon. Don’t worry a replacement has already been ordered. Partially because ELF has a huge sale going on right now and I couldn’t resist a restock. Not only is this a good primer, but it is a good travel primer. It performs well and because it is a cream it won’t spill or get a punctured tube. It is neat as well as fabulous.

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  • Foundation: Revolution Fast Base Foundation Stick: It is a great foundation and I really like traveling with a stick foundation over a liquid one. No spillage or breakage to worry about. this foundation can look a little shiny in the midafternoon, so have not only the powder in my makeup bag, but I have a compact in my purse. I know, it bends the rules a little, but I’m okay with that.



  • Pur 4-in 1 Skin Perfection Powders Face Palette: I chose this palette because I like all of the products in there and having all of my powders in one is a really good travel plan. It also has a hard case that will protect the powders on their journey. Is it my absolute favorite palette? No. It is good and I don’t mind using it for a long weekend though. It also has the powder, blush, bronzer and highlight. My other palettes don’t have quite the same mix. Several of them have multiple blushes or highlights or bronzers. This has all four so it is easy to pack. Plus it has a nice large mirror in case I end up putting on my makeup in a small corner of the kitchen table. This tends to happen more than I expect.



  • Eyeshadow: No 7 Pink Blossom Trio and the Ciate Trend Edit palette: I know, I probably should have chosen just one. The No 7 gives me a quick solid look, which as I am never certain how much time I will have to get ready when I am with the family is always appreciated. The Ciate London Palette has a few more pops of color but the colors complement the No 7 well. So I can use the No 7 and then maybe brighten it with the Ciate. or just swap them out by day. Both palettes are small and encased in sturdy plastic so I know they will travel well and give me enough variation for the length of the trip.
  • Mascara: Tarte Lights Camera Lashes and YSL Volume Effect: I know, two mascaras. Both are samples and neither have a whole lot of product left in them, so I suspect they will be used up during the trip. I have both so I won’t run out of mascara and because I like both. I do suspect that the trip will finish out both tubes of sample sized mascara though.

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  • Lips: Elf Sheer Slick, wet ‘n Wild Megalast Lipstick in Cinnamon Spice, bareMinerals Liquid Lip in Pout, and Colourpop So Juicy Plumping Gloss: Yup that’s right, four lip products. And yes there is still a lip balm in my purse. and probably another couple of lip products as well. however I did choose the lip products carefully. All of them are ones I like so that is a no brainer. The ELF is a light wash of color for a barely there look. The wet ‘n wild is a deeper berry shade that is more dramatic and the bareMinerals is a pink toned neutral. Which means I have my shade ranges covered with this lot. The colourpop plumping gloss is to make mattes shiny and to plump my lips if I choose. Or to just be a clear gloss if I decide not to use a lot of lipstick.

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See I may have gone a little heavy on the included lip products, but I chose them for a reason and even though a few more may find their way into my purse, I am pretty happy with my selection and the reasoning behind it. I was a little less cutthroat with my skincare items. There is a little less reasoning as far as products go. I had samples and I chose a sample for each category. Most of the products I’ve never used before and am using this as an excuse to try them. Others I’ve used before. Soooo.

The Travel Skincare:

  • Toner: Thayers Rose Petal Toner: Don’t worry I am not packing the whole bottle. Its why I have the travel bottle from my in-flight products packing kit next to the full sized bottle. I will fill the bottle and for extra safety tape the top shut during travel. Also it will go in with my hair care items, just incase it leaks. It shouldn’t but I like to be prepared.
  • Elemis Cleansing Balm: I know and love it and I picked up the travel size just for traveling. It is kind of my go to when traveling.

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  • Klorane waterproof eye makeup remover: I am a big fan of this eye makeup remover. I actually have a large bottle of this but I keep the smaller sample size for traveling and just refill it. It always takes the makeup off and doesn’t cause the eyes to sting.
  • Tatcha Soft Cream Cleanser: Never tried it but it came in an IPSY a while ago and it was the only sample sized cleanser I had on hand. I’m actually quite looking forward to trying it out.
  • May Coop Raw Sauce: This is an essence. I picked it up the last time I went to the Peach and Lily website because it looked interesting and I thought I would give it a try.

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  • Elemis Pro Collagen Marine Cream Anti Aging Day Cream: I know I’ve tried it before, I loved it before, but as so many of the products in the line up are new to me I thought I’d have at least a moisturizer that I knew and loved. If all else fails, I’ll still have a moisturizer.

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  • Filorga Age Purify intensive serum: I figured I would try this out as a day time serum. The tube feels quite light so I made certain to include both a night time serum and an oil in the mix.

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  • BareMinerals Ageless Night Concentrate: I plan to use this as my night time serum. As it is a retinol I am packing an oil to use just in case. I am actually very excited about this serum. I’ve used BareMinerals makeup products for years but I’ve never tried out any of their skin care, so I am very much looking forward to using this.
  • Akar Soothe Face oil: When using retinols it is always good to have an oil around to calm down the skin if necessary. Plus if I run out of day time serum I can sub it in with no issues. Or so I hope.
  • Hey Honey Look into my Eyes Eye Mask: I found this floating in the bottom of my samples drawer and thought why not. I also have three Hey Honey Moisturizer samples I need to try. But that is for another time. I really like Hey Honey. The items I have tried from them have been really good. I’m hoping this one will be as well.
  • Sunday Riley Broad Spectrum Light Hearted Sunscreen: I keep forgetting to rotate this in to try out. I’ve been using up my Neutrogena spray sunscreen and applying it whenever I leave the house. But I have wanted to give this a try so now seems like the right time.

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And finally I have two types of Eyemasks: Klorane’s Cornflower infused eye masks and Grace And Stella’ Energizing Eye masks. I love them both and when traveling home they are necessary. there are many dogs. I love them and they love me. My sinuses are less enthused. it is not allergies, just a change in environment and my eyes get puffy. These are amazing products to use to depuff. Especially since I love playing with the dogs. For me, they are essential Holiday Travel kit.

Buy 4 of any product, get 30% off both!

And that my darlings is the list of makeup and Skincare items going into my travel bag. By using a bunch of samples and strategically choosing my makeup, i fit it all into one bag. The brushes will be going in a different bag, as will the hair care, but that is just par for course. I have the thrill of trying out all new products and the added benefit of clearing out some space in my samples drawer. So it is kind of like an extra win for me. the closer we get to New Year’s Eve the more I want to clear out samples and partially used products. Partly because it makes things look neat and clean and partly because it makes me feel I am opening myself up to whatever the new year brings. and this makes me feel like I am getting a good start on that.



The Daily: November 4th, 2021

Good afternoon my darlings. The rain has reached us and today is a mostly indoor sort of day. There was a session with my hand weights and another internet yoga moment this morning, but aside from looking into another video this afternoon, I’m afraid that is it for the fitness today. It is mostly remembering not to add a bunch of extra calories to my day. Normally that isn’t too hard, however we picked up candy for trick-or-treaters and had none show up. So now we have a pile of fun sized snickers and recees peanut butter cups. They were in a bowl, but I kept passing by and having to talk myself out of eating one (or a couple) so I put them in the cookie jar instead. There at least they are out of sight and easier to ignore. Passing by the candy bowl, it was simply too easy to pick one up simply because it was there.

Now I can forget about them for the most part.

Today is mostly a day for editing. That’s right all those pesky little commas need to be assured of the correct home. And I am sorting through the last minute notes to make certain that the words that were in my head are the words that made it onto the page. Yup it is me and a bunch of comments in red pen. I think it is a hold over from school but I hate the red pen. I’m thinking of giving all of my readers and editors bunches of blue inked pens for christmas. I know, you shouldn’t give a present just because it makes you feel better. But I think if you put a ribbon on it is still counts as a gift.

Maybe I can use it as a decorative topper for another gift. Make it sort of part of the packaging.

I’ll have to think about that one.

The other big discussion in the house right now is the bed. we have painted the walls, added a carpet and hung the curtains. We even got a new bed frame. The two things we haven’t done are replace the night stands (because we can’t actually agree on ones we both like, its a process) and replacing the mattress and possibly bedding. The bedding will be an ongoing style debate that will last well into the new year. The mattress is of more pressing concern. While we routinely turn the mattress, it has now reached a point where no matter how many times we turn it, a dent soon appears. This morning it felt like I was climbing out of it. So a mattress will soon be a necessity. We just need to make a decision about it.

But that is a discussion for later.

Today’s Look:

Primer: ELF poreless Putty Primer

Foundation: Ulta Youthful Glow Serum Foundation

Bronzer: Ciate London Bamboo Bronzer

Blush: Ciate London Marbled Blush

Highlighter: Illamasqua Beyond Powder in OMG

Eyeshadow: Life on the Dance Floor by Revolution

Mascara: Roen Cake Mascara

Lips: Josephine Cosmetics Lip Power in Tiphaine

Okay, the Elf poreless putty primer is a long standing favorite. It is a great way to get a smooth canvas for your foundation and as always it is in my top five primers. Today I pretty much used up the last of the Ulta Foundation. It is a great formula and it has been with me for a while. So long in fact that they have new packaging. I will be repurchasing it at some point. Right now i am trying to work through some of my older foundations to clear them out. Because I was testing so many I have an over abundance of them at the moment. Ideally i would like to have only a few that I rotate through at any one time. I dislike the thought of wasted product so no repurchasing until I shrink the existing number.

Or if I do repurchase because of a good sale I can’t open it until I clear out a few more.

But as I don’;t resist temptation so well, I am trying for the don’t purchase option.

The blush and bronzer are both from Ciate. The blush is a long time favorite. I like the bronzer and I like the way it is buildable rather than just in your face pigmented, but it is only a like not a love. I like it enough to use, but it isn’t something I would rush out to purchase if it ran out. The compact is adorable though.

The Roen Mascara is also one of those, use now but not rush out to repurchase products. It is fine. It just isn’t really all that notable.

The Revolution palette is one that was saved from decluttering at the last minute. I like the formula, the shades are blendable and there is a good variation in color. I like the looks I create with it, I just don’t find myself reaching for it all that often. I actually get way more use out of my small doughnut palette from Revolution than I do this one. In fact every time I use the doughnut palette I think, I need to pick up some of the other doughnut palettes. When I use this one I think, it works well. That’s it. Because it does. It is a nice palette, it is just a palette that makes me feel meh. I think if I were working in an office everyday and had to make certain I stuck to a conservative look it would thrill me more. So maybe it just means my life has changed. I’m still not sure how long I will keep the palette. The formula of the shadpws is good, but I just don’t know how often I will reach for it in the future.

And this leads is to the lips. Today was the first wear of the Josephine lipstick. I like the color enough to keep wearing it and I like the way it feels on the lips. It dries down somewhat, but not all the way, which keeps it from drying out my lips, but at the same time it is still leaving red lip prints on things. I’m going to have to see how it wears the rest of the day and probably use it a few more times before I decide how I feel about it. Right now, I’m on the fence. But that’s okay, I don’t mind taking my time to make up my mind.

But for now it is time to delve back into the commas and to make sure that what i thought in my head has actually made it down onto the page. Such fun. I know, it is part of the job but I enjoy the writing part so much more than the editing. Still it must me done, and so we sally forth. I’ll see you on the other side.

The Best Drugstore Foundations

Oh my darlings we have reached that time of year. It is the time of year where inventory is taken, gaps marked out and the list of current sales grows longer each day. So each year I look at the products I use or have used throughout the year and decide which ones are worthy of repurchasing. Because the one thing better than getting a product you like is getting it on sale. while some sales have already been activated, some are yet to come, as they approach I’ll try to list them. For now, we look at products worth bothering to pick up. After all, even if it is on sale, somethings don’t need to be purchased. It is only a deal if it is a good product.

Since I reviewed a drug store shampoo this morning, I thought it only fair to continue with another drug store item, foundation. Now some of you may be looking at the above photo and thinking that you see some Ulta products. When searching my Drug store foundations, I saw several I liked that I knew were from Ulta so I addend them onto this list since they didn’t really fit anywhere else. There is an Ulta in my town so I can pick them up just as though I was running to the drug store, hence their inclusion. I don’t have a Sephora in town so I order from them on line, but generally pick up Ulta products in person.

As with all my foundations, I go with medium coverage and I wear primer underneath them.

So on to the items.

  1. No 7 Lift and Luminate Triple Action Serum Foundation: It does have SPF 15 in the mix, but that is just an extra perk and not something you should count on. What I like about this foundation is that the serum consistency makes it fairly melt into the skin. It is suitable for sensitive skin and I have never had any issues with it. Because of the bendability of the formula the shades are fairly flexible. I can actually use the same foundation year round and simply adjust it slightly at the extreme light and dark times of the year (aka mid-summer and mid-winter). It is a beautiful medium coverage foundation.
  2. E.L.F Acne Fighting Foundation: I’ve tried quite a few Elf foundations at this point and I think this one may be my favorite from the brand. It is excellent if you are in the midst of hormonal break outs (or any other breakouts actually) as it doesn’t irritate them at all. While I don’t know if it actually does fight blemishes, it doesn’t make them any worse. I apply in a thin layer at first and then blend it in. Going light with this foundation helps it not to streak with a makeup brush. Of all of these foundations, it is probably the most long wearing. It doesn’t melt into the skin like the serum foundations on this list, but it blends really well and stays in place all day.
  3. Maybelline Fit Me Matte and Poreless: This is a classic must have for a reason. It applies well, stays on all day and looks fantastic. The only reason I don’t reach for it more is because of the bottle. The glass bottle has an open mouthed top. I always end up pouring out more product than I need. I know that in some places like Look Fantastic, you can order the foundation in a squeezable tube that is easier to control. If you can find this at your drugstore, go for it. My drug store only sells the glass bottles. Normally I am all about glass, but it is the open pour that bothers me. I tend to appropriate a dropped from a now empty skincare product to use it. It is a great foundation, it is just that pour.
  4. Catrice HD Liquid Coverage Foundation: I know there are a lot of people out there who dislike this foundation for one reason or another. I actually like it. I think I like it because I don’t wear it more than about ten hours at a time. The bottle says 24 hour coverage. I’d say 12 is more realistic. As I said I rarely wear makeup more than 10 hours at a stretch. And in that time, this foundation looks great. It is a fuller coverage foundation than the others on this list. It is still medium coverage, but it is on the higher end of medium. It is what I lean towards when I have to give a presentation and know I’m going to be under some bright lights and the focus of the room’s attention. Again, I wouldn’t wear it more than 12 hours, but in those 12 hrs it performs beautifully.
  5. Ulta Youthful Glow Foundation Serum Drops: I was very impressed with this Ulta Foundation. It actually came as a bit of a surprise for me. I tried a couple of other Ulta foundations and hated them. I tried this one honestly because I liked the look of the bottle and i think it was on sale. The bottle of course, has changed. I am actually almost out of this and will have to repurchase it soon. So I don’t feel too bad about the old packaging as it will soon go away. I do however like the older packaging more than the new. I will happily repurchase this foundation again. I don’t there are many Ulta products in general I would say that about, and certainly no other foundations. Part of that is that I like the serum style foundation. I prefer foundations that blend into the skin and feel weightless. This one does. It looks good on the skin and lasts all day. It doesn’t have as high a coverage as some of the other foundations on this list so I generally use it when I am having a pretty good skin day. The big thing to remember with this foundation is to shake well before use.
  6. Revolution Fast Base Foundation Stick: I seriously debated whether or not to include this on this list. But then I realized it is the stick foundation I find myself reaching for more often than the other products. Stick foundations are great when you are traveling or in a hurry. Well they are great in a hurry if they blend well. This one does blend well and gives good coverage that lasts throughout the day. It has a fairly wide shade range, however it doesn’t have a lot of flexibility. I have to keep two shades, one for summer and one for winter. As it is a very inexpensive product and quite contained, having two isn’t a problem, it is just something to keep in mind when shopping. It is a creamy formula and one that I tend to choose when traveling.

So there you have it, the top drugstore foundations I am currently using and would consider replacing. All of the links will take you to sites where you can find them. I believe some of the sales have already begun. If not, then just wait a few weeks for Black Friday sales to really get underway and then stock up. For me, all of the products but the Catrice (which I tend to use for public presentations which haven’t happened in a while) and the No7 (which I just repurchased) are getting low enough in product that I have them on my repurchase list. The elf and the Revolution products are the two I will repurchase first, the others will depend on the other items I need to replace. I hope when planning your shopping lists, this helps you out.



The Daily: October 14th, 2021

Oh my darlings, today has been somewhat erratic. I tried for a walk, but by the time I got my shoes laced, the phone was ringing. It hasn’t really stopped. In addition a call I thought was a regular conference call turned out to be a video one so I ended up doing a five minute makeup look.

Actually I think it might have taken me three. But it worked out. Tonight’s dinner is a baked potato with broccoli, bacon bits and a scant scattering of cheddar over the top. The cheese I have to measure because it is so easy to over shoot the calories where cheddar cheese is involved. I understand why it is so caloric, but it always knocks me back a step to see it when I start grating it. While most foods I have repeated enough and measured enough that I can generally eyeball them, the cheddar is one thing I always have to measure. Otherwise I will talk myself into believing that a half a cup looks just like it could be 2 tablespoons.

Ah cheese, my eternal weakness.

Today’s Look:

Primer: Urban Decay Optical Illusion Primer

Foundation: Revolution Fast Base Foundation Stick

Bronzer: Ace Beaute Bronzed in Paradise Palette

Blush: bareminerals Bounce and Blur Blush

Highlighter: Illamasqua beyond Powder in OMG

Powder: Becca Pink Haze

Eyes: Ace Beaute Bronzed in Paradise Palette

Mascara: Roen Cake Lash Mascara

Lips: Elf Sheer Stick in Black Cherry

Okay the Urban Decay Primer and Becca Pink Haze Powder are both discontinued and I am trying to use them up. I love them both and wish they could be repurchased, but they can’t. So I will use them up and let them go.

The Roen Mascara is one I am currently testing out. I used it for the first time yesterday and liked it. Today I am even more impressed. It is not a dramatic mascara. There isn’t a lot of lengthening or volumizing. It does feel light on the lashes and won’t weigh them down during the work day and is actually a pretty good workday mascara. If going out, I would add a more dramatic mascara on top of it (I don’t do fake lashes, trust me, its for everyone’s benefit). However the mascara isn’t clumping or flaking and it is light enough that i can forget I am wearing it. And my lashes still look pretty good.

I didn’t choose an eyeshadow palette today because I was moving at speed. Instead I used the bronzer palette as, well bronzer, and then I took the darkest shade, which is actually a nice reddish brown and just swiped a bit across my eyelids. It is a lovely color and probably the only reason i was able to get my face on in time for the call.

Over all this look was designed to make me look less like i rolled out of bed and was working in my pajamas. I think I managed to clear that bar. Okay, it wasn’t a high bar, but I think I successfully cleared it. I also think mornings like this are what stick foundations were really designed for. I love traveling with the stick foundations but when you are in a rush they make life so much easier. The Revolution Fast base is a creamy formula that matches my skin tone so it was especially easy to grab and go.

Stripes across the face and then a quick blend with my 999Master Blender from Bdellium Tools and boom, done. I do love that foundation brush. I keep meaning to reach for a different foundation brush so that by the end of the week it isn’t so gunky (I clean my brushes on Saturday) but somehow I never do. Each Saturday I remind myself I do have other foundation brushes to use, but still I don’t reach for them. I actually have one I keep meaning to test out, but keep forgetting. I might actually have to hide my Masterblender. Just for a bit.

I also think I need to give it a deep clean. Maybe I’ll give it a deep clean tonight so that it will still be damp tomorrow and I’ll have to reach for a different foundation brush. Ah self trickery, sometimes quite useful.

At the moment the Master blender is on sale. Usually it is $16 but at the moment it is only $11.20. As it is the best foundation brush I have, I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a new foundation brush.

And with that I will leave you and get back to work. My plan for the day got a little off kilter but I think I have time enough to rein it in and hit Friday morning on schedule. As we have company coming this weekend, Friday also includes a bit of cleaning, so knowing it will be added makes that schedule just a little bit more important. After all we can’t let guests see toothpaste spatter in the sinks can we? Also I spilled some setting powder a few days ago so it looks like my bathroom is quite dusty. (I thought the lid was on, but it wasn’t actually screwed on just sitting on top.) And no one likes a dusty bathroom. There are worse things of course, but I’ll take down the problems I have. And for now, my problems are in the form of paperwork. So back to it for me and bathroom deep clean (company edit) tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of your afternoon.

The Daily: October 7th, 2021

In what I’m certain is likely to become the October refrain, today’s walk was a quick dash between rainstorms followed by a bit of Youtube Yoga. At the moment I’m not following anyone specifically, otherwise I’d link it. I really do need to sit down and sort of think through some workouts as this seems to be cropping up often. At the moment I sort of look at the time and say, Oh I have fifteen minutes or oh only 12 minutes, perfect. I need to actually create play lists like ‘Arms’ or ‘Abs’ so I can focus a bit more.

Perhaps that will be a weekend goal.

For now I at least feel confident that I managed to move around enough to keep me from feeling twitchy while I work. Hopefully it will be enough to show up on the scale. But even if the numbers don’t move this week, I feel pretty good about the level of activity and my attention to calories. While I may have no idea what my snack from the Tokyo Treat Box had in it, everything else was well monitored. So I feel pretty good about that.

In fact, I just feel pretty good in general. And it is pretty good to feel good. So I am just going to hold on to that feeling.

Today’s Look:

Primer: Urban Decay Optical Illusion Primer

Foundation: Revolution Fast Base Foundation Stick

Bronzer: Trestique Bronzing Stick

Blush: Benefit Cosmetics Gold Rush Blush

Highlight: Ofra in Blissful

Eyeshadow: Ciate London the Trend Edit

Mascara: ABH Lash Brag

Lips: MAC in Bated Breath

Setting Spray ABH Dewy Set

I know, I’m still trying to use up the discontinued primer. Slowly but surely it is being used up. The link above will take you to the Urban Decay Primers, even though this one is discontinued, they have other primers and currently they ae on sale for 30% off.

The Revolution stick foundation I really like. I forget about it for long stretches, then use it and wonder how I could have actually forgotten about it. It is a great product, especially for travel. It is creamy and blends well. I also managed to get the perfect shade for me so at the moment this is my go to travel foundation.

I’ve actually been thinking about travel more lately as autumn sets in. I will be traveling for Thanksgiving this year so I’m having to put together a travel kit. My last travel was Christmas of 2019 I took apart my travel kit and used up open products so that they wouldn’t go to waste. Now I am actually having to think about all of the items going into the new bag. I’m also going to have to look at replacing my travel bag soon. I know, I keep promising myself that I will and then I forget about it when I am not traveling, and then when I am traveling I remind myself to do it once the traveling stops.

It is an endless cycle and one that I am going to break. I’ve actually been debating between the Navy Collection and the Gray red vacationer bag from Kusshi. I just like the look of them and the functionality of the bags. At the moment the vacationer bag with the organizer is on sale so that may end up deciding me as I really like their organizers as well. I ended up getting one of their limited edition animal print bags for my mom a few years back and she absolutely loves it. It has worn really well.

https://www.kusshi.com/collections/sale/products/copy-of-makeup-bag-organizer-grey-leather

Not that i actually used my mom as a test case. She just needed a new makeup bag and I thought she would like this one. Which she does. I just got the added benefit of seeing it in action.

But speaking of travel, that is one of the thoughts that caused me to pull out the Ciate palette today. This is a little square palette with a hard plastic case. I like the hard case for traveling shadows. And these are both really nice shadows and a good general mix. The mattes are all in the brown and reddish brown category, but the shimmers are more varied so it can be used as an everyday kind of palette or the shimmers can be used to punch up the colors. I used dry brushes today but with wet brushes these shimmers really pop. It is definitely a good contender for this year’s travel palette.

Today for the setting spray I used the ABH Dewy set. While I like the way the cap locks into place I am not sure I would repurchase this. The mist is a bit heavy and the coconut scent is pretty strong. It works well, but between the spray and the scent, I think this is one product i will be using and not repurchasing.

And with that, it is back to work for me. I hope you are having a good Thursday as well my darlings, because I really do feel good in my skin today and I think that everyone should have that feeling as well. I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow with the weekly weigh in.

The Daily: September 30th, 2021

I have to admit, the weather is just about perfect today. Staying inside is really hard to do so I’ve done very little of it. I woke up this morning and had my coffee on the back porch. It was nice being able to sit down with a hot beverage and not sweat profusely while trying to drink it. while our back porch can be used pretty much from now until spring (with maybe a few weeks mid-winter where it is too cold) In the summer time it is not a space where anyone wants to linger. It is positioned so that for most of the day the sun falls directly onto it. While it does make it usable throughout much of the year because it traps the heat, in the summer it just makes you feel like you are an ant and there is a very naughty little boy with a giant magnifying glass over you. The afternoons are still too warm to spend much time out there, but the mornings are fantastic.

Then of course there was a much longer walk than usual, and yes there will be another much longer walk than usual later this afternoon. It is just too nice to be inside. Plus after the rainy no walk days it is nice to get in a little more exercise. Hopefully the extra walking will show up on the scale tomorrow.

Today’s Look:

Primer: Urban Decay Optical Illusion Primer

Foundation: IPKN Moist and Firm BB Cream

Bronzer: Too Faced Chocolate Soleil

Blush: Illamasqua Colour Veil Gel Blusher

Highlighter: Jecca Blac Glow Drops

Powder: Ciate London Extraordinary Setting Powder

Eyeshadow: I heart Revolution Maple Glazed Palette

Mascara: The Feathers by Pretty Vulgar

Lips: Zoeva Powerful lip twist in Rhea and Milk Makeup Glow oil Lip and Cheek tint in Astro

Setting Spray: Benefit Cosmetics The Porefessional Super Setter.

Today I went for a more neutral look. I used the last of the IPKN Sample. While I will be looking for other IPKN products in the future, this BB cream had a little too much moisture for my skin so I won’t be picking up the full size.

The Primer is an Urban Decay Primer that has been discontinued so I am trying to use it up and clear it out. While I won’t be using it exclusively, I will be rotating it in frequently so I can use the last of it. I love it so it isn’t a hardship, but it is discontinued so this is a long goodbye.

The Too Faced bronzer is always a good product to use. I actually chose it today because it is very pigmented and I wanted to test it with the Colour Veil. Because I’ve been testing out a BB cream,. I went light on the bronzer and I wanted to see how the gel blush worked with a darker bronze. I still had to go in lightly with the bronzer because it is still a BB cream underneath, but I really liked the way the gel blusher is performing.

The Jecca Blac Glow drops is one of those products I tend to forget I have but then get really excited when I pull it out of the drawer and try it again. I know it can be used as an illumination over all the skin and it does look really lovely under a full coverage matte foundation, but I don’t often wear full coverage foundations so I really like using this as a highlighter. It can make full coverage look a little less mask like though, which I like.

If you saw my review of the IPKN BB cream then you know a powder is essential to tamp down the shin from the moist side of the Moist and firm BB cream. The Ciate London extraordinary powder works well for that. It’s one downfall is that there can be a little white cast if you use flash photography. I don’t use a flash so I don’t worry about it and just enjoy the powder. This container is a little less than half full at this point so I may work on trying to use it up. I have a lot of own powders at this point and rotating through them just means they all seem to last forever. And I think it is time to work on clearing a few out.

I love my little doughnut shaped palette. It is just such a good little palette. The dark brown can apply patchy at first but it blends easily and the patchiness is easily over come. I don’t use a lid primer with it as it tends to just make the patchiness worse. It is not a powdery formula and tends to last the work day. They fade towards the end of the day, but they will generally get you through the work day.

For the lips I went with a combination of the Zoeva and Milk products. As long as I don’t sharpen the Zoeva lip crayon it is fine. The formula is too soft to hold any sort of point. It is also too neutral for me to wear a lone so I layered the milk Glow oil over it to give it a little more color. I rather like the effect.

And then I set the whole thing with a layer of the super fine mist of the Porefessional supper setter. I absolutely love the fine mist and never have to worry about it going splotchy. I do have to stand the bottle up though as it tends to leak around the edges of the bottle.

And that was today’s look. It is neutral enough that it suits the office and now that the heat isn’t as melty, i can actually wear it out and about when I leave the house. And I am definitely leaving the house again today. I have just a little more work to catch up on before I slip outside. I know this evening I may have to work a little later to catch up, but it is so worth it. Besides we really only get a few weeks of really nice fall weather before it is gone. As fabulous as it is Autumn is fleeting. So I feel it is best to make the most of it while it is here. Plus the simple relief from the heat is cause for celebration all on it’s own. So back to work for me and then, I’m making my great escape.


The Daily: September 21, 2021

Good afternoon my darlings and welcome to a very rainy Tuesday. Outside it is bucketing down and the odds of making it to the end of the drive without being a completely soaked mess are pretty nigh impossible. However I am feeling the twitchy itch to move about so there was a short session with my hand weights in the sunroom this morning and this afternoon there will be yoga.

Oh yes, there will be yoga.

Other than that there is just a lot of working at the desk. Me and my keyboard are the bestest of friends today.

And because I don’t need to go out into the heat and humidity, I can just leave my hair down for a bit. I used one of the ribbons from an older Glossy Box to tie it back so that it is out of the way, but that’s about it. I decided that today there will be no products and no twisting it up. I had to tie it back with the ribbon though because it keeps getting in the way. If nothing else it reminds me that I really need to seek out a stylist and get an actual hair cut. I butchered my bangs because they were driving me nuts so I am waiting until they grow out enough that they can be evened out by a professional. That has been my excuse for not getting it cut at the moment. well that and the fact that it has simply been too hot to do anything but twist it up and forget about it. But summer is fading and soon I will be able to wear it down. And with luck there will be places I can wear it down to. Socially distanced places, but still, places.

So I’ll need to do something soon. And I think to help me remember that I may be wearing it down more often when I’m in the house so I remember just how long my hair has gotten. Sometimes, I forget.

Today’s Look:

Primer: Optical Illusion by Urban Decay

Foundation: IPKN Moist and Firm BB Cream

Bronzer: Trestique Vegan Bronzing Stick

Blush: YC Collection Liquid Blush

Highlighter: Milk and Honey Palette from Beauty Bakerie

Powder: The Extraordinary Powder from Ciate London

Eyeshadow: Maple Glazed Palette from I heart Revolution

Mascara: Black Noir from Florence by Mills

Lips: ELF Sheer Slick in Black Cherry

Setting Spray Lise Watier Magnifix

Okay so lets go through this list of products. Some you may be seeing repeatedly for the next little while. First up there is the Urban Decay primer. It is an old favorite, it has been discontinued and I really need to use it up so that it can leave my dressing table. It is the travel size I always kept in my travel bag and it really does need to get used up so It will be staying out for a while and hopefully I can just plow through it.

The same actually goes for the Lise Watier Magnifix. It isn’t as big a favorite, but it is a nice setting spray. It is Also a travel size that needs to be used up. I don’t think that I will end up repurchasing it once it is done though. It is noice, but the spray is a bit heavy.

This is my first time using the IPKN BB Cream. It came in my Birchbox this month. I’ve used other products from the brand before and liked them. This BB cream feels nice, is a good color and blends well. It was a bit streaky with my brush and I had to switch to my makeup sponge in order to get rid of the brush lines. Thus far that is the only minor issue I’ve had with it. It seems to be wearing well. I think there is enough product in the sample tube to get through the week so we’ll see how it performs over the next few days.

This is the second day with the YC Collection Liquid blush. Looking on the website it looks like the blushes are designed for a more natural finish look and they seem to work better with a BB Cream. There is still a strange line between clown spots and blending into nothing. I don’t think these are going to be my favorite products, but thus far I don’t hate them. I don’t know how often I will reach for them once my initial testing is done.

The same can also be said for the Florence by Mills mascara. It is a dark mascara. So it makes your lashes dark. It doesn’t lengthen and it doesn’t volumize. I can only wear it with lighter eyeshadow or my lashes just sort of disapear. It is a mascara I don’t find myself reaching for, but I am trying to remember to use it so that it won’t go to waste in the six months that I keep mascaras open. I think it is the mascara to wear on a no/low makeup day. My eyeshadow was light enough I felt I could get away with it,

There were four rock star products I used today and they are ones I love, will keep around and will repurchase. The Maple Glazed shadow Palette, the Ciate London Powder, the Trestique bronzing stick and the Elf Sheer slick in Black Cherry. I really like how these products perform. And to be honest, All but the eyeshadow palette are repeat purchases and the Maple Glazed Palette makes me want to buy the other doughnut palettes from Revolution.

It is kind of a low key day around here, which is fine. It is time to work on things at my desk while the rain turns the street into a shallow river and the river flows into the park turning the park into a lake. It is the drawback to building the walking trail and park in the flood plain. But the water has to go somewhere. And it is better going to the flood plain than into the basements of the neighborhood houses. Over all it is well planned, I’m just missing my walks.

Hence the afternoon Yoga.