The Daily: March 6th, 2023

Oh my darlings it has been a weekend! On Friday we had a windstorm kick up that knocked down the internet around 10am. Friday is also trash day at our house and As soon as our bin we emptied by the garbagemen I went out to get it. I was not quick enough and ended up racing off down the hill to catch it. The bin was fine with nothing in it, but once empty there was no stopping it. We live in an area where there are smaller trucks so we don’t have the giant wheelie bins. We have the smaller older style trashcans. Think Oscar the Grouch only made of plastic instead of metal. Which actually that size is perfect for us. It fits three bags of trash and most weeks we only have two bags to go out, if that. I’ve been working on reducing our trash as much as possible.

Even with less trash, the trash is able to hold the bin in place. Empty it was just a play toy for the wind. My best consolation was that I was not the only one reviving their high school track skills.

I got back to the house just in time for the internet to go out. Which, while it did change my plans for the day, I didn’t mind too much. I am working on a large project that can be still worked on off line. So that was fine. Although there was no Face Mask Friday because about the time I was thinking about taking a break and putting on a face mask, we lost electricity.

Yeah Wind!

Oddly enough we got the electric back about the same time the rain storm came through. I say rain but it was filled with much hail. By Saturday afternoon things were more or less back to normal. At least weather wise.

Which is when my babydoll’s sinus issues became a little worse. We thought he was getting better. But bright and early Sunday Morning we ended up at Urgent Care. The sinus infection sent his blood pressure skyrocketing. He is currently knocked out by antibiotics in the bedroom. So hopefully that will be better soon.

I have to say this was the most stressful weekend I have had in a while. While I am keeping an ear out for him, it is actually a bit of a relief to get back to a work day. Thus far, things are kind of just chugging alone as a regular Monday. Normally this would not be something to celebrate, but right now a normal Monday feels really nice. It is a bit of a low key Monday thought so I went light with the makeup.

Today’s Look:

Primer: Laura Mercier Pure Canvas Primer (Hydrating)

Foundation: One Size Turn up the Base Powder Foundation

Bronzer: Milk Makeup Bronzer Stick (Use Up Box)

Blush: Tarte Breezy Cream Blush (Use Up Box)

Eyeshadow and Lips: Axiology Lip to Lid Balmies Nude Plum

Eyeliner: Too Faced Smoke Show Kajal Eyeliner

Brows: Grande Brow-Fill Volumizing Brow Gel

Mascara: Thrive Causemetics Mascara

This Month I am going through many of my primer samples to decide which ones I want to try out in a full size. I actually in many ways this is the month of samples as I am doing the same with skincare, but that is another story. I started with the Laura Mercier. It is hydrating and it does need a little time to dry down and absorb. Once it does, the primer gets very sticky and really locks the foundation down.

Today I wanted to try the primer out with a powder foundation and I really love this One Size foundation. I usually reach for it in the summer as it is just super easy to apply and just a good low makeup product. I know that you can build it up, but I generally find that when I build it up it looks a little powdery on me. So I go with the more natural look. As I am trying out different primers I will be rotating through foundations to see how they perform. The Laura Mercier really works well with this powder formula.

I am still working through the Milk Makeup bronzer and am slowly making progress on using it up. I love it but it is a small sample and I want to use it up before I pick up the full sized version. I just know I won’t use the sample after I pick up the full size so I need to use the sample up before ordering the full size.

This Tarte Cream Blush came in a Boxycharm a while back and I never really got around to using it. I love the color. It works really well with my skin tone. The cream formula needs to be warmed up with the finger. It is easy enough to do I just run my finger over it in a circle until it starts to melt a bit. Then I can use a sponge but I really end up using my finger more. The reason is that it doesn’t bend all that well and you really need to move fast. If I use a sponge then I generally find more of the blush sticks to the sponge then gets applied. I still need to play with it some more. I love the color, but the blending isn’t my favorite.

I am also playing around with the Lip to Lid Balmies from Axiology. This is one of the products they sent me to try out. There were three items in the box and this set of Balmies is the third to try. I really like the way it can go very light on the lids. It can be built up but I decided to go very light today. I warmed the stick up in my hand so it spread super easily. It is fine without warming, but I find it a little easier to spread over the lid if it is a little warmer. That way there is almost no pressing on the lid. I did feel it needed a little something so I actually picked up an eyeliner. I know, I can’t remember when I last used eyeliner. which is why I went with a crayon style since I knew it wasn’t dried out. This Too Faced formula really went on easily. I like it. I have hooded eyes so I generally only use liner when I am not using much shadow. Mostly because I usually feel that the only thing you end up seeing is the eyeliner. This was a decent pairing though. I did realize how out of practice with eyeliner I was though. I might have to try to use it more just to get back into practice.

When I went looking for eyeliner I found this unopened Thrive Mascara. It was still sealed and so I unsealed it and use it today. It is a bit more pointed a wand than I usually prefer. I really love my fluffy wands. However i really like this formula. It is really good at lengthening the lashes and it feels good on the lashes. Also the metal tube just feels luxe. I just feel fancy when I use it. There is something about the heavy metal tube. It helps that it is a really nice mascara.

I went very simple with this Grande Brow Fill. I really like it for simple non-drama brows. This fills in the few little spaces I need filling and keeps everything in place. It is a very quick, very easy product to use when you want something nice but low key.

I went back to Axiology Balmies for the lips as well. I use a brush for the lips because I don’t like putting something on my eyes that i have put on my lips. That is just me. I also get eye infections pretty easily so I take extra precautions. It is the same color on lips and lids though. On the lips it feels like a lip balm. It is very comfortable. It doesn’t dry down at all though so you will leave lip prints. Also it doesn’t hide any rough patches on the lips. It really has the same consistency as a lip balm although it is far more pigmented. I like it for a low key lip look and I do like how I can double use the product.

And that my darlings is me. It was a very tense weekend and I am very happy to roll into a Monday where i just have to concentrate on the work in front of me, with occasional check ins to see if my sleeping babydoll is still okay. Periodically he asks for tea, otherwise the antibiotics have him knocked out. It is a somewhat quiet day. And now that he is on the mend, I feel a bit better myself. Here’s hoping for a nice quiet week.

The Daily: March 1st, 2023

Today feels like March. I know I normally start the month saying, Oh I can’t believe the month changed. But today felt like March. Winds are whipping through the trees, the temps were cooler in the morning but cautiously rose a little before noon only to decide it was a bad idea and drop a few degrees as the afternoon has worn on. The sky alternated between sunny and cloudy.

March always feels like it can’t make up it’s mind on weather and today was definitely a March Day. I always think if March as the in between month. You want to think of it as spring. The world is warm enough that it can’t properly be called winter any more. There are buds on the trees and the most of the bulbs are up. But there are still sudden ice storms and I have already hauled out the blankets we use to cover the flower beds during the cold snap to keep their optimistic little faces from freezing off.

March is the Month where the seasons seem to fight each other. Usually Spring wins. Last year it felt a bit like Winter and Spring fought it out, Winter beat spring but was exhausted so Summer came and punched it in the face. It was a KO and summer reigned as the champion for far too long. Remember I was still picking tomatoes in October last year. Even though my nose is already dripping from the pollen being tossed into the air like confetti, I am still cheering on Spring. I would love a nice long one this year instead of automatically being slapped around by a brutal summer.

which I suppose is the klong way round to say that today feels like March 1st.

And since it is the beginning of the month I chose all new products to try and use up this month. I decided to use them all and fill in where I could. I’m pretty sure the eyes were a mistake. But we’ll get to that.

Today’s Look:

Primer: Laura Mercier Pure Canvas Primer- hydrating

Foundation: No 7 Lift and Luminate Triple Action Serum Foundation

Bronzer: Milk Makeup Bronzing Stick

Blush: Tarte Breezy Cream Blush

Setting Powder: Anastasia Beverly Hills Translucent setting powder

Eyes: Axiology Lip to Lid zero Waste Balmies and Almay velvet foil shadow

Mascara: Anastasia Beverly Hills Lash Brag Mascara

Lips: Anastasia Beverly Hills Matte Lipstick in Dead Roses

This month I am going to try to work through as many of the priming sample sizes as I can. I had a couple of primers that I needed to use up so i set the samples to the side and now I have a bunch of them to go through and decide if they are worth picking up in the full size. Since this one was on top, it went first. It is a very hydrating primer. It is a white cream and has a fresh scent to it has a lot of skincare vibes as I apply it. It is very wet so use only a little. I also used a hand fan to dry it down a little. Once dried down a little it is very tacky and sticky. It very much grips the makeup placed over it.

I used it with my No 7 Foundation today partially because I like the foundation and partially because i know how it works which lets me assess the primer a bit more. I applied this with a brush but found myself reaching for the makeup sponge to smooth out brush lines more than i have ever had to do with this foundation. Usually I don’t have a problem with brush lines. My guess is that it was the stickiness of the primer. The lines were easily then care of, but it was more noticeable with this primer.

The Bronzer from Milk is still in my Use up box as i am trying to use up and get rid of the sample so I can buy the full size. It is a great product and I will be keeping it in the box until the sample is completely used up. which is no problem as i like it.

I also kept the blush from Tarte around as I really only used it once last month. I used it today and I really enjoyed it. I did have to run my finger over the pan a bit to warm up the product before it would apply well, but once it was softened by my finger it went on well and blended out fairly easily. The trick is that it seems to have to be blended pretty much immediately. Don’t let it sit and then blend.

I like the ABH setting powder. This particular one is more than halfway emptied and I have a second unopened powder in my makeup drawer to use when this is finished. It is in my box this month because I have had it opened a while and want to use it up. I think the one thing that I don’t like about this powder is that when i open it there is always powder in the top as there is no mechanism to block the holes inside. So I always get a puff of powder everywhere when i open it. There is some on my shirt in this photo so after I applied the makeup i did go change. I think that will be the thing to remember. I need a makeup shirt with this powder.

And now we come to the eyes. The mascara i loved, I went with ABH and the fluffy wand did everything I want in a mascara. I really like all of the products I use on my eyes but the two shadows I used didn’t go together. The Almay foil is in my use up box even though it is new mostly because I want to keep it out to give it a good try. I thought it needed a good matte shadow behind it so I reached for the balmies. I really like how these apply to the eyes. I put a little on the outer edge of my eye and blended in. It worked beautifully. It was just a low makeup look and didn’t pair well with the Almay. I think the copper foil needs a stronger base color to pair with. This was not a fabulous look. However once that foil is in place, it is in place. I would have to do a full makeup removal to get it off and then start again. I didn’t really had the time so I decided I could live with the bad shadow today. It is at least subtly bad. I have put on some glittery looks that went massively awry before and they were hard to life with for the day. This was fine. It was just a lesson with the two products. The balmies are subtle low makeup products and the foil is a bit dramatic. They don’t really play well, They both have tremendous staying power I have to give them that. Neither of them have budged all day. It is like a battle between low key and drama with neither giving way.

I blame March.

Finally I ended with the ABH Lipstick. It is a sample size from the Matte lipstick range. The lipstick has been worn down quite a bit because it is a great formula and a favorite color of mine. However it is a discontinued color as well as a sample size. It has been well loved and I just need to go ahead and try to use the last of it up so i can send it on it’s way. But it is one of my favorites.

And that my darlings is me today. I was happy with the face products but faltered with the eyes. And at least i have learned what not to pair this Almay foil shadow with. I’m going to call that today’s take away. So at least i learned something, right?

Seeing out the Use Up box of February and bringing in the March 2023 products

Each month i choose a selection of products to try to use repeatedly. For some of them they are products i love that are on the verge of expiring. Some are products that have been discontinued and i want to use up and clear out. A few are samples that I want to finish out and a few are items I’ve tried but want to give myself an opportunity to try out a bit more before I make a decision about how i feel about them.

The box I chose for February included:

Figs and Rouge Blurring Primer

Bite Beauty’s Changemaker Foundation

By Terry’s Hyaluronic Acid Hydro Powder

KVD Vegan Beauty Single shadow in Lolita

Tarte Breezy Cream Blush in pink sky

Milk Makeup Bronzing Stick

The Figs and Rouge Primer I used up. I found it a good hydrating primer, but it did nothing to help prevent foundation from sinking into fine lines and while it was pretty good at doing some blurring it was not my favorite formula. It was acceptable to use, but i am glad it is finished and going away.

I have been trying to finish out this Bite Beauty Foundation since the brand went Belly Up. With the push both in January and February to use it repeatedly, I have finally used it up and can send it away. It was an absolutely beautiful formula and I am sad it is no longer in production.

The By Terry loose powder was a sample size and I did use it up completely in this month’s box. While I adore the pressed version of this powder and in fact keep a compact in my bag at all times, I found the loose powder left white marks when I used it to set my makeup. They could be blended out, and i did blend them out but they were somewhat annoying and took extra time. While I would repurchase the pressed version, I am not a fan of the loose one. Now that it is empty, I will not repurchase in the full size.

I had no actual belief that i would be able to use up the KVD Shadow this month. I do have a box of single shadows and small quads that I tend to forget to use. Each month i am trying to rotate one in so that they do get used or so that in looking at them I can decide they no longer need to stay. I love this shade and will happily put it back to be used again.

The Milk Makeup Bronzer is a sample size. I put it in this box because I want to use it up. I like it enough that I want to purchase it in a full size but won’t do so until I have used up the sample. Mostly I know that I will stop using the sample once i have the full size and I don’t like wasting product. It isn’t used up yet but I did turn to the bronzer often. It will be staying in the box in March.

The final item in February’s Box was the Tart cream blush. I put it in the box because I wanted to get a feel for the product. When it came in I tried it and I did like it but I knew I needed to play around with it more. And then I forgot about it. This month I only reached for it once so I am going to keep it around another month and see if i reach for it any more. If I don’t that may tell me it doesn’t need to hang around.

And now for the new box.

March’s Use Up Box

Products:

Milk Makeup Bronzing Stick

Tarte Breezy Cream Blush in Pink Sky

Almay Velvet Cream Shadow in bronze

Laura Mercier Pure Canvas Primer

Anastasia Beverly hills Matte Lipstick in Dead Roses (sample size)

Anastasia Beverly Hills Translucent setting powder

The Milk Makeup Bronzer I want to continue using up and it will stay in the box until it is finished. The tarte too is sticking around. either i will use it more this month or I will realize it is not a product i want to reach for and let it go.

The Almay Cream shadow I have only gotten to use once and I am keeping it in the box because I want the chance to play around with it a bit more. I think having it out will encourage that.

I chose the Laura Mercier Primer because I have several primer samples. I tent to put them into a little box and then forget about the, This month I am going to start with the Laura Mercier primer and then when it is finish keep rolling in sample sized primers to use them up and determine whether or not I want to purchase any of them in a full size. I am starting with this one because it was on the top of the pile (It arrived in the February Cohorted box).

Thee are two Anastasia Beverly Hills products in here. the first is a matte Lipstick in the shade Dead Roses. I love the shade but it is discontinued. I love the formula as well. It is a sample size so I am going to work on finishing it up and sending it on it’s way. I really like the ABH lipstick formula so using it is not a hardship. The second ABH Product is the Setting powder. I like it. It is a good setting powder. It is a large setting powder and I am a little past the halfway point in this powder’s use. I don’t know if I can actually finish this powder this moth but I am going to try. I should also say that I do have a second unopened container in my powder drawer. I just think the opened one has been open for quite a while and want to use it up.

And so my darlings that is the Use up box, both the February recap and the products I will work towards using up for March. I know it isn’t exactly like the project pan that other people do and maybe at some point I will do that, but i really enjoy selecting products to focus on using. I won’t use each of them every day, but throughout the month i will try to use at least one item from the use up box each day so that i can keep them in constant use. It gives me enough wiggle room to create the look I want for that day, but also to feel like I am not letting products sit. to be honest, this month, I am most excited about focusing on using up the sample sized primers. Some of them I really wanted to try and hope they will be good to purchase in a full size, Others I know nothing about. But then I do love a good primer.

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The Daily: February 1st, 2023

Good afternoon my darlings and welcome to February. I know the day is still cold and drizzly but because the calendar page turned i find my eyes drifting towards the seed catalogs. I need to get my seed orders in soon so I can start the seeds in the small greenhouse and have them large enough when actual spring time arrives to allow them to survive the move out doors.

And by greenhouse I mean a plastic shelving unit with a sort of clear rain coat over it. Greenhouse makes it sound far more grand than it actually is, but as it is an amazing bit of kit, I just have to give it the full title of Greenhouse. And yes, this year i am starting my seeds just a little bit earlier than last year. I checked my garden Journal to be certain.

Garden Journal

Last year’s spring was such a yo-yo of temperatures that a lot of my seedlings weren’t quite up to the transfer. I did the normal tempering of the plants but we had cold fluctuations all the way until May when summer came blazing on and lasted until October. I figure if I start my plants earlier and make sure they are more substantial, possibly with a longer tempering time, (starting outside in the day, coming in at night and gradually staying out all night until they are planted in the actual garden beds) I might have better luck this year.

Given the winter, I don’t think this spring is going to be an easy transition year either. So I am trying to plan for that. We’ll see if it works.

Other than that it is still rainy and just barely above freezing, 34 where I am. which means I just want to stay inside. which is fine as I have a lot to do. I was less puffy and inclined to watery eyes today so I am guessing that whatever was in the air washed out. Either way, for today’s makeup I decided to go for the complete use up box and then filter in the other elements from my collection to get a complete look. I’m actually quite happy with it.

Today’s Look:

Primer: Figs and Rouge blurring primer

Foundation: Bite Beauty Changemaker Foundation (discontinued)

Bronzer: Milk Makeup Baked Matte Bronzer

Blush: Tarte Breezy Cream Blush in Pink Sky

Setting Powder: By Terry Hyaluronic Hydro Powder

Not really a setting Spray: Peach and Lily Glass Skin Veil Mist Hydrate and Glow

Eyeshadow: KVD Vegan Beauty Single Shadow in Lolita and Elf No budge Shadow Stick in Rose Gold

Mascara: UOMA Salute to the sun

Lips: Revolution Pout Bomb in Clear

This primer I have to apply more like a moisturizer than a primer. With primers I generally put the primer on the spots where I need the primer the most and then blend out. This has too thin a consistency so I dispensed it on to my hand and then applied it like a moisturizer. I think it does a little blurring, but mostly it is a hydrating formula. with the heat running constantly at the moment, I am perfectly fine with a moisturizing primer.

I do love the Bite Beauty Foundation. I loved many things about Bite Beauty but alas, they are no more. I was pleased to realize there was less product in this tube than I thought so I definitely think I can use it up this month and clear it out of my collection which makes me happy.

I love the formula of this Milk Makeup Bronzer. I have a sample which is halfway down on product and it is in the Use up box so I can use the sample up and then order a full sized version. I really enjoy it and will have no problems reaching for it this month.

I put this cream blush from Tarte in the mix this month because i am still unsure about it. i have been liking cream blushes more and more recently. Usually they apply with a finger tip and then blend in. This one doesn’t work well that way. When i use a finger tip it tends to sort of take off the foundation when I try to blend. So I used a makeup sponge today. I patted it in the pan and then to my cheeks. At first it didn’t look like much but it built up and suddenly I had very pink cheeks. I used my foundation brush to knock it back a bit in color and then topped it off with the setting powder and I really like the way it turned out in the end. I am still going to have to play with it though. It is an interesting formula.

While I adore the pressed powder from By Terry, the loose version tends to be hard to blend out and leaves white marks. i went in with a light touch and a fluffy brush and it worked okay. it always looks good in the end but it takes a bit more effort than I want to give a setting powder. It is a travel sized version though so hopefully I can use it up this month and let it go.

Whether it is the setting powder or the central heat, my skin looked dry today so i found myself reaching for this spray a lot today. it keeps everything from looking and feeling dry without smudging. The mist is fine enough that even the mascara didn’t run. I really enjoy this spray. It is a long time favorite and one i usually reach for more in the summer, however this winter it has been a real skin saver.

The KVD is one of my favorite single shadows and I was happy to keep it in the Use up box rotating in this month. I will happily use it. Today I paired it with the Elf shadow stick. I picked this up on a shim and I am going to have to pick up more. They apply easily, blend well and do not budge all day. This shade happens to work really well with the KVD shadow so I think it will be popping up more often this month. I am a big fan.

Todays clear winner in the makeup category is this UOMA mascara. Two coats, ultra fabulous. I mean seriously, I am very impressed with my lashes today.

And I just wasn’t reeling the lipstick today so I went for the clear gloss of Pout Bomb. It is fabulous and with the heat running I know the Vitamin E will do well for my lips.

And that my darlings is me today. Not to bad as it turned out. It is a low key look that I am comfortable with. I deliberately used all of the items in my Use up box, mostly to see how they worked together. I won;t reach for all of them every day but I am going to try to use one item from the box each day through February. i don’t know how well I’ll do, but I like having that a a goal. I am also happy that if I use the box it is more of an every day look.

But now it is back to work for me. I hope you have a fabulous Wednesday wherever you are.

The Use Up Box: January 2023 review and February Selection

This year I decided to do something a little bit different with my makeup. I realized there are items I like that I never reach for, items that are nearing their expiration date, items from discontinued brands and items I might have tried but never really long enough to decide how i feel about them And so each month I will be picking a few items from my makeup collection and putting them in The Use Up Box.

In this box would be items that were constantly in view so I would see them and hopefully if I wasn’t specifically testing anything in that category I would reach for the item and use it. I think I was partially successful in that I did use up a few items. I think I was also overly ambitious in the products I chose. First let’s tale a look at what was in the January Box.

The January Use Up Box

The items that I fully used up were the Marc Jacobs Primer, The Becca Pink Haze Setting Powder and the Colourpop Ultra matte Lip. The Marc Jacobs primer and Becca Setting Powder were both discontinued so I am happy to have used them up and cleared them out,. They were both good products but they are no longer being produced so it was time to let them go.

The Colourpop is still in production, but this particular lippie is an older one that I have had for quite a while. It was getting to the point where I needed to finish it up and let it go. I really enjoy the formula and color so I will probably repurchase it at some point but for now, I have finished with this lippie and am letting it go.

I was hoping to finish up the Bite Beauty foundation because Bite beauty is no more and even though I love this foundation it is no longer being produced. However i had several new foundations come in that I needed to test so I didn’t reach for it as often as I planned. It will remain in the use up box for February. Hopefully it will be finished out in February. My goal is to use it at least once a week. i think that will finally clear it out.

That is actually the only product that is staying in the use up box.

The Josephine Cosmetics Lip was put in the box because I couldn’t remember trying it before. I knew I swatched it but couldn’t remember how it performed. It performed beautifully and is a lovely red shade that I will be keeping for a while. It will remain in my collection.

the Brow Bar By Reema is one of those products I love the thought of more than I like actually using. It is really a beautifully designed kit. But it is not my shade. i love the under brow highlighter but none of the powders work for me and I really don’t like the cream formula. The pencil and the tools in the kit I love though. And that mirror is fantastic for travel. For those reasons I am transferring it out of my makeup drawer and just putting it in the purse that I use for travel. I think that is when I am going to reach for it and that is where it will be the most useful. I might end up letting it go, but for now I think as a travel item, it is still useful for me to keep. Just not in the drawer with other eyebrow products.

Because the highlighter in the palette was so good, I didn’t reach for the Eyeko under brow highlighter. I did youse it a couple of times and liked it, but i am not going to put it with the use up box. I am going to transfer it to my brow products drawer and try to reach for it when I do my brows. As my bangs are kind of long at the moment I haen’t been reaching for brow products and need to remedy that, but I will try to work on that.

The Pretty Vulgar lid primer i only reached for a couple of times. It is a really good lid primer, my favorite in fact, but it is edging into the expiration date. There are only one or two more uses with of product left in the tube. I am going to put it in the front of my eyeshadow drawer to use when I have shadows that need a lid primer. It will be reordered as soon as it is empty but it won’t last the week so I am not going to add it to the use up box because it is almost done.

The two eyeshadow products I included because i wanted to start rotating through my single shadows. I tend to forget to reach for them. I figured if I had them out I would reach for them more. And I did reach for them a couple of times. I just have several palettes i need to test out so I ended up reaching for them first. I still think it is worth it to have a single shadow in the box so I am adding one for February and rotating these out.

So are you ready for February’s Use up Box?

February’s Use Up Box

The Foundation I love but want to use up because it is discontinued. The Figs and Rouge primer is about half empty and while I did like using it, I am still on the fence about whether or not I would repurchase it and would like to both figure that out and use it up.

I really love the milk Makeup bronzer but it is close to being finished up and I would like to use it up and order a new one to use. It is a sample size and I would definitely like to get a fill size to use.

The KVD Shadow is one of my favorite one and done eyeshadow products so i am rolling it in for the days when i don’t have something specific I want to use since it is very good. The By Terry powder is one of those products that is hard to work with but looks beautiful once it is on. It is a sample size of powder and I would like to use it up. Because it is difficult to work with i probably wouldn’t repurchase it. I adore the pressed powder version of this, just not the loose version.

The final product is the Tarte cream blush. I tried this when it came in a tarte themed Boxycharm. i liked it but I have several cream blushes I love so I tend to reach for them first. I don’t feel that I gave this enough of a chance. So hopefully i will reach for it more if it is out and I can decide how I really feel about it.

I’m sure you have noticed, but the February list is much shorter than January’s list. I’m hoping that will cause me to reach for the items more since there are fewer of them so they will be more displayed than in a clump. Either wya, I still like the idea of the Use up box and I am happy to continue down this path. I also find it useful to assess what I like and what I am wanting to use. It actually inspires me to go through each drawer and look at things that I haven’t reached for a while or forgot about. Hopefully you find it fun as well.

The Daily: December 14th, 2022

Ah the Best of Lists have started. I always love this time of year. I think part of it is that the items I get to talk about have all passed the test and are good ones. There is no quibbling about the various applications. They are all good products, otherwise they wouldn’t have made the list. I always prefer to say nice things about a product. I always feel slightly bad about talking bad about one too actually. I know that when I complain about a product the company isn’t reading it and crying into their pillow about it. But I still feel bad. I won’t lie and say it is good when it isn’t to spare their mythological feelings, but I still feel bad.

But with the best of lists, I don’t have to feel bad at all. I just get to talk about the good products.

I know, I’m a bit of a dork but it makes me happy.

Plus because I am holding off my reviews of the products I am trying now until after the best of lists are done, I can just enjoy trying some of the products that are here. I can play around with them more and then later think about reviewing them and doing the standard tests I do with them. For now it is just fun. I can also use up products that it is time to let go of as well. So let’s see how today turned out.

Today’s Look:

Primer: Glamglow Supermatify Primer

Foundation: Yensa skin on skin BC full coverage Foundation

Bronzer: Ace Beaute Bronzed in Paradise Palette

Blush/highlighter: Natasha Denona Cupid Cheek Duo

Setting Powder: Beauty Bakerie Flour in Oat

Eye Shadow: Tresluce Midnight Deseos

Mascara: Tarte Light Camera Lashes Mascara

Lips: RMS Lip Balm

Today I went a little low key with my look. I am mostly sitting at my desk today. Usually that means ‘try out the glitter’ but I just wasn’t feeling the glitter today so i went for a more everyday look. I am still using up the last of the primer and tomorrow should be it’s last day. It is fantastic but only available on amazon if you are looking for it. It is great at oil control and matifying and was especially fabulous in the summertime for me.

I haven’t used the Yensa in a while as I am trying to rotate through but I love this foundation. It is just a beautiful product. easy to use, looks great and lasts all day. Every time I come back to it i just love it more. I know it made my favorites list this year but it may actually be my top favorite. Just don’t tell the other foundations.

I haven’t reached for the Ace Beaute bronzer palette in a while. I tend to forget about it. It is a good palette with many lovely shades. It comes on pretty pigmented and blends out well. i always use a light touch. I can wear it more in the summertime as even when I am fully tan the second lightest shade is my shade. Now I have to use the lightest shade and be delicate in my touch. It isn;t the shade rage that has me bypassing it though. It works well enough and looks goo but after about half a day it usually fades away on me.

The Natasha Denona Cupid dup was I think a limited edition. The brand still has cheek duos just not this one. I have other cream blushes from ND that I like more than this one. Other highlighters too. This one is nice enough once it gets warmed up but it isn’t my favorite. I may actually put it in my to be used box to reach for it more just to use it. It is one of those okay to use but wouldn’t repurchase products.

As always Love the Beauty Bakerie setting powder, especially with cream products.

Today I used one of the lighter shades from the Tresluce palette. It was a one and done look and it worked pretty well. It is darker where i put my brush down and lighter everywhere else. I had to dip into the pan several times though. I am not using an eyelid primer because in my every day life I just don’t use them. There are some shadow palettes that need them and while I keep a couple of them around, like the lid primers I don’t use them much. I will when I go to actually test and review this palette try it with the lid primer but a I am just playing around with it now, I am not using one. This is the third day I’ve used this palette though and it is a bit uneven. Some of the shadows blend really well across the lid and with each other, others not so much. Once this shadow was in place, I really liked it. It is just not a dip in the pan once and swipe across the lid sort of shade. Which is fine, it is just something to note when using this palette.

I really like this tart mascara for lengthening. It can give a bit of a spidery look to the lashes because it lengthens without thickening, which I don’t care for. I use a lash comb to make them look a little less spidery.

This RMS Lip balm is one of my favorite lip balms I wore one down to a nub and then when another one came in a Glossy box I was very excited. Except that it was broken when it arrived. (They compensated me for it, but they couldn’t send out a replacement) So I ordered a new one on my own, because it is just a really good formula. And there was a sale on at the time, I ordered on Dermstore and technically I was ordering other products, saw they had this and added it to the cart, but you get the idea.)

And that my darlings is me today. Not too dramatic but just right for a mid week working at my desk. And the sun was actually out so i could take the pictures in natural light. Which always makes me happy. makeup can just look so different in artificial light. Anyway it is back to work for me. Have a great wednsday!

The Daily: December 12th, 2022

This morning I woke up feeling like the end of the year was just steamrolling towards me. I know, I am anxious for this year to finally be over and done with. I am so ready to just turn the page. At the same time I have a long list of things that needs to get done not only before the end of the year but before I take off for Christmas. I’m leaving late, but staying a few extra days after to help with the putting away of everything. As my Mom is now working with one hand she needs someone to take down the tree and put things away. we got everything out while we were down over Thanksgiving and even though she likes to extend her holiday tree time she wants us to take it down before we leave.

I think part of that is practicality, but part of it is also this bad year. My brother died in May and this is the first Christmas without him which is hard in general but because his Birthday was December 29th Christmas and his birthday were always so intertwined that we all just want to skate through it this year. I admit it has been one of the years where the festive cheer is a little low, but family is all the more treasured.

This week starts the first of the holiday parties. Well actually the first was on Friday. It was fantastic. I indulged a little but before I left home I had a big bowl of minestrone soup (and then brushed my teeth before walking out of the door so I didn’t blast anyone with minestrone breath).Having the relatively low calorie but incredibly filling soup in me meant that I could take a few of the items that I wanted to taste without eating a lot of the highly caloric foods at the party because I was hungry. It meant that I got the treat without completely torpedoing myself with calories.

I know, it sounds like a strange consideration because you want to partake of all of the holiday delights but I sat down with myself and thought about it and there were only a few items that I really enjoy eating and a bunch of things I eat simply because they are there and because I don’t want to be the person who takes all of anything so if I am hungry I tend to graze, taking one or two things from each tray rather than just focus on my favorites. With a bowl of soup in me, I can take one of each of my favorites without the grazing on things i don’t particularly want, maybe even indulging in a second item I really enjoy.

As most of the gatherings I am going to this year have the patter style grazing so that people can move openly in a relatively large space, this is a trick that really helps me out. And why I now have soups ready to go for the week. I don’t know what sort of holiday gatherings you are going to this year, but if you are trying to watch what you eat, I highly suggest going for a soup that feels hearty and filling. This is not the time for a light consume. This is actually the time for mushrooms to shine in my opinion. They give a depth to soup, but you also have to chew them so both flavor and texture wise it feels like you are consuming more than you actually are. Just stick to the broth based mushroom soups rather than the cream ones if you are looking to cut those calories while still getting that satisfied belly.

Just my holiday dieting survival tip.

Today’s Look

Primer: Glam Glow Supermatify Primer

Foundation: Kristopher Buckle Triplicity Foundation

Bronzer: Iconic London Precision Duo Contour Pot

Blush: Tarte Cream blush Breezy in Pink Sky

Setting Powder: Beauty Bakerie Flour in Oat

Eyeshadow: Tresluce Palette in Midnight Deseos

Lipstick: Guerlain Black Red Lipstick

This is the last week of this primer. By the end of the week it will be no more. The primer is a good one, but it has been discontinued and so I will use it and even though the refills are still available, I will let it go. It is a really good product though so the temptation to pick it up on amazon is strong. But I will resist.

As for the foundation stick. It too was fabulous. It too is discontinued. Amazon still has it but the brand has gone under. I loved this stick and have been trying to use up the last of it. Today was the last day of use. It is now off to the land of empties and as good as it was, it will not be returning. Let’s all have a moment of silence. Thank you.

Moving on. The Iconic London Contour pot. Love the powder, hate the cream. I have tried and while I will break it out in a review with pictures, the cream just doesn’t work right for me. I do love the powder though and the size makes it perfect for travel. I think after the review is posted I will forget the cream exists and just use the powder. For now I feel compelled to keep giving it a try to see if I can make it work. It didn’t today and I had to take it off, redo the foundation and then use the powder. At least the foundation touch up used the very last dregs of the foundation so I feel even better about letting it go.

This blush I haven’t used enough to know if I like it or not. It needs to be warmed up before it can apply right and when I tried applying it with a finger tip it blended away pretty quickly. After warming up I could apply it with a makeup sponge and then it worked really well. I think I will have to play with it more to really decide if i like it or if it is a cream blush i don’t want to bother with. At the moment I am kind of on the fence.

What can I say, I love this setting powder. I know, I’ll start switching them out soon as I rotate through products, but i really like this. The slight tint keeps it from looking blinding on me. and it really sets my makeup well.

I could not resist the Tresluce palette. Well more accurately speaking I couldn’t resist the gold foil shadow. I will admit that I just sort of slapped on the other colors so the gold would have something to play against. I really just wanted to see if it went on as fabulous as the finger swatch, and it did. I also made a little bit of a mess. I think these shadows will need to be applied with a damp cotton swab because they are thinner than my fingers and i have more control that way. But as messy as i was the shadow looks amazing in person. Like I gold leaf-ed my eyelid. I am so going to have to play around with that.

I was going to go for something more neutral with the lips but that gold just yelled “Grab the red lipstick!” And so I did. I went for the Guerlain because I really just love the lipstick. And because the gold felt luxe. And so does the lipstick. So it worked out.

And yes for those following along i completely forgot the mascara. I didn’t realize it until about an hour ago and then just said oops. I will survive.

And so that is me today my darlings. The light is strange on the photos as the sun is no where to be found and I used the ring light on my makeup mirror to keep the shadows from making the pictures pointless. I like to take the photos in natural light so they show the makeup in real life. But alas real light was hard to find today.

Paperwork however is easy to find. The race to the end of the year has arrived and I must join in to clear my desk before I take off. I suspect many of you are doing the same so I will leave you to it. Thanks for taking a little break with me.

For those of you looking to stock up, No7 has 60% off selected makeup items. The sale is from today until the 19th of December. The Perfect Light Pressed powder and the Lift and Luminate Serum Foundation from No 7 are staples of my makeup bag. I highly recommend both. Happy Shopping.

The Daily: November 7th, 2022

Good afternoon my darlings. I hope all is well. As for me, I am having a fantastic day, despite the rain. The rain is preventing me from going on a walk, but I did manage my indoor exercises earlier. Also I am just feeling a lot better because there was sun when I woke up.

Admittedly it wasn’t much sun, but it was light when i woke up due to the time change. I simply do not get up well in the dark unless I am rolling out of bed and quickly leaving the house. Like for an airport run or a long road trip. On a normal day, getting up when it is still dark drags at me. And the later in the season the worse I feel getting up. I suppose it is just my version of seasonal depression. My body feels cheated of sleep when I wake up in the dark.

Last week was pretty bad for me.

It is every year, but this year was bad partially because of grief. Halloween was my brother’s favorite holiday and he went at it with the sort of gusto that would shame an army of Santa’s elves. So in addition to the last week of darkness before the time change which is always physically difficult for me there was grief. Halloween on a Monday did not set me up right for the week. It was why I was a little off last week.

Grief is a funny thing. You’ll be fine for weeks, even months and then something will pop out of the shadows and sucker punch you right to the gut. He died in May so I think that this holiday season is going to have a whole lot of rough spots.

But life always moves forward. And as dancing skeletons are replaced with pumpkin pie, so do we.

And it helps that I am now waking up in the light. So shall we see what products are being used on this gray and dreary, yet kind of happy, day?

Today’s Look:

Primer: Dr. Brandt Pores No More Luminizer Primer

Foundation: Beauty Blender Bounce Liquid Whip Long Wear Foundation

Bronzer: Milk Makeup Matte Bronzer

Blush: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush

Eyeshadow: Lime Crime Venus Immortal’s Palette

Mascara: Lights Camera Lashes Mascara from Tarte

Lips: Dose of Colors Liquid lip in Stone

While I tried this for the first time last week, I actually didn’t use it over the weekend. I actually went on a cleaning spree this weekend and didn’t wear any makeup, in case you were wondering. While this does have a bit of a luminizing effect, it also is doing really well with my fine lines. Thus far I am quite pleased with it’s performance.

I tried a sample of this foundation and liked it. I was going to put it on my list to pick up later but when I looked it was half off (plus first time buyers get an additional $5 off – The deal is still going on if you are interested, just follow the link. It isn’t an affiliate link so I get nothing it is just so you can find the deal and the product). I think they are changing the packaging. I can see why because after a first use it is already starting to get a little messy. I do like the formula though and so far it is not doing too much settling into the fine lines. I’ll have to test it with other primers but it is working well with the Dr. Brandt.

The milk makeup bronzer is working well. i warmed it with my hand before use, and it applied well. It blends well also so I am quite pleased with it. Mine is a sample size so I am probably going to keep using it for a while as I think it may dry out and there isn’t a lot of product. As long as it works, I’ll use it.

With the blush I really like the formula, but I think this is the sort of pink tone that would go well with my skin when it is a little more pale and I am only using a tinted moisturizer as my foundation. It is a very light natural sort of pink. I think with foundation, I need a deeper tone. It is a good product though.

Today i again used the immortals palette, which I really like. I went for the brown and the gray and then dusted the glitter white . The white I started in just the inner corner but didn’t tap enough off the bruish so it spread. While the white tone remained in the corners it had a nice glittery effect on the rest of the shadow which i really like. It isn’t a lot of glitter, just a touch and I think it will be fun to play around with. All in all I am really liking this palette.

this is my favorite Tarte mascara. Tarte is not my favorite brand for mascaras, but I do like this one. It really lengthens and thickens. I do find I have to use an eyelash comb to make sure there are no clumps. I didn’t today just to show the minor clumping. Otherwise it is pretty good.

This was my favorite lipstick for a while. It was a great neutral that dried down well. I used two separate tubes of this one up completely. And on the end of my second tube I picked up a third and never opened it. So I opened it today. Partially to see if it was still good and partially to see if I still liked it. It is still good and I do still like it. It is a nice pinky neutral and it dries down well. I really like the formula. It doesn’t desiccate my lips but at the moment my lips are well hydrated. If I remember I can’t wear this formula if my lips are dry. This is a liquid lip that responds well to putting on a lip mask post skincare and pre makeup. If your lips are well hydrated it works well.

And that my darlings is me today. I am feeling a bit more back to normal and have a full day of working in the office ahead of me.

Tomorrow is election day so if you did not get your vote in during early voting, tomorrow is your day. Voting is a chance to get your voice heard and I don’t care if your politics are different from mine, everyone deserves to have their voice heard. So get out there and vote. And have a great rest of Monday.

The Daily: October 17th, 2022

Good afternoon my darlings. I have to say it is kind of a relief to be back to work this Monday. Because of everything going on, the house chores were sort of postponed. This weekend they all came crashing down. The last of the gardening for the fall was done and the last of the green tomatoes collected. That sounds very strange to actually say. But our first frost is coming either tonight or tomorrow night and so we stripped the remaining fruit from the plants. we also brought in the last of the paprika peppers. More than anything else we had a bumper crop of these this year. And somehow because of the heat and periods of drought even our sweet paprika has a bit more of a kick than usual.

And it is really very different than the store bought stuff. there is almost a fruity vegetal hint underneath the earthy spice. After growing it, I don’t think I could go back to the slightly spiced red dust that comes in the jar. And this year I certainly won’t have to.

But in addition to getting all of the remaining produce in from the garden I repotted a bunch of indoor plants that needed repotting and I hauled all of the pots outside and gave them all of the plants a good healthy watering before bringing them back indoors for the winter. we have a bay laurel that migrates with the seasons. Out doors in summer indoor in winter. This year the succulents stayed outside for much of the summer as well. They only really had to come in when we had that brief rainy spell mid summer.

But basically the entire weekend was spent moving. In addition to the garden chores there was the resetting of the house for winter. the changing of the blankets and airing out of the ones taken from summer storage. I don’t think I slowed down all weekend. It was necessary but far from restful. On Sunday I relaxed by trying to reorganize my foundation and primer drawer. The problem is the drawer is deep so when I open it, i only see the tops and so just grab the same products. I shifted them to a more shallow drawer and was surprised by how many products there were. Some are close to being empty and others are never been tried. I need to have a good think about what I am using and a possible declutter to follow. But it did lead me to my foundation today. I’ll get into that below. You may notice that this is a brand heavy makeup look today. I couldn’t resist using the Tarte products from the boxycharm today. But we’ll get into that below.

Today’s Look:

Primer: Tatcha The Silk Canvas Primer

Foundation: Yensa Super Serum Silk Foundation

Bronzer: Tarte’s Park Avenue Princess Chisel Palette

Blush: Tarte Breezy Cream Blush in Pink Sky

Highlight: OFRA Highlighter in Blissful

Setting Powder: Anastasia Beverly Hills Loose setting powder

Eyeshadow: Tarte Sunrise Eyeshadow Palette

Eyeliner/brightener: Tarte Double Take Awake

Mascara: Tarte Lights Camera Lashes Mascara

Hair Pins: Dragonflies from the Coraline Collection by Revolution Beauty

I do love this primer. It may be my all time favorite to be honest. There are others I like a lot, but this Tatcha Balm style Primer always tops my best of list. At this point I know how it works as well so it was perfect to use with the foundation today as well.

Today i chose the Yensa Silk Foundation. I’ll be honest, I thought I didn’t like it. To be honest I don’t think I gave it much of a chance. I think I used it once or twice and decided it wasn’t as fabulous as the BC foundation and set it aside. Today I really liked it. I think part of it may be the weather. I think this is just not a hot weather foundation. Most actual foundations don’t seem to be hot weather foundations, at least where i am concerned. Now that the weather has cooled, I am finding I really like this. I went in light with the foundation which seems to be the trick. It now feels weightless. I did notice that with the brush there were some streaks left in the product so I just went back in with a makeup sponge and it blended out beautifully. I think I may have to play around more with this foundation.

The Tarte Park Ave Princess Palette is discontinued sadly. It is a lovely palette though and I will use it until it is all used up. the bronzer is still available so I’ve linked that above. I haven’t reached for this in a while because quite honesty Tarte slipped from my mind. But I do love this palette. It always makes me feel special to use it and the products work well for me.

This was my first use of the Tarte cream blush. It does give more of a natural finish than expected. I thought it would be more pigmented. That is not a complaint actually. It is buildable and I didn’t notice it peeling up any of my foundation when i applied it. I think the trick with cream blushes is to first apply them before setting your foundation with powder and second to dab instead of rub. I applied with my finger and then blended worth a makeup sponge. I think a brush would have damaged the foundation and not done the blush justice. as it is I like it. It isn’t my favorite cream blush, at least at the moment, but i think it is something I can work with and wouldn’t mind reaching for again.

I actually remembered a highlighter today. I went with OFRA and forgot how blinging it can be. I need to remember to go in lighter next time. It is a great highlight though and the pan is huge so it will last forever.

Today I went with the ABH Setting powder. It was in the back of the drawer and I brought it to light. I like applying this with a makeup sponge and then just brushing away the extra. The translucent is a bit white so I can’t use it with lighter foundations as it lightens them just a bit. It works well with slightly darker foundations again because it seems to lighten it up just a touch. I really liked using it today. it is finely milled and didn’t look cakey.

This tarte palette was created for Boxycharm so I just linked to the tarte eyeshadow page for those interested. The formula on this was okay. It isn’t a terribly exciting palette. It is a very basic neutrals palette actually. The dark brown isn’t as pigmented as I like but I love the bronze shimmer. I know surprise. What bronze shimmer don’t i like. It is a good little everyday palette. I just have several very much like it in my collection so it is hard to get excited.

Today I actually used eyeliner. To be honest I was more interested in the brightener. I think I will probably reach for it more often. the eyeliner is nice and worked well. I just don’t wear a lot of eyeliner these days. The brightener is really goo. Creamy and goes in the waterline well. It is the reason I will be keeping this product.

For Lengthening this is actually one of my favorite mascaras. It does nothing for volume so usually I pair it with something that is more volumizing than lengthening, but for lengthening this is a fantastic mascara.

And finally I have the dragonfly bobby pins from the Coraline Collection from Revolution. I am really surprised by how high quality they feel. I couldn’t help but put them in my hair today. Personally I love the way they look. And the set was only $8. Not sure if they are still available but they are quite fabulous. I also got the palette from the collection and I am excited about trying that out soon. But I couldn’t resist the hair pins today.

The Daily: August 24th, 2022

I knew as soon as I said something about enjoying normality things would take a turn. And yet I did it anyway. I should have known better.

I got a call from my mom. she will soon be scheduling an operation. In a couple of weeks they will remove another small tumor from her hand. It is cancer. It is also the third operation this year, They are going in to get what they missed last time so hopefully this will be the last of the operations and cancer. This one is going to be more invasive so once it is scheduled I will be going down for a few weeks to take care of her.

Apparently her doctor is assembling a team of surgeons and once everything is scheduled she will let me know the date. And then I will schedule and go down for two weeks.

So for now there is normality on turbo drive as I try to wrap up outstanding contracts before I go. I’m sure it will calm down once I process and get an actual schedule, but for now my brain is screaming, go go go. Both to go down to be with her and to get every open project completed. As a warning, I may sound a bit crazed for the next few weeks as I go into schedule clearing mode. I’m told everything looks pretty good. Well good for something called malignant anyway. So that helps a little.

For now I am trying not to worry about anything but clearing my schedule so I can just head out when the time comes. So let’s shift into something more or less normal shall we?

forgot the smoothing spray so hair looks a little crazy, plus i was twisting it while on the phone

today’s Look:

Primer: Too Faced Hangover RX Replenishing Face Primer

Foundation: RealHer Power Wear Probiotic Foundation

Blush/Bronzer/Highlight/powder: Cover FX Perfector Face Palette

Brows: iMethod Beauty Eyebrow Stencil Kit

Eyeshadow: OFRA Signature Symphony Palette

Mascara: Eyeko Black Magic Mascara

Eyeliner: Tarte Tartiest Double Take dual ended liner

Lips: Evio Beauty lip liner mixed with Colourpop Evil Queen lipstick

Today I did decide to go with the Too Faced primer. It is a bit on the dewy side for me which is why I don’t reach for it often. It also smells of faux coconut which isn’t my favorite scent in the world. It is a good primer though. It holds makeup in place well and the coconut scent does fade. It worked well with the Real Her foundation. It wasn’t as dewy as I thought it might be. It was a bit glowy, but not over the top. It was something I could work with.

The Cover FX palette is an old one. In fact I don’t think CoverFX carries it. The link above is for Beautylish instead. I have had this a while and in fact should probably think of getting rid of it. As always I apply the bronzer and wonder why I don’t use this palette more often. Then I get to the blush and remember why I don’t use this palette that often. It’s the blush. I like all of the other products, but the blush is not really the right shade for me. It is a bit too pink and I always have to work to tone it down with the bronzer after I apply it. I really do like the bronzer and the setting powder in it. I might look into replacing those two products.

got a little crazy with the eyeliner. there was some transfer because this is a formula that needs to dry a moment or two before you open your eyes,

Today I decided to see which of my eyeliners still worked. I like the black of the tarte, but it did get a bit out of hand today. It has just been so long since I used eyeliner that my lines were crooked and I kept having to go back. I was also a little frustrated as I tried three eyeliners that dried out before I got to the Tarte so I rushed things. And me rushing eyeliner is never a good thing. I have hooded eyes so I have to cheat a little on the lines, which takes time. I do like the liner with the cranberry shade from the OFRA palette. I just reached the point where I didn’t want to spend any more time with it and said, ‘That’s good enough’ and let it go.

I pulled the Evio lip liner out because I wanted to darken the red lipstick. I think it worked well It is a creamy formula that can be worn as a lippie on it’s own with no problems actually so it blended with the lipstick well. I think it darkened it up a little so I liked the color better.

And I love both the Eyeko Mascara and the iMethod eyebrow stamp. I am getting quite the divot in the eye brow pomade so i may need to try out some of the other pomades with the stencil and stamp soon. but I think I have a while yet before that happens. And so On with the day we go. I suspect I will be working late tonight, more as a panic working than a necessity. Tomorrow I’ll start spacing things out more, but for tonight I suspect i am just going to work myself out. I just need to push past that initial burst of panic and things will be fine. I suppose it is my process. So it is off to work I go. I’ll see you when the panic subsides.