The Daily: March 22nd, 2023

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Today’s Look:

Pre Makeup Base: Embryolisse Lait Creme Sensitive

Primer: Tatcha Liquid silk canvas

Foundation: Elf Acne Fighting Foundation

Bronzer: Trestique bronzing stick

Blush: Axiology Color Cream Multi Use stick

Setting Powder: Beseme Cosmetics Aurora 1959 Pink Setting Powder

Eyeshadow: Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Diva Lights Palette

Mascara: Anastasia Beverly Hills Lash Brag Mascara

Lips: Tatcha tinted Kissu Lip Mask

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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The Daily: March 20th, 2023

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Today’s Look

Pre Makeup Base: Embryolisse Lait Creme Sensitive

Primer: Tatcha The Silk Canvas Primer

Foundation: Yensa BC Skin on Skin Foundation

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Bronzer: Trestique Refillable Bronzer stick

Blush: Jane Iredale Blush Stick

Setting Powder: Beseme Cosmetics Aurora Pink Blush

Eyeshadow: Dominique Cosmetics Unconditional Palette

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

Brows: Grande Cosmetics Brow Fill Volumizing brow gel

Lips: RMS Lip Gloss in Darling Lane

Setting Spray: Ciate London Watermelon Burst setting spray

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Skincare Line Up: March 17th, 2023

Good morning my darlings. It is time once again to look at the skincare used this week. To be honest, there weren’t a lot of changes this week, however three of these products are now completely empty and will need to be replaced tonight. So changes are coming. Shall we see where we stand and how everything performed?

The Daytime Line Up

Cleanser: Byroe Kiwi Detox Gel Cleanser

Serum: Bare Minerals Long Life Herb Serum

Eyecream: Byroe Truffle Eye Cream

Moisturizer: First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream

There is just enough liquid in the Bioderma bottle to remove the last of my makeup tonight. Technically it should have been in the night time line up, but for some reason I put it with the day time crew. it is a good micellular water and worked really well at getting the makeup off. It was a very gentle way to cleanse mascara from lashes as well. there was nothing harsh about it.

While I have been going through my sample items to clear them out, I looked but did not find a sample sized cleanser. I’m sure I have some, i just couldn’t find it on the morning my last sample ran out. This Byroe cleanser was the smallest tube of cleanser i had in the wings so I went with it as my option. It is a good gel cleanser. It doesn’t smell of kiwi which is slightly disappointing as I think that would be a lovely refreshing way to start the morning. It has little beady bits like kiwi seeds in it. There are enough to be noticed but not really enough that it feels like an intentional exfoliating option. I’m not entirely sure they do much, but maybe time will tell.

The Byroe Truffle Eye serum is still doing well. It doesn’t clog the pores and it has a skin softening effect. I think I have been using it long enough that I should start seeing results soon. it is thus far a good eye cream. Not my favorite, but a good cream.

This was the last use of the bareMinerals Serum. It was a lovely herbal scented serum that absorbed well and made my skin feel soft. Beyond that I didn’t really see any results. The serum I had lasted two weeks and typically you need thirty days to see real results so I may have to use it longer. I am not opposed to trying it out for a longer period and i probably will at some point because I like bareMinerals products in general, but there is nothing that made me want to immediately go out and purchase it.

I was going to pick out a different Day cream but a I have a night mask in the line up that I am using a couple of times a week, I figured this would be good for both day and night use and I could limit the number of products open. I really like this First Aid Beauty moisturizer. It is actually one of my favorite FAB products. I’ve used it before and I will certainly use it again. I really do enjoy it for both day and night time use. I do have to add that we are going through a cold snap right now. I think it might be a little too hydrating for me to use in the day once the weather warms up, but even then as a night cream it works really well.

The Night Time Line Up

Makeup Remover:Bioderma Purifying Cleansing Micelle Solution

Cleanser: Byroe Kiwi Detox Gel Cleanser

Toner: Perricone MD Face Finishing and Firming Toner

Serum: Replenix Age Restore Night Time Therapy

Moisturizer: First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream

Sleeping Mask Omorovicza Midnight Radiance Mask

Lips mask: Tatcha Kissu Lip mask

The Perricone MD toner is really a nice gentle exfoliator. I am on the lower end of the product now with maybe a week or two left of use and I have really enjoyed using it. It is definitely something I would get again. It is kind of interesting that when I first started to use it there was a lot of gunk on the toner pad when I was finished as it exfoliated all the dead skin cells. As time went on there is less gunk on the toner pad. Not because it stopped working but because it is routinely taking them off as they arrive and so there is no build up. It is a good product that bears consistent use.

The Replenix is almost completely out of product. Actually I say that to make myself feel better. It was sputtering last night when I applied it and I know I will press the dispenser tonight and there will be little to nothing that comes out. I will still try though as it was a really good serum. It absorbed quickly and my skin felt like silk when it was on. I would love to get a full size and see how it performs over time. It is certainly on my list of full sized future trials.

I am 100% certain I never pronounce Omorovicza correctly, but I will still always try because I adore the brand’s products. This sleeping mask is used twice a week and there is only a little needed to cover the entire face. It is a gel formula that feels very lightweight on the skin. I love the way it makes my skin feel. It is an extra boost of moisture but it also seems to perk my skin up so I wake up looking better than I did when i went to bed. And isn’t that always the goal? If I had my way I would never run out of this cream.

And then as always we end with the Tatcha Lip mask. The divot inside is deep, but there is still plenty of product. I am actually quite amazed by how long this has lasted. I am also really glad it came with a small spoon. while the spoon wasn’t really needed at first I am getting to the point where it is easier to use it to get out the product. So I am glad I have it.

So for now, this is the line up. I will need new serums and a new makeup remover at the very least for next week’s line up. I can’t wait to see what I pull from the samples box to try out next.

The Skincare Line Up: March 10th, 2023

That’s right it is time once again for the skincare line up. Are you ready? I know I am because I really enjoyed my skincare this week. But seriously when do I not enjoy talking about skincare? So off we go.

The Daytime Line Up

Cleanser: Glow Recipe Blueberry Bounce Gentle Cleanser

Serum: Bare Minerals Long Life Herb Serum

Eyecream: Byroe Truffle Eye Cream

Moisturizer: Beauty Stat Universal Pro Bio Moisture Boost Cream

This morning I used the last of the Glow Recipe Cleanser. It is a good cleanser and if the full size manages to dispense product more easily I would consider using it again. While it was good it wasn’t my absolute favorite cleanser. I don’t feel the desire to run out and replace it right away, but I would certainly use it again.

This was the first week of use for the Bare Minerals serum. As you can see the first week of use managed to use up about half of the serum. The serum has a bit of an herbal scent to it. Not an herb I can actually identify but a generally herbal scent. If I had to guess I would say that lemon verbena is somewhere in the mix though. The scent faded as the serum dried. It took a moment to dry down and absorb into the skin. In the morning I generally found my self applying it and then brushing my teeth. Once they were clean it was time to move on in the routine. As there is still half a tube left, I will continued using it next week.

The Byroe Truffle Eye cream is good. I like the way it feels on the skin and absorbs. I haven’t seen the same sort of results I saw with the Tea Time from Byroe but it is still early days yet so there is plenty of time. For now I like that it is at least not the sort of formula that clogs the pores around my eyes. The skin around my lower orbital bone is prone to that. So that is a victory.

I am still hoping for results with the fine lines.

And finally with the day time we go to the Beauty Stat moisturizer. What can I say, I used it, I loved it, I now hate that it is empty. And I cleaned that little jar out. it is squeaky clean. Not a drop remains. It was an interesting formula. It was white and creamy and somehow felt like vasiline on the fingertips yet melted in like a dream I was very impressed with it. it was also my first use of anything from this brand so I will definately be search9ing out more from them as a result of using this crea,

In the morning line up only the Serum and the eye cream will continue. Tonight I will try all new products to fill in the morning time gaps. But now we enter the night…

The Night Time Line Up

Makeup Remover:Bioderma Purifying Cleansing Micelle Solution

Cleanser: Glow Recipe Blueberry Bounce Gentle Cleanser

Toner: Perricone MD Face Finishing and Firming Toner

Serum: Replenix Age Restore Night Time Therapy

Moisturizer: First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream

Sleeping Mask Omorovicza Midnight Radiance Mask

Lips mask: Tatcha Kissu Lip mask

This week I used the Bioderma as my only makeup remover. It worked well and I am hoping to finish it out this week. I did find that with the Bioderma alone there were more traces of makeup on the toner pad when I used it than I would have if I backed it up with a makeup remover, but by the end I was satisfied my makeup was removed and face clean. I would definitely make this part of a two step makeup removing process though.

The Perricone MD toner was fantastic. I like it just as much now as when I started. the only thing I wish is that it had some sort of regulator cap on the inside instead of being an open bottle I almost knocked it off of the counter this week and only a last second save stopped it all from going down the drain. i am quite prod of my last second save though.

I have already added the Replenix to my list of products to purchase in a full size. It worked really well to help make my skin smooth and hydrated. I would love to spend longer with the formula to see if it does more. There is still some product left in the bottle but as it is solid plastic I am not sure how much. I am hoping it lasts the week. I want to use this as long as I can.

The FAB moisturizer I have used in the full size before. it is a really good moisturizer and in fact one of my favorite products from the brand. It is why I kept this travel size ready to go in my travel kit. However I felt it had been in there too long so I rolled it into use. It is a full tube so it will be here for a little while, which I can’t say i am mad about. I think it needs to stay at night moving forward though. In the driest of winter i can use it both morning and evening, but we are edging into the separate products for day and night time use zone.

This week I did at the Omorovicza sleeping mask. I have no idea how to pronounce it but it is glorious. Anything I havetried from the brand has been utterly amazing. I have always tried sample sizes and always been left wanting more. This Sleeping mask is designed to be used only twice a week so i used it Monday and Wednesday this week and was left with th softest most hydrated skin when I woke up. This is one of those brands that I wish I could afford to buy more from on a regular basis. As it is I watch like a hawk for sales and any form of discounts. Occasionally Look Fantastic puts things on sale from the brand and I pounce like a skincare ninja. It is just such an amazing brand.

Also amazing is my tatcha lip mask, but I forgot to put it in my picture today and didn’t realize until just now. <y lips are back to hydrated and the dry bits I tend to pick at are all gone so they can continue to heal properly.

Over all my skin is fantastic this week and I am really please with it. There are a few deeply clogged pores but as I have an AHA based mask for this afternoon i am hoping that will help clear things away. Fingers crossed.

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The Skincare Line Up: March 3rd, 2023

Welcome back once again to the weekly skincare line up. Here I get to look at all of the products that I am using and how they are working as well as working with the other items in the line up. I am winding up a couple of items and starting a few new. At the moment I am also trying to work through accumulated samples so i can clear out some space. I tend to go in waves with samples. I love trying them out and seeing what products I want to try out in a full size. And then I will switch and try out items in the full size and let the samples pile up. Then when i think I have enough sample sizes to fit every category of skin care I will decide that it might be time to clear them out again. The ones I like will then go on a list for full sized purchase and later testing. It is a strange cycle but it works for me. At the moment I am in a mostly sample size testing phase. Mostly because i really havint gone through skincare samples in a while and really needed to. So, tat’s where we are.

Although saying that, i am starting with two full sized products. the makeup removers.

Beekman 1802 Buttermilk Makeuep Melt

Bioderma Purifying Cleansing Micelle Solution

As you can see there are two I am using the Micellar water to take off eye makeup, mostly because the Beekman doesn’t do the greatest with mascara. And the bottle was open and I felt I needed to use it up. In general I like the Beekman 1802 cleansing balm. It works well and is gentle on the rest of my skin. It just isn’t the greatest at removing mascara and so it needed a companion. I also use my Makeup eraser with the products so I can get as much of the makeup off. This is the last week for the Beekman though. The last little bit in the container will be taking off today’s makeup and then it will go to the empties bin. It was nice, and I wouldn’t mind using it again, but i can’t say it was my absolute favorite.

The Day time Line up

Cleanser: Glow Recipe Blueberry Bounce Gentle Cleanser

Serum:

Eyecream: Byroe Truffle Eye Cream

Moisturizer: Beauty Stat Universal Pro Bio Moisture Boost Cream

This week I forgot to roll in a new serum when the Babor was finished. I just kept forgetting. I would make a note of it being missing in the morning, but then the day would get busy and i would forget until the next morning. And so I never rolled anything in and went sans serum this week. I will be pulling a serum out as soon as I finish posting this to rectify the situation,. I just forgot so it was a very simple routine this week.

The Glow Recipe is nice. I still think the exit hole for the product is a bit small making it difficult to use. I am willing to say that that could be the fault of the sample size though as it looks like a bigger pump in the full size. The cleanser has a faux blueberry scent which is nice. In general that is my word for this cleanser. Nice. Not fabulous, not horrible. It is just middle of the road nice.

I liked the Byroe Truffle Eye cream a little more this week. I think part of that is because I have some distance from the Tea Time Eye Gel from Byroe. That eye cream i loved. This one I like. I enjoy using it, but to me it isn’t as good as the other one. with some distance I can see it for itself instead of comparing it. I like it more this week than I liked it last week, but I am going to wait a bit longer before I pass judgement. it isn’t instant love as it was with Tea Time, but i like it enough to keep using it and to give it a chance.

and then we have Beauty Stat. I love this cream. Flat out love this cream. It has an odd texture that makes me think Vaseline when I touch it with my fingertips even though it is a white cream. i am not entirely sure why. it doesn’t apply like Vaseline, it is a moisturizer that melts right into the skin and is a beautiful non-greasy formula. Yet something in the texture has my fingertips thinking Vaseline. This is my first Beauty Stat product and I am so going to have to look more into the brand. Even though this is a sample, so little product is needed that it has lasted. This week I used it as both day and night cream because I wanted to see how it performed at night and if i would need more when i used it at night. I didn’t. I used the same small amount at night that I did during the day. As a result I still have a little bit of product left. Now that I know how it works at night I am going to switch back to using this just in the day and roll in a different cream at night. I think I might actually make it through the week with the last of this cream if I do that. This is definitely on my repurchase list.

The Night time Line up

Cleanser: Glow Recipe Blueberry Bounce Gentle Cleanser

Toner: Perricone MD Face Finishing and Firming Toner

Serum: Replenix Age Restore Night Time Therapy

Moisturizer: Beauty Stat Universal Pro Bio Moisture Boost Cream

Lips mask: Tatcha Kissu Lip mask

I used the same cleanser and moisturizer as I did in the day and they performed the same at night a they did in the day so i won’t repeat my thoughts here. The Pericone toner is doing well. It is a gentle exfoliating toner. I have noticed that the longer I use this toner the cleaner my toner pads are. I think that it is just taking off the dead skin cells and other junk as it arrives each day so here is no build up. I think the initial dirty toner pads were because of whatever was built up. Now the build up is gone and it is just a daily gentle exfoliation. this actually makes me happy as it means I am not over exfoliating while continuing to use this product. For me that is a relief. I am growing rather fond of this exfoliator.

I am in love with this Replenix night serum. it is light weight and my skin drinks it in. I like to wait a moment or two before applying moisturizer over it, but my skin feels just soft and fabulous after it. This is another brand that is new to me and I am very much going to have to look into more products from the, I have a second sample of one of their products in my sample basket. It isn’t the same product but I think it is for night time use as well. I will probably try to dig that out and roll it into use soon just to look into the brand more. For a first product to use for the brand this is a really good one.

And of course I used my Tatcha this week. I am happy to say my lips are feeling much better. They were dry and when they are dry I pick at them and cause more problems. I know I shouldn’t but it is something i do when not paying attention. So the best thing for me is to make sure they never dry out. The Tatcha lip mask has really helped heal the damage more quickly than I thought it would. I have been using this lip mask for a while now and even though it looks the same from the outside there is now a deep divot in the product. I will still be able to use it for a while, but it is now noticeable that the lip mask has been used It is something that I will replace as soon as it starts to look empty. For a night time lip treat is it one of the best products i have tried.

And that my darlings is the skincare for this week. I will be rolling in a few new items to start the week and I will be finishing up several of these samples this week as well. And to be fair I think that any of the samples that manage to last this week will need to be replaced at the end of the week. It isn’t long enough to see massive effects from the products but I have certainly found a few items i am interested in trying out in the full size and in addition there are two brands, Replenix and Beauty Stat that I want to investigate further as well. And as finding new products and brands is why I use samples in the first place, that is a very good thing.

The Daily: February 27th, 2023

Good afternoon my darlings. I hope you had a fabulous weekend. My babydoll had a sinus infection this weekend and is actually home today still recovering. The antibiotics took out the infection but it always leaves him exhausted so he called in sick today.

It is always interesting when he is home sick. He likes to think he is an island, isolating and stoically suffering in silence. In reality I will end up seeing or hearing from him about every fifteen minutes as he wonders where things are, like the tea which is always kept on the same shelf in the pantry and had for the past five years. I also get asked how much water to put in the electric tea kettle and where the blankets are. I always find it amusing to find that as soon as he is ill he suddenly forgets where everything is and reverts to grumpy three year old mode.

At the moment he is sleeping so the house is quiet. I am trying to be as quiet as possible so as not to wake him. He had some soup before taking his nap so I should be good for a while.

Needless to say it has been a very disjointed day. But he is feeling better so tomorrow he will go back to work and I will catch up on everything I missed today.

Today I am actually thinking about the Boxycharm/IPSY merger. For those who don’t know, IPSY and Boxy announced their official merger last week. IPSY has three levels. Glam bag, Glam Bag Plus and Glam Bag X. They also have the beauty boost that can be added to any category. The Glam bag will be stay the same. The glam bag plus is being renamed Boxycharm and is the same as the Boxy Base Box. If you have IPSY Plus and the Beauty Boost then it is the same as the Premium Boxycharm, and then the Glam Bag X and Boxycharm Luxe box will be the same and they will be calleted ICON Box.

It isn’t actually much of a surprise that they are merging. IPSY bought Boxycharm a while ago and since then there have been so many duplicates and issues that streamlining seemed to be the best logical course for them to survive moving forward. I think what I find interesting is the timing, at least for me. I have IPSY Plus with the Beauty Boost. I did have the Boxy Premium as well. I just cancelled the Premium because February was just so irritating. While March is going to be the last Glam Bag Plus with the merger official in April, I am really glad I went ahead and cancelled Boxycharm premium. As it will end up being the exact same thing I currently get from IPSY it was actually good timing for me.

I have also decided that i will be posting my IPSY unboxings again, especially for the next few months. March will be the last IPSY and then it will be the merged box, so I kind of want to follow it as things progress. And most of why I wasn’t posting was because I wanted to see how I felt about the subscription because I knew I wasn’t keeping both Boxy and IPSY which is no longer an issue really.

I also realized that I hadn’t used a couple of the makeup items I recieved in my Glam Bag X so I picked them for today’s makeup.

Today’s Look

Primer: Tatcha The Silk Canvas Protective primer

Foundation: Hide Invisible Oil Free Foundation

Bronzer: Scott Barnes Contour palette

Blush: Axiology Color Cream Multi Stick

Setting Powder: Item Beauty Powder Hour In the Clear

Eyeshadow: Mosaic by Trendbeauty

Mascara: PurFully Charged Mascara

Brows: Grande Browfill Volumizing Brow Gel

Lips: Pat McGrath Labs Heart Shaped Lip Gloss

Okay we start today with my all time favorite primer. I love the Tatcha Silk Canvas primer. It fills my pores and provides a nice smooth canvas for the rest of my makeup. I can’t say enough good things about it. It is a little on the pricy side, but i have to say it is well worth the price and I will repurchase anytime it gets low.

I have to say i really do like this HIDE foundation,. it is weightless and it blends beautifully. I mostly chose it because it performs well without me thinking about it, which is something i need when trying out a new contour.

This contour palette from Scott Barns was in my Glam Bag X in February. The powders are soft and highly pigmented. They seem to blend well. I have heard of Scott Barnes but this is the first time i have tried anything from the brand. It is good quality, but I will be honest, I don’t exactly contour. I just use this as bronzer. There is a shade Frame, that works perfectly for me. As the seasons change I will more than likely shift shades, but i suspect this palette with have two shades I will use as bronzer and if I use the other shades it will be for a quick eyeshadow. It is just the way I apply makeup. I think I am going to have to remind myself to use this actually. It is a good formula though. It is just large enough it will be stored in a lower drawer and I will have to make an effort.

I went for the Axiology Cream color today as blush. I have a third Axiology product to start testing, but i just couldn’t resist reaching for this as my cream blush. It is just so easy and this is a good shade for me. I know, I’ll start rotating soon. But I do love this.

I picked up this Item Beauty powder because I really liked the brush powder combo in the stick. It took a little while to get the powder to come out, but after i did it worked well. I love that it is refillable as well. So once I have finished with this powder i can replace the powder and keep using the brush. The powder itself is okay. I don’t know if Item beauty sells the powder separately but I could easily see me replacing it with one of the powders I have on hand and just continuing to use the brush. I am really happy with this purchase and i think that when traveling this will be fantastic.

This weekend I realized I had several eyeshadow palettes i picked up but haven’t really spent time testing. So I decided to look at them and see what appealed to me. And this morning the mint green shimmer appealed to me. The rest of this palette is pretty basic in colors but that minty green i just had to try. The brown mattes I used underneath it blended really well. As everyday shades they worked realty well. The shimmer layered well on top, but it didn’t blend with anything. I do like the spring colors in this so i may play with it for a little bit. The shadows do tend to crease a little bit, but they are worth playing with I think.

I love the Grande Brow Fill. it is a good basic brow gel and since my bangs are covering my brows it is just enough to keep things tidy, which is all I need.

This was the first use of the Pur mascara. After the Uoma it isn’t dramatic at all. It is sort of your basic every day mascara. The wand was a bit on the prickly side and it is just okay. I will probably use up the sample and not repurchase.

And then there is the lips. The Glam Bag X had two heart shaped lip glosses from Pat McGrath labs. The formula feels really good on the lips. It doesn’t dry down at all so there are a trail of lip prints all over my coffee cup and water glass. The lip prints stopped when the lip gloss was completely worn off. I reapplied for the pic. I like the formula when i am not drinking anything. I don’t know how much i will use them though because even though the colors and formula are nice, the little brush is kind of annoying and the shape of the heart makes it hard to get product on the brush. It is one of those nice looking products that isn’t that practical. I’m glad i tried the formula, but I suspect these will end up in a drawer and I will forget about them.

And that is my makeup today. It is a mix of the reliably good, the okay and the meh. Kind of fun in it’s own way. But now it is back to work for me. I have a few things I want to try to get done before my babydoll wakes up. Thus far there is still silence from the living room. He fell asleep to Sherlock Homes. Which means I am probably good until the credits roll. It is the music for the end credits that tends to wake him up. So I am off. Have a great rest of your Monday my darlings.

The Skincare Line up: February 24th, 2023

Oh yes, the line up has changed! I had several really good products finish up and head off to the land of the empties so I decided to start rolling in some of the samples from my collection. Since I have been using full sizes the samples have build up to quite a pile. And so now seemed like the right time to use them. Also with the planting of the seeds in my green house this past weekend, spring has been on my mind and I am getting ready for the annual grand spring cleaning, so clearing out samples seemed like the thing to start with.

It especially makes me feel better about the one window I can’t clean. It isn’t that I can’t reach it or physically clean it, but when it is clean birds tend to fly into it. Not sure why it is just that window, but i is. I can usually ignore it, but when I have all of the other windows sparkly clean and it isn’t, it does kind of bug me. But I don’t want the birds to die or to have to clean up broken glass, so it stays and I pretend not to see it.

But I digress, we are here to talk about skincare. As you may notice from the above picture, there are a few duplicates in the mix. That is because i split everything out between night and day time use. There is some overlap, but I did split them out. Let’s start with the makeup removers.

Beekman 1802 Buttermilk Makeuep Melt

Bioderma Purifying Cleansing Micelle Solution

The Beekman cleansing Balm I have been using for a while. I might have enough to get me through this upcoming week, but that will probably be the end of the product. It has over all been a good product. It cleanses well. It is not the best with eye makeup but it will take off foundation products really well. It does leave a slight greasy feel to the skin after use, but that isn’t a major concern as I always wash my face right after, plus I am using the Micelle water to get the last of my eye makeup off so i just run the reusable cotton pad over the rest of my face and the greasy feel is gone.

I had this Micelle water open so i went ahead and rolled it into the line up to just work on using it up and clearing it away. To be honest, I used the bulk of this product to make sure some of my makeup brushes were really clean. I tried a brush cleanser a while back that irritated my skin so I needed to get my brushes really clean, After washing them thoroughly i gave them a final rinse with the micelle water. It worked really well. And now I have half a bottle of micelle water to use up. At the moment I really like it, but i would still use a makeup remover with it. Once the Beekman is finished I will try it paired with just my Makeup Eraser and I’ll see how that fares. If it works I’ll be happy. If not, I’ll roll in another makeup remover.

The Day time Line up

Cleanser: Glow Recipe Blueberry Bounce Gentle Cleanser

Serum: Babor Perfect Glow Ampule Concentrate

Eyecream: Byroe Truffle Eye Cream

Moisturizer: Beauty Stat Universal Pro Bio Moisture Boost Cream

Oh my darlings do we have a lot to talk about with the day time line up. We will start with the cleanser. I have a hard time with this cleanser. It is not the first time I have used it First off it cleanses well and it smells like the Blueberry Muffin Doll that was Strawberry Shortcake’s friend. I don’t know how many of you remember those scented dolls from the 1980s. Here is a link to a pinterest pic I found should you need a visual. Somehow in my memory they did not look quite that creepy. But that is not the important part. the scent is blueberry-ish. The product comes out as a gel and then foams as you wash your face. Here is the thing. I like the cleanser, but i really don’t like the packaging. I think the dispensing hole is a little too small for the viscosity level of the product. It makes it feel like I have to pump forever just to get the product out. The product is good, but getting it is a bit of a struggle. It could be that I am using the sample and the full size doesn’t have this problem. For me though it is a good product that I would repurchase because I am annoyed by the packaging.

Then we get to the serum. I love this serum. I know I posted a first use of this seven day sample set and it was pretty clear I liked it, but now it is full blown love. It has a light gentle scent and is a very liquid-y serum. Each ampule has enough product to cover the face and neck. It is very wet so you do have to wait for it to absorb in. Which I can’t lie, does take a bit of time. I ended up applying it and then brushing my teeth and making the bed before coming back to continue with the skincare. The dry time is one of the few things I am not fond of, but i will put up with it because I love the way my skin looks and feels after i use the serum. There is one thing that bothers me.

I can only find this Babor Serum in these ampule kits. If anyone else finds them in more please let me know, but from what I have found they are only sold in the seven ampule sets. There is no bottle I can find with this serum, or even larger sets. And this is a once daily serum. it is not a once a week serum, it is designed to be used once a day. Which means that I’d have to purchase the seven day sets in bulk in order to keep using this serum. While i would happily use this serum every day, that is a lot of excess packaging. I know it is mostly glass and paper for the packaging, but it still seems a bit excessive. I do think though that the next time i have a scheduled event, I will be ordering this serum set to use in the days leading up to the event because I absolutely love how my skin feels and the way it looks. It just really bugs me that it is a daily serum that is hard to get enough of to use daily on a continuous basis.

If you are interested, Lovely skin does currently have a sale going on that includes this serum set. The link in the product list above will take you there.

I have been using the Byroe Tea Time Eye cream and I adore it. It is a gel formula which seems to help it absorb very rapidly. When I was getting out the samples for this week I did notice that I had the deluxe sample of the Byroe Truffle Eye serum around so I decided to give it a try and see how I like it. It is more of a cream formula, but it is a very light cream. It takes slightly longer than the gel to absorb but not that much longer. It is the first week of use, so I can’t say there are any results just yet, but I am happy to continue using it.

I think when this Beauty Stat moisturizer came in my Dermstore Beauty Fix I might have slighted it because it said for all skin types on it. I rarely find that to be the case with any moisturizer. Whether or not it is true about this, I do know my skin loves it. It is a strange texture. It is as though it is half way between a cream and Vaseline. I know that’s not generally a moisturizer descriptor, but there is something in the viscosity of this cream that makes me think Vaseline. It is a white cream with a sort of medicine/old school skin care scent to it. Very little of this moisturizer is needed so i will be using it for the next week. Because of it’s consistency it feels thick on the fingers but melts to absorb quickly when spread on the face. It is a fantastic moisturizer. The texture is a little strange, but I will put up with a little strange for this. It is definitely on the list of full size purchases.

The Night time Line up

Cleanser: Glow Recipe Blueberry Bounce Gentle Cleanser

Toner: Perricone MD Face Finishing and Firming Toner

Serum: Replenix Age Restore Night Time Therapy

Moisturizer: Rodial Dragon’s Blood Sculpting Gel

Lips mask: Tatcha Kissu Lip mask

The cleanser worked the same in the night as it did in the day so I think we have covered it. The Perricone MD Toner is one of the two products that continued from the previous skincare lineup. Mostly because I use so little with each use. It is a really good, gentle exfoliation that I enjoy being able to use daily. I really think it has been one of the heroes of my skin for the past few weeks. I have noticed a much better texture and will happily continue with using the rest of the bottle.

This is my first use of a Replenix product. I have a second one in my samples drawer and will probably give it a go once this is empty. (I think they are both for night time use). This has a light clean scent to it that just smells like something that should be skincare. One pump is all that is needed and because of that I will be using this for at least next week as well. It absorbs really quickly and my skin feels fantastic after I apply it. There is no greasy feel to the skin and my skin is silky soft. I know it has ceramides and I had a similar feel to my skin after using a ceramide cleanser so I think that is partially responsible. I will be investigating as I continue using this.

The Dragon’s Blood Sculpting Gel from Rodial I have used several times before. I used a sample and liked it enough to purchase the full size. I was actually tickled to find I had another sample in my collection. I was also disappointed that there was not a lot of product in the tube despite it being still sealed. It is a fantastic moisturizer but i think i only have enough for tonight and then it will be gone. With Rodial I am often on the fence about their products. They are always good, but when i see the price of them I always thing, ‘They aren’t THAT good.’ With the exception of this sculpting gel. It is one of the few Rodial products I will pay full price for because it is actually worth the full price.

As I mentioned last week I had been skipping my lip mask so that I could try out something else. And then I misplaced the product I was going to try. And so my lips grew chapped. My problem is that once they start getting chapped I will pick at them and make it worse. I actually don’t mean to. when I catch myself doing it I stop and mentally berate myself. I tend to do it when i am thinking. If they are chapped I will absently pick at them while searching my brain for a word or trying to figure out a way to word an e-mail so it doesn’t sound confrontational. Regardless, I picked at my lips. I am slowly getting them back into shape with the Tatcha lip mask. It is actually very good for that and I am going to have to start using it in the day time as well as at night. It is a great sleeping mask but I still pick at my now healing lips in the day, with the lip mask on, I don’t. So I may put it over lip products next week. we shall see,

And with that I am going to end this overly long skincare post. There was just a lot to talk about this week. I know I enjoyed it. Hopefully you did too. At some point I will go into depth about the Replenix especially as I continue use, and there will be a last update with close ups from the Babor serum, but as a team, everything is working really well this week and I am in love with my skin. And in the end, that is the whole point of the line up.

The Daily: February 16th, 2023

Good afternoon my darlings. Today has been a day. Alas it started with more computer issues. but I did figure them out I believe. Apparently my babydoll tried to use my poor old desk top for gaming. It is ill equipped for such endeavors, which he figured out. He thought he removed all of the things he was using but apparently he missed a couple of elements which were trying to connect to things he already removed.

It was a bit of a mess.

But It is mostly cleared up now.

It did take more time than I had to give to clear it up though so I am running a little bit behind. Still trying to catch up, but beciase I have no one who needs to see my face today for work I am going sans makeup today. I’m calling it a skin care moment instead. I have a Summer Friday’s Jet Lag Mask. It does make my skin soft and hydrated and most of the mask absorbs in while I wear it. I then wipe off the rest with a damp wash cloth and go about my day.

I am also giving my lips a bit of the royal treatment. I Have the Hanalei Lip scrub to start. I keep trying other lip scrubs but this is the one I always come back to. it is a sugar scrub that is sweet and citrusy tasting and smelling. It is a nice gentle scrub and I really enjoy it. I will be following with the Tatcha Kissu Lip mask. I took it temporarily out of my skincare line up because I wanted to give a different product a try. and then my lips got dry and I thought it would be a good test, but then I couldn;t find the product i wanted to try. And then I started picking my dry lips. Sooo, I am going back to the lip mask that I know works. Later I will go on a hunt for the missing product, then skip the Tatcha again for a bit and test it out. For now, it is the return of Tatcha because I love it and I know it works.

And so my darlings, that is me today. I don’t regret taking the time off on Tuesday. I just wasn’t expecting the extra issues of Wednesday and Thursday. But most things are fixed today and I am fine for working today and tomorrow. It will be this weekend where the full scale clear out with the computer will take place. Oh yes, from clearing cookies and history to sorting through photos and podcasts to scrutinizing the programs, battle will be done.

Which will make next week a smoother operation. But for now, I’m taking fifteen minutes down for a skin care moment and then jumping back into the fray. Have a good afternoon my darlings.

The Daily: February 2nd, 2023

Good afternoon my darlings. Today feels just a little strange. Every time I look out the window there is a different weather pattern going on. It was raining , then it was sleeting, then it was snowing and then it was raining again. At the moment we are getting a rain sleet mix where the droplets his as they make impact with the glass of the window but melt to rain right away as though the ice was just kidding.

It is like the weather just can’t make up it’s mind today.

I did make a choice today though. No a big one, it was my IPSY Glam Bag X choice. At the moment I am doing the IPSY Beauty Boost. For $15 per month you get one extra full sized item. I think it is supposed to be worth $40-50+. I’ll have to look at the exact details. This is the third month for the boost. December was first and IPSY chose the Kate Somerville Retinol that is currently in my skincare line up. It was actually a really good choice for me. Last moth they chose the Fenty Beauty Sun Stalk R palette. I wasn’t really enthused with it as I am usually on the fence about most Fenty products. They are never bad actually they are usually just okay and pretty forgettable. I am however liking the palette much more than I thought i would and will probably get a lot of use out of it. And it was certainly something I would not have picked up on my own. I also liked that they were switching between skincare and makeup. And yes I know two times wasn’t enough to tell, so I was really curious as to what they picked.

Interestingly they did something different this month. They chose an item but then they had a section in choice where if I didn’t like what they selected then I could trade it out for one of the other items. The Item they chose for me was the Drunk Elephant F-Balm Electrolite Waterfacial which seems to be an over night mask. Since I have only tried one sample from Drunk Elephant and know nothing of most of their products (other than that everyone was raving about them a few years ago) I kept the selection they made. However I really like that they are allowing you to swap out items now as that was the one thing I wasn’t crazy about.

I actually didn’t mean to talk about IPSY so much, but I felt it was worth mentioning. I also liked the rest of the bag this month as well and I am more excited for this month’s IPSY than I have been for a while. I know it is an X month so those are always a bit over the top, but last month’s box was really good as well so thus far they are really hitting 2023 strong.

This is the year I am really reevaluating all of my subscription boxes to see what I really want to keep. I am even trying a few new ones out to see what combination of products I like and what I am willing to let go. I actually signed up for the Cohorted Subscription box. February will be my first one. It will be interesting to see if it is worth it. and since it is a new subscription I’ll probably go ahead and do a full post here instead of just posting the box on IG. Anyway, enough with the subscriptions, lets move on to what I used today…

Today’s Look:

Primer: Tatcha Liquid Silk Canvas Primer

Foundation: KVD Vegan Beauty Good Apple Balm Foundation

Bronzer: Milk Makeup Bronzing Stick (from the use up box)

Blush: Cotton Candy Champagne Blushlighter palette from Beauty Bakerie

Currently Beauty Bakerie is having a massive sale up to 40% off for the next two days. the product links will take you to the site.

Eyeshadow: Urban Decay Naked Honey Palette

Mascara: Benefit Cosmetics They’re real magnetic Mascara

Lips: Beauty Bakerie Liquid Lip Whip and Illamasqua Lip Liner

Today I started with the Tatcha Liquid primer. I really enjoy it. It is one of my top primers. I still love the balm formula of Tatcha just a little bit more, but then I just really love Balm style primers. This is a really good primer and on the skin it feels a lot like the balm version a you put it on. I wanted a primer that I know and love when I started playing with the KVD foundation so that is why i chose it.

This Good Apple foundation is interesting. It has been a while since I used a foundation that oxidizes. This one does. It looks a little light on me when I apply it, but after a little while (an hour or so) it oxidizes and then looks like it is the right shade for me. It isn’t a perfect shade match, but it does okay. I think I notice it more because I have gotten really lucky with shade matches recently. It makes the not quite shade stand out more to me. while this foundation looks good on most of my face after a little while I really start to notice it settling into fine lines. I had a phone conversation about an hour after I applied the makeup. the conversation lasted about 20 minutes. When I was done I had to use the restroom and I looked in the mirror and I could really see it settling around my mouth and emphasizing the lines. it is something I am going to have to watch.

The Milk Makeup Bronzer is from my use up box. It is a sample and I want to purchase the full size but won’t until I use up the sample. I am trying to use one item from the box each day so this was my choice today. it is an easy choice since I really like it.

I also really like the Beauty Bakerie blush in the Blushlighter palette. Oddly it has enough shimmer for me that I don’t really want to reach for the highlighters. i like the highlighters, and i will use them with other blushes, but just the blush from this palette was good for me. I also couldn’t resist the Beauty Bakerie Lip Whip. If you are looking for liquid lips that dry down enough not to leave lip prints everywhere but not so much as to dry out your lips then i would suggest checking out the line. I did use the Illamasqua lip liner to smooth out the edges but that was mostly because I noticed a not so smooth bit after the lippie dried. It was just easier to correct with lip liner and I really like the Illamasqua formula. I also like that the color blended well.

My shadow was from the Naked Honey palette. I love this palette. it applies well, blends well and looks good. I think the trick with Urban Decay is to find whichever palette they offer that suits you and go with that. I loved their original Naked palettes but a lot of their others just don’t have a color story that appeals to me. Admittedly I may still pick up their Prince palette. On the other hand I have a friend who adores their Cyber palette and doesn’t like anything else. I think once you find the palette from them you like, it is a great palette to use. Mine happens to be the Naked Honey. I can wear the brown tones every day and I have a weakness for the bronze shimmers.

And so i used the palette today.

and that my darlings is me today. Over all it is a quiet one. Phone calls and e-mails but mostly just me and the computer at my desk. There is a whole lot of editing going on. nd now, I must get back to it. Have a great afternoon.

The Skincare Lineup: January 27, 2023

And so we reach the end of another week. And it is time once again for my favorite post, the skin care line up. While I do like posting about the individual items, this post is all about how the items i use on my face work as a team. Because let’s face it, I don’t use just one item in isolation. Many of my items are approaching the 30 day mark of use and soon I will e able to look at actual results. I love skin care, but it isn’t a magic potion. It takes time and consistent use to show results. And generally you only start seeing changes after 30 days. So, soon sooooon… But until then, we have mostly the continuing products and one brand new cleanser. I have also put a picture of my face sans makeup because honestly, I think my skin looks fabulous this week. Even with the baggy allergy eyes. So lets get into it shall we?

Makeup Remover: Beekman 1802 Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm

Cleanser: Dr. Brandt Pores No More Pore Purifying Cleanser

Exfoliator: Elemis Blackcurrant Jelly Exfoliator

Toner: Elemis Superfood Fruit Vinegar Toner

Essence: Missha Time Revolution The First essence (currently 30% off on the brand site)

Serum: Elemis Pro Collagen Renewal Serum

Retinol: Kate Somerville Retinol Vitamin C

Moisturizer: ESPA Optimal Skin Pro Moisturizer

Eye cream: Byroe Tea Time Eye gel

Lips: Tatcha Kissu Overnight Lip Mask

Okay let’s start from the top. The Beekman cleansing balm is good. It takes very little to actually remove the makeup. It is a bit crumbly so the spatula isn’t used to you don’t contaminate the product with your fingers but an actual necessity for getting it out of the jar. And luckily it has it’s own holder on the top of the jar so it is less likely to get lost. while i like this cleanser and how the crumbly bits melt to oil, I don’t like it to remove my eye makeup. It tends to make my contacts a bit cloudy. It rinses away with a little saline solution but i think next week I am going to try an eye makeup remover separately. I have a couple in the drawer as well as a few micellar waters so I might try one of those.

I was using a sample sized cleanser and it is finished. I pulled this Dr. Brandt one out of the drawer to try next. I seem to have a lot of cleansers waiting to be used. I think there was just a run of them from subscription boxes for a while. I don’t mind that actually as I do go through them pretty fast. While I did like the clean I got from this Dr. Brandt, I think I am going to have to watch it. It smelled medicated when I tried it and after I washed my face, I looked at the tube. The smell alerted me but the label does mention salicylic acid and white willow bark, which was I was smelling. Sometimes that can dry me out. I have been using this for three days at this point and there is no signs of drying but it is something I will monitor. Thus far it is just a really good clean.

I am almost out of the Black Currant Jelly exfoliator. I have loved using it. I just don’t think it will last the week. I tend to use a little more product than I should but it is now at the six week mark of use so I can’t really complain. I really like this daily exfoliator.

The Elemis Toner is slowly but surely being used. I am just past the half way point in the bottle. It is kind of funny but with the toner, essence and the Elemis Serum not a lot of product is used with each use so it takes a while for it to show that it is being used and then all of a sudden you see it. I really like this toner. It smells a bit like fermented cider and I kind of dig the scent. It also takes care of any stray makeup bits that the cleanser might have missed.

I really love having an essence in my routine and this Missha one is a good one. It makes my skin feel like it is open and ready to receive skincare. Which is sort of the point of an essence.

The Elemis serum is making my skin feel soft and simply fabulous. I know, I tend to be a big fan of Elemis products and have been for a long time. This is a good serum thus far. My skin looked bright and clear and i am seeing a small reduction in some of my fine lines. plus the soft skin it leaves behind is amazing.

I have the Kate Somerville Retinol in my line up and I have been using it on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This week I have to confess, I didn’t remember to use it. Tuesday got crazy and then all day Thursday I somehow thought it was Wednesday. So it is in the line up, but this week, I just didn’t reach for it.

the more I use the Byroe and ESPA products the more I like them I am approaching a month of use with each of them and they will be with me for quite a while. The ESPA is not even half way empty and so little of the eye cream is needed with each use that it will last a long time. I have a sample of a different Byroe eye cream that I may pause this at some point to try out, but I really want to see what this eye cream can do. I am already seeing small improvements and I think with further use I will continue to do so. I did remember to take preliminary picks so in another week or so I will do after photos and we can do a side by side comparison, but at the moment I am loving the way my skin looks and feels. and honestly that is the best think i can say about any skincare line up. This is a winter moisturizer for me, so I did start using it at the prefect time. I love it when a skincare line up just works, don’t you. I don’t mind drama elsewhere in my life but I don’t care for it in skin care unless it is , Wow I think my skin looks great. And at the moment, that is the kind of drama i have because at the moment I do feel that wow, my skin does look and feel great. Let’s hope it continues.