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 Daily: January 3rd, 2023

Well I seem to be recovering from the holiday fairly well but the weather it seems is in for a relapse. The sun started out late as though it too wanted to sleep through the alarm and then it rallied for a bit. Now, clouds are moving in and the sun is nowhere to be found. It is days like this that make me just want to crawl back into bed. However I actually had my eyes flutter open around three am this morning and refuse to shut again. They would blink but as for actual sleep, that was a no go.

I am still oddly awake and not the slightest bit sleepy now even though it is mid afternoon. I thought that lunch time would see me start to drowse, which is why I went in hard this morning on all the things I needed to do. . I figured there might be an urgent nap time in the afternoon. Thus far, no call for napping. Which I am okay with. If I can stay awake and non drowsy for the rest of the day there is a good chance that I will sleep well tonight. I know, a bit more than you probably care to know, but i find it a bit strange.

Between the weather and the sleep it is throwing off my exercise game though.

I think that has been heavily on my mind since I got back. December was filled with more gatherings than I think we have had in the past few years. I think part of it is that most of my friends are extra cautious and so any get togethers have been very much social distanced. I think there is also a desire to get together and I think there were also family issues this year. Some people weren’t traveling for various reasons but still wanted to get together. Or maybe I am just more aware of it this year. My mother declared this was a minimum Christmas this year. My brother’s birthday was on December 29th and so his birthday and Christmas were always linked and the first year after his death was hard on all of us. It is also why we made such a big deal about Thanksgiving this year. No one was going to be in the mood for a big Christmas. And if there weren’t little kids to celebrate i think my mother would have called the entire Holiday off this year.

Food wise I was okay with the snacking. I managed to limit myself. But i also noticed that as the month went on and more and more non-standard affairs went on, the less I kept track of things. i also took time out for doing the extra holiday things. I have no complaints about that. I enjoy wrapping presents and decorating for the holiday and all the other things that have to do with the holidays but there is no denying that they do take time. And if work still has to be done then it is exercise time that gets shorted.

It also didn’t help that when the temps dropped to single digits, the sunroom where I do my indoor workouts became positively frigid so several of those workouts got skipped. And on the 29th I celebrated (if that is the right term) my brother’s birthday with Pizza and the WWE’s Royal Rumble. As did all of the family actually. I think a couple of people deliberately signed onto a streaming service to be able to see it. My brother adored both the WWE and pizza so it seemed a fitting thing to do. I am glad I did it. There was laughter as well as tears and it was good.

It has also been a really long time since I mindlessly ate in front of the television. Usually i separate food and TV. I ate far more than I needed to.

All of this means i am pretty sure i gained weight over the holiday. I will find out Friday morning, but I wanted to put this here. It is sort of to brace myself. I have already admitted to myself that I gained weight and acknowledged why. I know it isn;t a normal thing and can thus move on, accepting what Friday’s scale tells me.

I know, sorry to pull you into my personal therapy but I am guessing that in this wide world I am not the only one who is facing January realizing that the indulgences of December did not magically disappear when the calendar turned on New Year’s. For me it always helps to sort of sit down, face what I did and why I stepped out of my plan. It helps me let it go so that when I step on the scale Friday morning i can face the numbers knowing that I have already addressed the issue. I find separating the addressing the issue and the stepping on the scale helps me out. Perhaps it will help you too.

Which was heavier than I planned to get on a Tuesday. We’ll chalk it up to low sleep and move into something lighter.

Today’s Look

Primer: Marc Jacobs Under (cover) primer (discontinued- from the January Use Up Box)

Foundation: Yensa Skin on Skin BC Full Coverage Foundation

Bronzer/Blush/Highlighter: Realher Ultimate Glow Getter Cheek Trio

Setting Powder: Becca Pink Haze Setting powder (discontinued)

Eyeshadow Primer: Pretty Vulgar Eyeshadow Primer

Eyeshadow: Urban Decay Naked honey Eyeshadow Palette

Mascara: Iconic London Triple Threat Mascara

Brows: GrandeBrow Fill Volumizing Brow Gel

Lips: Colourpop Ultra Matte Lip in Tulle

Setting Spray: Ciate London Watermelon Burst Setting Spray

The Mar Jacobs Primer is from my use up box and is discontinued. I’m hoping to use it up this month and clear it out. I really like it but alas, it is no longer being made.

I love this Yensa Foundation. I enjoy their other foundations, but this is my favorite. in fact at the moment it is my hands down favorite foundation in my collection It is half empty at the moment and I am trying to hold up repurchasing it. i think that I might have to make a deal with myself. If I clear out two foundations from my collection I can repurchase this one. It is just my favorite go to foundation and it always looks good on my skin.

This Real Her Cheek Trio I actually took with me traveling. It is slim and compact and the product work really well. I tend to lean more heavily on this in the summer because of the shades but if I dip lightly into the pan it works well in the winter time as well. The highlighter is the one product I don’t like in the winter. In the summer when i am tanned it blends really well with my skin but in the winter when i am a bit pale it tends to look a little brassy on the skin. So I avoided the highlighter. As I like the natural glow of the Yensa foundation it worked out well.

I went for the Becca powder today because I am so close to using it up. It is part of my use up box and I actually think that with this week and possibly next weeks worth of use I can actually use it all the way up. It is a great powder but discontinued and the packaging is quite bulky. I know I won’t reach for it once i order a new pink powder (and will probably end up trying out several pink powders to find one I like which will also take up space) so I want to clear it out before i look for a replacement. So for the next week or so, I will be using it a lot.

I tend to forget eyelid primers a lot and so this one is getting a little on the old side which is why I put it in my use up box. It is my favorite eyeshadow primer though so once it is used up I will probably reorder it. I have a few shadows that really need a primer underneath. The Urban Decay isn’t one of them, but it didn’t hurt anything and I am trying to get in the habit of using it. It works well and creates a nice even colored canvas for the shadow.

I love this Naked Honey eyeshadow palette. It is easy to work with and instead of just slapping on a shade (which I can do with this palette) it always calls me to play. which is fun with eyeshadow. I just really like playing with this palette. i know i have several palettes i need to test out (and am looking forward to testing out) but this is just one of my favorite eyeshadow palettes and I figured if i was using one of my favorite foundations then i might as well use one of my favorite eyeshadow palettes. It is just such a fantastic palette. I just couldn’t resist it today.

This is a brand new tube of mascara opened for the first time today. However the name sounds familiar and makes me feel like I have tried it as a sample at some point. However I can’t recall it at the moment. The wand is thin and I usually prefer thicker wands. It works well. It is supposed to volumize, lengthen and lift if you are wondering the three threats. There is no volumizing but it lengthens pretty decently and it lifts well. The lifting is it’s strong suit. It is a decent mascara but it is one i will use and let go of not one I will repurchase. I am happy to use it though.

This year seemed to be the brow gel invasion. I tried not to take it as a personal commentary, but I do have a lot of brow gels to try out. In general I love Grande cosmetics. when my ill fated attempts to use false lashes ended up ripping out most of my natural lashes I turned to them and they did an amazing repair job with their lash serum (Highly recommend, btw). I tried their liner yesterday and need to practice and continue using it as it went on really well and lasted all day. it is just my application of a liquid liner that needs to improve. So I ad no trouble deciding to pick this out of my stack of brow gels to try first. This is a clear gel which I like and it locks my brows into place without feeling like I have superglue on my eyebrows. Thus far I am rather enjoying it. The volumizing did have me worried I would end up looking a bit Neanderthal but thus far we are doing just fine. We’ll see how I feel as use continues.

This is one of the two lipsticks in my use up box, mostly because there is not a lot of product left in the tube and the tube is aging. I love the color but it is a little bit of a drying formula. It does cause it to crumble a little after mid day, but for a morning meting it is really good. I just add lip balm over it post lunch.

I will be honest i do tend to forget to use setting sprays. I have a bunch of them I need to use so I chose the Ciate to start with. Mostly because it came in a Boxycharm recently (December I think) and it was at the front of the shelf. It has a nice mist to it and a nice watermelon scent which is kind of nice and summery. I figure if the weather can forget the seasons so can my setting spray. It works well and I will be using it every day in January. At the end of the month I will see how i feel about it and if it is worth repurchasing. For the moment though I really like it. The scent is really not much of an issue. It is the spray that gets me. this has a fine mister which is what I look for as it means fewer chances of splotches of wet on my makeup. Thus far it is also locking in the makeup well so that is also a good thing. I am more than happy to use this setting spray for the month. Plus in winter a good setting spray helps me from looking dry and powdery as the day wears on.

And that my darlings is me today. I started with a fabulous foundation and used my favorite eyeshadows so personally I am happy. And now, it is back to work for me. I’m doing my best to stay a head of things this year. It’s not exactly a new year’s resolution, just an understanding that things happen and if I am always a little ahead, the things that happen might not take as dramatic a chunk out of my schedule. I know it is a vain hope but as I spent the last few months trying desperately to catch up after my schedule was torpedoed, I rather enjoy the thought of actually being slightly ahead. It makes me happy.

The Daily: September 21st, 2022

Good afternoon my darlings. Today is a day filled with last minute things. I am spending it wrapping up the last of my contracts that need to be done before I leave for my Mom’s house. Tomorrow I’ll do a last minute tidy before I begin my packing.

I have no expectations of it staying tidy while I am gone, but i will feel better if I leave the house clean. And so I thought today you might like to see what makeup I am taking with me. As I will only be using the makeup I take with me while I am gone, there won’t be any daily posts until I return (there will be regular reviews up). So I thought it would be nice to share what I am going to be using for the next two weeks.

I am actually taking a train case (mostly because I wanted to put my skincare and makeup in one easy to use case). Also since I will be going for two weeks instead of just for a holiday I am taking more full sized products rather than the travel and sample sizes that I usually travel with.

The train case is an old Caboodles one. I’ve had it for years and it does look a little rough around the edges from travel and there are stains inside. What I do like about it is that the case is easy to wipe down. There are actually far fewer stains than there could have been, I’ve just had this for nearly a decade and it has seen a lot of use. It is a well travelled case. Plus for the first two years it was where I kept all of my makeup. In addition to wipeable interior, this one also has metal corners which has also kept it going for a long time. The link will take you to the Caboodles site (Mine is the Medium train case) if you are interested.

But as with most things it is what is inside that counts. While i will go through the skincare tomorrow let’s take a look at the makeup now.

Primer: Tatcha The Silk Primer

Foundation: Yensa Skin on Skin BC Foundation

Powder/Bronzer/Blush/Highlight: Pur 4-in-1 perfecting powder palette

Brows: iMethod Beauty Eyebrow Stamp Kit

Eyeshadow: Naked Honey Palette from Urban Decay and Viseart Petit Pro Deux

Mascaras: Anastasia Beverly Hills Lash Brag and Benefit Cosmetics They’re Real Magnet Mascara

Lips: Guerlain Velvet Longwear lip in Black Red, MAC Love Me Lipstick in Bated Breath, So Juicy Plumping Gloss from Colourpop, Stay Glossy Lip Gloss from Rimmel London and Yensa Super 8 lip oil.

First I chose the Tatcha primer because it is my favorite. I know it will work and it is easy to use. While there are many primers that I really enjoy this one is my long term favorite and the one I will always repurchase. It blurs pores beautifully and works well both with my skin and under pretty much any product I pair it with. And when traveling a primer that isn’t going to cause problems is for the best. This isn’t the time to try something new.

The Yensa Foundation is also one of my top foundations. The BC foundation is just so beautiful on the skin. I tlooklike my skin but better. Even though I rotate through foundations, I have managed to use up an entire Yensa BC foundation this year. This is actually my second one of the year and I have enough product to get me through the two weeks and maybe a little to spare in this second one. I have already ordered a replacement, which should arrive while I am gone so I will have a fresh one ready for me when I return.

The Pur palette I am taking with me because it is an easy face palette to use and will travel well. I tend to travel with it a lot, mostly because it is a hard plastic case and won’t break but also because it is just easy. Pur is one of those hit or miss brands for me. There aren’t a lot of products I like from them but this palette I really do love using. For me it is one of their few hits.

The Urban Decay Naked Honey Palette I adore. It has all of the browns and golds and bronzes that ,my little heart loves to use. and the shadows work well. For me it is a fantastic everyday palette. I added the Viseart petite palette because it has some fabulously pigmented shades that are easy to work with and I thought that at some point I might want to take a break form the browns and having a few colors on hand might be a good idea.

I am taking two mascaras with me as well. The ABH Lash Brag which is very volumizing and the Benefit They’re Real Magnet which is extremely lengthening. They work well together and alone and are in my list of top mascaras. This Lash Brag has been open long enough that both product wise and time wise it won’t be coming back from this trip. I only keep mascaras a max of six months and this is nearing that time limit. the tube is also starting to feel close to empty. So I will take it and finish it up. The Benefit is new and has yet to be opened. And yes I do have a replacement ABH waiting to be opened when I return.

The brows I don’t want to think about so I am using the stencil and pomade from iMethod Beauty. While the stencils will remain in my makeup kit, I think I will run out of brow pomade during this trip or very soon after. while the stencils are fabulous the pomade is good mostly because it is the right shade for me. I may or may not replace the pomade with the iMethod pomade but I remain in love with these stencils.

And now the lips. You knew I wasn’t going to choose just one lipstick didn’t you. And In all fairness I should confess that there is a lip scrub and my Tatcha Kissu lip mask already in with my skincare. But I did think about my lip products. There is the lip plumping gloss. The Rimmel lip gloss has just a light shade that is just my lips but better. The MAC is my go to neutral. I almost always travel with a lip oil and the Yensa Super 8 is my favorite. This one is half way empty already. I have lost count of how many times I have repurchased it. And for a bold lip I am bringing the Guerlain lipstick.. Plus that is in a reusable case with a mirror which is always handy.

Of course my baby doll pointed out that it is heavy enough that it could also be used for self defense if needed. The case is a substantial and reusable metal case. It is quite fabulous and to be fair it is somewhat heavy. Not that I plan to throw it at anyone.

And so my darlings, these are the products I have chosen to take with me for my two weeks at my mother’s house. I think they pretty much cover any contingency that I might face. Into the train case it will go, along with the skincare (packed last minute). This is the makeup I will be wearing for the next two weeks and quite honestly I am very pleased with my selections. But now it is back to work for the final push to clear off the desk before I go. Have a great afternoon everyone.

Let’s Get Naked Honey

If there is one eyeshadow that I can’t resist it is a good bronze. And I’ll admit golden tones are right there with the bronze. Slightly below it, but still in the mix of shadows I love. Don’t get me wrong, I love other shades, but the bronze tones really draw me in.

When This Naked Honey palette from Urban Decay came out I had immediate cravings. They might as well have just sent me a note saying ‘we made this just for you’ because that is what it felt like. I did put off buying it immediately though. basically I talked myself out of it because I had an overflowing eyeshadow drawer at the time. Also Urban Decay has a habit of rotating their Naked palettes through sales so I thought I’d wait until I had decluttered some of my palettes and the palette went on sale. Also I didn’t know if I wanted the full palette or if the mini version would suit me.

I know that sounds a little strange, but sometimes I find the Naked Mini palettes suit me better than the full sized. I actually really like the Naked Heat Mini palette, but somehow the full sized one did not appeal to me. Incidentally Urban Decay just released four new mini-palettes if you are interested. In general I tend to gravitate towards smaller palettes. with larger palettes I almost have too many options and can occasionally be overwhelmed by it.

While I like the brushes with these palettes I tend to only use them when traveling

The full sized Naked Palettes are my ideal size for a palette though. (I also like the size of the older ABH Palettes like Modern Renaissance). I generally find there is enough variation with this number of shadows without being overwhelming. And when I did look at the mini version I still found myself drawn to the full one. For me the mini version seemed to have something missing, unlike some of the other mini palettes. So I planned to pick this up and told myself I had to clear out some space as well as wait for a sale. I figured both conditions would help me out. It has been on sale many times but i always somehow missed the sale. This time i caught it and ordered the palette.

Swatches go letf to right starting with Flyby (white) and ending with Sting (dark brown)

If you like brows, golds and bronzes, this is an amazing palette. If you don’t then this palette is not for you. It really is that simple. while I would happily use the dark brown of Stung, topped with the bronze of Queen with a little Flyby in the inner corners, There is a lot of variation in the palette. It still had the bronze/gold/brown theme but there are enough shades that i found this palette interesting to play with and am actually kind of sad to shift to other palettes. For me this is an everyday palette that can be glammed up for going out or toned down for office work. Sadly these days it is more office work than going out, but i like the flexibility.

I love that the shimmers are smooth and don’t have any glitter bits in them. while I do occasionally like glitter, I want that to be my option. Plus I apply glitters differently than other shadows.

In the past there have been some Urban Decay shadows that turned muddy when blended. I did not have this problem with this palette. Each color was distinguishable. I found that I only needed one dip in the pan to get the shadow on the brush. with tapping the brush off I had no fall out as I applied it. The shadows are highly pigmented. I found that I needed to apply the shadow (especially the dark brown of Sting) with one brush and then use a clean shadow brush to blend it out. while it required having more brushes on hand I can’t say I minded as I used less product.

Sometimes when you wait for something for a while you end up building it up in your mind to a level it can’t actually achieve. I planned to purchase this palette for so long I was worried that would happen with the Urban Decay Naked Honey Palette. It didn’t. This palette was just as good as I hoped it would be and I am thrilled it is now part of my collection. I would order this again in a heart beat, even when it was not on sale. I love the browns and golds so this one does speak to me, but I am also happy with the quality and ease of application and use. I think that this is a palette I will get a lot of use out of for a long time to come.

The Daily: June 28th, 2022

Today was beautiful my darlings. Last night the rain arrived and the world looked refreshed when I woke. In addition the temperatures were only in the sixties. It was sixty-eight I grant you, but it felt like pure bliss. Even now it is only in the mid seventies. I went on a long walk this morning. Much longer than I intended and yes, this afternoon I will be going on another one.

It is the first time I have been able to go outside without melting in a long time and I am loving it.

And I am not the only one. Any neighbor that is in the area has been outside. Laptops have been paired with lawn chairs and instead of looking miserable all of the neighborhood dogs are frolicking in the yard. I have to say, I didn’t realize how many of my neighbors were actually home during the day. I usually only see one or two, unless something crazy happens to draw everyone out. I’m glad this time it is nice weather that is the draw instead of a tree falling in a storm or a utility van backing into a telephone pole.

Both of which sadly have happened in the last twelve months.

But this was more like a prisoners of the heatwave release club gathering. Actually it wasn’t really a gathering, more of an exodus from the cells.

I know it won’t last so I will be taking full advantage of it while I can. Plus I have birthday cake to burn off. So the extra exercise helps.

Today’s Look:

Primer: Tatcha Silk Canvas Primer

Foundation: Tom Ford Traceless Soft Matte Foundation

Bronzer/Blush/Highlight: Ultimate Glow Getter Cheek Trio from RealHer

Eyeshadow: Urban Decay Naked Honey Palette

Mascara: ABH Lash Brag Mascara

Brows: IMethod Beauty Perfect Eyebrows in Seconds Kit

Lips: Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb in Diamond Milk

The primer I used today is the Tatcha solid balm primer. It is one of my absolutely favorite primers and I have now used it enough that pan is showing in the center. I was going to simply reorder it, but when I purchased the Kissu Lip mask I received several samples, one of which was the liquid silk canvas primer. I tried it and liked it so I ordered a travel size to give it a full test and to see if I liked it better than the solid version. According to postal tracking that order should arrive this Saturday so next week I will be testing it out and comparing the two. Since I love this primer it will be hard to beat, but i do want to do a side by side comparison. And yes I used that upcoming comparison as a justification for using this primer today.

In my effort to rotate my foundations I chose the Tom Ford this morning. It is a beautiful foundation, but at the moment it is not my shade. While I worked with bronzer to adjust, I think I am going to return this to the winter skin section of the drawer. It is a great formula though and blends beautifully. It is just the wrong shade for this time of year.

I know I have used and praised the Ultimate Glow Getter palette many times. I actually used it down to pan and wore off all of the labeling from the cover. it was my go to travel palette because it is small and reliably good. So I repurchased it. The old one was no more (there was a little highlight left but that was it) This was the first use of the new one and I am really glad I repurchased it. While I enjoyed using it today, and will in the future, even if I only keep it for travel I will be happy I repurchased it.

I am still testing out the Naked Honey palette and I still love the variety of browns and golds. I know a lot of it is simply that I love the shades. I can’t help it, I am always happy when I can reach for a bronzy gold shade. The fact that it is a palette packed with them and that since I am testing the palette I get to use it every day of that test just makes me happy. I will wrap up the review and test on Thursday, but I can see myself reaching for this palette often.

The ABH Mascara wasn’t my favorite when I first got it, but it has grown on me. It can be a little clumpy so I keep an eyelash comb handy when I use it to take out the clumps. If I don’t they flake off. If I use the comb no flakes. It also provides good volume and length. I think when it runs out I will be repurchasing it.

I was sent the eyebrow kit from I Method for the purpose of trying it out. I know my bangs cover a lot, but I will be going into detail in a post later this week because it is an interesting kit. I really like the brow pomade actually. It is working out well for me.

And finally the Diamond Milk. I am not a huge fan of Fenty Beauty. In general I find the products okay but not crave-able. The exception is this gloss bomb. This is a fantastic lip gloss. It looks good, feels good and even when it wears off leaves my lips feeling fabulous instead of dried out. It is a little too big for my lipstick holders so it gets tucked away in a drawer, but I need to keep it out more as it is fantastic. As a brand Fenty isn’t my favorite, but I will use and repurchase this and look into other shades. I really enjoy this gloss bomb.

So that is me today. Nothing much to complain of other than the foundation is the wrong shade for the day. Beyond that I used products I love and tried out something new that I am starting to feel positive about. As I tend to get rid of anything I try that I don’t like it isn’t really much of a surprise that I like what I used, but over all this was a really positive makeup day. I kinda dig those.

The Daily: June 27th, 2022

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

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

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

So now it is waiting for after dinner.

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

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

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

Today’s Look:

Primer: Yensa Tone Up Primer

Foundation: Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Foundation

Bronzer: Buxom Cosmetics Staycation Vibes Bronzer

Blush: Dominique Cosmetics Cream Blush

Powder: Laura Mercier Translucent powder

Eyeshadow: Urban Decay Naked Honey Palette

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

Lips: bareMinerals Mineralist Lip gloss

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

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

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

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

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

Flash Sale! Enjoy 50% Off Heat / Reloaded palette + Lash Freak + Holiday Sets at Urban Decay Canada! No code needed. Valid 6/30 – 7/3

The Daily: June 21st, 2022

Today I am taking advantage of what may be the last cool day for a while. While It was raging hot last week, we had some cool weather over the weekend. It spilled over into the beginning of the week and From the weather reports it looks like today may be the last day we can expect it. So…To the walking trail we go.

I went on a long walk this morning and the weather was simply fabulous. Then just before lunch I snuck in a second walk. It was a bit more sweat inducing but it wasn’t pass out from heat exhaustion hot. I have watched the temps and the heat index rise since I returned so I suspect this may be my last post 9am walk for a while.

I enjoyed it though.

Even if i will end up working late this evening to make up for the time the second walk took out of my day. It was worth it.

Today’s Look:

Primer: Sephora Smooth and Blur Primer

Foundation: Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk foundation

Bronzer: Trestique Bronzing Stick

Blush: Dominique Cosmetics Silk Tone Cream Blush

Powder: Laura Mercier Translucent Powder

Eyeshadow: Urban Decay Naked Honey eyeshadow palette

Mascara: Patrick Ta Major Volume Mascara

Lips: Yensa Super 8 Lip oil in Pink Shine

Today as you might notice looks pretty much like yesterday did with the exception of the foundation. With my last Sephora order i received two foundation samples so I figured I would go ahead and use them this week to see if either was worth looking into for a full foundation test. This year I not only finished out several of my in process foundations but with Becca no longer in existence and now Kristofer Buckle gone I may have to start branching out in my products.

I used the last of the Sephora Primer today and my thoughts remain the same. It is a good basic primer. It isn’t something I would look for specifically but i wouldn’t mind using it again if it came my way.

The sample I have of the foundation was really small. I had to combine three shades to cover my face with product. The blend actually worked really well. And as annoying as it was to have to blend shades just to get enough product, I really like the way this feels on my kin. It blended well with no streaking and feels weightless. I’m actually quite impressed with it. It is holding up well today. I might be able to combine a few of the other shades for a second use, but I’m not entirely sure how well the remaining shades will blend for me. I do like it enough that I might consider picking up a full sized bottle and giving it a go. It really is performing well. The main issue is now figuring out which shade actually does work for me since i had to combine a few. But it seems like a good product.

Today I was also still impressed with the Dominique cosmetics blush. It really blends nicely. I layered a little more than yesterday on and am pleased with it’s buildability. I tend to go pretty light on blush, but it is nice to know i can go darker if I want. It is a good product and a beautiful packaging so I expect i will be reaching for it often.

The Naked Honey I still love as much as yesterday. I only needed one dip into the dark brown and it blended well over the eyes. It is highly pigmented though which is something to watch out for. I think to go lighter I would have to apply with one brush and blend with a second clean one. I am enjoying playing with the different gold tones though. this palette is so me though. I’m glad I finally picked it up.

The mascara is a bit of a let down. For something called major Volume I’d expect a little more volume. This is just basic. It does last all day without flaking and is light and comfortable to wear, but aside from being a good everyday mascara I’m not seeing much in the way of volume enhancement. I might try layering it on a bit more thickly tomorrow and see what I come up with.

So that my darlings is me today. I am pleased with the walk and pleased with the way this foundation performed. I can’t say i am pleased that I’ll have to work late tonight to make up the time I spent on the extra walk, but I regret nothing. The walk was fabulous and I am glad I took it, even if it does extend the work day. So now it is back to work for me. I will see you back here again tomorrow. Have a fantastic day.

Track food with MyFitnessPal for a healthier lifestyle. Achieve your custom goals with our fitness and nutrition plans. Get your 1-month Premium trial today!

The Daily: October 28th, 2021

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

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

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

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

Somedays it is the little things.

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

Well, not so slowly at this point.

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

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

So soon a shopping we will go.

Today’s Look:

Primer: Urban Decay Optical Illusion Primer

palette madness still going on 50% off many fabulous palettes

Foundation: No 7 Lift and Luminate Triple Action Serum Foundation

Bronzer: Too Faced Cocoa Contour Palette

Blush and Highlight: Doucce Posh Powder Palette

Powder: Becca Pink Haze

Eyeshadow: Little Briar Rose Palette from Storybook Cosmetics

Mascara: Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Mascara

Lips: M2U liquid lip

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Daily: October 27th, 2021

Good afternoon my darlings. Today we are playing a lovely game. It’s called posting between outages. Yes, its a fun one. Actually I can’t complain too much. This time it isn’t weather related. AT&T is moving around the neighborhood today, and possibly for the rest of the week. And what are they doing?

Internet upgrades.

I’m sure it is more technical than that, but essentially they realized that more and more people are working from home, the system was not built for people working from home and they are attempting to upgrade the system to support the people working from home.

So while I wasn’t all that thrilled by the message saying that rolling outages were possible (or that we had a rather large block of one earlier today), I will be happy with the results as it will mean (hopefully) that my internet will go out less frequently in the future.

Its a kind of old neighborhood so the upgrades were sort of needed before the mass work from home influx.

So I’m going to jump into the makeup before another potential loss to service occurs. (which means I just heard the trucks rumbling onto my street).

Today’s Look:

Primer: Urban Decay Optical Illusion Primer

palette madness still going on 50% off

Foundation: Pretty Vulgar Cool AF Foundation

Bronzer: Trestique Stick Bronzer

Blush: Georgia from Benefit Cosmetics

Powder: No 7 Perfect Light Pressed Powder

Mascara: Tarte Light Camera Lashes

Eyeshadow: KVD shadow in Lolita

Lips: Wet ‘n Wild Megalast lipstick in Cinnamon Spice topped with Tarte Maneater Plumping Gloss in Buff

I’ll be honest today was mostly about trying out the benefit blush with a full on foundation. I really like the Pretty Vulgar foundation. I haven’t worn it in a while as it is too light for summer and well, this summer I tended to stick to tinted moisturizers and BB creams. I do the same every summer. I think I did it more this summer though as I was not really going anywhere I planned to dress up for. And any vent I attended was outdoors so it was just easier.

But now this shade is starting to be wearable again for me, although still on the lighter side. It is a really good formula and one I will actually need to repurchase relatively soon. I think this might last through this winter but it will be used up before spring. Then I will probably hold off repurchasing it until next fall. Since odds are I won’t wear it in the summer. But I like it for when I wear actual foundation. It is a medium coverage foundation. I almost never go full coverage on mu foundation. Medium tends to be my comfort zone.

I specifically chose it to use the blush. I definitely think that the blush is not suitable for the foundation. This is a natural look blush that really needs to be paired with a BB Cream or tinted moisturizer. I just sort of needed to confirm it for myself. Perhaps if I had a paler skin tone, then it would work with foundation, but for me, this is a natural look blush that goes better with BB cream and Tinted moisturizers.

And now I know

Everything else is a standard favorite. You know I love the Trestique bronzing stick. I love that the newer ones are refillable as I am always looking to reduce my waste. No 7 powder is always a staple in my makeup bag and I really like the KVD Shadow for a one and done look. I may have had to work for a bit with the blush but everything else was easy peasy.

Beyond Clean Beauty. Ogee is plant powered, vegan, gluten-free, GMO free and certified organic ingredients.

The Daily: October 25th, 2021

Good afternoon my darlings. The weather here has once again turned lovely, although a bit cooler now that the rain has subsided. The waters have receded from the walking trail and I went on a very long walk this morning. It was fantastic.

Last week I started using the Fitbit to track my walks, food and well basic things. This weekend I looked at last week in review, trying to see what I could do better. While I don’t think step trackers are essential for weigh management, they can be helpful tools.

I actually learned something in looking at my measurements from last week. Apparently, my walks burn more calories than I thought they did. Its actually a good thing, but it means some of my basic calculations for calories in/ calories out are a bit askew. This week I am going to try and see if I can get the balance back to my goal intake/output is. As strange as it sounds, if you don’t eat enough then your body kind of locks on to every calorie it can and weight loss slows down. Keeping everything in balance will hopefully help me out in the long run and hopefully make the weight loss more permanent.

At least that is the goal.

It was a quiet weekend here actually. A lot of weekends are here actually. Most of our going out has been curtailed and so we tend to concentrate on working on things around the house. Of course that is also due to the time of year. In the winter we always spend more time in the house so once the weather turns we start looking at making improvements before the winter really sets in. At the moment we are looking at some new sheets and bedding. Usually we end up ordering such things before Thanksgiving and then put them on the bed when we return from Thanks giving travels as our special, let the holidays begin treat to ourselves.

Admittedly we haven’t done that in a while. we started because we had older sheets so we would pick up a new set as we rotated an old one out of use on the bed. Then for a while we had enough newer sheets. So we stopped buying them (obviously). Now we are down to several sets that need to actually be retired from use, so a fresh set is going to be ordered. Once we can decide on the set. Right now we are in the what do you think of these stage where we each look at options and share what we’ve found until there is one we both like.

It’s a process.

Eventually we will end up with a new set of sheets and hopefully a new duvet cover. Ah the things cold weather stirs up. This week we are also airing out blankets and taking inventory.

Today’s Look:

Primer: Urban Decay’s Optical Illusion Primer

Palette madness is still going on with many palettes still 50% off

Foundation: Purlisse BB Cream

Bronzer: Trestique Stick Bronzer

now refillable

Blush: bareMinerals Bounce and Blur Blush

Powder: No 7 Perfect Light

Eyeshadow: The Tuscany Palette from Nomad

Lips: Zoeva Lip crayon in Rhea and Tarte Maneater Plumping gloss

Today was the quick and easy look as I planned to spend the bulk of the day working at my computer. And to be fair, beyond my walk, that is where I have been today. And I’ve gotten a lot done actually. I’m actually quite pleased with myself.

The Primer is a discontinued one I am trying to use up and send on it’s way. I am hoping that this will be it’s last week of use, but there is the possibility it might spill into next week.

I love the Purlisse BB Cream formula. It blends beautifully and feels absolutely weightless. It is one of my favorite BB Creams. I know, I have said this a lot. The fact is, it remains true. The Trestique Bronzer and bareminerals blush are quick and easy to use and always work out well for me, so I went with them today. The No 7 Prefect Light powder is actually my favorite pressed powder. I do have several others in my dressing table though so I need to start reaching for them a bit more. Several of them are translucent and in the summertime they give a little too much white to my skin. The No 7 I use is tinted so it sees a lot of use in the summer.

I am still getting a feel for the Man eater gloss but today I layered it over the Zoeva lip crayon. The Zoeva is a little too tan and makes my lips disappear, but it works layered with products. I’m not over the moon with the formula as it is incredibly soft. I plan to use it up and let it go. I won’t be purchasing it or more shades from the line. The jury is still out on the Tarte Plumping gloss.

This Nomad Palette was barely saved from declutter, but I am glad I did save it. The one dark brown shade (Passeggiata) tends to apply patchy but all of the other pans perform quite well. They blend easily and I don’t know if it is the fall tones of the earth shades in the palette, but I find myself wanting to reach for it more right now. So I did.

It was a quick and easy look today and I rather enjoy it. With the exception of the tingling of the plumping gloss (along with it’s slight stickiness), all of the products feel weightless and it is easy to forget that I am wearing makeup at all. Which is not a bad thing as I have other things I’d like to think about when I work. Over all, today was a good selection of products.