The Daily: March 27th, 2023

Good afternoon my darlings and welcome to another Monday. I hope yours is treating you well. Mine is chugging along nicely actually. We had a weekend where the weather was nice and the wind was blowing just right so we opened all of the windows to air out the house and began the first major spring cleaning of the year.

It felt fantastic. I know cleaning is normally not high on my fun times for weekends, but there is something about the full spring clean that just makes me feel so fabulous. The house smells fresh, all of the extra winter things are gathered. Even if we get a cold snap the hats and gloves and scarves and other winter things that pile up are put away for the year. Sheets are washed, blankets hung out in the sun and you find things you thought you lost.

It feels a bit magical.

And to top it off this weekend when the house stuff was done I sat down and cleaned my makeup brushes. I have to say there is just something extra nice about sitting down to do your makeup on a Monday morning with a full set of cleaned brushes. This is my every day jar. I have other brushes that I will sometimes swap in so that I don’t have to clean the brushes I used because of time and other excuses. I cleaned all of those too. It took quite a while because I have been putting it off for a long time. I did end up putting all of the extra brushes out of sight so that hopefully i will just remember to clean these instead of swapping the dirty brushes out for clean brushes.

One can hope.

I have to say it was a nice way to start off a Monday. I got back into my early morning workout routine, making it just a little bit earlier than before actually. We have started putting the seedlings out to start the hardening process so after Easter we can start the garden planting. That means adding a little early morning garden tour to the schedule to make sure things get watered before the sun is fully up. Right now it isn’t much of an issue, but I need to get in the habit of checking every day now so that when the summer heat rises I have the habit of checking each morning well established.

Mornings are not my strong suit and to be honest, habit is how my mornings run. It takes a bit to set a habit but once it becomes habit and I can run my mornings on partial autopilot, things go a lot more smoothly. So the seasonal transition has begun. My day now starts with me rolling out of bed and into my workout clothes, doing my indoor workouts, putting on the coffee, checking the garden and then coming in for shower and skincare. After that the regular day can begin. The first week of transition is always rough, but today wasn’t that bad. I might be feeling differently come Friday, but today at least went well. I am taking it as the positive step into spring.

Today’s Look

Primer: YSL Touch Eclat Blurring Primer

Foundation: Tom Ford Traceless soft matte foundation

Bronzer: Viseart Bronze Noix

Blush: Beseme Cosmetics Cream Rouge in Crimson

Highlighter: Wander Beauty Wanderess Glow in After Hours

Setting Powder: Anastasia Beverly Hills Setting powder

Eyeshadow: Butter London Natural Goddess Palette

Mascara: Tarte Lights Camera Lashes Mascara

Lips: Yensa Super 8 Vibrant Silk Lipstick in Noble

In March I am making an effort to work through my primer samples. To be honset I may have to make that a goal for April as well. I had more samples in that samples box than I thought I did. This one has been hanging on for a while. I am going to make an effort to use it all this week to try to work through it. I love this YSL primer. It makes my skin feel soft and smooth and foundation glides over it. I think I keep putting off finishing the sample because I know I am going to want to pick up the full size as soon as it is done and I really need to finish out some full sized primers before I do that. While I love primers for a stretch there subscription boxes were just sending lots of them so my already large collection multiplied. When I did my spring cleaning of the makeup this weekend I found a couple of full sized primers I hadn’t even opened yet. So need to clear out some space before purchasing any full sized items. Which I know is a stupid reason to drag out the use of a sample size. But it is such a good primer.

But I am determined to finish the sample. It will not be going back in the makeup drawer.

The Tm Ford Foundation I need to remember to reach for more often. I think the reason that I don’t is because it is a very liquid formula and can be a bit messy. Usually I dispense product onto my hand, dot it onto my face with a finger, blend with a brush and then if necessary go in with a makeup sponge. With this foundation I dispense a tiny bit on the hand, dip the brush onto my hand and apply, then dispense a little more. I have to watch the dispensing as it will run off the back of my hand. It does mean I use less product so this bottle will last a long time. The top does get messy and needs to be wiped down after each use but it is a beautiful light weight foundation.

I like the fact that the Viseart bronzer is buildable rather than highly pigmented. I feel more in control when I use it. It blends well and the tone is great for my skin. I also adore the packaging. I know packaging isn’t everything but I do like the little fold out pouch.

the foundation pump always gets messy because it is such a liquid formula

Today was the first use of the Beseme blush. Technically speaking I did use in on Thursday but then here was an incident involving mud and a run away dog and well perhaps we had best call today a first use. The metal tin is lovely and the cream is highly pigmented. I also have Crimson which I think is their darkest shade. it works well for my skin but it needs a light touch. I applied with my finger and it needed to be warmed up a little. Which my finger did. I will try using a sponge for application tomorrow to see how that does, but the finger approach worked well. I dotted it on my cheek and blended with clean finger tips. I would recommend having a cloth to wipe off your finger as soon as you are done. Even after applying I had product on my hand and it needed to be wiped off.

I remembered highlighter today. I don’t always. I love highlighters but I don’t always remember to wear them. The Wander Beauty is one of my favorites though. I have a sample size pan but the sample lasts forever. At some point I will get a full size but it will take a while. I like that even though this is silvery it has a pink under tone that lets it blend in a bit better. It can be stunning or subtle. As I am usually going for an office look I prefer the subtle.

The ABH Setting powder is nice but messy. There is no inner lid so I always get a spray of powder everywhere. I am almost done with this container though. I have a back up waiting but I am ready to clear this one out.

Today I pulled the Butter London Palette out of the drawer. This palette I don’t reach for often but it always makes it through the decluttering process. So I decided to take it out and see if it really deserved to stay. And yeah there is a reason I keep it. The colors are rich and saturated. The one matte is brown and when the brush is tapped off there is little fall out. It blends well as a base and then the shimmer shades glide over easily with a dry brush. The shadows stay in place all day and despite having only one matte there is enough variety in the six pans that I don’t get bored. It is a really good little palette. I think i gets lost sometimes because of it’s size but there is a reason it has lasted through the declutters.

Of the Tarte mascaras I have tried this is my favorite. It gives me nice long lashes with one coat and it doesn’t flake. perfect for a daily look.

This is my first actual Yensa Lipstick. I usually go for the lip oils from Yensa. Although that may have to change. This is a creamy pigmented formula that is really nourishing on the lips. It is a bullet style so it doesn’t dry down and there are lip prints, but even when the color starts to wear off the lips feel hydrated so for me that is a big win. Plus I like the color.

And that my darlings is me today. When I tidied up I found some products I hadn’t reached for in a while and I decided to use them. I am really glad I did. I thought I might use them and decide that no, they don’t need to stay. Instead I realized there was a reason I kept them around. Which is also good to know. Especially now that i get to use them.

But for me it is back to work. I hope you have a fabulous rest of Monday.

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

Yensa now has a Yen rewards program where every purchase earns you points that you acn use to spend on the site.

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 Daily: March 8th, 2023

It is amazing what a good night’s sleep can do. I fell asleep pretty early last night and slept like a stone until morning. You know that loggy overstuffed feeling you get when you slept really hard? that’s sort of what i woke up with this morning. It feels a little like being drugged, but is all natural.

Sleep is glorious. I just can’t say enough fabulous things about it.

Today has been interesting. My babydoll is back to work, having shuffled off the worst of the antibiotic take down of his systems. Meals are still pretty much dependent on what is actually more suitable for him. The sinus infection affected the back of his jaw and throat so instead of planning around my plans for healthy eating and weight loos it has been more about what he can eat that doesn’t hurt.

Not my favorite way to plan meals, but it was necessary. And it has thrown my internal systems a bit out of whack. Hopefully now we can start easing back into normal. While having him home sick did take a chunk of time out of my work days, me being so tired yesterday was probably the worst culprit. I thought I was actually sort of productive yesterday but this morning I started out going over everything I did yesterday and almost all of it had to be redone.

If I ever needed a clear picture of how important sleep is, I got it right there.

I can power through and keep working when I am exhausted, but the work will later have to be redone so it isn’t really being productive. It sounds like a simple thought but it is one that I seem to have to relearn a lot. Insomnia is a frequent companion in my life. I know once I reach a certain point of tiredness I should just call it a sick day and back away. I feel lazy if I do that though. I shouldn’t, because it never works out, but I do it anyway.

I suppose this is more a message to anyone else who has these sort of bouts of exhaustion or any situation that pulls focus I suppose. Sometimes it is more productive for everyone if you just step away. It isn’t laziness, it isn’t being irresponsible, it is an intelligent assessment of the situation and a logical course of action.

There is always a big gap between knowing what you should do and actually doing it. Hopefully next time I will take my own advice. Today however, I feel better, even if I have a heavy work load. I went with quick and easy for today’s makeup.

Today’s Look

Primer: Laura Mercier Pure Canvas Primer (hydrating)

Foundation: Yensa Super Serum Silk Foundation

Bronzer: Trestique Bronzing Stick

Blush: Axiology Cream Color Multi Use Stick

Setting Powder: Anastasia Beverly Hills Translucent Setting Powder

Brows: Grande Brow-Fill Volumizing Brow Gel

Eyes Axiology Lip to Lid Balmies in Rose

Mascara: Pur Fully Charged Mascara

Lips: Rimmel Stay Glossy Lip Gloss

I am currently going through my sample collection of Primers and this was the last use of the Laura Mercier sample. I do have a second sample, but I will hold off using it so I can work through some of the others in the sample box. It goes on wet and you really need to give it a minute to dry. I use a hand fan for a moment and practice the Long forgotten era language of fan movements and signals. I can’t help myself. My grandmother taught them to me when I was little and we played around with fans pretending to be Grand ladies greeting potential suiters at a magnificent ball. Now when I get a fan in my hand I can’t help but play around with them, even if I am only getting the primer to dry down. Luckily there is no one in the room to see me so it is fine. No actual suitors were slighted. Once the primer dries down though it is very sticky and really locks the makeup in place.

Today I used the Yensa Super Serum Silk Foundation. I will admit it took me a while to warm to this. I think it is because I love the BC formula Yensa makes. It is my favorite foundation actually. And when I pick this up my mind automatically goes to that. It is a good foundation though. it is more full coverage then I am used to so I make sure to go in very lightly. One pump sheered out over my face is enough to do what i want and it stays in place all day. Especially with a setting powder. It is one I always set as it is on the glowy side and the setting powder takes that down a notch. I am using the ABH Powder this month so I can finish it off. I have a second unopened one waiting. I like it, I just feel this jar has been opened long enough. It does tend to be a messy powder. There is no interior lock or regulator in the container it is just holes so there is almost always powder in the lid. Especially since I store my powders on their side in the drawer. I like being able to see which is which and that gives me the best view with the space I have. It does sometimes mean there is a mess. But it is a good powder

I love the Trestique bronzer. It is what got me started on cream face products actually. It is a creamy easy to blend formula. I can go light or I can go dark and it always works out for me. While not all of Trestique products have worked out for me, this and the lip crayons ae definite winners.

I went for the Axiology color cream as blush today because I am sort of testing out the Tarte Cream blush. Which sounds strange. I really love the blendability of the Color Cream as a blush and After a few days of kind of struggling with the tarte ne I wanted to refresh my memory in case I was making it something it wasn’t. But know, a few dots of color and a quick blend with the finger tips and this is fabulous. If you want more color, go a second or even third round. It is really easy to use (and the fact that it is fully recyclable doesn’t hurt any).. It is going to be really hard not to go ahead and lean into this often. Although I am already looking forward to testing it in the summertime heat. But that isn’t for a few more months yet.

I also went to Axiology with the eyes today, I am still playing with the balmies. I wanted something very light. I used the rose shade and it blended out really well. I went really light, mostly because this shade on me works better when it is really light. It is just a light flush to sort of make the look complete rather than something overly dramatic. The two shades I have to not really lend themselves to drama. There may be other more dramatic shades but I have other shadows for that. i like having something quick and low key I can reach for. And yeah, again, the zero waste production doesn’t hurt my love of these either.

The Pur mascara is not my favorite. it is fine but not fabulous. It worked today and luckily it is a sample size. I will use it until the sample is empty and then I will not repurchase it.

While I like the Rose shade from Axiology when I tried it on my lips it was just a shade too pink for me so I just grabbed the first thing I reached for which was the Rimmel Stay Glossy. I really like this lip gloss. I have no clue what the shade is as I can’t find it anywhere on the tube, but it has just enough color to perk up my lips and just enough gloss to make them shiny. It is a fabulous drug store find. I don’t know how many other shades I would pick up, but having this shade is something I really enjoy. It is a gloss so it doesn’t dry down at all and does wear off but the lip prints are light and the formula is more slick than sticky so I am happy with it.

And so my darlings this is me. I slept well and realized trying to be productive yesterday actually created more work for me today. Hopefully i have learned my lesson or at least served a a warning to those reading. And now it is back to work for me to fix all that I twisted yesterday. I think the second half of the week is going to be a long one. I hope it is also good.

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The Empties of February 2023

I always reach the end of the month and think, I didn’t use up a lot of products this month’, and yet somehow when I dive into the bin I keep under the sink for my empty products I am always amazed by what I find.

this time we are going to start off with the serums. There were two in this month’s empties. The first is the Babor Ampule Concentrate in Perfect glow. It is a seven day set so I used it for a full week. It is a fantastic serum and to be honest my one real complaint is that it only comes in a seven day set. If it came in a bottle that I could use continuously I would always have it around. I could really see a difference in the texture of my skin and I felt really good using it.

The second serum in this moth’s empties is the Elemis Pro Collagen Renewal serum. It smells fresh and clean, absorbs well into the skin and really helped plump up some of my fine lines. I really enjoyed it and would happily order it again. it was one of my holiday stock up on Elemis product orders and was a great way to start off the new year. I think I started it in December and the bottle lasted almost eight weeks.

There is a second Elemis Item in my empties bin and it is also from the Pro Collagen line. It is a really good line actually. This was the energizing Marine Cleanser. It has the same scent as the other pro-collagen items. The cleanser is a blue gel which I found fun. It lathers well and rinses away clean. The scent is really just fresh and clean. I loved it as a morning cleanser.

This month I also used the Rodial Dragon’s Blood Sculpting Gel. It was a sample size and alas not as full of product as i would have liked. I have used this in the full sized before and always gather up any samples of this that I find. Oddly enough Rodial is not one of my go to brands. I generally find their items just okay in performance and a bit over priced. This however is the one product I really do like from them and will continue to use. Everything else form the brand is more hit or miss. This, for me is their star. It is a light weight cream that absorbes quickly and makes your skin feel like silk.

there were two dry shampoos in this month’s empties. I didn’t actually use them both completely up this month, I’ve been working on them for a while. The Authentic Beauty Concept Dry shampoo was fantastic for not only making my hair look freshly washed but for making it feel soft and for giving it a lot of body. It is something I will certainly be repurchasing. Klorane has been my go to for dry shampoo for years. This particular one, Klorane Dry Shampoo with oat Milk is the one I keep in my car because it is a manual dry shampoo. There is no sort of accelerant at all in the product container. You twist the top to expose the hole and then you squeeze the bottle to get the product out. I really like Klorane in general, but this particular version is fantastic for leaving in the car or a gym bag. I sometimes worry about bottles with accelerants in hot cars, but that often leaves me sans dry shampoo in the summer so this is the perfect solution for me.

Continuing with hair products, I have another travel sized Christophe Robin Sea Salt Scalp scrub that has now been emptied. I think I have one more sample size before I can open the full sized version I have waiting in the wings. Admittedly i think i have a couple of other sample sized products to get through before I open any full sized scrub, but that is another discussion. I do love this scalp scrub and to be honest you will probably see the third sample of this in next month’s empties. it is just my favorite.

I can’t say the same for the other two hair masks in the empties bin though. The TruffLuv Indulge Truffle Mask works really well but the scent is so floral and so strong that I simply don’t find it pleasant to use. I worked my way through it and the tube is now empty but even though it worked well, i did not find using it to be pleasant because of the scent.

The Olaplex #3 was an interesting pre shampoo mask. It reminded me that I probably should do more pre shampoo masks. It was good about removing any product residue from my hair but it also removed any body and volume from my hair. I have a slight curl to my hair. Because it is long and thick, the weight of it tends to pull a lot of the curl out, but the ends always have some curl to them. This made those ends stick straight. The hair was silky soft and there were no tangles but it made my hair feel kind of dead with the removal of so much of the body and it wasn’t something I really want to repeat.

And finally there are two face masks. I am not the biggest fan of peel off face masks but i did enjoy this Aceology Firming Treatment Mask. I prefer the non peel off masks from Aceology, mostly because I just prefer non-peel off masks (If you get a chance to try their Rose Petal Mask go for it, your skin will feel like rosepetals) I do like this peel off mask enough that I would use it again, even if i don;t feel the need to run out and repurchase this immediately.

The final mask and final item in my empties bin this month is the Yensa Pumpkin Turmeric 2-in-1 Radiance polishing face mask. This mask smells like a delicious bakery treat. I now that isn’t the most important thing, but it smells fabulous. It has an exfoliating component and my skin always feels amazing after I use it. It is great to follow any kind of pore clearing treatment. Often i will use a pore clearing mask on a Friday and then Saturday evening follow with this to remove what the pore clearing mask brought to the surface. It is great on it’s own but it is excellent as part of a two product skin care tag team.

Over all i was pretty happy with things this month. There were definitely some highlights as well as a few lows, but I got to try out quite a few different products and I always enjoy finding new favorites.

The daily: Tuesday, February 28th, 2023

Good afternoon my darlings, the mail just arrived and I am so excited. Montrax just sent over their Heated Eye Mask for me to try out. It not only has a design that is supposed to provide total black out for sleep but it is heated and has a scent pod to go with it. Eye masks are one of the ways I fight my lifelong battle with insomnia, so I can’t wait to try this out and see how it performs. I will of course report back once I’ve tested out all of it’s functions, but i couldn’t help but show it to you now. Think of it as a spoiler alert for a future post.

Other than my excitement over the mail it has been a pretty quiet day. My babydoll is back to work, his sinus situation settled. This up and down weather has been hard on him. while I just get headaches and a stuffy nose from the change in weather, He is prone to full blown sinus attacks and while the spring and autumn are usually the difficult parts of the year for him, he is used to getting a break at other times of the year. this year it seems like there have been very few breaks. Only a few spots between one sinus issue and the next.

while they are bad, i think it is the antibiotics that really just throw him for a loop. They just do a number on his system. But he is recovering. Yesterday he was home and so today I am making up for the things i didn’t get done because he was home. As well as taking advantage of the sun and relatively warm temps today to air out the house. I have all of the windows open, the sheets in the washer and all of the blankets hanging out in the back yard. If nothing else, but the end of the day, the house will feel fresh. It took a little time out of my work schedule to do, but i think it will be worth it. I also might work a little later tonight to make up for it. But over all, I feel good about taking advantage of our rare day of sun. It has been a rainy winter.

But all this means that I went quick and easy on the makeup today. Hair in a ponytail and clothes that I don’t mind getting a bit dirty. Although I have to say, I am rather pleased with how the makeup came out.

Today’s look

Primer: Yensa Tone Up Essential Glow Primer

Foundation: KVD Vegan Beauty Good Apple Foundation Balm

Bronzer: Milk Makeup Bronzing stick

Blush: NARS Orgasm blush

Setting Powder: Item Beauty Powder Hour (shade in the clear)

Eyeshadow: Revolution Beauty Mini Reloaded Palette in Velvet Rose

Mascara: Uoma Beauty Salute to the Sun Mascara

Lips: Ace Beaute Perfect Pout Liquid Lip

While I am still trying to decide how I feel about this good Apple foundation, I have found that it does really well with the Yensa primer. I love the primer so i don’t mind wearing it. I also thought there was more in the tube then there is. I will have to order more of the primer soon. Admittedly I am going to be spending most of March trying to use up and try out the collected sample size primers in my collection, so I may be able to postpone my shopping. I am a little mad at myself for not checking the primer earlier. I recently reordered the Yensa Foundation and if i had known the prime was so low i would have ordered it at the same time, but I did not check. Such is life.

I do love this Milk Makeup Bronzer and when this sample is finished it too will be ordered, in a full size this time, so that i can continue using it. I love the NARS blush formula and like millions have said before me, the shade Orgasm just works. It is a beautiful shade.

This mini Revolution palette is an amazingly quick everyday palette. I used the chocolate brown on the outer corners, the pink shimmer on the inner corners with a little bit of the matte pink on the very inner corners to make my eyes look a little wider and then i called it done. As well as being compact for travel, this is just a really good I have no time this morning eyeshadow palette. It is very low key but paired with a stunning mascara it pops.

And so I went for the UOMA. It is getting clumpier the longer it is open, but it is still usable. I think I have about a week or two left before I can no longer use it. So I am going to make the best of it and use it a lot until it is too clumpy to reach for.

And finally I rounded it out with the Ace Beaute liquid lip. It is a nice creamy formula and this is a good neutral shade for me. Plus it is so beautiful that the packaging makes me want to use it. I would like toi try the formula in a darker shade though because I wonder about the wand and how controlled I could be with a berry shade. It is a long wand and with this shade I am find but darker shades tend to show slight imperfections in application more, so i want to try it. I do like how this formula just glides over chapped lips and hides the bumps. Yet another reason to try out more shades.

But there is where I leave you my darlings. The wind is blowing through the house and freshening the air. The blankets are flapping in the wind and I need to transfer the sheets from the washer to the dryer before i get back to work. I hope the rest of your Tuesday is splendid.

The Daily: February 13th, 2023

Good afternoon my darlings. Today has been a frosty one. Over the weekend we got rain that was just one degree warmer than ice. While it was not pleasant to go out in, the going out was minimal actually. After last weekend, my babydoll and I needed just a quiet relaxing weekend at home. So the rain helped justify that. Last week I added on all of the house chores during the week so that nothing would actually have to be done. So it was actually a full weekend with nothing that had to be done.

It may make me sound like a boring lazy bones, but i have to say it was really nice to have nothing that needed to be done and to simply rest on the weekend. I think that we don’t actually do that enough. There always seems to be a list of things to do over the weekend. And while some are necessary chores (like laundry) and some are fun things, little adventurous rewards for being adult during the week, a lot of the last year was dealing with everything that went down over the year whenever we weren’t working. I know it is February and the time for any form of resolutions is past, but I think it might be a good idea to add at least one weekend a month where all the chores are done early and nothing is planned. I think as a mental break, that is just a good idea.

I certainly feel a lot better for having that quiet weekend.

I also feel far more refreshed than I have in a while. The start of the work week feels a lot less draggy, if that makes sense. Usually Monday i am dragging my feet getting started, but today, I woke up thinking, ‘okay, let’s get this work week going.’ I think it really is because I actually rested over the weekend.

I know, not rocket science, but sometimes I get so caught up in all the things that have to get done or that I want to get done that i forget to stop and just allow myself the recuperation time. For me this is a good reminder. I don’t know if you need that reminder too, but there it is. I have already been more productive today than i usually am on Mondays. so it is helpful in many ways other than just mind set. Just something to remember, for all of us.

Today’s Look:

Primer: The Butter Primer from Beauty Bakerie

Foundation: Yensa BC Full Coverage Foundation

Bronzer: Buxom Staycation Vibes Bronzer

Blush: Axiology Color Cream in True

Setting Powder: By Terry Hyaluronic Hydra Powder (the Use up Box)

Eyeshadow: Ciate Royal Edit Palette

Mascara: Uoma Beauty Salute to the sun

Lips: Ace Beaute Pout Perfect in Manifest

This is the first Primer I have had that is in a stick form and I have to say I really like it. It is super easy to apply and blend out. It goes on a little white but then just blends out to no color very easily. And it feels fantastic on the skin. It doesn’t need any dry time because it isn’t a liquid. It settles in fast so it seems like a good product to use in the morning rush. I kind of want to try it with my favorite stick foundation to see how quick my morning application can be. This primer also really seems to hold product in place as well so smoothing and long lasting is it’s category. there is no tint to it so dims down slight redness but not by much. At the moment I am having a good skin moment so this works.

I went for one of my favorite foundations today. It is the Yensa BC Foundation. i like their other foundations, but this is hands down my favorite. And I have to admit, I finished the tube i was using and today was the first use of the new tube. It is one of the few foundations that I have a back up of in the makeup drawer. I tend to pick up the back up when I am down to a third of a tube so i don’t keep the back up around a long time, but I do repurchase when I get low. I like the glow I get from this foundation. It is enough of a glow for me without being too dewy. Which is why it is my favorite.

Today I realized I was going hard on the Milk Makeup bronzer in my Use up box so I decided to switch it up and reach into the drawer and use whichever product I picked up first. I came out with the Buxom Staycation. I like this bronzer, but this is usually my summer time bronzer. It is darker than I usually go for in the winter. I used a light hand and it worked well. it is a really good bronzer, just more my summer shade. I did realize that I have been reaching more for contour palettes lately than I have been reaching for individual bronzers. I think that might be because i received one in my advent calendar this year and I have one from January’s IPSY. I also just got one from the February IPSY. That came in yesterday. I will be testing it out soon. But for today I just wanted a single bronzer and this worked.

I am still testing out the Axiology Color Cream. And to be honest I don’t want this trial to end. I am really loving this formula and this shade. it just works well for me. It is a buildable formula so even though it looks good now, I think it will be usable all through the summer as well. I really like that it is a year round use shade for me. I also like that it is a fully recyclable paper packaging. Kind of in love with the brand at the moment actually.

Today i was a bit more restrained with the Ciate Palette. I know,. so many exciting shades. Today I started with the most neutral browns to avoid the multitude of fab shades and go “conservative office standard” Yup I went for the browns. And then I topped it with tiara. It was a bit crumbly but when i tapped off the brush it was fine during application. The shades blended well and I really like them. And now that I’ve tried the neutral zone, I will start playing with the other shades.

Okay we need to talk about this UOMA Mascara. First of all it looks amazing on the lashes. I love the look. I also love that it actually does make my lashes feel softer. It has been open a month at best, maybe three weeks. And it is starting to come out of the tube a little clumpy. It still applies well, but it is getting messy in the tube and a lot of excess product comes out. As it is a good formula I would like it to stay in the tube so i can use it. It is the one drawback of the mascara. I I like it, but I don’t think it will last long. I think it might be a mascara to pick up just before an event though because it just looks fantastic.

And then we go with the lips. I went Ace Beaute again today. it is a gorgeous packaging and a really creamy formula. It i slightly sticky and it doesn’t really dry all the way down so there are lip prints. But they aren’t major and the lipstick does last a long time on the lips even without drying all the way down.

The only item from my Use up box that I used today was the By Terry powder. And this is the last use of it. This was a sample size and it is now empty. This is a powder that you need to apply with a brush. If you apply it with a makeup sponge it will take forever to blend out the marks from the sponge circles. It was nice to use, but not my favorite. For me I will let it go. I love the pressed version of this powder, but i don’t think I would purchase a full size of the loose powder. I am thrilled that i did use up something in the Use up box. I don’t know why that feels like an achievement, but it does.

And that my darlings is me today. It is a pretty low key look and I am happy with how it turned out. And now, it is back to work to see if i can keep up this Monday productive streak. Have a great one my darlings.

The Daily: January 30th, 2023

Good afternoon my darlings. It looks like we are actually closing in on the end of January. It is always interesting to see the end of January. A lot of months I am surprised to reach the end of them but somehow January always feels much longer than any other month in the year. I think part of it might be that ic comes after a bunch of holidays. For Me Halloween is sort of when time speeds up.

Halloween is that fun holiday where you dress up and have candy and carve jack o’ lanterns and just generally have a good time making smoking concoctions that look like witch’s brews for the cocktail hour. Then the next morning as I realize the mold has claimed the inside of your pumpkin and the rot from being on the front stoop for several weeks has caused it to slump sideways, I am hit with the realization that it is in fact November.

we always do a lot of our gift exchanges on Thanksgiving because some people only travel for one of the holidays so everything has to be purchased and wrapped for those folks and then there is the shipping for other people so they can have things by Christmas and with one thing or another, the shopping the gatherings, the decorating and the taking down of decorations, from November 1st to January first there is just a blur of movement and whizzing past of time until it stops with the midnight champagne cork popping of new years.

Then everything sort of slows down to normal speeds, which oddly seems glacially slow.

And so January seems to last forever. Yet here we are about to reach the end.

At least that is my take on it. I suppose I am in a bit of an introspective mood today. I spent large chunks of my weekend trying to work out a character’s motivation. My plot idea had him behaving in a certain way so the story would move along but then I couldn’t figure out why he would do what I wanted. It made no sense so i had to think about what this particular character would do in the situation, based on how I’ve written him thus far and how that would affect the story. And than just for fun I flipped it around and thought about how I’d re write the character so that he would behave as I wanted and then i tried to decide which I liked best.

I actually enjoy that part of writing. But it does put me in an introspective sort of mood. I start wondering how everything around me ticks. Luckily oi am working from home with no meetings scheduled today so no coworkers will be affected.

Today’s Look:

Primer: AOA Studios Blur Fection Primer

Foundation: HIDE Invisible medium to full coverage foundation

Bronzer: Kim Chi Chic Hello Thailor Bronzer

Blush: Benefit Cosmetics Georgia Blush

Powder: By Terry Hyaluronic Hyrdo Powder

Eyeshadow: Revolution Beauty Coraline Palette

Mascara: Uoma Salute to the Sun Mascara

Lips: Yensa Super 8 Lip Oil in Power Pink

I picked up this AOA primer from Shop Miss A on a whim and I have to say I really like it. It is a bit crumbly until it warms up and then it blends beautifully and sort of works like spackle on fine lines and pores. I am really enjoying it.

The HIDE foundation is perfectly my shade at this time of year and it does blend well. I am noticing that less is more though. One layer looks beautiful but it is not a foundation I am having any luck building up. One to two pumps covers the face well with a medium coverage. it is my preferred coverage so i am okay with that but building it up just makes those fine lines show more.

The Kim Chi bronzer is beautiful. It is soft and richly pigmented. It applies strong but blends well. I just need to remember that it is more my summer shade than my winter one. It was a bit heavy for me today and since I haven’t used it in a while I was a bit heavy handed. It blended out well, but it was definitely operator error.

This Georgia Blush however is prefect for winter for me. It tends to get lost when I am tan but it is a nice soft pink on winter pale skin for me. I just need to remember to reach for it more often. I am glad I reached for it today.

The By Terry powder is one I will use, but I don’t think I will repurchase, at least in the loose version. The pressed powder is amazing for afternoon touch ups but the loose powder is a bit temperamental. if you use a sponge or a puff it wants to shoe where you first touched down on your face, It can be blended out but it takes some time. The best application has been a fluffy brush tapped on the wrist once before applied to the face. That helps. Once on, it is a beautiful powder, it just requires a bit more thought than other setting powders.

I chose the eyeshadow because I had Revolution on my mind today. I caught up on all of the legal drama of the brand over the weekend so I was thinking about them. Plus once I opened the palette I saw the purple and deep blue and decided that was just what I wanted today. I know, very Ursula of me, but I think it came out well. At least I like it. While I love my neutrals there are some mornings where my brain just says ‘Color NOW!’ and this is just what happened. Personally I like the way it turned out.

I am also loving this UOMA mascara. I deliberately went with just one coat today and I think my lashes look fabulous. In addition, this formula feels so light weight and when I used it last week, my lashes felt soft when I removed the mascara. I know it is a nourishing formula or it is supposed to be based on the website description, but it really seems to be doing some nourishing. One use isn’t enough to really tell, but it is encouraging.

And then there are the lips. I went with the Yensa Super 8 Lip oil. The one I was using before was just a light shine on the lips with barely a tint. This one is far more pigmented, almost like a lipstick. I am actually very impressed with the pigmentation. It is brighter than I usually go with my lips but I do love this formula. I think because the lip oil I used previously had such a barely there color I didn’t realize just how pigmented they were. I am going to have to look at the shade range and actually think about colors instead of just lip care with a shine. And I am always happy to find more lip products.

But that is me my darlings. I am kind of tickled with the way the yes turned out today. It is mostly my computer screen that will get to see them, but they make me happy. And somedays, that is what count’s the most. Happy Monday everyone.

Something Smells Yummy…It’s Face Mask Friday with Yensa

As far as physical exfoliation masks go, this Pumpkin Tumeric 2-in-1 Radiance Polishing Mask from Yensa is one of my favorites. it is a mask I will always come back to.

First there is the fact that I just plain like physical exfoliators. There is something deeply satisfying about them to me. Don’t get me wrong I love the chemical exfoliators too, (let’s face it I enjoy most skincare) but there is kjust something about physical exfoliators.

This is one that feels like very fine grain sand suspended in a gel. It smooths on fairly easily but you can tell there is some exfoliation that this mask is going to provide. According to the Yensa website…

Yensa

The gel that the particles are suspended in soothes and brightens while you let it sit. It is actually quite a good brightening mask even though I do reach for it mostly for the exfoliation. This is a mask that sits on the skin for fifteen to twenty minutes. Sitting with the mask is like sitting in a bakery during the autumn. the scent is so reminiscent of my favorite pumpkin muffins that it actually makes me hungry wearing it.

After about the first five minutes with this mask on my face I am starting to wonder if we have the ingredients in the house to make the muffins. It is by far the most delicious smelling mask I have ever used. Just don’t try and taste it. Inhale the fragrance, don’t eat the mask.

After 15 minutes of contemplating muffins and the possibility of making them tonight, I went to the bathroom to wash off the mask. Before rinsing off, massage the mask in circles a little bit to get the full effect of the exfoliation. I tend to massage a bit first and then when I am rinsing I rub the mask off in circles as I use water to splash it off. It gives me a little extra exfoliation and rinses the mask away at the same time.

Once removed I pat my skin dry and enjoy the freshly scrubbed feeling.

The mask claims that it can be used 2-3 times a week. While it is a gentle enough scrub that you could use it that many times, I generally only use physical exfoliators about once a week. i find that gives me the best scrub without over doing it. I find this is also perfect for when I have clogged pores that I have just managed to coax to the surface. This really helps clear the bumps away before they have a change to become full on brake outs, thus helping to keep my skin clear.

This is a mask I return to often and always keep on hand. In fact this tube has only a few more uses in it and already, there is a replacement waiting in the wings. If you are looking for a delicious smelling, fantastically exfoliating face mask, The Yensa Pumpkin Turmeric is definitely one to look into.

The Daily: January 24th, 2023

Good afternoon my darlings. Today is a chilly one. I have had fun with the computer for most of the day. The first issue is more fun.

At the bottom of my computer screen there is a section of the menu bar that tells me the temp and the basic weather conditions. It is basically the degree and a one word descriptor. The descriptor is sometimes a little less than helpful. From about May onwards it just says ‘Humid’ Occasionally Humid is replaced with Raining and then it goes back to humid. I have more of a descriptor selection from October through April, although Humid does still crop up. Today it tells me it is cloudy. The fun part is that every time I have glanced down at the menu bar the degree has dropped by one. We started out this morning at 34 and we are now at 22.

And no I don’t think that my looking at it cause it to drop, i just think it is funny that every time I look it has lost one degree.

The second computer issue has been a little less amusing.

I am starting to set up to record audio books. Prior to this I’ve worked with other people’s set ups and recorded other people’s books. No I want my own set up not only for other people’s books but for my own. Today, I wanted to test the system and the room, so someone loaned me a cheap microphone so I could test out everything to make sure it worked properly (noise canceling, recording all that stuff). That way I can adjust what I need to pick up when I order my microphone. This mic came with a USB connector and it took me far to long to realize that the reason I wasn’t getting anything to record is that my computer wanted me to use the mic jack instead of the USB port. which made the ‘I can do a quick test in five minutes’ plan go out the window. It disturbs me to know just how long it took me to realize that it was definitely an operator error.

I really don’t like when my technical failures produce head slapping moments from things I should have realized a lot quicker than I actually did. It does mean that I know what I need to check before ordering, but it it took up a larger chunk of my day than I planned to give. And I have no one to blame. It would be nice to have someone else to blame, but alas it is not to be. And now the mic and any additional necessities will be ordered separately. Because I need the microphone to test out what necessities I may need. I was hoping to get them all in one shot. But that to is not to be.

Today’s Look

Primer: AOA Studios Blurfection Face Primer

Foundation: Yensa BC Skin on Skin Foundation

Bronzer: Viseart Bronze Noix

Blush/Highlight: Beauty Bakerie Cotton Candy Champagne Blushlighter Palette

Setting Powder: Kim Chi Chic Beauty Puff Puff Pass Set and Bake Powder

Eyeshadow: Ciate London The Velvet Palette

Mascara: Milk Makeup Kush Mascara

Brows: Benefit Cosmetics Precisely My Brow

Lips: Laura Mercier Rouge Essentials Beige in Time (70)

I know I have been testing out the HIDE foundation. I planned to continue with it but this morning I noticed the expiration date on the bottom was January 8, 2023.And while I haven’t had a problem with it on my skin, I always get really timid with expired foundations. I’m actually quite annoyed with this as it was a really good foundation and I just got it in This month’s BoxyCharm Premium. It actually arrived after the 8th so it was expired when i received it which doesn’t make me happy at all. I think I wore it enough to form a review of it, but I don’t think I will be wearing it again. At least not this bottle.

So I fell back to one of my favorite foundations instead, the Yensa BC Foundation. I have no problems reaching for it. And actually since I wanted to test out a primer it was good that I was using a foundation I know and love. Today I wanted to try out the AOA priming Balm. It is a balm formula It is about the size of a single eyeshadow and like most things on the Shop Miss A site it was only $1. I figured it would be good to travel with, providing it was worth using.

I was actually pleasantly surprised by how well it has performed thus far. It is not as creamy as other balm primers. It is a little crumply, but it warms up and is less crumbly once on the skin. I think if I held it in my hand and warmed it up in the pan it might not be crumbly at all. As soon as it touched the skin that wasn’t an issue. It just needs a little warmth. It blended beautifully and the white faded to nothing. It smoothed my face down and helped fill in some of my fine lines. I was very impressed with it’s first use.

I went for the Viseart Bronzer today. It always performs beautifully. In general every product I have tried from Viseart performs beautifully.

I also reached for the Beauty Bakerie Blushlighter palette today. This always amuses me. I look at it and every time i think, wow that is a bright pink blush. Then I apply it and it is bright when I first apply it, then I blend and it just blends beautifully. I gives me a nice soft blush. I could build it brighter if I wanted (or had a darker skin tone, which for me would be mid summer so I an use this year round) but it just blends so beautifully for a soft glow. I really need to stop thinking of the bright pink and use this more.

Today I also went for the Kim Chi setting powder. While I would use this just because of the powder puff, it is also great setting powder. So it is sort of a win win. Very little is actually needed so the container will last a really long time.

I did go a little crazy with the shimmer from The Velvet Palette today. I accidentally grabbed the wrong brush. It was fluffier than I expected and so there was more shimmer than planned. But I still really like these shadows. Ciate shadow formulas can be a bit hit or miss for me, but this one is beautiful

I think this may be the last of the Milk Makeup Mascara. It is as sample tube and I think the sample is now ended. Which is sad, because it was a beautiful mascara. It is definately one I will purchase again.

And I went back for my OG brow fave today. The precisely my brow. This was once the only brow product I used and while I have expanded, I really liked going back for it today and will be using it more often.

And finally the lips. This is a bullet style lipstick so it never dries down and does leave lip prints on coffee mugs. It is a super creamy and comfortable formula though and I really enjoy wearing it. Plus the magnetic lid means I can put it in my purse with no worries of it coming open. And as this is a lipstick that will need a touch up, that is a very good thing.

And so my darlings that is me today. I rather like how things looked today and quite honestly it was really nice to have one thing turn out well today when I spent far to long babbling incoherently at a microphone that wouldn’t work. I know, having your makeup come out well is a small thing, but today it is a consolation prize. And now it is back to work for me. Have a great rest of the day.

Tools of the trade

There are makeup tools I use every day. There are brushes I pull out of the big jar ‘o brushes consistently and tool I always have to hand when I sit down to do my makeup. I thought it would be a fun thing to sit down and talk about a few of them.

The first item on my list has to be the No Crease Hair clips. I use them everyday to pin my bangs back while I do my makeup because I simply can’t stand having my hair in my face when i am putting on my makeup. These make sure the hair is out of the way without adding any strange lines to my bangs. I highly recommend using them wherever you pick them up. I just reordered a set from Shop Miss A. I love them, but tend to lose them frequently so the $1 price tag for three clips helps me out. They have multiple colors, this time i chose black.

Item number two is a good makeup sponge. Even though I generally use a foundation brush for my foundation, I find a good sponge will help smooth out lines from the brush, plus some foundations just apply better with a makeup sponge. I also use them to apply a lot of setting powders. The ones I am currently using are the Blending Eggs from Beauty Bakerie. Not only are they adorable in the egg carton container, but they have just the right firmness for me. I am kind of Goldilocks when it comes to makeup sponges. Some are too firm and some are too soft. I tend to lean into the firm side of things. The too soft ones I just don’t like. The Beauty Bakerie ones have just the right amount of firmness for me.

Also a necessity is the color switch. Mine comes from Sephora (or did a long time ago). They are available plenty of places. Shop Miss A actually has some nice ones. I ordered several to put in makeup bags for stocking stuffers this Christmas actually. No matter how many brushes in the jar there are a few I just keep reaching for and this lets me switch colors while applying and thus leave me with fewer brushes to wash.

Speaking of brushes, my current favorites come from several different brands. Lets start with my two powder brushes. The Flat topped one is from Alamar Cosmetics. It is listed as a bronzer brush but I find it works with setting powders really well. When I need a fluffier brush, I am currently reaching for the Complex Culture Plush Powder Brush. Between the two of them they work well for me.

The Foundation Brush I have been reaching for more and more is the Yensa Foundation brush. the bristles are dense enough and the right length for me. The handle also fits well in my hand and its angled shape and size make it easy to manover.

The bronzer brush I am using is the LR 331 Flat Angle Brush from Laruce. I find the dense bristles and curved shape work really well with my cheekbones. I am able to apply bronzer well with it an because it is narrow, I can use it with pans of varying sizes.

There are two Brushes from Billion Dollar Brushes in my automatically reach for pile. One is the flat foundation brush. I honestly never use it for foundation unless it is a powder foundation. It is great with powders in general. I tend to use it for patting setting powders over under eye concealer and I use it for powdered blush application. In general it is just a good all round brush to have around. The other Billion Dollar Brush I keep around is the small angled Brush. it is Labeled Eyebrow brush and i often use it for my eyebrows. It is great for carving out the underside of the brows with a highlighter and it is also good for adding a small spot of bright shadow in the inner corner of your eyelid to brighten your eyes an make them look bigger.

There are five eyeshadow brushes that I find myself reaching for and to be honest, they are all Luxie Brushes. One of them i am not entirely sure is made any more, but it is my favorite. It is the Tapered Blender that was originally part of the DC Collab for the Wonder Woman Collection. I have used it so much that the number has worn off and the handle now looks mottled because the paint has worn off in places. It was released when the first Wonder Woman movie came out several years ago and I use it everyday to blend my shadows. The handle is showing wear but the brush is still going strong. The Lxie 237 Blending is the right size for most of my shadow applications when I am going for an all over the lid look. I use this one a lot and if I am doing a one and done shadow look, this is the brush I reach for. The 213 Eye Shading brush (the pink one) is lflat but fluffy and it is great for applying darker shadows on the outer edge of the eye and then blending them inward. The 211 Concealer is also flat but thinner and I tend to use it for applying shimmer shades. And finally the 221 Flat definer has a sharp flat end that is great for applying shadows along the lash line or or using shadows as though they were eyeliner. It has become a brush I reach for a lot actually.

And so my darlings these are a few of my favorite tools and the ones I find essential in my everyday makeup. If you are just getting started with makeup or looking to expand, I hope it helps you out. For me, I like to take an occasional inventory of what i actually use. It changes from year to year as I try out new products or change up the way I do my makeup look. But for now, this is my essentials kit.