Nailed It!

Today I'm here to tell you about an amazing product if you wear any kind of nail polish at all. (Well, I guess not if you have gel nails or whatever, but anyway.)

This stuff. It. Is. Amazing.

I don't quite remember where I heard of Londontown nail products, though it may have been on a podcast somewhere, where the person showing her knitting mentioned she was wearing some of their polish (which is great, as are their Nail Veils, but those are other posts). Anyway, I had to go down the rabbit hole of finding out about the brand, etc., because a) I remember loving the color of the polish the person was wearing, and b) I'd never heard of the brand and was curious. So I tried a couple of their products, and liked them a lot (as I said, some later post, OK?). 

Now, I don't always wear nail polish, but I have noticed that when I make an effort, and have something on my nails - even clear nail polish - I tend to leave my cuticles alone. Which is a good thing, because my poor cuticles have suffered so many indignities in my life. When I am bored, or anxious, or tired, or who knows what, I tend to pick at my cuticles, which of course causes them to bleed, and makes my hands look like small battlefields. But if my nails have something on them, I'm more likely to not practice that habit.

The problem for me has always been getting the polish off without problems. Nail polish removers with acetone make me break out in a rash. So I was getting non-acetone removers, which were fine. But getting all of the polish off was the problem. I would use so many cotton balls, and so much of the product, and later in the day, still notice polish I'd missed. 

Anyway, one time when I was perusing the Ulta website, I noticed they carried some Londontown products, including the "Lacquer Remover" shown above. It was a whole lot more expensive than the others, but when I read the different reviews, they all said that very little of the product was necessary to get off all of your nail polish. So I was intrigued. And I realized that I spent a lot of money on cheaper polish removers, mostly because I used so much all at one time, so I was always running out. I bit the bullet and ordered some of this.

All I have to say is, if you have had the same problems getting nail polish off of your nails, buy this stuff. It's worth every penny! Usually I get a cotton ball and soak it, not drench, but get it wet, and then I place it on each fingernail for 10 seconds. (Some of the cotton ball comes off when you take it off your nail.) I do that for each nail, and then I go back and sweep the cotton ball over the nail using a bit of pressure. Voila - polish gone! Completely, and your nails don't feel dried out like sandpaper either. I couldn't believe how well it worked, and have tried it even with darker polish, and had the same good results.

And in the end - the bottle lasted me for a whole year, making it well worth the price! As a matter of fact, when I went to buy a new bottle, I happened to hit a sale (I don't remember if it was at Ulta or on the Londontown site itself), and got two bottles for only slightly more than the price of one. 

Needless to say, this product knocked it out of the park with the BMST, and now I don't go through a whole decision process of whether or not it's worth putting on nail polish due to the hassle of removing it.

This is my opinion only, of course - I'm not sponsored by anyone or any company, I just wanted to share something I really love and think others might appreciate as well.

If you decide to give it a try, let me know. I hope you if you do try it, you have the same kind of success.

So ...

Yeah, I know. I've abandoned this blog for about a year and a half. I've kept up with my knitting/crafting blog a lot better, but even there recently I had to take a break. Of course, the main difference is that I know some people read that blog, and this one is mainly for myself, and there have been a couple of people now and then who have commented, but who knows if they have given up.

Anyway, I've decided that since I have many beauty and fitness types of things to say/talk about, I needed to once again make friends with this blog. If nothing else, it helps me keep track of products or other things that I like or don't like, so that I don't re-do or re-buy the wrong things!

Things in life have changed for me. At the end of July 2022, I left my full-time job of 12+ years. I had loved my work, but in the last year and a half before I left, things had really deteriorated when we got a new CEO who thought he was a library and archives expert. (Spoiler alert: he isn't.) Let's just say that our department of five people had dwindled to myself and one other person (who he LOVED) by the time I left. I couldn't really afford to retire, but in order to maintain my mental and physical health, it was necessary. So now I get a monthly Social Security check, and I have a job three days a week at a local yarn store. We are struggling a bit, but we're OK and I'm doing a lot better than I had been, so I guess it's a win?

In September 2022, a friend and one of my nieces and myself started a little fitness group. We each take turns creating monthly goals for all of us, and check in daily via text messages. It's really been great, and all three of us are healthier and making progress, slowly but surely. We all agree that the accountability of checking in every day has made a huge difference in our attitudes towards living a healthier life. Which is not to say we don't lose sight of things now and then, but we are also very forgiving, which is fantastic. 

What else? Well, since I last spent time here, we adopted two more kitties! In May 2022, we adopted Alfie, a three-legged very fuzzy gray and white cat who was about a year old at the time. We call him our lovable weirdo, because he is very sweet and affectionate, but truly weirder than any cat we've ever had before. And then this past May, we adopted Esmeralda (aka Esme), a one-eyed gray tabby who is a little over a year old. For about the first four months she was with us, we seldom saw her, she was so afraid of us. But she got along perfectly with the other kitties, so that's what mattered most. And she and Alfie are definitely best buddies. in the past couple of months, she has gotten braver, and will occasionally even let us pet her - major progress, I tell you!

(Alfie on the left, Esme on the right)

And that's really about it for now. Like I mentioned, I have a lot of things I'd like to write about, so you will be hearing from me again sooner rather than much later. 

In the meantime, if anyone other than me is reading this, I hope you are well, and that you'll stop by again. 😊

This Made Me Laugh

Hi all - it's been a while since I've posted, for a huge number of reasons, but here I am right now.

I decided to write this post because of something over the weekend that made me laugh really hard.  This past Saturday, I went to have my eyebrows tweezed.  Now, you are probably wondering why I would pay perfectly good money to have someone tweeze my eyebrows.  Well, the answer is because I can't see them well enough to do it myself; and I can't get them waxed because my sensitive skin just gets scabby.  And I have a few brows that, at a certain point in their growth, take off in several different directions, and are really long!  Sometimes I manage to nab them, but most of the time, even with a magnifying mirror, I can't see them well enough to get them - and since I can't wear my glasses, it's just hopeless.  The Tim refuses to have anything to do with this activity, and I can't say I really blame him.  No one wants to try doing something on someone else's face unless they know what they are doing, right?

Anyway, I was texting with my niece Amanda later in the day, and mentioned that while I was out to do that, I had also done such-and-such.  She texted back and said that Pat (her husband) said he hoped I wasn't trying to have "aggressive brows."  That was a term that was new to me, and brings to mind something like a supervillain would have.  But she said that he meant brows like some of the women on Instagram show:

This just cracked me up!  I have never thought of anyone's brows as being "agressive" but now I'll never look at another photo like this and not be amused.

Nailed It

 Do you have "good" fingernails?  I will admit that I always notice people's hands and nails.  And I love it when people have nice hands and a pretty manicure.  

The morning security guard at the building where I work always has a variation on this kind of manicure, which fascinates me:

This is not something I would like for myself - for one thing, I'm 99.999999% sure that I would not be able to carry out my normal daily activities and functions, but as I said, it does fascinate me.

My mother used to have gorgeous hands and nails even when she was older.  They were really strong, too - she would change the color, etc. because she got tired of it, not because it ever chipped!  And she used a typewriter all day at work, besides just the normal activities of her life.  My oldest sister Nancy seems to have gotten her genetics in that regard.  My other sister and myself seem to have missed out.

My nails are not overly strong, but I have been making an effort to get them to look better and be stronger.  Not just because it's always something I notice on other people, but if I pay attention to nice nails, I am less likely to pick or chew at my cuticles.  Which yes, is really gross, but when I am really stressed or nervous, that's my downfall.  Over the past few years, I have been extremely conscientious, and I have to say that where my hands used to have gross cuticles on most fingers, now it usually only happens on one or two when things get tough.  So that is progress.

I used to work with someone who used nail wraps, and her nails always had really cool designs on them, which was fun.  But she did say that when she took them off, her nails were kind of a mess, so that was a no-go for me.  

Anyway.  Sometimes for whatever reason I end up getting to work much earlier than I need to, so I'll poke around YouTube and watch a podcast or a movie/TV show trailer.  Today I came across this podcast episode from a channel called "Our Time of the Month," which is a couple of women who are in Baltimore, and mostly seem to talk about beauty and wellness.  This episode was them trying some press-on nails from Olive & June, which is a really great company.  I have to tell you, I laughed really hard because it was so much fun to watch/hear their commentary!  It's not that long - a bit over 20 minutes - so if you need a chuckle, give it a watch.  

Enjoy!

Happy New Year! Do You Have Fat Ears?

 Hello and Happy New Year (yes, I know it's almost the middle of the month)!  I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and survived without getting covid or even a cold.

We had a great Christmastime and New Year's, and this weekend we will be taking down all of the decorations and putting them away until next year, which is always sad.  But then it's so exciting when they come back in December that it's worth it.

On to the question in the title of this post - do you have fat ears?  I have to admit, I've never once even given the "fatness" of my ears a thought one way or another.  I do have pierced ears, and have always had earrings that I could wear without any trouble.  But then my sister in California sent me these for Christmas:

I opened the package and thought, "Oh how nice," and it was a lovely surprise.  They were sent directly from Madewell, and she had told me to expect a package, so I didn't open it when it came, knowing it was a gift.

Then when we put away our gifts, I put them in my jewelry box.  A couple of days later, I decided I would wear them.  I put one in one ear, and it pinched a little bit, but I figured that was because I'd been fiddling with it, since the part that goes through your ear is really stiff.  I went to put the other one on, and the little post that is so stiff and goes through your ear just didn't fit.  I mean - DIDN'T. FIT.  I couldn't even push it through to try and finish putting it on.  So I gave up, and then took off the other one, which left a HUGE red spot on my other ear, where I guess it was too tight even though I'd worked it through.

OK, well, clearly they just wouldn't fit.  I called and asked if I could return them, even though I was pretty sure that since they are "personal" items, I couldn't.  And I was right.  When my sister asked me if I liked them, I told her that I did, but they didn't fit my ears.  And she responded, "Well how FAT can your ears possibly be??? I mean some people do have fat ears (do they??), but yours must be incredibly fat!"

Anyway, she said she had also sent a pair to my nephew's wife and they fit her, but "she's so tiny anyway, I'm not surprised."

So there you have it - I have what are apparently the world's fattest ears.  I have since learned that this style of earring is called a "huggie" and is supposed to fit tightly around your *thin* ears.  

Now.  Other than the fact that I thought the earrings were nice, and would have liked to wear them, none of this hurts my feelings.  This particular sister is, and always has been, obsessed with fashion and thinks anyone over a size 10 is doomed.  Also, as I mentioned above, I have never given much thought to my ears one way or another, as far as what size they wear ... 😀

I will likely pass these along to one of my nieces with skinny enough ears, but I thought it was worth sharing this in case anyone wants to start a support group for those of us with fat ears ... assuming not the only one!

Christmas Gift Idea That Comes Highly Recommended

 

If you are anywhere near a Trader Joe's, GET THIS.  

I read somewhere a few months ago, that this was wonderful and very hydrating body lotion.  Since my skin gets extremely dry once cooler/cold weather sets in, I thought it was worth a try.  So the next time I went to our local Trader Joe's, I bought a bottle for myself.  ($6.99 for 12 fluid ounces)

This stuff is amazing, at least for me. I primarily use it on my arms and legs, and I have to tell you that I haven't had any "snow" from dried skin since I started using it about a month ago.  Generally, I slather it on after a shower, and it easily lasts until my next shower.  It seems that especially in the last few years, when I would undress in the cold weather months, as I took off my jeans or whatever, all of these little pieces of dried skin would come off my legs with my clothes - gross!  I have used other body lotions, and there are a lot of them that I like, but this one wins out.

It has no discernible scent (at least that I can notice), which is a plus as far as I'm concerned, and it has a really lovely, smooth feel going on.  You may be concerned that it's so "wet" going on, but it absorbs into your skin almost immediately, and so you don't have to wait around 10 minutes or more to get dressed.

I love it. You really should give it a try if you have the chance.

Inexplicably Camel

Do you ever get something in your brain that you want to find in a store, and then you become a teensy bit obsessed with it, and you're not even really sure why?  

That's my current situation.  I have decided that I want to have either a pair of camel-colored slacks:

(not necessarily this specific pair, but you get the gist)

or, a camel-colored skirt:

(again, for context)

I am not sure why all of  a sudden I feel like having something in the camel shade would make me happy, but there you go.  Practically speaking, I'm sure that I would get something on it almost the minute I put it on to wear.  But I do that with everything I have - if it's not a pencil or pen mark, it's a spill, or dog drool, or who knows what?  

And, pants would probably be more versatile, and warmer when it's cold.  But then again, I do love skirts and dresses.  

In any case, it's really kind of a moot point, because I have no plans to go shopping anywhere anytime soon, and more importantly, I have no money to spend!  

But in the meantime, it's kind fun to look ... 

In Which I Have Plans ... But Have Not Gotten Started

In my continued attempts to make small changes to my/our lifestyle that will keep us from using so many disposable products, I have decided - at least 6 months ago, if not more - that since I do a lot of knitting, and have a lot of leftover bits of yarn, that I should knit some reusable makeup remover pads.  This plan led me to a further plan - knit a few and gift them to my nieces for Christmas, along with a mini-size makeup remover product.  Good idea, right?

I have the yarn - even some leftover cotton yarn, which would be good and sturdy for this kind of thing.  I have the needles I need.  I don't feel like I need a specific pattern necessarily, but I did look to see if there were patterns and there are quite a few.  I have even identified the mini-size makeup remover I plan to buy, one at a time after each payday in our family.  So I'm all set to go, right?

Yes, I'm all set to go.  I *have* been all set to go.  So why I am not going, so to speak???

Excuse #1: There were a couple of projects that I really wanted to finish before I got started.  Fact: They are finished as of last week.

Excuse #2:  I have plenty of time.  Fact:  I had plenty of time when I first thought of this.  Now we are in to October, and as we all know, once October hits, the holidays are suddenly right on top of us.

Excuse #3:  Laziness.  Fact:  I am lazy.  I really want to make them, I do.  But I am lazy.

Solution:  START.  Often if I just simply get started, that's all I need to continue.  I am certain that if I made even just one pad, I would be inspired to continue, because I will actually get almost immediate gratification making these, because they are so small.  And I do love me some immediate gratification, especially with my knitting!

Look at these - this is pretty much exactly what I'm thinking about!

Small, with whatever colors I have available.  Since it will all be leftover yarn, the cost of this part of the gift will be only my time, and these will take no time at all.

Whereas, if I ordered them where I found the photo, I would have to pay for them, probably pay for shipping and taxes, and then hope they arrived in a reasonable amount of time, which in our current postal climate in the U.S. (why is Louis DeJoy still in charge of the Post Office???), could mean anywhere between 2 days and 10 months.

Result:  Now that I have put this out into the cyber universe, I have a responsiblity to be true to my plan and also complete it.  This coming weekend is a three-day weekend (for Columbus Day, now Indigenous Peoples' Day for us), and what better time to start?  Heck, I may even make all of the ones I was hoping by the end of three days!  

And so, in my next post, I hope to show you my progress on the whole makeup remover pads gift idea.  I am determined to have at least two to show you. 

Stay tuned ... 😊

Accomplishing Goals, Slowly

In my last post (yeah, longer ago than I meant to be, sorry!), I talked about my efforts to start exercising regularly, and how I'm keeping track of my weight and my workouts.  

My aim is to be more fit and healthier.  I'm not obsessing about my weight, though at my July appt with a cardiologist, he suggested that if I dropped a few pounds, it would be a help to my heart.  So I had a little bit of an extra push in that department.  Anyway, as I mentioned in that post, I know that my efforts are paying off because my clothes are fitting better for one thing, and I've been able to do a bit more in my exercising.  

So this morning when I weighed myself, I was happily surprised to see that I had lost three pounds.

This made me happy, since I felt that it meant that I was losing some weight but not losing too much too fast.  Which every doctor and every reputable health-advisor-type person will tell you is the thing to do.  

The other thing that makes this good news is that seeing and feeling these results has made me more committed to keeping myself on track.  And apparently in my case, making note of my weigh ins and workouts is the way to go for keeping me on course.

I'm posting about this, because it proves that you don't need to do elaborate things to be healthier.  My workouts are not all hardcore, believe me!  But what they are is MOVEMENT.  

Now - the week after this one, we have to return to work 5 days a week in our building.  This is going to really cramp my style, I must say.  You might say, well, Bridget, just get up earlier every day to exercise.  That means I would have to get up earlier than I already do, which is 4:45 a.m. during the week when I'm working.  So, I don't really want to do that.  

I do walk back and forth to work every day, but I think that after a while, my body just counts that as normal movement, not extra.  So at least at first, that will be helpful.  Also, on nice days, I plan to ride my bicycle back and forth, so that will move some different muscles.  If I can find the energy to do so, I can always do some of my lighter exercise routines in the evenings.  But I think I might need to up my weekend activity, to keep going as well as I can.

I have this week to figure out a "trial" schedule, so we'll see what happens.  I would like to stay friends with the scale.

(Spoiler alert - not me. Not even close. For one thing, this woman is too dressed up to be me before or after exercising ...)

And even more importantly, I want to keep feeling good like I do now.  I have so many things in my daily life that can get me down, especially at work, and if I can keep going with my exercise, it will be a huge help both physically AND mentally!

Finding An Oldie But Goodie

Since the start of June, I have been making an extra effort to get more fit and in better shape.  I was a bit active prior to that, but I decided that it was time to take it up a level, and get myself on more of a schedule.  Between my work schedule (2 days a week) and The Tim's (3 days a week), we made a deal that on the days he works but I don't, he would take Hamlet for a walk in the mornings.  This meant that I had three early mornings that did not have to be "scheduled," and I decided that the best way to take advantage of that was to make sure that at a minimum, I did some serious exercise on those mornings.  

I did OK with this during June and July, but didn't commit as diligently as I should have.  At the end of July, I decided to make myself more accountable.  So I started a list for each week of August and it looks kinda like this:

Week of August ___

xxx pounds ; arms * body workout * pilates

We have a weight scale, and I know it isn't that accurate, but for the purposes of accountability, I decided to include my weight for that week, done on Sunday mornings before I eat breakfast.  

This has been really working for me, as knowing it is "written down" somewhere has made me much more disciplined to exercise.  And not always killer exercise - but something that moves me around/stretches/builds strength on my three free mornings.  

Besides just exercises that I already know, I have found TONS of YouTube videos that have been helpful.  So another reason I think it's working, is because I have some variety.  

But I gotta tell you, the other day I found that someone had put an oldie but goodie on YouTube, and yesterday, I did that workout.  Remember this woman?

It's Susan Powter - you know, STOP THE INSANITY!!

Back in the day, I had one of her strength building exercise videos, and though I always thought she was kinda weird, that workout was a killer, and really good.  Plus, there were things that I found amusing even back then (spoiler alert: they still amused me yesterday!), and that's always a bonus.  So I decided to give it a try again yesterday.  I gotta tell you, it kicked my butt, and I'm feeling it today, but it also felt good to find something that I already knew had worked for me in the past.

Of course, once we are back to work regularly in the building, I don't know how dedicated I'll be to my exercise schedule.  I already get up really really early on work days (4:45 a.m.), and getting up even earlier to exercise makes me feel like it might not even be worth going to bed ... 

In the meantime, I'm doing what I can to be more healthy and more fit.  My weight (at least according to our inaccurate scale) hasn't really changed, but I can detect things about my body that make me know my fitness level has improved.  That was my goal, and I have to say, now that I'm more regular about it, I don't have to do as much talking-myself-into-exercising work.

Oh, and Susan Powter?  Here is what she looks like today, according to several different sources, including ABCNews:

Hm.

Keeping My Head Happy

I have fine, thin, very straight hair - but a lot of it!  Seriously, when I get my hair cut, I'm always shocked at how much is on the floor for them to sweep away.  I wear my hair short, and even elaborate products (when I use them) don't seem to last very long.

Even though my hair is short, in the summer I do a LOT of sweating - not glowing, or perspiring, but straight up sweating!  And so when I wash my hair, I always want to use something that makes *me* feel like it got clean.  A few years back, I tried some of the Paul Mitchell Tea Tree shampoo and really liked it.  The minty-ness of it made me feel like my hair and my head were clean and refreshed.  However, being that it is a "designer" shampoo, it's pretty expensive, even though I don't have to replenish things that often.  So after buying it a couple of times, I just went back to normal, everyday shampoo.  Though I'm somewhat picky, it's not really for any consistent reason, so as long as I could find something I liked, it was all good.

Moving right along, one day last fall, I was at Trader Joe's for something specific we like that is only found there, and I decided to take a look-see and check out the personal care aisle.  Guess what I found???

Ta-da!!!!

I was so surprised (I know, maybe you all already know about this, but I didn't), and pleased because it was maybe more expensive than some of the drugstore shampoos, but not a lot more, and it was much less expensive than any of the 'fancy' ones.  So I bought a bottle to try it out. (It was maybe $7.99? - sorry I forget, as it's been a while since I purchased it.)

And now that I have been using it - yes, the same original bottle - for nearly a year, I have to say, it's a keeper.  You don't need to use much to get a good lather going, and the tea tree and other botanicals feel so very good on your scalp.  It's just plain old refreshing, even if it's not during the heat of summer.  

So if you are looking for a shampoo that is a step above the plain, everyday ones that are pretty much everywhere, and you are near a Trader Joe's, I recommend that you try this one.  I can guarantee that your head will be happy too.  😊

I Promise It Was Technology's Fault, Not Mine!

After making a big deal about how I was going to try to post here at least once a week, I didn't post at all the next week!  But truly, it was not all my fault.  Google sent out an update for Chromebooks that had a typo (a typo!) that caused Chromebook users to not be able to log in at all.  They supposedly sent out an update, but I never received it, so on Monday morning, I performed the "nuclear option" and wiped my computer clean, meaning I had to start all over again.  I did manage to post on my other blog using my tablet, but it was so slow and painful, I decided to skip posting here.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.  

Anyway, there are like 2 people who read this, so hopefully they are willing to be generous.  😊

Today I want to share with you the BEST everyday sunscreen that I use on my body all summer long.  I may have shared it before, but that was a while ago, and I want everyone to consider giving it a try.

Yep, the lowly store brand from CVS is my holy grail of body sunscreen for everyday use.  Here is why:

1. It is very inexpensive (particularly if you have one of the many many coupons CVS gives you whether or not you care). This bottle/tube of sunscreen generally lasts me about 4 months - which means it is very effective on a cost pers use basis. I slather this on my arms, chest, and neck every single day, and I use a lot of it!
2. It has an extremely light scent that almost immediately disappears once you apply it (it's barely coconut scented);
3. It stays on without making you feel like a greaseball all day;
4. It WORKS!  I recently wore this when I was at a baseball game on a very hot, very sunny day, and when I got home, I didn't even have a light pink spot on my person.  

Now, one thing you should remember is that you need to get the YELLOW sunscreen - the one in the blue tube or the yellow tube smells more like you expect, and they are harder to get out of the tube!  Just say no to the other containers.  

Just for the record, CVS doesn't know I exist, so they are neither sponsoring this post, nor do they give me any kickback for recommending this product.  It's just that there are a lot of the CVS stores near my house, so I tend to go there more frequently for this kind of stuff.

Please note that I don't use this on my face.  That's mostly because I have really sensitive eyes, and the only time I tried this on my face, it moved into my eyes when I sweated, and that whole thing did not end well.  Your mileage, of course may vary.

But no matter what brand/type you use, PLEASE USE SUNSCREEN!!!

Time For a Reset

I realized today that it has been just short of a YEAR since I posted here.  Now I know I don't post that often here to start, but ALMOST A YEAR???  That is completely unacceptable! Why bother to have a blog if you never write anything?

So I have determined that it is time for a reset here.  Part of my hesitancy to post here was because I am not really a "beauty influencer," an exercise guru, or really an expert on anything related to beauty, health, or fashion.  But you know what - who the H cares???  I started this blog in addition to my other blog because these are also things I enjoy, and I should be able to share that if I like.  Most of the readers of my other blog are primarily interested in crafting and reading, and I'm not sure they would care what I thought about say, eyeliner, you know?

Now I'm not saying I'll have something to say every day here - I don't even do that on my other blog or on social media.  But I'm not going to sit back because a) I'm not an expert, and b) because I am worried what my non-interested-in-this-topic friends might think if they come across this particular blog.  Like most people, I contain multitudes, but that doesn't mean that everyone has to like all of them!  And if reading what I think about a lipstick or what my latest exercises consist of annoys you that much, I probably don't care if you just sign off altogether.

It feels good to get that off my chest.  😌

Anyway, my goal is to post at least once a week here if not more frequently when something strikes me.  I can't say it will always be riveting, but that's not the point.  I enjoy writing and I like to share things I do like and don't like with others, whether or not "others" are even here!

******

Consider this the first post in my reset.  Have you heard of Flower Beauty?  I know it started a few years back, with Drew Barrymore* behind it.  I was kind of excited to hear about it, because it was a cruelty-free brand at a time when there were not that many of them at a lower price point.  Originally though, the brand was only available at Wal-Mart or online.  I tend to not buy lower price point things online if I have never tried them, because the shipping and handling often takes the price up enough that it's no longer any more affordable than other brands.  And I am not a fan of Wal-Mart at all.  I'm not saying I never have gone into a Wal-Mart, but when I have, it's usually been a last resort, and I am fortunate enough to live someplace where there are other choices.

Anyway.  About a month ago, I was in the neighborhood CVS, and noticed they had an endcap devoted to Flower Beauty products - surprise!  

I decided to give one a try (well, OK I also had a CVS coupon for $3.00 off), and chose the Color Shift Lip Smoothie.

It only comes in this one shade, but supposedly once you put it on your lips, the color adjusts to your pH and your lips look like yours, but better.

I figured if nothing else, it might be a nice lip moisturizer, and as someone who has dry lips year round, I use something all of the time, even when I'm just sitting around at home.

Well - in my case at least, this turned out to be a lovely product.  It goes on nicely, without any "tugging" on your lips, and feels not just smooth but soft, if that makes sense.  The color actually was extremely subtle, but it did make my lips look a little bit brighter.

Like most lip balm/moisturizer/whatevers, it isn't long lasting, but I didn't expect that.  The very best thing as far as I'm concerned is that it is NOT sticky at all.  Nothing bugs me more than anything on my lips that feels sticky or tacky - ICK!

I recommend this if you want a bit of a color upgrade with your lip balm.  As I said, I had a CVS coupon, but I think it generally retails for $10.00, which is not completely cheap.  But it's not that expensive, considering that a tube will last you for a while.  And it's not expensive at all when you compare it to some of the "better" brand's products that make you feel like your lips are either varnished with glue, or with some sticky substance that will never go away!

*Drew Barrymore.  Sigh.  I'm never sure how I feel about her.  On the one hand, she kind of makes me crazy.  On the other hand, I have a sense that she is exactly who she appears to be, and I give her props for that.  It's a love-hate relationship I guess ...

When It's Necessary to Make a One-Time Exception

Hello - I generally don't do this, but today I'm sending you over to my other blog to read what I wrote.  I realized that I would be writing pretty much exactly the same thing here, so just decided to link to that post (because, laziness).

I hope you enjoy it, and have a lovely weekend!

How I Changed the Way I Washed My Face

Hello and Happy Labor Day!  Though it's kinda weird this year, like so many other holidays have been.  But in any case, I hope you have a good day wherever you are and whatever you have decided to do ... or not.

At the beginning of the summer, I went to wash my face one morning and realized that I was out of the cleanser I generally use, and have used for years.  Generally, I'm more on top of things, but like so much else that has fallen through the cracks, my ability to pay attention to those kinds of things and be prepared before it happens had failed.

I knew that regular soap didn't feel good on my face, and that it also made it feel really really dry.  So that morning, I turned on the cool water, and just wet my washcloth and "washed" my face three times in a row, with a rinse in between.  Then I did my usual sunscreen, etc.  It actually felt better than when I would use the cleanser.

After some thought, I decided to try an experiment.  I mean, I was going to be home anyway, and so if things didn't go all that well, it's not like I'd have to go to work or whatever anyway.  I gave myself a week to try it to see if anything was different.

Here was the plan:  In the morning, I would do the washcloth-and-cool-water wash, followed by sunscreen, etc.  Then at night, I would use my aforementioned cleanser (which I had replenished after a trip to CVS), moisturizer, etc.  The idea behind it was, how "dirty" did my face get overnight, when all I was doing was sleeping?  Why did I need to use cleanser at all in the morning? 

Now that it's been months instead of just weeks, I'm very happy to report that my skin actually looks better than ever!  My new routine seems to have worked well enough that I don't have as much redness overall (I suffer from rosacea), and my skin is smooth and brighter, I swear (or I am really good at convincing myself of this).  

Now, please note that if I have done a morning workout, or been working around the garden or house first thing in the morning, I do use cleanser when I wash my face - but that's because I have been sweating, or been outside, or been moving dirt/dust around, and I want to make sure any of that kind of grime gets washed of completely.

And it may well be that once winter comes, I'll want to do something else for extra moisturization, I'll have to see.  But for now, my simplified face-washing is doing the trick better than I could have anticipated!

(Not me.  Not even close!)

I Almost Bought Some Stuff, But Then I Remembered ... Masks

Yesterday, I was staying in the house if at all possible because it was too hot and too humid for me to be able to stand being outside.  This is not unusual during the summer, but I was in one of those moods where I just didn't feel like doing anything even though I tried to start a couple of times and almost immediately stopped.

I was scrolling through Instagram, and saw an ad for Wander Beauty.  I've heard of the company, but not paid a whole lot of attention, but because I was feeling both bored and lazy, I decided to check out their website.  I admit to thinking makeup is fun, and even though I don't wear a lot of makeup, I wear some and I'm always on the lookout for good products that are also cruelty free.  It helps if I think they are reasonably priced as well.  Anyway, after poking around on the site, I saw some things I thought looked really nice.  Then I remembered that I had a Sephora gift card for about $100.00 that was from returning a bunch of stuff that one of my sisters sent me for Christmas that I knew I would never, ever use (she spends a ridiculous amount of money all the time on cosmetics ... but again, she also shares it with me sometimes!).  So I thought, well, go look and see if Sephora had any of the Wander products I was thinking of trying.

I considered the powder foundation:

I had also read that their On-the-Glow Blush and Illuminator was nice:

I'd also heard good things about their Unlashed Volume and Curl Mascara:

So I was thinking, well, maybe I should try them all, since I have the gift card with all of that money on it, and I would be spending my sister's money instead of my own.  That seemed like a brilliant idea!

Oh yeah, except for the pandemic.  And mask-wearing, which will be required all day, everywhere in the building (and on the way back and forth from work) once I go back to work.  Anything I'm wearing on my face would a) be mostly hidden by the mask, and b) rub off on it anyway.  

I'm glad I thought of it before using my gift card.  Because $100.00 is a LOT of money, and though I'm more than happy to use the gift card, I'd rather wait until it makes sense to use it.  It has no expiration date, so I don't need to worry about not being able to use it at some point, either.

You may be wondering, did I buy anything at all?  I did.  I purchased a mini size of the mascara, which was $12.00.  And I just went ahead and paid for it myself, because it hardly seemed worth using part of my gift card for a mini size of something I wanted to try anyway.  

So I'll be wearing my moisturizer and sunscreen under my mask, but at least my eyes will look good.  😊

The Really Important Things

I saw this on Facebook the other day, and thought it was worth sharing, particularly since it talks about something that people are especially worried about in the summer - how could I possibly wear a swimsuit in public if my body is not perfect?

"Three good friends went for a swim.
The one who was fat wished she was thin.
The one who was curvy wished she was clever.
The one who was clever wished she swam better.
The really great swimmer wished she was witty.
The one who was witty wished she was pretty.
All three friends thought the other two were just fine.
If only they could let their own bright light shine.
So throw on your swimsuit if you're fat or you're thin.
Enjoy fun and friendship .... love the skin that you're in! "

Gorgeous painting by: Watercolours by Rachel

Everyone Needs Sunscreen

GAH.  I know it's been way too long since I've posted here, though I think there are so few people who follow this blog, maybe it doesn't matter.  Anyway, I'm gonna try to be here more regularly.  Especially since most of the stuff I like to talk about  here is not of interest to most/any of the followers of my other blog.

Anyway, today's topic is sunscreen.  And I don't care who you are, you should be wearing it - ALL YEAR ROUND.  Not necessarily on your entire body, unless you live somewhere where you are wearing what I think of as summer clothes all year round.  But at a minimum, you should always wear sunscreen on your face.  Which can be tricky, because I know that a lot of people think of all sunscreens as greasy, smelly, liquid-y stuff that stays white on your skin. 

So let me tell you about my favorite face sunscreens.  These are my go-tos, particularly because they also happen to be cruelty-free.  Both are pricey from the standpoint of those you can get at a drugstore, but they are actually excellently priced per use, making them worth it.  I wear sunscreen every single day, and both of these can last me 4-6 months per container.

First up:  Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen SPF40

This stuff is great!  When you first squeeze some out of the tube, you might think, "Uh oh, this feels greasy," but trust me that is not the case.  Once you smooth it onto your face, it truly disappears, not just from sight so to speak, but it makes your skin feel very smooth like you did nothing.  I have not been able to determine any scent, and from my experience, it stays on all day.  It even gets along with foundation, etc., that you may or may not wear.  It contains no oil, and according to the packaging, primes your face as well (I'm sure it does, that's just not something I'm too worried about).  

You can get Unseen Sunscreen from the Supergoop website, but also at Sephora, and stores like Nordstrom, and Madewell.  I know that at Sephora, you can return something if you don't like it/can't use it, so in that case you wouldn't be stuck if for whatever reason it's not to your liking.

My second recommendation is the Invisible Shield Daily Sunscreen SPF35 from Glossier:  

I first heard about this one from one of the people on a knitting podcast that I watch!  They were all talking about some of their favorite things, and one person recommended this.  This is more of a gel, and has just the slightest scent, which disappears almost immediately.  It spreads onto your skin and stays put without feeling like you just slopped stuff onto your face.  It also works well with makeup, if/when you wear that.  As far as I know, it's only available online from the Glossier site, but especially these days when none of us can go out shopping, that's a bonus!

Anyway, I hope this is helpful information for you.  I've spent years trying to find face sunscreens that I just really liked, and in both high end and low end pricing ranges, these two are the winners as far as I'm concerned.

As I said above, I really do want to try to be here more often, so hopefully I'll see you again soon.  In the meantime, I hope that you and yours are doing well and staying safe.  Take care.

When Fast Fashion Becomes Slow Fashion

In the past few years, there has been a lot of writing about fast fashion, and the problems behind it.  Things like sweatshop-like conditions of the workers, the fact that so much is discarded so easily by consumers who are no longer interested because it's no longer trendy, etc.

I will admit that if you looked in my closet (and please don't it's a mess right now), you'd see some fast fashion items there.  Like most people, I love a bargain, and I'm also a sucker for certain things, so when the combination hits, and I have funds, I'll buy it.  I will admit here that 99% of the time, I don't absolutely need it. 

Having said that, I did learn a while back that with things like clothing, shoes, coats, etc., the adage "you get what you pay for" is very often true.  Which is why, when I am able to do so, I will make an investment purchase (hopefully on sale, but not always), because I know the item will be a) something I will wear repeatedly, and b) something that is made well-enough to last more than one season/year/vacation/whatever. 

But truth be told, I also always wear just about whatever I own to death.  And in some cases, well beyond said death (hello, torn and frayed jeans that are just perfect for walking the dog at 5 a.m.). 

Recently, I've come across a video podcast, called What Kate Finds.  Kate is a young woman with young children who lives in Michigan, who apparently used to buy things all the time, like crazy.  I have not watched every single episode, so I am not completely sure what started her plan, but for the year 2019, she is doing a "5 buys" every month.  Basically she set down some rules/goals for herself and each month she allows herself to buy only 5 things (clothing, accessories, etc.).  She then does a review at the end of each month.  It's been interesting to watch, and also interesting to hear her say how it has changed her.  In that she has realized that she doesn't need to buy everything she likes just because she likes it, and also that it's important to realize where things come from, who makes them, etc.

In one episode, she said something that really resonated with me.  She had used one of her "5 buys" for a shirt from H&M.  She acknowledged that it was fast fashion.  But then she pointed out that a lot of things in her wardrobe that could be considered fast fashion turn out in fact to be slow fashion - in that she will keep it and wear it for longer than it is probably even intended to be worn.

Which made me think - no, it's not the exact same thing, but a lot of my fast fashion purchases have turned into slow fashion as well.  I have summer t-shirts that I've had for longer than five years, I have a few dresses that are easily 10+ years, and on and on.  I will admit that I probably didn't give much thought to how they were made, where they were made, where the materials originated, etc., but after listening to her podcast, I have to say that I feel a bit better about having them.  They may have been made and purchased NOT to last, but they have lasted for me longer than their intended lives.  I know - it's still fast fashion, but at least I haven't already tossed the stuff aside because why would I wear something I wore last year?

This is a topic that really interests me.  If it interests you as well, one of the people who writes in an understandable and approachable way about it frequently is Sophie Benson.

Financial necessity required me to buy things that were cheap for most of my life.  But I got used to taking care of things so that I could get every last bit of use/wear out of them. 

It's worth putting some things into perspective, or you can get into a vicious circle and even make yourself feel incredibly guilty.  I'm glad that Kate mentioned this in her podcast, or I'm not sure I would have ever gotten there myself.  Do what you can, and you'll be fine.  Each person needs to be responsible for themselves first.

The Planet and I

Have you gone green?  How do you feel about the Green New Deal?  Do you think climate change is real?  How do you get along with the planet?

I try on a regular basis to 'do the right thing' as they say.  I recycle (according to friends and family, I'm a 'recycling Nazi'), I signed us up to receive a compost bin which is picked up and emptied weekly, I try very hard to keep plants and trees alive, and not to waste food or water.  

I have a LONG way to go, though, before I can even get a "good" grade, and I have been trying to be more conscious of my behavior.  Having said that, I am a person who uses things until they either fall apart, or are otherwise no longer usable.  I've always been that way, mostly due to growing up in an atmosphere of uncertain finances.  We wore our clothes and shoes as long as they could last.  I think those habits are hard to break, but it's also hard to start new habits.

We have a lot of plastic food containers (mostly those Rubbermaid ones you buy in packages of 6 or so).  They are all near the end of their useful lives, and though it pains me to get rid of them, and add more plastic to the recycling bin, at least I can recycle them rather than just toss them.  Of course, then the question becomes how to replace them - buy the glass containers that are heavier, but will likely last longer?  Look for something better?  It's overwhelming a lot of the time, but I also know that I just need to do my research and make a decision and that will be the best decision for me.  And hopefully, it won't have an adverse effect on the planet in the long run.

I really enjoy looking to see what people post on Instagram, and I'm not sure how I found the account, but for the last couple of years, I've been following Sophie Benson.  She is a writer and fashion stylist who is incredibly eco-conscious and thoughtfully informed.  Through her and her Instagram posts, I've become so much more aware of how the fashion and beauty industries are some of the worst offenders to the environment.  She writes in a straightforward, easily understandable manner, and is able make it seem like a regular person is talking to you, not lecturing you.  Her article last year about purchasing and wearing/using second hand animal products (she is a vegan), and the follow-up, were very thought-provoking.  I really suggest following her on Instagram, even if you don't care about the fashion-y posts, as she links to the articles when she has written something.

Thanks to her, and just a better overall awareness, I feel a bit better informed about what products I buy to wear and to use.  I still have plenty to learn and new habits to turn into old ones, but I feel like it is all doable.

It has to be, right?