Friday Finds & Check-ins, Volume #555
Share your recent beauty purchases or rediscovered favorites in your stash (for those on low/no-buys!), chit chat about weekend plans, and learn a little more about each other!
Let's Chat!
Share your own answers in the comments!
- Recent Purchases/Rediscoveries: Patrick Ta Blush Duos & Lipsticks… a new studio light because mine decided to pop, crackle, sizzle, and smoke yesterday afternoon so no more photos/swatches until Monday, hopefully.
- Weekend plans: Stay inside, stay cool! Plan to write some reviews and maybe get ahead by a couple of days next week since it’s less than ideal to photograph with only one of my two studio lights!
- What’s your favorite plant (flower, tree, houseplant, succulent, whatever)?: I love peonies, though they’re so expensive to purchase (I have a hard time buying real flowers). I’m really into Hong Kong Orchid trees, which have more rounded, brighter green leaves and vivid, deeper pink blossoms. Of course, I also love monsteras!
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This week's doggo photo/video...
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Mellan is me on most days since being sheltered in place !!
Recent Purchases/Rediscoveries:
Briogeo scalp shampoo and hair custard, Danessa Myricks Colorfix in Desert Rose, Uoma Beauty Poise Eyeshadow palette, Beauty Bakerie Hydrating Concealer, 3 lippies in different finishes from Beauty Bakerie, Nars Savage blush, and Natasha Denona Bronze Eyeshadow palette.
Weekend plans: I have a virtual baby shower to attend, it will be good to “see” college friends and catching up on 90 Day Fiance’ (my guilty pleasure)
What’s your favorite plant (flower, tree, houseplant, succulent, whatever)?: I love mint and aloe because they are so useful in real life! Flower wise I love magnolias (Mississippi girl) and hydrangeas.
LeToya, your Mellan comment made me laugh!! That’s me, too!
Haha! 🙂
I really want to try Danessa Myricks so much. How is the Colorfix?
Hey Cameron,
I really like the product! I received the color Chestnut in a Beautylish Lucky Bag and fell in love. I use it on my cheeks, eyes, and lips for a quick look. I have only used the mattes, but I think the metallics would be pretty also. Next on my wishlist for next season.
My magnolia tree is always confused by Ohio springs and blooms right before a cold snap every. Dang. Year! Wish I could give it a proper bloom.
Also, I want to make mint extract for baking! 🙂
Aww about the magnolias, they are so beautiful in full bloom. Mint extract sounds like a great idea. I like to use the fresh mint for summer cocktails 🙂
Cute (doggie movie)!
As for hauls, an itty bitty one, my very first “physical” return to Sephora (or any beauty store) since the COVID-19 crisis: a sample size of the MILK Hydro Primer (will be first time trying this), Sephora Colorful Metal Effects eyeshadow n° 08 “Shock choc” (beautiful taupe, almost leaf-life metallic texture), and a new cleansing product (trial-sized) Youth to the People Kale+Green Tea, Spinach, Vitamins Superfood Cleanser. If anyone would like to share there thought on MILK or YTTP, I’m all eyes. 😉
Personally, the MILK Hydro Primer is my favorite! I have combination skin and I find it helps extend the longevity of my base makeup. I really hope it works for you, it’s the first primer I’ve tried in some time that makes me go “Oh, so primers DO work.”
The Hydro Primer is really, really good. It live up to the hype.
Recent Purchases: L’oreal Paris Age Perfect Radiant Serum Foundation and Physicians Formula Triple Defense Multicolor Stick in Soft Pink
Rediscoveries: Natasha Denona Mini Bronze and Glow palette. Trying my hardest to hit pan on that little baby!
Weekend plans: A mini photo session with my fam… its been a couple of years since we had professional photos taken together! Also a breakfast meetup with my BFF! I haven’t seen her since Christmas!
What’s your favorite plant (flower, tree, houseplant, succulent, whatever)?: I love lilacs and peonies.
Peonies are gorgeous!!
Recent purchase: Elta MD tinted sunscreen (the all zinc one). So far I’m really digging it. No white cast, goes on smooth, and leaves a glowy but not greasey finish.
Weekend plans: I have a teak table and chairs to refinish. Also, a few hours at our community pool. We have to sign up for block time to maintain social distancing but it’s better than nothing!
Favorite plant: Herbs! All of them. I got a late start on my herb garden but I planted oregano, dill, cilantro, thyme, basil (have to get parsley seeds; they were out) .
The docs/derms all recommend Elta as the best. Elias has a choice, when it comes to physical sunscreen; many brands have none or mixture chem/physical only.
Hi Mellan! I hope you get your replacement light soon Christine! Hard to work when you don’t have your equipment.
Recent Purchases/Rediscoveries: After reading your reviews the other day I ordered two MJ eyeliners Olive You and Pewter Please because they are LE I was having FOMO now I’m thinking of ordering the other two, these are really beautiful. I’m going to have to find some more storage for my ever growing eyeliner collection though. I also purchased Isle of Paradise Tanning drops in dark, my fake tan is looking so good this year, the drops are a little pricey but they don’t smell and I can build my tan up as fast and dark as I want to and I don’t need to go for a spray tan anymore, win-win.
Weekend plans: We’re supposed to get rain and thunderstorms all weekend and I’ve already been suffering the migraine ahead of the storms so I have no plans. Hubby is at the drugstore picking up my migraine meds right now, yesterday was brutal. I’ve ordered the probiotics that Kitty suggested that could help migraines and they have been shipped, so I sit and wait…
What’s your favorite plant (flower, tree, houseplant, succulent, whatever)?: Lilacs, my tree hasn’t bloomed yet, my neighbours has and when I open my family room window the smell fills the room and it is so beautiful I could just sit there all day smelling that beautiful smell!
The barometric pressure change wreaks havoc for my mom and her migraines. ?
Hi Pearl, Yes the barometric pressure rules my life. I told my husband we have to move to the bottom of the Dead Sea or the Grand Canyon, that is where there is the least variances in the barometric pressure. I live in Calgary Alberta and we have Chinooks that bring us beautiful warm weather but it’s a double edged sword as I get the migraine a day before the Chinook arrives, which allows me to warn my fellow migraineurs to take their meds.
Brenda, I get barometric migraines, too, so you have my deepest sympathies. I hope yours won’t be too bad, and that the storms pass quickly.
Hugs Rachel it’s not fun!
Mellan…so cute!
Recent Purchases: No makeup, just a Kindle book.
Rediscoveries: ABH Modern Renaissance palette. It was never my favorite, but I had fun experimenting with it this week and discovering how versatile it actually can be.
Weekend plans: Same old thing…weekly Zoom happy hour with friends, reading, watching TV, household chores, etc. I’m hoping to start exercising. The quarantine has really made me lazy and out-of-shape.
What’s your favorite plant (flower, tree, houseplant, succulent, whatever)? Wildflowers and oak trees (the older and crazier the branches, the better).
I actually ‘collect’ pictures of odd looking trees/branches from my hikes. ?
I bought some stuff from glossier for the first time. I mainly wanted to try the sunscreen and I ended up really liking it. I could see repurchasing it. It came in a set with Boy Brow so I tried that in clear. It works fine but I’m not sure I would repurchase. My eyebrows are really thick so if I want real hold the bar of soap method is probably best. Then I grabbed a cloud paint to try, but I’m glad I just got one (Dusk). I was intrigued by the supposed “ease” of it but it’s no easier than blending a powder blush, especially when I already have great brushes. So that was a bit of a fail. Also I was surprised the color was quite orange on me, more of a bronzer.
Recent Purchases/Rediscoveries: Lately I’ve been doing more subtle eyebrows using MAC eyeshadow in Espresso.
Weekend plans: I was thinking of going camping, but we have thunderstorms forecasted, so we might just go on a hike.
What’s your favorite plant (flower, tree, houseplant, succulent, whatever)?: I think my favorite are also peonies! I also love the sight of Japanese chrysanthemums in arrangements, the smell of gardenias, and the symbolism of the lotus 🙂
Recent Purchases/Rediscoveries: Nothing new makeup and skincare related.
Weekend plans: Nothing new, same old routine… I’m even going low on my hikes, most parks and natural preserves in my area are getting crowded and people are more and more reckless with social distancing. I forgot to schedule my care service…
What’s your favorite plant (flower, tree, houseplant, succulent, whatever)?: I love nature, it’s my temple and soul medicine, so I enjoy every tree and flower. I absolutely love the scent of freesias and lilies, I enjoy hiking amongst wildflowers and Sequoia trees. But I also love madrone and birch trees. I don’t like to receive flowers, I believe they should stay in fields and gardens, not vases and pots.
I would lose my mind if I could walk among the sequoias. Just live my best fairy tale life.
I actually lost my mind the first time I visited Yosemite. ? It was my winter fairy dream.
Living in the Bay Area does come with the perk of having redwoods within 1 hour drive, and Yosemite and Lake Tahoe within 3-5 hours drive.
I’m jealous! Somehow redwoods always look like movie sets in the pictures I see. My state parks are free, which is nice, but I’m a couple days’ drive from the famous western national parks and I’ve never been to any. I have a dream of painting plein air at some of those.
Mellan is me trying to decide whether to go to the pool or not! ?
Recent purchases/rediscoveries: No purchases. No rediscoveries either. My knee got badly jammed up last Thursday and I haven’t been out or worn makeup in an entire week.
Weekend plans: I’m literally dying to get out and about! Which may not be a very good idea at this time with AZ’s covid-19 resurgence. Still, though, the boredom is driving me batzilla! Anywho, I have my Zoom meeting tomorrow morning to look forward to at least.
What’s your favorite plant (flower, tree, houseplant, succulent, whatever)? I seriously miss the great big trees from back in NJ! Maple, oak, chestnut, etc. All of them! Oh, and Fuchsias in hanging baskets, overflowing in my Mom’s backyard. And my daughter Sabrina’s enormous Zinnias, too!
I’m sorry to hear about your knee! I hate it when I hurt myself somewhere as I feel like I’m missing out. But it’s best to listen to your body and take it slow while it heals.
Recent Purchases/Rediscoveries: Uoma Beauty Afro.Dis.Iac Cleopatra Ink Liquid Eyeliner
Weekend plans: An art lecture via Zoom about Leonardo’s Last Supper. I don’t think we are going to get to go on our planned trip to Italy so I am trying to make do. I may also visit the farmers market.
What’s your favorite plant (flower, tree, houseplant, succulent, whatever)?: I love peonies too but they have been in short supply at the farmer’s market this year. I also love hydrangeas.
Europe does plan to open for travelers to jump start tourism in July/August, but if US cases keep up, they’ll deny travel (along other countries). The news made me sad… at this rate I’ll be lucky to get to visit my family early next year at most. I was actually. planning to visit them this July, but that fell off. Hope you’ll get your Italian art vacation soon, the European museums are awesome, that’s. the part I miss the most except my family.
Mellan, I can’t tell you how many times I have gotten up to go to the bathroom and then decided I didn’t need to go right now or got distracted and didn’t go then have to run to make it !!
Haul: After responding to a question last week and being reminded of one of my favorite lipsticks, “Perfume of His Gaze” I decided to go and buy a back up and found they aren’t making that formula anymore. So, I started on an internet hunt looking for it in stock somewhere but couldn’t find it anywhere. I did find one of the other shades that I have in that formula and decided to pick that up as it was on sale. So, I picked up, “Jasmine Weighted Air.” These are sheer lipstick/gloss type product and I love the formula. I also just love the names they used for each of these lipsticks. Something about putting on a wonderful product with a truly memorable name. I also purchased PMGL Eye-Dol in Rose Venus but it turns out to be a lot warmer than I expected so I am giving that to my daughter. Nothing else.
Weekend plans: I am headed to Kalispell again. My daughter has made the decision to leave her job there and move home for the winter. She is going to stay until the end of summer but we are getting a head start on moving things. She has struggled in the job not because she doesn’t like the work but because of significant interpersonal issues that have only intensified by the closing for COVID. Ultimately, she never planned on staying in Kalispell for any length of time as she really wants to be in the Seattle area and would like to get a job in the area she has her degree in, which is Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies. So, she and two friends are planning on moving there in the spring. Actually, one is going in October and will get an apartment for them and then my daughter and the other young lade will go in the spring. My daughter wants to be here with me through the winter to help me out. While in Kalispell, we are going to finish out the last two season’s of Outlander. Only the first 3 season’s are on Netflix but she can get the other two season’s on some other streaming service she has so we will likely not even leave her apartment for the two days!
Favorite plants: I am a huge flower lover. If you could see my house you would see flowers everywhere and between floral upholstery, porcelain plates, Limoge, and other decorative touches, there is virtually a million flowers in my house. Side note: My daughter doesn’t really like flowers and is into more minimalist decor. I am working on changing that. Anyway, it would be virtually impossible for me to pick just one but for the sake of actually answering the question, I will say roses and peonies. I am kind of that shabby chic person and those two flowers occur frequently in that decor style.
Your daughter’s plan sounds great. It sounds trite, but it’s so nice to see people self-actualizing.
Good luck with your daughter’s move. That’s great she’s pursuing her dreams.
Recent purchases:
Beautylish (used my $60 credit): Natasha Denona Bronze Eyeshadow Palette
Nordstrom (20% off): 3 MAC Haute & Naughty Waterproof Mascara, 140 full fan face brush
Rediscoveries: MAC Viva Glam VI lipstick
Weekend plans: Another dream weekend – catching up on shows, going for a walk, winery visit or cook out with friends. We might go looking for some pots to put our patio ficus’ in, but other than that just enjoying a relaxing weekend at home. Our town is confused with 1/2 of the businesses open, 1/2 of them closing down again, and it feels like we’re finding out by the hour. But I see families out with their kids walking or playing in the yards. I love that. l love summer, sheltering in place or not. And I love my relaxing, agenda-free weekends.
Favorite plants: Weeping Willow, Oak (older the better), Magnolia trees and succulents or pothos plants. Typically I have a black thumb but I can keep succulents and pothos alive. I know they could thrive neglected in a blizzard but it’s been gratifying, all the same.
Our city (Melbourne, Aus), is like your town too. Half the businesses are closed, half open and lots of restrictions. It must be a nightmare for them. We have experienced a resurgence of the virus now that restrictions have eased, so we are back into partial lockdown. I think people were getting too complacent.
Our school holidays are on and at least the parks and playgrounds are open for the kids to play on – which is much better than the last holidays they experienced.
I hope you enjoy your new ND Bronze palette Pearl.
Thank you, Genevieve!
Buys/Rediscoveries: just enjoying what I have!
Weekend plans: more baking, more painting, more catching up virtually, more long walks. Pestering the cat.
Favorite plants: Weeping willows and snapdragons, the brighter the better. Lavender and rose for flavor purposes. And I loved picking up buckeye nuts when I was little.
Recent Purchases/Rediscoveries: I bought some perfume oils from Kuumba Made because I love cheap thrills, and the 2 out of 3 that I have tested so far have been very nice. They’re simple, but right now I am digging straightforward scents. Perfume is the thing right now that’s helping me differentiate between the days.
Weekend plans: Continue on my crochet projects, keep looking for a job, take our dog to my mom’s house so she can play with my nephew’s GSD puppy Zelda.
What’s your favorite plant (flower, tree, houseplant, succulent, whatever)?: Peonies! I love the scent and the texture of the blossoms, and I have been obsessed with them since I was a kid. I also love everything about roses, and our house is going to be rose-themed. At our house in California, we had a Princess Plant with these rich purple blooms, and I love that one to grow in the yard a lot.
Recent Purchases: A couple old orders finally came in.
*Sephora (15% off reward code) — ABH Norvina Pro Palette Vol. 4, Milk Hydro Primer, and Milk Watermelon Brightening Serum Stick. Unfortunately, since ordering, I’ve learned of worrisome behavior toward POC in both companies, so this will be my last time buying from both unless they change their ways.
*VE Cosmetics — Eyeshadow Palettes: Frankly a Rainbow, Santa Carla, It’s Only Magic, Witchcraft (The Book of Power), Eclectic Witch, and I Put a Spell on You. Also, Unicorn Dream Highlighter in Marceline, which arrived crushed to a powder, so I’ll be repressing that.
Weekend plans: My sons’ friend is coming over for the first time since lockdown started, now that things are lifting. He has asthma, and we were all very diligent about socially distancing, so we should be safe. Otherwise, the same old same old. The weather here has been beautiful the last few days, so maybe hubby and I can grab some take out and eat in the park or something. I need to get out of the house before I seriously lose it! lol
My son’s snake is doing great, and starting to heal nicely. He finished his pain injections Wednesday, and is getting antibiotic shots for another week, plus using his antibiotic silver nitrate cream till he’s fully healed. He’s getting ready to shed. I’m waiting for the vet to call me back about when to bring him in for a checkup and when to get stitches removed.
Spike the cat seems to be over his UTI and ear fungus infection, and he’s using the litter box again. We had to change to a softer type of litter, but he’s doing well. He’s getting old, and we think the old granulated litter was hurting his paw pads. He’s also cross-eyed and may have worsening vision at his age, so we got him a lower, much bigger litter box.
What’s your favorite plant (flower, tree, houseplant, succulent, whatever)?: Roses, lilacs, daffodils, and tulips. I adore Rembrandt tulips, and miss having them, but my back is too bad to do gardening.
It’s good to hear about the snake’s recovery! I hope he keeps healing up well and has a good shed. 😀
Ah, the struggles of an aging cat. Best wishes to Spike, too!
Thank you so much, Dandy! You’re very sweet. The vet gave us some advice for ensuring the snake has an easier shed, and he goes in for a checkup on Monday. Poor Spike tends to have a lot of the issues seen in cats in the Siamese family, but he’s the sweetest thing in the world. If Winnie-the-Pooh were a cat, he’d be Spike.
Recent Buys: I took advantage of the MAC 40% off to finally get some cheek products from my wishlist–I’m still feeling a little ambivalent about this purchase: it’s not like I can show off my cheeks and I predict we’ll all be masking well into next year. I hauled a pan of Harmony, and Extra Dimension Blushes in Fairly Precious, Into the Pink, and In a Pinch.
Weekend Plans: My brother mentioned a 20 day meditation challenge I’m thinking about starting. I’m also looking forward to walks in the forest,
What’s your favorite plant (flower, tree, houseplant, succulent, whatever)?: I really longed for evergreens when living in California’s Central Valley bc I grew next to a forest (and it’s partially why I moved back). As far as landscaping plants, I’m quite partial to Japanese maples and I really miss the big sakura trees we had back at our old house before we moved away. Quite a breathtaking sight to be surrounded by the blooms after a long winter. We decided to forgo planting those again bc we were allergic to pollen and it was some maintenance cleaning up the fallen blooms.
Mellon is so, so cute!
Recent Purchases – Nada!
Rediscoveries – A few lipsticks that I have been using this week – Milani’s Cinnamon Spice and Tuscan Toast.
Weekend Plans: On Monday it is my youngest son’s birthday (the father of my grandchildren), so we are able to have a BBQ dinner for him either on Sunday night or Monday night as restrictions are back in place for family gatherings (no more than 5 people visiting), so I will be preparing for that this weekend. Otherwise, it will be the same as usual lately. This darn virus doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon…..
Favourite plant: As flowers go, I do like roses (though not with the thorns!) and I am very partial to Japanese maples and Jacarandas.
Happy birthday to your son! A BBQ sounds lovely.
Purchases/rediscoveries: nothing new purchased (I’m going to try to get to the Body Shop within the next few days but I have a friend coming to stay so may have to wait til after she’s gone); rediscoveries – after the talk about makeup brands we miss, I’ve pulled out the Tarina Tarantino Emerald Pretty palette and I’ve used it for the last 2 days. But the BIG NEWS – I had a haircut today (and colour) for the first time since March. I feel like a new woman! The back of my hair, especially, looks so fantastic.
Weekend plans: friend coming to say so I need to bake a blueberry buckle in the morning and we’ll be bbqing for dinner; we may go to the mall tomorrow since rain is in the forecast and I do have things I need to get at the mall; brunch on the patio at the golf course on Sunday, which I’m really looking forward to. I hope the “eatery” is able to bounce back from this.
Flowers: peonies and lily of the valley are probably my favourites and I like some of the older, more fragrant varieties of roses (we had a Brother Cadfael rose from David Austen but it died a few years ago; I’d love to get another). I also love delphiniums and some day lilies. I have some trilliums in my garden (3 little measly ones) but they’re not the glorious white ones that are my provincial flower; they’re the somewhat disappointing red one but at least they’re trilliums….
Recent Purchases/Rediscoveries: I’ll be going back to work in early July, so I finally pulled the trigger on my planned Sephora order: Clinique Fireberry PopSplash gloss and Marc Jacobs Rio and Cherry Moon Enamored glosses (I still wear lip products every day, even though liquid lipsticks are the only ones that are mask-compatible). Also, yesterday I got a haircut finally! It’s a choppy mid-neck bob with a chin-length from piece on each side.
Weekend plans: Lots of TV and some household tasks. We would do a grocery order this weekend, but it’s going to rain for several days, including the whole weekend, so we’ll probably wait on that until the rain stops unless we get into dire straits.
What’s your favorite plant (flower, tree, houseplant, succulent, whatever)?: Fake ones, because I have a black thumb and fake plants are the ones I can’t kill! Plastic IKEA plants (they look realistic enough that they fooled an aunt of mine who used to work in a greenhouse), silk flowers, those wooden roses you buy for $1 each at Walgreens-basically any type of fake plants. I do, however, have one real plant-my grandma got me a tulip when I was a kid, and I’ve miraculously managed not to kill it. The blooms are purple with blue in the center.
Finds/Rediscoveries: No purchases this week. Have been enjoying putting my new Wayne Goss brushes to work. I’m beyond pleased with how different these brushes are from what I have and how products applied with them meld together on the skin. The star of the three is the medium brush with its unique shape and ability (for a squirrel hair brush) to pick up and lay down a good amount of pigment on a single pass. I’d get a second if the brushes were sold separately.
Weekend Plans: Went to a small farmers’ market for the first time this year. It was well run with vendors and customers respecting physical distancing and wearing masks. Stopped by a specialty store for fruit and pasta on my way home. Dropped by a friend’s house for a quick garden tour and check-in. We had an increase in cases this past week (small relatively speaking but concerning for the area); at least one third of cases came from young people going to certain bars where physical distancing wasn’t being enforced. A City/County public health order was amended, reducing the number of people inside a bar/restaurant to 10, requiring all customers to be seated and only with members of their household. I appreciate that action being taken as the pandemic has been managed reasonably well locally. Though restaurants can now open to 50% capacity, many haven’t, focusing instead on outdoor seating and/or takeout. My husband and I stay at home as much as possible and group activities together within a small group of known entities when we are out. We appreciate that restaurants offer curbside pickup, takeout, and delivery options.
Favourite plant, etc.: I love marigolds, bleeding heart shrubs, fuschia plants, rose bushes, and Japanese maples.
Panning like a boss lately, finally hit pan on 2 shadows. Recent discoveries are my singles from ColouredRaine when the vivid pigments were singles. I have also been loving my JOYA palette from Natasha Denona. My weekend plans were getting housework done and that was accomplished. no plants because my apartment has little to no light.