Free for Haul Friday, Volume #467
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!
- Haul/Rediscoveries: Fenty Beauty Chill Owt Collection!
- Weekend plans: Hoping to make a decent dent in some of the lip kits I have on deck to review!
- Were there any books you read as a teenager that left a lasting impression on you?: I used to read like books were water and I was going on a two-week trek through the desert when I was younger (probably sub-16), but I hardly remember most of them, sadly. In high school, I read Rain of Gold, (by Victor Villasenor), which tells the stories of two families beginning during the Mexican Revolution and continuing as they come to the US and how the two families histories become intertwined. There were a lot of layers, and a lot of ground covered (family, love, religion, immigration, war, racism, and so on) throughout the book, but through it all, the importance of family remains a central theme.
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This week's doggo photo/video...
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I ordered two of the Marc Jacobs Seequin shadows but Sephora shipped them via Lasership and they got lost or stolen. Was going to reorder them straight from MJ but they were sold out. Oh well! This is the second time having problems with Lasership too. The first time I eventually got the items but I think I’ll quit Sephora for a while.
I hate when my orders get shipped through Lasership. So unreliable!
OMG, hate as well. 3 weeks from the local hub, which is under an hour from my house. I could have walked there and back with the package more quickly. I kind of feel bad for the guys though. Not much English spoken, so they don’t ask for help, and my ‘hood is a bit confusing. Laser ship is not the only one. I have found 5 UPS, Fedex, and USPS packages at an certain uninhabited house and delivered them correctly. Only the regular USPS fellow does it correctly.
Haul: UD optical blurring primer, soap & glory travel size righteous body butter, fizz & bubble sugar tart lip scrub, rebels refinery anti-wrinkle moisturizer for husband, j.cat beauty silicone brush cleaning mat – all from the ulta 20% off.
Weekend plans: An out of town friend is visiting. We’re going to a food truck festival tonight and a zombie pub crawl tomorrow.
Were there any books you read as a teenager that left a lasting impression on you? Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. The Last Unicorn by Peter S Beagle.
Haul/rediscoveries: I’ve been trying out some different, smaller eyeshadow brushes and they totally changed the game with my application. I’m finally confident with trying out eyeshadows when for the longest time I was baffled by the application.
Weekend plans: Just purchased Angry Boys and Ja’mie: Private School Girl thru Xbox marketplace so will probably binge watch those several times while starting on a new 1000 piece puzzle.
A book that left a lasting impression on me as a teenager was Looking for Alaska by John Green. It has been several years since I last read it, but I want to find it at the book store and read it again.
It would be so cool if you would share the specific brushes you have been trying.
A puzzle? I am jealous! I was f doing puzzles regularly until my daughter brought home kitties. They are 7 years old now but still live with me and think it’s great fun to jump on my puzzles and ski them right off the puzzle table! We will do family puzzles at Thanksgiving and Christmas, as my crew of adult puzzle nerds can put down a 1000
piece puzzle in one day.
Adult puzzle nerds! I married into a family of them.
Whenever we’re all at the beach house, my mother in law, brother in law and my husband all do a really huge, difficult puzzle together and it turns into this incredibly weird mix of excruciating politeness and vicious competitiveness that is just fascinating to watch. I usually just supply them with alcoholic beverages and watch from the couch so I can muffle my laughter in the cushions 😉
Pencil dog…LOL!!!
Haul: Chanel No. 5 Rouge Allure Velvet Lipstick. I already have several reds, but I just couldn’t resist this one. The shade is gorgeous, the formula is near perfection, and the red packaging is luxurious. It arrived in a surprisingly big Chanel box that also contained two perfume samples in a pretty little black drawstring bag with the Chanel logo on it. I ordered it directly through Chanel and they didn’t charge for shipping…and it arrived in just two days, even though it was shipped from several states away!
Weekend plans: Same old thing. Family, chores, relaxing.
P.S. I’m not laughing at Mellan, I’m laughing at the phrase “pencil dog.” Just thought I’d clarify. I would never laugh at Mellan…or any other dog, for that matter!
Chanel always does red right! Did they send samples of the new fragrances? (Biarritz, Deauville, or Venice?) I love all three irrationally and would be thrilled to be gifted a bottle or three?
I got Deauville and No. 5 L’Eau. I’m not a fan of aldehydes, so I’m giving the No. 5 to a friend. Jury is still out on Deauville.
I love Deauville. I was wearing it yesterday and will wear it again today.
Haul: ABH Sultry, Kat von D Fetish eyeshadow palette, NYX Can’t Stop Won’t Stop foundation in Pale & Fair, 3 of the WnW Fire & Ice eyeshadow quads (the “icy” purple one was OOS), and 4 large Z-palettes (ULTA had a BOGOFree, but I don’t think I’d purchase one at regular price…), 2 NYX micro brow pencils in Black, and L.A. ProMatte foundation in Being.
Plans: Reorganizing my daughter’s closet, and removing anything she may have outgrown… It’s supposed to be really hot again this weekend, so we’ll likely stay in.
Books: I read alot when I was younger, but the books I still hold dear are the S.E. Hinton books. They weren’t necessarily the most intellectually stimulating, or held much deep “meaning”, but they really do represent a piece of my generation. I’ve probably read “The Outsiders” well over 100 times, LOL!
I missed the “teenager” part… When I reached my teen years, I tended to read more plays than actual novels. This was when my obsession with Tennessee Williams began, and I realized I was not a fan of Shakespeare.
My mom brought home a book called, “Disturb Not the Dream”, and while I can’t recall the author, it was a book I refused to put down until I finished it…
I’m a big fan of The Outsiders book, too!
○ Haul/Rediscoveries:
• As stated last week, I picked up the other Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess Illuminating Powder Gelée in MIRAGE.
• I passed on purchasing the MAC Shiny Pretty Things EMSF in Snowflushed, and grabbed the Estée Edit by Estée Lauder Flash Illuminator Powder in 01 HEAT instead.
○ Weekend plans:
? Maybe some light Fall cleaning. Plus, I have to finally drag my heavy air conditioner out of the window. It was 32°F this morning, and the AC was letting all that frosty air in. ?
○ Were there any books you read as a teenager that left a lasting impression on you?:
? It was the summer before I’d officially become a high school freshman. I was 15-years-old. The book I read was part of the required summer reading for many freshman who would attend that specific school — we could choose 3 out of 6 assigned books. The book: ‘A Tree Grows in Brooklyn’ by Betty Smith. Unfortunately, my memories fail me when trying to conjure up major details of the book’s story, but I do remember that it was regarding a young girl, in the 1940s, who’d strived to overcome her impoverished upbringing, to later find success. I had felt enamored with the heroine — I think her name was, Mary — and could see myself in her (despite our upbringing being quite different). I still have the book on my shelf; the only one I’d saved from my required reading days in high school. I should dust it off and give it another go. It’ll probably feel like reading it for the first time all over again. Another fun reason why I’d liked the book was because, when I was a child, I’d seen a Bugs Bunny cartoon where he’d used the book to stave off a pack of dogs. I’d always thought the book was fake (a cartoon ruse), but to my wonderful surprise, it had actually existed. ?
Yes! Thank you for reminding me of what one of the titles were for the books I was referring to below, Mo! All I could remember was “Brooklyn”, but try as I might, I couldn’t think of its full title. Another one was about a girl who cuts off all her hair down to just 1″ and basically does her own thing because she doesn’t feel like anyone cares anyway. Another is of a girl who I *think* was a runaway who goes to Chicago, gets a job, but has to keep her age a secret and goes through stuff. Also, one about a young Mexican teen who winds up in a wealthier city where she finds very few people she can relate to. But, I cannot remember the titles of any of these anymore.
You’re very welcome, Nancy. ? It feels good to find someone else who has read “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn”.
Unfortunately, I don’t recognize the other books you described, but for some reason, the story regarding the girl who cut off her hair sounds familiar to me. I can’t think of a title, though. Sorry.
Are you kidding? A Tree Grows Brooklyn is a total classic!
Yeah, well back then, as a young immigrant to the United States, I didn’t know “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” was an American classic. But now I definitely know. ?
Haul/Rediscoveries: Rediscovered OCC Artifact Lip Tar and Anastasia Subculture. I did a metallic eye with Adorn (metallic copper), Fudge (matte med-deep warm brown), and Dawn (pale peach-beige), and I really loved it. I have had a lot of misses doing looks with Subculture, not because of the fall out, even though it’s ridiculous, but because I keep doing glam looks that really don’t suit me with it. I think it’s something about Anastasia’s super instagramey aesthetic giving me preconceptions about what kind of look to do. But I did a more grungey, not crease focused look yesterday and I loved it! Dawn fell out so much I had to redo my cheek makeup, but it did make a great transition shade.
Weekend plans: Finish up my Environmental Science homework and watch the Keanu Reeves movie Speed. My partner, a friend, and I have been doing a Keanu retrospective the last few weeks. It’s been a good time, really interesting to see his career develop.
Were there any books you read as a teenager that left a lasting impression on you?: Honestly I thought Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings would have a more lasting impression than they actually did. I still favor fantasy aesthetics over scifi and have kind of a basic fantasy literacy that translates to stuff like D&D, but I definitely thought those books were having a more profound effect on me than they did. I thought I’d be one of those people who does annual re-readings but I haven’t even seen the new movies.
I might have read Reza Aslan’s book No god but God in my teens, or I might have been 20, and it was a big game changer for me in terms of worldview and spirituality.
I still think about Kurt Vonnegut’s work a lot, even though I no longer think he was the single greatest writer of the modern era. Cats Cradle, especially.
Claudia Roden’s The New Book of Middle Eastern Food and Donna Klein’s Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen basically taught me how to cook and began a lifelong love of cookbooks. I still think The New Book of Middle Eastern Food is one of the best cookbooks ever and would definitely be the single cookbook I’d keep if I could only have one.
Oh, you gotta get Roden’s Arabesque. The pix alone are worth the price of admission. The eggplant with pomegranate and garlic is my all time fall fave, and the Faisanjan is TDF. I have a small paperback by her, too; the one that I remember is a beef meatball spiced with cinnamon and lemon sauce. Very unusual for a hamburger recipe, and quite delicious. OMG, does Roden have good (and easy) recipes. Unlike Julia, who just makes a mess of your kitchen!
I picked up Arabesque for the Turkish recipes, but never made anything from it when it didn’t have the couple things I was hoping for, specifically iskender kebab and lahmacun. This is a great reminder to revisit it. I’ll be sure to try the faisanjan. Thank you for the recommendation!
So, looked for the new book, only to find that it is an update of the 1972 classic that I have in pb. Lol. Guess it would be an extravagance. I have the same problem with m/u! But then I get the update. Oh, well. It’s kind of scary that I have been making middle eastern recipes for 45 years. Things like that make you realize you really ARE old.
I think it’s such a testament to Claudia Roden’s skill as a writer that her books were groundbreaking decades ago and the recipes still hold up! I mean, how many cookbooks from the 70s(!!!!) hold the test of time? I got a crockpot cookbook from the 70s at a second hand store recently just for the fun of it, and my mom correctly predicted it would be full of inauthentic ethnic recipes and ketchup. It’s definitely an interesting time capsule but not at all useful for culinary value lol.
But Claudia’s recipes are DELICIOUS and are amazingly accessible while still maintaining authenticity and historical value! I was actually a little sad about people not knowing her contributions when everybody was going crazy for Ottolenghi a few years ago because she’s such a clear predecessor and he specifically credits her as an influence. And I think she does an outstanding job that few other authors even approach today of acknowledging the specific ethnic origins of various dishes (whether it was a specific Jewish population, a Coptic Christian one, Palestinian, etc) without diminishing the multitude of cultures that come to call them their own over time and history. She doesn’t erase the roots of cuisine, nor does she assume that culinary heritage is static.
I know that was a crazy tangent, I just love her. 🙂
I might get the Israeli one, instead. And you nailed it! She has an erudition that few can approach. I got some Brazilian eggplants at day job today. Why not a Roden recipe? Apparently, you don’t have to salt the Brazilians to get the bitterness out. They are sweeter. Small, in red, orange, and yellow variegated.
Haul: I couldn’t resist Pat McGrath’s Mothership Opulence Totale package with the 10% off yesterday, so I placed my order. I was thinking I’d probably want two of the palettes and I’d get them at Sephora but when I realized two palettes at Sephora would cost MORE than all three at Pat McGrath, I went ahead and purchased. I will not open them until I see some reviews. If they are anything like Pat’s previous releases, they will be good.
Weekend: My husband has been accepted for an insurance adjuster position at his company and it looks like he’ll be taking the job mid-November. It’s a significant pay cut plus loss of company car, but we both know my husband needs this change. For me, I will have to prioritize my purchases and stick with products that perform well & meet a need or want in my collection.
Books from childhood: I will have to address this later. I am getting ready to meet with my boss for my annual performance evaluation.
I’m glad your husband was able to get another position with his company. I hope it works out for him and he is happier. Good luck with the performance review!
Thank you, Rachel. It is hard at the moment to believe my husband’s step down from management will be an improvement in our lives. My husband was in tears throughout the day yesterday as the news was delivered to colleagues and employees, who then reached out to tell my husband of their respect for him. This is not entirely voluntary, which makes it more emotionally difficult. My husband was given the “option” of stepping down voluntarily now, or likely being removed from his position in January. My husband’s previous team of adjusters were excellent and they had some of the best service scores in the entire company year after year. Then my husband got a new boss, who had fired every employee who worked for this boss in Chicago, and then promptly fired or drove off every one of my husband’s adjusters (several of these guys had been with the company over 20 years). This boss is gone now (he had 52 HR complaints filed against him), but it was too late. My husband was given a new team of six employees, most of whom were fresh out of college and had never held a real job. The company’s standard for all adjusters is excellent, anything less will get a person fired. My husband’s new adjusters were doing well (getting good scores on their surveys) but good is not acceptable. Some of these young men, who are great employees and would make good adjusters after a few years in the field, will be fired this year. And in the same way that adjusters are not allowed to have anything less than excellent customer service scores, the managers of adjusters are also not allowed to have employees who are getting good customer service scores. They gave my husband one year to take six new adjusters and make them excellent. As a team, they are 0.5 points away from reaching this goal. Apparently 30 years of service, and 20 years of excellence as a manager is not enough; it only takes one difficult year to take a manager down.
When we get done grieving, I’m sure we will be okay.
Wow, Tammy, the work environment that you’re describing sounds oppressive. It is not practical to take a team of novice adjusters and make them “excellent” in one year. Excellence first requires competency – that consistent and capable delivery of the core requirements of the job. Then mastery. There’s a saying that people don’t leave their company, they leave their boss. These kinds of changes can really disrupt an environment and good people often leave despite their long tenure. I hope this change gives your husband some breathing room and a chance to assess the environment and determine what might be next. Sometimes it’s better to get out with your good reputation in hand. I’ve also seen people put their head down and do the work, knowing this type of leadership comes and goes, though difficult on those very capable and exceptional employees whose experience is (hopefully temporarily) vastly undervalued.
Tracey, The work environment has been oppressive since the 2008 economic crisis. This is the one aspect of this situation that keeps me from dissolving into total fury. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise, though the loss of income and the impact on retirement is really going to hurt.
Our last child leaves home in December. We were so looking forward to getting our home fixed and were hoping to pay extra on our mortgage. These things will not happen now, unless there’s something down the road I don’t know about.
And you know, I feel bad for feeling bad. A previous coworker died this week at the age of 50, leaving six children under the age of 18. Another coworker lost her sister, only 41 years of age, and this sister leaves behind an 11 year old daughter. My husband’s nephew divorced his wife earlier this year and they have three young boys at home. I have two clients who had their utilities turned off this week. Hard situations are bountiful and I need to remember my husband is alive, we’re still together, and we’ve got heat, water and electricity.
What a repressive work environment! I am all too familiar with this scenario. I worked in a primary school that achieved outstanding results and then a new principal came. She absolutely destroyed everything and everyone who came in her path. Needless to say the results plummeted, staff left or were forced to leave – we had 11 Vice Principals in 4 years……
That company needs a major shake up. Your husband has done an amazing job and the young staff need a nuturing and constructive environment in order to grow professionally.
I don’t doubt your husband was in tears at the announcement of the news. What an emotional time it has for him. I wish him the best.
Thank you for the support, Genevieve. We both appreciate it.
Wow, your husband got majorly screwed over. I find it amazing he took such new adjusters, and brought them up to the standard he did so quickly. (I have a little bit of experience working in insurance, so I know what he did was not easy.) I can’t believe they cut him no slack, considering the old boss was obviously on some kind of witch hunt.
I’m rooting for you guys. I hope this new position works out, or that he finds something else that will appreciate him and make him happy. (((((Hugs))))) and prayers going out.
You are assiduous and compassionate, with good executive functions. I know your review will be wonderful. Your husband will be happier. Things are good.
Thank you, kjh, my review went well. I am hopeful my husband will be happier.
Congratulations to your husband for getting the position he wanted. I am sure he will be so relieved and happy to move away from his current job.
Good luck with your performance review Tammy – I am sure it will be all good news.
Tammy so sorry to hear about what happened to your husband. I’ve had some bad bosses, and I’ve seen the massive amount of damage they can do to people’s lives, careers, self-esteem. I’m in insurance as well, and I know there’s a very steep learning curve, and it takes a long time to get someone new up to speed, even more to turn them into star performers. The company sounds terrible, for making such a stellar manager step down. If they keep treating people like that, it will come back to haunt them.
Haul/Rediscoveries: No haul – on an low-buy and trying to work through my collection. Though the Sephora sale next week may tempt me…
Weekend plans: Hopefully seeing A Star is Born! I’d also love to go for a nice autumn hike, but unfortunately the weather right now is crap where I live.
Were there any books you read as a teenager that left a lasting impression on you?: I’m with you on reading a crap ton of books but remembering very little! The few series that did leave an impressions were Harry Potter (which I actually took a course on in University – best class ever), and the Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants. Man, I love the sisterhood books an ungodly amount. They’re definitely dated in some ways, but boy oh boy do they suck me back in each time I pick them up.
Haul: Pat McGrath’s Mothership Opulence Totale package (eyeshadows). I thought it was a pretty good deal to buy them this way with the extra 10% off. I was going to wait for them to arrive at my Sephora but I’m a bit impatient. This will probably be my purchase for the holiday. I can’t see or justify spending anymore money on makeup for the rest of the year. Also purchased some new hair products from the Mane Choice for my curly hair.
Weekend plans: My church is having our annual pastor’s appreciation day Sunday. We always have a good time fellowshipping and enjoying some delicious food!
Were there any books you read as a teenager that left a lasting impression on you? To be honest I do not share the passion for book reading with my husband who always has his kindle in hand. However, the bible has always been a constant that I read and go to for inspiration/direction/guidance.
*Haul – MAC Liptensity Lip Pencils ( 50% off) Grey Galaxy, Enoki, Fresh Clay, Pressed Blooms -these seem nice, I like how they are self-sharpening, and there’s some hard-to-find shades in this bunch.
*Weekend -family birthday dinner and mom’s cooking it (yum!)
*Books –I was a bookworm, read lots of books including V.C. Andrews, Judy Blume, and trashy romance novels
Oh, yes, V.C. Andrews. lol “My Sweet Audrina” was so creepy back in in the day. “Flowers in the Attic” seemed so taboo. I had to hide that one from my mom.
Yes, I still shiver when I think about those V.C. Andrew books!
Poor Mellan! The dreaded fishbowl effect! ?
Haul: Even though I *thought* I had used my friend’s Sephora F&F code, I had not, it was a general code, so I still had hers. Once I found out, I ordered PMG Bronze Seduction Mothership Palette. Used it yesterday, and was blown away into the exosphere! Went to MAC after an appointment and came home with 3 items from Shiny Pretty Things. Snowflushed EDSF, Caketop Lipglass and Joy To eyeshadow. That eyeshadow is DIFFERENT from anything else I have in a glitter type formula! I’m going to try it over Sketch e/s just on the mid lid, because it morphs into different colors depending on what you put it over. That done, I need to be put on a short leash with my shopping add…. ?
Weekend plans: I’m too predictable. Hair, nails (I’ve gotten sooo lazy with them), listen in to meeting Sunday a.m. Possibly go to the park with the lake.
Books that you read as a teenager that left a lasting impression on you? Many! Saddest part, though? Even though I still remember each and every story, and the moral of the story; I’m having great difficulty remembering the actual titles of the books. Scary thing getting old is. Mostly books about young women from multiple backgrounds coming of age under very trying and difficult situations. Now, in my late teens, 2 books stand out as shaping how I feel about the colonization of the Americas: Lonesome Dove and Centennial. Especially as a person of half Native American ancestry, these hit home very hard.
Pat McGrath’s Mothership V is on my wish list. I debated getting it from Pat McGrath this month, but it’s sold out again 🙁
Hi Nancy, I bought Joy To as well, placed it over some rosy eyeshadow I had on and couldn’t believe how it morphed into this pinkish base wtih multi-coloured sparkles. I couldn’t stop looking at it. I also bought Make A Wish and now really curious to see what effect it has.
Isn’t cool how it does that, Tracey?!? I’m imagining Make A Wish over a deep teal matte….or even mustard-hued brown!
Haul: Glitter Injections loose glitters in Lavender Fields, Powder Princess, and Opal Diamonds.
Rediscoveries: MAC Finally Free lipstick. It’s been going very nicely with the UD Naked Cherry and CP It’s a Princess Thing palettes.
Weekend plans: Taking my sons to see the Venom movie. Otherwise, the usual chores and grocery shopping.
Were there any books you read as a teenager that left a lasting impression on you?: Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. I’ve always loved to read and write, and I just thought this book was sheer perfection in terms of characters, story, style, and passion. I still consider it one of my favorite books of all time.
Haul: Laneige Multi Cleanser, Buxom Mink Magnet eyeshadow, Dior Forever Perfect Foundation and Clinique’s Neutral Territory eyeshadow duo (is it EVER nice!). I also got Dior 02 Pink highlighter and ABH Sultry palette but those might have been LAST week. Rediscovery – Chanel Tisse d’automne eyeshadow quad and Dior Bonne Etoile 5-pan eyeshadow. Both of these are perfect for this time of year, now that the cooler weather has hit.
Weekend plans: the gym tomorrow. Again we planned to go to hot yoga tonight but we’re both too tired; it’s silly because it’s a very relaxing class but hubby and I both just want to sit back and relax.
Books I read as a teen that had a lasting impression: I honestly can’t think of any but if I do, I’ll come back and add the name(s)
I forgot the good “find” I made at Marshall’s – a tube of Crabtree and Evelyn La Source “therapy” hand cream but even more wonderful – the “motherlode” of Estee Edit Radiance Activator Treat+Prep+Glow. I already have 2 bottles of this lovely product and had to restrain myself from buying 3 more bottles….I got just one but I may go back and get another, as silly as that seems. The bottle is an airless pump so they should last a goodly long while, but even so….I need to try to be less acquisitive and less out of control!
Haul/Rediscoveries:
I got the Dose of Colors x iluvsarahii palette on sale – it wont come until next week but I can just about manage, hehe! And the good review from Christine definitely helped in making that decision – I do have to remember to use the affiliate links though, it’s only fair after all the help I’ve gotten here! On that note I discovered I have dupes for two of the more neutral shades in my vanity already in the MAC x Rihanna Her Cocoa palette, so obviously going to get that out more often 🙂
Weekend plans:
Fishing. The whitefish are out and about and there’s nothing like getting your own food from the land and the water, such an amazing gift.
Were there any books you read as a teenager that left a lasting impression on you?
Plenty! I used to read so much. I have since made working with texts my job as a translator but it’s not the same, obviously. I used to live Philip Pullman’s fantasy work and unsurprisingly Harry Potter was a big part of my teenage years – I went to school a long way from home and my aunt started buying me the books, first translated and later right after they out in English because I didnt want to wait! They were so many others as well, but I forget, my head is getting crowded…
I hope Mellon is feeling better Christine. He is such a gorgeous, loveable doggie.
Haul: I ordered some of ColourPop’s lipsticks from their website – Liquid Courage, Gallop and a couple of others.
Weekend Plans: Friday – shopping for some summer pants – now that I have lost weight my old summer pants are far to large, so I am happily shopping for some new ones.
Saturday – My twin sister is modelling a new range of clothes for Taking Shape and I am going out to see her. It’s on the other side of town, so it will take an hour or so to get there. Taking Shape offers a range of clothes for those sizes 14 – 26 and their clothes are colourful, practical and very modern.
Sunday – just chilling out.
Books: I am an avid reader and read many books all the time. I think a stand out book for me as a teenager was one that talked about life in post war Europe. I remember it because it showed how ordinary people cope with difficult situations and how they try to make the best of what they have.
Yes to both Liquid Courage and Gallop. You’d be great in Nars Mona, as well. CP did lips every bit as well as expected. Glad you have lost some weight and need new pants. IDK that I wear anything fitted enough that one would notice…it’s a toss up among men’s medium, and women’s large. Don’t think I’ve bought anything with a numbered size in ~8 years. No need for what my mum called ‘street clothes’ in my current jobs, so regular slacks/pants seem like dressing up! I tend to buy men’s, esp in polo shits, t-necks, sweats, etc. due to the body length. Women’s seldom even hit my hip, and there’s nothing worse than 70 y.o. plumber’s butt!
Haul: Two Faced Gingerbread Spice palette from Sephora. Love the shades, the fragrance not so much. Sigma E32 and E57 brushes from Nordstrom. Dermaflash 2.0 replacement cartridges and Nyx micellar water with the Ulta 20%.
Rediscoveries: Colorpop SS blush in Bardot is perfect with the Too Faced Gingerbread. I also am enjoying the Benefit Benetint. I am using up my Japanese drugstore foundation, Kate Secret Skinmaker Zero in shade 4. I forgot how well it covers without sinking into pores and lines and it does not need to be set. Absent a trip to Tokyo, I may order more because it is not so expensive even with exchang rates and shipping.
Weekend plans: My usual grocery shopping and I will try to get myself to water aerobics.
Books: If we define teenager as under 20, I would have to say Fellowship of the Ring and Albert Camus’ The Myth of Sysiphus. I don’t think anything I read in high school was particularly significant. I was more into film at that point.
Love you, Mellan!
A couple of Mac & Nars holiday sets, a bit of K Beauty, a Fenty liquid lip in “uncuffed”, and the Bobbi Brown infra-red palette.
Haul/rediscoveries: I got the S birthday gift today, and was unable to resist the Fenty Snow Nights trio. Fun! The ‘frost’ looks more like a melded metallic-y. glittery finish than what I call a frost. No whitish shine. There is one strange thing about it that might bother some. It’s styled like a flip top cigarette pack, with a mirror inside the flip top. Prescouted for the sale. Rediscoveries: Nyx mauve lips are great; they have been neglected., and I have a bunch of them. An old Sephora small round eye palette, called Not That Shy, that I used yesterday, is perfect with Fenty Fog Snog, and either the darker or lighter silver/gray HLs in the Lottie London Shimmer Squad holographic haul. If you like the sparkly taupes and grays, that is. W/e: SSDD/SSDW, and helping a friend get a new job. It was 35 this AM, so who knows how much outdoors with dogs or lawn care will get done? Just call me Freesia Rasov. Books as teenager: typical for folks my age: Catcher in the Rye and Lord of the Flies. And Mildred Pierce. Read that 3 times, and had a radically different reaction to the characters at various ages. (maybe at ~14, ~35, and 50+.) Not the Dickens they assigned every year from grade 7-12. Forget the best of times, those were just the worst of times.> (Remember the first line of A Tale of 2 Cities?)
Haul: I’ve bought heaps of Makeup Revolution palettes – most are pretty good, some of the eyeshadow shimmers need layering over primer to really work but they last incredibly well and are so cheap! For the price, there are some real gems in that line. The Pro Glow and Golden Sugar 2 palettes are my favourites so far, Velvet Rose is a bang on dupe for ABH Soft Glam colourwise, the Basic Mattes palette impressed me and I like the liquid highlighters pretty well. I bought another eos lip balm, and have sadly concluded they are balls of suck and I do not like them.
Weekend plans: It’s a long weekend for us! Brunch and chores on Saturday, Sunday is my husbands’ birthday so I’m making him a coffee cake and his favourite chicken casserole with mashed potatoes and green beans for dinner. Monday we are going out to visit a friend who is house sitting a mansion out by a lake and making pizzas for lunch, drinking gin in the sun and maybe dangling our feet in the pool.
Books loved as a teenager: I read so much as a teenager – everything from Wita Ihimaera to Poppy Z Brite to Ken Follet to Diana Gabaldon. It wasn’t so much individual books as those big ass semi-historical/family history series that I would mow through like they were grass. I remember reading Clan of the Cave Bear and loving it and then giving up on the next books because it just turned into them having sex all the time. I remember complaining about this to my mum, who laughed hysterically until she actually cried.
For teenage existentialism, Lost Souls was amazing and dealt with some very challenging themes in a very nuanced way… also, vampires before they were cool. I still have a copy of that tucked away somewhere.
Haul: I snagged two of the PMG holiday ones – Bronze and Dark Star. I kept going back and forth on them, but finally buckled.
Rediscovery: Subculture! My Sdaughter had two photo things this week, and asked me to do her makeup. She’s got such a lovely darker skin tone than me, so she can pull off a lot of looks I absolutely love but can’t. Even though we all have our SC stories, I really do love that color story, and enjoyed pulling it out for her.
Weekend: Gotta finish moving the rooms around. We built a MIL suite onto the house and now that my in-laws have moved out there, it’s time to rotate the kids into their “new” rooms and finish up the toddler room for L. What actually will get done will most likely be some deep-cleaning. =/
Book: I know that it’s sort of cliche, but I was like 15, when Perks of Being a Wallflower came out and that book totally affected me. It opened my eyes to a whole new world of misfits outside of my tiny little village. I didn’t feel so desperate or broken.
Haul/Rediscoveries :
Hauled ABH Sultry Palette, MAC Shiny Pretty Things Rose Palette and MAC Raver Girl Lipstick in Who Wants Kandi?
Rediscovered: Milani Most Used Mattes Eyeshadow Palette and MAC Pressed Pigment in Day Gleam. Love these products. So good!
Weekend Plans: Nothing special. Cleaning!
I read To Kill A Mockingbird, Slaughterhouse Five and various works of Shakespeare as a teen. Still love them and I have the pleasure of sharing my love of these writings with my teenage daughter:)
Haul/Rediscoveries: Not a specific product, but just using eyeliner in my waterline. I stopped doing it for the past year and I kind of missed the defined look. It smudges all along my lower lid by the end of the day, but oh well lol
Weekend plans: Hang out with friends and do some major deep cleaning at home
Were there any books you read as a teenager that left a lasting impression on you?: Harry Potter…though I guess that spanned more of my childhood than teenage years. Well regardless, I still love the books to this day. I love the world, the characters, the themes…ugh just everything about them.
Mellan is just too cute for words!
Haul: Sephora F&F Sale (20% off): Charlotte Tilbury Stars-In-You-Eyes Palette and Bar of Gold Highlighter Palette; Laneige Sleep Eye Mask; MAC Shiny Pretty Things Eyeshadow singles in Joy To and Make a Wish; Powder Kiss Lipstick in A Litte Tamed, MAC Lustre Lipstick in Capricious, and MAC Lip Pencil in Half Red.
Weekend: My mother-in-law is coming to visit in one week’s time and there’s a lot to clean up/organize/hide before she arrives. Our reprieve is going to the symphony.
Book read as a teenager that had a lasting impression: A number of books that I read as a teenager had alternate endings or were investigative by nature, whose lasting impression was to be curious and appreciate that situations are often more complex than they appear. Short horror story books read at sleepovers gave me nightmares, and their lasting impression was to never read horror story books again and to never wear a velvet ribbon around my neck. (I’m getting goosebumps just writing that last sentence.)
Haul/Rediscoveries: After basically buying zero makeup for months, I went a little nuts… I got a Belif moisturizer holiday set, a BeautyBlender/cleanser set, a set of three mini Bite Beauty Agave lip masks, Stila Micro Tip liquid liner, and a set of a full sized Urban Decay Perversion mascara and pencil liner, and then online I ordered NARS Hot Tryst and Pat McGrath palette in Dark Star that dropped yesterday! So, that’s a lot, but it comes after a while of buying nothing so I can afford it. Plus, the Belif, Bite, and Beautyblender stuff is all kind of in the realm of a refill on products I’m running low on.
I’m so excited to get the two palettes. Apparently my Pat McGrath one was delivered today at about noon, when I ordered it about noon on Thursday! I didn’t even get faster shipping, just regular free shipping. This is my first time ordering from her and I’m very impressed (bought on the PMG website, not Sephora).
Weekend plans: I’m visiting with friends from college this weekend! I’m having a great time, I haven’t seen them in months and we’re pretty close. We’re not doing anything exciting, just playing cards and watching TV, but it’s way more fun to just hang out.
Were there any books you read as a teenager that left a lasting impression on you?: Tons of books I read as a kid made a huge difference to me. I think out of all of them, A Wrinkle In Time and the other books in the Time Quintet really showed me a different way of thinking about the world, and showed me that my internal world and emotions as a young girl are real and powerful. I still reread them frequently as an adult.
What a great haul, Kat. I am hoping to pick up some Belif products during the Sephora sale next week. I am assuming you got the Bite Agave trio, another great set of product I can’t live without. I have five NARS Cheek palettes, and they are all exceptional. The Hot Tryst Palette has such beautiful packaging! I also ordered the PM Subliminal Dark Star on Thursday, it looks like the best of the three palettes.
Haul/Rediscoveries: Hauls: Rouge Bunny Rouge mascara in Red Nightfall, and lipsticks in Prey of Lust and Raw Silence; Wet-n-Wild Zombie Blush; NYX Away We Glow strobing cream in Bright Star, and Super Cliquey lipstick in Dangerous. Rediscoveries: Maybelline Color Tattoo in Painted Purple.
Weekend plans: friend’s birthday party, planting garlic (and hopefully some other yard work, but we’ll see how tired I get).
Were there any books you read as a teenager that left a lasting impression on you?: I was deeply into a swords & sorcery series by Michael Moorcock about a character (prince) who was basically a decent guy raised in a culture of cruelty, and who ultimately destroyed everything important to him in his quest to be true to his own values. I’ve re-read the series twice since then. It haunted me — the idea that someone could try so hard to do what seems right and end up in utter devastation because of it.