Free for Haul Friday, Volume #520
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: ColourPop x Ulta palettes, Dior Diorific holiday lipsticks, NABLA Skin Glazing Highlighters
- Weekend plans: Pushing through and writing more holiday reviews! It seems like I’ve been able to get a portion done on the weekends but then new stuff comes in during the week and puts me totally behind all over again.
- Do you have a favorite food/drink for autumn?: It used to be a PSL, but I’m not a fan of Starbucks’ coffee as much since switching over to making my own. Now, I’d say it’s actually steamed apple cider!
P.S. — Join us over in the official Temptalia chatroom on Discord! 🙂
This week's mellan photo/video...
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Haul: I think the only thing I bought this week was a jar of The Body Shop’s Hawaiian Kukui body cream (when I made my purchases there last week, the SA gave me several samples of this one and I was instantly hooked). With winter coming, and predictions that this is going to be an especially harsh one, I figure I need all the body creams I can get.
Weekend plans: it’s hubby’s birthday tomorrow so tonight, I’m finishing off making more mini pumpkin cheesecakes (his request). We’ve a friend coming to stay the weekend as well – she wants to take us both out for dinner tomorrow to celebrate both our birthdays (mine was 2 weeks ago). She and I will also be going to a favourite sewing/fabric store. I’ve also got a session with my trainer tomorrow morning.
Favourite autumn drink – Pumpkin Spice Latte at Second Cup (first choice) or Starbucks. I used to indulge in them once a week but now I limit myself to once or twice a season as I never eschew the whipped cream and that puts the calorie count waaay up there. I still feel a happy sensation when I first see the ads in store though – it’s like the official start to autumn! Food-wise, probably roasted sweet potato soup or those lovely, homey mashed potato casseroles (though that standard Thanksgiving dish has now been overtaken by Romanoff potatoes, which I’ll be making this weekend!)
Happy Birthday to your husband Mariella. How sweet of your friend to take you both out for a celebratory dinner.
This week I had a look at that Body Shop’s Kukui body cream and oh my, it was gorgeous.
I bought 3 of the minis – one for myself, one for my daughter in law and another for a girlfriend who is flying to Hawaii next week for her son’s wedding. It is so rich and moisturising, I think I will probably go back and get the bigger jar…. Thanks for the recommendation Mariella.
Have a lovely weekend.
I hope your husband had a great birthday. How nice of your friend to take you both out to dinner!
Haul/Rediscoveries: Pacifica Mineral SPF 50 Face Stick; Colour Pop Blush Stix – Under Pressure (love it!)
Weekend plans: Recuperate from a cold, do some work at the office, and get some serious studying in for a new bar exam for February 😉
Do you have a favorite food/drink for autumn?: My favorite fall flavors are chestnuts, shiso leaves, mushrooms (especially eringi/King Trumpet mushrooms) – they work well in a lot of recipes together, like over rice or in a hot pot.
I don’t think of mushrooms as seasonal, but boletus risotto with lots of thyme and topped with creamy goat cheese gives me fall vibes. 😀
Japan has distinct seasons and Japanese cuisine tends to emphasize ingredients at the height of their season. Some mushrooms like Eringii, Maitake, and Matsutake are seen as in their “peak” in the fall. I saw a guide once that said even certain fish (e.g. yellowtail) are associated with a season (winter), because they have more fat then, and are thus more “choice” if caught at that time! (Japanese food fanatic here)
Ooh risotto sounds delicious right now, with thyme, I need to try boletus!!
Very interesting facts about Japan, I love finding out this kind of stuff.
I’m from Europe, we have mushrooms all year round (some even in winter), especially the forest ones.
I hope you feel better soon Kira, you probably don’t feel like doing much this weekend with your cold. Take it easy…
I hope you feel better soon!
What kind of coffee maker do you have? I’m wanting to upgrade mine from run of the mill keurig. I’m ready for good coffee and less waste.
Here you go! It’s super expensive, so worth it for me but massive investment.
https://www.temptalia.com/coffee-swatches-my-latte-favorites/
Haul: MAC Light Star-Dipped Face Compact. I just couldn’t resist! (TBH, I didn’t try very hard.) And I used a $10 Macy’s reward that I got from buying leggings and boots last week.
Weekend Plans: Halloween party, visiting family, chores, catching up on The Walking Dead, and being lazy whenever possible.
Do you have a favorite food/drink for autumn? I always look forward to Thanksgiving side dishes (stuffing, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, etc.) and my MIL’s to-die-for homemade apple pie.
I’m not celebrating Thanksgiving, but roasted green bean casserole with cranberries and an almond Parmesan crust is a great combo I need to cook soon again! I’m using this `Free for haul Friday` to scope meals ideas it seems. 😆
I’m getting so hungry reading the replies here!
That green bean casserole, with cranberries and almond parmesan crust sounds very delish to me.
Haul/Rediscoveries: Hoo boy. So I caved and purchased Mel Thompson’s collaboration with Christian Audette. The nude lip she was wearing in the last few videos that she kept a secret was just so pretty, I couldn’t pass it up. And she’s just such a lovely person, I wanted to support her. Then I purchased a couple separate brushes (Wayne Goss Air Brush and the heart shaped brush by It Brushes for Ulta). I know the latter brush is getting poor reviews, but personally I love a flat-topped brush to apply foundation (my ride or die is the Sigma F80) so I will see how I like it.
Weekend plans: Not a lot. Maybe dinner tomorrow with my partner’s friend but mostly just housework.
Do you have a favorite food/drink for autumn? It’s basic, but I do love pumpkin anything. Pastries, drinks, you name it. Pumpkin and a little spice is just a warm, tasty combination for me. It’s a versatile little gourd.
Haul: CCO (75% off): Bobbi Brown Crushed Liquid Lip in Big Apple (stunning shade!), Bobbi Brown Lip Color in Burnt Red, MAC Extra Dimension Blush in Faux Sure!, and MAC Demi-Wipes.
Bobbi Brown (used $40 bonus certificate): Luxe Gems Eyeshadow Palette.
Macy’s: MAC Star-Dipped Face Compact in Light, Starstruck Lipstick, Spellbinder Eyeshadow in Swing On a Star and Stairs to the Stars, and Prep and Prime 24-Hour Extend Eye Base. Not sure I’ll keep both Spellbinders but will play with one and see.
Weekend Plans: My mother-in-law has been visiting and we’ve had colds all week. She leaves on Sunday, so enjoying her company this weekend. We’re going to hear former White House photographer Pete Souza give a presentation tonight.
Fave Food/Drink for Autumn: I love comfort foods like a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato bisque soup, as well as stews and chili at this time of year.
Sounds like the transition from summer to autumn has given lots of people on the blog here colds and chills. Similar here too in Melb Aus – we’ve had one day hot, next mild, next freezing and rotate.
I hope you all feel better soon. The Spellbinder shades are beautiful and I hope they work for you Tracey.
Thanks for your kind wishes, Genevieve. The weather you described is very similar to what we have experienced. Those beautiful temperate Fall days have been few this year and we’re beginning to have chilly weather. My cold is improving; it seems to be holding on longer than I expected it would. I hope you have a lovely (and healthy) week, Genevieve!
Oh, grilled cheese and tomato soup – the classic “feel good” comfort food. I remember serving it so often to my kids when they came home for lunch (we were fortunate that we live close to their elementary school and they were often home for lunch).
Hi Mariella, that sounds wonderful. I come from a family that loves grilled cheese sandwiches. Growing up, we had it almost every Sunday for lunch. My mom’s grilled cheese has a beloved following to this day. True comfort food.
Haul: NARS Inferno & Ignited palettes, Kat von D Lolita por Vida palette, & Anastasia Beverly Hills X Carli Bybel palette, which I paid only around $13 for using ULTA points.
Plans: Going to see Marc Almond on Sunday.
Fall Food: Honestly, nothing comes to mind…
Oh, handsome Mellan! I hope he is doing well. He looks relaxed enough!
Haul: ColourPop Bye Bye Birdie, the trio of ColourPop bird-themed palettes from Ulta, and (drumroll, please) Viseart Grande Pro Vol. 3. I managed to sell more items that I purchased this week which helped pay for the Viseart. I ordered the new Huda Mercury Retrograde palette yesterday.
Favorite food/drink for autumn: Anything pumpkin.
He sure is all legs! Just adorable! 🐕
Haul/rediscoveries: Hauled nothing (yay!) I did delve back into some of my classic MAC products this week: Diva lipstick, Satin Taupe, Folie, Handwritten, Dazzlelight eyeshadows, plus Superwatt Electric Cool e/s which is 5 years old and STILL hasn’t dried out and become unusable!
Weekend plans: Nothing earthshaking. Just my usual. Hair, nails, meeting on Sunday. I am loving how effortlessly and beautifully my new Hot Tools all in one brush straightener hair dryer works on my thick, naturally curly hair! No longer a “hair ordeal”, I’m glad to report!
Favorite food/drink for fall? Oh yeah! Chai tea, pumpkin spice cake, banana bread cake and almost any autumn pie: pumpkin, apple, pecan!
Good job sticking to the no-buy this week!
Haul/Rediscoveries: No rediscoveries recently, just using my current stuff. My face powder and brow products are on their last leg, so I decided to try some `drugstore` options from Amazon (they had a promo with $5 of $20 purchase of specific cosmetics): Maybelline New York Super Stay Full Coverage Powder Foundation (I love the liquid Super Stay Full Coverage foundation, so I hope I’ll like this one), NYX Fill & Fluff Eyebrow Pomade Pencil, Ash Brown (again, I liked the product and color in their regular pencil, so I assume it’s a safe bet), NYX Tinted Brow Mascara, Brunette (trying to be matchy-matchy with the brow products), Lip Smacker Lippy Pal Lip Balm, Kitten, Water-Meow-Lon (a steal at $1.99, to gift to my little sister).
Weekend plans: Grocery shopping, meal prep, cleaning around the house, a (shaded) hike. On Sunday I have musical tickets to `Jesus Christ Superstar`.
Do you have a favorite food/drink for autumn?: I’m usually not seasonal with my drinks and foods, if I want something, I’ll have it any season. The other thing is that while I love pumpkin, I despise pumpkin spice mix (it’s something about the mix of nutmeg, all spice, ginger and clove that throws my taste buds of). But I do love that more squash and pumpkin varieties are available in the autumn, I love them from roasted to cream soups. Also, roasted chestnuts!!!
Haul: I ordered two of the Wayne Goss #19 brush which works well for my hooded eyes. I have one already but use it so often that I wanted a couple more. I will likely place another Beautylish order today to get another gift card. Other than that, nothing else. Full carts every where though!
Weekend plans: Nothing special. I am out of the off site storage business but now I am dealing with an on site storage business so I really need to start going through boxes and determining what I want to keep and what to get rid of. I am grateful that my ex-husband was able to get everything moved while he was here and since he pulled out this morning I have my house back again and can just focus on getting it back to normal.
Fall food/drink: In the 30+ years I lived in Sacramento,CA I/we would always visit Apple Hill each fall. It was sort of a tradition to mark the beginning of the fall/winter season. Apple Hill is an area just east of Sacramento and the hills are covered in apple trees and grape vines. In the fall when harvest is underway, road side stands with lot’s of apples, vegetables, wine, candy and great food, spring up. There are craft booths, apple pressing and just a fun place to visit. They have pony rides for the kids, fishing ponds and corn mazes. Anyway, there is a particular area that serves a lunch of barbecued chicken and coleslaw and they make the coleslaw with mini marshmallows, apples, and a slightly sweet dressing. It was a guilty pleasure each time we visited. The coleslaw is the thing I most associate with fall. Of course, there are also great apple cider’s, pumpkin drinks and pumpkin pie. Just a fun place to visit in the fall. The last time I was there it was so busy throughout the area, that finding parking was a real chore. The place I like to visit allows you to park in the actual orchards so you get to walk through the fallen leaves, smell the apples and just enjoy this little slice of heaven so close to a large city.
Cleaning out storage is a never ending task – I hope you were able to get rid of a lot of stuff from your storage shed and now have only some (or lots?) of boxes to go through.
And it’s so nice to have your house back to yourself again too.
Haul: Huda Beauty Nude Obsessions Eyeshadow Palette in Nude Light and ColourPop x Safiya Nygaard Lipstick Collection.
Weekend plans: My older son is sick, and has been at my house the last few days so I can take care of him. More of that. lol
Do you have a favorite food/drink for autumn?: My son and I have to get a Dairy Queen Pumpkin Pie Blizzard every year. Yummy! I love real pumpkin pie, too, and baked buttternut squash.
I hope he is feeling better Rachel, there’s nothing like a man when he is sick – sad to say.
I bet you are feeling a tad tired. The Nude Light palette would look gorgeous on you too. Great buy.
Thank you, Genevieve! My son was feeling quite a bit better yesterday. By evening, he felt up to taking a shower and going home. We sent him with multi-symptom cold pills and lotion-infused tissues.
He’s not too awful when he’s sick, but because of his Asperger’s and mental health issues, he doesn’t always know how to take care of himself right so his congestion doesn’t turn into a sinus infection. He also gets lonely and bored, so it helps him to stay with mom and dad a few days, get some medicine, and instructions for caring for himself.
I used the Light palette yesterday and really loved it. Fantastic quality, and the colors do suit me. My only quibbles are that it lacks a brow bone highlight/inner corner shade, and the brown is too warm to work well for deepening the mauve shade if one is going for an all cooler-toned look. For only having nine shades, and light ones at that, I think it’s pretty versatile, though.
Hi Rachel, I’m glad your son is feeling better. Multi-symptom cold medication and cooling lotion tissues were prominent in our house, too!
Thank you, Tracey! Multi-symptom pills are a lifesaver for people who hate taking lots of pills (really, who does?), and the decongestant + expectorant combo really knocks out the congestion issues.
Haul: Nothing this week!
Rediscovery: More like discovered for first time. Finally wore the Black Moon Cosmetics liquid lip in “Armageddon” that I bought back in May. It’s AWESOME. Gonna get more in this formula since friends have confirmed they have been delighted by other colors.
Weekend plans: Another busy one! About to leave for my monthly massage, then date night with the spouse-person. Tomorrow I have a Halloween-themed belly dance performance. Sunday, Seattle Restaurant Week starts so we have dinner with friends (at the restaurant we previously wanted to take them to but our reservation was canceled on account of a thankfully minor fire) and then a game night. I might also have an afternoon appointment with my side hustle client. And somewhere in all of that I have to find time to run some errands and tidy up the house for game night. WHEW.
Favorite fall drink: The other weekend I concocted a cocktail using Trader Joe’s cold-pressed spiced apple cider, Townshend’s smoked tea liqueur and some cardamom spice drops. I think it should be called the Orchard Fire. It tastes like fall in a glass! I’m honestly a big fan of fall beverages as long as they’re not coffee based. Give me a hot spiced cider or some mulled wine or pumpkin spice tea or chai or ginger beer or whatever. Big fan of boozy hot cocoa on those nights that feel like early winter, too.
What a busy weekend you have in store for yourself, although apart from the housework, it all sounds like fun. Have a great time.
Having a good rest, Mellon looks so relaxed!
Haul: I ordered quite a few skincare products from Cosmetics Capital (an Australian online retailer) and they arrived this week. Some of it for me and some for my daughter in law for her Christmas beauty bag.
Moisturisers from Skin Doctors, cleansers and serums.
Weekend Plans
Saturday, I am visiting a fete at the school Olivia will be going to next year and wouldn’t you know it, rain has been predicted for today. Other than that, a date with the laundry is in order.
Sunday, hopefully a venture into the countryside involving a nice lunch out somewhere.
Favourite food/drink for autumn
You can tell when autumn arrives in our household when I start making soups and sausage rolls, which are a big hit in the family.
My favourite drink is either a cappuchino or decaf tea.
I hope the rain wasn’t too bad, and that Olivia’s school event went well.
Haul/Rediscoveries: Patrick Ta’s She’s Seductive blush (stunning), MUFE Matte Powder Foundation in R 210 for my undereyes, KKW liner in 1.5 due to a recommendation by Allana on YouTube
Weekend plans: Meeting my BFF for lunch tomorrow, then working Sunday.
Do you have a favorite food/drink for autumn?: Does chili count?
Haul/Rediscoveries: Nothing for this week.
Weekend plans: Ran errands yesterday, worked and dodged a bunch of rain all day today, am typing this in front of the weekly SVU marathon.
Do you have a favorite food/drink for autumn?: I don’t have a particular favorite autumn food, but coffee (like my favorite Starbucks caramel macchiatos) always goes well with the cooler temperatures!