Free for Haul Friday, Volume #536
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: Melt Cosmetics Modern Love Collection, Chanel eyeshadow quad and blush, Fenty Beauty Navy or Die eyeliner (the missing one!)
- Weekend plans: We’re going to go to the nursery to finalize what trees we want to include in our landscape update, but otherwise, it should be pretty low-key. Mellan’s on a new medication to try and calm him down enough to sleep through the night, but it’s been about 15-20% effective – definitely makes him quieter, but there have been several nights where he’s still quietly whined (instead of barking).
- What’s one way you motivate yourself?: Mini-rewards like a break, playing with Mellan, visiting hubby, etc. after completing this task or that task!
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This week's doggo photo/video...
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A lil’ blast from the past — it’s already starting to warm up a bit, so by the end of March, we’ll be in swimming weather, haha!
Looks like fun, Mellan! I wish my dog liked to swim. I’m just thankful he doesn’t mind going on walks when it’s drizzling.
Haul: No new makeup, but on the Disney trip I just returned from I bought a Dooney & Bourke bag and a Vera Bradley crossbody bag. (I’ve never liked VB bags, but all of a sudden, completely out of nowhere, I just had to have this one! Is this how it starts? Lol) Also, as someone who adores ginger, I was excited to test Aqua Allegoria Ginger Piccante at Epcot’s Guerlain boutique, but the rose note strongly overpowered the ginger, so it was a hard pass for me.
Weekend plans: Nothing terribly interesting. Laundry, groceries, etc…then, hopefully, relaxing.
What’s one way you motivate yourself? Ugh, I’m currently the queen of procrastination living in the black hole of motivation. I can use some good motivation tips, especially for losing 15 pounds.
Oh fun, we were just at Disney too, a week and a half ago! I hope you had a great trip! I was thinking of getting one of the Disney VB bags, but stopped myself, lol. But I did get a really cool Disney embroidered sweatshirt. It’s so hard not to get sucked in to buying things there!
It is SO hard not to get sucked into buying things at Disney. We go every year and there have been so many times when I just had to have something while I was there, but then it just gathers dust when I get home. This D&B bag, though…I know I’ll be using it a lot.
Haul: No cosmetics purchased this week; going 7 weeks strong with my no-buy.
Rediscoveries: This week I used my Cover Girl + Olay Advanced Radiance and Simply Ageless foundations mixed and I just LOVE it. Perfect coverage, perfect finish and my skin still looks great at the end of the day.
Also, now that I’m not distracted with new purchases, I just LOVE my Natasha Denona products. I’ve spent a lot of money on her products in the past, but I get so much joy out of them. I pulled out my Star palette this morning to use and just admired it. I know it’s not her “best” palette, but it is one of my favorite neutral palettes in my collection.
Weekend plans: Doing some laundry, cleaning, playing with my toddler, being an adult. And we have a long weekend because of President’s Day, so my hubby and I are calling a grandparent in to watch our little guy so we can go on a date.
What’s one way you motivate yourself?: I have highs and lows when it comes to motivation. There are days when I can knock out an entire list of things and days that I can barely get up off the couch, lol. But I have found that if I accomplish a few things during the day, I just want to accomplish more, and then I reward myself with something at the end of the day, be it some alone time, a nice hot shower, reading a book or just vegging out in front of the TV with my favorite show. I’m not great at “relaxing” in the first place, but I find it easier to do so when I don’t have a list of things to get done swirling around in my head.
I’m busy Natasha Denonaing as well.. and weird co-inky, I went into my second tier palette drawer and pulled the Star palette out earlier this week . I struggled with it in the past, but I feel I have a better base (ABH primer) and a better grip on how her shadows handle so it’s back on the table… still not my favourite of hers, but there are some really beautiful shades in that palette worth keeping handy. I moved in to my top tier drawer.
Just wanted to pop in to say I’m LOVING all the updates about your tree plantings!! Feeling major tree envy here in the city! And splashy Mellan <3
It is pretty incredible the plant (and tree) variety available in Phoenix ?
I agree, Christine! We really do have plenty of variety. The only one I tell people to steer clear of is the green Palo Verde trees. They look so cool looking, but they cannot stand up to the intense monsoon winds and wind up getting blown down or branches broken off.
LOL! Well, got one of those coming my way. I know that with the desert trees that you have to make sure to water deeply, rather than frequently, to encourage a deeper, stronger root system to ensure they stand up to monsoons.
Haul: PMG Opulust glosses finally made it here to join Bronze Seductress which I purchased from Big S… I picked up the nude trio (naked rose, coralison, under your spell) and Lavendaring. The only shade where I’m ambivalent is Naked Rose. I have to say removing all traces of sparkle is brutal, but they are so darned pretty on. I think Bronze Seductress is my personal fav as I am leaning red/copper/bronze these days. I’m planning on wearing Coralison today with a look from PMG Divine Rose palette (already mentioned my negligence) and I’m thinking a simple mostly smoky eye with the cool rose shade, warm brown shade, and a combo of the VR shades (esp the tangerine one) as a highlight maybe centre lid.
Weekend Plans: Weather dependent. We just had the coldest night we have had yet this winter. There were ice quakes happening all over the province and it freaked me and my dogs out last night. If it stays this cold, it will be a house cleaning netflixy amazon primey play my piano play with the doggos kinda weekend.
I do not lack for motivation typically; except when it comes to paying bills ?.. I post date EVERYTHING. My biggest struggle is to pace myself. I’m a hare trapped in a tortoise body.
I love netflixy amazon primey play my piano play with the doggo kinda weekends! (Note that I deliberately left out house cleaning.) I definitely don’t need cold weather to do have that kind of weekend…besides, it never gets THAT cold here. 🙂
Lol ?. Domestic Goddess, I am not, but I try to stay on top of things lest I become incapable of sparking joy in my own home… and I have 3 dogs who shed..so there’s that ?
So, I killed it with my PMG Divine Rose look today ?. I cheated a bit and paired a few shades from Sydney Grace Enduring Love Palette (light) to add a bit more contrast (Juliette and Darcy). I avoided the shimmer shades in PMG DR ..they get too muddy on me. I will pair those with something from another palette.
Aww! Pupper in a pool! ??
Haul: MAC Baroque The Internet lipstick. So pretty, but lighter than I was expecting. On me, it’s a pinky MLBB shade instead of a rich pink. ?
Weekend plans: I found an apartment! Tomorrow my friend and I are going up there to do the first phase of the finalization of getting me in. Today is hair day then, I guess. Need to buy my dye…I think. Unless I let it grow out gray and use a deposit only lighter brown? Meeting on Sunday.
What motivates you? To attain a long term, much desired goal. Like this major move across town or saving up for new glasses or a vacation. When the one Scottsdale Trolley still went to Chapparel Park, those little trips motivated me to get out of the house and walk around the lake. I miss doing that.
Rediscoveries: Urban Decay Moondust shadows! I replaced my moondust palette (which shattered when we moved waahhh) a few weeks back since Nordstrom Rack had it on sale for $15, and I’ve been using it NON-STOP lol 🙂
My favorite thing to do is lay down matte shadow as a base and then pat a moondust in a corresponding color over the top – it makes a really nice dimensional, sparkly look while still getting even, opaque color.
Weekend plans: A new Italian restaurant opened nearby and they supposedly have amazing handmade asiago gnocchi so we’re going there for dinner tomorrow night.
What’s one way you motivate yourself: I set a goal and plan a small break/treat for when I reach the goal, especially when I’m editing photos I need to schedule breaks to reduce eye strain.
Happy Valentine’s Day to all!
Christine, I’m sorry the sleep meds for Mellan aren’t working well. Is there anything else they can try? I feel so bad for him and your family. No one is sleeping well.
Haul:
Weekend plans: My husband works split-swing shift, so we’ll be celebrating our Valentine’s Day tomorrow. We’re going out to dinner and to the ballet to see “Sleeping Beauty.” The rest of the weekend will be spent doing further makeup and clothing destashing.
What’s one way you motivate yourself?: My kids are my big motivator to keep on keeping on. That’s the big picture. Little picture: It’s nice to have something to look forward to: Dinner out with my husband, a movie, a trip. I’m learning I need to take these breaks more regularly, to reward and renew myself for my hard work.
OK, so I’m an idiot and haven’t had any caffeine yet today. I hit “post” without listing my haul. That will be forthcoming.
HAUL:
*Menagerie Cosmetics — Violet Ink Micro Palette
*SugarPill — Capsule Collection Pink Edition, lipsticks in Shiver and Spank, and the Little Twin Stars Liquid Lip Color Duo.
*Sydney Grace — Enduring Love Palette in Light
*Shop Miss A — a pack of their beauty blender-type sponges, a couple pomegranate hand creams, their new primer (Why not try it?), and some miscellaneous stuff.
There’s another bump up in the type of medications, but outside of that, probably to see a behaviorist!
I hope the bump up works for him. Fingers crossed for you all.
Hope you’ll enjoy the dinner and ballet! `Sleeping Beauty` ballet is definitely a nice treat. 🙂
Thank you! I don’t know much about ballet, but I love to go, and hope to more often. The ballet was utterly beautiful. I could not believe how long the ballerina playing Aurora could stay en pointe. AMAZING!
We went to to the Portland City Grill, which has amazing food. We hadn’t been there in a few years, so it was fun to go again. It’s on the 30th floor, so you get panoramic views all the way ’round of Portland. It was night, so we could see all the city lights. If it’s daylight outside, there are mountain views.
Haul/Rediscoveries: Pulled out my Avene skincare and really cutting back on chemical exfoliators, etc…
Weekend plans: I have small kids, so loads of laundry and grocery shopping. What can I say – I’m boring and okay with that.
What’s one way you motivate yourself?: My Sunday weigh in for Weight Watchers. I’m down 23 pounds since Thanksgiving. Even if I don’t lose but stay the same weight, I’m happy. It takes just as much time to lose excess weight as it did to put it on.
Haul: nothing (I haven’t needed a single thing)
Weekend plans: I had a procedure on my knee on Wednesday so have to take it easy – no prolonged standing or walking – and I’m hating it. I might go to the gym with hubs tomorrow and just do some upper body stuff and then sit in a massage chair but I hate not being able to go for a walk, even though it’s so bloody cold today. After the gym, we’re going to look at kitchen cupboards (we’re refacing the old ones and also taking them up to the ceiling and rearranging the kitchen somewhat)
How do I motivate myself? At my age, it’s not an issue. If I want to do something, I do it; if I don’t want to do something, I feel I’ve earned that right as a result of my age!
Wishing you a speedy recovery from your procedure!
Haul: Nothing beauty related (yet), but Paula’s Choice has 20% a $65 order today, while Rakuten offers 14% cash back. I need to order some back-ups soon, probably will place an order later today.
Rediscoveries: Not a rediscovery, but I pushed myself this week to use brushes and sponges to apply foundation and concealer, since in the last months I `procrastinated` to use just my fingers. Let’s say I quickly rediscovered I still like finger application better.
Weekend plans: The long weekend in January and February… I always forget about them. I want to explore both the redwoods and the wild beaches this weekend, while on Sunday I plan to attend the `Il trovatore` opera. I haven’s attended an opera in a while and really miss it.
I’m quite happy I forced myself to get my hair ends trimmed on Wednesday, but I still have to make some time to get my eyebrows fixed this weekend; well, I have plenty of time, I just hate spending it going to the salon and sitting in a chair 😆 , when I could do many other productive active things in the meantime.
What’s one way you motivate yourself?: I’m quite a self-driven person, I never had any issues with motivating myself to get things down. At work, at home, in personal life, I’m the kind of person who just does it, like it or not.
But if I need some extra positive motivation, I usually call my `up-lifting` people: my mom, my brother, a friend from college. It’s quite hard sometimes to get the motivation I need from them (since our timezone are 9-11 hours apart), but their have a long term impact. 😀
So I did the `damage` on Paula’s Choice:
– the shampoo and conditioner (staple for people like me who hate scented hair care)
– body butter (my skin is severely dry lately)
– mini Clinical 1% retinol (I always buy strong actives more often, but in small sizes, to have them fresh)
– the Enriched Calming Toner (I feel the need of something more moisturizer)
– make-up remover oil
– (free gifts with purchase) several mini chemical exfoliants and the unscrub
On another note, I’m currently keeping empties for my third Terracycle Paula’s Choice box. It’s so easy to ship empty cosmetic tubes/bottles, I just wish more beauty companies would allow this.
I hope you had a good time at “Il trovatore!.” I’ve never been to an opera, but I’d love to go sometime.
Haul: I had an unbelievable stroke of luck, and too close to the deadline to notify Christine and the readers. Linda Hallberg had a 50% off flash sale, and I major indulged in liners…that is, if I don’t have card trouble. Anything atypical shuts my cards down, PayPal or not. The only other thing to report on is Dose liners. Don’t, just don’t. I was willing to give one a shot, despite generally abysmal consumer reviews. The colors are beautiful and quite different. Ulta wrapped it up like Fort Knox, but the tip was broken off anyway, upon opening. Talk about need for reformulation. W/e, well, it’s long and I’ll spend it with my furry Valentines, and do night job. Motivation? Hmm. Think it depends on my health and pain level. Usually just keep going; no self-reinforcement. I do admit to general procrastination. My mother and uncle used to trade off a book called Overcoming Procrastination, subtitling it The Book I’ve Been Meaning To Read.
Does Mellon like the water?
Haul: Colour Pop had a discount on all of their lip products, so I ordered my favourites: Tea Thyme, LA Lady, Gallop and Foolish.
Rediscoveries: My olive shades from various palettes.
Weekend Plans
Friday – I caught up with a couple of my closest girlfriends for lunch and a chat. A lovely day, but the weather was quite hot with high humidity, which we always get at this time of year.
Saturday: We have our grandchildren today as their parents and my eldest son are going to a house inspection in a suburb that they want to live in. House prices are so expensive here that the only way younger people can get their own is if they share with a brother or sister. This looks to be a great place and I have my fingers crossed that they will like it.
Sunday: cooking, cleaning and gardening.
Staying motivated: Little treats, country drives and giving myself a break…
He adores water!!
Hugs to you guys and Mellan! I want it to be summer!
Haul/Rediscoveries: Nothing this week.
Weekend plans: It’s going to snow and get cold for the weekend so I’m cooking a Valentine’s dinner tonight and our favourite breakfast tomorrow morning.
What’s one way you motivate yourself?: Knowing the satisfaction that comes when you are finished your project or what you are working on.
Haul/Rediscoveries: No actual purchases, but Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips Secret Salma and Liv It Up continue to sit patiently in my Sephora cart. I’m also considering Sydney Grace Enduring Love Deep (I’m quite fair but prefer bold colors).
Weekend plans: Ran errands yesterday, worked all day and SVU marathon today. Tomorrow my maternal family’s meeting at Red Lobster to celebrate my aunt’s birthday, but my mom and I will have to squeeze in a trip to the laundromat first because our dryer’s been randomly failing to start over the last 3 weeks.
What’s one way you motivate yourself?: I remind myself of things I’ve done well in the past-that often inspires me to do the next task.
Haul: (Macy’s $20 Star reward): Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet in Camelia Grenat.
Rediscovery: Bobbi Brown Sunset Glow highlighter, one of my favourite shades of highlighter. Based on a comment about mixing Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter with undereye concealer, I gave it a try and was pleasantly surprised by the brightening and smoothing effect. It sounds counter intuitive but works on my mature undereye area.
Weekend Plan: Lots of filing and organizing. Enjoyed the symphony Saturday night. I’ve been going through my makeup and picking out products that I want to finish or make a serious dent in this year. Some, like Hourglass Dim Light and Charlotte Tilbury’s Wonder Glow and Colour of Youth blush, are carryovers from last year; others like BB Smokey Nudes eye palette, BB Sunkissed Glow Stick, Armani Lip Magnet (505, pink) and Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder are new for this year.
What motivates me? Completing a task and enjoying the result, which could be the end of a to do list and having free time or cleaning off the coffee table and seeing a more presentable room. Sometimes knowing a hot cup of coffee is right after a series of phone calls is motivation enough.