Friday Finds & Check-ins, Volume #558
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: Sydney Grace mystery bags (deep versions I was missing, hoping to swatch later today), Bioassance Squalane + Tea Tree Balancing Oil, Fresh Umbrian Clay Pore Purifying Face Mask, OleHenriksen Cold Plunge Pore Mask, Dr. Dennis Gross DRx Blemish Solutions Acne Gel (sensing a pattern??), NABLA Miami Lights products, Marc Jacobs Socialeyes palette.
- Weekend plans: My mother-in-law and brother-in-law successfully moved into their new home here in AZ! My mom is jealous 😉 We’ll be trying to merge our quarantine bubbles with them in another week. We’re going to try and tidy up our garage a bit this weekend!
- One habit you’re thankful to have?: I’m a morning person; I’ve always been an earlier riser (I don’t know if I’ve ever slept past 10 in my entire life). I really enjoy starting the day of being pretty awake and productive.
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aww Mellan! Glad your fam got moved in ok. I’d love to have more family in town!
Finds: waiting on SG to arrive, but picked up that Dr Jart milk peel to use as a nightly toner after mine ran out. So far I like it! Looking forward to seeing its effects in a few weeks.
Weekend plans: back to baking. Might try to hike somewhere that isn’t too crowded. Might go for a dip at the creek. Will resist petting the dogs I walk by everyday. Why did everyone pick now to have especially cute puppies I can’t pet?
One good habit: Long walks. I try to go four miles every day the weather’s nice. I am also really conscientious about wearing sunscreen!
Recent Purchases: I purchased a few singles from Menagerie Cosmetics…. I would love all of their full palettes, but really, I have dupes for most of the shades in those palettes and was really only missing mid-tone blues, so I got a couple blue shades. And also a double sided magnetic palette to store my singles. They’re all spread out between 3 or 4 smaller magnetic palettes and I’d love for them all to be in one place so I can get more use out of them! Also the red Glossier gloss. For some reason I needed a good cherry tinted glossy gloss in my life this week.
Rediscoveries: My Natasha Denona Sunrise palette. I did a really pretty look with it this week!
Weekend plans: Going to visit my mom! Safely, of course. I haven’t seen her since Christmas so I’m SO excited.
One habit you’re thankful to have?: I’m thankful that I’ve always gone to bed at a reasonable time and never, NEVER, no matter how tired I am, do I forget to take off my make up and wash my face at night.
I never went to sleep with make-up off. I need to do my evening skincare routine even if I’m dead tired… there were times in college I had almost literally fell asleep in the bathroom washing my face and applying at least a moisturizer. 😆 I simply can’t go to my bed until I’m clean and changed of clothes.
SAME.
Beautiful water feature Christine, my husband would love to have that in our yard!
Recent Purchases/Rediscoveries: PML Dark Star Mascara is on it’s way to me.
Weekend plans: No plans yet, my husband needs to put another coat of paint on our spiral stairway from the deck down to the patio if we can have a period of time that it will not rain! We were woken up last night at 11:30 with an electrical storm and that was the end of my sleep until 3 am.
One habit you’re thankful to have?: I am a neat freak and everything needs to be in place or I can’t sit down and relax so my house is always tidy. This is a problem when I have a migraine because I will push too far and suffer for it. Happy weekend everyone!
Recent Purchases/Rediscoveries: Another week of absolutely nothing new.
Weekend plans: Finally getting my car service on Saturday. While I wait I’ll probably walk in the service area, there’s a nice residential neighborhood there (I got bored of mine 😆 ), off course with a mask and while socially distancing. Otherwise, the same boring old stuff, from chores, groceries, calls with my mom, cooking, reading. Might go on a hike on Sunday.
One habit you’re thankful to have?: I don’t know if it’s necessarily a habit, but I love making lists. Shopping, chores, work tasks, meal plans, workout plans, make-up I own, expiration dates of foods and make-up, subscriptions, places to visit, everything is a list. It helps me be organised and productive.
You reminded me that my Mother used to get up every morning and make a list of everything she had to do that day and she would put down the time she would do it and how long it would take her and when she would finish it. Then when she completed the task she would cross it off, if she didn’t get something done she would start a list for the next day, most often she would get everything done every day. That habit never rubbed off on any of the six of us except I like to keep other types of lists of things.
My mom is my opposite, she refuses to plan anything. It’s simply not in her nature. ?
I’m a big list maker myself. Every single person who’s ever lived with me has picked up this habit from me. I’m lost without a list. Spreadsheets are a big help for bigger lists.
Your yard is so nicely arranged and serene looking! Inspector Mellan approved!
Purchases/rediscoveries: No purchases. I did receive my PML Divine Rose II Mothership on Tuesday, but I have yet to get a chance to play with it. Wanted to use it Wednesday when I went to my Dr. appointment for my knee, but felt like I needed to look more “serious” in order to be taken seriously.
Weekend plans: Just my Zoom meeting tomorrow morning. Otherwise, nothing planned. I’ll probably hit our apt complex pool a few times if my knee cooperates.
One habit you are thankful to have? I had to think long and hard about this one, but probably my bedtime routine. I use that time to decompress from the world and all its problems via my nighttime skincare routine interspersed with beauty/makeup YT videos, Bible reading and always going over the Daily Text for the upcoming day and meditating over it, too. Just very relaxing.
Oh, Nancy, you too with knee issues??? It’s really limiting for sure, isn’t it? I used to run and blew out my knee and now have no cartilage – it’s “bone on bone” – but I want to put off knee replacement surgery for as long as I can. I hope your issue is one that can heal with time and physio, etc.
Yessiree, Mariella, my knee is a mess, too. My primary care doctor thinks it’s a torn meniscus or possibly severe bursitis. Just received a call from Banner Orthopedic Specialists for an appointment on the 28th. Here’s hoping I won’t need surgery on it! Yours doesn’t sound like a picnic, either. Bone on bone osteoarthritis is also awful, and very painful.
Purchases: I was going to go to Shoppers yesterday to buy another jar of the Vasanti eye cream I like (but then I realized that I only just started my “back up” one and by the time I get to another “backup”, the texture will have probably gone funny) and I was going to go to Sephora too but I just couldn’t get up the enthusiasm. So this week, nothing. Rediscoveries: the UD 15th anniversary e/s palette. And I truly “rediscovered” (as in found in my kitchen drawer while looking for a wood touch up pen for a tea trolley that has come from my mother in law’s) – a MAC Patentpolish “lipstick” (it’s really more of a gloss) in the shade Pleasant. I honestly had one of those “oh, so that’s where THAT is” moments.
Weekend plans: Facetime workout with my trainer tomorrow and then, blissfully nothing, though Shoppers is having another bonus points redemption weekend and I’ve so many points to spend but since I’m not getting the Vasanti eye cream and you can’t try on anything, I’m not even sure if I’ll actually go. I’d go to Sephora for the Dior concealer but, again, it’s a question of finding a shade (I think there are over 20) that will work for me without actually being able to try/sample.
One habit I have – in superficial terms, it’s working out/fitness, whether it’s going for a walk (I can no longer run because I’ve destroyed my knee), going to the gym or yoga, I’m glad I sort of “make” myself do it. On a less superficial level, it’s generosity. As I’ve got older, I really have experienced that whole “it’s better to give than to receive” realization.
Mariella, I often have lipsticks and books in every room, but the eyeshadow rarely leaves its home on the vanity. How did it end up in the kitchen? That cracks me up, but it sounds like a happy discovery!
LOL – it’s not as loopy as it sounds (at least that’s MY story).
I actually have about 8 lipsticks in that drawer! If someone comes to the door, I can slap on some lippie (using the door of the microwave, which is mounted at eye level, as a mirror) and also, if I’m trying to lighten the load in my purse or swapping shades, I’ll put “not needed” lipstick(s) there and then forget about carrying them upstairs which leads to these serendipitous discoveries! My eyeshadows never leave the bedroom floor but because of lack of sufficient room, I do move them around from my bathroom to an empty drawer in what used to be my younger son’s bedroom.
Haul: Not a lot but I did shop the Sydney Grace sale and picked up the Chase Your Dream palette. I wasn’t going to get one for myself but since I had put the one into my cart and added a couple of singles and that qualified me for the palette for free so I am not sad about that, LOL! The singles I picked up were Fire Dancer, Magenta Dreams, Take The Time, Cool Brown, The Greatest Gift and Ladies Dancing. I received these within two days which was pretty quick. I have placed another order for the shades that make up the Smoke Session’s dupe but have’t received that yet. I am headed to Missoula on Sunday and will likely pick up a few more things.
Weekend Plans: As mentioned above, my daughter and I are headed to Missoula on Sunday and I will be back home on Tuesday. She has an eye Dr. appointment and we both wanted to go to Barnes and Noble and then our favorite Asian Fusion restaurant. We are under mandatory mask orders but we have been doing that since the whole thing started. We also use gloves and we are going to spend the night at a hotel that we have an arrangement with so I know it will be well scrubbed. We will get the food to go rather than eat in the restaurant. The numbers of COVID 19 has been doubling daily and I knew we would likely get to this place at some point but since we have really low population, it was going to take a while to get here. We are just over 1,000 cases and with 37 deaths. Most of the deaths are from a nursing home in the Billings area. The eastern part of the state has had more cases than the west. The county that I live in has had 3 confirmed cases and no deaths. So, I think it will be a long process here in Montana. Montana is a pretty red state and there has not been much use of social distancing or mask wearing. In fact, I have been heckled about it but my Dr. strongly suggested I do wear a mask, if I hadn’t known to do it on my own. I have a lot of risk factors so I don’t want to go there.
My grand kitty is coming home with me from Missoula. She needs to see her vet for shots and since she will be moving home for the foreseeable future, I am bringing her early so my daughter can get her packing done.
Positive habit: Most of the habits that I have are not very positive ones but I do religiously replace things from where I got them so that I know where it is in the future. It was one of the hardest things for me to adjust to when my ex-husband came to live with me for those couple of years. I am a bit OCD about it. I am frustrated when I can’t find something so putting it back just saves me a lot of headaches.
Yesterday I played with my BH Cosmetics Take Me Back to Brazil palette for the first time since getting it on Black Friday and I gotta say I’m impressed. Like, it definitely needs more building up than higher end shadows, but unlike some drugstore shadows (and some higher end) it will build up and blend and be usable. And just I <3 the color story.
My weekend plans are contingent upon me buckling down and finishing the work I need to do. Otherwise they're to do work.
I'm thankful to have the habit of flossing. I got in the habit by calling it a "blood oath" with my boyfriend and every night we floss together <3.
Mellan is living the good life in a beautiful environment!
Recent Purchases/ Rediscoveries: Tom Ford face & eye palette #3 Moss Agate. Haven’t used it yet but it’s very pretty. I’ve been trying different looks with my Natasha Denona Bronze palette and I’m loving it. I just have to sometimes add a pop of color like my new Clionadh and Devina multi-chrome singles because after while all bronze looks gets boring. The ND Bronze blush palette cream blush seems to be drying out already. I’ve only used it a couple times 🙁
Weekend Plans: Tampa’s is not doing the best with the virus, lots of positive cases. I go grocery shopping once a week, drive-thru library pickups and back home. Drive thru takeout food a couple times a week. My daughter was pretty sick for about 10 days. I only had bad nasal congestion for about 3 days. She’s better and we’re anxiously awaiting her COVID test results.
One habit you’re thankful to have?: Reading and listening to audio books. I really enjoy reading so I don’t get bored stuck at home or in a waiting room. Audio books are great to listen to while I do house work or while driving.
I’m glad your daughter feels better!
Thanks Lauren!
What a beautiful garden. This is our seccond year in ours so we are begining to plant perenials but still using a bunch of annuals to fill in.
What a gorgeous backyard you have Christine! You and Shaun have worked wonders, considering the hours you put in with the blog. It’s lovely to hear that your mother and brother in law have settled in and I hope they like their new place.
Recent purchases: Nada
Recent discoveries: Wet n’ Wild Comfort Zone (the original) – it has all the autumn tones that I like except for gold shades.
Weekend Plans: Our Covid 19 transmissions here in Melbourne are growing bigger every day (400+) yesterday, but still concentrated in the central, north and west of the city. Melbourne has about 4 1/2 – 5 million people, our state Victoria, about 6 1/2 million, so the Govt. is trying to limit the spread to regional towns areas. We are on the edge of Level 4 lockdowns, so I am hoping that doesn’t need to happen.
We were able to have our grandchildren over the past few days, as Anika is 34 weeks pregnant and we live in the same city council area. She needed a break to get her bag and everything ready for the baby.
Both my husband and I decided to get ourselves tested last week and we are both negative, a huge relief.
So this weekend will be like all of our others….
Habit you are thankful to have: I am a pretty organised kind of person and I have a fairly set routine of getting through all the chores. I guess this came from when I was teaching full time, had a home and family to manage as well as Leadership responsibilities.
Recent Purchases/Rediscoveries: No purchases, but I did rediscover my Target Makeup Geek quad in Joyful Jade. Good for simple, grungy looks.
Weekend plans: Giving my grandparents their weekly groceries and continuing to work on my writing and daily-vlogging. A bunch of YouTubers I know are putting together a series of writing workshops over the course of this weekend so I’m gonna try and watch as many as possible.
One habit you’re thankful to have?: Quarantine has given me the time to develop a lot of good habits but if I had to pick one I’d say the fact that I now fix my bed every morning. In college my dorm loft bed was a pain to fix in the morning but now that I’m sleeping in my tiny childhood bed again I have no excuses!
I’m curious about these writing workshops. I don’t know anything about writers on YouTube! Any you’d recommend?
The writing workshop series is called the Evergreen Writing Oasis. It’s hosted by a ton of different Authortubers so I’d recommend starting there!
I’m glad the move went well!
Recent Purchases: My Copacetic Cosmetics Butterfly Kisses and Elysian Palettes arrived today. Utterly beautiful, both of them!
Rediscoveries: My Juvia’s Place palettes; ColourPop x Mulan Blush in Matchmaker (makes a great bronzer/blush for me); Wet n Wild Reserve Your Cabana.
Weekend plans: Nothing special. I thought the snake would be recovering from another surgery, but when we took him in they said he was doing so well he didn’t need it! We take him back in ten days for another checkup, and to get his sutures from the original surgery out. He’s still on antibiotic injections and keeping the wound coated in silver nitrate cream.
One habit you’re thankful to have?: I put things right back where they belong when I’m done using them. Most of the time. lol
Purchase: Pat McGrath Dark Star mascara duo, mask, Statuesque & Burnished Honey.
Rediscoveries: been playing in all of my Pat McGrath palettes.
Weekend plans: dance class on Saturday, shoulder stand class on Sunday and a dance class as well. Other than that I’m pretty free.
A habit I’m thankful to have is regularly exercising/dancing. It has been everything for me during this quarantine.
Recent Purchases/Rediscoveries: Not sure if it is a rediscovery, but I wore Sydney Grace First Date for the second time, and lordie this blush is gorgeous! I could easily wear it year-round too. I also got some yarn that I really like, but that’s probably way more exciting to a smaller segment of the community.
Weekend plans: We closed on our house today, so we are in the same boat I suppose. We’ll be coordinating moving and painting, and work on the floor, which is the big project for this house.
One habit you’re thankful to have?: I never sleep with my makeup on, which was more impressive when I got to wear makeup more than 2x a month. I drink a lot of water and I carefully read the news every day, and I feel like those are good #adulting habits to have. The snobby literature major in me would also say that I use Oxford commas and semicolons religiously, but that feels a lot less like a brag than the others.
What a beautiful yard!
Finds: My Estee Lauder order arrived late last week. The site’s summer gift with purchase. I needed some toner and will slowly move to Dior to check out how it works on my skin. Also got the Bronze Goddess Modern Mercury highlighter and the Doublewear eyeshadow base. Mine is almost empty. Perusing the Holt Renfrew beauty website to see if I need anything – select makeup is 15% off this weekend and select skincare and fragrance is 10% off.
Weekend Plans: My old nasty neighbours finally moved out. New ones moving in this weekend. Have been honest about things in the complex – that they have nice neighbors, that the soundproofing isn’t that great because the duplexes are wood construction. Suggested they invest in a couple of rugs since they have vinyl plank on the main floor. For soundproofing (and I am sounding old), and when winter comes, my laminate floor can be very slick and having a rug or two is a good idea. Maybe they will have to wipe out on the floor to learn that lesson. Two youngish Filipino dudes – very friendly so far and asked if I liked Filipino food. May work out nicely.
One good habit: Doing my daily energy work to keep myself centred and flowing.
Recent purchases:
Sydney Grace sales:
Chase Your Dreams palette
2 x each small, medium and large empty palettes
Blossom cream shadow (LOVE this lavender-y orchid)
Haystack, Black Ice, Below Zero, Deep Water, Allie, Abyss and Concrete Road eyeshadows
Various Night Owl Lacquer shades (4th of July sale) – I love her flakie formula
Rediscoveries: MAC Soba, Mothbrown, Sketch and Embark eyeshadows, NYX Thalia lipstick, MAC Syrup lipstick
Weekend plans: Friday is lunch at a winery, Saturday is chores and play with my new makeup and nail polish, and Sunday my folks are coming out (finally!) and in the evening giving myself a mani and facial.
One habit you’re thankful to have?: To be orderly and organize and develop systems. It’s never failed me and when everything around me is chaotic, I’ve always been able to order my environment and stay the course. I might be thrown for a loop at first but I always have a backup or contingency plan in place and it’s led to being able to feel safe, self-sufficient and self-reliant. I like that this translates into a solid work ethic for me as well – it’s a point of pride for me to be relied upon and a quiet, steady force moving forward.
Christine, your backyard is a stunning! Glad to hear your mother-in-law and brother-in-law are settling in.
Finds/Rediscoveries: Charlotte Tilbury direct (10% off): Lip and Cheek Glow in Colour of Passion. I love the Colour of Youth cream blush released in the CT x Norman Parkinson collection, and even hit pan on it. Delighted to see new shades released and chose the berry shade. The formula is easy wearing and perfect for touchups. While I prefer the Colour of Youth’s brighter rosebud shade, I will get a lot of wear out of Colour of Passion.
Weekend Plans: Staying cool. We are supposed to get into the 90Fs and feeling near 100F with humidity, so planning to stay inside on Saturday with the exception of a curbside pickup dinner order. Sunday will be hot but lower humidity, so hoping for a long walk and then tidying up. We’re keeping close to home as our COVID-19 numbers have increased somewhat. We’re in the period where a few weeks are needed to see the impact of the new measures (mandatory masks, no inside service for bars, lower public/private gathering sizes, 25% capacity for indoor restaurant dining, etc.). Started watching the new Perry Mason series – it’s really good.
Good habit: I like to have a clean kitchen before I go to bed and I enjoy it in the morning. I also have to write a list of to dos before I go to bed so I know what my priorities are for the next day.