Friday Finds & Check-ins, Volume #720

Friday Finds & Check-ins, Volume #720
Friday Finds & Check-ins, Volume #720

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: Moira highlighter/bronzer stick duos, Moira liquid eyeshadows (I’m a glutton for punishment, I guess), and a Guerlain quad.

Weekend plans: I’m hoping to sit down and write an ode to volunteering/fostering and how it’s impacted my life in hopes to encourage others to find something they can do locally as well! I did the Liqueur pups’ 8-week photoshoot this morning, and I even edited/cropped those photos already, so that’s my big “to-do” item checked off.

Do you prefer hot or cold climates? Warm, please! Phoenix is definitely too hot in the summer, but I could not deal with snow on a regular basis!

Psst… since it’s Friday and we’re heading into the weekend, if you have some downtime, consider playing one of the games hubby and I have created! 🙂 Here’s a breakdown of what we have:

  • Adoptle (guess the name of an adoptable pet in six guesses)
  • Concludle (figure out the subject within six clues)
  • Mislettered (guess one letter at a time to figure out the phrase/quote)
  • Word Frenzy (find as many words from the letters available before the shark devours them)

This week's doggo photo/video...

Share your pet photos to the Temptalia Pets flickr group!

34 Comments

Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!

Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).

We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!

Comments on this post are closed.
Mariella Avatar

Recent purchases: nothing Rediscoveries: Too Faced Smoky Eye palette (the 2nd one) – I’ve always loved Cloves and some of the other shades in it and I’ve been using it for the past few days. Also Stila Starlight single shadow – so beautiful. A shame all their powder shadows just vanished!

Weekend plans: heading out with our elder son (who now lives close enough to visit on the weekend) to the city where my daughter, son in law and baby live and then out for Indian food. Tomorrow, the gym, shopping for a new pair of running shoes to take to Japan and I also want to get a new bra or two (with wider set straps to wear with boat-neck tops) and maybe a pedicure AND the gym. Son’s buddies are coming by as well so I’ll have to truck in some snacks and such… Sunday, the gym again and I might try to get a pedicure. I also want to finish another pair of Elizabeth Suzann “Florence pants” (really a simple pair of culottes) because they’re just really simple and really nice.

Cold or hot climates???? HA – where I live, we get the WORST of both. I prefer it cooler rather than hotter (one reason we put off our visit to son and daughter in law in Japan until October – when the weather is too hot, I just don’t have the energy to be active, to sightsee, to explore. Of course, the extreme winter temps and weather here can be dreadful. It’s one reason autumn is my fave time of year – perfect temps and not too hot, not too cold (like Goldilocks’s porridge).

Genevieve Avatar

Have a great evening with your family Mariella. Isn’t it wonderful that your eldest son lives close by to you so you can all catch up at the weekend. It’s also great for him to be able to see his niece more frequently too. She must be such a little character now.
I think culottes are the way to go in Japan – you will find them comfortable enough to wear and yet they always look smart. A vist to Japan in Autumn would be beautiful, with all of that lovely foliage to see – plus your son and daughter in law.

Mariella Avatar

I don’t want to have to bother with more “dressy” shoes, all that palaver so the culottes are a perfect solution for something a bit fancier looking than slim pants/leggings but still practical. My first pair turned out okay and I’m hoping this second “test pair” will be even better. And Japan in autumn looks spectacular.

Our son is still an hour and a half or so drive away but that sure beats a long plane ride plus all the airport hassle at both ends. .

Deborah S. Avatar

I hadn’t heard of The Pastel Roses so went and googled it. They have some beautiful shadows, glitters and pigments. I looked at a couple of palettes, namely Floral Temptation and Frozen Dreams. Have you tried their eyeshadow palettes and would you recommend them? I know it is hard when you don’t know the other persons taste and preference but basically do they wear well and apply without making a mess everywhere? Thank you.

Shahela Avatar

Hey Christine, I was actually rediscovering sydney grace and decided to buy your trio of palettes especially as I see they are getting discontinued :(. By any chance, do you know why the bundle discount of $85 is no longer active?

Celesta Avatar

Recent Purchases: A Charlotte Tilbury Blushlighter and a lip gloss.

Rediscoveries: still getting to know my Viseart palettes.

Weekend plans: my mom, dad, and brother are coming to visit this weekend. I haven’t seen any of them since Christmas, so I’m excited to see them.

Do you prefer hot or cold climates? Cold, always. It’s much cozier to me. Though, I did enjoy the summer a lot this year; I got to spend a lot of time with my son at the pool and got to know my neighbors well because our kids played together a lot.

Christina D. Avatar

OMG your video of the puppies is the pick-me-up I needed! Such perfect creatures and, IMO, all non-humans like these precious ones are to be given unconditional love! I hope you do write about your experience as a volunteer and foster. I was a volunteer at the local no-kill shelter walking dogs, socializing cats, cleaning bowls and cages, etc., until the pandemic lockdown and volunteers could no longer enter the building. But then I took over caring for a colony of community cats, in addition to my house cats, and I adore all of them. We find ourselves when giving to others, especially the most innocent and the voiceless.

Deborah S. Avatar

Haul: Well, I didn’t end up buying quite as much as I thought I would in Seattle, which is good for my pocket book but I was a little disappointed. My daughter and I spent several hours walking around Nordstrom’s Downtown and smelled a lot of fragrances. We started her Christmas wish list. I spent a lot of time at the Chanel and Westman Atelier counters. Sadly, Westman Atelier was out of most of what I wanted and I couldn’t make a decision at the Chanel counter. Sadly, the Nordstrom’s Downtown doesn’t give samples and I really wanted to get samples of a couple of the Chanel products, namely the Les Beiges Water Fresh Tint, Water Fresh Touch and Water Fresh Tints. I also wanted to get a sample of the Chanel No 1 but that is only sold online and at Ulta where you can’t get samples either. I don’t like returning makeup so decided not to buy at this time. I did get two Chanel blushes from their permanent range, Joues Contrast in Pink Explosion and Rouge Profondo and a Rouge Allure Velvet Luminous Lipstick #45 Intense which is a relatively new shade to their lineup. I also got the Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks Blush in Dou Dou which is a warm toned muted rose shade that can be used on lips, cheeks and eyes. I also ordered from the new Flower Knows Swan Beauty release but the products are all preorder so I will hold them until I receive them and can speak more directly about them.

Weekend Plans: My daughter and grandkitty came home with me as she wanted to see her Grandma. She has a long weekend from work and so we drove home on Wednesday night and I will take her to grab a plane home on Tuesday. The grandkitty will be staying with me for about a month as my daughter and her friends will be gone for a week in mid-September. We have a quiet weekend planned although she is going to help me move some furniture and then my mom and brother will be coming over on Sunday afternoon for lunch. Kind of a quiet weekend.

Warm or cold: Much as I complain about the snow in winter, I am definitely more of a cold or cooler type person. You can always put more layers on but you reach a point where removing anything else is just impossible and no one wants to see my 70 year old body in a swimsuit. Fall and Spring are my favorite season’s but frankly, for the past several years, the weather has been so messed up here in Montana that it is hard to predict anything. Because we don’t have sustained periods of temperatures above 95, no one really has air conditioning. if I get to the point that I can’t stand it anymore, I put a window unit in but that has only happened two or three times since moving back in 2012.

Deborah S. Avatar

I forgot to mention that I also purchased the Viseart Petits Fours Palette in Violetta. I got it from a secondary seller but it had never been used and I do like Viseart shadows. It is a nice color story. I plan on picking up a couple of others. I got this one first as it was the only one I could find for this color story. The others are still available at several retailers and maybe even the Viseart website.

Genevieve Avatar

It’s always SO disappointing when you anticipate a bit of big spend at the beauty shops….and you don’t see anything you really LOVE or they don’t have your colour products in stock or there are not samples or info…etc. A large letdown, I would say.
I hope your little grand kitty is adjusting well to your place and enjoy your weekend lunch with your mum and brother.

Deborah S. Avatar

Thank you Genevieve. I find it really disappointing when you think you are going to be able to see all these products that you have been coveting and then you cannot buy them. Oh well, I am headed to Spokane on Tuesday to take Aislinn to the airport and will spend some time at the Sephora and Nordstrom’s in downtown Spokane. I mentioned in an answer on todays posts that I know those two places well and am not as intimidated as I am at the downtown stores in Seattle. I mean the makeup counters butt up to the shoe and handbag departments and when you are looking at $2000 wallets and shoes for $5000 you really get nauseous quickly, LOL!!
Thank you and hope you are having a wonderful weekend.

Mariella Avatar

No more Chanel counters anywhere near me (fragrance, yes but cosmetics, no) and I dread them releasing something really gorgeous that I can’t get my hands on. Mind you, their recent releases – no great loss (though that blush Christine showed today – Saturday – from the new collection – is very pretty).

Deborah S. Avatar

I have been looking for lighter weight foundations and was intrigued by the Fresh Tints that come in foundation, highlighter and blushes. I think there is still a Chanel counter at the Nordstrom’s in Spokane and I am headed there on Tuesday so hopefully will be able to check them out. I do love most Chanel and have been reaching for my old four shadow quads from the brand, all of the time. I recently bought a back up of Tisse Rivoli and Tisse Vendome. The lighter shades are appealing to me these days. I like the satin and shimmer formula’s better than the shimmer formula’s in Asian brand makeup. I find the excessive glitter to be annoying. I love the colors and use them almost daily but I don’t feel their shimmers have the elegance of the Chanel/Dior/YSL formula’s. The Asian brands are so dang reasonable in comparison though, even accounting for shipping. I miss the YSL counter at Sephora and wish they would bring their makeup back but alas, I fear it is gone forever. I have four of the YSL Mini Clutch palettes in a cart at an obscure site in the Canary Islands and keep going to look at them. The shipping alone would be $30 but when I look at shipping from anywhere in Europe or Japan it seems like a deal! Shipping from Japan has made it impossible to buy from sites there other than Ebay. Korean shipping is much cheaper and their ship free thresh-hold is much lower also.
I know what you mean about avoiding the temptation. I am the kind of person who once I become interested in something, I go hog wild and that isn’t always a good thing.

Mariella Avatar

I thought Tisse Rivoli was discontinued (it and Tisse Gabrielle are probably my favourites and fortunately, I’m not too near finishing either though #1 and 2 are getting lower in their pans). Good to know it’s still around.

Nancy T Avatar

Campari is gonna be one really big, handsome boy! And Kahlua is a super smart, just plain adorable baby; a dream pooch! And then there’s Fireball…are we sure that she has the same Daddy? I see something very different from the others in her facial expression and features.

Purchases/rediscoveries: Just placed an order with Nomad Cosmetics for their newest Old West/Mining towns now abandoned called Ghost Town, USA. I absolutely LOVE the color story, as well as the historical end of it with the shade names! I may be placing an order for a new foundation for winter, as most of my last tube of Fenty Pro Filt’r Hydrating Longwear Foundation in 260 is gone. Any thoughts on Haus Labs Triclone Foundation? Or something like my beloved, now DC’d Fenty foundation?
For reference: Even though I’m 64 y.o., I still have combination skin with a very oily t-zone and prone to cystic acne breakouts, yet I do see a softening (sagging?)in the skin of my cheeks, and some fine lines under my eyes, especially near my cheekbones.

Weekend plans: Just enjoying our finally not hot-as-a-furnace weather today, as it’s beautifully overcast and it stormed big-time last night! Zoom meeting tomorrow morning. Doing a few loads of laundry. Possibly going to IKEA sometime this weekend with my friend and her husband.

Do you prefer hot or cold climates? Neither! I love how the NJ climate was more temperate most of the time, but yeah, there are cold snaps with occasional snowstorms and some intense heatwaves. Still more endurable than these 5-6 months of summer! This year and 2020 have me convinced that I’m not in a “healthy for me” climate here.

Deborah S. Avatar

I recently purchased a new 5 x magnifying mirror for my purse. Yesterday I happened to pull it out to refresh my lipstick and saw through my glasses and the magnifying mirror, my under-eyes. This is not something you want to see in double magnification, let me tell you. If I had the money, I would be making the appointment with the plastic surgeon this morning. I really don’t want to look younger but I wouldn’t mind a few of the cavernous wrinklies and sagging skin/pores disappearing. I have never noticed how many wrinkles I have towards the inner corners of my eyes. It must be from squinting because I am forever forgetting to put on sunglasses. I had so much concealer/color corrector and foundation in those creases I was shocked. So, now I have to figure out a way to not look at them when putting my lipstick on!

Nancy T Avatar

Super magnifying mirrors are the friend of literally NOBODY, Deborah! That was one nugget of wisdom I heard straight from my dad that he imparted to my Mom and I after looking in her makeup mirror to get a better look at a stye on his eyelid. He was like: “No wonder so many women don’t think that they are pretty or beautiful, because for God sakes, I could see every damn pore and lines in my forehead that I never knew I had!”

Deborah S. Avatar

You are definitely right. I also watched a YT video yesterday where they woman said that too many women see themselves as if they are looking in a magnifying mirror and forget that people are seeing us from at least 2 or 3 feet away. The imperfections we see, they don’t see. I feel better now!
I also had not heard of Nomad Cosmetics and went to look at the palette. What a beauty. I am with everyone else, let us know how it is. It looks stunning.

Genevieve Avatar

Great news that your weather is starting to cool and you are treated to some fabulous thunderstorms with lots of lightning. Love it myself.
I am not really familar with Nomad Cosmetics, so I took a little look online and was BLOWN away by that Ghost Town USA palette – so jolly fantastic and not an ugly, sexist name in sight for the shades.
Let me know how it goes Nancy – I’ll be keen for your thoughts.

Nancy T Avatar

Oh yes, the pouring rain with the thunder and lightning was INTENSE, but so welcome here, Genevieve! It got quite loud and bright to the point where it felt like it was directly overhead. Scared the cats even!
That’s one thing that I appreciate about Nomad: that they keep the shade names interesting, usually historical references to the region that a specific palette is the destination of, and without anything offensive or sexist about them. Many are saying that this ones shimmers are PMG Labs quality, but we’ll see about that!

Helene Avatar

I was drooling over the images of the Nomad Ghost Town, USA palette yesterday. It’s a beauty!
I hope it’ll be as good as it looks, can you please let us know what you think after trying it out?
After this, and next month I may be able to actually buy a little something for myself, and Ghost Town is a very serious contender for my money.

kjh Avatar

Ombfg! That palette is TDF! Is that the only truly original offering in years? Blown away, not only by the shades, but by the theme. If I did not just get a car loan that ends when I’m 81, and I MEAN IT, and was done with beauty purchases, I’d be on it like a remora! Gorgeous.

brendacr1 Avatar

Recent Purchases/Rediscoveries: Nada
Weekend plans: Not much, I want to build up my exercises to get my right leg and foot back to normal. Otherwise my husband is building a gate for our back yard and I’m going to fool around with my new phone.
Do you prefer hot or cold climates? Hot, we get 6 months of winter here and I hate every minute of it.

Genevieve Avatar

I hope your exercises are doing the trick for your foot and leg Brenda. Is it an old injury or something new?
Best wishes to your husband building the new gate. I also make myself scarce when my husband has a project on – he might want me to help him and that’s the last thing I want to do. Having a new phone to get use to is a great, perfect alternative….

brendacr1 Avatar

Thanks Genevieve, it’s a fairly new injury, plantar fasciitis and a small bone spur, getting old isn’t for the faint hearted lol. My injury is sparing me the pleasure of helping my husband thank goodness! Have a great weekend.

Genevieve Avatar

Just like little babies who wake up at ridiculous o’clock for attention and feeding! I get the feeling that none of your furniture is off limits now that they can climb and they look so healthy and beautiful.
Well done Christine on finding a hobby that combines a love of dogs with community service.

Recent Purchases: My Shiseido lipstick in Disrobed and EL lippie in Persuasive arrived this week. Both of them are gorgeous colours.
Rediscoveries: Using a variety of my CP lipsticks – Trending, Drama Much, Party Mix and Foolish lately.
As for eye palettes – a real variety – PMG’s Decadence, SG’s On the Horizon and CT’s The Rebel 2020

Weekend Plans: I’m sorry I didn’t get to reply to everyone’s posts last week as I was a tad frantic about the birthday party/celebration on Sunday. It was quite hectic, but everyone had a great time and Harry loved his presents.
This weekend is Father’s Day, but it is going to be fairly low key in comparison.
Saturday – we are watching Lachlan compete in the grand final of his basket ball season at a local basket ball stadium. It should be quite exciting to watch.
Sunday is Father’s Day and we are having the family over for an early dinner – a bbq as the weather will be fine. Very simple.

Do you prefer hot or cold climates: I definitely prefer colder climates. I am not a hot climate lover at all and loathe that stifling hot weather, with humidity that we get here in Melbourne over summer. Last year’s summer wasn’t too bad, but this year I feel we are going to get some record temps, just like you have had in the Northern Hemisphere.

Stephanie Avatar

Purchases & rediscoveries: my haus labs concealer arrived and it’s amazing! I’m a huge stan for this brand. I also got some leave in from Kristen Ess since my hairstylist admonished me about skimping on leave in.

Weekend plans: continue crochet project (I’m about 1:3 of the way done with a lovely autumnal hue shawl), work, relax. Probably some cleaning on Saturday morning as well.

Warm or cool climate? I prefer moderate warmth. No snow or ice, for sure! I’ve lived most of my adult life in Mediterranean climates in California and that’s where I feel the best. One symptom of MS that can really unexpectedly kick your butt is the body’s heat management. Too hot can trigger flares as well. So I prefer to stay like 75 or cooler.

Helene Avatar

Recent Purchases/Rediscoveries: No purchases.
Rediscoveries, MAC Girlie, I used it yesterday for a very simple look, and it has such a lovely satiny sheen.

Weekend plans: Rest. I feel utterly boring, in truth I actually do feel boring.

Do you prefer hot or cold climates? Not cold, but cooler. I don’t think I could stand living in a hot climate. When it gets over 25 C (77 F) I just want to stay indoors in the coolest room. Around 72 F is perfect, I think, add some wind and I will really enjoy the day.
If it wasn’t for shoveling snow I wouldn’t mind living further north.

We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!