Hiya, ya cutie patootie with a big ol’ booty!
I sure do love the scent of clean makeup brushes. They remind me of burying my nose in a gloriously fluffy cat tum… I’ve only mentioned this a million times, but I’ve been lackadaisical about brush washing lately (I literally cannot remember the last time I deep cleaned them), and I’ve only been getting by because 1) I haven’t been wearing much makeup, and 2) when I have been wearing makeup during the day-to-day, I’ve been using products that I can apply with my fingers.
On the one hand, ewww, gross brushes; on the other, I’ve discovered some neat things that only take a minute or two to use (more on my latest finds in a second).
Anywho…I finally parked myself in front of the sink and washed my brushes, and now they smell wonderful! Also, for the first time in a while, I feel inspired to try some different looks with those bristles in the near future.
I wish I could say that I was motivated to clean my brushes by an immediate and sudden need to Marie Kondo the sh*t out of my situation, but nah… The driving force was the pimple on my chin! It’s one of those pimples that feels worse than it looks (it’s throbbing just under the surface of my skin as I type this), and to discourage myself from messing with it, I’m going to cover it with makeup; otherwise, I’ll just keep futzing with it, because as much as I hate to admit this…I’m a pimple picker.
I anticipate doing some concealing in the next few days, so it was time to finally clean those damn brushes.
It just goes to show ya — sometimes what you REALLY need is a painful pimple to light a fire under your @ss!
I’ve been getting by with easy makeup over the past month or so, and this has lead me to some cool things, like this sheer liquid foundation, liquid blush, liquid bronzer and liquid highlighter by Lumene (all of which you can find at Target).
You know how Perricone has their line of no-makeup makeup with the liquid foundation serum, blush and highlighter? Lumene has a similar sheer coverage, fluid consistency, but it’s a little more affordable ($25 for the Lumene foundation versus $60 for Perricone).
If you’re in the midst of a major Meghan Markle moment, then you’ll appreciate how everything is almost undetectable. The only thing that’s kinda obvious is the highlighter, but I think that’s mostly because the pearl isn’t as fine as something like MAC Strobe Cream — definitely made for the minimalist who prefers a sheer, sort of “is she or isn’t she wearing makeup?” type of coverage, and loves the simplicity of putting on makeup with fingers.
Lately I’ve been wearing Lumene foundation, bronzer, blush and highlighter on my face whenever I’ve got to do “mom things” in public — pre-school drop off in the morning, play dates in the park, toddler dance class — and whenever I’m blending things with my fingers I think to myself, “Maybe one day I’ll be the person who does a full beat glam to go to Tiny Toes Dance Class, but today is NOT that day.”
Speaking of things at Target, I gotta head there today to scout basic tees, because all of my solid-color tees — ALL OF THEM — have a tiny cluster of holes right in the belly button area, and I think it’s because that’s where the shirts rub up against the zipper and button of all my jeans. I only discovered this recently, so basically I’ve been walking around with an unintentional ventilation system on my tum-tum for months. Seriously, who does this? There’s no way I’m the only person that this has happened to in the history of tee shirts.
Anyway, I’ve got my eye on this $8 tee from Universal Thread.
Could this be the universe’s way of telling me that I need to quit wearing pants?! Ha ha ha!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Ah, your skin looks amazing. Btw, you could try the French yuck so there’s no way that evil zipper can rub against your Tees 🙂
*facepalm* I meant French “tuck”
Aww, thanks lady. I’m trying not to futz with the pimple on my chin… The struggle is real. lol
So I just looked up the French tuck. I’m gonna try it! Seems like it would work better than tucking the shirts all the way in (I’m short waisted so the tops of my pants practically touch the bottom of my ribs). Thanks for the suggestion.
How have you been, by the way? Things at work and in life going OK?
Hey Karen, thanks for responding *Hug*. I’m well, thanks. Summer just started in Berlin, and it’s slowly heating up. I started a new job a few months ago and it’s quite interesting. This husband and I are waiting for our apartment to be ready. We bought it about 2.5 years ago before it was built. It’s been delayed for a few months now so we are a bit anxious to move.
You’d look great with the French tuck! Hope you’re having a nice week. Hugs to Miss Connor!
Congrats on your new job. Are you still doing technical writing? Also, big congrats on the new place! That’s so exciting. Moving is pain but once you’re all settled in you won’t even remember how annoying the whole process was, right?
Thanks! Yes still technical writing but remote. My team is in Munich so I visit them ~every month or so. Yes, we are really excited about the new place. You’re right 🙂 after the move, we will definitely not remember this transition time. We currently rent an apartment in party-central and it can be quite noisy. I’m already in the “get off my lawn” mode sometimes, even though I don’t have a lawn.
NICE! It must be nice to be remote (but I totally get how it’s tempting to stay in your stretchy pants all day, ha ha ha).
Totally understand the “get off my lawn” mode, LOL! (You’re talking to someone who turns into a pumpkin promptly at 7:30 p.m. every night.) Are you getting new furniture for the new place? Excited for you!
I get the same little holes in my T shirts and also in my cashmere sweaters (booo!). While I’m sorry it’s happening to you I’m glad I’m not the only victim. I’ve been liking the T-shirts from Everlane. They’re reasonably priced and good quality – they don’t get twisted, stretched out and wrinkled like Target shirts and they’re not transparent.
The no-makeup look is great on you! Sadly I have bad skin and need more coverage. If I’m going to go to the trouble of putting makeup on I’m going to hide my spots and scars. The lightest I can go is the It Cosmetics CC cream – at least it has SPF and lets me skip a step in skin prep.
Oh, the holes in the cashmere sweaters must be heartbreaking! I wonder if there’s a way to fix them? I’ve tried fixing the holes in my tees but it just ends up looking weird, so I figure it’s just time to pony up and get some new ones. Haven’t tried Everlane before but I have friends who swear by the brand. I just looked them up and like the price point. Which ones do you have? The Tiny Tee looks cute.
I have the Cotton Crew. I like the fit – the neckline is slightly lower than a “traditional” t-shirt and the sleeves are a good length, right at halfway between my shoulder and elbow. They’re long enough to prevent plumber butt and stay tucked in front. The fit is perfect for me – roomy enough to camouflage tummy pooch but not boxy or sloppy. The tiny cut and box cut are a little too short-waisted for me.
LOL to plumber butt! OK, I’ll look into that cut because I like having room in the mid-section. Honestly, though, I’m at the point where I just want a shirt that freakin’ holds up. All my fave tees over the past years have ended up being so flimsy, even the “nice” ones that I got from Nordstrom by Caslon have holes in them.
Cashmere sweaters (or any knit for that matter) can usually be easily repaired by a tailor or an alteration person who knows their way around knits. You know how when you buy a sweater and it comes with a little bit of yarn on a cardboard bobbin? That’s for making repairs. Back in the day it was called French weaving and, before my arthritis became a problem, I used to be quite good at it. Nowadays there are probably tutorials online.
Love this look! Undetectable face makeup is definitely my look for everyday – no makeup makeup but with bigger lashes and a wing ? I use kind of a siliconey tinted sunscreen and when I use a tiny bit of concealer on my undereyes it mixes with the sunscreen and gives just a nice sheer natural look in the under eyes that doesn’t cake, and I spot conceal and use the Chantecaille gel blush.
At this point in my life I’d rather look a little tired than have cake-y looking under eyes, so I’m going to try your trick.
How are you feeling today?
Amen on the undereyes! Today is an improvement. Throat is less swollen and sore and I don’t feel like there’s gravel in my sinuses anymore. Still not 100% but going in the right direction.
I tried on some universal thread v-neck tees the other day and they seemed legit. Kind of regret not buying them but I had to pare down my selections, you know target!
I have a grey one and it’s held up nicely (only has one hole in the belly as opposed to 5, LOL!). I like that they’re only $8! Right now they’re on sale, three for $20. 🙂
P.S. What did you end up getting from Target? Or rather, what did Target tell you go get?
I was shopping for mini toiletries for a trip (just got back from visiting a friend in Sacramento) and the only unplanned splurge I came home with was a pair of polarized sunglasses from A New Day, only $20!
How was Sac? I bet it was blistering hot! I used to live and work near there, up in Davis.
$20 is great for a pair of glasses. That way you won’t be too stressed if you end up breaking them or losing them. 🙂
We’ve been getting those tiny holes, too, but they’ve been coming from leaning against the counter to wash dishes. There’s an uneven place that can’t be fixed without replacing the whole counter. (Don’t I wish!!) But what a great excuse to go shopping. ? I haven’t tried them myself, but I’ve heard good things about Old Navy’s EveryWear tees.
Ya know, I have some tees from Old Navy from — kid you not — over 10 years ago, and they are some of the few things I still have in my wardrobe that don’t have holes. I’ll look into those tees! Thanks, Suzanne.
And yeah… feel you about the counters. I’ve been pricing kitchen remodel items and counters are $$$.
Holy mackerel! Your skin looks incredible. Exactly what I need. Invisible next to nothing foundation to even out and not muck up my skin in this humid weather. I’ll be heading to Target for this. TY TY. Keep fluffing ❣️
You look lovely!! And thanks for the rousing Lord of the Rings moment with “it is NOT this day!”. 🙂