Here are some beauty products I’ve been loving lately, and a few picks for fall!
.JPG)
For my birthday I considered getting a facial. Then I decided, why not get a Clarisonic instead and have “facials” all the time? Then I had some unexpected travel expenses (you’ll hear more about this later), and that was the end of that. But the next day I saw a Living Social for a Clarisonic knockoff – Vitagoods – with extra brushes for only $22. DONE. Admittedly, I was skeptical about how much a glorified electric toothbrush could really do for my complexion. But after a month of use, my skin is noticeably smoother, clearer, and even a little less oily. There are many schools of thought on how often to use the brush, but every other day with the regular brush head is working for me. The Vitagoods also has a “deep cleaning” brush, a pumice stone, and a large attachment for knees and elbows. If you’re considering a cleansing brush but don’t want to shell out $100+ for the Clarisonic, this is a solid cheaper choice.
.JPG)
A few months back I bought these cotton makeup remover pads on Etsy. I go through a lot of cotton rounds, and it was time to make the switch to reusable cloth ones. These come with a little bag so you can just throw them in the wash with the rest of your clothes. Super easy and good for the earth. I’ve been very happy with them. Related: I’m still using apple cider vinegar as a toner, and I still recommend it!
.JPG)
A few makeup notes:
My official fall lipstick is Revlon’s Abstract Orange. I bought it last year as a dupe for NARS Autumn Leaves, since I can’t bear to spend $25 on a lipstick. It’s pretty and fallish!
I don’t use it every day, but Mary Kay Oil Mattifier is the real deal and does exactly what it says. On a normal day, my face is shining within two hours (or less) of putting on my makeup. When I use this stuff, I’m set well into the afternoon. I hoarded a bottle of the old formula for years, and I don’t remember it being this good. Yay for advances in beauty technology.
Even though it’s still pretty hot here, I’m craving more subdued nail colors. One of my all-time faves is this old Revlon Street Wear in Grape, which I got IN HIGH SCHOOL. No joke. Actually, I think I may have snitched it from my sister. Sorry Debra! Anyway, it’s still good. I discovered that it’s a near-dupe for OPI’s You Don’t Know Jacques, so I’ll have that when the Grape runs out. YDKJ is a touch darker and browner. I just wore them back-to-back. Clearly I’m a fan of muted purpley browns.
Any fall beauty revelations you want to share?
Shortly before my sister started dating her now-husband, she went through a rough patch with her singleness. Nothing was working out for her relationship-wise, and she felt understandably discouraged. Although I was married at the time, I’d never forgotten how tough it could be on the other side. I wanted to do something tangible to show her how valuable she was, and that she didn’t have to wait for someday to enjoy the best things in life. So for Christmas, or her birthday (I can’t remember which), I bought her a small pair of diamond earrings. I hoped she would remember every time she wore them that she was loved, regardless of whether a man ever chose her.
Fast forward to Christmas 2010. I was recently divorced and still piecing myself and my life back together. Debra and Lance, now married, gave me a pair of diamond earrings just like the ones I gave her years before. With the same message. I still wear them all the time, carrying my family’s love with me.
(PS – I promise this series will not be a gallery of bling. These earrings are the most real bling I own.)
7 Comments + Posted in: family, jewelry, memory lane
I haven’t done a garden update in a while, but as summer winds down, it’s time for a wrap-up!
In June I described the garden as “out of control.” Ha ha!! I had no idea what was in store. My cantaloupe trellis quickly fell over from the weight, so the foreground of this picture is mostly cantaloupe vine. It yielded four fruits. Two were eaten by slugs before I could get to them, but the others were delicious, and I might still get one or two more. As for my heirloom watermelon, I finally got one fruit, but it started rotting while I waited for it to pull away from the vine. :( But that’s improvement over last year! Maybe this summer wasn’t quite hot enough for the watermelons.
My basil took off like a rocket! I need to start picking and drying it soon.
All the peppers did very well and are still bearing. The banana peppers were especially prolific. I’ve put chopped banana peppers in salads and stir-fries and even on sandwiches, but what else can you do with them?
Tomato Jungle! As the tomatoes grew to unprecedented heights, I threw in any support I could find and/or wedge between the plants (hence the big hook). My “front row” tomatoes – Roma, grape, and Mortgage Lifter – bore a lot of fruit, but I never got anything from the back row tomatoes. I guess the front plants cast too much shade. As you can see, they’ve spread forward onto the lawn and back onto the cucumber trellis and beyond. The current blooming area is on the far side of the chimney. !!!
My Garden Life Lesson of 2013 is the importance of preparing well for success, instead of assuming failure. Next year, I’m setting up full size cages and structures on planting day. No joke. If you’re looking for advice on how to grow a garden like this, I only have two words for you: Wholly Cow.
 |
| Manure worth its weight in gold |
Since the summer garden grew so well, I’m attempting to grow fall vegetables for the first time! I bought a small seed starting kit at Lowe’s, and hopefully these seedlings will be ready at the same time space clears for them. Here’s the progress after only a week.
Vertical rows left to right: green onions, spinach, mesclun salad mix, arugula, Swiss chard, and sugar snap peas. Exciting!
6 Comments + Posted in: gardening
The shift from summer to fall always brings an inexplicable sadness with it. I love all the traditional trappings of the season – football, tailgate parties, pumpkin everything, the colors, the sense of possibility, the absolutely beautiful weather. But even as I revel in these things, something in me grieves a little. Yes, nature going out in a blaze of glory is a sort of sorrowful beauty, but it’s more than that. Maybe it’s just the passage of time, which I feel even more now than at the New Year. Maybe this is why the Old Testament year turns in fall.
September and November are also riddled with milestones for me. I’m aware, in a way I’m not at other times, that I’m still experiencing life’s highs and lows alone and that this might always be the case. I honestly have no idea where I’d find the time and energy to start a relationship – I can’t even manage my schedule now. But it’s disheartening to have so much to give, so much you want to share, and year after year no one wants or even sees the light in you. Invisibility is hard. All of us, women and men, just need to be seen once in a while. Organically. Ontologically.
Still, I know that this is just fall melancholy. I have no feelings of impending doom about the coming months, which is a blessing. I have an increased sense of hope about other parts of my life, and we’ll just see what God does before winter arrives.
3 Comments + Posted in: fall, reflections, singleness
After a long hiatus, I’ve found a new muffin recipe worth posting here. Since I only bake muffins that are under 150 calories, they often turn out pretty dry. Not these! For that reason alone, they just earned a place in my permanent rotation.
Blueberry Flaxseed Muffins
From Sparkrecipes. Makes 1 dozen. 138 calories per muffin.
Ingredients:
1 cup blueberries
1 cup quick oats
1 cup lowfat buttermilk (I didn’t have any – plain 1% milk was fine)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 large egg
¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
¾ cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp ground flax seeds
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray muffin pans with nonstick spray or line with paper liners.
2. In a small bowl, combine the oats and buttermilk, and let stand at room temperature for five minutes.
3. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; mix with a fork to blend and set aside.
4. In a large bowl, beat egg, applesauce, and brown sugar at medium speed for 3 minutes (I just mixed by hand). Add the oat-buttermilk mixture. Stir in the flour mixture just to combine. Fold in blueberries.
5. Fill muffin cups ¾ full and top with a sprinkle of flax seed. Bake 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Happy Friday!