August is really less summer than pre-fall. It's been fairly cool and bit rainy. Perfect for making nightlights.
Books: I've been killing it on the Kindle Unlimited. (Seriously, they are making nothing on me this month.) And I may have gone on a bit of a binge on a new author.
- The first 4 books of Jane Hinchey's Witch Way series. (I'm team Blake. And like being team Ranger, I think I'll probably lose.) I'd recommend these for a beach read.
- The first 7 books of Susan Harper's Back Room Bookstore series. It's easy and light but could use some editing to correct errors in the story. (It contradicts itself on details too often.)
- The last 4 books of Blooms, Bones and Stones Cozy Mystery set from Olivia Swift.
- The 4 books of the Wicked Witches of Destiny Cove by Sara Bourgeois
- The 5 books of the Dragon's Gift: The Valkyrie by Linsey Hall
- The 5 books of the Dragon's Gift: The Sorceress by Linsey Hall (And hello. I'm team Declan. )
- The first 2 books of the Dragon's Gift: The Dark Fae by Linsey Hall
It's a ridiculous amount of books!
Gratitude: New perfume samples. Dinner with friends. Cardio drumming. Girls night out. Small-town farmers' markets. Small town diners. Boat rides. Coffee with friends in flower filled splendor. Chubby kittens. Tiny harvests. Crafting pretty things from glass.
Listening: Have discovered that 19's jam is The Civil Wars. I'm slowly getting both girls on board with my music! She also said the chorus of Halsey's Castle should be my sound track when I walk into board meetings. (HA!)
Perfume: Every day is Willow & Water from the Library of Flowers. Except when I am trying the new sample perfumes!!! I ordered a sample of Ellis Brooklyn, the Chronicle's series. And here are my thoughts, rank ordered by my preference.
- Sci Fi is a blend of green tea, pink freesia, bitter orange and vanilla beans.(Billed as an "otherworldly vanilla"). The tea and orange were top notes for me in a base of vanilla. I loved it. But, this barely lasted 4 hours on my skin. However, I liked it enough that I'd just carry a refresher option with me.
- Fawn is coconut milk, bergamont, amber and lily of the valley. (Billed as "summer in a bottle"). I got the lily of the valley with amber right away and just the tiniest hint of coconut. I had high hopes for this one. This lasted less than 3 hours on my skin.If there were a way to make it last longer, I'd love it.
- Rrose is rose and lemon over vanilla orchid. (Billed as "Not your grandma's rose"). It lingered about 8 hours. For me, it blew through the rose scent in about 1 hour and went heavy on the lemon and vanilla orchid. The scent evokes spring in a clean and fresh way.
- Fable is honeysuckle and amber with a few other things. (Billed as "pretty and complex".) It was lovely for all of 30 minutes and then it was like I didn't bother to put on perfume at all. Lack of sillage makes it a nope for me.
- Myth is a completely forgettable scent on me. (Billed as "the most alluring musk around"). Bergamont, jasmine, and white cedarwood sound gorgeous - I love those scents! But, like several of the others, zero sillage. A rather boring white musk and off in under 2 hours.
- Rives is the unisex fragrance of the bunch with orange, lavender and cashmere suede. (Billed as "incredibly clean, incredibly modern"). The instant it hit my skin, I thought 'Wow. Unisex. Nope.' - unisex just usually doesn't have enough floral for me.
- Raven this is peony and patchouli. (Billed as "your power scent".) I was so caught up in the idea of peony fragrance - my favorite flower, I didn't realize how overwhelming the patchouli would be. So very strong and sadly, it was all the earthy dirt-smelling patchouli-ness that I hate. If you like patchouli, this would be a good scent and the sillage is excellent. (As fate would have it, this one lasted damned near 20 hours while I hated it.)
Drum-roll - none of them beat the Henry Rose for sillage but there were a couple I'd like to have in my line-up. On to the next sampling!
Random: 19 and I went on a small town adventure. We went to my hometown for First Friday to explore. We saw all the things - the little soap shop, the best 2nd hand store, adorable jewelry store, La Gram Russe's church, and a diner featured in Dives and Diners. I even got guy the most beautiful mug, hand-crafted at a pottery shop in Goshen.
Recipes: Still barely cooking.
Self-Care: I've basically gone rogue and am using everything I own on different days.
Day - Last month I started using the Boxwalla box from 5Yina - the Lucent Beauty Duo most days as it was designed for summer. And I still love it. It's completely perfect for the hot sticky summer months. I'm still adding Farizad's Veil from Earthwise Beauty to the oil as my first line of sun protection. I really adore that I don't have to layer on another product or skip something so I don't over-layer products.
Some days, when I knew I'd be inside most of the day, I've been using what my Juice Beauty serum and oil (again with the Farizad's Veil mixed-in, just in case.) Having now used a good many oils - I don't like the Juice Beauty oil as well as some of the others. (Order of preferred oils: 5Yina, Fleurs d'Afrique, Little Barn Apothecary, Physician's Formula Oil Elixir and then Juice Beauty. Which is super weird because the Juice Beauty formulation is at least as good as the prior 2. Just a texture and absorption thing.)
And a few days, if I'm not going out at all - the April box's FlowerSpice Soothe and Repair Daily Moisturizer on the neck and my 100% Pure Eye Cream on the eyes.
I've added a 100% Pure Eye Cream - which I've been using days and nights depending on needed. I've also restarted using my Frownies! (Funny story - both 19 and Guy caught me wearing them. "What do you have on?" Not pretty. But quickly removable. "Nothing.")
Night - That has been a toss-up. After a cleanse with either my Miscellar Water or a coconut cleansing balm + face wash....
- For sweaty days, I've been using the Siam Seas' Sai Clear Skin Serum (all over), the FlowerSpice Soothe and Repair Daily Moisturizer on the neck and my 100% Pure Eye Cream on the eyes. The Siam Seas is a little gritty and as the amount in the bottle lowers, it's gotten harder to pump out - but it's light and does a nice job keeping the skin clear. Harder to pump out = tap the bottom to re-engage. A few nights I did break out the Earthwise Yasuni Face balm with the 100% Pure Eye Cream.
- For beach and regular days, I've been using the African Botanical's Cell Recovery Serum all over plus Fleur d'Afrique Oil (same brand) around the eyes and at the neck. Plus a little of the Siam Seas Sai Clear Skin Serum on problem areas.
This month's Boxwalla box is from Heart of Gold in Portland. Which is funny because I always wanted to go there when in Portland. And it's a GENEROUS box - cleansing cream, a gromage (which I've not heard of) and a serum. Very excited to get a cleansing cream!
And this month I've stymied 2 people with my age! Success.
Stress: Work can be weird.
Things 12 Said: Mostly, as she approaches 13 she speaks in "Nothing" and grunts
Watching: Wynonna Earp, the latest season. And I binged all of The Librarians again. Sometimes you just need light-hearted mystery.
Take- away - It's fine to escape from stress but remember your way back to who you are.
Original musings posts you may enjoy:
All photos by moi! And you can tell...
*Juice Beauty is a staple in my beauty cabinet. I stray, I try other things - but it's my favorite "foundation" (I used the CC Cream) and great skin care. If you like Juice Beauty too, here is a link. I do get a small commission (at no cost to you) when you use these links which helps support this blog.
