Showing posts with label fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fiction. Show all posts

Monday, September 7, 2020

August Musings - 2020




I'm in love with painting acrylics. It may be my new hobby! That and the awesome local farmer's market on Sunday mornings. And I think you should buy yourself some flowers. You deserve them! I got several sets from the farmer's market this month. This one is a combination of a couple of weeks. 

So what did you get up to in August?


 Reading (Books):
Here's what I read this month.(And yeah, crazy amount of Kindle Unlimited. They are making nothing on me.) I continue to stress read with light fiction. 

- Orlando People by Alexander C. Kane (very very good) via Audible
-The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith via Audible (2 observations - 1) her fav food (pumpkin and chicken) would make her my dog's BFF and 2) so weird in 2020 to have an old white English (via Africa, but still) write for an African black woman. 
- Leveling Up #1 and #2 by K.F. Breene (Kindle Unlimited) - YESSS. Very good. More mid-life series.
- Psychic Dreams by Elizabeth Hunter (Kindle Unlimited) - this is #3 in her Glimmer Lake series. (Spoiler - what the hell? How did West not be the guy? Plot reasons I'm sure but I feel like West deserves some play.)
- Good to the Last Death #3 by Robyn Peterman - (Kindle Unlimited) this is an easy beach read but I've found better
- Hall of Blood and Mercy #1, #2 #3 by K.M. Shea (Kindle Unlimited) - this is a beach read
- Nora Black Midlife Psychic Mystery books #1, #2, and #2 by Renee George (Kindle Unlimited) Was kind of a fun romp. Don't expect much but it works at exactly that level.
- Witching for Hope by Deanna Chase (Kindle Unlimited) which is #2 in a series. I was not at all interested in this one but since I liked the first and am anticipating the 3rd, it seemed like I should read this one.
- Shifting Shadows by Patricia Briggs - this might have been a re-read. I feel like I know some of these stories. But I loved them all the same
- The Vine Witch & The Glamourist by Luanne G. Smith (Kindle Unlimited) - I'm in love with this "set in France in early 1900's with magic" series! I can't wait for the final installment.
- The Missing by C.L Taylor - actual BOOK! It kept me guessing but it took a while - like 3 weeks to read because it did not hook me in. (Dropped to the beach LFL)
- Rosemarked by Livia Blackburne - actual BOOK! found at a garage sales and I really enjoyed it. The storyline was fresh! (Dropped to the beach LFL)


Cooking: I made so much salsa! Just quick fresh salsa with farmer's market onions and jalapenos, my tomatoes and hot peppers and a bit of cilantro from the store. Also cobbler. 

Gardening: And we have deer. The war against them has commenced. They have eaten my tiny tomatoes to nubs and are scavenging my bigger tomatoes. I responded with Irish Spring. They responded by eating my Ghost Pepper and Carolina Reaper - someone's venison is going to be spicy.


Gratitude:  Evening painting without a plan. The return of eating out. (Patios). Farmer's market. Diva dog paws. Perfume. Garage sales and fun finds. Babies. (Not mine but related!) New soap day. 


Listening: I'm still not podcast listening very much. In all truth - I'm very busy and I kind of don't want to think in my down time. Lots of Cocktails and Crooners on Apple Music. Some Pandora (I've created a Tru-Torch channel that's heavy on the torch jazz. And I've been rocking that at work.) 
Watching: Alright so I liked it so much I re-watched, The Old Guard on Netflix with Charlize Theron. Also, I caught up on all the Agents of Shield. (Nice ending. I can work with that emotionally.)  The new season of US's Shameless is out (sans Fiona), and I caught up with the Gallaghers.

Wearing (Perfume and Skincare): 


Perfume
The perfume situation is officially crazy. It just never seems to go down - even though I've killed off some samples.

Imaginary Authors
- Yesterday Haze - Scent notes: Fig, Iris, Cream, Tonka, Tree Bark, Walnut Bitters, Orchard Dust. I like this one more the more I wear it - I think it's the fig, cream and tonka. It lingers better than any other IA perfume I've sampled  - morning application lingers into early evening. Would buy! (Killed off the sample)
- Sundrunk - Scent notes: Neroli, Rhubarb, Honeysuckle, Rose Water,Orange Zest, First Kiss. There is something about this like oranges just past the peak. Not one I'd buy again. (Killed off the sample)


Sucreabeille
 - I Come From a Long Line of Terrifying Women - Scent notes: rosewood, whiskey, and amber, gunpowder, guiacwood, and tobacco absolute. I decided I needed to honor La Gram Russe at the begining of the month - her birthday - with wearing this perfume. Because she was awesome and I miss her. It's still very heavy on the tobacco with an overlay of amber on me. I like it. Okay sillage. 3-5 hours. 
- Lady Swears - Scent notes: Bourbon, Tahitian Vanilla, Lemon.  I started the day at 4:15am for petcare and a 5am conference call with Taiwan. I was stood up 2 days in a row. This was the correct perfume for that!
- We Are Stardust - Scent notes: Daisy crowns and sandalwood, a bouquet of peace lilies, vanilla cream fresh from Max’s dairy farm, and a drop of patchouli. I hate patchouli  - but somehow Sucre seems to have come up with a patchouli that I don't mind. I'm not a daisy person (mostly they smell strongly of cat pee with an almost pleasant odor underneath for me) Yet somehow this scent uses only the "good" part of the daisy. This is a lovely scent and a lesson that you should TRY NEW THINGS. For me, it's heavy on the cream and lilies with a backing of deep sandalwood and a sweet dry down to the faint touch of a creamy daisy invoking floral that has only the good parts of the daisy. Sillage is about 4-5 hours. (I bought it for the name. I wore it because I wanted to feel magical. Totally fits the bill.)
- Toxic Masculinity Ruins the Party Again - Scent notes: A delightfully feminine blend of lavender, vanilla, honey nectar, and a light floral aldehyde.  I've now decided this is a weird mix of powder/honey. It's sweet, but dry smelling and goes more powder the longer it is on. (Late in the month I started getting "smoke" off this.) Nice sillage.
- Rictus - Scent notes: Funeral wreath of white lilies and black orchids sprinkled with a dusting of graveyard dirt.A somber wake feast of dark chocolate drenched raspberries and a shot of dark rum. I think this dram might be self-filling. It never runs out!   I get strong upfront rum and chocolate with a settle down to a lillied chocolate in about 6-8 hours. This scent basically lingers until I wash it off.
- Mouthy Broad - Scent notes: a cloud of cigar smoke, freshly picked roses, a full glass of whiskey. I don't know. This just felt like T-H-I-S  was my description of who I felt like internally. I got absolutely no rose off it. Cigar and whiskey with a floral hint. And it lasts a good half day for sillage.
- RESPECT - Scent notes: your mother’s expensive cold cream that she dutifully applied every night and now you do, too, mixed with fragrant, sumptuous black cherries. Now that this has "rested" and is officially my night perfume (because that is a thing now) I get a lot of cherry and dark vanilla off this. It's still sexy cupcake but richer smelling.


Skincare
- Day time - Started the month out with my standard a shower wash of tea tree cleanser and swipe of Rosewater Witch Hazel (Dr. Theyer's, obviously), followed by a third finger (gentlest finger) tapping into the skin of 100% Pure's Super Fruit Oil Nourishing Eye Cream. I got a sample of Dr. Hauschka's Restorative Day Cream as part of a sample (BeautyHabit.com - excellent beauty curators) and pretty much used it all month. Towards the end of the month, I broke out the 5Yina Lucent Hydrolat and Lucent Beauty Oil as it was hot and that's the perfect pair for that. 

- Night time - 1st cleanse - 100% Pure's Blood Orange Cleansing Balm followed by a 2nd cleanse with  with Boxwalla's June cleanser, Nini Organics' Detox Foam Cleanser - which does the powder to foam thing that is so cool! I bought this new eye cream called "Grown Alchemist" which makes me laugh. (Beautyhabit had it on clearance). It's basically vitamin E and sunflower oil with a few other things. But I like how it melts into the skin. I've been topping that with the Boxwalla beauty box's Votary Super Seed cream. Very rich. My skin has been, despite the heat, looking a little parched.

Things 13 Said: Not much. She was gone a lot of the month. And since she will be 14 next month, she's doing the teenage thing where she lives in her room and we never see her.

Random: 22 (Israel) made me go with her garage sale hunting. And I have found a water carafe with cover/cup. $2. It makes me delighted!


Take-away: This time of year can feel like things are winding down. It's the perfect time to dream about how you want to finish your year. I know the pandemic has stressed a lot of us out. But there is still hope, and beauty (and babies!). Take a little time to dream about the rest of the year and to dream about what you want next.

PS - I'm moving to 2x a month posts. So much happens in a month right now that nuances are lost and these posts are starting to feel generic. I hope you like the changes!


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.

- Skin Care by Juice Beauty
Follow my blog with Bloglovin  - A new way to follow!

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Thursday, October 31, 2019

Musings - October 2019

October is always a transitional month. It starts Q4 and is the run up to the holidays with a side of settling into school. I decided to settle into a "get moving" theme for the month with street named perfume, road called lipstick and some adventure.

Books: Travel month! So, in addition to finishing Buying Signals by Nikki Rausch,  I picked up a new book, Hello! My Name is Awesome by Alexandra Watkins. Both of which I ADORED as business books by smart women and am telling everyone about.

Kindle Unlimited. 
- All 3 of the Rosie O'Grady's Paranormal Bar and Grill books by B.R. Kingsolver
- Winter Hours by Mary Oliver

There were other books during the travel, but I didn't get them all finished. (Pictured but they don't count yet.) 

Gratitude: Couch snuggles. Local coffee shops that remember what you like. Kittens! (They are a year old now. Maybe I should call them "young cats"? They are big - over 9lb each - but have baby faces and are so cuddly. Kali especially likes to come talk to me about all her woes in the morning. It's so cute!) October blue skies. Dinners with friends. Orange trees. Discounts at nice hotels. Soda fountains with alcoholic drinks. Unexpected water and fire shows. Art and wine.  And buying yourself a bouquet because you just damn want flowers.

Listening: My own thoughts. They are B-I-G right now. And during a LONG driving trip, Dan Carlin's Hardcore History, which you can rock through at 1.5 speed and not miss a thing.

Perfume: It's October. Time for a change. I went with the new mini bottle of Magazine Street that Strange Invisible Perfume is offering. (And it became part of my weird travel theme.)

And I nearly forgot! I tried out perfumes! Skylar is the brand (clean perfume, made in the USA.) And... on me, it had ZERO sillage. I loved the easy packaging. I loved the fresh scents - and they were just as described. I loved the mix suggestions. (Arrow and Meadow were my two favorites   - possibly because they were the ones that stayed on - and I liked them better mixed.) But if it doesn't stay on my skin but 30 minutes - it's a bust as a fragrance.  
- Isle - Clean, Dewy, Fresh
- Coral - Fruity, Floral, Flirty
- Arrow - Spicy, warm, seductive
- Meadow - Floral, Chic, Beautiful
- Capri - Sparkling, Citrus, Sweet
- Willow - Woodsy, Cool, Lush
That said, I'm still tempted by the pricepoint on ordering Arrow and Meadow as a duo.....

Random: 
1) I now know the historical meaning of Bar and Grill - and it's not what you think it is. That meaning is also very well suited to the Kingsolver book.

2) I rented the cutest car for a business road trip. I wore Magazine Street perfume and Kismet's Country Roads lipstick on the trip to be on theme.

Recipes: Oatmeal cookie update! We've discovered I had inadvertently modified the standard recipe - and we like it more! (Here's the link to what we started with.) We've done it up with the blueberries and with chocolate chips. Both good.  

 Here's my recipe (and yes, use this order to put it together):
- 2 sticks butter, very soft 
- 2 cups packed dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 3 cups oats (old fashioned or quick cook)
- 3 eggs (beaten)
- nuts,  dried berries or chocolate chips to taste

 Mix well before you get in the eggs. (I mix after vanilla extract. I also mix after flour. And again after oats. I use a fork.) Add beaten eggs 1 at a time. Once throughly mixed, spoon onto parchment lined-pan in even amounts. (It makes about 18 cookies for me - but we make BIG cookies).

 Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes. 

Self-Care Overview: 

 I've been wearing Country Roads lipstick the second half of the month. It's part of my travel theme. (See top image for color.)

 Soap of the month was Morning Dew. (The label says... lily of the valley. hyacinth. wisteria. spring blooms poking though the ground after a fresh soaking rain.) Very feminine and fresh. I took it with me on 3 trips (Philadelphia, Grand Rapids, St. Louis).
Keeping the Face Young Skincare...
Day - I killed off the Juice Beauty oil early in the month. So full switch for day to Mad Hippie's Vitamin C Serum then 100% Pure's Super Fruit Oil Nourishing Eye Cream and then top my whole face with light application of Pacifica's Super Flower Power Rapid Response Face Oil.  Seems to work well with either quick Bare Minerals powder or with full-on Juice Beauty CC Cream + finishing powder.

Night  - There was some travel. When I travel, I tend to use my DHC Beauty samples as night as lotions and to try different products. I also take my DHC Oilve Oil Cleanser and Face Wash during travel. (I love my various cleansing balms, but when I travel, I don't want to use the hotel washcloths on my face - who knows what those were laundered in?!? And balms need a face cloth wipe, for sure.) On non-travel days, at night, I've been using the African Botanics's Cell Recovery Serum all over plus African Botanics's Fleur d'Afrique Oil topped with either 1) Sweet Briar Hydrating Nectar by Heart of Gold that came in the Boxwalla box in August or 2) FlowerSpice Soothe and Repair Daily Moisturizer from the April box. Nearing the end of the the African Botanical Cell Recovery and I'm sad. (Not a pricepoint that's friendly to my current life.)

 Confession - I still haven't figured out how to use that Grommage Gel from the August box. Never seems to work for me.

 As always, we wait to see who says I look young. (I think the best was the Earthwise serums for that.) And NO! The Meijer store kid just clicked "over 40" as I bought my wine.

Stress: Big life things are in flux. Change is a wave you've got to learn to surf. Oddly, knowing that and making CHOICES (feeling empowered) helped a lot with my stress this month.

Things 13 Said: Did. She's become a tater-tot thief. To which she tells me "Who counts their tater-tots?" Me. The answer is me because you steal them.

 We went to visit her 19 year old sister at art school. We surprised her at work - and then stayed there as she works at a hotel! (Cute space, too and walking distance to lots of things.) 

 The 3 of us tried rock climbing as our fun adventure. The girls were naturals! (I'm more of a natural anchor. But I did give it a college try.) And if you have never done it - it's hauling your entire weight up by your arms while balancing on small stones, then trusting a rope to not drop you to your death. I'd do it again. 
Watching: Designing Women on Hulu! Blacklist on Netflix. (Is it weird I want to BE Reddington when I grow up?) Schitts Creek on Netflix. And my spirit animal, Jessica Wong, is back in play with Fresh off the Boat.

Take- away - Some times you have to set boundaries with other people. But, you get to define the boundaries of you. Maybe it's time for you to stretch those boundaries!
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.

- Skin Care by Juice Beauty
Follow my blog with Bloglovin  - A new way to follow!
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Monday, September 30, 2019

Musings - September 2019

September felt like the start of a new year! It also felt a year long. I coped with books as self-care and a touch of skin-care changes. 

 Books: I've continued to kill it on the Kindle Unlimited. As I finish the new author binge on Linsey Hall ....
- The 5 books of the Dragon's Gift: The Huntress by Linsey Hall
- The 5 books of the Dragon's Gift: The Amazon by Linsey Hall
- The 3rd book of the Dragon's Gift: Queen of the Fae by Linsey Hall

 And then I went rouge from Kindle Unlimited and mixed physical with electronic on three books of JR Ward's Black Dagger series. (The King - electronic, The Shadows - electronic , and The Chosen - physical.) 

 Also, one of my Twitter friends wrote a grand book which I devoured in 2 days. The Bear's Wife. It's sci-fi. It's historical fiction. It's a romance. It's an adventure. It's ALL the THINGS, and I am in breathtaking awe of the world she created in her head to share with the rest of us. It's available on Kindle Unlimited!

 And then there was the clean up reading just getting a few things off my Kindle Unlimited since you can only have 10 things out at once:
- A Beautiful Poison by Lydia King
- The 2 books of the Southern Belles and Spells Matchmaker Mysteries by Amy Boyles
- All 6 of the Federal Bureau of Magic series by Annabel Chase
- Beaten at His Own Game (BackRoom Bookstore #9) by Susan Harper.
- Shadows and Souls (Eve Williams book 3) by Ashley Beasley

 In summary, it was an escapist reading month. #SorryNotSorry My reading challenge of 52 books is dust. I'm sitting right around 130 books for the year. 

Gratitude: Chubby kitties. New nail polish. New skin care. Brunch. Farmer's market. The beautiful sky (because dog has to go out with a person, I get to really see the sky - far from city lights - at all kinds of hours in all kinds of moods.). 

Listening: In addition to the Dave Ramsey Podcast, I've been very Ophelia by Natalie Merchant. Just that kind of a month. A little Dido, The Girl Who Got Away and Stevie Nicks, Trouble in Shangrai-La.

Perfume: Every day is Willow & Water from the Library of Flowers. Except the days I've been skipping it because I'm bored. Starting a new set soon!


Random: Green River (lemon and vanilla) and Blue Moon (almond and lemon) are the best flavors ever - despite being fake.

Recipes: Early in the month, I made a lively Indian curry - using only green and white veggies. But since the sauce was pre-made, I won't count it as a recipe. 

 It was an Indian curry kind of month. I made it several times with different combos of fresh veggies. I love my new tiny farmer's market and bought several awesome sets of mushrooms, okra and even paw-paw fruit!

 Something new - I added blueberries to oatmeal cookies. Delicious! The blueberries were starting to dry out just a bit and it was the perfect use for them.
Self-Care: Nails, Skincare and Soaps.
Ooh! I discovered a grand new nail polish - LBK. It's USA made and free from many nasty chemicals. And.... you can flick up the lid to see the color against your skin. Best bottle design ever!

 Skin...Day - On hot days, I'm stil using the 5Yina - the Lucent Beauty Duo  from the June  Boxwalla box . I'm still adding Farizad's Veil from Earthwise Beauty to the oil as my first line of sun protection and layer underneath my 100% Pure Eye Cream. On non-sun days, I've been using what my Juice Beauty serum and oil (again with the Farizad's Veil mixed-in, just in case.) I did, however, buy a new duo of mis-matched day wear.

Night  - After a cleanse with the Heart of Gold's "Sea Change Cleansing Balm" which came in the August Boxwalla box, followed with my DHC Cleansing Powder I've been mixing up the after-care.  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 - until I killed it off mid-month. Alternatively, I picked up a Mad Hippie Vitamin C serum and a Pacifica Tansy Oil that I've used just a touch of. More next month!


Soaps. Alright. I finally figured out the deal with Cellar Door Soaps. They are wonderful. But they have a masculine vibe to me. Even this month's new soap - Dogwood Apple Blossom. The ginger in that just jumps up and bites you, overpowering any floral essence. And then, on Instagram, I caught that the owner, drum roll.... is a guy! His wife does the Instagram photos but the nose behind the soaps is masculine. It also explains the heavy coloration that lingers on your bathtub and requires an extra scrub. Villianess soaps (female creator) are also heavily scented but don't require extra tub clean-up. And the thank you gifts from Villianess extend the product line - cream and oils as well as extra soap bits. I highly recommend trying soaps NOT made by mass production. There are pricepoints for every budget (Cellar Door is about $7 each bar, while Villianess is about $11 - but the Zum Bar, lovely goatsmilk soaps, are just $6.50 and richly lathers) and so many scents.

Stress: Changes are hard, messy and I'm still waiting for the gorgeous part becasue right now I feel like I'm flying without a net.

Things 12 Said: 1) This was not said but done. She labeled the cookies.
2) We "shared" a container of gummy bears - she carefully doled out 2 at a time for me, but never the red or pale yellow, because those are her favorites.
3) She decided the dog's new haircut was "formal, like a butler." (They messed up his faux hawk.)  
4) At lunch we were thinking about vegetables she likes to eat - carrots, beets, potatoes - and she tells me she just basically likes "roots and fruits". She's not wrong.
5) For her 13th birthday - we did her first mani/pedi

Watching: I binged  Carnival Row. (I recognize so many actors in this.) A few episodes of Orange is the New Black but this last season is very dark so I get "tired" quickly. And guess what? Designing Women on Hulu!!! (I am Julia Sugarbaker, forever.) I had 13 watch a few episodes - she agreed.

Take- away - What are you willing to risk to get what you want? Something you are holding on to is holding you back. This month, I decided what I'm willing to risk. It's going to be an adventure from here!
September is a total start over month. As such, if you need a Boot Camp style re-start, check out my book with a 7 day kick starter. (Click here!)




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.

- Skin Care by Juice Beauty
Follow my blog with Bloglovin  - A new way to follow!
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Monday, September 2, 2019

Musings - August 2019

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.

- Skin Care by Juice Beauty
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