Personal update- Well, DH got his job offer today and he will be heading off to a new job in a couple of weeks. It was actually more money but what was really important to him was getting out of a culture of corporate weenies ruining the businesses only as a tool to promote their own promotion. It will be hard for him to leave these businesses because he was truly passionate about them, but in the current system, it would have been too many headaches (and heartache) because they will get ruined regardless of his being involved or not- there's only so much "stupid" he can fight.
The good part is that they (new company) doesn't want/need us to move any time soon. If we do move, it wouldn't be until next summer, so the kids get another year of school under their belts here, and I don't have the immediate stress of getting the house ready for sale. I can work on projects with the ultimate intent that we may sell this house. The other nice thing is that we can save up money since this house is 100% paid for. I feel much calmer now. It's funny because I do much better with things once I am more informed. I just hate ambiguity-- so now that I know that we won't be expected to move right away I can breathe a sigh of relief.
I plan to put up eye shadow and blush colors very soon on the Dayna's Minerals blog very soon. I worked on taking pictures the other day but all the ones I did just did not capture the glory of the colors. Unfortunately the weather isn't cooperating today- too overcast to get decent ones. But I have things at hand so that as soon as the right lighting happens I will be snapping those and posting.
In the meantime, all those in US, enjoy the holiday weekend and here are three FOTD from this week. Um, just looked at my MU diary and I am missing a look- I may have deleted or it is on another card. If I find it I'll post that one too- meaning four- LOL- I couldn't find it so I am including my "Blue Steel" look :-P from Zoolander.
ALL LOOKS-
Dayna Dark mixed with a hint of Dayna Beach as foundation. Applied using red cleansing sponge and MMBB hydrosol.
Dayna Beach added as bronzer to match face to tanner body using BE soft focus face brush.
July 1-
Blush- Pinch Me
Glow- Golden Zephyr
Eyes- Lid Gloss applied over entire lid below crease. Cocoa Nut applied to crease. Espresso Yourself liner- wet then lightly buffed to blur edges once dry. Luminous White Gold as brow highlight and along lower lash line/inner corner
Earthy Girl used as brow fill. In a subtle look like this, brows are VERY IMPORTANT! Max Factor Lash Lift mascara
Lips- Bonnie Bell Honey Kiss ?? color.
July 2-
Glow- Cloud Nine
Eyes- In The Flesh all over lid below crease. Brownstone in crease, Chocolate Diamonds at outer corner and as liner.
Max Factor Lash Lift mascara
Lips- Bonnie Bell Lip Lites in Cappuccino
July 3-
Blush- Coral Breeze
Eyes- Rose Gold all over lid below crease. Coral Breeze blush applied to crease. Chocoholic outer corner of eye. Mad indelible liner in Magnetism upper and lower waterlines and outer corners of eye. Chocoholic applied over Magnetism on upper lash line. Luminous White Gold as brow highlight and along lower lash line (inner 1/2) Earthy Girl for brow fill. Max Factor Lash Lift Mascara.
Lips- Originally I just applied Coral Breeze Blush with a clear gloss but it was too pigmented- see photos- so I patted some off and applied some almost clear with gold glimmer elf lippie to mellow it out. Left side is not mellowed, Right side is mellowed out.
As a 40 year old woman, I have actually worn makeup for more years than not- being a teen in the 80's I was wearing makeup daily by my sophomore year-- so age 15 at least. I have always been into makeup and have learned a thing or two after 25 years of wear.
First, not everything works for everyone. We are all different so when something works for someone else- it may or may not work for- but I have learned to try most things. If it doesn't work at least I've learned that it's not right for me and am not missing out on something just because I won't try it.
As I've gotten older I've found simpler is better, especially skincare. Mine is actually down to 3 key items- #1 melt and pour emu soap, exfoliating gloves (not pictured) and emu oil. I use these daily and have found that my skin is actually looking better at age 40 than just a few years ago. The soap is gentle enough for my dry skin- most commercial soaps and cleansers are way too stripping. The gloves get rid of dead skin cells- as we age, turnover is not as fast, so skin tends to look dull because the old, dead skin lingers longer. Using these gloves daily (gently) makes my skin glow and bring new cells to the surface. For a little extra exfoliation I like using a sugar scrub of honey, a bit of lemon juice and plain old sugar- but it is rather messy so I tend to do this in the shower. Last but not least is my moisturizer. My miracle find (for me) is emu oil. I ordered an 8 oz bottle from Snowdrift Farms (also where I purchased melt and pour emu soap base) after going through my original 2 oz from GoW. I put in a small bottle with a flip top that allows a small amount to dispense- the rest is in the frig. After cleansing (usually only once a day- before bed) I put a drop or two of emu oil in the palm of my left hand, add a bit of water (about 8 drops water to one drop of oil) mix between palms and pat onto face. Occasionally I will use another drop to target drier areas. That's my skincare and I usually only do that once a day before bed. In the morning I may splash cool water on my face.
I am also in love with my foundation application method.
I then follow this up with a bronzing step using Beach and BE soft focus face brush (super soft and fluffy- not too dense) to achieve the perfect match. Doing this step actually achieves three things- #1 my face matches my tanner body #2 I get some added contouring and depth to my face (I've been known to go without blush using this technique) and #3 eye area is naturally brighter since it only has lighter foundation color.
Glow is instant de-ager.
Typical eye shadow application for me-
Step 1-
Step 3- liner. I have lots of favorite brushes for this application.
Step 5- BROWS!!! Brows are so important.
Other essentials-
Makeup Diary-
Lighted mirror. This one also has 10X side but I only use that for my eye application- it's not fair to judge your face in the 10X mirror side- no one looks pore-less with that.
Q-tips, cotton balls, fan brush- excellent tools for the "oops" that are bound to happen. Q-tips for a single spot of mascara that needs to be daubed off or for removing too much liner under eye. Cotton balls for removing too much blush or eye shadow from large areas. Fan brush is great for dusting any fallen minerals from the area under the eye.
This is my little system that I keep out on my counter- 2 spice shakers- Dayna Dark in one, Beach in the other. stainless steel soap dish- this is my sponge drying rack but also I store my swirly bowl inside. I find storing my sponge on this soap dish allows it to dry quite quickly but I also "smoosh" between a towel to get the majority of excess water out of the sponge after cleaning and rinsing. This method has my sponge dry by the next use the following day.
Last little hint for what works for me- a memory card for my camera just for FOTD/EOTD photos. I really don't want to be taking pictures out in public and toggle through the photos on the screen and have a bazillion pictures of my mug. This separate memory card makes it easy to document looks without having the above fear come true. So these are the things that work for me. What works for you? What's your beauty secrets?
Seems like forever since I did a real blog post. Been a busy little bee here, mostly organizing things. Moved all my "work" down to the basement and now my master bedroom looks amazing (and huge.) All that stuff then needed to be organized too- seeing I have so many work things- mmu, window treatment/sewing and even my artsy stuff. Also cleaned/organized the laundry room and master bath and been working on a few craft projects along with all this other stuff... so you may be able to see where I lost days doing this. My to do list gets longer every day it seems. I have so much floating around in my head and never enough time to do it all. I also have some kind of head cold/allergy/ something going on. Woke with a sore throat the last two mornings and just feel hazy and a bit out of it. So I don't feel like I am getting as much done as I want/plan. Do we ever get as much done as we plan? It is a rare occasion where I cross everything off my to do list. I've always got something in the works.
So, I have a few FOTD but have to relay a funny story about Monday- June 23. I needed to do some grocery shopping and also had ideas for sprucing up the house- I'd done the master bedroom on the weekend and it inspired me. So I was shopping at Big Lots- I wanted a couple of large candle holders for the fireplace in the living room. After checking out, I was leaving the store when this man says "Excuse me but are you married?" (He was behind me in the checkout until another lane opened.) I have to say I was stunned by the question. I replied "Yes, I am married." This guy was disappointed and then says "I just had to ask because you are GORGEOUS." I was flabbergasted and start babbling things like "Yeah, married over 15 years" while this guy continues to keep using the word "gorgeous" and showing his disappointment that I was already married. Honestly, I am not used to this kind of thing and I was a little freaked out. DH got a good laugh about it when I told him about it-- then starts asking me what this guy looked like and if he (DH) has anything to fear. LOL Since then we've had some fun with it. DH will occasionally ask "Are you married?" Yesterday morning he was making some smart ass comment about being married to me and I quickly replied "Bet that guy down at Big Lots wouldn't mind switching places with you." LMAO. So I guess we can say "Big Lots' guy" liked my FOTD that day.
June 23-
Dayna Dark with a little Beach mixed in. Using new MMBB hydrosol (Immortella) for first time. Damp method with red cleansing sponge.
Beach applied using bronzing technique.
Blush: Mauving on Up
Eyes: Rose Gold (foiled on lid below crease) Olive Fab crease. Luminous White Gold as brow highlight and inner corner highlight. Green??? as liner using Milan GD. Brows Earthy Girl. Full N Soft mascara
Lips: Loreal Sunwash with BE Gossamer gloss over top.
June 24-
Blush: Empress' New Clothes. This is really an eye shadow but excellent all around color for blush/lips/eye.
Eyes: Golden Glimpse below crease. Miss Gigi in outer V. Mad Magnetism (lined using dipping pencil in indelible liner instead of brush- Momof2angels taught that little trick for waterline but it works for lining a soft line too.) Miss Gigi applied over Magnetism on outer corner. Full N Soft mascara
Lips: Wet and Wild Mega Plump
June 26
Blush: Mauving On Up
Glow: Cloud Nine
Eyes: Showin' Some Skin all over lid and as brow highlight and lower lash line brightener. Bonanza in outer V. Iced Sugar Plums applied wet (just water) to outer lash lines- upper and lower- and a little in outer crease. Earthy Girl for brows. Full N Soft Mascara
Lips- Wet and Wild Mega Plump- 33209
Here's some photos of my daughter's room- I changed out the trim on the window treatments. Added new blue bedspread, new green/white pillow shams, and updated artwork. Just the green trim makes a huge difference!
I apologize for the delay in posting the foundation chart but over the weekend I ran into computer problems. Saturday afternoon the laptop decided to just not properly boot up after repeated attempts throughout the day by DH. I was rather down-hearted to begin with and honestly this was just about the straw that broke ol' Hoozey's back. The DH job chaos is still in progress and that brings up visions of all the work that will have to be done if we end up moving. *heavy heart* When he returned home Thursday evening his truck's fan would not stop running even with the engine turned off. He had to disconnect the battery to get it to stop and then we had to take it to the dealership to find out what's wrong Friday morning. Ends up the computer is bad and it will be nearly a thousand dollars between part and labor. *big sigh* We made the trip to his work to drop him off and stopped by the old neighbors when we lived in the area before. So the rest of Friday was pretty much my catching up with them and the kids catching up with each other. They haven't seen each other in a year or more.
Saturday was the computer collapse. More frustrating than the truck repair because the truck has to be repaired--- DH needs it to get to work and all that. Granted I need a computer if I want to sell my MMU but I could borrow my DD's computer--- but then all the work I've done on this laptop would have to be recreated because Hoozey is not good at backing up her work. *stands in corner* Labels, photos, charts etc. all G-O-N-E. *tears well in eyes*
Sunday I actually begged DH to let ME mow the lawn - I actually enjoy outside work and I kind of needed to get out and do something positive with the stress and problems of late. I listen to my MP3 player and sometimes I can't stop myself from doing a little dance while driving the mower around when a favorite song comes on- although I seemed to be most charged up by Drowning Pool's "Bodies"- me thinks Hoozey has a little pent up rage. LOL I imagine it is quite a spectacle to the neighbors if they actually watch me. LOL. Anyhoo, after finishing I come into the house and DH is playing internet chess on the laptop. WTF??? For some reason it decided that it would boot up properly but I hadn't worked on the foundation chart- too depressed maybe. Monday DD had long orthodontist appointment. Then stopped at Hobby Lobby for some plain canvases--- with possibility of having to put house up for sale- there are a few things I want to do to make it more of a show house. I actually lucked out because they were all 30% off. Then we all spent the afternoon replanting flower pots. I thought I was being frugal by using topsoil in my planters but soon found that this dried out quickly and was maybe suffocating the plants because it would become almost like concrete. So I bought some peat moss and added that in. (Several hours of work no less) and the plants were looking pitiful after a few weeks of this and a week of vacation. So the kids and I refilled the planters with a good depth of good potting soil and then even replanted some because many plants were beyond saving. :-( Lesson learned--- maybe I'll use topsoil to fill the very deep containers partially and top off with potting soil but never again try to be too cheap!
Yesterday I started on the chart and then had a neighborhood friend call. Ended up spending the rest of the day and evening unloading some of my stress with her while our kids played. She understands because they are trying to sell their house but will be moving after July 4 to their new home out of state. This morning I worked on the charts and started having my aura for a migraine. Computer work is not easy when you have a blind spot and flashing lights. So a large chunk of today was spent trying to recoup from that. I do know the triggers for my migraines #1 being dehydration and #2 being hormones but I haven't been taking care of myself like I guess I should be.
I am not fully recovered but feel good enough to get the chart and some comparison descriptions posted. I have eye shadow swatches on the agenda next. I am hoping to capture the nuances that mineral shadows have but that may be difficult.
Thanks for all the patience!
Yesterday I had to grocery shop because there was hardly anything to eat in this house after spending a week at the beach. I had stopped at Lowe's for weed killer- a bunch popped up while we were away- and right next door was Target, so I had to stop in there right? After perusing the clearance racks- did find a cute hoodie sweater for my daughter for $5- I headed over to the makeup aisles. There I found this-
I immediately washed it because it had a faint chemical smell and noticed two things. It absorbs a TON of water and grew much larger than it's dry size. It was difficult to get soap and water out. Even my usually compressing between towel did not take out as much water as when I use this technique on my red cleansing sponge. This morning this sponge was decidedly damp- after approximately 18 hours of drying time. I have not used it but will today and give a full report on that. Here are some more views of the sponge with a dry before and the size increase after washing
Here is the FOTD for June 10.
Dayna Dark foundation with a bit of Beach added in- applied damp with GOW rose hydrosol and red cleansing sponge.
Dayna Beach applied with BE soft focus face brush to blend lighter face to darker body- I apply this to part of neck too - part that gets shaded by chin- which seems to give seamless look
Blush- Ruby Doo applied with flawless face brush (Lumiere)
Glow- Dusky Glow- this is my darkest glow which I intended more for women of color but it works quite beautifully on my tan skin.
Eyes: Haute Stuff applied all over lid below crease- Sonia Kashuk fluffy eye brush. Rose Gold applied over this on inner half and a bit on lower lash line with same brush. Mermaid's Flash applied to lower lash line and waterline using Lumiere double ended eye brush- smaller end. Mad's Indelible Liner in Peacock (Thanks again LILI!) using larger thinner end of brush on top lash line. Since I didn't use a great liner brush- I kind of over did the Peacock, so I lightly went over the inner part with a bit more Rose Gold to blend and soften it. MF Full N Soft mascara
Lips- Ruby Doo with Vaseline- most of my blushes are highly pigmented and make excellent lip colors using Vaseline or other lip balms.... I probably need to make these into lippies huh? See still so much to do.
This last picture is for Sue W. "I am hypnotizing you!" LOL
I am back from the dentist but still numb on half of my face and figured I'd be pretty useless trying to do work so I'd add to this post. This is for all of you that think I have perfect skin to begin with- not true at all. Here is before--- blotchy spots of hyperpigmentation and my face being distinctly lighter- at least in no splotchy parts- than the rest of my body.
I also tried that Sonia Kashuk blending sponge--- not thrilled by it.
Here is June 11 FOTD too.
Dayna Dark foundation with some Beach- applied with red cleansing sponge and GOW rose hydrosol.
Dayna Beach applied as bronzer to even out tone and make things match- BE soft focus face brush.
Blush- Mauving On Up- Lumiere flawless face brush
Glow- Golden Zephyr- Lumiere flawless face brush
Eyes: Rose Gold all over lid. Miss Gigi in crease. Mad Indelible Liner in Magnetism. MF Soft N Full Mascara
Lips- Mary Kate and Ashley pump rageous lip and glaze- forget color.
As many of you know, I was at the beach all last week. It was a wonderful holiday. We had excellent weather and even with temps in the 90s- the stiff ocean breeze kept us comfortable. I didn't even go into the ocean above my knees until the last evening- I love swimming but kind of prefer the pool kind of swimming- where I can see any creatures. LOL.
The in laws came for part of the week and my MIL brought all this food. We ate like kings and I was thankful I just picked up a little food before they arrived because so much would have gone to waste. We also went out to dinner Wed. night and I had the best grilled Mahi I've ever tasted. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.
The kids had a wonderful time and the only issue was that the boys had gotten a bit of a sunburn when we went with friends to the local pool the day before we left for the beach and they had issues resulting from that. Both were peeling by the end of the week and the youngest had a problem because he got an abrasion from a skim-boarding wipe out on top of the burn early on and couldn't enjoy the ocean for a few days because it would sting from the salt water. I kept us slathered in 50 spf and wore a hat all the time. One brother in law and his wife were in the area this same week and hung out one afternoon with us. Another BIL and family were nearby but we didn't get to see them. We got home mid-afternoon Sat.
Yesterday I pretty much spent the day doing laundry- even though I washed much of the stuff at the beach, I did it all once I got home--- if I didn't I'd have sand around for weeks/months. LOL. Today the boys and I had DDS appointments. Middle son had an issue with a filling and I had an appointment set up for Wed. to get that taken care of. While I was getting my cleaning the DDS came in and said that a patient had canceled and he could do the filling right now. I figured my son would rather have one day messed up than two- so while I was finishing up he got a filling done. It was funny because the first thing the hygenist said was "Do you whiten your teeth?" I told her that I use things like Crest white strips once every 4-6 months for like one time. I guess being very tan probably makes them seem much whiter. LOL. She noticed that an old filling was starting to show a slight fracture starting in the tooth and wanted to "watch" that. By the time the DDS came in to check things out, I was wondering if I could have the appointment that I'd set up for my son and maybe even have the other old filling (last of the 20 plus year old ones) replaced with the white fillings at the same time. So I will be heading off to get those done Wed. I wanted to get it all done ASAP because the week spent at the beach has me thoroughly convinced that DH will not be able to stomach staying with his current employer. So there may be much upheaval in my future but I am trying to not get overly anxious until I know more. If all goes well, he may have a new job soon- he's put feelers out with previous contacts and things are already looking fairly promising- so he may have something to move on to. I am trying to keep my wits about me and not stress too much. If we have to move, I will start worrying about it when it's a known instead of stressing about all the different possibilities now. *Deep breath*
One conclusion I did come to is that now is not the time to take my e-store live. I am afraid I would set myself up to fail because I truly could have some major upheavals in my near future. I do want to sell in some capacity right now- I was thinking along the lines of using my blog- like others have done to clear out minerals that they aren't using. I would take email orders and I think the volume would be one I could handle even with these extraneous things hanging over my head. In the mean time I can start selling to those that already "know" me and have been so patient with my business startup. Honestly if I hadn't had all of your support I would have given up on this long ago- at least taking this baby step at such a crazy time will help possibly prepare me for a future when things are settled and I can have a full-fledged e-store to serve everyone- and those who have already fallen in love with my stuff can get their "fix." LOL
I do have two FOTD for you
One before vacation- May 24 and today's-
May 24
Dayna Dark foundation applied with MMBB hydrosol and red cleansing sponge.
Dayna Beach applied with BE soft focus face brush to match foundation to tanner neck and body
Empress' New Clothes used as blush and on lips with plain lip balm
Eyes: Showin' Some Skin all over lid below crease. Empress' New Clothes in crease. Totally Teal as liner. Mermaid's Flash above Totally Teal (outer corner of upper lid) Full N Soft Mascara
June 9-
Dayna Beach applied with BE soft focus face brush to match foundation to much tanner neck and body.
Blush: Raisin Rush
Glow: Golden Summer
Eyes: Empress' New Clothes all over lid (looks excellent with tan skin) Chocoholic in crease Luminous White Gold as brow highlight and inner corner highlight. Tealy as liner- used Milan GD on upper lining. Full N Soft Mascara.
Lips: BE Glee gloss
Hi all- today is the last day of school for my kids and one of my son's birthday. It has been a packed week. Monday was the other son's birthday. Tuesday was last track meet for my daughter. Wednesday was the boys doing the talent show. Last night was the track banquet. My daughter received many awards and I was unable to take photos because my camera was acting up... the screen was always blank. :-( I was terrified that it was broken for good but seems that it was acting up due to using it plugged into the TV to view video- once I tried that again, it seemed to "reactivate" that screen showing up, but of course this was after the banquet. She received awards for Outstanding Intermediate Runner (Intermediate distance- 400/800 M- she improved her 800 time this year by 10 seconds) Outstanding Field Event Performer (She beat her PR in triple jump by 2 feet) One of Top 6 relay participants (she ran every 4 X 800 relay) and Points Scored Leader for the girls team. (She got this one by only 2 points and due mostly to her doing triple jump which allows her to score points since it's not as competitive as most races- plus she's been healthy all year compared to the girl she beat out for the top spot that has been injured recently.) She got teased by one of the boys about hogging all the awards. It is something she really loves and before track she was 100% bookworm. She was also the only one from the team as a freshman to get all A's. She's a great kid.
I was also surprised by one of the mom's getting up to publicly express her appreciation for my boys helping her out with long jump at every meet. She gave them a gift certificate to Outback Steakhouse and they said they got the best award of all. LOL. I was very touched.
Oh, Jack also ran away yesterday afternoon right before we left for the banquet. His radio collar fell off somehow and I have been searching for it since Wed. afternoon- they are over $100 to replace- he's been a good boy until yesterday--- I think when the UPS truck came around for the evening run he realized his collar was off and he was going to have some fun. At 4:30 am DH awakes me to tell me "Jack's back"- he was scratching at the door. He's afraid of thunder and that may have made him head back home. LOL. If we don't find the collar soon- I'll have to bite the bullet and fork out the dough for a new one.
Monday I did some shopping at T J Maxx. My daughter asked if she could "change her room around" and then said how she'd like a new bedspread and less "little girl" look. So I found a beautiful blue quilt ($39) that will still go with her window treatment. That lead to these neat shadow box artwork of ferns ($13 each) and ceramic trivets ($4) each, a little keepsake box ($5), a "Contemplate" artwork ($15) and little shelf (for bathroom - $20) to transform it. We painted the shadow boxes since the original yellow green color barely showed against the yellow walls. Also stopped at fabric shop and got some green and white fabric for new pillow shams and acid green trim for the window treatment. I've done all the work except for the pillow cases and once I finish them I will put up the before and after. It's amazing how much difference just the change in trim color does- now her coral bedspread looks better than when it had magenta trim. Once I got started it was kind of fun and I spent less than $200 for the whole change.
I don't want to get into the other personal stuff too much- lets just say it made me think long and hard about my MMU business and I was nearly at the point of putting it aside for awhile at least. You may be relieved to know that DH encouraged me on and hopefully very soon I will be "OPEN" I will say that it will definitely be a few more weeks because we have a week rental at the beach starting the 31st and will have plenty to do until then- both preparing for vacation AND opening. :-)
Here's two FOTD from this week-
May- 21 (my look for the talent show)
Dayna Beach applied with BE soft focus face brush
Raisin Rush Blush
Golden Zephyr Glow
Eyes: Stunning all over lid. Transparent Gold inner corner and brow highlight. Totally Teal liner- dry. Full N Soft Mascara (waterproof- remember it was talent show day and didn't want to have raccoon eyes.) Earthy Girl for brow fill
Lips: Mary Kate and Ashley Plump Rageous Gloss and Color.
May 23-
Eyes: Rose Gold all over lid. Chocoholic in crease. Chocolate Diamonds with Milan Gelle Drops as liner. Full N Soft Mascara- Earthy Girl brow fill
Lips: NYC pencil and pout in Teaberry
I thought you would enjoy this little video of the boys playing their talent show at school. They have only been playing guitar for about a year- both had/have birthdays this week and last year's present was the electric guitar. The bass was their Christmas gift. Excuse the lousy camera work- mom was a bit overwhelmed by emotions (mostly laughing at the younger one- aka Blondie) and also had a little girl bumping into her quite a bit. Wish I had taken my tripod. The bass isn't loud enough but wanted to let you know that they composed this original song and only used a drum track on CD. They didn't get this ability from me. I was shocked at how both enjoyed playing in front of a crowd- not me--- I am terrified of that kind of stuff. Even my older boy who is usually quite reserved actually said that he loved playing in front of other people. Would have never guessed it. *A little advice about getting it to play properly- hit pause (will show a little arrow) until the line with circle is all gray- then hit play (arrow) to get smooth play.