Still working on this, trying something new every time! Posting some recent routines and outcomes to find them easily (and help others!). The first is a split nightime/morning routine, the next two morning routines.
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#smokeyeye
I thought the hashtag Smokey eye would be a fail…but it’s a win!!
New cosmetics!
I thought it was time to do some updated cosmetic reviews. As I’m sure most of my readers know, I became vegan a couple years ago. I’ve slowly been replacing my products with cruelty free ones. Sometimes I forget, I’m a work in progress!
I tend to use a combination of high-end and low-end cosmetics and I’ve tried high-end eyeshadows, brushes, concealers, eyeliner, and mascara. To be honest, I haven’t generally found a huge difference except with eyeshadow, where the high-end pigmentation really does help!
Recently though, I’ve been struggling with my skin. I guess ageing and menopause has had an impact. I don’t exactly have a lot of wrinkles, but my skin looks drab, gets more spotty, just doesn’t look the way I want it to. I’ve always used drugstore foundation and being happy with it, but recently I’ve noticed that within a few hours it has worn off, and I’ve had to touch up with powder several times a day. OK several times an hour!
So I did my research, hit the drugstore with my optimum points, and got a $50 cruelty free foundation! SMASHBOX Studio Skin 15 Hour Wear Hydrating Foundation!
I have to say, I’ve totally noticed a difference. On application it doesn’t look terribly different from my less expensive Foundations, but it does go on nicely and provides a smooth surface. I’ve got a lot of beauty blenders and brushes, but I personally find that foundation goes on best with my fingers. A couple drops of this foundation blend beautifully and provide great coverage. But where I really notice the difference is in the staying power! This foundation lasts for hours and hours, when I get home from work it still looks fresh. It also feels like, not like a mask, and is moisturizing but I have not noticed that his has caused any acne issues.
I also wanted to share a new lipstick I’ve been using, NYX Powderpuff. With a light touch it provides a stained like appearance, with a heavier touch it more looks more like a matte liquid lipstick. Either way it is easy to apply, relatively comfortable (Matte lipsticks are never as comfortable as moisturizing, but they last longer). It is not super long lasting, but it definitely makes it through a couple hours.
The last thing I wanted to talk about was Thrive causemetics liquid lash extension mascara. This was recommended to me because my eyelashes have not been growing the way I’d like them to, I’ve been considering getting eyelash extensions but it is, frankly, too much work and money. I bought this mascara online. I don’t think I want to again because it’s expensive, and I had to pay another $14 and duties! That said, I do like it. It goes on nicely, comes off easily with a little water, and looks great!
I am wearing all three of these products in the picture, and there’s no photo editing!
Curly girl squishiness
As I posted a little while ago, my hair is finally long enough to wear curly again, and I have been rocking the curly girl method.
In the last couple years, there have been some additions to the method. In particular is “squish to condish”, which is the practice of flipping your head upside down, squeezing conditioner through it, and then rinsing it with a light spray of water from your hands. I started adding this to my routine, and I am just thrilled with my hair!
Here is my current routine:
1. Wash, either with shampoo or cleansing conditioner, I alternate them. The shampoo and conditioner I use are Liveclean, if I use cleansing conditioner it is Noodle head from Sally’s.
2. Condition my hair and let it sit for a while while I wash the rest of my body.
3. Flip my head over, run my fingers through my hair to detangler, and then start squishing the conditioner in, adding handfuls of water when I do, until my hair feels slick and clean.
4. While my hair is still soaking wet, quickly scrunch in a dab of conditioner, and then a big blob of styling product. I use either AG recoil, or AG moussegel
5. Squeeze my hair dry with a T-shirt, and then plop it with a hair towel. (The trick to this is piling the hair up on your head, and then putting the towel over it to hold it in place. Do not squeeze your hair in the hair towel, because that takes out the curls). Let it sit like this for a while will I put on my make up and get dressed.
6. Diffuse about halfway, and then let it air dry the rest of the way, which is usually about the amount of time it takes me to get to work.
7. Just before I got out of the car, scrunch out the crunchiness with my fingers and shake it out a bit.
Check out these big smooth springy curls!
Working out
Just musing about how my exercise keeps changing.
Before I got sick, I was practising yoga multiple times a week. Also running, spinning at home, weight training, and occasionally taking barre classes.
Throughout my illness and treatment, I mostly just walked, a lot! I could not wait to get back to my normal workouts though.
But since then, nothing except walking has really truly stuck. I’ve done fit-boxing classes and enjoyed it, but not enough to keep it up once my class passes ended. I’ve returned to yoga many times, but I just don’t enjoy it anymore. I don’t have the strength or range of motion to practice the way I used to, and I don’t really enjoy a tamer practice. I instead use my yoga class passes to go to barre, but I don’t go that often, maybe once or twice a month. I enjoy it, but not enough to get myself out of the house to a class very often.
I still enjoy running when the weather is nice, but I don’t push myself the way I used to, my runs have a lot more walks than they used to. Last summer I also got into biking, and I’m looking forward to starting that again soon.
Besides that, I’ve been spinning a lot. I’ve also started weight training a lot more in the last month or so.
I used to love going to classes, but I just don’t like them anymore. Not that I don’t enjoy the class of themselves, but I hate the times, I’m often tired and I don’t like having to be out of the house at a certain time and having to come back at a certain time, especially when I work really hard to get to bed by a decent time because sleep is such a struggle for me.
I love the spin bike because I can do it when I want, sometimes I hop on it right after dinner at 6:45 or so, other times not until 8:00. But I never have to wait to just start working out till 8:30 or so, like I often do with the classes I would attend.
When I first started working out all those years ago, I preferred it at home, because I could do it at my own schedule and for my own amount of time. At some point I got away from that, it seems I’ve gotten back to it.
I guess it doesn’t really matter, as long as I am staying active, and working towards regaining the level of fitness and stamina that I had before, or something close to it at least!
In good news, I have been working out pretty consistently (not just walking) for the last few months. I think it’s safe to say that I am finally getting my strength and stamina back, no more two steps forward one step back. Just forward steps…
