Soooooo......

I'm not sure what to say. I feel like if I actually take the time to write about how I'm doing it's going to read as the manifesto of a depressed person that it is, but I guess I can say that I'm still here. I have not acclimated to this new normal. It makes me sad, lonely, and the onset of holidays I can't celebrate is just another reason why most things suck. I don't know if I want to keep my wardrobe or donate half of it, though donating it feels like giving in to the idea that I'll never be in a position to enjoy that type of life again which, WOOF, is rough.

I don't know friends. I just don't know.

 

During the most recent holiday weekend I finally caved and purchased some more items from Danessa Myricks Beauty. I've had an eye on them ever since picking up those pieces from last year's Makeup Show, but her brand has so many options it's intimidating, which is why I'm so thankful for the melanated YouTubers who have been reviewing it lately, lol. This time around I actually picked up some complexion products in addition to color, and while I don't have firm opinions yet, I'm always of the opinion that more pictures and more swatches are good for the reviewing community as a whole. I hate Googling for what feels like hours and never finding a real life swatch outside of a product page (which are usually photoshopped in weird ways ANYway).

First up are three of the Vision Flushes, which the website describes as "a highly pigmented, smoothing, multipurpose liquid color product with a satin/semi matte finish that can be used on the eyes, lips, and cheeks. " After ultimately deciding that last year's purchase, the Illuminating Veil in Attraction, was too dark to work as a good highlighter for my skin tone, I went with two blushes and one highlight in this new-to-me formula.

And that's pretty much it! About as exciting as any of my first impressions are, but like I said - I'm super motivated when I can't find what I'm looking for on the internet, so here's hoping some of this eventually helps out a person in the near or distant future (if we still have a distant future in the United States, hehe... he... he....).

Nobody asked and 4 months ago I wouldn't have said I'd dying my hair at home anyway but... here we are!

What are we talking about: Color & Co Personal At-Home Haircolor by L'Oreal
Why: Because my roots are like, RIGHT THERE, aren't they? And also I'm not at the home haircut stage - yet.
How much is it? Varies I'm sure, I found a 25% off promo code (25COLOR) which pretty much paid for shipping so the total was $22.

I'm not going to lie to y'all, I'm sure this was a boredom purchase. And an anxiety induced purchase, since I am definitely that person who likes to get their hair done when they're unhappy. But since I never really got into the home cut phase (1. curly hair, and 2. generally that's much harder to come back from), hair dye it is.

All of these home hair dye sites that have popped up are very similar in that you answer a bunch of questions about your current state and where you want to be, which they then use to pop out a color recommendation. Except for the fact that the first question is gendered (boooo), what I liked about Color & Co was that as soon as I said had full highlights it immediately popped up with a message strongly urging me to talk to a stylist. I am nervous person and I appreciated that they were like, talk to a real person or don't blame us if you f*ck it up.

I ended up chatting with a very nice man named Paul, who talked me through all initial questions and what my options were once I said I wanted to go back to red. He got to see my natural hair, the dyed hair, all the highlights, and do that thing responsible people do like tell me to do a strand test. Also, I really appreciated the way the service would (apparently) immediately send out a new color with free shipping if I didn't like the way it came out, and that I could video chat with them again if I needed help during the actual application.


Ultimately we decided on a demi-permanent color that would dye my hair but not cover my highlights - thus keeping all the built in depth that my regular go-to gal Josephine (WHO I SO SO MISS) had done.

Four days after placing my order I got my kit, which again due to Paul's foresight, included two applications of color to tide me over until my renewal (which I could delay, but hey, who the hell knows where we're all be in 8 weeks).

(Don't judge these photos ok? I decided pretty late on in the real life process to take pictures for the blog, so eh lighting and cat hair is par for the course.)


I planned it out so that I could apply the dye post-workout, and according to their instructions, 20 min on my roots and then 20min all over. They send you one of those little brush things and while I can't tell you I have the best technique, I did a few parts in the back and front right at my roots on both sides of my head, applied dye, massaged, waited. After that I applied the rest of the bottle all over, massaged again, fanning the hair in my fingers, honestly just kind of copying what I remembered as typical when I got my hair done professionally. After that it got plopped in a bun on top of my head for 25 min (as per Paul, more time would potentially make the final affect darker, but since we weren't lightening my base color a little extra time wouldn't hurt).

BUT WHO CARES, YOU'RE REALLY JUST HERE FOR THE AFTER RIGHT?

If you're my friend IRL then I probably sound like a broken record, but I really do love Girlfriend Collective. They're my favorite sports bras across the board, and these track pants 100% live up to the rest of what I've tried from the brand. Throw in the fact that items are made using recycled plastic and the sizes range from XXS to 6X (which is reflected in their marketing) and [chef's kiss].

So on the first trip out to McKee-Beshers WMA this year my friend Jessy and I were faced with two things: people, and in my preferred spot, sunflowers that were distinctly NOT in full bloom. But on one of our very few field trips into this new normal where (to be honest) everything is still terrifying and terrible, we were not deterred. We instead ended up hiking further and deeper in parts of the area  I hadn't explored before, got very inspired, and 100% want to go back when it's not a billion degrees outside to explore even more.

Also, why are these trips the ones where I always end up sweating like I've never sweat before?




*Fit Note: Esby says this dress runs true to size, and for the most part I agree with them. I like how oversized the XL appears on me, but due to my slightly narrow shoulders I've hand sewn in a couple darts in the back so the sleeves won't slide down. The material doesn't have any stretch, so just keep that in mind if you decide to invest!

I want you to know that it took everything in me to stop this post from having so many pictures in it that it became obnoxious. I'm always very conscious of what I wish I was able to find online when I'm doing my pre-purchase research, but in the end I decided we didn't need up close and personal glamour shots of each crème tint pro individually LOL (but also DM if you want one/some, cause I may have taken them anyway...).

Salt New York popped up on my radar last year, almost entirely due to Kackie Reviews Beauty (review video linked here), who was in the middle of her "Clean Beauty 2019" push. And since I admit to being just as susceptible to marketing as anyone else,  I watched along while she tried out a bunch of different products at varying price points.

I decided after her video that I really wanted to try the brand, but what I couldn't find were enough reviews to really inform my purchase. Brand founder Kiki G (Katelyn Galloway) is a working makeup artist, and while the products were created out of her own desire for a more well-rounded and inclusive offering from cream products, when it comes to makeup I depend on "real people" to make a decision. Online swatches and models are all well and good - I'm not saying the website doesn't do it's best - but I just couldn't get a feel for how it would work for me. Plus, everything was back-ordered even before the pandemic hit.

But we're all here right? Clearly I threw caution to the wind and bought some stuff, or this post would be spectacularly useless. In the end I just decided that even if I hated everything, at 50% off the bundle I was at least supporting a woman owned, made in the US brand and that's never a bad way to spend some (very reasonable) dollars.


And speaking of dollars, here's how the Crème Tint Pro stacks up against some of my other cream blushes:

Really the only other product you're maybe getting a better deal on is the Kosas blush/highlighter duo, and that's if you're ok with the pre-made palettes. I picked up two of their high intensity duos and while I love the blushes, the highlighters in both are a bit deep for me so their usability is arguable. The Kjaer Weis formula is one of my favorites ever, but $32 for JUST the refill is steep - you're really looking at investing $40 or $56 if you don't already have a case to put it in. I'm not so over the edge that it doesn't occur to me how expensive that is - if you're better than I am at moderation maybe it doesn't hurt so much, but I am aware. But I digress.

Keeping in mind my collection and what I like/tend towards using most often, I picked up 2 highlighters, a blush, and a bronzer. While I would typically not open everything due to what I currently have in rotation, each product has a 24 month shelf life so I figured it wouldn't be too bad. All four products are housed in the Palette Mini, a sturdy faux leather case with gold colored zipper, which firmly holds each product via magnets.


The Crème Tint Pro pans are "organized" (quotes because obviously they're just recommendations, buy what you want) into undertones and skin depth. Kiki G's video does a great job of describing how each pan varies as warm or cool, and what depth of skin tone (light, medium, deep) it is intended to suit. I kept that in mind for blushes and bronzer (I freakishly don't have a coral blush) but when it comes to highlighter I just couldn't make up my mind. Over the course of a normal year the depth of my skin tone can actually vary a lot, and after having been burned by the Kosas duos I picked up both Beige and Warm Tan and have NO regrets. I can tailor the highlight to my skin and mood on any given day which is excellent :D.

And there's more! You can head over to my Instagram right now for an IGTV dedicated to these products (don't hate me for the lack of editing, one step at a time, lol).

So as has been established at this point, I live alone. Living alone during a global pandemic that necessitates you not being around people you don't live with has been... not fun. While the numbers across the US are rising rapidly because of a lack of any true leadership and a complete disinterest in actually managing anything from the current administration, there are a few rays of sunshine. First, I bought a car.

(Did I want to buy a car? Not really, but here we are.)

Getting the car (and a COVID test) has allowed me to create a little bubble of friends that I could see safely, which has done wonders for my sanity, and explore a little wider afield than I would usually. Here I'm sharing a few pics from Butler's Orchard, where large outdoor fields and timed tickets meant that people could go out fruit picking in their masks but not feel overwhelmed. And hey - new dress. Which, I just checked, is like 75% off and made with sustainably sourced cotton.