Category: Talk It Out Tuesdays

I can sure babble about something right? So the topic (obviously) is the shift in weather. I want to know how y’all are dealing with your skin when the weather changes.

I can actually feel my skin get dry more and more as it gets colder, so that means I double up on the amount of times I lotion up. That and I go to bed with socks on. This gives me a perfect excuse to have soft toes and heels as I’ll slather on my thickest lotions and put on fuzzy socks with polka dots and such (that never see the outside of my house).

Is your skin stable enough that you stick to the same routine? Do you moisturize more or less? What’s your secret?

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I’m glad to have my health and all the people in my life that make my life such a joy to wake up to every morning. And of course, for readers like you!

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The holidays aren’t just creeping, they’re galloping at us. But when we talk it out, it’s not to usher in some unnecessary pressure, but rather to understand each other.

I’m the type of shopper that sees and hears things year round. I pay attention to what people say in passing conversation as “oh it would be nice to have…” and continue on with my daily life. When I pass such things, be it May or December, I pick them up and store them at home.

Sometimes I store them so well that I don’t find them until next year, and for that, my listening skills come in handy, because the people I tend to give gifts to, I also happen to be in communication with.

So as I start to embark on my posting journey of gift guides and product recommendations, I want to hear about you. I don’t want to just let you know what I think is awesome, I want to help out. Chances are, my half hoarding and half psychotic habits will get my shopping nearly done before most of y’all even start. Or at least in my head (because money doesn’t always move as fast as the brain). What kind of shopper/gifter are you? Do you shop two days before, or months in advance?

Does the wishlist or the sale list dictate what your loved ones get? Are you the infamous giftcard for all occasions gifter? Everyone has a style! What’s yours?

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It’s that time again!

When a financial crisis was reported, I felt bad for the fact that my bank account wasn’t ready for any dilemma. If I were to lose either of my jobs (I got 2), how would I pay off my retail habit debt and my education (let alone rent)? Not sure. And yet, I still purchased things here and there. I mean really. Yes, you have to be more of a savvy finance-ista (?) 🙂 but you can’t just stop living.

So I ventured into stores and spent a bit here and there. Did you?

Stores weren’t as optimistic about the future, so they toned down their spending. They tried to sell what they had, and trimmed their orders for the future (aka now & the coming seasons). In comparison to their smaller orders, it seems that they are getting closer to a happier bottom line. As a matter of fact, many news reports say shelves may actually be out of stock sooner due to the quantity of items available and people and their darn holiday gift lists.

With that said, every week when I read a financial overview of the week past, I hear the same thing: Consumers are spending again. But I wonder, are they really? Has the spending stayed the same? Are people feeling “safer”? Are you shopping?

Tell me all about it!

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My mother is an aesthetician. There! When young girls were just getting into skincare and beauty products, I already had it stuck in my head. The no nos and rules of sunscreen? I thought it was a given (I would’ve caught a whooped bum if I had ventured out without it during the summer). What I thought was a basic understanding of skin care and the business behind it, seemed to be more of an education.

Apart from teaching me to be extra kind to my skin, my mother was strict about not letting me wear makeup. This was a mixed blessing. When I was young and thought I knew it all, I didn’t understand how it could hurt. I’d sneak out and wear makeup sometimes (but if I came home with it still on… war started before dinner), though that was rare. My mom kept saying the youth of my skin was all the ornament I needed. Now that I’m older of course understand what she meant.

But that doesn’t mean I always listened! Though listening to my mom (or trying to keep my butt from being beaten too much) has gotten me used to a more natural look (i.e. lipgloss for the most), as well as familiar with addressing my skin’s needs, I have still committed plenty of mistakes in the cosmetics department.

When I was younger black liner seemed to be the one stop solution. I had horrendous raccoon eyes on special events and though way too highly of myself. I would stand in the mirror and sometimes take pictures (pre-digital cam age – plenty of annoying pictures to develop & waste money on!)for hours.

Now I know just how much black liner needs to slide on my waterline, or if any at all. I have befriended the shadow and liquid liners, and discovered makeup brushes (and YouTube gurus). I dare say, my only mistakes now are when I pair the wrong colors or brands together. Who knows, though? I may even come back years later and say my makeup habits currently turn out to be atrocious.

But more on the here and now, what beauty mistakes/crimes are you guilty of committing?

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Tuesday is upon us yet again, and I have plenty to pick your brain about!

Today’s question is about make up practices in another’s eyes. This is the men vs. women debate.

Last weekend, I was preparing to go out for dinner and a movie with my someone special, and I was trying to pull all the stops. Now let’s clarify: I am not a makeup everyday kind of girl. The daily product addiction you can convict me of would be gloss and perfume.

There are plenty days when I wake up and realize the bags under my eyes are threatening (usually this is just in my head b/c no one else seems to get the hysteria) to overpower the ginormous bags on my shoulders. Those days, I extend into concealer on my eyelids and under my eyes. If I have pimples, the last thing I do is conceal them (as I have found that to be the number one agitator for it, personally).

When I have to do face pictures, or meet with companies, I dig a little deeper into my bag containing the kitchen sink & use some mascara and light bronzer, and maybe some eyeshadow. This is all usually done on the subway, en route to said locations/meetings. The only times that I stay home and apply makeup is for when there is an abundance of time (rare) or when there is an event.

The last prep reasoning is a recent phenomenon. I used to use the same products for getting ready as I mentioned (mascara & light bronzer) for nights out as well. Then I started reading blogs. Then I started one of my own. Then I discovered YouTube tutorials. It’s been slightly downhill since then. All my new knowledge of shading, and contouring just has to be put into action now. That’s what I said when I was asked why my beauty regimen nearly doubled in practice. And then I heard this: Have you ever gotten a male’s opinion about makeup?

Now this was a question that should’ve been put into a script probably. I could just hear the background harp & the light go on above my head. Have I? The men in my family didn’t care much for it, the dates I’ve went on didn’t either. Overall, my face seemed to get the best reviews when bare.

I try not to justify my outfits or makeup for someone else. That’s a dangerous practice, as you’re always going to run into a comparison, and eventually you’ll always find something else to change. So I try to do it all for me. Do I get caught up in the hype? Plenty of times. But I do try.

So now I’m seeking the male opinion. What have y’all heard from the other sex Ladies & Gents? What’s the verdict on the war paint?

I’ll still be makeup my face, but I’m going to try to keep any excuse out. If I’m wearing it, it’ll most likely (look y’all I said I try…) be because I just want to… for me.

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