MAC Studiocare Blend Pressed Powder

As I am preparing my spring Stash or Trash empties post it dawns on me that I need to give this little gem a proper send off. I realized the other day that this compact has been with me since 2010. After four years of faithful service my loyal buddy is being retired. Now to be completely honest, I haven’t actually used the powder in this compact for at least a couple years. It mostly just hangs out in my purse for when I need a mirror. Since I have dry skin I don’t really get shiny; so I don’t need to carry this little guy around with me anymore. I just wanted to give my little buddy a proper retirement post before sending him ‘Back to MAC.’

I met this cute little guy at the mall as I was shopping for a trip to Korea. Dark and handsome, he immediately caught my eye. I was smitten from the first time I saw him. He always had my back, he would tell me when my face was getting too shiny or when my mascara decided to dance all over my eyes. He helped pull me together when I had been upset and crying. He was always by my side and was always so supportive. He was fiercely loyal to me for four long years; but, I’ve outgrown him. It’s time to go in a new direction. While I will miss him desperately; but, it’s time for someone new in my life.

Oh, the memories we’ve had. He was with me when I took that long flight to the Philippines to meet Boyet, the man that would become my husband. I frantically looked at him when I needed reassurance that I was doing the right thing as the plane touched down. He was with me at my Mom’s funeral , he reassured me that my waterproof liner and mascara were still holding up under the flood of tears. He’s been so good to me; but, it’s sad to keep him with me for my own selfish reasons. See I haven’t actually been enjoying all that he has to offer. I’ve grown and I haven’t had the need to be covered in his love for quite some time now. So I think it’s time to just move on. As much as it will hurt, it’s time to let him go.

MAC Studioblend, I will truly miss you. Trust me, it’s not you; it’s me. In the recent past, I’ve grown dry, too dry for you. It’s time for me to try living on my own without you. I need to see what the world looks like without the safety of you nearby. Thank you for the years of support you’ve given me. I truly appreciate everything you’ve done for me; but it’s time for both of us to move on in different directions. I will always love you and I will remember you fondly. Love, Me

“If you’ve ever had one of those times when you’ve clutched a pen or something else in your hand for a long time, only to look down and be surprised that you are still holding it long after your need for it had passed, you’ll understand sometimes we get so use to holding that we forget to let go.”

Welcome to Homespun and Homegrown where I will be sharing additional information other than my love of beauty products. I’ve had several requests to see the quilts I will be working on and, thus, this section was born. Today, I am going to share with you the best part about my Dad’s backyard oasis. He built a big back porch (he is currently redoing the railing) The big back porch comes complete with a porch swing and a glider from which you can enjoy the water fountain. I love to take my computer outside, sit on the back porch, blog about beauty products while listening to the fountain and the birds. My Mom loved the back porch too. It’s still early in the season so there’s not too much in bloom yet and because we spent so much time at the hospital the weeds are a bit overgrown. So without further ado, here is Dad’s oasis where you can clearly see the back porch on the left side along with the fountain.

The fountain in Dad’s garden oasis.

Too Face Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush

So during my recent Ulta haul, I picked up the Too Faced Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush. To be completely honest, this post written by Brittnee at Beauty Product a Day gave me to buy the urge to buy this blush. So when it was half off during the Beauty Steals at Ulta, I eagerly snatched it up.

Can we start by talking about how amazingly cute this packaging is? Seriously, could this packaging be any cuter? I think not! It’s girly, cute, pink, gold, and heart shaped! It’s a heart shaped baked blush containing three different shades of glowy cheek delight. Yep I’m officially in girly girl heaven.

Now that I have gushed about the packaging, let’s get down to business. This baked blush in Candy Glow contains three different colors that are described as a rose pink shimmer, soft coral pink and a peach pink shimmer. While this blush does contain some microfine glitter, I don’t notice it being problematic on my cheeks. Normally I steer clear of blush containing glitter but it isn’t terribly noticeable with this particular blush. As a matter of fact its this beautiful ‘perfect flush’ with a beautiful glowing luminescence

I think they nailed the name of this blush as it does provide the perfect flush. It wears easily, providing that natural wash of color without being over bearing. I know that some really enjoy the ‘Aunt Sally’ look with their blush but with my super fair complexion I just can’t pull that look off.

Super cute packaging containing a great blush, what’s not to love? I highly recommend running out and buying this blush. It makes me feel all happy inside and out.

“The best kind of people are the ones that come into your life, and make you see the sun where you once saw clouds. The people that believe in you so much, you start to believe in you too. The people that love you, simply for being you. The once in a lifetime kind of people.”

Welcome to the new addition to my blog “Homespun and Homegrown.” This is where I will share some of the additional things going on in my life such as quilting in my mom’s memory, enjoying dad’s backyard oasis, or sharing snippets of what I discover in my genealogy research. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy sharing it. The puppy dog in my logo was hand stitched either by my Mom or my Grandma.

As many of you know I am currently staying with my Dad in my childhood home. They moved in when I was 14 months old; so, it’s the only home I remember in my childhood. Boyet and I are currently sleeping in my childhood bedroom. However, the bed we are sleeping in actually belonged to my father as a child. This bed is at least 70 years old. Spread out over the bed is a quilt that was made by my Mom. I remember seeing Mom sitting behind a quilting loom hand stitching this quilt. Yes, we normally sleep with pillows, but I took off the pillows so you could see the quilt.  We both sleep with our laptops next to us; but we do shut them down at night. If you pay close attention to the quilt, you will notice something slightly amiss. I can’t tell you if my Mom did that intentionally or not. I’ve never noticed it until I posted this photo on my blog. Whether or not it was intentional, it certainly gives the quilt more character.
 

Marvelous Moxie Minis

In the March Ipsy bag some of us received a mini Marvelous Moxie lipstick from Bare Minerals. I was so impressed with this formula and with the size of this sample. Personally I think all lipsticks should come in full size and miniature size. I would would love to have a drawer full of mini sized lipstick. After all, it’s more practical. Most of us could get through lipstick if they were all cute and mini like these are. Anyway, this set me on a quest to find more Marvelous Moxie lipsticks.

When I went to Ulta last week I was blessed to find the Bare Minerals Double Trouble containing a mini Marvelous Moxie lipstick in Make Your Move and a mini Marvelous Moxie gloss in Smooth Talker for $12.00. Plus since I was buying it on a bonus I received a bonus mini lipstick in Speak Your Mind.

This formula is quite smooth and creamy. I love that all three are a cream formula and they feel amazing on the lips. They have a slightly glossy shine to them. While I don’t find that they are particularly long wearing, they wear well.

Get Ready is a medium toned rose which adds a lovely warmth to any look. It’s neutral enough to be worn with lots of looks but it’s bold enough to provide a beautiful noticeable lip without being over the top. Make Your Move is a gorgeous natural nude with just a hint of rose. It seems brown next to the other two but when worn on the lips it’s simply a beautiful nude shade. Speak Your Mind is a soft pink cream. If you are fair skinned and looking for a soft pink lip to wear with really bold eye looks this would be the perfect shade.

I love everything about these lipsticks. The size, the formula, the shades, the names – everything about them is just amazing. They are a bit on the sheer side but they are buildable to fully opaque.

The gloss in Smooth Talker is an amazing mauve rose base with a gorgeous golden shimmer running throughout. To be honest, I haven’t worn it yet because I have been enjoying the lipsticks on their own.

Marvelous Moxie in Get Ready is just bold enough to warm up any look without being too much of a statement lip.

Marvelous Moxie in Make Your Move is a beautiful natural which would wear well especially with cooler brown and taupe looks.

Marvelous Moxie in Speak Your Mind is a beautiful soft pink which could compliment so many bold eye looks. It’s also perfect for a light or no makeup day as well.

 

Laura Gellar La Dolce Vita

During my recent trip to Ulta I picked up the La Dolce Vita kit from Laura Gellar. Now if you have never heard of Laura Gellar, you are missing out. There are two of her products that I absolutely ADORE. The Balance n Brighten powder and the Real Deal Concealer. Both of these are absolutely amazing products! This kit contains a full sized Balance n Brighten in Fair. It’s unusual to find the powder in fair. Most of her kits contain the powder in medium so whenever I find a great kit in fair I snatch it up. The full size powder costs $33 and this kit costs $39 so it’s like I got the other items for only $6.

This kit contains a full size Balance n Brighten powder in Fair, Baked Gelato Vivid Swirl Blush in Rosewater, Baked Gelato Vivid Swirl Eyeshadow in Caramel, Love Me Dew Moisturizing Lip Crayon in Watermelon Cooler and a double ended brush.  Only two of these products are available in her permanent collection. The Balance n Brighten and the Love Me Dew Moisturizing Lip Crayon. The blush, the eyeshadow and the brush are only available in this kit.

First let me talk about the amazingness that is the Balance n Brighten powder. It begins it’s life as a swirled cream product that is baked onto terra cotta tiles. The beauty of this powder is that it can be worn alone, over a primer, over a BB or CC cream, or over foundation. When worn alone it provides light coverage. If you wanted to prime, then spot conceal, this powder creates a gorgeous natural no makeup look. If you would like to add a little more coverage to your BB cream, CC cream or foundation then this is the powder for you. It does a beautiful job of enhancing whatever you place it over. Because it provides additional coverage this is not a lightweight setting powder. However, I have never had an issue with this powder getting cakey; but, I imagine it could. The different colors swirled throughout the powder provide additional color correct for those of us that need to brighten while balancing a cantankerous complexion.

I won’t go into too much detail about the powder since it’s not available outside this kit; but, this blush is absolutely gorgeous. I don’t normally go for blushes that have a lot of sheen to them. Although this one seems to have a fair amount in the package when you apply it to the cheeks the sheen on this blush becomes a beautiful natural flush. This is a beautiful natural pink color that is well suited to us fair skinned gals.

As with the blush I won’t give too much info on the eyeshadow as it’s not available outside of this kit. Oh, this color is simply divine. This is THE perfect champagne color for my fair skin. It has a stunning sheen without having chunky glitter. It provides this beautiful luminescence which catches the light beautifully.

The Love Me Dew Moisturizing Lip Crayon feels very moisturizing and provides a beautiful wash of color. This formula is very easy to wear and the chubby lip crayon makes it easy to apply. It has a sweet baked goods smell without being overwhelming and the color is sheer to medium with several swipes. It has a slightly thicker feel to it like EOS, Chap Stick or even Burt’s Bees. It’s not super slick like Baby Lips. It hangs around longer than some of the slicker balms. I really enjoy the moisturizing properties of this lip crayon. At first I was a bit disappointed when I realized that the color wasn’t very opaque but then when I realized just how moisturizing this little crayon is I was delighted. I have tossed this one in my bag and it gets thrown on whenever I feel I need a little balm or a little color. I really enjoy the feel and the color of this crayon.

Overall I am really impressed with this kit. Other than the double ended brush I am quite pleased with everything in this kit. I find the larger end of the brush to be better suited to liquid foundation rather than powder foundation or blush. While I don’t mind using the occasional sponge tipped applicator I don’t really have a need for an overgrown one that it attached to an awkward foundation brush. Considering that the cost of the Balance n Brighten is $33 and the cost of the Love Me Dew is $16, I’d say this kit is a delightful bargain at $39.

I find this kit easy to wear and easy to work with. I am quite pleased that I have added this kit to my collection. This is an amazing kit for anyone with fair skin. If you don’t have fair skin then this is definitely not the kit for you. I once purchased another Laura Gellar kit with medium Balance n Brighten and I was very disappointed that the powder was a complete waste for me. My sister loved it because she inherited the powder. This kit is well worth the $39 price tag.

Overall, I will definitely buy another Laura Gellar kit when it’s time to buy more Balance n Brighten. I love the powder and I love the extra items that these kits contain. If you have never tried Balance n Brighten I highly recommend giving it a go. I have never found any other powder that covers as well as it does.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“The person in life that you will always be with the most, is yourself. Because even when you are with others, you are still with yourself, too! When you wake up in the morning, you are with yourself, laying in bed at night you are with yourself, walking down the street in the sunlight you are with yourself.What kind of person do you want to walk down the street with? What kind of person do you want to wake up in the morning with? What kind of person do you want to see at the end of the day before you fall asleep? Because that person is yourself, and it's your responsibility to be that person you want to be with. I know I want to spend my life with a person who knows how to let things go, who's not full of hate, who's able to smile and be carefree. So that's who I have to be.” ~C. JoyBell C.

Ulta Haulage!

Welcome to my recent beauty haul. Please let me take a moment to apologize for not getting my Sunday Scores and Steals done for this week. I spent this past weekend in bed with a dreaded migraine. I can assure you that next week I will be back to doing my Sunday Scores and Steals as usual. March was such a difficult month and I was really looking forward to a bit of beauty shopping. During Ulta’s Beauty Steals I was really hoping I would be able to grab one of the Too Faced Sweetheart Blushes. So I was thrilled when my husband ran to Ulta with me and we both enjoyed some shoppin.

Boyet grabbed some Gold by Jay Z. There is something about this cologne. It smells amazing on him and it lasts! When he wears this it fills the car and it just lingers all day. It’s like its this cologne was made for him.

Since I had a 20% off coupon I took the opportunity to purchase a few more Real Techniques brushes. I picked up the limited edition duo fiber set, the new retractable kabuki brush, and a backup for my miracle complexion sponge. I love this brand and have yet to find anything I don’t love from them. I am sure these will be no exception.

The purpose of my visit was to purchase on the the Too Faced Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blushes. I bought Candy Glow which contains three shades of blush a rose pink shimmer, soft coral pink and a peach pink shimmer. When all swirled together they add the perfect flush of color on my cheeks.

I also purchased was the Bare Minerals Double Trouble Marvelous Moxie Lipstick and Lip gloss duo. The day that I purchased it I was given an extra mini Marvelous Moxie Lipstick (right). I wthwas so impressed with the mini lipstick I received in my Ipsy bag that I was eager to snatch this duo up.

The final thing I purchased is the Laura Gellar La Dolce Vita kit. The biggest reason I bought this kit is because it contains Balance n Brighten in Fair. It’s quite rare to find a Laura Gellar kit that contains the Balance n Brighten in Fair, usually the kits come in medium. So I was amazed when this kit contained Fair. I love the Balance n Brighten so when I can purchase it with such a great bonus kit I love doing so. In addition to the Balance n Brighten the La Dolce Vita comes with an eyeshadow, a blush, a lip crayon and a double ended brush. I have just worn this kit today and I am loving it!!

All in all I would say we had an amazingly successful shopping trip. I am loving everything we bought and they are all lovely additions to my collection.

In addition to playing in makeup I have been enjoying researching some genealogy with my Dad. We have learned quite a bit about my relatives just by learning where and with whom they are living during the census. We had been told that when my ancestors immigrated from Wales they left behind two older siblings. We have discovered through census records that there was 1 old sibling left behind in Wales. Two other siblings died before adulthood in Wales. The other nine siblings did immigrate to America with their parents. Now I am on the hunt for all of the nine siblings. I have found most of them

“Life, he realized, was much like a song. In the beginning there is mystery, in the end there is confirmation, but it's in the middle where all the emotion resides to make the whole thing worthwhile.” ~Nicholas Sparks