Haul
Since the sale I bought C Firma during, I allowed myself to spend a little more on beauty-related products during the holidays.
In addition to the MiroPure Straightening brush, I bought:
- Another hair tool to try. There’s no universe in which I would have dropped money (>$125!) on a Beachwaver but I got the InstaWave for $25.
- A few more Gelaze colors to play with. I hadn’t purchased any gel polish in nearly a year!
- Some extra Clarisonic brush heads. There was a Cyber Monday sale – got two Radiance heads for $24. Not as excellent as my usual purchase of 4 for $64 (4 pack for $81 + 20% off).
- A new (to me, not new release) Real Techniques brush. I didn’t really have anything to use on my whole, finished face to blend any edges that I missed, and for $4 on sale I figured it was fair.
Holiday Stuff
In all, I found myself yet again underwhelmed by the holiday offerings put out by most brands. It does look like Fenty Beauty rose to the occasion (still haven’t tried anything from Fenty, though), but everything else fell flat to me. Even Urban Decay who, in spite of my occasional criticism, I generally enjoy, swung and missed (me).
The only thing I found myself tempted by were the new Heavy Metal glitter liner shades – but given that I have few opportunities to even wear the one I own (Midnight Cowboy), I refrained from adding more to my collection. Glitter eyeliner, after all, is not appropriate for work.
State of Things
Now for some general, “state of things,” updates on things I’ve talked about but not super-recently.
No Buy
I’m back on my No Buy with the same conditions as before. Items deemed staples/high-consumables (concealer, mascara, brow products) may be replaced as appropriate.
Samples of that product type must be used before replenishing staples though (unless they make me break out/die/etc) – so I shouldn’t need anything for a while.
Hair
My next balayage appointment is in a few weeks. I’m contemplating delaying or canceling the appointment, though. I’ve been enjoying my hair being a bit lighter, but I wasn’t as thrilled with the results of my last appointment as much as I was with the first two. Unfortunately, the colorist I worked with this last time was not the same one I previously worked with. My prior colorist moved on to another salon – which I didn’t know until I arrived at the appointment. The one I worked with just wasn’t as skilled with the technique and there are some awkward sections; most people don’t notice, but I do because I’m neurotic/type A/demand too much excellence.
In terms of overall color, I definitely don’t need to add any more highlights; I’m satisfied with the overall level of lightness. In fact, the bottom might be a touch too light due to the awkward sections. Fortunately, I got a haircut in November that balanced things out a bit, but I’m wondering if my next appointment (be it this month or later) should be something to balance more than lighten.
The struggle is real. Right now, I think my most-likely course of action will be to delay my appointment to March and see how I feel then.
Nails
I didn’t wear much polish in my two weeks off from, “real,” work. It’s odd – I fully expected to be in Happy Manicure Land with all the free time I had, but instead of spending it on leisurely beauty-related pursuits, I spent it on video games and Netflix with my husband. It was awesome.
I suffered a tragic, low break on a thumb two days after Christmas. So they all got lopped short to match. I pouted for a few days and did a Gelaze Swing Baby manicure (one of my new colors!) – the neutral shimmer mitigates how short they are. Should’ve done it a day or two sooner because its very New Years’ appropriate.
Now that I’ve had a few days to accept the situation, I’ve grown to like them this length. I’d almost keep them like this but that takes effort.
Skin
My skin was AWESOME in December. Then, in the last 3 days, I wound up with a few blemishes. Inevitably, I exacerbated them because I am an idiot, but they are now on the mend.
Invisalign
I have another appointment in two weeks for my last round of IPR. Watching this transformation has been incredible. In all, my routine is unchanged – more on everything soon.
The Bottom Line
Honestly, I just felt like some chatter. I haven’t given many updates lately! Happy New Year, folks!