Chatter

The Verdict on my Balayage Highlights

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I unexpectedly had to reinstall my image editing software, so the graphic for my April Favorites was not done in time for Favorites to go live today. SOON, and thank you for bearing with me. :)

Balayage Prep

It took me a while to work up the nerve to pursue balayage a couple years ago. I loved the first two appointments, but my third was lackluster. The salon, which I enjoy in a general sense, switched up my colorist without notice for my third appointment. She didn’t do a great job, and I’m not okay with just feeling, “okay,” with the results of that kind of beauty spending.

I rescheduled, wrung my hands, and ultimately canceled my most-recent appointment (around St. Patrick’s Day). At the time, I decided I was done spending several hours and over a hundred dollars, twice a year, on it. I know that, compared to most people who color their hair, my commitment was barely that. I resolved to give myself more time to formulate my final verdict on my balayage highlights.

DIY

“Maybe,” I wondered to myself, “I could do this myself.” I’ve done plenty of other things that are generally pro-only. I’m educated, risk-averse, and tend to adhere to process. Down the rabbit hole I went to learn about levels, lightener, developer volume, processing times, etc. I was surprised to learn that it sounds a lot easier than one might expect if one is working with hair that has not been previously colored or otherwise chemically tampered-with.

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Melanoma Monday 2018

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Melanoma Awareness Ribbon - Melanoma Monday

As long as Beauty Skeptic is an active website, I am going to post, and repost, about the dangers of not observing sun-safe behaviors. May is Skin Cancer and Melanoma Awareness month, and the first Monday in May (today!) is Melanoma Monday.

Last year, I was blown away by this beach that has sunscreen dispensers for public use.

You can learn more about my family’s experience with skin cancer in my 2015 post. So far, I’ve dodged a bullet but my dumbass did use tanning beds for a few different periods of my life prior to my mom’s discovery.

Keep yourself safe by:

  • Limiting exposure during peak hours.
    • It doesn’t take long! A half hour outside around noon caused my feet to develop tan lines in the shape of my flats. As an office worker, I typically do not apply sunscreen to the tops of my feet buuuut maybe I should.
  • Wear a hat if you can swing it. Target has some inexpensive, cute ones; here’s a simple one.
  • Use a good sunscreen. I’m far from the only one who touts Biore Aqua Rich Watery Essence as the best.
    • I did recently learn, though, that some folks with very sensitive skin tend to have issue with it due to the alcohols in it.
  • Cover up if you can stand it.

Near Coral, Use Physical

Hawaii is on the cusp of banning sunscreens that contain oxybenzone and octinoxate. These chemicals are effective sunscreens, but have been found to contribute poor shape of the world’s coral. After application, it is washed away from skin in seawater, and later, washed away in a shower which results in waste water. If you live in or plan to visit regions closer to coral reefs, consider a physical, rather than chemical, sunscreen instead.

The Bottom Line

Stay sun safe, friends.

Stopped Using Philosophy Pure Grace

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Philosophy Pure Grace, $49

Scent is a funny thing. It is the sense tied most strongly to memory, for instance. Beyond that, some things that are really appealing to some of us are cloying and off-putting to others. Stranger still is how we can be really fond of a particular smell – like a candle or a perfume – for a long time and then, with no discernible reason, find it bothersome.

Case in Point

In 2011 or so I came to adore Yankee Candle Pink Sands. I had it everywhere; in our house, on a warmer at my desk at work, everywhere. I can’t come close to accurately guessing how many times I purchased it in its various forms.

I’m paring down my candle collection just like my makeup – but I’m paring it down by steadily burning what we can tolerate. (I’m giving the rest away.) Two weeks ago, I came to a partially-burnt Pink Sands jar and lit it. Later, I suddenly found myself thinking that I had grown tired of it.

Personal Fragrance

I’ve talked about my relationship with fragrance before. I enjoy wearing it – or the idea of wearing it, anyway – but I am very picky about it. On top of that, I have a highly fragrance-sensitive husband. Obviously I don’t want to use products in my home or on my person that will cause him headaches or respiratory distress!

I felt myself growing tired of Pure Grace. I’d been wearing it a lot because it is clean, appropriate for work when used sparingly (as I use all my fragrance), and worked well with my chemistry. All that said, though, I seem to have used it in such a way that it overstayed its appeal to me.

Around the same time, unbeknownst to either of us, my husband started developing sensitivity to it. For a while, he’d ask what the heck I’d sprayed or what lotion I’d used; since it was such a part of my routine it didn’t even register until I went without for a week, then used it again – and he asked again.

The Bottom Line

If I’m going to be the source of my partner’s headaches, it is damn well going to be something more important than the fragrance I’m wearing – so I broke up with Pure Grace.

I’m back to only wearing Fresh Cream (also Philosophy). I don’t know if I’m going to seek a new fragrance or not. I really loved Daisy and Daisy Eau so Fresh from Marc Jacobs; maybe I’ll return to those.

Have your fragrance tastes evolved over time?

Bi-Weekly WTF :: Vol 9 – Mole Removal Pen

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Mole Removal PenA Mole Removal Pen on Amazon

I was checking out the Lightning Deals section of Amazon when I came across something marketed as a mole removal pen.

Immediately, I was horrified. There are some beauty treatments that are generally performed by professionals that can be done at home. Some things, though, should just be done by a pro. I’ve had moles that I did not care for in fairly prominent places (face). The idea of attempting DIY removal sent a shiver down my spine and a knot to my stomach.

In the past five years, I have had a pair of moles removed via shave excision by a dermatologist and his nurse practitioner in the past.

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The KonMari Method Komono – Makeup – Part 2: Spark Joy

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I got around to executing the KonMari method on my makeup. This category did not include any skincare or tools. As I went, I realized that the process isn’t hyper conducive to photography, but I did manage to catch a few photos.

(Almost) Everything (that Isn’t a Palette)

Editing My Collection - before KonMari

My initial pass included everything that wasn’t a palette. I realized after capturing this photo that I had missed a few pieces. They were still subject to the same joy-sparking scrutiny, I just didn’t get them in the picture. I had:

  • 2 BB Creams (both Missha Perfect Cover)
  • 6 Concealers
  • 1 Highlighter
  • 5 Face Primers (one not pictured)
  • 8 Single Shadows (one not pictured)
  • 5 Eye Primers/Bases (including a MAC Paint Pot & a NYX Milk pencil)
  • 15 Eyeliners (duplicates not pictured)
  • 8 Blushes (one not pictured)
  • 2 Bronzers (one is packaged with one of the blushes)
  • 2 Face Powders (both Hourglass ALPs)
  • 14 Lipsticks
  • 4 Lip pencils
  • 6 Mascaras
  • 5 Brow Products (Ulta & the dregs of my Gimme Brow not pictured)

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Monday Musings & Priority Shifts

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Monday Musings

It’s been a while since I shared a chatty post with no major, overarching theme. Maybe Monday Musings should be a thing.

How many people, in real life, put highlighter on their shoulders, anyway? I mean even people going clubbing. Is this a thing? What if you need a jacket outside? Why?!

Consider for a moment that there are folks out there who execute DIY brazilian waxes. Bravery or insanity?

Wet Brush owners – have you used one of these? Both my mom and I have been eying them up. It’s easy enough to clean our own hair out of our respective brushes, but occasionally fuzz and whatnot makes its way onto the damn that is nigh-impossible to extricate without infinite patience and…tweezers.

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