The spring Sephora sale has started! If I’m honest—I need new products like I need a hole in the head!—but of course, that’s not going to stop me.
I have a bunch of items sitting in my “loves” that I’m deciding between. I thought I’d lay out a few of the ones I’m considering the strongest to see if you have any experience with them and get your feedback. Since the sale ends on the 24th, I’ve got a little time before I hit the “purchase” button. I also thought I’d share a few items I’d recommend to you, products I’ve been using a lot lately, especially turning over from winter to spring/summer.
I believe in love at first sight. Call me a romantic. I think connections can be instant and lasting. And I think it extends to friendship, too.
I’ll never forget the day I met Christopher Ryan. The mythology of Mr. Ryan was strong. Christopher had been the tenor soloist in the church choir I sing with (CPC singers, holla!)–part of the esteemed alumni of paid section leaders/ringers that make the rest of us sound like we know what we’re doing. Everyone who knew him loved him, unequivocally. By the time I joined the choir, he had moved to NYC, but his presence still rang through the stories in the choir loft years after he sang his last C5 there.
It is no exaggeration when I say the talent we get through the choir is top notch. We seriously work with the best of the best. Our soloists have gone on to illustrious careers on Broadway, operas around the globe, professors at nationally recognized music programs and composers, conductors and featured soloists. The opportunity to finally meet Christopher Ryan in person came in 2009 when our tenor soloist, James Kryshak was a National Semi-Finalist for the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions being held in New York City. My sister, Holly lives in NYC and I will take any excuse for a reason to visit. I asked Jim if I could go—he said yes—so I went! And I learned Christopher would be attending, too.
I was scrolling through my Instagram feed one day and came across a text only post. It said “NAME THREE THINGS YOU LOVE ABOUT YOURSELF” My mind went blank. Seriously. Blank. So I took a screenshot of the post and thought, I’ll think about this and get back to you, Instagram post. And then I promptly forgot about it. Today I was scrolling through my photo reel and there it was. Staring me in the face. I wish I didn’t feel like it was mocking me, but I did. Why couldn’t I just come up with three things, like, it should be so easy, right?!! But also, if I did just spout off three things that I love about myself, don’t I then sound sort of conceited? Why is it so hard to practice self love? I know, this is a beauty/lifestyle blog…. so forgive me for getting all deep on you, but I feel like this is a big deal. And if I couldn’t just very simply come up with three things, surely I am not alone? Hello? Anyone there? Even as I write this, the struggle is real. So today, at the risk of feeling a little bit vulnerable, I will share with you three things I love about myself. Will you share three with me?
XO – Pamela
instagram screenshot from @thedetoxmarket
My type A tendencies
It seems that often, people will start speaking of someone in terms of being type A or type B when they feel they need to point out something they see as a personality flaw. But are these tendencies really flaws either way? I love to feel organized. I like to have my time efficiently planned out. I like making lists. I’ll read the whole owner’s manual for our new truck so I know what everything does, before I start just pushing all the buttons. Am I a bit of a control freak? Sure. Do I lack patience? Yeah, sometimes I do. Do I get things done? Hell yes. And at the end of the day I don’t feel bad about any of it.
My strength
Strength or being strong, can mean so many things. I am specifically talking about my personal physical strength. Now, don’t get me wrong….. I’m not someone who lifts weights or competes in fitness competitions, or can even win at arm wrestling. But ask me to hold a strong plank for the length of a song, and I will own that. I can wall sit all day (well, probably not literally all day.) My job requires a certain amount of physical strength, and I do a pretty good job at my job. Are there a million people out there one billion times stronger? You bet. But I feel strong for me. I think it’s pretty great to feel strong.
My hair
It feels a little weird to admit to loving one of my physical features….. it seems like pure vanity. I do though. I’ve always been really lucky to have a great head of hair. I can wear any style with ease and I feel like I’ve had it all. From super short pixie, to really long all one length. Bangs, or no bangs. It all seems to work for me. It’s super thick, which sometimes feels like a curse, but I know it’s probably a hair trait coveted by many. These days the gray hairs are far beyond a few, but I don’t mind terribly when they start to show…. besides, my husband thinks they’re cute. I’ve never wanted to be blonde. I love being brunette. Like anyone, I do have bad hair days, but in the end I really love my hair. (It doesn’t hurt that I have an amazing stylist as well – Sherri, owner of Epic salon in downtown Neenah, for any of you Fox Valley ladies who are looking for a fantastic salon.)
There I was, at Sephora, staring at the Dr. Jart+ display. I have used- and loved- the Premium Beauty Balm for years. YEARS! And my current tube was running low, so I was contemplating whether I should buy a new tube now, while I was there, or procrastinate and squeeze 2 more weeks out of it and just come back when I was down to the dregs.
Did you know you can crack this tube open and get like 2 more weeks out of it???
Spring is officially here, which means it’s time to put away the matte lipsticks, natural glow and dark smokey eyes for glitter lips, metallic shimmer highlighter and pastel color wash eyes. Or does it? We’ve gone through the lists and lists and lists and lists! of spring trends. Are we in? Or will we sit this one out? Continue reading Spring Trends: Love Them, Or Leave Them?
Some of my favorite YouTube videos to watch are the “Empties” collections. Why do I want to look at other people’s trash, you ask? Perhaps it scratches the itch I’ve had to be a private investigator—an ambition born spending my youth watching Magnum PI, Moonlighting , Remington Steele and the criminally underrated, Riptide (i wanted both the robot AND the helicopter, sadly, i still have neither) with my mother.
But more likely, I find it helpful to get insight on products that were taken the distance. I like knowing if the trusted YouTuber plans to repurchase items, especially when it requires spending their own money on a product they might have gotten sent to them gratis from the company.
Remember a few weeks ago when I told you what I was packing for my beach vacation? Well, vacation happened, and it was amazing!! Costa Rica is a beautiful place with beautiful, wonderful people. Highly recommend. I tried some new things on this trip, so I thought I would let you know what worked and what didn’t. Here we go! Continue reading Faves and Fails: Beach Edition
I’ve mentioned before that I rarely go on Facebook. Maybe once a day. And I certainly never click the ads when I’m on FB. But then there was this “free leggings” ad. Free leggings from Girlfriend Collective. The ad looked nice, pleasing to the eye. The leggings pictured looked flattering and actually like they could be kind of expensive – like the original Nike legends or Lululemon wunder unders – both of which I have had in the past and loved. But ok, free? What’s the catch? So I clicked. I proceeded to read all about these free leggings. They’re eco friendly (made from recycled plastic bottles.) High waisted (12 inch rise that sits above your bellybutton). Shaping with a perfect amount of compression, but comfortable as the fabric responds to your body heat and molds to your body. All this with a high end look and feel. Ok, but still what’s the catch? Their retail cost is $70, but during this pre-launch campaign they’re FREE with a shipping cost of $19.95. Ahh…. ok. So, not free. Why $19.95 shipping though? Because this pre-launch batch of leggings is coming directly from their factories in Vietnam. Ok, seems legit. I was intrigued, so I kept reading. They have a serious amount of very specific information on their website! And I suddenly found myself convinced that they were going to be the best leggings I’ve ever owned. And what’s 20 bucks anyway? Add up the cost of all the stupid leggings that I’ve gotten from Target and Forever21 that fit like crap and are faded and gross…. and that equals WAY more than $19.95. So I pulled the trigger. The thing is though, it would take about three months to get them. So three months went by, and yesterday I finally got them! And I wore them last night to yoga. Not to practice yoga but to teach, so basically I was walking around in a hot room wearing them. Having worn them for only just that one time, allow me to share my thoughts and feelings….. Continue reading First impressions: Girlfriend Collective leggings
So I was curious when I saw this display at Walgreens announcing Revlon had come out with a new line of similar products. How would they compare against our old favorite? I needed to check them out, immediately.
I have no shame about the fact that I love television. As a young kid, I had a very specific attention span to get through an hour long episode of Sesame Street, followed by the soothing kindness of Mr. Rogers (unless the Purple Panda was on- that shit was terrifying!!). As I got older, the Justice League taught me lessons in truth, justice, and not to chew on pencils, Lynda Carter spun into my heart as Wonder Woman, and I would lose my mind if the opening credits to Batman included Batgirl’s motorcycle rolling in. We would have smorgasbord dinners Thursdays while watching The Cosby Show, and we loved the poorly drawn Simpsons interludes during The Tracy Ullman Show. Point is, TV and I have always been tight.
Did you know we’re living in the Golden Age of Television?? It’s a real thing, happening right now! There has never been a time with more quality content, yet my TiVo has tumbleweeds blowing through it. Why? Well, because shows take their sweet time between seasons now that we get our entertainment without the confinement of traditional television broadcasting rules. And this is driving me mental.
Some of my favorite show are taking FOR. FREAKING. EVER. to return to the airwaves. Specifically:
