Happy Tuesday! It’s barely past noon and I feel as though I’ve put in a full day already! Yesterday afternoon I was feeling kind of “meh” and “blah”. I knew that a brand new lipstick would brighten me up! Plus—well, I’ve been seeing a lot of red lipstick lately, and although I have those old lady wrinkly chapped lips, I figured that there has to be a red that I can actually wear.
Best Red Lipsticks. Photo from Huffington Post.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve tried reds before and they just come off too harsh and severe, so I thought that if I could find a red with a hint of coral maybe, just maybe. It would work.
Off I went to Ulta. I’ll explain something. It’s hard for me to try lipstick on because my very own lips are extremely naturally pigmented. What does that mean? It means I actually have to prime my lips with a bit of concealer or foundation to neutralize my natural coloring. Kinda like rosacea of the mouth!
Some reds are too brown. Some too blue/red. Some too orange. Some too burgundy. All unflattering!
I saw a display that caught my attention: Lipstick Queen. I remember hearing about this brand, but I’ve never tried anything. The colors were really nice. While scanning the various lipsticks, my eyes came across a lovely coral/red. Mind you, not orange but a subtle coral red. Saint Fire Red. I tried it and even without my mouth being primed, it looked pretty good. At $22.00 I took a risk—which I’ll get back to in a few moments.
I love the packaging…and I love this color..
But hold on, there’s more where this came from! I promise!
The blush brush I had for years started falling apart and bristles were coming of on my cheeks. I mean—it’s bad enough having a fuzzy upper lip and those pesky chin hairs. The last things I need are bristles from a brush to add to my fuzzy-wuzzy appearance. (My blush brush is from Vera Bradley. I don’t even know if she makes these brushes anymore but the set was great!)
Unfortunately Vera Bradley does not make this brush set anymore–it really is a shame because the brushes were great. I found this stock pic from Polyvore, but they are sold out!
I bought this Ecotools blush brush and used it today. It was fine!
At under ten dollars, this Ecotools Blush Brush picks up the color and distributes it very nicely. We’ll see what the long-term effects are with the quality!
Never one to pass up an inexpensive eye liner, this Rimmel felt-tipped liner looked promising. I’m packing it in my makeup bag for my trip to France. (Yes. I’m starting to pack. 8 weeks left till the trip).
Already in the makeup bag!
Lastly, I picked up this French Vanilla baked highlighting powder by Laura Geller. It’s weird–Geller’s products are so hit or miss for me. Some of the baked eye shadows are fantastic; and her “Spackle” is a great priming product as well. But others–oh boy, just not a good match for my coloring. I thought this baked highlighter would be a hit, but it’s too yellow for me. I’ll give it to Oona–it’ll be a better match for her!
This would have been great if it weren’t too yellow. It’ll look nice on Oona instead!
I woke up early to submit an article to French Entrée. Check! (One of my previous articles for your enjoyment below!)
My French Entree Article “People Watching in the Place Dauphine”
Bonaparte had me review the changes he made to my ever-evolving resume and cover letter. Check! Savor my morning coffee whilst viewing last night’s latest installment of “Southern Charm”. Check! Time to get ready! Check!
Since the weather has warmed up—at least for two days, I decided on wearing white jeans and a cute Lilly Pulitzer hooded tunic.
Perfect for this weather. It’s actually lightweight and looks great with white shorts too. (As long as the legs have a nice spray tan, they look great). Got this for a very steep discount at the Lilly Pulitzer Warehouse sale last year!
OK—so back to the lipstick. I made sure to add a thin layer of foundation to my lips.
Ugh. The lips are chapped. See why I need the Chapstick? That being said, I have a thin layer of foundation on my lips. Also of note–the old lady wrinkles above my mouth AND see the scar along the bottom of my lip? That’s where my lip was sewn back together after my bathtub fall!
Usually my next step is a swipe of Chapstick. I skipped the Chapstick today because I wanted to see how the lipstick would go on and how long the lipstick would last on its own.
Next I outlined the lips with NYX Wonder Pencil. I really like this because it does do a decent job in stopping any “bleeding”—trust me, I can easily look like “Baby Jane” if I don’t take proper precautions.
Sorry about the quality of the pic. I think the lighting was bad.
The wonder pencil stops me from looking like “Baby Jane”!
I applied the lipstick with my MAC retractable lipstick brush.
MAC retractable lipstick brush. Great to throw in your purse too!
The application was smooth and even. It’s a sheer color of 10% pigmentation; so I added a second layer of color.
Nice corally red–don’t you think?
I’ll tell you—I’m pleased with this color. It is a true coral/red but not orange.
I like the color even more with a top coating of clear gloss!
What’s weird is that on the Lipstick Queen Website, the “Fire Red” is described as an orangey red, but on me, it looks more like a coral red. I like this. A lot. The “Sinner” lipstick is matte and made up of 90% pigmentation. I may be brave enough to try the “Sinner” version one of these days! I applied a clear gloss and like the results. A good change from my usual berry/pink color.
If you go on the site for Lipstick Queen, don’t judge the colors by those little “swatches” oh lordy—they are so “off” base!
Oh geez. I have to tell you, remember the 5-pack Yummie Tummie shapewear I ordered from HSN?
This is the 5-pack set. I swear you have to be as small as this photo to fit into the M/L size!
My Original Posting Mentioning Yummie Tummie
It was delivered. Never again. Never again will I order any shapewear of any kind. Listen to me—I tried on the high-waisted, long leg shapewear. OK, it didn’t really hold me in all that much, but it was very comfy and has a nice reinforced waistband on the inside of the shapewear which absolutely does not roll down.
The only item worth wearing at all is the high-waisted long line shapewear. This reinforced waist band really keeps them up without rolling. Everything else was a fail!
On to the next pair of shapewear. I tried on the high, thigh cut brief. Stuffing sausage into a casing would have been easier. I almost broke out into a sweat just trying to get these past my thighs. Finally, they were on me, but I had to hold my breath to keep them up. Once I let out a sigh, the pair rolled down to my hips. At this point I was a bit perplexed, I thought maybe the wrong size had been packed, but it was, in fact a M/L. Trust me, I didn’t gain THAT much weight this winter.
Ever the sunshine pumper and so full of hope, I decided to try one of the two sleeveless shirts—both would be great to wear with maxi skirts without looking to “fundie” or “Duggarish”! Heather Thompson, owner of Yummie and star supreme of “Real Housewives of New York” fame stated that the shirt would not flatten out your bustline, giving you a beautiful silhouette. Well, the shirt was so tight that I could barely get it past my neck, then the bottom of the shirt got all mixed up and twisted that it took me almost five minutes to figure out where the bottom was and untwist the shirt—while still being caught in it. Once on, I had the silhouette of a cross between a five-year old boy with a beer belly and Baby Huey.
Picture a sleeveless shirt that is just a bit longer. That’s what I looked like–without the diaper–OK??
Who the hell is she making these shapewear pieces for—women with eating disorders????????? My daughter, Oona, is a size 4, I would give these to her but I think they would be too small—even for a size 4 body!! I’m so pissed off. You have no idea! Epic fail Heather Thompson. Epic fail!!
I’ll just keep slowly losing the weight and let whatever ripples and bumps I have enjoy their freedom!
Ok, so with normal underwear under my white skinnies and my Lilly shirt, I donned a pair of flip flops, put Chippy on leash and headed out to the car. My goal—to stop at Barnes and Noble and pick up Christina Tosi’s new cookbook, “Milk Bar Life”. You know how much I love the original “Milk Bar” Cookbook so this is, hopefully, worth the wait!
The second I opened the door, Chippy decided to bolt. With me holding his leash. I tripped over a flip flop; my purse flew into the bushes, as did my car keys. I, too, took a header into two of the bushes in front of the house. I cannot write what I said next because Main Line Animal Rescue would be at my door to take my beloved little rascal away from me. The good thing is that Chippy stayed on the driveway; he must’ve known that I was bleeding. Yes. I have three cuts on my foot, and two more on my stomach. THANK GOD, my white skinnies where unharmed!
And yes. I was able to make the trip to Barnes and Noble to get the book.
Later today, I’ll read through this book for some recipes! I’ll most likely be making those very recipes when the kids visit, because for now, I’m sticking to various Kale salads, boiled fish, fruit and, as a treat, Starbucks NON-FAT Chai Lattes (4 points).
I calmed myself down by listening to “The Best of Al Green” as I drove. Chippy was a very good boy and continues to be as I write this.
To close, my delusional mind is thinking of starting a revolution of sorts for my old peeps! Perhaps “Old People Rock”….or..
…or maybe I should call Bob McAllister and have him re-vamp the song “Kids Are People Too” to read “Oldsters Are People Too”–Rant Against the Ageism Machine!
“Old Lives Matter”. We are a strong group you know. We all have ageism going against us. We are black, white, yellow, all religions, all different sexual orientations. We are all in the same boat. Nobody wants to hire us for office jobs. We’re all but ignored in fashion ads. On TV—we’re only good for advertisements for medications, The Clapper, and Hoverround power chairs!
Anyway, I made a little “rap”. It’s about old people! Of course I’m no Stephanie Spielberg, but, hey—it’s the best video I could do. I hope you enjoy it!
Here’s a little Reverend Al Green for you to enjoy on this Tuesday as well! Enjoy the rest of the day!
XOXOXOXOXO!
