Time to back track a bit.  Last Friday before leaving the office for the Labor Day Weekend, I was given a check.  At first I was shocked because I feared the check would be followed by “Get the Hell outta here and don’t come back!!!”  Instead, I was told it was a bonus.

My inner reaction to that bonus was akin to this! I think I did the happy dance in the parking lot though!

Recovering from the aftershock, I thought “Ohhhhhhhhh…I don’t have to tell Bonaparte about this.”  “It can be my secret!”  Then I thought about all the good things he’s done for me so I caved in and told him about the bonus.

I was such a fine and decent person that I drove directly to the bank to deposit my treasure.  But I did keep a little cash for me.

And when I left the office to drive to the bank, I was contemplating the outfit I wore that day.  Since I wanted to be a bit patriotic looking for the Labor Day Weekend, I wore white jeans, a Tory Burch tunic that I purchased online for 75% off (which made me also ponder the incredible markup), navy ballet flats and I carried my red leather Longchamp bag.  Yes. Even Liberals can be patriotic!  I could hear my mother telling me from the great beyond that I had better put the white jeans away after this weekend.

When I purchased this tunic, I wasn’t crazy about it. But the more I wear it, the more I like it. Cream and Navy make a nice match.  And I mean it when I say, white jeans are a better match for cool weather rather than the hazy, hot, humidity we get here in the Northeast!

Sorry mom.  I plan on wearing the white jeans in the fall and winter and spring too. The summer weather is just too hot to wear them on a constant basis. And that’s what I find so difficult around this time of year. The mornings and evenings have a touch of cool—but it’s that coolness where you need a bit of sleeve action—and mid-morning to late afternoon are hot—so you really do need the summer clothing.

But the thing is, I’m tired of the summer clothes. I’ll get back to this a bit throughout the post…

Anyway, since I had a bit of time to kill before picking Roman up at the train station, I decided to stop by the brand new Ulta cosmetics store in King of Prussia.

There was nothing that I was in dire need of, but I wanted to see if there were any new products that would catch my interest.

Part of the beauty of the store was the newness. All the products were lined up so perfectly and the shelves were full.  It was girly heaven!

These displays are just so nice and organized…

It’s too bad I’m not a fan of bubble baths or I would have gone crazy. My ob/gyn said that bubble bath product can dry out your lady parts. Trust me my outer  body is dry enough ….

Silly me. I thought that the fatgirlslim was a diet product. I’m glad I didn’t eat it!

The one item I figured I would purchase—and get this—in a brand spanking new store—was gone.  I thought I would pick up iT Cosmetics Hydrating Lip Gloss Stain in the wonderful “Je Ne Sais Quoi.”   Even though I have two of these glosses—both in purses I use, I wanted another to keep with my makeup at home.  I ended up buying the Lip Vitality in the same color. A third tube.  My girlfriend Annamarie Simonetti got me hooked on this. I owe her a lifetime of thanks! Truly, I do–the stain is so natural and the color lasts all day!

I always have my “Je Ne Sais Quoi” on hand but just my luck Ulta was out of the shiny gloss. I’m running out!!  

With quite a few foundations in my stash at home, I didn’t even bother…

But I did manage to head over to the less expensive “drug store” brands on the store’s opposite side of the pricier cosmetics.

I thought about buying this mask but my epi-pen expired and I’m allergic to bees. I was afraid I would have a bad reaction!

I ended up with a couple of masks, a gel lipstick from NYX and a palette of shadows and highlighters.

We’ll see how the mask works..

I picked up NYX Plush Gel Lipstick in “Air Blossom”. The color is a true pink that glides on and is very hydrating. Problem is the color wears off within an hour. I fixed that problem with a swipe of the iT Lip Vitality Stain and the color lasted a lot longer! Personally, pink is a great color for older women–it’s very flattering and doesn’t look harsh.

The palette was a great find that I will be using a lot this fall. A lot!  By BH Cosmetics, it’s the Carli Bybel 14-Color Eyeshadow and Highlighter Palette.  The price was $14.50 and in comparison to many of the higher end palettes, it looked pretty decent. It really did—and I have many high-end palettes to prove this!

Although I do not know of this Carli Bybel, her collaboration with BH cosmetics is a winner! This is the display palette. I think from the looks of it many customers were trying it out!

I’ve never heard of BH cosmetics nor have I heard of Carli Bybel. And after Googling Ms. Bybel, I found out she’s one of those makeup gurus on YouTube. She resembles Kim Kardashian.  However, she is a prettier version and this palette is nicely pigmented and has great staying power!

And over the weekend, I kept pretty much to a minimum of makeup due to a blend of heat and personal laziness.

But I’m beginning to transition from lazy summer non-makeup to a slightly more made up look.  Since I’m working in an office which has far better lighting than the horrific lighting in Nordstrom, it isn’t as much of a challenge to look somewhat human.

Besides—I miss posting about cosmetics and all things makeup. Summer was too busy.

It’s that time of year again.  Makeup talk!

I’ll tell you what I used for my work look yesterday.  After moisturizing, and applying serum and primer, I soaked my Real Techniques blender sponge (which was basically on vacation all summer), and mulled over whether to put foundation on or take a gander at tinted moisturizer. The tinted moisturizer was the chosen item.

e.l.f’s tinted moisturizer–it’s ok.   I like e.l.f. foundation much better but while the weather is still a bit warm hot, it’ll suffice during the transition.

 You know—I want to take a lighter approach to foundation and concealer.  While I realize that cosmetics companies all state their foundations, etc. don’t look cakey—they do!  And mature skin is drier. And has more lines. And has wrinkles. And no matter how you blend, brush, blend some more and buff, there will always be a hint of cake if you use too much.  My new “thing” is to just place a bit of foundation on my face where there’s a bit of red.  I’m not applying where the fine lines lay.

Now—I’ve never been a fan of tinted moisturizer because the high-end brands that I’ve tried didn’t work for me.   Women swear by Laura Mercier’s tinted moisturizer. It dried my skin out more than it already is.   Women give rave reviews to Trish McEvoy’s Beauty Boost tinted moisturizer.  It didn’t boost anything for me except the fine lines.  I rest my case.

I have elf brand tinted moisturizer in my stash. The coverage is so-so.  For my skin, I needed to build it up a bit. BUT—it doesn’t make my skin feel dry like the higher end products I’ve used in the past. Is elf’s TM great? No. It isn’t. But it isn’t awful either.  The tint wore off toward the afternoon. Foundation definitely lasts longer, but for the three bucks I spent on this—it’s fine.

After applying my Holy Grail,bareMinerals “Well Rested” in the corners of my eyes to get rid of the blue bruised look, I applied the highlighter and shadows from the Carly Bybel Palette.

 Building up the eyes.  See what a difference brow pencil makes?  My go-to is Mally 24/7 Brow Express.   Notice the hooded eyes.  This has been a gradual ageing thing but I combat it by using a dark shadow in the crease. It helps to disguise it!

And I just realized what is wrong with this palette. The highlighters and shadows don’t have proper names so I can’t tell you which colors I used. I’ll figure it out.

Bottom left–large circle. I used the highlighter on my brow bone and all over.  Next was the yellow-ish shadow on the top left. I used it on my top lid. Then I used the middle bottom brown in the crease and lightly lined the rim of my bottom lid with the darker brown to the far right.

Shadows done and brows filled in with Mally 24/7 Brow Express. I’m on my second Brow Experss will soon be on my third. I LOVE this!

Two coats of inexpensive Falsies Mascara on top lashes and NYColor Sky Line mascara on the bottom.

Two coats of Maybelline’s The Falsies on top. I use NYColor Sky Line on the bottom because the wand is great for bottom lashes–and the price is less than three bucks!

Tightlined and lined eyes.

Eyes all ready.

I was so lazy I didn’t even bother to get the blush. I just took my blush brush and swiped blush residue on my cheeks. Hey….don’t judge.  I do this when I just want a hint of blush. It works!

Lipstick swiped on and ready to go.  I wore the NYX gel lipstick in Air Blossom, and swiped Je Ne Sais Quoi over it.  Done!

My roots are so pathetic. I’ve been too busy to get them done. I have an appointment with Adam for this Saturday. Thank God.  Anyway, I clipped a topper on and then did a big messy bun. Easy hair do!

Isn’t that lip color great? Look how shiny!

I wore a years-old dress from J. Crew and was off to work.

I also thank God for stretch fabric. This dress stretches with my hips and gut. But all kidding aside. This is a great transition dress because in another month I can wear it with tights and boots.  And I don’t care what the “fashun” experts say. I’ll continue to wear shorter dresses–they are more comfortable!

Total time to get ready from the moment I finished my coffee in bed and got my lazy ass off my cushiony comfort zone and washed (I always take a bath the night before) my face, brushed my teeth, did the face and ran out the door—30 minutes!

Oh..and I also discovered that by paring down on the cosmetics, I can sleep 15 minutes longer. And god knows I need as much beauty sleep as I can get!!

As an aside, I had no idea that the heat index would reach 91 today.  Thankfully our office is very well air conditioned.   Because I was too lazy to shave my legs, I wore a pair of J. Crew pixie pants. I also wore a light weight white linen shirt from J. Crew. I love the simple combo of black and white because it’s a foolproof good look at any time. Also—the light weight of the shirt was excellent for the more summeresque weather!

A truly foolproof ensemble. Black Pixie Pants, A White Linen Shirt, Flats. Wear to work, to run errands–even out to dinner.  This is a great transition outfit! And comfy to boot!

I have to say, it feels good to be writing about clothing and makeup again. Summertime makes me lazy –so it’s back to not-quite-normal because I will never be normal.

Did a random song ever pop into your head that you couldn’t get rid of?  It happened to me today and I could not get “When The Red, Red Robin Comes Bob-bobin Along”. Yeah. I know.  Now it your turn to listen! Dean Martin makes the song so much better!