Friday, September 18, 2026

August 2026 Favorites

Hey folks,

Alright, what I've been enjoying in August :) 
Watch My New Boss is Goofy | Prime Video
1. My New Boss Is Goofy: So as we know, occasionally, I step outside the beauty realm on this blog and discuss what I've enjoyed watching in my favorites section. I watched this anime and really enjoyed it. I found it really heartwarming that the main character went from a job where his boss treated him horribly, and frankly no doubt was outright violating human rights to a place where his boss and coworkers took him seriously and cared for him as a person. That was really nice to see! Additionally, the little kitty in the anime is just absolutely precious and adorable! He's a little tsudenre that acts all nonchalant when receiving affection but secretly absolutely adores it. Also his little paw pads are heart shaped and I think that's the cutest thing ever!
 
Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

DisclaimerAll opinions are my own. 

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

August 2026 Empties

All my monthly trash on display for you to see. :P

IMG20260901151550

1. Veleasha Lashes in Sunny T-4 x3: These are a really cute spiky lash, which I tend to like because I feel like they make my eyes look larger. I know for some folks these lashes might seem dramatic but to me they're on the smaller side, I almost wish they were larger - meaning just longer with bigger spikes. My  issue is that not only are the lash bands thick and plastic-y so it takes them a while before they bend to the shape of the eye nicely but they tend to separate from the lash clusters when I pick glue off them, and I'm typically quite gentle, so they don't hold up too well over multiple uses. I have to be careful with them.

2. deal worthy Fresh Scent Body Lotion: As you know, I liked this lotion and found it to be a good basic body moisturizer that lasted me quite a while because the bottle is large. I'm kind of annoyed because, as its name suggests, this was affordable and now it seems like they've stopped making it. 
 
3. Skinfood Facial Water Vita C Cream: This was a really nice moisturizer for the face. It is a gel cream texture so while it provided moisture, it was also lightweight and refreshing which was great during the summer heat.
 
4. COSRX Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence: This is just a holy grail serum product for me and one I constantly repurchase. I feel like it makes my skin feel so smooth, hydrated, supple, and bouncy. I never want to be without it.

5.Children's Soap with CelandineIn truth, I love this soap very much! It leaves my skin feeling very clean but also soft and hydrated without triggering any eczema flares.  It's also got a very silky, frothy foam to it which I enjoy. Frankly, in Soviet culture, celandine is considered a calming and cleansing herb so it makes sense that my skin is good with it. 
 
6. equate Tropical Mango Shea Sugar Scrub I love how gritty this scrub is. This has a really yummy sweet, juicy, ripe mango scent to it. It leaves my skin feeling very soft and smooth, and is great for shave prep.  

7. Cococare 100% Natural Peppermint Oil: During this time of year I sprinkle this oil all over my carpet nightly to deter any critters from coming to my room.
 
8. inm Out the Door Topcoat for Nails: Unfortunately this top coat is running low and has become goopy so it's time to bust out my new bottle. 
 
9. Bath & Body Works PocketBac Island Margarita Anti-Bacterial Hand GelI love this scent so much, it's just nostalgic for me at this point. It has a very yummy sweet margarita scent to it.
 
10. equate Green Apple Shea Sugar Scrub I love how gritty this scrub is. This has a really yummy juicy sweet-tart apple scent to it. It leaves my skin feeling very soft and smooth, it's also great for shave prep.  

11. Children's Soap with Bur-MarigoldI love this soap very much! It leaves my skin feeling very clean but also soft and hydrated without triggering any eczema flares.  It's also got a very silky, frothy foam to it which I enjoy. 
 
12. BEAKEY Triangle Powder Puff: I really love these triangle-shaped puffs! They're plush, soft, and because of their shape they get into tight areas like underneath the eye or around the nose easily. They're great for cleanup work for contour or around the eye area as well. 

13. beauty blender BLENDERCLEANSER Solid Charcoal Brush Cleanser I  am just absolutely gutted that I'm done with this because it appears that they've discontinued it in the jumbo size. I feel like this was such a good deal and, as you know, I love the solid cleanser for deep cleaning brushes that I use for liquids or creams. I'm so sad that I can't outright replace this. That said, they likely discontinued it because this chunk of soap would last me over a year even with weekly brush deep cleaning, so people weren't replenishing on this size much. 
 
14. Green Pharmacy Rose Water and Almond Oil Facial Toner: As I've mentioned in the past, I like to use this as my daily toner because it is lightweight but leaves my skin feeling hydrated and replenished. 

15. Kose softymo Deep Cleansing Oil: I absolutely love this oil for removing my makeup - or at least helping to break down most of it before I go in with my Makeup Eraser cloths. I feel like this is deeply cleansing but, because it's an oil, it also leaves my skin soft, nourished,  and hydrated. 
 
16.  IVON Cuticle Trimmer: I feel like these do a good job of removing excess dead tissue along the sides of my nails and around the cuticle area. That said, they can be sharp so it's important to be gentle and careful with them not to take off too much skin. 
 
17. Misc small flat-top blending mermaid brush: I received a set of these brushes for my birthday a few years ago and they're cute but unfortunately this started to fray and fall apart. 
 
18. Shiseido Prepare Dermaplaning Razor: I like to use these once weekly to really get any stray hairs on my face due to my PCOS.  It's about time to replace this razor, as it's getting a bit dull. 
 
Disclaimer: I purchased all of the products mentioned above with the exception of the mermaid brush which I received as a gift. All opinions are my own. 

Monday, September 7, 2026

August 2026 Arrivals

Ok folks! I'm back to replenishing on things that I'm running out of and buying mostly just necessities.

IMG20260901152002

1.  Green Pharmacy Rose Water and Almond Oil Facial Toner: This toner has become something of a frequent repurchase for me. Honestly, I was running out and I like that this is relatively inexpensive, leaves my skin really soft and smooth, and smells really nice so I keep getting it.
 
2. Kose softymo Deep Cleansing Oil: I am running low on my current bottle of this and since I love it for removing my makeup thoroughly I went ahead and bought another bottle to replenish.

Disclaimer: I purchased all the items listed above, with the exception of the gifts, myself. All opinions are my own. 

Wednesday, August 19, 2026

Love It Or Leave It; Review 2.0: Sleek Makeup i-Divine E10 Palette

Hello folks. As a makeup junkie and blogger you may have realized that I review a LOAD of eye shadow palettes and I like to think of myself as being largely an eye shadow junkie. In order to de-clutter a bit  I've decided to pick out a palette or series of eye shadows for the month and have that be my monthly selection for those instances where I'm not doing a tutorial for the blog. Every month I'll do a recap on the eye shadows - how I feel about them and whether I'll be keeping them or giving them away (and why :P) as well as if I think it's worth its price tag. 

You can find a look I did with the palette here. These are the looks I created this month:
 IMG20260807144155
 IMG20260807144158
 IMG20260808150043
 IMG20260808150108
 IMG20260810155704
 IMG20260810155711
 IMG20260811152720
 IMG20260811152742
 IMG20260812153406
 IMG20260812153407
 IMG20260813142706
 IMG20260813142709
 IMG20260814134105
 IMG20260814134107
 IMG20260815145851
 IMG20260815145852
 IMG20260817125040
 IMG20260817125041
 IMG20260818161155
 IMG20260818161158
 IMG20260819153611
 IMG20260819153614
So as you can see I created all sorts of colorful and slightly smoky looks with these shadows. Generally speaking, the quality of this palette is fantastic - the shades have great color payoff and blend together easily. That said, I will be passing this palette along. The reason for that is I feel that I have dupes for nearly all of the shades here in other palettes that I'm more likely to reach for. I haven't reached for this palette before when I wanted to wear shades like those in it, and likely won't start now. I'm sure when I was purchasing it though, that nearly all the shades with the exception of the charcoal looked pretty to me. Alas, I'll be passing this along. 

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Disclaimer: I purchased this myself. All opinions are my own. 

Monday, August 17, 2026

Nail Polish Review: OPI Sage Simulation Nail Lacquer

Nail polish: OPI Nail Lacquer in Sage Simulation

IMG20260731145303 
 IMG20260731145309
  
IMG20260731145316
IMG20260731145338 
What the brush looks like:
IMG20260731145359
My nails with 2 coats of polish; all nails have inm Out the Door Topcoat for Nails on:
IMG20260728150237 
IMG20260728150307 
Availability: This is available through opi.com, amazon.com, beyondpolish.com, and salonbrandsbeauty.com and retails at about $9.50 - $12 for .5 fl oz (15 mL).
Would I buy this again?: I'm not sure.

Notes: According to opi.com, this is a: sage green. I'd describe the color as being mostly a grey shade with a sage green undertone and a silvery mint pearl throughout. I was able to reach decent opacity with two coats as you see above. This wore for just about four days before noticeable (but minor) chipping occurring. I think this is such a nice transitional shade from summer to fall because the mint in it keeps it summery but the grey, kind of overcast, cloudy, rainy sort of grey in this reminds me of fall time.  Granted, with it being rainy in the spring and cold in the winter I think this sort of shade is great for any time of year. It's just a touch gloomy for summer. But it's perfect for evoking that kind of summertime sadness or summerween type of energy. 

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments. 

Disclaimer: I purchased this myself. All opinions are my own. 

Sunday, August 16, 2026

Love It Or Leave It; Review 2.0: Sigma Creme De Couture Macaron Inspired Eye Shadow Palette

Hello folks. As a makeup junkie and blogger you may have realized that I review a LOAD of eyeshadow palettes and I like to think of myself as being largely an eyeshadow junkie. In order to de-clutter a bit  I've decided to pick out a palette or series of eyeshadows for the month and have that be my monthly selection for those instances where I'm not doing a tutorial for the blog. Every month I'll do a recap on the eyeshadows - how I feel about them and whether I'll be keeping them or giving them away (and why :P) as well as if I think it's worth its price tag. 

These are the looks I created this month:










 IMG20260725140725
IMG20260725140728 
 IMG20260727140231
IMG20260727140234 
 IMG20260728150158
 IMG20260728150201
 IMG20260729152041
 IMG20260729152126
 IMG20260730151648
 IMG20260730151714
 IMG20260731144341
 IMG20260731144342
 IMG20260801144654
 IMG20260801144735
 IMG20260803152915
 IMG20260803152917  
IMG20260804143820
IMG20260804143822 
 IMG20260805160736
 IMG20260805160738
This palette is definitely a keeper. The shades here are buttery, blend easily and are well-pigmented for being pastels. I use NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk, as a base to get the most out of them since it absorbs the white within them. I like this palette's versatility in being able to create all sorts of looks from soft and somewhat neutral to more colorful and, of course, to just straight up pastel rainbow. In fact the versatility and ease of use of this palette and its ability to be a standalone palette make me love it so much. Also, because it's pastel, it gives my eyes a more open, larger look which I appreciate as well. I love how I can create looks that are VERY colorful yet also very soft.

Disclaimer:  This purchase was a birthday gift from my wife.