Beauty

[Oshare-girl]

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@dosey wrote:

I've been really tempted.  Someone posted that Gwen Stefani's UD eyeshadow palette is on sale for $25.  I was seriously thinking about buying it.  Seriously, I was.  I would look at it on my phone, then my desktop, then my phone, ...  Then, I took a good look at each color and determined that I would not be able to use several.  That finally took care of that temptation.

Also, I saw on a handbag thread that Brahmin has some new nylon bags.  I checked out the Brahmin bags on Dillard's, Macy's, and Belk's websites.  I saw a few that I really liked.  They also have pretty raffia bags.  It is the price that keeps me from buying one.  I have way too much going on to spend that kind of money on a bag.  I am about to go into back to school mode, the washer is broken, and my car made a funny sound when I started it yesterday.  Because our washer is old and we've repaired it a few times, I checked out Lowes' website.  They are having a sale on washers, and some come with free delivery.  I do not want anything fancy.  White, top load, knobs, and a hand wash cycle.  I saw a few in the $350 range.  Hmmm.  That's the price of a Brahmin.

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I have that palette and like it mainly because I like Gwen and the packaging is beautiful.  But it's not a must have and honestly, it's not the usual UD quality.  It's a thin consistency, not the usual buttery goodness and pigmentation they are known for.  In my former life I would have picked up another one because it's half-price, even though I have barely touched the one I currently own.  Fortuantely I have been saved by the ComPact from such foolishness.

Ha, comparing the cost of an accessory to a necessary appliance always does the trick for me.  At least we're not looking at accessories (Hermes) that cost as much as cars.  I will never understand that.  I hope that I never get that rich and out of touch with reality.  Did I really say I hope I never get that rich, lol?!

[Oshare-girl]

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@aprilskies wrote:

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@dosey wrote:

I've been really tempted.  Someone posted that Gwen Stefani's UD eyeshadow palette is on sale for $25.  I was seriously thinking about buying it.  Seriously, I was.  I would look at it on my phone, then my desktop, then my phone, ...  Then, I took a good look at each color and determined that I would not be able to use several.  That finally took care of that temptation.

Also, I saw on a handbag thread that Brahmin has some new nylon bags.  I checked out the Brahmin bags on Dillard's, Macy's, and Belk's websites.  I saw a few that I really liked.  They also have pretty raffia bags.  It is the price that keeps me from buying one.  I have way too much going on to spend that kind of money on a bag.  I am about to go into back to school mode, the washer is broken, and my car made a funny sound when I started it yesterday.  Because our washer is old and we've repaired it a few times, I checked out Lowes' website.  They are having a sale on washers, and some come with free delivery.  I do not want anything fancy.  White, top load, knobs, and a hand wash cycle.  I saw a few in the $350 range.  Hmmm.  That's the price of a Brahmin.

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That palette was a great price. Good job at resisting. 

Isn't it interesting when you break down big purchases like that?  I am going to try and break down smaller ones too. Sometimes I put off large purchases and meanwhile spend way more on smaller ones that add nothing to my day to day and I still dont have what I really need.

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Sigh, yes, I do that too.  If I ever counted up all the small purchases I made while putting off a large necessary one, I wouldn't be able to handle it.  Hopefully that is/will happen less often.

[Oshare-girl]

Last post for June: I made it through the whole month without any beauty purchases.  Hurray!

[just bee]

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@Oshare-girl wrote:

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@just bee wrote:

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@Oshare-girl wrote:

I don't know what's going on but I'm having a pretty good HEP time recently.  We got our 2nd farmers market box this week and it contained more unusual produce like okra, butternut squash (I had to google it, I've never had butternut squash but read about it) and kale.  Yay, I found a recipe that I modified that used squash and kale.  And another recipe for the okra.  The family ate it all so I think they enjoyed it.  I love the internet and blogs.  

I also took a friend's suggestion.  She said she drops off her daughter at practice, parks her car there and walks home.  She makes dinner then walks back to get her daughter and drives home.  I live a mile away from DS's basketball practice.  Last week I started doing what she suggested.  Surprisingly, it only takes 20-25 minutes to walk each way.  And I'm forced to walk back to practice since my car is there.  I'm finding that it actually is easier to exercise knowing that I have to 1. get home to get dinner ready and 2. get my DS and car from the park.  That's 3 days a week that I am walking 2 miles.  A huge improvement over maybe 2 times a week on the stationary bike for 20 minutes.

I think the walking has made me avoid or at least limit the sweets I've been eating.  I don't have the craving for it like I used to.  And I don't want to undo all the work I did with the walking.  Plus I'm trying to eat more whole foods as snacks instead of processed stuff.  Okinawan sweet potatos are so pretty (dark purple) and sweet, but still filling.  Soy beans are a complete protein. Envy apples are so crunchy & sweet, expensive like the HC, but totally worth it.  Also been liking Triscuits & cheese.  For dessert we had strawberries dipped in sour cream (a little fat's good for the body) and cherries.  It's so interesting how making one change leads to another.  It could also be that it's not that time of the month when I crave chocolate...  So I better eat all the fruits & veggies before THAT time comes.

I'm also more willing to spend on good produce now that I'm not buying the latest & greatest (makeup, clothes, bags, etc).  What took me so long?!

In addition to my pan that palette, I've been working on the Hourglass Ambient Lighting palette which I bought in 2013.  At that time it was in the high $40's.  Now I see it's in the $50's!  Inflation!  I bought into the hype and now that I've been using it daily, I really don't see what the big deal is.  It also doesn't last that long or do something magical.  I'm almost entirely done with one pan after 3 months.  The other 2 pans are getting flatter.  I'm glad I'm using it up but so disappointed that I got suckered in the first place.  I have a whole wish list of items I want to purchase after I finish my stash.  I usually end up crossing off a lot of the list after a while but I think it allows me to express the want and then I accept that I don't need it.  The sad thing is that I wouldn't repurchase a lot of what I have now.  I'm just starting to see what works for me and that A LOT of it doesn't work.  Sigh, what a waste.  But as Marie Kondo says, I'm thankful that those products showed me what I didn't like/want/need.

My splurge this year will be Renova.  I really don't think I can do without it.  But now that DD has braces, there's less in the budget for other things.

As always, thank you all for keeping it real.  It's always an inspiration to come here.

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My high school French teacher invited some of her students to her apartment in Palo Alto for dinner.  She was married to an impossibly attractive Englishman (I think they met at Oxford or in Paris or... doesn't matter) but today I can barely recall his charms.  What I remember, as if it were yesterday, was what she served for dessert.

Fresh strawberries with a bowl of sour cream and a bowl of brown sugar.  She instructed us to dip the berry in the sour cream then roll it in the sugar.

I remember very little French, but that dessert changed my life.

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Is it French?  I don't remember how we started eating it that way but it is THE BEST!  We go through a whole Costco container of strawberries in one sitting with the sour cream & brown sugar.  Delish!  When I'm feeling healthy we sub yogurt for the sour cream.  My Mom worked in Japan on a US military base for 5 years and introduced her Japanese national staff to strawberries w/sour cream & brown sugar and also Halloween.  Japanese love to dress up (think anime & Cosplay) so they loved Halloween.  They already love strawberries but never had it with sour cream & brown sugar.  They though it was "sugoi", amazing!  

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Probably not.  In fact, my French teacher was actually Armenian.  I know I had berries with cream at a French restaurant in Palo Alto back in the 70s, but I suspect that's a pretty standard way to serve fruit.  At this point I can't say who invented the combo of berry/sour cream/brown sugar, but whomever it was, that person made a real impression.  Of course, anything with sour cream impresses me.  I used to watch my mother lick the serving spoon after scooping up sour cream and I'd gag.  How could she eat something so disgusting?  Then I became an adult and discovered why she bogarded that spoon.

[just bee]

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@Oshare-girl wrote:

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@just bee wrote:

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@dosey wrote:

HEP report:

We tried the Sugar Kiss melon last night.  It is a smaller, sweeter, juicier version of the canteloupe.  It is absolutely DELICIOUS!!!!  A real winner!  Now, I am not sure which melon is my favorite - Watermelon or Sugar Kiss.

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Isn't it fun to try new foods?  When I first started bringing blood oranges to work, people would freak out when I'd peel them. 

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So pretty!  Have you tried Cara Cara oranges?  Costco sells them, of course.  They have a darker orange flesh and are so sweet.  It's like $8 for a 9 lbs bag of them.  Anything for less than a $1/lb is a good deal to me.  Why are apples so expensive?

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Oh, yes!  They're wonderful, too.  Apples -- that's what I want to know!  Honeycrisps are outrageous!  I know they require special handling because the skin is so delicate, but I'll take a tougher skin for something more affordable.

[just bee]

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@Oshare-girl wrote:

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@just bee wrote:

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@dosey wrote:

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@just bee wrote:

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@dosey wrote:

HEP report:

We tried the Sugar Kiss melon last night.  It is a smaller, sweeter, juicier version of the canteloupe.  It is absolutely DELICIOUS!!!!  A real winner!  Now, I am not sure which melon is my favorite - Watermelon or Sugar Kiss.

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Isn't it fun to try new foods?  When I first started bringing blood oranges to work, people would freak out when I'd peel them. 

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I have never had a blood orange.  What does it taste like?  Sweet, sour, etc.  

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Indescribable!  Are they available in your area?  If not, can you find a Cara Cara?  Costco sells bags of Cara Cara -- a different "animal," but pretty darned tasty.

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Haha, I was replying to posts as I read them.  I guess you have tried Cara Cara oranges. They are yummy and I'm an apple (not orange) person.  

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Separated at birth?  Looks like I was responding, too, without reviewing all the posts first.  I'm surprised I'm even conscious after last night.  If you could buy stock in "crazy," I'd recommend calling your broker!  A very busy night in psych.  And I thought geriatrics would be the future.  Nay -- I think it's psych.

[just bee]

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@Oshare-girl wrote:

Last post for June: I made it through the whole month without any beauty purchases.  Hurray!

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[aprilskies]

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@just bee wrote:

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@Oshare-girl wrote:

Last post for June: I made it through the whole month without any beauty purchases.  Hurray!

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Ditto.  That is awesome!!

[aprilskies]

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@Oshare-girl wrote:

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@aprilskies wrote:

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@dosey wrote:

Sometimes I put off large purchases and meanwhile spend way more on smaller ones that add nothing to my day to day and I still dont have what I really need.

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Sigh, yes, I do that too.  If I ever counted up all the small purchases I made while putting off a large necessary one, I wouldn't be able to handle it.  Hopefully that is/will happen less often.

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@Oshare-girl, LOL, I couldnt handle it either so I have never added it up. 

On some things, I would rather stay in the dark.