Tag: The Monday Edit

In today’s edit, I’m talking about natural vs synthetic brushes, routines, and showcasing some makeup videos for products that I’ve been interested in lately.

Articles to Read

Natural vs Synthetich Makeup Brushes by Frends Beauty – Lately I’ve been doing some makeup brush research as I try to decide if I want to buy more natural hair brushes or stick to synthetic from now on. I personally see a difference in application. I’m not saying that synthetic brushes don’t apply product well, but I do feel that natural hair applies it better. My issue is upkeep and care. It is just easier to care for synthetic brushes and I’m not as concerned about messing them up. This article from Frends beauty helped me understand why I might be getting better results from natural hair brushes, especially for powder products. If you are not familiar with them, Frends Beauty is a beauty supply store for professional hair and makeup artistry supplies. While they are open to the public, their expertise has been gained by mostly serving professionals since 1940.

The Benefit of Routines – As someone who often thinks I’m boring for doing mostly the same things every day, it was nice to read about how helpful routines can be for both productivity and mental wellness.

Videos to Watch

There have been a lot of new releases lately that I found myself looking into, but ultimately not buying. So I figured I’d share some videos that helped me make that decision in case anyone else had their eye on the same products.

Continue reading “The Monday Edit, May 3, 2021” →

Articles to Read

The Dior Dune collection for Summer 2021 should start showing up at retailers this month. As usual chicprofile.com has a great breakdown of the entire collection. I haven’t been buying as much Dior in the last couple of years, but I’m hoping for some good reviews.

The beauty industry needs to wake up – you can’t be ‘ethical’ if you’re exploiting people of colour – While we should always aim to reduce harm rather than trying to be perfect, this article gives us all something to think about when it comes to ethical purchasing. We should pay attention to ethical labor practices as much as clean and cruelty free concerns.

I am a researcher by nature, so I often find myself doing deep dives into random topics. A little while ago I started looking into the Endowment Effect, which is when we assign more value to an item simply because we own it. I started to notice that I owned products that I don’t think are objectively better, but I still prefer to use them over a comparable better option. That got me thinking about why that might be, and as it turned out, several of them I happened to own longer and have more experience with. As a beauty blogger I spend more time analyzing my makeup products than most “average” consumers, so I get that the “why” of things doesn’t always matter. I just have a curious mind and I tend to enjoy this type of information. The Endowment Effect: Why Ownership Makes You Overvalue Your Things – is a long read, and it gets into a lot of research, but I found it fascinating and wanted to share it.

Videos to Watch

I always find videos from Audrey Coyne helpful, but I thought this video in particular was worth sharing. I thought it was a great example of finding ways to recreate the feeling of an outfit without buying anything new.

I am not at all handy, but I absolutely love watching people restore old homes to their former glory.

Continue reading “The Monday Edit, April 5, 2021” →

Some articles to read, videos to watch,

and words to think about for the week ahead.

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Articles to Read

If you haven’t heard yet, Hautelook is on its way out. The sales that the Nordstrom owned company typically features will be incorporated into the Nordstrom Rack website. Nordstrom Drops Hautelook from Bloomberg.com

I watch a lot of remodeling, house flipping, and real estate type shows. Considering how often they are featured, you would think that someone would mention that farmhouse sinks are high maintenance. Check out this article to find out the reasons you may not want a farmhouse sink after all.

I’ve been living in my current place for over a year now and I’m still looking for entryway solutions. I’m working with a very small space so most suggestions have been too large. I finally found an article that has some slim options. 9 Tiny Entryways with Seriously Big Organization Ideas from apartmenttherapy.com

Videos to Watch

I’m not a minimalist nor do I have plans to become one, but I still find a lot of value in the videos from Ronald L. Banks.

Continue reading “The Monday Edit, February 22, 2021” →

Some articles to read, videos to watch,

and words to think about for the week ahead.

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Articles to Read

I discovered the girllovesgloss website while looking for reviews of the MAC Face and Body Mixing Medium. In this post she talks about how to use some MAC Pro products including the mixing medium.

Are you someone who gets dressed everyday to work from home? That’s how I am and it really helps get me started and have a productive day. But make no mistake, despite the pandemic, not everyone gets to work from home. Here’s some work wear inspiration for those who still have to make the trek to the office. What to Wear to Work (Vogue UK)

Speaking of working from home, Karen from Makeup and Beauty Blog recently talked about sheer foundations she is loving.

There’s hard work being done to move us toward a more inclusive and diverse beauty industry. That work continues with an interview with the creator of the website Brown Girl Hands, Hannah Harris. Harris talks with Beth Gillette about her reasons for starting her website and Instagram account and the importance of brown skin representation in brand photography.

Videos to Watch

But seriously, has anyone tried the MAC Face and Body Mixing Medium? In this video, Senior National Artist for MAC, Fatima Thomas, features the product.

Continue reading “The Monday Edit, February 8, 2021” →

Some articles to read, videos to watch,

and words to think about for the week ahead.

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Articles to Read

Since I have sensitive skin, I’m constantly having trouble finding an exfoliating routine that doesn’t cause irritation. After coming across this article, The Best Exfoliating Acids for Sensitive Skin, on POPSUGAR, I decided to take a closer look at lactic acid. The POPSUGAR article breaks down which acids work for different skin concerns. Even if you don’t have sensitive skin, you may find the information helpful for other problems like acne or inflammation.

I currently use products that contain salicylic acid and niacinamide, so I did some additional research to make sure trying lactic acid wouldn’t cause an issue. I learned from The Skincare Edit that you can use acids and niacinamide together if you alternate them. So now I’m curious to see if alternating my products will improve my results. If so, I won’t need to incorporate anything new.

In non-beauty news, an updated article from theInventory, details phones under $500 that don’t suck (according to Gizmodo). They are calling these budget phones, which of course, depends entirely on what you can afford. But it caught my eye because I don’t know if I can bring myself to pay the price for another iPhone once my current XR stops working. Time will tell.

Videos to Watch

I’m not really into the “clean” beauty scene, but when I am interested in brands that market themselves that way, it can be difficult to find good reviews from a dark skin perspective. I recently came across the YouTube channel Keeping up with BB and have been enjoying her videos. She posted her 2020 Clean Beauty Favorites and it’s worth a watch if you have been interested in brands like Saie, Ilia, Vapour, and Fitglow Beauty.

Continue reading “The Monday Edit, January 25, 2021” →

Some articles to read, videos to watch,

and words to think about for the week ahead.

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Articles to Read

As we continue in the new year, many of us may be trying to practice healthier habits.  Like many people, I struggled with weight loss in the past.  I didn’t want to continue calorie counting forever and I didn’t want to feel like I was depriving myself.  Eventually, I was able to lose 66 lbs and keep it off.  I feel like my focus on making lifestyle changes rather than dieting is what made the difference for me.  This article from The Every Girl stood out to me as something that may help someone get into that “lifestyle change” frame of mind.  Here are 15 Ways to Eat Healthier This Year (Without a Diet).

I often get frustrated when I hear people talk about passive income.  I find that they often leave out the crucial point that there is a lot of hard work that has to be done first.  But, if you understand passive income only works if you already have some money or have made money through hard work first, I think this article, 31 Smart Passive Income Ideas That Actually Work on GatheringDreams.com is a good place to start for good AND realistic information.

Videos to Watch

Former makeup artist for MAC and NARS, Melissa Alatorre, walks us through the newly reformulated Make Up For Ever primers and gives techniques for use. 

Now that I live in a much colder climate, I’m on the hunt for a rich night time moisturizer that will pull double duty in helping me with some hyperpigmentation.  If you too struggle with dark spots, Dr Alexis Stephens shares the BEST Moisturizers for Hyperpigmentation on her YouTube channel.  She details what makes these moisturizers effective and gives recommendations for light, medium, and heavy weight moisturizers.

Words to Think About

It’s ok to gain insight and perspective from people who don’t think exactly the way you do.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider sticking around and checking out more of my content. 

• Brands A-Z: Check out this index if you want to know what products I have posted about in the past.
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