My 44th birthday was last Monday, but I’m just now getting around to writing about it because I visited Los Angeles last week! John went out there at the beginning of the month to see family and friends, but I didn’t want to go for the extended visit that he had planned. So I held down the fort at home during the first part of his trip, then flew out to meet him in LA the day after my birthday.
1. Stranger Things Season 4, Part 1: agghhhhh. I love this show so much. I know I talked about it recently in my post about the ST x MAC makeup collection, but I hadn’t started the new episodes at that point. Episode four in particular, “Dear Billy,” is SO good. In case you’re living under a rock, the final scene of that episode is absolutely incredible and will have Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” stuck in your head forever…but not in a bad way. I cannot wait for the second batch of season four episodes in a few weeks!!
Happy June—my birthday month! I had a whole mess of beauty empties in May, so I photographed them by category. First is the skin care:
The fourth season of Stranger Things has dropped on Netflix! Well, the first batch of episodes is here, anyway—the second part comes out July 1. We haven’t had a chance to watch yet, but we’re going to start today. I was absolutely entranced with this show when it first came out, and I’ve watched the first season three times. When I learned that MAC was releasing a Stranger Things-inspired collection, it was time to order some goodies!
Let me begin by saying that my heart is with the families in Uvalde, Texas who this week lost their children and loved ones to yet another school shooting. And my heart is with the families in Buffalo, New York who also lost their loved ones to a white supremacy-fueled mass shooting ten days prior. These absolutely horrific events happen WAY too often in the United States, and it is WELL PAST TIME for Congress to take meaningful action to prevent even more gun violence in this country.
The ColourPop licensing strikes back! It feels like this fast beauty juggernaut launches new products almost on the daily, which can be nearly impossible to keep up with. But from time to time, ColourPop releases something that catches my eye, whether it’s something I want for my collection or a product I actually want to use. Their May the Fourth release of a few Star Wars products initially hit my radar for collection purposes. I mean…look at this freaking eyeshadow palette:
1. Rent the Runway: last week, I took my first flight in two-and-a-half years! I flew home to St. Louis to visit my parents and attend my 25th 26th high school reunion (which was postponed last year due to COVID). I rented this Black Halo Joaquin Jumpsuit to wear to a business casual reunion dinner at my Very Preppy high school. The piece worked out so well! This jumpsuit was totally appropriate attire for an event at a conservative place; it’s flattering but not overly dressy, showy, or sexy. I loved the bright blue color, which was more vibrant IRL than it appears on the website (the colors in their photos are never true to life). I wore the jumpsuit with flat sandals; the pants were a tad long, but not so long that the hem dragged. Also? Pockets! Love! (And both of my reunion events were a super fun time!)
Hello, May! This month I’m taking my first flight since the pandemic began, and I’m nervous but also excited. I’ll have an N95 mask firmly attached to my face from the moment I leave my house for the airport until the moment I get to my parents’ house in St. Louis.
But I’m not really here to talk about traveling…I’m here to share my April beauty empties. And I had quite few…
1. Smithsonian Orchid Exhibit: spring in DC is fantastic (if the pollen doesn’t bother you). So we’ve been getting in some quality nature time lately! On Easter, John and I went to the orchid exhibit in the Kogod Courtyard, one of my favorite places in DC. I took tons of photos and wrote all about it over on my orchid blog. And I have a full slideshow of my photos from the exhibit here.
1. Flyte.70: this new indie beauty brand reached out to me and kindly gifted me some products! I first heard of Flyte.70 on Fat Mascara and it sounded intriguing. This brand offers a curated collection of easy-to-apply products that enhance natural beauty rather than mask it. As an almost-44-year-old, I really appreciate that the brand focuses on rejecting ageism; us 30+ folks are often overlooked and undervalued in the beauty space.* Flyte.70 is Leaping Bunny certified (cruelty-free), vegan, gluten-free, and is working toward sustainability by using recyclable shipping and packaging materials as well as 30% post-consumer recycled content in their product packaging. So far I’m really enjoying these products! Stay tuned for more of my thoughts on them.
