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Happy *almost* July! This year is flying by…I guess in comparison to the Groundhog Day that was 2020, life is starting to pick up. I emptied plenty of beauty products in June, and decluttered three that were past their prime.
1. WV Airbnb Number Two: we went on our second getaway of the week last Thursday and Friday evenings, for my husband’s work. We stayed at another Airbnb in a different West Virginia location from our usual spot. This place also had a fire pit and a hot tub, along with a view of the Potomac River. We had a really relaxing time, and I’m getting in the mood to do more little trips like this!
I don’t spend a whole lot of time on YouTube. But one of the makeup experts I’ve always enjoyed watching is Lisa Eldridge, a super legit UK-based makeup artist. We’re talking red carpet celebrity looks and makeup for high fashion publications like Vogue. In the last few years she launched her own line of luxury lipsticks and begun expanding with other products. Her collections often sell out and I’ve heard great things about the quality. So when I learned that she was releasing some new products, I set a reminder to make sure I was online right in time for launch (I’ve learned from experience trying to get SDCC badges and hotels! #nerdskills). I managed to pre-order two lip glosses, a lipstick, and a cream blush. Because I ordered at least three products, I also got a (sumptuous floral) complimentary makeup bag!
I turned 43 this past weekend! To celebrate, John and I did a long weekend getaway at the same Airbnb in West Virginia that we stayed at a few times last year. We had a fantastic time, and I brought some gifts with me to open on my birthday. Here’s a peek at my gifts:
1. Brood X Cicadas: social media has been going a little batshit over the Brood X cicadas, which have emerged after 17 years. We have them in DC proper, but they aren’t really making noise or swarming the city. Last weekend, John and I went to the National Arboretum, which is located on the outskirts of DC. The cicada noise there was WILD! It sounded like a constant car alarm. The bugs are alllll over the place in areas with more trees and less concrete. Oddly, cicadas don’t creep me out. These red-eyed bugs are kind of fascinating to me.
A Birthday Month Fix
I love scheduling Stitch Fix [affiliate link] around my birthday, because it feels like an extra treat for me! My June 2021 Fix, which is my 31st (!!!), arrived yesterday. I wasted no time trying on the items and doing a little photo shoot at home. Look at this pretty stack of summery pieces:
1. Mini Dermstore Haul: Dermstore recently held a spring sale with 20% off select brands. I went a little ham adding things to my cart, but I did manage to edit it down to four items: Boscia Fruit Acid Smoothing Foot Peel, Osmosis MD Boost Peptide Activating Mist, Bioderma Micellar Solution, and EltaMD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46. My package also included a mini sample of Dr. Dennis Gross Clarifying Colloidal Sulfur mask. Very pleased with my tiny haul! The only new-to-me product is the Osmosis MD mist. I’ve used a couple of their products in the past and liked them, so hopefully this one will be good too!
Happy June! It’s my birthday month! I hope you all had a nice, safe Memorial Day weekend. We hosted three fully vaccinated friends for a BBQ in our back yard. Though I’m still being very cautious about going out places, having a small outdoor get-together at home feels like one of the safest things you can do.
I didn’t empty a ton of products last month but I do have a few to share, including a couple gifted items:
1. Q: Into the Storm: this HBO docuseries is a fascinating look at the history and origin of the QAnon movement, as well as an investigation into the identity of Q. There’s no definitive answer to the question “who is Q?” but the series comes to its own pretty strong conclusion. I won’t give any spoilers here, for anyone who might be interested in watching. The episodes also delve a bit into some of the folks who got wrapped up in the Q cult (to be clear, that’s my terminology, not the show’s). I don’t know if we’ll ever truly know who Q is, or if Q is even just one person. But it’s an interesting six-episode rabbit hole to go down.
1. House of Intuition: I recently placed my first order from this magical supply shop. Their brick and mortar locations are all in LA, so I obviously couldn’t shop there even if I was comfortable shopping in person right now (I’m not). I was really into candle magic back in high school and college (partly due to The Craft, which came out right before I graduated from high school and felt like it was made for me). Lately I’ve felt in the mood to dive back into these rituals. So I ordered a few candles, plus a wick cutter and snuffer set. Very excited to meditate and burn these candles with intention.
