Week 3 2017: The Struggle is Real

I'm a little late with this post.  Already, we are into week 4 and I am just now getting to how my week 3 went.  This week started out with more travel.  This time, instead of heading to New Orleans, I was headed to Woodland, California.  I serve on a technical committee that reviews research proposals for produce food safety research.  Whoo hoo!! That sounds really exciting, doesn't it?!?  Well, for the nerdy, scientific side of myself, I do find it pretty interesting.

Monday was spent flying out to Sacramento.  Woodland is only 15 minutes from the airport and I was able to get a hotel shuttle to take me to the hotel, where our meeting would be.  I had dinner out and then was off to bed.  The time change wasn't too bad, but I did wind up sleeping like a rock.

Tuesday I spent from 8:00am - 8:00pm in the meeting.  This year we had a record number of research proposals and it took all day.  Then off to bed, because I had to be up at 4:00am to catch my flight home.

I thought Wednesday would never end.  My flight out that morning was delayed.  And wouldn't you know it, it wasn't until the plane was fully boarded that a warning light came on in the cockpit.  Lucky us!  We got to sit on the plane for an hour before we were given the thumbs up to hit the sky.  I missed my connecting flight home.  The nice thing is that when I landed in Dallas, my missed connection had already been assigned to another flight.  I was only delayed by a few hours and I didn't have to do anything, other than show up.  I made it back to my house after 9:00pm and everyone was in bed already!! So much for rushing to get home to see everyone.

I had book club on Thursday.  Lilly had chosen And Then She Was Gone by Christopher Greyson.  This was a prequel to the Jack Stratton series.  The book is about Jack when he is still a teenager before he enlists in the army.  I haven't ever read this author before.  I enjoyed the story.  It was short and fast-paced.  However, it did seem a little unbelievable some of the decisions that Jack would make.  He was very impulsive and it was a theme throughout the story.  I did like his character, though and wouldn't mind reading some of the other books in the series.  Most of the others in book club felt similarly about the book.  There were a few who hadn't finished it, so we tried not to talk about the ending too much.  Didn't want to give away spoilers!


I also received my ipsy bag this week.  I received these five products:

Manna Kadar Cosmetics: Paradise Blush - This blush is really too dark for my skin tone.  I tried and bam - I thought I looked like a Lady of the Night, or a clown.  Not a good look for me.

H2O + Beauty Oasis Ultra Hydrating Cream - This is a nice thick hydrating cream, just like the name says.  It doesn't have any scent attached to it and if you have dry skin, especially in the winter time, this cream is nice.  I'll be using it when I am in dry climates.

Trust Fund Beauty: Lip Gloss in Blame Game - Hand down, my favorite product so far, from my ipsy bags.  I love the color of this lip gloss.  It's not very dark, and has just enough color to tint your lips for a nice natural look for daytime.  You can add layers to darken the color.  The consistency is creamy and has a good amount of shine.  Love it!  The only complaint I have is that when applying it, there is a chemical smell.  You don't smell it when wearing it - only on application.

Naked Cosmetics: Mica Pigment in Desert Sunset #2 - I wasn't even sure what this product was, so I headed to the website to find out how to use it.  Wow.  I was surprised at all the things you can do with it.  You can mix the pigment with lip balm and make a lip gloss or eyeshadow with it.  You can mix it with face cream and make a sparkly highlight for your cheeks.  Or you can mix it with body lotion and create a shimmer for your body.  They even showed how you could mix it with clear nail polish to create a sparkly, tinted polish.  Very versatile.  I haven't tried any of it yet, but I look forward to experimenting with it.

5. Caite London: Gelology Top Coat - This is just a clear nail polish.  I haven't experimented with it yet.  I'll let you know how it goes.

My weekend was spent trying to relax and catch up on housework I wasn't able to do because of traveling.  I did see the movie Split with DH and DD.  This is an M. Night Shyamalan movie about a guy with a multiple personality disorder who kidnaps a group of girls.  It was pretty good.  James McAvoy plays the kidnapper and he does a phenomenal job with all the different characters.  I enjoyed it, but there is a brief cameo at the end with a character from another Shyamalan movie and I didn't get the reference.  I am not sure if this was sequel bating or not.

I am really disappointed that I was not able to get any exercise in this week.  Not a single run or yoga class was attended. Ugh!  The struggle is real.  On the plus side, my eating choices were a little better than normal.  It would be nice if I could manage do both at the same time. Well...there is always next week!

How was your week?

Ipsy: July Glam Bag

 

Have you heard of Ipsy?  My friend Lilly introduced me to Ipsy last month.  This is where you can subscribe to receive a different handful of cosmetics in the mail each month.  There are other skin care/cosmetic subscriptions out their but I chose Ipsy.  I just love this concept because it is a chance to try out different products.  The subscription only costs $10 a month, which I think is a steal because most bags are worth $40 to $50 worth of product.  If you pay for a year in advance you get a month free.

When you subscribe, you are given the opportunity to set up your preferences.  You fill out a questionnaire that creates your profile and preferences and it will dictate the type of samples that fill your bag.  For example, you are asked what skin tone, eye and hair coloring you have to match the cosmetics to your coloring.  It will also ask your style preferences, such as if you go more dramatic, or natural with your make-up.  You can select the areas you are more interested in, such as wrinkles vs. acne, etc.  This helps to gear your samples to match your tastes. 

I got my first Ipsy glam bag in the mail this month.  The cool thing when you get your bag, is you can go to the website and they will instruct you on how to use these products.  I was clueless on how to use the mini highlight stick.  I hadn't ever used a product like this before.  On the website, it gave you a description of where to apply it.  For the eyeshadow, they actually had a video you could watch to wear for a day or night look.  Also, on the website, you can review the products.

The products I received where:

1.  theBalm Cosmetics: Meet Matt(e) Trimony Eyeshadow in Matt Moskowitz
*I received the dark plum eye shadow.  It holds up well throughout the day and goes on easily.  It applies with a buildable application.*

2.  Organic Surge Daily Care Reviving Eye Gel
*I really like how this product feels when you apply it to the skin.  It is very lightweight and leaves the skin feeling cool and refreshed.  So far so good, I haven't experienced any negative side affects.*

3.  tre'StiQue Mini Highlight Stick in Maldives Luminescent
*This product I was a little clueless on how to apply.  The website has a facial diagram on how to apply.  I have used it a couple of times.  I didn't really notice any differences with me using this as opposed to not.  So it is very subtle.  If not for in my bag I probably wouldn't use a product like this.  It applies easily, but I didn't think it made a big impact.*

4.  ModelCo POWERLASH Black Mascara
*I like this mascara.  The wand applies the product in a very light coat that goes on smooth and not clumpy.  Also the formula holds up really nicely in the hot humid Florida summer.  At the end of the day, I was smudge free under my eyes.  It is buildable, so multiple coats apply nicely and still leave the lashes clump free.*

5.  Luxie Beauty Luxie Rose Gold Small Angle Eye Brush 215
* I did not receive this in my bag.  I didn't realize it until I went on the website and saw I was supposed to receive it.  I put in an email to the website and they responded very quickly and will be sending me a replacement, no questions asked.  Very nice customer service!*

Have you tried a make-up subscription like Ipsy?  If so, let me know which one and what you got in your kit this month.  If not, would this be something you would try?