Second Hand Embarrassment Part III

Hi and welcome back to the work week!  If this is your first time with Sweet and Modern, feel free to also check out Part I and Part II. The opportunities for embarrassment are endless with these old notebooks. Lets just say that every time I read my journal, I thank the lord that social media wasn't a thing when I was in 6th grade.

As a side note, this was not an excerpt from my personal diary. My sixth grade teacher had us keep an ongoing writing notebook in which she responded to our entries. This is why in some of the entries you will see responses on the side. Bless her heart for even responding... I would have told myself to get a life.

Without further ado, Second Hand Embarrassment Part  III is brought  to you from 10-19-99.

 

 

If you could be another person for 30 days, who would it be?

Oh my word. This is hard. I guess I would want to be somebody famous. Ok, Rachael Lee Cook, She's All That. She is such an awesome person. So cute, and such a good actress. Plus, she got to act with Freddie Prinze Jr. That would be fine by me. I really would like to stay myself, but she's pretty cool. I really don't know much about her background, so maybe I don't want to be her. So... I'm pretty happy being me.

By

Gina

SO hard. Like, oh my word hard.
Obvious choice young Gina. RLC is amazing.  You're right, she is cute. Best actress? Well... you're in 6th grade. Luckily you will eventually see better movies than She's All That.  Also, Freddie Prinze? I mean...he's okay.

And way to completely back out of your original claim. I actually don't know much about her. Actually maybe I don't want to be her. Actually I want to be me!
But that wasn't the assignment...

F.

By: Gina
Bye! Gina
Bye, Gina

?

We will never know.

And yet another hats off to my 6th grade teacher for responding so positively. I am most certain I would have accidentally burned this thing.


Happy Monday!

{Friday Confessional}

I am SO thankful for Friday! Some weeks take a little extra effort to get through, but we are here, and it's time to confess....


{1} I confess that  my sweet tooth got the best of me this week.
I had a craving for brown butter cookies and ended up making TWO different batches this week. If you  haven't ever made brown butter cookies, you are truly missing out. My favorite recipes are HERE and HERE.

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{2} I confess that we still don't have our wedding thank yous done!
This is a massive undertaking that I was not prepared for! Luckily my husband did not pawn the task off on me and we have been knocking them out together. In waves. Hoping to be wrapping this task up before the second week of February. Goals.


{3} I confess that my carry on is STILL not unpacked from our honeymoon.
Every night I stare at it and wish it would unpack itself.  It's not that hard, but for some reason this continues on. 10  days and counting...



{4} I confess that I restarted the dryer TWICE to avoid folding my clothes.
I then ambitiously took them out and threw them on the couch. And now they have been there for 4 days. Does anyone else struggle with this?! UGH!

Isn't this picture sad? We've all been there.

and lastly...

{5} I confess that I have had my eye on these boots for close to 6 months now and STILL have not bit the bullet.
And not because I don't want them, if anything, I want them more than ever! Now that I've decided it's time, I cannot pick a color! Does anyone  have any input? Or something similar/better? These are a must! Let's face it, the ol' Uggs can't keep up with the snow. And my husband had his own confessional when he told me that Uggs actually make people's legs look like "cartoon characters." And that's that.

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Thanks for joining me today! Have the BEST weekend!

xoxox

Review: Tarte Smooth Operator Clay Finishing Powder

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I have to be honest, I have never even tried to seek out another finishing powder. When I started using Bare Minerals, I did not stray. And as most Bare Minerals users know, the award winning Mineral Veil really is a fantastic product. It promises a "translucent finish, oil absorption, line minimization and airbrushed perfection." If that doesn't sell you, I don't know what will. But seriously, it does the job. I rarely put on foundation without finishing it off with Mineral Powder. For me, it completes the look  and pulls everything together. And in the Summer, when oily skin starts to peek through, it is a must!

Last month, my Ipsy Glam Bag sent me a small sample of Tarte Smooth Operator Clay Finishing Powder. I almost threw it in the back of my make up drawer, but instead I decided to take it along on our trip to Jamaica (travel size!). And I have to hand it to Tarte, this product is fantastic!

Per Tarte:



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"A translucent, silky finishing powder with Amazonian clay that keeps makeup in place and diffuses imperfections.

 

This translucent, silky finishing powder keeps makeup in place without ever appearing chalky. It mattifies skin by removing excess surface oil. This powder can even be used alone as a treatment to reap all the benefits of Amazonian clay."

First of all, can anyone tell me what the benefits of Amazonian clay are, exactly? Just wondering.
Per my usual deciding factor, I present to you the pros and cons list.













Pros:

• Gives an excellent matte finish
• Makes your skin feel silky smooth
• (I have found personally) Works amazingly well for setting under eye concealer

Cons:

• Doesn't have the "luminosity" factor. Some may actually consider this a pro.
• Price tag. Ouch.

This little Amazonian clay number will run you around $33 dollars. That's $11 dollars more than Bare Minerals Mineral Veil. And that's $11 you could use for ANYTHING else. For me, the $22 I spend on Bare Minerals veil goes a LONG way. It's not a product I replace frequently (MAYBE every 6 months). 

And for my extra frugal gals, here's a little tip: cornstarch.

I know, it makes your cookies a little more chewy and thickens up your soup.
But if you are looking for setting and mattifying, a little cornstarch over the top of your foundation will do the trick.

Sidenote: Cornstarch can also be a great dry shampoo. I talk about that here.

So, in conclusion: if you have $33 dollars just hanging out and want to invest in a quality product, Tarte finishing powder may very well be the right thing for you. It's absolutely worth trying!

Happy Friday Eve!

Tuesday Talk: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel- 7 Day Study

 

Hey Ladies! I am linking up with Sarah @ Abiding in Grace for Tuesday Talk, and today, I am going to let the pictures do most of the talking.

 

 

 I have mentioned before I am more of a home manicure type of gal- so I am always on the lookout for a great top coat. My go-to for years now has been this amazing top coat that I blogged about several years ago. And to this day, I still think it is the best!

 

My friend Charity informed me that she bought and tried the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel polish set. She was extremely impressed, which of course piqued my interest! This set runs you about $11-14 depending on where you purchase (and you can get it at any drugstore)!

 

So.. definitely cheaper than getting a gel set at a salon. But I had to know ... does it stay on?

I snapped some pictures over a period of 7 days to let you decide for yourself! Sorry about my scary hands.

 

As you can see, by Day 7 I have some (very) minimal chipping.

 

Verdict: Totally worth the money! I can get similar results with the previously mentioned top coat, but this is absolutely still worth buying. And they have 45 colors to choose from! WOO!

 

With those kind of options, you can save your cash and do your nails at home!!

 

Happy Tuesday!!

 

xoxo

Remover Wars

Good Monday morning!

 

Monday always sneaks up SO quickly.. but I have a quick confession... I secretly love Mondays. Why you may ask? I know it may seem like a little thing, but on Mondays, when I get off of work, I get to see my husband when I get home!

 

For those of you with significant others who have crazy work hours (or just different than your own), you can possibly relate to this. I am sure I would take this for granted if it were a daily thing, but at the moment, it's not, so YAY for Mondays!

 

 

Anyways, on to business. For some reason, whenever I am comparing products, I am inclined to refer to it as a "war." Sorry for the increased drama, it certainly isn't a war.

 

In fact, today, both of our contenders are actually pretty freaking awesome!

 

 

 

 

 

Make up remover is a big deal. I admittedly do not take my eye make up off as much as I should, but even when I don't... I still have to take it off before I reapply the next day. I can't be the only one who gets out of the shower looking like I got punched in the face? Either way, you can't start a fresh look without getting rid of the black smudges all over your eyes.

 

Background info: for years (upon years) my Mom has used this BeautiControl eye make up remover. And for years, she has kept me in stock. To be honest, I don't even know who her consultant is. BeautiControl is like a Mary Kay type of thing, you have to buy it from a consultant. Anyways, I realize that makes it slightly less easy to purchase. Only slightly. In this day and age, you can hop right on to their website and make the purchase here instead of attending a party at some random consultant's home. Usually they have refreshments, which is a huge plus, but besides the point.

 

Bless my Mom's heart for knowing the products I need. But things happen and I would run out from time to time. During this time, I started purchasing Neutrogena's Oil Free eye make up remover. And it works... oh yes...  it works.

 

Here is my take:

 

They both work. Your make up will be gone after using either product. Waterproof or  not. So in a sense, this isn't a battle. But I still believe that BeautiControl eye make up remover has some sort of edge. The formula has absolutely NO greasy trace whatsoever. None. It is like using cold water to take your eye make up off. I HATE any sort of greasy residue. When I use Neutrogena, I have to be super careful it doesn't get into my eye or else I have blurred, greasy vision for the next few minutes.

 

 

So, if you are like me, and have never been completely satisfied with the formula, I would seriously try BeautiControl!

 

For the record, I am in no way affiliated with, sell, or even use any other BeautiControl products. This is just a friendly PSA for those of you whose moms did not {so kindly} pass this make up remover tradition on.

 

xoxo!

 

Her View From Home

Hi everyone!

Today will be short and sweet… but I wanted to direct you to Her View From Home where I am honored to be sharing today! 

If you haven't subscribed to Her View From Home yet, do so, stat! :) 

Check it out here. 

Happy Saturday! 

xoxo

Friday Favorites: Hair Edition

Happy Friday Ladies!

I will be the first to admit.... SO relieved it is the weekend! Even though I had a short week, I am ready for some quality time spent at home.

Today I am linking with Erika, Narci, and Andrea to share our Friday Favorites.

While in Jamaica, I left most of my go-to hair  products at home... and yikes! It was a great reminder why I use these products/tools, and how much they benefit my hair. Many of these products I have mentioned before, but I am rounding up a few of my "most used" today for Friday Favorites!

 

 

Infrashine 1 Inch Spring Grip Curling Iron

Okay, I know Hot Tools are all the rave (I have one as well!) but I bought this curling iron a few years ago, simply because it was marked WAY down, and I have to say.... I can curl my hair and reap the benefits for 2-3 days with this baby! Not so much with my Hot Tools... that is just my experience!

 

DermOrganic Leave in Treatment

My friend Allison used this delicious oil in my hair a few times and I knew I had to have it! It smells so good! And it makes my hair so soft! As with all oil products, I DO NOT use this any higher than ear-level on my hair.

 

TIGI Bed Head Urban Antidotes Resurrection Shampoo & Conditioner

I stand by this set! I rotate in and out a few other shampoos that I love (Redken, Biolage, etc) but this product continually makes my thick and wavy hair much more soft and manageable. And the smell... one of my favorites.

 

drybar Southern Belle Volumizing Mousse

I have blogged about this stuff before but I will say it again! I typically do not use mousse as I am not interested in the crunchy 1999 curls it brings about. But this is NOT like that... I rub it into my roots before blow drying and rarely even have to do any teasing after! Totally worth the money. And the smell... to die for.

 

Batiste dry shampoo

I have tried most of their scents and the bottom line is.... doesn't matter! This product is the best dry shampoo (and I have tried A LOT! Read more about that here ) and I continue to buy it. Best as in best working, best priced, best smell.

 

If you are looking for an update in any of these departments, I strongly suggest these products!

 

xoxox