I have always liked makeup but as I age, I have become more interested in it.
My husband took a photo of me for a campaign for local government and I saw smile lines (or crow's feet, whichever you prefer to call them) next to my eyes. This just got real!
I have always used whatever was cheap or on sale, not really paying attention to brands but then I fell in love with Clinique's Three Step line. I love their face scrub too. The face lotion just made my face feel like a baby's butt. I don't splurge often but honestly, when I get whatever brand is on sale, I don't feel as good about my skin.
So what is next? Well, I sold Mary Kay for a while and I didn't like their products really. I stopped using anti-aging lotions after I found out more about Retinol. I tried to order Mary Kay after not selling it anymore, but I found that I was just disappointed with the products for some reason or another.
I next tried LipSense. I haven't worn lipstick in probably 10 years, other than a rare occasion, and feel funny in anything that is not nude or almost nude. But, I had a friend who had a LipSense party and I loved her lipstick, so I had one of my own. I ordered a lipstick and an eye shadow. I hate the eye shadow after using it a few times. But I LOVE the lipstick! Figures, I'd love a lipstick that costs me $25 for the color, $20 for the gloss sealer and $10 for the remover in case I want it to come off easily or I make a mistake putting it on! But I have yet to find a lipstick I really like better. Plus there is a guarantee with it that if I don't like it, I can get my money back.
Apparently, one of my other friends sells LipSense now too and she turned me on to their foundation. She says that she uses it and it has changed her skin. She is my age and she says it has made her look younger since using it. So I am going to give it a whirl. I am used to Cover Girl Creamy Natural and when I run out I get whatever is on sale and every time it seems I am disappointed or get the wrong shade. Even if I buy Cover Girl, if I buy another product like the pressed foundation or a different type of foundation (they have so many out there now) and I get the same color as usual, it disappoints. So I use it up because I am frugal when I can be and by the time I use it up, I forget what color was the color I liked and what was not, and which kind of foundation I liked and which I didn't. So, I thought I could give the MakeSense Foundation a try. Here goes nothing....and $50.
My eye lashes are also an issue with me. I find one mascara that I like then I try another because it is on sale and it leaves me unhappy. My favorite so far, I can't even remember the name but I remember the container if I see it, but I can remember I paired it with Loreal Lash Boosting Serum. I tried Mary Kay's Lash Intensity Mascara with the Lash Primer but it really didn't give me the look I wanted. So I go back to the drawing board again. I have another friend who is selling Younique and I have seen her Lash Serum and her Mascara and if it can do that for me, I am game! She was having a secret grab bag where you pay $20 and you get an item shipped to you of her choice. I got the Esteem Lash Serum so hopefully I will love it, it is regular $42. And I just bought some mascara to go with it. Their Epic Mascara regular $24.
So here I go! Join me on my journey to discover if I really am a makeup snob or not!
Saturday, February 3, 2018
Friday, February 2, 2018
Why It Is SO Important To Connect With Other Parents
My last two blogs have discussed how to connect with your child when "How was your day" doesn't work. A great thing I have learned in the past couple years is to make friends with parents of other kids at school.
When our daughter started preschool we discovered that there was a kid in her class that had a mom that we knew from the University. It was nice to have that extra connection with her because she knew us a little already and we didn't have the awkward friend-making phase. We also realized that one of the kids from our daughter's dance class was in the same preschool class. This gave us another connection with someone we kind of already knew. Moving on to kindergarten, both of these girls were also in the same school as our daughter so that was great to be able to have a couple of parent friends already.
I found that when I connected with other parents and children, I increased my chances of knowing my own kid.
By knowing other kids and parents, I could see what kind of friends my kid had. I also had a social support system in case I needed something or even information about something going on at school. More importantly, I could get to know my kid through these parents. When our daughter started kindergarten, she connected with a child in her class that sat at her table, I started casually talking to her mother as we tended to volunteer at the same things and occasionally pick our kids up at the same time. When the girls ended up in the same first grade class, I connected with her even more. Connecting with her and hearing how great her kid thought my kid was is heartwarming. Watching them together I see that my daughter is not only a "mother hen" type kid but she is also a leader. Knowing and connecting with her teachers, I hear that she is smart and friendly and confident but seeing her with other kids I see that she is more than that and it makes me proud.
Connecting at the school creates social support and networking.
I joined the PTO this year as well, I finally had more time to be a part of my daughter's school. Connecting with the parents allowed me to have some social support. Meeting other parents that are going through the same things at the same times as I was is very encouraging. I know when I drop my kid off at school after fighting her all morning to get out the door on time that I will see the same parents I see every day that drop their kids off too. When I see these parents, I can let off some steam and ask "what do you do when your kid doesn't want to get ready for school?" Or I can just say "rough morning getting out the door" and I can hear "yeah, I've been there too" and get a friendly smile. These interactions help me cope with the hardships of being a parent and allow me to feel normal when I really just feel inadequate.
Making friends with other parents lets me know who is "in my neighborhood."
When I meet the parents of other kids, I get to know the people "in my neighborhood." Although most parents are going to be on their "best behavior" when they take their kids to school, you start to learn more about who people are the more you see them around. Even though my city has four elementary schools, one charter school, one high school, one parochial school, two alternative schools, one Montessori school, about a dozen preschools and two middle schools as well as a University and a Community College with a population of around 27,000 not including the college students that do not live here all year long so are not technically counted as our population; I feel like I know a lot of people and it is nice when we have community events and I see parents and kids that I know.
Knowing kids and parents at school allows them to know my family.
It is a nice thing when you can go to a local grocery store and hear "Hi (insert your child's name here) mom." When I go somewhere and I hear a child call my name or call me the "mom" of someone they know, I feel like I have connected with them in some way. Connecting with kids and parents at my child's school allows them to know me as well as my family better. In knowing who we are, hopefully they will see us as a "nice family," and feel safe having my child around and/or coming to my home and having their children around us. I find it very valuable to have connections with other families in my community for so many reasons.
When I ran for a political position for my county, it was great to have the support from others that we knew. Although I didn't win, some of the support I received was from people who knew me and respected me. A preschool teacher of my daughter's said that she was going to vote for me and that it was really brave of me to run for political office. I would like to get more involved in the community and when people recognize a face or a name, they are more likely to support your cause.
When our daughter started preschool we discovered that there was a kid in her class that had a mom that we knew from the University. It was nice to have that extra connection with her because she knew us a little already and we didn't have the awkward friend-making phase. We also realized that one of the kids from our daughter's dance class was in the same preschool class. This gave us another connection with someone we kind of already knew. Moving on to kindergarten, both of these girls were also in the same school as our daughter so that was great to be able to have a couple of parent friends already.
I found that when I connected with other parents and children, I increased my chances of knowing my own kid.
By knowing other kids and parents, I could see what kind of friends my kid had. I also had a social support system in case I needed something or even information about something going on at school. More importantly, I could get to know my kid through these parents. When our daughter started kindergarten, she connected with a child in her class that sat at her table, I started casually talking to her mother as we tended to volunteer at the same things and occasionally pick our kids up at the same time. When the girls ended up in the same first grade class, I connected with her even more. Connecting with her and hearing how great her kid thought my kid was is heartwarming. Watching them together I see that my daughter is not only a "mother hen" type kid but she is also a leader. Knowing and connecting with her teachers, I hear that she is smart and friendly and confident but seeing her with other kids I see that she is more than that and it makes me proud.
Connecting at the school creates social support and networking.
I joined the PTO this year as well, I finally had more time to be a part of my daughter's school. Connecting with the parents allowed me to have some social support. Meeting other parents that are going through the same things at the same times as I was is very encouraging. I know when I drop my kid off at school after fighting her all morning to get out the door on time that I will see the same parents I see every day that drop their kids off too. When I see these parents, I can let off some steam and ask "what do you do when your kid doesn't want to get ready for school?" Or I can just say "rough morning getting out the door" and I can hear "yeah, I've been there too" and get a friendly smile. These interactions help me cope with the hardships of being a parent and allow me to feel normal when I really just feel inadequate.
Making friends with other parents lets me know who is "in my neighborhood."
When I meet the parents of other kids, I get to know the people "in my neighborhood." Although most parents are going to be on their "best behavior" when they take their kids to school, you start to learn more about who people are the more you see them around. Even though my city has four elementary schools, one charter school, one high school, one parochial school, two alternative schools, one Montessori school, about a dozen preschools and two middle schools as well as a University and a Community College with a population of around 27,000 not including the college students that do not live here all year long so are not technically counted as our population; I feel like I know a lot of people and it is nice when we have community events and I see parents and kids that I know.
Knowing kids and parents at school allows them to know my family.
It is a nice thing when you can go to a local grocery store and hear "Hi (insert your child's name here) mom." When I go somewhere and I hear a child call my name or call me the "mom" of someone they know, I feel like I have connected with them in some way. Connecting with kids and parents at my child's school allows them to know me as well as my family better. In knowing who we are, hopefully they will see us as a "nice family," and feel safe having my child around and/or coming to my home and having their children around us. I find it very valuable to have connections with other families in my community for so many reasons.
When I ran for a political position for my county, it was great to have the support from others that we knew. Although I didn't win, some of the support I received was from people who knew me and respected me. A preschool teacher of my daughter's said that she was going to vote for me and that it was really brave of me to run for political office. I would like to get more involved in the community and when people recognize a face or a name, they are more likely to support your cause.
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