Tower 28

Sephora VIB Sale Recommendation: Tower 28 Pistachio AKA the BEST Purse Gloss | Fancy Lady Tea at Crown & Crumpet

April 12th, 2023 by Karen 12 Comments

I’m wearing Tower 28 Milky Lip Jelly in Pistachio

Hiya! Happy Wednesday. The Sephora Savings Event is coming soon (see here for details). If you’re looking for an easy gloss to wear that you can just toss in your purse, consider adding Tower 28 Shine On Milky Lip Jelly in Pistachio ($16) to your wishlist.

It’s a moisturizing, semi-sheer nude pink gloss that’s I’ve been been wearing steadily since February. It doesn’t dry out my lips and is just sticky enough to stay on! I like the formula so much that I’m going to grab a couple other shades — Seasame (a semi-sheer mauve) and XOXO (a sheer pink).

I wore it yesterday to a “fancy lady tea” with Connor at a tea house in Marin called Crown & Crumpet. She’s home for spring break this week, so we’re hanging out and doing all the fun things.

Connor ordered an herbal peach tea with her kids’ tea service, and our sweet and attentive waitress thoughtfully brought out a cup of ice so that we could cool the tea down in her cup immediately. I love nice touches like that, don’t you?

Anywho, I ordered a regular tea service with all the fixings and a big pot of darjeeling (YUM), which I drank joyfully with plenty of milk and sugar!

You know what I realized while I was there? I’m not a fan of crumpets. The one I had was a little chewy, and I felt like I was eating bread-flavored gum. LOL! I did love the scone and all the tiny sandwiches, though.

If you happen to visit with littles, FYI, right down the street is an awesome playground with a huge rope climbing structure. It’s a great place to get some wiggles out.

OH! If you visit the playground and need to use the lavatory afterwards, you can walk right around the corner back to Crown & Crumpet to use the loo. That’s what I did because DANG, that tea goes right through ya.

Anywho, we had a great time! Highly recommend it if you’re ever in the neighborhood.

I’ve really been enjoying my time with her this week. It’s really starting to hit me just how big she’s getting and how short the window I have for her wanting to hang out with me truly is.

Hope everything is going well with you!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Do you have any Sephora recommendations for me?

Checking In: Tower 28 Gloss in Pistachio, Admin Assistant Duties and Teeny, Tiny Wrist Corsages

February 10th, 2023 by Karen 3 Comments

Happy Friday, my friend. We made it, and by we, I mean you, me and a tube of Tower 28 lipgloss, which I’ve been wearing all week long. More on this in a moment.

For me, this week has been heavy on the administrative assistant duties aka the things it takes to keep Connor’s life running smoothly, like arranging playdates and RSVP-ing to birthday parties and whatnot. LOL! Seriously, nobody tells you at the baby shower how you’ll be your child’s secretary for the next 18 years.

Parenting is a trip!

Anywho. Back to the gloss. This creamy tube of shiny heaven was a spur-of-the-moment purchase at Sephora a couple weeks ago from a line called Tower 28, a “clean” makeup brand based out of Southern California with a chill, laid back aesthetic.

The shade I’ve been wearing 24/7 is Pistachio, a semi-sheer nude pink that’s purr-fect for casual makeup days — think tinted moisturizer, mascara, cream blush and a swipe of gloss.

It’s plush and comfy on my lips, and I like that it’s not overly sticky.

So far I haven’t had any dryness or lip flakes, which are the make-or-break issues I have with most glosses. This one feels downright moisturizing, almost like a lip treatment.

Are you particular about how glosses smell and taste? If so, FYI, this one’s got a brown sugar vibe when I first put it on, but it’s not sickeningly sweet (I can’t stand it when glosses are too sweet).

I really like it a lot as an everyday lipgloss.

Oh, there’s a bunch of colors in the collection if pink isn’t your jam; I wanna try the mauve shade, Sesame, next!

Regarding admin duties, one of mine today was picking up a teeny, tiny wrist corsage I ordered on behalf of El Hub. He and Connor are going to the annual Valentine’s father-daughter dance at her school this evening. Insert my squishy heart tearing up a little *here.*

It’s during moments like these when I realize how truly fleeting childhood is, ya know? In ten years she’ll be 16 and going to a Valentine’s dance with her friends. It’s truly a crazy ride to raise a human being.

OK, I’m off to do more admin stuff. I hope your week went well and that you’re able to get some good rest over the weekend!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Interview Makeup and Hair | Latest Beauty Buys

January 26th, 2023 by Karen 10 Comments

Well, at least I was having a good hair day!

Hiya, and happy Thursday!

Yesterday I had two interviews lined up. I spent the entire day prepping and studying, so I’d feel extra prepared. I did full makeup and hair early, so I wouldn’t feel rushed (I even took test shots to double check everything, which is why I ended up with these pics).

I searched for “what to wear in a video interview for a creative job,” and then I tried various options in front of the camera to see what looked best. Side note: most wardrobe experts do not recommend wearing a white shirt, and after seeing various options on screen, I’d have to agree.

AND THEN…

…Both interviews got cancelled at the last minute. (The second one in the late afternoon was cancelled 10 minutes before it was supposed to start.)

On the bright side, both interviews were also rescheduled, which means the positions are still open — and I still have a chance.

Eh, at least my makeup and hair looked ok!

Needless to say, I was jumpy at the end of the day because of all the built-up adrenaline, so me, my full face of makeup and bouncy hair went to Sephora for some stress (de-stress?) shopping.

Lately the Novato store in my town rarely seems to have anything I actually want in stock, though. I ended up with just a Bumble & Bumble conditioner and a Tower 28 gloss.

I also had to stop by Target, which is next door, to buy some oat milk, so skin care landed in my cart: Versed Press Restart Gentle Retinol Body Lotion, good ol’ CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser and Naturium Purple Ginseng Cleansing Balm.

It’s been a long week. Oh, and poor Connor still has a cold, so none of us have slept in days. Her immune system is certainly getting a workout this school year! (And so is mine.)

Seriously, I cannot wait for the weekend.

Anywho, thank you for listening. Hope that everything on your end has been smooth sailing.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen