I say this every December, but where did the year go?? Has it really been a year? I worked as a legal assistant at a law firm in my 20s, and one of the lawyers said something I still remember. He said that time moves faster as you get older, and I didn’t understand it at the time, but I totally get it now. Nowadays, it feels like I go from task to task to task until I pass out. Then I wake up and do it all over again. Then I look up and it’s December, and another year has passed!
Anyway, my life (and my makeup) changed in quite a few ways this year…
The biggest change happened in the spring, when my sweet boy Tabs crossed over to the rainbow bridge.
I’ve finally gotten to where I can think about him without feeling a sharp pain in my heart… There’s still sadness, but it’s somewhat easier to bear. I really, really miss that thug, and I still have days when I really wish I could hold him and smell the fur on his “delicious belly meat” just one more time, but it’s getting better.
We took out our Christmas decorations last weekend, and I found his Christmas stocking and got a little teary… I’m going to hang it up and put in a can gravy for Christmas so his spirit will know that his people still love him and think about him during the holidays. 🙂
(That may be the craziest cat lady thing I’ve ever written.)
I hope he’s OK with Pretty Girl Rosie — who moved in with us in October — sharing our space. She’s a sweet, dainty torbie girl who unexpectedly pranced into our lives last October. It’s a different type of love than I had for Tabs, for sure, yet it makes my heart feel a little fuller knowing that our home is a safe place for another abandoned kitty that would’ve otherwise stayed a stray.
Another big change that also happened recently — I started working part time as a baker at a bakery. It’s a weird pivot for someone who’s been writing about makeup steadily every day for the last 13 years (!), I know, but when the opportunity opened up, I got the same tingly feeling that I had when I started MBB. It’s a move, my gut tells me, that will lead to many good things (both figuratively and literally).
This fall Connor also started going to preschool five days a week, from Monday through Friday (she’s going to be four in March; can you believe it?). I miss her like crazy — some days it’s so intense that I physically ache, which probably sounds nutty, but it’s true — but she’s flourishing in school, and it felt like the right time for the both of us to start learning, little by little, how to spread our wings on our own.
So this has been the most time I’ve had to myself in five years, and it’s been a (welcome) shock to the system.
OK, makeup wise, I still love me some neutrals. That hasn’t changed, ha ha! And it probably won’t, either. What has changed, though, is that I’ve pretty much stopped wearing false lashes (thanks, Lash Boost!). I also rarely do looks that involve complicated blending these days. I mean, I’ll still go full glam on occasion, like once every other full moon, but most days I’m doing a more pared-down style, which takes me 10 minutes. 15 max. And I’m fine with that.
That’s where I am in this season of life, but who knows? Maybe someday I’ll get back to doing daily super intense looks with shading and lashes and all the steps. I do still love the artistry of it all. 🙂
How about you? How has your life and your makeup changed in 2019?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. TGIF!
I’m just like you – neutrals still rule my life and always will! If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it ?
There are some new products that have become staples, though. I finally tried the It Cosmetics CC cream everyone has been raving about for ages and it’s my favourite foundation now.
I also took the plunge and bought a couple of Charlotte Tilbury eye quads and totally fell in love – I adore them as much as my HG MAC single shadows.
Lastly, I know I’m very late to the party, but I purchased the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask. It truly is a top-seller for a reason – my lips have never been softer since and any lipstick I wear looks a hell of a lot better.
I tried the It CC Cream for the first time esp bc it was so raved about and loathe it. Color range is awful. Smells like floor cleaner. Returned it
FYI Sephora hugely up charges the Laneige Lip Mask. Can find it for much, much less at Yes style. Also it is formulated with alcohol so it may be drying over time. Js
How we perceive time actually does change as we age, there is a great book about this:
Time Warped – by Claudia Hammond. Time does seem to pass more quickly the older we get!
The time passing thing is because time becomes a smaller percentage of your life so as a four year old, a year is 25% of all your memories but as a 40 year old it’s 2.5%.
Biggest changes this year were a new job and getting a dog. He’s so much work but so worth it!B I had to give him a bath at 10 the other night and the cats were so concerned they busted in and kept going up to him in the tub like hey are you ok? I couldn’t stop laughing.
Makeup wise, still loving the same things but figured out that for me to do liquid liner it needs to be just on the outside half. Also am loving blush colors and have purchased a lot of blush this year, whereas previously I’ve been using things I got for free! Finally tried double wear and I love it so so much.
I love the the story about your pets. It made me smile and laugh. Thanks for sharing.
I want a baguette! Congratulations for your new job.In France it’s not just a job to be a baker.It’s really noble, the bread is something living and we have a great respect for the bakers. Be happy with the little Rosie,you have now again a complete familly . Have a nice week-end.
In September I fell twisted and sprained my ankle. I am months behind on my workouts. I like a balance between cardio, strength and flexibility When I start back up hopefully in January I’m going to do Sydney Cummings Pilates videos and add the other forms of exercise as I get stronger.
I like to focus on care ( hair, skin, body, nails) products more than color. My newest additions is that I am now using Derma-e skincare and am seeing real improvement. I’ve used their stuff off and on through the years but consistency is paying off now. I used Sally Hansen Moisture Rehab Nail Serum every night during my first two months of recovery. My nails looked great while my ankle was hurting. I also started using South of France Bar Soaps and love them. Hempz Pineapple and Melon Lotion is moisturizing and nicely scented. Chapstick Eucalyptus Mint Total Hydration Lip Balm has been a nice addition as well. I’m already working on a list for next year.
In high school one of my bus mates and I talked about how we noticed how fast time was moving in comparison to when we were younger kids. Decades later a friend was recalling how her mother was telling her you don’t get how fast time moves now but you’ll see. How right she was.
2019 has had lots of changes! I finished school, got hired at my practicum and quit my retail job of 10 years this October. I moved in with my boyfriend in June. My divorce becomes final this week and early in October my boyfriend and I went engagement ring shopping and it’s picked and sized and waiting for the right moment (sounds like a bad Soap Opera, lol. But I wanted to put in the work in my marriage last year but my ex was too hung up on thinking the grass was greener on the other side. He discovered, too late, that in fact it wasn’t. And by then, I was thoroughly done with him.) Make up wise I’ve gone really minimal. Too much (especially on the eyes) is no longer flattering on me. I just do neutrals and pinky-peachy blush. It’s freeing in a way for me! I used to obsess over looks and experiments for occasions and then if I couldn’t get something or didn’t have enough time to do everything I wanted I’d feel let down, by myself. Now? I just don’t care. I purchase much less and wear much less, but I feel I enjoy it more this way.
What has changed and been the change for me for the last few years is buying less and using what I have! Huge fan of neutrals and color in the right way/place☺
As we age, our skin loses its ability to hang on to moisture. Well into my seventieth decade, I noticed this year, in particular, I’ve had to up my game in regards to body lotions and oils. As for makeup, I’ve been more into neutrals this year, with subtle hints of color. I also have only occasionally been wearing highlighter (a product I normally love to use on my cheekbones) as I find my Clé de Peau finishing powder gives me enough glow. I guess overall, my look has just been more natural this year.
Breaking my foot so badly in March really put a damper on things. I was also found to have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome which explains a lot – including similar issues with my brother and my dad. However I’m back to aerial, dance classes, and my normal routines.
I chopped quite a bit of hair off (from mid-back to collarbones) and experimented with demipermanent color for a brighter red but have let it fade back to normal.
I still do pretty similar makeup most days – Clinique Pretty Easy Liquid Liner, mascara, tinted brow gel, concealer, cream or gel blush. New turquoise eyeglasses though!
“it felt like the right time for the both of us to start learning, little by little, how to spread our wings on our own.”
I love that so much. ❤️ Really happy for you both!
This year was really hard. I had some depression in the spring, my marriage almost fell apart this past summer (infidelity on his part), and my body threw me for a loop so bad this fall I had to stop something I love: powerlifting. I’m trying to find a new normal. It’s going well though and I’m lucky to have a lot of support. It seems silly to some, but my self care and makeup routine has helped me hold onto myself these last few months. I fell in love with the Maybelline super matte stay line and the 8 I own have been in heavy rotation. Sometimes I picked out a lipstick just because the name matched the mood I was in. I found a new mascara I love. And I was lucky to score an original Naked pallete at TJMaxx. I still have my original I use nearly every day but knowing I have another waiting in the wings feels good! Here’s to a new year and decade. I’m ready to say bye, Felicia to 2019.
My makeup and life changed in summer 2019, when I finally accepted that I am not good at writing about makeup and needed to focus on what I am really passionate about, which is skin care.
Not only did that lead to a ton of new opportunities for the blog and YouTube, but I finally accepted that a soft brown smokey eye and red lips are my makeup both as in I enjoy it the most and as in it looks best on me.
No more buying purple glitter that I then have to force myself to wear!