Mac Motif

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Lately – who am I kidding, for the last several years – I have been craving simplicity when I wear makeup. Full faces are very rare. Most of the time, I’m doing 1-2 shade eye looks that I can do with next-to-no effort. I’ve been keeping the eyes light and neutral – I want to look awake and well-groomed, not made-up.

And, wow – I’ve been sleeping on Mac Motif.

Perusing and Purging

I recently did a purge of makeup that is well past its acceptable use date. As I went through ancient pieces, I came cross my old pan of Mac Motif in my Z-Palette (note: I wouldn’t buy a Z-Palette today; I’d buy this double-sided magnetic palette from Adept Cosmetics instead. I just don’t need to replace it). This pan was ancient; I got it back when I had that whole Glambot fiasco! That was SO long ago! (Don’t worry; I have not used it in ages.)

Missing Mac Motif

I did swatch it, though – and I had completely forgotten how gorgeous it is! Mac Motif is described as a champagne gold that reflects pink. I tend to avoid champagne shadows at this point because they often come across too frosty for my taste. Motif has a sheen, but isn’t frosty at all. The reflect is subtle, not loud, but enough to be interesting and fun for me to see without being distracting or compromising my professional image.

So, I took advantage of a Mac sale to get a new refill pan ($11 retail; prefer a shadow compact?). I’ve used it every time I’ve had to be on camera. I throw Painterly on underneath it, throw it on, make my crease evident again, line with a dark brown eyeliner because I’ve reached that point where black is often too much.

I look awake without looking harsh; mission accomplished.

The Bottom Line

If you’ve been collecting for a long time, look back through your stash!

You might rediscover something you either loved in the past or had but didn’t use much! While it might mean you want to buy a fresh version of it, that’s a wiser spending choice than getting lost in the latest 7235239523 hot new whatever, whoever is shilling.

On Greys

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Do you ever think about how much beauty is simply fighting the inevitable? I’d hardly describe myself as a “go with the flow” sort of person, but at the same time, how exhausting (and expensive) is it to try to swim against the tide in perpetuity? There’s a vast ocean of difference between electing not to participate in a common ritual and giving up on how you present yourself.

I started getting pesky greys before I hit 30. Naturally, they chose to present front and center around my part. So, like any mature, sane, well-adjusted woman – I plucked them on sight. Of course, this means you don’t have a solid idea of how much you have.

Last autumn, I stopped as an experiment.

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Balayage Blues – Wella Color Charm Painting Discontinued

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I’ve had balayage highlights since 2016. When CoVid entered the world, I started DIYing my balayage using a Wella Color Charm Painting clay-based lightener to reduce my exposure to risky environments. Pandemic aside, I found that I enjoyed not being in a salon surrounded by people making bizarre choices while in the shared space.

For example, the last time I was in the chair, a fellow customer seated next to me felt it acceptable and appropriate to loudly Facetime her adult son. It was disruptive, distracting, and disappointing. Many people look forward to and enjoy salon visits for relaxing pampering, and this rude customer ruined that for at least five people.

Anyway, around New Year’s, I tried refreshing my balayage. I succeeded. My Wella Color Charm Painting lightener was evidently on the older (and therefore not as effective) side. I didn’t quite get the lift I expected or hoped for.

That may be a good thing, though. When shopping to refresh my Wella Color Charm Painting stash, I found that Wella discontinued it because, of course, they did.

So that leaves me at a crossroads (again) regarding my balayage:

  • try other lighteners to find one I like
  • resume salon visits
  • stop

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Grad School: Defeated & An Update

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I wrapped up grad school slightly faster than anticipated! 🎉So, after nearly five years of being a full-time student alongside my full-time professional employment, I have free time back.

Since the last post, I haven’t done much beauty-related stuff. Overall, I’ve been primarily wash-and-wear because my life was work, grad school, work, grad school, grief, holidays, grief, grad school, work, etc.

On the grief front – two weeks before Christmas, we lost a precious member of our family. Ohki, our loving, gentle giant, was fourteen and magnificent. We are heartbroken. We were so lucky to share our lives with her and we miss her so, so much.

So – it’s hard to want to bother with things that feel so trivial and fleeting when you’re in the throes of grief.

But I tried to do a few small things to cheer myself up. I reorganized my manicure supplies into a train case my husband gifted me – it’s a better solution than I had. Organization projects are usually satisfying.

I managed to give myself a festive, glittery manicure with Luxio Figment. I can’t say enough about this gel polish; it’s a beautiful, glittery neutral that manages not to be loud. You could wear it every day without it being out of place! I mean, look at the product photo found at Polished Pinkies Pro, crediting MKris Nails:

My only manicure during grad school - Luxio Figment. Photo from Polished Pinkies Pro

For my next one, I will do a grey-and-white situation (for her) with Gelaze Recycle and Luxio Coy. Having some cheerful things around you can help during dark times.

I intend to resume a semblancy of consistency, but I’m not sure what the frequency looks like yet as I figure out what my post grad school new normal looks like. Stay tuned.

Make Your Own Gel Nail Cleanser

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Who doesn’t like saving money? Paring back on the products you buy saves you money and reduces the things you need to store. So stop paying for products like CND Scrubfresh or Gelish Nail Surface cleanser and make your own gel nail cleanser.

It’s Easy to Make Your Own Gel Nail Cleanser

If you do your own gel polish or gel nails, you probably already have the two key ingredients of gel nail cleanser on hand.

I’ve written about this before: all you need are acetone and isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) at either 70% or 91%. Mix them 1:1 in a well-ventilated area. If you’re making more than you need for that manicure, store it in a tightly-sealed container, LABEL IT, and stash it in a safe place.

I give mine a shake before using it, then apply to a lint-free cotton wipe to:

  • Prep nails before application
  • Remove the dispersion layer (the tacky/sticky layer) after your final cure

Pricing it Out

When you consider that the average going rate for gel nail cleansers available to consumers is $2.00-2.50 per ounce, it’s easy to see why you might want to make your own gel nail cleanser.

A quick search of the latest prices shows that I can get16oz of acetone for $3 and 16oz of isopropyl alcohol for $3 locally from Wal-Mart. That works out to just $0.38 per ounce if you DIY it. At the high end, that’s an 84% savings!

Even if you need to spend more getting it from Amazon at about $6 for alcohol and $8 for acetone, it works out to $0.88 per ounce, or a 65% savings.

The Bottom Line

Why buy (comparatively) expensive, inexplicably dyed products when you can make your own gel nail cleanser? Whether you want to save more money in general or have more of your nail/hobby budget to go to polishes, there’s little reason not to.

I Dew Care Tap Secret Dry Shampoo

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I Dew Care Tap Secret Non-Aerosol Dry Shampoo

I’ve been harping about aerosol dry shampoos being a problem for a while now. I’ve switched to tapioca starch. But maybe you aren’t as much of a DIY-sort or just don’t want to mess with all of that, and I hear you.

Sometimes, you just aren’t up for a project (though it is low effort, I swear). Sometimes, we just need something that’s ready-to-use without the potential for a mess.

I Dew Care has a great little non-foam, non-aerosol dry shampoo for you – Tap Secret ($10-16). It’s most cost-effective to buy 3 (to get it to $10 ea), so if you have friends or family members who might appreciate it as a holiday gift or want to try it, I recommend that route!

I loved the idea of it so much that I bought I Dew Care Tap Secret to try despite having a solution that works for me. And I haven’t been just buying things to try them!

As an added bonus – the container is reusable! I figured even if the contents aren’t for me, I’d get a super-convenient tapioca starch dispenser.

How to Use I Dew Care Tap Secret Dry Shampoo

To use it, you uncap it and tap the foam puff along your hairline. I tend to do my part, make another part/section, and tap again. Then, just like you’d use any other powdery dry shampoo (even aerosol), massage it in and shake it out, done.

I haven’t traveled in a long time, now, but I really love the idea of this dispenser for travel. No tiny aerosol to jam in your quart bag. No benzene.

Happily, there was no discernable fragrance which is a big win for me. Likewise, it did a nice job of absorbing oil without leaving a white cast or greyishness once it was massaged in. It definitely got me through another day without shampooing.

What I Didn’t Like (but You May)

One thing that was a drawback for me personally is that this dry shampoo has clay as an ingredient. You may enjoy depending on your preferences! It’s great as an oil absorbing agent, and it means a little goes a long way. For me, though, using enough to get the job done gave my hair some hair some, “teeth,” or grip. This is great for volume, but can come at the cost of the ability to run your fingers through it.

The downside of this quality, though, is that it feels awful to run your fingers through. It isn’t unique; if you’re used to using texturizing powders like this one from Big Sexy Hair (oh, cool – they now have a lighter option, Lite, that I haven’t tried) or this one from Kristen Ess, it’s a similar feeling.

I think those products have their place (indeed; I own the Kristen Ess one and have used the original Big Sexy Hair one), but by themselves, they aren’t dry shampoos. That quality isn’t what I’m looking for in a regular dry shampoo product. I still want my hair to mostly feel like hair.

On the upside, it washes out easily so no problems there. I’ll use it, but I’d definitely use it when I planned to shampoo the next day. It may also be one of those products that is best used before your hair seems oily – so I will need to report back on that.

What I’m Unsure Of Regarding Tap Secret.

Since the applicator sponge is integrated with the packaging, I don’t know if you can take it off to clean it. Given the nature of the product, I’d think you’d want to eventually if you’re reusing the container. Despite my critique of the contents, I’m not ready to swap them for tapioca starch yet (maybe I’ll find a use for those properties), so I haven’t disassembled it to find out.

The Bottom Line

Finally, I would recommend I Dew Care Tap Secret dry shampoo despite not being completely satisfied with the texture aspect. Having a thorough understanding of the texture will help you use it effectively and work around what I consider its only critical point.