Stay Connected

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Have you ever discovered something at the very last minute?

First of all, the winner of the lavender oil mini-giveaway is entry number 12, Carol from CTMOM. Carol, please email me your mailing address, at lili.mounce *at* gmail.com. I'll get the lavender essential oil to you right away, if that will work for you.

A discovery, of sorts

I have this face powder that I wear once or twice per week. I've had it for a few months, and have thought perhaps I'm allergic to it. Every time I apply it, my skin begins to feel a tad itchy. I really thought I was allergic to something it contained, and was ready to throw it out.

But before it headed into the waste can, I wanted to try everything possible. My first thought was maybe the brush needed a good cleaning. So clean it I did, using some shampoo and lots of warm water. When the brush was dry, I tried it again. The irritation was still there.

My second thought was maybe the brush was one of those super cheap ones. So I tried a nice cosmetic brush. Again, itchiness. I washed this better brush, yet still the itchies. So, it would seem that I was simply allergic to one of the ingredients. Rats! I'm a label reader and careful shopper, so I thought this stuff would be okay with my skin.

About ready to toss the powder, which I hated to do, as this stuff is not cheap, I had one last-ditch thought. Maybe I could try using a cotton ball to apply the powder. And it went on smooth, with no irritation. Plus, using a cotton ball gave me a more natural look than the brush applicator.

This discovery changed how I apply all of my powder cosmetics. Perhaps my skin is simply too sensitive to use any of these "special" cosmetic applicators.

I now also use a cotton ball for my powder blush. I can use the same cotton ball for a couple of weeks.

And I've discovered that if I use a fingertip, powder eye shadow goes on smoothly, looks conservatively applied, and doesn't get in my eyes, as it did when using the applicator that came with the shadow.

I'm thrilled to not need to throw away any expensive cosmetics, and get better application overall. I love when I "discover" something like this!

12 comments:

  1. Congrats Carol! :)

    Lili, I'm glad you discovered a solution and didn't have to throw your powder away. That is definitely a positive discovery.

    My latest 'discovery' is that getting up early and walking 30 minutes each morning the last couple of weeks, is making me want to eat more instead of helping me lose 10 pounds. That doesn't seem fair! Oh, well. I'm going to stick with it as the exercise had many other positive benefits.

    Angie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Angie,
      I made a similar "discovery" a while back. I upped my running schedule, to try and lose the weight I gained over winter. (My pants are too snug, and I'm not in a place to buy a new wardrobe.) Anyway, I found I was soooo hungry and eating enormous snacks. For the first few weeks, I didn;t lose a single pound. Then something kicked in, maybe increased muscle mass, and I started to lose weight. It's slow at this point, but I am much more toned, which is just as good as losing pounds. And I am physically stronger, which is probably the better reward.

      Stick with your walking -- you'll be healthier as a result. And you'll probably discover, as I did, that you're more toned which is both physically better for you, but also gives you the appearance of having lost a few pounds. And for me, the changed appearance helps motivate me to make better food choices.

      Good luck with this Angie!

      Delete
    2. Angie, I remember reading somewhere that it is better to exercise after you eat (but not immediately after!) than before you eat. I know that always works better for me - if I walk before I eat, I always want to eat more!
      Jo Ann

      Delete
    3. Lili,

      Thanks for the encouragement! I do plan on sticking with the walking.

      After two weeks, I have already noticed positive benefits: an increased energy level and increased strength and flexibility. I just feel stronger doing simple things like running around the house doing my everyday chores. It's almost like I have an extra 'spring in my step' or something. I have noticed I feel more flexible leaning down to gather dirty clothes from the bottom of the hampers or bending over and reaching into my lower kitchen cabinets. I'm not sure if this is from the walking itself or the few minutes of stretching I do after my walks.

      I didn't know you are a runner. :) Do you run outdoors or on a treadmill? What amount of exercise do you aim for?

      Angie

      Delete
    4. Jo Ann,

      Thanks for the information. That would make sense.

      To fit my 30 minute walk into my schedule, I get up at 5:00 each morning and exercise first thing. Otherwise, the day gets so busy that I never get around to the exercise.

      I bet if I just ate a banana and drank some milk before I walked, it would help.

      Angie

      Delete
  2. Hi Lili,
    I recently switched from a probably-toxic liquid foundation to a non-toxic mineral makeup powder. I had never used this type of foundation before and was advised to purchase an expensive brush to apply it. So I looked at brush prices in different stores, and was not convinced to buy - the makeup was expensive enough! I had used a cotton ball to blend blush in the past, so I tried a cotton ball to apply the powder and was happily surprised at how well it worked. Now I don't have to worry about keeping a brush clean, etc.
    I am like you - I only wear my powder once or twice a week, if that.
    Jo Ann

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jo Ann,
      It's a mineral powder that I'm using, too! So I was so surprised when it seemed like I was allergic to the powder. Who knew that a plain, ordinary cotton ball would work better?! And now I'm wondering, if cotton balls work so well for many of us (I'm guessing there are more women who have the same experience), why do the stores keep recommending expensive cosmetic brushes?!

      I'm glad you discovered a cotton ball would work as well, before you spent money on an expensive brush!! Good job!

      Delete
  3. Good discovery! I'm not a huge brush-user with makeup. I also find, when I'm baking and am supposed to smooth something in a pan "with the back of a spoon" that I have better results if I use my (well-washed!) hands. I'm sure professional makeup artists as well as professional chefs would be aghast.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kris,
      I'll have to try that with something like Lemon Bars. Getting the base layer smooth is such a pain with the back of a spoon. I'm guessing if my hand was slightly wet, too, that it would smooth with greater ease.

      As far as the experts go, I have seen Bobbi Brown (cosmetic specialist) use her fingers to blend someone's make-up. So I'm guessing that professional bakers might also use their hands when it seems the better choice. Hands are great tools -- that's why God gave us two of them!

      Delete
    2. I always use my hands to smooth baked goods. It's just easier. I don't wear much makeup, so I can't comment on the brush vs. cotton ball debate, but good for you for figuring out what works for you.

      Delete
    3. Sometimes I find it works easiest to spray one of my hands with cooking spray and then the ingredients are less sticky. I've also been known to spray my countertops before rolling out yeast bread dough if I'm working with a stickier dough and don't want to add additional flour. I'm sure Gordon Ramsey would have a thing or two to say about my techniques! :)

      Delete
    4. Thanks, live and learn!
      And I'll be using my bare hands more in cooking/baking from now on.

      Delete

Thank you for joining the discussion today. Here at creative savv, we strive to maintain a respectful community centered around frugal living. Creative savv would like to continue to be a welcoming and safe place for discussion, and as such reserves the right to remove comments that are inappropriate for the conversation.

FOLLOW CREATIVE SAVV ON BLOGLOVIN'

Follow
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Be a voice that helps someone else on their frugal living journey

Are you interested in writing for creative savv?
What's your frugal story?

Do you have a favorite frugal recipe, special insight, DIY project, or tips that could make frugal living more do-able for someone else?

Creative savv is seeking new voices.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

share this post