Creating an outdoor space

I love home reno projects, and although I thought we might reno our guest bathroom this year, we instead worked on two unexpected projects that I love the results of.  Our big project was creating an outdoor space that our back door leads out to.  This area is where hubs grills, and honestly, it wasn't quite the prettiest sight.  It was actually his idea to redo it so that we could spend more time outside.  Once I started really taking a look at the area, the more and more excited I became about the project.  Icky brown fence and dingy concrete just wasn't doing it...

Before

The area where hubs two grills usually are

Our new outdoor space with new fence, paving stones, bistro and chat sets, and solar lanterns

The two grills and deck box for cushions

lovin' these lanterns

We're so happy with the results and have spent a lot of time out here already.  (So much so that we decided to forego our beach pass this year.)  Next plan is to get a portable fire pit so that we can roast marshmallows in the fall.   

:(

Today we learned that Cory Monteith of Glee passed away.  Glee is one of my fave shows, even though this past season wasn't quite as enjoyable as the first three.  He and Lea Michele are my fave celeb couple, and it's just awful that his life was cut short, for whatever reason it may turn out to be.  He is practically our age at 31, so I guess that adds even more to the shock.  I'm usually not as affected by celebrity passings, but I really loved his character on the show, his singing voice, and the type of good guy he seemed to be in "real life."  Condolences to his family, friends, and those who knew him.  The show definitely won't be the same without him.            

Beauty Recs

I am admittedly pretty high maintenance when it comes to skincare.  I use a bevy of products - cleansers, toners, masks, etc.  to make sure I keep my skin in the best condition possible.  At the same time, I'm all about putting on a daily look that is natural but put-together.  Recently with the ridiculous humidity and heat, I've found that my usual foundation, Bare Minerals, wasn't quite doing its job, and my skin would look blotchy and obviously make-up-y.  My guess is because it's a powder-based foundation.

Last Saturday I had a wedding to attend, so with a "free makeover" card in hand that I had received from Sephora, I told the makeup artist that I was looking for a new foundation.  Last year Sephora and Pantone teamed up to create this gadget that takes 3 photos of your skin, and matches you exactly to one of the foundations the store carries tone-wise, and then by skin-type.  She analyzed my skin and voila, I was matched up with Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup.  It looked great after she put it on me, and kept well in the hot weather.  Later when I tried the bottle I had purchased, I was really able to see how light the foundation is, almost like water, but definitely can be built up in terms of coverage.  I did half my face in the foundation to compare to an unmade face, and the color match was uncanny.  It was my exact skin tone, but just perfected without redness, etc.  This one's a keeper.    

She also used Korres Quercetin & Oak Age-reversing primer, which she said lacks the chemical in the primer I had been using that was making my t-zone shiny.  This primer felt smooth and more like a moisturizer, and had a nice natural scent to it too.  And hey, why not the bonus of the age-reversing?

Finally, I noticed on the foundation's packaging that it recommends application with UD's foundation brush, priced at $25.  I did try my initial application with my fingers, but you don't quite get that "buffing" effect.   Fortunately I have a go-to cosmetics brush brand that is not only inexpensive, but also eco-friendly - EcoTools.  I already own the bronzer and blush brushes - super soft and great quality, so I figured their buffing foundation brush would be just as good.  Amazing!  I've never had foundation apply so easily and feel so great.   

 

I'm so impressed with the combination of this primer, foundation, and brush, that I definitely recommend all three.