Makeup Gifts!

Some “makeup” gifts for my teens & making sure I listen.

December 17, 2018

Makeup Gifts!

I knew part of my reason for being a makeup presenter with Younique was that my girls would be or are interested in makeup and it would be gifts to give them…

Today, some of my presents for the two older girls arrived!   Becky loves my lip gloss – she gets her own now in the shade she said “she would have bought herself” when we were discussing my lip gloss.  Christina gets a neutral shadow she likes because it can hide “messy” acne.  Not that she has any normally, but you know, we’ve all been teens (and my face still thinks it should act like a hormone-driven sweat-covered teenager with pimple pop outs every so often).  She likes to use shadows like face paint too – but few neutral shades exist in their collection yet.

I’m so excited to be getting things they “would have bought themselves” – I do try to get something little that works for each one.  I get a bit of a discount as a presenter, and some of the rewards are redeemable as makeup credits, so…

You can order last-minute gifts here… make sure to get an extra something for you too!

Thanks for reading!

Type at you next time…

~Nancy Tart

Thoughts on Sunday

Thoughts as Lucas is impressed by dozens of TVs, and talks about “His Baby” and “a real football girl,” and my young ladies are deep in conversation.

December 9, 2018

Thoughts on Sunday

Louis has this gas card that does reward points but you have to spend them at a specific restaurant.  Usually, this ends up being our “date night money” every two or three months.  This time, he said there was a special at one restaurant for kid’s meals and he had enough reward points to cover almost all of the meal.

Cool.  So we went out.  Party of eight.  This was the first time Becky (who, in her new “sweet” wedges she “found” for $4 at a resale shop, is the same height as Christina!) was not assumed to need a kid’s menu.

My teenagers (that’s a scary reality!) are sitting all dressed up at one side of the table with Jillian and Jaquline in their Sunday best across from them.  Louis and Kimberly sat across from me and Lucas was sandwiched between the wall, me, and Becky (wise waitress to give us the corner wall).  The three older girls have been working odd jobs to raise “Christmas money” (and saved “birthday money” so they can buy presents).  When they went shopping yesterday, they bought Christmas presents from several resale shops and a few small “scores” for themselves.  Kimberly was wearing her new pair of beautiful triangle clip-on earrings that complimented her stone cross necklace and her favorite dress and pumps (another “sweet find” from a clearance rack last year that she purposefully bought one size too big and can now fit).  She looked so like a young lady.  I love how my girls are growing into young ladies.  (It’s also a bit overwhelming to realize each of these three are sporting make-up, high heels, and share at least one adult size with me.)

Lucas couldn’t get over one thing… the restaurant had dozens on TV screens and five games going at the same time.  Lucas must have counted those TVs fifty times.  One fellow patron periodically would glance and smile at Lucas after he would gasp, “look, more football!  One-two-three-four-five-six-seven-eleven!”

“Mom!” Lucas exclaims as we walk to the bathroom, passing the other side of the restaurant and multiple other TVs, “more football!”  This amuses the few tables we are passing.  Lucas gasps, “a real football girl!”  (This is as he notices our server wearing a football jersey – she’s had it the whole time.)  One gentleman asks Lucas if he’s about to be a big brother.  “Oh yes, this is my baby I get to keep.” Lucas taps on my belly.  He asks if Lucas wants a brother or sister.  Lucas says very seriously, “I want this baby to grow big and come out.  This is my baby I get to keep.”

His baby.  Lucas is so excited about not having to leave “His Baby” at church.  Back to our seat and he’s counting TVs and football games all the way there…

Thanks for reading!

Type at you later…

~Nancy Tart

First Try at Makeup

First time I “madeup” my whole face & poked my eyeball many times… Giggle Girl Time

October 3, 2018

First Try at Makeup

So, Sunday afternoon, Louis and I went “out” (with our current budget that means a couple games of pool or walking on the beach or downtown, you know, zero cost but couple time!) and I’d received my Younique package in on Friday. (You are supposed to let the makeup “sit” at room temperature for at least 24 hours after shipping if you live in a hot climate… 96 degrees might be hot.) So I figured this was as good a time as any to try out makeup.

Let me see… (digging around in this really cool purple bag that Becky claims “is so hers” once I’m done with it.) I didn’t use everything in this try, but the pieces in the picture are mine. (Becky or Christina claimed the other goodies that came in the set – the value of the “starter set” and my realization that my girls would be buying makeup from now on were two of the reasons I signed up.)

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I knew the hardest part for me would be mascara. I hate anything going near my eyes. Period. Probably, another reason I’ve only tried makeup once before. I used the Epic Mascara and managed to get it on my eyes after only poking my left eyeball three times and smearing it all over my nose, cheek, and eyebrow like five times. I honestly wasted more than I put on.

This brings us to Younique’s Cleaning Stick – it looks like a glue stick but goes on and removes makeup in strategic spots. It is perfect for this newbie. (And I was glad I did mascara first.)

Foundation was easy enough, (I got both the liquid and the cream foundation, this try was liquid because it appeared to be easier!) Younique’s liquid foundation has a dropper applicator so you drop it in a few places across your face and blend in. I used my finger because it felt like lotion going on. I used the setting powder on top lightly – that got rid of the slightly shiny afterglow of the liquid foundation.

I discovered that I didn’t have blush so I used bronzer (I thought “probably not what it is really for”) to highlight my cheeks lightly.

I have done my eyeshadow two or three times before – between that and a few lipstick tries, that was my only “adult” experience with makeup prior to this.

I was opting for a natural look this time, so instead of deep blue, which I’m sure, will be my favorite eyeshadow, I used a nude pink with smoky accents. I think it turned out okay. Next time I’ll use the eyeliner pencil (never done that before!) and the deep blue cream shadow with smoky accents. (Becky was like, “that would look awesome, I’m going to help.”)

I’ve never used liquid lip color either, so this Younique lipgloss in “lovesick” (the name sent Becky and Christina into rivers of giggles!) – I told Louis it was “pink” – was a first. It lasted all night, a first for any lipstick I’ve ever tried.

I was rather pleased with the results. The only “downside” (actually a great thing!) was washing it all off before going to bed. (It was easy enough, warm water, cleanser, scrub, rinse) I’d just never worn makeup that didn’t wear off after a couple of hours. My research told me this would be good, and I’m super pleased! (Plus, I’m allergic to lots of stuff but nothing in this ensemble irritated my skin at all!)

(Oh, and I’ve probably taken just two or three “selfies” ever, and not very good at it because I had the girls trying to give me pointers and giggling along with me at the hilarious pictures that landed on the camera for mere seconds; so the picture was taken by Becky.)

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Next order, I’ll remember to get concealer, blush, and lipstick to try!

I have to admit, I’m totally enjoying this experiment with makeup! (AND loving the “giggle girl time” with my little women – should I call this “art class?”)

Thanks for reading!

Type at you later…

~Nancy Tart

New Venture

Why is a crazy never-used-makeup 35 year old starting to present it?

September 18, 2018

New Venture

Okay, so if you’ve been following this blog (or *gasp* actually know me), you know that my one experiment with makeup was as an overactive girl in the sweltering mid-Georgia summer.  My attempt at rather cheap (I thought it was expensive then, but now know better) mascara, foundation, and blush rolled down my face and irritated my eyes as it literally was melted by the sun and sweat.

I did manage to wear lipstick a few times, like for my wedding, my sisters’ weddings, and my brother’s wedding.  (Honestly, every time I bought a lipstick tube, it ended up being used by some child as a crayon.)

That was it.

Now, I have three daughters dabbling in makeup.  Rebeccah loves it.  I’ve researched everything I can and a few years ago found a couple of brands of makeup I liked and would buy for them.  A few months ago, Kimberly and Rebeccah discovered my cousin Tiffany’s Facebook page loaded with tutorials, beautiful images, and the makeup line she sells.  This past month, we discovered the lady who used to sell the face cleanser we’ve all used for over a decade doesn’t sell it anymore!  No one I know does.  If I’m going to buy a product that isn’t sold in stores, I’m going to buy it from someone I know.

Louis has been trying to talk me into makeup for years, and recently, God has opened my eyes that if I’m serious about wanting to please my husband, why am I so against getting “made-up” once a week when we have adult time?  Really?  I realized how petty I was seriously being.  Yes, others who “put their face on” daily spend a lot of money on makeup, but I would be using it on the nights we go walking together.  Three or four times a month.  That was not going to break the bank.

So, I looked into being a makeup rep.  As I’m browsing, I realize I’m crazy.  Then I counter that with – I have five daughters, I’m sure I’ll be buying makeup for them too.  I’m a BeachBody coach because I LOVE SHAKEOLOGY!  I love the only whole food vitamin shake that I  I don’t have a huge business through them, but one day I might when I can put more time into it.  If I find a makeup line whose business practices and products I like, why shouldn’t I present it to others and perhaps make a little money?  It is wise to invest money in products and businesses you love because you would recommend them anyway.

Now, like my beautiful cousin, I’m “presenting” for Younique – at least, as soon as I get my makeup!  The starter packet came with items I was going to purchase anyway along with many others to try.  I’ll be updating as I travel on this strange journey of learning the art of makeup at 35.

Thanks for reading!

Type at you next time…

~Nancy Tart

 

Sooty Makeup

June 2, 2017

Sooty Makeup

     I’m not really a makeup person.  (Okay, I almost never wear makeup.)  Someone says “makeup” and I think sweaty post-workout drizzle where my face looked like a tie-dyed T-shirt (which was my teenage inexperience with makeup).  Rebeccah, however, is very artistic and does makeup well.  It’s an art to her.  Makeup is just another type of paint and human faces are her canvas.

Loving, excited aunts have made sure the girls have a colorful assortment of fun, safe makeup to play with as they enter the teenage threshold.  They’ve taught the girls many makeup techniques and how to match colors.  (Sometimes the craziest of color contrasts emerge, but that’s all in the learning game – and clowns need makeup artists too.)

One afternoon I was busily canning marinara sauce (a family staple) when I heard Kimberly announce from the front door, “Mom, come see, we’ve done our makeup in your style!” (Christina was just beginning to explore makeup)

My style?  I was busy, but curiosity won and there’s little I could do before the steam finished exhausting.  I peek and they are coming from outside, where they had discovered some soot from the outdoor kitchen.  All three of them are covered in smeared soot.

“My style?” I laugh.

“Yes!”  Christina says, “just like in the army!”

Camouflage!  That would be my makeup style.  Just let me blend in with my surroundings and disappear – that about described my normal interactions with most other humans.  I didn’t realize my children knew me so well!

“Yes,” Rebeccah adds, “we can look up now, and no one can see us.”

Turns out they were playing spy games, based on the recent string of military movies we’d watched over that weekend.  Of course, in black-and-white, all the face camouflage looks just like soot.

They took off to “finish their mission” and I returned to my hissing canner.  At that point, I was trying very hard to do more than blend in.  That doesn’t come easy for me.  I can write all day and interact with imaginary people in my made-up worlds, but interaction where I make myself open to others is not easy.  I love teaching, playing with, and guiding children.  My own age group?  It’s not easy for me.

I’m learning how to wipe off the sooty face camouflage and try my hand at real makeup.  I’m learning how to be open to others and allowing myself to invest in them – to be real, invest time, to speak instead of being silent.

I’m enjoying this “be the canvas” stage I’ve entered.  Plus, it’s an extra time to listen (and talk) to my daughters because I always want to be open and real for them.

Thanks for reading!

Type at you next time…

~ Nancy Tart

 

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