My New Love.......

Yes, it's true, I'm in love. I'm in love with the new Kat Von D Saint and Sinner eye shadow palette.  I've had a love/hate relationship with the other products I've tried her line of cosmetics. I didn't care for the Studded Lipsticks or her Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks (which beauty professionals tell me are the best).  I loved the Tattoo liner I tried in my Ipsy bag, so I bought a full size. My disappointment in the liquid lipsticks prevented me from buying the palette released last holiday season, which I'll talk about later. I know, lips, eyes, two very different things.

I was always hesitant to try the shadows. They're so expensive and because of my dislike for the liquid lipstick, I wasn't sure I wanted to invest the money. Technically I didn't, I bought the palette with gift cards.

The aesthetic is beautiful. The cathedral design is beautiful, but the packaging is a bit bulky. This isn't a palette I'll be taking on vacation with me because it is so bulky.  I love the play on "Saint and Sinner". When you open the "Cathedral" doors, the left side of the palette is aptly named Saint, whereas the right is Sinner.  The colors looks like stained glass windows in a church. All of the shadows are given Catholic names. The mirrors are awkward to use, so I don't use them. It is awkward to hold the palette while trying to put on the shadows because of the design. So I just put it on my bed.

I watched a few YouTube reviews for this product. One girl absolutely hated it. I don't follow her so I can't link her video. I wonder if she's reviewing the same product as everyone else? Whether or not someone enjoys a product is very subjective, hence the review. One YouTuber I love, and watch all the time is Jen Luvs Reviews. I trust her fair assessment and her reviews are very in depth. She discusses ingredients and makes sure to swatch shadows on various skin tones. Here is a link to her review of the Saint and Sinner palette. Go watch it, it's very informative.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SupZ2FOnXgI.  (I'm a newbie, so I don't know the exact protocol for posting videos. I am a teacher and I am giving credit to the link).

I've heard many people, who are on the fence about purchasing this palette, say the shades are unwearable and not cohesive. That the scheme is all over the place, and that it looks difficult to create makeup looks with.  This is actually what one of my coworkers mentioned. She said she didn't know what to do with the colors. She said that it looks hard to create looks with. She wouldn't know where to begin. So she decided to not purchase this after all and she's a makeup junkie just like I am.

I know the colors in this palette are out there, but I love it. I'm not a makeup artist and my makeup probably looks bad, but I'm having so much fun trying to decide what colors to use. It's forcing me out of my neutral comfort zone, something we've all become accustomed to these last few years. If you love neutrals, then this isn't the palette for you.

These are the shadows with the MAC pot in Painterly

The shadows themselves are richly pigmented and are very blend-able. I haven't used the top shades which are shadow toppers, so they're not fully pigmented. I do have a minor complaint with the shadows. They didn't seem to work well with my NYX shadow primer. The shadow creased and pretty much disappeared by the end of the day. I was thoroughly disappointed at first.  I even used glitter primer. Then I tried a look with my MAC pot and the shadows lasted longer. All day actually. If you have a proper primer, these shadows will look amazing!!

Creasing with the NYX Primer

I really regret not buying the palette from last year. So I'm glad that I decided to get this one. 

I really admire Kat Von D and love that her products are cruelty free, something I look into before purchasing makeup. Of course, this isn't for everyone. At $62, this is very pricey. I wish I could love her Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks, because of the beautiful range of colors, but I can't, they just don't work for me. Her eye shadows on the other hand are AMAZING!  The best I've ever had, with the right shadow primer. I can't wait to she what she comes up with next year!

I would give the Saint and Sinner palette 4 out of 5 Pink Gerber Daisies

Marriage is a Tough, Full Time Job!!

Why is marriage so hard??? I'm not complaining about my marriage. O.K. maybe I am just a little bit. Yes, we've had our struggles, as do most couples. As the years go by, his laid back tendencies that I once thought endearing, are now annoying.  Just like my knack for repetition and sarcasm annoys him. I can't help it, and I guess neither can he.

There are days that I am ready to throw in the towel and vice versa. Every year were go through a period of, 'well this is it, we've lasted this long'. We're coming up on our 10th anniversary. We've had our ups and downs. Bouts of unemployment, financial stress, dogs multiplying like Gremlins and therapy. Why am I discussing my private life,knowing my hubbers doesn't like to? Everyone struggles in relationships. You're not alone. Most people don't want to talk about it, but they have to know they're not alone.

I've been wanting to type this blog for a while, but held off because I wasn't sure how my hubby was going to react. I warned him in advance about it, though. 

I was raised in a family where both my parents and grandparents married the love of their life. My husband said that I'm the love of his life. How can that be? We haven't lived an entire life yet. My husband is a product of divorce. Part of why we don't throw in the towel is because of that reason.

As the years pass, (we're only at 10), I see  significant changes in the both of us. I don't feel the constant need to be out like I used to. We got married a bit older and didn't have children. One thing after another just got in the way. It wasn't that we didn't want them, we did. Life just had a different plan for us.

The older I get, the more I crave "sameness". It's funny, I'm teaching The Giver right now. Everything in the story is about how sameness is good for the world. For example, keeping the temperature constant helps the food production, but the community is left without seasons. I'm reaching a point in my life that the things familiar to me are more comforting. 

I'd rather sit in a coffee shop and write, or go to a bookstore and read, than drive out to L.A. to visit a club. My husband says that he doesn't want to go 'clubbing' either, but at 10:00 p.m. on a Friday or Saturday night, what's left to do? I do work, so does my husband. Another thing my husband gets annoyed by, is what I named my blog, 'Confessions of an Unemployed Real OC Housewife'. When I started my blog I was unemployed. In my bio I say unemployed/underemployed. I'm also an OC housewife. I don't feel my title is deceptive.  Anyway, I digress. I work 5 days a week. 7:15 - 5 most days. My hubby works four, 10 hour shifts a week and is off on Friday. While he's resting all day Friday, I'm working. When I come home, I cook dinner, do laundry and other things around the house. When he comes home, he turns on the TV. I'm on my feet all day long and my hubby is working behind a desk. I would like to come home and relax. He spends many Friday nights out at the movies or arcade by himself. I'd like to rest when I get home on Friday. When I get home, he's ready to leave. I sometimes wonder if it's to avoid me?

I was once annoyed by the lack of diversity in Orange County, I still am, but after living here for so long, I'm becoming more complacent with being in my bubble. The master-planned communities of Amerige Heights in Fullerton and La Floresta in Brea are becoming more and more appealing to me. My husband tells me that I'm becoming a recluse, that I don't want to try new things. The thing is I do, but the older I get, the more selective I become. 

A few weeks ago we went to San Diego and stayed at a hotel I love, The Hacienda in Old Town. My husband was annoyed that I didn't want to stay somewhere new. If I know I like the place, why go somewhere else?

I love to travel and explore. In the last few years, we've been to Florida and Texas and soon we'll be heading to Chicago (I don't count Las Vegas, San Diego or Santa Barbara. They're too close to home). If I love to travel, how then am I a recluse? Does my hubby find me boring? I want to go and do the things I enjoy. I want to go places where I don't have to hassle with crowds and lines (unless it's to Disneyland, I love Disney). My patience with stupid is waning.

Another part of The Giver mentions the dangers of picking a mate. If you aren't familiar with the story, a boy named Jonas becomes the Receiver of Memories in a community where your partner, children and jobs are chosen for you. No one has memories because they're too painful to keep. There is one Receiver of Memory who advises the community. While in training Jonas mentions how absurd it would be if they were allowed to choose a mate. "What if they choose wrong", he asks the Giver. Many of us do. I don't think that I chose the wrong mate. At the time we were dating, we liked many of the same things, or so I thought. My hubby always says that when people date they generally put their best face forward. I didn't think I was 'putting on airs'. Now it seems that if say the grass is green, he'll tell me it's blue. I'm a  wine girl, he's a beer guy. 

Before my husband and I got married, we took a compatibility test. It said our personalities weren't compatible. I felt I shouldn't let a test dictate who I was going to marry and that we could make it work. Last night I told my husband that I thought we were heading in two very different directions, this was the first time he agreed with me.

I do miss the nights out with my friends in Hollywood. I miss going to the clubs, but I'm fine not doing that anymore. I don't want to stay at home and watch TV either.  What happens when the biggest thrill you get, is being able to get tickets to the newest blockbuster, on your Fandango app? I'll admit, we put ourselves back into a rut. Now it's time we take ourselves out of it.

We do have a fun time together. When we travel we have a blast. When we're out together we have a good time. Lately, I find myself doing more of my own thing, than spending time with my husband.   

Do I think the is the end? No, I don't. Do we need to be better at communication? Yes, we do. Why did I write a blog so personal? Many people are in the same situation and no one wants to talk about it. People are embarrassed to ask for help or they pretend to be happy and they're not.  Life isn't perfect. There are always hills and valleys. I'm not bashing my hubby, our marriage or our life together. I love him and know that things will work out fine. We're not in a valley, but we're not on the hill either.  If I was unhappy, I'd get out. I'm not the kind of girl who goes back and forth in a bad marriage. I know a woman like that, and that's not who I am or who I want to be. 

Too Faced Peaches Part II: Peaches and Cream Collection

I already gave a review of the Too Faced Sweet Peach line a few weeks back. I bought The Sweet Peach palette and a few of the lip oils when the line relaunched at the end of 2016. I love that palette, with the exception of a few colors.

Recently, I purchased some more products from the new Peaches and Cream collection, an extension to the Sweet Peach line. This time I bought the palette, a lipstick in I Think in Pink, a shocking pink, the primer, a setting spray, two blushes in the colors So Peachy and Peach Dream, and the only highlighter from the collection, Happy Face.

Let's start with what I loved............. the eye shadow palette. OMG! This is probably my new favorite from Too Faced. I think I like it better than the original Sweet Peach. The shades are all beautiful, are very pigmented and blend nicely. I feel like Too Faced got the colors right this time. There were a few shades in the original that I didn't really care for, but these colors are truly gorgeous. 

The scent is different than the Sweet Peach palette. I think that palette smells like the peach gummy rings I used to get at the movie theater, while this one smells like Fuzzy Peach, the old shower gel from The Body Shop. I worked at The Body Shop in the late 90's and that was my FAVORITE shower gel. The fragrance from this line takes me back to a simpler time.  I don't love the fragrance, I prefer the scent of the Sweet Peach palette. 

I love the packaging. It's very sleek.  Too Faced always has the cutest packaging, and while that's not a reason to buy a product, it helps to pique my interest in it. In this case the quality of shadows and packaging are both winners!!

Now to what I liked........ the blushes and highlighter. This wasn't a love for me. I didn't buy the blushes or highlighters in the last peaches launch, I'm not sure why I decided to buy them in this one. They're just "meh". I'm very fair, almost pasty, and Peach Dream barely gives me a wash of color. These blushes are infused with peach and sweet fig cream. Interesting, I ate some sweet fig creamy preserves this morning for breakfast?!?!?!?! Anyway I digress. To get any color payoff, I can only apply these with my fingers. They are a cream to powder formula. These blushes aren't horrible. I like them and I'll use them, I just don't love them and I probably won't buy them again.

The highlighter wasn't a favorite for me either. I have so many highlighters that I love more. It's the cream to powder formula just like the blushes. I'm not a fan of this type of formula.  Again, I don't hate it, I'll use it up, but won't buy it again.

My only regret.....the lipstick, I Think in Pink. It's horrible. I know that it's a matte formula, but this is just a patchy mess. I have other matte lipsticks that aren't as patchy. I'm not a huge fan of Too Faced lipstick overall. I love their liquid matte and melted formulas, but the actual stick is the worst. I have another lipstick from them, from the La Creme line and I just don't reach for it. 

For my peach lipstick in shocking pink, I've tried everything. I scrub and moisturize my lips, but nothing works. I will never buy another lipstick from Too Faced again. The color skips, the application is patchy and this isn't even incredibly matte either. It's a creamy matte formula. It also has the shower gel peach scent, something I don't care for on my mouth.

The color is off. On my lips, the color looks lighter than when swatched. It starts to fade very quickly and doesn't have much pigmentation when applied. One of my coworkers even mentioned how that color looks a bit off on me and I always wear colors like this. 

Overall I think this is an OK collection. I wish that Too Faced could improve the formula of their lipsticks. The only thing that I would repurchase would be the palette. 

The Just Peachy Matte Palette gets a 4 out of 5 Pink Gerber Daisies 
The blushes get a 2.5 out of 5 Pink Gerber Daisies
The highlighter, Happy Face gets a 3 out of 5 Pink Gerber Daisies
The lipstick gets a 1 out of 5 Pink Gerber Daisies