It’s that time! New(ish) season, (mostly) new favorites.
Shall we?
Very Cherry Clean Makeup Meltaway Cleansing Balm. You know I love Green Clean, so I had to try the limited edition cherry version. I went to Sephora one day to buy Green Clean, smelled Very Cherry and loved it, but for some reason left with just the Green Clean. I couldn’t stop thinking about how good Very Cherry smelled, so I went back to Sephora the next day and bought the last Very Cherry they had in stock. I absolutely love it and I’m hoping Farmacy makes this a permanent part of their line.
Smells good enough to eat (but don’t).
Nurse Jackie. I know, I’m like 10 years late to the party. My mom and I started watching Nurse Jackie on Netflix in September, and I’m so glad we did (good, call Beensa). It’s made me laugh, cry and be even more scared of the potential medical issues that can happen to a person. I was sad when I finished the series earlier this month. So I started on…
Fleabag. I’m a little less late to this party. This British television series is about a woman in her early 30s who is dealing with grief, family issues and love. It’s funny, touching and binge watch-inducing. With only two seasons on Amazon Prime, you can watch the whole series in a day if you’re determined. The possibility of Season 3 is up in the air at this time, so fingers crossed.
Shore Soap Co. Coconut Bikini Body Wash. I was a Mermaid Kisses Body Wash gal for years, but when Coconut Bikini came out, I knew I’d be making the switch. What can I say? I like things that remind me of the beach and sunshine when it’s 50 degrees and rainy. This body wash smells of coconut, vanilla and musk–a combination that keeps it from smelling sickly sweet. Good job, Shore Soap Co.!
Summer in a bottle.
Prosecco. Prosecco was an old fave that came back into my life. I’ve been a tequila drinker for a few years now, but it’s been hard to get a good tequila drink in Newport lately, so I was forced to switch to something a bartender can’t fuck up. Sorry for the cursing, but it’s necessary. Prosecco gives me a lighter buzz than tequila, which I like. And there’s something about watching the bubbles in the glass, right? Prosecco makes me think of The Great Gatsby, and since I’m convinced I lived a past life in the 1920s, I consider it nostalgic.
Bottoms up!
Glossier Mint Balm Dotcom. I love the Balm Dotcoms, but did not think I was going to like Mint. I held off trying this flavor for so long, but I finally caved in because I had tried all of the other flavors, so it only seemed fair. Surprisingly, I like it! A lot. It smells like a candy cane, not like mint gum, which I was expecting. It makes my lips feel just as hydrated as the other Balm Dotcoms that I know and love. Glossier has done it (for me) again.
For soft, candy cane-scented lips, use this.
Sunflower Seed Butter. I used to love peanut butter, until it started to make my stomach hurt. I moved on to almond butter, and we had a good run until I noticed it made my tongue itchy. I recently tried Once Again Sunflower Seed Butter, and so far, my body has not rejected it. The individual packs are great for me, as a lot of my eating is done in the car on the way to or back from jobs. Sunflower seed butter makes my tastebuds happy and the 200 calorie portions are enough to fill me up for a while. Props to the person who realized sunflower seeds would taste good.
The perfect snack.
That’s all, folks! I hope you’ve found some of your own favorites this fall, but if not, feel free to bite my style. I’ll never know.
Back when I used to live in RI all winter, I had dry skin. So I know what I’m talking about!
Dry skin. You’ve heard of it, right? Hell, maybe you even have or have had it. But why does it happen? And how can you fix it? Let’s start at the root of the problem.
Normal skin has enough sebum (oil) to form the lipids that create protection against external influences. Dry skin lacks that sebum, making it feel rough, as well as making it prone to cracking and peeling. Dry skin can be caused by genetics, illness, medications, hormonal changes, aging, dietary deficiencies, weather, skincare products and heating units.
Now that you know about dry skin, let’s talk about products that can help restore some moisturize to your poor little dermis.
Farmacy Green Clean Makeup Meltaway Cleansing Balm. If you have dry skin, the last thing you want to do is use a cleanser that strips your skin of moisture. Green Clean does no such thing, which is why it’s perfect for dry skin. If it’s in the budget, I highly recommend switching to this cleanser. If you already use it, bravo!
Benefit Total Moisture Facial Cream. Back when I lived in RI during the winter, my combination skin would get some serious dryness once temps dropped below 50. This was the first moisturizer I used that made any difference. I’ve recommended it to a lot of my dry skin friends and clients, and they’ve all loved it. It contains mango butter, which I know to be an effective moisturizer from my teenage obsession with The Body Shop Mango Body Butter. That stuff made my skin so soft it was almost criminal, so I believe in the power of mango for dry skin.
Embroylisse Lait Creme Concentre. This French moisturizer is a long-time makeup artist fave. It works wonders on dry skin without leaving a greasy film. It feels lightweight but still packs a punch with its hydrating shea butter and skin firming soy protein. I’m recommending two dry skin moisturizers because, you know, preferences.
Josie Maran Argan Oil. Dry skin lacks oil, so add some back in! You can use this Argan Oil over your moisturizer (oil molecules are hefty, so it’s better to apply moisturizer first so it can penetrate the skin) or as an overnight treatment. You can also use it to spot treat dry patches. It works miracles, I’m telling you.
Fresh Rose Face Mask. Using a hydrating mask once or twice a week will help you on your quest for softer skin (and boy, does this make your skin feel soft). The Fresh Rose Face Mask provides hydration without leaving a film or causing the skin to feel tight. If you have an allergy to floral ingredients or fragrances though, I would try looking for masks that contain avocado, Vitamin E, shea butter or honey instead.
Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment. If you have dry skin and you want it to feel soft, you HAVE TO exfoliate. Dead skin cells don’t shed themselves as easily on dry skin because there’s less oil there to loosen them up. Exfoliants will melt them (if they’re enzyme exfoliants) or slough them (if they’re physical exfoliants) right off. ExfoliKate is a enzyme exfoliant, so you apply it, massage it in for 30 seconds, then let it sit for two minutes while it melts the cellular glue, if you will, that binds dead skin cells to the surface of the skin. I recommend using this twice a week on dry skin.
Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant. If physical exfoliants (aka scrubs) are more your thing, you might like the Daily Mic (as we used to call it in Esthetics school). It’s a powder that turns into a paste when you add water. It’s gentle enough for every day use, so if you’re someone who might forget to do something twice a week but can stick to a daily skincare routine, the Daily Mic might be a good option for you.
The Ordinary Hylaluronic Acid 2% + B5. Technically, dry skin lacks oil and dehydrated skin lacks water, so dry skin needs oil. But you can have both dry and dehydrated skin, and many people do. For that reason, I have to recommend the world’s best hydrator, hyaluronic acid. You can use a moisturizer or serum that includes hyaluronic acid, but it’s usually not an active ingredient. My suggestion is to get the purer form of HA–one that’s undiluted by lots of other ingredients–to reap the biggest benefits. The Ordinary’s version has been my go to for a couple years, and I recommend it for all skin types.
Is your skin feeling more moisturized already? Good! If you’re going to try any of these products, please, for the love of Biggie, patch test each one first and introduce only one new product a week if you’re thinking about testing out a few. Overdoing it with several new skincare products all at once is like starting a diet on January 1st–it ain’t gonna work.
Gurlllll, I have been through some cleansers. God forgive me for some of the crap I used to wash my face in my teens and early 20s. I have a vague memory of a Clean & Clear bottle in high school (even though I didn’t have acne), as well as some Proactiv when I did have acne at 23 years old. I stepped my game up and used Dermalogica Ultra Calming Cleanser when I was in Esthetics school because that’s the line we were trained on and we got discounts on professional sized products. In my broke early business owner years, I used Cetaphil because it was cheap (and I had some Dermalogica Precleanse I used first to remove my makeup, because Cetaphil doesn’t do that). I eventually moved onto the Josie Maran Argan Cleansing Oil, then later switched over to a NUDE probiotic oil cleanser, which I loved loved loved. They stopped making that, so I went back to Josie, but didn’t love it as much my second time around.
The Scent. I need my skincare products to smell good. You could give me the best cleanser or moisturizer in the world, but if I don’t like the scent, it ain’t happening. I don’t know what it’s in Green Clean that makes it smell like heaven, but it is divine. I realize scent is subjective, but I know I’m not the only one who loves the scent. Everyone I’ve talked to about Green Clean has mentioned how good it smells. So I must be right! 😉
The Texture. Green Clean is a balm, so what I would consider to be a semi-solid liquid. To me, semi-solid means it’s not hard enough hurt anyone if I threw it at them while they were badmouthing Biggie, but you also can’t drink it. The texture is a mixture of sorbet and a cloud. Is this helping? It comes in a tub, and you use the spatula they provide to scoop some out. You apply some cloud sorbet to dry skin and massage it in. It melts into a kind of an oil, which you then remove with water or a warm, damp washcloth (I recommend a washcloth). The whole time, it feels soft and dare I say loving on the skin. The scent and the texture together make it a luxurious experience.
The Packaging. Green Clean comes in a white tub with a silver lid that closes easily but stays on. Inside, there is mini-lid that holds that small plastic spatula you use to scoop the product out. This is genius, and I don’t think enough people appreciate it. Most products that come in tubs are spatula-less. But if you continuously dip into products with your fingers, you’re introducing hand bacteria, then closing the lid so the bacteria can have a rowdy party resulting in bacteria babies. Warm, dark and moist is the perfect environment for bacteria breeding–you remember Bio 101, right? Bacteria put onto the face can cause breakouts and irritation, so the spatula Green Clean provides is basically giving you the chance to have clearer skin. A+ on the spatch, and on the label. It’s high end without being stuffy. I like the font they chose and the flower is right where I like it–on a label and not near me, because flowers bring bees and I’m allergic.
The Makeup Removing Qualities. Layer on your primers, your longwear foundations, your waterproof mascaras. Green Clean melts ’em all off. I feel confident that there isn’t a speck of makeup left after I cleanse, and that’s not the case with many of cleansers I’ve tried. I know some people like to use a makeup remover then a cleanser, but why oh why waste precious time? I’m usually not a big fan of products that claim to do several things at once, but Green Clean really does remove makeup and clean the skin. Impressive.
All The Feels. My skin feels great after using Green Clean. A lot of cleansers leave a sticky film on my skin, but not this one. My skin feels smooth and soft after using it, as it damn well should. If a cleanser strips your skin and leaves it feeling dry and tight after, kick it to the curb (as we used to say in the 90s). Some cleansers can remove your makeup and others make it feel soft, but it’s rare to use one that effectively does both.
I can’t find anything wrong with Green Clean, and that’s why it’s got a forever home in my bathroom cabinet. It checks everything off of my cleanser Must Have list, and that’s a tall order. I would recommend Green Clean for all skin types. It’s $34 for 3.2 oz, which I realize can seem pricey compared to an $8.99 drugstore cleanser, but if you want good skin, you have to cleanse right. I’ll let you decide what your priorities are there.
I didn’t always know I was going to own my own business (in fact, I specifically didn’t want to for several years), but once I started, I knew it would change me as a person. In my very early years as an entrepreneur, I was certain that once my business was established, my self confidence–something I struggled with during my teens and most of my 20s–would go up. And go up it did! Skyrocket, you might say. Owning a business is a big part of who I am, and I’ve learned a lot about myself in the past 11+ years. I of course feel like sharing that, so let’s get this thing going.
I have a love/hate relationship with routines. I agree with the idea that routines help with productivity, which is why I have many of them. But also, I have an overwhelming need for freedom and sometimes routines–even though I created them myself–make me feel like I’m not able to do what I want. Or they feel boring. I realize this makes no sense, but a lot of things about me don’t make sense on paper. I’ll continue to do my routines because part of me (probably my Taurus side) needs them to feel anchored. But another part of me (that’s gotta be my Gemini side) is always whispering Change it up! or Do we need to do this? It’s hard being born on the cusp of two zodiac signs, I’ll tell ya! I think the compromise is to periodically assess my routines and see if they are really helping with my productivity–like my morning coffee-and-blogging routine–or are something I enjoy, like my call-Mom-or-Dad-when-walking-around-doing-errands routine. If I decide that a routine doesn’t work, I adjust it or eliminate it. That keeps both sides of me happy, and that’s all a Temini can really ask for.
I prefer eating in the car. I’m always starving after I leave a job. 95% of the time, I have a Quest Bar in my purse for that reason. Now, it makes sense that I would eat that on my drive home if I’m going to be in the car for a while, but what about if I’ll be home in ten minutes? Turns out that doesn’t matter. There is something I like about eating food like that in the car. I suspect it’s a multitasking thing, as I always feel like I have so much to do and nowhere close to enough time to do it, so multitasking with simple things saves me time. But it’s little quirk that I definitely didn’t have in the pre-AB Beauty years.
I’m not a night owl or an early bird. Allow me to explain. I often work until 11:00pm and I rarely get out of bed before 7:30am. If a friend wants to meet up with me, they know they only have about a 2% chance of getting me out the door after 7:00pm. If that same friend wants to meet for breakfast though, they know it ain’t happening before 10:00am. Makes no sense, right? But hear me out. First of all, I don’t want to work until 11:00pm every night, but that’s necessary for me during most of the year. I need some time to unwind after my work day has ended, so I usually end up going to bed around 12:00am. I’m my happiest self on between seven and eight hours of sleep, which brings me to a wake up time of between 7:00am – 8:00am. On days when I don’t have appointments in the morning, I have a stretching-then-crunches-then-coffee-then-blogging routine, which takes anywhere from 30 – 60 minutes, depending on how hard my inbox is mean muggin’ me while I attempt to ignore it. Between showering, answering the inevitable time sensitive emails and texts and doing a full makeup on myself (if that’s on the docket), another 60 – 90 minutes is gone. So getting out the door for 10:00am is tough. On the flip side, if a friend wants to meet for dinner at 8:00pm, that’s usually around 12 hours into my work day, so the idea of getting ready then changing into Social Mode is daunting (but catch me for Happy Hour at 4:00pm before I start to fade, and now we’re talkin’). I’m sure some people think I’m lame because I won’t go out later at night or lazy because I don’t do early mornings, but I’m not willing to force myself to do something when I’m exhausted from a long day or from having to wake up much earlier than usual. I wish I could re-set my body clock to go to bed early and wake up early, because that feels more productive to me. But this is the schedule I’ve been on for a while, so deal with it 😉
I really enjoy talking with people. I consider myself to be an ambivert. That means I’m equal parts extrovert and introvert, so I’m energized by both being around people and by having my alone time. Sometimes I go into a job tired, either because I didn’t sleep well or because I had to be up early to get there. The exhaustion never hits me while I’m doing makeup though, and I think it’s because I usually chat with people as I’m doing their makeup, and that keeps me going. I’ve had countless great conversations with clients over the years. I’ve learned a lot of new things, laughed a ton and bonded with clients over topics from being Italian to old school hip hop to having a parent with cancer. I’m not good at small talk, but apparently the one on one 45 – 60 minute conversations at wedding jobs and the 10 – 30 minute conversations at corporate and commercial gigs are my jam. This sounds weird to say, but when I check my own makeup after doing several makeup applications in a row, I often notice that I have a little glow. It’s not a makeup thing, but my skin somehow looks better and, cheesy as it sounds, I have a sparkle in my eyes. Maybe it’s from doing makeup, something I’m passionate about, but I have a feeling it’s more from connecting with people. I guess I knew that I loved talking with people on some level before I owned a business, but this career has really emphasized that for me.
One of my favorite brides and I speculating on how many more cases of beer the groomsmen would bring on the trolley. And then we talked about Biggie for a while. Photo: Trevor Holden Photography
I burn out about five times a year, then I rise again. You have to quickly recover when you run a business, so I do. I’m not able to take full days off and haven’t since I started AB Beauty, but I can do the occasional two hour days when I’m away or have friends or family visiting. On a regular day, it helps if I take lot of little breaks (15 minutes here to watch part of a video comedy podcast, 15 minutes there to move the side table in my living room for the 90th time, 20 minutes to text-coach a friend through a dating crisis, etc.). I also try to get together with a friend at least once a week. Being with the awesome people in my life helps keep me going. Another thing I do is try to take a couple trips a year to recharge. If I plan it out, bust my ass getting as much possible done in the two weeks before I leave and prepare for a week’s worth of punishment work when I return, I can get away with working only one or two hours a day while I’m away. For the last two years, I’ve gone to the Montreal Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in late July for a few days. That’s about the mid-point of peak wedding season, so it’s the ideal time for a breather. This year, I’m going to Ireland at the end of October, towards the end of peak season, so perfect timing. In previous years, I’ve gone to Nashville, Puerto Rico and Ft. Lauderdale to get away. And since 2017, I’ve been breathing out a three-ish month long sigh of relief during my winters in Charleston. I of course still work while I’m there–this business isn’t going to run itself, darling–but I slash my work weeks from 80 or 90 hours to around 40, because I don’t take clients, work on any shoots or do trainings while I’m in Charleston. The reality is, I am going to continue to burn out until I can get in place the people I need to reduce my workload. But my breaks–whether they are 15 minutes, Happy Hour-length, three day trips with two hour work days or three months with 50% less work hours–are essential to my well-being.
I am very sensitive to sounds. I wasn’t always this way. I have memories of studying in college with my dorm room door open, Ludacris blasting and the constant sound of AIM notifications. (Ding! You have a message from a bad boy.) I worked a series of office jobs in my 20s, and as an Office Manager, Admin Assistant, Secretary or Receptionist, there were often a lot of people in and out of my work space, asking for information, gossiping with coworkers or requesting that I take care of something they could easily do themselves. But once I started working for myself–my best and worst boss yet–something changed. I take my job very seriously and believe that my clients and Independent Contractors deserve clear and thorough information from me, but I have a hard time focusing with noise in the background. For that kind of work, I need a quiet environment. Music, loud construction noises nearby or non-stop dog barking kills my concentration. I’m fine with noise when I’m in public, but when I’m trying to work or sleep, I hear everything, and it is maddening. Air conditioners and sound machines help, but when I can’t block irritating sounds out, I kind of lose it. Another fun fact I learned about myself (or really, developed) since I’ve owned a business.
I can’t do shit if I’m tired. I’ll never understand how some people can operate on very little sleep. If I don’t get enough sleep, my day is shot. My brain is useless on limited shut-eye and it’s a true struggle to get anything done when I’m in that mode. I may deprive myself of days off, but I never purposely deprive myself of sleep. That’s why I let myself sleep as late as my body wants on days that I don’t have morning jobs or appointments (and why I don’t make morning appointments, if I can help it). I remember sometimes staying out until 1:00am then waking up at 6:30am to go to work in my early 20s, and having no issues. So maybe it’s age, but I could never do that now. I’ve learned this about myself since I started my business, and luckily I know what I need to do to prevent constant exhaustion.
I don’t care what people think of me. I’m not saying that to be a badass. It’s just a realization I had several years ago about how I live my life the way I want to and nothing disapproving anyone says or implies about that bothers me. It’s a freeing feeling! I was extremely self conscious in my teens and early 20s, so to come to the point where no one else’s opinions of me or my lifestyle can even come close to bothering me is true progress. If someone thought I was mean and rude and inconsiderate, I wouldn’t like that because I know those things aren’t true–not because someone thought or said that and it bothered me. You know that quote “What others think of you is none of your business”? Yeah, that.
I’m not competitive. Well, at least not with others. I know who my competitors are in business, but I don’t obsess about how they appear to be doing. I’m only obsessed with my own numbers and how I am doing compared to the previous year. This crosses over into my personal life too. Even when I’m out running, if I’m running with someone (which I generally avoid, but have been tricked into) or another runner goes by me, I don’t have any strong urges to run fast or longer than them. But when I had a Nike SportWatch, I was always competing against my last run. I would feel shitty if I ran slower than the previous run or didn’t log in as many miles. It was actually a blessing when my SportWatch stopped working. Owning a business has brought the subject of competitiveness to the forefront and I’m glad it did. It’s made me realize that I’m really only competitive with myself, which I think is a good thing.
Being an entrepreneur has been life-changing for me. It’s made me turn into the most confident, self-sufficient version of myself, and Young Allison needed that to happen. (Creeping-Up-On-Middle-Age-Allison does miss Young Allison’s skin elasticity though.) I think knowing about yourself–your strengths, weaknesses, likes and dislikes–helps you build a lifestyle that you’re happy with. And if you’re happy with your lifestyle, you’ve got a leg up on a lot people.
Let’s be clear–most of September was technically summer. There are Fall Pushers out there, and I don’t appreciate it. I’ve still been wearing sandals most days, because it’s warm enough to in Rhode Island, so why would I constrict my feet before I need to?
But, it is truly fall now, and has been since September 23. I can’t deny it. So, here we are. The Falling Into Fall Recap for September.
September was the second busiest weddings month of 2019 for AB Beauty. We had 23 wedding and events, loads of trials and several more 2020 weddings booked. We once again got to work with a ton of great brides, bridesmaids, mothers of the bride and groom and grandmothers, as well as with some of our favorite photographers and wedding planners. (Thanks to all of the wonderful brides I personally worked with this month–Brie, Erin, Alison, Emma, Alexis, Michelle and Beth!) The last two makeup artists I was training finished in early September, which made us all happy. And I started working on some new business ideas, which I’m not going to say anything about for a while. Sorry, not sorry.
Personally, it was a good month for me. I saw a lot of friends and family, made some good progress in Physical Therapy with this inner ear/balance disorder I’ve had since last October and hung out with a new friend. (I love making new friends!) My chiropractor fixed an ankle injury I had, so I was able to get back to running. And I got even more excited for my October Ireland trip. September was basically the emotional pre-gaming for my trip, so I’m ready now.
Truth be told, there were a lot of ups and downs for me in September (why relive the downs, though?). But I came out of this dual season month feeling physically better, with some potentially breakthrough business ideas, a new friend and two more makeup artists on the team. I’ll call it a win.
A Pretty Addiction 