Saying Hi and Syncing this Blog with TikTok

So it's been a while yeah? Though I haven't been posting on my blog as frequently I've been much more active on my Instagram and most recently my TikTok. I love TikTok for the short form content but it's a bit...volatile to say the least and I want to be able to have a place to share the TikTok but provide more context/reviews/thoughts etc so I'll be embedding some of my older TikToks with more information so it's not just reposting it here. One of the things I've been doing is posting more makeup looks so here's one I did for Valentine's Day. Hope you enjoy and I am striving to be more active here!

@mthy.ly The pink in the @Shellwe.Makeup x @freya86 Somber Garden is doing the heavy lifting in this pink look for Valentine’s Day. Rest of products used: @Alamar Cosmetics Mauvete from the Desnudeas Exotica palette Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy @Judydoll US Ultrafine liquid liner in Deep Brown @e.l.f. Cosmetics Wow Brow in Dark Brown @Beauty of Joseon tinted SPF in MY210 (PR sample) @Sigma Beauty Powder in Vanilla Bean @Persona Cosmetics Dreamstick in Carmel @Half Caked Candy Paint Highlighter in Sugar Cookie @Jason Wu Beauty Lip Liner in Adored (use my affiliate code MAITHY15 on their website for 15% off!) Half Caked Lip Gloss in Cake Baby #jasonwucrew #halfcakedcosmetics #alamarcosmetics #shellwemakeup #beautyofjoseon #pinkmakeup #valentinesdaymakeup ♬ supernatural - Ariana Grande

Glossier Skywash Matte Eyeshadow: Swatches and Review

I Purchased This Affiliate Link

Hey everyone!

Obviously it's been a long time since I've updated the blog. Life, being a parent, etc takes up a lot of time but I realized that I set myself up for failure by feeling like I have to post consistently vs. posting when I want to. So here I am to say I haven't abandoned the blog, but will just post when inspiration strikes. I have a backlog of half finished posts (including a bunch of Glossier reviews) so I hope my inspiration stays for a while.

For today I have a review and swatches of four Glossier Skywash Matte Eyeshadows. These are liquid-to-powder eyeshadows for a sheer matte finish on the eyes. I'll admit that I was enticed by these eyeshadows because I really wanted something similar to the Wet n Wild matte liquid eyeshadows. 

I picked up four of the seven, Echo, Palm, Terra, and Valley. The other three colors included a Lawn (grass-lime green), Pool (pale blue), and Pebble (taupe). I knew I wasn't going to wear the green or blue so I immediately passed on them and the taupe seemed a bit too light. These colors were inspired by the Southwestern landscapes and I totally see the inspiration.

Click through to continue reading my review and see swatches!

Meet Leo

Hello everyone, it's quite overdue but I'm happy to introduce someone special to the world. My little Leo arrived a little over two weeks early on a Sunday in October. 

As you can see, he wasn't very enthused about the Christmas photos.

I was due in early November and spent the week leading up to giving birth talking about how I was hoping not to give birth in October because I didn't feel ready to give birth to an October baby (since I'd drilled the idea of a November baby in my head). Baby clearly had other plans and my water broke at 10am on Sunday.

I tried to be calm when I told my husband about my water breaking, see if you can spot when I told him based on his heart rate monitor.

Twelve hours later with an epidural that I only benefitted from for less than 2 hours, I gave birth at 10pm. All things considered, I know I had a relatively easy birth since it was 12 hours from start to finish but it definitely didn't seem that easy while I was in the thick of it.

The COVID restrictions were tough, I was only allowed one companion who could not leave during my stay. That meant only my husband could be with me while the rest of my family had to wait. We wore masks during the process, though my husband and I were allowed to take them off while we were alone in the room. While I had been dealing with the restrictions during the entire pregnancy (my husband wasn't allowed at ANY of my prenatal appointments), it seemed more difficult not to share in the moment with my family there.

The beginning was also rough because he had jaundice, a tongue tie that was revised, poor latching despite the revision resulting in me exclusively pumping, and now torticollis (tight neck muscle) which contributed to a flat spot on the left side of his head. Leo's almost four months old but I'm feeling like it's only now that I feel like my head is above water and I have time to do more than just feed him, change him, and put him to sleep.  It's all too easy to feel like I'm losing my sense of identity beyond just being a mother, especially as a first time mom but I'm thankful for the support I've been able to have. 

Sometimes I'm in disbelief that they let me go home with him but it's really been worth the hard nights (and poo diapers!)

How have you all been? I still have trouble writing and typing 2021.

Lisa Eldridge True Velvet Lip Colours: Swatches and Review

I Purchased This

Hey everyone!

Today I have a long overdue review on the Lisa Eldridge True Velvet Lip Colours in Velvet Fawn and Velvet Muse. I've been watching Lisa Eldridge for many years now and I felt so keen to support her/her launch. I'll be honest with myself and admit that a majority of the appeal behind these lipsticks are because they're by Lisa, because they're rather expensive and can be harder to get since they only restock in Autumn/Winter so I wanted to get this post up before the restock/preorder (and new launches) tomorrow October 3rd at 1600 GMT (or 8am PST/11am EST if you're in the Americas) with both the lipstick and new Gloss Embrace shipping on the 19th.

I know talking about traditional lipsticks while we're still wearing face masks seems out of place but honestly the downtime from both the pandemic and my pregnancy gave me a ton more opportunity to wear makeup at home, even when I'm not going anywhere or needing to be on any kind of online meeting.

Still, I wanted to share my thoughts especially since they're an expensive purchase!