Bobbi Brown Stick Foundation-Product Review

I normally don't do product reviews.  There's lots of other bloggers and web sites that take care of that, but if something really blows me away, of course I just have to put my two cents worth in and sing the products praise.

Such is the case of Bobbi Brown Stick Foundation.  This was my first Bobbi Brown purchase.  I've always been reluctant to spend money for premium makeup, but the older I get the more I go for quality.  Its hard to know when you purchase makeup how it's gonna look when you are standing in the aisle at Walgreen's.  It can get darn overwhelming.  Normally I don't go to an actual makeup counter and get help with products.  So on this particular day when I was with my friend Beverly we ventured into Sephora, the wonderland of all things beauty, and tried out a few products.

Being that I have rosacea I always have a hard time finding something that has great coverage.  I wear foundation everyday so I have tried many brands and still was not satisfied.  So that day at Sephora as my friend was finished sitting in the chair trying our several Bobbi products, I thought it was time to give Bobbi Brown a try.  I explained my dilemma to the consultant and she promptly grabbed that stick foundation.  Lets just say in the end I was a converted Bobbi customer.

I'll tell you my reasons for my new found devotion to this foundation.  First this stick glides on and blends to perfection.  I purchased the foundation brush, but I'm sure you can use another brush or just your fingers for the same result.  You have total control over how much or how little you want to use. It even does an excellent job of covering my redness.  If I need more coverage due to flare-ups, I just swipe more on and blend.  The number one thing that has sold me is even though this stick cost $46, it will last probably at least 3 times longer than my previous liquid foundation.  It ends up saving me money!!!  Sometimes spending a little more makes total sense.  So in the end on that day, I came home with a few great products and money well spent!  On a side note, the particular Sephora that I was in was out of my color of Stick Foundation and the Bobbi Brown consultant sent me home with a vary generous amount in a small container!  Great customer service!!

Aiken-Rhett House Charleston SC-Tuesday Travel Snapshot

In November of 2014 when I went to Yallfest (the famous YA book festival hosted by Blue Bicycle Books in Charleston) in Charleston, South Carolina with my daughter. I left her at times to stand in line on her own for book signings while I went off and explored the city on my own.  Charleston is a beautiful city.  It reminded me of Europe in many ways.  The beautiful iron gates, cobblestone alleys, and architecture just spoke to me while I was there.

I put on my most comfy shoes and took to the streets.  We were lucky enough to have rented a villa right off of King Street listed on VRBO.  It was a perfect location.

One late afternoon I visited the Aiken-Rhett Mansion.  If you are a lover of history, this historic house is a must visit when in Charleston.  This house had been in the family for 142 years and was built in 1820.  William Aiken Sr. purchased the home in 1827 and it was a family residence until the mid twentieth century.

This is just one thing to see in Charleston.  The city is full of things to see and famous King Street is a shopping Mecca.

You can read about my Yallfest experience here.

Facing An Empty Nest Is Bittersweet

This is a year full of changes for our family.  The biggest change is to see our  daughter's last year of High School end and sending her off to college in the fall.  When your children are babies and you are waking up for 2 am feedings it seems like the time that they go out on their own is in the very distant future. Let me just say that that time goes very fast and before you know it you will be through the first day of school, through the adolescent years, and finally seeing them off to adulthood.

At this moment you may need to tell yourself over and over that this is what parenthood is all about.  Everything leads up to the moment when you see them off into the world. All you can hope for is you helped to give them the tools to make decisions on their own that will have a positive impact on their young adult life. 

Being a rather shy- afraid to do things kind of child myself, It took me many years to finally build up enough confidence to do things on my own.  I still have a ways to go, but I wanted to bring up my daughter to have a solid sense of herself and enough independence to think for herself, and realize there is a big wide world out there.  I wanted her to know that she can do anything she wants (within reason of course).  That there is a level of fear in the unknown but each time you take a step to conquer that fear you build up a bit of confidence and the next thing you try, that is just a little bit  more daunting, is within reach.  After several baby steps, you really do believe you can do anything.

As a parent it is hard to accept that your child is at this point. Some parents suffer great anxiety when their kids go off on their own for the first time.  You spend all these years nurturing them, making them the center of your world and then one day you find yourself looking around an empty house and the thought of "what do I do next" creeps in.  Now is the time to immerse yourself in a favorite hobby, or get out and meet people.  It truly is your time to shine.  No matter what you never stop being a parent, but now it's their time to take the reins and steer themselves down their own path.  I know I will never stop worrying and they know you are only a phone call away.

I have a few months until my daughter graduates from High School and then goes off to college at the end of summer.  She's my only child so I've never been through this before and I honestly do not know how I will react. I'm thinking I will be texting her something like 5 times a day at first at which every time I will be able to see her eyes roll whenever she sees my name come up on her phone.  I just know that I am incredibly proud of her and the young adult she has become.

Tuesday Travel Snapshot...View From Warwick Castle England

Quite a few years ago I was lucky enough to spend a week working in England for my company. Thanks to some wonderful people that I worked with that week, I was able to see some beautiful sites. I stayed near Stratford-on-Avon so I was in a perfect area for some great site seeing. One place I toured was Warwick Castle. Although this picture comes from my point and shoot camera and I took a digital picture to post it here, the site of that village from the top of that castle was breathtaking. This was the first time I had ever traveled outside the US. I credit seeing the charm of England with giving me real wanderlust and planting a seed in my mind that it was possible to go anywhere.