Three Fibro-Brain-Proof Beauty Products

The funniest thing happened to me the other day: I ran out of time, as well as steam, when getting ready to see my surgeon about a breast biopsy.  Now, getting to go anywhere takes me a good three hours - thanks to my CFIDS/ME/CFS and fibromyalgia-addled brain and body.  Consequently, I try to get as much done as possible ahead of time, now 24 hours ahead.  Yes, folks, that's how long it takes to make me look anything approaching human!

So the day before, I put out as many items ahead of time as I could, including the toothpaste and toothbrush, right through which shampoo and conditioner I would use, as well as the clothes and boots I'd wear.  (I'll take a Christmas party in whatever shape I can find it in!)  However, when it came to falling asleep that night, I was absolutely bound and determined to fall asleep.  I really didn't think I had it in me to make it to the appointment without any sleep.  By 1AM, I was in desperate straits and decided to sneak in an extra muscle relaxer capsule.  Imagine my surprise when hubs woke me up at 6:30AM  - as requested - in order to start the whole ordeal.

NOTHING helped hubs nor me in the getting-me-up-out-of-bed department.  I was limp, dead.  Worse, all sorts of crazy things were happening to me, including the fact that I was still fighting a bug.  But the "best" part? Even my face was having a hard time waking up - not my legs, mind you, but my face!  I got a bad case of pins and needles. What a dilemma!  I thought back to what I usually do when I come down with pins and needles, but even with my mind definitely in fibro-form, jumping on my face didn't sound like a good option, nor doable when I thought about it.  By 9AM, hubs was desperate to get me out of bed.  Imagine the horror when he realized that I was bound and determined to do my hair and makeup, despite the fast-moving clock. It was time run amuck at its finest and I couldn't think straight: fibro-brain (and a bit more) at its finest.  

But because of said fibro-brain, I ended up discovering that:

• Laura Mercier Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 can stand alone without scaring too many people off.  In fact, my skin was in good enough shape that I forgot to put on a proper foundation!  I've now absolutely fallen in love with this tinted moisturizer which I'd always thought I could only use as a primer.  Thank goodness for brushes: had I used my stippling brush (beautifully washed the night before) I'd have thought that I HAD used a foundation.  
• Eyeliner Cream Shaper For Eyes: this goes on so "creamy-smoothly" (as the Clinque website describes it) that it took only a moment to put on my eyelids.  And best of all, there was no smudging.  I use the brown and it supposedly has a hint of shimmer but it's ever so slight which simply gives eyes a nice pop and definition.
• MAC Eyebrow pencil in "Fling": this has got to be the easiest eyebrow pencil around, small, and no need for a sharpener nor angled brush, which I'm always losing.  I need to order a second one for my bag.  It looked perfect after I got home when I got a good look at what others had seen.

 

Between these three bits of makeup, there was no sign of any hyperpigmention: what is there was deflected by the three products used.

Sometimes fibro-brain can work in your favor!  Who knew?  I have finally found the holy grail for a minimum when too exhausted and finding myself with no time or energy.  Yes, I added a mascara and a quick blush, but the HERO products I used the other day were the ones I described above. 

And yes, sweet daughter of mine: "Mumsy" DEFINITELY misspoke when telling you she needed an "autopsy" done.  Sorry about the momentary scare I gave you!  We'll have to let the world know about  some of my other notable malapropisms, some real doozies!  Yes, they are indeed almost up there with Yogi Berra's!  (BFF: please do stop laughing! You know I've done MUCH worse!)  I should give a prize to the big one I used in this blog - more than once! - a few months ago.  I've not corrected it because I've been waiting a long time for someone to catch it and say something!

Anyway, as always, I hope all are doing their best, only better!  (Fibro-logic at its best.)  Ciao and paka. 

Eyebrow Mini-series Returns, Part 4

A few of my favorites from my eyebrow arsenal.

I know it's been "forever" since I wrote a post re eyebrows and I must admit that part of the problem is that I envisioned a mini-series of at most, two, maybe, three parts.  Instead I feel as if I've wandered into a quagmire which I can't seem to get myself out of!  (See Parts 1 here, 2 here and 3 here .) Who knew that eyebrows are such a complicated subject?  Well, other than the cosmetic industry, which is suddenly making billions on all sorts of brow products each year?  And to add to the delay of another brow post was that I was a bit....well, stunned by what transpired. Just as I was about to write another eyebrow post, something stopped me, and FAST!


Things really were coming along quite nicely, if you recall: actually, I had to check on that, just to be sure!  I remember so little from one day to the next, and it's been over a month since we all last "spoke" about brows, a veritable eternity for one tied down by CFIDS/ME, fibromyalgia, etc.


Last all here had heard, I was about to go off to my "beauty place" and getting my eyebrows done was definitely on the agenda.  Alas, the woman who did my brows was not my normal go-to person and I encountered a problem I'd never had before.


If anyone recalls, I'd been using Rogaine for men on my brows (and let's not forget my FIVE bald spots) at first and then changed the brow "helper" to Smartlash.  When the technician asked me what color I wanted my brows dyed, I told her that Lan used black in the past.  I got a "brows up" look from her but I assured the lady that it was the only thing that had worked in the past.  In fact, I decided to take things a few steps further - fool that I am! In order to ensure the job, I asked that not all color be taken off so that the color could work a bit longer on my ride home. (Where DO I come up with these ideas?)


And so, I was in for a sad surprise once I arrived home - with Groucho Marx brows.  For the first time ever, thanks to Rogaine and SmartLash, I had a few more brow hairs and they seemed to have a nicer texture than before. But in the midst of all this good news, the fact remained that the brows had absorbed every bit of color, and then some! I scrubbed and scrubbed, trying to get the dye off my skin at the very least, to no avail. After a couple of days (of scaring myself each time I happened to catch a glimpse of myself in a mirror) I just hoped to tame the color in any way possible yet Groucho did not want to budge!  I wasn't a happy camper, to say the least.  Of all times for my brows to go overboard, it had to be for my son's wedding?  (Murphy's Law anyone?)


Friends assured me that within two weeks the color would have tamed down: it didn't.  My daughter professed to love the color: "how dare she humor me?" was my feeling.  And the shaping was not wonderful as I was so spoiled by Lan: I kept picking a brow hair off here and there, as visions of "don't over-pluck" from sources galore, danced in my head.


I eventually did discover that if I wore enough eye makeup the look improved but we're talking about a LOT of makeup.  One good thing came out of this: I do believe that I am going to try to master the fake eyelashes, though this project is not on my immediate to-do list: I somehow lost my box of lashes and adhesive between the attic and moving back into my bedroom.  (Huh?  How do you lose something like that???)


But getting back to brows.


Somewhere I'd read about Mac's brow pencil and decided to order it and I'm thrilled to say that I love it.  I use the color Fling;  it was perfect and I liked the fact that you don't need to sharpen this pencil.  I plan to get another one for my handbag for a quick job repair when needed.


In duty free, I was able to pick up two Chanel eyebrow helpers: their pencil (in color 50), which I'm also loving and a trio of browshadows, "Le Sourcil de Chanel Perfect Brows" in 10 Natural, which I've not had a chance to play with much as of yet.  But  they look extremely promising too and given how expensive the brow powders were, I WILL most certainly be experimenting with them.  I was told by the Chanel sales lady that first I should use the pencil, then the powder.  I THINK I have that in the right order, but I really need to look it up to make sure.  (Just kidding: I do remember the right order!)


I'n the meanwhile I've made a monumental decision: I need to look start looking for someone closer to home to do my brows - even hair and if pushing it, my lash tinting locally too.  This should be interesting since I haven't had the inside scoop on anything local in at least 10-15 years now.  But the trips to Pittsburgh are just entirely too stressful, with such uneven results that it's a matter of diminishing returns.


Finally, I must admit that I've gone off my SmartLash as well as my Rogaine. In an earlier post, regarding the use and then dropping of Rogaine, I wrote:


"I think my biggest problem is that I'll use it but then something will happen (a flare, a relapse, a crisis) and when life gets back to "normal," I forget all about it.  We've just started moving back into our bedroom and bath and already, as my life is slipping out of control a bit - OK, more than a bit, but more controllable than what's been the norm in the last two years - I'm finding it hard to remember to take my meds, much less remember to work Rogaine into the needed areas of my head."


Ah, how true. But I am not going to be defeated. I have started onto a regime and though I'm going throug a rough patch, I'm sticking to it and adding other "goodies," which I will discuss in the next week or so, so more on this later. 


But I did think it was funny that I knew exactly what happened to my Rogaine routine countless times and yet glad that I've pinpointed the problem because I always say, "knowledge is power..."  I'll be writing a post on this soon, my "health plan" (ha!).


Here's to everyone feeling their best, only better!



NOTE: This is always good for a laugh!  I can't really see the screen.  I can't make out some of the letters at all, others are murky.  And I lost my post and had to return to the first draft of it...  How many hours wasted and for what?  This DD is a barrell of laughs. Ay!  How did I ever think this was going to be fun?  It is, after all, me and the Internet: that is NOT a good combo!  ;)