July Favorites: A Tale of 2 Kitties
I truly cannot believe I am already writing my July favorites…yet here I am…writing my July favorites post.
Man, you guys. This month has been filled with change and excitement. This month has put me through it and I’ll tell you why.
On July 9th, Jake and I doubled the cat population at our house, kinda by accident. Before this, we had 2 cats, an 11 year old brown tabby Miles and an almost 8 years old gray tabby Pixel. You might know them as @milesandpixel. We’d loosely thrown around the idea of a third cat, not opposed to another.
So we went to “look” at a kitten named Wilbur. Jake joked in the car, “what if when we got in there, he was all snuggled up with a sibling?” I don’t even think I responded but you know where this is going.
We walked in and I didn’t even realize it was Wilbur in the cage because he seemed too big to be an 11 week old kitten. That is because he was, in fact, snuggled up with a sibling.
It was in that moment I thought, “$%*#&. We just went from being those people to those people.” Several years ago, I casually told a repairman at our house that my limit would be 4 cats. And here I was, looking my limit in their tiny faces.
I’m not spontaneous and I research everything before making big decisions. I’m a realist and I analyze all the possible outcomes. Yet, something came over me at the animal shelter that day. My brain started on fire and before I knew it, I heard myself saying to the shelter employee, “we’ll be getting both of them.” Some of you may know this as baby fever, while I myself experience a phenomena called kitten fever.
I told Jake we needed to talk and I asked him 2 important questions:
“Do you want both of them?” and “Are we crazy?”
This was followed by a meow-filled car ride in which I exclaimed, “Holyshitwehave4cats!”
Fast forward to now, 3 weeks later. We have 2 of the most playful, loving kittens who couldn’t love each other more. I’ve never seen 2 cats adore one another the way they do.
However, they’re currently on their 3rd antibiotic…add this to a dewormer and ear infection treatment. With Jake’s help, I’ve been administering little syringes of meds, wiping butts, cleaning multiple litterboxes and going to vet appts….all while running my makeup artistry business.
They’re doing better though and I adore them so of course they are worth the lack of sleep and round the clock care.
Follow along as they grow over at @wilburandwilliam. Yeah, this is the 4th Instagram account I have. I don’t want to talk about it.
What does this means for my beauty routine?
Trust me; more than you know. So I’ve been sleeping in the guest bedroom with them for the past 3 weeks, which means I’ve not been doing my usual skincare routine in our master bathroom. So what have I been using? Read on.
Loli Beauty Pank Plum Elixir
Because this product lives in my makeup room, it’s is what I’ve been using as my nighttime moisturizer since William and Wilbur burst onto the scene. My skin has been super stable and I am assuming this is why.
It’s definitely not a dry oil, so you’ll probably just want to use it at night like I do because of the heavier feel. Another tip would be to use less. I’ve concluded 6 drops is too many.
I am so proud of Natch Beaut podcast host Jackie Johnson for creating this collection with Loli Beauty. I love her, her podcast and I love this facial oil too. Use code natch to save money!
I’ll be reviewing this and the other Loli Beauty items I purchased in a future blog post so stay tuned for that.
I have 2 iconic 90’s girl crushes. #1 is Cindy Crawford. I’ve idolized her since I was little and when I saw Charlotte Tilbury had a shade of her named after her, it was a done deal.
Without surprise, has turned out to be my perfect nude. It’s got a little warmth to it so it’s perfect for a yellow undertone like me. I was going to slice some off to carry in my freelance kit but I honestly think I’m going to be selfish with and keep it all to myself!
My melasma is really effing bad this summer, despite my faithful, daily SPF usage. I’m going to try a chemical peel but not until after summer so until then, I need to cover melasma like a mo fo.
I’m going to film a video on this but this is a key product you need to fully cover deep pigmentation. I use this first, under foundation or concealer and stipple it onto only the dark discoloration marks.
You will still need to use foundation on top but this prevents the dark marks from peeking through, looking ashy and gray.
Aveda Feed My Lips-Prickly Pear
This vivid hot pink lipstick from Aveda was the icing on the cake to a look I got to do on my first actual celebrity a few weeks ago.
Alyssa Milano was in town as the keynote speaker at an event and I am so fortunate to have gotten to do her makeup! She told me she wanted to look youthful and fresh but also to do whatever I wanted.
I did a kinda champagne/bronzey eye with this hot pink lip and I really felt relieved with how it turned out. If you want the full look breakdown, head to my Instagram highlighted story here.
Non Beauty Favorites
Geometric earrings
I got these on Amazon and though the circle ones broke instantly, for the price, they look really cool and I get compliments on them. I’m actually wearing the square ones in the photo with Alyssa Milano above!
YouTube Workout Videos
I really want to focus on getting stronger because my job involves standing and can be somewhat physical. As a freelance makeup artist, my schedule is different every day, from week to week. A class or gym membership would likely get unused so I’ve found that doing workout videos from these 2 channels has been great for me.
Love Sweat Fitness
POPSUGAR Fitness
I just pick what I want to do that day and try to mix it up with areas on the body on different days. Don’t take fitness advice from me btw. I just wanted to let you know about some really great free resources.
Not relevant to me, but if you’re pregnant, postpartum, planning to be, etc. check out one of my makeup clients, Heather of Hot and Healthy Life. She just launched a pregnant athlete program and also has some great resources for moms who want to get/stay fit.
Mascara and Truffle Surprises: September Favorites - Ivy Boyd Makeup
10/17/2021 at 10:14 AM[…] see his brother, Wilbur, not knowing he had a brother with him in the kennel. Read more about them HERE. Now, I can’t imagine life without this sweet little marshmallow […]