Well Good Evening (morning to those of you just starting your day…).
I am feeling about a million times better, it’s a funny old life, I spent the day doing exactly what I knew would make me feel better…and it worked…plus then I decided to blog about a new little make-up find…
I guess you could say that I used to be a bit of a product junkie, or at the least a wannabe junkie – that was the days before I had 3 children, a move to the other side of the world and life got real busy…and that was before the days of moving to Australia, where my old faves like Chanel and Lancome and all those brands are really just so much more expensive here…so since I have been here, and since, of course the wonder of sharing on the internet, I love nothing better than discovering and finding a new product and or brand that I might never have done before.
So we have recently been talking about primer on Facebook, I have never been a primer user…for a few reasons…one, do I really need another product on my face? two, do I have time for any more faffing in the morning? and three, is it yet another marketing man’s dream that is so not relevant for real girls like me?
…but after the Facebook gals gave their input & feedback I have been trying out different ones…with mostly mediocre results…I don’t know what I was expecting from a primer, but I wasn’t getting it… so I kinda gave up…
And then I saw L’Oreal Base Magique pop up everywhere I went…you know how that happens? I read about it in the newspaper, there was a review of it in one of those gossip magazines while I was having my hair done and it was literally on every beauty blog that I frequent in the bath.
it’s pretty good…to make it on this blog it has to be…
It is in a tiny little pot and at $30 – (you can at least half that price if you are not in Australia) I think it’s not actually that cheap if you use it a lot…having said that this goes a long way…
As with many of these products, rather than actually in incite you to buy it, sticking ‘magic’ or in this case adding a bit of French in there too, ‘Magique’ puts me off…this, or any other product, may I add, will never be able to wave a wand and get me to look like I want to look but hey ho…
Here’s what I wanted it to do…even up my skin tone, do something to those pores that you can about jump in if you wanted to and thirdly I wanted it to be the magician that it claims to be on the packaging and advertising…I also wanted it to act in two ways, firstly to be able to just ‘be there’ if I was in a rush in the morning with nothing over the top…but also be good for wearing under another product should I have the time and the inclination (I was particularly interested in using this with the Garnier BB brightening effects).
Verdict : Pretty darn good.
This goes on nicely, kinda glides on and definitely evens out those imperfect bits and somehow, amazingly helps with the pore situation…it’s kinda velvety and makes your skin very smooth…this makes the skin somehow look more, somehow, together…more done…I don’t know how it manages it, but it does, oh hang on, I do know..it’s magic…haha
It does though make the skin very matte…so if you are after dewy, which, as you know, is the look I like, to stop me looking like I just emerged from the cemetery, you won’t want to put it all over…but dotted on that horrid little t-zone and combined with the Garnier BB or my highlighter in the morning, it’s like one stop (ok two) to looking less grave-like for real girls…
And you know what else it does, as if my magic? It helps girls on broomsticks on the beaches, feel better…
And that my friends is thirty bucks very well spent…
See you tomorrow for Good Life Wednesdays…it will be a bit later than normal, I’ll be blogging Good Life Wednesdays in the evening Sydney time, so get your posts ready… , oh and Skinny jeans winners coming up soon.
p.s. yep I didn’t just buy one of these
random commenter on this post will get a little pot of magic to try…courtesy of abeachcottage.com, broomstick optional
just tell me what you do to get shot of Broomstick Days…read a book, hop in the bath, a lil’ Limoncello on ice, tie a few kiddos to trees? I’d lurve to know your anti-broomstick mechanisms…
Facebook, Twitter or generally shout this out to the world & you’ll go in more than once
happy days
xo
this may be called L’Oreal Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Basefrom where you are from (I know a lot of you who read here are all over the world…I don’t know that for a fact, but from what I can tell from all the make-up review sites, it’s the same stuff)
(product review & giveaway by abeachcottage.com & in no way affiliated to or sponsored by L’Oreal & I did not receive this product for free)
I love primers, I´m using the Primer HD from NYX right now.
What I also wonder is why in Brazil, as in Australia, L´oreal products are so expensive when in the US, Chile, Argentina they are so affordable…
quellove.wordpress.com
Mmm, sounds like a nice product! I might have to try it out myself…however I will have to wait till I use up the face cream I have got already, or else hubby will raise more than one eyebrow at yet another bottle of cream in our tiny bathroom vanity haha! To get rid of broomstick days….and I say days for there have been several, I go for a walk, curl up on the couch and look at my favourite blogs, watch Pride and Prejudice (BBC of course!) potter in the garden, have a cup of tea in one of my lovely vintage tea cups, or bake something.
Love the butter cake recipe…am going to try it out!
xo Rachel
Bake, bake, bake. Must be sweet, preferably with chocolate or butter frosting whipped in a kitchen aid and you must have the kitchen all to yourself whilst playing music of your choice. Oh, and you must wear a lineny, frenchy apron. And if you are making cupcakes, you must put them into those pretty wrappers you’ve been saving for that special day.
I do love it when you and the gals on FB recommend something to us- somehow it seems like a *proper, honest, real* review- even though most mags claim there’s is too!
I loved the Garnier BB cream you posted about earlier…so I’m going to be looking out for this and posting it to my FB galfriends in Oz.
(They all loved your skinny jeans recommendation by the way!)
The best way for me to chill out and clear my head is to browse a book store. Even better if they have magazines and a cafe in the bookstore. Ah, bliss.
The best thing I can do for myself on Broomstick Days is running. The faster the better. And then stretch…
Sleeping, taking a bubble bath or going for a walk with my camera also helps:)
I get in the tub with lots of bubbles and a really good book to get rid of my broomstick. Great give away. I love using a primer and have tried several lately. They have been samples and I recently placed an order for one from Sephora.
Broomsticks days are remedied by going somewhere by myself. I either go to one of my favorite shops, read a book or a good ole’ chick flick. I so….enjoy my alone time. Thanks for the make-up tip. I’ve been using Oil Of Olay for years, passed down from my Mom. Just wondering if this would be okay for sensitive skin like mine?
My anti-broomstick antidote would be coffee, a good novel and baking. Honestly I’m kinda ho hum in baking but that’s that. A cake well baked is time well spent. This stuff looks nice…I have a very important wedding to attend and I have combination skin. Maybe a bit of magique will help. The name’s too cliche, dont you think so? Like Magik. Over use.
I let my broomstick cures out yesterday but I think I’ll add another one today. Watch a really great movie. I think I hear “Gosford Park” calling my name tonight.
An escape usually does the trick….either going out or a great movie works for me. This primer looks nice. I’m oily and would love a smoother complexion. Thanks!
For my broomstick days I usually curl up in bed with a good book, some hot tea and a Valium. That generally does the trick. Happy to hear your feeling better.
Straight Jackets and Shopping Sarah The jackets are for my kids and hubby so they can’t follow me as I head out for some retail therapy.
Then home for a little G&T or Vodka & Cranberrie medicine on the back deck with a good mag.
Hope you are feeling better xx
so you can prime your face and not just furniture?! oh joy! i could do with some of that! loved your last makeup “shout” on the Garnier Skin Perfector. Using it everyday now!
well, i head straight outside and paint whatever i can get my hands on. and if it’s late enough in the afternoon, a glass or 2 of champas in a bubble bath always does the trick
Kate x
As for the broomsticking, it’s been happening all too often as of late. Early bedtimes are my saviour. Especially now that we’ve had our fall time change and it gets darker earlier.
A girl’s gotta have a broomstick around.. good for keeping the men in line!! LOL.. when my THREE sons were young, I would threaten to get them all a set of handcuffs for Christmas so I could handcuff them to their beds and allow myself some free time and peace!! It didn’t really work, and yes I KNOW it is illegal, but they didn’t!! LOL… now that they are grown, don’t need the broom or the handcuffs, but they all have their place!! I am soo with ya on the primer.. started out thinking.. hmm just something ELSE to put on my face and add minutes to my a.m. routine, which includes pushing the button on the coffeemaker and combing my hair before starting work (at home)… but when I use it.. it does seem to make a difference on this dry-skinned wishful thinker! Love your blog from here in the States!
I bought 2 pairs of the skinny jeans (1 for me, 1 for daughter) and didn’t try them on in the store . . . I see now what you mean about needing a size up from what you regularly would wear! Both of them have to go back But I could see the potential and am excited to get them on in the correct size . . .
Broomstick days? Music. Beautiful music. Loud music. Classical, rock, jazz . . . just something to get my body and brain tuned to a different channel! And a cup of tea. Big, deep breathe and then relax. That usually does the trick until a kid comes in whining about something . . . some days are just gonna be bad!
It’s called Studio Secrets Smoothing Resurfacing Primer
in New Zealand and even more expensive at $36 – I am not sure if I even buy it in a shop!!! I love the look of this – I had primer I liked by revlon but they stopped doing it and their other ones were not the same.
I have posted a couple of times but I am not sure if I have told you I love your blog and watch avidly and with amazement for you nearly daily installments – I am not sure how you fit it in with three kids but I am glad you do!!!
A bubble bath, glass of wine and a very early night. My broomstick was out yesterday after a stressful few days at work. I would love to try the primer!
Hi there – Great to read about the results of products out there – but I am concenred about this product and so many others because of their animal testing… unfortunately Loreal have been guilty of it also – despite what people may think – therefore – the product doesnt appeal – why cant they test these products on humans!!!!!
hey sarah now this will be something i am gonna try!!! thanks for the good info!!
to get rid of broomstick days i hop on my beach cruiser (a.k.a. the pink lady) and i ride the trails whilst secretly wishing i was somewhere on a boardwalk by the beach riding it but i guess for now i have to settle for the trails!!!
xoxox
kim
awesome review… I’ve been looking for a great primer myself… I’ve tried the one Victoria Secret has –and primers def. makea difference… I try to save them for special occasions and when I’m going out for a night on the town.
To get rid of those broomstick days, which honestly have been happening more frequently the older I get, I have a glass of wine. A big glass. Filled to the top. Or a beer. In an ice cold glass. Yes, filled to the top. Yum.
On broomstick days I get my trainers on and head for Grafham Water our beautiful local reservoir. I power walk furiously round the first bit then start to slow down and admire the scenery, smile and say hello to people. The essential ending – a cup of earl grey and chocolate cake on the cafe patio watching the boats sail by. Calm……..
Hm, broomstick days…well a bit of “me time” in the shower without anyone else yapping in my ear in the bathroom sets me up for the day and helps me get off to a good start.
Otherwise a bit of head space from the 4 kiddo’s to get lost in a book, go for a walk (or exercise in general) or offload to a friend who knows me warts and all always helps and if all that fails then maybe a glass of bubbles or Baileys, or wine will do the trick
Chocolate, Chocolate, and Chocolate works in a pinch. But for those especially bad broomstick days, I take whatever time I can and just hole up and relax; either snuggled in bed or unwinding in a hot bath. Being selfish about that extra time to myself is a gift to everyone.
I sneek into my local library and borrow some Mills & Boon. Total trash. After I finish reading each book I even write a score out of ten or a short comment on the special signature sheet the library puts on the inside cover so all us tragics can keep track of which ones we have already read. This is my dirty little secret that most people I know would be shocked about because it is in complete contrast to my profession.
Would love to try the L’Oreal product Sarah. I too have developed a couple of pores you could jump in. I don’t feel alone know. lol lol
Just found your blog tonight and LOVING it! What a way to spend a Sunday night Getting inspired & planning tasks for the week. Broomstick Day? I’m guessing it’s the day that you should be cleaning but fill with other things like… dragging the girlfriends out for a coffee… a walk on the beach with my 2 year old daughter… taking the kids to the waterpark on the beach… surfing the net finding inspirational blogs!
broomstick days.. . . pet the cat then go for a walk or bike ride! or if staying indoors, doing some sewing or crafting always improves my outlook on things – this primer looks wonderful! I am a huge L’Oreal fan anyway – thanks!
G'day! I'm Sarah, I live in a tatty old cottage, near the sea in Australia with a battered old deck & a big old fig tree out the back...stripped wooden floors, old sash windows & a jumble of vintage furniture. [Read More …]
Beach Cottage ladies, we have some vintage linen and some wood/twig washed up on the beach today here in Beach Cottage Land….don’t say I don’t keep you entertained now will you . Come on in. So, yep I have posted about colanders on this blog, about things sourced from the side of the road, about [...]
G'day ladies, let's have a Too Easy Beach Cottage recipe yeah? The original place for Too Easy Recipes on the web ;-)
So, after my last salad went down a storm in my inbox, that's here if you missed it, I had to do this one seeing as I make it most weeks.
There is a problem with this salad and kiddos though...it looks, well, it looks, kinda yucky...but once they try it, they'll ask if and when they are next having it....at least that's what happens in this ratty old cottage...but I must interject here that my kiddos are 'good eaters'? ...they didn't get a choice in that ;-)
Now, stop, don't start running and hitting that next on your blog reading list, pulses are your best friend in the Too Easy Dump & Go kitchen for the busy mum, or busy anyone for that matter...that reminds me I must blog the garlic canneloni Go To for when you forgot to do dinner, feel like a bath but have three ravenous young Beach Cottage Kiddos on your hands...another day.
I am almost embarrassed to tell you how easy this is, we have it so much that I always have a couple, make that six, cans of lentils around and a jar of goat's cheese in the fridge...the great thing about this is that it's all too easy to get ready in just a few minutes, but it looks, tastes and seems like you did oh so very much more than that.
You can obviously too change it up a bit depending on what you have to hand in your kitchen, and I must say that is how I settled on this version...because one day when I made it I didn't have enough Parsley in the garden and so I chucked in some basil too, and liked the Summer feel it added.
I think of this as being a rather posh salad, not sure why, because it couldn't really be further from the truth...the great thing is that it works so well for an average run of the mill day, (when I did this for this blog post, it was a hot Sydney Sunday and I did it just simply to go with Rosemary & Garlic stuffed pork, you can see that pork here),
...but just as easily it works on a regular old Wednesday night when you have lost all enthusiasm for rustling up yet another meal, or indeed on Saturday night, when your friends are on their way over for dinner and you my friend, are in your new vintage inspired clawfoot bathtub (that's me in a few weeks time, k?) without any clothes on, a tipple and no idea what to cook for dinner...
I have a complicated and ever-changing relationship with goat's cheese...it never fails me in its performance and it never fails to impress me (you can find out a bit more on what I like in food here if you like) and I kinda collect it...because it's very easy to collect and has a fairly long fridge-life, I love trying out different ones and there's not many things I love more than goat's cheese on sourdough...but I think the best thing about it is not thinking about it exclusively in the toast/salad department...I've stuffed it in chicken and all sorts of things as a last minute and it's been fab.
But let's get down to the nitty gritty of this super salad that makes you look like an angel who has been on her knees all day scrubbing the front step when really you are in the digital world and spent most of ...
G'day Beach Cottage ladies, howdy, howdy howdy today for a Beach Cottage Too Easy recipe.
If you like cake, cream, sugar and chocolate, make this.
This is, rather than a recipe, a putting it together...as you know I am no dessert maker, but, I do make quite a few sweet things, because, somehow I have ended up with kiddos, who in their roles as offspring, believe that part of the deal, is that not only do I feed them a home-cooked meal with a few homegrown ingredients in there, yes, they also believe that dessert and not the kind that comes out of a packet is included too in this All-Inclusive Deal they call Parenthood.
So, this, for sure, is no culinary masterpiece, but if you are looking for something that is so very easy, dump-able, uses everyday ingredients and at the same time makes you look like you spent hours pulling things together plus tastes good....well, then this is for you.
Best though, you don't make this for yourself, if you have spent the most part of your week sitting on your derriere reading blogs...this my friend ain't low in the calories department...if, however, you are treating yourself to a delight in a mason jar, this is so for you.
I first had a version of this when at dinner back in Old Blighty with a girl, I once, in another life, caught the train up from our village to London with...she was a funny thing really...I am not quite sure how we got on...she was kinda prissy and a bit bothered by too much...I would run to the train flustered, having got up late, and she would have a spreadsheet on the train times, if you know what I mean.
Anyway, a few years later when we both had bambinos, I bumped into her again and we met up for playdates and dinner sometimes....this particular night, after a lovely meal she served up little bowls of creamy, cakey fruity stuff topped off with chocolate flake...it was delicious!
She didn't serve hers in little jars like this, hers were in a champagne glass and not quite so layered as these ones, plus she used tinned fruit not fresh or frozen.
Years later when said offspring kept requesting dessert, one day I wangled together somehow these from what was around in the fridge and they've been with us ever since.
Most likely, if you ever come here for dinner, and shock horror, you dont' bring the dessert with you, this, if you are lucky, will be what you will get.
Throw it all together, sprinkle a lil bit of chocolate on the top and the blog reading past-time you so rudely left in order to make this, is my friend, your oyster.
Beach Cottage Too Easy Layered Raspberry, Cream & Sponge Dessert
1 small maderia or butter cake or a pack of cupcakes (or of course make your own)
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
8 tbsp fruit
1 x chocolate Flake or chocolate bar for grating
1. beat the cream cheese until it is soft
2. whip the cream until soft peaks form
3. combine & add the sugar through
4. cut your cake into portions
& layer into the bottom of your jar
5. add a tablespoon of fruit
6. layer on top the cream combo
7. repeat
8. grate chocolate or Flake on top
*Beach Cottage Recipe Notes : this is just a guide really, you can use any cream that you have on hand...I have made this with clotted cream (don't even go there unless you want to seriously get these babies on your thighs), with double cream and I have even, in desperate times squirted in that, ...
G'day Beach Cottage ladies, well I thought it was time for some blogging tips here today, alongside a few nice flowers and shells ;-)
I was recently part of a blogger discussion group over at Kidspot and a couple of hours later had a few questions from girls who couldn't make it to the live chat, one was on my Facebook page and one via email, the Facebook one I will deal with in another Real Girl Blogging Tips post...the email one asked me what essentials do I think every blog needs?
Well I have been around here for a while now doing the blogging thing, so I should know this, yeah and I mused this on my walk by the sea this morning I thought well what do you only need?
...I think it is really very easy when blogging, whether or not you are blogging up there in the lofty heights of the Super Bloggers or you are just dipping your toe in the water, to get side-tracked by 101 million different things that are 'essential' to your blog and if you are someone like me who actually gets a thrill from reading blogging tips then you are in an even worse place because you will find yourself literally buzzing with these essential things to add/do/implement on your blog.
However, walking along, gulping down that brisk sea air today (no sunshine & clouds) I thought you actually don't need any of that professional blogging stuff to be successful...but there are a few things that are pretty much crucial ...and once I started to think about it I got it down to about 5 - these are the only things that you need to concentrate on...once you have read through take a look at some of the big girl's blogs...you'll see that actually they don't have bundles of stuff on their blogs...but they do have all of these...
So here are my top things that your blog must have
1. About Page
There are all sorts of About Pages out there, and if you search on it there are many different tips and ideas for what to have on yours
Whatever blogging platform you use, adding an About Me Page is easy, quick and simple and will do everything to grow your blog.
I like a long-ish About Page, I am inherently nosy and I like to know a bit more about the person but at the least you should have on it your name and where you are located. I also think a photo is good too...over the last year or so I think this has become more important in blogging - if you are hesitant about that as I was, you can try using sunglasses or a behind shot until you get comfortable.
There is nothing worse than stumbling upon a new blog and going to find out more to only be faced with a piddly little one liner About Me Page...well there is something worse, not having one at all!
2. Contact Page
The chances are someone, somewhere will want to contact you and you will be surprised what lands in your inbox once you put yourself out there on the world wide web with a blog.
Many bloggers also use this page to include details for PR's/brands that may want to contact them and some bloggers put their stats on there too.
A short, to the point and simple Contact Page works really well...whenever I have wanted to contact another blogger I am often very busy and have limited time so I don't want to hang around sifting through information looking for an email address, so concise and clear ...
G'day lovely Beach Cottage lovelies.
So, yeah, so on a roll people, so on a roll.
I feel kinda home accessory wired right now.
I am always telling people, if anyone ever listens, that blogging is all about passion, not that sort of passion, but about passion that makes one tick.
Things like this make me tick tick boom.
I love finding things that suit my budget and let me treat my home but look amazing too.
So without further adieu I introduce you, ladies of the beach, to the blue vintage glasses that I have been stroking for about a week or two now...
These glasses are from a little boutique I sometimes happen upon, this boutique sells also pet accessories, carpet cleaner, bras and compost...it's quite unique though.
And, thanks to my friend Marnie (she blogs over here, go take a look at her praying position, interesting), who just so happens to be one day having me over for a lil' Greek dinner, has let me in on the fact that we call Kmart....The KMart...with an accent ....as in 'I love The KMart'...just like her MIL does. Oh yeah. Love that.
So I have had my eye on reproduction vintage glass blue wine glasses and being trying to find real true vintage blue glasses for like ever.
Oh yes I have spied them in Frenchy boutiques, I have lusted after them in stores that I shouldn't even enter and I have put them back pretty quickly in those shops with the hand-written price tags. C'mon, you know the ones.
And, though all of the above have tempted me, muchly, really, even with my wardrobe stashing skills I just thought that, actually, I'd rather be saving that casherooni for our next trip overseas..
Hello The KMart.
Tick Tick Boom
Vintage style blue wine glasses.
Do not come to my old place and think you might pick up one of these and smile with pleasure at their handblown quality, their weight, and be secretly jealous that my wine glasses cost more than your car...friend, that would not happen...these do not feel like that...indeed these in a funny way reminded me of my baby girl, she was a tiny little thing, with stick legs, the tinsssssssiest ankles and wrists you ever did see, she slept sideways in her cot wedged in between rolled up blankets and would only settle attached to Mr Beach Cottage or I or a (dirty) pj top of mine scrunched up under her nose...the first few times I picked her up to cuddle, being used to Honeymoon Baby who weighed in at 9lbs at birth and has never really stopped growing, I nearly threw her little bird-cum-rat down covered body over my shoulder.
These glasses are like that...be careful or you might lose your wine down the front of your shirt.
But oh baby, we are not talking picking up here, we are not talking quality, we are not talking house accessory snobbery.
Beach Cottage ladies, we are talking aesthetics.
And this is what I need in my cottage.
Blue vintage style glass, paired with coastal / nautical / beach stuff on my deck.
It's The KMart.
Tune in tomorrow, tomorrow, I have more budget foofing for your home, or maybe it will be the dress that wraps me up in supermarket-chic and makes me feel like me again.
Good Day to you my friends, wanna come hang out on my deck, talk house accessories, The KMart and drink some wine from blue glasses?
Sarah
) and that was it, I thought I must get myself a pot of this so called magic…and so I did a week or so ago and I’ve been using and liking it ever since..
, oh and Skinny jeans winners coming up soon.
Sounds like a good find Sarah. I get rid of Broomstick days by either going to bikram yoga and sweating it out, a cycle, or shopping !
Thanks for stopping by my blog yesterday, please do call again. I adore yours.
Joanne
http://www.balletpumpsandroses,com
x
I love primers, I´m using the Primer HD from NYX right now.
What I also wonder is why in Brazil, as in Australia, L´oreal products are so expensive when in the US, Chile, Argentina they are so affordable…
quellove.wordpress.com
Mmm, sounds like a nice product! I might have to try it out myself…however I will have to wait till I use up the face cream I have got already, or else hubby will raise more than one eyebrow at yet another bottle of cream in our tiny bathroom vanity haha! To get rid of broomstick days….and I say days for there have been several, I go for a walk, curl up on the couch and look at my favourite blogs, watch Pride and Prejudice (BBC of course!) potter in the garden, have a cup of tea in one of my lovely vintage tea cups, or bake something.
Love the butter cake recipe…am going to try it out!
xo Rachel
Anti-broomstick? love it.
Bake, bake, bake. Must be sweet, preferably with chocolate or butter frosting whipped in a kitchen aid and you must have the kitchen all to yourself whilst playing music of your choice. Oh, and you must wear a lineny, frenchy apron. And if you are making cupcakes, you must put them into those pretty wrappers you’ve been saving for that special day.
Morning Sarah-
I do love it when you and the gals on FB recommend something to us- somehow it seems like a *proper, honest, real* review- even though most mags claim there’s is too!
I loved the Garnier BB cream you posted about earlier…so I’m going to be looking out for this and posting it to my FB galfriends in Oz.
(They all loved your skinny jeans recommendation by the way!)
Melissa
Myers for the gorgeous square cake stand- hmmm…may have to send my mama there for a christmas hunt for me- thanks sarah! x
The best way for me to chill out and clear my head is to browse a book store. Even better if they have magazines and a cafe in the bookstore. Ah, bliss.
Hmmm I am not usually one to use things like a primer or base, but I could definitely use a little magic and this sounds pretty good!
As for those Broomstick Days… crank the music and dance like a dervish!
The best thing I can do for myself on Broomstick Days is running. The faster the better. And then stretch…
Sleeping, taking a bubble bath or going for a walk with my camera also helps:)
I get in the tub with lots of bubbles and a really good book to get rid of my broomstick. Great give away. I love using a primer and have tried several lately. They have been samples and I recently placed an order for one from Sephora.
Broomstick days do not stand a chance if I haul out a glass of Red and some chocolate!
Broomsticks days are remedied by going somewhere by myself. I either go to one of my favorite shops, read a book or a good ole’ chick flick. I so….enjoy my alone time. Thanks for the make-up tip. I’ve been using Oil Of Olay for years, passed down from my Mom. Just wondering if this would be okay for sensitive skin like mine?
My anti-broomstick antidote would be coffee, a good novel and baking. Honestly I’m kinda ho hum in baking but that’s that. A cake well baked is time well spent.
This stuff looks nice…I have a very important wedding to attend and I have combination skin. Maybe a bit of magique will help. The name’s too cliche, dont you think so? Like Magik. Over use.
I let my broomstick cures out yesterday but I think I’ll add another one today. Watch a really great movie. I think I hear “Gosford Park” calling my name tonight.
An escape usually does the trick….either going out or a great movie works for me. This primer looks nice. I’m oily and would love a smoother complexion. Thanks!
read a book!!!
For my broomstick days I usually curl up in bed with a good book, some hot tea and a Valium.
That generally does the trick. Happy to hear your feeling better.
Straight Jackets and Shopping Sarah
The jackets are for my kids and hubby so they can’t follow me as I head out for some retail therapy.
Then home for a little G&T or Vodka & Cranberrie medicine on the back deck with a good mag.
Hope you are feeling better xx
so you can prime your face and not just furniture?! oh joy! i could do with some of that! loved your last makeup “shout” on the Garnier Skin Perfector. Using it everyday now!
well, i head straight outside and paint whatever i can get my hands on. and if it’s late enough in the afternoon, a glass or 2 of champas in a bubble bath always does the trick
Kate x
I’ll have to look for this!
As for the broomsticking, it’s been happening all too often as of late. Early bedtimes are my saviour. Especially now that we’ve had our fall time change and it gets darker earlier.
A girl’s gotta have a broomstick around.. good for keeping the men in line!! LOL.. when my THREE sons were young, I would threaten to get them all a set of handcuffs for Christmas so I could handcuff them to their beds and allow myself some free time and peace!! It didn’t really work, and yes I KNOW it is illegal, but they didn’t!! LOL… now that they are grown, don’t need the broom or the handcuffs, but they all have their place!! I am soo with ya on the primer.. started out thinking.. hmm just something ELSE to put on my face and add minutes to my a.m. routine, which includes pushing the button on the coffeemaker and combing my hair before starting work (at home)… but when I use it.. it does seem to make a difference on this dry-skinned wishful thinker! Love your blog from here in the States!
I want in on this because I am a big L’Oreal fan from waaaaaay back.
As for broomsticks? The number one thing that sends me riding mine is … when my computer doesn’t behave. And yet, here I am coddling her once again.
Thanks for the chance for younger looking skin.
Mary
take a hot bath and ice coffee!!
I lock my hubby in the garage for a few hours…..
xoxo laurie
i do something i’m really good at.
i climb into my internest: surf the internet under a fluffy duvet (nest).
it’s not MAGIQUE but it helps.
michele
Oooh, I love a magical primer!! They say abracadabra you know, but with a NY accent.
x Marnie (the make-up whisperer)
I bought 2 pairs of the skinny jeans (1 for me, 1 for daughter) and didn’t try them on in the store . . . I see now what you mean about needing a size up from what you regularly would wear! Both of them have to go back
But I could see the potential and am excited to get them on in the correct size . . .
Broomstick days? Music. Beautiful music. Loud music. Classical, rock, jazz . . . just something to get my body and brain tuned to a different channel! And a cup of tea. Big, deep breathe and then relax. That usually does the trick until a kid comes in whining about something . . . some days are just gonna be bad!
Would love to try it! Mostly to avoid mid-morning shine and make-up disappearance!!!
Broomstick days for me……I usually have a good cry. Then mix myself a screwdriver and enjoy with a book. And this product sounds amazing!
It’s called Studio Secrets Smoothing Resurfacing Primer
in New Zealand and even more expensive at $36 – I am not sure if I even buy it in a shop!!! I love the look of this – I had primer I liked by revlon but they stopped doing it and their other ones were not the same.
I have posted a couple of times but I am not sure if I have told you I love your blog and watch avidly and with amazement for you nearly daily installments – I am not sure how you fit it in with three kids but I am glad you do!!!
Mary
A bubble bath, glass of wine and a very early night. My broomstick was out yesterday after a stressful few days at work. I would love to try the primer!
Hi there – Great to read about the results of products out there – but I am concenred about this product and so many others because of their animal testing… unfortunately Loreal have been guilty of it also – despite what people may think – therefore – the product doesnt appeal – why cant they test these products on humans!!!!!
hey sarah now this will be something i am gonna try!!! thanks for the good info!!
to get rid of broomstick days i hop on my beach cruiser (a.k.a. the pink lady) and i ride the trails whilst secretly wishing i was somewhere on a boardwalk by the beach riding it but i guess for now i have to settle for the trails!!!
xoxox
kim
awesome review… I’ve been looking for a great primer myself… I’ve tried the one Victoria Secret has –and primers def. makea difference… I try to save them for special occasions and when I’m going out for a night on the town.
Hmm. Haven’t heard of this but love primers. Can’t wait to test it out.
Stretching for about half an hour usually de-grumpifies me! Fashion magazines in the bath tub work wonders, too.
To get rid of those broomstick days, which honestly have been happening more frequently the older I get, I have a glass of wine. A big glass. Filled to the top. Or a beer. In an ice cold glass. Yes, filled to the top. Yum.
Wow! I would love to try it! Great giveaway!
xo
Luciane at HomeBunch.com
On broomstick days I get my trainers on and head for Grafham Water our beautiful local reservoir. I power walk furiously round the first bit then start to slow down and admire the scenery, smile and say hello to people. The essential ending – a cup of earl grey and chocolate cake on the cafe patio watching the boats sail by. Calm……..
I grab a book and relax with a fun drink:) So relaxing for me!! Thanks for the entry!
grayjones5(at)yahoo(dot)com
Hm, broomstick days…well a bit of “me time” in the shower without anyone else yapping in my ear in the bathroom sets me up for the day and helps me get off to a good start.
and if all that fails then maybe a glass of bubbles or Baileys, or wine will do the trick 
Otherwise a bit of head space from the 4 kiddo’s to get lost in a book, go for a walk (or exercise in general) or offload to a friend who knows me warts and all always helps
Chocolate, Chocolate, and Chocolate works in a pinch. But for those especially bad broomstick days, I take whatever time I can and just hole up and relax; either snuggled in bed or unwinding in a hot bath. Being selfish about that extra time to myself is a gift to everyone.
I sneek into my local library and borrow some Mills & Boon. Total trash. After I finish reading each book I even write a score out of ten or a short comment on the special signature sheet the library puts on the inside cover so all us tragics can keep track of which ones we have already read. This is my dirty little secret that most people I know would be shocked about because it is in complete contrast to my profession.
Would love to try the L’Oreal product Sarah. I too have developed a couple of pores you could jump in. I don’t feel alone know. lol lol
alison
Just found your blog tonight and LOVING it! What a way to spend a Sunday night
Getting inspired & planning tasks for the week. Broomstick Day? I’m guessing it’s the day that you should be cleaning but fill with other things like… dragging the girlfriends out for a coffee… a walk on the beach with my 2 year old daughter… taking the kids to the waterpark on the beach… surfing the net finding inspirational blogs!
broomstick days.. . . pet the cat then go for a walk or bike ride! or if staying indoors, doing some sewing or crafting always improves my outlook on things – this primer looks wonderful! I am a huge L’Oreal fan anyway – thanks!