078. The In-Between
Talking about the upcoming month, finding a new base shade, and what I’ve watched recently.
Hi, I’m Maggie, and welcome to Tender Forms Off-Camera: a weekly newsletter on all things slow: beauty, fashion, living. Links in this newsletter may include affiliate links or discount referrals. If you enjoy and would like to support this newsletter, click the button below or shop through my links! No pressure but thank you if you do.
Dearest Subscriber,
I hope this finds you well and that you and your loved ones had a great Thanksgiving and long weekend (if you’re in the U.S.)! The PNW Fall weather was milder, and it was great to spend time catching up with family, whether on the phone or in-person, and having plenty of outdoor kitten time.
To be quite candid, I am incredibly overworked and overwhelmed right now. The past few weeks have been extremely stressful, and unfortunately, I’m just depleted. One could say that I’ve lost the joy in life recently and can’t remember a moment where I wasn’t exhausted. Or weeping (I called it sobbing, Husband said it was cuter and described it this way. I don’t understand, but I’ll take it). Or raging (as in enraged, not partying). Knowing that the work schedule will only ramp up right through Christmas Eve, I didn’t want to just disappear and leave you hanging.
I hope you know that I always want to give my all in anything I do, and I don’t want to send out newsletters that I don’t have time to work on and have put together hastily. And so, I’d like to share a schedule update!
The newsletter will be down from now through the end of December (skipping the following two newsletters). Consider this my holiday break! It will allow me to focus on work, finish the project, and set up for success to bring the annual Tender Forms Index: Best of 2021. (Which will be the first newsletter of the New Year!)
I hope this isn’t the worst of news. I’m just trying to survive, haha! And now on to some more updates.
Within the past year, the pigment in my skin has changed a lot. I’m not quite sure what’s causing it, but I surmise it’s primarily attributed to diet. This year, my diet has changed for the better; it all started with the Baby Yoda Diet. I haven’t noticed much difference in my skin texture, just in its hue. Foundation or concealers I have that were great matches are now off. A quick take is that I used to be extremely fair and a true neutral. Now, I am a fair-light to light and neutral to more olive (lots of green). So naturally, it sent me into tons of shade research and contemplating which foundation or concealer I’d like to try next and in what shade. Another contributing factor of this search is that the recent stress has wreaked havoc on my appearance. I am usually fine with just SPF (tinted or untinted) and powder. But nowadays, there are some strong dark circles, blemishes, hyperpigmentation, all the fun things, so I’m looking for a bit more coverage as well.
I ordered some samples from a variety of brands:
Alima Pure: I used this brand way back in the day, and I always come back around to it. I purchased 3 samples of their Satin Matte Foundation (loose powder) and a full-size of their Pressed Foundation.
Orcé: I always wanted to try this brand but didn’t purchase it because I wasn’t wearing foundation as much. I bought their Come Closer Experience Set in Light.
Kosas: I picked up both their Tinted Face Oil Foundation and Revealer Concealer Sample Cards. When they first released the Revealer Concealer, I tried the shade 01, and it was way too yellow and drying on the skin. Hoping I can find a shade match this time and looking forward to revisiting the formula that everyone seems to rave about!
Gressa: Their Minimalist Corrective Serum Foundation in 01 is one of my favorite full-coverage formulas of all time. Since I’m less fair now, I repurchased the Find Your Match Sample Kit in Fair-Light to find my new shade. I’m also *impatiently* waiting for their concealer pen to release!
During this weekend’s bombardment of holiday email promotions, I also caved and ordered a Kjaer Weis concealer. The most challenging part in finding my shade is that I never owned a lot of foundations or concealers, so I can’t directly compare a wide range. I currently have: the Westman Atelier Vital Skin Foundation in N, the evanhealy tinted oil serum foundation in 15 and 25, and the Kjaer Weis cream foundation in Like Porcelain.
Finding a new base shade has been so interesting! Shades I didn’t think would work end up pretty great, and the ones I thought would be a sure match are apparently the wrong shade. Even more interesting is that the ones that work for me look exceedingly different from each other, though finish and coverage level play a factor. I’m happy to report that I’ve already found one that is a perfect match. In fact, I’ve never seen a base coverage product that has matched me so seamlessly! What’s funny is that I purchased this years ago, in the exact same shade, and it was too dark and way too yellow then.
There will be a future dedicated newsletter on my recent base journey with swatches, proper names and shades, and thoughts on finish and performance!
Due to being braindead so often, I’ve been doing a lot of rewatching. It’s also a part of the holiday season that I look forward to the most. Who doesn’t love rewatching Holiday movies?
The James Bond Collection (iTunes)
Husband and I deeply regretted not purchasing this collection when it came out around the same time last year. You can get all 25 for $99.99, which is a steal. It includes all the Bonds from Connery to Craig. The only one it doesn’t include is this year’s ‘No Time To Die.’ I haven’t watched the majority of them but always wanted to. It’s been a blast to watch them with Husband, who’s seen them all. We just finished ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service,’ so there’s plenty more to go!
Deadpool (2016, rewatch, Hulu)
This was not as funny as I remembered it to be and surprisingly slow. It simply did not hold up. I changed my rating from the original 3.5 to 2.
Two Weeks Notice (2002, rewatch, HBO Max)
When I saw this pop up on HBO Max, it was a no-brainer. Two of Hollywood’s rom-com bests in one movie? Sign me up. Both play the same character they play in everything else, and I loved it. Was it good? No. But was it a great time? Yes!
The Holiday (2006, rewatch, Hulu, Netflix)
I asked my best friend if it was too early to watch ‘The Holiday.’ Luckily, she gave me the green light saying after Thanksgiving is acceptable. Here are some favorite moments:
Dustin Hoffman saying “…can’t go anywhere,” during his cameo
Jack Black’s Original Score 101 class in a Blockbuster (?)
Kate Winslet not giving two hoots about the home gym during her vacation home tour
Every Jude Law moment EXCEPT for the one where he’s blubbering
Cameron Diaz’ million dollar smile
Sophie and Olivia’s enormous dreamy tent
Ed Burns and his NY accent
Kate Winslet looking gorgeous in her black dress. Stunning.
Eli Wallach as Arthur Abbott explaining a “meet cute”
Arthur low-key implying he and Cary Grant were friends (Also, Grant is NOT from Surrey)
Miles saying “Don’t blow away” to Iris. Iris saying “Don’t blow away” to Miles.
Gumption!
Thanks so much for reading! While I’ll be nonstop working until Christmas Eve, my Mom is actually coming to visit for 10 days starting December 22nd! As of now, we plan to drive up to see the In-Laws, Nephew, and Niece and do lots of cooking and eating. But I am planning to also do a closet declutter! Hoping to film it, but who knows what I’ll actually be able to do once the holidays roll around. Perhaps I’ll just be in PJs all day on the couch, in my proper form: a potato.
I hope you and your loved ones have a great holiday season! See you in the New Year!
