112. A Good Old Fashioned List
Recent Topics of Pondering and Enjoyment
Hi, I’m Maggie, and welcome to Tender Forms Off-Camera: a bi-weekly newsletter on all things slow: beauty, fashion, living. Links in this newsletter may include affiliate links or discount referrals. If you enjoy this newsletter and would like to support it, click the below button or shop through my links! No pressure, but thank you if you do.
I was working on another epic “Year of Empties” newsletter when life throws one of those curveballs that messes with your entire schedule. I didn’t want to miss a week of newsletters, so today, I’m coming to you with a myriad of things I’ve enjoyed, consumed, and pondered lately.
Health
ARMRA Colostrum. I’ve been Instagram stalking this for weeks, and the stars finally aligned. My sweet Mother-in-law asked me what I wanted for my birthday, and I instantly sent a link. I haven’t read through all the research yet, but out of all the companies I did see and search for, this one felt right for me. I just started taking it this week, and my early impression is that overall digestion feels better. I’m playing around with when and how to take it. Thus far, I’ve stayed with taking it in the evenings and without food (at least 1 hour before dinner or 2 hours after).
Strength Training. I should have put this in quotes because I’m a weakling at best, ha! But I recently started incorporating weights into my workouts and have noticed a huge difference already. I still love B The Method, but a few months back, I felt like I hit a plateau, and it didn’t feel as exciting (I’m a few years in, so this makes sense). I craved something more and knew I wanted to incorporate weight training into my routines. I’ve been trying out a few other instructors/methods but haven’t decided which one to move forward with. The next two on my list to try are Sadielee Thomas and The Sculpt Society. I’ve already dipped my toes into Sadielee’s workouts. She has a few on her YouTube channel and plenty of Instagram Reels. I enjoy her straightforward, no-nonsense takes, and especially the tone of her voice. I’ve found many female instructors can be too gentle in their instruction, and lately, I need someone a bit more stern with some grit to make me feel there are consequences if I don’t push myself. Ha! Self-motivation only goes so far sometimes (with at-home workouts). I’ll be specifically looking into her playbook training app next. However, memberships are never cheap, so I have to decide if I want an additional subscription or switch out B The Method for something else for a while. Sigh, there are always things to budget.
Wealth
Finances. Speaking of budget, I know I make it sound like a chore, but I secretly love doing it. This year is already shaping out to be one of higher spending (home, living necessities) so I want to be extra on top of our finances and make our money work for us. I have always been an excellent saver, and I attribute that to having a detailed eye towards my income and spending. And I did that with Mint, my longstanding, free financial accounts tracker owned by Intuit (more commonly known through Quickbooks, Turbotax, etc.). However, Intuit recently decided to delete this beautiful, free option, so I was left scrambling to find a replacement! Meet Monarch. I am almost done with my 30-day trial (the referral link will give you that, too, should you also be looking), but I decided early in that I would pay for the subscription ($100 annually). However, I must note that I have encountered some serious connection issues (with specific accounts) that I’m not happy about. I haven’t found a better solution because out of all the comparable services, the things that make Monarch great are things I really adore and can’t see being done in any other superior way. There’s a lot to love with Monarch, but it’s clear that they’re going through some growing pains. Time will tell if it pans out, but I certainly hope it will. Because when it works, it’s fantastic.
Beauty
Saie Slip Tint Concealer. The draw of complexion products continues. Lately, there’s been an influx of skin tints, foundations, and concealers. Truth be told, the ILIA complexion stick also piqued my interest, but alas, it contains microplastics. I’m interested in Saie’s latest complexion offer because the finish sounds more up my alley. Less radiant, dewy, and glossy than their norm, and with medium, buildable coverage. It’s officially on the wishlist for when I need a replacement complexion item. *My thoughts on microplastics are summed up in Newsletter 110.
Custom SPF Color and Complexion. I’ve been following Ciele for a while and love the idea of extra SPF protection in my color products, especially with sunnier days on the horizon (maybe. It is the PNW, after all.). My Zoca Lotion SPF 36 has the highest percentage of zinc oxide, so I thought I’d custom-mix my own colors. I decided to tackle one multi-purpose color (cheeks, eyes), contour, and concealer. Below are the concoctions I tested this past week and have been loving (percentages are very rough guesswork):
Color. Zoca (90%) + Manasi 7 Kuranberi (10%) = Pale Fuchsia with SPF
Contour. Zoca (80%) + Manasi 7 Sisserou (12%) + Victoria Beckham Beauty Travertine Contour Stylus (8%) = My Ideal Contour for Fair Skin with SPF
Concealer. Zoca (60%) + RMS 000 UnCoverup Concealer (40%) = Creamier concealer with SPF. The RMS alone on my skin can appear cakey and easily detectable. It also tends to cling to dry patches. This mixture gives it more emollience and allows it to melt and become one with my skin.
The number one reason these mixtures have turned out so well is that their base ingredients are alike, so they gel well together. All of these use some form of oil, shea butter, beeswax, or coconut oil (or derivative). This allows them to mix and settle or stabilize without separating. There’s enough substance and hold to these that I have all three tucked pie-chart style in a Cadence Flex Small container (I love these, by the way. The Flex system, not their original style, which I think they’re discontinuing now).
NOTO Multi-Bene Stick in Genet. I’ve been obsessed with this color since I mixed it with Gressa’s Devi. This past week, I started using it more as a stain: warming it up on my skin first (palm or fingertip), then tapping it onto bare lips. It begins as a blackberry-type stain and fades to a beautiful rosewood. The Multi-Bene sticks are one of my favorite color products ever.
Entertainment
Insecure (Max). I’ve been rewatching this series, and it still hits. If you’re looking for fun, humor, and good times with killer music, look no further. (This is not to say it doesn’t have its poetic moments, okay?! If you know, you know.)
Becoming the Boogeyman by Richard Chizmar. Last year, I read “Chasing the Boogeyman” (the first book), and it really messed with my mind in the most spectacular way. Naturally, I immediately placed a hold on this through Libby to read it on my Kindle. It’s still early days, but it hasn’t disappointed me yet. Thus far, it’s as riveting as I hoped it would be. Great for true crime fans, I’d strongly suggest reading the books in order.
Jury Duty. I feel like we’re the last people on earth to have watched this series, but what a joy ride it was! Husband and I loved it. Shout out to the crew on this one. I can’t imagine how crazy it must have been with logistics, staying ahead, and the hours… goodness!
The Gentlemen (Netflix). This is for all Guy Ritchie fans. We’ve only watched two episodes so far, but I’m loving it. Theo James and Kaya Scodelario shine, and the supporting cast is excellent. It’s not the most groundbreaking, surprising series (it can be predictable, especially if you’ve already seen ‘The Gentlemen,’ the film the series’ world is based on) or the best Guy Ritchie project, but it’s bloody entertaining. High production value and, luckily, doesn’t have the generic look of most Netflix properties; I strongly appreciate this.
Thanks so much for reading! Are there any workout programs I should try out? Please DM me (yes, Substack has direct messages now!) or simply reply to this email.
As always, I hope you have a great start to your week. See you April 7!
