EdithS2

I am almost ready to try Embryolisse. I first heard of the product long ago. I was in grad school and was, as usual, poring over the bound volumes of Vogue in the university library instead of working on my studies. I was in heaven when I found out that my university had bound volumes of several American, French, and Italian fashion magazines going back decades and decades. My favorite were the Vogue magazines from the 1960's, when Diana Vreeland was editor. Each issue was a beautiful dream world. The writing and photography were to die for. I was at a big football school, and I loved the weekends of the big games, as there would be no one in the library. In the peace and quiet, I lost myself in the magazines. I saw all of the beauty products of the past in the US and France. How I miss my college days. Anyway, I remember the afternoon I read about Embryolisse in the library. There was an article in Vogue about French beauty. It mentioned Embryolisse, and said it was the most popular cream in French beauty routines. The cream sounded fascinating. I took French and German in high school, and always wanted to travel to Europe, move to Europe, experience European culture, and own all the European beauty products. This was before the Internet, so it wasn't so easy to buy European brands then. But I did not forget the name Embryolisse. One year ago, a precious little box containing a tube of the cream with a leaflet showed up in my Birchbox. It's amazing when Birchbox makes one's little beauty dreams come true. I've been hoarding the tube for a year, but it is finally time to use it. I Googled the cream and found that it was created by a French doctor in 1950. Apparently, it is regarded as a cult cream by models and makeup artists, as it has a special finish on the skin that makes makeup sit really well. It's a really simple cream, just containing shea butter, aloe vera, and ... mineral oil. Mineral oil! The dreaded ingredient I have feared for decades. I wondered why the cream would use such an ingredient, if it is such a renowned product. I recently heard a favorite blogger state that cosmetic grade mineral oil is of high quality, and not bad for the skin. I Googled that and found many articles to back this up. Apparently, cosmetic grade mineral oil is a highly purified form of petrolatum, with carcinogens removed. The articles say it is purified so as not to harm skin, and in fact has been found to be non-irritating. It also lasts a long time without going bad. There are other articles that denounce mineral oil because it just sits on top of the skin so the water does not evaporate. Is it good or bad? I don't know, but I've decided not to worry about it and just enjoy trying the Embryolisse.

This year I watched the Telenovela called Rubi. On Netflix, you can watch it with English subtitles. It is so much fun. The actors are wonderful, the drama is over the top, and the ladies and gentlemen are gorgeous every one. There are wonderful sets and locations (Cancun, Las Vegas among others). It is about a young lady who wants to be rich, and is always scheming and causing trouble. She is so bad! But she will entertain you and make you laugh and cry because she has a soft heart too....once in a while. 😈

About ten days until the end of October! I'm feeling strong, and not tempted by all the magical holiday beauty collections, as I am almost to the end of my year-long no buy. The end is only weeks away. I'm not going to go off my no buy when 2019 dawns, but I really want to reach that milestone of one year completed. I will have traced a path for myself to follow next year, and I'll have set a good example for my 2019 self. It's as if I've been on a climbing expedition on an Alpine mountain, and now I can see the top of the mountain. I have caught glimpses of a cozy party in the village below, with colorful lights, food and laughter, and gemütlichkeit. For a moment, I want to turn back and join the party below, but I carry on, because my goal is so close. Plan for today is to take a shower in the evening and use my St. Ives Apricot Scrub mini in the shower for a facial. I've been really enjoying the St. Ives scrub. After that, I may finish my Avène serum mini. I have the tube cut up to get the last few drops out. I'm thinking of a great beauty article I found that really inspires me to relax and use my skin care stash. It is "Maximum Self-Care: The 10-Hour Facial" by Brennan Kilbane, from Into the Gloss. Then for the rest of October, I will be using my Embryolisse mini. I have waited so long to try it. More about Embryolisse later.

So Romantic! The say it's inspired by a 1950s French Bijou box. Makes me wish I liked highlighters more. I would be afraid to use it and ruin the perfect rose shape. But it is so glamorous! Edit: I just read that the rose shape does not wear down, apparently. I guess the rose is not entirely made of powder, but the powder covers the rose structure somehow? I'm not sure. If I needed highlighter, I would consider this a good investment, as it looks like something you could keep forever, like the Cle de Peau compacts.

Those designs are pretty. I had a Body Shop Advent Calendar a few years ago, and it was very good. They give you a lot of product, especially if you get the "Ultimate" box. But I think the Owl is the cutest design.

I really look forward to hearing about your project! Your goals sound excellent. Best of luck with your credit. I have too many credit card accounts, and my main goal is to reduce the number. In January 2018 I had 16. That's bad, isn't it? It is too much heavy burden with all those payments. I have paid off five since I began my no buy, and I have a plan to pay off five more by the end of 2019! I have the payment plan all mapped out. Also I want to finish using up my skin care and hair care products by the end of 2019. Please come back and post some more about your project if you would like.

I'm in love with this image. 😍 I looked on the company site - it is Alice in Wonderland theme. The beautiful eye shadow and pressed powder compacts can be refilled. Something to love and keep forever. Very, very beautiful and romantic.

The Cle de Peau photo is about the prettiest thing I have ever seen. I must run from this thread. 😍

YouTube No Buy/Project Pan Vloggers who inspired me this year 1. Leticia Sanchez - $1000 Project Pan Challenge - Last December I discovered these vlogs, in which this lovely lady set herself a goal of using up $1000 worth of products and paying off some credit cards. She had some really nice high end skin care products in her project. This project took place in fall 2017, and Leticia was able to avoid temptation, only purchasing a nice shampoo set from Ulta when her favorite bottles ran out. I loved her series, and it inspired me to start my own project, which has been very successful. 2. iseedee - iseedee is a beautiful lady from Sweden who is very dedicated to project pan, and sets very strict rules for herself. She uses everything to the last drop. She can't use perfume or nail polish at her job, and can only use these items on days off, but she still finishes them all, with patience. She never wastes anything. Favorite videos: 5 Thoughts On Project Panning - What I learned in 4 years of panning, and Project NoBuy 2017-2018 (Intro). I've been watching iseedee all year, and I like her perseverance and ideals. 3. Beauty Unboxed - This is a the vlog of a German lady who lives in London. I like to watch vlogs of ladies in Europe so I can see the fabulous products they have there. This vlogger always has many Kiko Milano and Aldi Lacura products, for example. She has very good vlogs on repressing and repurposing powder products. She has an excellent video called How to clean your make up, stay committed to project pan and enjoy what you own. I have been following her all year, and she has been successful at panning many items. She has some really good little hauls, and her hauls are inspiring because she is always thinking about how to haul in a controlled way, and tries to only have one backup of everything. She has excellent taste, and gives tips on how to be an environmentally conscious consumer. 4. Hannah Louise Poston - A rising star in the beauty vlog world, this talented lady is a dancer, dance costume designer, and poet. I've followed her from the beginning of the year, and she is great at articulating the thought processes that go into a no buy. She has been super successful in her project and has inspired many. She stresses the freedom that one gains from being on no buy, despite the little emotional ups and downs. Since she is a literary person, I would say she is like Thoreau. She went on a no buy because she wished to live deliberately. Thank you ladies for all of the inspiration! PS - I forgot Reviewer's Diary / Mary - I find her so calming to listen to. I believe she is a nurse and professor. She gets all the beauty boxes off and on, so has projects to use all the items from them. She had a great video recently called Don't get swept up in the excitement - think before you spend.

Don't feel bad; you have done so well. You worked all day and cancelled many boxes. That's not easy. Ellen box won't set you back if it is one time. I would want it too. You will reach your goal. I used to be really hard on myself when I would start a project and get something. But you can do it. 🌹

Project use it up - Still going really well, enjoyable. I've almost finished my little mini SK-II Essence. Then, I'll use some samples from my October 2017 Birchbox. I have an Avene sample and an Embryolisse sample. I'm so looking forward to using those! The little sample tubes even have their own little boxes. I love my White Diamonds, Mary Kay eye shadow sample cards, everything I'm in the habit of using. They are a little comfort in my day. Temptation to buy - Not bad. I'm happy with just my Garnier Maple shampoo from Dollar General for now. I think that's good. I'm not looking at the holiday beauty releases online. Work - Main job is hard and stressful now. It's overwhelming. Must try harder. I went grocery shopping for foods to help my focus and energy level. I found some new overnight oats in the yogurt section that are already made, in little containers. There is a brand called Brekki, and a brand called Zen Monkey. They come in different flavors with berries, cardamom, etc. Overnight oats are like the Bircher Muesli from the Swiss spas. They are a beauty food! I've always wanted to try them, so I was excited when I found them in a convenient form. I also got a chicken wrap and four salads. I usually don't eat breakfast and lunch, just snacks, on work days. Paying off debts - My student loan payment schedule increased. I thought maybe I should let go of my credit card payoff snowball plan, but I can't bear to! I decided I will still proceed with it, but I won't have a deadline for paying each card off any longer. I'll just pay each one off when I can. It's still better than when I was not working on it all.

When I joined the forum, I was going through a spiritual search, and going through confirmation. As part of our confirmation, we were allowed to pick a new name for ourselves, after a saint, for example. That was really interesting. My confirmation saint is Edith Stein, a philosopher who became a nun. So I just used my confirmation name when I came here. People must wonder why I have such an old fashioned name, because Edith Stein lived in the early 20th century.

Hello! Congratulations on your channel. I like your Sunday skin care routine and getting ready for work videos. I really liked the tip of using eye cream on the lips in the Sunday skin care routine, and mixing the foundation and primer together in the getting ready for work video. I like your happy outlook. I will stay tuned to your channel.

Photo of pretty spa socks and lotion gift set, $3 at Dollar General. Also detail from pretty gift box. I bought some as gifts for others, not myself--they are not allowed on my no buy! I am tempted.

Today, I pushed myself to do a little better than I have been about repurchasing essentials. I went to Dollar General to get a replacement of my shampoo and deodorant, instead of ordering from Yves Rocher to get the free samples and gifts. I got Soft & Dri Sparkling Citrus Deodorant ($1.95), aluminum free. It is pretty and pink and is a floral citrus scent. I saw a shampoo that I wanted back in December, when I began my no buy, but I was not allowed to get it then, as I had too many shampoos to use up. It is the Garnier Whole Blends Moroccan Argan Oil and Camellia Shampoo. I was drawn to it due to the pretty bottle. I love Moroccan design. The shampoo was still there, waiting for me after all this time. I decided to get another Garnier Whole Blends product this time called Maple Remedy. It has maple extract and castor oil. I just thought it was different and fall appropriate. That was $3.50. With the money saved not ordering online from Yves Rocher and paying for shipping, I was able to buy extra useful items. I got a pair of hose. I always buy a Dollar General brand of hosiery called Sheer Breeze. They are very basic and are not designed to make you look thinner, which means they are comfy, soft, and light. I love them. They hold up pretty well even in the washer and dryer. They were $2.50. I also got cute Halloween greeting cards for my cousin and brother ($1 each). I got two little spa sock sets for Christmas gifts for my cousin and her daughter. They are $3 each and have a little mini foot lotion and a pair of soft comfy socks tied with a ribbon. There are several different scents, each with a different color packaging. The lotion, socks, and gift box are all color coordinated, and the gift box is gilded with gold. They are so pretty for $3. I got my cousin a pink grapefruit set, and her daughter a coconut lime set. I also ordered their fruit basket from the grove today, with honey and marmalade, to be mailed up north right before Christmas. It's an old family tradition. I am starting my Christmas shopping way, way early. Usually I am buying for myself at this time, all the beauty stuff, advent calendars. Then I realize it's time to buy for others, and it's getting late, so I open charge accounts, charge things, pay for expedited shipping, etc. While writing this I realize that color and design highly influence my shopping. I don't like minimalist packaging at all! I like pretty, colorful things. Pretty packaging, free samples, and free gifts are what get me!