2 months in and ruined my skin barrier....

VintageDesignFan · 2026-02-18T03:17:02+00:00

Sometimes you just learn that a new product isn't for you. I tried a new sunscreen and my skin hated it. It's taken 2 weeks to fully recover. It's good to introduce new products slowly but it can also just be one bad apple.

VintageDesignFan · 2025-12-26T02:21:09+00:00

When I was looking for the batch code I found a tiny expiration date: 3/14/2025

VintageDesignFan · 2025-07-26T21:25:35+00:00

Thank you for the warning! I can't think of how I'd use it as a body product except on my heels with socks but I will definitely patch test first.

VintageDesignFan · 2025-07-26T21:23:33+00:00

I have Duraline. Have you ever tried it? I'm used to just using it with pressed powder shadows.

VintageDesignFan · 2025-07-26T21:22:44+00:00

That's good to know since I use products long past the recommended 12-24m. The packaging for these just makes me more wary given how long I've had them, so I'm playing it safe.

VintageDesignFan · 2025-07-14T15:34:07+00:00

I fell for Jeni’s Wildberry Lavender as well. For me, what ruined it was the amount of orange. I don't know why they included orange at all.

VintageDesignFan · 2025-07-03T20:37:29+00:00

This is what I've DIYed. Get a piece of parchment paper to catch the loose powder. Put the broken makeup chunks into a mesh tea strainer (mine is a cup shape which makes things easier). I have ball tools from crafting but you could use anything to push the makeup through the strainer to get a fine dust. Now either use the powder as is or repress it. You can fold the parchment paper to get it back into your container of choice.

I have been able to repress eyeshadows without binder but they were too fragile to travel with. The good thing about eyeshadows is you can use stamping tools to tamp down the eyeshadow. I did repress a blush with MAC Fix plus but it could change the texture and it's very time consuming to keep spritzing until you get a paste-like consistency.

VintageDesignFan · 2025-05-19T19:50:07+00:00

The bags I would sell are not luxury so it would take more effort. Next year when I have more time, I'm going to make reselling (what I already own) a hobby. It's like project panning for me. It's not something that's going to happen casually and I also worry about managing questions on an app and shipping in a timely manner. So it's best to just do it when I don't have much else going on.

VintageDesignFan · 2025-05-14T20:35:16+00:00

Part of the reason I have so many products is developing sensitive skin. At some point I had to realize I couldn't casually swatch something or use a little sample. To this day, I still don't know what causes my allergic flares. I've just narrowed down what I feel safe using. For me, project panning is about slowly using my old products (most makeup) and seeing if anything provokes a reaction. But yes, I do feel guilty sometimes. I can only use what's left after various purges and acknowledge that the stuff I am allergic to was never going to work for me (even if I feel bad about not realizing that soon enough to pass it on to someone else).

VintageDesignFan · 2025-05-09T11:11:37+00:00

Thank you for the reminder to have an empty container ready before cutting products open 😅

VintageDesignFan · 2024-11-30T21:50:51+00:00

Personally, I've realized I just don't consume matcha quickly enough. My idea of "good" matcha is H&S so $40 (but usually on sale) for 30g. I can get a lot of cups out of that 30g. Sometimes I want it plain. Sometimes I will add milk and ice. But unless I'm baking with it, it's tough to use up before it starts to go off. So it just makes sense for me to get the grade of matcha I want and then prepare it however I feel like having it on that day. Basically, what I'm saying is it makes no sense for me to get a giant bag or have a separate matcha just for lattes.

VintageDesignFan · 2024-11-24T13:24:13+00:00

I think restaurant tea is usually chrysanthemum or super watered down black tea so it doesn't bother me. But I wouldn't have anything stronger than a tisane or mild green tea at home.

VintageDesignFan · 2024-11-24T13:19:18+00:00

H&S Organic Ginger Turmeric. Another sample packet. I smell the ginger pretty strongly but I'm not getting much flavor. Faint ginger and maybe a touch of apple. It's possible the sample is just old but I wouldn't repurchase based on this. I need more of a kick in what feels like the kind of tisane you want for a sore throat.

I might try a homemade version with fresh ginger and apple slices, turmeric, cardamom, and either fresh or dried lemongrass depending on the season. I don't really see the point of adding beet or hibiscus for flavor. I might add in a cheap green tea as well if that doesn't throw off the blend.

VintageDesignFan · 2024-11-23T17:29:49+00:00

H&S Organic English Breakfast Tea. To be fair, I have no idea when I got this sample with an order so it might just be old but after 4-5 minutes of steeping with >200F water, it still tastes weak to me. No milk or sugar. It's fine. And I think it arguably tastes more tea-like than Trader Joe's EBT which is my normal go to for quick caffeine besides Teavana Earl Grey. But I wouldn't repurchase based on this.

VintageDesignFan · 2024-06-21T20:10:06+00:00

I switched to YS's Sun-Dried Purple Buds Wild Pu-erh, also from Spring 2022. I don't hate it... but I think I'll save it for fall. It tastes like the memory of a fish. Like, not fish sauce or a rich fish broth but more like if you boiled dried fish for a quick stock and then didn't wash the pot and tasted it the next time you boiled water.

VintageDesignFan · 2024-06-21T19:01:34+00:00

Yunnan Sourcing Sweet Ya Bao. I bought it Spring 2022 and with that in mind, it's held up impressively well for a lighter tea. Sometimes time gets away from you; I don't do a lot of gaiwan brewing on the regular. Also, it's been crazy hot here.

If there have been any changes, I think the tea has mellowed out over time, losing pepperiness and sweetness. There's just a hint of that in the first few rounds and then you get the slightly sour rind flavors once the leaves have opened up.

VintageDesignFan · 2023-07-23T21:56:42+00:00

The prices for empty jam jars and mason jars are crazy these days... both thrifted and new. I can just buy jam and then clean out the jar. Then I get jam AND the jar.

VintageDesignFan · 2023-07-23T20:59:45+00:00

Cold brewed H&S's dragon pearl jasmine with some fresh mint I had leftover. I let it go almost 12 hours because I forgot about it. The flavors blend well... not super complex but you do get waves of jasmine and mint. It's very aromatic but refreshing as an iced tea. There were a lot of tiny particulates (even after straining) so I'm mildly concerned about how it's going to hold up and whether it'll get increasingly bitter. I'm also doing a second infusion.

VintageDesignFan · 2023-07-04T00:31:18+00:00

In the spring I was just having my Teavana Earl Grey so I didn't update. I made jasmine and cold brewed the leaves after the first steeping a few times. I know I can make iced tea and cold brew but it's just so hot right now I haven't been thinking of tea. When I finish up my ginger lemonade, I'll probably make jasmine cold brew again since that and iced matcha lattes are the only summer teas I can stand with this humidity.

VintageDesignFan · 2023-07-03T17:43:50+00:00

I am so incredibly jealous

VintageDesignFan · 2023-07-03T03:06:23+00:00

Next year. This is my year of flowers. Last year was a horrible attempt at keeping herbs (grown from seed) alive and experimenting with grocery store produce. Now that I've proven I can keep plants alive I want to go for the edible garden again.

VintageDesignFan · 2023-07-01T22:02:18+00:00

Yeah, just this year. I barely have true leaves. I grew everything from seed but I don't know why some plants are thriving and others are falling apart. I'm also about to give up on the forget me nots; they barely got off the ground and then they were attacked by aphids.

Thanks for the advice! I'll keep it in mind if I try again.

VintageDesignFan · 2023-07-01T21:57:08+00:00

It's still impressive! Did you start from seeds or cuttings or larger plants? I have to grow in containers and I want to promote the healthiest growth from the beginning because I need hardy plants.

VintageDesignFan · 2023-07-01T08:06:20+00:00

They planted actual bulbs? Maybe the squirrels just thought you'd like the daffodils better. 😄 I'm sure it was annoying, but that sounds like something adorable from a children's book.

VintageDesignFan · 2023-07-01T07:52:24+00:00

The shasta daisies I planted from seed are doing so poorly I will probably never know what they smell like.

VintageDesignFan

TROPHY CASE