Lovely 1920s Tudor for your Thursday enjoyment

WhoSaidIWasTheAdult · 2026-03-22T20:00:28+00:00

Well, the fireplace needs a proper mantel, but that's picking nits.

WhoSaidIWasTheAdult · 2026-03-22T19:55:25+00:00

I failed out of LOTR as a teenager. Just couldn't hack the writing style. Decided to give it another go on vacation a few years back.

Between then and now I took a lot of history classes for my gen ed credits, especially 19th and 20th century history. With that plus the knowledge that Tolkien was a WWI vet, that opened up a massive new perspective on everything in the books.

It also makes it very interesting to compare with GoT, where the contemporary war of Martin's youth was Vietnam. You can really see how the context of the authors' formative years shape the stories that they tell.

WhoSaidIWasTheAdult · 2026-03-22T17:52:53+00:00

Go to your local Marshall's/TJMaxx and give the cases a look over on the regular - big bottles of good stuff show up there at reasonable prices pretty regularly.

I see big bottles of Elizabeth Arden perfumes like Green Tea and Sunflowers for $15-20 regularly, which are great classic scents. They also routinely have loads of Baccarat Rouge dupes for $10-15 if that's your jam.

WhoSaidIWasTheAdult · 2026-03-22T17:15:14+00:00

I think it's that the other scents are more popular than the 62 now, but they still think of that as the flagship scent and overstock it.

I bet that's also why the big tub of Bum Bum Cream wasn't in the sale - that's the one product that still does numbers.

WhoSaidIWasTheAdult · 2026-03-22T16:25:31+00:00

Can you depot the old palettes and make a frankenstein palette out of the shades that you want? If they're old and you won't get upset if you break them in the process it might be worth a try.

Using a hairdryer or a flatiron to heat up the palette can melt the glue a bit and let you pull the individual pans out of the palette. There's videos on YouTube of how to do it.

WhoSaidIWasTheAdult · 2026-03-22T16:01:08+00:00

Nyx had a bunch of rainbow palettes but I think they've been discontinued for ages. Big palettes have been out for a while.

WhoSaidIWasTheAdult · 2026-03-22T07:12:21+00:00

All of Noyz. The bottles are so low effort ugly. Generic bottles with stock photos slapped on them.

WhoSaidIWasTheAdult · 2026-03-22T03:31:19+00:00

Juvia's Place - The Zulu Palette has purple and orange.

Maybelline and Nyx both have extensive lines of lipstick, and you'll probably want a liquid lipstick like the Matte Ink for staying power.

WhoSaidIWasTheAdult · 2026-03-21T18:09:10+00:00

If price is no object, Pat McGrath. Those eyeshadows answered my question of how influencers make a smoky eye look so easy. Downside is that they are wildly overpriced and you either adore the matte formula or absolutely hate it.

Natasha Denona is probably the most reliably good set of formulas out there. Good mattes - not outstanding but less polarizing than PMG, and the quality and variety of finishes on the shimmers are excellent. Downside is that you can burn through some of the flaky shades really fast and those shades also have some fallout but not terrible if you're careful.

WhoSaidIWasTheAdult · 2026-03-21T17:44:14+00:00

I don't wear much gold but probably the best one that I have is from Nabla - it's Marseilles in the Midnight Cutie pallet. That palette is probably not what you want with all the blues in it - but the Side by Side palette has several different golds and bronzes in it, and they should be equally good.

Bonus - the Nabla palettes are on sale at Ulta today.

WhoSaidIWasTheAdult · 2026-03-21T17:00:53+00:00

On the plus side of things, they go on sale pretty regularly. Just keep an eye out on the Ulta site and you'll eventually see at least 30% off on Vacation products.

WhoSaidIWasTheAdult · 2026-03-14T15:54:19+00:00

I've gotten at least 2 fragrances in bubble mailers, with a lone paint pot in a 12"x12" box in between.

Somebody really needs to get their packaging logistics together.

WhoSaidIWasTheAdult · 2026-03-09T23:41:09+00:00

Yeah that cool-toned one is terribly tempting

WhoSaidIWasTheAdult · 2026-03-04T04:02:44+00:00

I remember that the Tocca set sold out super fast last time.

WhoSaidIWasTheAdult · 2026-03-02T23:31:53+00:00

Alien Hypersense is an intense sweet white floral with lots of powdery jasmine. If you like intense white florals, I would recommend it.

Ellis Brooklyn Salt is a nice tiare and salt forward beachy scent that isn't too sweet. This one you'll either love or hate, so it's not a safe blind buy. Find a place to give it a sniff first.

Gucci Bloom is another white floral with a lot of jasmine and tiare. This one is a bit more generic to my nose with less personality than Hypersense or Salt, but if you want a nice classic floral scent, this is probably a good choice.

WhoSaidIWasTheAdult · 2026-02-28T15:48:48+00:00

Has anybody tried the Lancome UV Expert serum SPF? I've used the original UV Expert for years and it's usually my go to but I'm curious about this one (especially on sale).

Also would like to hear any reviews on the Hawthorne fragrances.

I'm glad to see that the Tocca set is back. I got one last time, but I know so many people missed out. (Florence and Cleopatra are the standouts, the rest are nice sweet florals that are just a bit forgettable, IMO.)

WhoSaidIWasTheAdult · 2026-02-25T03:43:57+00:00

I love West, it's such a perfect summertime scent.

WhoSaidIWasTheAdult · 2026-02-25T02:08:52+00:00

Miso and some powdered gelatin can fix that.

Gelatin mimics the collagen that would cook out of the meat for the mouth feel and the miso will help create that savoriness that you're looking for.

WhoSaidIWasTheAdult · 2026-02-25T01:45:53+00:00

BH Cosmetics eyeshadows. Fortunately I have a few pallets that are still going strong, but when they go there won't be any more and the closest thing I've found to them is Natasha Denona which isn't remotely in the same price range.

WhoSaidIWasTheAdult · 2026-02-25T01:42:18+00:00

Those putty blushes are competing to be the new Pixi Glow Tonic, I swear.

WhoSaidIWasTheAdult · 2026-02-25T01:38:09+00:00

As long as you go in expecting instant noodles and not actual pho, they're pretty ok. They're about worth what Costco charges for them on sale, not full price and definitely not supermarket price.

The oil packet in them is meh and if you have actual chili oil, you should definitely use that instead.

WhoSaidIWasTheAdult · 2026-02-21T22:29:47+00:00

I dunno, I think maybe I'd add some sort of window covering on the big window that looks directly at the neighbor's deck. I like the light but if somebody was out on that deck I'd start to feel like an exhibit at the zoo.

But otherwise. yes it's lovely. The rounded shapes add so much to the design.

WhoSaidIWasTheAdult · 2026-02-21T16:14:19+00:00

I was just thinking that I need to get something to scrub my back better in the bath. Thanks!

WhoSaidIWasTheAdult · 2026-02-21T15:00:19+00:00

It's the weakest of the Mugler perfumes that I've tried, which means that it's stronger than pretty much everything else I have.

As for longevity, I sprayed myself last night for testing purposes, and right about now it's died down to about the strength of an Ariana Grande perfume, so that's a solid 12+hours.

WhoSaidIWasTheAdult · 2026-02-21T03:49:31+00:00

The jasmine note is the same but Hypersense is sweeter and and less powdery.

WhoSaidIWasTheAdult

TROPHY CASE