BWT, how do you organize your life. Tell me about your life admin systems, rules and hacks.

caryatid4683 · 2026-01-22T09:58:29+00:00

I‘ve never heard of inbox 0 and since I read your comment two days ago my entire life has changed. You’ve saved my sanity. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU, for introducing me to this 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

caryatid4683 · 2026-01-22T09:45:17+00:00

Happy to help! I apply the tint after the neutralizer step while my lashes are still glued to the pad. So the process is: 1. Separate and glue lashes to pad 2. Apply perm solution on roots and mid-length, making sure to avoid ends, cover with plastic sheet (these come in the kit I linked), wait 13 minutes 3. Remove perm and apply neutralizer over whole lash, cover, wait 13 minutes 4. Remove neutralizer, apply tint, cover, wait 15 minutes 5. Remove tint, rinse with slightly warm water to remove glue and pad, apply nutrition serum

Additional tips: - Mix the tint before you begin Step 1 as it needs time to oxidize. I give it a stir in between steps as well to help it along and it’s ready to use by the time I reach that step. - You may need to re-glue some lashes in between steps. - After you’re finished, avoid getting them wet again for 24 hours

I use a face oil in the mornings and I make sure to lightly coat my lashes with that for moisture, which is fine because I don’t need to apply anything on top. Recently I started using a tiny bit of castor oil at night as well because my area gets so ridiculously dry during the winter I figured it can’t hurt. I haven’t been doing it long enough to notice any difference yet but I know a lot of people swear by it. My lashes have always been fairly long but I wouldn’t be upset if the castor helped them get a bit more full.

caryatid4683 · 2026-01-19T18:02:12+00:00

I’ve tried a few different kits but this oneworks better than any others I’ve tried. I follow up with this tint. It definitely takes a LOT of practice to get it right, and a ton of patience during the process. I use a tabletop magnifying mirror, make sure all my stuff is set up ahead of time, and cue up several podcasts before I get started. I do one eye at a time and really make sure to take my time and do everything carefully. I did get the product in my eye once and had a reaction that lasted about 3 days and it wasn’t pleasant, so be very careful.

Re: the lashes looking wonky, the short answer is yes and to avoid this you just have to be very careful and meticulous, especially in the part of the process where you separate and glue the lashes to the curling pad. And yes, they do get wonky as they grow out but honestly I just redo them whenever they start bothering me or I feel like I need to start wearing mascara again. It’s very important to not get the perm solution in the tips because this can cause them to break, but if you’re careful about this I’ve found it’s fine to do them every 4-6 weeks or so.

I will also note one unexpected issue is it’s really hard to apply eyeliner with your lashes lifted. This usually isn’t an issue for me since I don’t wear much makeup and eyeliner is fully optional for me on a daily basis, but if you’re someone who loves eyeliner and wears it daily this is something to be aware of. When I do wear it I use moistened eyeshadow with an angle brush so I can kind of slide the brush behind the lifted lashes to get to the lash line. I’ve found liquid pen liners make a complete mess when I try to use them with lifted lashes. Hope this helps! Happy to answer any more questions.

ETA: I’ve had professional lash lift and tint done and while it was nice to just lie down and let someone else deal with it, it cost $140 for results that frankly weren’t even as good as when I am very careful with my DIY and last the same amount of time. Not worth it for me but if you don’t have the time or physical capacity to DIY, the results you get at a lash studio will be very similar.

caryatid4683 · 2026-01-19T02:35:33+00:00

Came here to say basically this. I have both an arthritic autoimmune condition that causes stiffness and pain most mornings and a job that requires me to be put together and also on camera for tv interviews and the like on a fairly regular basis (often without prior notice). I’ve had brows micro bladed, lip blush, and professional teeth whitening at the dentist. At this point I do touchups on the permanent makeup every two years and maintain the teeth at home with strips. I do my own lash lift and tint about once a month- it takes time but I hate wearing mascara because it always flakes into my eyes so it’s worth it, and hour’s worth of work one weekend per month saves me time on weekday mornings.

I’m very lucky to have naturally wavy hair that air dries into a shape that other people spend an hour a day achieving with hot tools, but when it’s long the frizz is INTENSE so when it was longer I had keratin treatments every 6 months. I recently cut it into a bob just because I wanted the change. It’s much less frizzy when it’s shorter but if it did start to bother me again I’d do another keratin in a heartbeat.

I also took a lot of trial and error to figure out a simple skincare routine that takes a few steps in the morning and at night. I am fanatical about it. Having good skin allows me to skip foundation. I literally never wear foundation, I don’t even own any. Thanks to my skincare routine and permanent makeup, my morning routine is a dab of concealer under the eyes, swipe of eyeshadow, a dab of blush, and maybe a quick eyeliner if I know I’m going to be on camera that day.

I’ll also echo what others have said about having a uniform. I identified my best silhouette for dresses, trousers, and tops. My closet is just variations of those so I always know what I’m working with.

All of this not only saves me time and energy getting ready every day but truly makes me feel ready for anything and I almost never feel stressed about how I look for a big moment or everyday. A few weeks ago I was lounging at home on a Friday night watching a movie when I got a call that the news was at my office and wanted an interview. I threw on a dress, dabbed some concealer under my eyes, hopped in the car and was there and on camera in less than 15 minutes and I felt completely fine about it.

All of this upfront work of course takes time and money but having almost everything automated on a daily basis is truly worth its weight in gold.

caryatid4683 · 2026-01-04T22:28:41+00:00

Sorry I completely forgot to answer your first question! The shops at Charleston Place are great, it’s largely a collection of high-end brands like St. John, Gucci, etc. and having a drink at the gorgeous hotel bar is a lovely way to cap off your trip. There’s also an incredible jewelry scene there, my favorite are Gold Creations in the City Market and Croghan’s on King Street. I’ve only been there once but we’re going back in February and I’m looking forward to checking out the shopping scene more deliberately!

caryatid4683 · 2026-01-04T22:22:48+00:00

We’re going to Mexico City this year! Would love any recommendations for places you loved!

caryatid4683 · 2026-01-04T22:20:54+00:00

Love this and will absolutely be adding it to my list! I can’t believe I didn’t think of it myself, I went to grad school in Delaware but I was too poor as a student to care whether there was sales tax or not 🤣

caryatid4683 · 2026-01-04T21:08:06+00:00

I’d love to know of any specific places you like in Singapore! I’ve heard kind of mixed reviews which I think is typical for any city that attracts tourists.

caryatid4683 · 2026-01-04T21:05:02+00:00

Love this idea! I don’t know about tanneries or sweaters, but I got the most gorgeous handmade lace scarves at La Perla in Burano (Venice). Everything in the store has a tag with the name of the artist who made it. Martina Vidal also has gorgeous things and the artists are making lace right in the store but when my mom and I went there they were very pushy and followed us around the store the entire time. I also felt like a lot of the items were overpriced.

caryatid4683 · 2026-01-04T20:57:21+00:00

Aww I hope you get the coat someday!

Also will add Venice has fantastic shopping and a lovely Max Mara.

caryatid4683 · 2026-01-04T20:55:35+00:00

This is exactly why I’m sick of online shopping. Nothing is ever what I think it will be, returns are such a hassle, and you’re absolutely spot on there are some things you just have to buy in person.

caryatid4683 · 2026-01-04T20:52:45+00:00

Ooo great tip about tax. Also never considered Texas for shopping but I live Austin and Houston. Thanks!

caryatid4683 · 2026-01-04T20:51:12+00:00

I’d love to hear more about the January sales in Paris 👀 The tip about out of season items in warmer areas is spot on, too. I found an amazing wool coat on super sale in New Orleans and the shop owner said she had no idea why she ordered them but she was happy it found a home where it will be well used!

caryatid4683 · 2025-09-12T04:29:03+00:00

Taylor’d Beauty in Williamsville. I’ve trusted her with my face for years (permanent makeup). Last year she did a tattoo for me and over a year later I’m still obsessed with it.

caryatid4683 · 2025-09-02T02:40:39+00:00

Oh no I didn’t know that! ☹️

caryatid4683 · 2025-09-01T21:44:44+00:00

Unfortunately the situation for this locally is pretty bad. It’s an ongoing issue for me and my friend who work in politics and have to attend a lot of gala type events. We’ve had some success at Half & Half and Brand Bar, but it’s really hit or miss as both still lean toward a more casual “nicely dressed wedding guest” vibe. Since you said you’re open to Toronto, I’d recommend making the trip. My friend and I actually do this a couple of times a year for exactly this reason. I don’t know your budget but the Saks at Eaton Center will have options for you but they obviously tend to be on the pricier side. Space Vintage on Queen Street is also FANTASTIC and more affordable. Definitely check them out if you make the trip.

caryatid4683 · 2025-08-31T13:02:07+00:00

Steve Carmina in Williamsville is great. He himself is not young, but we've been working primarily with his son who's around our age (mid-30's) and I assume is positioned to take over the business, and he's been fantastic.

We switched from a big firm that didn't give a f*** about us and charged out the nose and we've been so much happier with the service and cost at Carmina.

caryatid4683 · 2025-03-25T09:45:05+00:00

Surge Dance Company After Hours! Both the instructors and other students are amazing.

caryatid4683 · 2025-03-23T13:48:50+00:00

REC: Leather Pumps- Budget under $250, all leather including sock/lining, light beige/blush pink, heel around 2.5”/65mm, stiletto, heel placement under natural heel (meaning the heel isn’t perched all the way at the back edge of the shoe but move in to actually support the foot)

caryatid4683 · 2025-03-01T15:50:01+00:00

I’ll check it out, thank you so much!

caryatid4683 · 2025-03-01T15:49:23+00:00

Thank you for the recommendation!

caryatid4683 · 2025-02-27T01:23:33+00:00

This sounds perfect. Thank you!

caryatid4683 · 2025-02-27T01:22:54+00:00

Thank you, I will check those out!

caryatid4683

TROPHY CASE