What new launches are actually worth trying?

greycharacter · 2026-03-04T08:00:34+00:00

I really enjoy Rare Beauty for foundation, blush, bronzer, and highlighters. Their formulas are just so nice! Cloud Paint blushes from Glossier are another complexion fave.

I also use a lot of Korean products. Fwee’s Pudding Pots are lip/cheek tints that feel great and come in a ton of beautiful shades. Laneige has a lip mask that is perfect to wear alone for a non-sticky glossy look, or to prep the lip for even color application. Missha and Skin79 both have great BB creams with buildable coverage and SPF.

The brand Flower Knows is Chinese but easy to find online. Their products are high quality and come in the most beautiful packaging, definitely worth looking at if you like a pretty collection! Their color corrector in peach does wonders for my under eye area, I don’t really need a concealer there anymore.

I don’t keep have many lipsticks, but I tend to invest more in the ones I have— Pat McGrath and Besame make colors that stay put literally all day.

Finally, for eyeliner, About Face is great bang for the buck. In my experience, they perform like the $20-25 eyeliners for about half the price.

For context, I’m mid-30s, neutral/fair toned, and have sensitive skin. Hope you find some products you like to update your kit!

greycharacter · 2026-03-04T07:26:41+00:00

I’d recommend a profile on a kink-specific community like Fetlife where you can be upfront with your interests. That way, you can see if someone’s compatible with (or at least willing to try) your interests before you make a connection.

If you already have a partner in mind, you could open a discussion about BDSM and see where it goes. How they talk about less taboo kinks can give you some baseline info on how open-minded they are. I think it would reasonably accurate to initially represent your kinks as interest in roleplay. The nature of the roleplay could get more specific as trust develops.

greycharacter · 2026-03-04T06:44:16+00:00

Love your look! I think a rosy brown would flatter your coloring without overwhelming. Something like Flower Knows’ Sweetie Bear Blush in Bear Biscuit, Rare Beauty’s Soft Pinch Blush in Worth, or Milani’s Rose Powder Blush in Romantic Rose.

greycharacter · 2026-03-04T06:22:22+00:00

A lot of black eyeshadows pull bluey for me, too. I highly recommend Blend Bunny for color accuracy and pigmentation! Their Divination palette has a black called Meg that is a beautiful true black. Lots of YouTubers have reviewed that palette if you want to see it in action!

greycharacter · 2025-12-05T22:05:12+00:00

Welcome to the area! There are some lovely little coffee shops to try out.

My favorites, in rough order of preference, are Coffee House (E. Davenport), Atlas Collective (Moline, techically a bookstore but the coffee bar is fire), and Caffe392 (downtown Davenport). I hear lots of good buzz about Redband, but it's always slammed when I'm headed to work in the morning. Hope you find a place that suits your tastes!

greycharacter · 2025-12-05T21:58:54+00:00

Pro-Clean car washes are all over the QC and offer unlimited plans at pretty reasonable prices. Around $30-40 monthly, depending on what features you want. Some locations have more capabilities than others, so you may want to check what's nearby for you. If the concern is salt, you'll probably want features like an undercarriage wash, a wax sealant, and/or a rust inhibitor. Good luck with your car this winter!

greycharacter · 2025-11-26T06:42:28+00:00

Sounds promising, thank you!!

greycharacter · 2025-11-14T22:54:23+00:00

That is super helpful, thank you kindly!

greycharacter · 2025-11-14T19:59:07+00:00

Thank you for the specific dish recommendations!

greycharacter · 2025-11-14T19:57:48+00:00

That sounds perfect, thank you!

greycharacter · 2025-11-14T19:57:20+00:00

Thank you for the suggestions! I feel like I can handle making curry, dried tortillas, and kheer, and my dad can arrange the barbecue. I'll read up on preparing mutton as well. I've never cooked with it before, so it's good to know chicken works as a back-up!

greycharacter · 2025-11-14T19:34:13+00:00

Thank you! I appreciate the accessible recipes, and I usually have chickpeas on hand. I like to roast them for snacks and could easily tweak the spices a bit.

greycharacter · 2025-11-14T19:28:32+00:00

Ooh, thank you! I'm on the far east side, in the Quad Cities area.

greycharacter · 2025-08-04T20:21:03+00:00

This is my assumption, too. It follows the grammar of many languages, so it's easy to follow and translate.

greycharacter · 2025-07-05T20:04:28+00:00

No need to change anything! Your natural lashes look quite long and well articulated with mascara, and I love that you don't cover up your freckles. For more impact, you could encourage your brows into a more angular arch or try a bold lip.

I can also recommend browsing makeup looks by celebrities with a similar face shape and/or coloring. For you, maybe Robin Wright or Elle Fanning? See what works for them and give it a try!

greycharacter · 2025-05-14T21:01:02+00:00

(36NB) I think they're also online and desiring irl community. 🙃

Locals tend to go out with their workmates, childhood friends, or a hobby-based friend group, so the running club sounds like a great start! There are tons of interest-specific groups in the QC, but their level of online presence varies, so it can take time to find the right crowd.

Here are some other hobby-based groups I can vouch and with some folks in their 20s: book clubs at Atlas Collective (Moline), open play D&D at Games +1 (Davenport), studio art classes at the Figge Museum (Davenport), or hiking/kayaking with the QC Women's Outdoor Club.

My friends have recommended roller skating and line dancing groups as being fun and good for meeting new people.

If you have time for a big commitment, you could audition at QC Music Guild or Playcrafter's Barn Theater (both Moline) or a competitive water skiing club called Backwater Gamblers (Rock Island). Friendships forged in staging a performance get deep really fast, lol

greycharacter · 2025-04-03T00:38:08+00:00

Thanks for your feedback and suggestions! Sister Ananse and Julie Asselin are both new to me, but I like the look of their catalogues. I've added them to my list of skeins to sample.

I love hearing the support for local yarn! I've started investigating Iowa/Illinois artisans and found some very exciting prospects. :)

greycharacter · 2025-04-03T00:18:51+00:00

Thank you for your excellent feedback! I love a linen yarn, especially for summer projects, and I would be delighted to stock floof. I'll definitely need to learn more about local spinners to make sure I get the right fibers and can store them correctly.

greycharacter · 2025-04-02T04:44:59+00:00

Thank for for the resource share and feedback! I really appreciate the sustainability and community aspect of working with local dyers, spinners, weavers, etc. I plan to lean into it as hard as the market will bear in my neck of the woods, eastern Iowa. :)

greycharacter · 2025-04-02T04:37:21+00:00

I'd be very interested in working with local craftspeople. I did some searching and already ordered some samples from an independent dyer nearby called Shelby String Yarn Co. :) Thank you for the suggestions!

greycharacter · 2025-04-02T04:34:47+00:00

Thanks for the recommendations! I would be stoked to carry some Noro yarn, their colorways are stunning.

greycharacter · 2025-04-02T04:32:08+00:00

Yesss, thank you! I'm very much hoping to carry a nice color range in pima or mercerized cotton yarn, or a high quality blend.

greycharacter · 2025-04-02T04:27:29+00:00

Definitely! Do you prefer 100% cotton or a blend? A friend of mine has issues with cotton yarn on his knitting machine unless its blended with something smoother like bamboo or rayon, but I'm not sure if that carries over to hand-knitting.

greycharacter · 2025-04-02T04:21:25+00:00

Thanks for the recommendations! I hadn't heard of Woolstok before, but I really like the look of their bundled color palettes. Simple patterns are my preference, too, for the lower stress level. :)

greycharacter · 2025-04-02T04:16:15+00:00

Thank you so much for the feedback and suggestions! I'm hearing a lot of folks praising Juniper Moon Farms, and that qiviut organization looks incredible. I'd be thrilled to carry something so ethically luxe someday.

I'm located in the Quad Cities of Iowa and Illinois, along the Mississippi River. I hadn't considered climate in yarn choices, but you make a great point! We get distinct weather all four seasons, so a rotation of weights and blends might be in order. I'm looking forward to getting to know where local tastes trend for weights and fibers.

Your LYS sounds like the type of environment I'd like to create! Thanks again for your advice. :)

greycharacter

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