Knitting in the Shadows

Thankful for that Old MGB

Many years ago, I drove an adorable green MGB GT Hatchback.  There were many things about that car that I loved.  And thinking about it now, brings back all sorts of memories.  Laundry as a musical event for example.

Despite being an MG, and thus a Sports Car, it was kind of a girly car.  It was all cute, ya know?  Not macho at all.  It looked rather like this ...

 

only green.

But... there was one thing about that car that I did not love, even though it meant that I came to wield a very special power.  Because of that one thing, I became Queen of OilChecking. Because MG's do not have a good track record for retaining oil,  I wielded the Dipstick Scepter with some frequency.  It's a girly thing.

I kept an extra quart of oil in the car at all times. Because there are those who believe that MG stands for More Garage-time, I made sure that I was prepared and competent. That's a girly thing too. 

And then I gave up on all that silliness and started driving less tempermental cars.

But Monday night, it all came back to me.

I was driving my happy VW with the inevitable modern computer that monitors everything, even the tire pressure.  (I feel lucky to have a temperature gauge, and a tachometer.  An oil pressure guauge was clearly too much).  While we were heading into town, my sweet Passat binged at me.   

Loudly.

And then her screen of all information flashed a yellow oil can at me, and instructed me to stop the engine.

NOW.

I was on the highway.  That wasn't happening.  But I was as gentle as I could be until I got to my destination.  Now I must admit -- the car had binged at me this way once before, but then the oil can disappeared immediatly, and the car hadn't fussed in a couple of weeks.  I figured it might have been a cranky sensor.  After all, if there was an oil pressure problem, the magic monitors should have been raising Cain (or binging loudly) every time it was detected. But having now heard the bing a second time, I pulled on my Queenly Pants, and my Competent Driver hat, and, after waiting for all the oil to return to it's resting spot, I fetched up a paper napkin from the sidewell in the door, and Checked The Oil.

ahem.

I tried a second time.

This is what I saw when I checked the oil.

That, my friends, is a dry dipstick.  Now, don't get me wrong.  I've nothing against dry dipsticks in the abstract.  After all, there is a time and place for a dry dipstick.  That time is after you've pulled it from the vehicle, and wiped it off.  That time is before you slip it back in to test the current state of the oil.

This photo, alas, was taken after the stick had been pulled, dried, and slipped back into the slot.  This photo was taken when the dipstick should have been revealing to me that, though the oil might be a little low (and certainly a little dirty, what with the oil change comign due in 200 miles), there was, in fact, enough oil.  This dipstick is clearly not showine me that there is enough oil to wait until the rest gets changed -- tomorrow.

I thanked the Universe that I own a Smart Phone, and used it to locate the nearest gas station.  I gingerly started the car, and gingerly drove to that gas station, and begged the Universe to let there be oil for sale.  I actually had to stand in line to ask the lady behind the counter whether they had any, for it was well hidden.  But they did.  All of it is "conventional" oil. 

The oil in my VW is synthetic oil.

Gleep.

Again, I thanked the Universe for my smart phone, and googled whether there was likely to be a catastrophic problem if I mixed conventional and synthetic oil.  I thanked the Universe yet again when the very first site I found assured me that it'd be okay.  I'm not testing this theory for long, but I figured it is unlikely to blow the car up between the gas station, home, my final exam in the morning, and the oil change place.  Even though I knew the oil is going to be in the car for only about 14 hours, I couldn't quite bring myself to buy the cheapest they had.

I purchased my quart of oil, strode out to the car, popped the hood again, and poured about 1/2 a quart in.  After all, I'm mixing oil types here, no need to put in more than I need. Right?

I checked the oil level.

I poured in the rest of the oil.... and checked again.

Yes, that's still a dry dipstick.  After a full quart of oil, you will note that there is no sign of any oil on that dipstick. 

This is not good. 

I went back in and bought another quart of oil.

Once again, I strode out to the car, popped the hood, and poured about 1/2 a quart in.  After all, I'm still mixing oil types here, no need to put in more than I need. Right?

I checked the oil level.

Yes, that's still a dry dip stick.

I poured in the rest of the oil.... and checked again.

Finally.  by the slimmest of margins, there is enough oil to safely drive the car.

I am glad I had my days with the MG.  It makes going back to checking the oil often easier.  It also made me feel completely comfortable with this car maintenance task.

It is good to be competent.

(I think I'll buy an extra quart of oil to carry with me....)

In Which My House Feels Like A Day Spa

When I got up Sunday morning, my plan included studying for Monday's Pathology exam, possibly paying bills, reading, and giving one homework massage.

Instead, I took Bookworm to the store to get supplies to repair a hair disaster, and spent the next couple of hours carefully re-bleaching her hair, in preparation for re-coloring her hair. 

Bookworm is very grateful that my camera when on strike today.  Otherwise, you'd see photos of the hair disaster (in which her hair color ranged from the dark mahogany/burgundy brown she'd last died it, through various shades of fox, dark strawberry blond, butterscotch, platinum blonde, wheat, apricot, ....

While it could have been VERY COOL, the color ranges weren't in interesting natural looking streaks.... they were more.... spotted.  Like someone took the fur colors of a red fox or red panda, and used the patterns of, say an ocelot.  In short... NOT good.

There would also be pictures of the process, with her hair mostly pinned up, and some foil wrapped, to show you just how small the sections were that I worked with, so that I'd bleach the brown parts, and lighten the darker foxy colors, without over bleaching the honey and platinum.....

Of course, there are also no pictures of the almost finished results -- the bleaching is done, and her hair looks pretty good -- sort of strawberry blond.  But we're going to even it out a little better with a round of blonde dye after it's had a chance to breathe from two days in a row of bleaching.

For the record -- I'm actually opposed to my high school aged daughter dyeing her hair.  I'm even more opposed to her doing it in ways that require bleaching.  But -- the whole thing started months and months ago when she slipped out to Walgreens and spent her own money on hair dye.  She surprised me with the new color - fait accompli.  And luckily, it actually looked quite good.  I decided that this was a battle I was not going to win.

However, after this weekend's mishap, she and I had a chat about intense color changed (especially ones invovling bleach. Next time, she's going to buy the product from the beauty supply shop, not Walgreen's, and she's going to have ME help her for things more complex than simple coloring.  Kitty meant well, but she's never had it done, much less watched it being done, and thus didn't quite know how to tackle the job.

By the time stage one of hair repair was done, it was time for me to give a massage.  (Day spa time... get your hair colored (or trimmed), and a massage.  I can even paint your tonails, though I'm no pro at the whole pedicure thing. (snicker).

I closed the day giving a massage to Golf Pro, who was long overdue.

I finally got to the pathology book at about 11:30 p.m.  Color me grateful that the exam wasn't until 2:00 p.m.

I'm hoping that the camera and I get back on good terms so I can show you the new BookWorm.  It looks great, even if I do keep having to do double takes.  (It's a pretty drastic change).

Make Up - the Mary Kay Edition

As you know, I agreed to test some Mary Kay products and blog about the experience.

When I first received my little box of Mary Kay products, it contained the following: a Compact Mini (which one loads up with blush and eye-shadow); a Mineral Cheek Color; and  Mineral Eye Color Bundle (three shades that are supposed to work together to make your eyes look marvelous).  They look like fun, except for one minor detail - my eyes are blue.  They sent the Mineral Eye Color Bundle whose "expert shade choices were customized for" brown eyes; I talked to them, and since they really do want me to blog about the appropriate product, they also sent me one "customized for" blue eyes.  

(We interrupt this blog to comment on shipping practices.  I received a box from Mary Kay that looks like this (note the catalog for size comparison):

As you can see, the box in which my carefully customized eye shadow collection is packaged is not quite as tall as the box in which it was shipped:

And it's no where near as big as the box when laid flat therein:

This kind of thing makes me just a little nuts.  It costs more to ship that box than it would have to shipp a well padded envelope.  It costs more to make said box (and thus for them to buy said box).  In the end, that kind of shipping costs us all both economically and ecologically.  However, it did, indeed, ensure that the make up arrived in perfect condition.

Interruption over.)

Just for fun, I'll show you both shadow sets with my blue eyes.  We can judge for ourselves which looks better.

Here's what they have customized for blue eyes:

 

and here's what they have customized for brown eyes:

 Once again -- for blue eyes (and yes -- there are three colors on my eyelid):

and for brown eyes (still three colors):

Now me... I don't see that either one makes my eyes pop more than the other. 

Golf Pro likes the formulation for blue eyes, but I think that's because he's not a big fan of make up that looks like you're wearing make up.  I'm debating on which, if either, I'll be packing for my trip.

My thoughts on the Mary Kay make up in general....

I find that the Bare Minerals stuff goes on much more easily.  This claims to be "minerals' but doesn't have the easy flow of the other brand. Who knows whether I'd have loved it without the Bare Minerals to compare it to??

I find the difference in ease of application very noticeable with the blush.  Mary Kay's blush takes a LOT of roughing up to get onto your brush, and then seems not to spread as well as the Bare Minerals blush.  Mary Kay is $3.00 cheaper, but I think you get more with Bare Minerals (though I don't thin the amount you get from either is the same - one is hard packed and one is not, so it's really hard to tell).

With the eye shadows, I found it difficult -- okay, nigh onto impossible -- to get the intensity of color on my eyes that they show in the pictures on the prodcut box.  Perhaps I'm just too timid with the brushes.... but Bookworm, who is not at all timid about putting on make up, also seemed to have trouble getting enough on my eye to show the intense colors they show in the pictures.  Again, this may have been because one has to work hard to break the stuff loose from its densely packed presentation.  And again, I find it much eaier to spread the Bare Minerals eye shadows.  Here, however, the price differnce is more significant:   A set of three colors like the ones Mary Kay sent to me runs about $20.00; each individual minerals eye color is $6.50.  Meanwhile, over at Bare Minerals, the eye shadow pots are $13.00 each (the liquid stuff is more expensive).  Of course, the pots are loose eyeshadow powder, and the Mary Kay eye shadow is packed, so once again, it's hard to tell how much you really get.  -- and Mary Kay offers more color options.

 If money were no object, I think I'd go for Bare Minerals.  BUT.... I do like the presentation of the Mary Kay product - you may recall the mirrored compact, which holds a blush, three shadows, and the brushes.... (shown here with just the blush, as I've not yet chosen which shadow set to load it with).

 

Make Up - Take Two

Last week, I tried to write a post about make up.  This week I'm going to try to recapture that post...

Quite a while ago, I agreed to test some products from Mary Kay.

Soon thereafter, I also got in play for to test Bare Minerals make up. I received both packages, but both had a bit of color issues.  I'm waiting for Mary Kay to replace one part.... (more on that when I've got the whole set).

Meanwhile -- since timing is everything -- I've been practicing with the goodies I received from the folks from Bare Minerals .  I am waiting for a replacement package from them as well (again the color they sent isn't quite right)... But here is what I received -

 1. Two pots of Original SPF 15 Foundation (one in Light and one in Fairly Light, which they claim will blend to match my skin tone.)

2. One pot of Warmth - All Over Face Color.

3. One pot of Mineral Veil Finishing Powder.

4. One wee pot of eye color in a shade that I can't now find in either the catalog or on line (which is a shame, because I like it).

5. A Full Flawless Application Face Brush.

6. A Handy Buki Brush which I'm allegedly going to want when I want more "complete" coverage.

7. And a Maximum Coverage Concealer Brush.

 

I also received a "free gift" with the above package (I've got that stuff for a 30-day trial).  That free gift includes:

1. A Refillable Mirrored Compact with half-moon brush. (I like the mirrored part, but it's space to put whatever powder you're going to put in there is significantly larger than any pot they use, so I'm not sure what is supposed to go in it.

 

2. Mascara (and I'm sorry, I don't recall which one).

3. A Precision Concealer Brush.

 

 

 

 

 So here I am with a whole lot of stuff for my face...

Now, until a week ago, I was pretty much a non-user of make up.  I kind of figured that my face was my face:

 
.

It's an okay face.  It gets make up every now and then when I've some fancy event or want to feel particularly pretty.  But mostly, it is what it is...

Oddly enough, Bookworm is a whiz with make-up.  So she elected to help me try out the new stuff.  And... she took a slew of pictures so that we can show you step by step (aren't you just thrilled?)

Step one is to use the Flawless Face Brush with a bit of  Fairly Light Foundation, buffed all over my face:

(I'm reasonably sure that the make-up did not make my nose suddenly larger.  I think its a camera angle thing).

Step two - to do the same thing with the Fairly Light foundation....

It's hard to see the difference in these shots, but there is one.  In fact, the Light is a bit too golden for my skin.  But we'll address that later...

Next up... Warmth.  It's sort of a blush, and yet not a blush.  One puts it mostly on the cheeks, but also across the forehead, and even on the chin.  It's supposed to give you a healthy glow...

And no, I don't know what she did with the camera or the lighting to explain why this pic is so much brighter.  We're supposed to be looking at the even-ness of my skin tone, and the possibility that there's a healthy glow in there.

Step Five was a bit of Mineral Veil (and the Mary Kay blush)

The next step was to try the Bare Mineral's eye shadow ..

It's on there, really....

Oddly enough, even though their own magic video notes that the first thing you do when putting make up on eyes is apply eye-liner, they didn't send any.  I made do with my own.

Bookworm took matters into her own hands, and redid the eyeliner her way.

And BookWorm used the Mary Kay eye shadows for brown eyes and the Bare Minerals mascara to achieve a final look like this:

 

So... just for funsies, here's a side by side comparison -- my face as my face, and my face with "help".

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So... There we have me. and my face. I've been doing at least the Bare Minerals steps every day for a week now.... and my skin does feel better...Anyone want to lay odds on how long I can keep it up?

 

 

Make Up... General Thoughts and Color Theory

A week ago I started a post about Make-Up, and my introduction to it.  I was sure I'd published it, but it seems to have disappeared completely into the ether.  While I work it back up again, and reload all those pictures, I'll leave you with this, that I'd intended to be my One Week Later post about my introduction to Bare Escentuals Bare Minerals make up. 

I'd intended to continue the missing post with part two that included a discussion of Mary Kay's eye shadows, but alas, they'd sent the wrong one.  Mary Kay did say that they were sending the "correct" eye shadow palette, but it's not arrived yet, so I'm holding that discussion until I can show you the differences that color can make in "brightening" one's eyes.  In the mean time, I'll be talking about color in other ways.

Meanwhile, I've been using the Bare Minerals every day since, sometimes with only their eye shadow, sometimes with stuff that's been lurking in my drawer for longer than we like to admit.  I've realized that the lovely pair of foundation colors I'd been mixing was just not right.  Two days later I figured out what was wrong:

One of the foundations (Fairly Light, for those who are paying attention) is what they call a neutral tone.  That means it allegedly works with both "warm" and "cool" skin tones.  The other, however, was a warm toned color.  That means it leant a "golden hue" to my face. (Translation:  odd tan/not tan color that seemed unnatural).

Here's the thing.  When I shop for clothes, I've long since learned that yellow based colors tend to make me look like I died sometime last week.  Golden is not good for me. Way back when  (no, seriously... way back in the early '80s), I had my colors "done" according to the Color Me Beautiful color seasons system.  While few folks really discuss things in terms of seasons any more (I'm a Winter, btw), that's part of where that "warm tones" and "cool tones" things comes from. (Or perhaps the season thing is what put it on the make-up map...).  This yellow problem is not aided by my hair's slow creep toward silver.

Winters use blue based things, not yellow based things.  That means that when we buy make-up, we go for "cool tones" not "warm tones" if we want things to look natural and complement our natural coloring. (and yes, this warm and cool stuff is useful in knitting and other color related arts)

Sure, if I want to look DIFFERENT, golden tones could be interesting.  I can look like I've got a "golden tan" if I want to, but in order to not be notably differnt from my throat, neck, upper chest, arms etc., I'd have to apply make up to ALL of that.  Excellent idea for costuming.  Not so much for daily life, ya know.

So..I called up the folks at Bare Minerals and discussed the fact that the beauty consultant I placed my order with never asked whether I needed warm or cool tones.  I wondered what I could do.... I have this 30 day free trial, but I'd like to try with the right colors, you know?  So... they're sending cool tones to me. I asked if I need to return the warm toned one, and she said no.  Just keep that.  They have a color match guarantee on their foundations.  Gotta love these folks.

So... what this means for you is that I don't have any pretty pictures of my made up face today.

Meanwhile, one might ask what the impact of my suddenly putting make-up on every day has had for me.  One might ask if anyone has noticed (or at least commented).

Impact:  It does take a little longer to get ready each morning, but we expected that.  It takes less time than I'd feared.  Then again, on the mornings when I feel like playing with eye make up, it takes longer because I dither about.  It also means that I'm much more reliable about cleaning my face twice a day, without skipping steps. (I've been good about following all the steps in the mornings, but without make-up, I'd often skip stuff at night... now I know I want to get all this stuff off my face before it touches the pillow).

Others Noticing? not so much.  Bookworm checked my work on day two, but already I have to ask her to judge my eyes.  She's not impressed, but allows that it looks pretty good. 

Oddly, however, GolfPro has only  said anything like "my, you look lovely today" once.  Other than that, it seems to make him nervous that I'm suddenly putting on my face every day.  He wonders what sorts of plans I have that justify make-up, since those plans don't seem to include him.  Of course, he didn't notice at all the day I hauled out the hair dryer and actually did something with my hair besides let it air dry.