I May Be Sad, But These Dogs Are Happy Enough for Everyone

It's down to the last 2 weeks of school, and to say I am woefully behind is a massive, massive understatement. I've been dealing with a resurgence of PTSD, contributing to the whole massively behind thing (and the whole "I don't want to do anything except stare at a wall" thing), but none of that matters when I look at this picture:

via Buzzfeed, from a slideshow full of happy-making photos

AAAAAAAAAAAH! I'm caught between squealing with glee and laughing maniacally. It's a great place to be.

Now I must go conduct a corpus study in a language I don't yet speak. Oh God. Just think of the doggies, Amy, think of the doggies...

Do you have any favorite cute pictures/slideshows/videos? 

Giveaway Winner, and Preview of Things to Come

Firstly: The winner of the giveaway, as chosen by Random.org, is Lizzy––which made me snort up my tea, since she won the anniversary giveaway last year, too! What strange coincidence, heh. Thank you to all who entered! And stay tuned for an end-of-the-year giveaway in a few weeks :-)

Secondly: I've managed to acquire a number of new lippies recently––a combination of depression and sales led to some cheer-up purchases, and no, I don't regret it: they're all gorgeous, and nothing makes me happier than a pretty lippie (save a holo/duochrome/sparkly nail polish, I suppose!). It may be shallow to enjoy the snap of a luxury lipgloss being closed, but I don't care. I will find joy in whatever small things I can: shortbread cookies, tea, comfort perfumes, and, yes, makeup.

To that end, let me share my new pretties! There will be full reviews and FOTDs of everything in the next few weeks, knowing how slow I am at posting, heh.

Clockwise from top left: Shu Uemura PK 375, BG 935, Becca Berry Twist, Giorgio Armani Flash Lacquer 608, Becca Lip Priming Perfector, Korres Lip Butter Quince, Le Métier de Beauté Framboise Crème, Chanel Savage Grace

I've apparently become a bit of a gloss person, weird. Any you're particularly interested in hearing about? And how have y'all been?

Fragrance Friday

I realized I haven't actually talked about a few of the Sonoma Scent Studio perfumes I've tried, and what with the giveaway, thought it might be prudent to do so!

Winter Woods (guaiacwood, cedar, sandalwood, birch tar, cade, oakmoss absolute, castoreum, amber, labdanum absolute, vetiver, ambergris, musk) is one of my two favorites from the entire SSS line (the other being Forest Walk, of course). I'm going to just put Laurie's description here, because I think it perfectly captures the perfume:
A cozy perfume featuring ambered woods with a touch of smoke, perfect for fall and winter. The long-lasting drydown of amber, woods, musk, and oakmoss is slightly sweet and gently smoky. (source)
I mean, really, "ambered woods"? I never stood a chance. Winter Woods smells amazing, seriously, every note I love best in perfumes mixed with a bit of sweetness and a tinge of smoke. It's crazy long-lasting, feels utterly cozy when worn, and it got me through last term's finals (the ultimate litmus test of how emotionally fulfilling a scent is!). I find it to be more of a cold weather perfume, so I don't anticipate wearing it all that much the next few months, but I will gleefully spray it on with the return of autumn.

2 Year Blogaversary

It's been another year! Which means it's been 2 years since I started BJB, which is...really freaking weird to think about. I feel like this blog has grown and changed with me; this past year has seen a move away from just reviews to things completely unrelated to beauty (depression, sexual assault, crap why is grad school so much work). Other things have started taking up more of my time, but y'all keep reading my sporadic posts, and for that, I thank you. This blog is a place for me to talk about pretty things, and ugly things, and things that interest me, which has certainly shifted over time, so I'm very grateful that you've decided to accompany for the ride, bumpy as it is!

It wouldn't be a BJB blogaversary without a giveaway, now would it? Since I am currently overwhelmed with work, I'm going to make this an electronic gift so I don't have to worry about getting to the post office (but hang tight for the end of the term, when I'll have a giveaway with physical goods!). Namely, a $20 gift certificate to Sonoma Scent Studio, maker of some of my absolute favorite perfumes (Forest Walk, Winter Woods, and Jour Ensoillelé are particularly beloved, but I really like pretty much everything I've tried!). This is open to US and Canada residents, must be of legal age, etc., and will run until May 26 (1 week). Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Today is also the 1 year anniversary of my first date with the boy, so I made him anniversary chocolate-dipped chocolate chip cookies. It's been ages since I've baked anything, and making these reminded me how much I enjoy it! Now I just need more time...

sea of cookies!

The recipe, should you like to recreate the magic for yourself, is:

Becca Beach Tints in Watermelon and Fig Review and Swatches

During Sephora's sale (I'm a little behind the times, shush), I picked up the Beach Tint Duo mini tubes in Watermelon and Fig after reading Liz's review; while she found Fig to be too light to be worthwhile, I figured it might be a nice neutral blush on my pale skin, and Watermelon is just the prettiest, happiest pink. I don't tend to gravitate towards cream blushes because I dislike getting my fingers blushy, and the process of rubbing it into my cheeks turns my skin red and therefore makes it very difficult to see how much I have applied, so I also picked up the Real Techniques Stippling Brush to use with them.

They're adorable, you guys.

Introducing: What's It Worth?

Hi! It's been pretty much forever since I've posted anything (and even longer since I've posted anything beauty-related!). I have tons of stuff I want to share with you, but simply don't have the time to post every day, so you can look forward to seeing new stuff for the next couple months!

I'd like to start my posting blitz with something not-so-beauty-related: a mg scale. I read Brightest Bulb in the Box, written by a science nerd (highest praise!), and you should really read it too. Go. Now. She posts frequently, her reviews are hilarious and expletive-laden, and her sciencey information posts are very enlightening. But anyways. One time she posted about how many swipes are in a lipstick, which she measured by weighing lipsticks before and after application on a mg scale. At the time, I did not have a mg scale, but mentally made a note to pick one up, because I thought it was such a good idea. I love precision! I've been migrating towards natural skincare, including diy vitamin c serum, which benefits from precise measurements, so I decided that was a good enough reason to get one (the fact that it was less than $20 on Amazon helped).

Gemini 20 x 0.001 g scale via Amazon, where I bought mine

Mine only weighs up to 20 g (0.705 oz), so I can't weigh many of my products on it (anything in glass, for example, is too heavy, and most of my high end makeup is very weighty), but I've been playing with things that I can weigh, from which I figure I can extrapolate. That brings me to my newest page feature: What's It Worth? Featuring the number of uses, and cost per use, of some of my products. These should be used as an estimate only, as the amount I use could be different than you, and similar products likely have differing densities, but I think it's fun anyways! Right now, it only includes a few products, all lippies, but I'll be adding to it over time. Head on over and check it out!

Meet Harper

She is my new camera.

via B&H Photo (where I bought mine)

Ain't she pretty? Here's her cousin wearing the lens and flash.

via B&H Photo

I haven't had the chance to take any photos yet (save a few goofy shots of the boy), but I'm going to try and find some time the next few days. I have so many things to show you!

How are you all doing? My week has been rather overwhelming for personal reasons, but it's beautiful and sunny here, so even though I have a mountain and a half of research and work to get through, I can look outside and see the flowers blooming!