Monday Musings- What’s Sweet
Happy Monday ladies. Today I am musing about all things sweet and too sweet, for me. We all know that too much sugar isn’t good for us so when my husband’s blood sugar levels began creeping higher, we decided to remove sugar from our diet. I was a dedicated Tab drinker back in the day, but those chemical sweeteners like saccharin or aspartame make me nervous now, so we’ve been experimenting.
Sugar Alternatives
We started with simple stevia packets that I found stashed in the back of our pantry. It was almost impossible to determine how much to put into a cup of tea so it ended up either way too sweet which left a bitter taste or not sweet enough…probably why the box ended up stashed back there. My morning tea is rather sacrosanct to me so this was not going to work.
Then I bought organic steevia drops which are much easier to use. I also found these flavored liquids which are great for flavoring my Chia Pudding, smoothies, etc.
The problem is I wanted to use my grandmother’s sterling sugar bowl and spoon and if I gave sugar up for good, (not a bad idea), they would become unused relics gathering dust in my cupboard. I am firmly committed to using the ‘good stuff’ because if not now? When?
My brother had us bring him some Swerve to Mexico and once we tried, we knew it was a winner. It measures just like sugar and even carmelizes when baking so now it’s our new go-to sweetener.
Too Sweet?
Puffy and statement sleeves don’t seem to be going anywhere this spring. I don’t have a problem with the statement sleeve. In fact, I love when clothes make a dramatic statement. Puffy sleeves are so far from my style wheelhouse, I feel limited by how many I’m finding. Are they your style? Because if they are, I will search out and style them for you.
Blue Sweet Blue
Someone, somewhere said that women over 50 shouldn’t wear blue eye shadow. I sure hope it wasn’t me because I’m breaking that rule starting now. Blue eyeshadow is making a comeback and dominated NY Fashion week. I’ve been using neutral eyeshadows for so long, I forget what it’s like to wear color…and that’s a shame.
I’ve been on the hunt for some fun eyeshadows to experiment with and am thrilled to discover Morphe. I’d never heard of the brand until I wandered into Ulta to pick up my eyeliner. Morphe offers a complete lineup of cruelty-free makeup and artistry tools so I decided to refresh some of my brushes too and discovered the quality is great!
“Founded in 2008 among the artists and influencers of Los Angeles, Morphe earned its reputation for a bold approach to makeup that honors individuality and self-expression.”
So far, I’ve used the opening act, headliner, the sky’s the limit, celeb status, and self-azured. They are heavily pigmented so a little goes a long way and wow, are they fun! I’ll share some pictures once I get the hang of using colored eyeshadow again.
MORE FROM MORPHE
I seldom buy large palettes because I never use all the colors, (who does?). But this huge palette is just $20 so I felt I could risk it and so far love every color I’ve tried.
Do you wear colored eyeshadow?
Just a quick mention- any sweetener will raise your insulin levels, not just sugar. The “fake” ones will do it too. After years of having sweeteners in my coffee, I now drink it black. Wasn’t hard and I feel better!
LOVED the post about the eyeshadow kit. I, too, have been hungering for more dramatic eye color, even though all the beauty blogs say “No way is a 65+ woman advised to wear brightly colored eyeshadow. Stick to the neutrals.” I found a workaround. I stick with the eye shadow neutrals and line my eyes with the brightly colored pigments I’m craving (blue, azure, teal, etc, etc). I’m using soft eyeliner pencils (as opposed to liquid liner) in shades that complement my eye color. One of the suggestions when doing this is to “set” the eyeliner pigment by pressing/smudging similar colored eyeshadow into the eyeliner after it’s in place. But, of course, I had no brightly colored eyeshadows! All I had was neutrals! This eyeshadow pallette will allow me to do that without having a gazillion little eyeshadow compacts in my makeup kit. I’m getting it today.
Great suggestions. I’m experimenting with using this vibrant blue just on the outside of the lid too.
I had to let you know, Jennifer, that I love your grandmother’s silver sugar bowl and spoon. Just lovely. Keep using, and enjoying, them! I agree with you, life is too short to not use beautiful things. They add an elegance and grace to an ordinary day. As for puffed sleeves, I bought a blouse last summer that has slightly puffed sleeves and was surprised to find out that it made me feel pretty and more feminine than the tailored button ups I normally wear. I am not going to give those up either, but a little feminine touch here and there is welcome, especially for church or a dress-up event.
That’s lovely Debbie. A feminine touch is so nice