Getting My Studio Fix - MAC Studio Moisture Cream

Hey, guys!  It’s been a moment, but I’ve been on a reconnaissance mission of sorts to find a decent moisturizer for my face.  For those who are in the know, I had been relying on Ole Henriksen’s vitamin rich concoction for quite a spell... but it ran out and I wanted to try something new (you know me - wink, wink!).   So off I went (virtually) to find a decent substitute and decided to take a chance on an offering by MAC - their Studio Moisture Cream to be exact.  I’m halfway through the jar as we speak, which is not necessarily an accurate reflection of my enthusiasm for the product.  But let me explain...

Studio Moisture Cream is just one of the moisturizers in MAC’s well stocked, but highly underrated skincare line.  From lightweight to hydration heavy, the selection of face creams is pretty respectable for a company better known for its eyeshadows and blushes than skincare.  

I knew that I wanted something light enough for summer, but enriching enough for fall as well.  So after scanning the inventory and reading the accompanying reviews, I decided it would be SMC that I would take to the dance.

Arriving in an eggshell hued, logo embossed box, the 1.7 oz. jar itself is pretty straightforward in design - consisting of an opaque white with a contrasting black, rubberized lid.  But it’s what’s on the inside that really counts...

Off-white in color, the Studio Cream has a nice consistency - thick and stable, but not too dense feeling.  Almost pudding-like.  And it has a light, docile fragrance, so those sensitive to smells should not find this off putting at all.  It spreads nicely, too.  Again, it has a light feeling when applying to the face with no shine or greasy residue to speak of, which I found to be nice since my face does not like “heavy” at all.  My face did feel moisturized; however, it is noticeably lighter than my Ole and I feared that it perhaps wouldn’t be moisturizing enough as a result.  And so I tried it both day and night for several weeks to see how my skin would fare.

The first couple of weeks went OK.  I had no breakouts and my skin felt hydrated enough.  I thought, “Hey, I think I found my new moisturizer!”  But my excitement quickly waned as I started to experience a small, sporadic bump or two on each cheek.  Though benign, it still gave me pause and I figured I would have to go back to the drawing board.  And then they stopped.

Fast forward to now and all I can say is that I like it enough to finish it, but not sure if it is THE ONE.  I haven’t had any more breakouts as of recent and my skin does feel good, but... I’m not over the moon about it, you know?  I guess it’s doing its job, even though I have an occasional dry patch here and there after applying, but... *sigh* I dunno.  And it is this ambivalence that has fueled me to keep looking. 

So keep looking, I shall.  I already have my eye on the next contender and will be sure to give you guys the scoop once I get the full deets on whether my skin approves... or not!

MAC Studio Moisture Cream can be found at Nordstrom and MACcosmetics(.)com, and retails for $33/1.7 fl oz.

The New Normal

Hey, guys...

Last Monday, after being cooped up for two weeks straight, I woke up around 6:15am with full plans to get to the nearby grocery store by no later than 7.  I had ran out of ice-cream and needed to re-up because... priorities.

When I got to the store’s underground parking lot, I saw that the elevators to the main floor were blocked.  I followed the crudely printed signs that pointed to the stairs and proceeded up towards the street where I was met with a somewhat significant line of people at the entrance of the automated doors of the store.  I sighed then took my place at the back of the line.  Approximately six feet behind the last person at the back of the line.  Thankfully, the line looked a lot worse than it ended up being.  I didn’t count the exact amount of time, but sooner than I knew it, the whole lot of us were being ushered into the store one by one.

Inside, no crowd, but enough of a head count for so early in the morning.  Some donned face masks while others went bare.  I was part of the latter; however, I did take a produce bag and fashion it into a “glove”, so I could quickly navigate my cart to the aisles I needed and then quickly leave.

When I got home, I stripped down naked right at the front door and left my packages on the floor while I grabbed my bottle of rubbing alcohol from my bathroom as well as dish detergent.  I doused a paper towel with the concoction and proceeded to thoroughly wipe everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, down before putting it away.  Food, credit cards, keys... nothing went un-wiped.   When I was through with the wiping, I jumped in the shower and scrubbed.  After showering, I laundered everything I wore to the store, including the hat I wore to cover my hair.  Then and only then did I relax.

Two days ago, I fashioned a makeshift face mask out of an old scarf and two ponytail bands after seeing the quick and handy tutorial on Instagram.  Took me less than five minutes.  Very happy to have it.  Another piece of armor for the battle...

And now I’m just sitting here... all dolled up with nowhere to go.  But I’m so thankful that all my family and friends, including you guys, are here and accounted for.  So blessed to be here myself.  Hopeful that this tide will soon ebb.  Encouraged that it most certainly will.

Strange times we’re living in, huh?  But I guess this is our new normal.

Strange times indeed...

In Living Color...

Hey, guys!  Well, I’m not going to beat around the bush.  Going to get right down to the nitty gritty, the meat and potatoes, the... well, you get my drift.  I am starting a new adventure and I would love for you all to come along with me in my journey.  And to think that it all began with a simple request...

One of my dearest readers requested that I make a video talking about my relaxed hair.  Actually, she had asked before.  But I played it off, thinking, “I can’t do videos.  I don’t have time.  Who would watch anyway?”  And, “What would I say?”  Well, they say that persistence pays off and when she asked this last time, the idea began to marinate.  The ask sat differently with me this go ‘round and as my temerity grew in stature, I thought, “Maybe, just maybe, I could really do this.”

And so I recorded.  And edited.  And deleted.  And researched.  And edited some more.  And now here I am.   I am throwing my hat into the vast digital playground that is YouTube.  Yes, guys, I am posting my very first video on the Y to the T.

How do I feel, you ask?  Kinda naked, to be honest.  But like I said in my first vid, this should be fun.  I gotta have fun while doing this or else it’s not going to work.  And so that’s my goal: to have fun and enjoy while sharing IN LIVING COLOR!

So I’ll be posting my very first ever, EVER video tomorrow - this Tuesday, y’all!  Wonder how tall I am?  Tune in!  Wanna know if I sound like a man or not?  Watch and find out!

Finally, I’d love to give a huge shoutout to my reader who gave me the nudge (OK, multiple nudges!) to do this.  Thank you!  And thank you to each and everyone who has ever read my blog, subscribed and/or interacted with me on this platform.  I truly appreciate it and hope that you find this additional venture just as interesting.  And, yes, this YT thing will be in addition to and not in lieu of my blog.  At least for now.

So let’s do this, y’all!  The channel is Dolce’s Dial.  I repeat, the channel is Dolce’s Dial!  Or look me up by name, Dolce Dawn.  Tune in this Tuesday and get dialed in!  Be there or be square!  #Holla!

(Psst!  Here’s the link: https://youtu.be/We01zZU52W0)

Operation Restoration: Thickness

Hey, guys!  Just a quick update here - and it’s a good one!  My hair is definitely starting to look and feel like my hair of old.  I’m gaining length, my strands feel more “solid” and... it’s thicker, y’all!  Woo-hoo!

If you’ve been following my Restoration chronicles then you know that I’ve been working assiduously trying to bring my hair back from the brink of extinction.  I trimmed the ends religiously.  And it grew in length.  But lagged in numbers still.

And so I trimmed.  And it grew and got a little thicker... but, much to my dismay, still had yet to fully fill in as I had quite a noticeable gap of missing hair right smack in the middle.

On top of all that, I had breakage near my nape - which I knew was there, but I had avoided addressing for whatever irrational reason that had populated in my pretty little head.

And then it happened.  The heavens opened and God stretched out his powerful hand and gently pulled the rest of my struggling, missing strands down to reach the rest of my hair and voilá - thickness!

Okay, that’s not exactly what happened.  What had happened was... I finally had enough growth to where I felt I could duly address the incessant gap and made what I’m hoping will be the last big chop to my hair; I cut my hair all the way up to where the gap was and now my hair is thick throughout.

OMG, guys - I finally have thickness, y’all!  Did you hear me?  Man, listen...  Look at this ponytail!  Do you all see this?  Do you?!  No more see-throughs!  Not a thin, crazy strand in sight!   And now I truly have a clean slate on which to start my length building on.  I am so pumped, y’all...  I mean, I can’t even properly explain it.  But I feel good.

So there you have it.  I’m starting off the new year (happy belated, guys!) with a brand new attitude, a more streamlined vision for my life... and a new, FULLER head of hair to boot and I am juiced!  It’s taken almost a year for me to get back to this point, but I’m here.  Count it all joy!

The comeback kid is in the building, y’all!  And I can’t wait to see how much (and how fast) we can grow.  Who’s here for waist-length?  Alrighty then... LET’S GO!