Author Archives: thewaywardwisteria

Summer Devotional Series: The Importance of Consistency

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What I’m listening to: Write This Down by George Strait

Somehow it seems easier to get to church in the winter. I think that as a culture we are more scheduled outside of the summer months. School is in session, people are saving up their vacation days, and there’s a sense of regulation that seems to dog us all.

In the summer it is easier to cast off our responsibilities and “have fun”, going out on the weekends, going on vacation, and just generally hanging out and relaxing. Now far from it for me to say that any of these activities are inherently “bad” or disloyal to the Lord. Many verses in the Bible discuss the importance of rest, with the beginning of Psalm 23 perhaps being one of the most iconic:

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.

~ Psalm 23:1-3 (NIV)

However, it is important to note that, as seen above, God wants us to find rest in Him. When He talks about rest, He doesn’t just mean for our physical bodies, He wants us to experience the spiritual rest one can only find through spending dedicated time with Him. Meaning we shouldn’t prioritize our summer fun over our relationship with God. That we don’t skip church to sleep off our Saturday night, or forget to read our Bible when we go on vacation, or make extra excuses to do things we know we shouldn’t do. We must remember that being a Christian is not a hobby, it’s our life. We’re running a race, and Jesus is waiting for us at the finish line.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

~ 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (ESV)

God made the seasons, but it’s our responsibility to keep our eyes on the Kingdom without distraction, no matter the weather.

Prayer prompt: Ask that God would give you the conviction to stay consistent in your relationship with Him, and not to get caught up in the fleeting fun of summer to the extent that you lose sight of what is truly important.

Peace,

KJ

Summer Devotional Series!

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What I’m Listening to: I’m So Excited by The Pointer Sisters

I’m so excited (see song above) to announce that I am going to be doing another devotional series! This one is going to be two parts, starting next week, and is going to specifically be about staying focused with our faith during the summer. Stay tuned, and I’ll see you next week!

Peace,

KJ

Cherry Blossom Festival!

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What I’m listening to: Stay by Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs

I have to make a confession: I literally lived outside DC for over two years and I never went to see the cherry blossoms.

I know, I know, for shame! Finally however, I saw the error of my ways and went to go see them this weekend. They are every bit as beautiful as advertised, the blossoms make the monuments look so magnificent and more than a little dreamlike.

(P.S. Yes, the skirt of my dress has cherry blossoms embroidered on it, you know I couldn’t resist)

Peace,

KJ

Frustrations and Forgiveness

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What I’m listening to: God Will by Johnny Cash

Do you ever work really hard on something that then doesn’t end up the way you want it to? You spend hours working on some project or craft and at the end you just look at it with despair and shove it in the back of a closet so you don’t have to be reminded of our own failure?

It can be easy to see no worth in something that doesn’t measure up to our highest expectations, to want to give up on it and move on.

It can be even easier to feel like God sees us this way, that this time we’ve been such a failure and disappointment that He is finally going to throw up his hands and throw us away.

Luckily for us this overwhelming frustration at something not being exactly the way we wanted it to turn out is a fully human view, and not one that God, in His limitless wisdom, shares.

Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.

~ Joel 2:13 (ESV)

He always sees the good in us, the worthiness in our worthlessness, and the potential, even at our worst, to be His very best.

Everything happens for a reason, it might not be our reason, but it’s always His. He has promised to always look out for us, always care for us, and to always be patient with us. As we head into this Easter season, isn’t that a wonderfully reassuring thought?

If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you–you of little faith?

~ Matthew 6:30 (NIV)

Prayer Prompt: Pray that God might cleanse you of your own focus on your feelings of failure or worthlessness, that you might focus on working for God and His kingdom instead.

Mini-post: A Presidential Hike

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What I’m listening to: Down Under by Men At Work

It’s President’s Day! (Do you know how hard it is to come up with a President’s Day pun for the blog title? Impossible, so I just gave up). You know I didn’t give up on? Hiking! This weekend was a nearly-50-degrees break between snow showers, so I had to take advantage. Isn’t it pretty? The trout stream was empty but crystal clear.

Peace,

KJ

Be My Valentine?

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What I’m listening to: Young Lady, You’re Scaring Me by Ron Gallo

Happy Valentine’s Day! I know, I know, I’m late, but if you ask me Valentine’s should be like Mardi Gras and last a good season or so. You guys know I love a good holiday, and in turn a good holiday outfit. This look certainly fits the prescription: hearts and ruffles and velvet and charms make me feel like a real-life valentine!

Peace,

KJ

Mini-post: Long Skirt/No Jacket

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What I’m listening to: Short Skirt/Long Jacket by Cake

Do you ever have a color that you just love? Maybe it looks really good on you, maybe it makes you happy, but no matter what, if you see something in that color you just gotta have it? That’s me and emerald green. I didn’t even realize it until I noticed I had eyeshadow and a skirt in the exact same unusual shade. That’s when I knew I had to make a post. See?? Same color!

Peace,

KJ

Who Shot JR?

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What I’m listening to: Maria También by Khruangbin

What could be more soap-opera 80s than shoulder-length earrings, knee high pointed toe white boots, and a white turtleneck underneath a, wait for it, double breasted pink corduroy suit? Let me know if you find out, I’ll wear it. Until then, I’ll be watching Dallas if you need me.

Peace,

KJ

My Makeup: Part II

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What I’m listening to: Pearls of Ceylon by Les Baxter

Over two years ago I made the first edition of this post. I went over the makeup that I wear on a daily basis. Looking back through my old posts the other day I realized that the makeup I wear has changed almost entirely in the last two years. Therefore I figured I’d give y’all an update, as well as share some new products and techniques I’ve picked up. This post is going to be split into two posts, the first one (this one) will be more like the first “My Makeup” post, dedicated to the makeup I wear all the time. The second will be devoted to my lipstick collection which is either out of control or undersized depending on who you ask. (I’m the only person who thinks I need more.) So, without further ado, let’s jump into the first post, the makeup I wear every day, in order.

Primer

YSL’s Top Secrets Instant Moisture Glow. A little goes a long way, a dollop the size of a pinhead can cover your whole face. Usually I do my eye makeup while I wait for it to dry.

Eyeshadow

Il Makiage’s Color Boss (Multi-Dimensional Eye Color) in Alter Ego. This eyeshadow exists somewhere between a powder and a cream which means it spreads really nicely. I cover my whole eyelid in this shade, blending the color at the edges for the pale smokey eye.

Eyeliner

YSL’s Black Eye Marker. I draw a thin, blended line at the edges of my eyes, tapering off about halfway across my lid.

Mascara Primer

Dior’s Diorshow Maximizer 3D Triple Volume Plumping Lash Primer. The only thing as long as this primer’s name will be your eyelashes after using this product. The pro-tip with this one is after you apply it, let it dry completely before you put on your mascara, otherwise your lashes will clump.

Mascara

Chanel’s Inimitable mascara in Noir Black. This mascara gives a 1920’s style curl to lashes. I’ve used MAC’s Haute and Naughty Too for a really long time and I’ve always like the volume, but I like the different style this mascara has.

Color corrector

YSL’s Touche Éclat Neutralizer in Vert Green. By this time my primer has dried so I apply color corrector to any blemish on my face. I let this layer dry somewhat before I blend it into my skin. It typically leaves a greenish tint to the areas applied, but that’s okay because it’s going to get covered.

Concealer

Dior Fix-It (in 001 light). This is one of my new favorite products. I purchased it just recently but I really love the quick coverage and how portable it is, I can just throw it in my purse and go. When I’m sitting down and applying my makeup however, I put this over the color corrector and blend. I typically think that concealer leaves my skin looking a little uneven, my skin is not dry by any means and the matte finish of most concealers makes it more noticeable than I like. That’s why I then move onto the next step, foundation.

Foundation

Dior’s Diorskin Forever (in 020 Light Beige). I got this just recently. I don’t like the fact that it has sunscreen in it, but I really like the way it looks a lot. It’s literally almost invisible and very light. The second part is especially important to me because I do not wear foundation all over. I generally try to minimize the amount of foundation I wear because I find it annoying when it’s all over my face. So it only goes over the spots I’ve covered with the concealer and color corrector. This is also why it’s really important to match the color to my skin because most of my face doesn’t have it on. This typically results in my buying a second shade in the summer for when I’m more tan.

Eyebrow pencil

Anastasia Beverly Hills’ Brow Wiz (in Medium Brown). I have thick eyebrows so this goes mostly into shaping my eyebrows ever since I gave up on getting them done professionally.

Blush

Nar’s Orgasm Blush. All of Nar’s blushes have wildly inappropriate names and this is no exception. It’s really good blush though, it doesn’t have a chalkiness or harsh tone that a lot of blushes have. I sweep this onto the top of my cheeks. I do that thing where you smile so you can see where to put it.

Highlighter

YSL’s Touche Éclat (1 Luminous Radiance). Infamous in the beauty world this pen is literally the best. A few clicks and, using their guide for placement, you highlight your face with a crazy natural-looking sheen. It doesn’t have the gaudy glitter of a lot of highlighters, which is really nice.

Setting spray

MAC’s Prep + Prime Fix+. This gets sprayed all over my face once I’ve finished the rest of my makeup. Once it dries it removes the last hint of matte, leaving your face with a healthy shine that makes it look like you are barely wearing any makeup.

Brushes

Artis Elite 3 brush set plus an oval 3. I love Artis brushes. They don’t have the flexibility of most makeup brushes, which means you get a lot more pigment in one swipe. Time saver!

I thought about including some of the lip products I use the most, but I figured I’d save it for my lipstick piece. See you soon!

Peace,

KJ