Beauty – ❤️Love, MidoriLei

The budget friendly cowboy hats we love, a new favorite lip and cheek stain, and my all time favorite thing from Costco

Happy hump day! Here are a couple things I’m currently into-

These cowboy hats in black and brown

I wonder if you’ve ever had this dilemma- you’re not an actual cowboy/cowgirl so you don’t want to spend an arm and a leg on a cowboy hat but you do have that cowboy themed company party to go to or that line dancing girl’s night out, and you want to be decked out wearing the right accessories. That was our dilemma! So Nate and I did a bunch of research and came up with these hats that fit perfectly (for men and women). I’ve found that a 11cm tall and no taller hat is just perfect as far as hat heights go, so it doesn’t look silly.

Also line dancing with the ladies is my favorite girl’s night out if you need a good reason to party! We have a place near our house that does lessons, and it is a blast.

New favorite lip and cheek stain

This lip and cheek stain is
purple-y pink and doesn’t feel like too much color

I am such an underbuyer that I will not buy more beauty products until I have completely run out of a product. I was due for a new blush, and being super frugal and also super lazy, I wanted something that would double for lip and cheek and had some staying power so I didn’t have to reapply several times a day. The problem I’ve had with many lip and cheek stains is that they give too much color. This color works really great if you know your season in color analysis, and you’re a summer or a winter. I would not go with this particular shade if you’re a spring or autumn. Choose a color that is warmer.

My favorite thing from Costco

I like almost everything I try from Costco. I reason that I will probably like anything from a bulk store because enough people have loved it enough for it to make it to a bulk store in the first place.

But there are only a few things I love. When I say love, I mean I will get actual cravings for a specific item. I have tried many yakisoba noodles in my 44 years on this planet, from restaurant to store bought, and these noodles are my absolute fav. It doesn’t come with a protein, so I usually just add chicken, beef, or friend tofu. If I’m feeling extra one day, I’ll drizzle some fish sauce on it. Omg my mouth is watering, and it’s close to lunch time.

Anyways that’s it for today! Thanks for reading! Do you have any favorite cowboy gear, beauty products, or Costco finds? I’d love to know!

The 3 beauty products that I never go without

Happy Friday! What are your plans this weekend? Nate is taking the boys to the neighbors’ to watch the Seahawks game. I’ll probably get a foot massage during that, and in the morning I’m hoping to get a hike in with a friend and my dog.

I am always curious what beauty products become a mainstay in people’s bathroom drawers, so here are the things that I’ve ordered a gazillion times and never plan on switching up.

The gel sunscreen that doesn’t need to be blended in

For anyone with a little or a lot of melanin in their skin, this is the sunscreen we’ve all been waiting for. Gone are the days where smearing on sunscreen took a little elbow grease and a lot of blending so it didn’t look ashy or like we were wearing a mask. This is a gel! It disappears in seconds. Cannot go back to anything else after this. It’s also acne safe if you have acne prone skin.

The dry shampoo that doesn’t leave a film, doesn’t feel gritty, and keeps your roots soft but voluminous

Want to hear something nasty? I only wash my hair once a week. Do you know how much time I save not having to wash my hair every day? I’d been on the hunt for the perfect dry shampoo for the longest time. Most would leave my roots feeling gritty and thus leaving a residue that didn’t feel good if I ran my hands through my hair the following day. This one zaps all the oil and gives me so much volume, while keeping my roots feeling soft and hand-through-hair worthy.

The key is to not use it from the bottle. I put product in a small container like this and use a fluffy blush brush, tap off excess, section off my hair one part at a time, and add product. Then I use a flat brush like this to distribute all the product so my dark roots don’t look white. I repeat this every day for 7 days!

A fluffy eyeshadow brush in goat’s hair to apply any concealer

The most amazing beauty trick I discovered in 2025 is putting your concealer on the back of your hand and using a fluffy eyeshadow brush to take in the product, blend on the back of your hand, and apply to the face. You use soooo little product and I’ve never seen it applied so full coverage but so natural. Believe me, in my days of being a makeup artist, I’ve tried large makeup brushes, beauty blenders, tiny beauty blenders, fingers, and flat concealer brushes. This technique works the absolute best!!

I learned it from this Hollywood makeup artist.

How about you? Do you have any tried and always true, must have items you use over and over? I’d love to know!

The only nail polish I’m using these days, the only way I store garlic, and the one Korean dish I always order in the winter months

How was your weekend? Nate and I stayed up late watching the new Netflix movie, “People We Meet on Vacation,” which I highly recommend especially if you love a slow burn kinda romance. I haven’t loved a movie/show in a while, so this was refreshing to watch. Here are a few other things I’m obsessed with currently!

The nail polish for anyone who is a summer or winter in color analysis

I am super, super picky when it comes to nail colors. I will choose one and wear it and only it for years. I have also gotten super, super lazy about my nails and can’t be bothered with anything dark because the chipping happens so soon and is so obvious. For a while I was doing gel nail polish with this awesome kit that lasted for a couple weeks, but I have currently reached a new level of lazy with my nails and cannot even be bothered with a UV light. My friend Amber was helping me choose between two at the drug store, and this one was her pick. I love it sooo soo much! It’s perfect if you are a summer or winter as it has a cool toned silver and pink hue. It’s subtle enough to not look absolutely terrible when it chips, and feels natural like clear nail polish with the added benefit of being opaque enough to hide dirt under a growing nail. I’m OBSESSED.

The only way to store garlic

This is my brother, Allan’s point! We have this silly inside joke every time we have made a suggestion to the other person and the other person ends up taking the suggestion. The suggester gets a “point.” This point system is for bragging rights, but nobody actually knows how many points anyone has. 🤣

Anyways, back to garlic. I’ve stored garlic different ways over the years that were not ways I’d recommend. Cut up and pre minced garlic in a bottle never tasted as good as fresh, and fresh garlic in the bulbs would end up growing stalks and shriveling up. Also no bueno. So Allan suggested buying garlic raw but pre peeled and freezing it!

I am obsessed because unbeknownst to me, when you take out frozen and peeled garlic from the freezer, it dethaws on its own in less than a minute, I swear! After a minute, you can take a chef’s knife and it’s soft enough to smash into a buttery paste.

The perfect solution! Lasts forever, tastes fresh, has no added preservatives, and easy to use. No more smashing and peeling raw garlic! I love to buy the bulk peeled and raw garlic from Costco and freezing it.

Trust me, when you start storing and buying garlic this way, you’ll never go back!

The Korean dish I’m always craving in the winter

If you’re local to the Seattle area, I love this dish from Stone Korean Restaurant

I was watching this beautiful, subtle romantic drama called “Past Lives,” which I highly recommend if you like a nuanced, slow moving, emotional love story. The American husband’s favorite Korean dish was yukgaejang, so being a foodie, I had to stop the movie and write it down! The next time my brother and I had our Sunday regular meetup, I had to try the dish. Now I get regular cravings for this dish, and it feels weird that I didn’t know about this dish for 43 years! It’s a hearty beef brisket stew with vegetables and scallions and it goes perfect with banchan and a rainy day.

Anyways happy Monday, thanks for reading!

The effects to use on tik tok to glow up in 2026!

If there’s anything I love, it’s a good makeover!

So friends don’t gatekeep! This is what I used on tik tok in 2025.

Eyebrows

The first effect on tik tok I swear by is the eyebrows effect! It uses the measurements of the golden ratio I believe? I had no idea my eyebrows were supposed to be so long! It has been a game changer following this template.

Color Analysis Quiz

I had paid someone on Instagram to do a color analysis on me, and I really feel she mis categorized me as a true winter. This color analysis quiz effect on tik tok has been the most accurate I’ve found to do a self analysis. I definitely have always felt more natural with medium to dark ash blonde hair and not black hair. Which leads me to the next one-

Multiscreen Hair Dye

This effect confirmed that I just feel more natural with blonde hair over my dark black natural hair. In this picture the black hair makes me feel witchy. Seeing this confirmed that I wanted to go back to some kind of blonde. Btw I’m currently loving this silver conditioner to keep my blonde ashy and cool.

2.25 Hair Length Filter

And lastly, have you ever wondered if you’d look better with long or short hair? This effect takes out the guesswork!

So, do you have any favorite makeover effects on tik tok? I’d love to know!!

P.s. I also started incorporating a puppy eyeliner wing like this because my aging eyes are more hooded. This was the inspiration video. This is my favorite liquid eyeliner that I always end up going back to.

P.p.s And I started putting a dot of highlighter on the tip of my nose like this video.

P.p.p.s This is the ONLY way I apply concealer now. And I don’t use foundation anymore.

The best relationship advice I ever got from my best friend, the best floss for people who actually enjoy flossing, and Dry Conditioner-it’s a thing!

The best relationship advice I ever got from my best friend

My best friend is so sexy without trying to be. She has a natural flirtatious way of just being which I highly, highly admire because she just is that way without even trying. She oozes sensuality without being vulgar, and I think it’s because she just enjoys being a woman and her feminine confidence makes her super attractive. I admire this trait so much because I’m someone who doesn’t feel comfortable with being seen as sexy in any way (at least in public 😉) Being short and always being called cute, that’s what I’m comfortable with. Some of the best piece of relationship advice I’ve ever gotten is from my bestie! Here, check it out-

Follow me on tik tok for more relationship/dating advice!

The best floss for people who enjoy flossing

I know this only applies to very few people, BUT I have met other flossing enthusiasts so I know I’m not alone! I’m one of those crazy people dentists love. I cannot fall asleep at night without brushing and flossing my teeth and I enjoy flossing. I used to find unwaxed floss at stores, but it is getting harder and harder to find this variety. See, the problem with waxed floss is that it doesn’t get everything. It’s like rubbing two plastic bags together-there is no friction. You need friction to get gunk out of your teeth. Since it’s nearly impossible to find unwaxed (more friction!) floss at your local grocery store or Target, I’ve started buying my floss online. Dr Tung’s is my favorite! It stretches! It tastes great! It also isn’t smooth and really has that rope like friction you don’t get from regular store waxed floss. If you try it, let me know what you think!

Dry Conditioner-It’s a thing!

Dry shampoos have been around for a while, but did you know that there is dry conditioner!!!??? Dry shampoos are for oily scalps, while dry conditioners are for the lengths of hair or to get out any food or other smells. Great for the ladies or guys! I know my brother hates the smell of food on his clothes or hair. This fixes that. This one is also acne safe for anyone who has acne prone skin. I check all my products for pore clogging ingredients using this list by Emme Diane, a esthetician that specializes in acne prone skin. It has seriously changed my skin just making sure all my skin and hair products don’t contain any of those acne causing ingredients. I say skin and hair because nobody wants bacne or scalp acne either!

Anyways, just some random fun things I’m loving! I hope you have a great weekend. I woke up super early this morning and reminded myself that it’s a treat to wake up early, because I am a morning person. I also sat in a sticky dining room seat and a propped my elbow on a sticky dining room table, but that’s what comes with two boys. It’s a sticky, maple syrupy kind of season, and I’m here for it. Have a great weekend!