Lessons I've Learned Since Leaving Facebook

It's been almost exactly half a year since I did some serious social media housecleaning. It was a decision that didn't come lightly, but something had to give if I was to have enough time to concentrate more fully on the things I love most: formulating, researching, experimenting in the lab, and creating content for my e-books, blogs, and courses.

As part of the big clean-up, I dumped:

• Twitter

• Pinterest

• LinkedIn

• Facebook

Almost everything went smoothly, except, as you have probably guessed, leaving Facebook.

Today, I'm going to share a bit about my experience of terminating all of my Facebook activities .

These were

• My Personal Facebook Page

• Facebook Messenger

• LisaLise Facebook Business Page

• LisaLise Facebook Shop

• LisaLise Facebook Group

The only social media account I decided to hang on to was Instagram (which is owned by the Facebook folks). That tidbit of information is going to be relevant in a moment.

Instead of shutting down the group, it was passed to my lovely colleague, Vivienne Campbell of the Herbal Hub where it continues to thrive, now under the name Natural Cosmetics Forum with Vivienne & Friends).

Lesson 1: Leaving Facebook Doesn't Mean Missing Out

A lot of people have asked if leaving Facebook has made me feel like I am missing out. I admit there was a fabulous community spirit in the group (that I am informed continues under Vivienne's caring guidance).

And who doesn't love a warm and welcoming community spirit?

However, during my time on Facebook, I seriously neglected the community forum at Formulators Kitchen (which made me feel all kinds of guilty as I am the founder). With no Facebook to distract, there has been time to use more energy in 'the Kitchen'. As a result, we have experienced an influx of wonderful new members.

So, leaving Facebook (even the lovely group) has had a positive outcome for me. It feels more rewarding to be spending my community-online-time on the Kitchen.

If you're interested in becoming a Kitchen member (it's free), please visit this page.

We'd be happy to welcome you.

Lesson Two: Don't Believe Everything (or anything?) Facebook Tells You

Hold on to your hat, because this is something I’m still trying to work out.

Even though Facebook clearly warns 'this will permanently delete your content and messages' when you click on 'delete my account', Facebook doesn't seem to do anything of the kind. Instead, it simply stashes EVERYTHING you have ever input on their platform 'somewhere' and makes it completely unaccessible.

I experienced this on Instagram. (This is where that tidbit of information comes in)

Here's how.

Anyone with both a Facebook shop and Instagram account (which I had), can connect (tag) Facebook shop items directly in an Instagram post. Instagram viewers will see a little shop icon that they can click on which brings them directly to the item ... in the Facebook shop.

The funny thing is, Instagram does this even when the Facebook shop no longer exists.

Confused yet?

I still am.

Almost 6 months after deleting my Facebook shop, all of the products are still visible (and active) on my Instagram account. I know they are active because I can still tag products and still view the whole shop.

Interesting, eh?

When I go into my Instagram settings, I can (still) find an active link called 'manage shop'. Clicking on it results in a page where products can be added, managed, promoted, etc.

Since the shop is visible on Instagram, one might imagine it should be editable, so I have tried clicking on ‘add products’, but this brings me to a page that says 'something went wrong - try again later' .

I have 'tried again later'. Numerous times. The same message pops up every time.

Since the shop was (is?) ‘deleted’ from Facebook, it stands to reason one would need to contact Facebook about this, but in order to contact Facebook, one must have a Facebook account.

And that is where I draw the line.

Opening a new Facebook account to ask them why they didn’t ‘permanently delete’ the accounts and activities I ALREADY DELETED seems completely counterproductive.

Leaving Facebook apparently involves much more than clicking delete, but they don’t tell you what it is (unless it’s stated somewhere in the 600 page ‘terms and conditions’ you have to agree to in order to use their platform).

This all reminds me of the line from the song Hotel California:

"You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave"

I think my biggest regret at this point is that I didn't take the time to delete every single post and item individually before deleting each account. But come to think of it, who knows if that would have made any difference at all.

Welcome to the Hotel California. (here’s a link to the original song by the Eagles)

Do Tell

If you have had any experiences like this, I'd love to hear about them in a comment below. And if you want to read more about why I decided to leave Facebook in the first place, I wrote a post about it right here.

PS: If you want to follow me on Instagram, click any of the pictures below to visit my Instagram page.

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The Eyeshadow Emergency

This picture pretty much sums up my reaction to the incident that resulted in my very first eyeshadow emergency.

I didn't realize one could even have an eyeshadow emergency.

But one can.

Mine happened in 2015.

Before it Happened

For years, I have made all of my own make-up. It's not only fun, but I find it quite therapeutic to mix pigments, make foundation, eyeshadow, highlighters, lipstick, etc.

Needless to say, shopping for anything in a make-up department – anywhere – just hasn't been on my to-do list for ages.

Until the time this happened.

When it Happened

It was a regular morning. I was putting on make-up. Eyeshadow, brushes, mascara, and other make-up-putting-on-necessities were on the table as per usual.

Suddenly – with no prompting of any kind – the only eyeshadow I simply cannot live without decided to jump off of the edge of the table and irretrievably deposit itself all over the floor.

No prompting, no bumping, no oops'ing.

Nothing.

It just took a flying leap into oblivion.

Really.

If Life had been Normal

If life had been normal, this would have been only mildly irritating and I could have pulled out my pigments, powders, and tools and within an hour have a brand new, perfectly matched replacement.

But, alas, life wasn't normal at all when this happened.

It was a mix of long-term-temporary home-living-space transitioning with remodelling madness going on.

And my labwork had been downsized to the barest of essentials.

And all of my make-up tools, pigments, and containers were packed away in semi-long-term-storage.

Almost beyond reach.

Panic - No, Don't Panic

My beloved perfectly-pearl-pinky-white-highlight color lay spilt across the floor. My equipment was almost beyond reach and my schedule was packed.

Panic time.

My husband, seeing the expression on my face, offered a solution. 'So, can't you just buy an eyeshadow to tide you over until you can get to your things again? No big deal, right?'

No big deal?

Long lost memories of relentless, fruitless trips to make-up departments that carried a gazillion products with either too much perfume, ingredients that made me itch, and ALL THE WRONG COLORS came flooding back.

But.

These were memories.

'Maybe he's right', I consoled myself.

Maybe it's better now. Maybe I can find a brand with no perfume – and with ingredients that won't make me itch – and with a color that's close enough.

Let's Buy Eyeshadow

It wasn't long before we were standing in the make-up section of a department store in search of a replacement eyeshadow. What happened next took me by surprise.

A tinkly voice behind me was saying 'May I show you our selections?'

I turned around with a smile as the saleslady continued 'All of our eyeshadows are really safe - they're all paraben-free'.

Aw, jeez.

My smile faded...

The Devil Made Me Do it

I really wasn't up for it, but this person had inadvertently just pushed the wrongest button on the planet. A little antagonistic devil popped up out of nowhere and I heard myself reply:

'Actually, I have allergies, so I can only tolerate make-up with parabens. Is there a brand in this store that contains parabens?'

'Uhmmm, hmmmmm...' came the flustered reply. 'Why don't you ask over there?' Her hand waved in a non-specific direction that encompassed the entire floor.

My husband, who was accompanying me, steered me away. For the record: he doesn't enjoy being in make-up departments. He only offers to accompany me so he can protect salespeople who dish out thumbsuck about cosmetics ingredients from my spontaneous lectures.

He's thoughtful that way.

Unfortunately, my antagonistic devil had taken hold, so I was now on a self-appointed quest for the a brand that contained parabens.

The Next Saleslady

The next friendly face who greeted us asked me to repeat, then took me completely by surprise by answering,

'It's certainly not very often we have people asking for parabens. They are, after all, the safest preservatives, but these scare campaigns have caused a lot of companies to change the preservatives they use. Let's have a look around and see if we can find something for you. Which color are are you looking for?'

I fell in love. Right then and there.

What a delight to meet an informed salesperson!

I told her so too. I complimented her on her knowledge and not being afraid to offer it as I followed her around the department from one brand to the next, checking ingredients lists and considering color choices.

I told her she was a ray of sunshine - a breath of fresh air - an angel.

I don't think she was used to that much praise. Her smile just kept getting bigger and warmer and brighter.

By the time we left with my chosen eyeshadow, she was all giggly.

It turned out to be a good day.

The Unexpected Bonus

There was an unexpected little bonus outcome from this whole incident.

My husband, who was all smiles until he noticed the prices on the products in the make-up department - offered an insightful comment as we were leaving.

I'm sure he had mentally tallied up the numerous products on my make-up table before saying, 'No wonder you make all your own stuff. I thought it was just because you like playing around with pigments'.

Well, yes, that too.

Do Tell

have you ever had an eyeshadow emergency? What did you do?

Below is a single formula from the Working with Shea Butter book if you want to make your own lip and cheek tint.

Lip and Cheek Tint Stick Formula

Happy New Year - Happy New Country

Welcome to a brand new year and a very happy 2023 to you!

I have been working on several new projects over the past year — most of which I expected to be finished with (and able to share with you) long before now.

But, as so often is the case, we make plans and start things, and then ‘life happens’.

Well, in 2022, life happened and keeping everything in balance turned out to be a bit of a challenge.

The projects I have been working on are all still underway, but a few have been put on the back burner due to the fact that I am (once again) relocating. This time it is to a new country. My modest household of 2 is packing up and leaving Denmark for beautiful, sunny Portugal.

Insert squeals of delight and amazement.

To be honest, this decision took us quite by surprise. If you have been following me for a while, you probably know I have not been living in my present location all that long. And there are so very many things I love about our house:

• It's right next to a park

• It's modern and new (read: bright and easy to clean)

• It was built to our specifications (including my custom lab)

But.

Portugal is home to something even more important: family.

Perhaps growing up a bit 'all over the world' (LINK ) makes the opportunity of living close to family extra special for me.

Another appealing factor – not to be dismissed – is leaving the harsh dark Nordic winters behind for an altogether more pleasant climate. That's got to be a win win.

We’re Bringing the Lab

I won't even be leaving my beloved lab behind as we've decided to bring it along. It is, as we speak, being dismantled (pictured above).

Next, it will be transported and then has to be reassembled in our new home before I can get any serious lab work done.

But really, that's ok.

I am looking forward to so many things:

• Getting to know the many wonderful botanicals of Portugal

• Planting a couple of citrus trees in the garden

• Learning a new language

• Visiting my herbie colleague and special friend Vivienne Campbell of the Herbal Hub (who moved to Portugal just last year!)

• Testing my balm formulations in a warmer climate. I hadn't even thought about that until my lovely formulating buddy-ette Marie (of Humblebee & Me) mentioned she is looking forward to sharing notes on formulating in warm weather.

To get a bit of a head start on ‘my’ new language, I have started studying via an app (called Memrise) that teaches European Portuguese. I find the language beautiful and quite melodic, but also a tad difficult to get a handle on. I expect being surrounded by it every time I go out the door will help considerably as I plan on doing my darndest to learn the lingo.

Sneaky Peek at Upcoming Stuff

Meantime, to give you just a sneaky peek idea of which projects are in the works, I can reveal that we are looking at new publications (in a new way) as well as a course (maybe even 2).

These new projects (both courses and publications) are the results of many requests from you lovely readers, students and newsletter subscribers. One of these new publications will be going live before the end of the month, so please do stay tuned!

Wishing you a wonderful, exciting, prosperous, health-and-joy-filled 2023!

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The Case of the Recycled Eyebrow Pencil

Pictured: a couple of eyebrow pencils I made along with a little pot containing the leftover mass that I didn't have enough pencil casings for. I really find it difficult to discard excess make-up I've made – even if it's a teensy little bit.

There are less than 5 grams in that little pot.

Also pictured above is a snazzy jazzy dial-up eyebrow pencil container with a pre-shaped tip that makes application absolutely fool proof.

You: But Lise, you make all your own makeup. Why do you have a commercially manufactured eyebrow pencil?

Me: I bought it at a time where I had run out of my own stock and we were traveling, and, well OK, I was totally and utterly wooed by that container.

Which Caused Cravings

I fell instantly in love with how easy the dial-up container was to use. This caused 'must have more' cravings. I researched and asked around and tried and tried my hardest to find a similar type of container for my own eyebrow pencils but alas, there was no joy to be had.

The dial-up container, by the way, holds a mere 0.34 grams. That's a third of a gram. In ounces, that's 0.012 oz.

One could definitely say this eyebrow pencil is all about the packaging.

For comparison: my own pencils hold about 3 grams each. But then, they don't have a super duper fool proof tip and they also have to be sharpened, so there is a loss of product during use.

The Daring Thing

While I was making up a batch of eyebrow pencils, I discovered to my horror that my stock of slim pencil casings was practically non existent.

Two.

And they didn't even match (as you can see above).

So I twisted the remainder of the snazzy jazzy eyebrow pencil up, snapped it off and discarded it so I could fill the case with my own product.

(insert small gasp of horror and delight)

And it worked, but my heavens it wasn't fun trying to fill it. Can we momentarily mention messiness and missing the tip a whole heck of a lot while trying to fill? It was embarrassingly messy and I don't even think a tenth of a gram made it into the casing, but it functioned and was wonderful – while it lasted.

But it Didn't Last

As you might imagine, the contents got used up real quick and it wasn't long before I needed a new pencil. When I popped open my stock cupboard to grab one, the little pot with leftovers gave me a shout.

"Helloooo?! How about me?!"

If you've made makeup pencils, then you know the pencil mass is somewhat softer than crayons or drawing pencils. Because they are makeup pencils and applied to skin, they need to go on smoothly and effortlessly with no drag.

I know you're seeing what happened next, aren't you?

The snazzy jazzy eyebrow container is hard and the mass is soft enough to dig into, so, yes, you guessed it! Simply jam the container into the pot of pencil mass and fill without making an embarrassingly huge mess.

I'll bet there's a full third of a gram in there.

And now you know where that indent in the middle of the pot came from.

My prediction: this eyebrow casing is going to be around for a loooong time.

Update: This is an updated post from 2019 and yes, I still have the casing and have since aquired 2 more.

Do Tell

Do you make make-up pencils and have fun ways to use the leftovers? Please share in a comment below.

Lip and Cheek Tint Stick Formula

First the Tree is Shown, Then it is Eaten

The title of this post is a direct translation of a line from a traditional Danish Christmas carol.

The song title (loosely translated) is 'From High Atop The Green Tree'.

These days, a Danish Christmas tree is generally decorated with handcrafted and/or purchased ornaments of all types but in days of yore, people didn't have all that much. Back then, it was common to decorate the seasonal tree with home baked goods such as you see here. Perhaps it is quite fitting to bring back an old tradition in our current times.

Pictured above: traditional Danish Christmas season cookies adorning a tree.

These brown cookies have a very fitting name: Brunkager (Brown Cookies).

The ingredients for these treats includes brown sugar and dark syrup and are in all likelihood the source of the name.

Sometimes brown cookies are decorated with a bit of white sugar glazing, sometimes slivered almonds are added to the dough, but just as often, they are hung on the tree with a bit of string and allowed to shine in all their simple and natural glory. The cookie with the glazed text ‘God Jul’ reads ‘Merry Christmas’ (directly translated: Good Yuletide)

If you're wondering how they taste, they're spicy and nice. If you have ever tasted anything 'pumpkin spice', you will probably love the classic Danish 'Brown Cookie'. The taste is quite similar.

Here's a recipe so you can try making your own and see for yourself.

Traditional Danish Brown Cookies

INGREDIENTS

• 250 grams butter

• 200 grams brown sugar

• 200 grams dark syrup

• 2 tsp potash

• 1 tablespoon water

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

• 500 grams flour

TO MAKE

1. Melt butter, sugar and syrup in a saucepan.

2. Dissolve potash in water and add to melted ingredients.

3. Set aside and allow to cool.

4. Combine remaining ingredients and add to cooled mixture.

5. Knead and roll into a roll.

6. Chill roll for about 30 minutes.

7. Slice into thin slices and place on baking sheet.

8. Bake for 6 minutes at 175° C in preheated oven

Optional: sprinkle sliced almonds on slices before baking or add 50 grams of chopped (blanched and skinned) almonds to the dough.

Wishing you and yours a lovely holiday season!

4-Ingredient Body Balm Formula

Calm Steam Face Tea

This is simple, fun, inexpensive, and ridiculously easy to make.

Extra bonus: it's beneficial for the skin.

Not only is a face tea a perfect gift or giveaway, if you package it up a little fancy (check the glass tube up there), it's also a bit of eye candy.

That's just got to be a win win win.

Combine Herbs to Your Hearts Content

Face tea is made by combining a selection of dried herbs and plants. You can create a blend to soothe, calm, energise, cleanse, relax - the possibilities are pretty limitless.

Today, I'm going to show you how I put together a blend I labelled 'Calm Steam'. This particular combination is soothing, relaxing and cleansing.

There's no added scent, no extras of any kind - just a few simple ingredients.

Method

For this calming face tea, I have combined 5 elements:

• Witch hazel

• Rosebuds

• Lavender

• Cornflower

• Mallow

You can, of course, create any combination you like. Choose herbs that will work in synergy and provide a lovely scent during use.

1. Place your dried herbs in a bowl.

2. Mix

3. Package

4. Rejoice!

Do Tell

Have you ever made or used a face tea? I'd love to hear about your favorite combination of herbs in a comment below.

Psst: The books below (both in English and Spanish) have additional great ideas that are easy to make and make thoughtful personalized gifts.

Make Your Own Preservative Free Natural Cosmetics With 21 Ingredients

Haz tus propios productos cosméticos naturales sin conservantes con 21 ingredientes