Welcome to another highly unusual day in my life...



This week I had a photoshoot for a very exciting project that is coming up, and today I take you along with me. Whenever you have the opportunity to have your makeup and hair done by a professional, I recommend that you not only ask them questions on the best products and techniques for yourself, but to also film it so you can replay and watch how they apply your makeup.


Ok, I look like a deer in headlights in this photo, but it's a good close-up still shot from the video that shows the makeup really well...

Today's video is a treat because you get to see the major photo-ready transformation I underwent, including eyelashes and contouring, which are two things I normally do not do.

The makeup look is quite extreme, but it's meant to highlight the face beautifully in photos, and Jackie, my makeup artist, did an amazing job. Thank you, Jackie!


Jackie used a Beauty Blender-like sponge to apply my makeup. I recently purchased these dupes on Amazon and am very happy with them. They are a great price too.


Featured in the video:
Lace dresses (similar) Morning Lavender
Lace dresses (similar) Lulu's
My clothing steamer
SKYE Genevieve 18K gold pearl earrings Jennifer20 for 20% off
SKYE Opale 18K gold pearl earrings Jennifer20 for 20% off
SKYE Risette Dress code Jennifer20 for 20% off
SKYE Corentin dress Jennifer20 for 20% off
Pink pom-pom slippers
Beauty Blender sponge (budget dupe)
Beauty blender sponge (original)
Londontown Cheerio (nail polish) JenniferS for 25% off
Kenra hairspray
IT Cosmetics bye bye foundation


I hope you enjoy today's video and get a kick out of seeing this very glamorous makeover.

News
📍Join us for The Chic Assignment for August.

📍Take my new eCourse, Carry Yourself with Poise. There are so many amazing ladies on this course, bonding and building friendships as we rally around elegant living. Tamara writes, "I absolutely adored this course! One of the best investments I have ever made in my life. Jennifer, I would like to thank you for taking the time to create a course that is enriching. I look forward future courses."

📍Become a member of The Daily Connoisseur through the MEMBERSHIPS feature. I do one livestream as well 3 episodes of my new Vodcast (a video podcast) per month. (Link must be accessed on a computer.)

📍Thank you for your wonderful support of my new book, CONNOISSEUR KIDS.

On Instagram
Polish Your Poise with Madame Chic in Japan...

View this post on Instagram

・ 👶起きるまで朝読書time💓 ・ ・ ・ ・ 今月も無事にウェル活してきました🥳❤️ ・ 毎月20日はウェルシアで Tポイントが1.5倍になります！ ・ 今回は4054ポイントを使って 6082円分のお買い物が出来ました🥰🥰 (4054ポイント×1.5倍＝6081円) 端数の1円分はpaypayで支払いました！ ・ 実質33%オフです🤭🤭💓 ・ しかもポイントは ポイ活でコツコツ貯めたもの！ なので実質無料でした🥰 ・ ・ ・ 🌸ワラウ＊＊＊ウェル活に！！！ 🌸ポイントインカム＊＊ネットショッピングする方に！ 🌸モッピー ＊＊初心者におすすめ！ 🌸マクロミル ＊＊アンケートに答えるだけ！ 🌸CASHb ＊＊捨てるレシートがお金に変わる！ ・ おすすめサイトはプロフィールのURLから飛べます☺️ ・ ・ #大人の勉強垢 #社会人の勉強垢 #ワーママの勉強垢 #やり直し英語 #資格試験 #自己啓発 #過去問 #cnnenglishexpress #育休中に資格取得 #簿記 #簿記3級 #toeic #金フレ #FP #coffee #microsoftofficespecialist#stayhome #にこにこ #いないいないばあ #絵本#IKEA#coffee#フランス人は10着しか服を持たない #jenniferlscott #読書#本が好き

A post shared by @ tattingram1174 on Jul 30, 2020 at 4:56pm PDT

Comment of the Week
Carolyn writes, "I love time management and organization books and articles. Over the years I have read numerous times that the most important thing a homemaker can do in managing their home is meal planning. I have found it takes stress from my days when I have a plan. An additional benefit is saving money because you are buying what you need, not random food items. Leftovers (or planned overs) also means some days with little food prep. Thank you for being a mentor in the area of homemaking for so many of us."


Carolyn, I love time management books too. You are so correct, there are many benefits to meal planning. I'm glad you enjoyed Monday's video!

I hope you enjoyed today's fun makeover transformation. I will see you this weekend for a new 3 Articles on Dress.


*NEW* Join The Chic Society on YouTube and become a member of The Daily Connoisseur.

Visit my newly designed Author Website

Shop my Amazon page for a comprehensive list of my favorite things and mentions on the blog.

Facebook facebook.com/JenniferLScottAuthor

Twitter @JL_Scott

Instagram @dailyconnoisseur

Take my affordable eCourses on the POISE *NEW course*, debt-free living, and efficiency at home




FTC: This video is not sponsored. I also use affiliate links, including Amazon affiliate links which means I get a small commission from any purchases made at no cost to you. Thank you for your support.

Meal planning is a homemaker must. Through the years, I've gone for long periods of time when I was on top of meal planning, and long periods of burn-out where I didn't meal plan at all. And I can definitely say that meal planning helps my life go more smoothly, it's better for our food budget, and I end up producing more appealing meals that the whole family actually enjoy.



In today's video I'm sharing the meals we made this past week. I write them down on this magnetic meal planning paper pad and place it on the fridge. I always get the days wrong (as you will see), but it's helpful to have a meal plan written down, as well as a grocery list. To give you an idea on what we spend on groceries, our bill for this week, which included all of the ingredients I needed to make the meals, plus breakfast items, snacks for the kids, and other fresh produce, ended up being $170. This is a great price for a family of six considering that many of the items I bought (milk, eggs, etc.) would last for more than one week as well.

The potato gratin recipe comes from William & Sonoma's Bride and Groom cookbook, the chicken roll-up recipe was one I originally found on Kristin Stepp's channel and she got it from Plain Chicken (links below). The Linguini with Clams (pantry staple) is from All Recipes. I will also leave my versions of the recipes down below as I did alter some of them a bit.

Featured in the video:
⚜️Meal planning notebook/ grocery list
⚜️Lemon juicer
⚜️Instant Pot
⚜️Slow Cooker
⚜️Cast Iron skillet
⚜️Cellar Door Candles
⚜️ Kitchen-Aid white mixer
⚜️Copper measuring cups
⚜️Kristin Stepp's YouTube channel
⚜️Plain Chicken blog
⚜️Boos block
⚜️Vintage kitchen timer
⚜️French apron
⚜️Blue & white Churchill plates
⚜️Red Le Creuset casserole dish


















The tacos are pretty self-explanatory. I like to make taco meat in large batches and freeze it (ground beef or ground turkey cooked with taco seasoning according to the package directions). Then I freeze it. I have cooked mine in the Instant Pot.



The Chicken Roll-up recipe can be found on Plain Chicken. I initially discovered it on Kristin Stepp's YouTube channel.



The Linguini with Clams recipe can be found here.



The Peach Crisp recipe can be found here.


News
📍Join us for The Chic Assignment for August.

📍Take my new eCourse, Carry Yourself with Poise. There are so many amazing ladies on this course, bonding and building friendships as we rally around elegant living. Tamara writes, "I absolutely adored this course! One of the best investments I have ever made in my life. Jennifer, I would like to thank you for taking the time to create a course that is enriching. I look forward future courses."

📍Become a member of The Daily Connoisseur through the MEMBERSHIPS feature. I do one livestream as well 3 episodes of my new Vodcast (a video podcast) per month. (Link must be accessed on a computer.)

📍Thank you for your wonderful support of my new book, CONNOISSEUR KIDS.

On Instagram
Polish Your Poise with Madame Chic on Instagram...

View this post on Instagram

Jennifer L. Scott's (@dailyconnoisseur ), Polish your Poise with Madame Chic. A lovely book. Charming elegance. 🥰 Thank you for this gem. #jenniferlscott #thedailyconnoisseur #elegance #elegantstyle #elegant #read #reading #instadaily #instagood #instamood #instagram #love #lovely #pretty #beautiful #beauty #ettiquette #fashionista #fashion #fashionstyle #fashionblogger #fashionbloggers #bookinstagram #books #instabooks #instapic #bibliophile

A post shared by SerendipitousCharm 🇨🇦 🍁 (@serendipitouscharm) on Jul 31, 2020 at 4:33am PDT

Comment of the Week
Caryn writes, "Larsson has been a favorite of mine for years--my kitchen wall calendar is always Larsson prints, so I can be inspired while working. I envy everyone who is discovering him (and Karin, his very talented artist and homemaker wife) this month!

I will listen to the Elgar with dark chocolate...just in case :)

Thank you for what promises to be a lovely month.

~Caryn"


Caryn, I am so excited to learn more about the Chic Assignment artists this month too. I will be learning right along with all of you.

I hope you enjoy today's meal planning video. Let us know how you meal plan and what your process is. If you struggle with meal planning, I hope this video inspired you and gave you some new great recipe ideas too. Your comment could be chosen as comment of the week on the blog.


*NEW* Join The Chic Society on YouTube and become a member of The Daily Connoisseur.

Visit my newly designed Author Website

Shop my Amazon page for a comprehensive list of my favorite things and mentions on the blog.

Facebook facebook.com/JenniferLScottAuthor

Twitter @JL_Scott

Instagram @dailyconnoisseur

Take my affordable eCourses on the POISE *NEW course*, debt-free living, and efficiency at home




FTC: This video is not sponsored. I also use affiliate links, including Amazon affiliate links which means I get a small commission from any purchases made at no cost to you. Thank you for your support.

Welcome to The Chic Assignment for August, 2020.



⚜️Chic Assignment no. 1 Elgar's Nimrod

Sir Edward William Elgar (1857-1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. We are going to listen to a performance of Elgar's Nimrod this month. Here is a great article on Classic FM: A detailed explanation of why Elgar’s Nimrod makes you break down in uncontrollable tears.






The performance I'm recommending is this brilliant rendition by Sheku Kanneh-Mason.



We will learn more about Elgar at the Chic Assignment Check-in.

⚜️Chic Assignment no. 2 Enjoy the art of Carl Larsson

Carl Olof Larsson was a Swedish painter (1853-1919) representative of the Arts and Crafts movement. His many paintings include oils, watercolors, and frescoes. He is principally known for his watercolors of idyllic family life. You can see more of his works on WikiArt or check out this beautiful art book, A Home, which shares Larsson's works in beautiful print form.


Detail of Christmas Eve, 1906



Correspondence, 1912


Brita at the Piano, 1908


Esbjorn Doing His Homework

⚜️Chic Assignment no. 3 Explore the art of meal planning
I have a video coming out on Monday all about how I meal plan. I'm also sharing dinners of the week. I hope that video inspires you to start meal planning in your own home if you don't already do so.


⚜️Chic Assignment no. 4 Start preparing your fall wardrobe
As the season is about to change, it's time to assess our summer wardrobes (winter wardrobes for our Southern Hemisphere friends). Take note of what worked, what didn't, what will return, and what needs to go and prepare your wardrobe for fall.


I hope you enjoy the assignments this month. Tag me on social media with #TheChicAssignment and keep us updated in the comments. I'll see you in the mid-month check-in!


*NEW* Join The Chic Society on YouTube and become a member of The Daily Connoisseur.

Visit my newly designed Author Website

Shop my Amazon page for a comprehensive list of my favorite things and mentions on the blog.

Facebook facebook.com/JenniferLScottAuthor

Twitter @JL_Scott

Instagram @dailyconnoisseur

Take my affordable eCourses on the POISE *NEW course*, debt-free living, and efficiency at home




FTC: This video is not sponsored. I also use affiliate links, including Amazon affiliate links which means I get a small commission from any purchases made at no cost to you. Thank you for your support.

Welcome to the July edition of Connoisseur Reviews.



We are going to explore tea, candles, skincare, eyebrow palettes, and more in this month's review.


Tea Drops are an interesting concept... it's basically high-quality loose leaf organic tea pressed into a compact "drop". There are no tea bags and you can drop the tea right into your hot water. A bit of sediment forms on the bottom, but it is safe to drink. This would make a unique gift for any tea lover you might know. My favorite flavor was Rose Earl Grey, which is lightly sweetened with sugar.






Here is the Keep Calm and Remain Classy Mug, which is also in pink...




Pinrose Perfume Update (Code JSCOTT gives free shipping)




I hope you enjoyed the reviews in today's video.

News
📍Join us for The Chic Assignment for July

📍Take my new eCourse, Carry Yourself with Poise. There are so many amazing ladies on this course, bonding and building friendships as we rally around elegant living. Tamara writes, "I absolutely adored this course! One of the best investments I have ever made in my life. Jennifer, I would like to thank you for taking the time to create a course that is enriching. I look forward future courses."

📍Become a member of The Daily Connoisseur through the MEMBERSHIPS feature. I do one livestream as well 3 episodes of my new Vodcast (a video podcast) per month. (Link must be accessed on a computer.)

📍Thank you for your wonderful support of my new book, CONNOISSEUR KIDS.

On Instagram
Mademoiselle Chic in Japan... Tag me with your book photos by using the hashtag #jenniferlscott

View this post on Instagram

#長いお休みに読んでもらいたい本 #2年生になる@sana.taro へ #マドモアゼルシック #mademoisellechic #jenniferlscott #ジェニファーlスコット #foryou

A post shared by Miyuki _T (@bebe_happy515) on May 8, 2020 at 4:16am PDT

Comment of the Week
I normally highlight the positive and inspiring comments I receive in this section and I thank you for them. This week, however, I will address an email I received from a reader who was very upset that I do not regularly respond to the comments on the blog. I will not publish her email, but wanted to address it here. As most of you know, I am a homeschooling mother of four young children. Parenting, family life, and taking care of my home take up the majority of my day. The rest of the time I spend creating and working on this blog, my channel, and books.

Between the blog, YouTube channel, social media accounts, website contact form, and my eCourses, I receive hundreds of comments each day and am unable to respond to all of them. I generally respond to the blog comments every ten days or so. I believe that is better than publishing a canned response that would feel robotic and informal. I have also implemented the comment of the week feature on the blog in order to highlight interesting and inspiring comments. Thank you for your understanding. My family always comes first and I know that most of you appreciate that.

I hope you enjoyed this month's review. If there is anything you'd like me to review in the future, please let me know in the comments. Take care and I will see you soon!


*NEW* Join The Chic Society on YouTube and become a member of The Daily Connoisseur.

Visit my newly designed Author Website

Shop my Amazon page for a comprehensive list of my favorite things and mentions on the blog.

Facebook facebook.com/JenniferLScottAuthor

Twitter @JL_Scott

Instagram @dailyconnoisseur

Take my affordable eCourses on the POISE *NEW course*, debt-free living, and efficiency at home




FTC: This video is not sponsored. I also use affiliate links, including Amazon affiliate links which means I get a small commission from any purchases made at no cost to you. Thank you for your support.

Welcome back to another homemaking week in the life. Actually, this video spans a few weeks as I took a break from filming. I do love this series, but an unfortunate side effect of it, is that I can never do anything at home without wondering if I should film it. I found that mentality to be a bit unhealthy so I took a little break. But here I am again with meditations on homemaking... and I have many.



First, let's start with the refuge of home, which can be a place of solace and comfort from the harsh world outside. How have you been affected by the lockdown restrictions? I hope that you are not adversely affected and that you are able to find comfort at home.



This mask is by Christy Dawn. What has your experience been like with masks? It is very hot here so it is a challenge to wear them for long periods of time...

Next, let's talk about homemaking mistakes. You will remember the potatoes I have been carefully nurturing for the past three months... well........ 😆

In today's video you find out what happened to those dear fingerlings. I had planned on sautéing them in oil and cooking them up with a steak. Maybe next time?




And finally, when our home life becomes too much. Find another place to seek refuge. For many people that will be a little hidden corner in the house, or maybe your front porch, or back garden. Maybe it's your balcony. Return to that space regularly to escape the pressures of everyday life.

My Secret Garden
When it all becomes too much,
I go outside to change the scene.
This technique works for my toddler,
Hint: it also works for me.

My worries tend to melt away,
Under the brim of my large sun hat.
The vines, vegetables, fruits, and I,
Enjoy a quiet chat.

How inviting it is to linger here,
I’m tempted to just pitch a tent.
Let them fend for themselves inside…
They’d all wonder where I went.

But instead I’ll capture this time,
To gather my herbs and flowers.
My secret garden escape,
The fruit of those springtide showers.

- Jennifer L. Scott

Thank you for watching today's video. I hope you enjoy my homemaking series and that it provides you with motivation and inspiration in your daily life.

Featured in the video:

⚜️Cleaning Resources
Pink floral gloves
e-cloth (mop & microfiber cloths) JENNIFER15 for 15% off
Grove Collaborative (natural cleaning products)
Laundry Detergent Hiketron (Mambo Man is my favorite) JENNY25 for 25% off (first-time customers)
Love Home & Planet rose laundry detergent
Amazon microfiber cloths
Amazon microfiber mop

⚜️Style
SKYE Risette Dress code Jennifer20 for 20% off
chambray apron
Mott & Bow dark denim jean JLS10 for 10% off
similar stripe tee JLS10 for 10% off
Lulu’s black floral jumpsuit

⚜️Kitchen
Le Creuset cast iron pot with lid in red
Emile Henri red casserole dish
Boos block
Kitchen Aid
Slow cooker

News
📍I released a fun manicure video on Friday that compares and swatches all of the Londontown red shades. You can check it out here.
You can find Londontown here JenniferS for 25% off


📍Join us for The Chic Assignment for July

📍Take my new eCourse, Carry Yourself with Poise. There are so many amazing ladies on this course, bonding and building friendships as we rally around elegant living. Tamara writes, "I absolutely adored this course! One of the best investments I have ever made in my life. Jennifer, I would like to thank you for taking the time to create a course that is enriching. I look forward future courses."

📍Become a member of The Daily Connoisseur through the MEMBERSHIPS feature. I do one livestream as well 3 episodes of my new Vodcast (a video podcast) per month. (Link must be accessed on a computer.)

📍Thank you for your wonderful support of my new book, CONNOISSEUR KIDS.

On Instagram
Madame Chic in Poland...

View this post on Instagram

Coffee Time! ☕🍬🍫 @dailyconnoisseur #newbook #newin #coffeetime #coffee #flowers #roses #chocolates #pralines #reading #jenniferlscott #books #szkolawdziekumadamechic #madamechic #polishyourpoise

A post shared by Kasia Kamińska (@edpholiczka) on Jul 20, 2016 at 4:25am PDT

Comment of the Week

Blythe Brownlow writes, "I have loved everything about this month chic assignment and this is no exception. Thank you for being so raw and honest, I found myself tearing up as you were. I love Langston Hughes poetry, my youngest daughter was actually to be named Langston if she were a boy. I have watched your videos for several years and I think this might be my favorite :) Thank you for all you do."

Thank you, Blythe! I'm so happy the Chic Assignments are a joyful part of your month!


I would love to hear your thoughts on today's video. Is your home a refuge for you? Where do you go when you need to take refuge from your own home? Let us know and your comment could be chosen as comment of the week.



*NEW* Join The Chic Society on YouTube and become a member of The Daily Connoisseur.

Visit my newly designed Author Website

Shop my Amazon page for a comprehensive list of my favorite things and mentions on the blog.

Facebook facebook.com/JenniferLScottAuthor

Twitter @JL_Scott

Instagram @dailyconnoisseur

Take my affordable eCourses on the POISE *NEW course*, debt-free living, and efficiency at home




FTC: This video is not sponsored. I use affiliate links, including Amazon affiliate links which means I get a small commission from any purchases made at no cost to you. Thank you for your support.