Beauty &amp; Books

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Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Review of: TATCHA Pure One Step Camellia Cleansing Oil and Polished Classic Rice Enzyme Powder

I first saw the TATCHA products on QVC around a year ago when Vickie Tsai introduced her brand. Her skin was so damaged from testing cosmetics for science that she sold all her possessions and bought a book on the skin secrets of the Japanese Geisha. This book, supposedly, holds the secrets she used to fix her skin and share with the world how Geishas keep their skin perfect. It is a very expensive line and the travel size of products would sell out immediately so I could never get my hands on them to try. Then, one day I was looking around the “aisle of doom” in Sephora (all the travel size products lining the checkout line—my favorite place to look, actually) and saw the Classic Rice Enzyme Powder in a travel size and snatched it up ($15 for 0.35 oz). I immediately went home and checked Sephora.com and found the travel-size Pure One Step Camellia Cleansing Oil ($12 for 0.8 oz). The cleansing oil and rice enzyme powder are supposed to be a one-two punch for cleansing your skin, and improving it. TATCHA is a cruelty-free brand and these products are formulated without parabens, phthalates, synthetic fragrance, mineral oil, DEA, etc.

The Pure One Step Camellia Cleansing Oil is supposed to remove your most stubborn makeup while cleansing your skin. It contains vitamins to nourish the skin, camellia oil to remove makeup and HADASEI-3 complex (a blend of ingredients to protect the skin). You pump about a quarter-size amount of the product onto dry hands and massage it onto your dry face and then rinse. To me, this didn’t do the greatest job at removing my makeup. Granted, I usually wear a full-coverage foundation, but the hype is that this will take off your waterproof, long-lasting makeup. I still had a bunch of makeup left on my face and always had to use a normal cleanser after to get the rest of my makeup off and actually cleanse my skin. It did leave my skin feeling super soft.

The Polished Classic Rice Enzyme Powder is a chemical exfoliator. That may sound scary, but I actually prefer chemical exfoliators to physical ones. Physical exfoliators have beads in them that I find to harsh for my skin, and they are bad for the environment because they do not breakdown. Chemical exfoliators don’t have the same scrubbing sensations, but use enzymes and other ingredients to exfoliate your skin. This exfoliator contains rice bran and papaya extracts to exfoliate, decrease hyperpigmentation and breakouts and even out skintone, pearl to condition the skin and HADASEI-3 complex to protect the skin. For the Rice Enzyme Powder, you pour about ½ a teaspoon of the powder into your wet hands, add water to create a foam, then massage it onto your wet face and rinse. This is a gentle exfoliator and it did not irritate my skin at all. I used this in the morning to wash and exfoliate my face. It left my skin smooth, as the cleansing oil did, but again nothing earth-shattering.

For two products that are on the skin for such a short amount of time, I wouldn’t purchase the full size of either the cleansing oil ($48 for 5.1 oz) or rice enzyme powder ($65 for 2.1 oz.). Though both left my skin feeling nice, my less expensive skincare products achieve the same results. I would be interested to try her skin care items (e.g., serum, moisturizer), but they will cost you $100 and above…

Have you tried any TATCHA products? Let me know your thoughts on TATCHA!

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Friday, August 28, 2015

Book Thoughts: Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee

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Go Set A Watchman is the sequel to Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird (you can read my review of To Go Kill a Mockingbird here). It is a short read, at fewer than 300 pages. This book takes place about 20 years after To Kill a Mockingbird, set in Maycomb, Alabama. Scout, the narrator of To Kill a Mockingbird returns home from New York during vacation and observes the changes that have taken place within Maycomb, and how Maycomb differs from New York.

Scout returns home to see her father, Atticus, aunt Alexandria and kind-of beau/perhaps future fiancé, Hank. Apparently, Scout and her brother Jem grew up with Hank and were close friends. I don’t recall Hank from To Kill a Mockingbird so it is strange that they were such close friends but Hank was never mentioned… Anyway, Scout catches Atticus and Hank at a citizen’s council meeting that espouses deeply racist thoughts. I don’t want to go into too much detail in case you want to read the book, but this event calls into question everything Scout thought she knew about her father, Hank and Maycomb as a town. Scout seeks counsel from her Uncle Jack and ultimately confronts Hank and Atticus. The narration focuses on the tensions between the North and the South in regards to race relations and states’ rights and the high racial tensions between White and Black residents of Maycomb.

I’ll be honest, I did not enjoy this book. The continuity between this book and To Kill a Mockingbird was off (e.g., there is no mention of Hank in To Kill a…) and it was full of pointless flashbacks (e.g., playtime to set up the relationship that supposedly existed between Scout, Jem and Hank). A lot of the storytelling felt forced or out of place. The book did not do enough to set up events or delve deeply into racial tensions that were growing during the Civil Rights Movement. I don’t think you’ll be missing anything if you skip Go Set A Watchman.

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Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Review of bareMinerals 5 in 1 BB Advanced Performance Cream Eyeshadow

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Usually when I talk about eye primers they are clear or provide a sheer wash of color to the lid. The bareMinerals 5 in 1 BB Advanced Performance Cream Eyeshadow acts as a primer but provides more coverage. This product claims to do five things: 1) prime, 2) provide 12-hour color, 3) brighten the appearance of your eyelids, 4) smooth lines and wrinkles and 5) protect with SPF 15. The SPF is important. We normally pay attention to putting sunscreen on our face, but not our eyelids (or lips).

This eyeshadow is available in 10 shades—all on the neutral side—from nudes, to pinks, to browns to moss. It costs $18 for 0.10 oz. of product (compared to $12 for 0.16 oz. of Urban Decay’s Primer Potion and $5 for 0.34 oz. of Wet ‘n Wild’s Fergie eyeshadow primer), definitely on the pricier side.

I received a sample from Sephora, I believe, and the color is Barely Nude, a soft creamy nude. This nude color acts as a great base to even out any discoloration on your lids and provide a neutral base for your shadow. You can also wear it alone for a natural look and the color is buildable if you apply more than one layer. It comes with a doe foot applicator. I use the applicator to put some product on my lids and then blend with my fingertip. It is blendable, but dries quickly. It plays well with other shadows and helps keep them in place all day. I definitely like this as a base and shadow on its own. This is something I would consider picking up in the future even though it is a bit pricy. The added color and SPF set it apart from other primers and a little does go a long way so it would last awhile.

Have you tried the bareMinerals 5 in 1 BB Advanced Performance Cream Eyeshadow? Let me know your thoughts!

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Friday, August 14, 2015

Beauty Battle: Taupe Eyebrow Pencils

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The Beauty Battle Series pits similar products against each other to see who comes out the winner. Depending on the product, different factors go into determining what I think is the best product. You can read my past Beauty Battle posts here.

In this Battle two cruelty-free retractable eyebrow pencils in taupe will duke it out. A taupe eyebrow pencil is supposed to be universal for all hair colors. If you apply the product with a lighter hand you get a lighter color and if you use a heavier hand you get a darker color. Both have a spoolie on one end to help comb your brows into place and distribute product evenly. Both stay put on me all day.

The Contenders:

1. It Cosmetics Brow Power Universal Eyebrow Pencil in Universal Taupe

2. NYX Micro Brow Pencil in MBP01 Taupe

1. It Cosmetics Brow Power Universal Eyebrow Pencil in Universal Taupe

($24 for 0.005 oz. or $4.80 for 0.001 oz.)

I received a deluxe sample size of this brow pencil in my June 2015 ipsy glam bag and was so excited to try it. It does not disappoint. It is hard for me to find a brow pencil because my brows are dark and pretty full, but still need some filling in. I like that I can use a lighter hand with this to help lighten up my brows.

The product is not the typical shape of a brow pencil—it is a thicker oblong/oval shape. The shape can make it a little harder to be really precise with application. This isn’t much of an issue for me since my brows don’t need much work. Compared to the NYX pencil, the color of Brow Power is a lighter brown with a yellow undertone—it is on the grayer side, like taupe should be. The spoolie is bigger than one I would like for my brows.

It claims to have a special formulation that adheres the product to your skin so it won’t budge throughout the day and that the formulation mimics the look of natural hair. I feel like the product definitely stays in place, but it is no more natural looking than other brow pencils I’ve used. It is a good shade match though. It also claims to have a blend of brow-conditioning ingredients and vitamins. It is paraben, sulfate, phthalate, etc. free. For every pencil purchased, It Cosmetics donates one to a woman fighting cancer through their Cancer with Confidence program.

2. NYX Micro Brow Pencil in MBP01 Taupe

($10 for .003 oz. or $3.34 for 0.001 oz.)

I got this on sale at Ulta when NYX was buy one get one 50%. I’m looking for a cruelty-free drugstore brow pencil to replace my Maybelline Define-A-Brow.

The product is a thin, round retractable pencil. This shape makes it easy to get a very precise application. The product is harder to lay down than the It Cosmetics pencil though. Again, this makes for precise application but I feel like I have to push down harder than I should to dispense product into my brows. Compared to the It Cosmetics pencil, the color is a darker brown with a reddish undertone.

This claims to have a natural looking finish and to be precise, blendable and smudge resistant. I agree with the last three claims and, like the It Cosmetics pencil, it is no more natural looking on me than other brow pencils. It is a good shade match though.

And the Winner Is…

The NYX Micro Brow Pencil!

Both pencils perform similarly, but the NYX pencil has some features that I prefer—the traditional thin pencil shape (vs. the thicker oval of the It Cosmetics pencil) and the thinner spoolie that makes for more precise shaping of the brows. The two products are closer in price than I thought they would be; but then again, you can get NYX on sale making it even more inexpensive. I don’t think you can go wrong with either one and I would be happy to use either—this was a close battle!

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Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Review of Josie Maran Black Oil Argan Mascara in Black

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Today I’m going to review the Josie Maran Black Oil Argan Mascara in Black. I got a sample size of this mascara as part of the Winter Dreams collection last year and still hadn’t used it. It’s one of the few cruelty-free mascaras I have in my collection so I wanted to test it out. The full-size is available separately for $22. It contains argan oil which is supposed to help condition your lashes. It claims to condition, lengthen, curl, volumize and lift your lashes.

The wand is big and is shaped like discs stacked on top of each other (I hope that makes sense, you can see it in the above photo pretty well). Even though the wand is big I haven’t had any issues with the product transferring to my brow. The formula is definitely on the dry side. I don’t know if this is how the formula actually is or if it’s drier because I opened the tube a while ago to see what the wand looked like. I can’t remember if I opened it when I got it…

This mascara performs well. I don’t have to curl my lashes beforehand since the mascara curls my lashes and holds the curl all day long (12+ hours). It definitely lengthens my lashes too. With one coat this is a very natural looking mascara. At two coats it still looks natural so if you want va-va-va-voom mascara this isn’t the one for you. Because it is natural looking it doesn’t add much volume to the lashes. I haven’t noticed any clumping. My only complaint is that this mascara flakes a little bit. The flaking isn’t offensive and might be due to the dryness of the formula (again, that could be because I opened the mascara months ago and let air in). Overall, if you are looking for a natural-looking cruelty-free mascara this is a pretty good one. I don’t see myself purchasing it because of the cost, but I wouldn’t mind having another sample.

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Friday, August 7, 2015

Bye Bye Beauty: The Body Shop Aloe Soothing Moisture Lotion SPF 15 (1.69 oz.)

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I am running out of day time moisturizer/SPF so I’m looking around for a new one. The Body Shop is a Leaping Bunny approved cruelty-free brand so I figured I would try one of their moisturizers. What’s Leaping Bunny? You can read my post about changing to cruelty-free makeup here.

Most of The Body Shop moisturizers only have an SPF of 15, which is not very high. There is one moisturizer (Vitamin C line) with SPF 30 but ingredients in it could potentially irritate my sensitive skin. So because my skin is sensitive, I went with the Aloe Soothing line which is geared toward sensitive skin.

The moisturizer is light and a little goes a long way. I don’t recall it having much of a smell. It took 10-15 minutes to dry down so I would put on all my eye makeup while the moisturizer absorbed into my skin. It did not irritate my skin at all and I thought all was well. At this time I was also trying out the Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup (read my post here) and my skin was very oily. I thought it was the foundation since the moisturizer had absorbed into my skin and the foundation is supposed to be dewy. I returned the Urban Decay foundation and went back to the L’Oreal True Match foundation as part of my Finish 5 By Fall Challenge. A couple hours into the day my face was so oily it looked like I had poured olive oil all over my face (thank goodness for blotting papers ;)). That’s when it dawned on me that this moisturizer was making me oily, not the Urban Decay foundation. *sigh*

Needless to say, I returned this moisturizer. Very disappointing. I usually have dry to normal skin—it’s very hard for something to make me oily. I would not recommend this moisturizer because of how oily it made me—my makeup was shifting on my face! This product was returned and now I wish I still had the Urban Decay foundation…

Have you tried any moisturizers from The Body Shop? Let me know if they worked for you!

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Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Review of Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup

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If you read My Foundation Stash--What Will Be Left After Going Cruelty-Free? post you know that I am left with no cruelty-free liquid foundation going forward. I have the tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Airbrush Foundation (a powder foundation) to wear, but I wanted to try out one cruelty-free liquid foundation just so I have at least two foundation options. I have heard a lot of good things about the Urban Decay Naked Skin foundation and Urban Decay is cruelty-free (they also make awesome eye shadows).

To Sephora we go! …

Color Selection: I got the shade 1.0. There are 18 shades available at Sephora, with a good range of shades from light to dark.

Claims: This foundation claims to be weightless, light diffusing, paraben/sulfate/fragrance free, like you’re wearing nothing and have invisible demi-matte finish. It contains peptides, brightening properties, vitamins and antioxidants. That’s a lot of stuff! I can’t say I noticed a change in my skin after using this for about a week.

Packaging: The packaging is plastic, but looks nice. The top is a typical Urban Decay metallic touch and the product is protected by two layers of clear plastic. The top stays on snugly so there isn’t a risk that product will get everywhere. There is a pump to dispense the product (always a huge bonus with foundations). You have to shake the foundation up before you wear it, and it sounds like you are shaking a can of spray paint.

Consistency/Application: This foundation is liquidy, which makes sense given that it is supposed to be weightless and sheer to medium coverage. I applied this using the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge and the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush, and I prefer the brush. Since the foundation is so liquidy the sponge sucked up some of the product and the dampness of the sponge would actually remove the foundation from my face. Upon application, this foundation looks natural probably because of the thin consistency of the product. This is buildable up to medium coverage, I would say. I usually prefer full coverage but this was enough for me.

Finish: The foundation is supposed to have a demi-matte finish. For me, it was a very, very dewy finish. At some points, I looked downright oily with light reflecting off the “dewiness” even though my skin tends to be dry. If you like a dewy look then you might like this foundation, but it wasn’t for me.

Wear Time: Not so good for me. I found this foundation started to breakdown after a few hours, particularly in my t-zone and around the perimeter of my face especially if I applied bronzer to the perimeter. It also rubbed off very easily even if I used a setting powder.

I did have a co-worker comment that my “face looks flawless” which was very nice to hear. From far away this foundation does look very nice and natural. But when I looked in the mirror I did not like what I was seeing in terms of staying power and dewiness.

Needless to say, I’m returning this product and will continue my search for a cruelty-free liquid foundation. tarte has a liquid version of the powder foundation I use so I may try that out. I’m not in a rush though. I will be transitioning to cruelty-free foundation once my current products run out and I’m sure I will find a good alternative by then.

Have you tried the Urban Decay Naked Foundation? What are your thoughts? Let me know what foundations you are using or are interested in trying!

UPDATE: Upon further review, I think the extreme dewiness of this product may have been due to the moisturizer I have been trying out (post to come soon!). I'm not sure if the oiliness I was experiencing was from the foundation, the moisturizer or a combination of both. Staff at Sephora did say that this foundation is on the dewy side though. I'm contemplating giving this foundation another try down the road, just in case the issues I was having with it were due to the moisturizer. I may get a sample from Sephora. My advice: don't try multiple new face products at once....I knew better too!

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Monday, July 27, 2015

Book Thoughts: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

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In case you are unfamiliar with it, To Kill A Mockingbird is the classic novel by Harper Lee. It takes place is a small town in Alabama in the 1930s. This is one of those books you are supposed to read, but I never did so I decided better late than never, especially since a sequel, Go Set A Watchman, was published this month. These are Harper Lee’s only two books, published 55 (!!) years apart.

This book centers around the Finch family; Attitcus, a lawyer, and his two children Scout (the younger sibling, and the book’s narrator) and Jem (the older sibling). Since Scout is the narrator, the world is framed from a child’s point of view which is obviously the point that Lee is trying to make. More on that later…

To me, there are three parts to this book. The first part set up the characters that live in the town and points out the differences between its inhabitants. During this section, Scout and Jem also wonder about Boo Radley, who lives on their street, and never comes out of his parents’ house. He is an enigma to them so they try to look inside the house, pass Boo notes, etc. This part of the book was very slow to me as it was mostly the children playing and going to school. I was getting impatient…

The second part of the novel picks up a bit and focuses on the trial of Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman, with Atticus Finch appointed as Tom’s lawyer. In particular, the court scene and dialogue between lawyers and witnesses is what finally drew me in. Not only was the content interesting, but the novel really began to address racial inequality, tension and outright racism that was ingrained in the South. Don’t worry, I won’t give away the outcome if you haven’t read the book yet.

The third part of the novel dealt with the aftermath of the trial and served as commentary on race relations during the time. We also finally learn more about Boo Radley bringing the book back around full circle.

This book was published in 1960 and seeing as race is still a sensitive topic in 2015, I can’t even imagine the controversy and conversations it stirred when it was first published. To Kill A Mockingbird highlights a town’s struggling to overcome racism (well, some of the townspeople) and how prejudicial thoughts are passed through generations. In an especially poignant moment, Scout is talking to her brother Jem about how there is just one type of people in the world, not the various types that Jem thinks there are—essentially that we are all just people. Jem comments that he used to think that, too. Food for thought.

I would recommend this book, not only is it a classic but once you get through the first part of the book the writing is really well thought out. I will be reading Go Set A Watchman once I can get it from the library! I got my copy of To Kill A Mockingbird at the library--your local library will most likely have it since it is a classic novel.

Have you read To Kill a Mockingbird? Let me know your thoughts on the book if you’ve read it!

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Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Empties: July 2015

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Let’s look at my trash! Ha ha. Here are the products I’ve used up recently, accompanied by a super quick review of each product.

The Usual Suspects

These are products that will often pop up in empties because I have been continually using them over time:

Eucerin Calming Crème Daily Moisturizer

I use this every night on my hands and legs after showering. It is so, so moisturizing (but does take a while to absorb into the skin). I would highly recommend this if you have dry skin.

Origins Plantscription Anti-Aging Power Serum

Holy Grail! I’ve talked about this serum a bunch, I cannot be without it. No other serum I’ve tried compares to this one. It is moisturizing, helps even out my skin tone, isn’t heavy on my skin and is packed full of ingredients that are good for your skin.

Carmex Original Lip Balm

Only lip balm that doesn’t irritate my lips. It is very moisturizing and last a long time. It has an SPF 15 to boot! Don’t forget to apply SPF to your lips!

Caudalíe Vinosource Moisturizing Sorbet

I use this as my nighttime moisturizer. It’s recommended for dry and sensitive skin. Some moisturizers can irritate my skin, but this one doesn’t. It’s packed full of ingredients that are supposed to help your skin retain moisture. It has a very, very slight grape smell that I love.

Maybelline Define-A-Brow Eyebrow Pencil

This used to be my favorite eyebrow pencil. I just recently received the it Cosmetics Brow Power (see it in my June Favorites here) which I feel will replace this, but I’ve used the Maybelline Define-A-Brow for a while. It is the most natural looking brow pencil I’ve tried from the drugstore.

MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation

I’ve used this foundation for years now. It provides full coverage without looking too much like you have makeup on. It also has SPF 15. You can read my review here.

Other Products:

Dickinson’s Original Witch Hazel Pore Perfecting Toner

This is a great drugstore toner option. It does contain alcohol though, so it was a bit too harsh for my skin—it left my skin red. It does a good job of getting excess makeup off and toning the skin. If Dickinson’s made an alcohol-free toner (doesn’t seem like they do), I would purchase it.

Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin (Sephora sample)

I love the original Urban Decay Primer Potion. This version of Urban Decay’s eyeshadow primer is tinted to one of their most popular eyeshadow colors, Sin. Sin is a very pretty silver-champagney color with lots of sparkle. This doubles as a great base eyeshadow color. I would consider purchasing the full-size of this when I run out of all the other eye primers I have. I do have to add, though, that Urban Decay recently repackaged the Primer Potions and I don’t like it (dough foot now vs. a squeezy tube).

YSL Volume Effet Faux Cils Mascara (Sephora sample)

This was not my favorite mascara. The wand was hard to work with and it was very difficult to wash off. There are many drugstore mascaras that perform better than this one. You can read my full review here.

derma e Evenly Radiant Brightening Day Crème

This was a good daytime moisturizer—it is light and contains SPF 15. It dries on the skin very quickly so I recommend applying to one area of the face at a time.

Algenist Complete Eye Renewal Balm (Sephora samples)

I received a bunch of these samples with purchases from Sephora.com. It was an okay eye cream. I didn’t notice any difference to my eye area after using this and I didn’t find it to be moisturizing enough. I would pass on this.

fresh Black Tea Age-Delay Eye Concentrate (Sephora sample)

I loved this eye cream. It is super hydrating. I noticed that my under eye area looked plumper and smoother (and felt smoother too). This is a very expensive eye cream, but I would consider purchasing the full-size because it worked so well.

L’Occitane Immortelle Precious Night Cream (Sephora sample)

Soooo good, soooo sooooo expensive! This is a great night cream—it’s thick but absorbs nicely into the skin and it left my skin so hydrated and smooth. It’s over $70 for not even 2oz though so I doubt I would ever purchase it on my own. If you’re looking to spend money on a good nighttime moisturizer, I would recommend this one.

Caudalíe Premier Cru Cream The Eye Cream and The Cream

I was going to do a full review on these products because they are supposed to be the upper eschalon of Caudalíe products. However, I don’t feel they are worth it. I received these free with a purchase from Sephora.com and was very excited to try them out since I love the Caudalíe Moisturizing Sorbet (see above). I don’t feel like these products did anything and I think the Moisurizing Sorbet is actually more moisturizing than these more expensive products. Nothing special in my book. I also had a foil packet of the Caudalíe Vinoperfect Radiance Serum and I did not like it. It was very sticky and sat on my face. I would pass on these three products and go for the Moisturizing Sorbet if you want to try out Caudalíe.

Those are all the products I’ve used up recently. What have you finished up? Let me know in the comments below!

Check out my past empties here.

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