The Merits of Fake Hair, Fashion Musings, Etc.

Yes I am seriously debating the merrits of extensions. Let's face it. I want long, bombshell hair and I certainly don't have the hair that can make that happen. Not even close. Yes my hair is pretty long but it's also dry and frizzy. That's not exactly the "hot" look I was going for. More of a hot mess.

And, let's face it, I am the kind of person who thinks that everything looks better fake. That's not saying I'm going to go all Joan Rivers and get a scary plastic face, but I wouldn't be opposed to a little "work." People always say, "if God wanted you to have long hair/ great nails/ a perfect nose he would have given you strong hair/nails." Yeah, yeah. But where does THAT philosophy stop? "If God wanted you to have clean teeth he would have given you a self-cleaning mouth?" I kind of doubt it. As for me liking fakeness, I should explain. I think there is a very fine line between fake good and fake bad. Fake bad is platinum blonde with a perfect golden tan in July with waist length hair, inch and a half nails and double E's or whatever the going size is now. I like practical length acrylics (and personally think they actually look better than natural long nails. I think fake boobs are fine if you're unhappy with the ones you have. Just keep them naturalish (because really, no one will believe you that they're yours anyways). I believe in a nose job if you hate your nose or an eyelift if you start to sag. It's all in moderation, baby, just like everything else.

So, that being said, I am debating whether or not to get extensions (once I have the cash of course, seeing as I've just spent all of my money on make up). I've always wanted really long hair and I've been growing mine out for YEARS. It just never quite seems to get as long as I want it to. Probably because I am continuously cutting it in hopes that it won't frizz quite so much. A. thinks that extensions look slutty and I will give it to him that often they can. However, I think that is when they are mixed with a bandage dress, black and silver smokey eye and the aforementioned double E's. Perhaps I will just grab some clip ins to see what I think.

Now, that being said I have been obsessing over fashion lately. I am both loving and hating what is happening in the fashion world right now. Nautical? So not my thing. Big, sloppy boyfriend stuff? Also not my thing. But the rocker chic and the romantic looks are totally my thing. I know since high school (which was far too long ago if you ask me) I have been mixing pink dresses with combat boots (except I do it far more stylishly now). But I do love a flowy floral dress paired with an awesome leather jacket or a pink cardi over a lingerie inspired cami with dark wash skinny jeans and some killer black heels with silver studs.

I have a little book in which I glue clippings from magazines of any kind of fashion inspiration. If I find a whole outfit I like I will glue that in. Or I will glue in single articles of clothing, accessories or ever swatches of colours that I would really like to encorporate into my wardrobe more. That way when I am going shopping I can look in my book and see if there is anything in particular I want to look for. I also love vintage but to be honest with you I don't often have the time or patience to actually go shopping for it. You have to sort through a lot of crap before you find a real gem and I am not always a fan of that.

On a final note, my LouLou came in on Friday. I totally discredited this magazine when it first came out because I felt like it was distinctly Canadian. But, after reading a few issues at my mom's house last time I was back for a visit I realized it has some great stuff in it. And it's also great to find stuff I can ACTUALLY buy. Anyways, this issue had a few great links in it that I'd like to share.

gofugyourself.com is dedicated mostly to fashion mishaps.

looklet.com let's you try clothes on different models and create outfits. I can see many an hour being wasted here.

chicheroin.blogspot.com is an awesome fashion blog. I am loving it. Totally love this girl's style.

To The Beach Haul

YIPEE! I finally went in to MAC to check out To The Beach (finally?! It just launched yesterday...). I was going to go in Thursday after work but I've been working the morning shift and I was just TOO tired. I know I said I wasn't interested in Marine Life, but I REALLY wanted to at least check it out. Anyways, when I hopped in my car I had high hopes that I would be seeing everything except for Marine Life. Well, I was terribly wrong. I was surprised to find that at least half the collection was already sold out!!!! But, being in good shopping form, I managed to spend way more than I had planned anyways.

Marine Life, Sweet and Punchy, all of the eye and lip pencils, one of the blushes and one of the lipglosses were already gone!!! But I did find something from Prete a Papier and a few regular eyeshadows to supplement my need to spend.

The first thing I picked up, I had no idea that I had ever wanted, but apparently I had. I hadn't been in to swatch Prete A Papier yet because I wasn't very excited about it. So, I just got Tissueweight online (because I knew I wanted it) and went on my merry way. Well, as I was fighting through the massive crowd at MAC I stopped at the PAP display and found a mineralized blush in Warm Soul. I had no idea how much I needed this colour. It's a really beautiful shimmery peachy-gold and I think it will be PERFECT in summertime! Who would have known?



My next little tasty was Gorgeous Gold eyeshadow. I never looked at this one because I figured I have Goldmine and I love it. Why ruin a good thing? And who needs two golds anyways? I was so wrong. This is a yellow with a green shimmer in it. It's amazing. I paired it with Lucky Green tonight but I also think it will be AWESOME with Sumptuous Olive!



My second eyeshadow was Lucky Green. I was so disappointed that I didn't at least get to swatch Sweet and Punchy that I grabbed this one. I've swatched it about a million times in the store and have always loved it, but never picked it up because I tend to do neutrals on my eyes all the time. In part because my job requires neutral and in part because my boyfriend HATES a lot of make up. This is a bright grassy green with a ton of gold in it. Sooooo pretty!



And now for my To The Beach stuff!

I grabbed the Firecracker eyeshadow. It's unlike anything else I have and, while I may not get a ton of use out of it, it's actually pretty flattering to my eye colour. It's a not quite coral, not quite red, which I love because corals tend to go too orange on me and red makes you look like you're hung over. I think what makes this one slightly more wearable for me is that it's got just the slightest blue based sheen in it, which cools it down just enough for me.



My next purchase was the Splashing lipglass. It's a really pretty rosy pink without too much sparkle. And let me just say, it clashes really horribly with the orange top of the packaging. Who let that one slip by? In the tube it is a lot darker than something I would normally reach to swatch but it's actually a really pretty colour. Everything in this collection makes me think summer. This one in particular makes me think of seven o'clock dinners somewhere on a patio.



My final purchase was the Lazy Day lip stick. Did I need another blue-based pink lipstick? No, probably not. But I really like getting the special edition packaging in lipsticks because a) I depot eyeshadows, special packaging or not and b) I think lipsticks are fun because that's the only make up that I actually put on in public. However, I was really pleased with this one anyways. It's unlike any of the other blue-based pink lipstick I have (which, let me tell you is a lot)! It's lighter than Lovelorn (my go to) but darker than Angel/Creme Cup, which I think makes it more wearable. Lovely!





So, that concludes my haul. I will leave you guys with a quick ELOTD. And let me tell you, I now have all the respect in the world for the girls who routinely photograph their own eyeball without getting the colour washed out or the picture blurry and extra props to those who can do it with their eyes closed to boot.





For this look I started with my Clinique Touch Base for Eyes in Canvas. I then took a flat brush and packed Gorgeous Gold on all over lid, up to crease. I then took a fluffy domed brush and brushed Lucky Green over the outer third of my lid. I used Vanilla as my highlighter and then put Woodwinked in the outer V with a pencil brush. Then I blended! A lot! When I do looks like this I really like the colours to flow absolutely seamlessly so that you almost don't notice it's changing. I finished the look off with a line of L'Oreal Lash Stiletto liquid liner on the top, MAC's Pearlglide Eyeliner in Blackline (black with olive reflects) in the water line. Then I finished it all off with a coat of L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black on the upper and lower lashes.

To The Beach!

I just have to say that I am ridiculously excited that To The Beach is coming out soon. I know it's already out online, but I try my hardest not to order off the computer unless it's a product I am desperate for whether I will use it or not. Take, for example, Marine Life which I personally am not particularly interested in. There are a lot of people out there who want it for their collection so, if I was interested I would probably bite the bullet and order this one right away.

However, if my make up obsession has taught me one thing it's no matter how beautiful it looks on Christine from Temptalia (www.temptalia.com) it won't necessrily look good on me (re: Dressmaker, Dressmaker). I've also gotten some real winners from her posts too (Laugh A Lot)!

Either way, I think To The Beach is full of a ton of products which could be an epic fail for me or a major win. I'm going to look at Firecracker and Sweet and Punch eyeshadows, Splashing lipglass, Lazy Day lipstick and perhaps Thrills lipstick as well. That one has potential to be either very right or very wrong on me. As for Lazy Day and Splashing I don't REALLY need another blue pink lip product but I'm loving the lipstick packaging in this collection and I'm really suspecting it will be the only combo that will suit me.

What else is everyone else excited for? Are you Marine Life people or not?

Giant Candles By Victoria Haul!

So, being Canadian Candles by Victoria is a total pain to get. The shipping from Victoria to my American friend's address is always lightening fast, it's the shipping from said address to me in Canada that takes a long time. Everything coming from the US always gets hung up at the boarder. It makes me sad. Anyways, because it's not the most convenient for me I tend to place two GIANT seasonal orders (spring/summer and fall/winter). This year I'm doing two giant orders and one mini order as my friend is getting married this summer and there was a candle I knew she would just DIE to have.

I wish I had hot throws for all of these scents, but sadly I don't have enough rooms in the house to have melted them all yet. So, keep in mind that the scent changes a lot when hot and my opinions may completely change once I've warmed some of these. I will work on and add some pictures soon.

16 oz
Edward Cullen (yellow) This was my favorite scent from my last order. It's lilac, honey and sunshine and it smells oh so good.

8 oz
CBV Surprise 3 layers - Yellow, Pink and Brown. The brown layer is caramelized pralines I think... buttery and nutty.

Strawberry Margarita (pink) - strawberry, lime and a hint of salt. This one isn't my favorite... I think it smells too salty.

Coco Mango (pumpkin-y orange) - OMG second fave of the order. Coconut and mangos. Reminds me of that smell you get when you walk into a tanning salon.

Mango Smoothie (papaya orange) - Strawberry, mango and peach. I want to stick a straw in this one and drink. This turned out to be my favorite in the order

Strawberry Shortcake (bright pink) - I ended up having to give this one away. All I got was chemical from it.

Vanilla Velvet (white) - nice buttery vanilla. Not too heavy, which is good for summer. Nice safe scent for picky guests.

Fruit Loops (peachy pink) - I get the fruity part of the fruit loops, but not the sugary part. It smells ok.

Mango Papaya (orange-red) - Another one that needs to come with a straw in it. Juicy. Fruity. Summery. YUM!

Raspberry Guava (bright pink) - This one smells SO GOOD! Thanks to Le Pooke for this one It makes me feel like I'm lounging on the beach with a sexy cabanna boy bringing me fruity drinks.

Texas Summer (yellow) - Reminds me vaguely of Edward Cullen. It makes me think of sitting on the porch sweating in the late evening breeze, as attractive as that is. Strong on the magnolia, with some lilac background I think.

Pomegranate Apple (green) - This one is a sweet candy-fruity scent. I love it so much and it's AMAZING mixed with Fizzy Pop.

Koko Aloalo (prettiest purple EVER) - I have no idea how to describe this one. Floral, green (but not in a grass way.. think light forrest after rain) and kind of juicy. Not fruit kind of juice but like aloe or something.

Peach Magnolia Raspberry (redish pink) - Perfection in a jar. Equal, heavy parts peach and raspberry with the sweet, powdery magnolia in the background. AMAZING. Not only my fave in the order, but my fave ever.

4 oz Minis (cutest jars ever)
Rose (red) - Not too much to say about this one besides it smells like a really amazing rose. Soft, feminine, sophistocated. If you don't think you're a floral person, try Victoria's. She will change your mind.

Marshmallow Campfire (dirty white) - It reminds me of those marshmallows covered in toasted coconut. YUM

Indonesian Delight (purple) - Another one I got from Le Pooke's video. And I'm so glad I did! Fruity. Floral. If I could be having a romantic dinner on a patio during a hot, humid night, this is what I would want it to smell like outside.

Scent Shots
(will categorize them by colour so I don't have to keep typing them!)

White
Peppermint Bark I love this one. It reminds me of the Starbucks peppermint mochas that come out at Christmas.

Winter Snowflake Peppermint and christmas tree. I think it will be really nice burning on snowy nights.

Marshmallow Campfire Still I am getting coconut from it. Yummy!

Buttery White
Caramel Coffee Cake Again the colour threw me. Cake, butter, caramel and just a hint of spice. Will be a reorder for sure.

Cream Cheese Frosting Got this one to mix with some others, but I'm not a big fan. I got a really chemical smell from Fresh Baked Bread and I get the same from this one.

Yellow
Peanut Butter Cookies I think this one was labelled wrong. I got no scent out of it. So, when I placed my wedding order I got myself a new scent shot in it, as I'd had such strong hopes for it!

Candy Corn Sweet, but not too sweet. I can see this one being amazing in the infamous Trick or Treat

Eggnog I was really hoping this one would smell like the Philosophy Eggnog shower gel. It's not dead on but it's still a really nice eggnog smell. It will be a reorder for Christmas.

Honeybee LOVE! Honey and just a teeny bit of spice.. and maybe citrus?

Buttery Caramel I kind of get that chemical smell again. I don't know what it is my nose doesn't like. But it's butter and caramel.

Browns
Log Cabin This one is absolutely amazing. It smells like a big old plate of pancakes topped with a tonne of butter and maple syrup.

Nutella What can I say? Heaven! Chocolate. Nuts. YUM!

Snickerdoodle I think my fave bakery one that I got. It seriously smells like white cookies with cinnamon and sugar on top... and not just cinnamon and sugar.. but cinnamon and sugar mixed together.. so in some places there's more cinnamon, but then you get to a place with more sugar. Seriously. Amazing.

Buttercream Crunch I get a Werther's Original from this. Really good.

Graham Cracker Crust I don't know if it smells like a crust.. but I get Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal from it!

Caramel Latte Sweet, caramely, milky coffee. Amazing!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie I get all three parts. It's SO GOOD! Makes me want to go and eat a cookie though...

Rae's Hot Coco and Marshmallows I get coco and strawberries. Weird. But really good. I love the coco instead of chocolate.

Mocha Flan I get a sweet, creamy chocolate from this. I find the coffee scents come out a lot more when hot.

Simply Delicious OK I hate to say it, but my nose hates it. It reminds me of the way a bottle of iron supplements smells.

Buttery Gingerbread AMAZING. I've raved about Grumpy Girl Naughty Pilgrim which is out only at Christmas and this smells just like it. Cookie, spice, butter, sugar.

Fudge Brownie This is the most amazing chocolate smell I've ever smelled. I will need to have one of these in the house on a permanent basis.

Apple Cinnamon Butter I love this one soooo much. Sweet cooked apple with tons of butter and sugar and some cinnamon.

Red
Raspberry White Mocha Latte I didn't know if I would like this one but I do! Love, love love. This smells exactly what it should smell like. So good it inspired me to try one of these lovely drinks from Starbucks and it's quickly become a favorite beverage.

Spiced Apple Pie Smells exactly like apple pie baking. I've figured out that I am in love with apple scents.

Red Velvet Cake Love it! Sweet and cake-y with a touch of spice.

Country Berry Hotcakes Reminds me of those strawberry marshmallows you used to get at the gas station on road trips as a kid. I don't really get the hotcake part yet.

Pink Sugar Smells exactly like the perfume; caramel, cotton candy, vanilla and a touch of lemon and berries.

Cotton Candy I thought the way Pink Sugar smelled would be how this one smells. It's light, sweet and berry-ish.

Wildberry Scone Reminds me of penny candy again. Those livewire things. Good, but I don't get wildberries or scones.

Orange
Carrot Cake Cake, spice and a little orange peel. I think this could be a year round bakery because it's light.

Sweet Potato Pie Weirdly reminds me of Snickerdoodle. Still a good one.

Spiced Pumpkin Chutney My nose doesn't love this one. I get citrus, spice and crust (which I don't think is there). This one will be a warm and see.

Ginger Peach This one is SOOOO good. Strong peach with just a tiny punch from the ginger.

Citrusmoon This is a really amazing and complex citrus scent.

Green
Fizzy Pop Open a can of Sprite and smell. That is what Fizzy Pop smells like.

Christmas Tree I wanted something to burn to make me feel better about having a fake tree. I think this is it!

Apple Cider I am so in love with this one too. Green apples, red apples and some spice. Will be such a good fall scent.

Blue
Jamaican Vacation Why didn't I get this in a big one!? I get a strong melon with some cucumber and some other fruits.

Tokyo Spring This one is weird, but in a good way. It's fruits and florals and like nothing I have ever smelled before. I will be reordering this one for sure.

Blueberry Cheesecake I totally get candy from this one too. More Livewires.

Purples
Bella Swan This one is ok. Floral and vanilla and I get a hint of grape. I won't reorder it, but I will try out Twilight.

French Quarter If I ever went to a whore-house I would expect it to smell like this. It's really strong. Powdery, sexy, feminine. Love it. It reminds me ever so slightly of deoderant ( but not in a bad, I don't want my house to smell like this way).

Best Friends This one is so amazing. It's like Pink Sugar with the berries on steroids.

Lilac I was thinking about getting this one instead of rose. I'm so happy it was included in my box! Smells just like a lilac.

Hair Removal: Velvet Touch Mitten vs Veet Wax Strips

Well girls! It's that time of year again. Time to start showing your legs again, and therefore needing to shave more often! I have to say, being in a long-term relationship I certainly let the leg hair grow a little longer than normal during the winter and when summer time comes I always think to myself, "damn... now I need to shave more often." Without fail, with each spring season I try out different types of hair removal, but more often than not resort to shaving all summer anyways. So, I thought I would let my leg hair grow a little before it's REALLY short season and give some new products a try. That and it's better to have a rash when you can still cover it up! I've given up on Nair and other depilatories because no matter how closely I follow directions I either end up with a chemical burn or a rash and patchy, hairy legs. The two products I will review today are:


Beauty Maid's Velvet Touch Hair Remover Mitten


Veet's Salon Line Easy to Use Wax Strips

Velvet Touch Mitten This mitten promises to be "the fast and gentle way to soft, hair-free skin. I purchased a pack of three mittens at Wal Mart for $3.95 (much cheaper than comparable products that retail for around $15).



The Velvet Touch Mitten is what feels very much like ultra-fine sandpaper, printed pink and floral, in a circular shape about the size of your palm. This should have been my first tip off as to how this experiment would go. You are supposed to slip the ring over your hand until it fits snugly and then rub it in circles on sections about the size of your palm.

It took me approximately twice the time it takes me to shave my legs to get two palm-sized patches (mostly) hair free. While I will say that my skin was velvety smooth, it also burned. A lot. Although, what else can you really expect when you rub your skin repeatedly with sand paper? I would say that I will let everyone know how long it takes the hair to grow back... but realistically there's not point as no one should try this product.

I would absolutely not recommend this to anyone who cares about their skin. Don't get me wrong, I am all about the exfoliation, but this takes exfoliating to a whole new place. One that I am not a big fan of. There is one instance I thought of where this product might actually be useful. You know when you shave your legs and then you go out and while you're out you realize you left a tiny strip of hair on your leg unshaven? I think it might be good for this. I will probably keep one of these in my make up bag for those emergencies. Hopefully it wouldn't take quite so long to rub off a few stray hairs. Otherwise, this is NOT a product that would be useful in keeping you hair-free.

Veet Wax Strips I picked these up at Wal Mart (the cashier must have thought I am an exceptionally hairy lady) for about $14. Included are 20 strips and 4 Perfect Finish Wipes (which are basically an oily substance used to get the wax off). Veet promises that this product will be "effective even on short hair" and "long-lasting, salon quality results - enjoy smooth skin for up to four weeks."



I have to say I've never ventured in to the wax strip world. I've purchased several of the heat up pots of wax, only to throw them out in the end. I've been known to sit down on the floor, wax in hand, and to prepare a generous strip for hair removal, only to slink into the bathroom to soak it off in a hot shower. Perhaps years of brazillians (no, I will never attempt doing this at home) have made me braver or at least more accustomed to the pain or perhaps at home waxing kits have improved, but I didn't find these all that painful. No, it didn't tickle, but it was certainly tolerable.

My first strip only successfully removed about half the hair, but after modifying my technique slightly the second strip removed 95%. These strips are pretty fool proof as there is no guessing how much wax to put on or how big of a patch you should do. It did take me longer than shaving would have (although that probably had to do with me sitting on the floor hyperventilating before tearing the first strip off). But, if it only need to be done once every four weeks I am more than willing to put the extra twenty or so minutes in on a Friday night.

My only complaint is that Veet promises each strip can be used multiple times until the sticky runs out. I found it ran out with the first go. Perhaps this was because I apparently really need to exfoliate my legs, or it could be the formulation.

I give these strips a huge TRY ME! I think they were fabulous and I will be repurchasing for sure. I might try some other kinds/brands to see how they compare, but these ones in particular were great. I especially loved that they were so easy to use (no microwaving and heat testing and guessing).

Grumpy Girl Haulage

YAY My Grumpy Girl Haul came in!!!! Don't you girls just love a nice parcel waiting for you at home after the end of a really crappy day? I know I sure do! I just placed a small order this time, but I was out of their scrubs and I HAVE to have those (anything to justify shopping right?). You can find Grumpy Girl at: www.grumpygirlcandles.com

I will start with my samples:



So, I got all soap samples, which is good. Sometimes a scent will surprise you. I am however, not a Grumpy Girl soap person. I find them all to smell REALLY soapy... with just a hint of something else in each one (with the exception of Fierce! soap. That stuff is amazing).

Drama Whore - I don't get anything BUT soap from this one.

Ralph - this is a Bananas Foster scent. I think it smells like that 99 Bananas liquor. I will probably r/o this one in a sugar scrub at some point.

Strawberry Moonshine - this is the least soapy of the three for sure. It smells like the strawberry body butter from The Body Shop.

Now for the fun stuff!!!



Lip Crack - Ralph - This is bananas foster chap stick. I really wanted to be head over heels in love with this but I'm not. It gets a 10/10 for lip care. It's super moisturizing. However, I don't think it either smells OR tastes like anything... at that point I can use Vaseline. I might give one other flavour a try, but so far I can't see this being a favorite.

Goats Milk, Shea Butter and Honey Body Lotion - Girly Girl ($5 for 2oz) - I decided to try this is the small size to see if I liked the body lotion (you can get 8oz for $12). This stuff is amazing! It's super moisturizing without being greasy, highly scented and the scent lasts forever!!! Girly Girl is a Pink Sugar dupe and realistically this lotion is 100 times better than the Pink Sugar lotion that cost me twice as much. < 3



And now on to my delicious sugar scrubs. These can be found on the website under Buttah Cream Sugah Scrub($11 for 8.25oz) or Sugah Scrub Sampler Singles($5 for 3oz). I mostly use these to scrub down my arms to keep those pesky bumps away, so I chose the sampler size so I could get more scents! They have Original and Foaming options. I like both of the textures but I tend to go for the original as I prefer a more abrasive scrub. If you like something a little more on the gentle side I recommend the foaming. The reason I love these scrubs so much is that they AREN'T OILY!!!!! I love, love, love the scent of the Neutrogena citrus scrub, but I have to re-soap myself over again just to get the water to touch my skin. Nothing like water droplets forming on your skin post-shower. If there's one thing that will keep me coming back to Grumpy Girl it is the scrubs!



3 Bears - I won't name any names when it comes to LUSHious scents, as we've all learned from the Candles by Victoria drama. 3 Bears is an oatmeal/fruit/citrus combo. I've never smelled the soap version of this scent, but I have to say I don't totally love it. I get some black licorice out of it. I don't know if I am supposed to!

Candied Toffee Crunch - This is described as "rich, buttery toffee with a hint of brown sugar." And that is exactly what I get from this. Love!



Draft Up My Skirt - Described as "fresh summer breezes, warm florals, light ozone and sunshine blow through green meadows." Although the colour of this one is A-MAZ-ING, I am not totally sold on the scent, as a scrub anyways. To me, I get fresh laundry (like a Bounce sheet) and, while I love that scent, I'm not sure I want my shower to smell like it. We'll see though.



Fierce! - This one is the honey, toffee, citrus LUSHious scent we all know and love. I think it's a pretty great dupe (and I love the day-glo purple). And, I will mention again, if you are dead set on getting a Grumpy Girl soap, get this one.



Porn Star in Pink Panties - Between the smell of this and the nuclear waste pink I am lost for words. This is by far my fave (even dethroning my beloved Girly Girl). This has a seriously long scent description on the website to I will break it down to citrus, light florals, pear, plum, apricot, red lychee, musk, ceaderwood, and a "swirl of white chocolate and fluffy pink cupcakes." My nose is no where near sophisticated enough to smell ALL of those notes, but I do smell rose first off. I get a little citrus and some fruit (mostly plum I think) and then just a tiny hint of sugar tops it off. AMAZINGGGGG!!!!

Twinkie - I bet you'll never guess what this is supposed to smell like!! I have to say I haven't smelled a real Twinkie in years and years. This is a good scent, although not my favorite of the bunch. It's sugary and cakey. What can be bad about that?

So, go and check out Grumpy Girl! I believe that we all need to support the little guys!

Candle of the Day:
Candles by Victoria - Fizzy Pop (smells like 7-Up!)
www.candlesbyvictoria.com

The Weight Loss Diaries - Part 1

I'm fat. That's all there is to it. And unfortunately fat does not fit in to my fashionista, make up guru life. In fact, it is the exact opposite. I've gotten to the fat point where I seriously dislike myself. To the point where I voluntarily wear sweat pants out shopping because I don't feel pretty enough to wear anything else. Beyond that, my knees hurt, my back hurts and I'm so tired I can barely get up in the morning. A. and I were "celebrating" our four year anniversary yesterday and mid-way through I thought to myself... wow, I can't even do this properly anymore.

So, now I will suck it up and publish my weight to the Internet world. Maybe writing about my struggles will keep me accountable. Then I can't eat healthy all day and then binge on sweets in my car and pretend it never happened (note to self: car calories count... even if you don't want them to). I won't, however, be posting "before" pictures. I am too ashamed of the chub and rolls and... ugh stretch marks. I was so happy that I didn't have any stretch marks on my tummy from gaining weight... and just as soon as I had that thought they started appearing and now they just won't go away.

So, time to put myself on blast...
I am 5'2" and 194lbs. I wear a size 16/18 and I am going to change my life.

Wish me luck!

Maybe This Time It Will Stick

"Seriously, S? Another attempt at blogging?" I ask myself... And the answer is yes. Why, might you ask, am I trying to blog again after about a million failed attempts at keeping it up? Why should this time be any different? Well, the short answer for you is that it's not. I can't really say if this particular blog I will keep up. I know that my last five or six tries I've given up on it fairly easily, after realizing that I am too technologically inept to actually make my blog original. I hate that I have to use these preset backgrounds and settings! But that being said, my love for writing is far greater than my disdain for HTML.

I've tried out the YouTube guru phenomenon and, realistically, I just can't get into it. My lighting sucks. I like to do this late at night. And, quite frankly, I can't always be bothered to get "TV ready." And by TV ready I mean pile on a lot more eye make up than I would ever feel comfortable wearing outside of my home. Quite frankly, a thin line of liquid liner and some mascara does absolutely nothing for you, looks wise, in the world of HD video. I much prefer to sit here on my lap top in comfy PJs and no make up with a whole night to fill, rather than ten minute increments with a ton of editing (which, might I add, inspires a whole string of four letter words due to my aforementioned technological incapability). That and I feel a lot less stupid typing words such as aforementioned than I do saying them.

What can I say? I love to write. I have a writing gene somewhere in me and I would die if this was my career. I wish I could go to school for print journalism. I think I would be good doing it and, let's face it, the better you are at something the more likely you are to make some money doing it. I wouldn't complain about that. More money to feed my beauty addictions!

So, that is enough of my rambling. I know I don't read other people's blogs to hear them ramble like this. I will try to be concise. I don't want to limit this blog to make up. I feel like there is so much more out there (not that I don't enjoy myself a MAC haul - but really [honestly] I am deeper than that). My plans for blog attempt number 347,843 is to dive into my superficial world. I don't want to put my job, family and life out there (too much), so I will keep it at the fun level. I will mostly dive into topics of make up and fashion, including product reviews, hauls, looks and techniques. You can also expect to see some favorites posts, and I will try to include a "current favorites" at the end of each post. However, that being said, I will give some insight into my life. I will occasionally make posts about things relating to none of these topics. Sometimes I will post about my life, give updates on condo renovations (which are best described by the title "The Neverending Story") and random thoughts and feelings.

With that I will say goodbye for now and I will think of some good things to post about in the (hopefully) near future. I really want this blog to keep going, as I enjoy doing it so much. So, I will end this off with some current favorites (sorry no pictures today!!).

Current Favorites

My "I Love Fendi" sunglasses ($5 rip offs from Ardene) which are big, oval and tortoiseshell with crystals on the side - very movie star chic.

Zoya's nail polish in Maya.

L'Oreal Stiletto liquid eyeliner - it has a really nice felt tip so those of us who aren't so steady handed don't look like we were doing our make up drunk!

Avon Blooming Pout lip gloss - the $6 version of O Gloss.

My candle of the day is Candles By Victoria (www.candlesbyvictoria.com) in Peach Magnolia Raspberry. It makes me wish it was warmer outside!