A little bit of this and that about me and what I am thinking and doing. This is the inside scoop on my goals, my likes and dislikes, my fears and anything and everything else you can imagine. No guarantees on what this ride may bring but let's hit the road and see.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Keeping It Simple
New Plates...Testing 1-2-3
With a quick coat of Sally Hansen XTremewear Blue Me Away! I was ready to test the M44.
This plate is not easy to use. It will take some a little more effort when trying to get the alignment correct. Not only the alignment but placing the stamp correctly so you get a uniform thickness across all of the nails. The picture displays all but one of the stamps on the plate.
The next plate I decided to experiment with was the M60. I have always adored the argyle design and have wanted this plate for some time now. After swatching a number of my burgundy and brown polishes I got to the actually stamping.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
To Be A Kid Again
Water Marbling FTW
Can I ramble now. I had fun doing this. It wasn't hard, not easy but not hard. I would say watch a few YouTube videos and give it a whirl.
My 2 CENTS:
- USE VASELINE on the skin around your nails and all up and down your fingers. It makes wiping the film off so much easier.
- WATER TEMPERATURE is crucial. To warm or to cold will make the polish dry to quickly on the water and you won't be able to marble properly. I had the perfect temperature stopped to watch a movie and came back using the same water. It was to cold and the polish dried to quickly on the water surface making it impossible to marble.
- FLAT TOOTHPICKS worked better for me than round. I wasn't sure which to get so I bought both. When marbling I found that the flat toothpick cut through the polish better. It also helped scrape excess polish off of the skin easier than the round.
I am soooo doing this again.
Oh and for this I had on:
Orly Green With Envy painted on all of my nail as base.
Sally Hansen Cherry Red used to marble.
Sally Hansen Mellow Yellow used to marble.
Kleancolor Black used to marble.
I know you don't see red or yellow but because the of the base coat I used they show up purple and light green. My daughter said it looks like a peacock!! FABULOUS!!!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Have You Ever Been Green With Envy?
Now back to my original question, I am sure at some point in my life I have been green with envy but I can't pinpoint what for. How about you?
Photography 001
I pulled out the manual and almost had a panic attack. So many options and settings. I will try to master a few of the basic concepts. What I am trying to learn is not specific to my camera but basic photography that should transcend across any camera being used.
I did learn how to use macro so I need to figure out ISO, F something or another, white balance and a few other things. I'll be reading up, testing shots and maybe uploading a few images so everyone can learn with me.
Or maybe I am the only photography challenged person out there!!
Yea For Me..Another Deal
Next up was the Dollar Store right next to Big Lots. They had a bunch of LA Colors Polishes which I have not tried nor read reviews on but what caught my eye was the Art Deco Nail Art pens. I don't have anything like this and for $1 a pop they will either suck and I won't be to mad or be halfway decent. With several colors to choose from I opted for the black, white, and silver glitter.
The CVS near me has been completely redone on the inside. There is a nice Orly nailpolish section and it seems like they are trying to make CVS a little more upscale if that is possible. They had some new Sally Hansen Xtremewear colors but they weren't on sale. I'll wait for the BOGO (buy 1, get 1 free). Then there it was a 75% off sign on the Milani display. Not everything was 75% off but a good selection of polishes, shadows, glosses, bronzers, lipsticks were. I promised myself no more lip gloss and shadow until I finished what I have so that was out of the question. Since I was really on the hunt for polish anyway why not give a few of these a shot. Retail price for Milani polish is $4.49 at CVS so 75% off so at $1.12 per bottle it was another no lose situation. I scored 4 polishes. The Rimmel display also had 75% off but for some reason CVS does not carry their polishes. I did pick up 3 lipglosses for my daughter though. I don't remember the exact price I paid I want to say $1.57.
So let me just recap this. I got a total of 6 nail polishes, 3 lipglosses, 3 nail art pens, 3 lip glosses, cuticle thinand pedicure toe things for somewhere around $17.00. Sounds like a deal to me.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Back to Basics..Detox Time
The CAN eats:
Football Fanatic Household
When my daughter asked me to paint her nails football colors I thought it was pretty cute. She told me what she wanted and this is what it came out to be. She still wants me to attempt to write SUPERBOWL on her nails but I am hesitant thinking I will make a mess. If I decide to take a stab at it I will post pics...good or bad :-)
Here is her tribute to the teams she wants to make to the Superbowl.
SUPERBOWL XLIV
GO COLTS!!! GO SAINTS!!
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Vampy...say what?- Milani Garnet Gems
This week was vampy nails. Ummmm, huh, what? Clueless as to what the heck vampy meant (yeah, every now and then I miss the boat on some things) I had a little googling to do. So someone post a comment if I am wrong and correct me but vampy nails is just dark deep colored polishes, but not black. If it isn't then, oh well, I still like the color I used.
I had no intention of doing a vampy look since I have nothing I considered vampy. Interestingly enough I went to CVS and a good number of Milani shades were 75% off. I grabbed a couple without even thinking of vampy and once I swatched them I thought this one may work.
So you tell me..is this vampy? Or did I completely miss the concept? Honesty is appreciated.
This is Milani Garnet Gems. Even if it is not considered vampy I love this color. Very dark with subtle red flecks of glitter. It is not what I expected it to look like but I was pleasently surprised. On top of it all this bottle of polish was less than $1.12.
It will take at least 2 coats but I went with 3 for a nice deep color with a decent amount of glitter. I know I should have put a base coat on but I thought I was just swatching and taking it back off. Loved the color and it was vampy so I proceeded full steam ahead. After 2 days there was a little tip wear but I was lazy and hadn't done a top coat. Once I touched up the tips and put on a top coat it was perfection. Vampy or not, I am pretty happy with this polish. Can't beat the price either.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
One of the Best Things I Have Ever Done..
After deciding to leave my job and work from home my schedule was more flexible so it was time to take action and wipe the dust off the gym membership. Going to the gym on a semi regular basis wasn't doing the trick either so my husband suggested I talk to a one of the trainers.
BEST SUGGSTION EVER. BEST DECISION EVER.
I signed up with a trainer and I will say he whipped me into shape. It was hard initially but the results were amazing. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I had a standing appointment to do one hour of things I really did not want to do. He pushed me to do things I didn't ever realize I was capable of doing. Box jumps with 14 risers, squats with lots of weight on the barbell, leg presses to make some men question their strength.
If you find that you are running in circles and not achieving the results you want I would urge you to get a trainer. A good one will help you reach your goals. The beauty of it is you can buy 1 session, 30 sessions, or whatever. Get what you need to get motivated again, learn some more tricks to help achieve your goals, and get the push to go at it on your own again.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Still Processing the Suffering in Haiti
I did want to take a moment to acknowledge the incident and let people know that now is the time to show people in need that there is someone who cares. Whether it is the people in your own backyard who are needy or countries even continents away, if everyone gives something of themselves then the difference that could be made in the lives of so many would be enormous.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
La Paz-Itively Hot or NOT? A Little Matte :-(
With all that said how could I be frustrated already? Of course, major chipping will do it. This is my first experience with a full mani of matte polish and let me just say I am quite disappointed. Should I be? Probably not. I have read the reviews that the matte polishes are quite prone to chipping but it was less than 24 hours and I spotted my first few chips. GRRRR. It was more around the 14 hour mark when I noticed my first few chips along the tips and edges of my nails. I took my shower, no chips, worked on my laptop some, no chips, but somewhere between home and the grocery store my first chips appeared.
I tried to remedy the situation with another coat, mind you it took 3 coats to get the appearance of a semi decent application. I don't like chips so I touched this polish up at least 4 times throughout the day. Enough is enough. This will definitely end up with a Konad design and top coat in an effort to salvage the 8-9 coats already applied.
UPDATE 1/20/10: No Konad for this mani, this polish is coming off as I type..couldn't even keep the chips away for a few hours. I did throw a coat of Milani Garnet Gems on top of one nail just to see what it would look like. Stay tuned for pics.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Winter Feet Woes
During the summer I keep my feet in relatively good shape. I don't have to much of a choice since I live in flip-flops and open shoes. My feet stay moisturized, toenails are painted, and all is right in my little feet world. Let's now skip through fall and drop me into the dead of winter. No lying, I would never put flip-flops on at the momment and thank goodness I have no reason to.
My tootsies are in terrible shape and need some love...STAT. I have a Ped-Egg that I have started to use again but I know that is going to take a lot more than a Ped-Egg. Enter Avon Foot Works Moisturizing Heel Terry Socks. Geez, that is a mouthful. These were in my Christmas stocking from my mom. She gave me something very similar last year if memory serves me correctly but no problem because I like trying out products like these. Unfortunately, I never got around to using them but once I find them I am sure I will.
These are little different from all of the other foot socks I have had. First of all the toe area is cut out. I wouldn't even consider them socks, more like tubes. The next difference from the other socks is the product is actually built-in. There is a gel in the heel that from the information provided is a "cocktail of botanical oils, nutrients, and vitamin E." Awesome and strange at the same time. If felt funny sliding my foot into the tube with gel in it.
The recommended usage is 30-45 minutes 3 times a week. I am going to give it a go and see if I can turn these winter feet around. I would post before pictures but I am not going to embarass myself or scare you. Assuming all goes well I hope to be able to post after pictures of smooth and moisturized heels. Do you treat your feet well year round or baby them in the summer when you know other people will see them too? What is the greatest foot product you have in your arsenal?
Spirit of the Times AKA Zeitgeist
I will warn you however this polish chips so be sure to apply a top coat to keep it protected. I applied 2 coats of Zeitgeist which yielded nice coverage and because I was lazy did not apply a top coat. Chips and more chips less than 24 hours later and I don't think I was particulary hard on my nails that day. Just consider yourself warned that is the only downfall that I have found with this polish.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
My First Gray(ish)
I picked this polish out a while ago and haven't tried it yet. Polishes typically have to match the kind of mood I am in so while this wasn't an exact match for my mood, it was close enough. Gray. This isn't a true gray, more of a silvery gray, hence the name Gunmetal, part of the Sally Hansen XTremewear line. It is a pretty color when you want something basic. I got bored of it a lot faster than most colors but I am thinking that is a good thing. When my mood is gray that can't be good.
This polish can achieve a nice color with 2 coats. I did not use a top coat so after a day of wear and washing my hair it was chipped. It was not chipped badly though, just along the sides a little bit and some tip wear. I touched all of my nails up with a third coat and it was fine. For the life of me I could not find a color to Konad with that worked well with Gunmetal as a base. I tried a bright yellow for the Konad design, red, bright blue, you name it. Nothing in my arsenal worked well with this color as a base. White showed up of course but there has got to be some other color to go with this. What do you think? What color Konad design will go with Gunmetal as a base?
Thursday, January 14, 2010
I've Got Pizzaz
I will say this design was eaiser to use than I thought it would be. I like the full nail designs but did notice that since my nails have grown a bit the alignment is crucial. Now I understand why so many people have french tips with the full nail designs.
On a side note: this polish really makes me crave grape soda!!!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
My Worst Nightmare..Part 2
Bye bye Canon MP780. You were great. I never had any issues (until you stopped working when I needed you the most). Well actually that is a major issue, you should have warned me you were about to go kaput!!
At my office (I am currently self-employed) we have a printer/copier/scanner that is not in use. No fax but I have an e-fax number for incoming and can either scan and email or scan and fax from my computer. My husband suggested to use that one. Great no need to spend money.He just brought it home and guess what again...there is no way on earth I will be able to use this thing. My major need is for scanning right now. This is a Photo printer..not so much for document scanning but scanning of photos it appears. No Automatic Document Feeder (ADF). I am used to taking a stack of 30 or so sheets of paper..loading it in the ADF and scanning it all at once, no more need for me to touch anything. With this I would have to open, put paper in, close, and scan for each sheet of paper. It is not happening. The time vs. money trade-off is just not there for the amount of scanning I need to do.With that being said there is another multifunction at the office that I will suggest should be bestowed upon me. This is a newer model of my beloved Canon and has wireless networking. All I need to do is set up one of the PC's to receive incoming faxes and for outgoing faxes, hey, they can scan and email or scan and fax from the PC, that is what I would have had to do.
Either way this Photo printer is not going to cut it so we can either swap..or spend the money for a new one.
*UPDATE*-1/14/10- I did get the one from the office on Wednesday. I was so happy I did a few hours of "virtual filing" last night. Will try to do another hour tonight. Woo hoo! PROGRESS!
Saturday, January 9, 2010
I Blue It!! You Should Too..
Umm I know, weird title for a post but hey it is the name of the fabulous polish color I have on right now. This is a Sally Hansen X-Tremewear polish. Two bucks people...two bucks. I have quite a few from this line now because they are so cheap and I have yet to be disappointed. Blue It is a pretty blue with a lot of shine. If you like blues there is no reason not to add this one to your collection.
Deep Conditioning JOICO K-PAK MOISTURE
Finding the right hair care regimen has been a daunting task. I have found items that I like but nothing I LOVE that makes me really feel like me hair is in its best condition. My hair is chemically treated (relaxer) and dry. I have to add oil to my hair to prevent excessive dryness and breakage. My last trip to the hairdresser my stylist told me I need to really do better with deep conditioning my hair. After asking her what product to use she told me to take a look at the items they sell there. Of course...but of course I wasn't buying it there because I am sure they jack the prices up some. Many products lined the shelves. Design Essentials, Mizani, Joico. Ugh, where do I begin.
I have heard of Joico before so after perusing the website and what was at the the stores near me I decided on the Joico K-Pak Moisture. The 8.5 oz tube it comes in describes it as a Intense Hydrator, treatment for dry, damaged hair. Great, just what I need. But it seems like every product in their line was just what I needed. Gotta start somewhere though.
After doing my standard wash and condition routine I put a little of the K-Pak in my hand, rubbed together, and ran through my hair. When I say a little I do mean a little because I wasn't sure how much I needed and at $18 a tube, well, none was going to hit the shower floor. It took a few more "little-bits" to get an amount in my hair satisfactory to me but overall it didn't take a lot. The smell is fine, nothing too overpowering and a decent enough scent for a hair product. I did notice it helped detangle my hair. I typically detangle with my regular conditioner anyway but I did notice this did even more detangling.
Once I blow dried my hair my hair did feel different. Softer and smoother than it usually does. I am going to use this product each time I wash my hair and see if my hair dresser notices next time I go in. Hopefully my hair will be healthier.
Surprise..
My husband of 11 years told me he wanted to take me on a date. He told me this on Monday and we weren't going out until Friday. Naturally I asked where we were going. "It's a surprise!", he says. Of course I retort back with the "c'mon tell me", "you have to tell me", "I need to know so I know what to wear", you know those types of responses. Now I had a whole week to try and figure it out and mull over it. Great.
Since I was pretty busy with work things the week went by and I didn't rack my brain all week. Come Thursday night I started with the questions again. And they were all very valid questions regarding attire and time and one last attempt to find out what it was.
To make a long story short it was a very nice surprise. He took me out to dinner and had a nice room reserved for us at the local resort/country club. It was a very nice surprise but I still don't like surprises. I torment myself relentlessly but in all fairness I just want to make sure I am on time, appropriately dressed, and have what I need. A man's view of that and a woman's view are typically completely different.
So how are you with surprises. Do you love them or hate them?
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Oh My Stars
I will tell you this color is pretty but it took absolutely too many coats to get it to the color seen in the picture above. Even after the 6th or 7th coat I felt like I needed at least another 5-6 coats. This obviously wasn't what I expected from this polish. Since I was disappointed I thought maybe a little Konad would cheer me up.
AND OH MY STARS, IT DID!!!
This was a lot more tedious than I intended it to be but I do like the outcome. Stars with random placement on then nail. Using the M3 Konad plate I stamped each nail 2-4 times to get lots of stars. Perfect placement didn't matter on this one I just wanted lots of stars!!
So even though I was a little blue with the initial turnout I was seeing stars by the time I finished!!
What's For Dinner...
I will be honest I am no chef. Cooking is not my strong suit simply because I have not dedicated much time or effort to make it such. Surely I can speak for many a parent who run kids back and forth to activities 3-5 times a week that a quick meal is going to have to do.
I just wanted to share one of my quick meals with you. Pretty basic but pretty good. The best part is it is only 2 ingredients.
That's it, there you have it, rice and sausage. Just slice the sausage up and either throw it in with the rice to cook or put it in a frying pan for 5-7 minutes to brown it up some and add it to the rice after it is cooked. Alternatives to sausage are pretty much limitless, shrimp, chicken, ham, whatever suits your fancy. Throw in some veggies and you have your one dish meal. Quick, easy, and good. Who doesn't love that.
Heartfelt Condolences
I used to watch the news everyday but I stopped. It got to depressing. Especially when there was a story about a child. For some reason I think these things affect me more than most. I will go online and read every article and if there is an obituary and/or guest book I will read and follow that. Of course I always say some prayers for the families as well. While taking my daughter to soccer the other day her and The little boy, 9 years old, was attending a Christmas break This story tugs at my heart in so many ways. Of course you I offer my heartfelt condolences to the parents of this |
Monday, January 4, 2010
Silver and Black Konad
As you can see I had some issues with getting this pattern on my nail nice and straight. I guess it will come with more practice though. Initially I tried using pink and purple for the print but they didn't show up properly. Black worked out fine though. This print was actually easier than I thought it would be. No major issues with smudging during the stamping. There was a little streaking when applying my top coat but other than that this Konad went fairly well.
TIP: With the Konad Black Special Polish I have found that if you let it dry first and then scrape off what you can instead of immediately using polish remover you'll minimize the amount of staining.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Nail Polish Haul
With 8 new polishes I think that I am good for a month or 2...not making any promises though. Check back for swatches and pictures of manicures with these fabulous colors.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
My Worst Nightmare...FILING!!
In 2010 I have vowed to get rid of all of this paper. Instead of filing all of this in my file cabinets,I have 3 in my home office, I have decided to create a virtual file cabinet. All papers will be scanned and filed accordingly on my external drive. The task just began yesterday but I will post a few pictures so you can see what exactly I am working with. Brace yourself because the pictures are not going to be pretty. There are 4 areas that need to be tackled.
It is a mess, I know, please don't shun and shame me. I already feel totally ashamed looking at these pictures. If all I had to do with my life was eat, sleep, and file then of course this wouldn't be so disastrous. Guess what, there is something called LIFE, that is a lot more important to me than being stuck in this office filing. I do realize though that I need to take a step back and get this under control which is why on January 1, 2010 I began a serious attack on all of this. Armed with a scanner, a shredder, and an external drive I have already filed more in the last 2 days than the last 2 months combined. Who knew it could be this easy.
I am giving myself 1 month to get through this madness. Let me clarify, I am talking about the papers that have not made it into the file cabinets yet. Everything that is sitting in a pile waiting to be filed will be gone. I have been diligently shredding as I go so the paper is getting out of here. Once I finish an area you can best believe I will be posting pictures of a new and improved workspace.
While this has been all taken pretty lightly I will say that it is something that can get out of hand and serious. Excessive amounts of clutter for me means a cluttered mind and state of being. In no way do I want to feel or live like that. I want to walk in my office and be happy to work in it.