Crazy Sightings!

Today I witnessed a couple of things that made me laugh to myself.  First of all, I was driving down Stage Road, minding my own business, when I see an elderly lady coming toward me!  If you're not familiar with Stage, it is a six lane road, 3 lanes going one way and 3 lanes going another with a median in between. Everyone was honking, and bless her heart, she finally found her way back to the right side of the road.  For your viewing pleasure, I have recreated the event via Paintbrush:

Then, I decided to stop by Dollar General.  I was about to get out of my car when I saw a funny sight.  A college-aged girl with purple highlights in her hair walking down the sidewalk wearing puppy houseshoes at 6 PM!  Again, I decided to make a lovely drawing to illustrate:

Just thought I'd share my unusual day and exquisite life-like paintings to brighten your day.

Tried and True Beauty Products

It's true that I like to try new things, but there are some beauty products that I will never stray from.  I have been using all of these products for years.  So here is a quick review of my favorite beauty product staples.

• Maybelline's Waterproof Ultra Liner in Dark Brown
• Because of the way my eyes are shaped, I can't wear pencil eye liner on the upper lids of my eyes.  I get raccoon circles around my eyes if I do.  So, I have to wear something that will not rub off.  The solution is this waterproof eye liner.  It is a liquid liner, so it does require some practice and skill to apply.  The results are worth it, though.  This liner is indeed waterproof and has all-day lasting power.  I had some problems with it at first because it would flake off in the middle of the day if I rubbed my eyes.  However, if you use a primer before putting on your eye makeup, it solves the problem.
• You can find this at Target, Wal-mart, or any drugstore.
• Sebastian Shaper Plus Hairspray
• This is something that I have carried down from my mom.  She always uses the Sebastian Shaper hairspray, and I used to go to her bathroom and steal hers to use it.  I have tried many hairsprays, and this one just seems to have the best hold without making your hair crunchy.  It does have an "awful smell" when you spray it (according to my husband), and it will cause breakouts on your face if you accidentally spray your face, but the pros outweigh the cons for me on this one.
• You can find this at many salons and sometimes in drugstores.  I get mine from BeautyMax in G'town.
• Neutrogena Healthy Skin Blends Bronzer in Sunkissed
• This is hands-down the best bronzer out there in my opinion!  Most bronzers have shimmer in them, but I don't want my face to look like a glittery mess!  I am one of those people that uses bronzer on my whole face, and I want the "sunkissed" look to be natural.  I can't say for sure how long I have been using this product, but I know it's been at least over 5 years and probably longer.  It has never caused me to break out, and I have VERY sensitive skin. 
• You can find this at Target, Wal-mart, or any drugstore.

iPhone 4

So, yesterday my husband was super excited because a little thing called an iPhone 4 came in the mail.

I'm happy he finally has an iPhone!  However, I'm a little jealous of his phone because it has a camera in the front and the back AND has a flash.  We tested out the picture quality with the flash last night:

Pretty good!  Of course, Nala had to feel included too.  She sat right by Brian as he played with his new phone:

She is the funniest little dog ever!  Actually, she's not so little anymore.  When she went to the vet yesterday, she weighed 18 pounds.  That's a tad bit more than the 10 lbs max she was supposed to be!

Well, back to cleaning for now and date night tonight!

Deal of the Day!

Good morning!  I checked my inbox today, and saw a great deal that I'd like to share!  The Delta Fair is coming September 3-12!  There is a great deal going on with the Commercial Appeal's Inside Scoop to get 2 adult tickets and 2 kid tickets plus 2 wristbands for $34!  If you're like me, you're thinking "what do I need to 2 kid tickets for?"  Well, even if you don't use them, you're still saving money since wristbands are $20 each normally and adult tickets are $9 each.  So instead of paying $58, you'll pay $34.  Sounds like a deal to me!! Click here for the deal.

I can't wait for the Delta Fair. We go every year, and it's so much cleaner and nicer than the Memphis one used to be!

The Downstairs is Sparkling!

So,  I am proud of all that I have accomplished today:

Vacuumed the house

Washed dishes

Dusted the downstairs

Cleaned the countertops and kitchen table

De-cluttered the downstairs

Cleaned the downstairs bathroom

Mopped the kitchen, dining room, and living room

Tended to the plants

Whew!  And tomorrow I tackle the upstairs! DUN DUN DUN! I'm glad I have some time off to get this house back into shape!

Done and Done!

I am very happy to report that I am done with rotation for the month!

That means I don't have another rotation for 39 days! 

So, unfortunately, some bad news . . . Nala is sick again!  Poor thing can't go for long without taking some kind of antibiotics!  The vet wasn't sure what caused her infection, but he said it usually occurs from a change in environment (like when they are boarded).  The last time she was boarded was in June, and the vet said that this could have been carried over from then.  She has to take 8 days of antibiotics and hopefully it will clear up!  I don't want to see this sad face for longer than I have to:

Cool News Update!!!

1. If you are a Netflix subscriber AND an iPhone or iTouch owner, I have some great news for you!  Check your app store on Itunes and download the Netflix app.  It allows you to watch movies instantly on your iPhone!  This was previously only for the iPad, but now it's available for the iPhone and iTouch as well. Pretty awesome!
2. If you have a google email account, then log in and look on the left toolbar. Look under Chat and you should see an icon that says "Call Phone". Click on it and set up the software and you can make free calls from your computer until the end of the year.  See below for what the icon looks like:

 

Today is Clean up the House Day for me, so I better get to it!

If You Don't Think My Dog's a Genius ...

Then you are silly!  Here's proof:

This morning my sweet husband told me that I remind him of a cartoon character!  I was excited to know which one he'd pick- probably one that's sweet and girly.  You know what he told me?  "You remind me of Knuckles from Sonic the Hedgehog!"

Umm... I'm not seeing it!  But thanks, Brian.

House Plant Crazy!

So after buying my bromeliad plant, I have now gotten a little plant crazy.  I researched flowering houseplants and came upon African Violets.  So, I got myself down to Lowe's and bought 2 of them! They seem a little complicated to take care of, but I'm challenging myself to keep them alive and growing.

Today I tried a new restaurant that I had never heard of before. It is called the Trolley Stop Market near the UT Memphis campus.

They have daily lunch specials, sandwiches, salads, and pizza.  It was really good and a really cute restaurant. I love trying new places!  Other than that, nothing too exciting today besides my new plants!

Deal of the Day

 

While looking through my daily deal websites, I came across this gorgeous diamond and pink topaz key necklace.  It's at DiamondShark.com for $32 with coupon code of SLICKDEALS3.  I did a quick search of sterling silver diamond key necklaces, comparing their total diamond weight, and this is the best deal that I could find online.  

Have a great morning and rest of the day!

Sugar Scrub with a Twist!

So yesterday before I was getting dissed at Sephora (click here for diss) I was looking for an exfoliating sugar scrub.  All of the scrubs were expensive, so I thought I would try my luck at Bath and Body Works.  As I was entering the store, I happened to eavesdrop on a lady asking a saleswoman where a good sugar scrub was!  I watched out of the corner of my eye and saw the saleswoman pick up the Aromatherapy Stress Relief Sudsing Scrub.  I didn't pay much attention to the front of the bottle except to notice it was a sugar scrub and it was supposed to HELP STRESS!  Hello- it was basically calling my name! Plus I was with my wonderful husband at the time, and I didn't want to bore him to tears by looking through every sugar scrub in the store (which I would have probably done if I had been alone).

Needless to say, I really like this scrub! I don't know if I'm alone in this, but I always feel the need to wash with body wash on top of using an exfoliating scrub because I don't feel like I would get clean enough just scrubbing.  Well, this product is amazing in that it does both!  I was initially very surprised when the sugar granules started melting away and turning into soapy suds!  Hence, the SUDSING scrub, which I clearly did not pay attention to when I bought it.  Pretty cool.  I really like the fresh smell of it also. It definitely is a very calming smell.

In other news, my day at the hospital made me feel like doing this:

 Fortunately, the month is almost over.

New Addition to Our Family!

We are now the proud owners of a house plant that I have affectionately named "Bromie".

I have never owned a potted plant in my life, so this should be interesting!  My husband and I were shopping at Lowe's for "guy stuff" when I saw this beautiful plant.  The word "resilient" jumped out at me on its tag, and I knew we were meant to be! It is a bromeliad plant, hence the name "Bromie"- very clever, I know.  Pineapples are actually in the bromeliad family- who knew?  I know nothing about plants, so poor Bromie is doomed from the start.  Hopefully, though, she'll make it through!

On another topic, I completely got dissed by some girl named "Heather" at Sephora.  I was trying to remember what color of foundation that I used in the past when I wore Bare Escentuals.  She said "You're definitely 'fair'." To which I replied "Well, I think that I initially bought the 'fair', and then took it back to get the 'light'." She then dissed me by saying "Well if you wore anything other than the 'fair', then you didn't wear it well!" Well, thankyouverymuch Miss Heather.  I think I'll come back another day and get the LIGHT! Just kidding.... but really. Some people!

Self Tanner Reviews: Part 3

This is my final review of self-tanners for now.  First, I will be reviewing Fusion Beauty's GlowFusion Micro-Nutrient Face and Body Natural Protein Tan in Medium:

Glow Fusion is a spray self-tanner that has a cult following. I read many reviews before asking my husband to get it for me last Christmas.  I was so excited to begin using it, but unfortunately was once again let down.  I had read that one way to use the spray is to mix 4 pumps spray to 2 pumps Lubriderm lotion and apply with gloves.  That did not give me enough color.  I eventually went up to 6 pumps spray to 1 pump Lubriderm lotion.  Still not enough color!  So then I skipped mixing it with lotion and sprayed it directly on my skin.  Big mistake - streaks, streaks, streaks!

If someone knows what I am doing wrong, please let me know.  It's hard to believe so many people love this spray for nothing.  So here we go on my thoughts:

Pros:

• Little to no smell

Cons:

• Cost - $58/bottle
• How do you effectively apply this??? I still don't know
• Not enough color and streaks!

 Finally . . . for my FAVORITE self-tanner of all the ones I have tried . . .

Bare Escentuals Faux Tan!

Thanks to one of my classmates, I found out about Faux Tan recently.  I noticed her natural looking tan, and asked what she had been doing.  She told me about using Faux Tan.  At that point, I was so burned out on trying so many self-tanners,  I told myself that I shouldn't buy it right away.  I could only hold off for a week, though, and found myself running to the Bare Escentuals counter in the mall for a bottle.

I absolutely LOVE this tanner!  It is the most natural color that I have gotten from a fake tan!  It runs at $22/ 4.5 oz bottle, and you can find it at Bare Escentuals stores or Bare Escentuals counters in department stores. My thoughts:

Pros:

• Gorgeous, natural-looking color
• Fading color guide 
• The color guide is a dark muddy brownish-green.  It is very scary initially because it is so dark.  However, when you start working it into your skin, the color guide shows you where the lotion is going and then fades away, resulting in no streaks!
• Almond-cherry smell
• This lotion definitely smells like almonds in the bottle, and I pick up on a hint of cherry-like smell as well.  After putting it on, the smell fades away.  I actually like the smell of this self-tanner!
• Long-lasting
• I apply this self-tanner every 3 days to keep the tan up, but even stretching it out farther- I still have some color.
• No transfer onto clothes/sheets
• I apply this lotion before bed after showering and exfoliating.  It is very quick to dry, and I have not noticed any transfer onto any of my clothes or sheets.
• Basically, everything I was looking for!

Cons:

• More expensive than drugstore brands: $22/bottle
• Requires a careful application
• After showering and exfoliating, I apply a moisturizer to my kneecaps, elbows, ankles & dry areas of feet and allow the moisturizer to dry. Then, I do a full-body application in small sections, washing my hands VERY THOROUGHLY after each section. Then, after I am done, I wash my hands again with soap and then with whitening toothpaste (a tip I picked up from a review that I read).  The color guide is so dark that it can really stain your hands if you don't wash, wash, wash!  I don't like using gloves, but that would be another option to avoid this.

So there you have it!  Faux Tan is the self-tanner I plan on sticking with!  It really is a great all-around fake tanner!

So why do I use self-tanner?

I thought it would be good to share why I no longer go to the tanning bed.

• I am in pharmacy school, and I have learned a lot about different disorders and disease states. Learning more about skin cancer scared me a lot, and made me realize that laying in a tanning bed is a lot like smoking cigarettes.  Both are known to cause cancer- fatal cancer - so why do it? There are safe alternatives to looking tan, so I say use them!
• I have super fair skin- enough said!

Happy fake tanning!

Favorite Product Right Now!

Urban Decay Naked Palette

If you haven't tried Urban Decay eyeshadows, you should!  They are very long lasting and pigmented.  I love neutral colors, so when I saw this, I was ecstatic!  You can find this at Sephora or Ulta stores.

Self Tanner Reviews: Part 2 Post #2 & #3

As promised, here are the 2 remaining reviews:

Jergens Natural Glow Firming Daily Moisturizer in Medium/Tan is a gradual self-tanner. It also runs for around $9/bottle.

Pros:

• Pleasant Smell
• Jergens has really improved the smell of this lotion since the original lotion came out several years ago.  My husband even told me that I "smelled good" after I put it on, which is unheard of!
• No Streaking
• Although there is no color guide, since this is such a gradual self-tanner, you really don't have to worry about streaking.
• Affordable

Cons:

• The color did not gradually build on me
• Maybe my skin is unique, but I get no building of color.  I have friends who have used this lotion and love it, but somehow it does not work for me.
• Everyday applications do not appeal to me

Unfortunately, although I know this is a popular favorite, it was not what I am looking for.

 There is nothing good that I can say about L'Oreal Sublime Bronze Luminous Bronzer Self-Tanning Lotion, so I will cut to the chase. I only applied it once and knew it was NOT for me.  Even with a meticulous application, ensuring that no part of me would streak - the inevitable happened and I had streaks all over.  I realized that it was mainly in areas where my skin folded (the backs of my legs and inside the bend of my arms).  I had read reviews before buying it that this very issue had happened to others, but I thought maybe they were new to applying self-tanner and didn't wait for it to dry, etc. Obviously, that was not the case and this is a real problem with this tanner. Also, the smell was the worst of any self-tanner that I have tried recently.  The color it gave was very orangey. And on top of all this, it was super glittery.  I felt like a disco ball!  Not a good look. 

I have 2 more self-tanners to review, with one of them being my favorite of all, and the one I plan on sticking with. Check back tomorrow for Part 3 of my self-tanner reviews!

 

Self Tanner Reviews: Part 2 Post #1

Today I will be reviewing three self-tanners in three separate posts:

1. Jergen's Natural Glow Express Body Moisturizer in Medium/Tan
2. Jergen's Natural Glow Firming Moisturizer in Medium/Tan
3. L'Oreal Sublime Bronze Luminous Bronzer

I have heard great things about all three of these self-tanners, and in my search to find one that was right for me, I bought and tried all three!

Firstly, Jergen's Natural Glow Express Body Moisturizer can be found at any major drugstore.  It runs around $9/bottle for 4 oz. Some of my thoughts on this self-tanner:

Pros:

• It is one of the longest lasting self-tanners that I have tried
• It lasted for a good 4-5 days before needing to reapply.  Like I mentioned in my previous post, the Origins and Sevin Nyne lasted a max of 2 days.
• The color is believable, but there still is little of the dreaded "orange tint" 
• The color develops in several hours and, in my opinion, was tan enough for me.  I had mentioned previously that other self-tanners I tried did not give me enough color.  This was not so for this tanner. I was pleased with the amount of color that I got.  However, I did not try to build color daily with this tanner because I was afraid that I would be too orange with back to back applications.
• Cost
• Very affordable!

Cons:

• One of the more difficult to apply
• There is no color guide in this self-tanner, so you cannot see where it's going.  You have to be very thorough in covering everything evenly.  Also, it will result in orange kneecaps, ankles, elbows, etc. if you do not moisturize before.  The first time I applied it, I did not moisturize, and I learned my lesson.  I use Philosophy's Amazing Grace Firming Body Emulsion on my kneecaps, ankles, and elbows first and allow it to dry before applying my self-tanner.
• Time consuming
• This goes with the bullet point of more difficult to apply.  I found this self-tanner to be one of the most time consuming because you cannot see where it's going.
• Small bottle
• If you did full-body applications of this several times a week, you would run out quickly.
• Smell
• When you initially put on this lotion there is not a self-tanning smell associated with it.  However, after a few hours you will definitely smell a light self-tanning smell.  I found that the smell did not completely disappear even after showers.  This was disappointing, and prompted me to look for another self-tanner.

I was not satisfied with this self-tanner.  If I HAD to pick a drugstore self-tanner, this would probably be the one I would go to, albeit grudgingly.  

Self Tanner Reviews: Part 1

I have tried so many self-tanners in the past few months, definitely leaving a small dent in my wallet!  I wanted to share my thoughts on the products that I have tried so far.

The first product I want to review is Origins The Great Pretender.  It is pretty affordable at $18.50.  I really wanted this to be my go-to self-tanner, but unfortunately, it did not work wonderfully for me.

Pros:

• Very pepperminty smell - I just love the smell of this lotion going on!
• Affordable
• Easy to apply - I never streaked with this tanner.  It works into your skin well with a shimmery color guide

Cons:

• Did not last long - I could see color the first day I put it on and the day after, but it was gone after that!
• Did not build in color - I applied this lotion EVERYDAY while in Orlando on vacation. I never saw an increase in color with daily use.  

For reference: this is me in all my fair skin glory on the left, then me while using Origins The Great Pretender on the right (I also had a little switch in hair color):

Not a noticeable difference, right?  I was a little disappointed! If you are looking for a VERY subtle glow and are willing to pay $18.50 a bottle, then I say go for it.  However, it did not give me the color I was looking for!

Next up is Sevin Nyne lotion.  I'm sure you've heard of it as Lindsay Lohan's self tanner.  It comes in a spray version also, but since I know I would make a horrible mess with it, I tend to shy away from spray self-tanners.  There are many things that I like about this self-tanner, but there is one huge dislike that I will get to in my cons section.

Pros:

• The smell is bearable - you will have a "smell" with this lotion, but it isn't the horrendous self-tanner smell that I've come across in the past.  I'm very particular about smells, and this smell did not bother me.
• It has a very dark color guide - you pretty much have a "glow" immediately after putting it on, but this leads to my major con (see below)
• Moderately easy to apply - it is a very thick lotion, so I advise rubbing your hands together to thin it out before applying to your skin and then working into your skin with a circular motion

Cons:

• The initial "glow/color guide" washes off with water!!!  BEWARE self-tanning with this lotion the morning of a rainy day because you will come home with white dots all over your arms and legs. VERY embarrassing! However, one way to solve this is to apply at night and take a shower in the morning to wash off the color guide.  Unfortunately, the darkest you will be on this lotion is the first day you apply it because of the color guide, so if you wash it off, you will not be as tan.
• No building of color with daily use - I'm starting to think there is something wrong with my skin holding on to the color because I have no luck so far on self-tanners building with repeated use.
• Pricey! - $35/bottle

For reference, again "white" me on the left and the day after application with Sevin Nyne on the right:

Again, there's not a huge difference in my skin color, although I feel like I got more color from Sevin Nyne than Origins.

I have many other self-tanners to review, so look for my future posts!  I think I have finally found my go-to self-tanner, but I will have to wait and reveal which one it is in my last self-tanner review post.  Oh the suspense!

Recent Obsession: Deal of the Day

Recently I have been keeping up with sites like Groupon to find super cheap deals!  While laying in bed and thinking of ways to save money, I discovered . . . there's an app for that!! I quickly downloaded the "DailyDeals" iphone app, and I have been checking it frequently ever since.

Today my hubby and I bought a $2.99 Emergency Radio, Lantern, and USB charger from Daily Checkout. Also, my nifty new app told me that Restaurant.com was having a 70% gift certificates sale until August 23 with the promo code "STEAK"! So I bought $210 worth of gift certificates for $29.  Whoo!

So, I will frequently update my blog with deals that I think are extra special!  In the meantime, I recommend becoming a daily deal shopper yourself!

Look forward to my future post: reviews of self-tanners!