The mix up

So it appears that I accidentally clicked the wrong blog to update in my last post. It should have been posted to my personal blog instead. Going forward, any further posts will remain beauty related. 

Effort

Dear neglected blog,

Hi. I am sorry that I’ve been too busy to write in the past year. I can’t promise that I’ll change that. Life just happens and I don’t feel like blogging is a priority. Here’s what’s been going on:

• My dear little Nana was diagnosed with dementia and her condition quickly escalated to stage 7 within less than a year. She is like my mother, so all of the changes were very quick and emotionally traumatic.  I’m currently dealing ok and I was a hot mess for a little while.
• My great- uncle was diagnosed with cancer, which spread pretty quickly. He fought with all his might until last month.
• I was dating a player who was not that bright. Ultimately, social media was his tattle tale. Gtfo, mofo.
• I had an ombre for nearly a year, and all of my friends were too polite to tell me it looked busted.
• I changed job locations.
• I’ve been dating quite a bit, though only one guy was gentleman- ly enough to make it to a second date. The third date was really bad.
• I discovered that I have more in common with guys 24-28, than I do with 30+. Like me, they want to go out and socialize,  are more spontaneous,  and they have all, if not most, of their hair. Plus, all of the 30+ guys I’m in to want to date 22 year olds. So, there’s that.
• I make myself go the gym. I hate going to the gym but it makes me feel good later.
• For the most part, life is pretty good.

Checking things off the old “to-do” list

In progress: cooking.

I have never been one who enjoys cooking. Not even a little. I love the outcome (food!) and I dislike the prep, waiting, and cleanup. Growing up I was always lucky to have a wonderful and talented grandpa who could put things that you wouldn’t think went together and make a yummy meal of them. He was the king of food improv, and when he would use cookbooks, would often combine a few recipes if he didn’t think one would give him the outcome he wanted.

I like things to be fast and easy, and if it isn’t, I won’t bother making it. So I have been asking other people what they cook so I can feed myself like an actual adult.

So far I have found that I really like non-pasta pasta. Out of all of the interesting variations out there, I love brown rice pasta the best. I’ve been making my own sauce with (gasp) real tomatoes, and I bought a steamer so I can have steamed veggies, not frozen. Any batch of food that I make is bigger than just one meal so I’ve been freezing it (great idea from my cousin) and saving the rest for later.

I’ve also found this food blog,  Spoon Fork Bacon, with pretty easy ideas if I want to get fancy. I tried the  Baked Asparagus Fries recipe the other night and they were really good. I didn’t do a dipping sauce but  if I make these when I have guests I totally would.

I have always brought my lunch to work, except for the few and far between days when I don’t have time to grab a frozen din out of the freezer. I recently bought a cute lunch bag that came with different containers and have nixed the frozen dinners. I hate making my lunch but I like that I’m eating fresh lunches and I feel like I’m spending less on frozen items. Except for the veggies and fruits-I have to buy these once or twice a week because, well, they’re fresh and I have to buy in small batches.

So that’s my big achievement for the year so far. And it’s a pretty big one because I still have to force myself to spend the time to cook when I’d rather be doing something else.

The Hair Files #2: B & B

My hair takes a lot of abuse; from being slightly over processed (thanks, bleach!) to using heat tools, it needs some TLC. I have been using Bumble and Bumble Super Rich conditioner and Creme De Coco mask for the past year and they have helped to hydrate and keep my hair in tip top shape, despite all of the abuse it takes.

Super Rich was “created for coarse, curly, wooly, and wild hair” (I have naturally wavy, crazy, frizzy hair with a mind of its own) and it detangles, softens, and helps keep my hair soft. $24 for 8 oz.

Creme De Coco features mango seed butter, shea butter, murumuru seed butter, and kukui oil to smooth and hydrate. It also smells yummy and a bit tropical. $27 for 5 oz.

Here is my hair, freshly colored, and tamed straight by my stylist:

CGMag

Some work from a few years ago:

The eyeshadow in the last photo is MAC Teal pigment over Makeup Forever Green Liner

Complexion in all photos is Makeup Forever and Nars

Model: Eren

Photographer & editing: Kara

Makeup: Moi and Vanessa [our well-deserved photo credit went to the company we worked for, although we’re credited elsewhere.]

The Hair Files

As of late I love hair products. I will try just about anything that’s repairing, hydrating, smoothing, shine boosting, protective, or restorative. My hair is super long because I’ve been growing it out and it’s also color treated. And, of course, I heat style about four or five days a week. I’ve found many successes and many failures. I’ve also had many lost loves that have been harder to find or discontinued.

This is the first installment of the “Hair Files,” where I tell you what worked for my hair type or style I’m creating, why I loved or didn’t love it, and if I’ve found a cheaper duplicate for a more expensive product.

I wanted to start the first Hair Files off with some dud’s because I like getting the messy stuff out of the way first. So, here are my least faves of 2011, thus far:

Top:

Organix Coconut Milk Shampoo and Conditioner: I loved how the Coconut smelled. It was light and fresh, and the conditioner detangled my hair very well. However, my hair did not feel soft afterwards.

Organix Brazilian Keratin Therapy Shampoo and Conditioner: My hair was left detangled and it also felt dry and coarse. Weird for a product that is supposed to smooth.

All in all, neither product from this brand was great and I’m glad I got them buy one get one free at Rite Aid and didn’t spend a lot on these. I have used other Organix treatments with great success (Coconut Split End Mender and Brazilian Keratin Anti-Breakage Serum) and I suppose the shampoos and conditioners are not a right fit for my hair.

Bottom:

Living Proof Humidity Blocking Flexible Hold Hair Spray: I love that this did not make my hair stiff. It did, however, make my hair feel stringy and sticky.

Living Proof Straight Spray: While I had less static while using this, it did not make my wavy hair any straighter.

Moroccanoil treatment: This oil was OK. It felt nice going on but frankly, there are better options on the market that aren’t as pricey. It is also supposed to reduce hair drying time and it did not. I also seemed to have more breakage while using this, when it’s supposed to counteract breakage.

Phyto Phytokarite mask: It made my hair feel dry, tangled, and something about the smell made me gag. I was told it has a floral scent but to me it smelled like rotten hard-boiled eggs and potpourri.

Shoes and moving

I have been out and about apartment hunting, which means tons of walking. Why keep trying to find parking when many of my options are so close? It was during a six block walk around the corner from apartment A to apartment B that I realized my current flats were no longer comfy. I’ve been scrimping and saving for the move and felt a little guilty about even thinking of buying shoes but they were much needed and will be well used. Plus, they were buy one get one free!

I’m also having dilemma’s of which neighborhood I’m going to settle in. I’m definitely not looking in my current area. It’s taken a turn for the worse within the past years and many real estate agents would describe it as “up and coming” which in real estate lingo really means, “Oh, it’s not the best neighborhood but it’s being revitalized. Just don’t go out alone at night and you won’t get mugged or shot.”

Summer bridal makeup

This bride wanted a smokey eye, natural lip, and bronze complexion. We were planning on creating a bronze eye and at the last minute she decided to go for the gusto and change to a smokey eye. We also lightly airbrushed her decollete (and set with powder and fix spray) to blend in a spray tan she had gotten a few days before. Complexion is Temptu, brows are Makeup Forever, eyeshadow is Smashbox and Stila, lips are MAC.

Uh….what? DIY headboard!

So I purchased this headboard from West Elm last year. I had been stalking it forever and it finally went on sale- I thought I’d gotten a bargain!

She made hers: http://ana-white.com/2010/10/squared2-headboard-queen

I’m not the best at putting things together but I do have some handy Uncles that could have helped me make this. Lesson learned: next time scour the internet to see if you can find ways to make things instead of buy.

Favorites of 2010

1. Hot pink lips: Bold, effortless, chic. This was the lip look I rocked the most this year, with a natural eye, of course. Faves of the year included Sephora Rouge Cream Lipstick in Mr. Lover, Benefit Posie Tint Stain (3-5 layers for intensity) layered with Smashbox O-Gloss Original (always turns my lips bright hot pink), and MAC Lipstick in Girl About Town.

2. Lashes: It’s rare for me to wear faux lashes even though I love them so (my eyes freak out if I wear them too often) and when I have a full fringe, I always feel super glam. My faves are still Ardell because the quality surpasses the price (around $4). The #120 demi are my absolute faves and I also like #113 and #122. My lash glue of choice is always Duo waterproof clear lash glue unless…I can get my hands on the Makeup Forever lash glue that comes with their lashes. I hoard this whenever I buy Makeup Forever lashes because it is absolutely the best I’ve tried.

3. The love of my life (well, purse-wise at least) is my Lux De Ville Lucky Me bag in black and leopard. I love it because it’s roomy and super cute. It isn’t, however, great for rainy weather, so I’m currently using their Starlite Kisslock bag in red sparkle, which doesn’t hold as much but makes me happy because it reminds me of Dorothy’s ruby slippers, just in purse form instead of shoes.

4. Headbands! Love! It takes  a drab hairstyle to fab on mornings when I’d rather sleep than make an effort with my hair. I just brush, slick into a pony, pop on a headband and I look like I tried.

5. Josie Maran GOGO instant volume mascara: I always admit that mascara is not my thing, so when I do end up loving one, it’s the real deal. The brush is almost a triangular shape and it gives my lash a flirty flutter without clumps. Thanks, Josie. P.S. I also kind of love everything from this line, so maybe I’m biased? It really is a super fab line that I highly recommend.

6. Zirh Shave Gel: See a few posts back. Amazing!

7 & 8: Perricone Super: I’m sooo loving the Lush Lips and Hyper Hydrator, both with coconut water. Coconut water is great for the skin (I would like to say that I drink it regularly, but I only drink it a few times a month) and the smell is light. The lip treatment is ultra hydrating, silky, and is indeed very lush. The moisturizer is light and helps keep my oily skin in check. The line is also a bit more wallet friendly than Perricone’s core line, which I also love and can’t always afford.

9. Perricone Advanced Firming Eye Activator: Anti-aging! Brightening! Tightening! I love this eye cream bunches and always buy it when it’s within my budget. I’ve been a devotee of this product since 2006.

10 And as always….Bliss Best of Skintentions moisturizer is still tops in my skincare regime. I love the way it makes my skin look and feel. If I need an instant pick-me-up, this does it. I also love the built-in SPF (with the Japanese skincare rating of PA++).