This + That: Bizarre Snacks

I don't always color coordinate my snacks, but when I do, you'd better believe I'll be reaching for Crunchy Cheetos and Odwalla Orange Juice. This post may go down as the weirdest edition of This + That ever! There may be other, more obvious, choices for This + That foods - milk and cookies, donuts and coffee, McD's fries and soft serve - wha, did I just say that??

Look, I eat Cheetos, maybe 3 or 4 times a year, mainly because my mom always buys them or I am in need of sustenance on the drive to/from Vegas. I actually like the puffy kind that gets stuck on your teeth, but as I said, my mom is the Cheetos purchaser in our family and she clearly prefers crunchy. For some reason, one day I paired Cheetos with OJ and it was a transcendent experience. The salty, fake cheesiness combined with sweet, tart orange juice was a great combination. I can see Flaming Hot Cheetos also pairing well with orange juice!

I also need to quickly mention my love for Odwalla orange juice. To me, it tastes fresher and less acidic than other orange juices. I remember reading a taste test where tasters felt Odwalla was sweeter than other brands. Maybe that's what I like about it. In any case, definitely give Odwalla a try. It can seem pricey if you are the type to chug gallons of juice in a week, but you can usually find it on sale at Safeway, sometimes a whole gallon for only $5!

Old Favorites, Juicy New Twist

Alright, so these aren't exactly "new" products, but they are new to me! Last weekend while perusing Nordstrom Rack, I came across Kiehl's Lip Balm #1 in Mango, Cranberry and Mint flavors. I figured these were discontinued since they were half off and only $4.50, but they are still available on the Kiehl's website. I used to swear by this lip balm and went through several tubes, so of course I had to pick up the mango! It smells really juicy in a Starbursts sort of way, but I like that it isn't actually sweet tasting. The balm itself is thick-ish, adds just a little hint of shine and keeps my lips moisturized.

Another lip balm I used to use by the stick load (??) is the one by Burt's Bees. Okay, I don't want to act like I "discovered" Burt's Bees, but I loved the brand before they had distribution in every major retailer, got purchased by Clorox (wtf!), and had a billion products. I recently placed a Burt's Bees order online which included the Burt's Bees Refreshing Lip Balm with Pink Grapefruit. I love citrusy scents and flavors so this was a no brainer. The scent is fresh, crisp, everything you associate with pink grapefruit! I find Burt's Bees lip balms a bit waxy, but it's a great every day choice. Just don't leave it in the car on a hot day because it will melt into a puddle!

At Last... February Ipsy Glam Bag

I feel like I've been waiting to receive this FOREVER. It looks like people have been receiving their bags starting nearly 2 weeks ago. Bloggers were saying that they never received their bags so early in the month before and their bags came before the tracking number did. I also did not yet receive a tracking number, but figures that mine would be so late! It also figures that mine would come the day after I sent Ipsy an email asking for a status update :-/ C'est la vie.

I just realized that Ipsy doesn't include a product listing card with descriptions and prices. Weird, seems like that would be essential. Anyway, here's what was in my bag:

Lash Card - I'm looking forward to using these because I suck at putting mascara on and it gets everywhere. Yeah, I hate having short lashes. I hope these come in handy, although you could obviously use an index or plastic card instead of buying Lash Cards. The shadows are really pigmented, but a little too soft and powdery. Not really sure if I would wear these colors too.

Pop Beauty Smoky Lash Kapow!!! Mascara - I don't think I will need to buy mascara for a long time because I have so many samples! In any case, I will be happy to give this a try when its turn comes up.

Mica Beauty Cosmetics - This looks like a gel liner. I wonder if this is full size or a sample? The jar is quite large, but the well inside seems kind of small. I like gel liner, so I'm sure this will be useful.

Pixi Flawless and Poreless Primer - I've heard a lot of great things about Pixi, but I've never tried any of their products. Primer is another thing I keep getting loads of samples of (not a bad thing!) so I will never have to buy! The color of this one looks nude, like Benefit's Porefessional, but becomes clear as you rub it in. It feel quite light and not as silicone-y.

Coastal Scents In the Spotlight Eye Shadow Sample Set - I've never heard of Coastal Scents, sounds like it should be a fragrance company. Looks like they have inexpensive crazy huge palettes with a billion colors.

I think this is a pretty good bag! Well, not the bag itself, which is a shiny black patent with red interior that makes me think of a dominatrix. So far I've been pleased with Ipsy and I look forward to March!

I Want an iPad

Much as one might prepare for the impending arrival of a baby by purchasing clothes, diapers, a crib and whatnot, I have started preparing for a new iPad by hoarding buying cute cases. I'm not buying up cases willy nilly though. I've been thinking about an iPad for a few months now and am inching closer to an actual purchase. Honestly, I'm beginning to think that part of the reason why I even want an iPad in the first place is because of the amazing variety of cases out there! Check out the cases that I bought.

First up is this padded pouch-style case by Pilcro and the Letterpress from Anthropologie. I love the colors and the fun almost safari/leaf type design. The only thing that we cannot agree on is if the animal on the front is a giraffe or a dog. I'm thinking it's a dog because the neck isn't long enough to be a giraffe and he appears to be wearing some sort of collar. I really like the leather wrist strap for when you want to tote around your iPad/tablet without putting it in another bag or carrying something more bulky. This was originally $48, but marked down to $9.95.

The second cover was purchased for a RIDICULOUS price which I will get to shortly. I've been wanting one of Rebecca Minkoff's pouches with the cute sayings for a while, but haven't brought myself to buy one because 1) they are kind of pricey and 2) I don't know what I would put in it! So when I saw this case at Nordstrom Rack, I immediately snatched it up. It is a really nice black leather with the words "touch & go" on the front - how appropriate! This one isn't padded and it's quite slim so it would be perfect for carrything your iPad in your bag.

Okay, now onto the price. Originally this baby retailed for $165. Peeling back layers of stickers it looks like it was on sale for $79.97, then marked down again to something like $66, then again to $41.25 and then further reduced to $24.75. I thought $25 for a Rebecca Minkoff iPad case was a huge bargain, but I got to the register and it rang up as $0.01. Yes, you read that correctly - ONE PENNY. WTF?! That is like a 99.99% discount! I'm guessing it was some kind of error, but the girl at the register didn't say anything (I purchased a few other things at the same time). I guess sometimes you just get lucky. My friend told me she once bought something at Nordstrom Rack for a penny and I bought a pair of golf shorts at Dick's for a nickel.

If this is not an awesome Markdown Monday post then I don't know what is! Now I just need to get one of those pesky iPads...

Spending Ban Update #1

This post is really more of a note to myself to say "Hey, you have not been doing very well on your spending ban." In addition to the the purchases I blogged about here, I also picked up a number of items on HauteLook (theBalm and my very first Diptyque candle!), Origins, eBay, Burt's Bees and a recent 40% off Revlon and Wet n Wild sale at Rite Aid. Yes, that is a shed load of stuff that I don't need. I'm happy, but not proud, so I'm going to extend my spending ban until I go on vacation in late May - I can't remember if it's the week before or after Memorial Day.

Additionally, I've decided to reward myself for using things up as follows:

Cosmetics - $2
Skin/Hair/Body Care - $1
Samples - 25-50 cents depending on size

With that money I am allowed to buy whatever I like. Ideally, I would hope I save it up for something nice and luxurious! I really hope my will power picks up and I make it til May!

Friday Favorite + Fail #1

Fridays I'm going to feature a weekly favorite and a fail. Can you guess what today's favorite is?? Yes - Downton Abbey! I just started watching DA around New Years and I'll be honest, it took a few episodes before I really felt committed. But now I'm super excited for Sunday nights and can't wait for the latest episode. Unfortunately, season 3 (or series 3, rather) is coming to an end already and who knows when there will be more! All of the characters have moments when I love them and when they get on my nerves. In general, I can't stand Mary and O'Brien and I think Cora looks creepy sometimes. I love Mrs. Patmore, Mrs. Hughes and Anna and Branson and I have an on/off relationship. OH and the Dowager!! Maggie Smith can do no wrong, she is so amazing! You can catch all three seasons on Amazon Prime.

This week's fail is sadly, PB2. PB2 is a powdered peanut butter than you can "reconstitute" with water or add to smoothies or other recipes. I was super excited to try this and bought a two pack of regular and chocolate off of Amazon. They smell really good and very peanutty, but in the end both flavors were a total fail for me. I put two spoonfuls into my breakfast smoothie and I couldn't taste anything! There was a slight bitter, burnt taste, but no peanut butter at all. I believe two tablespoons of PB2 have 35 calories, compared to over 200 calories for two tablespoons of real peanut butter. That's a huge calorie savings, but I feel like you end up using a ton of PB2 and will go through a jar really quickly. And considering it's almost $5/jar, I would just skip the PB2 and stick to small amounts of regular peanut butter. 

This + That: Kissable Lips

Happy Valentine's Day! Or maybe I should say Happy Singles Awareness Day? Okay, even coming from a single girl that sounds super lame and pathetic.

Today I wanted to share with you my recipe for perfectly smooth, soft and kissable lips!

It all starts out with the Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub. Just take a little pinch and rub it across your lips. You can then rinse it off or eat it since it's just sugar. Honestly I'm more a rinser since I'm assuming dead skin is going to mixed in with that sugar - Yuck. My only problem with the Lush lip scrubs (and this is a personal one) are the flavors. I picked Bubblegum because it was the least offensive to me, but I really don't like bubblegum flavored anything. I also don't like chocolate flavored things and their other two flavors are Sweet Lips (chocolate) and Mint Julips (mint chocolate). Even their limited edition holiday flavor Popcorn was eh because I don't like salty sweet things! Why am I such a weirdo.

Anyway, now that your lips are smooth, keep them in amazing condition with Nuxe's Reve de Miel Lip Balm. I was unsure of this lip balm at first because it's a little gritty. But the grits disappear as you apply and you are left with soft, moisturized lips. This balm would be a great choice for guys because it's matte and very mildly scented.

There you go! All ready to pucker up!

Wishlist: Grown Up Foundations

Welcome to the first edition of Wishlist Wednesday! Today on my wishlist are what I will call, grown up foundations. As a 30 year old woman, I've been thinking that maybe it's high time I started wearing some foundation. Sure I own BB Creams and Tinted Moisturizers, but I only have two "actual" foundations and they are both drugstore and I don't particularly care for them. The problem is, I hate the way foundation looks! I mean, it can look awesome and do wonders when applied correctly, but I have seen people who look a cakey mess! Here are some foundations I'm lusting after...

The Giorgio Armani Maestro Fusion Makeup is a dry oil based foundation that is supposed to offer super sheer coverage and work well for oily skin. It's pretty pricey at $62, but you only need a few drops for your whole face. I also appreciate the SPF 15!

Okay, so I just said that I like SPF, but there are also times when you don't want the dreaded flashback face. For those instances, I am eyeing MAC's Face and Body. Again, a super sheer foundation, but this time water based. I've heard staying power isn't that great though because of the whole water thing.

The only medium/full coverage foundation I'm interested in is the Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick. I've recently been using concealer to just target certain areas and I really like the way it looks! I think this would be great for that purpose and also awesome for travel since it's solid.

I'm really excited to start trying out some foundations! Of course, if only this darn spending ban would hurry up and end!

Mardi Gras King Cake

Image from Wikipedia.com

Today brings us the first edition of Tasty Tuesday. And since it is Mardi Gras, what could be more appropriate than King Cake! I remember going to a Mardi Gras themed party several years back where they were serving King Cake. My first reaction was disgust because honestly, look at the monstrosity above - it just doesn't look very appetizing! King Cake is basically a ring shaped cake with multi-colored (usually yellow, purple and green) icing or sprinkles. The ones I've eaten tasted of cinnamon and cream cheese which gives it a flavor very similar to cinnamon rolls. 

The only reason I took a piece at the party in the first place was the chance to get the baby. Yes, a baby. See that little flesh colored, worm looking piece of plastic in the middle? It is a plastic baby that is inserted somewhere into the cake (not sure why he's hanging out in the center in the pic). If you get the baby you are the King (or Queen) of the party! Well, I didn't get the baby, but OMGz I fell in love with the cake. I went back for a second (and possibly third) piece of cake. No baby either time, but I had a new obsession - KING CAKE!! Unfortunately, I don't get to eat it every year, but I still have fond memories. I'd really love to visit New Orleans one day - talk about a foodie city! Beignets, muffalettas, po' boys, I'm drooling as I write this!

TOMS Warehouse Sale

I decided to start having a theme to every day of the week in order to inspire and encourage me to blog more. For some reason, I had the hardest time thinking of theme for Mondays. Makeup Mondays would be the most obvious and I'm definitely going to do some of those, but when I think of "Monday" the denim brand, Cheap Monday always comes to mind. Then I started thinking maybe I could do like a Markdown Monday where I blog about some deals that I scored recently. The unfortunate thing about this is that the deal might be over by the time you read this which kind of sucks. Oh well, I'll figure it out eventually.

So for my first Markdown Monday, I'd like to present the TOMS Warehouse sale which took place this past weekend. Let's look at some pictures of the craziness.

Great prices!

Crazy long line

Finally got in!

A look at some of the styles

My haul

I enlisted the companionship of a dear friend and we braved crowds, poor parking, rain and I kid you not, HAIL to get our shoes. We arrived shortly before the opening time of 10 AM on Friday and discovered that hundreds, possibly thousands of other shoppers had beaten us to the punch. We estimated what time we would get in to the actual shopping area - I said 11:30, she said noon. We didn't get in until 2 PM! We waiting in line for FOUR FREAKING HOURS!!! And that is four hours without water, lunch or a bathroom break. I was stressing out and getting hangry.

Well we finally made it in only to discover another huge line to pay. My friend and I decided to tag team and take turns waiting in line and shopping. Ultimately, I was disappointed by the selection. There were no solid classic TOMS which is what I really wanted to get. I ended up buying 5 pairs - 3 for myself and 2 pairs for my mom, plus a pair of sunglasses. The coral shoes are my mom's and I also got her a pair of black suede Botas, but I guess she wore them to work today. The black slip ons with skulls are actually from the Youth section and were only $15. Oh and it took us 2.5 hours to pay so in total we ended up spending over 6.5 hours at the sale and didn't leave until 4:30. The lesson learned is NEVER AGAIN. It really wasn't worth it for me and I most definitely won't be returning. I guess you will have to determine that for yourself though because there were people who were buying loads of shoes. That's all for my first Markdown Monday - I hope you enjoyed!

This + That: Grape Jelly

I think I've mentioned before (probably multiple times) that I do not like purple. I don't know what it is about the color, but I just am not attracted to it at all. I also loathe grape flavored things. I quite like real grapes, but I always avoid grape flavored stuff. I don't even own the grape Baby Lips!

Things might be changing though because I've recently been loving Zoya's Katherine nail polish. It's slightly dusky, grape-y purple with a jelly finish. The Zoya website describes it as "a sheer, dark, red-toned aubergine, oxblood." Two coats gives you good, streak-free coverage, without losing the sheer jelly quality.

To go with your Katherine tips, might I suggest Urban Decay's Lip Love in Stung on your lips? It looks frightening in the tube, but Stung is also very sheer and leaves your lips with just a hint of reddsh plum tint. Lip Love is described as "honey infused lip therapy"so of course it wouldn't be complete without a delicious honey flavor!

Hmm... I might be coming around to this whole purple thing. Grape Baby Lips - you're next!

January Glossybox - Man Repeller Edition

At last it has finally arrived! Glossybox - you really need to get your act together. It is February 5th and my January box just arrived. With this box we also have our first special edition Glossybox - a collaboration with Leandra Medine aka the Man Repeller. If you haven't seen her blog, I highly recommend checking it out!

The box this month is silver with a Man Repeller sticker overlay. As you can see, it was a bit messily packed compared to previous boxes, but I'm not complaining. Now on to the good stuff...

Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Lash Multiplying Volume Mascara (full size $25) - I'm not a huge mascara wearer - my eyelashes are so puny that I've just given up and am beyond help. But I do like mini mascaras because I can never use a full size and they're handy for keeping in your purse. I'll see how I get on with this one.

Fresh Umbrian Clay Mattifying Serum (full size $35) - I love fresh, so I'm always happy to get anything from this brand. I've also been feeling a bit oily in the t-zone recently so this is perfect. I think I'm pretty set on my mattifying products since I just received another full size mattifier in my last box!

Le Metier de Beaute Replenishing Daily Solution (full size $225) - Yes you read that correctly, I did not accidently hit the "2" key twice. It is two hundred twenty five freakin dollars! This had better turn me into Gisele at that price.

Narciso Rodriguez Eau de Toilette Spray (full size $77) - Musky and quite sexy. Not really what I would call my go to fragrance, but it's nice.

OPI Liquid Sand Nail Lacquer in "Cant Let Go" (full size $9) - I really wanted pretty much any other color because I don't like purple! But I just did my nails and it looks pretty cool. You get a matte glittery, sandy, textured nail. It reminds me of these J Crew glitter loafers that I own. In my past experience with the OPI matte line, they seem to chip pretty quickly.

Sebastian Professional Potion 9 (full size $19) - This is a styling cream that is supposed to restore moisture, rejuvenate and add flexible hold to both wet or dry hair. I'm pretty sure I bought this in the past but the packaging was different. The smell and color look really familiar!

tarte glamazon pur performance 12-hour lipstick in fierce (full size $26) - I'm so glad I received this because I love tarte! Fierce is a well, very fierce true red. I don't think I will get a ton of use out of this because, well, it is just so RED! I love the way it looks, but I just feel like LIPS!!! I also really like the wood packaging although it is a bit bulky.

That's it! Wow that was a lot of stuff. This was an awesome box and I can't wait to test things out further!