Am I Still Alive? The Answer: YES!

So life has a way of kicking my butt at times.  Seriously, I hope bad things only come in 3 because I've hit my limit.

First off, got sick.  Not too bad, except it didn't really go away.  It's still not all  the way gone but it's good enough where I'm not reaching for my inhaler every hour.

Then, I back out of a parking spot at work and hit my car.  Sigh, my poor car.... all the way to the metal.  Now my friend is touting that there looks to be body shift but I think it's the angle I took the pic I sent to him.  Actually I would be fine with just a paint over, no bondo required.  But we'll see exactly how bad it is.

And then...... I get a horrid bout of food poisoning.  It was either that or a voodoo curse of sorts.  I woke up yesterday at 4am and threw up every half an hour until 8am.  My poor dog was looking at me like I was going to die.  I was probably looking at him like I was going to die.

So today is Friday, I am for the most part re-hydrated and I had a great lunch at Hunan Taste on 4th st. but for future reference I will make a note not to eat there when recovering from food poisoning.  Spicy food and empty GI tract = ring of fire!!!!

Not only is it Friday, it's payday!  I...... oh crap I need to pay my mortgage!

One moment.

Dammit!  Stupid maintenance.  Oh well, later then.

So since it is Friday and payday and I lived through the week (literally).  I felt I was in need of a little splurge.

I don't know if anyone else follows Nouveau Cheap but I love her and she has inspired me to really look for deals on make-up.  But I am a bit of a snob to be honest.  And it took me a bit of time to warm up to experimenting with all the new stuff out in drug stores.   But in this post I show that with a little digging you can indeed get a high end item on the cheap(er).

Cosmetic:

So if you read one of her posts today, Chanel and YSL beauty items have been spotted at TJ Maxx.  I have only been into a TJ maxx once before so upon hearing this I cruised by one after work.  

I didn't find any Chanel or YSL but I did find this.

I almost couldn't believe it, and on clearance too!  I thought this was similar to one I bought last month but it's totally different.

It was originally $44.99 and it was on clearance for $29!  You can't even get a Guerlain lipgloss for that cheap!

 

It's really innovative!  It looks to be loose bronzing powder with a silk screen over it.  You tap the screen with the included mini kabuki brush and apply your bronzer.  When you close the lid be sure to twist until you hear the lid locking into place.  There's a foam piece placed inside the cap that makes sure the powder stays in place.

 

It's also a wonderful smooth finish.  It actually looks just like translucent powder on me but gives a little glow.  For reference I am an NC 25 and I got shade 01 Light.  It's supposedly marketed to give the look of a light foundation so I think this suits me best.

The mini kabuki brush is dense and of good quality.  It is similar to their brushes they use to apply meteorites with but I am not sure if they are goat hair or synthetic.  Overall I am very happy with this purchase.  It retails for $66 dollars and I admit I would be raging mad if I saw this after buying it for so much.  The amount of product isn't a lot either which makes it hurt even more if paying full price.

I'm now wondering if I need to buy more as gifts or as a back-up in case I do finish it.  The best Christmas shopping happens in July anyways right?

At $29 it's still a bit of a splurge, but for an original price of $66 I can use the money I saved and get another one.  And still have money for a bowl of pho.  Not too shabby huh?

Confection:

So, I'm still a bit dehydrated and it's nice and warm so what's more perfect than an ice pop?

 

These are Snapple Sorbet pops that I got at the Dollar Tree.  Seriously, these are so yummy and taste just like the drink.  Plus they're very gentle on my tummy.  Although I did just eat some hard boiled eggs so I might be pretty much back to normal.  In any case, hope this was informative and get your butts to TJ Maxx!   

 

Layla Holographic Polish in Ocean Rush

I'm pretty tired and have to go to work early if I'm going to get my to-do list done, but I just have to post about this polish.

I know I haven't been doing too much of either cosmetics or confections so I thank you all for putting up with me.

Now then, holo polishes..... is there anything more wonderful than a linear prismatic polish?  I don't think so.  When I saw that Layla was coming out with holo polishes I was excited.  When I saw they were $15.50 each, I was less excited.  Seriously? They're more expensive than Nfu Oh?  But hell with all the polish I do have, what's one more bottle?

Color:  I got Ocean Rush which is a great blue color, not too light at all.

Formula:  My polish was a bit runny.  I had a lot of pooling at my cuticles and the color was crazy sheer.  It did dry very quickly so that was good.  I needed 3 coats alone or 2 on top of another color.  You also have to be quick or there will be a hell of a drag.

Holo:  Amazing!  Linear holo with a great fire to it.  Note though you have to make sure the nail is smooth with no ridges so either buff the nail or wear an under polish to smooth out the surface.  If you don't do this, the holo effect is not as stunning.

Wear:  Sucks!  Super sucks!  Maybe it's because I didn't use a base coat or top coat but this polish chipped half-way through the day.  Granted most holos have horrible wear but this was worse than usual.

Price:  Expensive!  If you have a coupon then use it.  I got this at $3.50 off and still think I paid too much.  Also, with Fabuloustreet  fully stocked of holos, you can get more polish at a cheaper price.  While I'm glad I bought one, I won't be buying the others.  It looks like something that I could make myself with some Spectraflair 35 and dark nail polish.  

Index finger is 2 coats over Sinful Colors Ciao Bella!, middle finger is 3 coats alone,  ring and pinky is 3 coats alone after a day of wear

See how much more linear it is with the base polish on the index.

Not really a confection...... I did make 6 dozen chocolate cupcakes last week but with no pictures I guess it didn't happen.  But this is a savory "confection" I suppose...

Sauteed kale with pork belly.  For those who like gai lan, sauteed kale is similar in flavor.

Late Night Posting

It's 3 am here and I'm almost finished with my Nos energy drink.  What kind of person would be drinking an energy drink at 3 am?  Someone who is on a time crunch.  Well, not really....

I have to make buttercream frosting and am currently waiting for the butter to soften.  Since it's pretty hot in Silicon Vally I don't think I'll have to wait too much longer.  I have the job of frosting 6 dozen chocolate cupcakes for a party that I'm going to on Saturday.  I'm more than a bit ambivalent about going but since I'm a pushover I guess I give myself no other option since I'm always agreeing to do stuff I really don't want to do.

On a happier note, it is my anniversary with my boyfriend.  Today marks 7 years together, I think I'm more shocked than he is....

We had a pretty chill dinner.  He was planning something fancier but I'm not high maintenance at the moment so I opted for Chinese food.  This weekend should be pretty busy but at least it's payday so I won't feel so strapped.  Plus the new Ulta coupon goes into effect on Sunday so I see myself getting a Layla holo polish.

Why is it with all the holo polishes I already own and make I would want another one?  It's the same with dark blue polishes, it's like I can't get enough.

Ah well, I should go now.  Hopefully it won't take me too long to make the frosting and put it on.... plus I'm feeling jittery so I should put that energy to good use.