Random Post

Snack sized M&M Mc Flurry + Cherry Berry Chiller = Cherry chocolate burps.

Long Ramble About My Adventures and a Quick Comparison Dior Saint Tropez and China Glaze For Audrey

I never really knew it until I bought a Helmer from Ikea, but I love blue and green polishes.  While I know that I love a dusty army green in just about anything, as far as nail polish is concerned I'm all over the place with green.  However, as for blue..... I have at least 5 different shades of dark/midnight blue.  In fact most are dark with exception for a few teal - like shades and a pastel / light blue here and there.

So it's really surprising to me that when I saw Saint Tropez at the Dior counter I immediately had to try it on over my mani at the time.  The color was so gorgeous that I cried inside when the lady said it was sold out.  Even though they offered to order and ship it to me, I refused.  This, for me, was also about the hunt.  

While eating dinner, I couldn't stop staring at my one nail, surely this would be available somewhere right?  Well, little did I know  that it was sold out at both Bloomingdale's and Nordstrom at Westfield/SFSC.

For my SF ladies, it is still available at Stonestown Nordstrom according to the website.

Tired and full, I decided not to check out Union Square Macy's and walked to my car.  As I came home that evening, I looked up where it would be available in San Jose.  SUCCESS!!!!  It showed as in stock at Valley Fair.  I made a plan to go there during lunch and finally get my grabby little hands at vacation in a bottle.

I go to Nordstrom and the lady helping me says they seem to be out.  I of course don't believe her since I checked the website before going there and know there has to be at least one left.  She asks another SA and she confirms that they do have it.  She then pulls out the last bottle.  Today, I am a winner.

However, the bug bit me a little harder than usual....

After work I go back to Valley Fair.  Maybe I was greedy, maybe just curious.  I walk into the Sephora and do a quick search to find that they have a single bottle of Saint Tropez out.  I grab it without hesitation. It might have been the last bottle, the website doesn't update the info as fast as Nordstrom.  I go to the counter and purchase bottle #2 for the day.  I mean I need a backup of this right?

I then go to Macy's originally looking to get something from the Urban Decay counter.  But then out of curiosity I go straight to the Dior counter.  The SA asks if I need help and I ask if she has the color in stock.  Immediately she recognizes the signs of a nail polish junkie and gets her key out to grab me a bottle.

For my San Jose / South Bay ladies, there are 2 more bottles of Saint Tropez left at Macy's Valley Fair when I was last there.

So there you have it...... 3 bottles!  I bought 3 bottles of the same color in one day!

It's really not as crazy as it sounds, I totally needed a back-up bottle and the other bottle will go to a friend.  See, perfectly rational.... except I spent $69 on nail polish today.  I spent less on food the entire weekend....

But the real question for me is where did I get this motivation from?  Not since the Missoni for Target collaboration have I been so determine to find something.  I suppose it's a good thing I was able to end this hunt quickly.

Now for all of you out there that aren't as crazy as me and like the color, but will never pay that much for a nail polish, I have a comparison shot.

from pinkie to index: For Audrey, Saint Tropez, For Audrey, Saint Tropez

from pinkie to index: For Audrey, Saint Tropez, For Audrey, Saint Tropez

China Glaze For Audrey is a similar robin's egg blue that is lighter and yellower.  It's also a lot cheaper than Saint Tropez and as far as I know it's a readily available shade.  Essie Greenport might be a closer dupe but I don't have it to compare.

Also it has been booty hot today with weather in the 80's so for my confection I have today:  Archer Farms Gelato in Pistachio.

This is great for a hot day and I love the crushed pistachios on top and the flavor is great.  As far as gelato goes though.... this one is a miss for me.  I love a rich and creamy gelato and the consistency on this brand reminds me of frozen Cool Whip.  Delicious yes, but gelato it is most certainly not.

Mental Strife Equals Retail Therapy.... and Listening to Avicii Levels Non-Stop

So I've had kind of a crap week.  I think this is probably the last straw for me work-wise.  I will begin a new resume from scratch (doubt I can find an old one) and set my sight for the end of the year.  Hopefully luck will be on my side.....  and the Chinese in me is looking forward to the second half of the year where that little fortune book says things will be looking up.

On the plus side....  I have a day in court tomorrow over a traffic ticket.  I really don't know what to wear since they say professional and I don't have professional clothes really.  With my indifference to work (as mentioned above) this is actually a blessing in disguise.  Even if the judge tears me a new one I will still have the bulk of the day to do as I please away from work.

So I suppose to celebrate, I went to the mall.  I initially went to pick up an order for a friend's b-day present but ended up getting something for me and browsing the cosmetics counter.

I really can't believe that a face scrub, toner and a lipstick would end up costing me over $80.... I do however, love the face scrub and it is one of the few skincare items I buy more than once.  

However, I can't believe that I scored a Contra (Konami) code shirt on sale.  I guess I have to add Konami since it wasn't exclusive to Contra, but I can't remember using it for anything else.... I got the astronaut ice cream sandwich because it was buy one get one 50% off and I wanted ice cream.

I also switched up my nail color to a more court appropriate shade....

MAC Endless Night from the Daphne Guinness collection. 

Well here's to hoping that everyone can find a little bit of bliss in a not so blissful world.

At Long Last, I Blog Again: Favorite Polish of the Moment and Almond Cookies

Holy Moly it's been a long while since I last posted.  I've had a few issues to iron out but I am now doing very well (so far).

First off, happy Friday to everyone!  Did anyone else buy a Mega Millions ticket in hopes of scoring lots of monies?  Well, I don't play often, but I had to purchase a ticket for my boyfriend just in case.

After seeing the numbers tonight I can't believe how close my ticket numbers were.  But isn't that always the case?

Winning numbers:

02, 04, 23, 38, 46 mega 23

My numbers:

03, 06, 22, 39, 46 mega 22

What do I get for matching one number?

On to nail polish!  My collection hasn't grown quite as much.  I do not know if this is because there isn't much I want that I don't already have or if it's because I'm frankening now and am using the money for supplies.

Here's a color that I'm just crazy for:

I call it Pi Dan.  It's a gorgeous black with green sheen and on top of that it has tiny fuchsia flecks and it's holo!  

I'm currently selling a few bottles on my Etsy shop but that's not really the point.  I just love this color is all.

One of a few emotional occurrence for me is that this week was the 4 year anniversary of my mom's passing.  It also happens to coincide close with Qing Ming so I would be the worst daughter in the world had I not gone for a visit.

My mom used to make these cookies all the time.  They're super easy to make but they're also a bit tricky since they tend to burn on the edges.  I decided to make these after not having tasted them for nearly 4 years.  I must say that the memories really come flooding in of Saturday mornings waking up to the smell of almond cookies.

Those were much more pleasant than waking up to the sound of moon cakes being pounded out of wooden molds....... so not cool.

Hope everyone has a great weekend and I will try and post more often.  Just seems like I'm not really that exciting of a person eh?

Not That I need Another Place to Shop But Dammit I Want a Uniqlo in SF! Plus Thoughts on Barneys Love Yourself Event

No pictures, just rambling.

So I was in my beloved native city of San Francisco for the weekend.  I partly had to go to help someone out but I went back later on in the day to stop by Barneys for the last day of their Love Yourself event.

While walking to Barneys I noticed that Forever 21 finally moved into the old Virgin store location.  I remember a friend mentioning to me that Uniqlo originally wanted the old Bank of America location but that Forever 21 swooped it up.  I didn't go by the B of A location to see if Forever 21 actually moved out, but to see them at the Virgin location brought my hopes up just a bit that I was that much closer to Heat Tech goodness.

I wonder what other kick-ass stores we're missing.  I mean we have a pretty well rounded downtown area and lots of other shops located in other neighborhoods.  But with most of the main department stores a bus ride away, what else do we need?

On to Barneys though......

So you may or may not know that twice a year Barneys has a cosmetics event where you get a goodie bag filled with luxe samples and full sized items after buying a certain amount.

When I got the card in the mail I was sad to see that the required purchase was raised  (AGAIN!!!) so I really didn't have any plan on what to get.  The last event I knew exactly what I wanted and left the store in 15 minutes with goodies in the bag.  I did this the time before as well.  But this time..... this time I didn't know what to get.  I didn't do any research and I was kinda lost.

I ended up with fragrances because they make me feel pretty and require no skill at all.  Also to note, DelRae Roth was there ( from Parfums DelRae ).  She looked kinda bored really but no one was really engaging her at the time.

I tried to look aloof since I didn't really come prepared to meet her, but I was introduced to her by my SA as I was getting a bottle of Panache.  I have a feeling my next bottle is going to be Bois de Paradis.  If you haven't had the pleasure to try her fragrances I urge you to.

As for meeting her..... she was nice.  And I felt like I was totally under-dressed.  Granted this is just a department store, but still.... an Hermes scarf or something to show that I didn't wander in here to steal testers.  It is Barneys after all.  We only had a few words but I noticed in her words that the quality of the fragrance was key to how beautiful the finished product was.  Some perfumers can be a bit egocentric, and to be honest the lady looked like she was better than me.  Not just in her posture or her air of elegance, but in her understanding of the world.  Am I crazy?

But she was very nice and very proper.  And it shows that no matter how good the perfumer is, all perfumers must acknowledge the quality of raw ingredients in order to create an exceptional perfume.

But I digress.....  The goodie bag was definitely filled with goodies.  One of things that I've also been noticing is that the bags are more consistent.  When I first took advantage of this event I had 2 bags that for the most part were the same but when it came to full sized products they weren't.

This time my store had a great bag that had more haircare than usual.  There weren't too many fragrances either which is a plus since I already own a buttload.  Plus the nail color included was Deborah Lippmann Across the Universe.  Much more my style than Fashion or My Funny Valentine.

All in all this is a great bag that puts all other beauty events to shame.  Nordstrom used to have a kick ass beauty event with a bag chock-full of samples, but I suppose times are not good.

My only gripe (seriously the ONLY gripe) is that when I first started going to these events I believe the minimum purchase price was $125 or $150.  Now it's $200 which I would probably spend anyways, but I hate that now I have to. 

Seriously Barneys I love your stuff but the economy is hurting all of us, have a little mercy.

Gong Hai Fat Choi!!!! Mint Chocolate Comparisons: YSL Manicure Couture No 7.

Hope everyone is having an exciting Chinese New Year.  It came a little early this year but as with any new year celebration, a chance for a better year is going to be well received.

So in my last post I waxed poetically (not really) about YSL Manicure Couture in No 7.  This is the duo that has the dark chocolate and mint green shades.

But for those of you out there that have already blown your polish budget and don't want to settle for smaller sized bottles there is some hope.

While not exact dupes,  Dior's Waterlily is a lighter version of the mint green.  And Tom Ford's Bitter Bitch is the milk chocolate version to the dark chocolate brown found in the set.

While both of these alternative polishes aren't cheap, if you have them already then I can say with fair confidence that you wouldn't need this set.   Then again, for any addict this is really of no help.  Hell, I bought it didn't I?

As for the formula on the YSL, it's really a great formula.  The brush takes some getting used to since it has a slanted edge and the bristles are a bit coarse.  But holy giggity I love this green!  Almost full opacity in one coat.  I did two coats for good measure.  The finish is a bit dull so a topcoat is a must to really make it shine and see the green shimmer in the mint color.

  I haven't tried this out as a french manicure yet since I find myself perpetually clumsy even with the slanted brush.

All coats are 2 coats with no topcoat.  The YSL ones are on the middle finger and pinkie.  The Dior and Tom Ford polishes are on the index and ring finger.

The find the dark brown to be just that.  A dark brown polish.  There's no shimmer and it has a bit of an abysmal feeling to it.  In low light it would read as black, in the light you can barely tell it's brown but you can tell it's not quite black.    

  

Update on Dior Diva Charm Bracelet

So for all of you who want or have gotten the bracelet, I have a bit of a warning you should heed.


There's a little booklet that comes in the bracelet box about how to keep the metal away from such things as solvents, oils and water.  Yep, water! I thought they were lying but this is costume jewelry so maybe I should have listened.


At first I would take off the bracelet before washing my hands but I got lazy that last couple of weeks and kept it on.  The result???


Some of the links on the bracelet have discolored to a light brass color.  It's only on part of the link ad not the entire thing but it's a bit annoying when you look at it close up and think it's the light then realize it's not.


But for me I knew that I wasn't going to take care of this bracelet and so it's not such a big deal to me.  But for those who get upset about such things, keep you're bracelet away from water.

Happy Almost Holidays: Fingerpaints Special Effects and Ninjabread Men

Lets just say I'm pretty worn out.  I really wanted to sleep when I got home but as many will attest to, it's hard to sleep when you really want to.

Update on my ticket:

I finally got some info looking online using my citation number.  Only problem was that they give you 21 days to do something about it and this Friday would be my only opportunity.  So I woke up early, had DBF drive me to the courthouse, told the cashier that I wanted to take traffic school but couldn't afford the ticket fine and set a court date for April.

Now if you didn't know, California is notorious for having huge ticket fines.  My total (including traffic school fee and convenience fee) came to $420.20.  Now I don't lay golden eggs so I knew there was no way I could come up with that amount.

Hopefully with the court date so far away I will at least be able to save up for my fine if the judge is unwilling to reduce the fine or offer a payment plan.  Just another lesson to be careful when you live in a cash-strapped state and it's nearing the end of the month.  I'm going to be driving extra-old-lady-slow this Christmas weekend.

I also recently discovered that there will be no gift exchanges this year in my family.  This kind of sucks because I love giving gifts.  In fact I already bought the gifts and now I have the arduous (and kinda embarrassing) task of returning it all to Bloomingdale's.

I'm sure I'm going to get some dirty looks from some pissed off SA for returning all this stuff.

Cosmetic

Onto Fingerpaints!  They have new topcoats that give a duochrome flakie effect.  These are awesome but also slightly more expensive compared to the regular line.  My receipt shows the special effects polishes at $5.49 each while my regular bottle was $4.99 each. 

Not too bad, and right now with a 3 bottle purchase of Fingerpaints you get a free clutch.

Twisted and Flashy

So I got Twisted and Flashy

Flashy is a red to gold to green duochrome.  This is much like the flakies seen in Nfu Oh 51 except there is no base color.

Flashy and Twisted over black without flash

Twisted is different.  It looks to me as if they mixed all of the other colors they came up with and bottled it as this.  This looks like a rainbow on your finger with multiple shades showing at the same angle.  You get flashes of aqua, blue, purple, red, green and gold.  It's unique and so festive.

Flashy and Twisted over black with flash

Confection

I was planning on making cookies and bringing them over to my old workplace.  However, due to reasons I really don't know about I have to stop by the lab on Saturday and Sunday.  This leaves me with no convenient opportunity to drop by my old workplace before I go to my current job.  I suppose I will have to make cupcakes and bring them in after the holidays.... sigh....

In either case here are my naked ninjabread men.

Ninjabread men. HIYAAAAHHHHH!!!!!

I tried adding a bit of cocoa powder to make them chocolaty but gingerbread really overpowers all of my deep dark cocoas.  They just ended up looking like chocolate cookies but tasting like gingerbread....

Well folks, that's all.  Have a wonderful weekend!

  

Let the Weekend Begin! Dior Diva Gift Reveal!!!!! Plus Schweddy Balls!!!

So it's been a rough week all around for me.  Last Saturday I got a ticket for speeding.  It could have been worse, well it can always be worse.... but it was a total buzz-kill for my long weekend.  

My mom had a reasoning that tickets were just involuntary and non-deductible donations to law enforcement.  As long as you could take traffic school or get it fixed, then consider yourself lucky.... and warned.

I suppose I inherited this reasoning.  No one wants to get a ticket, but I figure that I drive a somewhat flashy car and have a lead foot so it's inevitable.  At least I can take traffic school.

But during the week..... holy crapulence!  I will not go into details here, but let's just say I've been very close to giving my 2 weeks notice.  It is to the point that I do not care if I'm homeless, I just don't want to be there.

Onto the goodies!!!!!

Cosmetic (kind of)

So in my last post I talked a bit about the Dior Diva program.  I saved up my points and mailed them in to redeem them for a Dior charm bracelet.  Not many of you may know this, but Dior Beauty makes a good amount of costume jewelry.  I only see them available as special gifts or raffles. Some are very pretty, others look totally cheap.

The box I've been waiting for

Perfectly packaged

I got my charm bracelet today and it made the end of a crappy week into the beginning of an awesome weekend.

There's something to be said about the packaging and attention to detail.

Close up shot of box interior.  Seriously gorgeous.

A thank you card.

The gift also included a deluxe mini of Miss Dior Cherie which is such a sweet and pretty fragrance.

Pretty gift

Pretty box

A snugly wrapped gift

I am absolutely in love with this bracelet!  It fits me perfectly, so for all you smaller wristed guys and gals this may be too big.  I was seriously worried that it would be too small.  It has a toggle closure (which I'm not a fan of) but the toggle is extra secure.  I might add something else there to make it more secure and ease my paranoia.

The receiving loop says Dior Beauty on it.  It's even printed on both sides.

Such a pretty bracelet

The charms on the bracelet are a Dior shopping bag, square gift box and circle gift box.  Again I can't believe the attention to detail.  The front of the gift boxes has a cute bow and the backs say Dior.  The shopping bag also says Dior on both sides.  The metal is so shiny, I feel bad that I will dull and scratch it up because I'll be wearing it so much.

Another thing to note is that the bracelet has some weight to it.  I like bracelets to be heavy since you can lose a lighter bracelet and not even notice.  This is perfectly weighted so that you notice it when you move your hand but it doesn't cause fatigue.  But I am stronger than most average women so that might be a different story with you.

Here's a close up of the charms.  The reflection you see on the charms is actually my camera.  

Again, I absolutely love this bracelet!  I am seriously considering to get another one once I reach 500 points again. 

If you love the bracelet but can't imagine ever meeting the point requirement, there is always (sad but true) Ebay.  If you look up Dior charm bracelet you will see them going from less than $20 to around $70.  I think $70 is a lot and I would never get it for that much.  Granted I spent $500 to get this, but it was used to buy other stuff so I consider this bracelet to cost the price of a stamp and envelope.  

But if you don't use Dior beauty products and want the bracelet, I suppose paying $70 for something you love is better than buying $500 of stuff you'll never use just to get something for free.  But for that price I would just get Dior boutique costume jewelry.

Confection

Now there has been a long buzz about Schweddy Balls.  I looked everywhere to find a pint but failed time and time again.  I finally was able to get to my local scoop shop and scored big time!  The guy over packed my pint with Schweddy Balls.

Yumminess for the night (sorry for the dirty counter, think bf dropped meat and didn't clean up the sauce).

Seriously over-packed 

Schweddy Red Velvet

I really like this ice cream a lot, even more so than the Red Velvet ice cream.  It reminds me of something I would get from Humphry Slocombe (but not).  I suppose it's just personal preference though.  I heard many comments on there not being enough balls.  This was not the case for me.  Maybe because I got the last of the container the balls all sank but that's pretty unlikely.

As you can see, there's no lack of chocolate covered balls here.

Now is it hoard worthy?  Maybe.  I wouldn't hoard it but if it's on the menu I would totally get a scoop (or a pint).  Is it unique?  Yes and no.  These are flavors I've had before, but never in the same ice cream. The boozy caramel and malted ball crunch is a great combination.

Hmmm..... booze, caramel, crunch..... Aha!  Add Coke and it has similar components of a Secret Breakfast float (told ya it reminded me of Slocombe).

So if you have the chance to try it then I suggest you do.  But is it the ambrosia of the gods?  Far from it.

Post 2 of the Night: Dior Fan-girl-dom and a Little Info on Dior Diva

I love Dior! Plain and simple.

If you put me in front of Dior and Chanel, I would go into both but I would only purchase from Dior.  Not that I hate Chanel, quite the opposite.  It's just that I find Chanel doesn't tickle my pickle the way Dior does.  There's something so elegant and feminine about Dior.  Perhaps it's because I lack both elegance and femininity that I try to compensate with purchasing Dior products.

While I'm too fat for RTW (at least to make it look good), I absolutely love their bags and shoes.  I would look at Dior shoes and salivate over the details.  I feel the same with the bags, such understated elegance.

What I do purchase my bulk of is in cosmetic and fragrances.  I absolutely love the Dior counter in cosmetics.  I never walk away disappointed or empty-handed.

Skincare:

I've tried many products and have finally found a regimen that fits my needs.  The core of this is the Capture Totale One Essential.  No matter what skincare I'm using, this magic serum kicks it up a few notches.  The beauty of this is that it's meant as a universal skincare booster no matter what the brand.

When applied alone, my skin is soft and supple.  When I use this in conjunction to other serums and creams, my skin becomes that soft baby's ass we all covet to have on our face.  I've tried some of their other skincare products, but none make quite an impression as this sucker does.

Cosmetics:

Then we have the color part of the cosmetics line.....

The foundations are great.  I've tried the Airflash and the Nude liquid and have been happy with both.  My main gripe is that I seem to be between shades.  I really wish they had a larger color range but the formulas are great nonetheless.  There's also usually some optimum way of applying the foundation, so have the SA show you and avoid frustrating applications.

The Skinflash is your best friend and every make up bag should have one.  It's a great brightener without a doubt, but also works to cover small imperfections and is great to use alone when you don't want full coverage.

The eye shadows might be a bit pricey but they apply flawlessly and blend smoothly.  My only complaint would be the Mitzah palette not having enough room between shades.  I wish they did something similar to the Nars Kabuki palette.  But the other palettes are awesome and totally worth buying.

The lipsticks feel more like lip treatments.  There's great glide with the formulas and with the exception of the glosses and Dior Iconic lipsticks, the pigment load is very rich.

Mascaras are probably at the top of Dior's sale numbers but they aren't my favorite.  I love the look Diorshow gives my lashes but I need a mascara that doesn't smudge, and unfortunately this one does.  I get raccoon eyes by lunch but I have friends who swear by it.  I recently purchased a tube of Extase mascara and will review if I use it.  It came in a box set with a miniature version of their eye shadow quad in Stylish Move.  Super cute indeed!  I really can't wait to try out the shadows.

Nail polishes are quite possibly my favorite.  I am quite the nail polish addict already but I absolutely love the colors Dior comes out with.  I always find at least one color in each collection that I truly love but I wait on it and a week later it's gone.  I don't have too many Dior polishes but the ones I do are beautiful, easy to apply, long wearing and usually one-coaters.  The brush is tricky at first but if you remember to keep the brush almost parallel with the nail as you polish, you really minimize cuticle drag.  The brush is also packed really thick so you can be sure to have enough color on the brush even if the color isn't dripping everywhere.   

Dior Diva (for US customers):

Ever wanted to get rewarded for shopping?  Duh! who doesn't?  Well for the Dior beauty and fragrance aficionados there's the Dior Diva program.

You might or might not have heard of this from your SA and you might or might not be aware of the details.

 First, go to Dior Diva here and register to become a Dior Diva.  This puts you on their list and gives you free shipping with $50 purchase when you buy from Dior.com, an invite to their annual auction (which just ended recently), product previews along with make up tips and special offers.

But the real draw is the points system.  This isn't an automatic points accumulation that you get with Sephora Beauty Insider.  For this part, you need to do a little work. 

Whenever you make a purchase of Dior cosmetics or perfumes from authorized retailers, keep the receipts!!!!!!  Every $1 you spend (not including tax) equals a point which you can use to redeem for gifts through the Dior Diva program.  The website even says you can donate your points to Look Good... Feel Better.  This is great for all those spare points you have lying around that you won't use up in time.

Once you've accumulated enough points, you send in your original receipts and a filled out form to Dior found here.  They then mail back to you the gift(s) at the Diva levels you have chosen or donate your points to Look Good... Feel Better.

Gifts can change without notice and they come in many different levels.  Points are only valid for one year after purchase date so be mindful of the dates on your receipts.  Gifts can take up to 6 weeks to get to you once you mail off your receipts.

While Dior does sometimes have gifts with purchase, I love that they have a rewards program for loyal customers (or at least ones that spend a lot).  Plus when you buy Dior beauty items in conjunction with other promotions, this makes for a very sweet deal.

Double points at department stores are that much sweeter if you're buying Dior.  Holiday shopping and fragrance sets are even more rewarding when you can get something for yourself as well for the price of a stamp. 

So remember, register to become a Dior Diva and start saving those receipts!

I have a charm bracelet coming my way (hopefully soon).  I will definitely show pics once I get it.

I've pretty much tired myself out so thank you and goodnight!