I'm Not a Lady of Leisure, But I Did Stay At a Holiday Inn Express Last Night

Well, actually, it was a Hilton, but who's counting? I'm typing this from the middle of a fancy hotel bed, as I sip on a green tea latte and nibble a toasted wheat bagel with cream cheese. Cheesy primetime-in-the-daytime television plays in the background.

I know you hate me, and I think I can deal with that.

Truth is, Thomas is on a business trip, and his awesome boss told him he could bring me along. So, while he's photographing convention meetings, I'm hanging out and pretending that I don't have a house full of boxes left to unpack. This trip may be more helpful than all my therapy sessions combined.

I'm planning to check in here and there, so stay tuned!

Frugal Friday: This Is How My Mind Works

Some random observations from today:

Someone is always getting married on the Young & the Restless. Seriously. About once a week (in the 30 minutes, or so, that I catch most days before I go to work), someone will either announce an engagement, find themselves in a forced/arranged/sham marriage, get word that their ex is betrothed to their enemy and will be their kid's step-parent (whoa), or--crazy as it sounds--actually walk down the aisle. Of course, then someone will have to try to stop the ceremony by objecting, shooting someone, or having the bride or groom arrested. I'm telling you, that is one heckuva town. Vegas never had it so interesting.

Weddings make me think of cake. Now I want cake. There's a cupcake shop on the corner near my new house. I will never lose this weight. Oh well.

You don't so much clean an unused bathtub as you dust it. In some ways, I find that to be more difficult. Not only that, do you have any idea how galling it is to exert so much effort cleaning something that was never used? Well, I take that back. It was used once as a crime scene for a friend's student film, but then the only stuff that went into it was fake blood, and that was made with dishwashing detergent; so, in effect, the only thing that's ever been in that tub was soap...and I still had to clean it. That's just irritating.

Oh! There's a gym nextdoor to the cupcake shop! I could join the gym, and then work off whatever calories were in the cup--oh, I can't even get through that sentence. The shop is walking distance from the house, though. I could just walk to and from the cupcake-y goodness, and that wouldn't be so bad. Yeah! That's a plan!

You should never lose hope. Just because you step up to the Plinko game of life with only two chips, and the first one lands on $0, you shouldn't give up. It only takes one chip to hit $10,000. Your chip could be that one.

Forget the cupcakes! I don't need them! I will lose this weight! I will be strong! Now...what can I do about that pesky Krispy Kreme down the street? Sigh...

And now, for this week's deals:

E.L.F.: Get an 8-piece set (plus travel case) for $2 with any $20 online purchase. Just add the Sweetheart Collection set to your cart, along with $20 worth of merchandise, and enter code SWEET at checkout to get your discount. Offer valid until 1/30/12.

StyleMint: Existing members who buy any two Ts today will receive a free Cupid's Kit, which includes one best-selling JewelMint piece, a seamless cami, and either a lip stain or face cream. No code necessary.

JewelMint: Purchase any JewelMint piece today and receive the Take a Bow Ring for free with code BOWRING.

Have a great weekend, guys! (Now, go get your cupcake on!)

Me Wants It, My Precious!!

Thomas found this today:

I am in desperate need of a manicure, and now I want this on my nails!

Photo Credit (This and Below): billythebrime

(and you can all just shut up about my never having seen all of the series. I can't help it if I fall asleep. It's not boring...it's peaceful. The elves are so pretty and calm, and they just put me right out.)

The "One Ring To Bind Them" quote reads in a circle, from left thumb to right thumb. According to the artist's tumblr, the base coat was Milani Gold Lame, and the artwork was done with black acrylic.

Photo Credit: Sephora

If you're interested in giving this a shot, any gold base will work. I'm partial to Sephora by OPI's Charge It! You'll also need either a black nail polish pen, or a black polish with a super skinny brush. Cinapro has a black nail pen available on Amazon. ENailSupply has a really neat option, as well: a pen/brush hybrid! You can either use the bottle as a pen, or unscrew the cap and use the itty-bitty brush that's inside. You'll also want to seal your work with a clear topcoat.

Personally, I'd suggest either having this done by an artist, or taking your time and painting the design onto false nails, then applying them later. I only say this because I cannot draw with my left hand. At all. I'd hate to get halfway through and not be able to finish well.

Here's a copy of the quote in Elvish, for reference. Good luck!



Photo Credit: Wikipedia



You See, What Had Happened Was...

The dog ate my blog.
The computer crashed.
I thought it was due next Wednesday.
My time-turner was in the shop. Is in the shop? What day is this?
Tribbles, man. Tribbles.

I know. Excuses, excuses. The thing is, I have a post for today...it's just not written. Life happened, and here we are. I'll be back tomorrow, God willing, with some cool stuff for you. Until then, what are your best excuses? Leave 'em for me in the comments, and we can all have a good giggle.

Thanks,
Erin

This Ring Belongs In a Museum!

I'm funny about engagement rings. When Thomas and I were discussing getting engaged, and he asked me if I would like to pick out my ring, my answer was an emphatic, "NO!" In my mind (and I know there are gazillions out there who will disagree with me), the engagement ring is a gift. I hate choosing gifts for myself. I can't stand the thought of someone spending too much money on me, so, unless I am given a specific budget to stick to, I will invariably pick the cheapest thing I see, regardless of whether or not I actually like it. When we registered for gifts, we only chose items we could reasonably afford to give as wedding gifts ourselves. To this day, I have no idea how much my ring cost, and I intend to keep it that way.

Anyway, I had a second reason for not wishing to choose my own ring: the ring (again, only my opinion) is a reflection of how the giver sees the wearer. If I'm feeling a little down on myself, I can look at my left hand and be reminded that 1) I have a husband who loves me, and 2) he sees me as a classic, yet modern woman with a quiet strength and tons of sparkle. Someone who knows me very well sees that in me, so why can't I see that in myself?

Of course, I totally understand why some people would want to pick out their ring, and how that could really help out the person buying it. It's a big-ticket item, and one that is going to be worn, theoretically, everyday for the rest of your life. You kinda don't want to screw that one up, so when I went to have my finger measured, I did a little scouting so I could offer helpful hints, if needed. Oh, who am I kidding? I accidentally looked down while the jeweler was sizing me, saw My Ring (TM) and had to get the specs on it immediately. I ran back to Thomas' apartment and told him I'd found My Ring, and where he could go to get it. He took a look at the ring's details, walked over to his computer, pulled up a page he'd saved to favorites, and said, "This it?"

It was.

There, on the screen, was the exact ring I'd fallen in love with, except that this page was one where you could build your own custom ring. He'd built My Ring, already, with no help from me.

Some people just get it right.

Case in point: a fellow whose girl had a deep, unabiding love of the Indiana Jones films, had this amazingly detailed ring made for her. The band is a minature replica of Indy's whip, while the yellow diamond represents the golden idol from Raiders. It's ridiculously thoughtful, and gorgeous to boot, but what I love most about it is the subtlety. At first glance, it's just a yellow diamond set in a wide, carved band. It's not until you view it up close that you get the reference. I don't know who this guy is, but good going! (I hope she said yes!)

In case you're wondering, here are the schematics for it.

Photo Credit (All): Geekologie

These Are My Kind of Spock Ears!

Here's a quick bit of pretty for you this (if you live around here) gloomy, nasty Monday:

Photo Credit: LRakerDesigns

These are just plain neat. Whether you're into fairies, elves, or Vulcans, these pretty wire ear-wraps might be right up your alley. Personally, I think they'd go perfectly with my Arwen necklace. Etsy seller LRakerDesigns handmakes these one-of-a-kind beauties, along with a few other gorgeous goodies. Check 'em out, and let me know what you think in the comments. $45, etsy.

Frugal Friday: Work In Progress

Happy Friday!!! Here are your deals and steals o' the day!

Smashbox: Now through Sunday, you can take $10 off any purchase of $50 or more with the code SWEETDEAL. Offer not valid in conjunction with other promotions.

Victoria's Secret: In stores, through Feb. 2nd, you can get a PINK minidog with any PINK purchase. Starting Jan. 23rd, you can also snag one with any PINK online purchase, using the code PINKLOVE. Just make sure you add the little fella to your order first.

Wet Seal: Hurry for this one! 20% off your entire order UNTIL 3PM PST!!!

Today's post is more of a heads up than anything else. I'm in the process of testing out the Real Techniques makeup brushes by Pixiwoo's Samantha Chapman, but I haven't been able to locate all the brushes in the set, so the review is forthcoming, but not ready to go at this particular point in time. It appears they're only available at Ulta here in the States, and mine stays sold out of them. Go figure.

I didn't want to buy a new set of brushes. I really didn't. I've been using E.L.F. for so long, and I dearly love them, but I needed to have a set devoted solely to movie/stage makeup (it's absolutely no fun to have to cart your own, personal set of brushes to and from set. They can get lost, stepped on, broken...did I mention lost? It's nerve-wracking). I decided to donate that set to the cause and give these a shot. I'd watched the Pixiwoo girls use them for a while, and was impressed with the on-camera results.

Anyway, this isn't the review, but I have had the opportunity to test out four of the brushes, and have been extraordinarily pleased with both the quality and the results. Plus, with each brush (that isn't in a collection) running between $5 and $10, with a buy one get one 50% off sale, the price point is comparable to E.L.F.'s.

So, like I said, this isn't the review, but I knew a few of you out there had to be in the market for brushes. Now you can be on the lookout for the review and a breakdown of each brush. Hope that helps some.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Brainy Beauty

Today, I'm celebrating being alive (and compensating for a horrible hair day) by wearing a precious, handmade headband, featuring a cute little purple felt zombie face. I bought it at an Art Walk, from a really sweet local artist who, sadly, does not have an online shop, even though she's awesome and most definitely should. Anyway, I did some looking and came up with a next-best option for you guys:

Photo Credit: Janine Basil

Those are the cutest brains ever!! This headband (also available in pink) is $23 plus shipping, and comes from Etsy artist Janine Basil. It's quirky, unexpected, and surprisingly wearable. Visit Janine's shop here.

Pin-Up Posters and Diva Decor

You know how I said yesterday that I hoped to take some pictures of the bathroom last night? Well, I decided to wait on that until there was something decent to photograph. Right now, the towels aren't out, the decor is only halfway installed, and a great big container of spackle is right smack dab in the middle of my countertop. Trust me, you want me to wait on this.

Andy's Room. Photo Credit: DisneyWallpaper

In the meantime, let me tell you about my nowhere-near-finished guest room! (I can tell you're just chompin' at the bit.) The room had been what Thomas referred to as "Andy's Room Blue", but we painted over that with slate gray and trimmed the window, doors, and baseboards in white. Most of the accents are lime green, which really pops against the gray.

The inspiration for the room came, in part, from a rather odd source: Victoria's Secret. I kid thee not.

See, back around the time of the last fashion show, the company held a sweepstakes, and I--for once--won a prize! I received a design-inspired sketch of one of the runway looks. Now, to be perfectly frank, I wasn't thrilled. I was thrilled to get anything, of course, but I'd hoped for a gift card, discount, or maybe a t-shirt. Design-inspired sketch never even entered my mind. What on Earth was I going to do with a picture of some random chick in lingerie?


Photo Credit: CBS News.
Change the yellow to pink, and this is my sketch.

A few weeks later, my "major award" arrived. Inside a little "Congratulations! You're a Winner!" card was the sweetest little cartoon-like sketch of a redheaded superheroine--all in hot pink with white go-go boots! The background was a lemon-lime green, and the entire piece was beyond adorable. I squealed a little, and decided right then and there that I would decorate the guestroom in a sophisticatedly (is that a word? It is now) girly fashion. The sketch went into a chrome frame with a white mat, and the search for equally precious pinup art commenced. 

A quick search on Amazon brought up some winners. Here are my favorites:

Photo Credit: Poster Shop Live (This and next two)

Link

Link

Photo Credit: Pop Culture Graphics

Since the room's going uber-girly, I thought I'd toss in a frilly mirror...

Photo Credit: Kirkland's

...then tone things down a bit with a mod lamp.

Photo Credit: Target

It's a work-in-progress, but I think we may be getting there. Any thought? I'd love to read them in the comments.

If I Can't Go To the Spa, I'll Bring the Spa To Me!

I confess. I did not watch the Golden Globes last night. I saw a few of the red carpet entrances, and thought that Julie Bowen and Sofia Vergara both looked stunning, and wanted to push Zooey Deschanel's hair behind her ears, but other than that...I got nothing. Instead, I fought a horrible 24-hour stomach bug and watched Guillermo del Toro's Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, an episode of Sherlock, and the newest My Fair Wedding with David Tutera. I was sick. Don't judge me.

In addition to dealing with a stupid virus, I also spent much of this weekend moving house. We're nowhere near done, but things are starting to look a little less like piles of junk, and a little more like nice people live there. My living room curtains totally and completely suck, but other than that, I'm really happy with how things are turning out. I'll try to remember to take some pictures tonight when I go over with the next load o'stuff, but the guest bathroom and bedroom are quickly becoming my favorite rooms in the house.

The guest bathroom was this very strange shade of moss green, and there wasn't time to paint over it (we were already painting two other rooms), so I decided to go with it and try to create a very Zen atmosphere. I'm not done, yet--I still need to switch out the toilet seat cover and some light bulbs, and bring in a few little knick-knacks and pictures--but the current state is very promising.

As I said, I hope to take some pictures this evening, but here's how things are starting out:

Photo Credit: Bed Bath & Beyond

First off, I kept the shower curtain I bought for the apartment. It's the same moss green with chocolate sections and itty-bitty coppery sequins. Bed Bath & Beyond, $44.99. (Dear God, I didn't pay anything near that much!) There is also a matching bathmat, but I can't find it online anywhere...yet. Working on it.

Photo Credit: Target

Next, my sweet Thomas hung some pretty little white shelves for me. One is about 11 inches long, and the one centered beneath it is 18. Here's the shorter of the two. Target's website hates me, so I can't locate the long one. They're only available in stores, anyway, and the two together ran about $15.

Photo Credit: Target

Across the top of the top, smaller shelf, runs this little row of white tealights. Target, $9.99 plus tealights.

Photo Credit: Target

The white sink with chrome fixtures is set in a beige countertop over dark wood cabinetry, I tried to combine as much of that as possible into a simple, elegant floral arrangement. Here's the best I could do, and I just love it. Target, $21.39.

Photo Credit: JC Penney (I got the one with the moss green stripes)

Of course, you have to have towels in a bathroom, and I decided to go with simple, basic white. These, from JC Penney, are the best towels I have ever used. They dry quickly, hold their color, and don't shed all over the place. $4.00 each, JC Penney.

Finally, I decided to fill the entire room with a soothing scent. Bath and Body Works has a wonderful line of Stress Relief aromatherapy products (prices vary). I have the hand soap, candle, and wallflower in Eucalyptis Spearmint, and it's heavenly. Toss in some new chrome drawer pulls, a few massage stones, and some black and white photos, and I think we'll have us one gorgeous bathroom.

Any home renovations going on in your life? Tell us about them in the comments.

Frugal Friday: I Don't Wanna Be a Grown-Up!

I miss you guys!!!!! Things are still really crazy, but I wanted to check in and drop off a few discounts I found. In case you're wondering where I've been, adulthood has basically body-checked me. Thomas and I are trying to move out of our apartment and into a house, which is great, but comes with a side order of painting and meeting with the pest control and security peeps (yes, I said peeps. I'm stressed, so just go with it). On top of that, work's a little crazy with upgrades and such (all very good, but again, stressful), and I'm helping Thomas figure out fundraising for a movie, as well and reading over scripts to help him figure what to cut/keep/re-work. Throw in little things like, oh, I don't know...laundry and showering, and I'm a wreck. For added fun, my hair dryer died while my hair was still sopping wet, which made for a very interesting Target run. I need a drink. Or twelve.

If any of you got through that rambling nonsense, congratulations. And you probably need a drink, too.

Anyhoo, here's what I found for you:

E.L.F.: $1.50 shipping on any order of $15 or more with the code 150LIKES. Offer valid through 1/15/12.

Kirkland's: Friday the Thirteenth $13 sale on specific items through 1/15/12.

Sadly, that's all I've got. If anything else shows up, I'll add it to the list. Until then (or until Monday, when, hopefully, I'll be able to write again), here's a trailer for an upcoming movie I'm absolutely dying to see. I watched the trailer last night, and fell in love. It, honestly, made my cruddy day a little brighter. The movie is Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom, and it's the tale of two twelve year-old lovebirds who run off together, and the comic havoc their disappearance creates. Starring Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Francis McDormand, Bruce Willis, and Tilda Swinton (among others), the film looks sweet, absurd, and utterly charming. I hope it makes you smile.

I Will Be Catching This Snitch In My Dreams

Oh. Wow.

I was totally looking for something else (and if I find it, I'll post it ASAP), but this flashed across the screen and completely captured my attention. Potter fans, how gorgeous is this?

Photo Credit: Avenue B

This beauty is handmade, goldtone, with 18" extendable chain and lobsterclaw closure. I'm in love. $14 plus $4 shipping. The rest of the store is precious, too, so give it a look-see.

Out To Lunch. Back In Five.

Howdy guys,

I've had some unexpected stuff come up (nothing bad!), so posting may be a little sporadic for the next few weeks. I'll post as often as I can, so keep checking back! For now, here's a link to some brand-new, sparkly leaked info on the Universal Studios Florida Wizarding World of Harry Potter updates. I'm beyond excited, and need to start planning my next trip, like, yesterday. Happy reading, and see you soon!

Erin

The Saga Continues: UNII Palette Review Part III

Hello, 2012! With the new year, we have a chance to start over; wipe the slate clean, if you'll pardon the cliche. Thomas and I are ringing in the new year by moving into our very first house. No, we're not homeowners (yet), but we'll be in an actual house. Not a townhouse. This is a real house with a real yard and real driveway to separate us from the immediate neighbors (finally). There is even--get this--a white picket fence. Seriously. Best of all, the landlady's a real doll. She's also my mom.

Oh, did I neglect to mention that? Thomas and I are moving into the house I grew up in. My family moved out of it ages ago, and it's just sitting there, waiting for the housing market to turn around so that someone can buy it. Ridiculously long (like, Tolstoy-length) story short, we wanted a house, the house needed a family, and Jupiter aligned with Mars. We're moving in!

Of course, this requires packing, which requires organizing, which requires boxes, storage containers, and the like. I decided to start small and work my way up, like a Russian stacking doll. Maybe the little stuff can consolidate into the bigger items, and take up even less of the U-Haul's precious real estate? I don't know, yet, but I figured it was worth a shot. I'll let you all know how it works out.

Now, by small, I mean small. I've started with the makeup I tend to keep out on my counter. Most of my cosmetics are in a fantastic train case in my closet, and I just grab as I need. However, a few of more frequently used products are kept in an organizer on my bathroom counter (which is horrible, as the steam from the shower can damage them, but I really have no other option right now. I'll have a drawer in the new house, but my current bathroom has no drawers. Not one. Zip. Nada. It's a scandal, it's an outrage). In an effort to reduce some of larger, less efficient packaging on a few of these go-to products, and save a couple of those products from some serious damage (caused by the larger, less efficient packaging--again, long story), I turned to the UNII company.

If you recall, back in April, I ran across this new, innovative product, the UNII palette. This was a completely customizable palette that could be filled with refill or de-potted cosmetics. After reading and watching review after glowing review, I ordered my own and wrote my own review here.

The palette was a revelation. It was sleek, gorgeous, and held positively everything I could need for travel. The design was sturdy, air-tight, and I never worried that my makeup would break, or that any dust/glitter/residue would end up all over my purse or luggage. I wanted a dozen more, but, alas, had to make do with the just the one for the time being.

Well, the impending move came up, and my amazing UNII was stuffed to the gills (to the point of needing to move things into another case), so a second palette had moved from "want" territory on over to "necessity". However, when I went to order the new case, I was met with the news that things had changed on the UNII front. The cases were...different.

Well, different is good, right? Change can be for the better, right? Um...let's talk about this for a sec.

I ordered one. I had no real choice, at this point. Here's the breakdown:

The Good: The color is just gorgeous. I ordered turquoise, and it's a bright, Spring-y teal with just a sprinkling of fine glitter throughout. The inner plate is a coordinating shade of pale aqua, and the new thumbgrip is much more space-conscious than the older design. The palette looks amazing, and seems just as sturdy as ever.

Photo Credit: UNII

The Bad: It's no longer air-tight. Not even close. The rubber gasket in the original design has been replaced by hard plastic, and none of the inner workings are removable for cleaning. The UNII company has stated, though, that the intend to bring back the rubber gasket. The magnetic plate is nice, as most of my pans are plain old ordinary metal, but not everything sticks right to it. Magnet to magnet doesn't work very well, and some items that already contain magnets have to be moved around the palette until they "click" into place, while other items (including anything aluminum) require a "Not-A-Magnet" sheet to allow them to even stick at all. Let me just say that this "Not-A-Magnet" option does not seem secure. The hold is weak, and I am very concerned. Luckily, only one product needed it. If your pans are just plain metal (think: Stila refills), you'll be good to go.

The Ugly: The palette is not as deep as it used to be. The magnetic plate is thicker than the sheet metal that used to line the bottom of the case, so you can't fit the same products from the old into the new. For example, in this picture, you can see where I have a mini eyeshadow primer, travel brush, travel eyeliner, and short (really used) lipliner.

Photo Credit: Me, but now on the UNII website. That's how much I love the old design.

Um...yeah...the brush still fits. That's it. The flat product pans fit without any problem, but the round items are too large for the new case to close around. If I take the lid off of the lipliner, it works, but then I have a whole host of other problems to contend with.

So, in the past, I could fit everything I could ever need for touch-ups in a UNII palette. Now, I have to carry my eyeliner and lipliner separately. It doesn't seem like a big deal, unless you've ever had to turn a purse upside-down to find an errant lipliner, only to find out later that it fell out in your car, inbetween the seats, and you're never going to be able to fish it out, so you have to buy a new one, which will only get lost again...not that that's ever happened to me. Strictly hypothetical, of course.

In the end, it's still a really good case, and a fine way to organize your products or keep badly packaged items from being destroyed. Honestly, when the rubber gasket returns, I plan to purchase another palette. It's just not as good of a case as it used to be. To use another cliche, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Final Verdict: 7 out of 10. Anybody know where I can find some flat liner pencils?