"I Love Princesses"..."I Know"...

I'M TOO OLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You may have heard about Disney's limited-time merchandising...I'm going with "experience", here...where you could purchase a figurine of your likeness frozen in Carbonite? It was launched during Star Wars Weekend, and much to Thomas' weeping and gnashing of teeth, we missed it. Well, now the personalized action figure opportunity is back, only slightly different.

Photo Credit (This and All): Disney Parks Blog

Yes, you can now be a Disney Princess! At least, you can be one if you're between 3 and 12 years-old and have a parent or legal guardian's permission. I'M TOO OLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The "D-Tech" process takes about ten minutes, and the princess of choice will be personalized to match the child's hair and skin color, as well as bear the child's likeness. In 5-7 weeks, the 7-inch figure will arrive at your door. Pricing runs $99.95 plus $15.95 shipping, with additional 7-inch figures running $74.95, and 3-inch figures priced at $39.95. A silver charm bracelet is included with each purchase.

Admittedly, the finished product can be a little...I don't want to say "creepy", but that's the only word I can come up with. I don't know what it is, but I find them just a bit off-putting. I still want one--don't get me wrong--but I think it's just seeing a child's face on an adult's body that's throwing me. I also don't understand the age restriction. There wasn't a max age for the Carbonite figure. Why one for princesses? I know some 13 and 14 year-olds who would go bonkers for these! Plus, an adult face on an adult body makes more sense. I think Disney is missing out on a very important demographic here. Plus, think of all the Mother/Daughter sales they could be making! The mind boggles.

What do you think? Creepy or Cute? What about the age limit? Leave your comments below!

Just When You Thought You Had Enough T-Shirts...

I want to be Ashley Eckstein when I grow up. Yeah, I know, I'm 32, but that hardly makes me a grown-up. This woman is amazing. She's a talented actress and voice artist, gets to hang out with the Star Wars crowd for a living, and designs some of the most beautiful "geek tees" I've ever seen. Recently, Her Universe (Eckstein's design house) branched out to partner with SyFy for some adorable Warehouse 13, Battlestar Galactica, and SyFy Original Movie products. Starting July 11th, though, Her Universe will be broadening its own universe by taking on that captain of time and space, himself, The Doctor.

I am going to be so very broke.
 

The new Doctor Who line currently consists of three shirts, and I can't decide which is my favorite! Two of the shirts are v-necks with flattering, elongated torsos. The TARDIS blue shirt features a white sketch of the little blue box in one corner, with the curlieque inscription, "Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue". A black tee shows off a pair of bright red killer pumps, bearing the words, "Hell in High Heels" on one sole, and a minature TARDIS on the other. The last shirt is a navy, wide-necked box-tee. The Van Gogh painting of an exploding TARDIS that was so prominent at the end of 11's first season is centered on the front, detailed with gold foil. Doctor Who shirts are $28 each, and will be available online beginning July 11th.



Photo Credit (All): Her Universe



May the Tinsel Be With You!

Yeah, I know, I'm off...sue me. I saw this and thought of you guys:

Photo Credit (This and Below): yrchmonger.com

It's a Star Wars tree skirt!! Please check out the site to see how this went from a regular skirt to an awesome holiday decoration, and find out how you can get your own next year!

Isn't that gorgeous!! I don't even want to know how difficult it was to cut out those intricate patterns. My brain hurts just thinking about it. Well done!!

Photo Credit: G4TV

Keeping It PG

Keeping a family-friendly site is harder than it looks...

I ran across a forum, today, that listed folks favorite substitute swear words. Since school is starting back, and little folks with little ears will overrun us all, I thought I might share it and a few other cute sites with you guys.  Heck, maybe I can use some of them to curb my own cussing. Then again, how can you catch a wave upon the sand?

The first place is just a community forum on a hobby site. I like "smoogies", "fluffernuts", and "eishkabagles".

Next up, theforce.net has a forum thread dedicated to the not-really-swear words used in Star Wars. "Stang" is kind of cute, and might make my brother and his friends giggle.

Lastly, Topless Robot has a list of curse words from Firefly/Serenity. If you're not familiar with the show/movie (and why the heck aren't you? They're fantastic!), the characters speak English, but swear in Mandarin. This made things a little quirky, and helped get around those pesky censors. Now, technically, if you use these, you're still swearing, but no one will be the wiser. Well, not counting people who are fluent in Mandarin. Those, you might really offend, so proceed with caution. I might also add, the linked post gives translations and definitions, so while funny, it isn't exactly safe for work.

Anybody have a favorite substitute swear to share with the rest of the class?

How About a Burrito Shaped Like a Light Saber?

May the Fifth be with you? Does that work? Depends on how you look at it, I guess. Anyway, I hope everyone drinks tons of margaritas (responsibly, and with a designated driver) and eats too much Mexican food today.

Turns out, yesterday (or today, since I write this stuff a day in advance, and sometimes things get all timey-wimey on me) was Star Wars Day. Each year, on May 4th, geeks like me are supposed to exclaim, "May the Fourth be with you!" to each other. Yeah, it's a little goofy. Frankly, I totally forgot about it until I sat down to write this blog. Oops.

So, in honor of Star Wars Day, I bring you a sneak peek at the new Disney Hollywood Studios Star Tours refurb. Enjoy!

Photo Credit: Disney Parks Blog

For an indepth look at...well, a closed ride, check out this blog. There are a ton of pics, including one of a rather intimidating chair. Say what you will; I wouldn't mess with it.

Lastly, if there's anyone out there still unfamiliar with the plot of the original Star Wars movie, here's a fantastic YouTube recap--as told by a precious (and astoundingly eloquent) three year-old fangirl. Trust me, you don't want to miss this. Ole!

Talk About Young and Rebellious...

Here's something extra adorable to get you through Friday Eve:



Photo Credit (this and below): The Official Star Wars Blog

 That's the happiest Han Solo I've ever seen. I want to hug all of those little cuties!!!

OH MY GOD, THEY'RE SO CUDDLY I'M GONNA DIE!!!! I think the funniest bits are Luke's open shirt and Leia showing some leg.

These posters (and two more you can view on the Star Wars blog) are by Hong Kong artist Dorothy Tang. Tang came up with these ridiculously precious propaganda-style posters for the arrival of the Star Wars x adidas Original Collections. I only wish the collection was as awesome as the advertising.

Who Knew the Dark Side Was So Cute?

Yeah, I'm late to the party (as per usual), but I couldn't help but talk about little Max Page, the baby Vader in the Volkswagen Super Bowl ad.

 

In case you're even more behind than I am, here's the spot:

Now, I'm sure you'll be shocked to know that Thomas and I skipped watching the Super Bowl (*gasp*), so I actually stumbled across this thanks to a friend's Facebook post. After about two solid minutes of cracking up, I calmed down, caught my breath, and found Thomas to show him. The commercial's cute, but it's this kid's reactions that really sold it for me. Thomas was convinced it was a very small adult, and that a child couldn't possibly have pulled that off. How wrong he was...

 

Max Page is six years old, and just as cute as a bug. It should come as no surprise that he's a veteran actor, with commercial spots for Walgreen's and Clear Channel under his...um, hood, and a recurring role as Reed Hellstrom on The Young and the Restless. His mother told Today that she originally thought this would be his first national commercial spot. It wasn't until halfway through filming that the family was told Max would be in a Super Bowl ad. The popularity of the ad has been a pleasant, albeit overwhelming surprise.  

 

"I can't even keep up with the messages and the calls," says Jennifer, Max's mom. "It's just overwhelming. The first night, [web hits] were at 60,000. I went to bed and the next morning it was at 1 million. My mind couldn't comprehend!"

 

A couple of interesting facts about young Padawan Max are that he has a congenital heart defect, and has used a pacemaker since he was three months old. He also has, believe it or not, NEVER SEEN A STAR WARS MOVIE!!! How can this be? Someone get this child a copy of Episode IV, stat!!

 

Also, who's with me in thinking he looks a bit like a tiny Mark Hamil? Anyone? Bueller?

Photo Credit: Today

 

Okay, so on a totally unrelated note, I think I may have finally found a shaving cream that I like almost as much as the Soap & Glory that is now, unfortunately, no longer available in the states. (You may recall my overly melodramatic lamentations here.) However, I do have an update that S&G may be back in the good ol' U.S. of A. in September 2011. No word on who's distributing, but they promise to keep the shelves fully stocked, unlike Target. Apparently, my local stores weren't the only ones with empty shelves.

 

Anyhoo, until the S&G shows back up, I'm really enjoying eos (Evolution of Smooth) Shave Cream in Pomegranate Raspberry. For this review, I thought I'd go with a Pro/Con list. There's so much good about this, but the bad is, well, really bad.

 

PRO:

Lovely texture. It's silky, like a body lotion, and leaves almost a light glaze on your legs. It shaves away easily, and leaves no residue.

 

Wonderful scent. I love raspberry, so this was a nice treat. However, it's not so overpowering that you can't use your favorite moisturizer or perfume later for fear of mixing. (Vanilla is wonderful, too, but I've not tried any of the other varieties). 

 

Close shave. I am smooth and soft, with nary a nick. Really, I think this is the most important part.

 

Heavy duty plastic container. I love the design of this container. The lid stays on tightly, the pump is large enough for wet fingers to manage, and the shatterproof bottle has grips hewn into the side. Most shaving cream cans tend to be metal, and leave little rust rings on your tub. This won't do that. Plus, it's just darling to look at.

 

So...basically, it's a fantastic shaving cream in a really easy to use pump that won't leave rust on your tub. So far, so good.

 

BAD:

Clogs blades. However, you can rinse it out fairly easily. Bad, but not horrible.

 

Can't tell when you're running low. The container is solid plastic and not see-through, so there's no way to tell, by looking, if you need to add another one to the shopping list. The cream itself is very lightweight, so there's also no real difference in the heft of the bottle as it runs out. I've found myself in a pickle before, from running out with zero notice. I now keep a spare in the cabinet, just in case.

 

Bottle doesn't hold a lot of product. You only need one pump per leg, but one bottle won't get you very far. I'd estimate I replace a bottle every three weeks, give or take. I replaced my S&G about twice a year.

 

Price point. The actual price varies (widely) by store. I've purchased bottles at both Target and Walgreen's brick and mortar shops for somewhere in the $3-$4 range, which I think is a little high. Drugstore.com has it listed at $5.29, which is flat-out ridiculous for such a small amount of shaving cream, especially if you have to buy two at a time to keep from being left in a lurch. The best deal I've found is actually on the eos website. You can buy any of the scents you want for $3.49 each, and they'll throw in a free Bic Soleil razor. Keep in mind, though, shipping is a flat rate of $2.75, so if you only buy one bottle, it'll cost you $6.24. Of course, if you buy more than one at a time (recommended) it's not so bad.

 

All in all, it's the best shaving cream I've been able to find since the whole S&G debacle. I've been able to live with the flaws because the actual product itself is exactly what I wanted: a light, non-foaming, non-greasy, moisturizing lotion that gives a clean, nick-free shave. Final Verdict: 6.5 out of 10, but come September, the real judgement will commence.

Comic-Conned

Thomas and I took a little road trip to New Orleans this past weekend. A friend of mine mentioned on Facebook that she was thinking of taking her little girl to New Orleans Comic-Con to see the Batmobile, which led to this:

Me: Hey, did you know New Orleans had a Comic-Con?

Thomas: WHAT?! WHEN?!

Me: This weekend, it looks like. Apparently they're getting the Batmobile, and Adam West will be there. Oh! I think they're getting Billy Dee...

Thomas: WE'RE GOING!!!!!!!!!

A few minutes later, we had online tickets in hand, and a schedule of Saturday's events. We thought we'd leave around 9am, get there around 11, grab a quick lunch, and get in line for James Marster's noon panel. Immediately following was Billy Dee Williams, then Nicholas Brendan (the Con was Buffy-centric this year). After the panels, we'd check out the exhibitor's floor, try to snag some Supernatural or Doctor Who t-shirts, ogle the Batmobile and DeLorian, then head back for Adam West and Burt Ward's Batman panel. We'd finish up around 5pm, grab some beignets at Cafe du Monde, and get home at a reasonable hour.

It was a good plan.

You know what they say about plans...

Here are some things I learned during NOLA Comic-Con:

1) Closing two out of three lanes of interstate during peak tourist season (Mardi Gras, football) should be a punishable offense.

2) Never believe the price on the parking lot sign. That's just the fee for turning into the driveway. The real price will be much, much higher.

3) Buying your ticket online doesn't just ensure admission, it also ensures a much longer wait for wristbands than just walking in and buying a ticket. Those people just waltzed up to the front, then breezed off with a band. I got to wait so long that I started a game of "count the cosplayers".

4) James Marsters is awesome (okay, already knew that). Also, in a pinch, he makes a great chauffeur*.

5) Billy Dee Williams is getting up there. His moderator answered a lot of the audience's questions. That said, he's still worlds cooler than I could ever hope to be.

6) Bring snacks. Also, Lysol.

7) Advertisers lie. There was no Batmobile. There was no Ecto-1. There was a DeLorian, but it cost $20 to take a picture of it with your own camera. In fact, there was pretty much a charge to take pictures of anything. I can understand that with the celebs, but displays? Really?

8) Ernie Hudson still looks fabulous in a Ghostbusters uniform, and Chekov is the most adorable little guy, ever.

9) The middle of a crowded exhibition hall is no place for an impromptu Mardi Gras parade, complete with floats. It's a wonder the fire department didn't step in on that one.
10) Batman and Robin are still the dynamic duo, even after forty years. Of course, you'll have to trust me on that, as I was not allowed to photograph any of the panel. Blast!

Now, I really wish I could leave this list at ten, but after I got home, I learned another important lesson: Sometimes, people steal.

No, nothing of mine was taken. Truth is, I almost bought some hot property from a vendor. There was a really cool print for sale in one of the booths--a Doctor Who caricature collage, with all eleven Doctors. It was only $20, but at the time, I couldn't think of a place to hang it in my apartment. It wasn't until Sunday night that I really started to regret my decision, and started an online hunt for a copy.

As it turns out, that's exactly what it was: a copy.

Photo Credit: Jon Pinto

The artist is Jon Pinto, an illustrator from Clermont, FL, and he is not happy about people selling his work. See, up until a few months ago, folks could download and print copies of his paintings free of charge. Unfortunately, instead of hanging on walls for personal use, copies were showing up for sale at cons--and Pinto, himself, caught one of the thieves. From then on, a watermark has gone on every image, and the downloads have been stopped. I'm so glad I didn't (unintentionally) contribute to intellectual piracy, but I'm also saddened that I can't buy a copy of my own. For now, I'll just keep checking his blog and deviantART site, in hopes of one day seeing a "buy now" button pop up.

So, it wasn't the best con ever. At least I was able to grab some beignets for the ride home.

*So, there was a fun story at the Billy Dee Williams panel (told, of course, by the moderator). Seems that the driver sent to pick Mr. Williams and Mr. Marsters up from the airport was...um...incapacitated. Story is, he was okay enough to ask everyone for autographs, but then started driving erratically. Amid the screaming of "I'sh omkay! I can drivesh! I promish I'mmmokay!" the two gentlemen (plus another passenger I can't recall) finally persuaded him to pull over to the side of the road, where Mr. Marsters took it upon himself to play designated driver for the remainder of the trip to the hotel. The End.

A Happy Padawan and Good Teen Fun

Okay, I promised you a review of Easy A, and I'm not one to make false promises, so it's here.  However, I also wanted to let you guys know about a really cool and unique book that just came out.

A few months ago, a little girl named Katie asked her mom if she could take a pink water bottle to school instead of her usual Star Wars bottle.  It's a seemingly innocuous request, but so out of character for the first-grader that it prompted a few questions from her mother.  Then came the tears.  Poor little Katie was being teased for liking Star Wars.  Only boys could like Star Wars, apparently.  Katie was different, and kids are mean.

Katie's mother wrote a blog post asking for advice on how to help Katie through this patch--which was then picked up by Epbot writer and blogging juggernaut, Jen Yates--and the response was overwhelming.  Geek Girls (and Boys) everywhere fell in love with the spunky, bespectacled Padawan, and sent comments, well-wishes, advice, toys, screening passes, caricatures...the list goes on, to help Katie realize that it's okay to like Star Wars.  It's okay to like whatever interests you.  It doesn't matter if you're a girl, boy, or Ewok.  It's always cool to be yourself. 

Yates and company compiled the thousands of comments into a book for Katie--a 557 page book, at that--and sent it to her for Christmas.  That way, anytime she felt down she could look at it and remember that she has the love and support of an entire community behind her (we should all be so lucky).  Enough people requested it, that the book has been made public at manufacturer's cost.  No one involved is making any money off of this venture.  It's just a nice gesture. 

The hardcover book is $28.80, and contains over 3,300 comments.  Somehow, I think more kids than just Katie could benefit from reading this.  May the Force be with all of you!

Okay, now the review.  I doubt any of you have been waiting with baited breath, but a promise is a promise.  Plus, I've been too sick to really test out any new products.  I could either review a movie or give you the play-by-play action of Farkle on Facebook.  That's about as exciting as it sounds, so here's the review.

I expected this to be "cute".  I figured I'd curl up on the couch and watch at it (maybe check my email or play on my phone during slow parts), and Thomas would get fed up at the teeny-bopper silliness and go edit something on the movie.  I did not expect to become fully invested in this movie.

For those who missed the trailers, Olive Pendergast (Emma Stone) is a good girl.  She's doing well in her high school classes, gets along with teachers and students, and never makes her parents (Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson) lose sleep at night.  Aside from being completely invisible to the opposite sex, Olive is happy and well-adjusted. 

Olive's friend, Rhi, is not as well-adjusted.  Nor is she invisible to boys.  In fact, she's a bit of a skank, and sort of coerces Olive to admit to losing her virginity (which she had not).  A holier-than-thou student (Amanda Bynes) overhears and tells the entire school.  Next thing you know, not only is Olive studying the novel The Scarlet Letter in class, but is living the role of Hester Prynne!  Things progress from bad to worse when Olive takes on an "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" attitude.  Cue the virtuous harlot!

Okay, there's some definite suspension of disbelief going on.  First, to imagine the adorable Emma Stone as invisible, and secondly, to go along with an entire high school being scandalized over a student's sex life.  However, they make it work.  I guess if the charges are outlandish enough, even the most jaded of Seniors can be shocked. 

Other than that, the entire movie was very believable.  Kudos to the writers taking what could have potentially been cliche or filled with toilet humor, and turning it into an intelligent, funny movie with relatable characters and plausible situations, very much in the tradition of Clueless, Ten Things I Hate About You, and the greatest of the genre: the John Hughes collection. 

And, in keeping with that tradition, the cast must include glittering new talent.  Clueless brought attention to Paul Rudd.  Ten Things had Julia Stiles, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Heath Ledger (boy, were we spoiled, or what?).  Easy A brings us Miss Stone.  True, it's not her first movie, but it is her first time carrying a movie, and she does it beautifully, earning that Golden Globe nod.

In supporting roles, Stanley Tucci (most likely ad-libbing his way through the part) and Patricia Clarkson are wonderful as the parents we'd all like to have, or at least get to hang out with occasionally.  Thomas Hayden Church is endearing as "the cool teacher", and Lisa Kudrow shows off some rarely seen dramatic chops.  Amanda Bynes was also quite funny as the holy roller who starts the whole mess.

It's not groundbreaking, but it was never meant to be.  This is a teen comedy, intended to be funny and sweet, and it succeeds.  All in all, an exceptionally well-made addition to the genre, and definitely a rental suggestion.  3 stars (out of 4).    

I Have Completely and Totally Lost My Mind

I'm a klutz.  Klutz, with a capital K.  Last night, while trying to reach my acid reflux medicine (because I'm old and falling apart), I fell off the step-stool I was on (because I'm also short) and sprained my foot.  Yay. 

It's nearing the Holidays, and I refuse to put on a ton of weight.  At the same time, I also refuse to turn down homemade Tiramisu, Red Velvet Cake, or Sweet Potato Casserole.  As I'm apparently not going to stop eating, I'm trying to start exercising more.  Unfortunately, my little accident has put the kibosh on that.  I can't do my usual walking, start that yoga video I was thinking about watching (that counts, right?), or play any Wii Tennis or Boxing (those count, too, right?  My arm still hurts from Bowling).  I'd say I was up the proverbial creek, but that'd be okay.  Paddling's one of the few physical activities I can do!

Granted, this is only a temporary setback, but it got me thinking about things I could still do with a hurt foot.  Pushups!  I can do knee pushups!  See, a couple of years ago, right after my wedding, I decided I was going to lose some serious weight.  I'd put on a ton due to a (minor, but we didn't know what it was for a long time) illness, and nothing was working to take it off.  I'd tried Slim-Fast, dance classes, going to the gym--you name it!  Nothing helped.  Finally, I found a site called One Hundred Pushups.  Over the course of seven weeks, you gradually build up the number of consecutive pushups you can do, until you reach 100.  The pushup works, well, pretty much everything, and it gave me a solid goal to work toward.  This, combined with a low-calorie diet, resulted in my losing thirteen pounds in just a couple of months.  No, I never made it to 100, but I made it back to a size 6, so I called it a victory.

I'm not trying to lose that much weight this time, but a couple of inches off my waist and slightly toner arms would be nice.  With that, I'm issuing a challenge to myself:  Complete the 100 Pushup program, and document (dear God, I must be insane) the progress as I go along.  Who's with me?  Please don't make me do this alone!!

As inspiration, I'm going to put these ladies on my refrigerator.  These are some fantastic renderings by deviantART user JosephB222.  They're what happens when Disney goes to the Dark Side.




Photo Credit: josephb222.deviantart.com

 

Search Halloween and Get...Star Wars?

Today's post can be seen as either an exercise in stream of conscious, or possibly as an ad for Bing! You know, the annoying ads where people suddenly become search engines and start spouting off everything that pops into their heads. Yeah, this is a little like that.

See, with it being eleven days till Halloween, I wanted to do a post on ghosts. Well, I googled "ghosts" and ended up with some haunted house stories. Well, that seemed like a promising avenue, so I decided to run with it. I googled a little deeper, and ended up with fewer hauntings and more info on Bill Murray's Scream Awards appearance, where he showed up dressed as Venkman from Ghostbusters. Okay, let's do a post on Ghostbusters 3. Well...googled Ghostbusters, and ended up looking at Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventurers...and this. Well, this...this was neat.

So, yeah, this has nothing to do with Halloween, but I always love a chance to spotlight enterprising women, and this girl seems pretty darn awesome.

Ashley Eckstein is an actress and voice artist (kindred spirit!) currently working on the animated series, The Clone Wars. Ashley noticed that female sci-fi fans (like herself) were becoming more and more prevalent, but were still somewhat overlooked on the merchandising front. She and her partner, the Araca Group, founded Her Universe, a place where ladies can get their geek chic on. Ashley received a license from Lucasfilms, and has a precious line of Star Wars gear, specially designed for fashion saavy fangirls. She's also working on jewelry, accessories, and beauty products.

This is not your average slap-a-logo-on-a-baby-tee merch shop, folks. Yes, there is a Star Wars logo tee--that's burned out, supersoft, purple, and goes great with skinny jeans. My favorite (if anyone--ahem, Thomas--is looking for Christmas, I wear a medium) is a heather gray v-neck with what looks like a pencil drawing of Han kissing Leia, surrounded by flourishes. It was designed by Star Wars artist Cat Staggs, and was inspired by, oddly enough, cookies the actress who voices Padme brought to The Clone Wars on Valentine's Day. They were decorated to say, "I love you," and, "I know". Heh. The shirt is titled "I Know", and runs $35. All shirt designs (including hoodies!) run between $30-$50 and are available at heruniverseshop.com. She also attends cons, so next time you go to one, keep an eye out for her.

Now, here's the coolest part--and the reason she showed up when I googled "ghost": Syfy has teamed up with Her Universe to create a line of fashion conscious women's apparel based on Syfy's original programming. That's right! We're talking Ghost Hunters, Warehouse 13, Destination Truth, Caprica...the works. All items will be sold under the Syfy Gear banner, and will be available at Her Universe and Syfy.com. You'll be able to find them at conventions through 2011, and in retail shops in 2012. I know where my Comic-Con spending money will be going.

What ho! The magic bag o' samples has reappeared! Well, sort of. Still can't find the bag, but I got in a shipment from Sephora, and with it, some new treats to try. I know, I have a problem. I'm okay with that.

Today, I have for you Buxom's Big & Healthy Lip Stick in Amsterdam. $18, Sephora. According to Sephora:

Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Stick works three full-time jobs—it defines the shape of lips like a liner, fills them in with creamy velvet color, and then plumps them to their full buxom potential. It's a three-in-one lipstick that's quick and convenient for defined, colorful, buxom lips anytime, anywhere.

I'm a gloss girl. Sure, if I'm going to be on camera or on stage, I know to use lipstick (at least under the gloss) because it shows up better, but honestly, I'm too lazy for lipstick. With gloss, you can just put it on--no mirror, no brush, no liner needed. You can be in the process of walking from your car to...wherever...and put gloss on at the same time and it still look good. If it goes out of the lines, you can fix it with a finger. If it doesn't make it all over your lips, you can press them together and fix it. Plus, it's shiny, and I like shiny. I'm a gloss girl.

That said, this doesn't suck. Yes, you do need a mirror, so it's not as easy to apply as gloss, but it's still fairly simple. The stick is really a large pencil, so the tip is pointed to allow you to use the product as a liner. Then you fill in the rest of your mouth. Voila! Done.

Amsterdam is a rosy nude shade that really just accentuates your natural lip color. I paired it with neutral and rose-gold eyeshadows and naturally-flushed blush for a really pretty I-didn't-even-think-about-putting-on-makeup-today look. It's matte, which translates to "a little drying", but applying over a balm really helped. The color is also longwearing, so touch-ups are minimal. Matte's the big look for Fall, by the way.

Does it plump? Eh, maybe a little, but it does have the trademark Buxom tingle we all know and love. All in all, I'd call it a winner. You get the matte look, the Buxom tingle, longwearing (flattering) color and easy application. And hey, who says you can't dab a little gloss on top, you know, just for fun?

There's a Little Black Raincloud Over Me

I needed a smile today.  After three years with his company, Thomas was let go.  It's just one of those things that happens, and we'll deal with it, but it's a huge blow to our budget.  Those of you who have been keeping up with this blog know that we're in the process of moving and are also working on an independant film.  Obviously, this is not a good time for one spouse to be out of work.  It's also not the best time to be job-hunting, since unemployment is at a high right now.  We could both definitely use some smiles right about now.

Luckily, there is a man out there who seems to specialize in smiles.  His name is James Hance, and he deals in what he calls "relentlessly cheery art".  Hance's work is unapologetically pop--celebrity portraits, TV subjects, and Star Wars as far as the eye can see.  Oh, and Muppets galore.  We must never leave out the Muppets.  He's described as "a big kid at heart, with an infectious sense of humor," and really, shouldn't we all be so lucky to have someone like that in our lives.

They're not the equivalent of a new job, but these pieces did, momentarily, put smiles on our faces, so I thought I'd share them with you.  All are available as prints for $10.

I love this.  First off, Super Grover!  Secondly, the look on (an incredibly realistic) Christopher Reeve's face just beams out affection.  You feel happy looking at it, and I'm not entirely sure that feeling has anything to do with the subject.  I think a lot of love went into this painting, and it just comes pouring back out. 

My favorite Fraggle Rock guys, the Doozers.  Little fellas who worked dilligently, paid only with an occasional, "Thank You," as a Fraggle bit into one of their radish-flavored buildings.  They were unsung heroes, making the world a better place for Fraggles, and this, somehow, seems very appropriate.

Okay, this one's just silly.  Kermit of the Dead?  It does seem fitting, though, that the frog is carrying a cricket bat. 

Now, we're getting into my favorites.  Hance has done a series of cartoons that are based on A.A. Milne's "Winnie the Pooh" children's books.  If I ever have a kid, this will be his/her nursery (consider this warning, Thomas).

Wookie the Chew!!!!!!!

I'm not posting the entire series here, but I think you get the idea.  I adore the little Han!!!! 

Heehee!!!!!  The little AT-AT as Eeyore has completely made my day.  I've seen some cute Star Wars stuff in my life, but this wins, hands down.  I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did.

Okay, today's dip into the magic bag o' samples yielded Olay Quench Advanced Healing Body Lotion.  $8.99, Walgreen's.  I guess it's appropriate that the day my husband loses his job is the day I stop pulling out Sephora samples and start pulling out ones from the drugstore.  The universe has a sense of humor, no?

I liked it.  It's unscented, so it doesn't compete with perfume, which is always a plus.  The results were also immediately noticeable.  My skin looked more moisturized and felt smoother.  Another plus, the lotion didn't irritate my freshly shaved legs.  No little red bumps or stinging with this stuff.  Several hours later, my legs still feel silky soft.  For nine bucks, it's definitely worth a try.

*Photos by James Hance