Makeup I'm Throwing Away

Lash Booster Mascara by Pixi

** (two stars out of five)

Positive:

It goes on very nicely, it comes off with makeup remover very cleanly, the color is consistent, and works well with my lashes.  It gives a very full, wispy, natural-look on my lashes that I actually really like.

Great for a natural-beauty everyday look.

Why I'm throwing it away:

It crumbles after just a few hours, and then falls under my eyes, then it smears when I try to brush it away.

I don't have time to do touchups on mascara, when there's better mascaras out there and dark circles under my eyes are just not sexy.

If you want that magical, natural, wispy volume without the crumbles, try Supreme Lash Mascara by Merle Norman.

Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner Marker by Stila $20

Positive:

**** (Four stars out of five.)

This is an awesome liquid eyeliner.  It does absolutely everything that an eyeliner should do.  It has consistent color, lasts all day, is easy to apply (Well, about as easy as any liquid liner can be.), and looks great all day.  The only reason why it gets four stars and not five, is the price.

But, to be totally an completely fair, it's lasted me for a really long time. I've had it for about a year.  (Which, I know, I probably should have thrown it away, because liquid liners expire after about six months, but . . .)

Why I'm throwing it away:

Lol. It's empty and I need to buy more.

OR

I may buy some Onyx Eyeliner by Be A Bombshell Cosmetics.  Because it is perfect eyeliner. So perfect that someone literally stole it from me. Also it is only $14. It started running out sooner than the Stila eyeliner did, but it does give a smoother line for me.

I can't decide.

Fergie Centerstage Photo Op Eyeshadow Palette in Desert Festival by Wet N' Wild

Positive:

Okay, so I'm not actually throwing it in the trash, but I'm definitely giving it away.

The shadows are actually really nice, they go on smoothly, the pigment is where it should be, the matte colors are matte, the shimmer colors are translucent, and they apply well.

Why I'm giving it away:

The palette just doesn't have my colors.

I'd like to think I'm pretty good with makeup, and I can and do make it work from time to time, but that takes a bit more effort than I'm willing to give. Besides, this would look better on someone more tan than me.

I also have other palettes with similar colors that I just like better, and go together better on me.

And I'm trying really hard to not be a hoarder.

Bye guys!

My Eyelash Collection

I have a serious thing for false lashes.

As requested, here's my collection:

It was about $3 for these beauties. I did buy them in China though, so it was about 21 yuan.

These were really cheap, and I've been able to use them for some looks that need a lot of layered lashes, (like the Evil Orange Queen) but honestly, they are pretty low quality synthetic lashes, that just aren't worth envying.

And some more costumesque lashes:

Walmart post-Halloween clearance sale. $1 each.

The top ones would be awesome for a Cleopatra-based look.  I actually won a costume competition with the bottom set of lashes. They've got dark-purple glitter on the tips, and they were perfect for my Yzma Halloween Costume.

The top pair are really dramatic.  I used them for my Evil Orange Queen look, and for my Marie Antoinette dress-up.

The bottom spotted pink feather lashes are super fun and easy for going out when you don't want to spend a lot of time on makeup.  They were also from Walmart, and I love the volume and flexibility of the lashes.  They were really light-weight for their size, and stayed on really well with normal lash-glue.

These are probably the three lashes that I use the most in real life. The top ones are pretty dramatic, and I used them for the Starry-eyed Surprise look.

The middle ones are AWESOME, and they give smokey-eyes just the perfect amount of oomph.  I used the middle NYC lashes for my rainbowesque oil-spill makeup look.

The bottom ones really aren't that great for me, because I have small eyelids, but I used them a lot when I was younger.

And the grand total is . . . 40 pairs of falsies. (In this post.)

I have since gotten more eyelashes, and when I can, I'll update this post with them.  If I feel like it.  I have some new favorite brands, so don't let me forget.

Miss Piggy the Hero

My best friend's sister is full of wisdom.  Her truths are so acute, and so simple, that they seem almost child-like.  But the simplicity only makes her truths more potent.

Miss Piggy should be every girl's hero.  She bold, she's powerful, she knows what she wants and actively pursues her desires, she is beautiful, confident, glamorous, and perfectly happy with her weight and her danishes.

An' she don't take trash off-a nobody.

She tells you when you're wrong, demands your respect and still calls her loverboy "Kermie, darling."

Miss Piggy is feminine and strong. And despite being a little selfish, she still always aims for the greater good.

I found this excellent quote (overlaid upon an excellent 1980-something photo) on the internet:

10 Things I forgot about Utah

This December, I went to Utah to visit my family.

There are several things I totally forgot about Utah, that I remember now.

1. It's FREEZING COLD.

I was all layered up, and looking ridiculous at the Long Beach airport, and then I boarded the plane. I was freezing the whole flight, my dude was freezing the whole flight, then we landed, and I physically felt the flight attendants open the airlock.  It's like those movies where a shock-wave whooshes across the planet--only in a Delta commuter plane.

2. Nose crunchies

In cold temperatures, your nose automatically starts running within five seconds.  You re-enter a warm space, and suddenly all the snot dries up suspended by your nose-hairs, like the dwarves in Desolation of Smaug:

And then, the snot becomes hard and sometimes sharp: nose crunchies.

3. Driving in snow

More specifically how  to drive in snow.  It took me awhile to remember, and it didn't help that our rental car was an automatic.  Manual transmissions are much, much easier to drive in snow.

4. Scarves are useful

They fill the gap between your coat and your neck, right where the wind sneaks in and tries to look at your underwear.  

Because yes, you will feel that invaded by the wind.  Because it is remarkably uncomfortable to have the freezing cold wind sneak through your clothes and get all up in yo' business.

5. The freeway is often fast

I live in LA right now, and the freeway is unusable during certain hours, but thousands of cars try to use it anyway.

Being in a place where the freeway is rarely congested, is pretty cool.

6. Humidifiers are necessities

See No. 2. Nose crunchies.

7. Nose bleeds

They happen if I do not have a humidifier running 24/7.  As in, if the humidifier is running 23/7, my nose will dry out, crack, and bleed profusely, in that single hour that the humidifier is not operating.

8. Churches and shopping malls are everywhere

They just are.  I do not know if there is a correlation.

If you tell anyone you are at the mall/church, they will inevitably ask which one, because there are so many.

9. Driving is a necessary evil

I think the main reason why Utah has the worst air in the United States is because it's so freaking cold.  It's unethical to make people walk in that insanity.  

10.  No fancy boots

If your boots do not have treads like a Tonka truck,  they will be nothing but futile against the ice that infests Utah every year.

From the Archive: Marie Antoinette Make-up

So, sometimes when I'm bored, I play dress up like a nine-year old.  Only with better dress ups.

This was something I did sometime between July-October of 2012.  Marie Antoinette-styled fun.

Everything was going wrong: the eyelashes, the bathroom lighting, my camera, my brushes, the make-up itself.

But I had fun, and thought I'd journal it here.

The photo quality is horrid--for which I apologize--so I edited the crap out of the image so you could see the colors of the eye-makeup.  So now the hair looks all . . . fluorescent.  It's really more of a burgundy red.

Speaking of hair, I used the same wig on my Hipster Ariel outfit, but just stuck socks inside to give it more volume.  Here's a picture from the top, where you can see all the earrings and jewelry I put in it, to make it purty.  In addition to the socks, I also used bobby pins to bring those ringlets forward.  Sorry about the blurry picture, but this is the only photo in which you can see the top of the wig.

(You can also see the totally sexy shoe that my man bought me back in our "we're totally not dating" days.)

In the photo below, you can how truly experimental my eyeliners were.  I used orange, lilac, green, yellow, and blue.  I also drew a fantastic mole, because it's a beauty mark, BEOTCH.

And now, I shall post this and pretend that you can't totally see my eyebrows, and crooked lines, and escapist eye-lashes.

Making Lists Makes You Feel Better

Making lists sometimes makes me feel better.

 To-do lists are not always one of these lists.  But sometimes, when I'm feeling really over-whelmed, I'll make one and realize that I actually only have three things to do.  In which case, I really do feel better.

Feeling down on yourself? I recommend making a list of things you've got going for you.  Here are some suggestions.

How you look:

You have unique, beautiful eyes.  I have never seen a set of eyes that I did not think were beautiful.
Do you have nice hair? Do you pull of being bald? Do you have a nice beard?
Do you have good-looking hands or perfect ears? I know I'm a hand person . . .
Everyone has at least five physically beautiful features.

Just remember, sometimes your most beautiful features are the ones you hate.  Anne of Green Gables abhorred her red hair and freckles, but Gilbert Blythe and many others always thought she was beautiful.  Be willing to accept that sometimes the things you dislike about yourself, are beautiful.

Good Habits:

What is a habit you are glad you have?

Do you eat healthy? Almost always brush your teeth?  Cook often instead of eating out? Keep a tidy bathroom or clean windows?

What is a habit you are glad you don't have? Glad you don't smoke, or don't smoke as often as you used to? Glad that you don't smoke indoors?  Glad you don't drink too much?  Glad you don't eat a ton of sugar? Glad you don't have a ton of caffeine? Happy that you don't have a cocaine addiction? Glad that you never swear in front of the kids?

What is a habit you are trying to change? 10 automatic points to you, for trying to better yourself! You are AWESOME. Trying to improve means that you are a person with the capability to grow.

You have skills.

Yes, you do.

Are you musical? Good at arithmetic, geography, English, or boardgames?  Are you flexible? Athletic? Good at bowling? Computer-savvy? Puzzles? Bi-lingual? Can you cook? Are you good with animals? Are you good with people? Can you multitask? Can you focus on one thing all the way through? Are you artsy or crafty? Are you a problem-solver?

Never say "I could never do that." when you see an awesome person doing something good.  Just remember, that if you practiced equally as much as a professional musician, you would be a professional musician.  If you exercised as much as an athlete, you would be an athlete.  Your body and mind are trainable.  Teach them.

You have a great personality.

Are you out-going? Are you loyal? Are you a good listener? Do you know almost everyone? Do you stick to your guns? Do you know when to compromise? Do you know when to apologize? Are you good at forgiving others? Are you open to new ideas? Do you like exploring new places? Are you a content person? Are you an ambitious person? Are you independent? Friendly? Conscientious? Kind? Impulsive?

Some of these personality traits are opposites, and in balance, all are good.  I repeat: all of these things are good personality traits.


Struggling?

Are you having trouble thinking of good things to say about yourself?  Make a different list.  This time, list traits you dislike about yourself.
The point of this exercise is for you too see your good traits, so don't abuse it!
No more than three traits at a time.  For example:

I am stubborn.
I am judgmental.
I am indecisive.

First, change the wording.

I feel stubborn.
I feel judgmental.
I feel indecisive.

Because like Anne of Green Gables, what you feel, isn't always what you are.  But it doesn't make your feelings any less of a reality, it just makes them more manageable.

Now, all negative personality traits are really just extremes of good personality traits. Sometimes, your worst qualities also double as your best qualities, for example:

Stubborn=>Steadfast
Judgmental=> Decisive
Indecisive=> Conscientious

Any good trait can go overboard. But conversely, a bad trait is only a good trait gone rogue.

The place where good qualities become bad qualities, is the place where good qualities allow wrong things to happen, or start wasting resources.

Someone who is steadfast about doing the wrong thing, becomes someone who is stubborn over things that don't matter, things that are neither right nor wrong, or things that they do not fully understand.

Someone who is decisive becomes judgmental when they make a decision that will negatively affect themselves or others, or makes decisions without enough information, then doesn't accept new information when it comes.

Conscientiousness becomes indecisiveness when making sure to look at all the options, takes up too much time.

But find the true trait.  The good trait before it becomes a bad one.

This good trait, this strength, is part of you, and in itself is a good thing. You are a good thing.

And don't you forget it.

Four Things to Spice Up your Cooking

Getting into a cooking rut?
I do all the time, so I've tried from time to time to spice up (intentional punning) my cooking.  But sometimes it's easier to change an already-good recipe, than to find good new ones.

Here are my favorite simple solutions to mix it up!

1.  Almond Extract

Use almond extract to replace anything that calls for vanilla.  My favorites are: icing, white and yellow cakes, homemade ice-cream, hot almond milk instead of hot chocolate, add a dash to whipped cream, or fruit dip to make your sweet delights uncannily unique.

2. Cajun Seasoning (AKA Creole Seasoning)

Add to pretty much anything savory or American.  It's made from a number of different milder peppers, so though adding spiciness, it's still mild enough for most people.  Some of my favorites are: steak, taco meat, hamburgers, beef stew, stir-fry, omelets, (I sometimes will sprinkle a bit on top of pizza, but I realize that's not for everyone.)

3.  Celery

The raw stuff is awesome, and has almost no taste, but once you cook it, it adds a very unique flavor.  Most little kids that will not eat peas, will still eat a little cooked celery.  It is delicious with chicken, and creamy chicken sauces.  I typically boil a stalk or two in water, and add that instead of milk to white sauces.  Some of my favorites are: chicken and dumplings, chicken-a-la king, chicken and gravy, biscuits and gravy, pretty much anything that needs gravy.

I've only recently started experimenting with celery, so let me know any additional things that work or don't.  Some suggestions: pot roast, mashed potatoes, fried, stir fry, soups, etc.

4.  Lemon and Lime Juice.

Salads, seafood, and most mexican food stereotypically benefit from lemon and/or lime juice.

Some other ideas: meat in general (chicken and steak), stir fry, Asian food, sautéed veggies, tacos, etc.