One more day until I have my computer.  I find the times I "sneak" on tend to be less fulfilling than previously.  Yesterday after work I went to a craft store to purchase items to make gifts for the upcoming holidays.  Holidays aren't the same not having family round, but I think it's not about what I want, but what can I contribute.  I will have fun baking, making cards, jewelery and other things for friends, so I'm still happy.  I joined a group for socializing and they kicked me out for not being "social enough" but, oh well.  So whilst out perusing, I went to the chainstore and was looking to initially buy a sea salt scrub.  I will write about the difference between the salt v. sugar scrub later.  But, I purchased two numbers, and St. Ives was one of them.  I have liked many of the products I've purchased by this brand.  Way back when I was young there was a peppermint mask or something like that I would use on my hair and it smelled and felt really nice and it had this tingle to it.  I graduated to other brands; however, every so often I buy something in their line like a face wash or whatever happens to be on sale.  I tried this polish and was first thrown off at the contents.  It's solid, which is unlike the runny, oily stuff you dig out with your hands.  There is no oil at all.  It's the texture of a sandcastle.  It's unique to me, since you have to dig it out literally!  A little goes a long way.  But, what I really like is that it doesn't make me itch, and there is no oil.  (I have a phobia that I will slip in the shower and bust my head open)  I do follow the instructions and apply to damp skin, but I don't use it on my typical areas of concern.  Women tend to overlook a few areas which are our age giveaways.  Our hands and neck are often overlooked when we think of skincare.  I exfoliate both and find that it keeps the dryness less visible in my hands.  As for my neck?  I have not been a sun goddess and always wear sun cream so I don't have signs of sun damage and I'm religious about including my neck when I do facials or moisture treatments. 

One  more day!!! I get a new computer and can blog it all out!  *Happy Dance* In some ways it's been cool not to access the world wide web.  For instance, I spend more time getting out and about and having a "real life."  Week one, I loathed going home.  No blogs to read, no forums to peruse, no YouTube, just silence.  By week two, I was reading all the books I had set aside, and by the third week, I was about taking pictures of people, places, and windowshopping.  The world is really cool when you look at it from the lense of a camera. I'm no photographer, but some of the simplest things become so amazing.  Like architecture, rustic buildings, squirrels, flowers and the elements have a different element to them.  You see them quite different.  In addition, going to cosmetics counters in person as opposed to blogs and forums is quite interesting.  There arae so many beautiful women of various ethnicities, ages, skin tones and I found so many different ideas and experimented with products I had never touched.  Well, big thumbs down for Giorgio Armani...boo, hiss, I'm so upset.  This is one of the leaders in the fashion industry so, quite naturally I would be interested in their cosmetics.  But, unforutunately they don't have foundation in my skin tone??? What the frack is that all about?  I mean, the last I looked it was 2009 and black women are some of the consumers which keep this billion dollar industry in the black (pun intended).  No matter what's going on in my world, I was told as a child to make sure if I only had one outfit, make sure it was clean and pressed and if I could not do my face right, to have one lipstick that would flatter me.  I think it's sad that both women quite pale, and those who are darker are hard pressed to find a foundation to match our skin tone.  We exist, our money spends the same, and guess what, we aren't diminishing in number, we are learning more about how to emphasize our God given beauty and we'd like to get in on the action.  I felt more sorry for the sales assistant who took me to Chanel and still couldn't match me.  I'm not very dark, but I applaud those companies who do realize they have a demographic who would love to purchase their products.  End rant!

xoxo

I guess I have become addicted afterall...

xoxo

Everday I get asked no less than four times, "How do you walk in those high heels?"  Which is followed by how a woman used to wear them back in her "hayday" but now she is either too old, too fat, etc. Or, I have the ones who try shock therapy.  They give me lovely tales about how they once wore heels and now they have a bad back, flat feet, or some other orthopedic ailment which has them now a slave to trainers or Birkenstocks.  While I don't doubt any of their stories, I don't feel the need to run to my practioner or chiropractor and get an exam.  Let me share with you how I manage to wear heels 99.9% of the time.  I don't wear heels when I get home in the evening, nor when I sleep or putter around the house.  In fact, I don't own any flats at the moment, but it's an internal issue.  The times I have worn my low heels (kitten heels) I have felt very insecure, and to make things worse, I ALWAYS bump into someone and leave feeling short, fat, ugly, etc.  It's a given just as if I wash my car it will rain.  So let's get to the important stuff:

If the unthinkable happens  don't fret, it happens to the best of us.  Just shake it off, and keep it moving.  Besides, if it's around people you know, the odds are they will laugh which breaks some of the ice, and if it's about people you don't know, a) they've seen worse and b) who cares?

xoxo

Yet again I torture myself whenever a MAC collection is released by perusing blogs, forums and YouTube to see what "IwilldieifIdonotbuy" items everyone is all abuzz about.  So when MAC launched the Style Black I was determined not to buy the MES since I gravitate towards them regardless of price, color or current count in my stash. 

Well, I knew immediately when I saw a swatch of Cinderfella I had a dupe for it already.  The best thing is, I only paid $3.99 for it!  Yes, it's true!  Better yet I have a swatch of Jesse's Girl cosmetics.  Can you tell which one is MAC and which is Jesse's?  To be fair, I swatched each once on bare skin with no foil.  Quite naturally, MAC is the one on the right.  Less pigmented and visible as Jesse's Girl is on the left with the better pigmentation.

Sometimes it pays to be frugal.  Learn from my errors, I have more makeup than I will ever wear that is money not well spent.  Why?  MAC was "in" and it still is, but I'd rather use what I have and pass on the "scarcity" purchase.

xoxo