Etsy Confessions
Monogrammed purse hook by MyLittleCuddleBugs
Now I just need to resist the allure of some of the jewellery I’ve been looking at…
I think it’s time for some self-flagellation in the form of kung fu. I’m off to sparring practice now. Wish me luck!
How many countries can you name?
I love doing this quiz, but it’s much harder than you think!
Name as many countries in 5 minutes as you can (the average is 58), and see how you stack up to the rest of the population!
I did a craptacular 62 countries in 5 minutes and forgot some major ones, like Germany! Go figure.
Click here to take the quiz and tell me what you got!
:(
I was going to do a post about my little Christmas shindig last night but it just makes me feel a little sad and a little mad so I’m going to skip it.
It’s freezing cold out today and I keep procrastinating on my laundry, but I’ve got to get it done soon or I won’t have anything to wear to Cuba.
They’ve also started renovating my kitchen & bathroom which kind of sucks. I like the idea of getting a brand new kitchen & bath with more counterspace and such, but I really don’t want to live through it.
We only have one bathroom, it’s going to be a very intricate dance to be able to use it while they’re renovating.
*sigh*
It’s going to take 3+ weeks by my estimation.
More Mascara!
Sheesh, it seems like all I do these days is try new mascara! What’s up with that? Any companies out there want to send me some other stuff to try out? Maybe a car? lol
I’ve just been invited to another mascara promotional campaign, this time for L’Oreal’s new Beauty Tubes mascara.
It’s not out on the market yet so they sent me the European product to try out in addition to a nice set of mini-brushes, grey eyeshadow palette, liquid liner (to do a smoky eye look) and a handy carrying case:
As one of their female influencers testing the product, I’m expected to try it out this week and give them some feedback, and of course, talk about the product 
The good news is that I will therefore have another review for you all, and I believe I will also be able to offer you some exclusive coupons once it hits Canadian markets this month! Whoopee!
The technology or “gimmick” for this mascara sounds pretty neat (will post on it later) and I already like it since it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg to buy!
The only thing is… I’ve already got 3 mascaras on the go! It seems like such a shame to open up another one when I’m not even done the others. Right now I’ve got the Lancome Oscillation to finish off, as well as a navy and black Avon SuperShock. And I’m going to Cuba on the 17th, so I might not have enough time to get to this new L’Oreal one.
What’s a girl to do?
Good News + Bad News
The good news is that my gold satin shirt came in and it looks great! I actually ordered the right size!
The bad news is that I am sunburned ALL over. Literally.
I didn’t realize nipples could get sunburned. What a silly oversight!
I guess I ought to lay off the tanning beds for a while. So much for getting a base tan for Cuba >.<
*whimpers in pain*
Product Review: Avon’s Tahitian Holiday Eau de Toilette
If I’m so sensitive then why would I order a perfume without wearing it first? Well, that’s a valid question. I usually advocate a “try first, buy later” rule for myself. But I had smelled this on the brochure page, and I knew that most of the Avon EDT’s like this one were light and gentle. I also own the Goddess scent and have been happy with that. Plus, it was on sale for $12.99 so the risk was less for me.
And, I just LOVE those tropical coconut scents! hehe
Here is a description of the product:
An enchanting tropical floral sparkling with Tahitian tiare flower and exotic island musk. Enriched with Coconut and Tahitian Monoi Oil.”
I think I agree with their description. Every time I catch a whiff of the scent I smile and think of warm places, especially my upcoming Cuba trip!
Sheesh, if it makes me feel this good, maybe I should start wearing it all the time!
If you’d like to get your own Tahitian Holiday product (there’s a whole line!) Please see your local Avon representative, or purchase online here.
Product Review: Lancome Oscillation Mascara
- The packaging is beautiful and super-sleek. I was excited to open up my tube!
- The tube is not as fat as my other favourite mascara, which makes it easier to stash in my purse
- Lancome generally produces high-quality products
- When applied correctly, it did perform as any mascara: darkening and bulking up my lashes slightly
- It also seemed to define the individual lashes
- After reading the instructions and taking a few practice runs, it became easy to apply it with the vibration on
- The vibration is not so strong that you feel like it will get out of control
- The final look is somewhat different from what my other mascaras will achieve. Sort of a light mascara look–not too bulky or voluminous
CONS
- The price is a major downside for me. MSRP is $40, and as you’ll see in my following comments, I just cannot justify that cost for a simple mascara, especially when you have to replace it every 3 months anyway. (A good point was made by Henna at CanadianBeauty.com that if you’re already paying out the nose for a Lancome mascara, then what is $8 more? I can get on board with that, but I still don’t think that I would pay that much for ANY mascara, period. All the other posters seem to agree with me!)
- The formula sucks. As mentioned before, I don’t really like the Lancome mascara formulas, and I don’t think they made any major changes to this one
- At first, the mascara was difficult to apply. I poked my eye the first time. Not pretty.
- The brush is very small–I didn’t feel that it was large enough or had enough bristles to adequately reach all of my lashes, I had to keep going over and over to achieve the look I wanted
- The formula is clumpy and sticky–The vibrating wand is supposed to help avoid this, but I find it actually makes it worse. I had spider-leg eye lashes! The horror!
- The formula is also difficult to build up. I need more volume in my lashes, but one or two coats just didn’t cut it. But when I tried to apply more, my lashes stuck together and clumped. ugggh.
- The wand did not manage to coat “even the smallest lashes” as promised. I still had to go in manually and poke around to get them coated
Overall Impressions:
Overall, I don’t think this mascara is any better than what I am currently using. Especially considering the price. The vibrating wand is an interesting feature, but I don’t feel that it lived up to its claims of producing better-looking lashes. It is definitely not worth the $40 bones to get this bad boy.
Maybe in the next few iterations of this product, Lancome will improve the formula and technology. I think that if they can do that and combine it with a more reasonable price (say, $20 range?) that it could possibly be a smash hit. It certainly is novel!
People will still buy this, some will love it and some will hate it. I don’t mind it, but when compared to my run-of-the-mill $5 mascara, its really not that much better. Please do your research and think about it before you buy this puppy!
Holiday Fashion – Ginger Style
So I mentioned the holiday party I’m hosting with my roommate. I looked through my closet and realized that I have very little that would be appropriate for a soiree of that nature, since I’ve decided I won’t wear a black top.
I figure gold is always a safe holiday choice, it matches my hair and I can wear it to my office Christmas party as well. I’d say I just killed 2 birds with one stone! I plan to pair it with black pants and the black flower fascinator I bought on Etsy.
It’s a little more expensive ($49.99) than I would have hoped, but my choices were limited and I did talk myself out of purchasing anything else. Plus, I can return it if it turns out to be a really bad choice.
I hope it’s not, though. I really want to look awesome in it
Tis the Season
Well, it’s been a while since I updated, so I suppose I owe all of you some posts!
I’m hoping that by starting to write this I’ll be inspired to continue writing, and give you a review of the Lancome Oscillation mascara I’ve been trying out, as well as the Ketel One vodka tasting event I went to.
Things have been simultaneously busy and blah lately. I’ve entered the winter doldrums and it sucks. I’m trying to stay happy about my upcoming holiday party next weekend, as well as my trip to Cuba over xmas.
I really should start packing for that trip. We leave in just over 2 weeks and there’s a bunch of little stuff I need to track down, it’s been almost 2 years since I last travelled so all my bits n bites of travel paraphenalia have spread themselves out.
Man, 2 years. That is far too long! But the way money is for me these days, I guess it’s a decent amount of time. I can’t really afford to travel every year since saving money goes at a snail’s pace.
But first things first, and that would be my holiday party. I really hope it goes over well, but I’m trying not to set my hopes or expectations too high, since they have a habit of being crushed by uncouth humanity. It was like pulling teeth to even get people to RSVP. Now my challenge is getting them to dress appropriately and bring a potluck dish *sigh*
I feel a rant coming on, but I’m going to try and avoid it. I get frustrated with people who are just SO casual. They might show up, they might not. They can’t be bothered to RSVP or even take a special event seriously. If you’re invited to someone’s home to celebrate the season with them, you should feel honoured to do so!
Especially after I’ve done all this work. I’m trying not to spend too much money though. The worst is when in the past, I have gone out and bought a ton of stuff (food, plastic cups, decorations, etc.) and then everyone decides they can’t make it to my party. Even though I scheduled it far enough in advance. I hate people sometimes, and I can’t figure out why I am so driven to host parties and get-togethers. I love doing all the planning and even some of the work, but I always end up disappointed because most people are douche bags that don’t understand etiquette or decorum.
I just really hope that this party is a nice one. I finally have a few friends that I can rely on, and I suppose that as long as they show up then I don’t care who else comes. I really just want to celebrate with people who care about me, anyway. Screw the other fairweather friends.
Ok, now I’m going to try and switch to some positive thinking. I got some really cool lights for outside on our balcony. My landlady doesn’t do any kind of decorating ever–so our place (giant Victorian house split into apartments) always looks gloomy, dark and foreboding. Since the house is so old, there is neither a porch light nor an electrical outlet on my balcony, so I can’t plug anything in.
Thank goodness for Noma and Canadian Tire! I bought the new solar-powered LED lights and they’re so cool! The lights are hooked up to a little solar panel that you leave outside, and when night falls, they automatically turn on. No electricity required! I think it is such a nifty product. Now I not only have a little bit of light on the porch, but also Christmas lights! *squee!*
Oh. I just totally read all the negative reviews on these. They are a little dull, but they’re better than nothing. I’ll have to see how long they last tonight…
Lancome Oscillation Quickie
I’ll write a full review after I’ve given this mascara a better chance, but so far I am not impressed.
It is a little difficult to use (apparently I must hold my mascara wand differently than the rest of the world?) and the vibration actually felt very uncomfortable this morning, and my eyes teared up. Sucks.
It also went on clumpy (straight out of the new tube! Woah!). So far, my Avon SuperShock Mascara is still the winner. For one quarter of the price, too.
But I’ll give it another shot. Maybe I just applied it incorrectly. Or I have mad mascara skillz and can rock the cheapies just as well.
