Project No-Buy Week Fourteen

Week 14 (May 13-May 19)

Well, not much to say this week, as I hardly did much of anything the last 3 days of the week but lay in bed. Ah the joys of being sick. I felt so bad I didn't even want to read or watch tv, just sleep. I guess that's one way to keep yourself from buying makeup! ;-)

I can't believe next week is the last week! Technically 100 days is on Tuesday but I'll just try and finish out the week. Let's hope I don't go crazy come the weekend! I will also do a re-cap of the 15 weeks/100 days.

Purchase Total: $0

Money in Makeup Bank before purchases: $60.33

Money after purchases: $60.33

Week 14 Goals

Goal 1: Upload all of the photos from the wedding shower and open a group for everyone to share their pictures. *COMPLETED* +$5

Goal 2: Transfer files from my old laptop onto my portable hard drive. Now I just need to figure out how to clean it off...factory reset or something? *COMPLETED* +$5

Writing/Blogging. No blogging this week. :-(

Art. None.

Reading.  No reading this week, I know, sad. 

Empties. None this week.

Self Control. I did not go over my allotted spending this week.

Makeup Account this week: $10

Makeup Account Total: $60.33 + $10.00 = $70.33

Goals Week 15 (May 27-June 2)

Goal 1: Continue with/cath up on my blog every day in May. I stayed away from the computer a lot last week because I was ill but I really want to try to finish it.

Goal 2: One look and one review.

This will be my last week on my altered low/no buy but I may(probably will need to, haha) start back up after my trips and PHAMEXPO.

Project No-Buy Week Thirteen

Week 12 (May 13-May 19)

*NOTE* I should have posted this on Monday but yay me, came down with a lovely stomach bug for the week.

This week was so busy. I took pictures at my Mom's best friend's(basically my auntie) wedding shower. Her first marriage!! She so deserves happiness. It turned out really great, I had a lot of fun taking pictures, I finally picked up a 50mm lens for my Nikon and I don't think I'll ever take it off again! Well, I probably will, but I really love it, it's the exact kind of lens I have been wanting and I finally don't hate my camera, haha, seriously, my dslr and I have a love-hate relationship. All I need now is a tripod and I'll be set...and maybe a 35mm lens. ;-) I did some nice makeup for the party but as soon as I went outside my eyes just started crying, allergies. All week, every time I went outside my allergies just kicked up. I finally went to the doctor and she prescribed some allergy medication, I really hope it helps or I am never going to be able to put on eye makeup this spring or summer! Everyone I run into seems to be having the same allergy issues this year, they are so bad. I also finally started getting into airbrush foundation, I've had my machine forever but I don't ever allow myself time to learn it properly, but now I am. As far as purchases I got the new MAC blush in Ripe for Love and the Pro-longwear bronzer from the new summer collection. I have never ever used bronzer, it scares me frankly, I am so pale, but I have heard good things about the pro-longwear one so I thought why not try it for summer! And I love peachy-coral blushes, they are my weakness. *sigh* I also picked up the other LE Stila Smudgestick in Periwinkle, I love the unusual colors this spring. I am still on the lookout for a really good mint green shadow though. I guess I have blabbed on enough here...only two weeks left of my no-buy. I may continue it just another week or two after since I am leaving for NYC on the 12th and plan on doing some serious shopping! Plus I am 90% sure I will be going to PHAMEXPO in Southern California at the end of June, I really want to save up a bit. But there are just a feeew indie shadows I want to pick up, so we'll see how good I can really be!

Purchase Total: $9 + $57.77


Money in Makeup Bank before purchases: $100.10

Money after purchases: $33.33

Week 13 Goals

Goal 1: Practice with my airbrush machine. *COMPLETED* I finally broke it out and am teaching myself. +$5

Goal 2: Clean my makeup brushes. *COMPLETED* All 1000 of them...ok maybe not that many, but it sure feels like it sometimes. I love my scrubby board. +$5


Writing/Blogging. Seven blog every day in May posts. I am liking this challenge because it is getting me to think and write again. I also started my personal blog because posting all these non-makeup entires on here seemed off...and I have been meaning to start one, so this figured like an appropriate time. You can check it out here: Once Upon a Time...And Other Lies Our Parents Told Us... +$14

Art. None.

Reading.  Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn +$4 Dead Ever After: A Sookie Stackhouse Novel...yeah I had to finish the series. +$4

Empties. None this week.

Self Control. I did not go over my allotted spending this week.

Makeup Account this week: $27.00

Makeup Account Total: $33.33 + $27.00 = $60.33

Goals Week 14 (May 20-May 26)

Goal 1: Upload all of the photos from the wedding shower and open a group for everyone to share their pictures.

Goal 2: Transfer files from my old laptop onto my portable hard drive.

Blog Every Day in May: Day 19

Five of your favorite blogs and what you love about them.

I am sure it's not going to come as a huge surprise that most of the blogs I love are beauty blogs, don't get me wrong I actually have a ton of other interests, hah, but when I am online it's usually checking out beauty blogs or  youtube clips.

Temptalia- probably hands down my favorite beauty blog, it's so well organized, detailed, descriptive and rankly has saved me a lot of time and money.

Phyrra- I absolutely love Phyrra.net, she's the Temptalia of the Indie world for me, she does a lot of reviews of Indie makeup brands as well as mainstream ones, I really love her looks and she's much more similar to my skin tone so it helps seeing her reviews.

She's Digital- My beautiful friend Monique writes and shares her experiences on life, she took a break from posting but hopefully will be back more frequently. Her pictures are beautiful.

"EB"ing a Mommy- A wonderful "mommy chronicle" of a young mother and the beautiful and devastating look at the too short life of her baby boy and what it's like to outlive your child.

Blog Every Day in May: Day 17

A favorite photo of yourself and why.

I wish I had more pictures on my laptop that were older than a few days. I haven't transferred much on here. There is this one picture though, I took of with my camera phone. My grandma was going through mountains of pictures and gave me a pile of ones of myself and family from long ago. I think I was maybe 3 or 4 here and my grandpa was teaching me how to play chess. Growing up my grandpa and I always played games, lots of different ones, ones like chess and ones we made up, intricate ones that could last all day. We played the silent game, we could go HOURS playing the silent game, we even managed an entire day in NYC and a NYV cab ride in complete silence, my grandma had to write the cab driver a note on where to take us, even the cabbie thought we couldn't understand him! Chess, though, chess taught me how to think, even at 3 years old my grandpa thought I was smart and he always challenged me to be the best I could, and to think things through, make wise decisions and to be creative. I loved spending time with my grandpa. I still do, the furniture has changed but we still sit in the same spot at the dinner table and talk.

Do you have a favorite photo of yourself?

Blog Every Day in May: Day 14

Ten things that make you really happy.
This is actually harder than it sounds....
1. Sleeping in without the guilt. 2. My mom's blueberry coffee cake...you have no idea. 3. Driving in the car on a sunny day with a favorite song on the radio. 4. The beginning of a really good book. 5. The perfect look: eyeshadow, lipstick and all. 6. Helping someone...whether it's big or small. 7. Mastering something. 8. Giving someone the perfect gift, big or small, something that screams THEM. 9. Learning something new...I admit it, I love school. 10. Seeing a friend I haven't seen in a long time.
Creating this list made me realize I need to try and do this every once in a while to remember the little important things.

Blog Every Day in May: Day 12

What do you miss? A person, place, or thing, a time in your life...

I know we can't go back in time, and I know most of the time I certainly wouldn't want to, but, if I could go back and spend maybe just one day at the end of 1999/2000 that's the time I would chose, that's a time in my life I miss the most. Being 19 or 20 years old, life stretched out ahead, anything being possible. Looking back it was one of the most carefree life changing times of my life. I had the energy to stay out all night, all weekend and go to class the next day. My best friend was just a phone call away. The week was all about getting to the weekend and having fun. Dancing all night long until the sun came up in the morning. Ever seen the movie Groove? Yeah that about sums up my life from age 19-24, chasing the beat and the thump of the underground sounds of the late 90's and early 00's SF party scene. Now, if someone today posted a picture of me back then I would swear up and down it wasn't me and find a way to take it down as quickly as possible, but I can't deny part of me misses the  carefree, self-indulgent, spontaneous me of yester-year. Jumping in the car on a friday night and coming home on a sunday afternoon, driving the coast from city to city, hitting the massive parties and the tiny undergrounds. Climbing down sandy hills to wide open beaches or up into the mountains where all you can see is stars and tree tops, music flowing out of a deck and a couple speakers. There's nothing like the feeling of meeting someone new, someone you may never see again and bonding over the music and dancing all night long. Hell, thinking about it now just makes me tired, makes me wonder just how blissfully unaware I was about the "real" world back then. But if I could, go back, just for a day, unaware that life gets harder, different, more complicated, sure why the hell not. I wouldn't mind making just one more memory. I am proud of where I am now, the adult I have become, I wouldn't(hell, I couldn't) change anything but that's not to say once in a while I don't miss the "good ole days."

Awe hell, I just made myself old.

Project No Buy: Week 12

Week 11 (May 6-May 12)

This week went by fast, I didn't do much in the way of makeup. I was feeling a bit ill with my allergies and I am not sure if I was coming down with something, or had a mild cold or something but my whole body just hurt and I didn't want to do much but sleep. I found the last color tattoo that I had wanted Seashore Frost at my local CVS, who knew the closest one to me would finally have a full display? I also picked up a Stila Smudge Stick in the LE color Turquoise(I think?), I really wanted that one and Periwinkle, Turquoise was sold out though, but I found it on Ebay and I got it in the mail Friday, I love it, the color is so pretty. That's it for my purchases. As the weeks go by and there are only three left now I looked back on how much I have spent so far, I added up from week one and I've spent $138.85 in eleven weeks, now this does seem like a lot, but I admit (embarrassingly) I could easily spend that in one month before I started this no/low buy. I am really learning a lot, and while I know myself and I know I won't be that good when it ends, I think I am going to make sure I am much better and be thinking purchases more thoroughly.

Purchase Total: $9 + $7.49 = $16.49


Money in Makeup Bank before purchases: $81.06

Money after purchases: $64.57

Week 13 Goals

Goal 1: Do one contest look, one face of the day and one review. *FAILED* I  hardly wore makeup at all this week actually, between allergies and feeling ill I wasn't much up to it. +$0

Goal 2: Finished up paperwork. +$5

Goal 3: Practice with my airbrush machine. *FAILED* I knew it would be a stretch but I am going to do it this week. +$0

Writing/Blogging. Seven blog every day in May posts. I am liking this challenge because it is getting me to think and write again. +$14

Art. None.

Reading.  Sisters Grimm: Book 10: The Council of Mirrors +$4 This is a really well written children's/YA series, it's a really fun read, I recommend it to anyone of any age. :-) I also started Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, haven't finished it yet though.

Empties. None this week.

Self Control. I did not go over my allotted spending this week. I also received my check from ebates.com for using them when I buy online, an extra bonus for shopping smart! +$12.53

Makeup Account this week: $35.53

Makeup Account Total: $35.53 + $64.57 = $100.10

Goals Week 13 (May 13-May 19)

Goal 1: RETRY. Practicing with my airbrush machine.

Goal 2: I do need to wash all my brushes...how sad I really can't think of anything else right now.

Blog Every Day in May: Day 9

A moment in your day. (This can be just a photo or a photo and words.)

Blog Every Day in May: Day 11

Sell yourself in ten words or less.

Enthusiastic learner who want to change the world.

Blog Every Day in May: Day 10

Most embarrassing moment(s). Spill. I am sure that I have had many, many embarrassing moments, but I can't think of a darned one of them. It could be because as of late I don't do a ton of things in public settings. Or perhaps because I don't do much without people close to me anymore. There was a time when I could fill up a novel with embarrassing moments, or things I have said, but I can't think of any at the moment. When I do I will return to this question....
WAIT!! STOP! HALT! 
I've got it...well one. OK...so this happened about...12 years ago now? It was my first summer as a camp counselor(yes it's one of those stories) and a little nervous about meeting new people. Well, the week started off well, we were a small group since it was the first year of camp and all the counselors got along pretty well, hanging out after the kids went to bed. Well, one night, everyone is hanging out in the dining hall and a couple of us are out on the patio, I don't really recall what we were talking about, but three of us outside were joking around, the next thing I know one of the female counselors comes up behind a male counselor and decides to pants him, in front of me...well...more than just his pants came down....pretty much everything came down, if you get my drift. I kind of stood there shocked for a moment, looking at both of them, her hand covering her mouth and him trying to grab his pants. We joke and laugh it off, she swear she didn't mean for that to happen and he jokes about the view and I swore up and down I didn't see anything because his shirt was long...or I just blacked out. Well, as if that wasn't enough, I returned to the dining hall with a mortified look on my face, everyone asking what happened. The story got around camp and for the rest of the week I got asked if I saw Wei's Wang (his last name was Wei- sorry if you happen to read this dude). Yep. That was mortifying I have to admit.

Blog Every Day in May: Day 8

A piece of advice you have for others. Anything at all.

I feel as though, for the most part, a lot of these blog every day prompts have been me giving advice somehow. Nonetheless, I suppose if there is one piece of advice(amongst many) I could give is this, Life goes on. Yep, that's it, it's that simple. We can choose to be a part of it or we can sit and dwell on the should have, could have, would have's or the I don't have, or the I want's or the I need's, but the truth it, life goes on, with or without them, with or without you. So why not make yourself a part of it instead of sitting and waiting for everything to be "perfect" before you start, because the truth it, it may never be the right time or place or person, it may not be what you consider the perfect moment, but that moment could lead you down the path you never expected, down one that changes your life forever. Try everything you get the opportunity to try because you never know what it might bring you. Don't be upset you lost the game, or  you broke up with your significant other because it all comes together to make you who you are and if we keep going and keep trying at life that's what matters. The journey is often more important than the destination.

Blog Every Day in May: Day 7

The thing(s) you are most afraid of. I learned a long time ago fear is not worth it. Sure I can say I am afraid of spiders, or creepy crawly bugs, big dogs that jump out at you or strangers passing me on the street. But those aren't fears, not real fears. If those are the only things you fear, I would say you are doing pretty good for yourself. It's ok to jump when you see a daddy long legs in your shower, or when a dog jumps at you on its leash. But the real fears, the ones people don't want to talk about, the hards ones like being alone, failing, death, those are the fears to squash out, those are the ones that we have to remember not to listen to. I've lost a lot of people in my life, I've been through a lot of things that could have caused me to be lost, but I'm not. I guess my point it, there is no use being afraid of things you can't control. Use that time instead to enjoy your life. Don't have a SO? Enjoy doing all the things you can do while you are just you. Fail at something? Remember just trying is a great achievement. And death, death is just part of life, don't fear it because it is something you cannot control. Just live life every day and at the end you will have no regrets. If there was one thing I feared in life is leaving my parents too soon, but I'm not afraid for myself but for them. Damn how this blog post get so serious? haha. What are YOU afraid of?

Blog Every Day in May: Day 6

If you couldn't answer with your job, how would you answer, what do you do?

I create.
I dream.
I inspire.
I teach.
I listen.
I share.
I dance.
I sing.
I enjoy.
I hurt.
I learn.
I hope.
I inquire.
I love.
I laugh.
I cry.
I help.
I am human.

I live life on my own terms and hope for the best because that is all anyone can do.

GIVEAWAY!!

So I wanted to do a little giveaway now that I am starting to post more on my blog and I would love even MORE people to check it out. So here's a little giveaway I will post here and on my FB page. Enter and share with friends!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Project No Buy Week 11

Week 11 (April 28-May 5)

This week was so incredibly warm that every time I tried to attempt putting on makeup I stopped because my face would start sweating. Not attractive. I really wanted to wear makeup too! I managed about three days, two with pretty simple looks and finally by the weekend it cooled off and allowed me a little bit of fun. And to top it off this week all around was kind of a bummer, some negative family stuff and personal things came up. When that happens I usually make myself feel better by doing what I do best...BUYING ALL THE MAKEUP!! But I did my best to control myself. I did want to take advantage of Victorian Disco Cosmetics 35% off sale, probably the last big one she has before she goes on vacation. I picked up a couple mini jars, so with the discount I only ended up spending $13.24. Plus MAC came out with their Art of Eyes collection(or something, haha) and I had really wanted to check out their fluidliner brow gel back when it first launched, so I picked that up this week too. I think that's about it, I managed to control myself pretty well. OK...on the makeup front, haha, I did go out and splure on a massive amount of comics during Free Comic Book Day. Went in to get two free comics, came out with about 15 others, haha! Oh well. I tried. ;-)

Purchase Total: 13.24+17.44= $30.68


Money in Makeup Bank before purchases: $61.18

Money after purchases: $31.50

Week 10 Goals

Goal 1: Do one contest look, one face of the day and one review. *FAILED*  I did one review and one look but not a contest look. Every time I tried putting on makeup it melted off. LOL. +$0

Goal 2: Work on Intern application and volunteer application and back paperwork. *COMPLETED* I managed to get through most of it, now I just have to get over to my old school and acquire some paper work and signatures. Plus some more paperwork came up today, but I did what I had planned. +$5

Writing/Blogging. Five Blog every day in May blog posts, one brush cleaner review, one face of the day. I'm on a roll! This blog every day in May is giving me some inspiration. +$14


Art. None.

Reading.  None. *shameface* This is the first week I haven't read anything new! I finally finished A Casual Vacancy and I am not sure what to read next, plus I got sucked into some shows on DVD.

Empties. None this week.

Self Control. I did not go over my allotted spending this week. I also received my check from mrrebates.com for using them when I buy online, and extra bonus for shopping smart! +$30.56

Makeup Account this week: $49.56

Makeup Account Total: $31.50 + $49.56 = $81.06

Goals Week 12 (May 6-May 12)

Goal 1: RETRY. Do at least one contest look, a face of the day and a review.

Goal 2: Finish the last of my paperwork.

Goal 3: I am adding a third goal, we'll see if I get to it. I want to become proficient in using my airbrush machine, so begin practicing with it this week.

Nymphette's May challenge: Mermaid Inspired

Day 5 was Mermaids! I didn't do anything outlandish or crazy because the weather's been too hot, instead I played with some blue's and greenish blues and shimmery colors that remind me of the ocean and mermaids! :-) I wish my pictures really showed the detail and color difference but I'm still learning. :-)

Products Used

Eyes

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Urban Decay Anniversary Palette-

Deep End (main lid)

Evidence (crease)

Blackout (barely touch to deepen the outer crease)

Vanilla (browbone)

Victorian Disco Cosmetics Why is it still cold?! April COTM(blended out crease)

Sugarpill Lumi (inner corners and patted in the middle of the lid over pixie epoxy)

Inglot gel liner black

Face

Bare Minerals Ready Foundation in Fair

Tarte Blush in Dollface

TheBalm Mary Loumanizer Highlighter

Lips

Revlon Just Bitten Lip Stain in Honey

Disclaimer: All products used were purchased by me. 

Brush Cleaner

So I am sure we've all heard of the controversial Sigma Brush Glove, aka the Sigma oven mitt. Now don't get me wrong, the concept is pretty darn cool, a way to deep clean your makeup brushes quickly, PLUS not get your hands all pruny. Score. What's not so great? The price. Now don't get me wrong, if you want to and you can spend the almost $40 do it. I would. But some of us aren't able to spend that much on one item, no matter how great it might be. Personally, I would rather spend $40 on makeup or something fun. That being said, fairly soon after the glove became available a youtuber by the name of Secret Life of a Bio Nerd created a tutorial for the most awesome, simple and economical brush cleaner. Now I am not super crafty, but I have my moment. I watched the tutorial and thought, OK, I think I can actually do that! So I looked through my art supplies to see if i had the needed supplies. I ended up having to buy a plastic clipboard from Office Depot, but that was only a few dollars really, and you can even get a mini one, so you can create it to your size.

What you will need:

1. Glue Gun
2. Glue Sticks
3. Clipboard- Only Plastic, not cork/wooden, glass, etc. The glue will not stay adhered well.

Instructions:

It is a fairly simple procedure, with your glue gun you create a series of dots in varying sizes across the top half of the clip board. Across the bottom half create a series of squiggly lines, left to right, up and down. Check out the picture of my completed cleaning board to get a visual idea. After covering the board in dots and lines I let it dry for 24 hours, just in case, but really you could probably use it after an hour or so, once the glue dots are solid. 

I have tested mine out, let it run under water, scrubbed my brushes thoroughly and so far not had issues with things coming off. If you don't have a clipboard you can easily use a plastic bowl, plastic sheet, anything you could place hot glue on.

How well does it work? Well, I don't have the Sigma brush glove to compare, but my brushes look better than ever. I even scrubbed an old face brush that I stopped using because I just couldn't get it clean anymore and managed to get all the old foundation out that was stuck to the brush hairs and such.  I'm impressed. 

If you don't mind spending a few minutes, and you like crafty stuff, I suggest trying it for yourself and see how it works for you. For under $10 I don't think you can go wrong.

DISCLAIMER: ALL PRODUCTS WERE BOUGHT BY ME.

Blog Every Day in May: Day 5

Publicly profess your love and devotion for one of your blogger friends. What makes them great? Why do you love them? If you don't have blogger friends, talk about a real-life friend or even a family member.

Gosh, I don't know that I have any "blogger" friends. Well there are some bloggers I consider family such as Courtney at EBing a Mommy who writes fiercely about the love for her sweet baby boy Tripp who left this world a year ago now. She fought every day to keep her baby born with a fatal form of my disorder alive and she shared i with the world so people could see why people with EB need help. And she still fights even though he is gone. She is a true hero and angel on earth.

Someone else I have come to love who is part of the beauty community is Marisa at Uncut Color. We first bonded over Beauty from the Earth Cosmetics and then swapping samples. But it's much more than makeup, she has a passion for helping others and giving back to her community and beyond. She inspired me to join CASA, and be an advocate for foster youth. We bond over health related issues and she's just the kind of person that even though you've never met in  person, they've influenced you for the better. She's kind and in today's world that says a lot.

There are so many awesome bloggers and people out in the great cyberland beyond, there really are, for all the morons and jerks out there trolling the web to make people miserable, there's also ones who make you smile, make you want to be a better person or hell just make you laugh because they're as bitter and facetious about the world as me! Just kidding. ;-)

Wow I finally caught up to Day 5. Go me!

Blog Every Day in May: Day 4

Favorite quote and why you love it.

WHY GOD WHY?! Okay, this is a difficult one, I am a quote fiend, I love quotes, when something speaks to me I must find out who said it, where it came from, when it came from, etc etc. There are just so many good ones out there, but one that has stuck with me through out the years is probably this one by Ralph Waldo Emerson:

"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment." 

I think this one has always stuck with me because it reminds me that my life journey belongs to me, not my parents, friends, teachers, doctors, or millions of other people or things that decide they know what is best for me. In today's world there are so many things trying to change who we are, make us dislike what we see when we look in the mirror. So many times I have stopped and thought to myself, who or what am I doing this for? And many times I realized I didn't like the person I was becoming because I was becoming something someone else thought was me. Strangers who treat you differently because you look different, doctor's who tell you there is no way you can do that. Even well-minded loved ones who try to protect you from getting hurt in a world full of difficulty. If you aren't achieving your dreams, doing what you love and being true to what makes you happy then what are you living your life for? I don't want to wake up one day and realized I took the easy way out. Even if my way was the hard way it made me the person I wanted to be.

And just for kicks, here's a few more. ;-)

"That which does not kill us make us stronger." -Nietzsche

"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live." -Dumbledore, Harry Potter

"The only true wisdom is knowing you know nothing." -Socrates

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." -Eleanor Roosevelt

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, they will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." -Maya Angelou

Blog Every Day in May: Day 3

Things that make you uncomfortable.

Oh goodness, where do we begin? Shall I make you a list? Actually, as I was thinking of things that make me uncomfortable I realized I don't have that long a list. Generally, most things I get over pretty quickly, however, here's a list that leaves me cringing or blushing...or both.

1. People who leave the bathroom door open when on the toilet, showering, etc. Let's include people walking around naked AFTER the shower also. I don't care if you're my mom, my aunt, my grandma, my sister, or my BFF, there's just some things I'd rather not share. I don't need to have a conversation with you with your pants halfway down to your ankles; nothing, and I repeat NOTHING, is that important. Not even the house being on fire.


2. Leaving messages. Yes I know it makes no sense, the person isn't even listening to you at that precise moment, but I hate leaving messages. I feel awkward and un-intelligible and manage to leave messages filled with pauses long enough to where I am sure the person thought I hung up. I just don't like it. Period. Following that I also find calling people I have never spoken to on the phone before extremely uncomfortable, in which case, I hope to god I get their voicemail. Yes, let's slide calling strangers up top to numero uno. I'm awkward, un-intelligible, and to top it off I ramble incoherently. Yes, I am a real winner on the phone.


3. Hair. Let me be more specific, random hair. I don't know what else to say but finding random hairs which I can guarantee are not mine make me cringe, skeeve me out and make me all around gag. I blame this on living alone...maybe. There's just something about finding someone else's hair in your shower, on your sink, a stray hair alone on a chair pillow. Hey, people are hairy, I know this, people in MY family are really hairy, it doesn't change the fact that I get uncomfortable after someone else uses my shower. Yes I inspect it, yes I rinse it down to make sure there is nothing there before I get in. OCD? Maybe. But it just weirds me out.

Yes, there are a lot of things in this world that can make someone uncomfortable, but these just top my list at the moment. What makes you uncomfortable?

Blog every day in May: Day 2

Educate us on something you know about or are good at. (Take any approach you like, serious, educational, funny or sarcastic)

The other day a friend of mine while reading through tweets or Facebook posts, I am not sure which, came upon this, "People mise well believe that too."

Take a Moment.

Go ahead....

GOT IT YET?

I'll give you another second...

OH, you got it? Yes, people MIGHT AS well believe that too (hey at least they were able to differentiate between TOO and TO, right?) Now I understand the Internet is not the most literate of places, and I have come to accept that, for the most part...begrudgingly, but sometimes....SOMETIMES...I have to think to myself, did none of these people pass the fifth grade? Hey, I'm not looking for doctorate fellows, individuals applying for MENSA or even someone applying to attend technical college, just please have PASSED THE FIFTH GRADE! Now I could veer this in the direction of our failing school system and whether or not they even bother teaching proper grammar or spelling these days...but I digress, I am merely here to educate you on the proper usage of THERE, THEIR AND THEY'RE. I won't go into why "mise" is not a word in the English language, no matter how many times you mispronounce something, nor will I try to convince you that it takes a mere half a second more to type out YOU instead of U or ARE instead of R. But for heaven's sake can people stop using the wrong word altogether?! Yes they SOUND the same, but we aren't speaking to each other, we're typing, and yes, those words mean different things when typed out. 

Here I will try to give you the simplest way to differentiate which word is appropriate for what meaning you are trying to convey.

Let's begin with that word over THERE. Now take away the T and you have HERE, so it's not HERE it's THERE. THERE refers to a place. Simple, yes?

Now let us try that word THEY'RE reading. Folks....if you are not trying to say THEY ARE....don't use the word THEY'RE. It's a contraction, a shortened version of THEY ARE. That's it. The ( ' ) replaces the A in the word ARE.

Finally we have, THEIR, meaning belongs to them. This book is THEIR book. Now take away the (T)heir and you have HEIR, meaning a person who is receiving or entitled to something. Therefore, just remember if it's belonging to someone always use THEIR.

Got it?

*Breathes* I feel better now.

DISCLAIMER. This was all meant in good fun. No, I am not perfect, of course I make errors when I type, but for heavens sake, at least use spell check and read through something before you share it with the ENTIRE UNIVERSE. Yes, aliens can read your tweets.

Blog every day in May: Day 1

Story of Your Life in 250 Words

Is this even possible? Please excuse me if I go over, but I will try to keep it short and sweet. :-D


I was born in Northern California, two weeks late, in October of 1979. Both my parents contained an unknown gene that was passed on to me which resulted in being born with a genetic disorder called epidermolysis bullosa (EB for short because just try saying it once!).The doctor's told my parents the likelihood of me walking was slim, having a normal life impossible and of me reaching adulthood not very likely. They took me home after two weeks in the hospital. I started walking when I was two. I started kindergarten two months shy of five years old and was forever in love with learning. I was not able to play sports like most kids so I read, and imagined, I sang and danced and acted. My parents divorced when I was in second grade. My dad and I moved to the big city near us and we lived with my grandparents. My mom got remarried and I have a stepdad and a sister 9 years younger than me and a brother 13 years younger than me. We moved back to the suburbs when I was 12 where I finished middle school and attended high school. I went through surgeries yearly. My family always led me to believe I had a normal life, my challenges were just different than other peoples. I excelled at school, I got leads in musical theater and I enjoyed all different friendships. I graduated High School with awards. I went to college with no idea what I wanted to do, but while I was there I enjoyed having a social life because I realized life could change at any moment, I have lost a lot of friends to my disorder. I graduated college with a degree in fashion design but never really went into it. Two or three years later I applied to graduate school for art therapy and marriage and family therapy. I wanted to help kids like me, I worked with them at summer camps but wanted to do more. Halfway through my final year I was diagnosed with cancer, something inevitable with my disorder, after five months I was clear, I went back to school and finished my thesis, I graduated, achieving one of three academic awards in my department. I love helping, listening and teaching.


I'm sure I've gone past 250 words, but I think that sums it up as succinctly as possible! And please no one pity me or feel sorry for me, especially if you look up what I have, my life has been good despite all the difficulties.

Want to join me in 31 days of blogging?

Blog Every Day in May

I found this while I was reading through my list of blogs on prettymaking.com, so I headed on over to the original blogger and found the idea behind it and the list of ideas. I love the idea of blogging every day, I get lazy, think of other things to do, or just don't know what to blog about. Not all of these pertain to makeup obviously, they are a little more personal or just your every day thoughts and ideas. I thought about finally starting another blog, dealing more with life and such but then I thought, what's wrong with just doing it here? This blog is part of me, and I'm not just all about beauty, right? I'm a day late obviously, I only read about it last night! And it's not like the blogging police are going to come get me...right? So here it goes...

The Topics

Day 1, Wednesday: The story of your life in 250 words or less (or one paragraph... no one will be counting your words... probably)
Day 2, Thursday: Educate us on something you know alot about or are good at. Take any approach you'd like (serious and educational or funny and sarcastic)
Day 3, Friday: Things that make you uncomfortable
Day 4, Saturday: Favorite quote (from a person, from a book, etc) and why you love it
Day 5, Sunday: Publicly profess your love and devotion for one of your blogger friends. What makes them great? Why do you love them? If you don't have blogger friends, talk about a real-life friend or even a family member
Day 6, Monday: If you couldn't answer with your job, how would you answer the question, 'what do you do'?
Day 7, Tuesday: The thing(s) you're most afraid of
Day 8, Wednesday: A piece of advice you have for others. Anything at all.
Day 9, Thursday: A moment in your day (this can be just a photo or both a photo and words)
Day 10, Friday: Most embarrassing moment (s). Spill. 
Day 11, Saturday: Sell yourself in 10 words or less
Day 12, Sunday: What do you miss? (a person, a thing, a place, a time of your life...)
Day 13, Monday: Issue a public apology. This can be as funny or as serious or as creative as you want it to be.
Day 14, Tuesday: Ten things that make you really happy
Day 15, Wednesday: A Day in the life (include photos from throughout your typical day - this could be "a photo an hour" if you'd like)
Day 16, Thursday: Something difficult about your "lot in life" and how you're working to overcome it
Day 17, Friday: A favorite photo of yourself and why
Day 18, Saturday: Tell a story from your childhood. Dig deep and try to be descriptive about what you remember and how you felt.
Day 19, Sunday: Five of your favorite blogs and what you love about them
Day 20, Monday: Get real. Share something you're struggling with right now.
Day 21, Tuesday: A list of links to your favorite posts in your archives
Day 22, Wednesday: Rant about something. Get up on your soapbox and tell us how you really feel. (a pet peeve, a current event, a controversial topic, something your husband or roommate or neighbor or boss does that really ticks you off)
Day 23, Thursday: Things you've learned that school won't teach you
Day 24, Friday: Your top 3 worst traits
Day 25, Saturday: Something someone told you about yourself that you'll never forget (good or bad)
Day 26, Sunday: Something you read online. Leave a link and discuss, if you'd like.
Day 27, Monday: A letter to your readers
Day 28, Tuesday: Only pictures
Day 29, Wednesday: Five songs or pieces of music that speak to you or bring back memories. Use Grooveshark or YouTube to include them in the post
Day 30, Thursday: React to this term: Letting Go
Day 31, Friday: A vivid memory

Anyone else want to join in?