tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6373547333447053962024-03-13T13:24:41.415+10:30Miss PrissypantsJust me banging on about makeup, perfume and other such fripperies.Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09349956327915851336noreply@blogger.comBlogger349125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-637354733344705396.post-84858660577008112512012-03-03T16:15:00.000+10:302012-07-25T12:31:41.132+09:30NYX Stick Blush SwatchesI know I don't use this blog anymore (I'm over <a href="http://yearofthetightarse.blogspot.com.au/">here</a> if you're looking for me), but since all my other NYX swatches are here and 99% of the hits on this blog are people looking for NYX swatches this is the logical place. <br />
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I haven't done more than have a bit of a play with these so I can't really give a proper review as yet. First impressions are - highly pigmented, easy to blend, might need a powder over them to last the distance on oilier skin.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Y6z_01CjnzeeDTklxyPZk7A1zS_0iWQBO98QuIMYfOKV90NArm8u3LAVqB7qKCiuAR1_el4_hY5sgaQYaNFR0ZYdVouW4W0RtiJN0NhYt07QLa7nl8B3VVo-DTVa_81MfkIHXYYmYg/s1600/nyx+blush+sticks.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Y6z_01CjnzeeDTklxyPZk7A1zS_0iWQBO98QuIMYfOKV90NArm8u3LAVqB7qKCiuAR1_el4_hY5sgaQYaNFR0ZYdVouW4W0RtiJN0NhYt07QLa7nl8B3VVo-DTVa_81MfkIHXYYmYg/s400/nyx+blush+sticks.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>Orchid (the apparently compulsory Orgasm dupe), Tulip, Hibiscus</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe7s9GvA3wv1o-YZzVOSd2cOJvrVv9q7Z6WU9fafl21_DE0Z07Kcs-iuSKxfsHi_GJ7NkUSTQ22H-Qk8xbeT3O7JuIaZrEDkEBO-Dl1TXTfQBV_J4X-qxK0lxiLPMCbpNxo7QW3rvW4A/s1600/nyx+stick+blush+outdoor+light.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe7s9GvA3wv1o-YZzVOSd2cOJvrVv9q7Z6WU9fafl21_DE0Z07Kcs-iuSKxfsHi_GJ7NkUSTQ22H-Qk8xbeT3O7JuIaZrEDkEBO-Dl1TXTfQBV_J4X-qxK0lxiLPMCbpNxo7QW3rvW4A/s400/nyx+stick+blush+outdoor+light.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;"></span><i>Orchid, Tulip, Hibiscus in outdoor light</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpA1TJDlB7DVc9rYPL4wUsZyTqmLrNdNP1xABG11nSrxcnY9Tuqj-cGvv_F3LouWW9rAHZIFlG848Uxh5cebTfhrrfyOJ4SsSE7hWy8XbleQNd4zXeMOicAAdeFPFfBlUQMOFsYnRoUQ/s1600/nyx+stick+blush+swatch+tungsten+light.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpA1TJDlB7DVc9rYPL4wUsZyTqmLrNdNP1xABG11nSrxcnY9Tuqj-cGvv_F3LouWW9rAHZIFlG848Uxh5cebTfhrrfyOJ4SsSE7hWy8XbleQNd4zXeMOicAAdeFPFfBlUQMOFsYnRoUQ/s400/nyx+stick+blush+swatch+tungsten+light.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>Orchid, Tulip, Hibiscus under Tungsten light</i></div>
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I bought these on eBay from <a href="http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/3-NYX-Stick-Blush-Pick-Your-3-color-Joys-cosmetics-/330680175632?pt=US_Makeup_Face&hash=item4cfe130c10">Joy's Cosmetics</a>, but Aussies can also get them from <a href="http://www.cherryculture.com/cosmetics/makeup/nyx/nyx-stick-blush/17907&cat=0&page=1">Cherry Culture</a> and <a href="http://www.crushcosmetics.com.au/face/blush/nyx-stick-blush">Crush Cosmetics</a>. </div>Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09349956327915851336noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-637354733344705396.post-67846037850178241562011-12-18T10:04:00.000+10:302011-12-18T10:04:11.276+10:30Goodbye and... Maybe Hello?I've had this blog for a couple of years now, and the obsession with makeup, perfume and making my skin look as smooth as a baby's butt (still trying) for several decades before that, so I think I've said and done all there is to say and do about that stuff for the moment. I've made loads of new friends from it, found some awesome blogs to read, and learned a million new things.<br />
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I'm not going to delete this blog, but I won't be updating it anymore. Instead I'm moving on to new pastures, and if you feel so inclined, I would be delighted if you would join me. It's called <a href="http://yearofthetightarse.blogspot.com/">Year of the Tight Arse</a> (Australian for someone who doesn't like spending money), and I do intend to chronicle my adventures with frugality - not a natural state for me, I should add. However, it's also a sort of anything-goes blog, where I can feel free to write whatever I want without worrying about whether I'm annoying people who just want to look at lipstick swatches. And for those who care about such things (me!), there will still be some makeup mentions and things like monthly empties posts, for I am obsessed with emptying things of late and that shows no sign of abating any time soon. <br />
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Thank you to everyone who followed and/or read my ramblings here. It's been lovely. :-)<br />
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And as a final treat, here's 5 blogs you should be reading if you're not already. <br />
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<a href="http://beautyreductionista.blogspot.com/">Beauty Reductionista:</a> Liz is a Canadanian (that's how you say it, right?) who created a blog to chronicle her attempts at reducing a large stash of beauty products. Has she succeeded? <a href="http://beautyreductionista.blogspot.com/2011/11/inventory-61-help-im-turning-into-blush.html">It's been hit and miss.</a> Regardless, she's interesting, funny and snarky without being mean. And she posts about some beautiful, beautiful things... even if <a href="http://beautyreductionista.blogspot.com/2011/12/real-last-hurrah.html">I don't know what they are</a>. <br />
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<a href="http://myperfumediaries.blogspot.com/">My Perfume Diaries:</a> Su shares my love of perfume, but goes way beyond that since she actually makes the effort to learn about them, rather than just going, "This one's nice. This one's nice too. This one's nice. This one's nice too..." like me channelling that Melanie Griffith in <i>The Simpsons</i>. She can <a href="http://myperfumediaries.blogspot.com/2011/12/arabian-perfume-oils-what-doesnt-kill.html">speak knowledgably without sounding like a wanker</a> (no mean feat in the perfume blogging world, let me tell you), and if you have even the slightest interest in scent she will have you spending up big after you read her <a href="http://myperfumediaries.blogspot.com/2011/12/haul-soaps-smellies.html">hauls</a> and reviews. Hmm, maybe I should stop reading this one...<br />
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<a href="http://www.dempeaux.com/">Dempeaux:</a> Sarah is a whizz at making her own stuff from <a href="http://www.dempeaux.com/?p=6704">serums</a> to <a href="http://www.dempeaux.com/?p=6442">hair growth products</a>. Annoyingly she won't open a shop and sell it so I can buy it instead of getting off my butt and making my own. I'll keep nagging though. She also has a pet sheep called Lamington, which sounds just like the kind of name my mother (a sheep farmer) would call a sheep, and <a href="http://www.dempeaux.com/?p=6555">even a scarf made from his wool</a>.You can learn about <a href="http://www.dempeaux.com/?p=6149">being healthy</a>, or just look at pictures of <a href="http://www.dempeaux.com/?p=4477">pretty clothes</a>. And both Noodle Arms and I think she looks like Alex from <i>Law and Order: SVU</i>, so we're kind of fans. <br />
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<a href="http://themustardjumper.wordpress.com/">The Mustard Jumper:</a> Natalie covers everything from <a href="http://themustardjumper.wordpress.com/2010/08/01/eclectic-does-not-equal-style/">fashion</a> to <a href="http://themustardjumper.wordpress.com/2010/09/24/one-day-in-september/">football</a>. I have little interest in either of those things, but her blog is one of my all time favourites, so I'm not kidding when I say she has something for everyone. <a href="http://themustardjumper.wordpress.com/2011/10/31/high-five/">Books</a>, <a href="http://themustardjumper.wordpress.com/2010/10/04/the-secret-life-of-us/">blogging</a>, <a href="http://themustardjumper.wordpress.com/2011/12/02/november-empties/">empties</a>, it's all there. She is also responsible for me falling insanely in love with <a href="http://themustardjumper.wordpress.com/2011/04/22/morning-benders/">The Inbetweeners</a>, a show I'm 25 years too old for (and probably the wrong gender).<br />
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<a href="http://dressesandsnacks.typepad.com/">Dresses & Snacks:</a> Amy loves food and vintage/thrift shop fashion, and blogs lovingly about both. There are <a href="http://dressesandsnacks.typepad.com/dresses-snacks/2011/06/i-love-legitimate-theatre-.html">dresses</a> and there are <a href="http://dressesandsnacks.typepad.com/dresses-snacks/2011/12/beijing-brunch.html">snacks</a>, and there is also the <a href="http://dressesandsnacks.typepad.com/dresses-snacks/2010/07/banana-bread-the-dog-park.html">world's cutest sausage dog</a> (which takes some doing, because seriously - have you ever seen a non-cute sausage dog? I don't even like dogs and they turn me to mush). Oh, and there is also <a href="http://dressesandsnacks.typepad.com/dresses-snacks/2010/07/cup-of-cake.html">this</a>. I kind of hate her for that one.Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09349956327915851336noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-637354733344705396.post-30638068136961402722011-12-04T08:47:00.001+10:302011-12-04T08:47:56.688+10:3050 Book Challenge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB1PvTYqg22-SlijGiuhyUaEAXBylJnAD7xH-T4BBkErJBilYzur32HzfJsvne_-ub19PPtV-hJjZiNoEl6_S-j_ZgVotJtBSAbgopgtQBgYGLpNw0UVaHE14ROdvVFHUI4XY43diJFw/s1600/bookshelf.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB1PvTYqg22-SlijGiuhyUaEAXBylJnAD7xH-T4BBkErJBilYzur32HzfJsvne_-ub19PPtV-hJjZiNoEl6_S-j_ZgVotJtBSAbgopgtQBgYGLpNw0UVaHE14ROdvVFHUI4XY43diJFw/s400/bookshelf.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
A crushing failure. I have not read more than 10 pages of a book in the last 3 months.I just can't seem to get reading mojo on, and let's face it, it's not likely to hit hard enough in the next few weeks for me to suddenly devour 27 books and get to 50. I am declaring now that I failed at this challenge for 2011. However, in 2012, I'll be going around again, so watch this space. For now, these are the last dregs I've been carrying around in a hopefully pathetic little list on my phone...<br />
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21. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bad-Haircut-Seventies-Tom-Perrotta/dp/042515954X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322948612&sr=8-1">Bad Haircut</a> - Tom Perrotta. The last of my Tom Perrotta books, and his first. And worst. It was... okay. A group of loosely connected stories about an angsty teenage boy that seem to have been written by an angsty teenage boy.<br />
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22. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Cure-Harlan-Coben/dp/045123491X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1322948769&sr=1-1">Miracle Cure</a> - Harlan Coben. Extremely dated book about a bunch of people involved in seeking a cure for AIDS being murdered. Stupidest twist ending ever. AVOID.<br />
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23. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Little-Children-Novel-Tom-Perrotta/dp/B001GQ3DS8/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1322949012&sr=1-1">Little Children</a> - Tom Perrotta. Okay, so this is the last of my Tom Perrotta books. This is one of his more recent 'grown up' novels, about a bored stay-at-home mother who has an affair with a bored stay-at-home father. There's a paedophile who has just moved back into the neighbourhood to give everyone something to do as well. Basically, it's about the banality and small-mindedness of suburbia, and when I say it like that it sounds awful, but it's actually pretty good. I tried to watch the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0404203/">movie</a> though, and that was awful. <br />
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<b>Books I started but have not finished for whatever reason:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Eating-Animals-Jonathan-Safran-Foer/dp/0241143934/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1322949128&sr=8-2">Eating Animals.</a> It's in my desk drawer at work. I've read about two chapters.<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/History-Compacts-Cosmetics-Victorian-Present/dp/1844680495/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1322949197&sr=1-1">Compacts and Cosmetics.</a> Next to my bed, I read it when I wake up in the night and can't get back to sleep. It's really interesting, and I'm about half way through it. Written by Madeleine Marsh, who was featured in the Lisa Eldridge videos about vintage makeup a few months ago. If you haven't seen them, I highly recommend them, they're fascinating. You can watch the first one <a href="http://youtu.be/Lh12XPiGOzc">here</a> and the second one <a href="http://youtu.be/QBbAqfIxUNM">here</a>. <br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_lucky_country">The Lucky Country.</a> In my work bag, for those times when I'm sitting around a doctor's office or something. I've read about two or three chapters.<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fall-Strain-Trilogy-Guillermo-Toro/dp/0061558257/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322949557&sr=8-1">The Fall.</a> Sitting on a shelf at my desk at work. After the awesomeness that was <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Strain-Book-One-Trilogy/dp/B0053U7BN6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322949628&sr=8-1">The Strain</a>, this book is unbearably tedious. I've read about a third of it. <br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Catching-Fire-Second-Hunger-Games/dp/0439023491/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1322949699&sr=1-2">Catching Fire.</a> I enjoyed <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hunger-Games-Suzanne-Collins/dp/0439023521/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1322949699&sr=1-1">The Hunger Games</a> quite a lot (and I'm not someone who generally likes YA), but I just couldn't get into this. THG seems like it was originally a standalone story and then someone somewhere saw the snowball effect of Twilight and Harry Potter and thought cha-ching! This seems tacked on and unnecessary, and it takes FOREVER to go anywhere. In fact, it still hadn't gone anywhere when I gave up, which was about 1/3 of the way in. <br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Last-Night-Twisted-River-Novel/dp/0345479734/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1322949905&sr=1-1">Last Night In Twisted River.</a> John Irving used to be my favourite author, and he wrote my <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Prayer-Owen-Meany-John-Irving/dp/0552135399/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1322950575&sr=8-2">all time favourite book</a>, but I don't think I have the attention span for his rambling anymore. I read one chapter of this (in my defence, it's a really long chapter), and put it down, intending to come back to it. I can't quite make myself pick it up again. <br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Need-Talk-About-Kevin-tie-/dp/0062119044/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1322950037&sr=1-1">We Need To Talk About Kevin. </a>I slogged through about a third of this before I couldn't stand another word. Insufferably pretentious wankfest. I probably would have loved it as a teenager. <br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Post-Birthday-World-Novel-P-S/dp/B002BWQ4VY/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_3">The Post-Birthday World.</a> I bought this at the same time as WNTTAK, which is why I own two books by this author. Again, I read about a third and couldn't bear any more of it. It's a <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120148/">Sliding Doors</a> 'what if' alternate lives kind of thing, but there is nothing interesting about the characters and the story is just fancied-up chick lit. <br />
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So, I'm calling it for the year. Come January 1, I'll be back in the challenge. If you did the 50 book challenge this year, tell me whether you made it or not. Feel free to gloat, I'm tough - I can take it.... *cry*...Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09349956327915851336noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-637354733344705396.post-74090443917705151812011-12-03T18:48:00.001+10:302011-12-03T18:52:48.371+10:30November Empties<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
The other day I was chatting to Liz from <a href="http://beautyreductionista.blogspot.com/">Beauty Reductionista</a> about my growing obsession with emptying things, and how there's probably a reality show in there somewhere - sort of the opposite of <i>Hoarders</i>. She does empties posts when she's used up 10 items, whereas I like to do mine monthly, so there's always a bit of tension towards the end of the month about whether the dregs of something will be gone by the time the month is over. I don't allow myself to cheat and use double the amount of something I normally would or anything like that, but I have to tell you - it's tempting. Yes, I know. It's weird. <br />
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This month was a concentrated effort to use up some samples - some I gathered myself, and some that were sent to me by various enablers like <a href="http://jademusing.tumblr.com/">Jade</a> and <a href="http://myperfumediaries.blogspot.com/">Su</a>. Noodle Arms and I went through all of my samples one afternoon - she chose what she wanted (hair products and body lotions), I chose what I wanted (anti-ageing stuff, hand cream, foundations and primers), we threw out a bunch of things that were of indeterminate age, and sent a bunch of other things off to a couple of people to play with. I won't comment much on the samples as there are quite a few of them, and I've already spoken about the Silk Naturals ones <a href="http://deedee255.blogspot.com/2011/11/silk-naturals-skin-care-first.html">here</a>, but I will say I loved the Paula's Choice <a href="http://www.paulaschoice.com.au/Skin-Care/Resist-Line/PC766---RESIST-Daily-Smoothing-Treatment-wi.aspx">Resist Daily Smoothing Treatment</a>, and if I wasn't currently obsessing over Silk Naturals I'd be all over a full bottle of that. It made my skin feel as smooth as a baby's. And Noodle Arms loved the <a href="http://www.garnier.com.au/_en/_au/garnier/Beauty-Heaven/index.aspx">Garnier Body Intensive body lotion</a> - the samples were from <a href="http://chloeblue2005.blogspot.com/">Jacquie</a>, who received them in one of those monthly boxes, I think. Noodles definitely has that on her wishlist for Christmas. <br />
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<b>MAC Cleanse Off Oil:</b> Yet another cleanser that Jacquie bought and didn't like. It was okay, nothing bad but nothing special either. I accidentally used it on my eyes once and it made them sore and stingy for a couple of days. I'm not that big a fan of MAC so I wouldn't bother buying this myself. <br />
<b>L'Oreal Gentle Eye Make-Up Remover:</b> I think I like the normal one better - I feel like I had to do a bit more work with this one, and I don't like having to rub around my eyes. Also, the packaging is crap - when you try to tip some onto a cotton pad it goes everywhere. Very wasteful. I wouldn't buy this one again, but I'd consider the normal one if they fixed the damn top of it.<br />
<b>Dove Foaming Make Up Remover:</b> Everyone loves this stuff - I hated it. As soon as I put it on my face I could feel it drying my skin, and I couldn't get it off fast enough. It was like paint stripper. I ended up using it to shave my legs, and even then I had to slather them with body lotion immediately afterwards.<br />
<b>La Biosthetique Conditionneur Douceur:</b> <a href="http://www.beautyheaven.com.au/">Beauty Heaven</a> sent me a bunch of random stuff a while back for no apparent reason, and this was one of them. It was okay, nothing special. I liked the pump packaging, though. I wouldn't repurchase, especially since it's about $40.<br />
<b>Lacura Renew Multi Intensive Serum:</b> This is Aldi's brand, and we don't have Aldi here in Adelaide. Apparently everyone went nuts for this when it was featured on <i>A Current Affair</i> or <i>Today Tonigh</i>t (judging all of you who watch those shows) and it was impossible to find for ages. Jacquie's mum, who lives interstate, kindly bought this one. It's a really nice moisturiser, but it ain't no serum. It doesn't particularly do anything other than moisturise. But at $10 I'd probably buy it again just for that reason. <br />
<b>Elizabeth Arden Sheer Lights Tinted Moisturiser: </b>This is a chucker - it's probably still 1/3 full, but I've had it for at least 2 years, maybe closer to 3. Time to go. It never did much anyway - extremely sheer and barely any coverage to speak of.<br />
<b>Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Line Smoothing Eye Cream:</b> It's not only cleansers Jacquie buys and then decides she doesn't like - she also does it with eye creams. I have at least three that she's passed on to me (score!), and this is one of them. I really liked this, not least because it doesn't have that hideous fake chocolate smell that most Palmer's products have. It's very rich and it felt lovely on my eyes, though to be honest, I don't know that it did any line smoothing. It just felt nice. I'd buy it again but I have tons of eye creams and gels and serums. <br />
<b>Palmolive Naturals Milk and Shea Butter:</b> This is a staple purchase for me, but I'm going to move more towards natural products next year so I might leave this for a while. I have a bottle on the go and when it's finished I'll start checking out some other brands like Sukin, etc.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj67BlnKNwsBvQHpWp0tevhPkuUIhZT8Qxc5pJub8sqruU4XTMUN3GUBE2CfK2Ybo56AL597EXHBlZKSA0ipW_Zn2ZDe95d2lNqg8P7SaNGGIlwkXjE7xxsx1nTzC4Gci4Y4r6eaggO8w/s1600/nov+2011+empties+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj67BlnKNwsBvQHpWp0tevhPkuUIhZT8Qxc5pJub8sqruU4XTMUN3GUBE2CfK2Ybo56AL597EXHBlZKSA0ipW_Zn2ZDe95d2lNqg8P7SaNGGIlwkXjE7xxsx1nTzC4Gci4Y4r6eaggO8w/s400/nov+2011+empties+2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<b>Haus of Gloi Absinthe Sugar Exfoliant:</b> This is pretty old - it's in one of their smaller jars. As I've mentioned before, I use these little jars of scrub on my hands, and I regularly buy Haus of Gloi ones because they're a great brand with excellent products and even more excellent customer service. The jar isn't empty at the moment because it's got some sunscreen that Jacquie gave to Noodles to sample in it.<br />
<b>A.S.A.P. Gentle Cleansing Gel:</b> This came from Beauty Heaven in the same package as the conditioner - it was a trio of cleanser, tinted moisturiser and scrub. I didn't really like this - it was a bit too soapy.<br />
<b>Dermalogica Clean Start Wash Off:</b> Noodles used to use this line but it stopped working for her, so she has a lot of bits and pieces floating around. She used the face wash just to get rid of it. <br />
<b>Unknown Mascara:</b> Another Noodles one - she got it free with a Dolly magazine. Just some cheapo thing.<br />
<b>Lancome Hypnose Doll Eyes Mascara: </b>This came in one of the Lust Have It boxes (I cancelled after the third one - there was too much emphasis on tanning, nails and hair, none of which really interest me, and it seemed stupid to pay for samples each month when I already had a drawer full of them that weren't being used), and I wanted to like it because it did make my lashes look longer and thicker but it flaked and smudged like a mofo. It was like the <a href="http://deedee255.blogspot.com/2011/08/junejuly-empties.html">L'Oreal ones</a> all over again. <br />
<b>Silk Naturals</b> samples:<br />
<ul><li>Kiss Cleanser x 2</li>
<li>Apricot Cleansing Oil</li>
<li>BHA Toner x 2</li>
<li>AHA Toner</li>
<li>Vitamin C Peptide</li>
<li>Super Serum</li>
<li>Firming Moisturiser</li>
</ul>These are all definite repurchases (as <a href="http://deedee255.blogspot.com/2011/11/silk-naturals-haul.html">previously mentioned</a>, I've already bought full sizes of most of them). <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIL5Pw63st9G1U4Kvguc1K6Fct-eSZa9uWtqgr5INi-DKCenwmT-D_A5AtUe1JOOfQ6dGMEh97FOWc_Ojso5f0MlbUJKVjHX9TALvvobTxjumOHDsjcFLV4SS4en1z7z5P8fKLbOycaA/s1600/nov+2011+empties+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIL5Pw63st9G1U4Kvguc1K6Fct-eSZa9uWtqgr5INi-DKCenwmT-D_A5AtUe1JOOfQ6dGMEh97FOWc_Ojso5f0MlbUJKVjHX9TALvvobTxjumOHDsjcFLV4SS4en1z7z5P8fKLbOycaA/s400/nov+2011+empties+3.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<b>Me:</b><br />
<ul><li>Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab Hilma</li>
<li>Paula's Choice Resist Daily Smoothing Treatment x 2</li>
<li> Paula's Choice Resist Optimal Results Hydrating Cleanser</li>
<li>Paula's Choice Moisture Boost Hydrating Toner</li>
<li>Paula's Choice Skin Revealing Body Lotion</li>
<li>John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Shampoo and Conditioner</li>
</ul><b>Noodles:</b><br />
<ul><li>Primaria Bath of Life for Coloured and Dry Hair</li>
<li>L'Occitane Shine Mask for Dry and Damaged Hair</li>
<li>VO5 Silky Smooth Conditioner</li>
<li>Paula's Choice Beautiful Body Butter</li>
<li>Paula's Choice Comfort Shave Gel</li>
<li>Terax Miele Shampoo</li>
<li>Aveeno Daily Moisturising Lotion</li>
<li>Garnier Body Intensive 7 Days Ultra-Softening Lotion x 2</li>
<li>Palmolive Naturals Hair Repair Shampoo and Conditioner</li>
</ul>Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09349956327915851336noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-637354733344705396.post-61065151334294994362011-12-02T23:11:00.000+10:302011-12-02T23:11:36.745+10:30Awkward Social Encounters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr70haHgV2AQnFep3jZQ6W8EpSSPoKuKsRQR_I-_zl6QAuK-50h54KB61i2WWF6dzFbimj8-V1XBWxw12elVLiz_lw08T-ZMZ0o0I01xZB2mUu3C94Ne7pqc9OpVmCWDrx39CmDopMQQ/s1600/man+hug.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr70haHgV2AQnFep3jZQ6W8EpSSPoKuKsRQR_I-_zl6QAuK-50h54KB61i2WWF6dzFbimj8-V1XBWxw12elVLiz_lw08T-ZMZ0o0I01xZB2mUu3C94Ne7pqc9OpVmCWDrx39CmDopMQQ/s400/man+hug.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://theoatmeal.com/comics/hugs">The Oatmeal</a></div><br />
I'm not a social person, really. I used to be, but I think many years of working in customer service and having to speak politely to many, many people all day long has turned me into something of a hermit. I have a really limited tolerance for people, even those I like enormously. At some point when I am spending time with them, it occurs to me that I am over this now and I would like them to just leave.<br />
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One of the things I really struggle with is awkward social encounters - those moments where you are forced to interact with someone you don't really know, don't really like, or don't really have anything in common with. These are torture to me, and I do everything I can to avoid them, including - if I have to and I can get away with it - hiding around corners until they have gone.The reason I was thinking about this is because I was telling Noodles the other day about how I constantly get approached for money in the street. The reasons for this are two-fold:<br />
<ol><li>I look like the kind of person who will give someone money (and if I have it, I generally do). </li>
<li>I've worked in welfare for years and a lot of the kind of people who ask for money kind of know me. </li>
</ol>Since it was beginning to get to ridiculous levels, I developed a strategy of pretending to talk on the phone whenever I spied someone in the distance I thought was likely to hit me up. I'm sure I'm not the only one who does this, and I'm sorry if it makes me a bad person, but I generally only have coffee money on me, and I need that coffee, man!<br />
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Anyway, that started me thinking about awkward social encounters generally, because I consider the people who 'kind of know me' as an awkward social encounter. They'll do the whole 'Hey, how are you going?' dance before coming out with the request for cash and it's excruciating. Other situations where I become completely unstuck:<br />
<ol><li>Running into someone I know but not very well when I'm about two blocks from work, and they're heading in the same direction. I hate this so much. I don't like chatting to people first thing in the morning at the best of times, but being forced to make small talk with someone I don't really know very well, and - let's be honest here - don't really care to know does my head in. I usually make up some excuse about needing mints or a newspaper and veer off towards a shop just to escape. One time the person came to the shop with me - I still have nightmares. </li>
<li>Running into someone you don't like in a public place, but feeling obliged to speak to them. Doubly painful if you know they don't like you either. </li>
<li>Running into someone whose name you can't remember. This happens to me all the time, because I have the memory of a goldfish. Last year I worked two desks away from a girl for two months, and then a couple of months after that I ran into her in a supermarket and not only could I not remember her name, I couldn't remember how I knew her. She was all, "Hi, how are you!" and I was thinking, "Where do I know you from? Where do I know you from? Agh!" I kept asking questions to try to figure it out, "So... what are you up to now...?" It didn't work, she was vague in her responses. I kind of got the feeling she couldn't quite place me either. It was days later that I realised I had worked near her, and to this day I still cannot remember her name. </li>
<li>When you start off with a cordial relationship but as time goes on you have less and less to do with one another so it becomes more and more strained. Seinfeld did a whole bit on this and it's so true. You start off with little friendly chats every time you see someone, then it's just a quick hi without stopping, then a nod, and then eventually neither of you makes eye contact when you pass each other and you pretend you have no idea who the other person is. </li>
<li>When you see someone you don't know well (or don't like) coming towards you and you don't know whether to just say hi or whether to stop, and then the two of you do this awkward little dance where one seems to stop but the other keeps moving, so the stopped one starts to move again at the same time the moving one notices the other one stopped so <i>they</i> stop, and on it goes... oh, so painful. </li>
<li>The unexpected kiss. I don't expect to be hugged or kissed by anyone I don't know very well, so when it happens I am always really thrown and tend to either jerk away slightly or veer off the path - for example, once Lily's granddad leaned in for a kiss on the cheek and I thought he was going to hug me, so I had my arms out and moved my head towards his shoulder and he missed my cheek and just kind of kissed the air while I was awkwardly patting his back - it embarrasses me just thinking about it, and it was years ago.</li>
</ol>So, is it just me? Do you dread awkward social encounters, or are you that person who enjoys getting into elevators and randomly chatting to whoever is in there?Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09349956327915851336noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-637354733344705396.post-17558775909125561432011-11-29T16:57:00.001+10:302011-11-29T16:58:18.445+10:30Silk Naturals Swatches<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh97TREbY7qZrA2tOoTuHVNXeD5BBUzxOvYewr3SmZqYVYYstppC8RJr9P92ZLRsb0cifMKhzHk_-rJ38ZpXOqkkAO4Ur8yPaiEkXXKQwpY1Pf78d3cI-vNb9RYFFxEw48EHblactus8Q/s1600/silk+naturals+makeup+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh97TREbY7qZrA2tOoTuHVNXeD5BBUzxOvYewr3SmZqYVYYstppC8RJr9P92ZLRsb0cifMKhzHk_-rJ38ZpXOqkkAO4Ur8yPaiEkXXKQwpY1Pf78d3cI-vNb9RYFFxEw48EHblactus8Q/s400/silk+naturals+makeup+4.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
As promised in my Silk Naturals <a href="http://deedee255.blogspot.com/2011/11/silk-naturals-haul.html">haul post</a>, here are the swatches of the makeup I received. (I don't know what that dent is in Noodles' arm - she appears to have been leaning on something.) The samples of brow powder and the two freebie samples of eyeshadow came in bags and I just put them into plastic pots for ease. The eyeshadows are swatched over <a href="http://deedee255.blogspot.com/2011/02/detrivore-eye-shadow-primer-and-uh.html">Detrivore primer</a>, and the blushes and brow powders on bare skin.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJWoCCBWM_dZsJ85qytMqfq-YwRGugTkoqy3FLvJl4dv_AfTRKgxD3hUzn9YXqYvExtW_UVbRQep-o-7acVIn0FbJ01nMbq2wLLydIaKYzGU4HqQmA9mr0zbR6Y7yuB9FoV19qgP_y_Q/s1600/silk+naturals+makeup.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJWoCCBWM_dZsJ85qytMqfq-YwRGugTkoqy3FLvJl4dv_AfTRKgxD3hUzn9YXqYvExtW_UVbRQep-o-7acVIn0FbJ01nMbq2wLLydIaKYzGU4HqQmA9mr0zbR6Y7yuB9FoV19qgP_y_Q/s400/silk+naturals+makeup.JPG" width="351" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsoPvwmHNuoYthYo9Q_WgxKyy5FgzHJKv06KbfH6l9xheA5JvCOIE9Si4UYwCroTUZY-nd2bEjJBm6g1qDo82fom7COC7g97DgkT07xBlG0L3STI_Xos4uzlxtp1LwvvIjxQBaNW0W7w/s1600/silk+naturals+swatches+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsoPvwmHNuoYthYo9Q_WgxKyy5FgzHJKv06KbfH6l9xheA5JvCOIE9Si4UYwCroTUZY-nd2bEjJBm6g1qDo82fom7COC7g97DgkT07xBlG0L3STI_Xos4uzlxtp1LwvvIjxQBaNW0W7w/s400/silk+naturals+swatches+2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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Earlier, I described <b>42</b> as looking like some kind of light brown/taupe colour, but as you can see, it's not at all like that. It's a peachy pink with gold shimmer, and reminded me immediately of <a href="http://deedee255.blogspot.com/2010/05/swatches-pure-luxe-eyeshadows.html">Pure Luxe Rose Gold</a>. For those interested in such things, Pure Luxe is one of the companies often accused of repackaging without admitting it - I don't know whether Silk Naturals does this. When I can get Noodle Arms to loan me her skin for swatching again I'll dig out <b>Rose Gold</b> and do a comparison (<i>edit - they're not the same, this one is more pink than Rose Gold</i>). Either way, it's a very pretty colour so I'm happy with that - so often when freebies are sent out it's something I would never wear. It's not as orange in real life as it looks in the picture - there is a lot more pink to it, but I couldn't get it to come out in a photo. Grr!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJigkB-4ntF6kM8yQOxDZkYw7OTHDyOAmF9bYg0I_KkOMWO3rbFdDxgA2Jc8FUy3qOdoUtBEG4JrA5WIg8oBeIHwbN3CUO3UmvBPxDD2zRkmr5Sl3EFvAoSg01xrrRlr9tolLTZUP29A/s1600/silk+naturals+makeup+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJigkB-4ntF6kM8yQOxDZkYw7OTHDyOAmF9bYg0I_KkOMWO3rbFdDxgA2Jc8FUy3qOdoUtBEG4JrA5WIg8oBeIHwbN3CUO3UmvBPxDD2zRkmr5Sl3EFvAoSg01xrrRlr9tolLTZUP29A/s400/silk+naturals+makeup+3.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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Okay, the swatches of these are backwards. From left: <b>Petal</b> and <b>Lady</b> blushes, <b>Medium Ash</b> and <b>Light Brunette</b> brow powders. The <b>Petal</b> blush is sheer, but not as sheer as it shows in this picture. It's a really hard shade to get a photo of. Supposedly these blushes are dupes - <b>Petal</b> for Benefit <b>Dandelion</b> and <b>Lady</b> for MAC <b>Dame</b> - but I don't own either of those so I can't say whether that is true. They are pretty, though.<br />
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<b>Things to know:</b><br />
<ul><li> <a href="http://host.silknaturals.com/creb/all-c-162_29_153.html">eyeshadows</a> seem to vary slightly in price (no idea why), around $4-4.50US, and they don't sell eyeshadow samples - they explain why on their site</li>
<li><a href="http://host.silknaturals.com/creb/brow-powders-c-162_105.html">brow powders</a> are $0.50 for samples, $3.50 for full size</li>
<li><a href="http://host.silknaturals.com/creb/all-c-161_33_155.html">blushes</a> are $1.25 for samples, $6.50 for full size (10g), and they also have a few cream blushes for $4.50 but they don't seem to do samples of those either</li>
</ul>Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09349956327915851336noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-637354733344705396.post-80462616117839167352011-11-28T08:49:00.001+10:302011-11-29T16:59:12.500+10:30Adventures in MuesliAs part of my healthifying thing at the moment, I am trying to make sure I eat a proper breakfast. I am a breakfast person, but I am also a struggling-to-get-up person at the moment, and it's too easy for me to let it slide until I get to work then grab a toasted sandwich with my coffee - white bread, lots of salt, lots of cheese, not much nutritional value, and not even very filling. And frankly, not even that good. Sorry <a href="http://www.beanbar.com.au/">Bean Bar</a>, but it has to be said - you could do better.<br />
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Noodles has been slack with breakfast too - unlike me, she is <i>not</i> a breakfast person, but she doesn't have recess at her school until 11:15 (don't get me started), and it's too long a time to be going without food, so I make her have something at home, even if it's just a piece of toast and Vegemite. So we decided to make some muesli, and since we both like different things, we though we'd each make our own tailored version. I used to make muesli all the time, working from a recipe <a href="http://shambolichome.wordpress.com/">Harriet Archer</a> devised. But as in all things, I got lazy and just stopped doing it. I have to admit, I'm a starter, not a finisher.<br />
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The mueslis we made on the weekend are loosely based on <a href="http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/11023/rosemary+stantons+toasted+muesli">this recipe</a>, though we deviated from it quite a bit - I just wanted a starting point. <br />
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<b>My muesli:</b><br />
<ul><li>about 325g rolled oats, dry toasted as in the linked recipe</li>
<li>1/4 cup sesame seeds, dry toasted</li>
<li> 1/3 cup almond flakes, dry toasted</li>
<li>1/4 cup shredded coconut, dry toasted</li>
<li>1/2 cup dried cranberries</li>
<li>1/2 cup sultanas</li>
<li>1/4 cup pepitas</li>
<li>1/4 cup sunflower kernels</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPjZvWcbBx2MpdFWKp9zMiicCDIIX_7xPX3OBWi28q9_ZE54dp_PTzLEd2VrMaycbbNIVGy-TVndMhV1cJyv63aYEd9mjUXzv09W8llEgXP6lHq0F4xSTG3GBHDCk5fTDKph0vsxV-yw/s1600/toasted+coconut.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPjZvWcbBx2MpdFWKp9zMiicCDIIX_7xPX3OBWi28q9_ZE54dp_PTzLEd2VrMaycbbNIVGy-TVndMhV1cJyv63aYEd9mjUXzv09W8llEgXP6lHq0F4xSTG3GBHDCk5fTDKph0vsxV-yw/s400/toasted+coconut.JPG" width="400" /></a></div> <br />
I wasn't going to put coconut in mine at all - it's so high in saturated fat and I don't particularly have a sweet tooth so I don't need something sweet in my muesli to make it palatable, but I made Noodle Arms' first and the smell of her toasted coconut swayed me. However, I only added the smallest amount to mine.<br />
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<b>Noodles' muesli:</b><br />
<ul><li>about 325g rolled oats, dry toasted</li>
<li> bran flakes (didn't measure, somewhere between 1-2 cups)</li>
<li>1/2 cup shredded coconut, dry toasted</li>
<li>2 cups chopped dried fruit - apple and nectarine </li>
<li>1/4 cup dried cranberries</li>
<li>1/2 cup flaked almonds</li>
</ul>She doesn't like seeds in her cereal so she skipped those. The bran flakes were a special request - she has an odd affinity for things she considers to be 'old lady' products, primarily bran and cardigans. <br />
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Most of the ingredients for these were pretty cheap - I just picked them up at the <a href="http://adelaidecentralmarket.com.au/general/house-of-health">local hippie shop</a> in the Adelaide Market. The amount we made will last about two or three weeks each, and I have enough of most of the ingredients left to make at least another two or three weeks' worth, if not more.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOj9U-FX7rqZJCM5yq-SYgp-fP2ThIkt79fRCL8d-CfPYNUKpRLym2r0jVvtndV6mfkx6jNcPy6jKnz1rHih-YvFnp3_XQSUjvHid3pgQFTetstoJ0hXQxwS3xzH3_AVQYhGfwXjMh8A/s1600/finished+muesli.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOj9U-FX7rqZJCM5yq-SYgp-fP2ThIkt79fRCL8d-CfPYNUKpRLym2r0jVvtndV6mfkx6jNcPy6jKnz1rHih-YvFnp3_XQSUjvHid3pgQFTetstoJ0hXQxwS3xzH3_AVQYhGfwXjMh8A/s400/finished+muesli.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09349956327915851336noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-637354733344705396.post-74865608477350478782011-11-27T09:16:00.000+10:302011-11-27T09:16:58.438+10:30Update on Project UIOLII'm halfway through <a href="http://deedee255.blogspot.com/2011/11/project-use-it-or-lose-it.html">Project Use It Or Lose It</a> (the two week mark), so I thought I'd do a bit of an update. I have to admit, this past week I haven't been wearing much makeup as I've been sleeping badly and getting up late, so for a few days it was just tinted moisturiser and a swipe of mascara. However, on the days I have worn makeup I have stuck faithfully to only using the items from Project UIOLI. <br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
<b>Using it: </b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh443n31VE1gIQ6XQhq9KUWzPA6_LIQECcYY3iY-GMNWLW9uQuonDzwZORHrGfUjwda1KbAsTUCOpmMMr4u647ek1VcidIiILbOIRwDN3WAuk8WYvsE2XdMjO1TgFNYJVra1FG9iip90w/s1600/using+it.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh443n31VE1gIQ6XQhq9KUWzPA6_LIQECcYY3iY-GMNWLW9uQuonDzwZORHrGfUjwda1KbAsTUCOpmMMr4u647ek1VcidIiILbOIRwDN3WAuk8WYvsE2XdMjO1TgFNYJVra1FG9iip90w/s320/using+it.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I really, really love the eyeshadows in the Clinique Strawberry Fudge palette. The brown is not as dark as I remember it being - it's a bit like NARS Ondine but more shimmery, a sort of plummy brown with a gold shimmer. It's gorgeous. The little ELF blushes are all matte, which I like, and not highly pigmented, which I also like. I've been getting a fair bit of wear out of those, particularly as they're nice Spring colours. The only problem with them is they're so small they're a PITA to get a blush brush into.<br />
<br />
The lip glosses are both low key, easily wearable colours and I'm quite enjoying them for days when I can't be bothered with the whole lipstick palaver. Not on the photo are the two Stila lipsticks - Natasha and Sarah. I sort of count these as lip glosses as they're quite sheer and shiny, and they're not really 'proper' lipsticks. They've been getting a bit of use too.<br />
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The NYX palette is great. I don't think I've ever really used this before - as I said, I took it from Noodles when she decided she was never going to use it. It's just a good neutral palette with very wearable practical colours. Nothing's too chalky or too shimmery - in fact, they're all quite creamy, and though I'm a raving NYX fan as you know, I'm the first to admit that their palette shadows can sometimes be a bit hit and miss. This is definitely a keeper!<br />
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<b>Thinking of losing it:</b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho0rwm5AZgvDbdg1JnKuZ-EuS4S-6LnuOZ6LsGdA5h12oVcwv2r04lpFsh2Ukn-QuyQJ1NSG1HIKHYuJVPR7yXU0wv8CMU9jDK7-0gxCpSGqvguq1OOgPLFEEvT172aUjJwYZSrGkLAQ/s1600/losing+it.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho0rwm5AZgvDbdg1JnKuZ-EuS4S-6LnuOZ6LsGdA5h12oVcwv2r04lpFsh2Ukn-QuyQJ1NSG1HIKHYuJVPR7yXU0wv8CMU9jDK7-0gxCpSGqvguq1OOgPLFEEvT172aUjJwYZSrGkLAQ/s320/losing+it.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
These two NYX blushes are total disco balls - they're way too glittery and shimmery for day wear and my night life days have been over for quite a while now, so I can't imagine I would get much use out of them. Might be losing those. The Sleek lipsticks are both a bit 'off' on me - they're too frosty or something, they just don't look right. And the Jordana eyeshadow is a lovely colour but it's REALLY powdery and goes everywhere, and it's hard to blend out. You just wipe it straight off again. Also not pictured here is the MAC Naked Paris lipstick. Glitter bomb! Now I remember why I shoved it in the back of the box in the fridge (where I keep my lipsticks) in the first place.<br />
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<b>Not yet used:</b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3IiENzgjjzmUL_RyJ9UXscnoBSuKZTzch6S9wQqnYPJHxWthtRyZD5R_R8vFIY1MHv2ZkwwH6BMIEVwU8hBXcyDGEstbn0Br9kMYNkDXhezDlDVmsEFjGiqBiq0cr_U26XoFAvzZpTQ/s1600/yet+to+use+it.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3IiENzgjjzmUL_RyJ9UXscnoBSuKZTzch6S9wQqnYPJHxWthtRyZD5R_R8vFIY1MHv2ZkwwH6BMIEVwU8hBXcyDGEstbn0Br9kMYNkDXhezDlDVmsEFjGiqBiq0cr_U26XoFAvzZpTQ/s320/yet+to+use+it.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
These are the products I have not yet touched in my project, so I'll be making sure they get a guernsey during the week.Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09349956327915851336noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-637354733344705396.post-61244536503100075622011-11-26T19:28:00.001+10:302011-11-26T19:29:08.133+10:30Silk Naturals Haul<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEsvG4emlI27E8vgUk-tq2ljQE6mp3MbhN8hV_xKEjFCyF-rbSmR3V6AI2nqKGka5e-Waa0eIFcpIGQXwSHWOxONrNEPf7iuSJi0-Ju0a8jUV32TwJczt7w6fvAWF0cYOi6eHeO36TPg/s1600/silk+naturals+haul+nov+2011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEsvG4emlI27E8vgUk-tq2ljQE6mp3MbhN8hV_xKEjFCyF-rbSmR3V6AI2nqKGka5e-Waa0eIFcpIGQXwSHWOxONrNEPf7iuSJi0-Ju0a8jUV32TwJczt7w6fvAWF0cYOi6eHeO36TPg/s400/silk+naturals+haul+nov+2011.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
I wrote about my first dip into the waters of Silk Naturals <a href="http://deedee255.blogspot.com/2011/11/silk-naturals-skin-care-first.html">the other day</a>, and I was so impressed I bought full sizes of everything except the Kiss Foaming Cleanser - and not because there was anything wrong with that, but because Lily already has a massive bottle of Cetaphil cleanser that she is working through and that's fine for now. I also took a chance on a full bottle of the Intensive Moisturiser (without having sampled it) rather than the Firming Moisturiser. I did like the Firming Moisturiser but it wasn't moisturising enough under makeup. I was so excited to get my hands on this haul - I loved the samples, and I hated having to go back to my regular stuff while I waited for the full bottles to arrive. But now they're here! And I've been all over it!<br />
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I'll do full reviews when I've had a proper amount of time to test it all, but for now I'll just tell you what I bought.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Full sizes:<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://host.silknaturals.com/creb/apricot-cleansing-p-823.html">Apricot Cleansing Oil</a></li>
<li><a href="http://host.silknaturals.com/creb/2-bha-toner-p-820.html">2% BHA Toner</a></li>
<li><a href="http://host.silknaturals.com/creb/8-aha-toner-p-821.html">8% AHA Toner</a></li>
<li><a href="http://host.silknaturals.com/creb/intensive-moisturizer-wcoq10-reonvage-p-884.html">Intensive Moisturiser</a></li>
<li><a href="http://host.silknaturals.com/creb/pore-refining-toner-p-818.html">Pore Refining Toner</a></li>
<li><a href="http://host.silknaturals.com/creb/vitamin-peptide-serum-p-765.html">Vitamin C Peptide Serum</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://host.silknaturals.com/creb/super-serum-must-have-p-845.html">Super Serum </a></li>
</ul><br />
Samples:<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://host.silknaturals.com/creb/oatmeal-hydrating-serum-p-767.html">Oatmeal Hydrating Serum x 2 </a></li>
<li><a href="http://host.silknaturals.com/creb/green-aloe-hydrating-serum-p-768.html">Green Tea and Aloe Hydrating Serum x 2</a></li>
<li><a href="http://host.silknaturals.com/creb/control-serum-p-814.html">Oil Control Serum x 2</a></li>
<li><a href="http://host.silknaturals.com/creb/hemp-moisturizer-p-876.html">Hemp Moisturiser x 2</a></li>
<li><a href="http://host.silknaturals.com/creb/argan-goji-berry-moisturizer-p-1168.html">Argan and Goji Berry Moisturiser x 2</a></li>
<li><a href="http://host.silknaturals.com/creb/light-brunette-brow-powder-p-634.html">Light Brunette Brow Powder</a></li>
<li><a href="http://host.silknaturals.com/creb/medium-brow-powder-p-636.html">Medium Ash Brow Powder</a></li>
<li><a href="http://host.silknaturals.com/creb/petal-light-pink-matte-blush-benefit-dandelion-clone-p-416.html">Petal Blush</a></li>
<li><a href="http://host.silknaturals.com/creb/lady-matte-plum-pink-dame-clone-p-539.html">Lady Blush</a></li>
</ul>In addition to that, they have a deal where you can choose an eyeshadow for every $30 you spend, so I got 3 of those. And they also give away a mini version of a different product each week if you spend over $10. The one I received is called '42', which doesn't seem to be listed on the site. I haven't opened it yet, but it appears to be some kind of light brown/taupe colour. My freebies for spending the buckaroos were:<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://host.silknaturals.com/creb/blanket-fort-medium-shimmer-p-1358.html">Blanket Fort </a></li>
<li><a href="http://host.silknaturals.com/creb/deep-copper-shimmer-p-1359.html">Dig It</a></li>
<li><a href="http://host.silknaturals.com/creb/mink-shimmering-plum-brown-satin-taupe-p-157.html">Mink</a></li>
</ul><br />
And as if all that wasn't enough, they threw in two more samples - <a href="http://host.silknaturals.com/creb/vineyard-shimmery-layered-lavender-p-651.html">Vineyard</a> and <a href="http://host.silknaturals.com/creb/sizzle-blue-gold-shimmer-p-110.html">Sizzle</a>. <br />
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I ordered on 6/11, it was shipped on 8/11, and I received it on 23/11 - not bad going considering Aus Post has been even more craptacular than usual of late. The shipping for all that lot was about $18US, and the total order, with shipping included was about $116US, which I think is awesome for that amount of stuff. That would buy me one Clarins moisturiser, and not even one Estee Lauder serum.I should also add that I emailed them after my first order to ask advice about what sort of things I could try for Noodles and they were extremely helpful with their advice. So thumbs up for customer service also.<br />
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I will do swatches of all the makeup products very soon, but in the mean time I'm planning my next order - essentially, one of everything!Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09349956327915851336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-637354733344705396.post-48681761859199172032011-11-25T20:53:00.000+10:302011-11-25T20:53:57.912+10:30Healthifying: Back on the WagonMy healthifying has slacked off in the last few weeks - after dropping nearly 17 kilograms in about 4 months, I've been gaining and losing the same kilo for the last four or five weeks, mostly due to the fact that I am bone idle, and it takes about 20 seconds for me to justify to myself why I am going to lie in bed watching TV and eating chocolate or cheese on toast rather than walk for half an hour and then eat a salad. Being healthy is a boring chore for me. There's meal planning, organising, researching, shopping... ugh. It's so much easier to have a glass of wine and watch Eastenders. This has long been a pattern of mine - I lose weight pretty easily, but I gain it even more easily. In my wardrobe are 6 different sizes of clothing. Can you tell which is the fat chick clothing end?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEice8VmIZJkUKbnl-Cet5dvsjwYg8CZKn16dT3ZHllBYMxprVMOZczy5PCTPid5puRGPZLWd42txfsjUo4zE2op2DizDoXHZXE_rDaxeCXnpO8fpkhLlU9_2JGFNw4oJfGQ1_rtnNRtmQ/s1600/clothes+rack.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEice8VmIZJkUKbnl-Cet5dvsjwYg8CZKn16dT3ZHllBYMxprVMOZczy5PCTPid5puRGPZLWd42txfsjUo4zE2op2DizDoXHZXE_rDaxeCXnpO8fpkhLlU9_2JGFNw4oJfGQ1_rtnNRtmQ/s400/clothes+rack.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Yeah, you know it - all those nondescript black and dark dresses. (Don't look at the brown jacket at the other end, I know it's boak but I have a creepy attachment to it.) By the way, the rack is on a lean because I live in one of those houses with 'character' - i.e. desperately in need of restumping. All those nice, light cotton things in the middle are about 2-3 sizes too small for me at the moment, and it wouldn't take much for them to slip out of my grasp forever. A few more nights of lolling about munching on toast, a few more mornings of spinach and feta danishes for breakfast... <br />
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Under my bed are 3 boxes filled with too-small clothes. Including one that just has underwear. All those pretties just going to waste.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpBSuhKm53sWdgyegl69xxwjtJNVrEwdLsZ5IGhDbeTTyrirn9H27er_6XNdi3KKRawOI6r6Pv5SGbhnX6ysjmS22KhaFSLN0NhCePQ4vobpajeu34d4jWC_TBuVecGxxXLW1TJopvDA/s1600/underwear+box.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpBSuhKm53sWdgyegl69xxwjtJNVrEwdLsZ5IGhDbeTTyrirn9H27er_6XNdi3KKRawOI6r6Pv5SGbhnX6ysjmS22KhaFSLN0NhCePQ4vobpajeu34d4jWC_TBuVecGxxXLW1TJopvDA/s400/underwear+box.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Anyway, the point of all of this is to state that as of tomorrow I'm back on track - I've done half my shopping (the grocery half), and I'm off to the <a href="http://adelaidecentralmarket.com.au/">market</a> tomorrow to get all of my fixin's for salads, muesli, healthy snacks and so on. I'm back on track with making sure I walk every day, and I just bought new batteries for the Wii Fit board so no excuses there. <br />
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I'm heartened by the fact that so many bloggers seem to be on a health kick lately - it's nice to know you're not alone, and I'm picking up loads of interesting tips and information. I'm also working on moving both Lily and myself away from commercial to natural skin and hair care, but that's another post in itself.Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09349956327915851336noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-637354733344705396.post-70283525815862428402011-11-20T12:16:00.000+10:302011-11-20T12:16:40.169+10:30My Favourite Stand Alone EyeshadowsRecently Emily from <a href="http://www.beautybroadcast.net/">Beauty Broadcast</a> did a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ziy3fYi_0eE">video</a> about her favourite 'stand alone' eyeshadows - that is, eyeshadows you can wear on their own. I've been doing this almost exclusively for about a year - certainly during the week when I don't have the time or the inclination to faff around choosing different colours that go together and then blending them just so. One of the reasons I have gravitated away from colour to neutrals is because with neutrals, you can pretty much get away with using any one of them on their own.<br />
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Having said that, I do have some particular favourite 'swipe and go' shadows. I haven't included any of the Benefit Creaseless Creams here, though I do use them often and always on their own. But I've talked about them before, so if you want to see swatches of those you can find them <a href="http://deedee255.blogspot.com/2010/12/review-and-swatches-benefit-creaseless.html">here</a>. For the record, the ones I use most often are <b>Flatter Me</b>, <b>RSVP</b> and <b>Pre Nup</b>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNuoMHHwXZQGJqEKqM9pvfxdE4DM2RjJWzc8aHclq2peyCfw0tI8ne1Rp-EDzkF4PemXy8tv327iA3ErmmRxfd0jc297f184fk1y7zlJrWU91WmMAO_fIDlpySbOA1bferCJI_MrRv2Q/s1600/standalone+shadows+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNuoMHHwXZQGJqEKqM9pvfxdE4DM2RjJWzc8aHclq2peyCfw0tI8ne1Rp-EDzkF4PemXy8tv327iA3ErmmRxfd0jc297f184fk1y7zlJrWU91WmMAO_fIDlpySbOA1bferCJI_MrRv2Q/s320/standalone+shadows+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ1WjFIpLCT8_iqRn-42scy4-6F5TwATGjUmV5kg4QmRWA7GYqD3XcDHvJxz0qUgU-hDIthUfnvCzPhx9dpDp5WBNAKmYW7ScRXV4_50DssCtAstkU-ZE3wBi_LnCgDIt-pP3EnBAa5Q/s1600/standalone+swatches+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ1WjFIpLCT8_iqRn-42scy4-6F5TwATGjUmV5kg4QmRWA7GYqD3XcDHvJxz0qUgU-hDIthUfnvCzPhx9dpDp5WBNAKmYW7ScRXV4_50DssCtAstkU-ZE3wBi_LnCgDIt-pP3EnBAa5Q/s320/standalone+swatches+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>From left: SMH <b>Cashmere</b>, NYX <b>Volcano</b>, MAC <b>Woodwinked</b>, NYX <b>Iced Mocha</b>. </i></div><br />
<b>Volcano</b> is the one Emily is wearing in the video, though weirdly it throws more purple on her - it's a definite bronzy brown on me. It's a bit of a cheat including this one because I find that it tends to make my inner corners dark and shadowy so I lighten those up a bit with Urban Decay <b>Sin</b> when I wear this. But close enough to a stand alone that I'm including it. And it's my blog so I can do what I want. Ner.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5W1kP9ZBMFJq6PnZ3fOifLb1TiooQZuZyGBQGPQmQzCeTAFtjb2VSide_xpq8pfC3A7LaKm_uvTW17WVc8sPah080jTYrKT5_Ukf56Y9PoNiwHmFY0Zrr3SWikjKLl4Lch45H1l_P-g/s1600/standalone+shadows+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5W1kP9ZBMFJq6PnZ3fOifLb1TiooQZuZyGBQGPQmQzCeTAFtjb2VSide_xpq8pfC3A7LaKm_uvTW17WVc8sPah080jTYrKT5_Ukf56Y9PoNiwHmFY0Zrr3SWikjKLl4Lch45H1l_P-g/s320/standalone+shadows+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ-DYQmJvo9bkD_MYFp8j64WQS_Ycn_9OBOXImgz8jSRKwiiJZ9AejMCpEG13p_OKq2ekm2bUfwjLIyfMins5QaLW7E0zOeZLH0wYUlKAEqNoit6vhGZoc0-29zZtTcssuWbRUviZeLw/s1600/standalone+swatches+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ-DYQmJvo9bkD_MYFp8j64WQS_Ycn_9OBOXImgz8jSRKwiiJZ9AejMCpEG13p_OKq2ekm2bUfwjLIyfMins5QaLW7E0zOeZLH0wYUlKAEqNoit6vhGZoc0-29zZtTcssuWbRUviZeLw/s320/standalone+swatches+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>From left: Urban Decay <b>Toasted</b>, NARS <b>Ondine</b>, Sigma <b>Indian Girl</b>. </i></div><br />
If you have Naked (and who doesn't) you have <b>Toasted</b>. It's possibly my all time favourite eyeshadow, certainly my most often used. These swatches are not the best, unfortunately - it's very overcast here today and the pictures were taken by Noodle Arms, whose photography skills make me look like Diane Arbus. There's a better swatch of this (and a few others mentioned in this post) <a href="http://deedee255.blogspot.com/2010/10/shopping-my-stash-my-current-favourite.html">here</a>. <br />
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If you bought Sigma brushes in the early days, you probably also have <b>Indian Girl</b>, as that was their staple freebie for quite a while. It's a really pretty greyish taupe, but the grey/purple does not show up in this picture at all. There are better swatches of it in someone else's blog <a href="http://www.makeupwithdrawal.com/2010/09/review-sigma-indian-girl-eyeshadow.html">here</a>, but even then I think the grey aspect just doesn't come out well in photos. Bummer. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvQPIwk5-l3nWHEDabfOL_83PJkYuYv3fwd_3L7FkmGXCyE-dEAKVXBD7DHmaGgkzsJDP5XKQ5m_xaE7cRtKmHt-kYQvMlD6oCYl3oe6k3W7F-mxDviX9QN-bso21o07A_H1oSkj19YQ/s1600/standalone+shadows+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvQPIwk5-l3nWHEDabfOL_83PJkYuYv3fwd_3L7FkmGXCyE-dEAKVXBD7DHmaGgkzsJDP5XKQ5m_xaE7cRtKmHt-kYQvMlD6oCYl3oe6k3W7F-mxDviX9QN-bso21o07A_H1oSkj19YQ/s320/standalone+shadows+3.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPgz8q287wdfJ0-v4mBCuwJ8f67bHe5Vpai3zLMakwsoXaVua1yMhA4jp-fpoIJEeP2nL15DiBVTL35j5OUd01bgz2jDIl21R30rI2sBXKCbK9Uy1X3UYyiX12XeUSfYo6gsjdQ18WZA/s1600/standalone+swatches+3+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPgz8q287wdfJ0-v4mBCuwJ8f67bHe5Vpai3zLMakwsoXaVua1yMhA4jp-fpoIJEeP2nL15DiBVTL35j5OUd01bgz2jDIl21R30rI2sBXKCbK9Uy1X3UYyiX12XeUSfYo6gsjdQ18WZA/s320/standalone+swatches+3+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>From left, NYX <b>Shimmer</b>, Wet'n'Wild <b>Penny</b>, NYX <b>Flamingo</b>, Wet'n'Wild <b>Nutty</b></i></div><br />
I talked about <b>Penny</b> in <a href="http://deedee255.blogspot.com/2010/11/another-alleged-mac-dupe.html">this post</a>, where I compared to its supposed exact dupe, MAC <b>Expensive Pink</b>. As dupes go, it's pretty damn good, and it's $2US. TWO BUCKS PEOPLE. It's beautiful - a gorgeous peach with gold shimmer. Best thing I've ever spent $2 on. <br />
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<b>Flamingo</b> is a purply-pink with gold shimmer, and again this picture isn't doing it justice. It needs a base to bring it out, and these were all swatched on bare skin.<br />
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So there you have what has been my eyeshadow wardrobe for most of this year, <a href="http://deedee255.blogspot.com/2011/11/project-use-it-or-lose-it.html">current project</a> notwithstanding. Do you have eyeshadows you use on your own? If so, tell me what they are because I totally need new eyeshadows. No, really.Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09349956327915851336noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-637354733344705396.post-71287770119464146752011-11-16T21:02:00.000+10:302011-11-16T21:02:18.680+10:30This is what tonight's Glee made me think of...<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tgVNgYXFi_Q" width="560"></iframe>Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09349956327915851336noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-637354733344705396.post-81402789792518553112011-11-13T13:32:00.000+10:302011-11-13T13:32:21.320+10:30Project 'Use It or Lose It'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7IFYeWKfusTvR9XsL1BRRDaqMRMTiUTL12J4cOHfP5FPNuacL3Qo-E3IKOKdHGZLIn0eqafNUyshJsr5uQ2jVAad9MwRYfBbN92ab10W8k_NuVLWjm-rpQtKwN4EmkKh2l0Ssp6xElA/s1600/use+it+or+lose+it.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7IFYeWKfusTvR9XsL1BRRDaqMRMTiUTL12J4cOHfP5FPNuacL3Qo-E3IKOKdHGZLIn0eqafNUyshJsr5uQ2jVAad9MwRYfBbN92ab10W8k_NuVLWjm-rpQtKwN4EmkKh2l0Ssp6xElA/s320/use+it+or+lose+it.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>I've done a bang up job of reducing my stash in the past few months by either selling, giving away or throwing out a ton of stuff. I don't own near as much as I did this time last year - in fact probably less than a quarter. Way less. However, I still have a tendency to just head to the same products over and over each day and there is quite a bit that is hovering around being ignored.<br />
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Therefore, I've decided to undertake what I call Project Use It or Lose It. For the next four weeks I am going to use only these products (as colour, still using my same foundations and concealers as always as I don't have any of those being particularly neglected). If after the four weeks is up I don't love the products, or I'm likely to shove them back in a drawer and forget them again, I'll get rid of them. If I do love them, they can go in the regular rotation and I'll make sure I use them. So here are my products for use for the next month (the links are to swatches and/or reviews if I have them)...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO2d6JEaVV9tRwme5IWAQCUZ3ZXn0uC2eN0Ywwdahgz68QxyPTD6kiisbsO9vySYDSdPNCW-TdVt5X-NjM0WJ5jT8G8LAowiJ7S4VSnGnIXao18UGkeZJkc3Xt7y-E5ckTCGkOcfYcvw/s1600/use+it+or+lose+it+eyes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO2d6JEaVV9tRwme5IWAQCUZ3ZXn0uC2eN0Ywwdahgz68QxyPTD6kiisbsO9vySYDSdPNCW-TdVt5X-NjM0WJ5jT8G8LAowiJ7S4VSnGnIXao18UGkeZJkc3Xt7y-E5ckTCGkOcfYcvw/s320/use+it+or+lose+it+eyes.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://deedee255.blogspot.com/2010/12/milani-shadow-wear-quad-in-exotic.html">Milani Shadow Wear Quad in Exotic Berries.</a> Despite saying in the review that I intended to put this one back into regular rotation, I'm pretty sure that's the last time I wore it, so it's been hanging around for a looooong while. When I first got this I wore it nearly every day. But the love faded, as it does. I'm so fickle. <br />
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<b>Jordana Eyeshadow in Pretty Peach.</b> Not nearly as lairy as it looks - this is actually a really pretty, subtle matte peach. I think I've only ever used it once or twice and I'm not sure why because I really like it.<br />
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<a href="http://deedee255.blogspot.com/2010/03/swatches-urban-decay-wee-bit-of-mac.html">Bourjois Ombre Stretch in 06 Rose Etastique.</a> It's the second from the left in the bottom picture in the link to swatches. This is another one I used to love to death but it was cast aside (that's a shadow, by the way, not a streak of grease or anything - it's very overcast here today). <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBLWMpMpQixWHcx8nAA92ToFsJX10qxOKBYXUXcz_jmCdND6wvgTq4zcFz2h8AOQTdrZIsv-QTEZXJtt2Sk8UnDYEDVDyx6r5od9jsu89gATWJDWWmsYZOAgjG8lvPz6jvCM9YLUS2Iw/s1600/use+it+or+lose+it+palettes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBLWMpMpQixWHcx8nAA92ToFsJX10qxOKBYXUXcz_jmCdND6wvgTq4zcFz2h8AOQTdrZIsv-QTEZXJtt2Sk8UnDYEDVDyx6r5od9jsu89gATWJDWWmsYZOAgjG8lvPz6jvCM9YLUS2Iw/s320/use+it+or+lose+it+palettes.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://deedee255.blogspot.com/2011/03/clinique-strawberry-fudge-duo.html">Clinique Strawberry Fudge Duo.</a> I have had this for years and I used it pretty faithfully up until around the time of that review. What is with that? Love it. Need to get back into it (again - shadow, not grease!).<br />
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<a href="http://deedee255.blogspot.com/2010/04/swatches-nyx-10-color-palettes.html">NYX Runway Collection in Romance.</a> Technically I bought this for Noodle Arms as it was a nice, neutral palette and she was just getting into a bit of dabbling with makeup at the time. But she swiped my <a href="http://www.bellasugar.com/Review-Wet-n-Wild-MegaEyes-Shadow-Pot-6746874">Wet'n'Wild Fine Wink</a> and that's all she ever uses, so I took this one back. And then rarely used it...<br />
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<a href="http://deedee255.blogspot.com/2010/12/chanel-les-4-ombres-garden-party.html">Chanel Les 4 Ombres in Garden Party.</a> There was a time when this would get a regular run, despite the issues I discussed in my review, but it has been at least 6 months since I last touched this. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLx9lEU2Mtckpfy7eRFtKfNc9AKs2Yq6JClNXv2tVIdhMk_12KbSfx_e2HHm6hNsHuhWnpcxz3Q7DPpn3iGxY0xumtuCSC4M2-ges9_DmdV5cgSyjRRc38oCArxx6gSo0dp22-T35xPQ/s1600/use+it+or+lose+it+blush.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLx9lEU2Mtckpfy7eRFtKfNc9AKs2Yq6JClNXv2tVIdhMk_12KbSfx_e2HHm6hNsHuhWnpcxz3Q7DPpn3iGxY0xumtuCSC4M2-ges9_DmdV5cgSyjRRc38oCArxx6gSo0dp22-T35xPQ/s320/use+it+or+lose+it+blush.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://deedee255.blogspot.com/2011/01/my-elf-collection-part-two-pic-heavy.html">elf blushes in Shy, Innocence and Glow.</a> I've had these forever and I definitely haven't touched them since I swatched them last a year ago for that elf collection post. <br />
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<b>? Cream Blush in Radiant.</b> This came in one of those Lust Have It boxes, and I've included it because I haven't used it and it doesn't really grab me, so I want to make myself try it and see what I think. I can't remember the brand and it's not written on there.<br />
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<a href="http://deedee255.blogspot.com/2011/03/swatching-fail.html">NYX Blushes in Terra Cotta (agh!) and Pinched.</a> I never did get around to swatching my NYX blushes - must make a note to do that some time. I've never really worn these properly - they're kind of glittery and Pinched is a bit chalky and uneven, though both are quite pigmented for NYX blushes. These will be for the days when I'm feeling <a href="http://youtu.be/0Ah5lYVn1xI">zazzy</a>. And oh look, there's my dead Sigma brush. :-(<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcKiedHRrgiYv8kSXYhoWQPIHzDE41UdYefd7zTkWGpUNngoWr5USb53EQqh4OHbsMAUoB-fbDeNzJfNcFktffS18wCd2l6SdjTL8s9jnUcdtTd_fSHBPp4wn3oYnTXDS84U3sp9WvJg/s1600/use+it+or+lose+it+lips.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcKiedHRrgiYv8kSXYhoWQPIHzDE41UdYefd7zTkWGpUNngoWr5USb53EQqh4OHbsMAUoB-fbDeNzJfNcFktffS18wCd2l6SdjTL8s9jnUcdtTd_fSHBPp4wn3oYnTXDS84U3sp9WvJg/s320/use+it+or+lose+it+lips.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://deedee255.blogspot.com/2011/04/nyx-round-lipstick-swatches-nudes.html">NYX Round Lipstick in Darling.</a> Why do I keep forgetting I have this? I love it. <br />
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<a href="http://deedee255.blogspot.com/2010/12/swatches-stila-lipsticks.html">Stila High Shine Lipsticks in Sarah and Natasha.</a> There was a time when I was so obsessed with Natasha it looked like it would be the first lipstick I ever actually finished in my life. But alas, like everything else it was pushed aside for something newer and shinier. Well, probably not shinier, because it's pretty damn shiny. I want to see if the magic is still there. <br />
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<b>MAC Lipstick in Naked Paris.</b> I'm not particularly a MAC fan and I don't own much of their brand - this is one of only two lipsticks I have (the other is Syrup, which I use regularly). I really like this one but it has sooo much spangle going on that I hardly ever wear it. Time to bust it out and see if I can make it work.<br />
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<b>Sleek Lipsticks in Rose Petal and Organza.</b> I bought these during their sale debacle last year, and even though they are really pretty, Sleek annoy me so much that I can rarely bring myself to use the products of theirs that I own. On the other hand, <a href="http://deedee255.blogspot.com/2011/02/my-sleek-story.html">I ended up getting them for free</a> (thanks to their sucktacular service which accidentally ended up going in my favour, unlike most other people), so I could never bring myself to sell them or anything. I'll have a crack at them and if I'm still annoyed I'll just give them away or pass them on to Noodles. <br />
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<b>NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss in Smokey Look.</b> A recent purchase I bought on a whim after seeing a picture of someone somewhere wearing it and it looked really pretty. After I'd just culled pretty much all of my lip glosses...<br />
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<a href="http://deedee255.blogspot.com/2010/08/review-elf-liquid-lipstick.html">elf Liquid Lipstick in Bark.</a> As lip glosses go (these are totally not lipsticks), I quite like these, and I use the other three I have regularly. Poor old Bark has been forgotten for quite some time though - I think I've only ever used it a handful of times, and certainly not for a long while. <br />
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So there you have it - my face for the next month (not all at once... obviously). I'll report back at the end about what I'm using and what I'm losing.Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09349956327915851336noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-637354733344705396.post-70174842680763716362011-11-13T10:06:00.000+10:302011-11-13T10:06:30.727+10:30Eat Shit, Jessica - It's Carrot!I told you that you would be spammed with random posts this weekend. I was thinking this morning about things that make me laugh (I don't know why - it was just one of those things I think about every now and then), and I remembered this clip of Orlando Bloom on Graham Norton. I know I've posted this on Facebook before, and probably Twitter, but I don't think I have here (if so, it's worth watching again so stop whinging). <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/LvUcd9Hzgjo" width="420"></iframe>Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09349956327915851336noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-637354733344705396.post-23700116319164767722011-11-12T14:42:00.002+10:302011-11-12T14:45:05.205+10:30Things Everyone But Me Seems To Love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTZTa9ivIwZI-G1aPau6K-OfVWdiPxBWTDVRAevKkBfyEyts2XCzpj32k8ClA1ObclYeHIjldtnwgpDzO1lW8dyQ1ne-9nXuU8IFF_LMHVfX2FXKU3uayHpf5ZS8y800KZrGcZx6Vr0w/s1600/how+about+no.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTZTa9ivIwZI-G1aPau6K-OfVWdiPxBWTDVRAevKkBfyEyts2XCzpj32k8ClA1ObclYeHIjldtnwgpDzO1lW8dyQ1ne-9nXuU8IFF_LMHVfX2FXKU3uayHpf5ZS8y800KZrGcZx6Vr0w/s400/how+about+no.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I'm at a bit of a loose end this weekend because Noodles has gone on a mini-vacation with her father, and it's too hot outside to go and do anything, so I'm just bumming around. Therefore, you may get spammed with random blog posts about random topics. Like this one.<br />
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A while back <a href="http://themustardjumper.wordpress.com/2011/10/14/things-i-dont-like-that-every-else-seems-to/">Natalie</a> did a post about things that everyone else seems to like except her, and I've been pondering that idea in my head ever since, because there are many things that I just don't get the love for. I'm not trying to make out like I'm some too-cool-for-school hipster type (I do have a Nickelback song on my iPod. ONLY ONE), but sometimes I'm just baffled by things that everyone else adores. So here's my list of a few that come to mind.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><ol><li><b>Bronzer/tanners.</b> I don't get them. I just don't. </li>
<li><b>True Blood.</b> I've tried to watch this, but it's just annoying fake accents and lots of bonking. It bores me senseless. </li>
<li><b>Dexter.</b> Similarly, I cannot get into Dexter at all, and I've tried several times. Michael C. Hall was the best thing in Six Feet Under, so it's not him. It's the voice-over that bothers me more than anything. I get that the monotone is deliberate because Dexter doesn't 'feel' things, but it's sooooooo dull. I just don't care. </li>
<li><b>Harry Potter.</b> Twilight polarises people, but the only other person I've ever heard say anything dismissive about Harry Potter is Ricky Gervais (who freely admitted he hadn't even read the books - his derision was directed more towards adults reading children's literature). I've read four of the books and seen a handful of the movies, and I don't get it. The story is okay, but the books are so badly over-written. I tried to read the first one aloud to Noodles when she was little and she got bored. This is a kid who spent her toddler years having Oscar Wilde's <i>The Canterville Ghost</i> and <i>The Selfish Giant</i> read aloud to her over and over (and again - not trying to sound hipster, at the moment she's all about the<i> Pretty Little Liars</i> books and America's Next Top Model, much to my horror). I don't mind the movies - at least the story is tighter - but again, they're just fun children's adventure movies. </li>
<li><b>Gladiator shoes.</b> HATE THEM. I just dislike clunky, chunky shoes generally, and they seem to have been in fashion for years now. I thought when the Mad Men fashion craze hit we'd go back to the kitten heels and pointed toes (I still have mine, just waiting!), but no such luck. </li>
<li><b>Kylie Minogue.</b> I just... I don't get it. </li>
<li><b>James McAvoy.</b> He is so blandly forgettable to me that every time I see his face I have to think for about 30 seconds about who he is. </li>
<li><b>Ryan Reynolds.</b> See Kylie Minogue. </li>
<li><b>Dr Who.</b> Another one of those things that seems to be for children but adults are obsessed with. I don't know, maybe I'm missing something - admittedly I've never seen a full episode because I can't sustain interest for more than a couple of minutes. </li>
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So there's my list. Feel free to disagree with me and tell me why I'm wrong. And tell me what you don't like that everyone else does.Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09349956327915851336noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-637354733344705396.post-86250494153974528402011-11-12T11:23:00.000+10:302011-11-12T11:23:04.516+10:30TV I'm Currently EnjoyingA few weeks ago I did a <a href="http://deedee255.blogspot.com/2011/10/in-which-i-watch-some-2011-pilots.html">post</a> about some of the 2011 pilots I'd watched, and I must say, I haven't continued on with many of them, although admittedly there were a few gems (<b>Suburgatory</b> is a tad hit and miss but when it hits it's awesome). <br />
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<strike>M</strike><strike>y social calendar I know it's sad shut up I hate you</strike> The US fall season is well and truly under way now so Noodles and I have been catching up with some old favourites as well as picking up some new ones. A habit we started when I wasn't well a few months ago and have now fallen well and truly into is to hop into my bed after dinner (or sometimes <i>with</i> dinner... okay, usually with dinner... okay, pretty much always with dinner lately) and watch our stories until it's time for her to go to her own bed. We're like Charlie Bucket's grandparents (how did they go to the toilet?).<br />
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Anyway, these are some of the shows we've been enjoying of late.<br />
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I had every intention of giving up <b>Law and Order: SVU</b> this year - without Stabler it just seemed wrong. And I was pissed off that they cancelled the original when the cast of the last couple of seasons was pretty much perfect - finally. However, I was curious about how they would go post-Stabler, so I ended up tuning in after all. Linus Roache was a guest star in the first episode and I got all excited thinking they were moving him over, but it was not to be. Still, he has popped up in one other episode so far so I live in hope... Benson is in uber bitch-mode now that Stabler has gone - it's not like she can't ever <i>speak</i> to him again so I don't know what that's all about. The blonde chick (name escapes me) was front and centre in the first couple of episodes and she was a bit brash and irritating, but then they brought in Danny Pino and she took a back seat. I like him - he's no Stabler but he stands up to Benson and he's a smart cookie. They really should have just made Fin and Munch the main detectives though. Why are they still just lurking around in the background? Highlight this year - Captain Wotsisface going undercover as a man looking for a Russian bride, and tearfully telling the girl a story about his dead wife that is obviously true. *sniffle*<br />
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The most genius thing <b>The Big Bang Theory</b> did was create a girl group for Penny. She was a pain in the arse when she was the only girl but once they threw in Amy and Bernadette she was much more likeable. Amy Farrah Fowler is creeping ahead of Sheldon as my favourite character. Her lines ("Thanks to you I was able to make a rhesus monkey cry like a disgraced televangelist") are comedy gold and Mayim Bialik delivers them beautifully. And to think it took me three years to start watching this because I thought it would be crap. Highlight this year: the entire Halloween episode. Genius. <br />
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The premise of <b>Grimm</b> is that an ordinary detective finds out that he is descended from a line of people with special abilities to see the monsters of the world. Or something. I don't know - it's kind of flawed and a bit cheesy, but oddly enjoyable. The plots are based on fairy tales - the first episode had a little girl in a red hoodie being kidnapped. I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't get past the first season, but now we're just rolling with it. Highlight this year: hard to say since there have only been two episodes so far, but I do like Silas Weir Mitchell as a semi-reformed werewolf. <br />
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Two fairy tale-themed shows premiering this year. I almost didn't bother with <b>Once Upon A Time</b> - it sounded much too 'ren faire' for my tastes - but Noodles wanted to check it out and it's not that bad. An evil queen has imprisoned Snow White and a bunch of other fairy tale characters in a little town in modern-day America, but none of them remember who they are. The only one who knows is the evil queen's (the mayor of the town in the current era scenes) adopted son, whose real mother is the daughter of Snow White. It is her destiny to save them all and the little boy has to convince her of that. It chops back and forth between the fairy tale world and the real world, and bits and pieces of the story are revealed gradually and cleverly, with a couple of nice did-not-see-that-coming twists thrown in here and there. Highlight this year: again, hard to say in a new show, but I did gasp aloud when the queen brutally murdered 'the thing she loved most' to get the heart she needed for her spell. <br />
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<b>Parks and Recreation</b> just gets better and better; it's already flawless but it somehow keeps topping itself. The character of Leslie Knope is probably the best female character ever created. But the rest of the cast is perfect as well, even Rob Lowe - who a lot of people find annoying in this. His relentless, irritating cheeriness is addressed beautifully by 'Ann Perkins' (as he calls her) in the most recent episode. This year's highlight - so, so many, but I think I have to go with Ben in a Batman costume sitting in a mall with Tom and Donna on Treat Yo'self Day, crying because he had to break up with Leslie. Hilarious and heartbreaking. <br />
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If it weren't for the fact that I was desperate for something mindless to put on my ipod and watch at night when I was trying to go to sleep I would never have looked at <b>Cougar Town</b> - it sounded like a show I would have zero interest in. The first couple of episodes were a bit clunky but once it hit its stride I was hooked. I'm not a fan of Courteney Cox generally (<b>Friends</b> - totally over-rated), and although I love Busy Phillips the way she talks annoys the hell out of me. I'm not even getting into whatever is going on with Christa Miller's face. However, this show is genuinely hilarious, thanks largely to the father and son team of Jules' (Cox's character) ex-husband Bobby and teenage son Travis, as well as Barb, Jules' rival in real estate and the real cougar of the show - she pops up once in almost every episode to say something side-splitting and then she's gone. I've only watched the first season, and highlight so far: Bobby taking his son Travis 'noodling'. And yes, I did look it up to see if it was a real thing. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biL-QcviQGk">It is. </a><br />
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Six episodes in and I can already see <b>American Horror Story</b> slowly beginning to unravel (as anything Ryan Murphy touches always does). Consistency is being thrown out the window - in episode five a goth girl talks to Tate about how he held a gun to her head and asked her if she believed in God before shooting her. In episode six we see this happen but he doesn't speak a word. Nonetheless, this is a hugely enjoyable hot mess of a show with so much weird and creepy stuff going on that you just have to roll with it. And that rubber man gives me the heebie jeebies. I've been checking behind my door every night when I go to bed since I started watching this.<br />
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I could have sworn I'd written before about why I like <b>The Walking Dead</b> so much, given my general boredom of zombies as a horror genre, but apparently it was only in my head, because I can't find anything. Anyway, essentially what I like is that it's played completely straight - no laughs, no cheesiness, just the relentless tension of long periods of nothing while you're waiting for zombies to appear out of nowhere. I know a lot of people find it slow and boring. It is slow - no question - but that doesn't bore me at all. I find it really absorbing. I have had many discussions about this show with <a href="http://chloeblue2005.blogspot.com/">Jacquie</a> (just yesterday we discussed why there were no sympathetic, likeable female characters). I love that it shows the constant tension a situation like that would bring, even when there is nothing going on. I love that they've taken one of the 'good guys' and have him slowly turning into a self-preserving feral monster, while the 'bad guy' - the redneck racist - has become the most practical, logical and loyal of the group. That's the guy you want on your side in a zombie apocolypse.Highlights this year: the highlight for me was Daryl bringing the flower to the woman whose daughter has gone missing, and explaining its significance (and if you hadn't already, who did not fall completely in love with him at that moment). The startling lowlight was Shane shooting Otis and leaving him to die at the high school so he could get away. A brilliantly shocking moment that still makes me feel like I've been punched in the face. <br />
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So do you watch any of these? What do you think of them? Anything else I should be checking out?Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09349956327915851336noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-637354733344705396.post-23353755406988155462011-11-09T21:35:00.000+10:302011-11-09T21:35:10.768+10:30It Happened Again!So a few nights ago I'm minding my business and just watching my stories, as one does. I was looking at youtube videos and happened across one about contouring. I don't contour. I don't use bronzer. I don't do anything brown on my face - it just makes me look like I've got a big streak of dirt on me, or it goes orange. However, a while back on a whim I bought the NYX taupe blush after seeing another youtube video by someone with fair skin talking about how it was a good contour shade for lighties. And contouring was on my list of things to master this year (along with remastering liquid eyeliner, but 25 years of considering red wine a hobby has left me with hands too unsteady for that palaver these days). I bought the blush and then never did anything with it.<br />
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So anyway, there I am watching this contouring video and I suddenly remembered I had this taupe blush and thought I'd have a crack at it. I just grabbed the nearest clean, vaguely suitable brush that happened to be around and sucked in my cheeks and got to work. But seconds into it, something weird started to happen...<br />
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INORITE! <a href="http://deedee255.blogspot.com/2010/12/death-of-my-sigma-stippling-brush.html">Again??? </a><br />
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I know I've had this a couple of years now, but still... it's not a brush I ever used that often and I take good care of my brushes and wash them properly. This is just pants. I really don't rate the Sigma face brushes - maybe they've improved but I'm not that bothered to find out. So far both of the stippling brushes have fallen apart and both my full size and travel size SS150 (I'm old school - don't know what the new numbers are) shed like mofos and the dye still runs when I wash them. Thumbs down, Sigma!Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09349956327915851336noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-637354733344705396.post-44585049770841936052011-11-06T11:27:00.000+10:302011-11-06T11:27:21.686+10:30A Lazy Person's Tip for Organising Healthy LunchesAs I mentioned <a href="http://deedee255.blogspot.com/2011/09/healthifying.html">a while ago</a>, I've been healthifying for some time, and it seems that everyone and his dog is doing it these days too, so I thought some of you (non-vegetarians - warning veggies, pics of raw chicken follow) might find this useful. I'm generally a pretty healthy eater, but I do get slack if I'm not organised, and one of my most dangerous slack-off points is lunch. If I don't organise my own lunch and it's filling enough to last me through until a (healthy) snack late afternoon, I will be invariably finding an excuse to hit up the sausage rolls and baked potatoes, or even a big chunk of some fat-laden zucchini slice while kidding myself it's healthy because it has zucchini in it.<br />
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I don't know about you, but I need protein at lunch, and that's what makes it hard for me. It's easy enough to throw together a green salad or a pasta salad but on their own they're just not filling enough. I could add cheese, but I try to limit that due to the saturated fat. I could add hard-boiled eggs but I have to cook them the night before and I always forget. I could add tuna, but I don't want to be <i>that</i> person who stinks out the office with tuna...<br />
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Eventually I hit on the perfect idea - chicken. At first I was buying chicken breasts, cutting them into 100g-ish size tenderloins and freezing them, then cooking up a small amount each night for my salad the next day. But then I'd forget to take it out of the freezer, or I couldn't be bothered cooking it, or it seemed like such a palaver... so finally I had an even better idea: cook it first and <i>then</i> freeze it. I am a genius. No, really. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTb0z3OTmmXhkotG21nYYtfH8yBsw12z1I4UGwLIMCcEyzmwIDsyrFeBY_04Hdo-E2_jIcaj3JBFD1YGTJ5qAehHJVLZJdvjUxMpa9ebXzyo_MTCLAxz-HIa932TpvT4RCUAAlw5UCTg/s1600/lazy+chicken+1+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTb0z3OTmmXhkotG21nYYtfH8yBsw12z1I4UGwLIMCcEyzmwIDsyrFeBY_04Hdo-E2_jIcaj3JBFD1YGTJ5qAehHJVLZJdvjUxMpa9ebXzyo_MTCLAxz-HIa932TpvT4RCUAAlw5UCTg/s320/lazy+chicken+1+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>When I do my market shop each week I buy enough chicken breast for lunch for Noodles and myself for about a week - there's a bit over a kilogram in that picture, I guess. I bring it home, cut all the scuzzy bits off, then put it in a ceramic dish (easier to clean than a metal pan) with some lemon and some whole, unpeeled garlic cloves. The lemon is to keep it the 'm' word (I can't say it), and the garlic just adds a bit of flavour. Lately I've also been sprinkling it with some <a href="http://www.masterfoods.com.au/Products/ProductDetail/tabid/83/ProductId/1505/Garlic-and-Herb-Seasoning-with-No-Added-Salt.aspx">salt-free seasoning</a> as well for a bit more zing. You could do whatever you like, really.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwh0g3ISTEvKhL83o3RRnE7cUL9GYpiFnoSaVEmJGjX-RICFaPEx0sVp-owbr5_D_exCS5uwHVoRQwWkB_CuIhab2ppvPEKAz_S7VIxnPIPX-bexuDT32jt2HgCal8Q8MB4V5CjXm2gA/s1600/lazy+chicken+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwh0g3ISTEvKhL83o3RRnE7cUL9GYpiFnoSaVEmJGjX-RICFaPEx0sVp-owbr5_D_exCS5uwHVoRQwWkB_CuIhab2ppvPEKAz_S7VIxnPIPX-bexuDT32jt2HgCal8Q8MB4V5CjXm2gA/s320/lazy+chicken+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Throw it in the oven until it's cooked through - how long and what temperature is hard to say, you know your own oven better than I do. You can cover it with foil if you like (I don't). For thick breasts it usually takes about 35-40 minutes in my oven at 190 degrees, but my oven is pants, so if you have a decent one you're probably looking at about 30 minutes or so. Once they've cooked, put them on a plate in the fridge to cool down.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0mnQgrWIgKeOPKmBClBjZOTFuW7F8AuaR697nuPAAJeaRlUySN1xPf8v8sdYZ9_oUH6iplMILX4cLhZC3h4KAzmXmVGBkVnC4zlp_94cBlOpIZfhJDYq7vraODPK3fkDUjU6rVh-6Mw/s1600/lazy+chicken+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0mnQgrWIgKeOPKmBClBjZOTFuW7F8AuaR697nuPAAJeaRlUySN1xPf8v8sdYZ9_oUH6iplMILX4cLhZC3h4KAzmXmVGBkVnC4zlp_94cBlOpIZfhJDYq7vraODPK3fkDUjU6rVh-6Mw/s320/lazy+chicken+4.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Once it's cooled you can chop it into chunks or slice it thinly and then bag it up in zip lock bags in whatever amount you like. I usually do bags of 80-100g, depending on what I'm planning to do with it. Then put the bags in the freezer. All you need to do is take one out and defrost in the fridge overnight and then in the morning throw it into your salad or make your sandwich or wrap or do whatever you want to do with it and there you have it. Protein for your healthy lunch!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj04xMD0hFIlr2Xy6wXcgwVQ2SuCWMw-8fkReQly-pWqE5MxncOIzwDVzbJ5NklzzE6bMbs6veQbKe_e2eDM0Ic-PH1QXc70JCPCQ-QwhqEw5p0cHLgYnH1dbar0cGHatch02e148TyHA/s1600/lazy+chicken+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj04xMD0hFIlr2Xy6wXcgwVQ2SuCWMw-8fkReQly-pWqE5MxncOIzwDVzbJ5NklzzE6bMbs6veQbKe_e2eDM0Ic-PH1QXc70JCPCQ-QwhqEw5p0cHLgYnH1dbar0cGHatch02e148TyHA/s320/lazy+chicken+3.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Things you can do with it:<br />
<ul><li>add to a salad (as above) to make it more filling</li>
<li>slice thinly and add to a wrap with whatever you fancy - Noodles likes to do that with multigrain tortillas and add baby spinach, capsicum, grated carrot and snow peas</li>
<li>make a pasta salad with cooked macaroni, capsicum, red onion, peas, corn, olives (whatever you fancy) and add a bag of the chopped chicken</li>
<li>throw it into an omelette with some mushrooms and cherry tomatoes</li>
</ul><br />
So that's my tip for organising healthy lunches with minimal effort. What's yours?Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09349956327915851336noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-637354733344705396.post-26756549886170763142011-11-05T09:53:00.000+10:302011-11-05T09:53:44.931+10:30Silk Naturals Skin Care: First Impressions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh54sN6CLQU3EjE3ItO8RYrtmaG8XI1XBsEpI2xQ38-xvtiCKv0ej0duGmtnDsWwVE2u0lKka-QmA1xJLkDEzK-Ucr3S2apmQHcCnoNbQV7V4xhiqRvmzQTtTMXb_Ns_i6Edmo4AAva5Q/s1600/silk+naturals.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh54sN6CLQU3EjE3ItO8RYrtmaG8XI1XBsEpI2xQ38-xvtiCKv0ej0duGmtnDsWwVE2u0lKka-QmA1xJLkDEzK-Ucr3S2apmQHcCnoNbQV7V4xhiqRvmzQTtTMXb_Ns_i6Edmo4AAva5Q/s400/silk+naturals.JPG" width="335" /></a></div><br />
A while ago I read a review about <a href="http://host.silknaturals.com/creb/index.php">Silk Naturals</a> skin care on someone's blog - and I can't for the life of me remember whose it was (if you're reading this can you speak up because I've been trying to find that post again!). I know it was someone Australian, because they talked about international shipping... anyway the point is that the post interested me enough to want to try the line myself, despite the fact that I have skin care products up the wazoo.<br />
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In fact, having skin care products up the wazoo is the problem - I'm constantly chopping and changing and trying something new for a review or whatever, but what I really want to do is find a line I like and stick to it. I'm sick of all these whizz bang products with stupid made-up ingredients in them, and I'd like to find something clean, effective, and with as few bells and whistles as possible. So this brand sounded like it was exactly the kind of thing I wanted to have a go at.<br />
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I don't remember when I ordered and received it, but from memory it was about three weeks from go to whoa - not bad considering that it's probably made to order (I don't really know, but most of the products have a limited shelf life, so I would assume so) and post from overseas has been DEATHLY SLOW of late. A lip balm order I did from Etsy was shipped on 7/10 and I didn't get it until Thursday. A MONTH. Either Customs or Australia Post are playing funny buggers. Probably both.<br />
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But I digress. I bought samples of all the products I wanted to try, and for most I bought two samples, assuming they would just be those one use sachets. However, they came in little dropper bottles and most had a good three or four uses in them (some even more) so I had a chance to have a really good try of everything - happy with that! And the samples were only $0.75 - $1.50US, so I was able to get a load of things to try and including shipping it was less than $25US. They send out a free sample with your order that changes each week - the one I got was an eyeshadow called Sunny. Meh, it's yellow - I'm not a yellow eyeshadow person. That will go as a freebie to someone next time I have a blog sale, I suspect. There was also a little sample of a lip product, but Noodle Arms took it and I never actually saw what it was. <br />
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So here is what I bought and what I think of it - it's a long list, so get set for some reading!<br />
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<a name='more'></a><a href="http://host.silknaturals.com/creb/apricot-cleansing-p-823.html">Apricot Cleansing Oil:</a> I love cleansing oils and I use them all the time, so of course I wanted to try this one. However, it didn't occur to me until after I'd ordered it that this might be just the ticket for Noodles as well. She has problems with acne and we've tried a few things, most of which seem to work for a little while and then stop (Paula's Choice acne range, Dermalogica Clean Start, etc.). She's been begging me to get her ProActiv, which I really want to avoid because I think it will be way too harsh (and I believe it's similar to the PC active ingredients anyway). Her skin doesn't actually seem to be oily, so a lot of the redness seems to be more to do with the crap she puts on her face to try to get rid of the acne than the actual acne itself.<br />
I bought two samples of this, and once I realised how big the samples were I only tried it once myself (which was all I needed to see whether I liked it and whether it effectively removed makeup - I do and it does) and then gave the rest to Noodles. She's been using it morning and night for about a week and a half, and of course being an oil it purged her skin and brought all the gunk out first, which sent her into fits of panic despite my constant assurances that that's what it was meant to do, but it finally seems to be settling down and it looks like it is helping her skin. The blackheads in and around her nose are definitely reduced.<br />
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<a href="http://host.silknaturals.com/creb/kiss-foaming-cleanser-p-822.html">Kiss Foaming Cleanser:</a> Again, I only tried this once to see if I liked it and then gave the rest to Noodles. It's very gentle and doesn't make the skin feel tight afterwards, which is my big beef about foaming cleansers generally. Noodles has been using this after the cleansing oil. For the past few months her routine has been washing with Cetaphil cleanser and then applying Cetaphil moisturiser (or sunscreen if it's day time), so she's a bit annoyed with me for adding all of these extra steps... AND MAKING HER FEELINGS KNOWN. However, as I've explained to her, if we can find a skin care line that works for her skin, the extra steps will be worth it. SO SHUT UP NOODLES.<br />
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<a href="http://host.silknaturals.com/creb/pore-refining-toner-p-818.html">Pore Refining Toner:</a> I just bought the full bottle of this one, as it was only $5 anyway, and a toner is a toner for me - it would get used even if I wasn't thrilled with it. As it happens, I really like it - I've been using it every morning and alternate nights. Noodles has used it a few times, but mostly stuck to the BHA toner. I'm not really sure how 'pore refining' it is - like I said, all toners are the same to me, but I do like to use them.<br />
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=637354733344705396">2% BHA Toner:</a> This one was just for Noodles, and she's been using it most of the time day and night. I think it's really helped with reducing the blackheads. I think when I buy full sizes I'll get her to alternate with the Pore Refining Toner more regularly because this apparently increases sun sensitivity and we're heading into summer here...<br />
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<a href="http://host.silknaturals.com/creb/8-aha-toner-p-821.html">8% AHA Toner:</a> Wow, this packs a punch - it reminds me of Alpha-H Liquid Gold without the stink. I've been using this on alternate nights and it stings a little at first but subsides very quickly. Loving it.<br />
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<a href="http://host.silknaturals.com/creb/vitamin-peptide-serum-p-765.html">Vitamin C Peptide Serum:</a> I bought this for myself, but as with the cleansing oil it occured to me later that Noodles could benefit from this - a lot of the reviews on the site talk about it being good for acne-prone skin. It stinks a bit (as Vitamin C always does) and when I first apply it, it feels a bit tight but a few hours later my skin is super soft and smooth. I am convinced it's helping to reduce the redness in my cheeks too, but that could be any one or a combination of these products in reality. <br />
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<a href="http://host.silknaturals.com/creb/super-serum-must-have-p-845.html">Super Serum:</a> I couldn't decide between these two serums so I decided to try both. I've been using them on alternate nights and I still can't decide. Like the Vitamin C serum, it feels tight at first but soooo soft and smooth later on. <br />
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<a href="http://host.silknaturals.com/creb/firming-moisturizer-coq10-renovage-p-882.html">Firming Moisturiser:</a> Again, this made my skin feel a little tight at first (as all 'firming' moisturisers seem to do on me), but the wow factor later on makes it worth it. Unfortunately, it's not moisturising enough to wear in the mornings under makeup - the couple of times I did try it my makeup felt dry and tight all day. I'd definitely use this as a night cream though. I wish I'd bought a sample of the <a href="http://host.silknaturals.com/creb/intensive-moisturizer-wcoq10-reonvage-p-884.html">Intensive Moisturiser</a> as well to see if that would be any better for day use (I thought I had but I must have gotten excited and forgotten). <br />
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All in all, I'm really pleased with this line and I intend to buy full sizes of pretty much everything, and try out some more stuff as soon as I can make a decision about what to get. I saw and felt almost immediate results on myself - my skin feels smooth and soft and look less red, the pores seem less noticable and overall it just looks healthier.<br />
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With Noodles, I could see that her skin was purging, and I'm sure that it will start to really help now - it has looked better the past couple of days. Convincing her is another story, of course, but I've asked her to try it for a couple of months and if it doesn't work I'll buy her the damn ProActiv (fingers crossed, I REALLY don't want to get that stuff).Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09349956327915851336noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-637354733344705396.post-29533081744035264742011-11-04T13:04:00.002+10:302011-11-05T09:56:45.600+10:30For Those Who Care About Such Things...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6atBeWgaPv3YmKRAVsr8oe3-i2o9xhjCgakKeFJzNQH0-z8l6ypE1qhwKr3GOLI7USDKTPQ5FUh-ssfWymJE8X-bvH_0fXLTvB31RLIL5eftH_L3roTJyAYXGYaADgxpXz2aJCZHsQ/s1600/0092tg3w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6atBeWgaPv3YmKRAVsr8oe3-i2o9xhjCgakKeFJzNQH0-z8l6ypE1qhwKr3GOLI7USDKTPQ5FUh-ssfWymJE8X-bvH_0fXLTvB31RLIL5eftH_L3roTJyAYXGYaADgxpXz2aJCZHsQ/s400/0092tg3w.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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This is a generally pleasant blog - I have the occasional rant about something trivial but I don't like to get all super angry and sweary here because it's not really the right audience. However, I do like to get super angry and sweary about things sometimes, and I have a more appropriate place for that. So if you're interested in reading something I'm super angry and sweary about, you can do so <a href="http://angriest-girl.livejournal.com/969539.html">here</a>. Feel free to comment there if you want to tell me I'm right, wrong or an idiotic bleeding heart lefty. Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09349956327915851336noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-637354733344705396.post-59779025795999604282011-10-30T21:57:00.000+10:302011-10-30T21:57:33.675+10:30Sampling Samples<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibtF4XqhDknsc1ks9ZnwA42hSftoU8Jg9WCgr7N-n4lPI7-ZqvuKMCc8yXNZbK8RJ5iLtiponZ_YhLTPQGzei7oqXwlraCsycoa7lapxd3L5zq4zvmHsWNew69LYB1vbmWdP5h3Izxnw/s1600/EL+foundation+sample.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibtF4XqhDknsc1ks9ZnwA42hSftoU8Jg9WCgr7N-n4lPI7-ZqvuKMCc8yXNZbK8RJ5iLtiponZ_YhLTPQGzei7oqXwlraCsycoa7lapxd3L5zq4zvmHsWNew69LYB1vbmWdP5h3Izxnw/s320/EL+foundation+sample.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Since it's Sunday and I have nothing better to do other than clean the house (and who wants to do that!), I thought I'd kill a bit of time testing out one of the many foundation samples I have. Today I am trying out <b>Estee Lauder Individualist Natural Finish Makeup</b>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRiRQdBWW5CxaQ5_eiysnsbJS-l3I2_d20Ph_cbqFsz-uvm9f1P4quuctcJTsYYTqWnmLuzgRVM-XbyEQYso675ruPXX8TYej84XZslscxJIY3bHhtGVpTWAMVGnc6SvoCQYa-rfGheg/s1600/EL+foundation+swatch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRiRQdBWW5CxaQ5_eiysnsbJS-l3I2_d20Ph_cbqFsz-uvm9f1P4quuctcJTsYYTqWnmLuzgRVM-XbyEQYso675ruPXX8TYej84XZslscxJIY3bHhtGVpTWAMVGnc6SvoCQYa-rfGheg/s320/EL+foundation+swatch.JPG" width="275" /></a></div><br />
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As usual the sample is slightly too dark for me (the colour is 01 Fresco*, so if that's the lightest then pale chicks won't be able to get much use out of this one), though once it's blended in I could probably get away with it if I had to nip down to the shops for milk or something. It's quite liquidy and applies lightly, but you can build it up to get a good coverage. It sets fairly quickly and is quite matte, so I didn't feel like I needed a powder of it. Which is good, because I'm not overly jazzed with powder in general and it's one of those things I use with slight resentment because I have a shiny T-zone.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht4sOf7xybcAPcfNXQbszY6-KSvPelBUVblXSzlse89fyaHxXIiYidm_62PoqkqIvbzk9U74ioXgJlaup15duogdarRtD1Z4_HtJp_f5eP8uM0C56xy7liMdnA9SYm97hBuatrGGyPcg/s1600/EL+foundation+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht4sOf7xybcAPcfNXQbszY6-KSvPelBUVblXSzlse89fyaHxXIiYidm_62PoqkqIvbzk9U74ioXgJlaup15duogdarRtD1Z4_HtJp_f5eP8uM0C56xy7liMdnA9SYm97hBuatrGGyPcg/s320/EL+foundation+after.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
As you can see it does a pretty decent job on the redness in my cheeks, though I did use a couple of layers in that area. On the other hand, I would normally have concealer under that and I don't here, so I'm pretty happy with the coverage.<br />
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Unfortunately, what I didn't like was the feel of it. It's one of those foundations that I am aware I am wearing. It feels a bit... 'masky'. I get about the same or more coverage from Chanel Mat Lumiere and Revlon ColorStay and neither of those feel like that on my skin.<br />
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On the whole, I don't think this is a foundation I would buy, though it did have its good points. It retails in Australia for $68AUD (!!), but you can probably get it cheaper on Strawberrynet.<br />
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*Regarding the colour, it would seem that Fresco is the second lightest as on the Australian website it's called <a href="http://www.esteelauder.com.au/templates/product/spp.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CAT23014&PRODUCT_ID=PROD94870">2C2 Fresco</a>. But only three colours - really Estee Lauder? You think there are only three skin shades in this country?Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09349956327915851336noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-637354733344705396.post-83599220525419252822011-10-30T10:48:00.000+10:302011-10-30T10:48:59.083+10:30October Empties<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwpxXoF9Mc87Z5-DJWvIwBFCnfNaf8s7eFNf3pifu7n7ppbX1Z5pjtdvI1csperyjv7XBOAIobkmi4F_BjyJUAetYM9uogrMdV2LwZSCS8RnzsgPoMZGgppzEflQnSMfFaKthEgeEIAQ/s1600/empties+october+2011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwpxXoF9Mc87Z5-DJWvIwBFCnfNaf8s7eFNf3pifu7n7ppbX1Z5pjtdvI1csperyjv7XBOAIobkmi4F_BjyJUAetYM9uogrMdV2LwZSCS8RnzsgPoMZGgppzEflQnSMfFaKthEgeEIAQ/s320/empties+october+2011.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Not much happening this month. I made a bit of an effort to use some samples since I had a drawer full of them, but I forgot to keep the empties of most of them. I used up several different Paula's Choice cleanser samples - I bought a bunch of them ages ago when I was buying acne stuff for Noodle Arms, and just forgot about them. I like her cleansers, but I don't think they're much different from Cetaphil, which is cheaper.<br />
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</b><br />
<b>Paula's Choice Skin Recovery Cleanser:</b> This is a cream cleanser for 'normal to very dry skin'. It's nice, but I don't think I'd buy it. It doesn't beat my holy grail cream cleanser (Clarins).<br />
<b>QV Hand Cream:</b> Crap. Pretty much your typical supermarket hand cream. I don't really know why I expected it to be any different.<br />
<b>Maybelline Pulse Perfection Mascara:</b> This is the weird one that has the oscillating wotsit. What a stupid gimmick that is. I bought this in Priceline forever ago when it was half price and started using it a couple of months ago when I had worked through all of my other mascaras. I hated it but it was the last one I had left so I was determined to grit my teeth and use it up and then legitimately buy a new mascara out of need, then <a href="http://shambolichome.wordpress.com/">Harriet Archer</a> sent me an Elizabeth Arden one she'd received free because she's a sensitive flower who can't use EA products, and Lust Have It sent a sample Lancome one in their monthly box thing, so I bit the bullet and chucked this monstrosity.<br />
<b>Cellugen Cleanse:</b> This came with my <a href="http://deedee255.blogspot.com/search/label/skin%20physics">Skin Physics</a> thing and I hated it, but it was a small tube and I was determined to just finish it. Finally done and now it's gone. Hurrah! <br />
<b>Sally Hansen Hand Resurfacer:</b> A scrub for hands. This is my second tube and I quite like it, but I've taken to using those little sample jars of scrubs from places like Haus of Gloi on my hands, so I don't think I'd need to repurchase this again - at least not for a while.<br />
<b>Fekkai Glossing Shampoo:</b> Okay, technically there's about an inch of product left in the bottle, but it's been sitting on the floor of my shower for at least a year, if not longer. It's not gonna happen - I'm calling it. I bought this because it seemed to be a nice, clean shampoo that wouldn't leave residue, but it's actually kind of thick and I never really liked it much.<br />
<b>Jo Malone Dark Amber and Ginger Lily 2.5ml sample:</b> There are a few Jo Malone fragrances that are really pretty, but many of them just have that generic 'walking through the perfume department of Myer' smell and this is one of them. Also, her products are ridiculously expensive and last about 5 minutes on me, so I would definitely not buy this in a full size. I just bought it to try after reading a review of it somewhere, I think. <br />
<b>Demeter Creme Brulee 2.5ml sample:</b> I don't know if Demeter has gone to the dogs or if my nose has just become more sophisticated (ha), but all of their perfumes smell really chemical-y to me these days. This is no exception. I bought this because Noodles wanted to try it and then she didn't like it so I used it as a room spray a few times just to get rid of it. <br />
<b>YSL Cinema sample:</b> <a href="http://girlwiththecuriousnose.blogspot.com/">Stefanie</a> sent me this very generous sample a while back and I really liked it. If it weren't for the fact that I am actually trying to shed myself of perfumes rather than collect more, I'd probably buy a full bottle of this.<br />
<b>Lostmarc'h Lann-ael 1.5ml sample: </b>This smells like porridge with milk and grated apple, which is exactly what it's supposed to smell like. Honestly, I just bought it out of curiosity. I wouldn't buy a full bottle - I'm not that keen on the smell of apple.<br />
<b>ASAP Daily Exfoliating Facial Scrub with AHA:</b> This was sent to me by Beauty Heaven ages ago with a whole heap of random stuff like Ulta3 lipsticks and a Dove cleanser and whatever. I've never heard of this brand before. I used this sample on my eyebrows for a couple of days after waxing to avoid ingrown hairs. What can I say? It's a scrub - they're all the same to me.Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09349956327915851336noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-637354733344705396.post-68240333124754980072011-10-29T11:29:00.000+10:302011-10-29T11:29:08.893+10:30The Perils of the Grey MarketPersonally, I love <a href="http://au.strawberrynet.com/main.aspx?region=AU">Strawberrynet</a> - I know people have had bad experiences, but in the 30+ orders I have done with them over the years, I can only think of one or two duds. Today I'm going to show you one of them. <br />
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I'm a big fan of Benefit Creaseless Creams, but I buy them on Strawberrynet because in Australia they cost $34AUD, which is effing ridiculous for ONE eyeshadow.The first ones I bought cost me about $17 each (plus my 10% loyalty discount) well over a year ago and they're still going strong. That price is about what they cost retail in the US (maybe slightly more now). <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaI7j9c07mAxtyzGqU5_tj-yIph_S2kRMCb4r8u8qbi1ujRPCxESlnrPWn5hVKagsFbr0vXvncpvwiVHN1ihT-GTqKXO4ze84bLy3cJtHmdGBlJjQcdSDWC5zWaL7FqmVqGXNAe-JIog/s1600/good+creaseless+cream.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaI7j9c07mAxtyzGqU5_tj-yIph_S2kRMCb4r8u8qbi1ujRPCxESlnrPWn5hVKagsFbr0vXvncpvwiVHN1ihT-GTqKXO4ze84bLy3cJtHmdGBlJjQcdSDWC5zWaL7FqmVqGXNAe-JIog/s320/good+creaseless+cream.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Clockwise from top left: Flatter Me, RSVP, Honey Bunny, Tattle Tale.</i> </div><br />
These are all still creamy and smooth, and not coming away from the edge of the jar. I store them upside down as that is supposed to help keep them longer (though I don't really get why). <br />
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Now these next two I bought around this time last year, and they were on sale - I think they were about $10AUD each.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAjMRXlFJXzDU5u6SaP_mWr3uGLu4sZkYiYAussu3cngWI82MMhFfRcxJF0afsEs8Py_CsA1sSEVUxC4dZSKEISmfLyUmEMSL5P6JjwV6uPCoAnWywHCsAzNPC4mLX_r01dLSpTLA4dg/s1600/bad+creamless+cream.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAjMRXlFJXzDU5u6SaP_mWr3uGLu4sZkYiYAussu3cngWI82MMhFfRcxJF0afsEs8Py_CsA1sSEVUxC4dZSKEISmfLyUmEMSL5P6JjwV6uPCoAnWywHCsAzNPC4mLX_r01dLSpTLA4dg/s320/bad+creamless+cream.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>From left: Get Figgy, Strut</i></div><br />
Look at that. Get Figgy has just fallen apart completely and is dry and pretty much useless. Strut is usable but takes a lot of work as it's also dry and has come away from the edge of the jar.<br />
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So the lesson here is, don't buy cream eyeshadows from Strawberrynet when they're on sale, because the reason they're on sale is in that picture above.<br />
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As an aside, the only thing I ever really avoided on Strawberrynet was sunscreen, because it has a limited lifespan and you never really know how old their stuff is. However, the other day I read an <a href="http://www.allure.com/skin-care/2011/when-your-skin-care-products-expire#slide=1">article</a> about the expiry times on products with active ingredients, so I think from now on I'll be a bit more careful of the skincare I buy from there as well. I'm pretty safe with my Clarins cleansers and toners and whatnot, but I probably wouldn't get anything that had retinol or salicylic acid or the like.<br />
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So peeps, are you a fan of Strawberrynet or are you one of those with a horror story about them? What do/don't you buy from there?Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09349956327915851336noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-637354733344705396.post-3655544348523654592011-10-16T14:42:00.001+10:302011-10-16T18:15:15.963+10:30I'm Not A Hoarder, But...I'm a pretty savage declutterer - every 6 months or so I go through the house and throw out a bunch of things. Every few years I think, "Gee, I wish I hadn't thrown out that 1960s tartan mini that belonged to my mum when she was young", or "Gee, I wish I'd put all my nice shabby chic stuff into storage instead of getting rid of it before moving interstate", but that's the consequence of being a declutterer - sometimes there are regrets. Generally speaking, though, I think of it as "just stuff". It's replacable.<br />
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However, there are a few things I've held on to for many years for reasons that baffle me, and a couple of weeks ago I decided to go through and throw out everything in the house that I didn't either really love or really need. I thought it might be fun to show you some of the weird things I have been clinging to. I apologise in advance for the blurry pics - Ben has "his" camera (the one that I like to think of as "my" camera) for a family wedding, so I had to use my phone, and it's pants. But you know, it's not swatches or anything where it needs to be clear, so you'll get the gist.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhifbaaPyUTTz4gshTaHwW-SCcP3TGNPnCasp4f4WUU9e76g1HjHxQgb9K95h3W9AV0BzZRca71ntU7XyF5rfAKQPvK02hZWnB-TN-dBLuezt59aocXqKg4TSQJyde-L70WFC8i8SgQMQ/s1600/cowl+neck+dress.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhifbaaPyUTTz4gshTaHwW-SCcP3TGNPnCasp4f4WUU9e76g1HjHxQgb9K95h3W9AV0BzZRca71ntU7XyF5rfAKQPvK02hZWnB-TN-dBLuezt59aocXqKg4TSQJyde-L70WFC8i8SgQMQ/s320/cowl+neck+dress.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>Probably the most recent of the "why do I have this" items, I bought this in a Myer Fat Chick sale a couple of years ago for about $20. I've never worn it - it still has the price tag on it. I hate the print, and I hate cowl necks. So yeah...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheqM01Bf59QYqsiVC65kXObulKp0D-F_w_LNT-LZYnc_pXOjwUT-9kuK5PJ_v6MlM0BacE3eGLrgM9yp3Wo66fcog7eLs6yq9EKSX9CXJ4RrcVMbuBrqUUZJuwsgehkNaQ3wAceO1X5g/s1600/taking+shape+dress.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheqM01Bf59QYqsiVC65kXObulKp0D-F_w_LNT-LZYnc_pXOjwUT-9kuK5PJ_v6MlM0BacE3eGLrgM9yp3Wo66fcog7eLs6yq9EKSX9CXJ4RrcVMbuBrqUUZJuwsgehkNaQ3wAceO1X5g/s320/taking+shape+dress.JPG" width="146" /></a></div>Six weeks after Noodle Arms was born I had to go a wedding. None of my pre-pregnancy clothes would fit me, and I felt like a huge, frumpy blob. So I spent a ton of money on a huge, frumpy blob dress. Again, it is everything I hate - shapeless, layered and with an asymetrical hem. I think the only reason I have been hanging on to it is because it was expensive. I've never worn it other than to that wedding, and I really, really hate it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6x5Tztc0kchcswaOWyuFhcvFAMHTyXwkHLViY-L1i4v-xzFzeD6vegvu0WmD-WZk6hE4UToS6gJD1-Sw54OPDnZH2NS_7DRYqejpjpnrTkFmpDL3q-kFWIfJvtb2ktZPW3tvUYaLt2Q/s1600/stripey+shirt.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6x5Tztc0kchcswaOWyuFhcvFAMHTyXwkHLViY-L1i4v-xzFzeD6vegvu0WmD-WZk6hE4UToS6gJD1-Sw54OPDnZH2NS_7DRYqejpjpnrTkFmpDL3q-kFWIfJvtb2ktZPW3tvUYaLt2Q/s320/stripey+shirt.JPG" width="202" /></a></div>$5 on the Crossroads throwout rack. I don't know... maybe I was drunk.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXh3FalPxXdVMU7tH3MNdlIdY-r3zASs88P7yNoZkNLZoJb0SaQon4oSf0R5V12ZNXmb47uQkUlDERD_W4DpkIvVjDhKs4TMh5FPZodfnDd32dRT4YpggSljrzsz_PDZsake0r8VbR2Q/s1600/pink+bag.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXh3FalPxXdVMU7tH3MNdlIdY-r3zASs88P7yNoZkNLZoJb0SaQon4oSf0R5V12ZNXmb47uQkUlDERD_W4DpkIvVjDhKs4TMh5FPZodfnDd32dRT4YpggSljrzsz_PDZsake0r8VbR2Q/s320/pink+bag.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I think this might be from about 2000/2001. I have to admit, I still have a bit of a fondness for it, but I'm never going to walk out in public carrying this bag again, so it has to go.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6uhdaKtdIdmvGi31Ynkwk4b0baJu6azggHzsVvXrsv4fAdkZVpREVyYng-pIoPFOvmjMFKR9P54j-XxBJgiSmXf_IaXV0YL5BZrFyPDdy9U-QmjkQw0B8OQWe1U2HKI0hF9Q1F-l7YQ/s1600/mohair+cardy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6uhdaKtdIdmvGi31Ynkwk4b0baJu6azggHzsVvXrsv4fAdkZVpREVyYng-pIoPFOvmjMFKR9P54j-XxBJgiSmXf_IaXV0YL5BZrFyPDdy9U-QmjkQw0B8OQWe1U2HKI0hF9Q1F-l7YQ/s320/mohair+cardy.JPG" width="250" /></a></div>This goes right back to the very early 1990s - a mohair cardigan that I paid about $3 for in an op shop. I wore it with hand-dyed petticoats and Doc Martens. Only every time I wore it I had to take it off after a while because it was so damned itchy.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdeD1pN6NEQAM1GYvPpW40n77E_awl3fVI7j8vAwRzaw-wZOM5IyNH0M3CuD73R7F-oYO8I8Y900eVzKt8Cf5-J4dff4OctVsWJXvQ2JnnNU_76wW8VVmWRGLpRrTZtmOhsZfKFykYBw/s1600/monstrosity.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdeD1pN6NEQAM1GYvPpW40n77E_awl3fVI7j8vAwRzaw-wZOM5IyNH0M3CuD73R7F-oYO8I8Y900eVzKt8Cf5-J4dff4OctVsWJXvQ2JnnNU_76wW8VVmWRGLpRrTZtmOhsZfKFykYBw/s320/monstrosity.JPG" width="266" /></a></div>When did we get the RuddBucks? 2009? That's when I bought this - I went to a DFO with <a href="http://shambolichome.wordpress.com/">Harriet Archer</a> and spent a few hundred on frivolous things. Including this shiny Olga Berg monstrosity, which I LOVED in the shop. I kept going back and looking at it and then finally I bought it. I was so pleased with it, then got it home, looked at it again and decided I hated it. I've used it a couple of times, but felt really embarrassed. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH-NWklWnGCMkRKb8yXkw4SJHMM8HgP-pmR8sxL5LEVhFEMY4yePVdJtOPsjMG09HbXMw2QteSkCVwVEbgPkyTR8r7pps_Py5QQUDzDKPq2DJfphS5lo7bztSbS1DBBmIzlzbtjEtqVA/s1600/bowling+bag.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH-NWklWnGCMkRKb8yXkw4SJHMM8HgP-pmR8sxL5LEVhFEMY4yePVdJtOPsjMG09HbXMw2QteSkCVwVEbgPkyTR8r7pps_Py5QQUDzDKPq2DJfphS5lo7bztSbS1DBBmIzlzbtjEtqVA/s320/bowling+bag.JPG" width="262" /></a></div>I don't know where this came from - I didn't buy it, and I think it's hideous. But for some reason I've held on to it for well over 10 years.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcEmdNphEDfJGVoYs8SILNIUt4R2slheM1f3V6BtJaAehYuu-muhC0Qw0H8-hLv1FHKxtWBH3n1DpLfQRNhyOreu8_2Sxh_6iFi1ML32PW5sbbhBJPE8a_3IgqvSok01q6_vsuB0ixww/s1600/laptop+bag.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcEmdNphEDfJGVoYs8SILNIUt4R2slheM1f3V6BtJaAehYuu-muhC0Qw0H8-hLv1FHKxtWBH3n1DpLfQRNhyOreu8_2Sxh_6iFi1ML32PW5sbbhBJPE8a_3IgqvSok01q6_vsuB0ixww/s320/laptop+bag.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>A <a href="http://www.catherinemanuelldesign.com/">Catherine Manuell</a> laptop carrier back from about 10 years ago. It was expensive and I loved it at the time, but it's really dated and of course, huge compared to laptop bags of today. It serves no purpose other than to store my old, huge, no-longer-working laptop, but I can't bring myself to part with it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVfhs_hBDA1fSz3NYaJsBRFTkFSst8EkbBxOxnUeQoGoP3gAN-I1DBDWjZIoGJjq1vSaH0L4nz1pDue7x0SdWWTyp2AmVu-Uqv-BPNKp2UwyC_esBx8Qe8ELGVhF-O5PIIzwhn5i_FVw/s1600/pencil+skirt.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVfhs_hBDA1fSz3NYaJsBRFTkFSst8EkbBxOxnUeQoGoP3gAN-I1DBDWjZIoGJjq1vSaH0L4nz1pDue7x0SdWWTyp2AmVu-Uqv-BPNKp2UwyC_esBx8Qe8ELGVhF-O5PIIzwhn5i_FVw/s320/pencil+skirt.JPG" width="154" /></a></div>This is the oldest item I have - a pencil skirt I wore to work in my first proper job 26 years ago when I was a secretary in the Ministry of Education. The waist is TINY. I would have to lose 30cm off my waist to be able to fit back into that. It's from Myer Miss Shop and has buttons all the way up the back. I love it, and regardless of the fact that I will probably never get into again, it's the one thing I will never, ever throw out.Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09349956327915851336noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-637354733344705396.post-39130474367083461472011-10-16T10:59:00.000+10:302011-10-16T10:59:33.379+10:30Movie: Crazy, Stupid Love<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/eK68Y3oMEk8" width="560"></iframe><br />
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I only recently started watching the US version of <b>The Office</b>, having been a long time holdout because of my worship of the flawless original. I had seen an episode here and there in the past as my ex was a fan and watched it regularly, so I knew it wasn't a bad show, but I was surprised to find when I finally watched it from the beginning how much I liked it. And having seen the first few episodes of the latest series, I think I've realised why I liked it so much: Steve Carell. This is a man who can do sadness like no other. As annoying and obnoxious and sometimes downright hateful as Michael Scott is in <b>The Office</b>, when his feelings have been hurt or he is upset about something, it is heartbreaking - thanks to the talent of Steve Carell. <br />
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He brings this talent to the fore in <b>Crazy, Stupid Love</b>, where he plays Cal Weaver, a man whose wife of 25 years (Julianne Moore) suddenly announces that she wants a divorce. After spending several nights in a hip local bar talking loudly and sadly about how his wife slept with a man at her work, he is taken in hand by a young lounge lizard called Jacob (Ryan Gosling), who teaches him to "get his manhood back". Bring on the clothing change montage! In the meantime, Jacob falls hard for a girl (Emma Stone) who has rejected his smooth patter once before, and Cal's teenage son is constantly declaring his love for his babysitter, much to her discomfort.<br />
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<b>Crazy, Stupid Love</b> is nothing more than a sweet, funny movie about three relationships, but I really enjoyed it. I've never thought much one way or the other about Ryan Gosling, but he did well as a superficial charmer who doesn't know what to do when he finally falls in love. The only thing I was confused about was that if he (and later Cal) were constantly picking up one night stands in the same bar, why did they never run into those women again? But maybe I'm just overthinking it.Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09349956327915851336noreply@blogger.com4