Christmas toppers/general polishes Haul!

Today's brief swatches are on Wet n Wild's "French White Creme", Sally Hansen's Xtreme Wear in "Blue Boom" and "Disco Ball", pop-arazzi's Pop FX "Star Shine" and "Reach for the Stars", and Essie's luxe effects in "set in stones". The images don't do them justice, but I think you will get a good enough idea on the lovely sparkles, shines, and overall glitteriness.

(here is a close-up on Disco Ball, as the white print made it difficult to read.)

(sorry for the blurry image. this is French White Creme, next to it is Blue Bloom, and then Set in Stones.)

Here you have very different formulas and types of glitter/sparkle. 

       On the right is pop-arazzi in "Star Shine". Star Shine is amazing with it's tiny circular holographic glitter and large hexagon-shaped holographic glitter. (This image is blurry because of the massive amount of holographic-ness going on in the whole frame. At the end, I will show brief videos of all the formulas up close.) The consistency of the polish itself is thin and "gloopy"...but this polish is best as a light topper with fewer glitters on the nail bed, or even better, painted on a sponge and dabbed on multiple times until you reach the desired amount of holographic heaven. You will thank me later, if you use the second method. Particularly if you do that as an accent nail to less flashy digits. 

           In the middle is SH's "Disco Ball", and contains very fine holographic glitters in a clear polish. The polish itself is much more manageable and can be painted on a single nail multiple times, to your desired glittery goodness (with several minutes in between coats) without fear of the dreaded "never-gonna-dry". 

On the far left is pop-arazzi's "Reach for the Stars". This polish has a gloopy consistency (if you are trying to get more stars) similar to Star Shine. This polish is a kind of champagne shimmer with a shifting hint of white, with tiny circular holographic glitter and medium-sized silver holographic stars. I adore this polish as much as Star Shine.

    

             Second from the right is Essie's "set in stones". The is a clear polish with very chunky silver glitter. There isn't much I can say about it, as the consistency is manageable and the distribution of glitter is very good. I dig it.
             Third from the right is SH's "Blue Boom". This polish is a dark yet fairly tinted with silver holographic mylar strips and a lot of tiny silver holographic glittery specks. This is a tinted polish, so 2-3 coats can likely give more opacity.
             On the left is a creamy white polish with a consistency similar to white-out. I personally got it to stamp on with blues, reds, and other winter-y colors, or to stamp on with an attempt to mimic a coloring page, which is often referred to as "leadlighting".

    Overall, I think that these polishes were quite a find. I am not disappointed by any of them. I got them all at CVS, but most of these can be available at a number of stores that carry nail polish. At CVS, I got them all at a card-discount rate of about $19 including tax. The Sally Hansen polishes usually sell for $2.99, pop-arazzi sell 2 for $5, and the Essie sells for $9. That was my first purchase of Essie, seeing as how the price is kind of steep for me. I caved and bought it to revel in the holiday feels. Please watch the videos below with the volume turned off, as I had a documentary playing and didn't realize how loud it was with my headphones lol.

Megachurch Mayhem

Talking over someone and chewing them out before rudely hanging up the phone doesn't allow that person to see the beauty in something that they once found ugly or indulgent. The fact that someone could be offended by me laughing about a megachurch and saying that they should focus on helping the community more than expanding is ridiculous. I did some research. Looking for St. Stephen's in the news didn't turn anything up, so I thought I'd look up their community services on their website. First thing I clicked was "giving". Giving is good, right? Well, St. Stephen's has a more important view on "giving"....

A quote from the "giving" section of the page says:

What is a tithe and how is it different from an offering?

The word, “tithe” literally means tenth or 10%. A tithe is the first 10% of your income. An offering is anything you give above and beyond the 10%.
Why do we tithe?

The Bible says, The purpose of tithing is to teach you always to put God first in your lives. (Deuteronomy 14:23 TLB) Tithing is a reminder that God is the supplier of everything we have. It is also God’s personal invitation to an outpouring of his blessing in your life.

In Malachi 3:10 (NLT), God says this: “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.” This is the only place in Scripture where God tells us to put him to the test. In other words, he’s saying, “Go ahead. I dare you. See if you can out-give me.”
Is God wise? Do you trust him?

These are two fundamental questions behind the act of giving. If God is wise, then you should listen to what he says about financial stewardship. If you trust him, then you should trust him with all aspects of your life, including your finances. So go ahead. Accept God’s invitation to put him to the test. Start tithing faithfully and watch what he does in and through your life.

So do you trust God enough to fork over your 10%...or your 20,30,40,50, etc.?

I guess guilt is the big drive, here....but you can take a look for yourself....

Oh, wait....you can pay by PayPal! or Mastercard! Visa, Discover, and AmEx is also accepted if you need some options.
I noticed on the right hand bar of the page, it listed the addresses of the "campuses".....You can read into that how you like.

Some words on their "our history" section included:

The Family Life Center also underwent a $4.1 million expansion in 2001. The expansion included two basketball courts, a bookstore, a café, racquetball courts, saunas, a dance studio, a state-of-the-art fitness center, and classroom space that will accommodate 2,500 people.

They also mentioned Hotel California which houses former addicts....

I was once a part of a mini church that was part of a humongous church.......We didn't have all the snazzy stuff, but the tithe was shoved down our throats then, too.

The church I attend doesn't pass a basket. They don't push to you donate or offer. There's a box in the back that you have a choice to put money into if you want.

My point is, you don't have to make it humongous and impressive in order to make a difference. I get that more seats are needed if it gets packed, but I sincerely doubt that God told them to make a fitness center, bookstore, dance studio, etc. All that time and money can be used elsewhere. I've been in and out of the system and in and out of all the shelters in Louisville and can say I know for a fact that St. Stephens never donated any clothes, time, food, etc. to those places....and that speaks volumes. Where did Jesus go when he wanted to help people? He didn't go to the church, because they were already saved.....he didn't want any riches....he didn't need a big building to make a difference.

The wonderful world of they don't know shit.

Regina was at Kosair for about 4 days until yesterday. I took her to the GI doctor around Monday or Tuesday because I wanted to find out why she constantly spits up.....so we went to Kosair and there were tests being done..she was on the IV for about 24 hours so she couldn't spit that up, so she gained almost a pound. Without waiting for the results of the test (which said it takes forever for stomach to process the contents and she DOES have reflux) they contacted CPS, claiming that I was at fault for her weight problem. If I brought her there for that very reason, wouldn't you think that I was TRYING to help her and not the cause for her "failure to thrive"? Now they have medical documents that say she DOES have medical problems that cause it, and nobody apologized for contacting CPS without ruling out the medical stuff first. Now I am at home and gotta wait for a visit from some stupid idiot to question me on my parenting and crap. I have all the medical files showing what was wrong, a list of all the professionals that visit and know I do what I can, and when this lady/guy shows up...I'll be ready to shove the files in their face and tell them to go to hell. But in a nice way, of course. Regina has had 3 BM's today, which is a rarity, and she has only spat up a little bit today. Life is alright, and it will be grand when I've dealt with the damn CPS people.


Like I said to the doctors and nurses: If I was the reason for her problem to gain weight, wouldn't I be against having several therapists (Physical, Speech, Developmental, Dietician, Occupational, Family) come into our home and check her weight and development? Wouldn't I have stayed home instead of taking her to a specialist and then the hospital for tests? 


Also, if I brought her in BECAUSE she was having problems gaining weight, wouldn't you try to find out why she was constantly spitting up? The nurses had to change her bedding a million times, the people in Radiology doing X-rays had to help me because she spat up ALL over me and I was almost in tears trying to clean us both up, and I had to change her clothes and gowns quite frequently due to her constant spitting up. Why would you try to blame the parent KNOWING that there is visual proof that she can't keep down much food? The main doctor that was assigned to her tried to claim that they were trying to follow protocol, that they were trying to rule out ALL possibilities, but if they were trying to rule out all possibilities, wouldn't you wait to see how the medical tests come back first before jumping at the chance to call CPS? I am in no way shape or form worried or afraid of CPS visiting....I have never received a complaint or visit from CPS, and it is because the people that see us both on a regular basis know that I do what I need to do and then some. The issue that I have is this: I feel like it's a slap in the face, all of the hoops that I jump through, all of the therapists I have requested to come in our home, the endless appointments I take her to, etc....it feels that all of the things that I do to give her what she needs and more has amounted to nothing. I did what I was supposed to do as a parent...I took her to the doctor to get her the medical care she needs....and this is what I get in return??? I did what I was supposed to, and I feel like this is some punishment, and it feels totally ass-backwards. Ugh




Anyway. I hope to get this person out off our hair so that I can continue to focus on Regina's needs, and not on proving that I am an outstanding parent.


My suggestion? Anytime you take your child to the hospital for ANY reason whatsoever, be prepared with a list of ALL personal or professional people that can tell them in any case that you do what you are supposed to. If it is a case of your child not being able to gain as much weight as you would like, bring ALL records of weigh-ins for the past year so that you CAN prove that your child has gained (and, unfortunately, lost) and then gained weight again under your care. Be prepared to prove that your child DOES thrive. These are all necessary steps that you should take so that not only have you covered all of your bases, but they also have solid information to go on in order to better care for your child and to show that you are doing what you are supposed to.


Another suggestion is: Don't go to Kosair Children's Hospital. Not only are they quick to point fingers at the people who are trying to help them, but the care that THEY give is shameful and pathetic. One night Regina was messing with the IV thing in her arm, and I called the nurse and asked for their assistance....They said they would send someone right down. We waited about 45 minutes or so before wrapping a diaper around it....We walked out for about 10 minutes and when we came back, the nurse had yet to show up. When Regina spat up one morning, I asked them for help, and they said they'd be right there....I waited for quite a while and ended up taking off the dirty bedding myself and the nurse NEVER came to put fresh sheets down. 




*End Rant*

Personal Blog; Controversial.

I was looking through my online guide to record some stuff for after the Olympics..and I stumbled upon a true gem. The NAACP IMAGE AWARDS. Basically, the NAACP feel that although there have been several black people who have won awards along the years, and they want the chance to be created equal.....so they now have an award show SPECIFICALLY and SOLELY for African-Americans. Way to segregate yourselves from all other races. It's wonderful to know that all the fighting and taking a stand against not being allowed somewhere because of the color of your skin has all amounted to: many many different races not being allowed somewhere because of the color of their skin.
I would love to see all hell break loose if someone decided to create an awards show specifically for white people. It'd be so different then. You can't even deny it. You can't ask for special treatment if your ancestors have fought, and you have fought, for equality. You can't pick both at different times. One or the other, people.

New Stuff: MAC Spring Colour Forecast!

 

  

  

  

And a close photo:

 

To see more, please click this link: Temptalia Link 

Goodbye, Max Factor...Goodbye, Prescriptives......Goodbye, Conan.....Goodbye, Humanity

Posted from AOL Shopping:

Official Article Here

Discontinued Makeup: Max Factor & Prescriptives

posted Jan 21st 2010 10:31AM by Genevieve Cruz

in Makeup

Loyal fans of Max Factor and Prescriptives have already probably heard of the news; both brands are sadly getting the plug this year. Proctor & Gamble who owns Max Factor has already started the process. It won't be sold in the U.S. anymore. Actually the brand has been hit hard over the past three years. I'm surprised though because the beauty line is so affordable. It will still continue to be sold internationally though where it does much better. Estee Lauder, parent company of Prescriptives, which has cited the brand as one of their least profitable brands, is slated to pull Prescriptives off shelves on February 1, 2010. Estee Lauder owns many big-name brands like Clinique and M-A-C to name a few.


But I've got good news for you Max Factor lovers and Prescriptives devotees! You've got time to stock up. Drugstore.com has inventory on both lines. They've even got this special offer: Spend $35 on Prescriptives and get a free travel-sized Super Line Preventor Xtreme (through January 31, 2010).


Shop below! I've highlighted the top-selling products for each brand, which will be helpful to those of you who have never tried the brands. In my research, I've discovered that women love the Max Factor Erase, which helps conceal dark circles and flaws, and also, the Prescriptives 'All You Need+ SPF 15 Moisturizer, so don't miss those!


I hate the fact that such a cheap and good cosmetic like such as Max Factor is being discontinued. It's ridiculous...but I guess that is life.

On a side note, tonight was the last episode of The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, and he took 5 minutes before Will Ferrell was on to say a few things about how grateful he is, a message to his fans, etc. and I started crying. I've never really seen him get that serious for that long and he actually choked up. I love that guy. My denial is over, I'm going to have to wait until at least September to see him on tv again. *le sigh*

It's been good, Coco.

New Must Haves!

I look at a billion blogs a day, and I have seen many different products that everyone is going nuts over! Here are the select few that I would LOVE to try out myself:

Nars Illuminator:

It's a 1.1oz tube that you can get at Sephora for $29. I saw many people at the Golden Globes who wore it, including Christina Aguilera. You can even put it on your shoulder blades, neck, etc. Just use it in the right amounts!

The new Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden. This is supposed to be a more flesh-toned color, so you can use it even as a semi-concealer! You can purchase at Sephora for $18, it is in a 0.34oz tube.

I have tried the UDPP in Sin, and love it. I might not like the flesh-toned color...but you can't know until you try it. So check it out.

DKNY has a collection of LIMITED EDITION Candied Apple Fragrances. The green is Sweet Caramel, Red is Ripe Raspberry, and Purple is Juicy Berry. You can purchase them at Sephora for $55, and they come in a 1.7oz bottle. These sound delicious, but you can't eat them unless you don't like your teeth! ;)

Benefit has a new eye primer out called "Say, don't Stray.". I heard that it was a good formula, but sucky packaging. You have to be very careful not to squirt the pump too fast, or it might ooze out too much. You only need a tiny bit to make it work, so don't overdo it and you will be fine. I don't think I would want to spend my money on this, as I already adore my UDPP and am set in my ways, but this might be very good for travel! It is sold for $24 at Sephora.

The Clarisonic is a fantastic new way to cleanse your face in a much better way. I'm not sure of the exact price, but you can probably do a search for it on google. I heard that as long as you don't use it every single day, you will be good to go. Let your skin rest for a day or two in between, and you will be fine. 

Two Perfume Reviews:

I'm sure a lot of you have heard all the hype about Kim Kardashian's new perfume, and a few people have told me that it smells too "dark".....and I decided to try it out when flipping through In Style magazine. I rubbed it on my skin and took a big whiff. Horrible idea. It was way too overwhelming.

The notes in the perfume are:
Mandarin, Honey Suckle, Orange Blossom, Pink Jasmine, Tuberose, Sensual Spice, Lush Gardenia, Jacaranda Wood, Tonka Bean, Vanilla Orchid, Sexy Musk, Creamy Sandalwood.

What in the hell was she thinking, using so many floral scents? When I looked up the information for the perfume, I read this:


"Kardashian told WWD the she and sister Kourtney used to throw flowers from outside in a blender when they were little because that's how she thought perfume was made. Now she's got some help with Lighthouse Beauty to do perfume the right way!"


Well, she most certainly threw a bazillion flowers in the mix and hit blend. That's exactly what it smells like! I suggest that if you want to clear a room, go buy this at sephora.com for a whopping $65 (full sized is 65 bucks. Everything else ranges from $15 to $50.)

If, however, you want to still smell the floral loveliness, but not seem as though you just went to a greenhouse and dumped all the flowers on top of you and grinded it into your skin, check out Sarah Jessica Parker's lovely new perfume, SJP NYC.

Here is the information for said perfume:

Notes include mandarin, white osmanthus, strawberry, gardenia, honeysuckle, mimosa, rose, sandalwood, vanilla absolute, rum flavor and creamy musks and was developed by Parker in collaboration with perfumer Honorine Blanc.
The collection consists of three sizes of the eau de toilette — 15 ml. for $25, 30 ml. for $35 and 60 ml. for $49.

A lot cheaper that Kim's perfume, the smell is subtly floral and the bottle is cute!
 

Conan O'brien's Decision:

                        Conan O'brien was met with a serious decision to make late last week in order to accommodate Jay Leno's time change. He was asked to decide whether or not he would accept to be pushed back to 12:05 on The Tonight Show so that Jay Leno would have an earlier time. If any of you follow the Wonderful Conan (Coney, CoCo) O'brien, then you would know that not only has he already changed in a time slot once recently, he also completely swapped shows and now the not-so-wonderful Jimmy Fallon is in his previous position.

                         I believe that by requesting a legend such as the wonderful Coney to switch back and forth over and over again to fit other comedic hosts' schedule, it is a complete and total slap in the face. Conan O'brien has been around for as long as I can remember, and although he is not as old as Leno or Letterman, I find him far more amusing and entertaining. I think it is a complete disrespect to the person to ask for them to be pushed back so that other people in a similar position can fit in an earlier slot.

So, without further ado, I give you Conan O'brien's letter to all those wondering what is REALLY going on:

People of Earth:
In the last few days, I’ve been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I’ve been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I’ve been absurdly lucky. That said, I’ve been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.
Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over The Tonight Show in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.

But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.
Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35. For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn’t the Tonight Show. Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.
So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of The Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn’t matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more.
There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.
Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it’s always been that way.
Yours,
Conan

                                I think that this letter was mild compared to what I would be saying about those NBC douchebag's. Let us hope and pray that Conan is offered a much more reasonable time slot from a much better network than what will soon be deceased (Without Conan, there IS no network.), NBC.

So Smexy...

New Stuff:

Every once in a while, I will talk about products that are brand new or products that are going to release soon. Today, I will start.

Urban Decay has released a new type of eyeshadow called "Stardust". I am a glitter lover, and this sounds fantastic! If I were comfortable with paying $20 for a single eyeshadow, this would be off the chain. I'm sure I can find a good cheap dupe for it, but if you can afford it, go check it out!

I will do some digging up to find some more pictures......But go to urbandecay.com and check out the Limited Edition Alice in Wonderland Palette!!!