Thursday, August 9, 2012

Style Sundays-Olympic Fever

I don't know about everyone else, but I have been LOVING the Olympics this year.  From swimming (um hello abs!) to gymnastics to the track, everything has just been so enjoyable to watch and I'm feeling the fever.  I thought I'd share some cute red, white and blue outfit options to support the Good'Ol USA!  I like pairing a blue and white staple with red accessories so here are some of my picks to put together the perfect patriotic outfit.

This dress from Mod Cloth is very classic and chic.  I like it paired with a cute pair of red heels or flats for a more casual look.  It is $294.99 http://www.modcloth.com/shop/dresses/pleaty-please-dress

This is another option from modcloth that is a little more affordable at $44.99.  I love the lace and button detail on this and believe you can again pair it with a cute red necklace, red shoes and perhaps a red clutch for a cute red, white and blue effect.  http://www.modcloth.com/shop/dresses/town-festival-dress

Pair either with some fun accessories like this red handbag from Target (29.99) http://www.target.com/p/merona-vinyl-satchel-red/-/A-14117383 and you've got some serious patriotic style!

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Subscription Saturdays-POPSUGAR Must Have Bag

Sorry it has been a while since my last blog post.  I arrived on a subscription Saturday with no recent Subscription in my mailbox to review  :(.  Also, I was out of town last weekend so I figured I would take a little week break until a review was possible.  Lo and behold, one of the newest kids on the block arrived in my mail this past week.  The POPSUGAR Must have bag is the newest subscription to hit the markets. https://musthave.popsugar.com/ It went out with a bang quickly selling out their first month's July's bag.  However, as most subscription services have, it quickly hit a snag when people began receiving their bags and realizing the contents were not quite as advertised.


POPSUGAR originally indicated that the bag would contain hand picked items from the editors of must have products totaling in value of at least $150.  The cost is $35 a month which is a little high so they certainly should deliver as promised.   As mentioned, once the bags went out and had been sold out, the amount was dropped to $100 and stands at that value now. Also, a lot of the products were duplicates (bars in different flavors, two colors of the same lipstick, two colors of the same brand of nail polish.  A lot of people love these subscriptiosn for the variety of brands you get to try so that was a also a bit of a disappointment.  The $150 original market price   was a snafu on their part...overambitious marketing?? Not sure, it got people in the door but may have put people off on an ongoing basis.  However, they seem to have a very dedicated customer service department and they seem to want to improve.  As I always give subscriptions 3 bad months before I make a cut, I'll give them another try.  MyGlam certainly redeemed themselves so I am certain POPSUGAR can as well and I am rooting for them to succeed as I like the idea of this bag. So onto the items.  The theme this month is July Summer beauty



1.POPSUGAR  Hot Pink and Canvas Beach Bag.  This is actually a high quality tote bag.  It is a thicker material, has a zipper closure and seems to be well made.  It just seemed like a bit of a throw away marketing product in my opinion.  I'm not big on products or bags that have a brand as the focus and thus won't get a lot of use in this bag.  It would make a good beach bag though if you needed one as mentioned it is higher quality and decently heavy duty.  It is made for POPSUGAR by Especial(http://shop.earthwisebags.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=EW286R)  and is made of 100% Cotton so is Earth friendly in that department.  Though interesting to me is they use organic "green friendly" cotton brand for the bag yet each product included was individually wrapped in tissue paper which in  my opinion, is pretty wasteful.  I did enjoy opening each product as it was if unwrapping a gift but Earth friendly it is not. 
Retail Value of Bag :$24.99

2. Body Drench Pomegranate Crush Lotion-8oz. This seems like a good enough bottle of lotion, smells good, goes on smooth.  I go through lotion pretty quickly though so would have appreciated a larger size but that is just me. The product is currently on Amazon for $7
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0080MU9O2/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0080MU9O2&linkCode=as2&tag=popsho-20
3.Body Drench Raspberry GelĂ©e Body Scrub 6 oz.  A love a nice exfoliating scrub and the smell on this is nice.  It seems to work well in the shower and this was a nice product to get in the bag.  I do love the full size product as with so many of these subscriptions, products are usually simply sample sized, yet they also are a fraction of the cost thus justifying the smaller size.  It is also sold on Amazon for $6 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0080MTQ3W/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0080MTQ3W&linkCode=as2&tag=popsho-20
4.Ilia Lip Conditioner and Lipstick in Bang Bang and in my Room. The bright "Bang Bang" red color of this lipstick originally intimidated me but it actually is a very nice color and does make my lips feel quite soft.  The "In my room" color is a very natural pink and I really love it.  I do also enjoy the conditioning aspect of this lipstick. This product is eco friendly and organic so you can feel comfortable with the ingredients you are using on your lips..  These are $24 each ($48 total retail value) http://iliabeauty.com/collections/lipstick/products/voila
5. Kind Nut and Spices bars in Cashew and Ginger Spice and Madagascar Vanilla Almond.  The bars are all natural which I really like about them.  They are made up of mostly nuts which are filling and quite good for you. I tried the Cashew and Ginger Spice one and enjoyed the flavor.  I try when buying products to look at the ingredients and be sure that I can pronounce and recognize all of these and with these bars, I certainly can.  I know you can find them at whole foods as I've seen them there and they are sold here .http://www.kindsnacks.com/kind-store/buy-kind-bars#!/bars  The bars retail at $1.49 and can be bought in bulk.  Total Retail: $2.98
6. RGB Nail Polish in Doll and Mint.  It's funny as I never had much of a nail polish collection until I joined these subscriptions services, slowly but surely, I now have a great variety of colors and these are the perfect addition.  I love the mint and you can never go wrong with a nude for an everyday all natural look (especially for me as the professional world often doesn't allow too much craziness in nail color.  These products are also free of harmful chemicals (no formaldehyde) so we continue with an all natural theme with these products. http://otteny.com/catalog/lifestyle/nail-polish-in-doll.html?source=shopstyle&brand=RGB Retail value is $16 each so $32 total

Total Retail Value of Bag: $120.98

So it wasn't a ton lower than $150 but it you take out the value of the bag which I know some bloggers have as it is more of a marketing product, you are looking at under $100.  So give it a try for yourself if you'd like.  The August theme is "Entertainment".

Monday, July 30, 2012

Friday Favorites-honoring Aurora heros

On my Wednesday post, I mentioned my Friday favorties would be links to whatever good could be found in the horrific Aurora tragedy and the acts of pure humna kindness.  Please find these links below

http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/25/opinion/bennett-aurora-three/index.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/20/stories-of-heroism-during_n_1690688.html

http://www.denverpost.com/heroes/ci_21175225/movie-goer-ran-into-theater-9-rescued-teenage?source=pkg

http://www.denverpost.com/heroes/ci_21173749/son-and-father-help-mom-and-stranger-safety?source=pkg

http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/22/us/colorado-shooting-survivors/index.html

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_21149877/aspiring-musician-petra-anderson-survives-pellet-shot-through?source=rss

Fitness and Food for Thought Thursdays-WERQ!

So I'm normally pretty boring when it comes to my workout routines and I've stuck to what I've always known: running, weights, and a little elliptical and spining thrown in for variety. Let's just say I am not the most coordinated of ladies so thus why my workouts have aligned accordingly.

I admittedly did try a little Zumba for a while which was fun even though I looked like a disaster.  However, my favorite part of Zumba was always when the instructor would throw in a few popular songs to mix it up.  I always got more into the dances when I recognized the music and let go of my insecurities a little more thus likely getting a better workout.

So imagine my excitement when the Spring class schedule at my gym was released and had a new class being introduced called WERQ!  WERQ could be compared to Zumba, but its not.  Zumba takes Latin and salsa dancing influences and teaches them in easy steps while WERQ takes moves from popular songs on the radio and repeats them in a easy to learn and follow format.

The first class was a hit and now it is my favorite class at the gym.  I typically just have fun and hardly even watch the clock yet I'm often quite tired at the end as well.  My friends often make fun of me as when songs that I've done dances to in WERQ come on the radio, I'll start breaking out my dance moves.  And the range of songs they do is fun: from Carly Rae Jepson's Call Me Maybe to Kelly Clarkson's Stronger to Nikki Minaj and Starships. And trust me, the moves are easy.  I am far and beyond the least coordinated person in the world and I've been able to pick it up pretty easily.

It really is a great and fun workout and I recommend checking out the gym by you to see if they have it.  Here is some information:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXO91bv0iCk

https://www.facebook.com/werqout

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Wild Wednesday-Heros and Miracles

In the aftermath of the awful tragedy in Aurora, the focus has shifted away from the coward who did this and onto the heroes and miracles that came out of this horrible event.  None of us know what we will do when faced with terror and how we will react.  While it is truly hard to find a positive note in what happened, I am warmed to see the media focus has turned more to the amazing and heartening stories of survival and bravery. 

I read recently that family members of the victims and residents of Aurora do not wish the name of the shooter to be mentioned but for the lives of those taken from us far too soon to be remembered and honored.  The media while has still given some attention to the evil individual has in some degree complied and focuses on some truly amazing stories of bravery and honor.

I've read about 3 men who died protecting the lives of their girlfriends.  Jon Blunk, Alex Teves, and Matt McQuinn all had to make swift decisions in the face of danger.  These man died in bravery and should be remembered for these honorable acts.  While I am sure each of their girlfriends are eternally grateful, I am sure they would trade anything to have these men back.  Hopefully in their grieving, they will feel comfort knowing these men will forever be remembered for acting with courage in a moment of absolute fear.

There was another story I read where a man who was at the theatre with his son and his son's girlfriend who he had met just one other time.  He barely knew this girl but when the shooting started and she was hit and injured badly, he stayed behind to help her and cover her from getting hit again when the shooter started heading towards them.  There was the woman who's husband is still in a coma who gave birth to their child a few days following the event.  There was the girl who basically saved her best friend's life when she stayed and plugged a wound.  There is the girl who was shot in the head and had a bullet in her brain that miraculously traveled through a birth defect channel and thus cause no damage.There was the individual who was shot and still helped a fellow victim out of the theatre.  The stories are countless, people who stayed behind to help other, people who faced danger and had courage and risked their lives in the hope to save others.  These stories are what this tragedy should be remembered for.

A story like this while breed out of evil shows how good still conquers all.  Ironically the individual who carried these acts out fashioned himself to be a villain like the Joker in "The Dark Knight".  In that movie, the Joker ultimately believed that when dealt in a moment of desperation, human beings would be selfish and would value their own lives over others.  In a pivotal moment towards the end of the film *Spoiler Alert*, residents on a ferry out of town and crooks on another ferry both rigged with explosive devices are given a decision to blow the other one up and save themselves.  The Joker felt that both would immediately act and blow the other one up to save their own lives.  When both made the decision to let the other live , he was confused and baffled.  In this moment off tragedy, the human spirit and good prevailed.  We ultimately do care for one another and will be courageous to help others when faced with a difficult choice. 

So don't forget how awful this event was but also please remember the stories of bravery and love that came out of it.  There is good in this world and while evil may briefly succeed, ultimately it will only showcase further how much good there truly is in this world.  This Friday for my "favorites" I'll link to some of these stories so you can read for yourselves.

Tacky Tuesday: do you really need to do your makeup there??

I have spotted an unusual and in my opinion, tacky trend as of late.  I live in Chicago and therefore take the "El"  or public transportation to work every morning.  Now this is not a relaxing event.  Getting a seat is a rare and celebrated event often meaning you are likely to have a good day to follow. There are lots of people crowded on this commute most standing...let's just say there is no personal space involved in this experience.

So imagine my confusion and a little bit of disgust when twice in the past week I've seen girls doing their makeup in the middle of the commute.  While I suppose this is a very difficult task and these women perhaps should be praised for their skill and not scolded, I just can't.  This is just simply a pet peeve of mine. And for the record, I am not talking touching up a little lipstick or anything.  These girls I've spotted have had the whole makeup bag out and I've even spotted an eyelash curler...now seriously?

I suppose this is a safer alternative to those who drive and do their makeup in the car but still?? Clearly if you are doing your makeup on a crowded, moving train with someone's butt in your face, you are doing a 1/2 ass job in the first place.  If you are going to do a 1/2 ass job on your makeup, just quickly do it in 5 minutes before leaving for the day.

Trust me, everyone doesn't want to see your routine and how you put concealer under your eyes and then powder and that you blend using circular movements with your fingers.  If you want to give a makeup demo to a willing audience instead of those who are stuck watching you, put it on your YouTube channel!

Does this bother anyone else or am I alone in this Tacky Tuesday rant?

Monday, July 23, 2012

Makeup and Beauty Mondays-Allure Fall Beauty Box

    So attention ladies, tomorrow you can get your hands on an AWESOME deal from Allure.  If you get Allure magazine, you may have quickly glanced at the advertisement announcing their fall beauty box but let me tell you, this really is a WONDERFUL deal.  I did this for summer and absolutely got more than my money's worth and still have plenty of products lefts over that still have plenty of uses left.  These products are mostly FULL SIZE gals, FULL SIZE...and the cost: $39.99.  How do you decide if it is worth it?  Add up what you typically would buy(body wash, face wash, moisturizer, etc.) when you needed more, how much you would typically spend and if it is equal or less than $39.99, I say go for it.  It goes on sale at 12pm EST and usually sells out within the day so do not delay if you are interested.  Below is listed what's in the box and the retail value.  I do believe shipping is   $10 so make sure you take that into account.
  1.  Aveeno Natural Protection Sunblock Lotion with SPF 30 3 oz ($10.99)http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=xlsImpprod3060019
  2. Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Polish in Dolly ( plum, shimmery color) .15 fl oz ($10.00 on sale at Sephora) http://www.sephora.com/buxom-lips-P174213
 3. Biomega Firm and Fabulous Hairspray 10oz ($23.99)http://www.stuff4beauty.com/catalog.php?category=Aquage%20Biomega%20Firm%20Fabulous%20Hairspray  
4. Biore Blemish Fighting Ice Cleanser 6.7 fl oz($7.49)
 http://www.drugstore.com/biore-blemish-fighting-ice-cleanser/qxp388178?catid=182284&aid=328279&aparam=biore_bs_bn
5. Burt’s Bees Intense Hydration Night Cream 1.8 oz ($18)
http://www.burtsbees.com/natural-products/face-care-intense-hydration/intense-hydration-night-cream.html
6. ColoreScience Primer Skin Brightening SPF 20 1fl oz ($45.00)
http://www.dermstore.com/product_Skin+Brightening+Primer+SPF+20+-+Line+Tamer_4889.htm
7. Dr. Lewinn by Kinerase Wrinkle Repair Daily Lotion SPF 30 1.7 fl oz($28.99)
http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/dr.-lewinn-by-kinerase-wrinkle-repair-daily-lotion/ID=prod6057065-product
8. Eclos Plant-Based Beauty Anti-Aging Starter Kit ($19.99)
http://www.target.com/p/eclos-6-piece-starter-kit/-/A-13416544?ref=tgt_adv_XSB10001&AFID=shopzilla_df&LNM=|13416544&CPNG=health%20beauty&ci_src=10043468&ci_sku=13416544&szredirectid=13431025354491425930610050301008005
9. GKHair Serum 1.69 fl oz ($25)
http://www.folica.com/hair-care/hair-oils-and-serums/global-keratin-serum
10.  Glytone Exfoliation Body Wash 6.7 fl oz ($28.00)
http://www.dermstore.com/product_exfoliating+body+wash_472.htm?utm_source=msn&utm_medium=paid_search&utm_term=glytone+exfoliating+body+wash&utm_campaign=100043
11.Jergens Daily Moisture Dry Skin Moisturizer 21 fl oz ($5.59)
http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=156033&catid=158229&aid=338534aparam=bs_fp_dm_fp_os_dsm
12. John Frieda Clear Shine Luminous Glaze 6.5 fl oz ($7.19)
http://www.drugstore.com/john-frieda-clear-shine-luminous-glaze-for-all-hair-shades/qxp270532#
13. John Frieda FrizzEase Dream Curls Curl Perfecting Spray 6.7 fl oz ($5.99)
http://www.drugstore.com/john-frieda-frizz-ease-style-dream-curls-curl-perfecting-spray/qxp85642?fromsrch=Frizz+Ease+Dream+Curls%C2%AE+Curl%E2%80%91Perfecting+Spray
14. John Frieda Full Repair Perfect Ends Deep Infusion 1.7 fl oz ($7.99)
http://www.drugstore.com/john-frieda-full-repair-perfect-ends-deep-infusion/qxp329709?fromsrch=Full+Repair+Perfect+Ends+Deep+Infusion
15. Lipton Tea and Honey Iced Green Tea Mango Pineapple 6 packets ($2.59)
http://www.drugstore.com/search/search_results.asp?Ntk=All&srchtree=5&Ntt=lipton+green+tea+honey&aid=337456&aparam=lipton_green_tea_honey&scinit1=lipton_green_tea_honey
16. Miss Professional Nail Sation Nail Lacquer Rock-a-Guy Blue ($5.00) http://store.misspn.com/home/index/9835.0
17. NYC Sparkle Eye Dust in 14 Karat Rose ($3.50)http://newyorkcolor.com/products/eyes/eyeshadow/sparkle-eye-dust
18. NYX Stick Blush in Orchid ($6.00)
http://www.nyxcosmetics.com/p-146-stick-blush.aspx
19. Oscar Blandi Pronto Texture and Volume Spray ($25.00)
http://www.skinstore.com/p-18259-oscar-blandi-pronto-texture-and-volume-spray.aspx
20. Redken Smooth Lock Stay Sleek 150 ml ($29.00)
http://www.hairhousewarehouse.com.au/hair-care/leave-in-conditioners/redken/smooth-lock-leave-in-cream/884486072412/

Total Retail $315.30 Get it here http://allureaccess.com/#fall-beauty-box