29 October 2010

And visions of sugar plums danced in their head!

My inner five-year-old loves flavored lipglosses; so much so that I have a box full of them. Vanilla and mint are my end-all-beat-all favorite, but every so often, I like to get something a little outside of my comfort zone. I was delighted a few weeks ago at work (Pier 1) when I saw that we got Sugared Plum lipgloss in stock just in time for the holidays.



As the name suggests, it tastes sugary, but not so much on the plum. I do like how it wears, though, because it's slightly shimmery, yet not gritty, and my lips feel moisturized without being a sticky trap for my hair to get stuck in.
I was a little worried when I opened the tube and saw that the gloss itself is an opalescent shade of lilac. Uh, corpse lips? No, thanks! I got over that phase when I was about twelve. But I applied anyway and was pretty pleased with it. It applies sheer with just a touch of the opalescent shimmer, so if you just like your glosses to shine, this one is for you.

pier 1,flavoured lipgloss,sugared plum,cheap

For just two bucks, it's a cheapy cheap way of brightening your day.

XOXO,
Ashleigh

25 October 2010

Organic deodorant?

Are you one of the many girls (or guys!) that's unlucky enough to have a bad reaction to conventional deodorant? Yeah, me, too. For years I've gone back and forth between all different kinds, trying to find one that didn't make my underarms itch or burn or break out in nasty little bumps. I was always really self concious of wearing tanktops, even around the house, because I felt like everyone would be staring at the bumps that would seemingly multiply. I tried Ban, Dove, Secret, Mitchem... none of them really worked for me. Anytime I would buy another stick of the same product, I knew I was just resigning myself to discomfort, but here in Texas, deo is a must.
One of my girlfriends finally suggested that I try organic deoderant, so off I went to H.E.B, in search of organic deodorant that didn't smell like flowers-and-butt and wasn't going to break the bank. Enter Tom's deoderant. At less than five dollars a stick with a light lemongrass scent, I was all over this.
Since Tom's is organic, it does not contain aluminum, something that a lot of people (like me!) have reactions to in deodorant. In your typical stick of, oh, say, Dove, aluminum works to close essentially close your pores so you don't sweat and stink up the joint. In lieu of aluminum, Tom's uses hops which works to prohibit the growth of bacteria, the biggest source of underarm funk.
Tom's works pretty well as a deodorant, but I do want to point out that it's not an antipersperant, so if that's what you're looking for, you may want to keep searching.

XOXO,
Ashleigh

20 October 2010

I'm knackered

If you and I are friends on Facebook, then you know that I just started with C25K. If you're unfamiliar with it, it's a running program to get you from Couch (C) to running a 5K in 9 weeks using progressively more intensive work outs. It's really great for people (like me) that want to get in better shape, but are unsure of where to start.
I really enjoyed doing this tonight, because you start off with a five minute walk to warm up, jog for a minute, walk for 90 seconds, and then alternate until you've been jogging/walking for 20 minutes and conclude your workout with a five minute cool down. By about the third time I was supposed to jog, I started thinking to myself "I could totally just walk now... no one would EVER know..." but then I thought "Okay, I would know! Just keep imagining more toned legs!" and that kind of helped to get me over the hump. Well, that and next time Lipglossiping posts an update about how she's doing on C25K, I don't want to feel guilty!
There's an app for it in the Droid (and stinky iPhone) market, which is actually pretty cool. It times everything for you and has a cheery little "ding!" to let you know when one section is done. I will be honest, though, after the fourth "DING!" I wanted to throw my phone, but that's just because I hate running.
I'm tentatively looking forward to Saturday when I'm going to do Week 1 Day 2... Look for sporadic updates (:
You can find a really great site for it here with some more information.

XOXO
Ashleigh

18 October 2010

What Product Has You Buzzin'?

This week, I'm all about Burt's Bees Hand Salve. It's packed with things like sweet almond oil,  olive oil, bee's wax, and vitamin E with a healthy dose of Eucalyptus oil so it's not only super nourishing for your skin, but it also has a slight medicinal smell in a completely pleasant way.

Burt's Bees Hand Salve

I really like the metal tin that it comes in, partly because I'm a sucker for cool packaging, and it's also pretty handy for me to tuck into my purse and not worry about it leaking all over the place and turning everything into a gooey mess.
Since it's a salve and not a lotion, it does go on pretty thickly and takes a few minutes to sink in. Once it does, though, it makes a huge difference. My hands are much softer, visibly smoother, and are lightly scented. If you're like me and you're the kind of gal that worries about different fragrances mixing, don't fret; it doesn't last long. If you're busy doing a lot of things with your hands, I would reccomend waiting until you have a few minutes to rub it in and let it absorb completely so it doesn't get that greasy feel.
The colder the weather gets, the more I'll be using it and applying it to not only my hands, but my elbows, knees, ankles and feet to keep them pretty and supple through the Winter.

Over all, I'd give it a solid A. You can usually pick up Burt's Bees products at Target, Walmart, Walgreens, and most other major retailers with most of the products under $15.

XOXO,
Ashleigh

PS: Burt's Bees does not test on animals, so that's another few points in their favor.

14 October 2010

Purse Inventory

Yesterday I was sitting in the Starbucks on campus with one of my friends and I pawed through my purse for about five minutes looking for my lip balm. After five minutes, I gave up and just started pulling everything out, piece by piece, determined to find that darn Eos lip balm!
Scattered through my purse and in my make up bag I had:
12 red lipsticks/glosses
5 nude lipsticks/glosses
1 plum lipstick
2 lip balms
3 black liquid liners
1 purple liquid liner
1 navy liquid liner
5 eye shadow duos
1 Too Faced eye shadow palette (Naked Eye)
5 mascaras
1 lash curler
1 brow pencil (blonde)
2 eye shadow brushes (medium brush and crease brush)
1 pressed powder
1 bronzer/highlighter compact
1 face brush
1 concealer/highlighter
1 moisturizer
1 pack of make up remover wipes
2 nail polishes
2 perfumes


It took up the entire table. Seriously


Who needs this many lipsticks?


At least they're all pretty!

Photobucket
I have no explanation for this.

I may be a touch crazy after all. What's in your purse?

Xoxo,
Ashleigh

13 October 2010

In Store Play

Last night the Boy and I went to Ulta after a lovely dinner. I wanted to pick up some new lipstick from Benefit, because I'm absolutely in love with the colors and how it wears, and I was woefully disappointed by their lack of lipstick. So I turned to my other standby, Too Faced, and began swatching colors on the back of my hand. I went through all of the lipsticks they had and made my way through most of the glosses. The one gloss I fell in love with was out of stock, so I went over to the Bare Escentuals display to find a dupe. I swatched all of the ones that looked close to the one I wanted and found an almost perfect match that would look great with my skin tone.
And then it hit me. I was the only person in the store that was testing out the samples as much as I was. I looked around and saw people testing maybe a lipstick or an eyeliner on their hand and it made me wonder: am I the only person who tests this many different products in store? I must have had close to thirty different lipsticks and glosses covering the back of my hand by the time I made it up to the counter to pay. The Boy doesn't bat a lash when I start swatching, he's seen it for over two years now, but some of the other ladies that were shopping regarded me with a wary eye and didn't come too close.
Please tell me I'm not crazy.

XOXO,
Ashleigh

04 October 2010

The Melancholy Death of Solar Nails

If you're pro-solar, acrylics and tips, you may want to skip this post... I'm pretty anti-artificial nails now!
I've been wanting fake nails for as long as I can remember. My Mom had her manicurist license when I was a kid and I used to always watch her apply nails, absolutely fascinated by how short and stumpy nails could be transformed into long and elegant nails in a matter of minutes. My Mom always warned me with "don't do it, it's not worth it..." and up until a couple of weeks ago, I heeded her advice.
My bestie and I decided to go and have our nails done; she, because her nails were and bad shape from work and me, because I had quit my job and wanted to do something frivolous to celebrate. I'm a big believer in at-home manicures, so I decided that I would go ahead and get solars, since it's not something I can do for myself.  Forty dollars and half an hour later, I had my first set of solars. I was so excited by having nails that I overlooked little flaws* and was more focused on "I have nails! Look how pretty and shiny they are!" They were awful.

solar nails

The first set that I had put on were way too square, too thick, had bubbling in the gel as it dried, and I had lifting after one day. By day three, several of the nails had actually cracked, my thumb nails had to be taken off since they were cracked all the way through, and  one of my nails had almost completely lifted off. Ugh! I went back to the place I had my nails done at, and they were nice enough to put on a new set. The new set went on pretty well and lasted for about a week before I caught my nail in the truck door and pulled part of it off. I will admit that while my nails were on, they looked really nice and using several coats of a base, I was able to change my polish color several times with little to no problems.
After I cracked my nail, I went to my trusty Walmart, bought a bottle of acetone, a new cuticle pusher, coarse grit file, buffing block, and Revlon post-trauma treatment.  To remove my nails I used the follow steps:

  • Clipped nails short
  • Used coarse grit file to get artificial nail as thin as possible
  • Soaked nails in acetone
  • Used cuticle pusher to gently lift and push acetone off of nail
  • Buffed nails
  • Used cotton pads soaked in acetone to remove any trace of solar nail left
  • Buffed nails again
  • Applied Post-Trauma nail treatment
After I took my nails off, my nails were so thin and brittle, with completely uneven surfaces that were visible even after applying several coats of nail polish. My nails had grown out a little since I had my solars put on and I have a VERY visible ridge that I'm trying to slowly smooth out with a buffing block.
I honestly don't think I'll ever have artificial nails put on again because to me, they weren't worth it at all.

Xoxo,
Ashleigh

*If you choose to have your nails done, SPEAK UP to your nail tech. If you think she's making the nails too square or too round, too thick or too thin, or if they just plain look weird, TELL HER.