Tumbleweeds

Just a little something to get you through the last day of August...

New York Magazine has an online article about the top five runway falls!

because who doesn't like watching a supernaturally thin unbelievably tall woman take a tumble?

It also proves that if they can't walk in these shoes...no one can.

And, yes, it makes me feel better watching Jessica Stam fall knowing that I didn't actually plunk down for those Chloe shoes that looked so awesome on the runway.

Also...get psyched for Fall Fashion week...

The rest of September is guaranteed to suck.

photo courtesy of nymag.com

Wait a Minute Mr. Postman

I think my mailman is mad at me.

I have yet to receive my September Vogue and Elle magazines.

Maybe they gave him a hernia?

Line 'Em Up

Keeping with my "scrimp versus spend" mentality right now, I have to confess that another area where I'm not inclined to break the piggy bank is when it comes to eyeliner.





The reason?





Well, it's really three fold:





1. I rarely use it. Mostly because I'm just plain lazy.





2. I get off on the idea of being able to be frugal and multipurpose my eyeshadows.





3. Ummm, because pound for pound, I'm not using as much of it as I do, say, foundation.





It's all a numbers game.





However, I do enjoy a good liner just as much as the next gal. I love my Bobbi Brown Gel Liner because it stays on for about three days, therefore allievating aforementioned concern number 1. I also like amping it up for a Saturday night by breaking out my teal eyeliner, prompting many a man to ask, while squinting at my face, "Is that like, green? On your eyelids? Are you feeling ok?"





So let's just say I'm not going to plunk down the big bucks for that reaction.





So, one solution I've found particularly useful are the Brightening Eye Liners from e.l.f. Cosmetics. They go on smoothly, come with their own sharpener and come in a variety of wearable shades.

And they cost one smackaroo.

You can't even get a lead coated toy for that price.

I'm particularly enamored with the Plum shade for fall (I am so planning on rocking an all purple wardrobe this season. It'll be like Prince is testifying on the Hill everyday.) and the technique of lining the underside of the lash line is pure genius.

Other faves include Coffee and Midnight.

What else are you doing with that dollar? Except waiting for the light to go on at Millie and Al's?

Yes, I have a sick obsession with a bar where you can buy dollar Jello shots. Don't ask why, because I really don't know.

photo courtesy of eyeslipsface.com

Fiscal Matters

Today Meghan over at Faking Good Breeding posed the question, "Are fashion and beauty blogs contributing to overspending?" She then goes on to discuss the trend of higher prices for luxury items in stores and the blogs that make a pricey bag seem like a food/shelter necessity which can make the average girl go a little luxe-crazy. Even when her lust exceeds her means.

I think Meghan makes some excellent points, and I started to think out the products I feature.

First, I would like to say that most of the people I know work for the government or are similarly enslaved to a price fixed salary system by which they make just enough to live in DC, not look like a slob at work, and afford a weekly binge drinking session at whatever dive bar is happening at the time (somehow last week was Millie and Al's?)

Second, I would say that, while I love drooling over the pages of Vogue and fantasizing about a life where dollar Jello shots are not a way of life, I certainly splurge a lot when it comes to beauty and fashion.

So, in honor of the upcoming end of the fiscal year, I present some tenets of my personal budget balancing philosophy, and how I choose products for my blog so as not to drive you all to the poorhouse.

Try before you buy. I think this is essential. Not only could you have some horrific allergic reaction to things, it could look just plain awful. I wholeheartedly endorse companies that are liberal with the free samples (hence the multiple references to Kiehl's products in my blog) and I am never shy about asking for a tester to take with me.

Know what's important. Don't ever scrimp on stuff like sunscreen. You may think you are being frugal by saving money by applying teensy amounts of sunscreen and splurging on Creme de la Mer, but the joke will be on you when you have spend all that money on reconstructive surgery after they take out that melanoma and half your head.

Also know what is important to you. I love lip gloss. Love it. And I like expensive ones. And I'm willing to cheap it out a lot of other things to get the fancy lip gloss.

Buy drugstore mascara. I know people rave about DiorShow. I love bloggers who swoon over Lancome. But honestly, the best way to save money is to spend less on the thing you are (hopefully) throwing away every three months. However, refer to the aforementioned rule if mascaras make you weak in the knees with lust and maybe use Chapstick instead of Chanel on your mouth.

Body wash. Honestly? It's soap. I don't fuss around here. There are some sick ass generic moisturizing washes that are just as nice as the expensive stuff. It just doesn't look as pretty in your shower.

Shampoo and conditioner. Ditto. Pantene is God's gift to my head.

Forever 21. When it comes to clothes, I swear to all that is holy, I get more compliments on the stuff I bought here than anything I picked up at Barney's.

Lastly, I would like it to be known that I do actually buy and use many of the products on my blog (which might explain the lack of posting lately). I try to keep in mind that not everyone has access to a Sephora, 24 hour drugstores, and relatives who know me well enough to give beauty gift certificates at every possible holiday (well, Starbucks too) and promote products accordingly.

So...let me know...do you carry a Balenciaga bag and wear Payless shoes? Use Wet n Wild exclusively on your face but get weekly manicures? What is your biggest beauty or fashion splurge and where do you pinch your pennies?

Left Out

It was a big beauty weekend. Just not for me.



I spent the past weekend up in New York with my family, mainly to pick out a wedding dress. But I had a hidden agenda...



I was planning on heading directly to Barney's, do not pass go, do not stop to pick up Pinkberry, and spending the gift card that has been burning an enormous hole in my pocket since I received it in DECEMBER.



So I dragged my mother and sister and found, to my shock and dismay, that they loaded up on goodies while I left the Empire State with nothing! Nothing!



At the Bobbi Brown counter, the salesman loaded up their eyes with the Longwear Gel Eyeliner in Espresso. My sister took to the stuff like white on rice, due to the interesting technique of the makeup artist of feathering the liner underneath her lashes instead of on top.




They also both tried out the Corrector, which works with concealer to even out dark circles and liked it. I think my sister even wheedled her way into a compact powder ("It gets so hot in the subway! I need something to keep shine at bay." Seriously, hostage negotiators have nothing on my sister.)





While they left, bags in tow, I watched enviously as my sister played with the shiny new boxes and laughed while my mother squirmed and rubbed her eyes (she hates eye makeup. I swear that my sister and I were adopted).



But I left empty handed.



ME!!!



Something is wrong with this world when I can go to a beauty floor like Barney's with money that isn't even mine, and not find a single thing to buy.



I'll blame it on the August blues (sick of summer, not ready for fall) but next time I'm up there, I swear...things will be charged.



I did get a wedding dress though...

photos courtesy of bobbibrown.com

Do as I say, not as I do

This weekend I got a pretty nasty sunburn.

For those of you know know me, I'm whiter than the whitest white available from Benjamin Moore, and it doesn't take a whole lot to turn me the color of a stop sign.

Oh, and also, it in that super sweet farmer's tan look that is all the rage now. Yay for me.

So, for all future excursions into the outdoor environment when I'm not wearing head to toe clothing, I'm picking up vast quantities of Kiehl's new UV protective Suncare Sunscreen Cream.

It contains a combination of Parsol 1789 and the newest sunscreen ingredient Mexoryl, which is also found in the famed European version of La Roche Posay and was recently approved by FDA. It helps stop the agin effects of sun damage and something like eight out of ten dermatologists recommend it.*

The other two were too busy performing liposuction because it reimburses better.*

They have one for face and body and they will work together like He-Man and She-Ra, Princess of Power, to fight the next impending sun burn so hopefully I won't end up looking like Warren Christopher in three to five years.

*all statistics totally fabricated.

photos courtesy of kiehls.com

Just Clean, Healthy Living...

After the deluge of work that has been the hallmark of the past few weeks of my life, I have finally woken up with a new sense of purpose.

To clean myself up.

No, seriously, I need like a Swiffer for my soul.

So, I plan to devote some of my (hopefully increased frequency) posts to sort of a detox plan which I'm sure will head to crap the minute Congress resumes after Labor Day.

No worries, why clean anything unless you can muck it up again?

I've been spending a ton of time on this Self Magazine blog called "Eat Like Me" It's written by a nutritionist who blogs about everything she eats during the day. She is insanely healthy, of course, but it's fascinating in a slightly voyeuristic way.

Every day I think, how awesome would it be if she downed a HUGE slice of chocolate cake. I'm so twisted. It's why I work in government.

It also has given me tons of ideas for healthy lunch options, snacks and breakfasts which will hopefully counteract the eight tons of crap I've snarfed down while working non-stop during July. Not to mention all the "reward" snacks for making it through yet another hellish day. Oh, and let's not forget the distillery I've certainly been a boon to in Ireland.

So, I'll do a cheers to hoping that healthy eating will go one step farther to clearing up that sallow tinge to my complexion and those Tumi sized bags under my eyes.

And let me know what you think of her blog...