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...

Everyday Idiocy

Poor poor Giada.

I'm going to say it again.

Poor, poor Giada.

I've always had a sort of soft spot for Giada De Laurentiis in that sort of "Look! A pretty woman who is a decent cook! And she (allegedly) eats! And her nails are so pretty!" way. I have a few cookbooks, I'll watch her show, especially when it involves recipes with Nutella, my post about her nail polish is far and away the most popular thing I have ever written.

But lately, I think she is making some bad bad choices.

Most upsetting to me personally, was her trip to DC on her travel show where it seemed like everyone in her crew had dropped acid and then wrote the script. A detailed list of her offenses was catalogued in the Washington Post's Reliable Source.

Most offensive: Georgetown is NOT outside of DC, you loser!

Most hysterical: The thought of Giada actually in Adams Morgan on a weekend night.

As one of my friends stated so succinctly, "You'd think she'd have room for some facts in that giant head of hers."


More recently, I noticed a thread on Chowhound dissecting her most recent exploit. Namely, the "Women We Love" section of Esquire magazine.









Yechhhh.






Look at the melon on her!

If we were on America's Next Top Model, this girl would be packing her bags and leaving the house tonight.

Ok, I get it. She's supposed to look edgy and sexy, yet in homage to her Italian food persona in sort of a Sophia Loren way. My problem is mostly that she looks insanely awkward, insanely retouched, and, well, insane.

Honestly, I think I'm just still scarred from the whole Rachael-Ray-in-FHM spread that still haunts my dreams.

But I do love the shoes...

Oh, and her chicken saltimboca.

photos courtesy of esquire.com

An Open Letter to That Girl on the Bus Yesterday

Dear Unknown Chick on the Bus Yesterday:

I know you don't know me and I don't know you, but I wanted to let you know that certain things are simply not acceptable in a polite society when you are above the age of fifteen. One of those things is walking around on a Monday with a neck so full of hickeys that it looks as though you were attacked by a vacuum cleaner.

Now, I know that you may having been living it up on Saturday at Town Hall, The Deck, Smith Point (for old times sake) or wherever else the Late Night Shots crew has decided to grace with their presence. And I know that perhaps that last sour apple martini may have clouded your judgment enough that you hooked up with that guy wearing Topsiders and the pink polo.

And that's all well and good.

Kudos!

But here's the deal. It is no longer okay to make a half hearted attempt at covering up the hematomas of early Sunday morning with a popped collar.

So, unless you have a clotting disorder or something (and even if you do!), heed my advice....get thee to some concealer!

Seriously. I heartily recommend investing in some Dermablend if you are ever planning on hooking up with Mr. Hoover Mouth ever again. But honestly, just go with what you've got in the house! Spackle it on. At least it will look like you made an effort.

Okay, so anyways, I liked your bracelet watch, but do something about the neck. Unless, of course, I have this all wrong and you have some sort of cancer or something. In which case, I apologize and take back everything I just said. Get well soon!

Peace out.

Caphillbarbie.

Feel Free to Ogle the Lawmakers

The Hill has released the annual 50 Most Beautiful People on Capitol Hill Issue!!

Wow, sometimes I think my standards for "news" are super low...

If you are on the Hill, or just wandering around the Hill aimlessly as a tourist (someone at the corner of Independence and New Jersey Aves yesterday asked me, "where is the Capitol?" I refrained from laughing at her openly as she seemed sufficiently sheepish when I pointed at the huge white dome right in front of her) pick up a copy!

Or, if you are stuck at your desk until hell freezes over check it out online at the link above.

logo courtesy of thehill.com

Sheer Insanity

In the weeks before the blitzkreig that has been my job lately, I was sampling lipsticks.

Not just any lipsticks. Sheer lipsticks.

I have a certain phobia about putting a heavy matte color from a tube on my mouth. I blame my mother and the time she dressed me up as a clown for Halloween.

It's probably not the reason, but it could be!

For that reason, I've always gravitated towards glosses. Their sheer sparklyness just fit my expectations of what my lips should look like.

But there are downsides, namely: the stickiness, the constant need for reapplication, the fact that my boyfriend refuses to kiss me when I wear it, you know, the usual. But the alternative was too much to bear.

So in recent months, I have noticed a proliferation of sheer lipsticks that seem like the answers to my prayers. Sheer, lightweight, color with some sparkle that goes on with the elegance of a lipstick without the spine tingling fear that usually accompanies it.

Here are a few of my favorites in the category:

Vincent Longo Baby Balm - it's called Baby Balm! How cute is that? And it has SPF...

Clinique Almost Lipstick - the Black Honey color is a true classic, and looks good on everyone. While that is rarely true, it's dead on here.

NARS Sheer Lipstick -not all of them are sheer, but the ones that are are fantastic. I love Dolce Vita and Roman Holiday which gives a beautiful baby pink mouth WITHOUT the chalky-ness of the Proenza Pink.

Laura Mercier Lip Stain - Ok, this one isn't in a stick, but the colors are cool and elegant looking, and that makes up for it.

I'm thinking about buying myself a new color for fall as a present once recess starts, but I'm definitely going to save the glosses for girl's nights out, that way, it will have worn off before I ask for a goodnight kiss.

photos courtesy of lauramercier.com and sephora.com

Necessary and Proper

My beauty necessities to get through the next few weeks before recess...

Neutrogena Acne Stress Control Treatment

Jameson Irish Whiskey

Is that wrong?

photos courtesy of drugstore.com and winebeers.com

A First Time for Everything

Yesterday, I bought my very first piece of a Target capsule line!

Yay for me!

While I dutifully have checked out almost all of the GO International lines, and even tried on a few items, nothing has grabbed me by the shoulders, shook me around, and screamed "Buy Me!!"

Until I was in the tomato red dressing room in Rockville slipping on a pair of Libertine navy blue shorts with embroidered skulls and whales on them.

First of all, I don't really look great in shorts. But I love the concept and the look on others, therefore I try them on in stores all over the world, look terrible and get depressed. Much ice cream eating and self flagellation shortly ensures.

Second of all, I usually don't like what J. Crew affectionately calls "critter shorts." I leave them to interns and pages from New England liberal arts colleges who think they are appropriate for casual Fridays (they aren't!).

But these were so different...they looked good! And the "critters" were slightly subversive, the skulls tempering the sugary sweet whales (Ha ha! Listen to my mad Top Chef skillz!)

Totally high off of my victory over shorts-dom, I kept on wandering and stumbled on the Devi Kroell accessories collection. While I've been drooling over her snakeskin bags at Barney's since they showed up (note to all, the salespeople at Barney's do not look fondly on plebians drooling on expensive handbags. Actually, they would probably prefer that you not engage in any bodily functions in the store, like sneezing, coughing, or breathing) but it would take me selling an egg or a kidney or some other organ to be able to afford one.

Unfortunately, the bigger bags in the collection were not great looking. But there was one pochette left in the dark grey and I snapped it up. In the smaller size, the metallic faux skin looks great, but it doesn't translate to the ginormous big bag.

So...I considered this a successful afternoon. In fact, no ice cream or whip necessary!

photos courtesy of target.com

Tis the Season

Everywhere I look lately, I see pregnant women! Seriously, it looks like it was a very busy winter in Washington!

And while motherhood is wonderful, blah blah blah, I cannot imagine being stuck in this insane heat carrying a whole extra person, nevermind the increased blood volume, the 1 lb placenta, amniotic fluid, etc. (I had a friend who would break out her weight gain during pregnancy just about every week. The numbers stuck.)

So, I would like to give a big shoutout to all the mommies-soon-to-be and wanted to compliment one in particular that I saw on the elevator.

While this woman looked as though she was about to burst forth with a wee one between floors two and three, she also looked cool, calm, and comfortable in her blue madras tank dress and chic flat gladiator sandals.

Kudos to you, mystery chic pregnant woman! I hope you give birth soon...at least the hospital will be super air conditioned.

Lessons Learned

I'd say that June was kind of an odd month for me. Due to a kidney stone "the size of an M&M" (I think I asked the doctor, plain or peanut?) I spent a lot of time on my couch watching tv.

Well, June is apparently bride month on TV. Especially the Style Network.

So I've pretty much watched every episode of Whose Wedding is it Anyways ever created. As I'm someone who generally thinks of the Big Day as that Tuesday in November, it was quite informative. And I learned some valuable lessons for planning my own wedding.

• If anyone uses the words "princess," "diva," or "bling" in my presence, I will shoot first and ask questions later.
• I don't care who considers this a tradition, there is no way my fiance is sticking his hands up my dress in front of 180 people
• Color coordinated tie backs make me gag.
• The "theme" of my wedding will be "I'm getting married"
• Fondant. Yecch.

On the slightly less misanthropic side of things, here are some other details I gleaned:

• Every girl looks beautiful when she pops out in her wedding dress, and her mother will cry.
• The tasting is clearly the most fun part of the entire planning process, if only because it will be the only thing my fiance gets excited about.
• Lighting is KEY. Apparently. Everyone tells me this.
• Mani-pedi is a necessity so at least I'll be forced to make time in my schedule before the Big Day.
• Wait a second, people give you gifts? Awesome.

For those of you who've done this before (or several times before, I don't judge!) let me in on a key secret to a successful wedding plan. Besides first getting lithotripsy and hoarding the Vicodin.

P.S. Also totally excited by niche beauty market like this Bridal Palette from Bobbi Brown....

Nice & Easy

This weekend I did something I almost never do.

What, you ask? Sleep til 11? Pretend to clean my apartment and end up watching TV and reading magazines? Drink white wine in place of dinner? Nope, I do that stuff all the time!

I returned a beauty product.

Insert gasps of shock and awe here.

Typically, when I don't love a beauty product, I sort of suck it up and move on, or try to find another home for it with a friend or loved one. Somewhere where it will have lots of room to run around and play. Or, I leave it languishing underneath my sink until I move and throw everything away in a fit.

But not this time. This time, I was mad.

I saw an article about Bumble and Bumble's Curl Conscious Curl Creme in the July issue of Washingtonian magazine and got all hot and bothered about it. It seemed so effortless to make easy frizz free waves! But this is also the magazine that devoted an entire issue to how rich Washingtonians are without a single mention of how the other half (actually, a lot of DC) struggles to make ends meet.

So, the Curl Creme sort of made me look like that time I accidentally washed my hair with hand lotion instead of shampoo. I think I'll just stick to trusting their restaurant reviews from now on.

So, I returned the offending hair product and coughed up a little extra to trade up to the Laura Mercier Metallic Creme Eye Colour (yes, British spelling. I can't get Blogger to make the accent grave in "creme" though.) I originally had my heart set on Mercury, a silvery purple, but they were out of it, so I picked Titanium, a grey-purple, instead.

I've been pretty pleased so far. The creme goes on easily and blends really well, leaving a light veil of shimmery color that doesn't crease or smudge. With a little extra layer or a swipe of my purple crayon-esque Sephora liner, it morphs into a fast evening look, which will make it tops on my list for travel and for those days when you have to go all day to different events and can only carry one small purse. (seriously, they should have a beauty Olympics. that kind of day would be like the biathalon, a.k.a. the awesomest event EVER)

So, I guess the moral of my story is, if at first you believe the lousy beauty advice of a magazine and buy a dud, return it and try, try again!

photo courtesy of lauramercier.com

Paradise Found

I've been thinking a lot about traveling to some tropical places. Like those hotels in Indonesia where you have your own bungalow or jetting off to Aruba. Places where you never change out of a bathing suit and you eat fresh fruit for like a week.

Riiiight. I watch way too much Travel Channel.

I burn under the moonlight, so scratch the frolicking in the sun is out. I actually don't even own a bathing suit that isn't from 1993. And I practically have scurvy from the mistaken belief that I can get all my daily vitamins from ingesting 3 double tall skim lattes a day.

Sometimes I supplement with peanut M&Ms!

So, maybe my island getaway vacation is pure fantasy, but I recently re-discovered a product that makes it feel like I've jetted to paradise.

After a long bike ride on Saturday during an absolutely gorgeous morning, I was inspired to, you know, look good that day. Actual effort here, people! Be proud of me.

I dug around in my scads of bottles on the bathroom sink (oh, fiance's foot has been firmly placed down. get rid of some of the stuff on the counter, or else!) and came up with my long lost sample of the NARS Monoi Body Glow II.

I wrote about this before, but this is a body oil that smells like you've died and gone to heaven. An island paradise where no one ever sunburns type of heaven. I slathered myself with the oil, hoping it hadn't gone rancid in the year it languished on my shelf.

Two minutes later, my fiance showed up to see if I was making any progress on the getting dressed so we could get on with the eating of brunch.

(oh, also, for all the DCites in the house, the ONLY time to go to Two Amys is lunch on the weekends. Heed my advice or be cast down into Dante's lost tenth circle of hell where you will be forced to wait two hours for a table while being shoved by waiting pseudohipsters threatening to spill wine on you, have your toes run over by mammoth double-wide strollers and then smacked in the knees by the children who should be in the strollers but are walking and carrying toys in a restaurant. At 10 pm.)

He starts sniffing around. I think I yelled something about promising to clean the counter soon, but he cut me off.

"What smells so good?"

Oooh. How unexpected. My fiance typically only comments on smells when we are fighting about who will take out the trash this week, so I was pleasantly surprised to hear him comment on the Body Glow.

And the accolades continued! By Sunday, I gave in and ran down to Blue Mercury to buy a bottle of the Monoi Body Glow. I may have to forgo a few lattes this week to pay for it, but I consider it an investment in the future marriage.

And hey, he's stopped commenting on the products in the bathroom. And that is paradise to me!

photo courtesy of sephora.com

Afternoon Delight

I did a little late afternoon e-shopping today.

Picked up this kicking pair of flats from J. Crew to feed into my new obsession with anything-but-black shoes.

Oh, and to the ridiculous chatter on the Washington Post fashion discussion today, I absolutely do not plan on matching them to my purse, so deal with it.

In fact, I bought these just to spite you.

Well, also because I don't have a green bag.

photo courtesy of jcrew.com

Why Didn't Anyone Tell Me Nine Months Ago?

Well, crap.

I just got my July issue of Vogue, and apparently the manny is this season's "chicest accessory!"

Seriously?

Now I'm going to be all unchic this summer, because not only do I not have a manny, I don't even have a baby to warrant the hiring of a manny.

Dammit.

I'm just going to sit in my cube and wallow in blatant unchic mannylessness.

One more way to prevent Real Work from taking place

Let it be known that I am a huge fan of procrastinating.

In interviews, I say I work best under a tight deadline.

One of my newest favorite idle pastimes is checking out Project Beltway, a blog devoted to highlighting great style around DC.

Honestly, I think this site is so great for two reasons:

1. It shows everyone that people in DC do actually wear things other than layered pop-collared polos with chino shorts and Rainbow flip flops (I live in Georgetown...this applies to both men and women.)

2. It inspires me to get my lazy ass out of that Ann Taylor hole and actually put together an Outfit my crying out loud. Oh, and maybe actually do something with my hair for once in my life.

And for all of you outside the Beltway, see! We aren't all office drones all the time! Well...some people aren't.

Oh, and PS. I'm issuing a fashion fatwa on that guy I saw who was wearing not one, not two, but THREE Lacoste shirts in sherbert colors with all collars popped.

Your ass is grass, dude.

When Good Things Come From Very Very Bad Things

Like any card carrying member of the American cable subscribing public, I watch a boatload of Law and Order reruns.

Damn you, Dick Wolf, and your entrancing characters and sick twisted plotlines! I swear, if Fred Thompson forces the networks to pull my reruns for some pseudo-Red Lion reason, there will be hell to pay.

Anyhoo.

During my countless hours devoted to watching Chris Meloni snatch up bad guys, I was also forced to watch umpteen commercials for the USA Network "mini-series" The Starter Wife. And let's just say that it looks, well, to use a word...feculant.

Ok, I said it. Berate me if you will, but that thing looks awful. And it's like 8 hours long.

Spread over a month.

Ack!

But I did notice that Essie did a line of nail polishes named after that go-get-em-girl! spirit that the series allegedly embodies, like "Wife Goes On" and "Pink-ing Up the Pieces." The best one that I found was actually named after the series, a pale and very sheer pink.

I shamefully purchased it and applied it in secret. It's a fantastic shade. It gives your nails that shiny but natural look, almost as if you are not actually wearing nail polish but you just have really healthy and pretty nails. And it looks good when performed by a non-professional!

I guess that was the idea. If you get dumped by your millionaire husband in a community property state and somehow get no money and then are forced to live in Malibu and choose between two hot guys vying for your affection, you need to have a nail polish that you can do yourself.

Riiight.

Whatever, I bet Serena Southerland does her own nails too.

Also, I went on a little nail polish binge so there will be lots more Essie related posts to come.

photo courtesy of nymag.com

Soft Spot

I have an admitted weakness for certain types of clothing and beauty products.


I could delve deep into my psyche and tell you that these items fit into a mental image of myself that I want to outwardly display.


Or maybe they are just cute!


Well, my latest fantasy wardrobe obsession is basically the entire Tory Burch collection. From her ubiquitous and much copied logo flats to her adorable dresses and chic tunic tops, her clothes are perfect for the life I don't actually have, but really really want.


For instance:






I would wear this dress for a relaxed summer Friday at the office before jetting off to the Hamptons in my Mini convertable with my fiance, arriving just in time to meet our equally chic friends for a quick glass of Prosecco while we watch the sun set.

And...

This would be perfect for shopping around Georgetown with the Bush twins. We'd clean out Intermix, then head over to Leopold's for brunch and skip the Euro trash traffic jam out front. Oh, right, I never work out, by the way, these legs are a birth right, like admission to Deerfield Academy.

I would wear this out on a summer night for drinks on a rooftop party. That's right. In my fantasy life, I wear white pants and they never get dirty.

Seriously though, some of the Tory Burch clothes are really great as separates and her clothes are not cut teensy tiny and come in a range of sizes. They can be reasonably priced if you catch a sale (like the one going on now online). I have one of her dickie sweaters from fall and I just love it.

Yup, I giggle every time I say "dickie" too.

So, I encourage you to look beyond the logo flats (seriously, if I see one more person in those...) and incorporate a little fantasy life into real life.

Is there any designer whose aesthetic embodies your fantasy life where shoes don't ever give you blisters, the humidity never gets above 30%, and you never lack an invitation to a killer party or something to wear to it?

photos courtesy of toryburch.com

Wedded Bliss

I spent the past weekend in Michigan attending a good friend's wedding. This also marked the first wedding I've attended out of town where I was not a member of the bridal party and therefore required to participate in multiple events where I was told how to walk, smile, and breathe, so that I don't screw up my friend's pictures forever.

So, while I wandered around the small Detroit suburb of Birmingham with my sister asking people, Rachael Ray-$40-a-Day style, where we could get a pedicure for less than the Devil would pay for my soul, we stumbled upon Todd's Room, a fantastic little beauty shop.

The concept is pretty fantastic. They carry several high end makeup and fragrance lines, like NARS, Fresh, L'Artisan, Becca, and DuWop as well as some offbeat stuff and accessories. Then, in the back, they have makeup artists who do application and lessons.

(Unfortunately not shown on the website, but they have the most adorable graphics)

They also did have a nail technician, but we had already gotten our cheapie mani/pedi, where the technician had actually snipped my sister which lead to many panic attacks that she would get "rabies."

I graciously informed her that was pretty much impossible. Tetanus and staph, on the other hand...

The thought of lip gloss seemed to calm her down and we set about trying on pretty much everything in the store. We both settled on NARS Pillow Talk, a sheer pinky brown color with just a hint of shimmer...and after a scare where the salesgirl could only find one tube...possibly leading to an international family incident we both left with a new look for the wedding.

it doesn't look like this at all. but I love the little tadpole shape.

They also had some products on sale...so I snagged a tube of Essie's gloss-e in Vanity Fairest at half off! It is described as "very twinkly and pinkly" on their website.

I mean, who can resist that?

All in all, the wedding was beautiful and my sister and I had the best lipgloss around...the best part about NARS lipglosses is that they stick around through the tears at the glass smashing, the post ceremony cocktail, and the never-ending slightly awkward toasts. However, pastry flakes from pigs-in-blankets should be approached with trepidation.

photos courtesy of sephora.com and essie.com