Veteran's Day

Please take a moment to pray for those who are serving our country in the Armed Forces as well as those who have lost their lives while serving. Whether or not you believe in the fight, you have to believe in the men and women who put on that uniform every, single day so that you and your family members don't have to.

These shoes are incredible!

Aren't these shoes incredible?!?!?! I just love the boldness of them. I believe they belong to Leighton Meister from "Gossip Girl". I could be wrong. But I love them, regardless of who is wearing them.

I would wear them with a 40's-inspired tweed suit, maybe in gray or black. Or perhaps a dove grey short suit. Or a purple jersey wrap dress. And, of course, with jeans.

I actually have a pair that are shaped like these, but they're solid black patent. I got mine at Target. They're by Isaac Mizrahi for Target. I purchased them several years ago but I still wear them all the time. Believe it or not, they're not all that uncomfortable and they can go with almost anything.

Just imagine the possibilities!

This would look amazing on my sister too!

As I was browsing online a couple of weeks ago, I stumbled across the top 10 haircuts of the decade (or something like that). Gwyneth Paltrow was on that list. Gwyneth's hair looks so healthy and full. This hair looks amazing on her and would look amazing on my sister, Wonder Woman.

Cheap update for your shoes

I wear these shoes alot. They're comfortable. They go with just about anything. And they recently got a cheap update.

I purchased the shoes several months ago at K-Mart on clearance for $5.00. A month or two ago, I was browsing through Target and stumbled across these shoe clips. The price? $4.00! The shoe clips are made from black and silver zippers so even though it's a flower, it's still edgy. You can buy several pairs of different shoe clips and take them on trips with you to change up your look. I also stumbled across a really fancy beaded pair that I've had for years that I can use to dress up these same shoes. Talk about packing light!

I found it!

I previously blogged about how much I loved Demi Moore's taupe nail polish. I was seeing the taupe nail trend in magazines and online. I absolutely fell in love with the color. I'm not exactly sure what my attraction is but it is a great neutral shade because it seems to pick up the undertones of your clothing.

So I went to my local Wal-Mart to scour the shelves for a great taupe polish that would compliment my skin tone and not look chalky. I looked at different brands and compared them side by side before I made my selection. I have a winner ! ! !


"Taupe Drawer" Pure Ice Nail Polish by Bari Cosmetics, purchased at Wal-Mart, $2.00
It is affordable and easy to find. It's got slightly more purple than gray or beige so it looks great on cooler medium skin tones. It's not too dark or too light. It doesn't attract too much attention so it would be great for the office.

Everyone should have one really great neutral polish that will work for anything and I have found mine.

I think I need rehab!

There are indeed 87 bottles of nail polish in this picture. It includes 20 bottles of clear polish - base coats, top coats, strengtheners and a smudge corrector. It also includes 4 of those little Bon Bon polishes that you can get at Wal-Mart. I actually have a large make-up case just for my nail polishes. It does not include any makeup. The case weighs about 12 - 15 pounds and also contains nail implements, cuticle oil & remover as well as french manicure guides.

I may need therapy for my nail polish addiction before my collection becomes worth more than my house ! ! !

Hairstyle makeover

I just returned from helping one of my friends surprise one of her friends with a little makeover. This friend of a friend had been wearing a wig while her hair grew back and she finally had some regrowth but didn't know what to do with it. My friend thinks that I'm the short-hair expert so she called me in. It was the easiest hairstyle second only to my own.

Her wavy hair is approximately an inch and a half long. I had her wet it down and then just threw one squirt of Sleek and Shine anti-frizz serum from Garnier Fructis. I worked this in with my hands then combed it into a style. She looked so sophisticated. Unfortunately she wouldn't let us take any pictures.

When you have curly or wavy short hair, you don't really want to use alot of gel and other products on it. I normally only put a serum on my hair and let it air dry. Curly/wavy hair will do what it wants to do. It's the cut that determines how it looks.

This would look amazing on my sister!

Everyone knows that I love me a good makeover. So when I saw Kiera Knightley's new do, I fell in love. (Not with Ms. Knightley of course) It makes a gorgeous frame for her face. It makes her look so incredibly sophisticated and chic. It makes her neck appear to be a pisquillion miles long. Her hair looks so thick and healthy. I'm also just guessing that the new cut makes her appear to be about a foot taller and about 20 pounds thinner since shorter hair draws the eye up and in.

I have a sister, who I will call Wonder Woman (she amazes me), who would look absolutely fantastic in this hairdo. Except with Wonder Woman, I wouldn't take her hair quite this dark. I would take her hair to a dark, rich caramel-y brown with some lighter caramel highlights. Wonder Woman currently has looooooong blond hair.

So if anyone is considering a makeover, GO FOR IT ! ! ! ! ! It's only hair . . . it will grow back.

Great makeup

I absolutely love this makeup look. The contrast of the navy blue, smoky eye to the peachy blush and lips really makes the eyes stand out. This look would probably work better for a date or for evening but could also be lightened slightly to work for day.

I think that I would lighten the blush just a little bit and perhaps use a slightly lighter blue or a medium gray on the eye to make it appropriate for the office. The lips may be a little bit too glossy so I would switch to a less shiny lipgloss or a tinted lip balm. I also probably wouldn't line under my eyes.

If you lighten the look, you can always add to it to take it into the evening.

Edith Head was a genius!

Edith Head may not have looked like she had much fashion sense herself but that woman was a genius! I would have to say that she was the best costume designer to ever live. I watch alot of old movies. I love them. I adore them. I especially like to watch any old movies with Audrey Hepburn or Doris Day. I always watch the opening credits (they're always at the beginning instead of the end on old movies) to see if Edith Head did the costumes. If she did, they will always be guaranteed to be amazing!

Grand Canyon Skywalk report

I DID IT!!!!! The Hot Tamale and my Baby Bro actually got me to go out on the Grand Canyon Skywalk. I even have a pink camo t-shirt to prove it. We had our pictures taken while we were out on it. The whole experience was pretty scary for some reason.

But the big surprise was when Baby Bro treated me and the Hot Tamale to a helicopter ride above the Grand Canyon. That was totally awesome! I thought I'd have a really hard time with the heli ride but I actually didn't. Once we were off the ground, the helicopter pilot banked a hard right and I was hooked. I totally recommend it!

If I had to choose between the skywalk and the helicopter ride, I would totally choose the helicopter ride. It wasn't long but it was so worth it.

7 outfits - one shirt

I do not remember where I saw these pictures at but it just amazed me that you could do so much with just 1 shirt. Naturally, the purple outfit is my fave but the rest are amazing as well. Now if I just had a blue oxford . . . as well as everything else shown above.

I'm terrified of heights!

In just two short weeks, I will be here with the Hot Tamale and my Baby Brother (I was out-voted by all the testosterone).



We will be standing on a piece of U-shaped glass & metal, dangling 70 feet out over the edge of the Grand Canyon and 4000 feet above the rushing waters of the Colorado River. This frightening adventure is known as the Grand Canyon Skywalk.

Why would one come up with something this scary????? I am absolutely terrified of heights and the Baby Brother says he's going to go out to the bend of the "U" and jump up and down. Why? Why would he scare me like that? I guess that's a Marine for ya, always livin on the edge.

My idea was to ride the Grand Canyon Railroad train to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and have a nice lunch at the El Tovar Lodge. I guess it wasn't adventureous enough for the guys!

Audrey quote

As you may be well aware, I love Audrey Hepburn, so I thought that I'd share this quote with you. She says alot in just a few words.

Did you know . . . ???

Alot of people may not know this. It's a very useful piece of information that I got from someone I once knew.

Did you know that you can clean your sterling silver jewelry (or any tarnished metal) using a pencil eraser? Its true. I have cleaned many pieces that were showing some tarnish by just rubbing them with a regular pink pearl pencil eraser. It makes the jewelry look brand-new. After rubbing the metal with an eraser, you may want to rub it with a soft cloth such as a soft washcloth or old t-shirt and Voila! Good as new.

P.S.

P.S. Her makeup does color coordinate to my current blog background, though. And I didn't even have to call her to arrange that!

Maybe . . . . .

Maybe if the Hot Tamale sees this picture of Rihanna's hair, it wouldn't scare him quite as much. Of course, her makeup might. It makes her eyes look like she's been crying . . . ALOT. I still love the haircut.

Pre - remodel

I was browsing through a 2nd-hand store a couple of years ago when I stumbled across this skirt. Of course, it attracted my attention because it was purple and the fabric was fantastic. It's obviously too big for me and way too full for me. But I could see its potential to be something better so I went ahead and purchased it (for approximately $3-$5). Its been laying around my house, doing absolutely nothing. I'm trying to decide what to make out of it. I'm thinking something like a pencil skirt with a high waist, very fitted, below the knee, very Audrey. I think that would look amazing.

When I've decided and I actually do something with the skirt, I'll post pix of the post-remodel.

He no likey!

So I had the Hot Tamale look at the Rihanna haircut that I had posted back on the 17th on my blog. He didn't like it very much. I think it may have been over-the-top edgy for him. Anyhow, I guess that I'll be coming up with a different idea.

AAAAAHHHHH . . . bubbles ! ! !

I took one of my super-relaxing bubble baths last night. I drew my bath and poured in a few drops of citronella and orange essential oils (the citrusy scent brings out the fragrance of the bubble bath) as well as some lavender oil and almond oil. Next I threw in some dead sea and epsom salts. This was followed by my CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY TRUFFLE bubble bath from Avon.

I turned off the lights, lit a citrus cilantro candle, plugged in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" on the portable DVD player and sank into my completely decadent bath. By the time I climbed out, I felt like a strand of wet spaghetti and I was craving chocolate-covered strawberries.

Try it! You'll like it!