Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Originality

So I just watched Jennifer Lopez' "on the floor".  She definitely ripped off Lambada by the Gipsy Kings.  Considering that a few year back one of her music videos borrowed a lot from Flashdance it's not entirely surprising.

That's all for now, just wanted to get the word out there.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Update on AA

It has been almost exactly 6 months since my trip to New York.  In late December, I received my "settlement check" for the lost baggage.  They refuse to pay out for all items over 100 USD unless you supply a receipt, so the check was for less than half of what I am owed (including the bag itself).  If I cash it, then they can close my case, so on 2/16, I faxed them copies of my credit card statements for those items over 100 (blacking out all information not relevant) and waited.  It's been a month and I had my husband reach out to them to see the status of the claim.

Lo and behold, no one had the information.  I refaxed it (thank goodness I am a bit of a pack rat so I had it with me), but I am so frustrated!  How it is acceptable that you are on their timeline, there is absolutely no real communication and you are denied the money you deserve from their mistakes??  Again, I will highly suggest to everyone to look at other airline carriers for all your travel needs and if you must fly AA, be sure to carry on only.


On to regular news...
I have to do a bit of research, so I may publish a review later today.  Happy Saturday!

Thursday, November 11, 2010

kids these days ...?

I was thinking today about how teens and others in general are overdrugged (according to the media).  Currently, there are more people on prescription drugs than ever before.  I haven't always kept up with the news, but it sounds like there is quite a bit of abuse when it comes to painkillers.

On 10/29, I had a medical procedure on my right hip and have been on a prescribed painkiller since then.  The first day I took it, it made me so nauseous I got sick.  Since then, I've taken one pill at a time as needed (so about 3 times a day).  It can make me loopy where I know I can't drive, but I can do everything else (like work, read, walk, watch television, nap...).  A week after the surgery, I tried going all day on Saturday without taking it and I felt horrible on Sunday.  It took a bit to get back into the groove but I feel less pain still it doesn't completely go away.  I can feel the area that is healing become very sensitive when I touch it.  It is painful to wear trousers or jeans, sleep on my right side, and even wearing a seat belt is very uncomfortable!  I've been lying on my left side, wearing lots of dresses/skirts, and left a scarf in my car to protect my hip.  My husband has to be careful when hugging/cuddling :D

An unforeseen side effect has come across during this experience.  Although I have never been on anti-depressants, sometimes when I take this painkiller, I get this euphoric I-don't-care-everythings-totally-fine feeling and get in a really good mood.  Also, my appetite has really gone down and I get myself to eat every day (albeit smaller quantities and I could skip meals if I desired).  I've only got about another week's prescription left (considering at the rate I'm taking it) and we'll see if I continue to need it (for the pain lol).  Has anyone else experienced this when taking painkillers?

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Some go-to items

About 2 months ago I took my first trip to NY and american airlines lost my bag.  It is safe to say they are my absolute last resort flight carrier when I travel.  Anyway, since they haven't paid me or replaced any of the items that I carried (since I brought the necessities with me...which are now gone) I repurchased some of the items that I loved.


The first item I gave into is my curl creme.  Loreal has a line of hair care products named Kerastase.  I absolutely adore their Oleo-Curl Creme.  This consistency is runnier than most conditioners and has one of my favorite scents - passion fruit!  I put a "walnut" sized amount (per package instructions) and run it through my damp hair in the morning.  My curls come out natural, frizz free, and beautiful.  Definitely a keeper (I have tried A Lot of curly hair products...perhaps a review in the future?)



The next item I replaced was my eyelash curler.  I had been using a Revlon one I had laying around but I needed something better.  The one lost is a Shu Uemura eyelash curler and...this isn't for sale in the states anymore.  womp.  So I purchased a Tarte eyelash curler from Sephora and just received it yesterday-- pretty happy with it so far.  It's a little early to tell if I'd recommend it to others needing to replace their SU.



Since I'd been holding out *hoping* I would get my bag back, I needed to replace my go-to beauty staple.  My best friend introduced me to the Benefit Big Beautiful Eyes kit and I used it all the time.  These eyeshadows aren't glittery yet there is a nice sheen to it.  There is a pink, taupe, and brown eyeshadow and also a concealer.  When I'm needing a more natural look (without going naked on the face), this is what I turn to.  It's a trusted old friend and the first set I purchased lasted a few years.

I had much more in the bag, but I'm holding off on replacing for a little while.

On another note, I "won" a bet against my boss and wore the following earrings yesterday for charity.  Well worth it, I got many compliments...may do this again next year :)  Thoughts?

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

First Review: Estée Lauder Skincare

Alright, so I'll admit I have been suckered into purchasing additional products sometimes when I shop the counter, so here are some thoughts on those products I've been using for a few months.  I purchased a few from Estée Lauder (in my opinion, one of the best brands out there) and here's my experience.


I'll begin with some background information.  I'm 25, have normal/oily skin (T-zone a concern), no real concerns with wrinkles or aging.  I have larger pores on my nose and this is something I have been addressing and seeking a solution for.


Idealist




I first tried idealist when I was in college, so perhaps this was 4 years ago or so.  I loved it then but it's a bit pricey when you're on a tight budget.  This product is meant to minimize pores and smooth your skin.
  
This stuff smells really good!  I use this in the morning, a pump and a half and put it all over my face.  This leaves my skin feeling silky smooth but results?  Meh... I haven't noticed a real change but it feels nice.  I might purchase again, might not..we'll see


Advanced Night Repair Serum




I hope you are ready for this.  After the all the hype the reviews and the counter ladies telling me it is their go-to product if it was the only one they could have, I decided to try it out.  I have been quite disappointed with the product overall.  The best I could get out of the Estée Lauder rep was this "is synchronized and recovers your skin."  I needed a bit more detail than that, like how the formula works to convince me but I bought it anyway.  So when I put it on, the smell isn't great but it's not overwhelming either.  This is a really runny formula so I rub it all over my face at night and hope for the best.  At first, I felt like my skin was drying out around my jawline so I stopped using it after a few weeks.  I went back to it and it started again!  This leaves my skin feeling less smooth and I rather save my money on a product that works (it is quite pricey too, almost 50USD for an ounce).  I will not be purchasing this again or recommend it to others.  


Advanced Night Repair Eye Cream




I also tried this a few years back along with the Idealist and sure, it helps with the dark circles a bit.  I don't like it any better than Mario Badescu or my favorite, Kiehls so if it comes as a gift with purchase I'll use it but I'm not seeking to purchase it individually.  It hydrates the skin some, but not enough


Hydrationist Maximum Moisture Cream




Such as the name proclaims, this is a Very hydrating cream.  Before I made the decision to purchase this, I tried the cream on one side of my face in store, and their lotion on the other side.  I liked the way the cream felt better, thus my purchase.  My experience in the Texas summer is my face feels like a greaseball after using this, my nose is completely oily and this began to expand to my cheeks.  The smell is really strong, so I wouldn't recommend it for the fragrance.  The formula is nice and smooth and I plan to try this out in the winter, when it is more appropriate for me to wear but I'm not really the target audience for this moisturizer.  My husband, who has dry skin liked it a lot more than I did.


Time Zone Wrinkle Reducing Cream




I got this as part of a box set that saved me some moolah and it was fun to test out.  I've found that Estée Lauder may not make a moisturizer that works for me and that's fine, one of their other lines (like Kiehls) suits my needs.  This cream smells better but it is still pretty strong.  I liked the way it felt on my face better, but I would still get oily on my nose.  This is another I will test in the winter and see how it goes.




So overall, it turns out I like their makeup a lot more than their skincare.  We'll see if they develop something that is geared to true normal/oily skin types and can stand up to the Texas heat

Monday, November 1, 2010

First off

I've made the choice to create a new blog (I had one many years ago) to review items of interest to me.  I'll begin with a small introduction to my family unit:  me, Josh, and Isha.  Below is a picture of the beast.  She is 20:
Josh is my husband and best friend.  We've been together for a while and are basically a pair of goofs.  The three of us are upstanding citizens of Bexar County.  Will you vote tomorrow??