Tag: What's in my fridge?

It's  been forever since I did a tag, and since I know that the What's In My Fridge? tag is quite popular on YouTube, I thought that it would be a fun thing to do! I snapped a photo today without any prepping whatsoever--part of the fun of this tag is just to open the fridge door, not think about it, and take the photo. So here you go!

Keep reading to see what's in my fridge at this very moment...

Thirteen Questions Tag

I woke up this morning and thought to myself, "I want to do something non-makeupy on the blog today" so I took to Twitter and Facebook and asked if anyone had a fun non-beauty-related tag that they could share with me. I want to thank everyone for the awesome suggestions--I looked through them and discovered that I actually kind of like certain questions from a variety of existing tags, so I figured what the heck? If I can't find the perfect tag to suit my mood right now, why not create one myself? So that's what I did.

This is a hodge-podge of different questions from a variety of existing tags, and I tweaked the wording of a few questions to make them more fun (hopefully) to answer.

Thirteen Questions Tag  
(chosen because 13 is my lucky number, believe it or not)

15 Weird Facts About..Me!

I saw this tag on the lovely NeutrKris's blog and thought it looked like a lot of fun, so here we go:

 15 Weird Facts Tag:

Tag: Beauty Favorites

I was tagged by the lovely shannnybannny and this one's so fun that I had to do it immediately.

BEAUTY FAVORITES TAG

(Note: Some  of these products are holy grails and some are just products I'm really loving right now.)

[Foundation]
Physicians Formula Healthy Wear Powder Foundation SPF50 in Translucent Light

[Powder]
I don't normally wear powder since I use powder foundation, but if I'm using liquid foundation I'm really loving Coty Airspun Loose Face Powder in Translucent.

[Primer]
Black Radiance Complexion Perfection Shine Control Primer

[Blush]
Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso

[Bronzer]

NYC limited edition Mosaic Color Wheel in Golden Touch (from the Bronze Bliss collection)

[Concealer]
Maybelline SuperStay Concealer in Light

[Highlight]
Revlon ColorStay Mineral Finishing Powder in Brighten

[Moisturizer]
Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Moisturizer SPF30 (currently testing this for review and loving it!)

[Lipgloss]
Argh! There are SO many I love at the moment but for an everyday grab-in-a-hurry, I'd have to say e.l.f. Glossy Gloss in Dragon Fruit.

[Lipstick]
Prestige Color-Persist Long Wear and Care Lipstick in Enduring Blush

[Lip Balm]
One Hand Washes The Other Lip Butter in Blueberry

[Lip Liner]
None - I never wear lip liner, really.

[Eye Primer]
CoverGirl Intense Shadow Blast Primer + Eyeshadow in Beige Blaze

[Eyeshadow]
Wet n Wild limited edition Color Icon Eyeshadow Trio in Dancing In The Clouds (from the Dream Weavers collection)

[Eyeliner] Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Automatic Eyeliner Trio for Hazel Eyes (in particular, the taupe pencil)

[Mascara]
Maybelline Colossal Volum' Express (washable--in the yellow tube)

[Face Brush]
Real Techniques Multi-Task Brush

[Eye Brush]
e.l.f.  Eyeshadow Brush (from the $1 line)

[Nail Polish]
Oh man, really? Just ONE? Well right now I'm loving Essie Smooth Sailing.

[Perfume]
I've been on a Philosophy Baby Grace kick lately. I love that clean, baby powder note.

[Makeup Brand Highend/Drugstore]
This is just straight up impossible to decide. So right now, I'm loving Urban Decay for higher end and for drugstore I'm loving all the new and LE releases from NYC.

I tag EVERYONE reading this post right now. If you don't have a blog, feel free to leave your favorites in the comments. I'd love to read them!

Thanks again, shannnybannny, for the tag!

I've been tagged: The Top 10 Award

I was tagged with this award by the lovely Cathy of My Pinktastic Life and it looks like a lot of fun, so here we go!

The Rules:

1) Link back to the person who tagged you

2) Nominate 10 other bloggers

3) List your 10 favorite beauty products

I nominate:

1) Cutiegingerbread

2) The Glamorous Gleam

3) Silly Lilacs

4) Libby's Pink Vanity

5) Rural Glamour

6) Pammy's Beauty Blog

7) Blushing Noir

8) Glam Morena

9) LazyBeautiful

10) Bloomin' Beauty

My 10 favorite beauty products:

(I have to put a disclaimer here: my favorite products are always changing and evolving, but currently these are my can't-live-without products; some of them have been holy grail products for years, while others are newer obsessions):

1) Maybelline Define-A-Brow automatic eyebrow pencil in Dark Blonde

2) Physicians Formula Healthy Wear Powder Foundation SPF50 in Translucent Light

3) Maybelline Volum' Express The Colossal Mascara (recently fell back in love with this one)

4) Kiss My Face Moisture Shave in Peaches & Cream

5) Finesse Clean + Simple shampoo and conditioner for dry/color-treated hair

6) NYX Felt Tip Liner in Extreme Black

7) Epielle Cleansing Tissues (Green Tea scent)

8) Orly Bonder Base Coat

9) Milani Baked Blushes (currently obsessed with Red Vino)

10) Wet n Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Trio in Silent Treatment

I'd love to hear your top 10 favorite beauty products! Feel free to leave your responses in the comments!

The Handwriting Tag

This is a fun little post that I was tagged to do by the lovely Jeweled Thumb, Polish Insomniac and Cutiegingerbread. Thanks so much, gals, for thinking of me! In our digital age, I think it's always fun to see a person's actual handwriting (it really is a part of your personality) so I was happy to do this one.

The rules of the tag are simple--just write your answers to the following questions on a piece of paper:

1. What is your name? And your blog?
2. What's your blog URL?
3. Write: The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.
4. Favorite quote.
5. Favorite song?
6. Favorite band/singers?
7. Say anything you want.
8. Pass this along to a few bloggers.

If you've got a blog and you'd like to do this, please do! I'd love to see YOUR handwriting!

Seven Random Facts about Me

It's been a while since I did a tag, and since I was just recently awarded this one by my good friend Kellie G of Also Known As, as well as Ali from Ali's Nail News, Renee from You Nailed It and Hebridian Sprite, I thought it would be a great time to share it with you (if you awarded this tag to me and I did not mention you here, please leave a comment and let me know--I've been under the weather lately and I apologize if you emailed me about this and I missed it!).

I want to thank all of you lovely ladies for the tag--I love your blogs so much!

The rules for this award are to:
thank and link the person who gave it to you,
jot down 7 random facts about you,
give the award to 15 other lucky bloggers
and let them know about it.

Here are my seven random facts:

1. I'm obsessed with new and unique candy. I don't eat it as much as I'd like (thank goodness) but this blog creates lemmings for me in much the same way that beauty blogs do--in other words, I go out and try to find new candies whenever there's a new blog post! I just need to see new candy in person, for myself. It's a sickness.

2. I used to collect vintage purses from the 1950s and 1960s (lucite and bakelite purses, especially) and I still have quite the collection even though I'm not an active collector anymore. Here's one of my favorites:

I love this little barrel purse! I love the carved lucite handle, the faux mother-of-pearl finish and just the general shape of it and how it opens and closes.

3. My go-to movie that I will stop to watch whenever it's on TV (and I do mean whenever): Pretty in Pink.

4. I have a younger brother who, apparently, is very attractive to the ladies. Whenever we go out, I see women stare at him, which of course I find absolutely hilarious. One time we were at a frozen yogurt shop and a group of teenage girls were standing behind him watching which flavors he was putting into his cup. At first I thought something was wrong, so I walked over to see what they were staring at. Then I overheard them giggling and I think one of them even took a cell phone pic of him. Needless to say, I still give him crap about this every single day.

5. I'm a night-owl and I always have been. I absolutely hate mornings.

6. I type 90 WPM (words per minute).

7. My boyfriend, "Mr. G", and I have been together for almost ten years. He's the most amazing man I've ever met, and I never thought it was possible to still have a crush on someone you've been with for almost a decade. But it is. And I do.

Whenever I do a tag, I try to highlight awesome bloggers who are not in my blogroll. And this time I'd like to tag some bloggers who are not located in the US. Reading beauty blogs from around the globe has opened my eyes to fascinating and diverse information that I would have never known about otherwise. So thanks to all of these wonderful bloggers--I hope you take a look at what they have to offer!

I tag:

Drugstore and Bargain Lover (Greece)
Gaby's Beauty Blog (Canada)
Catanya's Things (Spain)
Madame B Fatale (Australia)
Nihrida (Slovenia)
Deez Nailz (Canada)
Confessions of a Make Up Addict (England)
The War Paint Guru (Scotland)
Rugby Beauty (Sweden)
on beauty stuff and what else's (Philippines)
Amused Polish (Austria)
Shopcoholic for Makeup (Malaysia)
Pretty Much Makeup (Indonesia)
Alliebunni's Blog (Scotland)
Hangi Oje Yakismas Ki Bana (Turkey)
Askmewhats (Philippines)

It's tag time!

I haven't done a tag on this blog in...I don't even know how long! So when the lovely jbrobeck of Polish Insomniac tagged me for the Versatile Blogger tag, I thought it would be fun to do it! Thanks so much,

jbrobeck!

 Seven things about me:

1. I'm left-handed and proud of it!

2. The only thing I do well with my right hand is use my mouse. Back when I first used a computer with a mouse I had no idea that you could pick up the mouse and move it to the other side of your keyboard! So I just learned how to adapt and now I can't use a mouse with my left hand even if I try. But I've gotta tell you that it comes in mighty handy because I'm one of the few people I know who can write down things and mouse at the same time. Talk about multi-tasking!

3. I used to be a teacher's aid for a local elementary school back in my early 20s. I loved every minute of it, and I still think my favorite grade of all is second grade.

4. I own a Blackberry Curve and will probably never defect to the iPhone, no matter how many people tell me I "need" to do so (so please don't bother trying!). I just love my Blackberry and when I love something, I'm pretty loyal to it.

5. I've been an ovo-lacto vegetarian since last October (this month's my one-year-anniversary!). This means that I still eat eggs and dairy, but no meat, fish or poultry. But I do want to make it perfectly clear that I'm not one of those vegetarians who judges meat-eaters! I was raised in a family of carnivores and I would never judge them or anyone else. This was just a personal decision for me, and me only.

6.  I'm a bit of an astrology nut. Not so much daily horoscopes, but I do think there's a lot to someone's sun, moon and rising signs that can reveal a lot about that person. Don't judge me--it's just something I find fascinating! I've researched it extensively--including my chart and the charts of those in my life. And knowing the sun signs of your boss and colleagues can come in MIGHTY handy. Trust me on that one!

7. I've met dozens and dozens of celebrities over the years (through past jobs and just by randomly stumbling into them in my hometown and  in LA and in Las Vegas) and every time I meet one, I get starstruck. I'm talking, I freeze up and cannot say a single word. I know that they're just human like all of us, and I don't even particularly respect some of the celebrities I've met, but I freeze up just the same. The worst was when I met Chris Isaak. It was around the time of this video:

I still cringe when I think about that. I just stood there, motionless, while he said "hello" and no matter how hard I tried, no words would come out of my mouth.

PS: If I remember correctly, Chris Isaak has said that when he and Helena Christensen shot this video, she could not have been less enthused about rolling around on a beach with him. What is wrong with that woman? Ha!

I tag every single one of you reading this! Leave your responses in the comments or on your blogs! I'd love to read them!

Saturday Odds 'n' Ends

Happy Saturday, lovelies! I've got a few bits of info I'd like to share with you today, so let's get started!

1) I want to thank my wonderful reader, Hannah, for pointing out something very valuable regarding the post I wrote yesterday about how Zappos.com is now selling beauty products. She kindly reminded me that Zappos.com always features free shipping on every order! Um, WOW! I had totally forgotten about that! So what they lack in low prices, they definitely make up in no shipping fees! For example, if you can't get to a Stila counter (or don't like to be pressured by sales associates--not saying all sales associates pressure customers, but it does happen) then you can definitely use Zappos.com as a way to get your high-end fix the next time you're willing to pay full retail price for a beauty product. Of course by now you all know my favorite way to get high-end beauty products is via BeautyTicket.com, but I do understand that sometimes the lemming bug bites and you just have to have a certain product ASAP. For these instances, I just want you all to remember that Zappos.com is now a great option (and will be even better once they start selling MAC, Bobbi Brown, etc.!). Something to keep in mind, and thanks again, Hannah!

2) Last week I was given the I Love Your Blog award by the fabulous Beda over at Beda's Beauty Blog.

If you haven't checked out Beda's Beauty Blog in my blogroll, definitely stop by soon to see the amazing work she does! One of the things I love the most about Beda's blog is that her eye looks are so very inspiring (plus, she uses a lot of earthtones, which you KNOW I love). But the best part is that Beda is an absolute sweetheart of a woman, so I'm thrilled to support her blog in any way I can. Love ya, girlie! :)

And in my continued attempt to "pay it forward" I am now awarding this blog award to some of my all-time faves in the beauty blogging world. Please take a minute to check them out if you don't already follow them. (Note: All of these wonderful blogs are already in my blogroll, so you can always access them that way as well, but I think they all deserve some extra love today!):

ShakeupYourMakeup

A Beauty Junkie in London

Fresco Phyrra

Pink Sith

Lipstick Rules

Skin Deco

3) Lucky me! I received another blog award this week from the ever-stylish Miss Go Lightly, who actually runs a lovely retro-inspired lifestyle blog (if you've a fan of Audrey Hepburn, Morrissey, or all things vintage, definitely check out this fun blog!).

Since this award came from a blog that's not really beauty-specific, I'd like to take this opportunity to pay it forward and award it to other blogs I love, that don't focus on beauty. Please take a moment to check out these amazing blogs--the owners work very hard at what they do, and you never know, you could find a new favorite here (and if anything, enjoy the beautiful photographs!):

Anna The Red's Bento Factory
(Be SURE to check out her bento photo gallery--it will blow your MIND. And specifically, you must see her Where the Wild Things Are bento creations!)

Seasaltwithfood
(A drool-worthy blog full of original recipes with gorgeous photos.)

How About Orange?
(A design blog with beautiful images, DIY projects, links to free and beautiful things you can print and/or download, etc.)

Apostrophe Abuse
The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotations
(If you're a member of the grammar police you must check out both of these sites. Hilarious!)

Simply Hue
(Do your eyes ever crave soft, beautiful images? This blog is loaded with them, and the owner has an incredible eye for design. I use this as a peaceful escape when I'm stressed, and it provides me loads of inspiration at the same time.)

Enjoy your Saturday! :)

Tag: My Favorite Blushes!

The beautiful Nea at Fashioned in Finland recently did this tag and I had to do it myself because I looooove blushes and I'll jump at any opportunity to talk about my blush stash.

I own a ton of different drugstore/affordable blushes and I like each one for a specific purpose, but here are my top five that I always seem to reach for over and over again these days:

Let's start clockwise from the left:

My favorite blush/bronzer duo:

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Custom Glow Blush & Bronzer in Berry Glow. I recently reviewed this blush in detail (click here for my review) and I find myself loving it and using it more and more as the days go by. For my NC20 coloring, I just love the pinkish-berry glow this imparts to the apples of my cheeks, I love the versatility of the bronzer, which is a light golden brown and really gives a soft, subtle glow to the skin. This duo has got it all, and the best part is the staying power. It's amazing and I just can't recommend it enough (but it's pricey so definitely wait for a good sale).

My favorite cheek tint:

I keep hoping that if I mention Prestige's 2009 Limited Edition Perfectly Fresh Cheek Tint in Sunny over and over again on my blog, that Prestige might magically bring this back to us. :) This was a limited edition item last year, and it's the most fantastic little Tarte dupe I've ever seen from a drugstore brand. In fact, I've owned several Tarte cheek tints over the years and I love this one more than Tarte. It's just so wearable, so blendable, and the staying power is incredible as well. Which is exactly why I bought two back-ups. Prestige, pleeeeeease bring this back to us someday!


My favorite ridiculously inexpensive blush:

Sally Girl Blush in Flushed retails for just $1.99 ($1.89 with club card) at Sally Beauty but, unlike most uber-cheap powder blushes, this one is packed with pigment, it applies smoothly, it's not chalky, and it's got incredible staying-power. The shade Flushed is kind of a peachy-terracotta shade that works well with tons of my earthtone eyeshadows, so I find myself reaching for this little gem over and over again when I'm in a hurry and don't want to think about what shade to pair with my eye look. It's one of those "you can't go wrong" shades if you're a fellow earthtone gal.

My favorite cream blush:

Admittedly, I haven't reviewed a lot of cream blushes on Nouveau Cheap because, well, I tend to wear powder foundations 90% of the time, and a lot of cream blushes just don't work with powder foundations. But this little gem, Maybelline Dream Mousse Blush in Whipped Strawberries (which I happened to score at Dollar Tree) is the exception. It works fabulously atop powder foundation and it just goes on so smoothly...like an airy mousse (imagine that!). The shade, Fresh Strawberries, describes the color so accurately--it looks like you took a fresh strawberry and rubbed a little bit of it onto your skin. I love the natural pink glow that this colors gives to the apples of my cheeks, and I think it's truly one of those drugstore gems that everyone should own. Plus, just like with all the other blushes I've mentioned, the staying power is INCREDIBLE (can you tell that staying-power is pretty much my number 1 priority with blushes? Well that's because I've got oily skin that literally eats blush within a few hours so I simply refuse to wear a blush that I have to reapply throughout the day. Ain't gonna happen.).

My Holy Grail way-too-expensive-but-some-things-are-worth-splurging-on blush:

I have mentioned time and time again that Bobbi Brown powder blushes are the gold standard for me. Try as I might, I just can't find a blush that even remotely rivals the colors, the texture, the blendability, and the staying power of The Bobbi Brown Powder Blush (yes, it deserves capitalization).

The blush in this photo is Sand Pink, and what sold me on this color FOREVER is a story that goes like this: One day while I was at work at my former job, I was in the mailroom and I caught a glance of myself in horrible florescent lighting and said out loud: "Oh man, I think I put on too much blush today." And the guys in the mailroom (all of whom I had known and worked with for several years and were like family to me) said, "Wait. You wear BLUSH?" Of course I laughed and said, "Uh...yeah. Of course I do." And one guy in particular (whom I will always love and you're about to see why) said, "Seriously, I always thought you just had naturally rosy cheeks. Your face always looks so healthy. It doesn't look like you wear any makeup at all on your cheeks." I'm sorry, but is there a more AWESOME compliment that a woman can hear about her makeup???

After that little exchange, I then proceeded to ask a few of my female co-workers if they had ever noticed or paid attention to my blush, and some of them actually told me, "I've always wanted to know what you wear on your cheeks because it just looks so natural and pretty." There you have it. Sold. Bobbi Brown powder blushes rule the universe.

But sadly, my budget just does not allow for me to own one each of every BB color (ooooh how I can dream), but once in a while I'll find a reputable Ebay seller who has a lot of two blushes for sale (both the same color--which is fine by me) for like 15 bucks and I snap them up quicker than you can say "Bobbi Brown blushes rule". Which is how I got the Sand Pink shade in the picture above. It's the old packaging, but it came from a trusted seller that I've done business with before, and I got two of them for an amazing price a few years ago. Bottom line, however you have to do it (legally, of course), once in your life you should at least try a Bobbi Brown powder blush. Especially if you prefer giving your cheeks a glow that looks natural, and appears to be coming from within. Also, if you're an oily-skinned gal like me, these blushes wear like iron. They just don't budge, even by the end of day. They are perfection. End of story.

So...that's it for my favorite blushes. I am tagging everyone reading this, and I hope that you'll share your favorite blushes on your blog, and if you don't have a blog, leave 'em in the comments!

Tag: Threes of Me

I had the honor of being tagged by two amazing bloggers (Gaby's Beauty Blog and Lipglossiping) within the same week for the same tag, so I figured I better take advantage of the wonderful shout-outs and play along! This one was a lot of fun. :)

Three names I go by (on this blog):

1. Rec.
2. Re
3. R.

Three jobs I have had (these were all very early in life):

1. Tap Dance Instructor
2. Food Service Worker at the San Diego Zoo
3. Video Store Clerk (this was an indie store, not a Blockbuster or anything like that...you would not believe the STORIES I could tell you...)

Three places I have lived:

1. Southern Cal
2. Northern Cal
3. That's about it!

Three favorite drinks:

1. Genmaicha
2. Peet's Coffee (Major Dickason's Blend)
3.

 I can't help it, I'm a sucker for a cola Slurpee

Three TV shows I watch:

1. Lost
2. Mad Men
3. Modern Family

Three places I have been:

1. Cancun, Mexico
2. Washington DC
3. Vegas, baby

Three places I would like to visit:

1. Japan
2. UK
3. Fiji

Three people who text (or bbm) me regularly:

1. Mr. R
2. bro
3. two of my best guy friends (for some reason, my girlfriends rarely text me)

Three favorite old TV shows:

And because it's my blog, I'm going to add one more:

Oh, Jordan Catalano, you were soooo dreamy...

Three favorite dishes (this is total comfort food--nobody said "pick your three favorite healthy dishes", right?)

1. Pad See Ew (w/ mock duck)

2. French Macarons

3. Potato & Cheddar Pierogies w/ sour cream & caramelized onions

Three makeup/beauty products I cannot live without:

1. Powder Foundation
2. Eyebrow Pencil
3. Mascara

Three things I’m looking forward to:

1. The finale of Lost
2. Warmer weather
3. Watching my niece grow and evolve into her own person (she's currently 3)

Three people I tag:

1. Cutiegingerbread
2. The Glamorous Gleam
3. Lacquered Lizard

Time for me to share the love!

I recently received this adorable blog award from the amazing Mocha Mish Mash (thanks again, honey!), and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to share with you some fantastic beauty blogs that, although are not in my blog roll, are still very much a part of my weekly reads.

But first, part of the requirement in receiving the Beautiful Blogger Award is to share seven facts about myself, so here you go:

1) My most current TV obsession is Mad Men. One of the most amazingly complex character-driven dramas ever to be on television. LOVE it.

2) I took tap dance lessons from the age of 3 until I was 17, and then I taught tap to 4-yr-olds for about year when I was 18. It was probably the most rewarding, and fun, job I ever had.

3) I can't drive stick. I owe this to the fact that when my boyfriend in high school tried to teach me, I stalled in a very busy intersection and never, ever got over the trauma of that incident.

4) I'm a white-knuckle flier. Seriously, I hyperventilate at the very thought of boarding an airplane.

5) Not surprising given my fear of flying, but I am not a roller coaster person either. Space Mountain at Disneyland is about the most "hardcore" I'll go, and even that ride freaks me out. I'm a wimp!

6) For the longest time, I thought the lyrics in the Devo song "Whip It" were:

Tattoo the detective, it's not too late...to whip it...whip it good.

When in reality, the lyrics are:

Try to detect it. It's not too late...to whip it...whip it good.

My friend in junior high sang the song (using the wrong lyrics) one day and I remember hearing her sing it and going, "Oh, yeah, that makes sense" (what?!). And I just kind of went with it for the next 20 or so years, until one day I thought about it and realized it made NO no sense at all. Ha!

7) I have a weird obsession with Guy Fieri. He's just such a lovable teddy bear of a dude, who has the most positive attitude and well, who doesn't love a man who can cook, right? I don't care if his hair looks silly or if he says "money" one too many times--I love the guy. And I really wish I would have eaten in one of his restaurants when I still lived in N. California.

And now I'd like to tag the seven bloggers who have blogs that have become a part of my weekly reading. I urge you to check them out, because they've all got their own great style about them, which is why I personally love 'em!

Papaya Bunny
My Naked Face
Funny Face's Place
Gaby's Beauty Blog
Polished Beauty Blog
Eyeconic
Evolving Beautifully

All of you lovely ladies above, consider yourself tagged! And please check back soon for more wonderful blogs that I'd like to share with you. There are so many fantastic beauty bloggers out there right now--I love spreading the word about them!

Seven Random Facts

A lot of bloggers have been doing this tag lately so I think it's time I chimed in (if I remember correctly I did a similar tag in the past, but it was a long time ago so why not disclose a few more random facts, right?). Also, thanks so much to the bloggers who have personally tagged me for this one!

1. I've said it before but I have to say it again: I'm a HUGE Lost fan. I have every season on DVD and have watched every episode over 20 times (pathetic, I know). I read every Lost blog out there, and I lurk on several Lost message boards and I think Lostpedia is better than Wikipedia (not really but you get the point). And even though I read Lost spoilers for season 6 on a daily basis, the best part about Lost is that, the more spoilers you hear, the MORE confused you get. Spoilers aren't really spoilers in the Lost universe.

2. I have a huge crush on Paul Rudd.

3. I have a Bachelor's Degree in English Literature and I minored in Film Studies.

4. I love every vegetable EXCEPT for Brussels sprouts.

5. I am ashamed of my addictions to celebrity gossip and reality TV.

6. I am over-the-moon excited and thrilled by the news that Soundgarden is reuniting.

7. One of my goals in life is to someday attend the Lebowski Fest.

If you have a blog, consider yourself tagged (if you haven't already done this one). And if you don't have a blog but would like to contribute, I would LOVE to see your seven random facts in the comments! :)

Beauty Tag: I'm it!

Thanks to the lovely Shela at Confessions of a Beauty Guru, I have been tagged! So here are my answers, if you're interested. :)


What's your favorite make up look?
I love a nice thick line of black liquid liner on the top lid (winged at the ends, of course) paired with a neutral or shimmery white shadow, lots of black mascara on the upper lashes and no mascara or liner on the bottom. Add a clean, high-arched brow, a tiny dot of blush on the apples of the cheeks and some cherry red lipstick and I'm in heaven.

Do you have a beauty vice you swear by?
I do! You're not supposed to curl your lashes *after* you apply mascara (it can pull your lashes out, I know) but if I didn't curl my lashes before and after mascara, they would never curl.

What part of your body do you love?
Well since I haven't ever considered getting collagen injections in my lips, I guess that means my lips are still full enough on their own. For this, I am grateful.

Who is your beauty icon?
Look at this picture up close. To think that she and her makeup artists were able to achieve this level of perfection with NONE of the modern beauty products we have today? That says more about her beauty than anything I could ever write.

Lauren Bacall

What are your favorite products?
Oh geeze, I can never answer this question. Basically, everything I give a glowing review to on this blog is a favorite. I swear that's the truth.

What beauty product makes you feel instantly sexy?
Perfume! There's no quicker way to feel sexy. And for what it's worth, I think that the sexiest perfume ever created is this one.

How do you look after your skin?
Not as well as I should. I cleanse every night and morning, I moisturize, use a good SPF, the occasional mask, and hope for the best.

What is your signature scent?
Chantecaille Frangipane is one that many people in my life probably can associate with me. But I wear so many different perfumes within the course of an average week, it's hard to pick just one.

What are your hair care secrets?
I have no secrets when it comes to haircare. If it works for me, I shout it from the rooftops!

How do you pamper yourself?
To me, pampering means doing absolutely nothing. I try to do that at least once a day week. :)

What is your beauty pet peeve?
Foundation that doesn't match the wearer's skin tone AT ALL. Dark liner with light lip color. Sharpie brows. Crunchy hair.

What would your desert island must haves be?
A brush, conditioner, SPF, lip balm, lotion, the usual stuff you'd need in order to feel remotely sane.

What's on your to-buy list as of right now?
For the first time in quite a while, I have nothing that's really burning at me to buy. I better embrace this moment.

Finally, do you have a beauty philosophy?
You're beautiful, so stop worrying.

Who are you tagging?
All bloggers who haven't taken part in this tag yet!

What makes me smile?

I was just given this adorable blog award by the sweet and lovely kelliegonzo from Also Known As...

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Kellie!!!

I am a sucker for anything that makes people smile (who doesn't love spreading happiness?) so I'm honored to partake in the rules for receiving this award:

Rules:

• You have to put in a song that makes you happy.
• You can tag as many people as you like, there is no limit.
• Say at least one thing about each blog you tag, that will make them smile, something nice about their blog that makes you smile when you read it!

First, here's a song that *always* makes me happy because it takes me right back to being 14 years old and OMG how I wanted to be her. I had the tank top, the black scarf for my hair, and I bought my first tube of red Wet n Wild lipstick to try and copy her makeup look, which you can see clearly see at the 0:57 mark. :)

As for who I'm tagging, I welcome all the wonderful, beautiful bloggers who are reading this to reply. But I would like to mention a few blogs that always manage to make me smile:

Caramel Diva at Music Trends Makeup and More. Whether it's her "Snack of the Day", her favorite music clips or her favorite eyeshadows, Caramel Diva's adorable posts always manage to put a little smile on my face (oh and how could I forget the pictures of her parties? I promise you that one day, I will crash one of those parties, CD!). :)

Amber at Beauty Junkies Unite. Oh Amber, whenever I go on your blog I always think to myself, "This is what my blog wants to be when it grows up." lol! From her eloquent, personal writing style to her professional-grade photography, Amber's blog always makes me smile for being so clean, so accessible and so utterly professional. Plus, she often features reviews of products that I can only dream of owning, so reading her reviews is really the next best thing to buying the product myself. :)

Phyrra at Fresco Phyrra. Is there another blogger who can rock color the way Phyrra can? I think not! Just going on her blog for a minute or two will surely put a smile on your face. Phyrra artfully uses mineral makeup in a way that is not only creative but stunning. I just don't get how someone can be this creative, every single day! Phyrra, your blog is a constant source of inspiration for me to get more color in my life. :)

Halifax at Sparkled Beauty. Now what would our fellow beauty junkies to the north do without dear, sweet Halifax? She keeps her fellow Canadians informed of all the latest deals in beauty, plus she never forgets her US girls by also including US-exclusive deals and sales in her informative posts. Halifax, I don't know how you do it but you manage to hear of all the deals and sales first, and that definitely brings a smile to my face. :)

Anthony at The ART and SCIENCE of [beauty]. Oh Anthony, where do I begin? For being just 19, Anthony entered the female-dominated world of beauty blogging and really made a name for himself in a short amount of time. His blog is all about haircare and I love that he reviews both higher-end products and drugstore products as well. His writing style always puts a smile on my face and if you follow him on Twitter, you know that his tweets can put a smile on your face as well. :)

Picture Tag

You've probably seen this tag going around the beauty blogging community lately...it's a fun one so I thought I'd participate!

All you have to do is open your picture folder, scroll down to the 10th photo and post it. So here's mine, and I promise I didn't cheat:

(click to enlarge)

This photo was taken on my lunchbreak when I used to work in La Jolla. The photo itself is of La Jolla Cove. This was my view when I'd walk to grab a sandwich every day. It's sad that I used to take this view for granted, but I think I remember that on this particular day, I liked how the birds were all perched in a row on the rock, so I took a picture on my phone.

So if you're a blogger and you're reading this, consider yourself tagged!