New nails

Sally Hansen Metallic Nail Polish.

I saw this in a magazine and bought it at the store.  Paint nails with one coat; let dry.  Top with second coat, and hold the metallic jar lid right over your nail to achieve the effect.  The polish contains metal pieces.  Soooo cool!!

New favorite salad dressing

First tried this while visiting Bethlehem in April.

Now Holly won't even eat anything else on her salad.

Good stuff, and I bet it'd be good on a fajita-style salad too.

Coney Island Cotton Candy

I haven't painted my nails in years. In more than a decade. As far as I'm concerned, it's a sad sign of the times (growing kids) that I can fit this into my schedule now.

I found this color on Pinterest. I like its neutrality, but the original photo showed the color to be more opaque. I don't want to see the whites of my nails. This is the first time I've tried O.P.I. and I really love it. It lasts, so much that I went out and bought O.P.I. base and top coats too.

Project 365: Day 19

Emily got me hooked on Bare Minerals a year and a half ago. I'd used Clinique for years and it was no longer working well with my skin. Emily said great things about Bare Minerals, including the tip that it was "only" $60 for the starter kit. I almost fell off my chair. I thought about it for a year before I finally was brave enough to give it a try.

Within the first few days, my skin felt terrific--even when I wasn't wearing it. The foundation lasts forever; in a year and a half, I am partway through my second pot. I use it every day, and I don't tend to skimp on it, but you just don't need a lot. It's easy to blend, and although it's in powder form, does not look powdery or act like your grandma's powder. I still like the way it looks and feels on my face.

Last year, I bought one of the smaller eye kits, and a few weeks ago, I ordered a "party pack." Okay, I don't remember the "official" name, but it was a set of nine eye shadows and liners, slightly smaller than the standard size. FUN stuff, I'm enjoying trying new colors and mixing and matching.

I also bought the liner sealer, since my Bare Minerals liner often wears off. Wow. You mix a drop of this in with the powder liner, and it sticks like Magic Marker. In fact, my regular make up remover (admittedly, I just use baby oil) would not budge this stuff, and I had to buy real remover to get it off. I put some on my hand to see how long it would last, and it held up to handwashing and regular chores for the entire day, still looking good in the evening.

Yep, fun stuff...great stuff.

Product Review - Bare Minerals: get started eyes

I began using Bare Escentuals face makeup last summer and absolutely love it. I bought the "starter kit," which contained a brush, "mineral veil," warmth, and foundation colors. From the beginning, I knew that the mineral veil seemed to make everything else work better. The products are meant to be used together, not separately. Not only do I like how nicely it goes on and how it feels on my skin, but I also like how my skin looks and feels even after I wash the makeup off at night.

I've tried one of the mineral eye shadows but wasn't too impressed. I should have known better. The products are meant to be used together, not separately. This eye kit comes with three brushes, and four different shadows, including one liner. While the basic color in this kit is brown, the individual colors range from a light beige to a very dark brownish black. I like the way they go on together, and I can mix and match, using two or three of the colors of my choice. I wondered if the powder liner would "stick" and I've been very happy with how easy it is to put on and how long it lasts. I can wet my brush to make it more dramatic, too.

So far, everything I've tried of BE has been a big hit--as long as I use it the way they tell me to. And now that I have my newest ULTA gift card, I can't wait to buy more. :) It's not cheap, but it's worth it, and ULTA has some sort of guarantee on the products too; very convenient if you buy it and hate it. (I just googled, and the closest ULTA store when we move is 2 hours away. Gulp! At least there's always online shopping!)

The Best Product Ever!!

I was very concerned about flying this trip. Not only would we have to switch planes (never done that before), but three of our planes were smaller than I ever remember flying on. I don't do well on planes; sometimes I even take the crown as Queen Barfer. As daughter of the queen, Holly would have had a difficult time too (being royally embarrassed, and worrying that the crown might pass to her).

At the last minute, my dear sil Barb recommended Sea Bands. Not exactly Elizabethan formal wear, these look like sweatbands decorated with a white plastic stud. The studs poke into a pressure point on each wrist, minimizing nausea. They looked horrifyingly common; yet they did a magnificent job, allowing me to travel in a high falutin', ladylike, and upright manner. No bags required.

They are also totally reusable and use no chemicals, smells, oils or anything else on your skin. They might not be quite the "best product ever," but we sure thought so while we were in flight. They were $8-10 at Walmart/Walgreens, and come in a package of two, one for each wrist. I can't help but wish I'd had them before (such as whale watching last summer), but I'm sure happy to have them now!


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Note: Do not attempt to google "queens clothing."