Makeup Mondays: Urban Decay Sale

Urban Decay Friends and Family Sale

This sale has been going on for a while but there's still time to take advantage of the excellent 30% Friends and Family Discount Urban Decay is offering when you use the code FNFW1

I love Urban Decay products but I am still debating if I have the funds to splurge this time around. If I was going to spend any money I have three lipsticks in mind that I'd love to own:


Jailbait, a a nude shade in a sheer cream (no shimmer)formula.



Naked, a creamy pink full coverage nude color.. and . . .




Lovechild a light cool pink in a semi sheer formula.




These normally retail for $22 which is quite pricey, but with 30% off they're in a much more reasonable price range. Still a splurge for me though!

Urban Decay lipsticks are wonderful quality. I own two, Rush and Midnight Cowboy. Both are incredibly smooth, smell of creme brule and comfortable to wear. I highly recommend the product, and they're beautiful to look at as well:




Plan on taking advantage of the discount? What would you get?

Wishlist Wednesday: Teavana

I am incredibly addicted to caffeine and I prefer to take mine cold, in the form of Diet Dr. Pepper but when I go for hot drinks I love tea. My friend Beth got me a Tassiamo when I got married and I adore the Chai Tea Lattes those create but I am in the mood for something new and I think Teavana has just what I am looking for.

During a trip to the mall earlier this year my sister in law Kelly and I happened into Teavana. We didn't know what it was we actually thought it might be a cafe like Gloria Jeans or Starbucks, we didn't realize it was more of a luxury tea store. We were mesmerized by the variety of teas this place offered and totally impressed with the little samples they offered of hot and iced teas, everything was so tasty and we almost gave in and bought a set but ended up leaving empty handed. Well, Christmas is approaching and hopefully Santa will hook me up with some Teavana goodies!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Teavana sells a variety of loose tea leaves and offers a handy way of brewing the perfect cup with their Perfect Tea Maker. They offer a 16 oz and a 32 oz size. As you can see in the photo on the right the 16 oz size is the perfect size to brew over your favorite mug (many mugs hold less but you can control how much goes in) and the 32 oz size, pictured left, is perfect for making larger portions of tea for guests or to keep iced tea in the fridge.

I hope Santa brings me this AWESOME starter kit.



The kit includes: Set includes a 16oz Perfect Tea Maker, 12oz of Rock Sugar, 4 reusable, 3oz tea tins, one Perfect Teaspoon and 2oz each of four teas: Rooibos Sweet Amore, MateVana, Rooibos Tropica and Earl Grey Creme. Which I think is a nice way to start making Teavana teas!

They have so many cool teas, I'd love to try them all! Here's a few that have caught my eye:

Zingiber Ginger Coconut Rooibos Tea which is a caffeine free red tea with coconut, ginger and black pepper. Doesn't that sound delicious?


Or what about the Masala Chai Black Tea? Black teas are usually stronger in flavor and this one sounds great with ginger, cinnamon, cardamom and vanilla. I'd have this with some honey or rock sugar and milk to make a chai tea latte. Yummm!


If I felt like really splurging I'd pick up a more expensive white tea like the Imperial Acai Blueberry White Tea. White teas are high in antioxidants and this one is packed with other antioxidant rich flavors like blueberries, acai and black currant and in the background is white grape, hibiscus flower and rare rosehip. Sound delicious and refreshing!!!


Have you tried any Teavana Teas? What catches your eye?

Have a wonderful Veteran's Day everyone. Thank a solider.

Sorry I haven't been keeping up these last few days, I have a cough that is annoying me!!!!!

Have you checked out the MAC Cosmetics holiday goodies?!?! I have my eye on the 5 Sexy Shenanigans Soft Mini Lipglass/Lustreglass set.

Five soft shades of Lipglass/Lustreglass presented in a magical silver cube gift box. A series of circular perforations echoing our holiday dot pattern allow you a glimpse of the sparkling wonders within. Brings on the shine in favourite shades of Elle, Poetic License and Cruise Control Lipglass, and Ensign and Morning Glory Lustreglass.

Maybe Santa will bring this to me!

The Bookshelf: Library Finds

I am still working on the Wally Lamb book I talked about last Wednesday and I am enjoying that but I am the type of girl who can work on multiple books at once so I picked up 2 from the library... Well one book and one audio book.


I love my local library. Vanessa, from Designs by Vanessa said her and her husband recently got library cards in their area and her husband said "Are you sure this is free?" which gave me a giggle, but it really is hard to believe that such a rich resource is FREE! What a concept!! My local library is chock full of books, it's amazing and in this economy it's truly a life saver. If you love to read and haven't visited your local library in some time go on and check it out, you might be shocked by the vast selection.

I was feeling magical today (LOL) so I got two fantasy/magic books.

The audio book I picked up is "The Magicians" by Lev Grossman. I am excited to get into this one since it's supposedly a grown up Harry Potter/Narnia inspired fantasy novel. Nothing has quite satisfied me in that genre since Harry Potter so I am eager to see if this delivers. Normally I'd have steered away for audio on a book like this with such rich imagery but this is a newly published book and the hardcover additions were checked out at my library. The story has a familiar plot, a secret portal leading to a school of Magic, a college rather than a secondary school. Could be amazing, hope it's not a let down.

The book I got is "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell" by Susanna Clarke which is an enormous book that I have heard you will either LOVE or hate. This book is the story of two magicians in 1800s England. Reviews are mixed, some say it's an amazing fantasy novel to be cherished and some say it's utter crap. I love controversy!!!








101 in 1001 Update:
Remember, I am aiming to read 45 fiction books and 5 non fiction books by July 16, 2012 as part of my 101 in 1001 goals so these books are going towards that. I decided I am going to count audio books toward that goal because a) they take a long time to listen to b) I listen to them at the gym and while cooking, cleaning, driving etc and c) I read enough that I feel comfortable counting these towards my goal. Many people make reading goals in an effort to read more, I read a ton so I don't feel like audio is cheating.

1. Read 45 fiction books: (1/45)

I have read one book since compiling the list and that is "Breaking Dawn" by Stephenie Meyer. "Breaking Dawn" is the final novel in the Twilight series. I am not going to review the book here but I have to admit the series was not as enjoyable to me as I expected it to be, I think it's a bit over hyped. Oh well.

4.Read the books I have already before buying any new ones (can borrow from library until then)

Check! I am doing just that! Sometimes what I have on my shelves is not what I am in the mood for. The library makes me feel less guilty about neglecting those books. Besides, I do own the Wally Lamb book so I am working on my collection.

28. Join the Nation Bar Association and the Connecticut Bar Association (student membership doesn’t count anymore!!) (1/2)

I joined the Connecticut Bar Association as an attorney last week. I got a kick out of the email correspondence addressing me as attorney because it's all so new to me :-)

6. Drink one bottle of water per day

Been on track with this one!

18. Go to the gym at least 3 days a week

Haven't been so good with this one, though I have an honest to God serious reason for this. We recently got a kitten and I am sooooo allergic to him I feel like I am dying, I have had a chronic dry wheezing cough for weeks now, it's finally getting better so this week I will absolutely get back on track. I feel like a failure but these goals are long term and just because I missed a week or two doesn't mean I should give up.

11. Maintain my neglected blog, or better yet start all over.

You tell me, but I feel like I have been acing this one so far!!!! My next goal for the blog is to get a few interviews posted. I'd like to interview my favorite bloggers or the owners of small companies that I love. It's going to take a bit to organize that but it's on the horizon.

The 101 in 1001 is really helping me stay focused and happier, I am so happy I heard about this!!!!!!!!!

Tempting Tuesday

Most people love the chocolate peanut butter combination but for me it's all about mint and chocolate. With Halloween behind us stores are busting out the holiday goodies and in my grocer's freezer I spied this delicious treat from Haagen Dazs: Peppermint Bark Ice cream.



This stuff is amazing. It's white chocolate ice cream with peppermint bark and peppermint candy pieces. I am destroying a pint of this right now as I type! Yummmm!!!!!

So this baby is limited addition so don't forget to try it this holiday season! Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Money Saving Tip: Check out your local target for the best price on Haagen Dazs, I have seen this stuff for as high as $6 a pint at Target it's $2.99.

Makeup Mondays: Sale Alert!

Cherry Culture Sale

Happy Monday everyone!!!!

Cherry Culture is having a 20% off sale which ends tomorrow 11.3.2009 so if you're interested I'd head on over there and use the code: NS20. Everything in the store is eligible for the discount and as always shipping is free on orders over $40. I have ordered from Cherry Culture many times and while their shipping is a bit slow I have always received everything I ordered packed with care, and they seem to consistently have the best prices on NYX products, which are sometimes difficult to find.

Here are some NYX products I highly recommend checking out if you've never tried NYX before:

Champagne Eyeshadow (left) is a staple of mine, it's a perfect gold/champagne toned neutral that can be used all over the lid and even carried up to the brow as a highlight. When I am in a hurry I sweep this all over my lid and darken my crease with NYX Walnut bronze (right), line my waterline add mascara and go!!! These single shadows are $3.50 at Cherry Culture and you'd get 20% off that with this sale. You cannot go wrong. They are highly pigmented, smooth and long lasting, I adore these shadows.


Pinky blush is another staple in my collection. Don't let the bright color scare you, this shade is flattering on almost anyone if you use a light hand. It's a bright pink that, when applied properly, adds the perfect flush to your cheeks. I know when my sister in law saw my makeup collection she pulled this out and said "Seriously?!?! When would you ever use a color like this?" but honestly it's my favorite NYX blush and I think it's an amazing color. These are $6 at Cherry Culture. Other nice shades: Angel (a light baby pink) and Natural (a light bubblegum pink).



NYX recently came out with some new eyeshadow and lip gloss palettes that I am dying to try. I have my eye on the Secret World 10 Color Eyeshadow Palette $8 with it's rich green tones, and the Naturals lip gloss palette ($7) which looks great for daily use. I think I might have to take advantage of this sale and pick some of these items up!!!

Cherry Culture has brands other than NYX but not many that I have tried myself. NYX is one of the best and most expansive AFFORDABLE makeup lines out there and if you haven't tried it before now's the time, I know you won't be dissapointed!!!

Let me know if you get anything from Cherry Culture!!!

Frightening Friday Finds

Frighteningly cute that is!!!

Look at these adorable handmade figurines I found on Etsy!!! How cute are these for Halloween!!!??





Check out Lynne's Little Creations Here.

Happy Halloween!!!