Back-to-MAC program, it's the bomb!

MAC is green, I love it! If you have 6 empty MAC containers, you simply take them to your local MAC counter and they'll give you a free lipstick of your choice! What a great trade out! If you do not have a MAC location near you, they have a form on their website you can complete and send in. Check out: http://www.maccosmetics.com/customerservice/cs_services.tmpl

So let me tell you about my favorite MAC items. I love their eyeshadows! They are highly pigmented and blend like a dream. I will never waste my money on drug store eyeshadows again. MAC lasts a long time and is truly high quality. I love Hepcat (hot pinkish), Nocturnelle (dark purple/plum), and Gleam (natural color with a bit of sparkle). Gleam is a great blending color.

However, let me tell you, your eyeshadow appliacation is a waste unless you use some type of base on your lids prior to application of the eyeshadow. MAC makes a great Cream Colour Base, I love Shell. It's very natural and you cannot see it after you apply your eyeshadow. The eyeshadow stays in place all day! Girls, remember the base! It is worth the money.

If you purchase any Viva Glam product, all proceeds go to the MAC HIV/AIDS foundation. John's favorite girl (besides me), Fergie is this year's gal to promote the Viva glam line.

True Shimmer Chapstick...a MUST have!!

So last weekend, I flew down to Tampa to be with my family. Our niece Tori lives there with her mom, so we thought it would be fun to head down with Jake, Jake's Dad, and John's mom to see Tori and get some sun. On our way to Clearwater Beach on Saturday, we stopped at CVS to pick up sunscreen and beach toys for the kids. I needed some Chapstick. Boy, did I score on this one! Chapstick now has Chapstick "True Shimmer". It comes in two varieties, Tropical and Botanical Berry. I bought the Botanical Berry. It has a similar berry scent to it like the old school cherry Chapstick, but a hint of shimmer. I like it because the shimmer is not overly sparkly, so it's fitting for gals our age. It also does it's job moisturizing your lips and gives it a tad hint of color. Just to let you know, I have had a hard time finding this in Nashville. I've hunted at several Walgreen's with no luck. I hope more stores are stocking it, you will love it!

Yummy food good for our fabulous figures!

Daily, I get an e-mail update from Hungry Girl listing various recipies, suggestions, ideas in order to keep foods low calorie, low fat, low carb and still taste good. I have tried several of these recipies and can say I'm a fan. Of course I'd love to add to her list of great foods that taste good and satisfy the soul without adding additional padding to my backside. Check out Hungry Girl at http://www.hungry-girl.com/index.php.

I'm really loving the Quaker Instant Oatmeal, Weight Control. Leslie told me about it and I've been hooked ever since. It really fills you up and the flavor selections are Cinnamon, Maple/Brown Sugar, and Banana Nut. If you like all 3, they have a variety pack. All are great! I also add a banana and some Fiber One cereal for potassium and fiber. Girls, we need more fiber in our diet! It really does the trick and ties me over until lunch. I also eat an apple with my lunch almost daily. Apples are great sources of fiber. Fiber makes you feel full, so another great reason to add more to your diet. I love some of the new Lean Cuisine meals. They've done a good job at adding more meat making the protein count higher. Of course, the meals are usually less than 300 calories.

Hope you like some of these foods and let me know if you have any other yummy and healthly goodies that are your favorites!

Blonde is sometimes better in the fall..even in Europe

So, I went more blonde. YAY! I'm loving it. So John and I are planning our big trip to Europe November 18-Dec 2. You could say this is honeymoon part Deux. I'm so excited to be getting away and exploring so many different countries with my man (Germany, Hungary, Austria, Czech Rep, and Switzerland). With that comes some great fall fashion. I'm loving the sweater coats for this season. I am stoked because these are in fashion about 10 years ago and I have kept a few of mine from the late 90's surprisingly. I was at TJ Maxx on Saturday and they have some great deals and lots to chose from. Perfect gear for a fall football game (Go Cowboys!), trip to the mountains or to Europe. I'm definitely bringing along my Uggs. For those of you in the Nashville area, keep checking Marti and Liz (Cool Springs or Murfreesboro location). I have purchased three pair there and all were under $30. They were flawless! I even talked my mother in law to buying her first pair and she loves them. We hit the Ugg lotterly last year the day after Thanksgiving. YIPEE! It's been so hot here lately that we're still in our summer clothes. Hopefully things will cool off. The trees here are already turning and it's so beautiful. I love fall in Tennessee! Hope everyone had a great weekend.

Hair dilemma

I always find it difficult this time of year to decide what to do about my hair color. Typically, you don't want to be a summer blonde, but I just hate letting go of it. I'm not a fan of going darker. So, this year, I decided I'm just going to do what I want to do. My hair girl, Dana, is amazing. She is very good with color and making suggestions. Last time I went in, I bought two great hair products. They can only be purchased at salons. I have not seen these products at Walgreens yet. Here's their website if you want to know more about their products or find a salon near you that carries Pureology: http://www.pureology.com/. I needed a volumizer, so she recommended Pureology's Rootlift. You just spray it on when your hair is wet, before blowdrying. I also use shine serum and happened to be out, so she recommended Pureology's Shinemax. They happend to have buy one, get one half off. Lucky for me! I recommend a shine serum for anyone, no matter what your hair type. It really helps with frizz, fly aways, and makes your hair look very shiney and smooth. Word of caution, put it on when your hair is wet, after the volumizer. It only takes a dime size or smaller. Make sure you don't get it too close to your roots at the top of your scalp. You don't want to be the oily hair girl in your office. Once you blow dry, it looks and feels amazing. The Purelology products are excellent for color treated hair and don't smell all that strong. I hate smelling your hair product all day! That's what perfume is for my friends. I hope to feel a bit more glamorous after my appointment today. I haven't felt like getting divad up this week, so I hope Dana can help me. Ta ta for now.

Diva down!!!

Ok, this week has been a bummer. I have a small flaw...2 bulging lumbar discs. I just keep asking myself, is this normal for 34 year old women? What did I do in the past to make this happen? I don't recall any accidents, stupid sorority pranks gone bad, etc. They give me fits from time to time and this week is one of them. I'm on restrictions, working from home, no driving. Needless to say, I have not worn makeup or dressed up much. One benefit is consumption of controlled substances. I can't explain it, but it seems like I work a bit faster, smarter, and harder. I could never have an addition, for those of you that know me, I'm too much of a control freak. Maybe it's a bi-product of pain. Who knows, but my creative juices have been flowing. If you have ever experienced back pain, I'm sure you can relate. Pain sucks. Drugs don't (temporarily). I can't take Nancy Reagan's advice 100% of the time, but I am legally drug free.

I am thankful for my Psiatrist (not Psychiatrist although we all may need one of these from time to time!). He is a medical doctor who specializes in treating pain. Dr. Dan McHugh over at Premiere Orthopedics. He is very conservative and easy on the eyes. Leah can vouch. John used to call on him when he worked for Merck. Anyhoo, if you need a good Psiatrist, Dr. Dan is your man.

I love me some Sephora

Okay, I have to admit. I love Sephora. It's a candy store for your modern day diva. A trick I learned...if you order online purchases over $50, shipping is free. If you're a member of the Beauty Insider group (which is free) you get 3 free samples and get extra perks on your Birthday. You also accumulate points and get 'larger' samples. I love to go to our local Sephora store in Nashville, but if you know what you want, who has time or gas money? Or if you're from Nashville, do we have gas?! I love the Bare Minerals products. I just bought the mineral veil with the luminator in it. Awesome girls. It goes such a long way. Check out their best sellers too. I got the Nars blush in 'Orgasm', um, yes, that makes me blush, but it is so great for my fading tan. It looks good on tan skin and my soon to be white winter pasty skin. Love it. Don't love winter. Of couse, Dior Show mascara is my fav hands down. Visit http://www.sephora.com/.

That's my Sephora scoop. Getting my hair done on Thursday, so stay tuned for a possible update on new hair products!

First of all...lunch conversations at work

My friend Beth talked me into this. Beth is a former co-worker who recently moved to DC to pursue her Master's at GW. I'm very proud of her for making such a huge decision. She said I should start writing a blog because of my recommendations I have for beauty products, clothes, makeup, etc. I know there are tons of sites to get this information, but for what it's worth...We have a group of gals that congregate in the breakroom nearly daily for lunch. Beth is a former member 3rd floor, break room lunch gang. You never know what you're going to get. Last week, we were talking about JB's 15 year old daughter and her first 'real' boyfriend'. It killed JB to see her daughter holding hands with her guy at a high school football game. She sent her daughter text messages if she was out of sight at the game, asking where she was. Bless her heart! I can't say I would have acted any differently though. I was 15 once, I remember what that was like. Of course, I can't give real advice, I just got married for the first time at 33 in June. We have a long way to go until our kids high school games, if we aren't in wheelchairs or in a home by then. I love our lunch chats, confessions, etc. So, this is how this blog started, thanks to Beth and the lunch girls. Oh, go out and buy the new Lean Cuisine lunch bags, well worth your $10, $5 going to the Komen Foundation. You'll be the diva at the lunch table and support a fab cause.