Category: Shopping

Hauls, Moroccon Oil and the Pursuit of Luster

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Because I aint no haulin-back girrrl!

I’ll begin with a story. Whilst in Europe, Megan and I often times would lay in bed watching YouTube videos until the wee hours of the morning. Call us cray cray, but sometimes we just couldn’t peel our sleepy eyes off that tiny screen. Favorites include anything done by Jenna Marbles, old American Idol performances, Miss Magoo and most recently makeup tutorial and “haul” videos. If you are unsure as to what constitutes a haul video, allow me to deconstruct.

They do not involve a U-Haul, moving or any kind of wheel barrow. These videos involve young women (mostly), showing off what they recently purchased on shopping trips. Haul videos can be comprised of makeup, clothing, home decor, etc and any combination of the like.

Example “Haul” Video. This is Tiffany D and I love her.

The reason I find these videos oddly addicting (along with hundreds of thousands of others, btw) is that I get a big kick outta seeing these gals blow copious amounts of money on makeup, shoes, hair products, clothing and just about everything in between. I happen to fall on the more frugal side when it comes to my personal finances and seeing these girls spend $500 at Ulta on nail polish, well…makes me giggle.

It also makes me want. As I described in this video, I can be somewhat materialistic-ish at times. I’ll admit it. So while I watch these videos, I find myself making small lists of items that strike my fancy. No, I haven’t converted exclusively to YSL and Dior makeup, but I have realized that scraping the bottom of my Wet n Wild bronzer isn’t really that great.

And in light of watching tons of these videos with sister Megan, I decided to throw her a curve ball and make my own. Please don’t judge, this video was made all in fun.

After I made this little video while sitting on the floor in our room amongst laundry and an un-made bed I realized, this was kinda fun! Although I feel semi ridiculous and am a tad embarrassed to admit that I actually liked making the video, I’m going to do just that. I like making these videos, talking to the camera and entertaining my sisters (Megan and Rachel J). So sue me. So I made another “haul” video which is quite long.

Again, please no judgements. I just like talking to my camera ok?!

My most recent beauty obsesh as of late has been my hair, particularly it’s length and luster. I am always growing it out, but alas, it never seems to go much further past my shoulders and lacks shine. After extensive research I have determined this is due to breakage, the fact that I highlight my hair and also my pillowcase. Apparently for long-haired humans, cotton pillowcases rip our hair in the back of our heads when we sleep. A trusted stylist took one look at my hair and told me to buy a satin pillowcase to eliminate this problem.

She also advised me to begin the Moroccan Oil treatment regiment.

The whole Argan Oil treatment has been sweeping the nation and while I had heard of Moroccan Oil I thought it would be too heavy for my fine hair. After I tried it at the salon I knew this stuff was serious. A dime sized amount will spread throughout the whole head and immediately my hair felt better. I opted to go with the small bottle and have only used it once but can already tell a difference. I’m hooked!

So…alot of beauty talk in this post. Sorry bout that. Next time I swear I’ll write about dungarees, piles of dirt and pitchforks ok?

Material-Ish Girl

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Hey yo. 

What? It was crazy hair day and I aim to please.

As the title suggests, I can be somewhat of a material girl. Despite my humble paychecks and sporadic trips to Kmart, I relish for luxury. I think my passion for nice things began as a young child when I refused to wear pleated jeans and instead wore fashion-forward stirrup pants like errday. Growing up, I gladly partook in all the hot trends. Over-sized Stussy shirts, Vans, Overalls, Body-Suits (puh-lease tell me you wore these too) and of course a wide array of scrunchies.

In high school I was a victim to butterfly flips, sparkly Abercrombie shirts, bucket hats from the Gap, platform flip-flops and, dare I say it? L.E.I jeans. The horror! And the sad part? I always craved more. My Adidas jacket (in hunter green) was never enough because what I really wanted was a Hypercolor sweatshirt. My Sketchers lived in the shadow of the coveted Doc Marten. Basically I wanted everything Mandy Moore had in the “Candy” music video, including her VW Bug, boyfriend AND bad-ass Walkman.

Oh, and please watch the music video if you have the time by clicking here.

While my tastes have changes a tad since those days, my drive to shop for, look at and basically pine over things has not. Last Saturday one of my favorite places to shop here in Jackson Hole, was having a grand sale. From 10 am-12 pm the Jackson Bootlegger offered customers 30% off everything in the store, including sale items. I arrived at 10 am on the nose and the place was packed with people. My goal going in was to find a cute pair of comfy shoes for Europe and also a crossbody purse. After trying on a few pairs of the new Toms and inquiring about a few others, I decided shoes just weren’t in the cards. Although the Toms were cute, they wouldn’t be too versatile and I already own a pair in turquoise that I thrifted.

I really wanted these babies, but alas, they only had them in 7’s.

It was then that I remembered they sell Hobo products so I made a beeline for the case of wallets. I fished out these two and sent the picture to my sister. When she alerted me that the flowered one looked “cheap” I wisely went with the black.

I also walked out with this crossbody purse which has really cute lining and loads of little pockets inside.

After nearly 2 hours of fighting the crowd for sizing, waiting in a 30 minute line and sending my sister a million pictures I had two items I was really jazzed about. And for less than the cost of the wallet at normal price. SCORE!

While I am happy with my new purchases, I often find myself spending hours a teensy amount of time online pining over well, more things. This girl, this girl and this girl all have it going on. I’ll be on Rue LaLa trying to convince myself that I need to spend $99 for an amazing maxi dress that is marked down from $349. That $239 for a cute pair of Marni trousers on Gilt is a steal. Or that I cannot live without a $250 Chanluu bracelet.

Is this true? Absolutely not.

So I hike up my red skinnies from TJ Maxx. I throw on the Gap jean jacket I’ve had since 9th grade. I hold my head up high.

But not that high, because sock buns are heavy ;-).

I Love it When We’re Crusin’ Together

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Runner up post titles: I’m on a Boat! Sail Away With Me. And of course, The Love Boat.

I guess you can figure out the theme here…

Bry and I are going on a cruise in less than 2 weeks!!

We embark on March. 2 and will cruise around the Mexican Riviera via the Carnival Spirit for 9 glorious days.

Maybe it’s the fact that every sentence I’ve started in the past 2 months has begun with, “This is the coldest I’ve ever been…”. Or the fact that I fall on the sidewalks, have ridiculously chapped hands (they bleed and yes, I’ve tried everything) and must don a beanie to take out the trash.  Or maybe, it’s because I have an amazing guy that books cruises out of nowhere and calls me at work to say, “We’re leaving for a cruise of the Mexican Riviera in two weeks. I love you.”

Well HOTDOG I’m excited! I’ll be losing my cruise-virginity so to speak as this will be my first time at sea. As a first timer, I’m desperate for advice and tips so if you’re a crusin pro, please inform away!

When Bryan told me we were going on a cruise my first thought of course, was what I was going to wear. I then began to tally up other small details that will just not do aboard the Carnival Spirit.

Exhibit A: My white trash halo, or grow-out for all you blonde term illiterates out there.

NOT cute.

Exhibit B: The extra “wobbly bits” (as Bridget Jones would say) I’ve happily accumulated this cold, Jackson winter.

Enter new nourishment:

To commemorate the passing of our dear Ms. Houston, I’ve decided it’s time to bring back the 80’s. I have high hopes that the Slim Fast Diet will help shape me into the woman who won’t have to declare, “I wanna dance with somebody!”

So far the Slim Fast Plan is a little tougher than I thought. The shakes are supposed to “keep you satisfied for up to 4 hours”. I want to know who on earth lasts 4 hours on 8 ounces of chocolate milk?!

Maybe if you add in a loaf of french bread :-).

I’ve also made a few purchases of the online kind to re-vamp my tired winter wardrobe. Thanks to Victoria’s Secret and Forever 21, I now have a few cruising essentials.

Oh, and I checked with VS and they assured me I’d look exactly like the models when my swimsuits arrive. Yay!

Formal Night Cruise Wear

Literal and Awesome

To say that I’m excited would be an understatement. I’m so ready to escape the snow, cold and especially the sh*t skiers say. Bring on the sun, bring on the buffet. I’m ready to be on a boat!

Still funny.

Happy New Year!

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Happy New Year Cookies!

Ok, so I know I’m very with this post. Most people are already on to posting about a new diet, 2012 vacation plans or still trying to return the hideous Christmas watch from Sears only to learn it is now worth $1.99. Hello re-gift!

I got back to Jackson about a week ago after spending nearly two weeks in the fabulous state of Washington, namely the Tri Cities. Looking back on the time I spent at home, I realize how different it is from most other people’s “home for the holidays” stories. Why is this? It’s simple. Our family is close. We don’t drop everything, plan cheesy Christmas-time pajama parties, sit around eating gourmet meals and especially, hug…Instead, we go about our lives. And I love to come along for the ride. So this Christmas, while the Danielsons of course enjoyed our normal Christmasy festivities, I also partook in lots of other day-to-day fun times which I love doing.

  1. Fighting the crowds at Columbia Center Mall. Who, I ask allows their pre-adolescent children to stroll the mall at a glacial pace for hours, stuffing Cinnabons in their makeup-laden faces and “macking” their pimply boyfriend during the holidays? We encountered dozens of such cases at CCM and when all you want to do is collect your $10 birthday gift at Victoria’s Secret, this can be quite the annoyance.

Success

  1. Going to the eye doctor. Tried on some specs, made it rain.

Making a Comeback

3. Going for walks. We took Chloe the ill-tempered Chihuahua for a much-needed walk along the levy. God bless Dad and Amy for later trimming her nails.

4. Shopping at Ranch and Home. This is a must-do if you’re ever in Kennewick.

Humongous Safe

5. Reading, relaxing and coffee. I was able to pound out this little beaut in a little under 4 days.

6. Turning 28. Ew. At least my crown was fabulous.

Decor

7. Going to Christmas Eve Mass. We thought it was the kiddie version, with the little Mary and Joseph skit but it turns out it wasn’t. Fail. At least we got to hear my Dad play!

8. Consuming wine. Kestrel Platinum is my fave – not sure why…?

Oh, a cute bottle. Duh!

9. Opening presents on Christmas Morning Night. We ended up opening presents on Christmas night. Sister Amy wasn’t getting back from her job in Spokane until about 5 pm so we waited until after dinner to finally open presents.

Nan and Nat

Amy in Flannel

McDougal on Christmas Watch

I also got to spend a little time in Seattle! My Mom and I went over for 2 nights and we able to hang out with the Policars (cousins) who are just about my favorite people ever. I also got to spend time with Bryan and his family which was so much fun and very, very Christmasy. One night, we sat around the fire place, chatting and sipping Grand Marnier while I opened my birthday presents…majesty!

Speaking of presents, I got some amazing things. Bryan really outdid himself with this necklace and earring set from Pearls by Shari. Ever since I moved to Jackson, I’ve had my eye on this necklace. It is always in the shop’s window and for me, it just represents my life in Jackson. It is beautiful, unique and just so…me! Corny, yes. But I effing love it.

J'adore.

Another great day was getting to see one of my dearest friends, Lacey and her new baby Winston. We  hadn’t seen each other in SO long and it was due-time for a visit. Winston is of course, the sweetest little boy ever. He is a mama’s boy and I can see why. Lacey is a wonderful mother and friend. If you’re reading – I love you Lacey and Winston!

I was very sad to leave Washington, my family and friends. I feel so at home when I’m in Washington and while coming back to Wyoming isn’t the same, it was so great to see Bryan, Holly and be back at work.

NYE was totally cray-cray.

Sparkly Tank-Top Holla!

I kid. We actually went to bed around 11 and tried to stay awake by watching the Lion King. We stayed up long enough to mutter, “Happy New Year” to one another and quickly drifted off. I think all the Christmas boozin’ got us outta the NYE mood. Oh well, there’s always 2013!

Thrifting is the New Black

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Yesterday I went thrift shopping with my homegirls Holly and Jess.

Attempting to keep to our tight budgets, we smartly shopped the aisles of Jackson Hole thrift stores. Namely, Browse ‘n’ Buy and Beautiful, Thrifty and Rich. Personally, I am a fan of any name that replaces “and” with “n”. It’s just better.

Another good one is “lil”, but that’s neither here nor there.

I scored at The Browser, purchasing two books for my upcoming trip to Mehico. The first is “Catch Me if You Can”. The book that inspired the movie and written my Frank Abagnale.

We'll See

The other is “Debutante Divorcee”, by Plum Sykes. I’ve read Bergdorf Blondes and was entertained so I figured what the hey.

And, the cover is pink.

Like a Moth to the Flame

I also have a Jodi Picoult novel, in case things get rough with these two hail marys.

Other treasures (or “traysures” as my Dad says) included a cute summery hat for Jess and a dip-warmer for Holly. Holly LOVES her dips. In fact, we once organized a dip party. The theme was dips. We played that song that goes, “I put my hand upon your hip, when I dip you dip we dip” on repeat.

I swear more people came

Another item I picked up? TOMS.

Bossy

They were never-been-worn and the color was super cute. The shoes themselves however? Ugly. I guess the only saving grace is that by purchasing them, a small child somewhere has got a pair of shoes…oh wait…they were second-hand. So I guess that makes me a wanna-be philanthropist with $15 thrifted Toms.

Oh well, at least people will still walk by me and think, “There goes an awesome girl with trendy shoes for a good cause and a nice dye-job.”

#Win.

Now I must figure out a dress for Bryan’s fraternity brother, Spencer’s wedding in Seattle. All the Seattle girls will probably be clad in trendy color blocked frocks (uber trendy at the mome) while I will be rocking an older sister cast-off circa 2004 if I don’t figure out a solution.

Worn this baby maybe 2478259 times

After the wedding, we will be jetting off to the land of chihuahuas (babies) aka Mexico. So this week is gonna be a whirlwind.

Other to-do’s include:

  • Apply self-tanner nightly
  • Try to repair pedicure from 1 week ago to avoid getting another pedicure
  • Paint nails with light pink Essie polish *To be purchased
  • Get roots touched up
  • Go to gym and improve body
  • Pack suitcase (Bryan and I are sharing one for Mexico)
  • Clean home

Don’t you love coming home to a sparkling clean apartment after a long trip?

Now if only there was a way to have warm, peanut butter cookies waiting  upon arrival as well as a stiff gimlet.

And maybe a What Not to Wear marathon. Just sayin :-).