Last Weekend Part Une

May 23, 2013May 23, 2013Leave a comment

Happy humps! (Lovely little lumps).

I wrote this on Wednesday and it was muckalicious, overcast, gray and rainy (still is). Luckily, I have thoughts of last weekend to keep me warm!

With Bry-Bry hitting the books day in and out, we have been setting aside a little time on Friday evenings to have dinner, throw back a few and partake in attempted witty repartee. Last week, we happened upon Purple Cafe in Woodinville for our date night and it did not disappoint. Crab cakes, filet mignon, caesar salad and of course, wine were consumed. Our table was awesome and the food was delicious.

On Saturday, I kissed my study-crazed fiance goodbye and headed to Bellevue Square for some returns.

Item 1: MAC eyeshadow in Ablaze.

I have been digging this new-to-me eye look I like to call “sunset eyes”, where I pair orange-toned, bronzy, golden shades on my lids with an aqua-colored liner + shadow in my lower waterline and lash line. It is really a beautiful look. I went to MAC wearing said look and the makeup gal buffed a little “Ablaze” into my crease to amp up the warmth a bit. I will admit, the effect was lovely. I was all prepared to snag the eyeshadow and the Baking Beauties MSF (mineralized skin finish) in “In For a Treat”.

Say La Vie

Dun Dun DUN! They were sold out. So I bought the eye shadow and haven’t used it since. I mean, who needs a $15 bright orange eyeshadow anyway?! #whatwasithinking

I returned the eye shadow for another MAC must-have. Wonderdust I call it – Vanilla pigment what what?! Not drugs.

Go Get You Some

Item 2: Banana Republic sweater. Accidentally bought a 6 petite. Me + 6 petite = big girl in a little coat.

Item 3: ALDO ballet flats. This store actually sells really cute shoes but you must get them on sale. I hope someone who works at Aldo is reading this because – I tried on a pair of flats in size 9 at the store and they were just a wee bit too small (their shoes run big, obviously). The sales girl and I determined that a 9.5 would be perf. So, I spent 5-7 minutes at the register placing an order to have a 9.5 shipped to my house.

The shoes came…they were size 10 and basically the size of small tug-boats. I went online to check and see what the deal was, which is when I discovered…they DON’T CARRY SIZE 9.5! I was lied to. So naturally, I turned to Twitter where I cooked up a tasty little tweet and hit enter. Here was Aldo’s response:

@cupcakenat In a perfect world we would have all sizes! Unfortunately we don’t carry 5.5 and 9.5! We’re sorry that you were misinformed.

I accept your apology, Aldo. Accepted but not forgotten.

I wandered into Madewell, Norstrom and other stores slightly outta m’price range at the mome. Then I did something I haven’t done since High School – went to JC Penney’s. Or Penney’s to those who know and love this purveyor of Arizona Jeans, St.John’s Bay and G-Dot’s go-t0, Alfred Dunnar.

It’s a shame to me that J.C Penney’s “new look” has failed. As a kid who spent hours in Penney’s, hunting through the pile of 75% off Christmas turtle necks and finding a dirty diaper – the recent updates are a breath of fresh air. The absence of clutter, over-stuffed racks and price tags with 7 mark-down stickers is reassuring and welcomed . However, I fall within the “young” group where roomy aisles, pleasant lighting and less “crap” are viewed as positive. The little old lady, tried-and-true Penney’s shopper must feel differently.

I was floored by the new collab lines (excuse me, Marchesa!) and amount of items I could have easily purchased. The prices are low and with a little hunting, quality pieces can be found. I snagged two items for just around $60. Kindof alot for Penney’s but I was in love.

I Heart Ronson Dress

Joe Fresh Fancy Shorts (My legs will be tanned)

Also decided to get these sandals from the Gap, but I’m still not 100% sold. Feedback is welcomed.

Love or Hate?

A’course I had to pop in to F-21, where I have been royally striking out, as of late. In the market for trendy, wallet-friendly shorts, I decided to purchase these guys.

Pleats? Don’t mind if I do!

Might not be styling these as girlfriend has, but then again I don’t consider showing a lil’ cheek a trend to grab on to. Literally.

Now that I have shared my entire shopping trip with you all, I realize I have written a chapter-book sized post. Apologies.

The next day was Sunday and was spent having even more fun.

Oh yes, it is possible.

Material Girl: Beauty

March 27, 2013April 5, 20134 Comments

Good Evening little bunnies!

As of late, the most effective way for me to blow off steam, decompress and shut off m’engines doesn’t involve candles, exercise, Enya or a trip to the spa. I find complete and utter comfort whilst crouching over the displays in the beauty department. And I’m not picky, neither. No, no. Of course I love me some Sephora after a long day, with the fun brands and makeup-belt ninjas. However, it’s worse than that. If Bryan and I are supposed to be grocery shopping, you can find me tip-toeing away to the beauty department. Give me an inch, I take a mile. As a result, I have grown somewhat obsessed and over educated in the world of beauty. Want to know how to get the Kardashian-chiseled cheeks? Or how to get your foundation to stay all day? What about a way to make your baby stop crying? With the exception of the last one, I think I can be of service. So in case any of the 10 of you who are still reading want to know, here’s what I’m loving this spring.

FACE

1. Makeup Forever HD Foundation

I’m not one for a full-fledged face-o-makeup. Most foundations are deemed either light, medium or full coverage and just like my breakfast cereals, I like to have options. This foundation provides medium coverage, but can easily be full-coverage by using a bit more product. The reason I love this is for it’s beautiful finish on the skin while not looking pancakey. The name suits the crime in this case.

2. Revlon Naked Foundation

This is my everyday stuff. It’s definitely a lighter coverage, but again, is build-able. It’s easy to put on and blends nicely. I know there is a die-hard Revlon Colorstay cult out there, but I prefer the MFE HD to do my dirty work.

3. Urban Decay All-Nighter

Confession: I have dry skin. So why do I use a makeup-setting spray? Confidence, my friends. I don’t sweat profusely, yet I use deo (for the B.O). Additionally, you never know when you might break a sweat. Your boss calls you into his office. Sweat. You realize you’ve been at Bath & Body Works too long and your lunch break was over 20 minutes ago. Sweat. You discover the pants you bought a year ago that were loose and are now tight. Sweat. You see? It’s perfectly logical.

4. Too-Faced Chocolate Soliel Bronzer

Holy grail of bronzers, I’m telling you. I’ve learned my lesson with shimmery, frosted or glittery bronzers and now I wisely stick to matte. You want your face to look like you’ve just run a marathon while eating a cheeseburger and drinking warm, Spicy V8? Just dust a think coat of frosted bronzer all over your mug. This bronzer is spiritual for me. A little at my temples, the hollows of my cheeks and under my jawline. Pow! I just lost 5 pounds. Jelly? *I like to wear shimmery bronzers too, but strategically placed and in moderation.

Honorable Mention: MAC mineralized skin finish natural.

EYES

1. Revlon Color Stay Felt Tipped Eyeliner

I swear, a 5 year old could apply this eyeliner. I’m not suggesting a 5-year old wear eyeliner, but you get the jist. For anyone who uses the excuse that they can’t apply eyeliner due to an unsteady hand, no more excuses! I’ve done it perfectly after 2 cocktails, TWSS. This stuff is idiot-proof and easy to wing-out (if you don’t know about winged eyeliner I feel bad for you).

2. Stila eyeshadow in Kitten

Courtesy of Sephora

If I had to choose one eyeshadow to wear for the rest of my life, this would be it. Well, actually I would throw a “wish for more wishes” at ya and I’d choose the Urban Decay Naked palette, so ha! But seriously, this eyeshadow is so very pretty. It makes any eyecolor pop and appear twinkling. It’s also velvety rich and super-pigmented which means a little goes a long way. I like to put it around my tear-duct and at the brow bone. Throw a little in the air and say “Mazel Tof!”. It’s maje.

3. NYX Rollerball in Salmon

Hat tip to sister Rachel for unearthing this majesty in a tube. This stuff is undeniably gorgeous and I think merits a swatch.

Doesn’t do it justice.

Disclaimer: Apply with a brush or your finger to heavily-primed eyelids – or – get a lil’ MAC fixed-plus on yer tool of choice before applying. With this product, a dab’ll do ya. If not, you’ll have a hot mess of a face.

LIPS

1. Mac Lipstick in St.Germain

This is my underdog of a lipstick. When MAC stupidly decided to discontinue the Lady Gaga lipstick I searched high and low for a dupe (I hate limited edish’s). Saint Germain is lovely on it’s own or paired with the lipglass of the same name. Be prepared for serious pink that doesn’t quit and a high level of Barbiness. Aren’t we all searching for the perfect shade of Barbie pink? I think yes.

OTHER

1. Burt’s Bees Citrus Facial Scrub

Smells like pumpkin pie, says citrus on the lid. I heard Burt’s Bees is owned by Clorox, so maybe they named this product after sniffing a fresh batch a bleach? I recently discovered that I need to be exfoliating on the daily, so I nabbed this cute little jar after marveling at the short n’ sweet list of ingredients. My friends, it’s time to start reading labels. This pale face is the only one I’ve got and I really don’t want to end up looking like anyone from Real Housewives. I’ve had to say au revior to many drugstore face items that I’ve turned over to discover the first ingredient is mineral oil. May as well be high fructose corn syrup.

2. Luna Fiber Bars in Peanut Butter Strawberry

Reminiscent of the ever-popular Nutragrain bars, these pups pack a seriously delicious punch for a mere 120 cals. Sans all the fake crap I’m sure Kellogg’s chalks theirs full of, Luna delivers this soft-baked delight using the organic stuff. But don’t get me wrong, I’m definitely more seafoam than green. Basically, for a few minutes a day I can pretend that shop at PCC and drink Kefir, whatever that is.

3. Russell Stover Easter Egss in Vanilla and Coconut Cream

Can I just start this post over and talk only about food? When I was 5, I stole a Cadbury creme egg from the grocery store, you know the commercial. I nibbled it quietly in the corner of a room which Meg and I shared. I was caught and forced to use 2 whole weeks allowance (25 cents a week kids) to pay the store back. What did I learn from this?

I should have taken a Russel Stover egg instead.

*Edited to Add: Not sure what all these links are doing in my post but they’re certainly not intentional. Apologies.

Hauls, Moroccon Oil and the Pursuit of Luster

August 8, 2012August 8, 20125 Comments

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

May 5, 2012May 9, 20135 Comments

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 ;-).

When the Cat is Away…

February 11, 20121 Comment

The mouse will buy Sally Hanson Nail strips.

They're Sparkly Pink

And will will drink copious amounts of coffee laced with this deliciousness.

Artificial and Awesome

Bry is out skiing the Ellingwood Coulior today. He woke up at 3 a.m this morning and will return around 7 pm tonight.

Bam

Source

So far I’ve:

Gone to the gym, and subsequently took over the mayorship of JH Health & Fitness on Foursquare (sorry Rick T.).
Showered off m’glitter, had oats and watched Cupcake Wars.
Hit up Albertsons for said nail strips.
Visited Yippee I-O on the square for fabulous Valentine’s candy to adorn red velvs I plan to make Monday night.
Swung by Browse n’ Buy (our only decent thrift store in Jackson) to look for books. I scored a Jodi Picoult, Plain Truth (clearly I’m obsessed) and a Diane Chamerblainm novel called The Midwive’s Confession. Both for $2. Yee yee!

Now that I’m home it’s gonna be nothing but nail strips, experimental makeup application, Dance Moms on Hulu and some vodka + Crystal Lights. Whoa, 4:30 – I’d better skeddadle!

Have a great weekend cookies!

Shredding the Gnar

January 24, 20121 Comment

And lovin every minute of it!

Bryan Crushing Pow

As of late, I have basically been shredding the gnar and taking names. You heard me! On Sunday I successfully skied from 8:45 am to 3:00 pm. Almost bell to bell.

The kicker?

I didn’t fall ONCE. This is a big deal for me. We’re talking about Jackson Hole Mountain Resort here people! JHMR has over 3600 vertical feet of skiing, which is the most skiing on natural snow and the most snow of any major resort in the lower 48.

Allow me to back-up. Saturday night, Bryan treated me to my favorite restaurant in JH, Trio. In preparation for our little date night, I followed my pointedly neurotic habitual getting ready routine.

Music ON. Biebs blastin. I did my hair by utilizing the wrap-your-hair-around-the-curling iron method, to achieve perfect “I didn’t even try” tousled waves. While sipping a vodka + soda, I then moved on to makeup application. I applied my new-to-me Makeup Forever HD foundation with all the accoutrements, including my Smashbox primer and high def micro powder. After smearing my face with various other over-priced cosmetics I nodded in satisfaction as I moved onto wardrobe.

After getting dressed, we were off! We made a proper reservation but got to the restaurant a bit early and opted to sit at the bar. We ordered CT’s, watched the pizza chef manipulate his dough into gorgeous artisan ‘za and snapped a photo.

We ordered 2 appetizers and then split this little beauty:

From the website:

Pan Seared Hawaiian Ono

sage infused gnocchi, crispy prosciutto and brussels sprouts salad, capers, lemon and brown butter

The next morning I surprisingly awoke around 8 am. Maybe it was the promise of a great ski day? More likely though, it was the smell of coffee and egg in the hole for breakie. We quickly ate and got ready to hit the slopes.

Ski Braid

When we arrived at the Village we were greeted by no line for the Teewinot lift. Perfect for some warm-up laps.

View from the Bottom of the Gondola

We moved on to AV and Casper after that and I felt great! Considering I learned to ski last year and have been out less than 5 times this year, I was pretty proud of myself.

I should probably mention that by NO MEANS am I to the level of 90% of the skiers out there or 99.9% of the locals. I am simply, a somewhat un-coordinated, ex volleyball player from Washington state who considers 20 mintues on the elliptical a viable workout and loves candy. Take me or leave me.

Exemplifying 100% Perfect Form

After a few more runs on Apres Vous, Bry and I traversed over to the Casper lift, skied down and ducked into Casper lodge for the most earth shattering drink I’ve ever had (well, since gimlets).

Concocting

Allow me to introduce my new little friend…

Hot Shnocolate

This would be 1 part coffee, 1 part hot chocolate and 1 part peppermint shnappes. And a little whip. Holla.

After I was warm and toasty inside and out, it was time for more epic runs.

We ended the day by basking in the small pocket of sunshine that opened up and knocking back some well-deserved PBRs.

What’s better than the feeling of actually being excited for the next snow day?

Not much.

Christmas Fun in Jackson Hole

December 6, 20114 Comments

Ahhhhh December.

The month of poinsetta! Of eggnog and candy canes! Of mid-afternoon sugar crashes because I ate a whole box of these:

In ONE sitting. Jealous?

What a glorious month it is! People bustling around with shopping bags, gingerbread baking hot in the oven and me – drinking vodka gimlets while singing “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”, Will Ferrell style. What a visual.

Other haps?

It was -12 degrees today! Definitely makes you want to sing Ding Dong Merrily on High.

Bryan and I went to the Christmas tree lighting in Town Square and saw none other than…Santa Clause! He made his grand entrance on a dog sled. Sooo Jackson Hole of him, really. Then we strolled through the shops in Gas Light Alley and grabbed hot toddies at the Caddy with our pals Josh and Katie. These are the times when living in a ski resort town is quite fun, I must say.

I bought this adorable Christmas Hello Kitty plush from Albertsons. How could I say no to this sweetness?

Also, Bry and I constructed a lovely gingerbread house from ~~scratch~~ a box. Look how cute!

Complete with Bryan's Booty in the Background

And currently I am obsessed with the following:

Sephora.com. Not sure what brought on this spontaneous need to purchase non-grocery store makeup but I am relishing it, as I have indulged in products like this:

The Sephora Favorites Glitz and Glam Pack

So long Wet n Wild. Natalie’s classin it up.

Clif Kids Ropes in Strawberry. Have you tried one of these? One of the most delicious things you can put in your mouth. Bible. TWSS.

PINTEREST. If you don’t know what this is than please get off my blog. Seriously. Actually just shut down your computer all together. Kidding, a little :-).

My new Xbox Kinect! Bry gave me this godly piece of equipment as an early birthday present. It has been earth shattering. Using the Kinect, where your own body is the controller is the most fun I’ve had with a video game since Maniac Mansion or even Oregon Trail. Another amazingly cool feature of the Xbox Kinect (or Shirley as I’ve appropriately named her) is that she takes pictures while you play! Here are some highlights:

I’m loving these captions! What a sweet job that would be, inventing the names for the captions on Xbox Kinect game-pictures. Can you major in this? Further research is needed.

Also notice how we have to scrunch up all of our furniture (which sadly includes a tiny loveseat and even tinier coffee table) to make room for our vigorous play. Right now, we only have one game that came with the system which includes 5 different activities to choose from. I’d say “Reflex Ridge” is by far the most challenging. Moving side to side, jumping up and ducking down to avoid obstacles make you SWEAT while playing this. What a great ski fitness game!

I’m getting the Black Eyed Peas dance party game next. Anyone feel like throwin on some spandex and sweating to some Fergie with me?

Lastly, check out the gorgeous sky the other night. I took these right off our balcony.

The sky was pink. So obviously, God did it all for me ;-).