Famous

March 29, 20162 Comments

Today, I became internet famous

Little me (well, actually, large me) had her picture posted on NBA.com. Basically I should have a reality show called “Nat Your Average Girl” I promise I JUST made that up. It’s good tho, right!?

Here is my claim to fame, in all of its bat-winged glory:

Photo Credit

This would be me, shimmying away with my freshly-ordered (from here) Ed Davis face tee. Hat tip to David for procuring such a fine article.

You see, Ed Davis and I go waaaaay back. Back to a simpler time. When people said what they meant and meant what they said. I’m talking about October, 2015.

I knew I liked Ed from the get-go. Not only did he sport my mother’s maiden name on the back of his jersey, but he had that special something. Was it the amazing hair? The cheeky smile? I don’t think I’ll ever know.

What I do know is this: Ed, you HUSTLE after that basketball. You grab those rebounds with a tenacity no other player could possess. You do us proud. And you deserve a shirt with your face on it.

So thanks Ed. Thanks basketball. And thank you to all my loyal fans. Me and my shirt will not let you down.

To see the whole game day gallery, click here.

Sephora and Drugstore Haul

March 25, 2016Leave a comment

Greetings dumpling-faces!

You guys are familiar with how I do things on here by now. I buy some crap from the drugstore or Sephora, or Ulta and I talk to y’all about it. Sometimes, (I’d say about 30% of the time) I end up returning things. I have begun to realize that lots of people have anxiety over returning things and I am here to tell you – IT’S OKAY! If you are spending over $1 on a meekup item and don’t like it, TAKE IT THE F BACK. Why keep a $9, $20, $38 lipstick that makes your teeth look yellow? Most drugstores, like Walgreens and Rite Aid have a money-back guarantee. Keep your receipt, take it back, tell them it made your teeth look yellow and you’re done. They don’t care about the reason if you have your receipt. Same thing at Ulta and Sephora. ALSO, the lovely thing about Sephora is YOU KEEP YOUR POINTS. Yes. I have racked up over 500 points in just 6 months because I buy things, try them out and return them if they aren’t exactly what I want. Nobody should pay over $20 for a sub-par makeup item that they’ll never use. It is a sacrilege, if you ask me.

Sorry for the rant and on to the haul!

Drugstore Items:

Covergirl Supersizer Mascara

Like, duh. You guys new this was coming after my not-so-good experience with the Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir. So happy to have the magic potion back on m’lashes.

Sinful Colors Nail Polish in Vacation Time

Sinful Colors NP is $1.99 and sticks around longer than OPI, Essie, Butter or Deborah Lippman. It stays chip-free for about 4 days which is NUTS. I have pretty much every color that suits me and I was delighted to discover this color, which is basically Kylie Jenner lips as a nail polish.

Eco Tools Deluxe Fan Brush and Custom Coverage Buffing Brush

These pups were buy one get one 50% off at Ulta and I have been DYING for a fan brush lately. I see everyone applying highlighter with a fan brush and while I would love to order one from Morphe, this one was $8 and right it front of me. So far, I really love the fan brush – it is super soft and applies highlight exactly how I want. The buffing brush is just aight tho – the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush is much better if you ask me.

Elf Blending Brush

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I watched Kathleen Lights do a video where she used this brush and I immediately knew I wanted it. I looked at the Elf website and it was out of stock, so I tweeted the company as I usually do. NO REPLY. Then, I went to Target over the weekend and noticed a huge display of the new Elf skincare products and figured I would mozy over for a looksie. Elf did bring out a whole new range of things, all at $6 mark but sadly, I didn’t see the blending brush. I walked over to the Elf section and was just perusing the usual things when I spotted the brush in a weird, low location! I literally squealed in the makeup aisle.

Maybelline Better Skin Concealer

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If you read my recent post on my favorite concealers, you know this one takes top honors. This is my second tube and I am obsessed.

Sephora Items:

Sephora Gradual Self-Tanning Face Water

I found out about this stuff via the internets and am REALLY glad I found it, because it is awesome. During the winter months especially, I like to sport as much of a face-tan as I can get away with. Due to my ghastly complexion, this means most self tanners are totally out of the question because they are MUCH too dark. Also, applying a thicker self tanning lotion to the face always leaves me feeling gross. I LOVE this stuff because it is just like using a toner. I use a cotton round to dispense a tiny bit of product and apply it directly to the areas of my face that I would using bronzer (sides of the forehead, hollows of the cheeks, etc.). I use it in the morning and at night until the desired color is achieved, and for me, that took about 5-6 applications.

Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder

I have been wanting to try this stuff FOREVER but Sephora has been sold out FOREVER. Initially, I wanted to try the baking technique with it, but I really don’t think baking is for me…I am dry and have fine lines. I feel like we should leave the baking to the youngins. However, so far I reallllly like setting my under eye concealer with this, using a flat foundation brush. It really is brightening!

My Favorite Concealers

March 17, 20161 Comment

Today, we are discussing a product that is very near and dear to my heart.

Concealer!

Oh, concealer – what would I do without you?

For me, concealer is mainly used as an under-eye product. I tend to rely on my foundation to do the heavy lifting in terms of coverage and evening out my skin tone, and I rarely use concealer on my face unless I get a zit or something. This is not to say however, that I do not NEED concealer on my face because one could easily argue that I do. I have freckles and a few serious age/sun spots that could definitely constitute massive concealer use, but pancake-face is a serious offense in my book and one I am not looking to commit. My face is flawed, I have a snaggle tooth and a droopy eyelid, but guess what? It’s okay.

That being said, the hard-core Scandinavian-ness of my pale skin and probs not-so-stellar diet means I have under-eye circles. Not bags. Just dark, purple-ish tones under there, and really, they aren’t horrible. A nice concealer usually does the trick for me, but as I get older, I have found that certain ones settle into-fine lines, crease on me or, horror of horrors – dry out. Thus I have unearthed what I feel to be the best. Or at least, the best for me. And here. They. Are.

DRUGSTORE

Gold Medal: Maybelline Better Skin Concealer

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This earns the gold medal for being such a great all-around product. It is brightening, hydrating, provides good coverage and best of all – doesn’t crease. It is like $8 and is probs my favorite concealer right now, even more than the high-end ones. It doesn’t have CRAZY coverage like the Bye Bye Undereye or the Mac, but it is SO easy to apply (doe-foot wand as opposed to a squeezy tube or pump) and blends out like a dream.

Silver Medal: Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer

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This one is such a great concealer. The packaging is truly innovative and pretty fun to use. The consistency of the product is nice and thin and blends out awesome. It doesn’t have the best coverage, but if you don’t have crazy undereye circles, you would absolutely love this one.

Bronze Medal: Sonia Kashuk HIdden Agenda Palette

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This little palette from Target is awesome because it has three different shades and then a nice setting powder. The reason I don’t re-purchase this too often is that I tend to only go through one of the shades and it seems a bit pointless to buy the whole thing for only one shade. The formula, however is very nice. They are creamy, rich and provide great coverage.

HIGH-END

Gold Medal: Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer

This is truly an amazing undereye concealer and performs much the same as the Better Skin one mentioned above. It might be a bit more coverage, but I still like the Maybelline one better because it STILL LOOKS GOOD at 5 pm when I get off work. Also, this one is almost $30, which means I can’t rampantly repurchase as I’d like to.

Silver Medal: It Cosmetics Bye Bye Undereye

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This stuff packs a SERIOUS punch. It has intense coverage and is awesome for the following circumstances: a.) hangovers b.) daylight savings time c.) staying up too late watching Girls. The formula is very thick and takes a bit of work to blend out. I like to use my ring finger especially with this one, because the warmth from my hand heats up the product and makes easier to blend. I really love this concealer, but it can be a bit much for everyday use.

Bronze Medal: Mac Pro-Longwear Concealer

What holds me back from absolutely loving this concealer is the packaging. The formula is super thin but gives CRAZY good coverage. However, I find the tiny little pump to be quite challenging. I either pump out waaaaaay too much or not enough. I tend to use this one in the same situations that I would use Bye Bye Undereye for, or when I am going all-out glam. I love applying this one with a beauty blender and find that a little goes a long way. Again, I just love this stuff but it isn’t super easy to work with.

Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Mascara Review

March 11, 2016March 11, 20162 Comments

What up baes.

I was sent the Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Major Volume Mascara as part of the Influenster program, which I have mentioned a few times here. I was overjoyed to receive such a bougie mascara, as y’all know I am a ride-or-die drugstore mascara girl. I wear about 10 coats of the stuff (no joke) on a daily basis which means I basically fly it. I’d say dry shampoo, mascara and Milk Duds have the shortest shelf-life in my midst. Plus, there are SO many awesome drugstore mascaras, spending $30 on one tube at Nordstrom is just silly.

But this was free. And luckily, I don’t love it and therefore, will not be tempted to re-purchase. Here’s the run-down.

Packaging and Wand

I lurrrv Marc Jacobs packaging! The black and white, sleek, shiny boxes – I die. The packaging of this particular mascara is also quite fun and edgy and I actually really like the wand. It is a nice size and the bristles grab alot of product, which I am a fan of.

Formula

It is a fairly wet formula, and I tend to like drier mascaras. It does pack some volume right off the bat, but the more I built it up, the worse the unevenness became. It started to clump on me and just didn’t go on super smoothly. I really do not understand where the velvet noir comes into play…I guess it was decently black but nothing shocking.

Staying-Power

This mascara flaked on me, which is why I really didn’t like it that much. By the late afternoon, I felt I needed to top it off with something else to remedy the patchiness.

OVERALL

I am a HUGE advocate of waiting to judge a mascara until it has been open for a couple of months and has had a chance to breathe (much like a fine wine). So really, I should wait for another week or so to really judge this baby. And perhaps I’ll follow up with a rave review a week from now. But guys. The Covergirl Supersizer is my holy grail, all-time favorite mascara and it costs $7.49 at Freddies. BOOM.

My Netflix Faves

March 9, 2016Leave a comment

I realize that this post says more about me than “here are my favorite shows”. It’s a bit of a coming out party. A, yes-I-do-sit-at-home-doing-nothing-alot, kind of thing. A I-fall-asleep-with-milk duds-on-my-chest admittance. It aint always pretty y’all, but neither is life. And for me, 2016 has def not been a walk in the park. It has kicked my booty in more ways than I care to describe, but this picture pretty much sums it up:

Processed with Rookie Cam

But it’s people like Lorelai Gilmore, Mrs. Patmore and most recently – KIMMY GIBLER that have stuck by my side. Quit-witted and always good for a laugh – these folks have been there with me through thick and thin. And that my friends, means they deserve a blog post.

The Following

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This show offers everything a girl could want. Suspense, romance, serial killers and of course, Kevin Bacon. I randomly clicked on this show after I saw the word “serial killer” flash across the screen in the description. There are three seasons and after one episode, I new I was in for the long-haul. I won’t get into the plot because you can easily google it and find a much more succinct explanation than I would provide here, but believe me, it’s a good ‘un.

Making a Murderer

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I don’t even need to talk about this. If you haven’t watched it and are looking to throw a good 10 hours of your life away, then girl – get on it.

Grace & Frankie

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Here we have two of the greats. Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda. If you haven’t seen a movie called Big Business (starring Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin) then I suggest you do that as well. I also love Jane Fonda. What a polished, stunning lady she is. I want to be like Jane Fonda in my 70’s. Anyways, the premise of the show is just deliciously hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time. It’s really worth the watch.

The Fall

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Agent Scully is back on the case! Haha. But really, this show is really good and I am ~~obsessed~~ OBSESSED with the way Jillian Anderson speaks. It is literally the most soothing voice ever. I live for everything about her on this show, her style, her makeup, her hair, it is infectious. It almost has the Olivia Pope (haha I just wrote Poop) effect on me, where I want her clothes, apartment, hair, makeup and most of all – personality. Cuz really, couldn’t we all use a little O.P in us? Ok maybe don’t answer that.

Anyways this show is about, you guessed it! Another serial killer. Only this time, the serial killer is JAMIE DORNAN. You know, Christian Grey? He is cute, and sexy and kills people. Win-win.

Wentworth

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Ok. OK. So this is probs my favorite. I was going through some serious OITNB withdrawals so I decided to give this Australian brand a whirl. You guys. It is literally BETTER than OITNB. The characters are soooo well developed but there’s the added bonus of the Australian accents and some brutal pooping-out-drug-balloon scenes. What’s not to love? There are three seasons of this majesty and I am desperate for more!

The Paradise

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Haha. This is on the COMPLETE other end of the spectrum and fulfills my thirst of the Downton-esque varietal. I swear, if they had 100 shows on BBC like this one, I would watch them all. First of all, (just like Downton) I LOVE the theme song of this show AND the musical score. Call me a band geek, but I am a sucker for those violins. This show is set in London and focuses on The Paradise, a fancy department store. I freaking love it and may order a petticoat and some gloves with buttons JUST to wear while I watch it.

Nature

March 3, 2016Leave a comment

Hahahaaa this post is going to have nothing to do with nature. But it makes for a nice title. Also, most of the topics I have to share I saw while I was outside. So, basically, nature.

First off – I got a new job! Raspberries! I do however, work in a new part of town so I am now a chic commuter:

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#same

My walks around the city have been blissful, as of late. There’s the man on the corner wearing disposable hospital pants, the cute old couple sharing a single petite vanilla bean scone from Starbucks and giant, life-sized photos of the Blazers.

Me favorite player, Ed(wardo) Davis

One afternoon, on my leisurely lunch-walk, I happened upon a gorgeously renovated old building. So I peered into the window…

Interesting, I thought. A museum of course! But then, I looked up:

Notice the wide open doors on a cold, dreary day. I could almost feel Tom Cruise and John Travolta, in all their weirdness. CAH-REEPY.

Another day, I went to the historic and beautiful Pittock Mansion.

Such a photog

The grounds are just gorgeous and the tour is exactly as I remembered it as an awkward 7th grader.

And lastly, my little seester graduation from Correctional Officer School! AND she was the top student in her class #danielsonpride.

I got a lot of crap for posing like this.

And of course, here are a couple Tates. Hope you enjoy!

Happenings

February 24, 2016Leave a comment

Hey strawberry shortcakes!

It’s been a bit since I updated you all the the really important stuff in my life. Things like my uncanny ability to consume Hot Tamales (the candy, not the mexican food), the fact that I am very, very out of shape and of course, taking random things out of the garbage at my apartment complex :).

For starters, I have been spending multiple weekends at my parents house in Kennewick. Not sure if it’s my Mom’s caesar salad, never-ending rounds of shanghai rummy, or THEE most adorable baby known to man – I just love going home.

Goin for the breastess

he looks so much like a cop right here

I CANNOT

I also did important things like put on lots of Megan’s jewels.

And Nan and I went to hear my Dad play!

And then we went to Twigs and had lemondrops!

And then, true to form, she fell asleep on the couch and I took several pics and videos.

Amy, Nan and I constructed this beautiful meal of crab, caesar salad and crusty bread…

I also watched my friends’ baby chi Henry and we had 3 glorious days of snuggles.

I did the No-Makeup Challenge and my eyeliner was def not on fleek:

neither was the bird’s nest on top of m’head

I played volleyball. I filled in for a friend on her women’s league team and these broads meant business. No ass-grabbing and butt-cheek revealing going on AT all, i.e not the kind of volleyball I am used to. I was gasping for air, jamming my fingers and came away from the night with a bone bruise on my left hand, but other than that, I killed it. #MVP

look at that high elbow!

And then, I found my NYX lipliner in Natural and WENT TO TOWN. You know, the fine art of overdrawing one’s lips takes practice and is something I def need to work on. I did however, love the 90’s look I had going on. It made me want to tie a flannel around my waist and watch My So-Called Life.

Annnnnd last but certainly not least, I am obsessed with this game on my mom’s iPad called Word Search or something like that. Basically, you get 9 letters and you have to make a word out of those letters. I just love it. And I finally managed to spell the word we all dream of spelling.