Book of Randomness

I feel that I need to share some new opinions on some of the makeup products that I shared in a past post.

While I still love my Savvy eyeshadows, Olay moisturizer and Sonia brushes, there are some things I have recently discovered that may or may not change your opinions of the products.

The Physician’s Formula Bronzer…

While I still love the actual bronzer inside of the compact, I am not sure that it can out weigh the issues I have with the packaging. This is actually the second time this has happened to me. I thought that it was a fluke the first time since traveling can sometimes be hard for makeup, but unfortunately I was wrong. The plastic hinge on the lid keeps snapping off so that the case will not remain closed.

So sad… I guess I will need to find another option.

The Loreal Extra-Volume Collagen Mascara…

I would still suggest this as an alternative to some others on the market. I have not had many issues with it, it gives great volume and looks nice, it just has a slight tenancy to clump. But I am going to keep on the hunt for my perfect-inexpensive mascara.

At first I was terrified at the item of a vibrating mascara (I mean come on that is going next to my eye!), but apparently they have been getting good reviews, so I think I am going to check it out! I will let you know.

The main point of this post was to warn you about the troubles with the Physician’s Formula product.

My FAVORITE book EVER! Ok maybe it is my favorite possession….? I guess that could be stretching it, but this book is definitely WAY up there.

So what is it you may ask?

Freakin’ Fabulous by Clinton Kelly. I feel hesitant to share this with everyone because, well if I share, then you may become more fabulous than I am… oh well. The more fabulous people the better!

Everyone has seen the TLC show What Not to Wear on at least one occasion (and if you haven’t, you must be living under a rock). Clinton is half of the hosting duo, Clinton and Stacy. Clinton is also touring the country’s Macy’s stores for Make Over America (sadly I was not chosen ) He is undoubtedly funny on the show, and it translates perfectly into his book. He had me laughing cover to cover.

Freakin’ Fabulous is like my new life bible. I have only had the chance to read it all the way through once, but I frequently refer back to it. I actually began to annoy my friends and family by saying… “Clinton says….” or “According to Clinton…” I even had my DAD quoting the book!! Weird.

By the first few pages of the book you will wish Clinton was your best friend!

Freakin’ Fabulous is the book that you need if you want to know “How to Dress, Speak, Behave, Eat, Drink, Entertain, Decorate, and Generally Be Better than Everyone Else” according to its sub-title!

Highlights of the book… according to moi!

• Dress: Includes everything you need to know from accessories, to tailoring, dressing for certain occasions and a page of very ugly shoes (clearly the DON’T page)
• Speak: Definitely the section I need to read again… and AGAIN. The proper use for words. My greatest accomplishment so far has been taking the “s” off of the end of anyway! The pretty pictures and doodles help my learning… what can I say, I’m a visual person!
• Behave: Don’t butter the entire roll!! Holding wine glasses, eating oysters, texting with company and even a section on “bodily functions.” This section is definitely a must read. Did you know you should never bring your own food item to a party unless requested? I did not know that one, but you can ruin the theme/atmosphere.
• Eat: Four recipes you should MEMORIZE, cutting onions and other great recipes.
• Drink: I was laughing from the first page of this section as Clinton says, “Gin has made me do a lot of stupid things, but I forgive it.” Obviously there are drink recipes in the section, but my part is the section on wine; descriptions, how to serve, how to order and which wine pairs best with your food.
• Entertain: Plan for 1 bottle of wine per person!! Now that sounds like a party! Covers food to serve, music, booting people at the end of the night and making the potty smell nice! The “Mac and Cheese with Bacon” looks and sounds delicious… although it reminds me of the overeating experience I had at Yardhouse.
• Decorate: I cannot wait until I have my own house to be able to do all of this!! Room by room tricks, organization (“Kill the Clutter”), and fresh flowers. Never include baby’s breath or ferns IN an arrangement! Clinton suggests using Flowerbud.com for flowers.

  The book is full of color and information. Clinton has done an amazing job with this book balancing entertainment and information. I suggest it to EVERYONE. Give it to your girlfriends for their birthday or as a bachelorette party gift.

  You don’t NEED a reason, just get the book for crying out loud!! You will thank me later!

My FAVORITE book EVER! Ok maybe it is my favorite possession….? I guess that could be stretching it, but this book is definitely WAY up there.

So what is it you may ask?

Freakin’ Fabulous by Clinton Kelly. I feel hesitant to share this with everyone because, well if I share, then you may become more fabulous than I am… oh well. The more fabulous people the better!

Everyone has seen the TLC show What Not to Wear on at least one occasion (and if you haven’t, you must be living under a rock). Clinton is half of the hosting duo, Clinton and Stacy. Clinton is also touring the country’s Macy’s stores for Make Over America (sadly I was not chosen ) He is undoubtedly funny on the show, and it translates perfectly into his book. He had me laughing cover to cover.

Freakin’ Fabulous is like my new life bible. I have only had the chance to read it all the way through once, but I frequently refer back to it. I actually began to annoy my friends and family by saying… “Clinton says….” or “According to Clinton…” I even had my DAD quoting the book!! Weird.

By the first few pages of the book you will wish Clinton was your best friend!

Freakin’ Fabulous is the book that you need if you want to know “How to Dress, Speak, Behave, Eat, Drink, Entertain, Decorate, and Generally Be Better than Everyone Else” according to its sub-title!

Highlights of the book… according to moi!

• Dress: Includes everything you need to know from accessories, to tailoring, dressing for certain occasions and a page of very ugly shoes (clearly the DON’T page)
• Speak: Definitely the section I need to read again… and AGAIN. The proper use for words. My greatest accomplishment so far has been taking the “s” off of the end of anyway! The pretty pictures and doodles help my learning… what can I say, I’m a visual person!
• Behave: Don’t butter the entire roll!! Holding wine glasses, eating oysters, texting with company and even a section on “bodily functions.” This section is definitely a must read. Did you know you should never bring your own food item to a party unless requested? I did not know that one, but you can ruin the theme/atmosphere.
• Eat: Four recipes you should MEMORIZE, cutting onions and other great recipes.
• Drink: I was laughing from the first page of this section as Clinton says, “Gin has made me do a lot of stupid things, but I forgive it.” Obviously there are drink recipes in the section, but my part is the section on wine; descriptions, how to serve, how to order and which wine pairs best with your food.
• Entertain: Plan for 1 bottle of wine per person!! Now that sounds like a party! Covers food to serve, music, booting people at the end of the night and making the potty smell nice! The “Mac and Cheese with Bacon” looks and sounds delicious… although it reminds me of the overeating experience I had at Yardhouse.
• Decorate: I cannot wait until I have my own house to be able to do all of this!! Room by room tricks, organization (“Kill the Clutter”), and fresh flowers. Never include baby’s breath or ferns IN an arrangement! Clinton suggests using Flowerbud.com for flowers.

  The book is full of color and information. Clinton has done an amazing job with this book balancing entertainment and information. I suggest it to EVERYONE. Give it to your girlfriends for their birthday or as a bachelorette party gift.

  You don’t NEED a reason, just get the book for crying out loud!! You will thank me later!

This past week, I somehow received all of my magazine subscriptions in a matter of two days… Between that “wake up call” and my lovely budget crunching mode that I’m in, it made me wonder, when did I get all of these magazines?

I like many girls my age went through the various magazine stages. From Highlights as a little kid, to Seventeen when I hit 13, to my current obsessions.

I now receive: Women’s Health, Shape, Glamour, and People Style Watch.

While this may not seem like “a lot,” when you routinely run out of time to look at all of them, and you eventually throw them all out anyway, you realized what a waste. Plus, it is not very “green!”

My Women’s Health and People Style Watch are more expensive than your traditional $12 subscription price. But I suppose they balance out with the great $12 for two years I paid for Shape!! YAY!

But add it up, I’m suddenly spending OVER $50 for some paper!! Information I can easily access online!

I know you are thinking, $12, big deal, you are practically robbing the magazine! Turns out, you are actually making them more money simply by taking them up on their “great offer.” Magazines make their money with advertising. They are making mucho dinero on your “savings” because you add to their circulation numbers. Higher circulation=More expensive Ad buys. Personally, I think Ad buys are a little overrated when you think about the “impression” you get with the readers. I mean I skip the ads. I’m sure you skip the ads. That is why we find ourselves surrounded by “advertorials.” You guessed it, they are trying to trick you. Bummer!

By the way, this holiday season when you are checking out all of those nifty gift guides, make sure they are not paid for. Some publications are so strapped for cash that they are actually offering up their gift guides as paid advertisements. It will guide you alright, right to their customers’ products. Not so trustworthy is it?

SO what is my point? Well my point is that I do not need to spend $50 a year on magazines. I’m not sure which ones I will end up giving the boot, but you can be sure some of them will get it! I can go online and try to do my little part of the environment and my pocket!

By the way, did you know that the website, Perez Hilton makes $110,000 A MONTH!!??!! Man I wish I had all of the latest gossip to share!

I mentioned it before on the About Page, but if you EVER have any questions about ANYTHING, please let me know. If you are a curious girl (or boy) like I am, you wonder why, how, who, when, where, etc. ALL the time. But do you really have the time figure everything out?

Well I have some time, and I am willing to give you some!! From my time working in public relations and marketing (having to track people and contacts down – yes I have probably talked to you or sent you something in the past ), I have gained this crazy ability to find almost anything on the internet, and at an alarmingly quick rate. Let me know who you want to know and we’ll figure it out! Plus I’ll be glad to share the findings with everyone on Book of Randomness.

Thanks!!!

PS, please let me know if you are enjoying/learning from the entries so far. More importantly, if you like it, tell everyone you know!!!

I mentioned it before on the About Page, but if you EVER have any questions about ANYTHING, please let me know. If you are a curious girl (or boy) like I am, you wonder why, how, who, when, where, etc. ALL the time. But do you really have the time figure everything out?

Well I have some time, and I am willing to give you some!! From my time working in public relations and marketing (having to track people and contacts down – yes I have probably talked to you or sent you something in the past ), I have gained this crazy ability to find almost anything on the internet, and at an alarmingly quick rate. Let me know who you want to know and we’ll figure it out! Plus I’ll be glad to share the findings with everyone on Book of Randomness.

Thanks!!!

PS, please let me know if you are enjoying/learning from the entries so far. More importantly, if you like it, tell everyone you know!!!

I try to be a minimalist when it comes to the non-essentials. Unfortunately, I did not get that gene from my parents because they have some issues parting with items. Don’t get me wrong, they are not that bad, there are no stacks of newspapers dating back to 1978 nor can you see any of this if you visit the house.

When I go through random crap, it is easy for me to get rid of things. In my opinion, you have to weigh the options… is it really something you need? are you going to use it in the next week, month, year? how much or how hard would it be to replace if you did need it down the line? As long as your answers are not: absolutely, definitely, and nearly impossible for $1 million, you probably DON’T need to keep it.

My case study: Magazines…

So, magazines…. we all (or most of us) get at least one or two, or ten. We of course get them because they are relatively cheap and easy entertainment, with each having some kind of value to us. Whether you get fashion, health, sports, home, gossip, etc. you are bound to find something you want to keep for future reference. My top ones are usually clothes, random products, and exercise routines.

So what do you do with these stacks of magazines? Do you keep them because there is one little paragraph you might need down the line? Well if you are my dad… yes you do, you never know when you will need that tip on how to whittle a tree log into a toothpick. Ok bad example.

My solution: and keep in mind that it can be applied to just about anything

I have taken a small plain notebook, and created my own little fashion book. When I am looking through my magazines, if I see a top or an outfit I like, I tear it out. Once I have some extra time, I cut out the images and tape them onto the pages of my “fashion book.” It is an easy solution to keeping ALL of my magazines. This way I have everything I liked out of it, just in much smaller and concise packaging. I was lucky enough to find a notebook with a cover that looks like a magazine, so I make sure to position the images inside as well. It is like having my own magazine of things I like!
 



 
So far, I only have my fashion one, but you could have your own little workout book, recipe book, home decorating book, and so many more! The sky’s the limit on this one folks. 

Just remember to enjoy your little arts and crafts project. Trust me, it will simplify your life when you are looking for a new outfit!

By the way, the magazines I love: Glamour, People Style Watch, Women’s Health

Prices and Shopping List at the bottom!

When it comes to makeup, I’m guessing women fall into a few different categories. Those who have found their perfect combo, those who feel like they could find something better, but are otherwise content, and then there are the rest. Those poor souls who go to the local Sephora, Target, or Liquor Store (trust me, I’m sure it happens), look at the makeup, and think OMG!! How the F*** am I suppose to choose?!?!

Well you are in luck. There are a lot of people out there who want to help you. I am by no means an expert, just a mere mortal who has found some products she likes. You should know before we start that I have not tried every product out there. I mean, I am not made of money, and so far, Chanel has not come calling, and for some strange reason, they have not sent me their product line. What’s up with that?

Anywho, here are my simple, inexpensive, and quick makeup suggestions. For me, makeup is constantly changing, so I will keep you up to date!!

The base:

For the most part, I do not like to wear a lot of makeup. I have sensitive skin that seems to like to break out. My daily routine is to wear Olay Complete SPF 15 All Day Moisturizer. Remember that wearing some kind of sun protection everyday is very important to prevent aging. Nobody wants to be wrinkley! If you want to cover up some skin problems or you are going out at night, I usually add a little bit of foundation to my moisturizer just to even out my skin. If you need to cover a few blemishes, I recommend Maybelline Cover Stick, and remember to blend it with a sponge and NOT your finger.

The eyes:

What some say are the most important…. and I would have to agree.

Most of my makeup is on my eyes. For the products, I use Eye Savvy Satin Shadow Trio (found at Sally Beauty Supply) in Black Tie and Loreal Extra-Volume Collagen Mascara. I have tried several other mascaras, and it seems there are new ones out there everyday promising 20 million times more volume or five inch lashes. Ok so I exaggerated, but there are so many out there promising all kinds of things! I’ve tried Maybelline, CoverGirl, and so many more. The last one, Loreal Double Lash, I was pretty happy with, but it seemed to clump up a little bit, and dried up a lot faster. I figured I was on a good path with Loreal so I decided to try the Collagen. Boy have I been happy with it! I chose to go with the “brown/black” because of my eye color, but it feels as if I have thicker AND longer lashes. Without looking like a tarantula obviously. Plus, the packaging has a really sleek sexy look

I chose to get the Savvy Trio shadow because it is easy to travel with. I usually sweep the white across the lid as well as just below my brow line for highlighting my eyes. Depending on day or night, you can use the grey and dark grey colors to lighten or darken your look. My favorite trick is to use a small angle brush to create a eyeliner look with the dark grey because well, let’s be honest, I’ve never been able to master eyeliner. Make sure to “smudge” the lines so that it is a smokier look. I usually finish with another sweep of the white. Another suggestion… since you are going to be using more of the white, I have purchased a single of the white shadow (called Picket Fence) so I do not use the Black Tie (that way I know it will be there when I travel).

Finishing Touches:

I usually (sometimes only at night and especially when it is hot) I like to use the Physician’s Formula Bronzer in Moonlight on my cheek bones. Just to make it easier, remember that the PF Bronzer has a moon design. If you would like a little more, for going out maybe, I have read that you can make a “3” on your face. You start on your forehead, and make a three down to your cheek and then to your chin. If you are like me, you do not need blush because I always seem to have a flushed look. But it you need it, remember to apply it only to the apples of your cheek. I suggest Physician’s Formula once again for this.

Shopping List:

Eye Savvy Satin Shadow Trio in Black Tie ($4.99) and Picket Fence ($3.99)

Loreal Extra-Volume Collagen Mascara $6.54

Physician’s Formula Bronzer in Moonlight $11.95

Maybelline Cover Stick $4.49

Olay Complete SPF 15 $11.99

Sonia Kashuk Brushes (you can find them all separately or in a great little set! $9.99 for a set of 6 brushes)

A Fun Set of Sonia Kashuk Brushes!