Show your boots who's boss

Dudes, it's frickin' freezing around here. We should not be spending a good chunk of October on the minus side of the thermometer. If I wanted to wear Winter clothes during the Fall, I wouldn't have left Calgary, duh!

Ah well. Griping aside, one of the absolute bestest parts about Fall is that I get to wear boots again and not look like a crazy person. These past seasons with the short booties? Were the fashion equivalent of an embolism for me. Hated them! Even the mid-calf ones, I dislike. The point of lovely sleek boots is to elongate those gams, not chop 'em off at the shins! Anyway, with the recent trend towards boots that hit just below, or even over, the knee, I am sighing happy gurgling sighs of pleasure and delight and vindication. (Yes, I totally dig the dominatrix-esque over-the-knee look. No I don't have attachment issues.)

I have a sort of problem with boots, in that I buy them by the bucketful. But, alas, buckets are decidedly NOT the way to properly store boots. How then, to deal with these lovely creations, that when not being worn, flop maddeningly over your shoe racks?

Well, in seasons past, my general method was to:
1) Remove boots from feet.
2) Leave on floor, tops of boots in a mishappen heap.
3) Step all over the tops trying to leave the house.
4) Trip.
5) Curse loudly.
6) Fling boots at wall.
7) Hang head in remorse for being a boot (and wall-finish) abuser.

But this year? This year is different, my friends. I read the single most amazing home-organization tip of the year:

Roll up a magazine, and stuff it inside your unworn boot! The boot leg stays nicely in shape, and you can finally fit your boots neatly on your shoe rack! It is frickin' genius!

And now, my lovely darling tall boots are all lined up like the shiny treasures they are. I was so inspired by this bout of tidyness that I even sprayed weatherproofing stuff on all my shoes. Plus, I save so much time when leaving the house now, what with the not tripping and cursing and wiping shoe marks off my calves and the walls. Who knew those old issues of The National Enquirer The New Yorker would come in so handy?

Product Review: Maybelline Color Sensational Lipcolor

Hey guys and dolls, how's it going? Can't believe it's October already. Seriously, the thought of this being my Supposed-Last-Year-of-Grad-School makes me want to cry hysterically and vomit. Vomit hysterically? Yeah, pretty much. There's so much work left that it seems impossible to fit it all in. So in typical Glitterati fashion, I turn back to frivolous things as cosmetics and fashion and getting-drunk-in-the-afternoons* as ways of escape.

As you may have noticed, the makeup posts (okay, posts in general) have been sorely lacking. Part of this can be attributed to what I call the "product plateau". This occurs when I have accumulated so much makeup, in so many shades, formulas, and textures, that I am drained of the slightest desire to purchase anything else. Sure, I'll buy some foundation and concealer when I run out, but I stick to the tried-and-true, and so am not inclined to post about these favourites again. 'Tis a sad sad day indeed when a self-proclaimed beauty junkie goes to the drugstore to buy conditioner, and actually leaves with just conditioner.

Fortunately for me, and the North American economy, Fall has arrived! As chilly rain sweeps through the days, I am again inspired to spend my hard-earned dollars on all things vain and unnecessary. God bless the September issues.

True to self, the first thing I was drawn towards was lipstick. Sure, I have a gadzillion rich berry/vampy lip colours already, but c'mon, that was so 2 years ago. When I saw that Maybelline had launched a mass-market knock-off of Lancome's ColorFever lipsticks, I knew one had to be mine.





Maybelline's Colour Sensation lipsticks bear a similar chic casing to their pricier sisters -- a shiny metal tube encased in a clear Lucite cap. Unlike the Lancome lippies though, the jewel-toned caps of Color Sensation lipsticks match the color-family of the lipstick within. Red lippies get a red cap, plums get a purple cap, neutrals get an amber cap, and pinks get a fuschia cap. Cute, yes?

To celebrate the season, I picked up a tube in Plum Perfect. Swiped on directly from the tube, it's a dark, intense, blue-tinged plum. Like a dark, seductive wine. I'd wear it this way if I was in a Scorch-The-Earth mood, or if I was feeling a bit punky. However, pat a finger over your lips repeatedly, and the shade softens into a sophisticated stain. Still rich and still a "statement" colour, but elegant enough so that you could easily wear it to work. It leaves a nice clean line, and doesn't seem to bleed or feather much either. Truly perfect for Fall and Winter.

Like the Colour Fever lipsticks, Color Sensational Lipcolour is a relatively moisturizing lippie. Because it's not gel-based, it's less smooth and smooshy than Maybelline's Moisture Extreme lipsticks. But, because it's not gel-based, it also lasts a heck of a lot longer. Still, I think most ladies will want to put a nice moisturizing lipbalm underneath.

Sidebar: I've heard that some people find these lipsticks to have a really unpleasant, waxy smell to them. I don't find this to be a problem with my tube -- it has a mild lipsticky smell to it -- slightly waxy, I suppose, but not really scented at all. However, I smelled some other colours in the store, and the neutral shades do seem prone to this. So, sniff before you shell out, I guess.


Congrats to Maybelline for this solid effort. At $9 or $10 CAD, it's on the pricey side for a drugstore lipstick, but it is a quality product. I would not hesitate to get it again on sale, smell issues notwithstanding.


But most of all, it's just nice to break out of a makeup rut a little, you know?



* Not really.**
** Okay, yes really. Do as I say, not as I do, folks.

Foods I need to make, like ASAP

The title pretty much says it all guys. I don't know if this is a known fact, but I am basically obsessed with food blogs. In fact, I read as many, if not more, food blogs than I do makeup ones. (Scandalous, I know!)



Anyway, here are a list of recipes that I am just itching to make:

Smitten Kitchen's Lighter Airy Pound Cake. Deb is pretty much my go-to girl for anything baked or dessert-y, and I've been dreaming about delicious pound cake for, like, months. Besides, nothing says "hi, I'm a good neighbour / tenant" than the gift of freshly-baked goods. I must make this, as soon as it is tolerable to bake things (it feels like 40 Celsius here!)

Also from Smitten Kitchen: Cantaloupe Salsa (because mango salsa is so 3 seasons ago). Okay, I lied, I already made this. In addition to being freakin' delicious, it goes equally well on oven-baked BBQ chicken (Baste chicken breasts -- bone in, please -- w/ BBQ sauce. Bake at 350F until done.) as it does on leftover BBQ chicken on a green salad. Goodness gracious.

Not Eating Out In New York's Feta Tahini Dip. I love Tahini to unhealthy states. Normally, I just use it for my quick and easy Hummus (1 can of chickpeas [white beans are also a delicious option], a couple generous TBS lemon juice, about 3-4 cloves garlic, 2-3 TBS tahini, salt & cayenne pepper to taste). But Feta AND Tahini, together at last? Be still my racing heart.

Roasted Zucchini & Rainbow Chard, also from NEOINY. Despite my meat-loving tendencies, I also have a fondness for greens. Swiss Chard, with its pretty emerald and ruby hues, appeals to me. A cool friend introduced me to the joys of raw zucchini, and suddenly I just can't get enough. So this recipe (though the zucchini is cooked) looks absolutely divine. Toothy crunchy zuke, wilted chard, and capers? Cannot be bad. I think this would go awesome with some crispy pan-fried tofu slices too!

Chimichurri sauce, a la Simply Recipes. Seriously, rare steak (recipe here) & parsley & garlic & OMG this cannot go wrong. Incidentally (and again, contrary to the title of this post), I made this tonight to great reception. Must do again. So so good!

Okay, so while I sweat up a storm trying to make these things, maybe, out of heat-sympathy, you should also try these recipes! They sound truly amazing, and definitely worth turning on the oven for!

Raspberry Jelly

Hey friends, super quick review today. Tonight. Whatever.

If you're into the nail polish scene, chances are good you've heard about China Glaze's Summer Days releases. A collection of polishes chock full of their signature glass-fleck sparkle? Sure to make polish afficionados everywhere drool with desire.


(Wow, this is not the most helpful photo. For better, obsession-inducing photos of the whole Summer Days collection in action, check out Michelle's post at All Lacquered Up.)


For the past couple of days, I've been wearing Raspberry Festival from Summer Days. It's a bright, happy and pretty clear red with pink glitter suspended in it. I would have thought the base colour would have been more pink/purple, given the name, but's it's more of a cherry red. I loves me some purple, so I can't help but be a wee bit disappointed, but it Raspberry Festival really is a great colour in its own right. The sparkle is just so pretty, and the jelly-ness of the base makes it look like lucite, or melted cherry cough drops on my nails. (I've quickly developed a weakness for jellies... they are just so shiny and cool and awesome!) There's a cool pink/light purple flash coming from the sparkle that keeps it interesting. Definitely a fun lighthearted colour for summer!

Application was pretty good... thinner than usual China Glazes, but also runny. For a Big 3 Free forumlation, I'd say it's an A-. As for wear... I put on some Revlon's ColorStay Always On topcoat (for iron-like protection), then layered Essie's Good To Go (for speed drying) over top. I've had it on for 2 full days now and there's just a teeeeny tiny bit of chippage (looks more like tipwear, really) on my dominant hand. China Glaze doesn't always last very long on me, so I'm happy with this.

If you're into reds, you should definitely check this out! The jelly-sparkle combo is really quite addictive!

OFF with their heads! Their blood-sucking heads!

Hey guys! I just got back from a surprisingly fun trip to Manitoba... Winnipeg is a actually a cool city, who knew?! Last time I spent a few days in Winnipeg was when I was a wee tween, camping with my family. The most memorable thing about that trip (other than the sight of my parents actually pitching tents and sleeping on the ground) was the size of the mosquitos in the place. Massive! They could give horseflies a run for their money.

Knowing that my bare arms and legs would constitute a tasty feast for those blood suckers, I thoughtfully brought along a trusty can of OFF! Smooth & Dry insect repllent.




I first used this stuff last summer, on a kayaking trip. (Which was ludicrous, by the way. Go ahead and try imagining me on a kayak. Hilarious, right?) Not only did Smooth & Dry keep the bugs off, it lived up to its name. No weird sticky-feeling film here... the aerosol spray deposited the repellent evenly, and then I pretty much forgot about it. There's a fruity scent to the spray, which, although it does smell a bit fake, is leaps and bounds better than the DEET stank. As time went on, the fruit smell faded a bit, and you could detect the typical bug-spray smell, but overall, using Soft & Dry was a much nicer experience than I've come to expect from bug sprays.

So did I avoid being mosquito food during my Winnipeg trip? Well, for some reason, the spray part of the can got all effed up. It slowly leaked in my luggage (I had thought to put it in a ziploc bag, thankfully), and by the time I used it, the spray had stopped working all together. I tried running it under hot water, but nada. On the first day, I managed to dribble some out and smoosh it on my legs -- not elegant, perhaps, but still effective. The 2nd day, I didn't feel like bothering with it, and my laziness was rewarded with several itchy bites around my ankles.

I'm not sure if the can was just too old, or if several trips on a plane somehow mucked up the mechanism. But it did work great on the first round, and I'll be sure to pick up another can before the summer's out -- that is, until they finally figure out how to make a truly scent-and-texture-free bug spray. I hear it will be based on pheremones of people who never get bitten!

Green with awesomeness

Hey you guys, how's it going? As you have probably noticed, I have been a total slacker when it comes to posting. Part of it is because... well, I'm a slacker. But another reason was that I was just getting kind of bored. I mean, don't get me wrong, I will probably love, wear, and hoard makeup until the day I die. But I guess my attention span is too short to keep talking about it exclusively.

So I'm going to try a new spin. Or maybe an old spin. This blog (waaaaay back in the day) originally started as a "whatever I feel like posting about" blog, and I'm going to give that concept another try. Don't worry, product lovers, I'm sure there will still be lots of posts on makeup (because let's face it, my life is not THAT interesting). But I also foresee a lot more talk about food, health, fitness, food, TV shows, food, movies, fashion, food... I think you get the drift. Hopefully you guys will come turn this proverbial page with me and enjoy the ride! (Also the mixed metaphors!)

In light of this new M.O., now might be a good time to rave about one of my new favourite things: The Green Monster.

Do I mean:




?


No, I don't mean monsters that go OM NOM NOM. But rather a drink that makes ME go OM NOM NOM. A green monster is a term affectionately bestowed upon a fruit smoothie that has spinach or some other green vegetable involved. Sounds horrific, right? Notttt!

In fact, aside from the vibrant (and I think, really really cool) green hue of the smoothie, you can barely tell there is anything wacky in there at all. Honest! I like spinach anyway, so maybe I'm a wee bit biased, but dozens of others have sworn that there is no spinach taste in these smoothies, and see it as a great way to "sneak" some veggies into kids and loved one's diets. (I have some issues with 'sneaking' food into people, but that's another post. For this purpose, I can agree that more veggies = good thing)

It is so delicious, and so quick and easy to make (even just using my little immersion blender) that I have had 1 a day for the past 3 days. Plus, it keeps me full for at least a couple of hours, so it's a great breakfast or midday snack. Other Green Monster advocates claim that after regularly monster-mashing it up, their skin looks nicer and they have tonnes more energy. Which, hey, for a person who would sleep 10+ hours every night if she could, sure sounds appealing.

This smoothie is infinitely adaptable: just throw in about 2 cups or more of spinach into whatever fruit smoothie you're feeling. But for kicks, here is my recipe:

- 1 frozen banana, cut into 4 or 5 chunks. (Non-frozen ones work too)
- 1/2 cup blueberries
- 1 cup Silk soymilk (I usually cut this with a bit of water)
- apx. 2 cups washed spinach, snipped up a bit with scissors (to make things easier for my poor immersion blender)

Throw everything but the spinach into your blender (or, if using an immersion blender, into a tall, wide glass. My blender came with a smoothie-making cup, so I use that. Just be sure to use something safe for your immersion blender.) Blend blend blend until smooth.

Add spinach. Blend some more, until the spinach only shows up as little flecks. Your drink should be a lovely, creamy, slightly frothy blue-tinged green at this point.

Drink it up!

This makes about 2 cups. Aside from the virtuous feeling of eating 2 whole cups of dark leafy greens, plus getting all the lovely vitamins and antioxidants and iron and calcium, it just tastes damn good. Like, I could easily drink this as my dessert good. And the whole thing is only about 250 calories! (For comparison, if this were a smoothie you got at the mall, 250 cals would be about 2/3 of a "small" smootie...)

So if you've got some spinach waiting to be used up, and have some fruit hanging around, why not give these a shot? Let me know how it goes, I'd love to hear of new and tasty combinations. But for now, I need to go buy more spinach. I've already blown through the bunch I bought on Saturday!

Product Review: Eco Tools Travel Kabuki Brush

OMG you guys, is everyone drowning in exams/grading/spring cleaning/filing tax returns/fearing layoffs around here or what! April has traditionally been a crazy time in my life -- since my parents are both accountants, my Aprils of Yore have been filled with 10pm dinners and sneaking in from the bar* at 2am trying not to make noise, not realizing my parents weren't even home from work yet.

But lately, all my craziness seems to have been stuffed inside a suit case. In that I've been traveling rather a lot. And while I generally love traveling, I don't like not having my *stuff* around me. You can imagine that being the person I am, and writing the blog I write, I have approximately a metric crapload of beauty *stuff* that I consider "essential". And while travel versions are all fine in theory, I secretly hate that they are so inferior to the real deal. Short stubby makeup brushes that poke and scratch? Who cares if you fit in my carry-on clutch if you're going to make makeup application such a painful, tedious process?

Thank goodness there's EcoTools. I'd hear that they came out with a retractable kabuki brush a while back, but due to the EcoTools shortage in Toronto, I had to wait until a Buffalo trip to pick one up. But oh boy is it ever worth the wait!





Housed in a cute, neat, aluminum shell, this kabuki is both compact and luxurious. It feels just as good as my regular Lumiere kabuki, with soft, dense, gentle bristles that are perhaps just a titch "floppier" than Lumiere's. No perceptible difference in performance though -- mineral powder glides on smoothly and effortlessly, and when I'm ready to pack up and go, the bristles slide neatly into their case. No dusty brushes, no bent hairs. Love!

Aside from the awesome functionality, EcoTools have come to be known for their environmentally-minded practices (the aluminum casing is recycled) and great value (an amazing kabuki for $8 USD!!!!). The low price tag doesn't come with a low-class look though... this brush would look as much at home sitting on your vanity next to your Chanel and Dior goodies as it does in your travel makeup case (they also have a full travel set that looks to be of good quality). And the eco-mindedness makes it appropriate for, oh, I dunno, an Earth Day makeup splurge or something. ;)


EcoTools can be found at drugstores & discount department stores everywhere in the US, and at London Drugs in Canada. [EDIT: Thanks to reader E, who noticed that Zellers in Ontario carries EcoTools. I've also seen them in Wal*Mart in the past little while. Selection tends to be a bit picked over, but they're definitely there, hooray!] Check out their website for a full list of retailers.


* Actually untrue. I was (am) a nerd, so if anything, during Aprils of Yore I was sneaking in from late-night cramming sessions or frenetic data analysis. The bar trips happened in March and May!