China Glaze Lubu Heels

I'm not a huge fan of polish with glitter. I like the more opaque colors but I do enjoy a good dark polish so I thought I'd give this a try with the intention of wearing it on my toes. I bought it at Sally's for $5.99 and used it on my fingernails today. Not bad at all. The glitter is really subtle and not as tacky as I feared it would be. I used 2 coats and finished with Seche Vite top coat. It covers wonderfully. China Glaze Lubu Heels is quickly becoming a favorite.

China Glaze

Due to the fact that my job situation is still up in the air, I've had to make some additional cutbacks in my budget this summer. The ideal thing to go was getting my nails and toes done. This was my last thing that I was hanging on to but I ended up with a staph infection in my thumb from smashing it so that made things easier. Let me just add that summer in Louisiana is not the time to be taking a large dose of antibiotic that requires staying out of the sun and makes you have constant hot flashes.

In order to save $$, I've been painting my own nails and toes. I'm an OPI junkie when someone else is doing the work but I've been using China Glaze. The brush is so much easier to handle. I've gotten a little better at it but I still have a ways to go.

My go to colors: Shocking Pink, Rose Among Thorns, and For Audrey

Sun Care Routine

Today after class instead of going home to clean my house or do something productive, I went to the pool. I'm blessed by having easy to tan skin (I never burn) but I am careful in the sun because I spent way too much time in tanning beds (I've sworn off them this year but I still feel the urge). Because of my skin tone, my sun care routine is fairly simple:

I start by using Elta MD on my face every morning under makeup. It was recommended by a dermatologist and is slightly tinted. My second favorite is Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer. Elta MD has spf 41 so it's a little better for summer protection.
Next, I slather on Coppertone Sport spf 70. I like to use the spray rather than lotion, it goes on easier. It's super water resistant and I reapply plenty of times. I use Coppertone Sport for Faces also. If my face gets oily from repeated sunscreen use, I wash my face with an acne cleanser rather that my regular stuff and that usually knocks it out in a day or two.
After I'm done in the sun, I just use a generous amount of Banana Boat Aloe After Sun. It really does help with any redness or slight peeling and it smells just like summer to me. Sometimes I use it the next morning as well. It's also supposed to help extend a tan and for the price, it can't be beat.

Summer Essentials in Photos

Dry Shampoo

I've used dry shampoo before but found that a little baby powder worked just as well. Now that I'm leaving my hair dark, I decided to try TreSemme's dry shampoo. It's a pretty good product to revive hair after a night out when there's no time to shampoo the next morning. My hair is very very thick and it worked well. It took away that greasy look and it smells fresh and pleasant, not too overwhelming. With it being only $5, I'll definitely buy it again. CVS also has TreSemme products on sale 3/$10 from time to time so that makes it an even better deal.

Confessions

I am a bedding hoarder. I get all crazy excited over sheets, duvets and pillows. It's so silly because I can only use one set at a time but I can't help it. While I prefer to stick to a nice damask or solid on my bed, there are other choices for the adventurous.

Wallpaper on Cabinets

I really really hate my cabinets. I don't really want to replace them right now or paint them so I've come up with another idea. I'm going to do wallpaper as shown here. The 1st pic is Jill of Real Housewives of NY's apartment kitchen. I'm thinking a black and white damask will go well with my red walls and stainless/black appliances. Worse case scenario, if I mess up I can paint them.

What I'm Loving Right Now

From lowest price (Fossil $95) to medium (Toywatch $295) and high price (Chanel $4100) I am loving the white watch. I'm sporting the low price currently but I really really want the Toywatch.

Tervis Tumblers

I absolutely adore these Tervis Tumblers. These are the 2 that I purchased at Bed Bath and Beyond. I had coupons so the zebra one ended up being basically free. The initial one is a 24 oz. We can't have Coke cans or bottles at school so these are perfect for morning coffee and afternoon Coke fixes in the classroom. The French Twist pink and green ones on the website are adorable as well.

Houston

We made it safely to Houston without incident except for me forgetting my coat and having to head back. Luckily, it was before I hit the interstate. I had a salad from Panera for dinner and of course made latte on the Tassimo. I need to get one ASAP.

Tomorrow I'm taking my Christmas ring into the jeweler to be re-sized. My right ring finger was either broken or jammed badly at some point in my childhood (I'm thinking softball or my brief stint in basketball) and my knuckle is freakin huge. The bad part is, once rings get past the knuckle there is a big size difference and they tend to slide around alot. At least I don't have to worry about losing a ring since my knuckle area is so chunky.

I think it's funny that I escape to Houston to relax when things are much more fast paced here than at home. I really do love my smallish town but can't argue with the better shopping and more places to eat that Houston has to offer. The traffic doesn't terrify me anymore, I can remember being 16 or 17 and driving over here for the 1st time in my Celica and I was scared to death.

The rest of my night is going to consist of sitting in front of the tv and staying warm.

Christmas Dishes

Still on the hunt for Christmas dinnerware. Might have to wait til after Christmas. Ugh

Too tired for a title

I'm feeling much better after the other night at work. I will be stuck in the computer lab for most of Monday morning working on some lessons in Promethean. I'm getting used to it but I still have a hard time applying it at the Kindergarten level. Promethean is an interactive board used in some classrooms. You can design lessons for it that the students can interact with by going to the board and circling the correct answer or using a tool that they can participate in an interactive poll with from their desks.

On another note, Ulta is giving away a free Bare Minerals kit with any $44 Bare Minerals purchase. The kit is called Wild About Bare and has a lipstick and 2 other items in it. I've been using Bare Minerals for about a month now. At first, I was pretty skeptical but now I'm hooked. Shipping is also free on orders over $50 and they include free samples with every order. I normally go to Ulta in Houston since we don't have one here but this is my first time ordering from them.

It's getting uggly

I am so ready to start teaching. Work was horrible tonight and I just keep telling myself it's not going to be much longer. I had to clean up after someone that threw up after too much Goldschlager, and someone left without paying. On a good note, LSU whooped Auburn.

I hate cold weather. To the folks in places like Canada or Colorado, bless y'alls hearts, I'd die. Tonight when I got home, I turned the heater on and went to the closet and dug my Uggs out. I know some of y'all are probably like, "dear Lord, can't the Uggs just disappear" but I seriously love them and yes, I still do wear them out in public. I've had them for a good 3 years now, and they aren't goin anywhere.

Beauty Faves Day 2

I fell in love with Burberry Brit last year and still think it smells delish. I am looking for a few new scents though.
Victoria's Secret eyeshadows. They are fairly priced and work well. I like having a good variety of shadows to choose from so I buy these alot.
Covergirl Lashblast. Again, another great frugal find.
Bare Minerals Warmth. This came in my kit and is my favorite. It's a great bronzer even during winter. I have used this over other foundation brands and it works just as well.

One score, one fail

First the fail. This is Abita Restoration Ale. Created after hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Abita raised over $500,000 to aid in recovery efforts. I saw it the other day and decided I'd try it. FAIL. It's waaay too bitter.Now the score. I was at Target doing my usual Sunday afternoon perusing and saw that this was on sale for $2 so I scooped it up. It smells amazing. Now I wish I would've gotten a few more. I'm also in love with the Brazilian Carnival scent. It's perfect for summer which sadly is now gone even in Louisiana. I had to break out the long sleeves today. It actually feels pretty nice but I'm sure there will be a few more hot days left this year. I love it here, but the weather sure is crazy. It's impossible to plan an outfit. I get all excited to wear a cardigan or something and when I wake up, it's hotter than hell.

Hair Care Favorites

Rockin and Rollin

These are my 2 favorite candle brands ever. I always get the Diva fragrance in Tyler and Orleans #9 rocks my world.

Today was a busy day. I went to my old job and picked up a CASA case. It's funny being in the volunteer role rather than supervising. CASA is a great organization and always looking for volunteers. http://www.blogger.com/www.nationalcasa.org for info.

Then finally the cable guys came to fix my tv. I live in the outskirts of town so I have a terrible redneck cable company but the cable guys are sooooo cute.

Talked to BFF who is a teacher has been telling me about her attemps to educate her students on Swine Flu. She teaches middle school special ed and has an ESL student from Mexico who decided to make himself a sign that said, "you cannot deport us all" Gotta give the kid credit for correct spelling.

I'm finally registered for all my classes and if my plans work out I'll be teaching by Fall of 2010. I need to take one more class this summer but it's closed. I have to got to start hustling at work so I can get tuition paid for the summer. June will be here before I know it.

My head is killing me and I need to get to bed early but having the bedroom tv back working is not going to do any good.