Late to the Party feat. itsjudytime Palette

So I finally pulled the trigger on BH Cosmetics. Which isn't supposed to sound so homicidal; I haven't ordered from them before because I'm hesitant to buy makeup online before testing it in person, so I thought I'd take a stab (hey-oh!) at one of their palettes. I was watching an itsjudytime video and she was announcing her palette was going on sale-- the lowest price ever of $8.95 each or two for $14.95, I believe. I never gave it much of a thought before, but the whole "low price, now or never, limited edition" thing had my heart doing flip flops. So after reading all of the reviews and watching tutorials, and deciding that this needed to be in my life, I grabbed one (the deal for 2 was good, but I wasn't going to risk paying for 2 of something I didn't like, and I don't know any makeup lovers. I'm the ONLY one) feeling like the sale price justified the $8 shipping. I HATE when American companies charge so much for shipping. I have yet to order from ColourPop because I REFUSE to swallow that $15 shipping fee. C'mon ColourPop!... Anyways, back to the palette: it arrived a few days ago, and I ripped into it immediately and was very impressed on first look. 

Eee, so cute!!

Ugh, come on with the gorgeous colours

I dipped my dirty little digits into the shadows and found the matte shades to be creamy and pigmented with, surprisingly, little to no fallout. And the mattes were what turned me onto this palette. I was surprised that this little gem could do what the Naked Basics 2 couldn't; make neutral matte shades without stirring up a bunch of shadow. 

The shimmer shades are a different story. Not as pigmented, and the shimmery-er (yep, just made that up. I stick by my decision) shades had chunky glitter that kind of gets whisked away the more you swatch. 

TOP ROW, sorry for the crappy lighting. Although my skin IS translucent and absorbs colour more than shows it

The top row is my jam. The first (cream), second (ochre) , fourth (pink-toned brown) and fifth (espresso) shades are the mattes, and they are buttery, soft, blendable and pigmented. The third shade is a shimmery gold/champagne colour that shows up better in a swatch than on the eye, and the sixth shade is a dark brownish gold with gold shimmer. The shimmer kind of separates from the colour, so it's more of a fine glitter, which is what happens with the rest of the more shimmery shades.

Bottom row: I hate to say it, but MEH.

 The bottom row is probably going to be the less used end of this palette. The only matte is the fifth one, a light indigo, that's a little chalky. The first and second shades are shimmers, a rose-gold and a bronze colour. These go on light, but can be built;more with the fingers than a brush. The third shade is the big let-down; it looks like a beautiful burgundy in the pan, but swatched is a weak black with red glitter that leaves at the first swipe of a brush. The fourth, a satin lilac is also too light, and the last shade is this amazing navy shimmer in the pan, but isn't pigmented enough. Big womp-womp for the burgundy and navy. I had high hopes for those guys.

So all in all, not a total bust. I essentially wanted this for the matte neutrals, and they are the best ones. They work wonderfully together and blend like a dream. The darker colours just don't work very well. Although if you really pack them on, maybe use some Fix+ they'll behave. I still love this palette for what it is. And considering it's sold out on the website (and the price is back up to $20) I'm glad I purchased it. 

I think I might order some more from BH Cosmetics. The Dark Rose, Wild Child, and Forever Nude palettes look really pretty. 

NEXT WEEK: Julep's Sweep Photogenic Palette. Be prepared for the obsession that is Julep.

***Nik's Bits***

-Christmas is in full swing in my house. Which means I've put a whole box of candy canes on the tree, and only three remain. Thanks kids.

-My husband and I made the dumb decision to go Black Friday shopping (sorry, I made the decision. He drove.) We got to Target at 10 am with smiles and hot coffee and left with NOTHING I had hoped to buy. We still got some good deals, but the craziness that was running through that store was not worth it. Cyber Monday next year.

-My skin is acting horrible. I'm getting dry flaky patches on my chin and cheeks, around my nose. Time for a new winter moisturizer. And tons of Lypsyl. Best lip balm EVAR. 

Becoming Katy Perry...

     Ah, Halloween. That one time of the year when us 'basic' girls get to wear wigs and rhinestones without fear of judgement and odd looks. This year I've decided on the task to be Katy Perry. In the beginning I was going to be Nicki Minaj because, let's face it, aside from the bountiful behind and slightly darker skin tone of Ms Minaj, are they not the same person, visually? No. Not really. But I want to wear pink eye shadow and bright lipstick, so they were my immediate reactions. 
     I've bought leopard print pants and a whole bunch of jewels, so hopefully I can do my best. I did a test run of the makeup, and I think I've got it down. Eyelashes hold up, black brows are impeccable, bright lips on lock. The wig, though. Ugh! I've bought two, and the both have thick hair on the top, and one layer of long hair. It's a mullet. I'm stock-piling mullets. So I'm ready to be an extra if the remake 'Deliverance' in my area. 
     I'm going to try to bedazzle the crap out of these pants. Fingers crossed! 

***Nik's Bits***

• For the first time in forever, while in the shower, I grabbed the shampoo instead of it's identically-bottle conditioning counterpart. Does anyone else feel like that's a small victory?
• The string ripped off of my tea bag. Sad face.
• I found some Rimmel Show Offs/ Apocolips at my dollar store. $3 a piece. A steal considering they're still $7 at Walmart (my comparison store for anything). I picked up 'Nova' and 'Stellar'. I'm heading back tomorrow for more. And more rhinestones. They're going to think I'm making a Liberace showroom in my living room.

Back in the Saddle Again

Oh, so happy to be sitting here again. What a crazy summer. I'm so glad that it's over and that fall is here. Not only because I'm currently in love with dark matte lips and chunky sweaters. It was quite a taxing few months on the home front. I'm sitting in the living room of our new house. We've downsized from a 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom to a 2 bedroom, one bathroom (and a room with a shower stall). We originally sold the house because of cost and our marital situation was really rocky at the time. But luckily we've worked things out in terms of our relationship (or I should say we are working things out. It's a process) and bought this house for much more than originally looking. But we love the house, and are saving some money as opposed to what we were paying. It's a lovely home with a lot of great details, but also needs a lot of finishing work done. Which we are planning to do together, so it should be exciting. Or one of us will go at the other with a nail gun. It's a toss up. 

Also, I'm extremely excited to get a new makeup station set-up! The bedroom is a lot bigger, and has ample room for a desk and shelves. It's going to be my project for the next few months. And my closet is AMAZING!! And yes, I say MY. There are 2 in the bedroom. D gets his own, which he can put his 7 sweaters and 3 pairs of jeans (he says his small wardrobe keeps him "humble") and he has graciously let me have the long walk in/walk though. It is incredible. As soon as I get it organized and find somewhere to put the extra boxes and spare mattress that are in it :/ I'll post some pictures. I've already emptied a whole pack of Post It's into my Ikea catalogue. Eeee! 

I'm really going to make an effort to post more often. I'm still trying to figure out how to do it from my iPhone. I find myself being out and about and suddenly something happened that I want to post and then remember, Oh wait, I'm technologically inept. Dang. But give me time. :)

I'm also going to start including "Nik's Bits" at the end of each post. Not only because it sounds naughty, but it will give me a place to put all of the odds and ends that are floating around in my mind. It will be a list of brain farts, essentially. :) Like so:

***Nik's Bits***

• I have succumbed to the 90's Lip craze. ((I will NOT call it the 'Kylie Jenner lip'. She was born in '97. She spent most of the latter part of the 90's pooping her pants.)) I've been using Revlon's Rose Velvet over NYX's Nude Pink liner (my favourite liner anyway, I can't get enough). It's perfect. I have swatches on my Instagram.

• I'm in the process of trying to make a weekly meal plan. So far it's meatloaf and meatballs. Apparently we're big meat fans

• The weather today was gray and wet. It's like it was dreary and 5pm all day. Yuck.

Bee Stings and Lipstick

Ahh, summer. Time for sun, friends, and annoying stinging insects. Yep, I've got myself a lovely bee sting. The last time I had one, I was 9 and playing baseball when I fell and my hand landed on one. A traumatic experience, I assure you. One that came rushing back to me this afternoon. I'm wearing a really pretty sundress, quite proud of the fact that it's not gathering and rolling in places due to my sometimes strict workout. I felt something on my back, underneath my dress, so I naturally go to scratch my back. Until I feel an excruciating sting. I swear I lost my eyesight for a fraction of a second. Yes, that's dramatic, but I'm allowed to be, I GOT STUNG BY A BEE!!! So I hike my dress up in the bathroom mirror, and sure enough, there's a couple of angry red welts on my back. I thought bees could only sting once before they die. Apparently I got the over-achieving one of the hive. Needless to say, when I saw him writhing around on the ground near where I had been standing, I quickly put him out of his misery. Now I'm waiting for someone to check for a stinger. How exciting. This day is getting better by the minute. Oh, did I mention I'm on vacation? It's only a 3-day-weekend thing away from the current events at home, but this is not what I imagined. Thankfully my kids are with me, whining and fighting all day. I don't want to get too spoiled.

FYI That NYC Expert Last lipstick in 'Smooch' looks amazing on top of NYX's lip liner in 'Nude Pink'. It's my new favourite thing in life. Topped with Julep's lip gloss in 'Charming'? Ugh. Don't even. LOVE. Pure love. I'm also trying out Maybelline's 'The Falsies' waterproof mascara. So far I'm liking it. It does plump up my lashes. I'm going river-tubing tomorrow, so we shall see how the waterproof claims hold up.

It's Where The Heart Is...

It took almost 30 years, but I finally figured out what I want to be when I grow up: a real estate agent. No, it's not just some spur-of-the-moment decision. I've been thinking about this as a career for about 4 years now. I haven't pursued it because, quite frankly, I'm not a very confident person. I've thought that all of the other agents I've seen must have something I don't, some 'in' that I don't have, more talent, better personalities. But I've realized, I do have ambition, and passion. I know this isn't just something I can dip my toes into, test the waters, see how it goes. It costs a lot of money, and you're being relied on by people to find a home. But that's what I love the most about it. Helping people to find a place to raise their family, shelter their children, build and keep memories. It's not about buying a house, it's about selecting a home. I remember the excitement I felt when we were looking at homes to buy; you immediately latch onto the things you love, think about what you can fix, place pictures on the walls in your mind. Or you walk into a house that you cannot, under any circumstances, live in. Houses speak. I honestly believe this. They have voices, pasts, memories. It's about finding one that you can love enough to listen to, to place your own memories in. So I'm deciding to share my passion, to help others in any way I can to find their own 'dream' home. It's going to take some time, but I'm in for the long haul. And it's been a while since I've been this excited about something. I'm lucky enough to have a few friends in real estate, I may start study sessions. :)

I took my kids to the carnival in town. It seems inflation has hit everywhere. I spent $40 on 2 rides, a bag of cotton candy and 2 small stuffed animals. Who charges $10 for a 2-year-old to catch a plastic fish?! 

Maybelline Colour Sensational lipstick in Born With It and Peachy Scene are my obsessions at the moment. And I'm in the market for a new facial cleanser and moisturizer, my Garnier ones are getting low. 

I'm going back to gluten-free. I did it last year- felt great, lost weight. Then Christmas came, I went on the biscuit train and never got off. I've felt really bad for the last couple of months, getting stomach problems after eating bread, pasta, rice, etc. I started again last week with all of my favourite GF foods, and I feel really good. It's not a fad, I know. And I haven't been diagnosed by a doctor. But it feels good for me, so I'm running with it. I have this great book 'The Fast Metabolism Diet' by Haylie Pomroy that has a lot of great information about GF and general well-being. Good read.

The recycling man goes through our blue bin and picks out the beer cans. Apparently they're not being paid enough by the city.

Hot Fun in the Summertime

Oh, how I love this weather. Warm, breezy, cloudless days perfect for tanning, spending the day in the backyard, and having lunch on the patio while the dog frolics on the lawn and takes a huge dump as we're eating. Really, dog? Really? You had plenty of time while our backs were turned to the barbecue, but decided to wait until we raised our forks to drop a deuce right in front of us. Thanks.

On a positive note, I'm actually getting a tan. Could be the high UV index and low SPF of the sunscreen, but hey, it looks good. And I haven't found any sign of melanoma, so I must be doing something right. It usually takes my pale white skin until August to get any sort of colour, but it's only the beginning of June and I don't look so transparent. I've also been playing baseball every weekend with my co-workers on a company team, so that may have something to do with it. I spent this past Saturday in the sun at my mother-in-law's (which made my 5-10pm shift kind of suck) and then played a double-header in the park on Sunday. Sufficed to say, this may be as bronzed as I get. Which is fine, because it means for the first time in years, I might actually get away with moving up one shade in my foundation. Eee! This is exciting to me. 

While we're on the subject of skin, I've recently realized how impressed I've been with mine. It's the smoothes and clearest it's ever been. I have a Garnier regime that I use every day and night, which I've only just realized was a strictly-Garnier regime. I bought all of the products separately and at different times, not really thinking about brand, just needing something (preferably on sale). 

The Skin Renew Gel-Cleanser is really nice; it comes out onto a soft bristle head (there's probably around 45-50 soft rubber bristles) and cleans away a lot of the dirt and makeup on my face. It has Vitamin B5, Vitamin E and Green Leaf extract, which is supposed to make it more 'soothing'. And it is a nice gentle cleanser that makes my skin feel amazing. I don't find it quite exfoliating enough for my skin, so I prefer to use it on it's own in the morning, or in the evening after I use my St Ives apricot scrub. I use the Lift Anti-Wrinkle & Firming moisturizer in the morning, it doesn't leave my skin feeling greasy or dry, it's just the perfect amount of moisture. And with an SPF of 15, I know my skin's going to be protected from the sun. Then I go in with the Ultra-Lift Anti-Wrinkle Eye Roller, which is amazingly refreshing, especially during these hot months. Seriously, can we get a mega-roller ball for the rest of the body? I don't need it to have any sort of anti-aging properties, I just need it to feel like a giant ice cube minus the drippy mess. Is that weird? Probably. 
My evening moisturizer, the Ultra-Lift Anti-Wrinkle Firming Night Cream, is just as moisturizing as the day cream, but a little heavier. It's not greasy or anything, I just feel like it's a little thicker, which I'm alright with since I'm not putting makeup over it and it's getting washed off in the morning. 
I've also tried their Dark Spot Treatment Mask and it's aaaaamazing! Seriously, I've never felt anything like it. It so moisturizing and refreshing, and it makes my skin look and feel 10 times better than it did before. I have combination skin that gets drier in the winter and oilier in the summer.

Are we seeing a pattern here with all of these products? Yes, I'm starting to worry about wrinkles. I'll be 30 next year, and two young kids who drive me to my breaking point on an almost daily basis, so my skin is starting to show some of this stress. We'll see how this stuff works. Fingers crossed. 

-N

The Things I Love About George Takei

His humour. His wit. His openness. His acceptance of diversity and individuality. And I don't even KNOW the man! He has this incredible ability to make me laugh and cry at the same time. I'm speaking, of course of his Facebook posts (unless you want to think that I'm cool enough to know and talk to him, in which case, yeah, we totally just had brunch). He has these great memes and amazing sarcastic quotes, but then he fires out a post which scream injustice and demands action. I'm speaking mostly of the boycott of Arizona's 'Turn Away The Gay' bill, which would allow business owners to turn away any  LGBT customers. Some might call it 'religious freedom' but it is, in my opinion, straight up discrimination. If two men walk hand-in-hand into a store, you don't turn them away because they're gay, you let them shop like you would any straight couple, because they're human. Arizona's Governor Jan Brewer vetoed the bill (yay Jan!). However, Mississippi has recently passed the law, which I understand will take effect July 1st. Shame on Gov. Phil Bryant.

But just this evening I read a post that Mr. Takei shared; "Parents Of Transgender Son Share Their Emotional Story With Inspirational Mini-Doc". It was one I had seen floating around my Facebook feed that for whatever reason, I didn't click on. Not because I wasn't interested in the subject matter, more because most FB share links send me to weird Norwegian diet sites. But I'm so happy I decided to take the plunge and read the article, because it restored my faith in some of the people we have in this world, and gave me hope that maybe we're not a completely screwed up society.

The article tells the story of beautiful 6-year-old Ryland Whittington, a transgender who was born a girl but who now lives as a boy. I was most intrigued by the fact that the son they speak of was so young when he realized 'she' felt like a 'he', just 2-years-old. I really had no idea that at that young an age, transgender is even a concept. I have a young daughter who, at the age of three, wanted to dress up as Buzz Lightyear for Halloween and totally rocked that space suit. She played with trucks in the dirt, wore a blue pair of shoes, and never took an interest in the pink side of the toy section. She was the quintessential 'tomboy'. And my husband and I never tried to sway her to 'the other side' or push Barbies and makeup on her. If it was a phase, she's grow out of it, and if not, we'd go on loving her just the same. But she did eventually develop an interest in dolls and Disney princesses. This boy Ryland never did. He (she, at this point still) identified himself as his little sister's 'brother'. He dressed up as Spiderman and Woody and hated wearing dresses. His parents finally figured out that he wasn't going through a phase and maybe they should pursue his preferences, after researching the staggering suicide rate of trans people. So they cut his hair into a handsome 'male' fashion, let him dress more masculine, changed the decor in his room to be boy friendly, and noticed how happy he was. Like he was complete, free to be himself.

I ended the video in tears. I couldn't imagine what it must be like to be so young, so vulnerable, so confused about who you are or who you 'should' be. He was trapped in a body that he didn't understand, that didn't match who he was in his mind. That terrified me. I couldn't help but think about my own children. What if one of my daughter's woke up each day, wanting her entire wardrobe to consist of blue jeans and Transformers shirts, who wanted a blue room and a train set and wanted me to call her by a different name (the boy in the story didn't bring up that point, but his name can be used as a boy's or girl's. My kids have distinctly female names). What would I do?

I would love her. I would accept her. I would call her him/he if she wanted. I would hug her as much and as tightly as I do now. I would cry just as hard when she falls and scrapes her knee as I do now. I would get just as anxious and excited for her (far in the future) wedding day as I do now, regardless if she wore a dress or a tux. 1 Corinthians 13:7-8a "Love knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope; it can outlast anything. It is, in fact, the one thing that still stands when all else has fallen." 

You can't mask discrimination with religion. You accept diversity with open arms, and an open heart. You stamp out hatred with the fervour of stopping a spark from catching on dry grass, and spread love like wildfire.

Let's hope that what these parents have done for their son will not only shape his life, but will reshape the views of those who are trying to take away his freedom, and the freedom of every other affected minority.

-N

Eye Spy

Lately I've been re-evaluating my past; more specifically my pension for tweezing my eyebrows. When I was in high school, girls shaved their eyebrows. No joke. I never understood why. Although high school is all about learning, and by grade 12 all of the reformed shavers had gorgeous, enviable and now-popular luscious brows. I, on the other hand, tweezed. It never looked that bad, and back then thin brows were everywhere. Well, I'm paying the price for taking advice from Tiger Beat. Either my brows are too small, or my face is too big. But it's easier to change my eyebrows. Being blonde, I'm terrified of eyebrow pencils. It's easy to go from prom queen to drag queen. A couple of strokes, to be exact. I'm contemplating going to Sephora and just plopping myself in a chair and telling the sales girl "fix these PLEASE" before quickly resorting to sobbing. As long as it costs less than $50. Ghetto brows, that's what I'll end up with. :/

The little kick in the grass that my dog does after she poops is quickly becoming the highlight of my day. She's such a donkey.

The lilac bush in our driveway is finally blooming. It's such a gorgeous smell, especially in the morning when I'm walking my daughter to school. There's really nothing better than nature waking you up. It's so invigorating. I still need my coffee in order to feel human, but the flowers really get me the rest of the way. I'm going to have pick some for my makeup table. Fresh flowers always seem to boost my creativity.

I'm trying my best to eat healthier. I bought a couple packages of sugar peas. They're really tasty. Not as good as ice cream or Snickers bars, but we'll see where we end up. 

-N

Crunch Time

Why are all the good snacks at their loudest and tastiest at 11 pm? Every time I throw a handful of chips into my face I'm worried I'll wake up my husband and he'll be sitting up in bed, shaking his head. But seriously, these barbecue Crispers are my LIFE.

I'm planning a trip up north in a couple of weeks. It's my friends' birthday party ('Dirty Thirty' if you will. I won't). I never really get to see my closest friends anymore. I moved to this little town 2 years ago, and it's 2 hours away from everyone. Well, everyone I know, you know? We moved here because housing was cheap and my husband's family is here. Which is alright, most of them are okay, I guess. But it's hard, seeing pictures and hearing stories from a crowd that you used to be in, experiences that you used to be a part of, and now you're just on the outside looking in. Don't get me wrong, I have a few friends here and they're great, but I'm not totally comfortable around anyone but those few 'special' ones up north.... Really I just need a car. That would basically solve it. First world problems, right?

I need to get me into some pyjama pants. Which reminds me, I need new pyjama pants. They're one of those things I never think about in the store, but as soon as it's couch time, I remember, Oh yeah, these are one of three pair of worn out pants with a hole in the crotch, I should get some new ones. And I have NO idea how those holes got there, I swear. I should probably sew them up, because every time I come strutting out of the bedroom my husband gives me sidelong glances and wiggles his eyebrows 'cause he likes my "easy access doors". Gross. Men are gross. He farts SO MUCH.... Gross.

My new 'escape' hobby is making wishlists spreadsheets of makeup I want. Excel makes everything look more organized. Usually I wait until it's just me, late at night as per usual (you'll see this will become a running thing with me. Night-owl I am.) and I'll just watch all my favourite beauty guru's on YouTube talk about their favourite products. Every time they do swatches I'm like "Ooh, that's pretty! I'mma write that one down!" I now have 10 pages of product. Mostly drugstore. My Sephora list is a book unto itself. But lately that's just been my thing. I've always loved makeup, but I got out of it for a while because makeup from when I was in high school SUUUUUCKED. Cover Girl made the worst foundation, but I always bought it, because it was cheapest and geared towards young girls with no clue. Now, oh my god, the possibilities are endless! My first venture will be to stock up on Wet N Wild eye shadows and lipsticks, and forage for as many e.l.f products as I can. I want them ALL! I may try the latter one this weekend. There's a place in the city that apparently sells them. Right now I've only seen a few items in my dollar store and at Winners. PS Dollarama is kind of kicking ass lately with the beauty products. They had Essie's for THREE dollars! And some pretty nice CoverGirl mascara. CoverGirl does mascara way better than they do face. Maybe I'll post a pic if I get anything ooh wouldn't that be fun?! (Yes, it would---I have to answer myself just to boost my ego.)

-N

Late Night TLC

Nope. Not that kind of TLC. I've been watching "19 Kids and Counting" and "The Little Couple" for 3 hours. Hubby and babes are asleep on the couch, now it's mommy's TV and nail time. This is literally the only time I get to myself, to paint my nails, watch what I want, and eat the 3 Musketeers bar that has been calling my name from the back of the cupboard where I hid it after I came home from the store. I had to open it under a dishtowel so the noisy wrapper didn't wake anyone up. The struggle is real. 

So, back to TV. I don't really watch much of it. I try to get into shows and fall off the bandwagon 4 episodes in. Even "The Walking Dead". Love the show, still midway through the 3rd season. I'll get to it. But for some reason, those 2 TLC shows get me. I remember when 19KAC came out, and I, along with a huge number of people, I'm sure, thought What the bleep is this, 20 kids?? But it's a really cool show. Those kids are pretty rad. Way to go Jim Bob and Michelle. I just can't figure out the skirt thing. The older girls always wear skirts, no jeans. Is that a faith thing? I'm sure Wikipedia has the answers somewhere. And "The Little Couple" are 2 of the funniest people on TV. And genuinely funny, not like they're making jokes like their paychecks depend on it. It good. Good TV. Not always the case, especially for TLC (hello, 'My Strange Addiction' and 'Extreme Cougar Wives'?)

Whaaaaa???...

Something else that takes up a large part of my time (other than hastily throwing together a couple of Cheez Whiz sandwiches for the kids and tossing the dog a ball or shoe or baseball glove) is planning a trip to the States. That's what we call the U.S here in Southern Ontario. Or 'Mericuh'. But less often. I'm close to the border, 25 minutes or so, and I watch these makeup hauls on YouTube and Oh My Lanta!, the deals y'all get at your CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens! Without this HST BS. I'm jealous. Super jealous. So I gotta jet over there. As soon as the loonie gets a little better. And when I get a passport. (Whoever came up with THAT idea needs to be hanged. Back in my day, we could cross the border willy nilly without having to worry about this passport business.) 

Rant/ramble over. Bed beckoning. Same time tomorrow?

-N

Garbage Day

I don't know what's more irritating; waking up to a terrible rendition of Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You", the garbage truck, or my husband yelling at the dog because she ate someone's breakfast off of the table (but come on, no one was eating those burnt sausage patties anyway). And seriously, who could be mad at this face? 

The weather's getting warmer. People are already complaining about the heat. Considering what a b**ch of a winter we had, I'll take anything and sing my gratitude. But working in retail, like I do, you hear so many people complain. And the weather is the first strike. I guess it's considered small talk. Isn't that strange? You figure you need to be nice while buying canned corn and ice cream sandwiches, so your first thought is to bellyache about the mild humidity, even though 6 weeks ago your fingers were blue from frost and you couldn't walk into a store without your nose dripping like you were allergic to life. People are strange. And I'm no exception. Give me a a couple of days, I'll step off my soap box, but complain as soon as my feet touch asphalt because it's haaawwwwwttt. 

I'm also learning, in my old age, how important it is to take off eye makeup before going to bed. I know, it's important at any age, it's bad for the skin to leave it on all night, yada yada but seriously, everyone does it at some point. But it's not the health effects I worry about. It's the nasty black eye boogers in the morning that gross me out. And now I've grossed you out with talk of my eye goop. Sorry.

Eye goop. That is all. 

First Timer

So here it is. The moment I've been thinking about and nervously anticipating for the last 2 some-odd years. 

I got the idea of making a blog, really, to get rid of these little thoughts, ideas, and tidbits of nothing that are muddling in my brain. That and, my husband says it would be a good idea because "people say" I'm funny. He says it like HE doesn't think I am. He does, though. He totally does. 

I can't really tell how this is going to go. I've never been good at keeping a journal. And that's essentially what a blog is, right; a journal? Only one that you post for the world (look at my ego grow already) to see, for all of eternity. I have a journal, and have had it for 7 years now. There are 13 entries. So yeah, a bit of a crap-shoot. 

Maybe I'll tell you (who ever is reading this and wants to know) a little about me; female, late 20's, Canada, purple, makeup, nail poli-- sorry, I just reverted to the old high school  'MSN Messenger' opening line. Computers are weird, I should be doing this on my iPhone. Anyway those first three are apt: I'm a bored, married twenty-something, mother-of-two, with a growing obsession for makeup, nail polish, and YouTube videos. My kids are getting older, and this is something "just for mommy". Like Palm Bays. Or mascara. A place just for me to ramble on, to no one in particular, about nothing of any relevance to anyone but me. Mostly about the circus act that is my home life, or what's currently occupying my makeup table, if I got anything in the mail, or about how I wish I could drink like I did when I was 21, but still proud that I don't anymore (without sounding sanctimonious). Let's see how that works. 

I have absolutely no idea how to do this. There's a 'HELP' button somewhere. I may use it. I'll wait until it's 3 am, and I'm sweaty, sobbing and in foetal position, twitching finger hovering un-decidedly above the 'Publish' button. So come along on this crazy journey. And if you don't, please call 9-1-1, in case that whole sobbing on the floor thing turns into a seizure and I need medical assistance.   

-N