Ulta Haul

Recently I received a flyer in the mail from Ulta with a little coupon card that was good for 300 points ($9) to spend at Ulta by last Saturday's date. I got to thinking and couldn't really come up with anything specific to buy before last weekend came. Then Friday morning I received an e-mail stating that I had 350 points ( I had earned more through actual purchases) or $11 to spend in store before the 300 expired. I really wanted to get something high-end to make me feel like I was getting a complete bargain. I already talked myself out of the new Urban Decay Shadow Box palette (I had too many similar colors and people complained that the shadows weren't up to par with the individual shadow pots). Then I thought that I would get a Moondust eyeshadow. Stargazer, the gold one interested me since I'm still on the hunt for the "right" gold shadow. But my store was all out of the Moondust shadows, and only had a couple of testers in the spot (they didn't even have the Stargazer tester so I'm not sure if it's the shade of gold I'm looking for). I looked all around, nothing really caught my interest. 

I've always wanted the Stila Kitten eye shadow... I found a palette up front with the "on the go" items that was a Stila nudes palette. It had some eye shadows, a blush, and an all-over color. Kitten was the all-over color, and the palette was only $20 so I was about to buy it. But I couldn't find testers of the shadows or blush to get a true feel for the colors or quality, so I was hesitant. Then I decided on my back-up plan.

I had glanced over at the drugstore brands but didn't find a whole lot that interest me without really looking in depth. However, I did have a $3.50 off of $10 coupon that I could use, meaning I could bump up the value to $14.50 off of a drugstore brand purchase. I like NYX cosmetics...at least the lip products and jumbo pencils. I've only had one eye shadow but the pigmentation was faint and different from in the pan. The eye products were "buy one, get one 50% off." I noticed that the baked shadows had testers so I started looking through those. I came across one color that appeared duo-chrome, which then I remembered seeing something on Makeup Alley about some of the newer NYX shades being duo-chromey and space inspired. Well, that one shadow, Cosmos, was the only duo chrome shadow I could find. But I had to have it! Then I settled on Ghetto Gold (still not pleased with the shade of gold but it's still a versatile shadow). Then I remembered that they carry Essence and a lot of people seem to like Essence. I found some glitter shadows (no testers) and then some shadow duos (with testers). So I ended up getting a glitter shadow, Metal Glam in N'ice Frosting and one of the 3D duos in Irresistible Vanilla Latte. 

Here's the great part. The NYX shadows were $5.99 each, so with the sale, they were roughly $9 together. The Essence Metal Glam was $2.99 and the 3D duo was $3.49. After the discounts and tax, my total was $1.05! Woo!

(NYX Baked shadow: Cosmos & Ghetto Gold, Essence: 3D duo Irresistible Vanilla Latte, Metal Glam N'ice Frosting)

Restoring Jewelry Tip

I stopped making a lot of jewelry with the chain that you find in craft stores because base metal stuff tarnishes so quickly, and I thought there was no way of restoring it once it turned (since it wasn't a quality metal). I know there's a lot of others who thought this way too. I know many who have thrown stuff out because they didn't think it was worth trying to find out if it could be saved or not.
Turns out toothpaste (tried the blue gel kind that has baking soda in it) cleans it also (knew you could use it on fine metals). It seems to work on that cheap costume jewelry from Claire's, Icing, Forever 21, etc... too! Now I feel much more confident about making things again from the base metal stuff. Yayness!

Teavana =/= Nirvana

Um, Teavana was not at all what I expected. The one at the mall where I work is an itty, bitty, teeny, tiny, little store. There were literally five customers (including myself) and three employees (but two of them  alternated going to the back stock area) and no room to move around unless someone stepped outside of the store. And I didn't realize that it was set up like a deli where the associate is required to assist you and weigh out the tea (since the teas are stored in large containers), which makes sense. But I thought that everything would already be prepackaged, which would also make it accessible so that one could compare and contrast or browse in peace. But I'm just being picky about that since I like to have a nice, big bubble around me when I shop and thoroughly examine the product I'm interested in purchasing.

I browsed the site ahead of time to see what was offered and how much. I wanted to get the Acai Matetini Mate loose tea because it has acai (super antioxidant), looked like it had a fun blend, and was one of the less pricey teas. I also was on the lookout to find the small Teavana Perfect Tea Maker, since the site showed it was on sale for less than $14. I was thinking about getting an infuser but those were about $13 on the low end so the Perfect Tea Maker seemed to be a winner, plus it had raving reviews. I found the Tea Maker pretty easily and was glad to see the sale price applied in the store.

I made the mistake of telling the first sales associate I encountered that it was my first time there and I wasn't entirely sure how it all worked. I saw the "Wall of Teas" but knew that I only wanted the Acai Matetini and let her know that up front. She then went to the back to get a male associate to help me, and she took my Perfect Tea Maker away from me which was confusing since I was at the counter/register but meh, whatev. I think she went ahead and bagged it when she went to the back because I didn't see it again until the bag was handed to me.

Anywho, once Dude was caught up with my brief story of being a Teavana virgin, he opened the container and did all the magical wave and sift pizzazz. My main question was how did the measuring process work since the website started at 2 ounces. I was hoping it was like a fabric store or deli, where you could request half the "basic amount" (1 yard or 1 pound seem to be a good standard starting point). Sidenote: I worked in the deli/bakery of a major grocery store, people ordered various ways... "Give me a 1/4 a pound." "I want 7 slices." "Start slicing and let me stop you when it looks good." I was kind of hoping that there would be leeway to ask for half a scoop or just let me watch the scale and determine from it. Nope.

Sooo, Dude scoops some into a sample cup thing and puts it on the scale to demonstrate the smallest amount they sell (2 ounces). It was just under 2 ounces, btw. I told him that I would indeed like to purchase the smallest quantity of 2 ounces. There were two sizes of canisters by the scale, a large one (darn near the size of a coffee canister) and then one about 2/3 of that size. He grabbed the large one, started the spiel about it being my first time buying tea there that I needed to purchase the canister and I could bring it back each time for refills. Then went over the pricing, something about $6 then $7 then $3 extra...I don't know, it was getting drowned out by other noises. At that time he was already dumping the tea from the sample cup into the large canister on the scale and it went from like $6.72 to $10.87. The weight of the canister wasn't calibrated into the scale (something we had to do when packaging weighed food into containers at the store). I asked if I had to buy the canister. Again, since I was new I needed to have my tea put into it so it could be stored and then I could bring it back the next time I come in (What if I haven't finish the tea currently in it and wanted a different tea, hmm?). Then he talked about the benefits of it being an airtight container. So I continued to be difficult (I do feel bad about this since I know it's part of his job to push certain items) and told him I had airtight containers at home... Though he kept insisting that I need to buy this particular canister. After more of the ping-pong about not needing the canister, I finally told him I'm sorry,  I don't want the tea if I have to buy the canister. That's when he pulled out the quaint little foil baggie and informed me that he could sell me the tea in the bag...however it wouldn't hold up and will go stale after 5 days if not put in an airtight container. So he dumped the tea out of the canister, into the big container, and then scooped out a little over 2 ounces into the foil bag. I FINALLY was able to purchase the tea!

I want to give Dude major props though for doing his job! I know that it's a company thing and that they pressure you to use tactics to get sales and meet quotas. My "Grrrrr" is mainly aimed at Teavana because of that. I HATE it when employees are required to get customers to buy (or sign up for) things they don't want. It's irritating for the customer to feel harassed to spend more (or give out information they don't want to share) because that's what makes the big wigs at Corporate happy. :/

However, I will probably continue to shop at Teavana...not as much as I probably would prior to this experience, but I do enjoy the Acai Matetini.

Caveat Emptor.

Healthy Drink Ramble!

I was thinking about finally buying a Keurig (I've been debating this since I started working at Sears 3 years ago). I'm not a coffee (gave up that habit about age 6 #trufax) nor hot beverage drinker, but I do enjoy a frozen mocha-y drink whenever I'm feeling adventurous. Though I discovered that I really like the Chai Latte K-cups we have at work (breakroom incentive!). And I'd probably consume the mocha drinks on a regular basis if I had a Keurig. Then you have the option of the My K-cup to brew your own blends of whatever.

Yesterday Dr. Oz was talking about how white tea has a large amount of antioxidants in it so I want to start drinking white tea. Which then lead my thought process to using my potential future Keurig to brew tea, especially white tea. But upon further research I found at that white tea should steep at a lower temperature... So then I dug deeper into my psyche and realized that I mainly want a Keurig because it's cool, different, gimmicky, quick, and easy but again, I'm not normally a hot beverage consumer. Jump to "O hai, I wonder if there's a way I can just buy the K-cups I'm interested in and diy brew them myself??" Apparently there are ways...many ways depending on what type of beverage you want.

Well, since we have Teavana at the mall I work at and an independently owned tea store at the old mall I used to work at...why not just get some little infuser things or reusable tea bags and fancy blends of loose leaf tea? That sounds like fun! I could either get an electric kettle or *gasp* actually boil some water on the stove (I'd rather not go the microwave route even if it's super quick and easy).

I've been itching the get a Keurig recently since our store is in liquidation but really I'm not going to save that much on the machine. By the time the prices become "good," we'll already be sold out (happened during the last store closing). If by chance we have any for a "too good to pass up" deal, then sure, I'll buy one. But until then, I think I'll save a good bulk of money and use that for my future white tea addiction.

On this topic, I think I'm going to try to get into a habit of blending smoothies. Frozen spinach, berries, and orange juice sounds like a plan to me. Actually, anything to help improve my health is going to become more of a priority.

I'd been having pain all around my left shoulder blade for over a week. Then Monday I woke up and it was worse. From Monday through Wednesday I had problems when turning my head or moving my arm. I'd just lock up from the pain. Wednesday night I looked in the mirror and then took pics since my shoulder blade didn't feel right. The left one was poking out (at an odd angle) and about 3 inches higher than my right one. Yeah, this freaked me out. I went our chiropractor Thursday since I was off from work. My wreck may have had something to do with it but it's mainly stress. ...work stress. Apparently I've been having muscle spasms for a long time and not realizing it (I usually don't give much thought to pain unless it's reeeeally bad). And the muscle has tensed up and harden. It won't be much longer until that major stress trigger is out of my life. Until then, I've got to try to "relax" about work... Ha! It's difficult when you have to carry the weight for slacking employees.

And this is why I'm all giddy about beverages, especially ones with healthy potential. In my mind, they'll make everything better.

Which could be said about booze too, since it's a beverage. Yeah, I could use a strong fruity drink after work everyday...but that would be bad. Very bad! But oh so goooood!

I wrote this blog over a week ago and completely forgot to publish it... oops.

Since I have a tendency to be a cheapskate, I have purchased Finish This Book, Mess, and the original Wreck This Journal - all by Keri Smith. And since it takes me multiple times to learn from my mistakes, I bought them all through Half.com, again.

Finish This Book arrived in pretty good shape. However, Mess and Wreck This Journal had already been started by their previous owners. It's becoming clear that most of the sellers on Half.com either don't check the products when writing the condition descriptions or else they don't give a flying flip that the book isn't as pristine as they describe it. Oh well, the books are still fairly inexpensive... Also would like to note that Mess has a series of pages that repeat themselves. I flipped through one at a bookstore and saw that it was not a printing quirk on purpose, the new book certainly doesn't have repetitive pages- it has different ones as it should. But it doesn't look like I'll be missing out on much. The twin pages look like they'll actually be fun to do multiple times.

I've been wanting gesso for a stupid long time but the sticker shock has never grown old. I recently found various recipes to make a diy version...so I chose the simplest one and went to town with it. The less than superb condition books are giving me a good canvas to start with and experiment with my diy gesso.


It's taken me at least 3 layers to cover up the various markings that originally embellished the books. But at least now it will all be MY work in those books and not some random snowflake who decided to part ways with these little, therapeutic gems!

Epiphany

I believe things happen for a reason. However, since my mom relapsed…and then died, I had a hard time finding reasons in most everything that’s happened since. When I had my wreck, most everyone kept assuring me “Everything happens for a reason.” Just constantly throughout each day whenever the wreck would come up “Everything happens for a reason.” And of course, I’d agree but give the examples of recent years and how I’m just waiting for those reasons to unfold.

It has finally struck me. In this particular event, I think I’ve had my “Aha! Moment,” my epiphany in uncovering the reason- A new appreciation of life.

Right before the wreck, when my car broke down on one of those days where I was certainly on the verge of quitting but couldn’t because I just acquired a new bill to repay for my transportation for that day. The shop kept my car longer than expected and the total bill nearly caused me to have a breakdown. It all came back to blaming work (which yes, I think it’s safe to say that my employer has been the root to all of my problems since I’ve been there). With the (premature) news of the store closing, I wanted to stick it out to the end but it was beyond the point of even being worth doing so.

I had the car back for a week… I was up the Monday night into Tuesday morning, sitting on my bed, updating Facebook that I was considering not going back to work at all. I just didn’t know if I was going to call out, call up and let them know I quit, or just be a no call-no show. But then the math got the best of me. If I stayed and worked two more days, I would have compensated the remainder of what my repair bill had cost and my bank account would be a little bit more padded than before the car had to see “the doctor.”

I went into work Tuesday morning. I felt uneasy getting on the interstate at the usual spot since traffic around the mall can be terrifying for me. I went out of the way to get on at an exit that’s usually less crowded and “safer.” Everything was fine and dandy until the car in front of me came to a dead stop and the rest is history.

The aftermath of all of that definitely ranks up there as being one of the lowest points of my life. Certainly not the lowest, but up there, right under the parents/cancer (and ultimately the death of one parent from cancer) points.

Waiting for my court date, which only concerned the ticket I was issued for “crashing my car” was eating me alive. Ok, everything dealing with the wreck (I won’t even touch on my “new car” chaos) was eating me alive. Although I think I figured out why I, the one who can never fall asleep, am having an easier time falling asleep at night. I think I’ve worn myself down during the past couple of months.

My morning at court finally came. The judge was nice and generous to the two defendants before me but when it came my time, he made me work hard. No, he made me fight hard to prove my point and my innocence. BTW: It’s illegal to STOP on the interstate for no reason…it’s quite dangerous and endangers people, just sayin’… Personally I don’t think he was really giving his full attention to what I was saying but that’s another story.

For the record, I was found Not Guilty, as it should be.

After all of that, I finally felt free. I feel like I can get on with my life and not have all of this weighing me down. Worst case scenerio though, I would have been offered to take a driver class in exchange for removing the points from my record, ticket and court fees. Still, that’s extra stress that I did not want to deal with.

My future with work was still up in the air. I had a plan to quit. I was actually getting quite comfortable with my plan. Then suddenly, one of my major work-stress factors went away. But I was still ready to put my plan into action (my plan being: just quit the next time I really felt like it). Again, my plan could come into play at anytime. But then something else happened. The day finally came! We received the news of WHEN we are closing.

It’s horrible for the employees who really need the job. My prayers are that they find BETTER jobs due to this closure. I hope everyone finds a job they LOVE to do. I hope they find a job that gives them the TIME to spend with their loved ones. I hope they find jobs that PAY them what they deserve, if not better. I hope they are abundantly BLESSED in their future pursuits.

Now getting to the actual reason why I’m posting this. The reason is appreciation for my life and to actually LIVE it!

I fear and hate going outside of my comfort zone. Like when I had my wreck, I feared dealing with the chaos of traffic near the mall so I decided to take the comfortable way of getting to the interstate and look at how that all ended up.

All of the money I spent, prior to the wreck, having the car repaired… I have a horrible relationship with money at times. I love it! I love to save! I can be a tight-wad. I fear and dread of letting go of my money. I obsessed over losing money, especially to repairs I’ve had to have on my car because of all the effort and trash I’ve put up with at work…down the drain. I think the reasoning is that I need to just let go. Once the money has been spent, it’s gone. However, it can come back. It may seem infuriating at times to lose the money but it is a renewable resource.

Then there's time. I'm usually early to work since I allot for plenty of time. I know there's usually plenty of time if need be. On the other hand, I'm really greedy with time. I always try to get out the door and into the car on my way home as soon as I can whenever I leave work. I just want to get home and far away from anything related to my job. But in general, I'm great at both utilizing and wasting time. Post-wreck I find myself taking the long way home that doesn't involve the interstate...it may take an average of 15 minutes longer (on a good day :| ) but it's a lot less stressful. And during that commute, I remind myself that it's better to be safe and not worry about the time it takes to get home than to stress out over taking the route that's designed to get me there quicker.
Unless it's an emergency, don't stress over time.

The stress of just waiting for the court hearing to unfold and the freedom of the ruling… I let everything hold me back but the feeling of freedom from that is indescribable. Again, this is where a lot of the appreciation for life comes from. From December until the morning of court, I pretty much felt like a complete prisoner mentally. I worry over every little thing to begin with but this was beyond torture.

And realizing all of this has helped me to realize the other smaller reasonings as well.  Things do happen for a reason.

I received both The Pocket Scavenger and This Is Not A Book by Keri Smith in the mail today. I ordered them from Half.com so they weren't guaranteed to be in pristine condition. Though I flipped through them and other than a little fold crease on the cover of one, they looked like they were in great shape. I went ahead and left positive feedback for the sellers. Everything was fine and dandy. Then I started to read the first bit of information in The Pocket Scavenger. I got to page xvi and noticed that it skipped to xxiii. Then I opened it wide open and noticed that it looks like only one actual page has been ripped out but clearly more than that have.

Also, the last page(s) was (were) ripped out as well. :( Booooo.

Oh well, I'll probably just write it off and consider it as a quirk since the Keri Smith books are all about the imperfections and getting your creative on anyway. Guess the next time I go to a book store, I'll look at a new one and see what all I'm really missing. Oy.

Things thankfully have gotten better since my last update. I finally got my "new" car back a couple of weeks ago. However, it still has the main problem...it operates fine, it just has that dreaded "Service Engine Soon" light. In the meantime it should be ok. It's incredibly to have transportation again instead of having to rely on someone to take you to work or grocery shopping (and public transportation around here is greatly lacking). Enough about that.

Recently I discovered a book by Keri Smith (who created Wreck This Journal, which everyone seems to be into right now) called How To Be An Explorer Of The World. It certainly piqued my interest. On our most recent trip to a book store, Honey Bunny purchased it, yayness! We're going on a trip to West Virginia this upcoming weekend to celebrate our one year anniversary (wha hoo, go us!). This book is totes coming along for the journey!

I was inspired to bust out the markers and do some work in one of my journals.

I think instead of writing in the actual Explorer book, I'm going to bring along a couple of new Composition books so we both can partake in ~exploring~ in our individual ways. Plus I can't bring myself to write in the printed book, eak! At least not yet. I think it'd be fun for us to have our own books, especially using them each time we take a trip somewhere. Or heck, even just everyday life as the book is intended. Idk, I have all of these vivid daydreams on going on adventures in new places. The book is intended to help you see the beauty and uniqueness of even mundane things you do or come across every day of your life. I need to wake up those creative forces!

And to continue on this topic, I've been getting into art journaling lately. It seems like such an obvious habit but it never really occurred to me until I stumbled upon some videos on Youtube focusing on it and sharing ideas. The pathetic thing is that I used to do this back in junior high and high school but got out of the habit when I went off to college. Yeah, I fell like I lost a lot of creativity or had to put it on the back burner when I was going through college. I'm still struggling to unleash it. However, it's slowly coming back (yay!).