Best Products/Fashion of 2011

So, I’ve seen a lot of youtube videos giving their best of 2011. I thought I’d write a little blog about some of my favorite products and clothing of last year. Also wanted to give a shout out to my new favorite youtube beauty and fashion channel, Sokolum79. I’ve been really digging her videos. Check it out if you have time. So, in no particular order (Just the order I’ve thought of them in.)

1.       Favorite Eye Shaddow Pallate(s): I really like the e.l.f.  Studio Endless Eyes Pro Mini Eyeshadow Palettes. I have both the cool and the warm one and I use them daily. The colors are great and very pigmented. And their only $5.00. Can’t beat that! http://www.eyeslipsface.com/studio/sets-and-palettes/palettes/endless_eyes_pro_mini_eyeshadow_palette_limited_edition

2.       Favorite Jeans:  My favorite jeans of the year have been the Old Navy Slim Flares. I haven’t had them very long, but they’ve beat out all other jeans from last year. Some of you may know that I’ve lost a lot of weight last year (still rocking the chub, don’t worry) so it’s been hard for me to find jeans that work for my changing frame. These have been awesome!! The flare Is decent sized so I can wear them with boots for the winter, but the legs are slim enough for my apple shape. They’re the best of both worlds, a skinny jean with a flare. Love ‘em! http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=70142&vid=3&pid=864817&scid=864817022

3.       Favorite top coat: LOVE, LOVE LOVE,  the essie good to go top coat!! It dries super fast, and one thing I hate about top coats in general is that they get really thick when you’re getting near the end of the bottle. Most of the time it’s too thick to use, which is my problem with seche vite. The essie top coat does get a little bit thicker, but not so much that you can’t use it.  http://www.essie.com/shop/good-to-go-p-110.html

4.       Favorite body scent: I’ve been rocking the Midnight Pomegranate from Bath and Body Works. I like the lotion and the splash. Sufficently musky and fruity at the same time. Love it!

5.       Favorite Hair Color: I’ve been rocking the same color for a couple of months, which I think is a record for me. I usually change it more frequently. I’ve had so many complements on my hair, and I’ve got friends trying to copy me. Love you Meggie Poo! So… what I’ve been wearing is Garnier Nutrisse Ultra Color in Light Intense Auburn. I’ve also seen it called Light Tint Auburn. It’s designed to go over darker colored hair, which I don’t have. But I love a 40 volume!! I haven’t tried the other colors in this range, but if they work as well as this one then you’re sure to love it! http://www.garnierusa.com/_en/_us/our_products/shades-haircolor.aspx?tpcode=OUR_PRODUCTS^PRD_HAIRCOLOR^NUTRISSE_ULTRA_COLOR^NUTRISSE_ULTRA_COLOR_DISCOVER&prdcode=P53201&varcode=603084223572&back=1

6.       Favorite Hair Care Products: I’ve been using the Tresemme Color Revitalize Shampoo and Conditioner, since I’ve been coloring my hair red, which we all know fades really quickly. I like them a lot. I’ve used them in the past and have had really good results with them. http://www.tresemme.com/Products/Gallery/Shampoos-(and)-Conditioners/Color-Protection/

7.       Favorite Skin Care – Cleanser:  I’ve been using Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser for a while. It’s great at cleaning, but not over stripping your skin. If I need exfoliation I just use my scrubby gloves with this. http://www.cetaphil.com/products/gentle-skin-cleanser/

8.       Favorite Skin Care – Moisturizer: I’ve been using a new (to me) line of moisturizers. I really like the Elizabeth Arden Millenium creams. I’m using the Night Renewal Cream, the Day Renewal Emulsion, and the Eye Renewal Cream. I like them all. I’m only in my early 30s, so I don’t really have wrinkles, so this was more of a preventative measure. But I’ve really noticed my skin looking and feeling softer and more hydrated. I might have to switch to something lighter for the summer since these are all pretty thick. But so far I really like them.  They’re really expensive on the EA website, but I got all 3 of them at Sam’s Club for $28. http://shop.elizabetharden.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2808240&cp=2779948.2575453&view=all&parentPage=family

9.       Favorite Base Coat:  This isn’t new for me, I’ve been using it for a couple of years. But Orly Bonder is the best base coat I’ve found. I’ve tried a couple of other brands, but I keep going back to  Orly. http://www.sallybeauty.com/basecoat/SBS-654508,default,pd.html

10.   Favorite Nail Color: I really like gray nail polish right now, so anything in that range I’ve been gravatating to. Something like essie playa del platinum or China Glaze Retro Diva.

11.   Favorite Eye liner: MAC Powershock!! Can’t say that enough.

12.   Favorite Lip Gloss: tie between e.l.f. fire coral and too faced glamour gloss in pillow talk.

13.   Favorite Mascara: rimmel glamour eyes.

14.   Favorite foundation: I don’t really wear foundation, I use e.l.f. tinted moisturizer. Love it!

15.   Favorite accessory: I’ve been really into scarves this year. Usually the gauzy floral variety. And I’ve really loved my pocket watch on a necklace that I got at icing. I believe they still have some. They’re great, and I don’t have to dig through my purse for my phone if I want to know what time it is.

 I can’t really think of anything else at the moment. If I’ve missed something, let me know. I’ll be happy to give you a recommendation on something. I’m sorry I haven’t posted much lately. I recently moved, and just changed jobs so it’s been a little bit hectic. I also haven’t been getting out much and that really is what fuels my creative juices. I’m planning another move back to California, and maybe that will help me find more to write about. Until the next time.

XOXOXOXO, Steph

Cheap but Good Makeup

You all know that I love e.l.f., but I wanted to tell you about another inexpensive brand of makeup that is really good. I just picked up some NYX shadows and liners. I really like this brand. The color pay off is great on the shadows and I only paid $4 for them. If you're in Fort Collins, you can get them at Angels in the mall. I also picked up one of their Goddess of Night lipglosses, which is funny because Nyx was the goddess of night. Well, it's a really nice gloss. It smells great, and it's not sticky at all. I'm thinking I'll post a quick tutorial using some of the colors I picked up. I'm wearing a lot of golds and greens this summer. If you can't get them in your town, I'm sure you can find them on ebay.

Chubby Girls Need Love too.

I don't really have anything new to write about, but I just wanted to share some of my frustration with you guys.

I've been chatting online with some people and it seems that weight is a very big issue with some people. It's not about common interests, it's about how much you weigh. I'm not a lazy slob, I don't sit on my ass all day and eat. I probably eat less than most of the people out there that I've been talking to. I walk at least 1 mile a day, usually more. I also happen to be a big girl. I've always had an issue with weight, but after my grandmother died I started to pack it on quickly. I've been trying to get it under control for a while. I've finally started to lose some of it, almost 30 pounds in the last 2 months. I'm not trying to get skinny, at first I didn't even notice. But I would like to be healthier, and have more energy, and be able to do more athletic things. I haven't change anything about what or how much I'm eating because I never really ate that much to begin with. Food really isn't my issue. My issues were with depression and a change in lifestyle from high school to adult life. I will never be a size 2, but it might be nice to be a 14 again.

So... where did this come from? Well, I was trolling the CL ads because they're usually funny, and usually unintentionally so. I came across an ad that was funny intentionally. I just emailed the person to let him know that I thought it was funny, and good luck. I'm not really looking for a relationship, I just like conversation, so when he pressed me for more info, I thought it might be fun to just chat with the guy. After 2 emails I got the "how much do you weigh" question. Seriously? You're going to as someone you've never even met that? You know what buddy? It's none of your fucking business, and you're not even cute anyway because I looked your ass up on facebook. You're short and funny looking and that's why you're on craigslist to begin with you troll. So I just deleted the email.

I know it's passive aggressive of me, but whatever he can kiss my fat ass.

On a lighter note, I've been asked to sit in on a fashion panel for a local transgender support group. It should be fun. I also thought about doing some makeup tutorials. I'm not a makeup artist by any means, but I think I'm pretty good at the application part. They probably won’t be video, but I should be able to do face charts and photos. The girdle idea was a bit of a bust, I don't really wear them because I haven't found one that really works for me, and I don't do enough fancy things to warrant purchase of a good one. I'll say this, if you're going to do it, get one that is more like a one piece bathing suit. The bottoms by themselves give me major muffin top, and the tops by themselves give me a condition that I like to call corset tummy. It's when all the fat from the upper part of your body gets shoved down and creates a large FUPA. I used to hang out in the Goth scene and a lot of big girls like to wear corsets, and most of the time it just looked gross. It's not about the size it's the way you look in it right?

I'm thinking I might have something to say about accessories, but that's more a taste thing anyway. I'll try to think up something soon.

Shellac nails... and other stuff.

Okay, so we all probably know by now that I'm a nail polish ho! Only time my nails see the light of day is between nail polish changes. My new job is really tough on my nails and I've been changing polish every other day. My sister, the stylist, suggested I get a shellac manicure. I hadn't planned on it when I went to the nail salon almost 2 weeks ago, but the lady suggested it, and I'm a sucker.

At first I liked it and thought I might buy some so I can do it myself. My problems right off the bat were that it's expensive to get done, and the colors aren't that great. My problems later are that after 5 or 6 days the shellac started to crack on my nails. I didn't really notice it at first, but then they started to change color because of dirt settling into the cracks. Then my nails started to crack underneath the shellac, this is not really the shellac's fault, but annoying anyway because I couldn't really do anything to stop the cracking because I had this shit covering. Today, I finally had enough with it and wanted to take it off, and not wanting to go back to the salon and have some lady charge me to undo the shit she did to me I decided to do it myself.

I found a video on YouTube and supposedly they have these special nail wraps you put on your nails, and since I didn't want to pay anything to get this crap off I decided to make my own. I soaked cotton balls in acetone and scotch taped them to my fingers. It's supposed to take 10 minutes for the shellac to soften and then you take an orange stick and "push" the shellac off. Try 20 minutes and scrape seemed more appropriate. After an hour I finally had that crap off and I had to cut my nails way down and file off what I couldn't scrape off. I didn't have too much of a problem with it until I tried to get it off. I figured I wouldn't do it again anyway, but now I'm defiantly never doing it again.

Now my nails are back to normal and I'm happy. I haven't been blogging lately, I had allergy related pink eye last week and the beginning of this week, and I didn't really feel like it. I'm not sure what I'm going to blog about next, but I'll try to do it this weekend. I had an idea to maybe "talk" about girdles, but I don't know. Let me know what you think, or if you have any other ideas.

Oh, and my Old Navy order came in and the jeans fit perfect! I'm really happy with that purchase. I got the Plus Dark Wash Jeggings and the Plus Dark Wash Skinny Jeans. Yes, I wear skinny jeans. They look more like straight leg jeans on me because my legs are so much thinner compared to my waist. They were on sale and they give free shipping if you spend more than $50. I generally like their clothing, especially their cardigans, and now their jeans. Photos below.

  

Jeggings                                                                                                                         Skinny Jeans

todays purchases

I bought some black skinny jeans at Ross for $9.00. I had to cut about 5 inches off of the bottom since I'm short. Now they look more like straight leg jeans on me. Personally I like skinny jeans. I'm an apple shape, so if I try to wear flares or straight leg jeans they are too big through the hip area once I've found the right size to fit around my middle. I'll take some pictures once I've broken them in.

I also got a shellac manicure today. So far so good, it's just like a gel overlay and can get thick in places. I spent $25 for it, and I'm not sure if that was too much, but it's a bit of a budget buster for me. I thought I would just treat myself to a little bit of pampering. I'll let you know how it holds up. I was a little disappointed with color selection, I went with a hot pink shade, but I was really hoping for a purple.

While at Ross I also purchased some e.l.f. eye shadows and a brush set. If you have a Ross near you, look to see if they have any e.l.f. cosmetics. I really like this brand and they are animal friendly. I got the eye shadow palate for $5.00 and the brush set for $10.00.

I went to the Body Shop today and got some new things to try. I picked up a small Seaweed mattifying day cream. I have oily skin and I just ran out of my daily moisturizer. I'll try it out and let you guys know how I like it. I also picked up a lipstick #49 Berry Shimmer. They don't smell so great, but the color is nice and sort of like an old sephora lip gloss that I loved and they discontinued. I realized that the only lipsticks I have are either bright red or frosty brown. I don't know what I was thinking with the frosty browns, but I can't wear bright red every day. So I picked up this one because it was a little more subdued. By the way, my favorite red is Red Revival by Maybelline. I've spent way more on reds, but this is the best and pretty cheap.

That's it for now, I'll play with the things I bought and let you know how they turn out. Oh, and I wanted to thank everyone who has been following my blog. I reached 300+ hits last night/this morning. That was way more than I ever could have expected. Thanks again.

Rant

So I've lost a little bit of weight and it's official, all of the pants I own are too big on me and look like I've dropped a load back there. I went to try on pants at the mall. I decided to try a 22 and an 20. I normally wear a 24 and they're too big, but a 22 was always a little too tight. I got my ass into the 20, but they didn't look good. I put on the 22s and they fit in the waist but way too big everywhere else. Being weird shapped sucks ladies. I'm going back to the mall tomorrow to look some more. I'll let you know what I buy, if anything.

edit: I just bought 2 pairs of jeans at oldnavy.com. They were on sale. I'll let you know how it goes. I've purchased from them in the past and their 24 is way too big. Trying a 22.

Athletic Wear doesn't make you look sporty.

I notice that a lot of large women have this idea in their head that if you are wearing workout clothes then you instantly look sporty and therefore more in shape. If you're actually working out, they I may agree with this statement. But I see this at clubs, walking around town, at the grocery store, getting coffee... pretty much everywhere. And I'm here to tell you ladies, you don't look sporty, you look lazy.

Yoga pants aren't attractive on anyone, and shouldn't be worn in place of slacks or jeans. If you're not going to the gym, at the gym/working out, or on the way home from the gym, don't wear them. The same goes for basketball shorts.

This goes for leggings as well. They shouldn't be worn in place of pants; they should be worn as an accessory under a dress/skirt or a long tunic. They make proper pants in all sorts of sizes, take some time and find some.

It's not that hard to find clothes that fit and are flattering. Don't be lazy, wear some real clothes, and for pity sake, wear some freaking underwear.