Sephora Immediate Wrinkle Filler

Yep. This stuff is awesome. It feels a lot like that L'Oreal primer that came out a while back. Its $20 for .42 oz and you can actually use it as an all over primer. A little goes a long way. I use it under my eyes primarily, but it REALLY makes your make up stick, and for under eyes, where concealer goes - its awesome as concealer has this funny habit of melting. From Sephora's website :

-Silicone elastomer: Makes skin soft, silky, and smooth.
-Vegetable cellulose: Has a mattifying effect.
-Silica: Controls and balances sebum production to prevent shine throughout the day.

Laser treatment for veins

I have recently had laser treatment on both legs for varicose veins with the last treatment being today. Its pretty uneventful and not painful. You feel the shots you get for numbing, other than that you don't feel anything. It doesn't take long, and your legs look pretty good when they are done.

Everyone has a different experience of course. Mine has been positive. I am getting married this summer and my dress is knee length and I can't handle the veins anymore, they really got out of control after the last baby. Maybe this is TMI, but I think a lot of people consider having this done, and if you want more info, or opinions - just message me :D

Kiehls Super Fluid Sunscreen

Want a super awesome Oil Free sunscreen, great for sensitive skin dries to a silky finish, actually makes your skin surface look better than before and has SPF 50+. Oh and no scent/ smell ?? This is it here. If you have a Kiehls close to you, they happily give samples of this, its how I found it. The texture is actually almost watery.. tested this out at Dana Point / Baby Beach the other day - passed the test. I burn easily and I had NOTHING. Not even pink. Its not cheap.. about $35 for the bottle, but you don't need much. LOVE LOVE LOVE. It does not sit on your skin you forget you have it on. That is pretty rare for an SPF50 sunscreen.

' Baby Beach ' Dana Point CA

We went here today. This is not my pic, but this is pretty accurate. This is a great beach for kids. What you can't see behind the camera is the nice park / grassy area. There are nice bathrooms and showers ( just regular beach showers ) and picnic areas. Weekends are INSANE here. This is basically Dana Point Harbor and its a big launching area for paddleboards and all the kayak / boating clubs. Parking is free too. Can't beat that. The buoys you see on the left are basically marking off the area where the kids go in the water. Its very shallow, the sand is clean, there is a lifeguard on duty on the weekends. My youngest daughter is 2.5 yrs old and loves it here. There are TONS of kids to play with, its close to our house and its nice. Today was gorgeous .

$39

Seems like MUA is all a-buzz about the Tarte Amazonian clay blushes. They are nice, I checked them out in Sephora. But if you really want one, take a look at this. You get a nice 'clay' powder, gel e/l, a cream e/s and mascara. I think at $39 the price is right. I am most intrigued by the blush and the powder. I have my VIB discount and I'm considering this. I need more make up like I need a hole in the head.. but thats not the point :D

The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas

A lil lapse in posting. I was in Vegas the last few days.. staying at the Cosmopolitan, which I highly recommend EXCEPT for one thing, and its just about a deal breaker.

CRAPPY water pressure. I am a semi hair freak, and if I can't get water pressure strong enough to get shampoo / conditioner out of my hair, then I can't wash my hair. I already only wash 2x a week, but IF I had gone to the pool or something, we would have had a serious issue. It was really realllllly really weak. I prefer a water stream that feels like your skin is peeling off, but if the spray is so light you literally can't feel it hit your skin, something is really wrong.

Picture above is the Chandelier Bar which looks a LOT better in pictures. Just sayin'.

Bye Bye Wendy Williams...

Sorry Wendy didn't make it on DWTS. Dancing isn't for everyone right ? I never thought she'd win, but I was hoping..

BUT John Rich - Celebrity Apprentice, he is my PICK TO WIN. I'd lay odds in Vegas on him. Saying this while I boycott the show. I refuse to watch ever since ' The Donald' fired TBOZ from TLC ( maybe 2 seasons ago ) FOR NO REASON. BOOOOO - I have my standards. But I remember John from his show ' Gone Country ' - which I LOOOOVED, and well, he doesn't play around.

We'll see what happens with him :D

Cork-ease

I have these shoes in carts all over the internet. Amazon, Nordstrom.. I just haven't pulled the trigger yet. These are a LOOONG time lemming. They come higher than this, I don't want those. The sides of the platform are suede, but you can get them in cork.. I am still kind of deciding on that. You can also get them in different colors - green, darker brown, metallic etc.. they don't come in half sizes so I imagine I am a 10 ( booo ) the price is about $135 standard. A store by me sells these, down in Laguna Beach. I think I might go try them on to make sure of the size, if the price is right ( this store is WAY over priced IMO. Probably for tourists. Boooo again ) I would like to buy them locally. Maybe I will check them out Friday.

What do you think ? Anyone have these ? They were popular in the 70's. And these are the SAME ones, same brand.

Drugstore ' haul '

I went to Walmart today to check out some of the Hard Candy cosmetics, more specifically the ' Fox in a Box' I've been hearing about. I purchased ' Skinny Dipping'. Its basically a bright peach/coral blush with a bronzer. The bronzer looks pinkish. It was $6.00. MUA raves on these so I hope I like it.

John Frieda Luxurious Volume anytime Volume Refresher - aka dry shampoo. I'm still on the quest for a reasonably priced dry shampoo. I have no idea how this is, but I will do a review on it.

Palmers Skin Success - basically a cream with 2% hydroquinone in it. To lighten my dark spots. It says it has Vitamins C and E, Alpha Hydroxy and sunscreen. I don't know about the sunscreen, it doesn't say SPF. I am not relying on it, and will be using my own Neutrogena SPF 70 like usual. I have tried some other creams but nothing is working on the dark spots, and I know this will take care of it.

L'Oreal EverSleek Sulfate Free Reparative Smoothing condition - that dang Jennifer Lopez gets to me in the print ads. LOL. Silicone free and claims 48 hr frizz control. We'll see.

Covergirl Lip Perfection lipstick in Divine. This color was SCREAMING my name. Its hardly anything I would wear, but I love it, its like an orchid lavender color. I see 4 reviews on MUA with 100% repurchase and 4.5 stars. Interesting.

Will report back on these. I am REALLY hopeful for the dry shampoo.

Cartier Entrelaces Ring - pink gold

Long long time lemming. Hoping and crossing fingers its coming for Mothers Day. I threw the 'hint' out there today.

Here's what you do, you pick one thing ridiculously $$ and one that is not, the 'not' is what I really want so it sounds good in comparison. LOL. Just kidding.. kind of. I have wanted this ring for about 2 years or so. I hope it works out.

Tucker for Target

** this is not my picture, nor is it me. Its borrowed from a message board **

This dress is part of Targets GO line.. where all the designers make clothes - Rodarte, Thakoon all that. It has pretty much been VERY hit or miss, with mostly misses IMO since they put out Patrick Robinson which was PRE- GAP so you know that was a long time ago, but anyway.. this is at TARGET now and this picture does not even do this dress justice. I think this picture is good but this dress is so cute ON. Really. I just got the last one at my Target in Medium. Normally I wear about a 6/8 in dresses. I am about 5'9 so I am tall and not always hopeful that any dress doesn't look like a top on me, this one is a decent above the knee length. And $39.99.

I think the possibilities are endless. Cute with boots, flats, a denim jacket, a cardi - just adorable. Its 100% polyester, so if that turns you off, you won't like it. I love polyester and the feel of this dress is nice, I was just praying it was not rayon.

Check it out ladies. This one is really really cute.

Neutrogena Naturals

This is an awesome cleanser. I am a big fan of Neutrogena in general, the oil free acne wash - its my one true HG. This does a great job of removing make up, its not drying, it lathers nice, it feels nice, it smells good - someone said it smells like sweet tarts.. kind of but not so perfume-y.. ITS NATURAL.

It works GREAT with a Clarisonic brush I'll tell you that. Bravo Neutrogena, this is a keeper.

NYC Blushable Creme Stick

If you haven't tried these yet, you MUST. These are my favorite drugstore buy that I've come across in the last year. Plaza Pink on the cheeks - 2nd from right - looks peach-ish and does come off like NARS Orgasm on the cheeks.

These are $3-$5 depending on where you go. I have seen the best selection at Rite Aid but I know that varies by area / store. The color pay off is everything it should be, the texture is right - not too creamy/creasy, not dry. You can easily apply with fingers / sponge / or brush. I like the MAC 168 for cream blush. The darker colors would be fabulous on darker skinned ladies, who I think have a hard time finding high pigment items like these. Similar to a NARS multiple with out the price tag. And I actually think they are better.

These are a MUST BUY. There is not a huge price commitment and I have yet to hear of anyone who didn't LOVE them. Hard Candy makes something similar and well... you can pass on those. I will post a review on those also.

HOW YOU DOIN' ?!!

I don't watch Dancing with the Stars, American Idol, Survivor or any of that, but I WILL be watching my GIRL CRUSH ( sorry Paula Deen ) WENDY WILLIAMS - WIN HER WAY TO THE TOP on Dancing with the Stars. I have high hopes for my girl Wendy. I love her. She can do it. I wonder how much taller she is than her partner, hmmmm.. I see she is bending her legs quite a bit here in this pic, and I KNOW for a fact she weighs more than him. Wendy divulged her weight on her show a while ago, I think she said 185 - and guess what, at about 6 feet tall, I think thats just fine.

GO WENDY GO WENDY !! I will be calling in to vote also. We're going ALL THE WAY with this one !!!!

Review for Suave Dry Shampoo

I am a dry shampoo FANATIC. I have tried several. "THE ONE" is $25 a can, and doesn't last that long and goes by the name of FURTERER. The one really bad thing about this, is I've purchased 2 cans and have had had the product completely disappear w/o me even using it. How this is even possible, I don't know. But I want Furterer to explain it to me. When they do, I will advise ( Please let me know if this has happened to any of you ).

I have looked for this ever since I saw its name pop up on MUA - Make Up Alley, for those who don't know. I just got it at Target. Its ok. Its along the lines of Tresemme. Which I don't care for so much.

I have tried - FURTERER, OJON, BATISTE, OSCAR BIANDI, and TRESEMME.

Sadly SADLY Furterer makes your hair look like you just washed it, and you can go another 3 days or something. Since its this good, I should just use it, but with it magically disappearing out of the can ( TWICE ) I can't buy it anymore. Ojon is the next best so far.

I think TiGi makes one, and I just read about Victoria's secret making one. I don't know. I want Aveda to make once since I use all Aveda primarily anyway, but so far no luck.

Let me know if anyone has tried anything they love that I have not listed / hated above.

Hair 'feathers'

My daughter told me our hair salon offers something like this. I have not seen them yet. But I am intrigued. Has anyone tried these ? I'd love to hear from you. Its interesting to me that you can curl / straighten them like your own hair. If they are real feathers, it doesn't seem like that is possible.

I have a hair appointment 3/24, I am going to be looking at these. My salon sells them for $30, I see them MUCH cheaper on line, but I want to see theirs vs. what is on line... I want to see how you get them in your hair. I have not seen ANYONE with these, and I am probably too old for them, but since I am immature and inappropriate anyway ( hahahhaa ) I think it will be fine.

' Working Out '

Decided to do the thrice weekly 'work out' in the Great Outdoors today. Laguna Niguel Regional Park. I love this place. If you haul your cookies around it twice, I think its 6 miles ? its pretty flat so its not too much of a work out, some areas have hills. There are stop-off areas to work out, like to do pull ups and stuff like that. AS IF !! hahahaha. The walk is all I can handle. There were giant geese there as large as dogs, pooping as LARGE as dogs also, but I like this place.

Its clean. Its safe. You don't have to fight your way around cars / bikes. Mostly pedestrians, dog walkers, and stroller pushers. I put the Ipod on shuffle and discovered some new songs. I need to get a pedometer / heart rate monitor. I've had some recommendations made, still trying to decide. The BF's Ipod nano has a pedometer in it, and well, that is very compelling. Maybe I just need that.

So what did you all do today ? anyone anyone ? Yes walking around the mall counts as exercise !

CASA Volunteer

Today I start my 30 hours of training to be a CASA volunteer. I've wanted to do this for many years, I am so happy to be able to finally do this. I am want to work with 'emancipating teens', teenagers aging out of the system - turning 18. I guess in CA, the governor signed something where they can stay in until they are 21, I don't know what the criteria is. The CASA person I spoke to said a lot of them don't want to stay, they want to just get out and move on.

Working with Foster Kids is important to me. Its a really difficult situation for them for the most part, and I used be a foster parent back in the mid - 90's, so I kind of know how this works. It had a really big impact on me. I'd like to do more with CASA, but I have to get in and see how they run. This ought to be very interesting :D

My latest crush

I've 'crushed' on many people over the years. Tiger Woods ( boooo ), Tom Ford ( who knew we BOTH loved Hostess Donettes ), Paula Deen etc.. but the Daryl Hall fascination is out of control. I get giddy thinking about him. I dream about him, I talk about him like I know him. I caught a video of him on his website a year or so ago, 'livefromdarylshouse.com' and that was it.

Of course we recognize him from the 80's - Maneater comes to mind, but if anyone could get hotter with age, its him. I think he's 60+, my mom's age. I saw him in concert at the Pomona Fairgrounds last October ( SOLD OUT I might add. Hall and Oates is no joke ), and with that strawberry hair blowing in the wind, wearing sunglasses at night ( I forgive him ) being all tall and hot.. it was too much.

It is odd, I will note - that he and John Oates do not talk to each other on stage, don't look at each, converse, nothing. WEIRD. I've googled and googled to see if those 2 don't get along. I can't find anything.

Two weeks ago, in my sleep, I became Mrs. Daryl Hall. It was all you could ever imagine <3

I'm BACK !

Two year hiatus.. HORRIBLE.

I have mucho to blog about. Lets get started :

Tried the new DRYBAR blow out only salon at Fashion Island Friday. It was the grand opening. I've read a lot about 'blow outs' and a friend of mine told me about this, and I was intrigued. 30 minutes, $35 - shampoo included. They have a 'menu' of hair styles to choose from, I chose the 'Cosmopolitan', big curls is the basic jist of this hairstyle. It was just OK.

First and foremost, this isn't 30 minutes. I was there over an hour and she didn't even really finish I HAD to leave to pick up my 2 yr old from school. I don't have that kind of time. And if it takes that long, SAY IT. Don't say 30 minutes all over your website. I saw a pic on line of 2 girls blowing out someones hair at the same time, this is how I 'thought' 30 minutes was possible. I didn't like what I got. I came home and re-did it. However, everyone else's hair that I saw walk out of there looked awesome. I have long curly hair that is fine and tangles easily and I think it took her 10 minutes just to brush it out :(

They use Living Proof products. I was told the shampoo is sulfate free. I am an Aveda freak, I mean fan, but its ok - I can try something else. The salon is beautiful, everyone is nice. They offer drinks, snacks. They have 'add ons' like scalp massage. You can get an 'up do'. I like that you can book on line. Just pick your day / time. Its very easy. They do parties, you can get a 'membership'. Watching ' The Devil Wears Prada' with subtitles was really nice actually.

I will try again. I will get their ' classic ' blowout, whatever they call it, and see what happens. I am a bad ' first impression' person.