Blog Everyday in May - Day 18

Hello! 

It's Day 18 of the Blog Every Day Challenge!


Tell a story from your childhood. Dig deep and try to be descriptive about what you remember and how you felt.

I remember I used to LOVE going to the library (still do!) and one time my mom took me to the downtown Minneapolis branch.  So I was like 6 or 7 and back in the day the Children's section had the Nancy Drew novels but they were off to the side in the regular stacks that where 8ft high.  (really easy for children to reach the books???)   Anywhoo I was after my Nancy Drews and I was concentrating on getting it off the high shelf, all of a sudden a homeless man with the really matted hair and very dirty came around the corner into the stacks (and honestly he was probably harmless) but I remember it scared the S#it out of me.  It was the first time I had seen someone in that state up close, and I don't think I knew exactly why he looked like that.  I remember I froze and I was so scarred he was going to "get" me.  I finally got my wits about me (I was only 6 for goodness sake!) and ran to the common area by the librarian and just told my mom I was ready to go.  I never said anything about it because I was so scared.  But it's always stuck with me as a very vivid memory.

So that's my lovely childhood story!



 

Who are your best friends and what makes them so special?

Long story short - I have moved a lot, I am old and I don't currently have any friends.


Jasmine

Blog Every Day in May - Day 17

Hello!

It's once again time for more of my thoughts on life... 




A favorite photo of yourself and why?

Ok so this is me before the MDNA concert last September - I was vogue-ing in like EVERY picture!  But this actually looks like ME to ME.  And it was such an amazing concert and I had a lot of fun so this picture also brings back happy thoughts! 

On to the prompt from Rosalilium.com

Describe or photograph your walk to work. Or journey to work if you use transport. Is it pretty or incredibly dull? 

I walk about 2 blocks to catch a bus to the El station and its not pretty along Western ave.  Lots of litter and random city store fronts once I get out of my neighborhood.  Then I take the bus a few miles south and get to the very utilitarian El stop.  But its in Germantown (more commonly known as Lincoln Square) and they have a piece of the Berlin Wall on display so that's pretty neat!

Then I ride the El downtown and there are senic views of the city along the way. There are also creepy smelly people on both the bus and El. 

Once I get downtown, its all pretty, Chicago has amazing architecture wherever you turn.

And then I work and often I see people wearing questionable outfits, especially now that it is warm.  I didn't take pictures of that.  But I also see lots of cute outfits, purses, and shoes and I ask where they got them so thats fun.

On the way home the El platform faces Trump tower so here's a view of that.

Overall, I have a very urban scenic route and though it takes an hour to go 8 miles, Im not driving so I get to enjoy it all.  :)

Jasmine

Inner Beauty Friday - Book Review!

Hello!

It's Friday and time for Book Club!



This week I read 2 books - one good and one hooorrible.

So let's start with the good - Delirium by Lauren Oliver.  Which I received in a book trade from Martha @ Quick Cheap & Pretty!  Thanks again Martha :)

Here's the synopsis from Goodreads.com: "They say that the cure for Love will make me happy and safe forever.  And I've always believed them.  Until now.  Now everything has changed.  Now, I'd rather be infected with love for the tiniest sliver of a second than live a hundred years smothered by a lie.  Lena looks forward to receiving the government-mandated cure that prevents the delirium of love and leads to a safe, predictable, and happy life, until ninety-five days before her eighteenth birthday and her treatment, when she falls in love." 

My thoughts:  Ok that synopsis sucked ... The book is actually much more interesting than all that!  I really like the "alterna-world" Lauren Oliver created - it's believable.  Lena starts out the book as one of the whiny heroines I loathe -( a la Bella in Twilight), but she sheds it thru the book.  I thought I was going to have a negative review because she was all "I'm just a plain girl" "no one thinks I'm pretty" blah blah blah - but as there are 2 more books I think it was a plot thing.  At the end of the book she's a much more interesting character - and I'm excited to read the rest! 

The next book I read was "The River Sweet" by Patricia Henly

Here's the synopsis from Goodreads.com: "From all appearances, Ruth Anne Bond is enviably lucky. Her husband, Johnny, still treats her like a young lover. Her grown daughter is a staunch friend. Her steady work and devotion to the church have quietly made her a pillar of the community. Then one long Indiana summer brings some unexpected communiqués—including one she has both craved and feared for thirty years. As long-hidden truths threaten to emerge, for the first time in her marriage Ruth Anne is faced with memories she and Johnny never discuss: of a year spent in Saigon in 1968—and a past she has yet to acknowledge. Probing questions of family and faith, Patricia Henley offers us a tender, far-sighted novel about seeking answers and achieving grace."

My thoughts: Sounds interesting right?  But the book was so dis-jointed and overly wordy and descriptive - I feel just for the sake of being "picturesque" that it was like Get On with It!  I appreciate that it was emotional in the way people really are, and that our feelings aren't always clear, but it just dragged and dragged.  I rarely only read a page or two at a time, but this book bored me to pieces.

I'd love to hear about your recent reads :)

Jasmine

Blog Every Day in May - Day 16

Hello!

Today is Day 16 of Blog Every Day in May! 




Something difficult about your "lot in life" and how you're working to overcome it:

If you read my post yesterday you know I'm not real big on saying my lot in life is difficult - because it's NOT.  But I will say there's things I need to work on!
I'm working not swearing so much - I sound so ignorant when I do it.  Instead I try to say "ah nutsy" or "oh drag".
I need to work out!  Seriously.  I used to be strong, and now stupid things wind me. 
Those are my 2 main difficulties at this time :)




What is your ideal way to pamper yourself and relax?




Ideally I would be in Las Vegas at Caesar's and wake up late go down to the Qua Spa for a facial and massage and then some shopping and dinner!  I love that it's all one stop and I barely have to leave the building :)  Seriously relaxing and indulgent!  And seriously expensive :)

Jasmine

Nail Polish Frenzy

Hello!

Well I acquired some more nail polish this week - I don't know what's wrong with me!  I've got the WANT-sies! 

What I need to do is film my polish collection video - like Martha from Quick Cheap & Pretty.  I think it will shame me into realizing I have every color :)  Well, not every color...

So here's what I got:

From the Left - OPI Pirouette My Whistle, OPI Lucerne-Tainly Look Marvelous, Finger Paints - Colorful Collage, ORLY - Sparkling Garbage, Sinful Shine (from Sinful Colors) - Picante, Revlon - Lagoon Afternoon

I got the OPI polishes at Carson Pierre Scott, the Finger Paints & Orly at Sally Beauty Supply, and the last two at Walgreens.

I took a close-up of the OPI Pirouette My Whistle because it's an interesting looking polish and I'm not sure how I'm going to use it - I need to Google some nail pictures to see what others have done because I kind of don't like it!

It's just "blah" right?  And that's three coats.

Here's my nail wheel with all the colors swatched - they (of course) look much better in person!

I LOVE the Finger Paints Holo Glitter!  And the Sinful Shine is soooooo much better than the usual Sinful Colors.  I only used to coats and the color is bright, smooth and shiny!  The ORLY Sparkling Garbage I bought after seeing amazing pictures on Beauty Redefined by Pang.  She actually captures how pretty it is. 

So that's my little haul!

Jasmine

Inglot AMC Cream Blush #84

Hello!

Today I wanted to show the Inglot Cream Blush ($12),  I picked up last week.  They have 15 colors available on their website www.inglotcosmetics.com but at the Inglot counter they only had about 8.  They describe their cream blush as "Jojoba oil, nylon and a complex mixture of Spherical porous and non porous particles gives this light and creamy formula its velvet finish on all skin types."

I chose shade 84 which is a lovely "dusty rose" I thought it was lovely on its own and would make a great base for a lot of my powder blushes. 

I did just a finger dip and swatched down my wrist on the left (above) and then blended it out on the right.  A little goes a long way!

I used just a little bit as you can see in the middle picture to get a nice "glow" and it lasted all day which was why I opted for a cream formula in the first place.  They also have liquid blushes, and so many other great products and I want them all!

Any other great cream blushes I should know about?

Jasmine

Blog Every Day in May - Day 15!

Hello!

I'm halfway thru the Blog Every Day in May Challenge times 2!

A Day in the life

                         ***Feel free to skip this as I posted about this once before!***

Ok - I get up around 9:18 (rough I know.) Also weird number because I refuse to set my alarm for an "normal" time.
Quick bath, fix hair, lotions and potions on, dressed in all black, grab purse out the door by 9:48.
On bus and Train doing make-up (yea, I'm that girl), or reading, or playing Candy Crush.
Arrive Downtown about 10:45
Check financials from yesterday, check on stock levels, check in with store team (I'm a "vendor" while in their store) Then start talking to clients that come in. 
Skincare
Skincare
Chat with other cosmetic consultants if they're "in house" that day about what's new in the world
Skincare
"You put WHAT on your face?"
Cosmetic consult
Quick, like 15 minute Lunch
Skincare
"Your face is dry because your using a cleanser meant for a 15 year old boy, and then a salicylic acid toner and no moisturizer" (this I keep in my head)
Cosmetic consult
Skincare
Leave the store around 5:30 pm and try not to go to Ulta, or Sephora or Macy's or DSW which are all within a BLOCK of where I usually work. Get back on train and think about why it always smells so strongly of urine (bleckkkkk...)
Read blogs and comment while on train (so that's why my spelling sucks, or why my sentences are weird because the darn auto correct takes over.)
Home by about 7pm, Wash face and remove all makeup and lotion and potion up for the evening. Then I have to take off all my work clothes immediately (they have touched the EL and are gross) and put on fresh "house" clothes.  I do this even when I just run errands, I can't wear something I wore "outside" inside.  It bothers me. And I KNOW I am not the only one that does this! 
Drink a Diet Coke on ice and have a light snack
Take my "pre-bedtime" nap
9:30pm wake up, do any chores I need to do, read, write blog post for the next day or take pictures, do any skincare things that are that "day's" (Glycolic peel - Sunday night, Facial hair removal - Tuesday night, Deep condition hair - Wednesday night).  I also talk to my boyfriend for a bit during this time, we are really independent.  We both are always working on something and try to spend "quality time" together on days off - on "work" nights it's very quiet around our house.
Midnight - put on hand cream, nighttime lip treatment & read for a bit and then ZZZZZZ.


On my days off I run errands for 3 hours - and then I seriously just do nothing.  I take naps, I read, I do laundry and that's about it.





What is the single most important lesson you have ever had?

It's going to sound harsh but it has served me well -
"You are NOT Special"

The sooner you stop believing you are in some way SPECIAL and your life is so different from everyone else's the more you can focus on living.  Everyone has difficult times and if you think you are special and that your life was soooo much harder think again - I guarantee there are 1 billion people without access to clean water just to begin with.  If you are so special and think you are "entitled" to people treating you a certain way, think again, you CANNOT control how other people act only yourself so stop being special and LIVE.  You are just another human on this planet and it is up to YOU to make your life happy, healthy and worthwhile. 

Now I need to go take some pictures to bring some beauty back to this blog :)

Jasmine

Blog Every Day in May - Day 14

Hello!

So far I'm doing quite well on the blog every day challenge!





Ten things that make you really happy

1) A good book
2) A nap
3) A Diet Coke on ice
4) Getting a great deal on something
5) Going camping or traveling to somewhere new
6) Make-up!
7) My cat
8) Fresh sheets on the bed
9) A sincere compliment
10) Relaxing by the seashore


And for the rosalilium.com challenge -



Share your favourite recipe. Talk about the best cocktail you've ever tasted. Or maybe share you fave restaurant experience. Lets talking about food!

My favorite "food" is anything grain based - cereal, bread, pastries, crackers.  I have a really "plain" palette.  I do enjoy food from around the world, but my favorite parts of much of it has to do with breads.  A freshly baked loaf of honey wheat bread is my favorite. 
 
As for cocktails - I don't drink very often.  It interferes with my medication and so I'm a total lightweight.  I go from one drink to puking drunk.  So no cocktails for me.
 
I will share on of my favorite recipes for dinner parties - it's an easy to make salad that everyone seems to love (and who Doesn't love caramelized pecans?)
 
Roquefort Pear Salad
 
1 head leaf lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces

 

3 pears - peeled, cored and chopped 

                       

5 ounces Roquefort cheese, crumbled (you could use feta instead, it's easier to find

                        

1 avocado - peeled, pitted, and diced                                            

                       

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions  

                    

1/4 cup white sugar

                        

1/2 cup pecans 

                      

1/3 cup olive oil  

                       

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar               

                        

1 1/2 teaspoons prepared mustard                                                    

                      

1 clove garlic, chopped                                                    

                    

1/2 teaspoon salt                                  

                     

fresh ground black pepper to taste

 

 

In a skillet over medium heat, stir 1/4 cup of sugar together with the pecans. Continue stirring gently until sugar has melted and caramelized the pecans. Carefully transfer nuts onto waxed paper. Allow to cool, and break into pieces.

For the dressing, blend oil, vinegar, 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, mustard, chopped garlic, salt, and pepper.
In a large serving bowl, layer lettuce, pears, blue cheese, avocado, and green onions. Pour dressing over salad, sprinkle with pecans, and serve.

I just love this! 

I don't have a fancy picture of it because - it's salad!  And I don't take pictures of my food, I eat it.

Jasmine