Reddy’s Neighborhood

Sole affair

Frond
Yesterday
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Remember I was babbling about my new heels here? well, the pics have finally been uploaded so here they are.

First up, what I refer to as my cute heels. They aren’t formal at all and not what I expect to see from heels. The brand is North Star which normally sells track/running shoes. Hence the casualness of these I guess.

Like I said in the last post, original price was RM89.90. Got them at a whopping 70% off. So after taking into consideration the FX rate, price for me was S$20/US$14.

Love the teal blue and white. Got a lovely teal long dress that would match pretty much perfectly *happy happy*

and look at the heels. Gotta make sure to practice a little before leaving the house. Haven’t really used heels this high since I’ve had kids and that’s… erm… 9 years ago?

On to something a little more ethnic. If you were to meet a Peranakan woman a couple decades ago, chances are high that she’d be wearing one of these

(pic from here)

Well, personally, I don’t like the old fashioned look of these and prefer to have an open toed pattern (to show of my pretty nails especially after a pedi… yes, I’m vain)

So this is my latest pair of beaded sandals (I’ve got two others. Pics on the way). Actually, I have no need to get these… I just wanted them. And they looked so pretty. So I picked my pattern and my color (you can choose both) and the nice lady made a pair of sandals for me.

See how pretty the little flowers look? And to think someone hand beaded them one by one. Oh the time taken… if I had to do it, my eyes would surely be totally crossed!

Finally, here’s my lovely cheap pair of ‘classy’ heels. They were a “quick! I have to get these” type of buy. One size too big but at S$10 they were seriously a steal. Love the stitching detailing, the buckle and the nice red inside. Had to buy two sets of insoles just to make them a little more wearable.

Haven’t worn any of these shoes yet.. been in a pretty casual mood lately. But they’re sitting pretty on my shoe shelf and I can’t wait to wear them. :)

New Loves, Old Loves, and Disappointments/Lessons Learned in 2009

Hoozey
3 days ago
11 comments

I thought I'd share some products that I fell in love with this year, some that continue to keep me in love (so worth mentioning again) and some things that I wouldn't purchase again.

New Loves

*Beauty Society Enormous Lash- Face Fab is a representative for this company and of course I had to try out the EL because I'm a mascara ho and anything that will enhance my lashes I will try- especially since there is a money back guarantee if not fully satisfied. I got in on EL buy one get one free and have definitely seen results- as I have posted with photos on this blog.

* Lime Essential Oil- For several years I've been playing with melt and pour soap and making scrubs- using both essential oils and fragrance oils to scent. In general I tend to prefer EO over FO because FO can often have a "chemically" finish which I do not like. I seem to have a very sensitive nose (DD says I'm part beagle like our one dog Sully) so I notice scents being off. Even with EO, one can be disappointed with the scent-- for instance I have tangerine EO- expected to be bright and sweet like when one peels a tangerine and it was not very scented and rather bitter smell. So this year I ordered lime essential oil and it is my HG scent for the scrubs I make myself. I never seem to tire of the scent.

*Natural Soap Warehouse Key Lime Soap-- I've been a fan of natural soaps for a few years now but just ordered from Natural Soap Warehouse this year. By far my favorite is the Key Lime Soap-- it has the bright, fruity scent of lime essential oil which I love so much and it's natural soap which leaves my skin softer and less dried out. For the NSW price, I won't be bothering with scenting melt and pour soap base and will just keep ordering loaves of this soap. Many of the other scents are quite lovely but the Key Lime will be a staple for me.

*LaCrosse Double Bar Lash Curler- at about $5.99 this curler does the best job on curling my lashes quickly and easily. I've already bought a backup in case they stop making it. Post about it here.

* MMBB indelible liner pencil in Smolder- Lisa sometimes does a special order on these liner pencils and she suggested Smolder to me. I LOVE it- it's purple but smoky and just such a great liner color. When I travel, this pencil is always in the makeup case since it's great for so many different looks.

*Argan Oil- Lisa also recommended this- Sally's Beauty Supply sells a version of it and I picked it up. It can be used on wet or dry hair to help condition and prevent frizz. Usually this kind of product really weighs my fine hair down but this stuff works great. I bought the trial size for $1.99 and soon went back for the large size because I do not want to be without. When I was getting the large size the girl working at Sally's says "That stuff is great!" She even gave me a helpful hint of putting a little bit of it into hair dye to keep color longer.

*Aquafresh Isoactive Toothpaste- I really like the foaming action and how clean my teeth feel after using it.

*Revlon Eye shadow brush- I happen to find these at Big Lots for $1.99 if I remember correctly, but would even pay the real price (under $10) for this brush. I find myself grabbing this brush all the time.

*OCC Lip Tars- Due to the generosity of Lili, I was able to try almost all of their colors and can't tell you how fun they are. I only wish that they did smaller (more affordable) sizes so everyone could get the entire set and try them out. I am thinking about purchasing the entire set and breaking them down into smaller containers (like I put Lili's into the little paint containers that are 8 strung together with a round sticker on top with name) and sell to friends so more people get a chance at them. It only takes a tiny bit to get pigmented look- so the big tubes seem over the top. LMK if you think you'd be interested in a smaller sampler- if I get enough interest, I'd buy all the colors and do that.

Old Loves that still have my heart.

*Wen- (and Classy Minerals Hair Zen) cleansing conditioner. I just can not go back to shampoo since starting on this. My hair is super soft and conditioned but the added benefit is that I don't get "hair product" breakouts anymore.

* Emu oil-- LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this stuff for my dry skin. In the summer I use a few drops of emu oil (which I scent with EO- usually lavender, even though I'm not a lavender fan it's beneficial to skin so I "get over" it and lavender is definitely better than "chicken fat" scent) mixed with a bit of water. In winter I use this same mix and then apply Olay moisturizer over it to give a bit more moisturizing and "sealing" in. I really think that emu oil is responsible for how young my skin continues to look.

*Emu soap- I don't make this, I buy a melt and pour base online and then add a bit more emu oil to it- I leave unscented. This is the only cleanser I use on my face. It just seems to work for me.

*Sugar and Honey face scrub- I especially love this in the winter. I mix about a teaspoon of honey with sugar until I get the right consistency and then scrub my face (and lips) in a circular motion in the shower. My skin feels so soft and all dry flakey skin is removed. Sometimes I add a bit of lemon juice to the mix. It works and tastes good too. LOL

*Humidifiers in the winter. I run humidifiers all over the house during the winter. I think it helps my skin and also seems to keep illness at bay.

*MMBB sprays- I use these for every makeup application I do. My favorite is the grape spray but I also love the neroli & immortelle. Lisa can attest that I insist on having a backup long before I run out.

*Fit Flops- I just love these shoes. I think I owe 6 pairs. I kind of hate winter because it's too cold to continue to wear these and I'm not really a fan of the clog versions they make because they are lined. They are the only flip flops I will wear because my feet never hurt when I wear them.

*Natural Soaps- last year I gave my mom and MIL a gallon each of the unscented (although I scented later) gel soap from Vermont Soap Works. My mom said she preferred this one to the Soap Factory one because it lathered better. Since I liked the Soap Factory one, I guess I would love the VSW version and plan to order some soon, although I have lots of bar soaps from Natural Soap Warehouse to use up first.

*Philosophy Falling In Love, Baby Grace and Pure Grace perfumes- as I mentioned before, I tend to have a sensitive nose and most perfumes do not agree with me. I love these three fragrances and can't say how happy I am to know that they will always be around. My signature scent is Falling In Love, but I still find myself grabbing Pure Grace (especially if I'm going in public after a workout) for it's clean, soapy scent and when I want a little more sweetness I grab Baby Grace. My DD loves Amazing Grace and it looks like I will have to buy my mom some because she kept using Amazing Grace lotion in DD's bath on her hands and commenting on how she liked it.

*Maybelline Full N Soft Mascara- I've tried many, many, many mascaras (see multiple posts of various mascara reviews- just look up tag of "mascara review") but haven't found anything better than FNS

*Mineral Foundation- don't see myself ever going to anything else. Recently I found my foundation looking a little eh, but I found that a change to Lumiere Flat Top brush, MMBB spray and less foundation is producing the look I love again.

Makeup Diary- Even though I do less FOTD photos, I still rely on a small little notebook to mark down what I wore, ideas to blog about, etc. It keeps me sane because if I didn't write these things down, I would not be able to post many FOTD and actually remember the products.

Things I was disappointed with-

Soy products- I started drinking soy milk daily as a way to combat belly fat but found that they are just not for me. I found that my skin started breaking out like crazy and didn't particularly like the bloated and gassy side effects. I guess I'll take working out harder to combat the belly fat-- not like some other parts of my body can't use this too. LOL

Pricy mascaras- I got the Sephora Lash Stash mini mascara set and all I can say, not one of them is worth the price when I can get Maybelline Full N Soft Mascara for half the price. See review.

Chagrin Falls Shampoo Bars- This is just because my hair is really fine- my hair was once described as a forest of skinny trees- so these Shampoo Bars really weighed my hair down and left it rather oily looking. My DD has coarse hair and she actually found these helpful for her hair (although the one that has patchouli scent annoyed DH so I passed those along to a friend that I knew enjoyed them.)

Here's the final two FOTD for 2009- I'll post them now and will be starting on Makeup Diary #3... kind of funny that I ran out of pages with this post.

Dec. 26 (My mom and Brian were visiting and we went to see a local band play later that evening.)

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Dayna foundation using Lumiere Flat Top brush, MMBB Grape Spray and less foundation.

Tarte Dollface and Flush gel blushes

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Eyes- Coastal Scent Bare Necessity indelible, Apricot Dreamzzz all over lid. Cocoa Nut in crease, Mad Magnetism indelible on waterline, Iced Sugar Plums as liner and outer corner. Luminous White Gold as brow and inner corner highlighter. Loreal Extra Volume with Collagen and Maybelline Full N Soft (WP) mascaras

Lips- Botanics Chicory pencil. Cover Girl Plum Shine (lipstick like tube but sheerer than lipstick) Dec. 30

Dec. 30

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Dayna (applied as Dec. 26)

Tarte Dollface and Merry gel blushes

Eyes- CS Bare Necessity as base, Sunbeam (inner 1/2) Iced Tee (outer 1/2) Magnetism waterline and upper lash line. Black Sparks over GD as liner and then a little dry on outer corner.

Lips- Jordana Mauve Silk liner, Cover Girl Wet Slicks No Care Bare.

NEIGHBORHOOD CHECK OUT MY PREVIOUS POST ON YEAR IN REVIEW

Bathroom Project 2009 - Incomplete (pic heavy)

MarsG
5 days ago
11 comments

I was meaning to post this last week but I got lazy and partly also because the new bathroom isn´t completed. It would have been completed just in time for Christmas but something just had to go wrong. The tile shop gave us floor tiles from 2 different production batches so they weren´t the same thickness. The shop and all the other branches were sold out so they had to order more from Italy. We´ll get them next week hopefully but I´m slightly worried they won´t be the same thickness as the ones we have on our floor now. Daniel, the guy that did absolutely everything traveled back to his home country Poland for the holidays but will be back 1st week of Jan to finish the rest. That means he´ll be back 2nd week of Jan. He´s really good with his hands and did a terrific job with the bathroom so far but he sucks big time when it comes to punctuality. We were warned before we hired him so we were prepared and didn´t get upset. The quality of his work makes up for his tardiness.

Here are pics of the bathroom before the remodeling. I´m quite embarrassed to show these pictures but even more shocked now after the transformation that I actually lived with it for 3 years. I mean, it was pink. And floral. How this style could actually be "in" in the ´70s is beyond me.

This was where all the MU application took place. Just a single light at the top of the mirror, not the best I know. Nor was there much natural light.
A doorknob came loose, we super-glued it back on but it came off again. We just never bothered with it anymore.

Ahh...the shower cabinet that was a royal PITA when it came to cleaning. It shall NOT be missed. I didn´t dare show what was behind the doors. Chest of drawers was crap from Ikea. Broke apart like it was made of cardboard. Ok, I may have shoved one towel too many in the drawer but still! Middle drawer was broken so we only made use of top and bottom drawers. Was close to replacing it many times but we came to our senses and waited until we got new matching furniture for the whole bathroom.

Our old potty! Daniel took it apart and left it outside by our front door. So for a while we had a toilet outside our door, lol. Even our neighbour commented on our new décor. Well a lot of trash accumulated so we hired a container and got rid of all the crap and made our front yard look a bit more presentable. When we first moved in, I bought the bright pink rug with matching toilet brush (behind the trashcan) to brighten up the bathroom without clashing with the pink walls ;P .
In the middle photo, the brown spot you see under the window was a burn mark. Don´t know how it got there but it was there when we moved in. Same goes for the curtain. I searched and searched but was unable to find a suitable replacement. I know the easiest would be to buy cloth and sew my own curtains but I´m too lazy :/ The curtain is actually see-through, we have white wooden blinds behind. Third pic is a close up of the dreadful, awful, horrendous, ugly, hideous and not forgetting, cold floor. Boy I´m so glad I don´t have to step on it any longer.

And so began the transformation...

Daniel took apart everything including the old walls as they were not aligned and he put up new walls.

The corner where the toilet will be The vanity area

Next, he covered each wall with waterproof latex paddings, laid down my favourite part of the whole bathroom - heating cables "MMmmmMMMmm" and installed the toilet cistern.

Daniel did a terrific job with the tiles. The white tiles on the walls are actually subtly patterned with lines. Gives it a textured look.

Vanity area Toilet area

voila. . .

Lights on both sides of the mirror give much better light for MU application. Downside is I see all the faults meaning I take a longer time getting ready trying to fix and cover every damn spot.
We are going to install another light in the ceiling. A high cabinet in the same style and colour as the vanity will be mounted on the wall in the corner where the silver vase is. It´s not mounted on yet because the cabinet will jut out and cover part of the window. Daniel suggested we change to a smaller window and get more wall space. It´s more work of course but I think it will look much better, we were intending to replace the window anyways since the current one is punctured. Also we´re thinking of a frosted window so we don´t have to think about curtains :P

New potty minus some tiles.

I love the shower. It´s a bit high for me but I can get used to it, close my eyes and imagine rain is falling on my head. What´s missing are more tiles on the floor and the glass doors. Those will be mounted on after the floor tiles are completed.

Almost complete yet still a lot of patching up here and there and of course window to be changed. Changing to a smaller window means changing of wooden boards on outer wall too. I´m wondering how Daniel is going to do that when there is about 2 feet of snow outside, not to mention we´re expecting very very cold days ahead of us. I won´t be surprised if we have to wait till spring to get the window done.

to be continued . . .

Once Upon a Time

JusChev
7 days ago
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Once Upon a Time

Song: You're My Angel
(Gem of Life & TVB Forensic Hereos),

Sung by Loretta Chow ,

Composer: Vinci,

Images of LTS from Google Image,

Video produced by MdmChris,

Lyrics:

Once upon a time
Archangel in the sky
Made a cover every night

Once upon a time
The angel loved me so
It'a miracle
In the snow, my heart won't be cold

My Dear
You are my angel
Tell me what you know
Something should be told

My Dear
You are my angel
Tell me where you go
I will brace behind your throne

Once upon a time
My angel gave me life

Super Simple EOTD

Frond
Dec 26, 2009
4 comments

Didn’t feel very colorful today… so here’s what I came up with…

No base
NYX JEP in Yoghurt – all over lid
TSS Beyond Skin Deep – patted on lid and blended upwards all the way to the brow.
MM’s liquid eyeliner in 995 (I think… its the greyish/silverish black) – tried for a slightly winged look
MM’s gorgeous lash mascara
Maybelline’s Volum’ Express Turbo Boost mascara in black
Inuovi’s brow pencil in I dunno what color. *lol*

I had forgotten how totally goregous Beyond Skin Deep is. It gives a lovely subtle glow to my eyes that is really so pretty. Am pretty sure I’ve got a spare sample baggie of this color cos I love love love it. Now to rummage through my stash again. For asians, I can’t emphasize how much I love this color! Sadly it was an LE… so I doubt its available any more. Still no harm checking with Heather from TheSheSpace:P

These pics were taken at 11.37pm and the m/u was applied at 4pm so… eyes are slightly oily. Apologies. Forgot to take pics as I was rushing out the door.

End of Year Sale

Fur
Dec 25, 2009
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End of Year Sale. Everything 20% off (all prices have already been reduced). Will be relisting them until they are all gone.

Enjoy. :)

Breaking the quiet... with a long post

Frond
Dec 23, 2009
9 comments

I know I've been quiet... with school holidays here... life is just so full. Not just 3 kids at home but 4... more personalities to juggle and defintiely more housework!

so here's a text based update... why no photos? well, because my darling new handphone (mentioned here) is still at the service centre. This is its second trip in last than 2 months. Am I annoyed... most definitely. Will give it another month or so when it gets back and if it goes all weird again, am gonna raise hell with SE/M1 here. I don't know who's in charge but getting a new phone shouldn't be such a pain in the *ss...

Ok... so what has been going on...

a 3 day / 2 night road trip to Malacca. We left home at 4.30am. I know, I know... its a ridiculously early hour of the morning. But surprisingly the kids bounced up ready to change and go. I think they were so excited by the whole idea. We travelled in two vehicles. I drove one while my dad drove the other. It was my first time driving my cousin's 2 month old car and my first time driving in the dark...

trip to customs (via the 2nd link) went smoothly. hardly any traffic at that time of the day. joined the north/south highway and headed up at a nice 110km/h.

saw my dad's car swerve suddenly... couldn't figure out why.. then a B-U-M-P which jolted the sleepy heads up... and then horrors... felt the rear car tire pop... that's not quite the right word. It wasn't an explosion but it was a bang and a jerk. I stopped... really fast... and outta no where came this tow truck. I swear they were there even before I had time to move to the shoulder and stop.

my first thought was... where did they come from? my second was... how did they know so quickly? anyways, they helped us change the tire and we gave them a little something something in return...

then we proceeded to limp to Malacca at 80km/h... it made the whole trip so much longer and I was feeling totally horrid. New car and I go burst a tire.. it wasn't punctured... it had a tear in it!!! sigh...

to cut a long story short, we went to a mechanic (recommended by a friend) and had the tire changed.

meanwhile... we did manage to walk Jonker street twice (once in the day and once at night). I bought a new black pair of beaded sandals (will post pics soon of my hauls), a cute pair of heels, a new batik dress with two diff matching necklaces (my hubby chose those after making me try on 5 outfits) and some small toiletry items.

also bought chinese new year outfits for the two boys and did my christmas shopping as well.

Malaysia is a really fun place for a Singaporean to shop I think. For one thing, the FX rate is S$1/RM2.43... which basically means divide every price tag you see by 2! then there's the sales.... lots and lots of sales. The cute pair of heels was originally rm89.90. I got it for 70% less... which made it abt rm40+... change that to singapore dollars and you get S$20. How to argue with those kind of prices? the last thing to note is that their price tag numbers (dollar amounts) match the singapore price tag amounts. In other words, something that costs S$40 would probably have a RM40 price tag.

You see why when Singaporeans arrive in Malaysia they all sound like chicks? "cheep cheep cheep"

got back and tried to unpack.. and wrap Christmas prezzies... I hate wrapping presents... sigh.

also dealt with an increasingly messy house (ask Ann... she saw it at its absolute worst!.. am still wondering why I let her in the front door.. sigh) because my part time helper skipped a week due to our trip. I am honestly the world's worst housekeeper... thankfully I consider myself a full time mother not housewife :P

Grand Fantasia - got caught up with a new MMORPG game... can as usual spent/wasted many lovely hours exploring new worlds and meeting new/old friends

then.. the last two days... ah.. bliss... sure simple bliss... time together with my hubby with *no kids*. Important factor here... just time together doing stuff we like.

first day, we went into johor bahru (that's the nearest malaysian city to us... and its literally just across a strip of water). Encountered the wonderful M'sian causeway for the first time. My impressions can be summed up with 3As - amazed... annoyed... amused!

Amazed - impressive architecture.. huge huge building... high ceilings... but you have to take a road that snakes and curves around and around to get there... sure silliness

Annoyed - in order to get to the immigration counter... you have to walk from what felt like one end of a very long large building to the other and then to the middle where the counter actually is. My legs hurt. plain and simple. They didn't complain shopping and they didn't complain about standing on the bus. But boy did they complain about the hike we took to get our passports stamped. *roll eyes*

Amused - "m'sia boleh"... m'sians don't flame me please... but to me its a case of "anything you can do we can do better" gone horribly wrong. I see similiarities between the two immigration centres but whereas one has a smooth flow of both vehicles and pedistrains... the other has both going round in circles rather cluelessly. I have a strange sense of humour I know but this really really amused me.

I am now totally not surprised that the city and its shopping centres were relatively quiet even though its the school holidays (on our side). No one in their right mind would choose to take a long aimless walk just to enjoy the discounts across the border. And if I was crossing the border in a car, I'd take the 2nd link and head further away.

FOTD - Biore sunblock, my SilkNaturals powder blend (with extra silica/zinc), SN Climax blush

So what did I get this round... more toiletries... there was this uber cute little japanese toiletry place that I wandered into (no pics due to phone issues). Went down the aisle just throwing things into my basket. They were all so cheap! Just couldn't resist. Then I got two new shorts (I use my clothes til they're falling apart usually and my old 2 are doing exactly that now) from Parkson Grand.

Bought my hubby's chinese new year outfit plus some bermudas for him. Also got stationery for my kids for school. A barbie set for my girl and a barney set for my youngest boy. Some chinese readers for the two younger ones. Hopefully my hubby is diligent about going through the books with them. Plus rubbermaid water bottles at what I thought was totally affordable rates (rm19 for two bottles). Got 6... we've got alot of mouths in this house!

My best buy was two Revlon nail polishes... I haven't done my nails in ever so long but these were going at RM19 with a BOGO offer... all together now... let's chant... CHEAP! That's less than S$4 a bottle... who could resist. I actually got it on my third trip past the counter... LOL! The colors I chose was an old favourite, Copper Glazed Platinum and a new fav (?) Blackberry.

by the time we were done, both our backpacks were stuffed full. We headed back through the a-maze-ing immigrations. Dropped by at AMK Hub for some snacks before heading to pick up the kids. While there, my very old, long suffering backpack decided to give up... at least the zipper did. Was so thankful that it happened only after we got back.. so hugged it tight (while on the bus/train) and got everything home without dropping.

At my parent's house, we were greeted with requests to stay the night... after much pleading... "por por, I wanna stay" Imagine a little boy with droopy eyes saying ever so sadly while gazing at you "grandmother.. i wanna stay... i wanna stay" How could my mom resist... so we left without them...

this morning, it was a luxury to wake up without worrying about whether the kids were awake or whether they were up to no good... a sheer luxury that a non-parent just won't understand. so today we (or I) decided to head to a new-ish shopping centre to watch James Cameron's Avatar in 3D. Not terribly impressed with the show although I have to say the graphics were gorgeous. After that we wandered around. Hubby (notice I say it was him not me!) found two new smaller backpacks for me... love them both... but honestly, they aren't replacements for the one that was spoilt. That one was a workhorse. It could take nonsense like being filled to the brim and hard treatment. The two new ones are for 'show'... nice to use... can't misuse. kwim? oh well, he's happy so I'm happy and he's happier that I'm happy so we're both happy. get it?

FOTD - Biore sunblock, my SN powder blend (this time with foundation mixed in), SN climax and babydoll mixed (wanted a little more pink), SilkyGirl eyeliner in violet (upper eyelid), LT's Ulta e/s in light purple (can't remember the name) all over the lid. Generous lashings of Marjolica Marjoca's lash extender mascara topped off with Maybelline's Volum' Express Turbo Boost mascara.

Will try and take pics and post asap... but with Christmas upon us.. don't hold your breath!

two kids home tonight... one is still travelling with my in laws. My heart is full, my pocket is rather empty but I'm happy.

Before I go... I wanna wish all my dear Vox friends a wonderful Christmas season. May all your prezzies be good ones and may you totally enjoy being with your family and friends. Thank you for being such a lovely lovely group of people!

*off to hang laundry and wash off the day... nite or should I say morning everyone - since its 12am*

Office Project - Hamar Vikingskipet Pepperkake

MarsG
Dec 17, 2009
2 comments

Last year my team leader came up with the idea to bake a pepperkake (gingerbread) house and share with everybody in our department. I don´t know how it all actually started but I challenged her to make it in the shape of Malaysia´s famous Petronas Twin Towers. This talk first started summer of last year so I had many months of taunting her about it and insisted it to be in 3D. Come December and one day she appeared at work carrying the much anticipated Pepperkake Twin Towers! Despite it not being in 3D, I must admit that she did a pretty good job. She was so proud of herself and was practically gloating. Of course I didn´t admit to her face that I thought it was good, lol. She then challenged me to bake this year´s pepperkake house and she picked Hamar Vikingskipet (The Hamar Viking ship), which is a stadium in her home town, Hamar. I had the whole year to prepare myself for this and I really didn´t know how I was going to accomplish this until the very moment I was going to bake it. Dough was easy-peasy - Ikea sells readymade pepperkake dough which is actually quite good, just a tad too sweet for my liking though. I thought I did a pretty decent job with the shape however it melted in the oven :/ My husband said it looked like several things - a whale, a giant turd, a garden snail...anything but what it actually is supposed to look like, LOL. (All I wish for Christmas is a new husband who is more supportive!) I personally think it looks like a peanut. What do you think?

BEFORE BAKING

BAKED AND PRETTY-FIED

THE ACTUAL THING

FOTD before Christmas baking begins.

Hoozey
Dec 16, 2009
5 comments

Here's a FOTD from Dec. 15- I put makeup on seeing I was going out grocery shopping to pick up a few ingredients before the Christmas Bake-A-Thon could continue.

Some things I've noticed lately. My foundation hasn't been looking so hot using the damp red cleansing sponge method. Just been looking not so fresh. I think part of it is that remnants of my tan are quickly fading but also drier skin. I am using honey/sugar scrub more frequently now and applying emu oil twice a day. I also think part of it is not drinking as much water- I just have such a hard time drinking water when it's cold. I am not alone with this because my middle son got a headache last week and said the same thing. I've been playing with other foundation application methods and liked the synthetic flat-top (Lumiere) damp application in the following look.

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Dayna Foundation with MMBB Grape mist- Lumiere flat top synthetic brush.

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Tarte Dollface and Flush gel blushes. (I have plans to make more blushes in 2010 because of these colors)

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Eyes-

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Gilded Beige (all over lid below crease) (this is such a neat color because it's like a drab gold-- not yellow, but a golden patina) Chocoholic outer V (this is a warmer (reddish) brown) Sable coat over Milan Gelle Drops (Sable Coat is an interesting "brown" because it's dark but has this olive cast)

Lips- Cover Girl Mauve Shine-- it's this product that's in lipstick tube but a little more glossy and sheer than regular lipstick. I am loving this color because it's just enough "berry" to brighten my lips without making me feel self-conscious.

Holiday decorations, FOTD for the week

Hoozey
Dec 11, 2009
8 comments

So I got my holiday decorations up- save the live tree that we put up closer to Christmas. Thought I'd share with you.

This is our living room fireplace decorations. I made the stockings years ago.

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This is our entertainment center that is to the side of our couch- it houses the cable box, and other components since the house came with the flat screen TV you see above the fireplace and prewired such that all the other things plug in at this wall. The Steeler football is DH's gift from parents- Yes, he's already opened.

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This is a book case opposite of the fireplace that I also decorated. The rest of the house isn't decorated much- like the den won't be fully decorated until the tree goes up. Outside I keep it pretty simple- two small lighted trees at the entrance with red bows on top. Red bows tied to outside lights. Lighted wreath on the door. I also have these large puffy bows that I put on the ends of the brick stair "railing" Now if only I could keep the dogs from peeing on the trees. GRRR

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Here's two FOTD that I did this week. Once again I am shopping my stash and trying not to reuse eye shadows until I've gone through them all. I was kind of hating the photos because I was definitely in "mouth breather mode" due to my cold. Mouth breathing makes people look like they've lost IQ points in my opinion.

Foundation change to Dayna this week. Applied with MMBB Grape spray and red cleansing sponge. Couldn't cover the raw nose/flakey skin under it. :-( Mascara is Loreal Extra Volume with collagen topped with Maybelline Full N Soft WP.