Cheers to 2008 ....

2008 was the most promising year by far for me personally. I've been blessed throughout 2008 and I hope that God will continue to bless me and my family with the blissful years to come. The year started out amazing, just take a look for yourself...

engaged. The husby proposed on 01.18.08! It was amazing! I seriously had no idea what he had planned up his sleeve that day. It seems like it was yesterday, dinner at the sushi restuarant where we had our first date, and then going back to his place and seeing a trail of flower petals on the ground. OH GAH! I cried my eyeballs out like a baby! Oh yeah, and my ring is simply gorgeous! PUAHAH! Had to brag! LOL!


wii. Sometime in January, z104 (local radio station) busted in my office at work and delivered my WII! I won a contest! WOOO! I was nervous as heck! HAHA! It didn't help that I had to hold the mic and say "Hi, I'm Jen and thanks to z104, I just won a WIII!!" LOL! I totally geeked out.

rekindled. As you get older, you realize that the petty drama you had years ago wasn't worth losing a friendship. Luckily, I rekindled the friendship with my high school friend and we smashed the drama. This is when you start to realize that you're not getting any younger and there are far more things to worry about than petty drama.

snowboarding. As winter season ends, it's time to hit the slopes just one more time! I took this shot of the husby!! WOOO! Look at him gooo, sooo hott! LOL!

engagement party and bridal gown shopping. My parents threw an engagement party for me and Patrick while his parents were in town from California. It was lovely! Oh and bridal gown shopping felt super fun! Haha, I won't forget the time I was shopping with my girls in NOVA and I tried this beautiful gown on. Then, I asked how much, she said "It's only $3,900.. GAH! Okay, let's take this off now! But alas, I found the dress of my dreams! Come to find out later, it was on the cover of BRIDE this year.


80s. HAHA! This pic is one of my favs! This is all of us getting ready to head out to the LegWarmers concert in NoVA! It's a strictly 80s concert and you have to dress the part. It was tons of fun! It took forever for me to crimp my hair but I done did it! My hair was straight up flammable! I was scared whenever someone lit a lighter during a song! OH GAH! That would have been bad!

miami. Oh GOODNESS! What can I say that won't get me in trouble? Hahaha, KIDDING! The husby had his bachelor party in Vegas and me and my girls headed to Miami for 4th of July weekend! Our hotel was loveeellyy! Free Happy Hour drinks! OH MAN! Our flight back home was at 6am, umm yeah not a pretty site. I was still drunk when I checked in with the flight attendant. LOL! My cousin was hungover... PUAHAH!

bridal shower. This is when wedding plans were coming down to the wire. But my mother and my good friend, Mar are sooo good to me, they threw a beautiful bridal shower for me.

wedding. I was absorbed in wedding plans for 2008! People say it takes a year to plan a wedding, well I did it in 7 months! It's possible, you'll just be stressed to your jugular! But in the end, it's all worth it. The wedding was gorgeous and my husby is soooo handsome. We exchanged vows while I cryed my eyes out AGAIN! Most of his family flew from California and my maid of honor, Morrissa flew from Florida. Everything was perfect on that day!





honeymoon. After all the stress, it was nice for me and husby to get away. While we had cruise plans to go to Cozumel, Mexico, hurricane plans changed the route. We ended up in the Bahamas. But it was still a beautiful site!

pounds. because this was the "wedding" year, I've lost 8-9 lbs!! So far, I've only gained a pound or two extra... But I'm hoping to maintain it! EEKS! My aunties have no shame when it comes to talking about weight. They have no shame to tell me "you've gained weight, eh?" OR! "look you're soo skinny now, you used to be chubby!" OH GAH!

townhome. Me and husby picked out a townhome for us to live in. It's beautiful! I had sooo much fun decorating. I looovvee interior design. So I had fun picking out furniture, window curtains, kitchen table, etc.

In 2008, it was promising for my personal life. As for 2009, I'm hoping that it will be promising for my professional/career development. Let's hope 2009 has a lot in store for me! As for posting, this is me signing off my last post for 2008. I'll check back in 2009! WOO! As for ringing in the New Year, I'll be spending time with loved ones on the slopes then partying it up wth the fam in NoVa.

I hope everyone has a bangin New Year!!!

I know I will ;).

Lovely Christmas....

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas! As for me, it was me and the husby's first Christmas as a married couple. It was definitely a moment to cherish. We opened gifts on Christmas morning and I was so excited for him to open his gift! I was able to snag a huge box from work, so I basically wrapped his gifts within other gifts. Hehe! He had the "WTF?" look each time he opened a gift and then found another gift in it. But he loved his gifts, and that's what mattered anyways. As for me, he brought down a huge box and it was my turn. I ripped the paper and found a Coach box. Right away, "Awww, you better not have just used the box to wrap my present!" But then, when I saw the white dust bag, I immediately ran over and tackled him with hugs and kisses. Then he told me to open the dust bag, and there it was! The chocolate brown Madison Coach bag! It was like the heaven's trumpet sounded, "AWWWW!" LOL! I amazed! I told the husby it was too expensive, but he told me not to worry at all. I LOOOVVEEE IT! He also snagged a NARS lipgloss for me and the UD Velvet Rope eyeliner set. YAYEE!!!






Then afterwards, we headed over to the parentals for some good family time! It was nice to spend time with our familia. We ate, we laugh, we drank... it was purely lovely! AH!! And more gifts... might I add, I was "nice" this year! PUAHAH! Eh, it would take forever to write who gave what, but they all know who they are. THANK YOU AGAIN for the gifts below, if you're reading, I LOOVVEEE YOU GGUUYYSS!


Here are some photos too! Of course, we had to take those "prom-like" photos! PUAHAHAH! OH GAH! Don't mind the middle picture. LOL! The fam alway tease Patrick and say he resembles Manny Pacquiao, puahah I don't see it! But then, when Patricia's man was in the photo, one auntie said "PACQUIAO vs. HATTON" (That's the next fight that should be coming!). PUAHAH! The guys are crazy!



Okay, as for post Christmas, courtesy of the gift of a Macy's gift card, I was able to snag two things. The 217 brush which I've been lemming and the MAC Penultimate liner. Has anyone tried this liner? Thoughts? Better than fluidline?? Let me know! Thanks, dear!

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Enough about haulage, let's talk about brush cleaning. It's very important to keep your brushes sanitary.

You don't want that bacteria and gunk building up. Sooo, I just have to say that my sis-in-law, Patricia is one smart cookie! She recommended the Loen Cornell brush cleaner, so I snagged it while I bought Christmas ornaments a few weeks ago. I finally put that bad boy to use last night. It was loovveeellly!! It cleaned my brushes soooo fast! What I did was put my Clinique brush cleaner a little above the first line, then filled it up with water to the second line. Then swivel, swivel! Then removed the brushes and run it under warm water. Thanks, Trish! I totally recommend it! You can buy this at your local craftstore, I bought mine at Michaels. It's only 5-6 bucks, I believe.

Okay, that's all for now. Have a lovely day!

Merry Christmas to ME??

I'm treating myself, I deserve it! PUAHAH! Plus, I'm done Christmas shopping and work has been a bit crazy. Oookay, so on Friday afternoon, I received my MAC package. Can I just say how good of a deal this is? First of all, let's start with the Charming Garnet set. It includes Belightful powder, Bare Slimshine, 181 brush, travel size Zoomlash, and travel size black liner (I forgot the name). The black liner was not supposed to be in there, at least it wasn't included in the set. So a nice freebie for me, wooO! The set was only $30, and the powder is worth $21, slimshine is $14.50, and the brush is $30! So, I couldn't pass it up! The liners are okay, I mean for the price, it's not to shabby! I had MAC withdrawal, I haven't purchased MAC since the beginning of November! I was overdue! I started twitching.. no not really just kidding!

Next, you all know I've been on the prowl for a tinted moisturizer. So I was able to drag the husby to MacArthur mall. I met the MUA for Laura Mercier and she was super nice! She color matched me, and complimented my eye makeup! I love that! PUAHHA, anyways, my color is Fawn. My first impression of this stuff is that I'm simply amazed! I applied this with my 109 and I achieved that dewy, glowy look with an even complexion. Let see how it works for the rest of the week, I've only used it twice and my face is loving it! I also snagged some goodies at Bath and Body Works. I'm not too fond on the lotion because I have such sensitive skin. But I wanted to get that C.O. Bigelow Body Buffer! I looove the lip exfoliator by C.O. Bigelow so I can only imagine how it'll feel all over the body! I'm going to try to convince the husby to use it, PUAHAHHAH! Oh yeah, I also snagged peppermint and spearmint oil! One is Stress Relief and the other is Headache Relief. I've been getting a lot of headaches, and taking meds all the time isn't good for the bod, so I decided to get my own peppermint oil to rub on my temples. My mom got me into this. She rubbed peppermint oil on my temples when I used to get headaches. Oh and those lip products, $3 bucks each! Not bad eh? When I was taking this picture, the husby tried to put those Wallflower air fresheners from Bath and Body Works in this pic! LOL! He was like, "It's part of your haul?!" ... ummm no! HAHA, love that he makes me laugh.

Last but not least! You've heard me complain about my dry skin. I love my Clinique Moisture Surge, but I feel like I need a little more. So since I'm almost out, I decided to switch over to Hope in a Jar for Dry, Sensitive Skin. Let's hope it lives to the hype that my sis-in-law raves about me. I just tried it a few minutes ago, and my face still feels a little sticky... EEKS! Did I put too much?

Oh, and a big thank you to Steph! I got my MAC Emote Blush! It looks like it'll be perfect for contouring! And, thanks for the pigment! I'm sooo excited to try this! Thanks for your lovely card too!

UPDATE: OOps! I totally forgot to mention my new threads! Geez, can I just mention that there was a buttload of sales at the mall? I got a new cream peacoat @ Nordstroms for only 40 bucks! Jeans were buy one get one free @ Pacsun! Wooo! I got me some new skinnies! Hmm.. and some sweaters here and there.

Have a lovely week! It's a short work week for me!! WoOO!!! I can't wait till Christmas!! I really can't wait to give all these gifts away! OoooH! and Snowboarding on New Year's EVE!!! WoOOO!

Help? Tinted Moisturizer?

The other day, after applying my MAC Mineralized Loose, I noticed that I was looking a bit bronzier than I usually am. It's that darn winter skin! BLEGH! My face is more dry and I'm losing that summer glow. Bummer! So, even though I'm dry and sensitive, I've been lucky with the breakout scene. I don't need heavy coverage, so I'm looking for light coverage, more like a tinted moisturizer. Just to even out the skintone. So here's the deal, I've been talking to Patricia about getting Armani Face Fabric, but being that the closest place that carries it is an hour away turns me off. I can't just order it online, cause I need someone to color match me.

I'm eyeing two products. I'm a nerd. I like to read makeup reviews (screenshot stats from MakeupAlley)! I like to see what everyone has to say:



Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20
1.5 oz for $42
"A sheer, lightweight moisturizer with SPF 20 and a hint of color that can be used in place of foundation. Achieve a natural appearance while adding a healthy glow to your complexion." (Nordstroms.com)
Winner of Allure magazine's 'Editors' Choice' Award



Bobbi Brown Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15
1.7 oz for $40
"The perfect alternative to foundation for a more casual look. This tint of natural-looking color combined with sun protection blends smoothly over skin and moisturizes while providing lightweight, sheer coverage." (Nordstroms.com)

Goodness, I'm torn between two lovers! So, if any of you guys out there have tried any of these, puh-lease let me know if you love it or hate it! OR! If you have any recommendations, please do share. I hoping to score my tinted moisturizer tomorrow! Hopefully the husby will let me drag him to the mall. Hmmm...Okay, Thanks!!

As for hauls, they have been put on the back burner. Wait, actually, I'm just waiting for them to come in the mail! I can't wait for my MAC exclusive Charming Garnet set. OooOh, I'm almost out of my Bare Slimshine, so a refill of that would be very nice. Oh and thanks to the lovely Stephanie, for mailing MAC's Emote Blush. WOOoO! Lovely discount, my dear! Haha! I can't wait to get it in the mail! I want a blush palette now, (random, I know!)


I have been getting in touch with my inner crafty self this past week. We got a real Christmas tree (my first REAL tree!) over the weekend, and the bows I made are quite lovely! I also personalized stockings for me and husby. It's starting to feel like Christmas! YAY!! Oh and I have to make a pumpkin roll for work tomorrow. MmM! Heffer Delight!


Have a lovely day! Christmas in a WEEK!!! WEE!

If Jen Can Cook, So Can You!

LOL! I'm not going to lie, I was spoiled! Before I got married, I always had home cooked meals from my mama. I wasn't home much, since I was spending time with the bf at the time, so I failed to watch her. Now, I've noticed myself submerged in my mom's culinary skills. I always watch her when I come over. I call her while I'm cooking and I ask for tips!

When we were engaged, I realized I had to buckle down on the culinary skills. So, I started little things here and there. Now, my cooking skills have improved to the tee! I still have plenty to learn, so if any of you cooking mamas out there have some recipes to share, please do! As for Sunday night, I decided to make sushi. Everytime me and the husby go out for sushi, we always stare at it and realize that we can make it at home! I'm allergic to fish, which totally sucks, because I would love to make some fish sushi. DAMMIT! Anyways, I made shrimp tempura rolls for me and the husby. My rolls had shrimp tempura, mango (the resturant we go to puts mangos in the sushi we order, sooo good!), and cucumber slivers.



I was amazed! It was very easy to make, but it was pretty time consuming! Not bad for my first time, eh? Me and Husby enjoyed our sushi rolls! dYUM! Then, food coma... BLEGH!

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Enough about that! So I'm sure that you all heard about MAC's Holiday Collections! 25% OFF! Say WAH? MAC never has sales. They sure proved me wrong! So, I put the MAC exclusive, Charming Garnet set on my Christmas list for the husby. He went Christmas shopping for me by himself today and when he came back, he said, "Go ahead and order your set, they didn't have it at the mall" LOL! Awwww, he went to MAC alone! LOL! I'm so amazed, because it hates going there with me. You should see his face, it's that "Poor guy!" look. HAHA! Sooo! I hopped on the computer and placed an order for these two babies! WOO! Free shipping too, SCORE! I wasn't supposed to buy anything for myself, but geez! MAC + Sale ... UHH I couldn't pass it up. Have a lovely day!

Wooo! I got Tagged! My First One!

Tagged by: Aimee, Vietxpinay & Chrysee, Thanks lovelys!

"&this is what you do; once you’ve been tagged, you have to write a blog with sixteen random things, facts, habits or goals about you. at the end choose ten people to be tagged, listing their names and why you chose them. don’t forget to leave them a comment (“you’re it”) and to read your blog. you can’t tag the person who tagged you. since you can’t tag me, let me know when you’ve posted your blog, so i can see your weirdness."

sixteen. undercover nerd. PUAHAH! I'm dead serious, I'm one of the biggest nerds. Undercover? Cause I mask it well! I'm practically legally blind. If any of you guys wear contacts, well umm, I'm a -7.00! Say WAH!??! I know! My glasses are mad thick! But thanks to my lovely hookup @ Lenscrafters, I have pretty Pradas to hide the thickness of the lenses (I want LASIK!). I have eczema and it stinks, but it's not terribly bad! My allergies are horrible, and well, I have tons of prescription medicines. EEKS! NERD, I tell ya! PUAHA! And to top it, I have asthma. But it hasn't been that bad compared to when I was a kid. OoOh and to top it off, I was in the orchestra till the end of high school. I played the violin... PUAHAHHA!

fifteen. 10 jobs. from age 16-24. Professional Ice Cream Server..LOL! Bakers Shoes, Barista at Starbucks, Aldos Shoes, Sunglass Hut, Map Communications, Reservationist for Spirit Cruises, Marketing/Promo for Red Bull (one of my fave jobs! I love me some Red Bull SF), and now a Marketing Ass, I mean Assistant and Event Coordinator.

fourteen. puppy. I really want a puppy! I never grew up with a dog! The husby wants one too but our condo community won't allow us, BLAGH! They can suck it....One day.. one day...

thirteen. east coast. I've been stuck in Virginia Beach my whole life! I'm desperately wanting a change. We're going to try to get stationed in California come 2010. The husby is from Cali and I know he really wants to go back. I also have a feeling I'm going to land my dream job there. P.S. We also need to travel more often.

twelve. career. As of now, I'm working in the field I earned my degree in, which is a good feeling. But, I can't say I love it. I'm blessed though because I have a good job (and an office!) in this tough economy. However, it would be my dream job to work in hair/cosmetic industry doing marketing, planning, merchandising, anything! Just something I would be compassionate about!

eleven. cold bed sheets. PUAHAH! I loooovvee cold bed sheets. I hate getting into a warm bed. The husby always teases me by saying he's going to warm up my side. GAH! I love cold pillows!

ten. sports. I'm the least athletic! I don't work out, which I should cause I would probably last longer on the slopes. However, I do snowboard! I'm far from a pro, and I'm still learning how to carve. Let's hope I can get that down pat by the end of the season. I used to rock climb, especially when I worked at Red Bull cause we had that hookup. I even got my certification to belay! But I slacked... DAMMIT!

nine. teeth. I have a thing for teeth. My theory, bad teeth = bad smile. Sounds vain as hell, but it really isn't! I like to keep the pearly whites fresh along with dentist visits. I love my Sonicare toothbrush and Crest Whitening Strips.

eight. accessorize. I really don't accessorize in terms of jewelry. I like my basics! Especially the meaningful ones, which basically means that most of them came from my husby. I love my T&Co necklace (it doesn't scream that it's from T&Co., that's why I like it! Not like those charms!). Watches! I loveee watches. And! My lovely wedding band and engagement ring. I really should wear earrings more often. As terms of accessories in purses, then GAH! I love my purses, ALL OF THEM! and I crave more...=)

seven. big hair don't care. I used to flat iron my hair religiously. BAD BAD BAD! But now, I've grown to love full voluminous hair. I'm a pro with my hot rollers! Even though I look like a grandma! (I plan on doing a blog entry on BIG full waves!)

six. ice cream & frozen yogurt. I looooovveee ice cream! Especially frozen yogurt. I could binge on this stuff. LOL! That's all...

five. planner. I'm a planner. It's bad, cause I wish I could be more spontaneous. But it's too hard. I like knowing how things are going to play out. As for my wedding, I had to make sure I planned everything to the tee! Good thing I had my trusty wedding planner and best friend, Marinel to help me out!

four. swimming. I took lessons in 4th grade, but then I forgot! LOL! How do you forget? I dunno, I just did! My friend, Kerry tried to teach me. But I was a pain in the ass. BUT! I learned that while I was on a booz cruise with my husby in the Bahamas (honeymoon), I proved to him that I could swim while I was drunk! Thank goodness for jungle juice, you've taught me how to swim.

three. saved by the bell. GAH! I grew up on this show! PUAHAH! I'm sure you guys can remember, "The Sprain" ..."Kelly and Screech?"... "I'm sooo excited.. I'm sooo scared"... "Friends Forever".."Buddy Bands" .."There's no hope in dope!" GAH! I could go on and on! Me and my brother try to stump each other on Saved by the Bell episodes.

two. allergies. I'm allergic to fish! GAH! It sucks. I only eat shrimp sushi. But when I see the husby or a friend eat salmon, I just want to snag a bite! LOL! But I would end up regretting it in the hospital. Man, I wish I could eat tuna too! Well actually, Janelle is allergic to fish too, and she eats tuna. I'll be testing tuna this weekend! Wish me luck! *SIGH* I'm allergic to cats too, but they just scare me!

one. family. I love my family to pieces, and now I have an extended family since I'm married. But, I can go to my parents about almost anything. My brother is my confidant too! (along with my husby), but he always gives good brotherly advice. My sis in law, Patricia adds fuel to my junkie drive. I've never had a sister, so it's nice to finally have one, actually 2! Can't forget the little one! GAH! Ready for some surprising news? Me and husby plan on starting our own family in 2 years or at the next duty station. Being a military wife is going to have its sacrifices, but when they come back and you have moments like these. It's definitely worth the wait!

Goodness, you're a trooper for reading this! Now you know a lot about me. SCCAARRYY!! Hahaha j/j. As corny as this sounds, I had fun doing it. I know it's long but I just had to elaborate. Hehe! Have a lovely weekend!

Say CHEESE! I'm tagging!

• Marinel, MarLuv24/7
• Cousin, Morrissa, Mo-of-Moette
• Sis-in-law, Patricia , TheBeautyBuff
• Janelle, LeBelleCose
• Iyah, Makeup & Shopping Driven
• Ailene, Obsessions of A. Rose
• Beeyoutiful7
• Stephanie, DSKNguyen
• Kimberly, KimberlyTia
• Pamela, xppinkx

Primer Review and Blabber Mouth!

Time for the Primer Review! I based this review on my full size MAC Prep+Prime, Deluxe size sample of Bare Escentuals PrimeTime and a one time sample of Smashbox PhotoFinish. Call me bias, but it's my opinion. So take it or leave it. =)

MAC Prep + Prime [$23]: I've been using this for a little over 3 months and I love it! I love the way it holds my makeup and smoothes my face out before applying makeup. It feels like a moisturizer too, which is a plus for my dry skin! It does have a slight shimmer in it, but it's not like chunks of glitter. So it gives that subtle glow. The Wompies: You don't know how much you have left! It's in a black bottle, so I have no idea if I'm even close to running out. BLEGH!

Bare Escentuals PrimeTime [$21]. Wow, this stuff really does improve the laydown before applying foundation. BUT! I don't feel like its as moisturizing as MAC's. I don't love it, but it's okay? Probably best for the summer and not for winter's harsh conditions. The Impressives: Oil-free, fragrance-free, allergy-tested, and dermatologist tested (according to Sephora). The Wompies: I still prefer MAC over BE.

Smashbox PhotoFinish [$36] Like I said in the beginning, I had a wee tiny sample of this stuff, hence one time use. I didn't like it! It supposedly has vitamins and antioxidants. The Wompies: It smelled like I was smearing Elmer's Glue on my face. The smell was blegh! BUT! Don't get me wrong, maybe I got a bad batch sample. It won "Best of Sephora" so who knows, if you love it, let me know. I'm curious. $36 is a lot for a primer though.. EEKS!

Okay, switching gears. Mario Badescu! I received my samples earlier this week. I think my original request was lost in the mail, so I requested my sample set again. My Goodies: Strawberry Scrub, Orange Soap, Buttermilk Moisturizer, Ceramide Eye Gel, Ceramid Eye Cream, Aloe Lotion or Toner (I forgot!). So I've only tried the Strawberry Scrub and my gah! I'm in loooooovvveee! You can see the seeds too! But it also reduces blackheads, so that's good in my books. I still do those Biore strips once a week, and I'm such a dork because I stare at my strip after I pull it. The husby thinks I'm crazy, but I just think it's gross so I keep staring. GAH! Weird, I know! So my Ceramide Eye Gel is in the fridge and I apply it at night. I hope I see good results. I really need it to lighten my dark circles. Thanks for the recommendation, Iyah! OooOH if you'd like samples, go to Mario Badescu's website and fill out a questionnaire. They should follow up via email and ask if you'd like samples.

My good friend Kim works for Ratner Corp, which basically owns CIBU! The merchandising dept had a flea market and she was able to score me some goodies! I'm sooo stoked! The bad thing is that she's making me wait till Christmas! GAH! Thanks a lot, Kim! LOL!

So while I have to wait patiently, I can't help but think of new hair products I want to try. I desperately want to try Halo! GAH! I heard their stuff is amazing. Ulta carries it, and why not take advantage of those coupons that they send. Hmmmm... after my Christmas shopping, I just might treat myself! Hmmm...ooooOOooh I'm also eyeing that Enzo Milano Curling Iron. Has anyone tried it? Let me know!

My husby came home last night!! I was soooo happy. He was only gone for 5 days, but it felt like forever! Especially since that's the most we've been apart since we got married! The longest we've been apart so far was for 4 months, gah! and that's when we were dating! I know I'm going to make a lot of sacrifices as a military wife, but I support him all the way. We're hoping to get stationed on the west coast come 2010. Cross your fingers and wish us luck. It'll be nice to get out of good ol' va beach. I've been stuck here!

P.S. The BEARS play the Saints tomorrow night. GO BEARS!

The "Mexicutioner" Takes Another!!!

Okay, so it's 1am, and I decided that while I wait for my hair to dry, I just have to rant about tonight's fight! Yes, the "Mexicutioner", Manny Pacquiao wins another fight! I nearly died when the commentator called him a "Mexicutioner!" What a perfect name for "PacMan", I've seen him take down Barrera, Morales, Marquez, and much more! The family has always supported Pacquiao from the beginning and he did not let us down tonight. MY GAH! He spanked De La Hoya, the punch stats were absolutely ridiculous. De La Hoya is old for a boxer, and it's time for him to retire. Although he's done good in the past, he's physical capability was not up to par tonight. WOMP WOMP! So sorry GOLDEN BOY! At the end of the 8th round, it was declared that MANNY PACQUIAO was the winner tonight!! WOOHOO! Winner winner chicken dinner!

Anyways, so last night, I coordinated my company's holiday party at Ruth's Chris. Even though I was running a muck throughout the week to make sure everything was done right, I was soo happy with the results. I coordinated the party at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. YUM! It was my first time there! The service is absolutely amazing. Plates were served scorching hot to ensure your last bite is just as good as your first. So, my advice to you, looking for a good place to celebrate a special occassion? RUTH'S CHRIS! Ooooh and the one in Va Beach has happy hour from 5-7am with 5 dollar martinis. YUM! Yes, I had my signature Pineapple Upside Down Cake Martini. One of MY FAVES! [UPDATE: So, as I mentioned I coordinated the company party and I'm happy to say that we raised a huge amount for our local Foodbank AND! The box was full of canned goods to support the Foodbank, it was even overflowing!] It feels good to do a good thing. I definitely donated a portion to the Foodbank, so if you're thinking about running to MAC or Sephora, wouldn't it be nice to sacrifice one little purchase to donate to a good cause? Just my opinion.]

GAH! I know I said my next post would be the primer post. BUT! I don't have my camera on me. So that'll be the next post, promise! But I'll add in a beauty review since I'm here. Ookay, so what sucks about reading blogs is that I get suckered into making purchases. GAH! Even when my sis-in-law, Patricia comes over, we just run our mouths about products. The last time I saw her, she showed me her Jemma Kidd products. I, of course, was in absolute awe.

Therefore, my product review is on Jemma Kidd's Air Kiss Shine Lip Gloss in Undress

The Impressives:
Non-sticky. I'm not a big fan on sticky lipgloss, even though those usually last longer. I used to apply MACs LusterGlass in LoveNectar, but I experienced a slight side effect. My lips were extremely dehydrated.
Vitamin E. This is mainly what suckered me into purchasing this bad boy. Due to the winter's harsh conditions and dry air, vitamin E is crucial.
Packaging. I'm a sucker for packaging. I love items with slim and sleek packaging. Yes, I do judge products by the packaging, it's that marketing eye! LOL!

The Wompies:
$16. EEKS! Are you serious? BUT! I like this gloss better than MACs Lusterglass, sooo, It's worth it.
Smell. It doesn't have a "yum" smell, but it's very neutral. Slighty citrus scent. But it's okay.
Lasting. You'll probably need to apply every hour or so to keep that glossy look.

I wasn't sure if it's a good thing that Jemma Kidd is a Target. Although it's sold at Neiman Marcus stores as well. I go to Target often, so it's going to be a bit difficult to avoid this section.

OOokay, time to go to bed! Gnite!

Rice Krispy Treat Anyone?

Yesterday, I told the husby that I had a surprise for him. He said, "Oh really? I have a surprise for you too!". Knowing that it was unusual for him to have surprises, I didn't believe him. But he laughed and he said he really did, and he even said "PROMISE!" (We take that word very seriously in our relationship). Anyways, so I came home and I was anxious to give him his surprise! Lately, my husby has been getting into red wine, especially Pinot Noir, so since we have a crappy wine opener, I decided to get this wine euthusiast kit, ya know, it has the nice opener, saver, pourer, etc etc. Then he said, "That's not for me, it's for us! HAHAH! It's nice though".

So then he goes, "YOUR TURN!". With this huge grin on his face, I knew he was up to something. When I saw that huge rice krispy treat, I nearly died on the couch laughing. WTF?!?!?! PUAHAHAHHA! Where do you find something like this??


Oh man, my husby is crazy. Where'd he get it? He got it from his coworker. I guess you can decorate this thing with frosting and make it somewhat like a cake. OR! You can just eat the whole freakin thing. I have to admit, I do love my rice krispy treats, but I would prefer if this sucker was homemade! LOL! It's okay, we'll still eat it. When? I HAVE NO IDEA! When ever I feel the urge for a heffer delight, I'll tear this sucker open! MmmM! Rice Krispy Treats on steroids... MmMM!

Note: Sorry for the blurry pic!

Keep your eyes peeled for my next post. I'm hoping to do my primer review:

MAC Prep + Prime vs. Bare Escentuals Prime Time vs. Smashbox Photo Finish

Thanksgiving Holiday & CIBU Cyber Monday!

Well I hope that everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving holiday. I'm sad to see this 4 day weekend come to an end. BLEGH! Back to work tomorrow, WOMP WOMP WOMP! Oh well, gotta make that money. My Thanksgiving was lovely! It was sooo good to be around family, friends, tons of food, and wine! MMmM! As for Black Friday, me and the husby decided to take advantage of the good deals. We started shopping around 9am and we didn't get home till 3:30ish? GAH! Our itinerary:

• NEX (Navy Exchange)
• Best Buy
• Lowes
• Home Depot x3 (the husby was looking for this doorbuster tool set, but they were sold out everywhere! so yes, we went to THREE Home Depots.... fun! NOT REALLY!)
• Lunch @ El Pollo Loco (WOO! This is the first one in VA BEACH!) MMM!
• Target
• Mall
• Then, Gordon Biersch at night to catch up with everyone in town.

HAUL BOX!

So! I was able to get some Christmas shopping done, but I wasn't able to resist some good deals. GAH! It's the junkie in me! BUT! I got a bonus at work so I deserve some goodies! Right? Ookay so my sis in law, Patricia, raved about Tea Tree Lavender Mint Shampoo/Conditioner. Soooo, while I was at the NEX, I had to check it out. Dang it, Trish! PUHAHA! Oh well, I LOVE IT! It definitely has that cooling/soothing feeling and it smells soo good and it just helps you wind down. I know the husby is freaking out a a bit cause I have way too many s/c in the bathroom. When he takes a shower, I can hear all the s/c's falling on the floor when he reaches for one. PUAHAH! EEKS!




Oookay, call me crazy but I wasn't too satisfied with my DiorShow Mascara. The last time I was at Sephora, I got Smokey Lash as a deluxe sample. Then, I noticed myself reaching for Smokey Lash over DiorShow. So at Sephora, I returned my DiorShow and purchased Smokey Lash instead. THEN! Since Sephora sent me a coupon via email, I had to use it! $15 off your purchase over $35. Soooo, I took advantage and purchased a NARS Luminizer. Now, here's where I'm bummed. I swatched, and I found the one I liked, well a couple. =). So the testers at Sephora have their little placeholder with the names of testers, well some dumb broad must have tested and didn't put it back in the right place. When I opened the package at home, it was the wrong color!!! GAH! I tried it, it was alright, but I prefer the one I wanted. Soooo, note to self: Look at the bottom of the product for the name, not the placeholder tester. Stupid me...

As for Saturday, me and the husby were complete bums! We just wanted to stay home. He wasn't feeling that great anyway. So, we loafed all day, and hung out in sweats and tees. It was sooo nice just to relax. We have been sooo busy running a muck the days before. I also wrapped presents, take a looky. I loooovvveee wrapping presents! It puts me in a good mood.


Oh yeah! One more thing! Look at what my friend Kim got me! I love her! PUAHAHA! But it definitely pays to have friends in the biz! She knows how much of a feen I am for hair products, so she calms my cravings.

Reason why I'm showing you this is because CIBU has their holiday sets available online on their website. AND!! Tomorrow is CYBER MONDAY!! YouTube Video PROMO

PROMO CODES
SHIPMON: Free Shipping on ANY ORDER
HALFMON: 50% Any Full Size PRODUCT!
PINSMON: Free Bobby Pin Sliding Tin

If there's one thing you should get, it's PHO FINISH!! Dead serious, hands down, this is the best hairspray I have ever used. It holds my curls all day w/o weighing it down. Your hair is moveable and manageable. No stickiness! This is my HG hairspray.

Oookay, I've spent some time on this blog. Time to get ready to head to my parent's house. I'm going to help my momma decorate her tree. WOO! OooOH I can't wait till me and the husby get our own tree!!

Have a lovely day!

Collective Haul & Random Ramblings

First of all, I just want to say that I'm sooooo amped that this a short work week. My GAH! I need the time off. OoooOOh and Thanksgiving is coming up! My favorite heffer holiday! I'm going to attempt to make stuffed mushrooms, either crab or spinach. MmmMMM! Oh and my brother is frying turkey too! I'll be glad to be surrounded in good company with good food and good wine! Heffer's Delight, MmMM!

On Saturday, I went out to the Williamsburg Outlets with my friend, Beth. It was a very successful trip! Not only did I get some Christmas shopping done, I also scored some goodies at CCO. Now, I can't be selfish and stingy cause the holidays are around the corner. I was tempted to buy more, but the inner me kept telling me not to you. I listened, and yes, I only got two things! I was hoping to score a 187 brush, but crash and burn! DANGIT! Instead I got the 188. AND! I also found an MSF in Warmed. WOO! It's discontinued at MAC so I'm stoked that I got it. It's quite comparable to NARS Laguna, I actually like my MSF better! Oh yeah, and since I have an obsession with scarves, I managed to get one more. Here's a peek of my black, white, and gray scarf! I'm notorious for wearing those colors to work, so I figured it would be essential in my wardrobe.

Next! On Sunday, I watched the first half of the Bears vs. Rams game with my husby. GO BEARS! We WON! WOOT WOOT! Then I left to head over to the mall to grab some Christmas gifts for him. The only time I can shop for him is during his "duty" days or when he watches football. Then, I wanted to get the UD Grindhouse sharpener because my MAC sharpener does no justice to my UD 24/7 pencil, WOMP WOMP! $8 for a freakin sharpener! Geez! Then I needed something to cover my hideous dark circles. I was playing with UD 24/7 concealer pencils, but no shade matched me. Plus, it looked cakey. Soooo, I decided to get Erase Paste by Benefit. Lo and behold, I think I found my holy grail product for dark circles! I loooovee this stuff! I'll do a review later down the week, or next week, whenever! And I'll post before/after pics too! Sooo, I was good again, only two things at Sephora but I also got a sample for Smokey Lash by Makeup Forever. My friend, Kim uses this and swears by it. I actually like it too! I think it's quite comparable to DiorShow. Say WAH?!?!? I know.. crazy huh?

As for today, I got my Mandom in the mail. They sent me Mandom Age Care, but I ordered Mandom Moist. On the invoice, they wrote "This is new packaging". Hmmm, did I just get ripped? Please say no. UGH! Well, I'll give it a shot and hopefully it works good. I'm not too excited because my sis in law, Patricia said it doesn't live up to the hype. GAH! We'll see...

OoOOoooh and one more thing! Last night, we were all talking about how snowboarding season is vastly approaching. HECK YEAH! We're all soo amped. I just talked to my brother about some special deals at certain resorts and I'm getting more and more excited! Me and the husby need to get our edges sharpened, once that's done, we're good to go! HELLOOOO POWWDDDEEERRR!! I'll still fall though.. OH WELL!

I'm all over the place with this blog. Oh well, Mondays are whack! =)

HELLO KITTY + MAC COLLABO!

Eeeeks! So everyone has been sooo anxious about this collection. I'll bet you anything that it'll be SOLD OUT once it hits online sales. As I was doing my daily, I found this on Temptalia's page! Check her out, she has the skinny on everything beauty! If you want to read up on this collection and upcoming launches, check those sites out!

Her source came from WWD also! So check them out too!

Photo credit to WWD and Temptalia! Enjoy... and please wipe that drool off your face =)

OooOH! Launch date is FEB. 10TH! (online)... no worries about being broke for this collection, don't you remember that it's tax return season? PUAHAHA!

Elf Yourself!

Hey Guys!
I hope you all enjoyed this as much as I did! I found this last year through my boss and I was dying! So this is a good way to remind you that the holidays are around the corner! Don't procrastinate and start your Christmas shopping!

Casting:
Me!, Husby, Patricia (sis in law), Morrissa (cousin), and Irene (cousin)

Enjoy!

If you'd like to try it out, visit http://www.elfyourself.com/

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Oh yeah! If you visited Janelle's blog, then you know that I met her up at Jmart during my lunch break! PUAHAH! True junkies I tell ya! But we both picked up some Shiseido Tsubaki! I got Golden Repair (white bottle) and she bought the red one. I'm always on the lookout to take care of my hair, especially a deep conditioner! I'll do a review on it too! So keep your eyes peeled!

And one more thing!!! Anyone watching "Blush" on Lifetime? PUAHAH! I'm guilty, I DVRed it! PUAHAHA! Who's your fave?

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Sephora Package Arrived!

OoOokay, so here's my little Sephora haul! This is the last of my makeup purchases until I complete my Christmas shopping, and then, I'll reward myself! PUAHA! Let's begin!

I only bought two things! Yes, two things! I'm a good girl. Everyone raves about NARS Orgasm, so I wanted this DUO bad! Then! Since my mini shu uemera eyelash curler was a complete bust, I returned that sucker back! To replace the shu, I wanted DiorShow mascara. But since I placed the order online, I found a pretty sweet deal. For the same price as DiorShow, I was able to get the DiorShow Essentials DUO, which came with DiorShow and a mini eye cream! Then, of course, in the promo box, I entered "BEAUTYBOX" and received this mini train case with 15 samples! WOOT WOOT! I'm a sample whore, I know!! Oh yeah, and since my Sephora card reached 100 pts, I got a deluxe sample of UD 24/7 liner.

Well the good thing about samples is that I can do comparison reviews: (Be on the lookout for these posts)

• Bare Escentuals PrimeTime vs. Prep + Prime vs. Smashbox Photo Finish
• UD 24/7 Liner vs. MAC Fluidline vs. MAC Powerpoint
• Clinique All About Eyes vs. Juice Beauty Eye Cream vs. Dior Hydration Creme
  

Now the bad thing about samples, it's just a tease!!!! It makes you want it in the full size! GAH! Like Armani Diamonds, OH MY GAH! That smells soooo good. The husby liked it too! But he said I have to finish my Coco Chanel Mademoiselle first. Bummer! Oh well, I love that perfume!

This weekend, I'm looking forward to doing more Christmas shopping. I really want to get a lot of it done early! The husby is a bit hard to shop for, GAH! Hopefully some ideas will come up soon! I have a couple, but I really want to get him something goOooOoOod! OoOooh and I cannot wait till next week. A short week at work, WOOO! FINALLY!
Oh yeah, I also ordered Mandom, so if you've tried it, let me know what you think?

MAC Collection: METAL URGE

MAN! Another collection are you serious? GAH!! I need to Christmas shop forreal, BUT! I really do want to try the Powerplum liquidlast liner! Anyone tried MAC's LiquidLast? I've only tried their pencils and fluidline.