Little Miss Blackwell

Plans, I Have Fantastic, Wonderful Plans...

2011-01-29T17:50:00.000-08:00

Two full weeks into my new job and I am ***EXHAUSTED***. All I did today was a Walmart run & registering Bookey for softball & I really feel compelled to lie prone & whimper, Why are you torturing me?

Really, why?!?

Hehehe. That's just life, forcing me to get off my ass. Much like my personal trainer. My new job has a gym in the call center. Membership is only fifteen bucks a month, and includes unlimited workouts with a personal trainer. I made appointments for Monday, Wednesday, & Friday (upper body, lower body, core) & went in Thursday as well just to jump on the treadmill for some cardio (zoned out with my book, am reading Bullet by Laurell K. Hamilton).

I have been wearing good outfits every day except one. My black pants and hot pink sweater made me look like I was five feet tall and as wide as I was tall. Sweater looked great with leggings but unfortunately that wardrobe staple is verboten at my job. We can wear SHORTS on the weekends, but no leggings??? I am so glad that the world makes sense.

I filed my taxes this past weekend & hoped to have a nice check to do some shopping this weekend. Alas, it is postponed; I won't get my check for another couple of weeks, but in the meantime, I created this outfit off the Gap website & think that I may treat myself once the bird in the bush has alighted in my bank account, I mean, hand.

I think I'm a little bit in love with this outfit...a little terrified of buying an entire outfit for full retail price....we'll see what happens! What do you think, lovely reader?

New Year, Old Cliche

2011-01-16T15:26:00.000-08:00

Seeing my hair lately in photos has been an unpleasant revelation. Starting my new job tomorrow, I want to feel confident & upbeat. Saw a cute photo of Jennie Garth's new cut yesterday in Us Weekly magazine, so I took it to the salon today and got a new haircut. I hate my chins, but I love my new hair!

Silver Bells...

2011-01-04T07:07:00.001-08:00

Actually, silver necklaces. One of the advantages of seeing yourself from full length and further away in photos is seeing what your outfit needs. I love this all black outfit and own NUMEROUS all black outfits, but I definitely need a long, bold silver necklace. I tried one on at Lane Bryant while shopping, probably a year or so ago, and rejected it because I felt it made me look old: wrong decision, I wish I had that necklace now! Have looked in a couple of places but haven't found "the one" yet.

I kind of like this necklace, but I think it may be too young for me!

This picture doesn't do the piece justice, the chains are really long and come almost down to your waist. I love the drama, but just not sure if this would work for work.

Sheer Shearling Extravagance

2010-12-23T14:07:00.000-08:00

Coat: lipstick red, shearling lined suede from the Victoria's Secret catalog closing in on ten years ago. Sweaterdress from Lane Bryant, gray velour leggings, also Victoria's Secret. Turquoise beaded earrings from my early AM Black Friday Target run (which was actually to buy an outdoor firepit for my honey...can't wait til he opens it on Christmas!)

could say much more but just found out I gotta run--back soon, pinky swearsies!!!

I resisted resisting temptation

2010-12-22T15:57:00.000-08:00

Shoes are my weakness. Always have been, right? And with our financial situation right now, I should not be buying ANY shoes. In fact, I think I've only bought one pair since I moved to TN (can that be right????) (if so, yay me, and yet...so sad.)

I have followed Allie at http://www.wardrobeoxygen.com/ religiously for years as a shining example of how a real woman with a real budget and a real body can look good every day, and I love to look through her blogroll and check out other stylebloggers when I have the opportunity. I found Yvonne at Vogue Inspired Fashion For The Real World and wow, is she ever inspiring with her bustier in the boardroom and over the knee boot looks! Her pictures are amazing and I was particularly fascinated by the shoes in her post titled, Leggings: Argyle Sweater. She credited them as being from Aldo and POOF I was off to check out the Aldo site. The style is called Rhiane and it was on sale for TWENTY DOLLARS AND NINETY-NINE CENTS with free shipping & handling. Before checkout I used another great Allie tip and did a quick Google search for an Aldo coupon code that saved me 2.10, so these shoes from a nice store in the mall ended up costing me *LESS* than full price Payless shoes.

Don't you want to see them? You know you want to...hehehe...

Coping with Your FashionWEEsta

2010-12-21T16:50:00.001-08:00

There are so many versions of the term "fashionista" now. Recessionista. Maxxinista. Et al.

I, myself, have a fashionWEEsta (or two)!

Note: my daughter is the one matching her hair accessories to her jeans. I don't know WHERE she gets that from...

Both pairs of five inch heels courtesy of My Closet~and the black boots my daughter is wearing? Yep, those Alice + Olivia Stompy Boots of Amazingness that I craved so long ago, courtesy of eBay!!! Life truly is grand. And full of wonderful footwear.

Yaay!! Christmas Has Come

2010-12-01T06:55:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my darling, wonderful, incredible, fantastic, and all other sorts of good things mother, I am now the proud and happy possessor of many of the clothes that I craved in the past 2 posts. The blue jacket from Old Navy? Score! The backseamed black ponte dress with the skinny patent belt from Lane Bryant? Oh yes.

I'll confess that with the Christmas money coming in from family, I really did have visions of sugarplums dancing in my head. My mind spun with thoughts of facials, massages, being able to buy the Philosphy Vitamin C scrub that I love so much (and that costs 75.00...) Of course money only goes so far; when I saw my mom over Thanksgiving she was more than generous with her resources-took me to Old Navy and we bought stuff for the kids (and that blue coat for me!), Victoria's Secret for sprays and lotions (and I cannot even remember the last time I was able to go in VS or Bath & Body Works for some skin treats), and Lane Bryant for basically a whole new wardrobe in my now larger size-bras, jeans, dresses, black pants, sweaters, tunics, even a new purse. Lane Bryant was having a buy one, get one free on THE WHOLE STORE. Then at checkout Mom was offered 30% off her entire purchase if she applied for the LB card. So between the sale and the 30%, we made out like bandits!

This Is Why

2010-11-07T08:10:00.000-08:00

my Xhusband used to call me, "Little Miss Want-Want."

Small Owen necklace by Gorjana at shopbop.com; draped ponte dress and asymmetric neckline dress, lanebryant.com.

I Want This! (and this. also, this...)

2010-11-04T08:09:00.000-07:00

Old Navy Ruffle Collar Wool Blend jacket in Rosemary Blue. Merona Collection (Target) Women's 2Fer London Dress in Flamenco Red. Mossimo (Target) Women's Knotted Side Dress in green.

I wanted to spend my unemployment check this week on myself, some new clothes & a pedi for my homeless-looking feet. Instead I spent it on Guy's Christmas present and the deposit for Zac's trip to the Tremont Institute in the Smokies next March. And the last one I went to The Children's Place and bought Bookey's fall/winter clothes. Before that, I paid the cable bill.

The terrible keening cry of the mother: when is it going to be me?

Help Me, Rhonda....

2010-09-05T11:48:00.000-07:00

Or rather, help me, ANYONE. Anyone? Bueller?

I can't figure out what to wear as a stay at home mom. (By the time I figure it out, I'm sure I'll be working again. LIFE. AAARGH. Why it must work that way?) Plus I've gained about ten pounds laying around all day and cooking. I think I've exercised maybe four times since April. In his gym class here in TN, Zac does a lot more actual exercise than he did in AL; last year it appeared that all they did was play kickball every day for an hour and a half. But this year he is doing pushups and situps and running a mile every week. Naturally his stomach (which was not large) is now flat as a friggin' pancake (whilst mine has burgeoned like a sail filling with wind). So to celebrate the four day weekend, I went running with him this morning.

Somewhere along mile two, I DIED.

But I love Guy so much that I managed to somehow REANIMATE MY BODY and make it home, so I could tell him that I was dead.

An Abject, Object Lesson

2010-07-21T15:23:00.000-07:00

Stay at home momhood takes its toll on your fashion senses. Before long you are watching all day Law & Order marathons and forgetting to change the channel to Project Runway. And you haven't bid on any shoes on eBay in....(tries to count that high-fails).

That's just me, you say? Suuuure it is. Have you not been to Walmart lately? Because it is a retina searing, nausea inducing outing, oh yes it is.

Today I finished filling out a job application for the Middle Tennesee Electrical Cooperative. When I picked up the app, I had a severe case of bedhead & had not yet washed my face that day. The ladies of the MTEC, on the other hand, appeared to have just been released from their Barbie box and fresh from the hands of a dental bleaching specialist, as well. I was glad that I had put on a bra. Unfortunately that was the sum total of my grooming.

This business of waking up with him every morning and being told that I am beautiful & amazing is taking a heavy toll on my personal grooming standards, let me tell you. (A toll I am more than happy to pay!)

So I vowed that when I dropped my application off, I would be STUNNING. Or at least have brushed my hair, washed my face, applied a modicum of makeup, and wearing earrings (this always passes for stunning with me). I slid into one of my oldest and most comfortable little black dresses--I bought this back when I was still married! A pair of Jessica Simpson platforms that again, were purchased back during my marriage. The girls greeted me with big smiles of approval. I had to run into Walmart to pick up a few necessary supplies (okay, honey bbq sauce, copy paper, & toilet paper. NOW STOP WITH THE THUMB SCREWS!!!) I received 2 compliments on my shoes and one on my dress. Most people looked me in the eye & smiled. This is not the same response I get when I have on cutoffs & flipflops.

On the other hand, I never limp out to the parking lot when I wear flipflops, either....hehehe.

Could I BE Any More Neglectful of This Blog????!!!!

2010-07-08T07:28:00.001-07:00

I mean honestly. Most likely the answer would be NO. I wish I had something fabulous to share with you, but the truth is I have been wearing flipflops and bike shorts and going barefaced seven days out of seven. I haven't discovered any fabulous new makeup or facial care products. I tried L'Oreal's new redness correction lotion--it turned my face green. GREEN I TELL YOU. All I needed was a pot of water dumped over my head so I could've screamed, I'm meeeelllltttiinngggg.

Which really there is no need for the pot of water as it is summer in the South and I am melting in the heat & humidity. So my fashion tip of the day is pretty much, Stay inside. Also, refrain from giving birth & growing older. You'll stay hotter that way. Hotter in a good way, in a "my thighs don't rub together & I don't have crowsfeet!" kind of way, not hotter in an "oh my God it's the heat AND the humidity" kind of way.

New Clothes, November 2009

2009-11-14T19:13:00.000-08:00

I've been relying on the same 2 pairs of black pants and 2 pairs of darkwash jeans since....I'd have to check my blog history over at SAHMGQI but I believe at least 2 years.

Dammit. Now that is Driving Miss Crazy. Back in a sec. DAMN. Try November 2005. These pants are FOUR. YEARS. OLD. That is ninety seven in pant years.

So, after I got my 401K check and performed obligatory mature adult responsible purchases like catching up on the car payments, filling the fuel oil tank so we have heat, and buying warm clothes for Lynda, I trolled the Lane Bryant website and discovered their new Icon line. Saw a model in a royal purple empire waist top that my heart skip a beat (either that or I have had too many breathing treatments today. albuterol may be the only reason I am awake...well, that, and YOU, lovely blogreader--your butt is positively miniscule in those pants!) Called my local LB and they are the only store in Bama that carries the Icon line: one purple top in my size left. I put it on hold Thursday and finally made it there this afternoon (life. it's always getting in the way of my shopping.)

Although Purple Top did not make the cut, I did carry home a Bag of Deliciousness stuffed with new jeans that caused me to look in the three way mirror and cry, "My ass is FANTASTIC in these!" And I forced the reluctant staff to get down the mannequin wearing this skirt--hmm. LB does not wish to share their image with me, apparently. Here's the link: or not. Apparently they do not wish to share the link, either. Heh. It is the Icon ruffled ponte knit skirt, a pencil skirt with an asymmetrical ruffle that isn't really evident in the pic of me above. Apparently Zac is not the heir to the Irving Penn throne. As I was checking out with said skirt, an amazing necklace, and a pair of jeans that I may sleep with under my pillow tonight, the salesperson ringing me up confided that she had hidden the size 14 skirt on the mannequin on purpose so no one would buy it. She reckoned without my resolve and retail knowledge!

More pics tomorrow; I will introduce you to my Russian mail order bride, I mean, my blissful new pair of jeans.

We Will Now Pause

2009-11-05T20:17:00.000-08:00

For a brief (well, okay, possibly PROLONGED) period of mourning that I saw these and missed the chance to buy them. Alice & Olivia jeweled boots, still on the Payless website, but sadly unavailable for purchase. Yes, taunt me with your unattainable loveliness, my sweets, while I yearn for your luscious black soles of Stompiness...these would have gone with every little black dress in my closet. AND my jeans (buries face in handkerchief for a storm of weeping). In fact I might have slept in them. We'll never know. I definitely would have propped them stylishly on my bedside table to admire if wakeful in the night.

Product Review for Benefit's Hello, Flawless!

2009-08-17T12:13:00.000-07:00

I LUUUURRRRVE this!

Have had a promo pullout of the product laying on my desk for months (I do not exaggerate. SINCE. APRIL.) and one of my friends wandered by, picked it up, and said, "Oh! My girlfriend works there!" So, Friday night after work while Bookey was at cheer practice, I went over to Belk's in The Summit (also known as The Very Fancy Mall Where Rich People Shop And Therefore I Do Not) and visited the lovely and talented Brooke at the Benefit counter. I was interested in concealer and foundation as my weakness is always my skin. Between the breakouts and the rosacea, I often wish I could put a bag over my head in the mornings. And the afternoons. And most definitely the evenings. I've been using CoverGirl's TruMineral powder foundation and it is very good for a drugstore product. But Benefit's Hello, Flawless! has definitely taken coverage with a very natural look to the next level. In fact I have already had several people ask me if I am using new makeup because my face looks so good! Also, how can you resist a color called Me, Vain? Champagne~answer, I did not even try.

And I am *GLAD* that I did not! It has been soSoSO long since I have bought makeup anywhere other than a drugstore. Also, they have a brow product that looks good and a brow event coming up where you get your brows shaped and they teach you how to use the product. This may produce a more finished look then me simply swiping an almost dried out mascara brush over my brows, so I am signed up for that and greatly looking forward to it.

So, if there's a nice department store in your area, see if they have a Benefit counter. The products are GREAT and the counter people are well trained in what will suit your needs. I did not feel pressured at all and in fact though I tried several products, only bought this one because I felt it was the very best of all of them. Brooke gave me several samples & the fall catalog and I look forward to going back and treating myself to something new and extremely effective on a hopefully regular basis.

Product Review: Revlon ColorStay Lipliner in Red

2009-07-07T11:25:00.000-07:00

I was recently seduced by the shiny print ad for Revlon's latest Heck-No-This-Stuff-Will-Never-Ever-EVER-Wear-Off, Would We Lie To You? product: ColorStay Ultimate Lipcolor. When Andie MacDowell smiles at me in bright red lipgloss, I lose my ability to say no. Plus the lipcolor came packaged with a lipliner. How could I resist? (answer: by checking my bank account balance, but anyway)

I LUUUURRRRVE me some red lipstick. Especially with my red hair. A look I rocked back in high school, but the past 2-3 years I have not been able to find a drugstore red that I really liked (I'm sure I'd be able to find one at the mall for roughly the same as my power bill, but I LIKE ELECTRICITY, TOO!). So I was expecting another too dark, too bright, too something that I would wear once and then it would fall into the Great Caboodle Crevasse with its brethren, the Forlorn and Unworn.

But no! If I line my lips and then fill in with the liner, it is muy perfecto. Don't even need the lipgloss. Five stars. And it really isn't that drying, and really does last nicely. Definitely five stars.

Heatwave

2009-06-29T12:02:00.000-07:00

We had a cool and rainy spring here in Birmingham, Alabama. In fact, for the first year that I can recall, summer started pretty much on the calendar day marked as the first day of summer. The heat index has pretty much topped 100 degrees every day ever since.

So what does this mean for a sweaty and faltering fashionista like myself?

First of all, I am not torturing my feet with heels every day. Payless had a BOGO sale (I subscribe to their emails, you can sign up at their website of payless.com) and I bought Bookey a new pair of sandals and a pair for myself. A cute and strappy black patent leather pair, completely flat. Very easy to walk back & forth to work in as well as up and down the stairs. Truth be told, I haven't had the money to buy shoes in lo, these many months, and I'm not as enthusiatic about wearing the same stilettos over and over again. Okay, so it's thirty pairs I'm rotating, but it still feels like the same old, same old, to me.

WallyWorld has had some VERY cute dresses and I bought an emerald green jersey knit dress and an electric blue empire waist, both of these are making an appearance weekly. I LOVE COLOR! Also, I realized I could wear an LBD every single day of the week...including weekends...without repeating a dress.

I've been skinning my hair back into a dreadful ponytail sprig, REALLY need a cut. Wearing huge silver earrings. And pretty much no makeup, just sunscreen and maybe some mineral powder foundation, lipgloss, and mascara, that's as far as I'm going with makeup in this heat and humidity.

So: flats. Jersey dresses that don't wrinkle. Ponytail & huge earrings. That's me, this summer. And, ladies? Please do keep in mind that you want to keep your look proportionate. If my earrings are down to my shoulders, it has to be a very plain top or dress. No competing hair or necklace. Keep your height and your overall look balanced. I am nearly six feet tall and rarely find an accessory that I consider too dramatic. But if it's big, detailed earrings, let them shine. Check yourself in a full length mirror before you leave the house to make sure everything works. It takes less than thirty seconds and it's the last thing I do when leaving the house every morning.

L'Oreal EverPure Review

2009-05-09T12:47:00.000-07:00

I'm back from the dead!

And my hair is so fried from constantly redying it red that it feels and, WORSE, looks dead. Then I found a box of L'Oreal EverPure shampoo, conditioner, and hair masque in my bathroom cupboard. I bought it back around Xmas but until I ran out of Pantene Red shampoo, I had completely forgotten about it. Now, this stuff is not going to take the place of hieing yourself to the local salon for a heated deep conditioning treatment, but it will keep you going until you can. I love the shampoo, lots & lots of silky foamy suds; the conditioner smells of rosemary (like Aveda, wonder what marketing genius came up with THAT idea???); and the masque genuinely rehydrates. I haven't tried the other products from the line like the UV protect spray and the leave in conditioner, but if I was at the store with money to buy I would definitely pick them up based on my positive experience.

I have read over and over again that the condition of your hair is something that people really notice about your appearance. Next time you are out, do a little people watching and look at the mom's hair, then their kids'. Kids hair is shiny. Adult hair usually looks dry and damaged, especially those pesky ends. And believe me, stand me next to my daughter and I am juuuust as guilty. So I have really been piling on the (Garnier Fructis Smoothing) leave in conditioner and using the L'Oreal products in an effort to reconstruct my hair.

Then I can move to fixing the rest of myself! A little Botox and plastic surgery, anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Sadlike Sniffling

2009-04-22T11:25:00.000-07:00

I really wish I was back online at home so I could blog regularly here with my daily picture. This will happen again!!! (Cue swelling music in the background of "SOOOOMEDAY")

Reading the Bohemian Manifesto right now by Laren Stover, who also authored The Bombshell Manual of Style. I highly recommend both to stimulate the creative juices. Don't be afraid to pair things from your closet that you never considered would go together. On Monday I paired a graphic black and white floral dress whose pattern has touches of red with my zebra peep toe Nine West platforms. I knew I wanted to wear that dress (for me, a dress and heels is the easiest ensemble possible on those What-The-Hell-Am-I-Gonna-Wear days) and the heels were still lying about from the previous week. Although the combination would never have ocurred to me, when I saw the heels, I picked them up and put them against the dress and it worked! This combo garnered much admiration and several spontaneous compliments when I wore it to work. And that always brightens a girl's day.

Target Love Letter

2009-02-28T11:30:00.000-08:00

Nothing says Blog Entry like Target's last Go International guest designer on clearance! This trench was a completely unexpected lagniappe on my last visit to the store, but I still yearn for the daffodil yellow dramatically collared trench that I saw online that has VANISHED from their website.

Really, Who DOESN'T

2009-02-25T20:08:00.000-08:00

love a good mascara review? I just finished up a tube of LashBlast by Cover Girl--big orange tube, SO easy to find at the bottom of your purse. (Even if your purse may well detain the unindentified remains of Jimmy Hoffa as I firmly believe mine may, I can think of no other realistic explanation of why the thing is so dang heavy--and count not the hardbacked books therein lest I slay thee with a glance.) (FYI, when there isn't enough mascara left in the tube to give me the drag queen eyelashes I crave, I save it and use it to comb my eyebrows!)

So I bought Maybelline's latest offering, Lash Stiletto, because it was shiny and referenced shoes! Let no one say I am not a discriminating retail shopper (am I the only one wandering along the aisles singing along to the Grateful Dead and wondering how much more I am spending per minute because they are playing music that I can sing along to?) The good news is, this stuff totally works and the freaky looking brush is killer. It's got a beat AND you can dance to it! It's no L'Oreal Voluminous (my own personal Holy Grail of Mascaras) but it's close enough to go L'OV's family reunion and eat burgers with the fam. Totally worth that 8.99 plus tax or whatever those robbers closely positioned by the highway, aka CVS, charged me.

I Don't Want To Grow Up

2009-02-23T01:15:00.000-08:00

and yet, these two short(er than me) people running round heah seem to think that just because I pushed them out of my hooha at great personal expense, I should also provide three meals a day, shelter, transpo, even electricity.

The nerve.

And that is why I did not buy the Coach Francine IN WHITE (TDF. winter white and summer white all wrapped up in one big beautiful amazing package) today even though I could have probably squeezed the budget until its stone wept blood and then had my very own Francine instead of just the gorgeous print ad I've had taped in my cubicle since forever.

Oh, Child Support, where art thou, Child Support? Meet me out on the balcony and let's remember to forget all knives, deadly poisons, and anything else that might prevent us from spending a long and happy life together.

To Vary The Monotony of The Dress

2009-02-19T18:39:00.000-08:00

I bring you The PANTS. these are getting so baggy, I need a new pair of black pants BADLY. those are new red JSimps on the tootsies, and that Dangerous Kitty emblazoned across my lady lumps? Truth. In. Advertising!

I did locate the Maddens, whatever possessed the delivery guy to leave them inside another box that was already sitting on my porch, I do not know. So, tomorrow will definitely see another trusty LBD and THE SWOONY SWOONY SHOOOOOES.....gotta have something to look forward to, right?

Holy Crap I'm FINALLY BACK!!!

2009-02-18T18:11:00.001-08:00

And, lest you doubt that I have been working the dress/heels/fab bag combo, here is photographic (if not photogenic) proof, that I most certainly have been.

BCBG Girls four inch black patent & suede platforms, courtesy of eBay (long ago).

my new and intensely beloved cobalt blue patent leather Maxx New York leopard print lined bag, also off eBay--this baby retailed for 199.00 and I won the auction at around sixty bucks. this bag is worth every. single. penny.

And finally here is Yours Truly and PLEASE (really. I beg of you.) ignore the mess. Welcome to your first glimpse of The Tin Can of Freedom, and Martha, dammit, you did not show up AGAIN today. I didn't wear any makeup today, other than some translucent powder, and no jewelry--was up all night smooochy with new cell phone.

I ordered these fantastic and fantasmagorically priced (39.99 w/free s&h)Steve Maddens, LOLLOA Blush
According to the email I recieved from the SM website, they were delivered today at 6:34PM, however, a close inspection of my mailbox, front porch, and every single blade of grass in the yard has revealed no shoe box package. Hmmph.

This Is How We Do It...

2008-09-16T15:03:00.000-07:00

THIS is how you dress for the courthouse, ladies.

Black Lane Bryant pants, black Walmart vneck tshirt, charcoal grey forties style sweater, also from Wallyworld, last year. Unfortunately the proportions of the 3 garments together are lost in the melange of darkness in the photo, but trust me when I say it all worked together. Tasteful silver hoop earrings. Stilettos are Holster by Carlos Santana, a knockoff of a Christian Louboutin style from 2006. Very comfortable, although I will admit that "comfort" IS a relative term when one refers to four inch heels. Makeup is Laura Gellar's Spackle (tinted under-makeup primer in bronze), CoverGirl Trublend minerals, Lashblast mascara on curled lashes and eyebrows, and Revlon Super Lustrous Shiny Sheers in Ruby Radiance.

I have long followed Allie's style blogs at http://www.mywardrobetoday.com/ and http://www.wardrobeoxygen.com/. Back in June, I took this particular post very seriously: http://www.wardrobeoxygen.com/2008/06/dressing-up-your-face.html. I grew up in the 80's with contour eyeshadow and blush. Lipgloss was so heavy and gooey that I once actually got a bug stuck in my gloss and didn't even know it until a boy pointed it to me--and yes, that particular memory can still make my clueless self writhe with humiliation. Now I have some crow's feet to go with my adult acne and I want my makeup to enhance my face and make me look younger. So all summer I have concentrated on perfecting my skin and slightly emphasizing my lips with a natural color or light gloss and my eyes with just lashcurling and mascara. I have had many, many compliments on my "fresh-faced" look, but now that it's September, I have been wondering how to update that for fall since basically the temperatures are still the same but suddenly we are expected to jump into tartan and tall leather boots. I believe I hit the nail on the head by reviving my sheer red lipstick and I also plan to try L'Oreal's Color Juice stick in Plum Crazy once the weather cools off a little more (and my wallet plumps up a little more, hehehe)

In Which I Pray I Have Escaped The Curse of The White Girl

2008-09-09T19:38:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine remarked one day as we watched UAB students cross the street that one girl was very attractive except she had the Curse of The White Girl, i.e., a flat ass. And I have to admit, because I am ALL ABOUT the big issues (you know, Barack vs. the POW, does Palin look better WITH the glasses, is the glass actually half full or are those dregs filled with powdered glass that I am about to ingest, etc.), that it has worried me on a semi-regular basis ever since that I may be buttless and clueless about my lack of badonkadonk.

I wish I could worry about my lack of a STOMACH but since it is sitting here on my knees sneering at me that is fairly pointless.

(forcibly drags self back to point)

I was uninspired by my closet this AM. I knew I wanted to wear black pants; I have 2 pairs in regular rotation, but since I have lost a few (sadly few) pounds, my favorite pair were getting pretty loose and flappy so I picked the other pair and just grabbed a black shirt with ruched sides to go with it and the first pair of comfortable black shoes I saw to round off my whole Black Is Back look. Surprisingly, the cut of everything as a whole really worked, I felt, and I stalked around all day feeling as if I looked ten feet tall and bulletproof.

Sigh.

Now if I only WERE ten feet tall, and bulletproof, my life would be a lot easier, right now....

2008-09-08T19:18:00.000-07:00

Zac may have managed to lop off my feet but shoes like these cannot be denied their rightful and righteous place in the sun.
the dress is Walmart but the shoes, oh, the shoes. Jessica Simpson, I saw them on another girl at work and I *HAD* to have them. So much so that when I couldn't find them online at all, let alone at a good price (i.e., not retail), I actually went to Belk's at the Galleria and paid full price for them and called it my Christmas present last year.
I've got my hair pulled back in a pathetic little ponytail because at this point, needing to be cut does not even BEGIN to describe it's incredibly sad state of affairs. It's like the National Deficit of hair. And it's on my head! I know, I know, you all wish you could be soooo lucky, like me....hahaha.

I think an electric blue and black dress calls for a nice raspberry pink lipstick, this is Jam by Max Factor, my CoverGirl TruBlend minerals powder foundation, and CoverGirl LashBlast mascara on curled lashes.

Too Milkmaid???

2008-08-24T08:23:00.000-07:00

Now that I look closely at the pics of me in this shirt, I wonder if it's too....milkmaidy? While Mom was here, she took me to Walmart to finish up back to school shopping for the kids and somehow a top in my size wandered into the shopping cart (hehehe). But I have been loving the light on top, dark on the bottom-to-hopefully-hide-my-bottom look this summer. Probably because those five inch hidden platform stilettos from Aldo just rock so hard.
The first picture was my actual pose (and boy do I need a haircut!), the second is what I look like when I lecture Zac about his homework, and I figured it should be captured for posterity. By posterity!
Man, the mosquitoes are INSANE after all these storms and rain. I just went outside for two minutes to check on the kids and admire the huge ant they captured, and I was bitten twice. I HATE MOSQUITOES; unfortunately, my blood seems to be like a extremely fine Château d'Yquem for the dadgum things.

the paparazzi have deserted me

2008-08-06T19:31:00.000-07:00

I mean, Zac is visiting my 'rents in VA, so pics are taken by someone very, very short: Bookey, who does not look any taller when I stare down at her from my five inch heeled vantage point.

Cream suede covered platform heels, Aldo via eBay and not the delicious yet horribly expensive store in the Galleria. Jeans, Lane Bryant, size 18, baggy, well-washed, and comfortable. Heat's getting to me, I didn't want to wear tight jeans. Loose empire waist cream shirt from WallyWorld, last summer. I had on cream and gold hoops that went with, beautifully, from the three dollar sale rack at WW, but I took them off at work and left them on my desk, where, hopefully, they will still be tomorrow. For years I never worried about leaving anything at my desk. In fact, sometimes on Fridays, I would gather up five pairs of shoes to bring home. But a few weeks ago my luck deserted me; either that, or one of the janitors has acquired a girlfriend with a size 10 foot, because my beautiful, glorious Nine West Slutty Librarian shoes that I left for one night, walked off and left me. There is only one way to grieve their passing and mourn in an appropriate manner....and that would be via amazon.com.

Breaking From My Usual Dress And Heels

2008-07-31T17:01:00.000-07:00

and putting on a SKIRT and heels! hahaha, don't you wish you could come up with this type of originality (please, don't answer that)?!?

Skirt, WallyWorld, black tshirt, Lane Bryant LONG ago, I've had that shirt for years. Four inch black leather platform heels, Bebe via eBay. Black hair tie on wrist like a bracelet and my wedding set, no other jewelry. HOW does my chest continue to get so red when I apply SPF 50 to it twice a day? DAMN the Southern sun in July. It's almost 10PM and you could still cut the humidity outside with a knife and probably fry an egg on the sidewalk as well.

Bookey Style

2008-07-24T19:17:00.001-07:00

Or, you could also call this, a Shoe Lover Is Born! She can actually walk all around the house in those four inch heels. I don't know WHERE she gets THAT from...hehehe!!!!

New Dress!

2008-07-23T05:07:00.000-07:00

Dark brown peasant dress, Old Navy via eBay. Brown platform Jessica Simpson heels, four inches. New shell? earrings, wally, three bucks. Feeling like a million bucks throughout the trials and tribulations of the day? Priceless!

Monday and a New Program

2008-07-21T17:32:00.000-07:00

to learn at work, GAH, my brain exploded at some point during the day, but I was too stressed to note the exact time.

White lantern sleeved shirt from the Old Navy website, spring 08, jeans, classic cut dark wash from Lane Bryant, fall 07, no jewelry except for my wedding set, mary janes are Jessica Simpson's knockoff of the iconic Chloe platforms from fall 06 (I think it was 06). Probably the most comfortable five inch heels ever, I had to walk to the strip mall next door to our complex for a gallon of drinking water this afternoon since my job has thoughtfully disconnected the water cooler in the kitchen "until the new refrigerator comes." "And when will that be?" I asked. "I don't...know..." was the reply, so I'm just going to assume--never. Dehydration! It adds to the Whole Work Experience!!!

Sunday Dress

2008-07-20T16:41:00.000-07:00

I tried to wear nice pants to church once as a teenager. My mom sent me back into the house to change so that I would "show God I was happy to be a woman." You know, because he can't, like, see into your heart to know you feel, or anything....hehehe. My poor mom.

Some friends from work hosted a picnic today at a park near our office building. It's the South, it's July, heat and humidity are a given. I was taking the kids, hiking in a cooler, etc., and I wanted to be as cool and comfortable as possible. Also stylish. In fact, one of the women I met (in a fabulous royal blue maxidress from ardenb.!) confided that she had gone shopping on Saturday to buy a dress to wear. I wore a burgundy sundress from Old Navy that I bought on eBay. When it came in the mail, I felt it was a bit too lowcut and possibly too short for work, but it makes a GREAT dress to wear around the house, particularly if you, like me, feel that flashing your husband regularly helps stoke the marital fires. To make it work for a social occasion, I wore a supportive black bra (Cacique by Lane Bryant) up top and navy blue bike shorts underneath so I didn't have to worry about showing anything I shouldn't be showing.
No jewelry, I had planned to wear a pair of big, thin shell earrings, but forgot to put them in and didn't want to go back to the house as we were running late. Flipflops. No makeup except for Clinique Super City Block w/SPF. I put on lipstick before Zac took these pics, a new lipstick I bought at Wally last night after I saw the print ad in the new People magazine, this is Maybelline Mineral Power lipcolor in Terracotta. I really like it. Perfect for summer, it doesn't have a heavy waxy lipsticky feel, nor does it make my lips feel dry. Just the right amount of color.

Off With Her Head!

2008-07-16T20:16:00.000-07:00

Zac was apparently possessed by the spirit of the mad queen when he shot this pic. The red silk shrug, sleeveless ivory blouse, and black pants are all Lane Bryant. New silver earrings, 3.50 from WallyWorld (blotchy shiny skin, EVIL MOTHER NATURE, my airbrush, whither art thou whilst I wither???) Black patent leather heels with cork sole & platform, Jessica Simpson via eBay. I got so many compliments in this outfit today, a lot of "you've lost weight" which to me is really just today's society's way of saying, You look good, because, the thinner, the better, right, Nicole Richie?

My left leg weighs more than Nicole Richie. WHEN she was 9 months pregnant.

Anyway, I believe the whole chiaroscuro light on top dark on the bottom aspect was very slimming and flattering. And I can't find my frickin' blotting papers anywhere...may have to buy more.

I want some of my new clothes to come so I can wear something that I haven't already worn a fulfillion times!!!

Finishing up the week

2008-07-11T21:01:00.000-07:00

I was super casual this Friday. New (new to me, I believe this is gently used) Old Navy top via my most excellently beloved eBay with my dark wash Lane Bryant capri jeans and, gasp, FLIPFLOPS. I thought I had the Slutty Librarian Nine West heels under my desk at work but they were nowhere to be found when I got there (not in my car either and I am slightly afraid to search my room because.....WHAT IF THEY ARE GONE?
Would it be inappropriate to wear a black armband of mourning? I wonder what you have to do to declare a National Day of Shoe Grief and Tooth Gnashing?)
so I snuck around all day, flopping in my flippies, and giving thanks that Type A One and Type A Two, were both out--they are very nice ladies, but I do remain in a state of Continual Gratitude and Omnipresent Thanksgiving that I am on Type B One and Type B Two's team instead (THANK YOU, JESUS.)

To complete the Wonderfulness That Is Friday, I WON!!!!!!!! Yes, I won Thandie heels by Bebe on eBay (Bless you, eBay, and blessed be the fruit of your auctions, in the name of The Buyer, The Seller, and The Holy PayPal.)
I have lusted in my heart, verily, I have yearned for these shoes for going on twelve months now.
AND THEY ARE MINE!!!!!!!!MINEMINEMINEMINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (spasms of unholy gleefulness and joy, hallelujah!)
That is a six inch heel, there, ladies: SIX. INCHES. BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Is The Bank ready for this???

New BR dress!

2008-07-09T18:59:00.000-07:00

My new Banana Republic dress off eBay. new smoky quartz necklace from the Zales outlet with extra Fourth of July coupon. gold Bebe platform heels (five inches).
sorry about the crap photo, my camera battery was dying! Rescitating now on the recharger.

I bought a box of haircolor on my WallyWorld shopping spree Fourth of July morning. Feria Iced Mocha Light Iridescent Brown. I hope it isn't too light and doesn't make my skin look freaky (technical term). I also got a couple of new pair of earrings off the sale rack so look for those in upcoming pictures.
I planned on doing my hair tonight, but I have just emptied the house of half the neighborhood and I haven't eaten dinner yet, so probably not.

Can't Wait Until I Get Older(er) To Wear Purple

2008-07-02T05:00:00.000-07:00

Shirt, Lane Bryant, from eons ago; jeans, Lane Bryant, fall 07. BCBG Girls peeptoe platforms via eBay. Bookey's dress is Mary-Kate & Ashley from Walmart, summer 08, her butterfly sandals were just purchased at Payless' BOGO sale. I am already shopping with an eye on back to school!

L'Oreal Wrinkle De-Crease Eye Illuminator Review

2008-06-29T13:32:00.000-07:00

This is my third eye cream so far this year, and my hands down favorite, as well. I began the year with Neutrogena Radiance Boost Eye Cream, and I was moderately pleased with the brightening effects but felt it didn't do much for my crow's feet. As my tube began running out, I won an eBay auction for a tube of Atache C Vital eye contour gel cream because I like things with vitamin C in them, that ingredient seems to work pretty well on my skin, but a gel cream is, again, just a little too light for the almost-36-year-old skin around my eyes. Also, this stuff promised to do everything but my laundry and dry-cleaning, but I didn't feel it was even as effective as the Neutrogena, despite the fact that it supposedly retailed for about 35.00. Meh, bleah, done, done, on to the next one (I wonder what kind of eye cream Dave Grohl uses???)
After reading one of Tootsie Farklepants' hilarious Friday Tutorials where she recommended L'Oreal DeCrease skin cream, I decided to pluck a box of L'Oreal Paris Wrinkle De-Crease Collagen Filler Eye Illuminator Targeted Eye Treatment with Collagen Bio-Spheres & Chromatic Micro-Particles off the shelf, because, really, what is the point of a fifteen word product title if you can't throw in some chromatic micro-particles?
The box, or, rather, the cream inside, vowed it "Fills wrinkles and minimizes dark circles."
I love this stuff. It has a nice thick feel & consistency, but is readily absorbed into my skin, and I feel that it does work for brightening dark circles, wrinkling, AND puffiness.

Completely irrelevant side note: am I the only one who is hearing "When I grow up I want to have boobies" on the new Pussycat Dolls song? I was actually disappointed when I googled the lyrics and the words are actually "When I grow up I want to have groupies." Hmm. As a kid with no boobs and a teenager with small ones, I definitely wanted boobies a lot more than groupies. Who wants some weird stalker type hanging around when you can heft some double D's instead????

so slooooowly

2008-06-26T05:10:00.000-07:00

I am making my way back to the surface after being submerged in the muck of overtime....here are Tuesday's & Wednesday's outfits. Tuesday, print dress from Walmart, big silver hoop earrings same, emerald cut topaz ring from the Zales outlet a few years ago when David failed me in a rather spectacular way on Mother's Day. "Memories....misty watercolored memories...." yeah right. Wednesday I worked a half day and wanted something very casual and comfortable. Pink gauze peasant shirt from Lane Bryant, purchased in spring of 2003 when I was extremely pregnant with my daughter, darkwash capris, also Lane Bryant, spring 08. Gold wedges, a gift from my friend Patti, who found them on sale, in my size, at a boutique on 280.

There has been an upswing in our financial situation and I hope to have some new dresses, shoes, and even jewelry to debut in the next couple of weeks!

Truth In Advertising

2008-06-19T20:12:00.000-07:00

My tshirt reads: Dangerous Kitty.

Also, it's amazing how much your stomach really does not move even though you could swear you were pulling it straight into your spine.

Old Navy skirt & Nine West Decors (aka Slutty Librarian) heels. Body by McDonald's.

Cover Girl TruBlend minerals foundation review

2008-06-16T05:30:00.000-07:00

About 2 years I went to the local Sephora for a bridal makeover and they used Bare Escentuals on me. I liked it but have never made it enough of a priority (100+ dollars for foundation, brushes, et al) to go back and invest. So when Cover Girl began advertising it's new pressed mineral foundation for less than ten dollars, and I somehow forgot my makeup one day last week, I ran straight to the CVS in the strip mall next to my job and bought shade 2, creamy natural. Because I am nothing if not creamy. And natural. First I tried it with my retractable Sephora powder brush and achieved very light coverage that took away the shine from my Clinique Super City Block. Then I tried the tiny brush that came with the compact and from the very atoms of the microfine minerals, Olivia Newton-John's voice rose up and sang, "Have to believe we are maaaaagic, Nothing can stand in our way" and I watched in amazement as this laughably tiny brush and drugstore foundation provided flawless coverage that looked like my real skin.
I LOVE this stuff. PERFECT for my shiny summertime.

Time For A Cool Change

2008-06-11T17:37:00.000-07:00

I felt extremely Sassy-fied in this outfit. Dark wash jeans, Lane Bryant, jewel necked shirt, also LB, platform metallic croc print heels, Barb by Jessica Simpson. Oversized silver hoops, World de Wallay. Daughter, by the grace of God.

My Wrap Dress is BAAAAACK!!!

2008-06-09T18:35:00.000-07:00

Diane von Furstenburg herself could not BE more excited. Keep in mind, I had made at least two fairly exhaustive searches of my cesspool, I mean, bedroom, to no avail, and I was getting tired of wearing my other LBD all the time. I wear dresses so often I want to be able to rotate them! Last night I decided to neaten up My Wall O' Shoes (I have lined up about ninety-eleven pairs against the wall so I can get to the bathroom in the middle of the night without breaking a hip, hehehe) and in the corner was a blue plastic milk crate that Bookey had thoughtfully and carefully filled with....A LOT OF CLOTHES. Like the pink pants that go to her flowered top that are actually pajamas but I pass off as a matching outfit for daytime. And, voila, my wrap dress. I thought perhaps it had run away to audition for the new season of Crock of Love and was rehearsing it's updated, heavyhanded, eyeliner techniques and discussing the best new wrinkle creams.

Black wrap dress from World de Wallay, black suede platform heels, "Holster", by Carlos Santana, black necklace from Macy's at the Galleria mall, fall 07.

Viva La Monday!

Wednesday

2008-06-04T19:42:00.000-07:00

I wore a pair of old jeans, black flipflops, and an old Nike "Diva" tshirt to the hospital. No makeup, hair pulled straight back in a ponytail. A veritable VISION, that was me.

TEEriffic Tuesday (Isn't It????haha)

2008-06-03T17:52:00.000-07:00

Dear Fadkog,

As if anyone is looking at your feet. Their gazes have stopped at the Mane of Hotness and, should they have the Fortitude to drop further, were Mazed by your Rack. Nice try, though.

MQ,

You know, looking at that picture, she is very Long, isn't she? Don't know where she gets that from...hehehe.

Today I planned to wear my black dress, zebra ponyhair Nine West heels, and red lipstick. Left my heels under the desk at work so what you see on my tootsies are my go-to black Payless flats for walking the 2 blocks to & from work. Lipstick started off bright Revlon pink and then I layered a bright light red lipstick over it. Black liner under eyes smoked with dark green eyeshadow from Almay. No mascara, I forgot my eyelash curler, and no blush, my face is so red from the daily sun increase of the season.

Monday Means A Dress & Heels

2008-06-02T19:14:00.000-07:00

Dress bought last weekend at World de Wallay for nineteen dollars and change. Shoes are...crap can't remember and already put them away. I know I got them off Amazon for less than 30 bucks.
Bookey is now anxious to be included in all pictures and that is the picture she colored for me while I was at work today.
I wrote a long post at work today about some new makeup I tried since I forgot mine this AM but dishes await/loom/leech my blogtime/should wash their damn selves.

TGIF (Unless, like me, you work on Saturday...)

2008-05-25T08:04:00.000-07:00

In which case, people who are happy it's Friday just get on your damn nerves. Lane Bryant dress from Spring 06 (I think...that was a long time ago!). This dress has been sitting in a pile in my room for more than 12 months, but this past week I was very very bored with my wardrobe and my Thursday night To Do List had 2 items: give self pedicure so can continue to hold my head up in open toed shoes and wash/iron b&w dress to wear tomorrow. I got SO many compliments as I have every time I've worn this dress and looking at this picture I can see why, it is very flattering. And now it's also very big on me! This is a size 18 and I am wearing a 14 now but it may be worth the effort to get this one altered.
I wore a red sandwashed silk shrug over this but had taken it off by the time Zac snapped a photo. He cut me off at the ankles but I wore 4 inch BCBG Girls peeptoe T-straps with a big black tulle flower on the toe. The big silver hoop earrings are from Walmart last week for 2.97 (SCORE!). I pulled all my hair back and wore red lipstick.

On Friday I felt very very bad. I have been sick all week with a nasty chest & throat virus. But every day I really made an effort and truly, it is amazing the way you feel so much better after recieving compliments all day long. One lady in the elevator with me asked if I was a model, and my manager said, "You must be feeling better! You look great!"
Actually I felt like a steaming sack of poo, but those compliments carried me through the day.

Wicked Wednesday

2008-05-21T19:12:00.000-07:00

I am not feeling well this week, and this is my go-to LBD. I bought it at Walmart probably about a year ago and I think I have worn it at least once a week ever since. I always feel good in this dress. It swishes nicely around the knees when I walk and I imagine it would be perfect for a tango class. Nine West shoes via amazon.com; the necklace is a brooch from Lane Bryant that I got as a gift with purchase a few years ago and strung on a gold chain for today. Big, chunky necklaces seem to be very hot for summer, so check out your favorite shopping haunts for a little something (or a big something) to freshen up your favorite tees and tanks for summer. I am loving the necklaces at anthropologie.com although I doubt I will be able to afford one--Wikipedia says anthropologie is aimed at the 200k and up income mark! Definitely not my ball park, but anyone can look and get ideas! Some styles are very seventies inspired; if you are lucky enough to have access to your mom's jewelry box, you might score some great finds.

I LIED.

2008-05-17T13:03:00.000-07:00

I didn't wear Hefty to work today. Up at 6:30AM because the baby was coughing so badly, I got out her asthma medicine (albuterol machine) and hooked it up. I usually go in at 8AM on Saturdays to get that extra hour of overtime, but this morning I looked that hour of overtime in the face and told it straight up, FUCK YOU.

(Sorry, Mom)

I slathered on sunscreen and donned darkwash capris from Lane Bryant Spring 08, longsleeved grass green tshirt same provenance, and Jessica Simpson Barb pumps in black patent leather with cork sole & platforms. What do you MEAN, you don't consider four inch heels to be casual Saturday work wear???

I did think about wearing flats. Briefly. But then I remembered the unassuagable anguish I feel when I see another woman wearing heels when I have on flats, and the urge passed. (I did throw flipflops in my tote bag just in case)

Wore a longsleeved tshirt because, as so many workplaces do, we are frozen in the summer and toasted in the winter. Seriously, it does not matter where I work or where I sit, I will always be under a blasted vent. In the winter I sit in perfect comfort in sleeveless dresses, and by July I am anxiously perusing victoriassecret.com to see what kind of sweaters they have on sale. This may be a conspiracy between Corporate America and The Fashion Police, it bears looking into.

TGIF

2008-05-16T19:32:00.000-07:00

I had had an idea in the back of my mind about draping a lot of pearls a la Coco Chanel, and this AM when I was running late for work and noticed some stains (GAH) on the front of my cream colored sleeveless polo seemed like the perfect time to put this idea into play.

After work I went to the local margarita watering hole ((VIVA TEQUILA!!!)) with some friends from work. It's amazing how a couple of ibuprofen and a giant frozen 'rita can completely erase foot pain. I am not looking forward to going to work in the morning and will DEFINITELY NOT be blogging my outfit as it could prominently feature Hefty as a name brand.

hehehe!

Have a fabulous weekend, everybody!!!

2008-05-14T20:04:00.000-07:00

A day that starts off with The Flood calls for eyeliner. A friend at work that drops by my desk a couple days a week to check out the latest celeb gossip rags told me today that I had everything going on FLAWLESSLY.
That was several hours before this picture was taken. All mistakes are on the part of and also the complete responsibility of...the photographer! hehehe, I blame him for these capacious childbearing hips!!!! Vocally and whenever possible.

Mr. DeMille, I'm NOT ready yet....

2008-05-13T18:48:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when your photog is eleven and thinks it is funny to take a shot of your....butt. And just when I was thinking, this pants just magically make my fat disappear! It's like I am...NOT FAT!!!

And then reality had to go and rear it's ugly head. And dimpled thighs.

I seriously must get back to the gym and out of the local Mexican restaurants.

Lane Bryant dark rinse jeans, Lane Bryant royal purple satin squarenecked top, Nine West slutty librarian peeptoe platform loafers, makeup same as previous--pink Revlon lipstick, pink Neutrogena gloss, curled LashBlasted eyelashes.

these are my Cop Sunglasses

2008-05-12T18:23:00.000-07:00

My pupils couldn't have survived the camera's flash, I almost had to leave work today as by 3:30PM I was nauseated with vertigo and black spots in my vision from a really bad headache that was heading towards Migraine Station. I took some Advil LiquiGels and used a Headache Remover homeopathic stick that a couple of the girls at work lent me--I tell ya, if I get the urge to climb the Himalayas, I'm bringing Shannon and Pam with me. Lint remover? Safety pin? Band-Aids? Over the counter meds? They've got it. Nail polish? Nail polish remover? Check. And yet I drag around a huge tote AND a clutch, and the best I can come up with is sunscreen and an eyelash curler....it makes no sense.

So. A favorite black dress from Walmart, gold five inch Bebe heels, Revlon Renewist lipstick in Berry Fulfilling, and I powdered before I left work because I was tired of looking like a hot mess in my post work pics. Behold the power of Prescriptives! I really love their custom blend. My skin tone is really difficult to match--I am pale, red & blotchy, with a blue undertone to my skin, so it can't have a yellow undertone, but too much pink undertone and I look sunburned--anyway, sometimes it really is cheaper to go buy one right thing that lasts for years (I have had this powder probably about five years) than to waste 10 dollars every time you go to Walmart or the drugstore and piling up a lot of failures that you forget to return or lost the reciept. I mean, drugstore makeup costs now what department store makeup cost when I was a teenager (right after we discovered fire and invented the wheel), and I don't have money to waste, I need something that works so I can work it every day!

Aviator sunglasses, 12 bucks at Adger Grocery, dress, less than 20 bucks, shoes off eBay, I know less than fifty dollars. Add in my trusty black Lane Bryant bra, bought on sale, and my whole outfit is probably less than a hundred!

What Can Brown Do For You?

2008-05-10T05:52:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite dresses, another Walmart special purchased last summer at my local. I wear a lot of black, but as a child of the '80's and still owning a copy of Color Me Beautiful by Carole Jackson (I can actually quote passages from the book as if it were poetry or literature for the ages....geesh), I'm a Summer and I always wonder, Is black too dramatic for my coloring?

Nah. Really, can ANYTHING be too dramatic for ME?

Not so much, not really.

But, anycrap, I always feel secure in this brown dress, knowing that it flatters my coloring. Also, those Jessica Simpson shoes? EXTREMELY comfortable for a four inch heel, which is to say, I don't need a walker today and I wore those shoes yesterday from the time that I put them on at the house until I got back home and changed. I forgot to take flats with me yesterday, I usually have them on at my desk for a couple of hours after lunch to give my feet a break--I WISH that I had pain free feet but really I just grin and bear it and work with it as much as I can. So all of you sensibly shod ladies? Heels are just a cry for constant external validation.

Thank God, it works!

Wood bead necklace, also Walmart, gold necklace, that disk is etched with a photo of Zac at 3 wearing angel wings. Wedding set, no earrings, makeup is CityBlock, Prescriptives powder, looks like lipstick was gone by this point, as well as the powder, CoverGirl LashBlast mascara on curled eyelashes. I've started using DHC Arbutin moisturizer at night and after just a couple of nights I have noticed my skin feels very smooth and soft in the mornings and it doesn't break me out like the sample of Olay Definity that I tried for a few nights before that, I woke up every morning with a new blemish and with a complexion that's already red & blotchy, I most surely do not need that! Might be good for winter when my skin is drier but this DHC will be better for summertime. I am going to keep using and hope to see great results after 4-6 weeks of every night usage. I have been MUCH more disciplined about cleaning my face every night, knowing that I am posting my pictures on the Internet! Hey, whatever it takes, y'know?
Have a most fabulous weekend and a Wonderful Mother's Day, ya'll!!!

Peekaboo, I See You!

2008-05-08T17:21:00.000-07:00

yep, it's me again! Long time no see, huh? As you know, it's been Driving Miss Crazy round these here paaaahts....but I've missed you, lovely, and I'm baaaack!

Dress bought a couple weeks or a month ago at the local Walmart, shoes are positively ancient, Steve Madden circa 1996. I didn't use any makeup today (not even the Clinique SuperCityBlock as it was raining) except for powder (obviously worn off, hehehe) and pink lipstick--let me see, I am too lazy to get up...

But not too lazy to call for Zac to bring me my bag!

Lipstick is Revlon Super Lustrous Creme Lipstick in Love That Pink with a slick of Neutrogena MoistureShine gloss in Groove on top.

When Your Day ALREADY Sucks

2008-04-28T16:50:00.000-07:00

and it's barely even started, I advise putting the very most you are capable of into your appearance so that at least you don't look like your entire world is crumbling into little cookie pieces around you. It's the fashionista version of "Laugh and the whole world laughs with you...look like dung and they'll be laughing AT you, and really, doesn't your day suck enough already?"So this morning after Husband's alarm went off and there were no signs of said Husband actually vacating his couch, I lay in bed cursing the day I was born, I mean, waited for a little bit to see if he was going to get up and then stomped out, I mean, walked to the living room to inquire as to his plans for the day and whether or not that would include more than simply adding body heat to our living room.Apparently not.I fumed, let the dogs out, fumed, let the dogs in, fumed, fed & watered the dogs, fumed, fixed my lunch from the leftovers still sitting out in the kitchen that no one had bothered to put away last night, fumed, checked both my blogs for comments and the will to live, fumed, woke up Zac for school, he complained of stomach pain and threw up, thus vacating the possibilty of him getting on the school bus and at this exact point I said to myself, I'm going to take a shower, put on makeup, and style the hell outta my hair before I leave for work this morning. I have good intentions, but a lot of times my makeup stays in it's case and my hair airdries after I leave for work in the morning. Not really my best look, I know, and so this morning I showered, lotioned, prepped my skin with L'Oreal Skin Genesis serum and Clinique Cityblock in SPF 40, wiped on a little Prescriptives custom blended foundation, dusted on Prescriptives custom blend loose powder with my big Sephora retractable powder brush, Nars Orgasm blush, lipliner (some no name .99 pencil I picked up at Walgreen's a long time ago) in Nude, Cover Girl TruBlend lipstick in Nude Shine, black eyeliner on the outer half of my top lids and inside the rims on the bottom (again nothing special, Prestige eyeliner from Walgreen's in Black), Almay Intense i-color trio for greens, I used the lightest green all over my lids and blended up to my brows (with my ring finger as applicator) and the purple shade in the crease, went over my brows with a mascara wand from an almost empty tube of Lancome Defincils, curled my eyelashes and then Cover Girl Lashblast mascara in very black. I put on Lane Bryant classic cut jeans (what passes for a straight leg on us curvy girls) with a Lane Bryant top in black that has a very cool attached necklace, my wedding set, and my most comfortable heels, a four inch Bebe black leather platform with an ankle strap.After Brilliant Brunette Shine treatment and a going over with my flatiron, my hair curved perfectly against my face, but of course by the time I made it to work it was back to doing it's own thing and I recieved a compliment on "that flippy thing your hair's got going on today." Haha. Oh well. Woman Flatirons, Hair Laughs. GAH.

Thank You

2008-04-27T14:31:00.000-07:00

all for your deep concern about the heel measuring. I will admit I was not quite sure if this was a funny joke on me because of my dramatic tendencies or if the supervisor who measured my heel was planning on getting onto me because it IS part of our Dress Code that heels not be "too high." Thank God a specific height for "too high" is not listed in the DC as something tells me that 6 inches miiiiiight just qualify. Although I don't want to overreact, say, by not wearing them anymore, or by not buying THESE.
The DH thought they would be too high for work but I downplayed his concern (nothing shall come between me and my shooooooes!). "I can just see these with some slight bootcut extremely dark rinse jeans and a beautifully cut black shirt!" I yodeled lyrically in a manner guaranteed to send the poor man rushing to the flat screen in search of a basketball game to watch.

Some time ago I promised you (yes, YOU, my lovely one!) a review of the Patricia Wexler products I purchased at Bath & Body Works back at the beginning of March. I read an article about her a couple of years ago in Vogue and I was convinced this product would Change. My. Life. (surely that's not too much to ask of eye cream?) And the fact that I was running out of my Neutrogena Eye Radiance? Karma, pure and simple. And the coupon entitling me to a free sample of Skin Regenerating Serum? A SIGN FROM GOD.
I am sad (truly, terribly sad) to say that I did not care for either product. After a couple weeks of the eye cream, I felt that the Neutrogena Radiance actually worked BETTER than the thirty dollar plus Wexler cream, although it PROMISED to lift, tone, tighten, smooth wrinkles, load the dishwasher, remove stains from furniture, and discipline my children. I tried the Serum of Magic a couple of times, waiting breathlessly for radiance and freshness to EMERGE from my skin....and nothing. I like my twenty five dollar L'Oreal Skin Genesis Daily Treatment Serum Concentrate much better, particularly in conjunction with the L'Oreal Skin Genesis Daily Moisturizer Oil Free Lotion. Unfortunately, the aforesaid lotion is PINK, which means I was able to use the two products together for One Glorious Night when I awoke with such smooth, glowing skin that I was unable to stop grinning at myself in the mirror....and by the time I got home from work, my daughter had made off with my Magic Bottle of Pink Perfection, I still haven't been able to track it down :0(((((

Why, Yes, that is a Small Tear leaking down my face as I refill my birth control pills for another year.

Measure of a Heel

2008-04-22T18:26:00.000-07:00

I work at The Bank, and it's a constant struggle to maintain what The Bank believes to be a proper mode of dress. Sometimes I kick off my heels and put on flats (God forbid, flipflops) at my desk simply because the heels I wear are so high that some of them hurt to wear even when (gulp) I'M SITTING DOWN.

However, I have never had A MANAGER ACTUALLY MEASURE THE HEIGHT OF MY HEELS BEFORE. Yes indeedy. I was on a call when a manager whipped out a ruler, knelt down, and Measured my Heels.

Perhaps a 6 inch heel and The Bank do not mix.

Good Lord do NOT look at my hair. I was washing my hands in my restroom when my visual image assaulted me in the mirror and I screamed, "OH MY GOD MY HAIR HAS BEEN ATTACKED BY YAKS!!!"

Because, you know, it can't just be a bad hair day, for me, only the heights (or is it depths) of hyperbole will do. nevertheless that is some horrible hair.

Lane Bryant shirt from Nov. 08, necklace same, dark wash jeans same, heels by Nine West courtesy of amazon.com (26.00 and change with free shipping!!!).

Hair by....Yaks.

The Puppies Have Eaten My BlogTime!

2008-04-16T19:10:00.000-07:00

Even if I had a picture to show you, it might cause retinal damage. I am thisclose to giving in and wearing FLATS to work. Today there was no makeup, no hairstyling (unless you count my daughter's acid green terrycloth scrunchie which I most certainly do not and neither do you since you have the innate good taste to read my blog, hehehe), and I just barely managed to throw together a semidecent outfit of dark wash bootleg jeans, a black wrap top and black platform Bebe heels. Hell, there was no shower (rest assured I did apply deodorant) this morning as...you guessed it. The dogs have eaten my blogtime, having crunched it up in small chowlike chunks and found it good.
I DID have to bid on (and win!) a pair of nude patent leather heels from Aldo and a dark red dress from Old Navy, can't wait to get my spoils in the mail.

Wednesday

2008-04-10T17:14:00.000-07:00

Being off yesterday, my one thought was: I can update BOTH BLOGS!!! Because my life has been so crazy lately, I haven't been able to update Little Miss Blackwell as frequently as I'd like--heck, if I had my druthers I would pretty much sit around and blog all day! but such is not the case.I realized after I posted that I didn't have any makeup on in the pic Zac took of me outside; I am ashamed to confess that I usually (read, always) head out barefaced and makeup is something that gets applied gradually throughout the day. As in, Clinique Super City Block SPF 40 I keep in my purse and apply on my way to work, then once I get there, between calls I put on powder, blush, and lipstick, saving the biggie (eye makeup, bien sur) for my first break. If you haven't tried Cover Girl's Lash Blast, I HIGHLY recommend, and of course an eyelash curler is a MUST. If you don't use one, get one! I promise you will be shocked at the difference it makes to your eyelashes. So, leaving work after my staggering 13 mins yesterday, I never put any makeup on, and today I admit I have skipped blush and eyes altogether. Work in progress!

Skirt is new for spring, just got it from Walmart about 2-3 weeks ago, shirt is George/Walmart as well. Or Lane Bryant, I don't have it in front of me right now, but I had the skirt out looking for a shirt to wear with it and I was going through my closet looking for my favorite black wrap dress that has DISAPPEARED, found this shirt and said, AHA. Shoes are Nine West, from fall at least 3 possibly four years ago, the cutout in the back is a knockoff of a Jimmy Choo style. Heels are only about 3 or 3 1/2 inches so even with no platform they are fairly comfortable.

Pictures by Bookey! Ignore the finger over part of the picture, hehehe.

Sick Day!

2008-04-09T11:57:00.000-07:00

I got to work a few minutes early, and at 9:13AM a coworker tapped me on the shoulder to let me know that the switchboard operator was on her line looking for me. It was the school nurse, Zac had vomited at school and needed to be picked up.
I must point out that it is the most fabulous of spring days outside and there are many hours of CSI recorded on the DVR, also David is at his CDL refresher course all day, so, all in all, I was devastated at having to leave work. Forcing myself back out into the amazing cool spring day was simply agonizing, I must tell you. Note to self: make sure kids always get sick on beautiful days.
I'm dogging it now in tattered gym shorts and an elderly raspberry pink tee, but here's what I wore to work.

Ivory pants from Lane Bryant (fully lined and these are AMAZING white pants, I LOVE them!) paired with royal purple satin squarenecked top, also Lane Bryant from their Spring 08 line--the pants were purchased at least 2 years ago. Normally I shy away (okay, BOLT) from any color pants other than black; I generally look at colors and prints and think, Okay, who the hell wants to see THAT spread over my size 18 ass? However, my favorite styleblogger Allie at http://mywardrobetoday.com/ had a pair that she simply wore the heck of a couple of years ago and when I saw a pair at Lane Bryant that fall, I tried them on and went for it. Since they are so light, I've had them dry cleaned pretty much every time I've worn them, but recently I've begun washing them in the same mesh bag I use for my bras with excellent results, and now it doesn't cost me seven bucks per wear, they get a much more frequent rotation!
The top I bought for the color, I adore royal purple. I've also worn this top with dark rinse straight leg jeans from Lane Bryant and purple "Albas" Jessica Simpson heels (cuffed to show the straps, I didn't wear the jeans like that!)

Zac took those pics probably a month ago, they are pre-Charlize'-haircut, but I wanted to show the two different looks. The shoes I wore today, the black patent leather heels with the cork soles, are also Jessica Simpson's, the style is called Barb and I have another pair of them too in a metallic silvery croco print with a black platform. Probably the most comfortable four inch heels I have, you can walk blocks in Barb no problem due to the platform. Both pairs were bought new off eBay for less than 20.00 each.
Have a lovely day, beautiful reader!

Don't Lose Faith In Me, Guys!

2008-03-29T11:06:00.000-07:00

I'm currently working on a review of the Patricia Wexler, MD products that I bought at Bath & Body Works a few weeks ago. (concisely, they suck. but more on that.)
And I bought a Lumene Cooling Eye Stick at CVS yesterday, because spring makes my eyes so incredibly puffy. I'm not loving that either, Mary Kay has a cooling depuffing eye gel that works a lot better and I don't think it costs twenty bucks, either.

I had a discussion with my friend Heather at work yesterday about why I haven't posted here: it takes a lot longer than writing the blom mog. With SAHMGQI I can sit down and whip something off in anywhere from 2 to 10 minutes. I can usually get my family to leave me alone for that long (but not always).

And right now this thrilling explanation of my slothfulness is being interrupted by a little girl who wants to go pick flowers! Oh well, gather ye irises while ye may, the pollen is a-flyin'.

My Name Is...Mud

2008-03-13T05:13:00.000-07:00

I had a chance to visit the Terressentials website briefly this morning before work (ah, beloved internet access, how I miss your sweet url at work!) I was positively charmed by the prices and by what they had to say, particularly that when I wash the hair mud down the drain, it isn't befouling our water supply. Along with a shower filter, this is definitely one for the Easter basket! They recommended Fragrance Free hair mud for straight hair so I will try that. Also, how excited are my kids going to be about smearing mud in their hair? I can only imagine! Lord knows they love to dig in it, WASHING with it might entice them to mominate me for Mother Of The Year!

Beauty Books

2008-03-12T05:23:00.000-07:00

I'm reading a new beauty book--I love beauty books. My habit began young, back in the eighties I started with such potent fare as Color Me Beautiful (I admit, I still own a copy!) and Morgan Fairchild's SuperLooks (an eBay find as alas, my copy was lost long ago). The latest shot in the arm for my beauty reading addiction is The Truth About Beauty by Kat James, this was originally published in 2002 and her last update was in 2007, that is the issue I am reading. I saw this online in a beauty blog, unfortunately I don't remember whose, but I requested it from my local library (gotta conserve dinero somewhere so I can afford shoes!). I haven't been able to just sit down and read it, more like snatching bits and pieces here and there, but I did take special notice of her section on hair and the washing thereof. She recommends a shower filter as new research and studies are showing that chorine has some nasty affects on our insides and outsides--Allie just bought one and has been pleased with what it's doing for her hair and makeup, I think I am going to ask my mom to put one in my Easter basket. Kat also recommends nonstripping cleansers and conditioners for the hair, such as Clarifying Shampoo by Avalon Organic Botanicals and nonfoaming hair cleansers like Wen Conditioning Cleanser by Chaz Dean at www.chazdeanstudio.com that's for dry hair, for oily hair, clay-based hair washes by Terressentials and Logona. am off to their website to check out details and prices!

DermaDoctor, Hail To Thee

2008-03-05T04:57:00.000-08:00

I visited my local Sephora last Sunday to purchase a foundation primer (to wear instead of foundation but give my face a more polished look--which it desperately needs--than powder alone). I went to their website and did a search for primers before I left, as the gold standard according to the internet seems to be Smashbox facial primer, but my favorite styleblogger Allie has used it and doesn't think it makes much of a difference, but she is a fan of Napoleon primer. And, last but CERTAINLY not least, I was on a budget. On their site, I found Clinique Super City Block with SPF 40 for 16.50. At the store, a really nice girl named SaraBeth helped me find that and also gave me samples of 3 DermaDoctor products, a cleanser called Ain't Misbehavin' Medicated AHA/BHA Acne Cleanser, a clear serum for my hormonal oiliness, Ain´t Misbehavin´ Intensive Medicated Blackhead Treatment, and a cream for my rosacea, Calm, Cool & Corrected 2N1 Rosacea Tx. I've used up all three samples and frankly, if I could afford it, I'd be back at Sephora RIGHT NOW buyingthe full size versions of ALL THREE, but particularly the cleanser. I really felt that my skin was softer and more exfoliated using these top-shelf products, and I do plan to purchase them--so far none of the three have shown up on eBay at a more affordable price, but I still have the search saved and eBay emails me when new DermaDoctor products are listed.
With the heat and humidity of summer right around the corner, I think DD may be the solution to my skin, which can easily grease up a blotting paper every hour on the hour during the hot months.

Breaking the Sephora Fast

2008-03-03T19:59:00.000-08:00

My Reluctant Paparazzo

Showing his joy at being on the other side of the lens

I went to the mall yesterday with my daughter, we had so much fun! She will be five in late May, and has already developed my obsessive love for shoes and lipgloss.

I wore a maxidress from Old Navy's spring 2007 line, she wore a denim Old Navy miniskirt and a tshirt that proclaimed her to be "Mommy's Little Sidekick."

I saw this dress on the Old Navy website, it sold out quickly but I picked it up later on eBay. The Victoria's Secret website has several different styles of maxidresses this spring, I'd like to get another. They are so comfortable. I wore flipflops, so did Bookey.

I have a convertible bra from Lane Bryant, my breasts really need the support but between me and the DH, neither of us could figure out how to convert it so I just went without.

At Sephora, I bought Clinique's Super City Block with SPF 40. Review and pictures tomorrow!

How Often Should You Wash Your Hair?

2008-03-02T04:04:00.000-08:00

Lately I've read, online and in magazines, advice about NOT washing your hair every day. Apparently this is very drying for your hair and leads to a lack of luster as you age--the lady that sits across from work is in her fifties and her hair certainly subscribes to this theory (I haven't asked her how often she washes it, but I believe that it is daily). As someone with an extremely oily scalp, I get dandruff if I go too long without washing, so I was skeptical about going a day or two between shampoos. On the other hand, the idea appealed to me. One of my goals in life is shiny hair, and if all the products I have in my bathroom to create such ACTUALLY WORKED, you would be able to see my hair reflected in satellite photographs taken of Earth. Unfortunately these companies' advertising agencies appear to be much more effective than their lab scientists who formulate the stuff, thus my continual search for glossiness (and no that Clairol Natural Shine stuff was a bust for me too). SO. I started to experiment with not washing. At first I did get my usual dandruff, and rather than starting back on my regular washing regime to regulate the flakes, I picked up some Head & Shoulders at Walmart. Lo and behold, one application and I didn't have to worry about wearing black shirts and sweaters. Now I regularly go 2-3 days between shampoos and boy howdy has that freed up a LOT of time for me. I am one of those shave everything, fall into meditative reverie, and use a minimum of eighteen different products until the hot water runs out kind of gals so deleting every day hair washing has totally worked for me.

perhaps not so much TODAY, when my locks could best be described as LANK, but boy has my hair gotten a LOT softer over the past 2-3 weeks as I've been playing around with this concept. Considering how much dinero I've shelled out over the years (particularly before I cut my hair, back when it was down to my butt) in conditioner, it's great being able to just wash. My natural hair oils, brushed through my hair on a daily basis, are doing a better job of softening and conditioning my hair than any product or salon service I've ever shelled out for.

Oh Dear God!

2008-02-28T19:24:00.000-08:00

MQ, you are absolutely right, if I click on the picture it gets MUCH bigger and more detailed. The internet now has the opportunity to know more about my dirty baseboards than I ever imagined. In fact, my damn baseboards are dirtier than I ever imagined. And I pride myself on having a pretty good imagination. It just usually involves a lot more Johnny Depp in the south of France and a lot fewer baseboards. About the same amount of dirt, though...

And here are a few thoughts on winter skin:

We're heading into spring...according to the sunny skies and calendar if not the actual temperature outdoors. I am craving the opportunity to wear my new tissue thin spring aqua Old Navy dress, but I'm still having to wear a full-length coat to work and preheat my car in the morning so I don't freeze to death just backing down my driveway. So, what's a girl to do? I am focusing on my full body moisturization routine so that when I can show some skin, it won't be winter dry. One of my very favorite style bloggers, ASJINE (http://www.aseriousjobisnoexcuse.blogspot.com/), posted about that very subject back during the depths of winter. She advocates moisturizing three times a day--when you get up in the morning, when you get home from work, and before you go to bed. Now, I can just see the looks on my family's faces if I tried disappearing into my bedroom to slather on lotion when I got home. I can also picture the way they would break down the door to get to me if I tried it--HEE! Seriously, I don't have the time/am not willing to make the time to be so dedicated, so I have discovered a shortcut. OIL (thar's gold in them thar hills!) I've been mixing body oil in with my body moisturizer--I do moisturize twice a day, before getting dressed for work and before going to bed, and I've been using anything from Neutrogena Body Oil to Bio Oil to Seacret Dead Sea Minerals Cuticle Oil, just squirting my usual palmful of lotion and then adding a few drops of oil to it. I've been amazed at the results, even my husband has commented on how soft my skin is, particularly the parts that don't usually see the sun like my butt and inner thighs.
And for MY HUSBAND to notice a difference in my physical appearance, that's like (tries to think of something really unusual, gives up search for fantastic metaphor and settles for a brief noting that it is after 9PM and thus my brain, I mean, coach, is fast metamorphosing into a Native American gourd whose seeds are tasty when toasted)

I am learning already!

2008-02-28T05:20:00.001-08:00

Monday when I got dressed I considered adding a chunky black necklace but decided it might be too much with the bold print of the top, so I didn't put it on, but looking at the pictures, I think that necklace could take that outfit to the next level. Have made mental notation for the next time I break it out (and I do find it amazing that I can remember things like that but my brain is a complete black hole for people's names).

Yesterday was a black low cowlnecked dress from Lane Bryant (bought 2-3 years ago) with a black camisole underneath as that neckline allows me to see my own navel, which I personally LOVE but doubt that my manager at work would, black opaque tights and my new and FABulous Carlos Santana "Fuse" boots in leopard printed ponyhair with red patent leather 4.25 inch heels and 1/2 inch platform. I LOVE THOSE BOOTS. My feet, howevah, don't feel quite so in charity with me by day's end. Feet, you will have to suck! it! up!

I believe that a dress truly showcases amazing heels as most pants cannot. I recieved compliments on my boots yesterday wherever I went. Most times I shy away from animal prints, as they can have too much of a "retired in Florida wanna see my batwings?" vibe, but I feel that the red patent leather offsets any possibility of that happening!

GAH--AM LATE!!!

Here's To YOU, Madame Queen!

2008-02-27T05:00:00.000-08:00

It's time for me to dip my toe in the water, expose myself to internet humiliation, and post pictures of myself for strangers to guffaw at. As well as honing my dangling participle skillz. Allie (http://www.whatsmywardrobetoday.blogspot/ and http://www.wardrobeoxygen.com/) has been inspiring me for years with her ability to take an "average" (she is anything but) woman on an "average" budget and look fabulously stylish. I think every woman wants to look that way--well, ALMOST every woman...there are a couple of dykes (I use that word in the most loving and politically correct way possible) in my office that need to be held down and have all Polo shirts forcibly removed from their closets...but I digress.

I LOVE DIGRESSION! Especially when I am really nervous.

Here's what I hope to gain through this experience: I am very critical of the way others look. I am that woman whispering to her companion after you pass, "My God did you see how that red handbag clashed with those ugly shoes?" And yet, I know that every time I walk out of the house, I would not be passing Cojo's muster. So in posting of myself every day in all of my outfits, it should help me learn what is most flattering to my body. I know that certain dresses provoke certain reactions, and I want to know more about why.

A little about myself: I'm 35, 2 kids, a ten year old boy, Zac, and 4 year old girl, Lynda Elean. My husband and I have been together off and on for ten years, we finally tied the knot in 2006 at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. I am tall (6 feet even) but heavy (hell no I will not be posting my weight, suffice it to say I swing between an 18/20 and a 12/14, around a fourteen right now and trying to get back down to a 12). As for my budget, let me say, HA HA. I buy a lot of dresses at Walmart and a lot of shoes on eBay. It's VERY RARE for me to walk into a mall and pay full retail price for anything. I recently applied to be a DeLush reviewer and that would be a dream come true, free products! I use drugstore stuff and exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate my nasty oily skin that loves to break out. I read in Six Weeks To Sensational Skin about a dermatologist that shaved his whole face every day and I started doing that in addition to my scrubs and microdermasion cloth. Honestly, I just cannot exfoliate enough! I loveLoveLOVE to see that pink healthy glow.

Well, here goes. Zac is my official paparazzi and we will be trying different locations around the house in different lighting to see what works best, I know these suck.

Gah. I swear I am not pregnant. I guess I will be learning more about posing for the lens as well, as a mom I am much more accustomed to being on the other side!
Lane Bryant shirt from Fall 2007 size 14, Lane Bryant pants from Fall 2007 also size 14, black leather Bebe peeptoe platforms off eBay that are the most wonderfully comfortable heels I own. And me, I own a LOTTA heels.
This was taken when I got home from work and apparently I don't have any makeup left on, but I started with Prescriptives custom blended powder, Revlon Renewist Lipstick in Berry Fulfilling, and eyelashes curled with Cover Girl LashBlast applied. Oh, and eyebrows groomed with a mostly empty tube of Lancome Extencils mascara. No jewelry except for my wedding set.

Thanks, Madame Queen (http://www.themadamequeen.blogspot.com/) for encouraging me to get started with this--I've been wanting to do it for actually a couple of years, but your requests provided the impetus I needed to actually sit here and do this instead of getting ready for work--HEE!!!

Have a great day, ya'll.