Hi guys! I have been SO slack with the blog lately!
It's partly because I moved house -landlords, y u sell house?!- and partly because I've been really unwell... yup! Being sick is pretty common for me, and it sucks!!
But anyways!
I have several things coming up in the future to test my sanity, and being a bit of a perfectionist in some areas, I like to be all pretty and proper and such when I go out to certain things.
Now, don't go picturing me as a woman (ha, maybe young woman?) who never leaves the house without an immaculate made up face, with every strand of hair in it's proper place, no no.
I tend to be the kind of person who will either chuck on a pair of pants and a jacket, put a brush through my hair and say "let's go", or I will spend a fair amount of time agonising over which dress would be better to wear, should I wear pants or tights underneath (I get cold!), how I should wear my hair, and then spend a good couple of hours getting ready followed by several "I'm almost ready!"s. Usually the former wins out, but when you're going with the latter, you want to have products that won't let you down.
I got into makeup in highschool, a friend asked me why I wasn't wearing any yet, and apart from lipgloss I hadn't really been interested in that whole area.
Well, things change, and now I can spend hours wistfully looking at many eyeshadows and eyeliners I would love to have (and probably already do in half of the colours I'm looking at!)
Avon has been faithful to me in the past, however, in the last few years they have had an overhaul of their cosmetics, and in my opinion, it was a bum move.
They changed a ton of the colours of everything from foundations to lipsticks. The consistency of products changed, and they just weren't the same anymore. Most things just didn't look right, didn't feel right, didn't sit right on the face, and didn't last as long.
So I started to branch out.
Here we have trademe -a sort of local ebay if you will. While they don't have a ginormous range like ebay does, many brands of many things can be found there, and it is usually cheaper than getting it in the shop.
I needed new primer and concealer the most.
I did a beauty therapy course several years ago, and I don't recall whether or not we used primer -I had a lot going on at the time, but have managed to retain some good makeup and nail skills!
Primer was a bit difficult to come by (or super super expensive) until a few years ago. I was in the pharmacy one day and decided while I was waiting for my list of medications I would have a browse through the makeup.
And there was the Designer Brands stand.
Apart from the blue mascara (why can I not find it now!!) what caught my eye was a bottle of primer.
I had been looking for primer for some months, and had just about given up hope for one that was white or clear and not pink. The last thing I want to do is make my pale skin look like a cooked prawn!
It was something like $16, and it has lasted me a long time. I do not wear makeup much, so even now I still have about a third of a bottle -I've had it for over two years!!
Unfortunately in that amount of time it started to become gluey and would react very strangely when applied over my 3b face gel. It was not a good look!
The second thing I needed was concealer. If memory serves me correctly (which, to be honest, is a bit hit and miss these days) I don't think I have ever bought my own (non colour corrective) concealer before now.
My first lot was an Avon concealer stick that my mother gave me in highschool saying "there's still some in there, you just have to get it out with a cotton bud, and I can't be bothered". I had a good colour correcting concealer from Avon next, but when I lost it and eventually got around to buying another one, they had changed the formula and it just didn't do the job anymore. Next was an odd little container from ELF. My mother came to me one day and said "there's a bunch of makeup in there for you too" and handed me a bag, "there's a concealer I got from the pharmacy, but it's too light for me, it'll probably be too light for you too, but it's there if you want it". Tried it on.. perfect match..
But after a while it started to sit strangely and not wear very well.
But it was ok! Because there was my mother again, with another pot of concealer, this time a matte concoction from Avon -again, because it was too light for her.
And that did me well for at least a year. But it started to become cakey, it would make my pores look worse, and it would highlight creases I had never noticed before! Not to mention it did next to nothing to hide my redness.
SO off to the internet!!! I asked some friends what they would reccommend, but upon looking at prices, and reviews, and swatches, I was at a loss.
I looked to trademe, I brought up anything within my price range and shade, and got to reading reviews (thankyou makeupalley!!!).
Just when I was feeling highly frustrated with all the seemingly useless concealers out there (do makeup companies not get the point of the product?) I was down to thin lizzy for concealer -and the reviews seemed to be good.
And on my last auction for primer that I had opened, I again found those great reviews.
So I bought Revlon photoready primer, and Thin Lizzy concealer in enchanted rose.
They are FANTASTIC.
The primer looks very pink in the bottle, and despite the reviews stating this, I was still worried about what I'd just spent my money on. All was well though! It comes out white, and goes on almost clear. It gave me a smooth base to work on, evened out my skin tone greatly, and minimized my pores. It gave me a fresh look, like I'd had a really good night's sleep. I would be confident walking out of the house with just the primer on!! LOVE.
I tested out the Thin Lizzy concealer before I bought it since it was quite a bit of money to spend on a concealer. I asked the lady at the pharmacy about applying it. The way I was taught was to put concealer on BEFORE foundation -making it easier to blend with the rest of the makeup, and less noticeable. However, I had become aware that more and more people are applying concealer on top of foundation these days (citing that it makes it easier to blend), and I'm not really sure what you're all doing, but it sure as heck doesn't work for me!
She said since it was more of a cream concealer (creme? I don't know.) to apply it on top of foundation... what. a. disaster.
I happened to see an ad on tv that night for Thin Lizzy, and turned to my flatmate and said "see, she's putting it on before foundation.."
When I put it on top it did not blend, it did not sit well, and it was obvious after putting powder on.
Soooo kudos I guess to you girls who work some kind of witchcraft when you put your concealer on over foundation, but I am not privvy to your magical ways.
When I put the concealer on UNDER my foundation, the result was AWESOME. My redness was covered, my few zits were covered, it did wonders for under my eyes. It stayed there and never slipped, and was not noticeable at all.
Another thing I loved about these products is that neither have made me break out whatsoever. Usually for about a week after I wear makeup I am struggling to bring my skin back under control, but with these products I have had no adverse effects at all!!
Everybody is different, and being as pale as I am can make it difficult to find makeup products that are the right shade, but I do reccommend both of these products, and if things don't work for you, then just keep on trying because when you find what works it is reeeallly really nice!
Also want to quickly mention Glam Eyes half lashes. Omg. THANKYOU!
I have been wanting half lashes for AGES because I cannot pull off full sets, and find it bothersome to do individuals.
I got a set of half flares, which gives me length at the corners without bulking up the rest of my eye and it has a super cute and convenient glue that is a tiny bottle with a tiny brush!! LOVE!
~^_^~
Tuesday, 20 November 2012
Monday, 25 June 2012
I'll take you to the candy shop... don't you touch my lollipop!
Just a quick post today!
Mighty Ape had a one day sale on candy. So of course I was all over that business!
I wanted a lot but didn't have the funds for it all so I narrowed it down to:
Peppermint chunks!
These weren't as pepperminty as I was hoping for, but I'm still pretty happy with them!
They have a thin chocolate coating, and it's nice to find a peppermint choc combination
without the chocolate being dark chocolate!
Smoocher Cinnamon Candy!
These come in the shape of lips! That's pretty neat on it's own! They weren't as strong as I
was thinking/hoping. They still taste nice though so I guess that's something. If you like
cinnamon but don't like atomic cinnamon, this candy is for you. For all you Big Red lovers out
there I suggest you try Jelly Belly's cinnamon gummy bears =)
Cherry Pie Mints
Again, not as strong as I was hoping for but they do have a nice taste, are long lasting and
come in a cute little tin.
Effervescent Cupcake Drink Tabs
Now these are pretty much what they sound like. They're tabs you stick in your drink, and
they're cupcake flavoured. They say add water, but also state that you can use it in any
drink. I tried it in lemonade. Even though it was in a carbonated drink, it took FOREVER to
dissolve. They smelled really yummy in the tin, but didn't flavour it as much as I thought it
would. They say to add more to add more flavour, but with only 15 tabs per tin, I didn't really
want to go sticking a whole bunch in. If you get these, I'd suggest putting one in about 100ml
of your drink and seeing how that goes.
So all in all, a little disappointed, but they were all pretty cheap and at the end of the day I'll have a few really cute tins!
~^_^~
Mighty Ape had a one day sale on candy. So of course I was all over that business!
I wanted a lot but didn't have the funds for it all so I narrowed it down to:
Peppermint chunks!
These weren't as pepperminty as I was hoping for, but I'm still pretty happy with them!
They have a thin chocolate coating, and it's nice to find a peppermint choc combination
without the chocolate being dark chocolate!
Smoocher Cinnamon Candy!
These come in the shape of lips! That's pretty neat on it's own! They weren't as strong as I
was thinking/hoping. They still taste nice though so I guess that's something. If you like
cinnamon but don't like atomic cinnamon, this candy is for you. For all you Big Red lovers out
there I suggest you try Jelly Belly's cinnamon gummy bears =)
Cherry Pie Mints
Again, not as strong as I was hoping for but they do have a nice taste, are long lasting and
come in a cute little tin.
Effervescent Cupcake Drink Tabs
Now these are pretty much what they sound like. They're tabs you stick in your drink, and
they're cupcake flavoured. They say add water, but also state that you can use it in any
drink. I tried it in lemonade. Even though it was in a carbonated drink, it took FOREVER to
dissolve. They smelled really yummy in the tin, but didn't flavour it as much as I thought it
would. They say to add more to add more flavour, but with only 15 tabs per tin, I didn't really
want to go sticking a whole bunch in. If you get these, I'd suggest putting one in about 100ml
of your drink and seeing how that goes.
So all in all, a little disappointed, but they were all pretty cheap and at the end of the day I'll have a few really cute tins!
~^_^~
Monday, 18 June 2012
Product Reviews! Makeup, hair products, and food!
I'd like to start off today's post by extending my sympathies to every person out there that has to follow the FODMAP diet. I don't care if you want it or not, take it, you take it, that diet is HELL.
I mean, if you're really ill, and it helps you get better, then I guess it's probably kind of ok. But if you're restricted so much by that diet, let alone on top of other food allergies, and you're still sick as hell, well fuck. I was on it for three weeks. It messes with your mind. I'm not even kidding, I wish I was! It is quite ridiculous.
ANYWAYS.
We'll start off with makeup!
A well known site had a big "sale" recently (I have a unstable belief in that term), and a couple of the things I decided to get to try were a powder compact, and an eyeliner.
I'm pretty big on makeup, I love makeup! I don't like to put much on, and I don't like to have makeup that looks heavy. The only exception I have for this is eyeshadow. So what if it's over the top? I look fabulous!
But back to the point at hand...
The powder compact I got isssssss Loreal Paris Bare Naturale gentle mineral powder in light ivory 410.
Now, when I got it I was a bit disappointed at first because in the case it looked a little dark, and I have very light skin. When I put it on I was pleasantly suprised!
I was wanting it as a highlighter powder (the picture on the website was very very light), but it turns out it matches my skin pretty reasonably.
It comes with a small brush in the top.. if you do get this product, don't use the brush lol just don't.
The coverage is good, it is smooth and has a good dry finish, if you were getting a little oily, you won't be anymore after putting this on! It is a very light coverage, but also has a little bit of an "airbrush" finish to it which is nice.
I also got Maybelline New York Define-a-line eyeliner in ebony black.
This eyeliner is pretty awesome. It comes with a covered smudger on the end, and under the smudger is a little sharpener which is super handy!
The liner goes on super smooth, it has a very nice soft creamy texture.
That's both good and bad. It means it's very easy to smudge and move around.. but that's not always a good thing. If you're applying it to the lid, or under the eye, I would recommend applying some eyeshadow over the top to set it. I personally would not recommend using it without using eyeshadow as well, or applying it to the waterline.
It is a really good base though for making eyeshadow look more solid.
If you don't have makeup brushes, and like me can't afford the whole set, try using cotton wool buds.
I've found them very helpful for applying things from concealer to lipstick.
Hair products!
I may as well start with shampoo.. Lately I have been using Elvive Total Repair Conditioner and I love it!
I'm someone who has various shampoos and conditioners and instead of washing my hair half a dozen times I just mix em all together (the shampoos with shampoos and the conditioner with the conditioner). Say what you like about it, it seems to have worked for me lol.
Now, in an earlier post I mentioned my hair, I dyed it blue.
If you're wanting to go an odd colour, or I guess any colour, and you want to bleach it first, I would wholeheartedly recommend the InVision range (if you live in the same country as I do).
There are a few bleaches around, and some in the supermarket and I say NO. Don't get them!
There are some (not in the supermarket) that are more gentle on you hair, but you get bugger all for the massive price you pay for it!
And just in case anyone is still wondering, if you buy dye or bleach from the supermarket it is most likely going to frazzle your hair, or you'll have a hard time getting that dye out! But it is what some people prefer.
Anyway! Hairquip have a bunch of products, I don't really know about the other ones, but they sell blue bleach powder and developer in various strengths.
The powder comes in a 500gm pack and is about $15 I think? and the developer I got was 40v and it was about $15 for a litre.
So I guess in the end about $40 (includes postage) for all that, it's a 1:1 ratio mix and with my hair I used probably about half of the powder for my full hair (very very thick and around shoulder length). You get a lot of uses out of it and theoritically you'd have half a bottle of developer left after the powder is gone so you'd only have to buy the powder after you ran out for continuing touch ups or re-bleaching.
When looking at things like Manic Panic, I was told I'd need about two lots at around $30 EACH for my hair!
It is very gentle, but lifts very well, and it also SMELLS LIKE BLUEBERRIES!!
I have naturally pretty dark hair and it easily lifts my hair colour to white and a bit of yellow, and my hair still feels pretty reasonable afterwards =)
I also use directions hair dye. Now, after using their "white toner" on two seperate occasions for three different things, I really can't recommend this one. It does an ok job, but if you're wanting to get yellow out, or orange/brassy tones, I suggest you go for a better toner, probably something that's a darker purple than what this is. Also don't believe that if you mix it with another directions colour it makes it lighter, it won't. I've seen people use conditioner mixed with colour to get a lighter colour, and while I haven't tried this myself, that's what I would suggest to try if you're wanting a lighter colour.
However, I am loving their atlantic blue. This is the second time using it, and the first time I was pleased with it, but I had thought it would come out darker and brighter than it did. However this time I was pleasantly suprised! Not all of the previous blue had come out of my hair, and it seems that it provided a better base than just bleached hair. Where I had bleached my roots it came out a little lighter than the rest of it. So I guess if you want really solid bright colours, try putting the colour in twice =)
Lastly a few food products. I found these while on the diet from hell.
Organic Herb Salt. It will probably be in with the gluten free stuff in the supermarket. It's not as strong as most seasoning, but when you can't have seasoning because they put garlic and/or onion in pretty much all of it, it's a good alternative. I did a beef roast the other night and rubbed some of the herb salt into the meat before putting it in the oven and man it was YUM! Off the top of my head it has stuff like salt (obviously), carrot, celery..I think thyme? and some other stuff.. but anyways if normal seasonings make you a little unwell, you should try this stuff, it's a little more expensive but it's very gentle on the stomach and everything in it is organic =)
Healtheries Simple Baking Mix. Think of it as flour for gluten/wheat free people. I used it in a pizza base mix and it was pretty nice. The tapioca flour is a little noticeable, but apart from that it's pretty good.
Almond Milk! YUM. In my opinion almond milk sorta tastes like weak hot chocolate with hazlenut. I really like it. If you can't have normal milk, and can't have soy milk, or just don't like it, this is definitely something to try. I also found that it doesn't make me feel unwell even though eating actual almonds do. I'm not saying if you have an almond allergy to try this, I'd say that it's pretty obvious you probably shouldn't lol.
Hope this has been helpful to someone out there!
~^_^~
I mean, if you're really ill, and it helps you get better, then I guess it's probably kind of ok. But if you're restricted so much by that diet, let alone on top of other food allergies, and you're still sick as hell, well fuck. I was on it for three weeks. It messes with your mind. I'm not even kidding, I wish I was! It is quite ridiculous.
ANYWAYS.
We'll start off with makeup!
A well known site had a big "sale" recently (I have a unstable belief in that term), and a couple of the things I decided to get to try were a powder compact, and an eyeliner.
I'm pretty big on makeup, I love makeup! I don't like to put much on, and I don't like to have makeup that looks heavy. The only exception I have for this is eyeshadow. So what if it's over the top? I look fabulous!
But back to the point at hand...
The powder compact I got isssssss Loreal Paris Bare Naturale gentle mineral powder in light ivory 410.
Now, when I got it I was a bit disappointed at first because in the case it looked a little dark, and I have very light skin. When I put it on I was pleasantly suprised!
I was wanting it as a highlighter powder (the picture on the website was very very light), but it turns out it matches my skin pretty reasonably.
It comes with a small brush in the top.. if you do get this product, don't use the brush lol just don't.
The coverage is good, it is smooth and has a good dry finish, if you were getting a little oily, you won't be anymore after putting this on! It is a very light coverage, but also has a little bit of an "airbrush" finish to it which is nice.
I also got Maybelline New York Define-a-line eyeliner in ebony black.
This eyeliner is pretty awesome. It comes with a covered smudger on the end, and under the smudger is a little sharpener which is super handy!
The liner goes on super smooth, it has a very nice soft creamy texture.
That's both good and bad. It means it's very easy to smudge and move around.. but that's not always a good thing. If you're applying it to the lid, or under the eye, I would recommend applying some eyeshadow over the top to set it. I personally would not recommend using it without using eyeshadow as well, or applying it to the waterline.
It is a really good base though for making eyeshadow look more solid.
If you don't have makeup brushes, and like me can't afford the whole set, try using cotton wool buds.
I've found them very helpful for applying things from concealer to lipstick.
Hair products!
I may as well start with shampoo.. Lately I have been using Elvive Total Repair Conditioner and I love it!
I'm someone who has various shampoos and conditioners and instead of washing my hair half a dozen times I just mix em all together (the shampoos with shampoos and the conditioner with the conditioner). Say what you like about it, it seems to have worked for me lol.
Now, in an earlier post I mentioned my hair, I dyed it blue.
If you're wanting to go an odd colour, or I guess any colour, and you want to bleach it first, I would wholeheartedly recommend the InVision range (if you live in the same country as I do).
There are a few bleaches around, and some in the supermarket and I say NO. Don't get them!
There are some (not in the supermarket) that are more gentle on you hair, but you get bugger all for the massive price you pay for it!
And just in case anyone is still wondering, if you buy dye or bleach from the supermarket it is most likely going to frazzle your hair, or you'll have a hard time getting that dye out! But it is what some people prefer.
Anyway! Hairquip have a bunch of products, I don't really know about the other ones, but they sell blue bleach powder and developer in various strengths.
The powder comes in a 500gm pack and is about $15 I think? and the developer I got was 40v and it was about $15 for a litre.
So I guess in the end about $40 (includes postage) for all that, it's a 1:1 ratio mix and with my hair I used probably about half of the powder for my full hair (very very thick and around shoulder length). You get a lot of uses out of it and theoritically you'd have half a bottle of developer left after the powder is gone so you'd only have to buy the powder after you ran out for continuing touch ups or re-bleaching.
When looking at things like Manic Panic, I was told I'd need about two lots at around $30 EACH for my hair!
It is very gentle, but lifts very well, and it also SMELLS LIKE BLUEBERRIES!!
I have naturally pretty dark hair and it easily lifts my hair colour to white and a bit of yellow, and my hair still feels pretty reasonable afterwards =)
I also use directions hair dye. Now, after using their "white toner" on two seperate occasions for three different things, I really can't recommend this one. It does an ok job, but if you're wanting to get yellow out, or orange/brassy tones, I suggest you go for a better toner, probably something that's a darker purple than what this is. Also don't believe that if you mix it with another directions colour it makes it lighter, it won't. I've seen people use conditioner mixed with colour to get a lighter colour, and while I haven't tried this myself, that's what I would suggest to try if you're wanting a lighter colour.
However, I am loving their atlantic blue. This is the second time using it, and the first time I was pleased with it, but I had thought it would come out darker and brighter than it did. However this time I was pleasantly suprised! Not all of the previous blue had come out of my hair, and it seems that it provided a better base than just bleached hair. Where I had bleached my roots it came out a little lighter than the rest of it. So I guess if you want really solid bright colours, try putting the colour in twice =)
Lastly a few food products. I found these while on the diet from hell.
Organic Herb Salt. It will probably be in with the gluten free stuff in the supermarket. It's not as strong as most seasoning, but when you can't have seasoning because they put garlic and/or onion in pretty much all of it, it's a good alternative. I did a beef roast the other night and rubbed some of the herb salt into the meat before putting it in the oven and man it was YUM! Off the top of my head it has stuff like salt (obviously), carrot, celery..I think thyme? and some other stuff.. but anyways if normal seasonings make you a little unwell, you should try this stuff, it's a little more expensive but it's very gentle on the stomach and everything in it is organic =)
Healtheries Simple Baking Mix. Think of it as flour for gluten/wheat free people. I used it in a pizza base mix and it was pretty nice. The tapioca flour is a little noticeable, but apart from that it's pretty good.
Almond Milk! YUM. In my opinion almond milk sorta tastes like weak hot chocolate with hazlenut. I really like it. If you can't have normal milk, and can't have soy milk, or just don't like it, this is definitely something to try. I also found that it doesn't make me feel unwell even though eating actual almonds do. I'm not saying if you have an almond allergy to try this, I'd say that it's pretty obvious you probably shouldn't lol.
Hope this has been helpful to someone out there!
~^_^~
Saturday, 26 May 2012
Welcome to the Mad Hatter's kitchen!!
Tonight I will be doing what I plan to be a short post on cake decorating. Just a few tips and pieces of advice.
Those who know me know that my main ambition in life is to become a cake decorator =)
This is a cake I made a friend for her birthday. Definitely one of the best yet. I noticed a couple of days later when going through the photos that I got the nose a bit misaligned when I reshaped it because I was in a hurry, but let's not focus on that lol!!
SO. I'd say if you want to be a super duper uber fancy pants freehand cake decorator, you'd have to have a fair amount of skill. I have pretty shaky hands to begin with, but when I'm pressing out icing, the shaking gets worse, so I make my own stencils beforehand so that I have less chance of messing it up.
I hate baking. It helps if you like baking. Usually you have the bake the cakes yourself lol.
For better chances at getting a cake with an even top, turn the oven to about 170C instead of the 180C most recipes require.
When using fondant, gladwrap is one of your best friends. You can use it to stop the fondant sticking to the surface you are rolling it out on, to you, and to the rolling pin if you really want.
Make sure you secure it tightly though otherwise you'll get annoying lines all over the fondant!
When using fondant, gladwrap is one of your best friends. You can use it to stop the fondant sticking to the surface you are rolling it out on, to you, and to the rolling pin if you really want.
Make sure you secure it tightly though otherwise you'll get annoying lines all over the fondant!
Make sure you use enough icing sugar for the fondant not to stick, but not so much that it dries it out too much.
It may take a few times to figure out what you need. It also changes with different brands of fondant.
Buttercream icing is usually exactly what it sounds like. However, if like me, you can't have butter or cream, using margarine and milk works just as well.
It may take a few times to figure out what you need. It also changes with different brands of fondant.
Buttercream icing is usually exactly what it sounds like. However, if like me, you can't have butter or cream, using margarine and milk works just as well.
You can make an icing that hardens like icing sugar and water icing with milk and icing sugar.
This is also a good thing to consider if you are wanting really white icing.
Make sure your cake is cooled down before you add regular/buttercream icing to it -if you have exposed edges.
By this I mean if you have cut any bits off. Trust me. Cool it down. Stick it in the fridge for a while if you want. If you try to ice that cake while warm chances are it'll crumble slowly away and next thing you know you have crumb snow all over the bench!
This is also a good thing to consider if you are wanting really white icing.
Make sure your cake is cooled down before you add regular/buttercream icing to it -if you have exposed edges.
By this I mean if you have cut any bits off. Trust me. Cool it down. Stick it in the fridge for a while if you want. If you try to ice that cake while warm chances are it'll crumble slowly away and next thing you know you have crumb snow all over the bench!
TOOLS. There are so many decorating tools. USE THEM. They may be expensive, but if you are serious about cake decorating you will want them!! They make so many things so much easier and make a ton of things possible that you might not have been able to do otherwise.
Where I live, we only have one cake decorating supplies shop that I know of, it's way to far away from me, and when I rung up to ask questions the lady I spoke to gave me a lecture and told me what I wanted for the project I was doing. I didn't actually want that, I had told her what I wanted, and she replied with "oh no, you don't want that for that" ....yes... I do...
So, my favourite cake supplies shop is Cake Stuff. They are also on facebook =)
Where I live, we only have one cake decorating supplies shop that I know of, it's way to far away from me, and when I rung up to ask questions the lady I spoke to gave me a lecture and told me what I wanted for the project I was doing. I didn't actually want that, I had told her what I wanted, and she replied with "oh no, you don't want that for that" ....yes... I do...
So, my favourite cake supplies shop is Cake Stuff. They are also on facebook =)
One last note: Don't buy the cheapish icing guns at the warehouse. Used it three times and the barrel has cracked. Rubbish!
Have fun decorating!!
~^_^~
Friday, 13 April 2012
Tips!!
So I know I haven't done a post in a while, and that's because my life has been a little up in the air lately!
I've also been pretty sick, and my insomnia has been playing up, so I've been uber slack about it.
I'm still not doing great today, so I'm going to be a little slack with this post, but I thought I should share a few tips that I have picked up =)
#1- Fondant.
Anybody who's as into cake decorating as I am probably knows about these magic awesome gel sheets that you can buy to roll out fondant with zero mess and zero issues. Anybody who's looked at these sheets knows that they are not cheap. In saying that, not many things in the world of cake decorating are. But anyway.
Most of the time you can probably get away with rolling out fondant on your kitchen bench (make sure it's very clean!!!!) one problem with that though is getting it off the bench and onto the cake. If you have a coloured fondant, chances are you probably shouldn't roll it out on the bench due to colour transfer.
SO. Low budget solution? Chances are you have a flat baking tray right? (If you don't, get one! they're handy!) Take the baking tray (obviously make sure it's cold), cover it in gladwrap, making sure it's as taut and flat all over as possible -you could do it straight on the tray, but I like to cover mine- then simply roll your fondant out over the tray! You can then flip the tray upside down and gently peel off the fondant onto the top of your cake. Easy!
#2- "Plain" icing?
I usually work with buttercream icing because I have never been able to get the knack of your usual icing sugar and hot water icing. Never. My mother taught me a fair amount of baking, and neither of us can understand why that icing just never seems to go right for me lol.
A couple of weeks ago I made my friend an "Amumu" cake for her birthday (it's a "League of Legends" character, google it to see), and I realised just before I went to decorate it that I forgot to get white fondant for the eyes. How was I going to fill in the eyes with white? I thought of maybe melting down marshmallows, making a different icing, I looked up various recipes on the internet, but I had limited ingredients, limited money and limited time. So what to do?
Well. The answer actually came from my father -a man I try to avoid conversation with at all costs- I had rung to ask my mother but she wasn't there, and I was desperate so I thought what the hell, I may as well ask him!
What did he say? Oh just mix icing sugar with milk.
I thought he was crazy. But after thinking about it it made sense. So that's what I did. I mixed icing sugar with milk. The end result was a thick but goopy, very white icing, that set pretty well. Fantastic!
A bit of a warning with this though-start of with a very very very small amount of milk! I put in what I thought was a small amount, and ended up with almost a whole bowl of the stuff before I had the consistency I was after.
#3- Shop around!
Now I know this is something we're told all the time, but how many of us actually do it? I am a pretty lazy person. I don't like doing something one way if I can find an easier way to do it.
On the other hand, I would like to think I'm a thrifty person. I am a bit of a tight ass when it comes to money. I will walk around for another ten minutes if it means I can find the same thing $2 cheaper somewhere else.
One example of proof? I was looking for Rimmel eyeliner, I was told two stores had it, so I went to both stores to check out how much they were. At the first store a fully packaged Rimmel eyeliner pencil cost $10.50. At the second store a Rimmel eyeliner pencil with no packaging cost $13.50.
What?! You'd think if it didn't have any packaging it'd be cheaper!! Not to mention the pencils were all mixed in together. Seeing as the second store is a bigger chain, I expected more from them.
SO SHOP AROUND. Save some money and burn some more calories!
#4- Conditioner!
In a previous post I've written about going ALS/SLS (generally sulphate) free with shampoo and conditioner. I've also taken an extra step and gone for sulphate free body wash as well and my skin hasn't been so good or soft for years before I switched!
But this tip is about hair. Most shampoos and conditioners will say to leave them in for something like two minutes, but I say don't listen to them! Of course this tip may need some tweaking depending on your needs, but here goes.
With your shampoo, leave it in only as long as you work it in-which you should do pretty thoroughly. I use a shampoo brush every single time I wash my hair. With every application and rinse. I strongly suggest for anyone who has scalp problems -maybe a little oily, maybe a little itchy, maybe a little dandruff- get one, use it, see if it works for you. After you apply the shampoo or conditioner take the brush and move it in small circular motions all over your scalp-do this again after rinsing the shampoo or conditioner out.
Now. The conditioner. Total opposite. Leave the conditioner in for as long as you can. Leave it in while you shave, while you clean the rest of yourself. Just leave it!
A note for this is I can't say I know how this will go with shampoos and conditioners that have sulphates in them, but for the products without them the result is fantastic.
So there are some tips, enjoy ~^_^~
I've also been pretty sick, and my insomnia has been playing up, so I've been uber slack about it.
I'm still not doing great today, so I'm going to be a little slack with this post, but I thought I should share a few tips that I have picked up =)
#1- Fondant.
Anybody who's as into cake decorating as I am probably knows about these magic awesome gel sheets that you can buy to roll out fondant with zero mess and zero issues. Anybody who's looked at these sheets knows that they are not cheap. In saying that, not many things in the world of cake decorating are. But anyway.
Most of the time you can probably get away with rolling out fondant on your kitchen bench (make sure it's very clean!!!!) one problem with that though is getting it off the bench and onto the cake. If you have a coloured fondant, chances are you probably shouldn't roll it out on the bench due to colour transfer.
SO. Low budget solution? Chances are you have a flat baking tray right? (If you don't, get one! they're handy!) Take the baking tray (obviously make sure it's cold), cover it in gladwrap, making sure it's as taut and flat all over as possible -you could do it straight on the tray, but I like to cover mine- then simply roll your fondant out over the tray! You can then flip the tray upside down and gently peel off the fondant onto the top of your cake. Easy!
#2- "Plain" icing?
I usually work with buttercream icing because I have never been able to get the knack of your usual icing sugar and hot water icing. Never. My mother taught me a fair amount of baking, and neither of us can understand why that icing just never seems to go right for me lol.
A couple of weeks ago I made my friend an "Amumu" cake for her birthday (it's a "League of Legends" character, google it to see), and I realised just before I went to decorate it that I forgot to get white fondant for the eyes. How was I going to fill in the eyes with white? I thought of maybe melting down marshmallows, making a different icing, I looked up various recipes on the internet, but I had limited ingredients, limited money and limited time. So what to do?
Well. The answer actually came from my father -a man I try to avoid conversation with at all costs- I had rung to ask my mother but she wasn't there, and I was desperate so I thought what the hell, I may as well ask him!
What did he say? Oh just mix icing sugar with milk.
I thought he was crazy. But after thinking about it it made sense. So that's what I did. I mixed icing sugar with milk. The end result was a thick but goopy, very white icing, that set pretty well. Fantastic!
A bit of a warning with this though-start of with a very very very small amount of milk! I put in what I thought was a small amount, and ended up with almost a whole bowl of the stuff before I had the consistency I was after.
#3- Shop around!
Now I know this is something we're told all the time, but how many of us actually do it? I am a pretty lazy person. I don't like doing something one way if I can find an easier way to do it.
On the other hand, I would like to think I'm a thrifty person. I am a bit of a tight ass when it comes to money. I will walk around for another ten minutes if it means I can find the same thing $2 cheaper somewhere else.
One example of proof? I was looking for Rimmel eyeliner, I was told two stores had it, so I went to both stores to check out how much they were. At the first store a fully packaged Rimmel eyeliner pencil cost $10.50. At the second store a Rimmel eyeliner pencil with no packaging cost $13.50.
What?! You'd think if it didn't have any packaging it'd be cheaper!! Not to mention the pencils were all mixed in together. Seeing as the second store is a bigger chain, I expected more from them.
SO SHOP AROUND. Save some money and burn some more calories!
#4- Conditioner!
In a previous post I've written about going ALS/SLS (generally sulphate) free with shampoo and conditioner. I've also taken an extra step and gone for sulphate free body wash as well and my skin hasn't been so good or soft for years before I switched!
But this tip is about hair. Most shampoos and conditioners will say to leave them in for something like two minutes, but I say don't listen to them! Of course this tip may need some tweaking depending on your needs, but here goes.
With your shampoo, leave it in only as long as you work it in-which you should do pretty thoroughly. I use a shampoo brush every single time I wash my hair. With every application and rinse. I strongly suggest for anyone who has scalp problems -maybe a little oily, maybe a little itchy, maybe a little dandruff- get one, use it, see if it works for you. After you apply the shampoo or conditioner take the brush and move it in small circular motions all over your scalp-do this again after rinsing the shampoo or conditioner out.
Now. The conditioner. Total opposite. Leave the conditioner in for as long as you can. Leave it in while you shave, while you clean the rest of yourself. Just leave it!
A note for this is I can't say I know how this will go with shampoos and conditioners that have sulphates in them, but for the products without them the result is fantastic.
So there are some tips, enjoy ~^_^~
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
New Stuff!!
So due to illness and the general messing around getting ready for my "Sexy Birthday Party" I've been a bit slack with the blog!
Today I will be writing about new stuff!!!!
First of all my new hair!!
First of all my new hair!!
Ah. So mysterious. Haha.
I used InVision blue dust free bleach and InVision 40V Developer from Hairquip, and I used white toner, midnight blue, and lagoon blue from Directions.
I used InVision blue dust free bleach and InVision 40V Developer from Hairquip, and I used white toner, midnight blue, and lagoon blue from Directions.
Vanilla Choc Mars Bar:
Massive let down. I love Vanilla flavoured things-I wish Nesquik would bring back their vanilla milkshake powder because it was SO GOOD... Companies always stop making things I like-but I'll save that for another blog.
So, here I was thinking that this Mars bar would taste...well....like vanilla... fair assumption I thought...
Massive let down. I love Vanilla flavoured things-I wish Nesquik would bring back their vanilla milkshake powder because it was SO GOOD... Companies always stop making things I like-but I'll save that for another blog.
So, here I was thinking that this Mars bar would taste...well....like vanilla... fair assumption I thought...
It doesn't. My first bite was a big (or rather small) mouthful of disappointment. It pretty much tasted like a normal Mars bar, but sweeter. I thought I had better not dismiss it that quickly. I am extremely picky about food and can often pick up subtle flavours. So I decided to break it down. I took away the caramel, and the chocolate, and was left with the "vanilla nougat". FINALLY I could taste the vanilla! But even by itself it wasn't very strong. If you're wanting to have the taste of eating more sugar while eating a Mars bar, this is the bar for you, if you're looking for a smooth vanilla taste, you will have to look elsewhere.
Pepsi Max Lime:
A little bit of a let down (lol). I don't usually drink Pepsi Max over Pepsi (and I'd like to take the time to point out that our fizzy/soda/soft drink here isn't quite the same as in the states even though it has the same name). When I saw this drink was in the supermarket I already knew I was going to try it. I try new drinks that seem like they could be decent. So anyway, I opened up the bottle and took a sip expecting it to taste.... you know it... like lime!!
Pepsi Max Lime:
A little bit of a let down (lol). I don't usually drink Pepsi Max over Pepsi (and I'd like to take the time to point out that our fizzy/soda/soft drink here isn't quite the same as in the states even though it has the same name). When I saw this drink was in the supermarket I already knew I was going to try it. I try new drinks that seem like they could be decent. So anyway, I opened up the bottle and took a sip expecting it to taste.... you know it... like lime!!
It didn't.
Now, here's the thing. I think normal Pepsi Max tastes horrible. I much prefer the normal Pepsi to Pepsi Max. The normal Pepsi can be a bit much for me though. Pepsi Max Lime is a light Pepsi that tastes a whole lot better than Pepsi Max-so lighter than Pepsi, better tasting than Pepsi Max.
However, if you're wanting a Pepsi Lime flavour similar to the refreshing taste of Diet Coke Lime-you're shit out of luck. Maybe buy some limes and make your own?
3B Face Saver Gel:
I'm not afraid to admit I get sweaty. We all sweat. We all know we all sweat lol. Some people sweat more from different places. You have the standard lots of sweat from the armpits, but some people sweat more from behind their knees, from their back, from their chest, from their feet...
I sweat more from my face! And it is SO ANNOYING.
Now, just to clarify, when I say that I sweat more from my face, my face never smells gross lol but I'm not going to spray my face with deodorant.
It ruined my makeup-especially my eye makeup because most of it came from where I have massive bags under my eyes lol (oh so beautiful! haha!) And I'm pretty sure after going in shops that have the heat turned WAY up, or through supermarket checkouts where they have the vents, I looked like a dishevelled sweaty girl who just ran to get her items... It was very frustrating.
Now, here's the thing. I think normal Pepsi Max tastes horrible. I much prefer the normal Pepsi to Pepsi Max. The normal Pepsi can be a bit much for me though. Pepsi Max Lime is a light Pepsi that tastes a whole lot better than Pepsi Max-so lighter than Pepsi, better tasting than Pepsi Max.
However, if you're wanting a Pepsi Lime flavour similar to the refreshing taste of Diet Coke Lime-you're shit out of luck. Maybe buy some limes and make your own?
3B Face Saver Gel:
I'm not afraid to admit I get sweaty. We all sweat. We all know we all sweat lol. Some people sweat more from different places. You have the standard lots of sweat from the armpits, but some people sweat more from behind their knees, from their back, from their chest, from their feet...
I sweat more from my face! And it is SO ANNOYING.
Now, just to clarify, when I say that I sweat more from my face, my face never smells gross lol but I'm not going to spray my face with deodorant.
It ruined my makeup-especially my eye makeup because most of it came from where I have massive bags under my eyes lol (oh so beautiful! haha!) And I'm pretty sure after going in shops that have the heat turned WAY up, or through supermarket checkouts where they have the vents, I looked like a dishevelled sweaty girl who just ran to get her items... It was very frustrating.
So when I saw an ad on tv for this new gel, I knew I had to try it out.
The first pharmacy I went to had it for about $21-I thought that was quite expensive! I found it cheaper at another one.
One of the best purchases ever. Only a small amount of this gel is needed, you just apply it like you would primer-then if you're wearing makeup you put your primer, then foundation etc on top as usual.
It lasted all night, not once did my makeup slip due to sweat or oilyness. If you have a problem with this, I suggest you try it out for yourself.
Note: Do not accidentally get any in your mouth-it tastes horrible lol!
OTHER USEFUL/GOOD ITEMS:
The first pharmacy I went to had it for about $21-I thought that was quite expensive! I found it cheaper at another one.
One of the best purchases ever. Only a small amount of this gel is needed, you just apply it like you would primer-then if you're wearing makeup you put your primer, then foundation etc on top as usual.
It lasted all night, not once did my makeup slip due to sweat or oilyness. If you have a problem with this, I suggest you try it out for yourself.
Note: Do not accidentally get any in your mouth-it tastes horrible lol!
OTHER USEFUL/GOOD ITEMS:
- Sukin products- Sukin have a line of natural products including shampoo, conditioner, body scrub etc. I have tried the conditioner, and a friend has tried the shampoo and conditioner and we both love it!
- Homebrand soda water- I know not many people like soda water with other things let alone by itself, but I do. I don't want to spend a lot on soda water because, well, it's water. I usually buy Budget, but was recently bought Homebrand, and the Homebrand one tastes better imo.
- Nair 7 minute bleach- This is a bleach for facial hair (and I think it's ok for armpit hair as well? I don't know lol read the box). Basically it works in 4-7 minutes. Ladies, we have hair all over our bodies, and let's face it, sometimes in some places it's more noticeable than we want it to be. The Nair facial hair bleach is a sensitive bleach that's easy to use and effective-and it's not too expensive either!
- Lip liner- Chances are if you're using lipstick, you already know to use lip liner to line the outside of your lips. This helps prevent the lipstick from bleeding out onto your face lol and gives a good solid outline. What you may not know of is this little trick- line your lips with your lip liner, then use your finger (or applicator brush/wand) to smudge it out onto the rest of your lips. Re-line the outside for a solid outline, and apply lipstick as normal. This helps your lip colour stay in place longer, and have a more solid colour without having to put more lipstick on.
If anyone wants any tips or recommendations for something, just ask in the comments, and if I can help out, I'm happy to =)
~^_^~
~^_^~
Wednesday, 15 February 2012
Rapunzel! Let Down Your....oh?
HAIR!!! Most of us love it, some of us hate it, some of us aren't really bothered, but if you're a girl chances are you care about your hair! I know I do!
I've always had something I don't like about my hair. When I was younger it was incredibly curly-but all my friends had straight hair. When I was about 12 I started getting some white hair-I was told it was genetic, yahoo! NOT! I will never forget a girl telling me in highschool one day that she thought I had cool hair, and asked me where I got it streaked. Back then I didn't know much about hair, or dye, I didn't even know what streaking hair was! Then I went through several years of being in between ringlets and straight-pretty much just this big boof around my face. Now years on I have decided on a radical change. I have been ill so have lost a lot of my hair and now have a LOT of white/grey, and since the water got changed where I live I have had scalp issues. Something needed to give. I needed to change something. I needed a big change with my hair for me, and with my birthday coming up, I started to think about a new look.
I decided to go blue. Not your average dye job lol I could just stick blue dye in my hair and go ta daa! But that wouldn't work out very well on my dark hair. So of course, I need to bleach it.
The big B word when it comes to hair. Everyone thinks "bleaching! No! That'll kill your hair!" so many people think it'll all fall off, you'll get chemical burns etc etc... while we can't say that's never happened, it's not what happens all the time, and it won't necessarily happen to you. Here's the thing about bleaching hair... if you do it right, you can get really good results... if you don't, things could go very wrong. I suggest if you are thinking about bleaching your hair, do your research-a lot of it. You need to know if you hair will withstand bleaching, if you will be able to bleach your hair effectively, and if you have any colour in you need to get rid of it.... get a good bleach-not a cheap one, it'll be worth it.
So I had decided on bleaching. Problem was I was worried that it might not go well, that the condition of my hair might not be so great due to everything that has happened to it over the last six months.
I spent days reading up on hair tips, what's good for your hair, what you can do to help your hair, and what is bad for your hair. There were two things that stood out the most:
GOOD: Oils. Sunflower oil, argan oil, coconut oil etc and for dry and damaged hair natural things like nettle, aloe, silk extract, and horsetail...and pH balanced
BAD: SLS/ALS or Sodium Lauryl Sulphate/Sodium Laureth Sulfate/Ammonium Lauryl Sulphate
What does SLS/ALS do? Basically it's what cleans your hair. What we don't get told though is that it's a harsh surfactant (cleaner). Why are they putting something used in cleaner for rockets into our shampoo? It's something that is not being widely addressed and I'm hoping it changes because these chemicals COULD be the reason for some scalp issues or even damaging your hair-it's stripping everything off it.
But what does this have to do with hair dye and bleaching? We all know bleaching hair does damage it to an extent, but there are ways you can minimise the damage. You can start by using shampoos free of things like sulphates so that your hair is as pH balanced as possible and as healthy as possible-you want it to keep all those good things. Also, we all know that hair dye fades. Always. And we all know that the more you wash your hair, the more the dye will fade. BUT did you know that part of that reason is because of sulphates? They are stripping the colour bit by bit every time you wash your hair with those shampoos. Switching to sulphate free products will help prolong your colour.
I went down to the local wholefoods store to get some sulphate free shampoo and conditioner-I got a pH balanced shampoo with things like sesame oil, sunflower oil, horsetail, essential oils, and many other good things in it, and I got Sukin conditioner from a pharmacy.
The first time I used them I noticed a difference. I had less scalp irritation, my hair felt cleaner and softer. I didn't need to use much of either - probably about half the usual amount (which I was pleased with because they are not your cheap $5 a bottle hair products). It came out almost the same as what I would usually get with having to have two lots of mixed shampoo and two lots of mixed conditioner. So if you're having scalp or dry/frizzy hair issues, I would definitely look at getting a more natural sulfate free shampoo.
Which brings me to the shampoo brush.
I never knew this thing existed, in fact when I won it from something quite a long time ago, I thought it was a pet brush! (google it I'm too lazy to get a picture of mine lol). The shampoo brush helps work shampoo and conditioner into your hair and scalp so you get a better distribution of product and not too much in one place, and it gets right down to your scalp. It also helps remove all the stuff you don't want sitting on your scalp so you get a really good clean. I have had more success with this little hand held brush than I have with ANY anti dandruff shampoo. Put down your head and shoulders, your garnier, your prescription shampoo -all of which have SLS by the way- and find yourself a shampoo brush! You may still need treatment of some sort-it won't "cure" anything, but give it a go, you might be suprised!
This weekend I will be bleaching my hair and giving a review on Hairquip's "In Vision" dust free blue bleach power and their developer.
Remember-if you're going to dye your hair do a strand test and a patch test! It might seem annoying and a waste of time, but it's better for something to go wrong on a few strands of hair, or that tiny bit on your arm, rather than your entire head of hair and scalp!!
~^_^~
I've always had something I don't like about my hair. When I was younger it was incredibly curly-but all my friends had straight hair. When I was about 12 I started getting some white hair-I was told it was genetic, yahoo! NOT! I will never forget a girl telling me in highschool one day that she thought I had cool hair, and asked me where I got it streaked. Back then I didn't know much about hair, or dye, I didn't even know what streaking hair was! Then I went through several years of being in between ringlets and straight-pretty much just this big boof around my face. Now years on I have decided on a radical change. I have been ill so have lost a lot of my hair and now have a LOT of white/grey, and since the water got changed where I live I have had scalp issues. Something needed to give. I needed to change something. I needed a big change with my hair for me, and with my birthday coming up, I started to think about a new look.
I decided to go blue. Not your average dye job lol I could just stick blue dye in my hair and go ta daa! But that wouldn't work out very well on my dark hair. So of course, I need to bleach it.
The big B word when it comes to hair. Everyone thinks "bleaching! No! That'll kill your hair!" so many people think it'll all fall off, you'll get chemical burns etc etc... while we can't say that's never happened, it's not what happens all the time, and it won't necessarily happen to you. Here's the thing about bleaching hair... if you do it right, you can get really good results... if you don't, things could go very wrong. I suggest if you are thinking about bleaching your hair, do your research-a lot of it. You need to know if you hair will withstand bleaching, if you will be able to bleach your hair effectively, and if you have any colour in you need to get rid of it.... get a good bleach-not a cheap one, it'll be worth it.
So I had decided on bleaching. Problem was I was worried that it might not go well, that the condition of my hair might not be so great due to everything that has happened to it over the last six months.
I spent days reading up on hair tips, what's good for your hair, what you can do to help your hair, and what is bad for your hair. There were two things that stood out the most:
GOOD: Oils. Sunflower oil, argan oil, coconut oil etc and for dry and damaged hair natural things like nettle, aloe, silk extract, and horsetail...and pH balanced
BAD: SLS/ALS or Sodium Lauryl Sulphate/Sodium Laureth Sulfate/Ammonium Lauryl Sulphate
What does SLS/ALS do? Basically it's what cleans your hair. What we don't get told though is that it's a harsh surfactant (cleaner). Why are they putting something used in cleaner for rockets into our shampoo? It's something that is not being widely addressed and I'm hoping it changes because these chemicals COULD be the reason for some scalp issues or even damaging your hair-it's stripping everything off it.
But what does this have to do with hair dye and bleaching? We all know bleaching hair does damage it to an extent, but there are ways you can minimise the damage. You can start by using shampoos free of things like sulphates so that your hair is as pH balanced as possible and as healthy as possible-you want it to keep all those good things. Also, we all know that hair dye fades. Always. And we all know that the more you wash your hair, the more the dye will fade. BUT did you know that part of that reason is because of sulphates? They are stripping the colour bit by bit every time you wash your hair with those shampoos. Switching to sulphate free products will help prolong your colour.
I went down to the local wholefoods store to get some sulphate free shampoo and conditioner-I got a pH balanced shampoo with things like sesame oil, sunflower oil, horsetail, essential oils, and many other good things in it, and I got Sukin conditioner from a pharmacy.
The first time I used them I noticed a difference. I had less scalp irritation, my hair felt cleaner and softer. I didn't need to use much of either - probably about half the usual amount (which I was pleased with because they are not your cheap $5 a bottle hair products). It came out almost the same as what I would usually get with having to have two lots of mixed shampoo and two lots of mixed conditioner. So if you're having scalp or dry/frizzy hair issues, I would definitely look at getting a more natural sulfate free shampoo.
Which brings me to the shampoo brush.
I never knew this thing existed, in fact when I won it from something quite a long time ago, I thought it was a pet brush! (google it I'm too lazy to get a picture of mine lol). The shampoo brush helps work shampoo and conditioner into your hair and scalp so you get a better distribution of product and not too much in one place, and it gets right down to your scalp. It also helps remove all the stuff you don't want sitting on your scalp so you get a really good clean. I have had more success with this little hand held brush than I have with ANY anti dandruff shampoo. Put down your head and shoulders, your garnier, your prescription shampoo -all of which have SLS by the way- and find yourself a shampoo brush! You may still need treatment of some sort-it won't "cure" anything, but give it a go, you might be suprised!
This weekend I will be bleaching my hair and giving a review on Hairquip's "In Vision" dust free blue bleach power and their developer.
Remember-if you're going to dye your hair do a strand test and a patch test! It might seem annoying and a waste of time, but it's better for something to go wrong on a few strands of hair, or that tiny bit on your arm, rather than your entire head of hair and scalp!!
~^_^~
Saturday, 11 February 2012
(Anti) Valentines?
So I've started a blog. I was about to write yet another rant on our favourite social website -the big F B- and thought that this was the time to start a blog. I've been thinking about it for years, and lately blogs seem to be generating a fair amount of interest, so onto the bandwagon I hop.
Seeing as this is my first post (of what will probably be many), I'd like to point out that you shouldn't expect much from this blog. I may post a ton of things that you may not agree with, and that's fine, just go write your own blog about it =) Also, I rarely write short pieces. If you don't like it, don't read it, no one is forcing you to. Or maybe someone is, in which case, you should probably try and get help with that.
I *plan* to do a few things with this blog. Number 1 is rant obviously, it helps me to be a nicer person when I venture out into public, I also plan to share my baking or craft creations, favourite products, and of course my least favourite products. I will also happily share various tips I've picked up over the years if it's called for in some way-there's always a way!
So with that out of the way, let's get into the first rant..
Valentines day is coming up. Two days away in my part of the world, and I cannot wait! I cannot wait, that is, until it is over. Now, those who know me may be sitting there thinking "Wait what? You have a significant other!"
Yes, yes I do, but that doesn't automatically mean I love Valentines day..
Valentines day has got to be one of the biggest crocks out there, I would even go as far as to say it's worse than Christmas. Why? Because it involves people's emotions more. The thing is though, it shouldn't.
Don't get me wrong, I am under no illusion about why people DO get so emotionally involved in Valentines day. If you don't have a significant other, no matter where you go chances are you'll see so many "love drunk" couples being all smoochy and lovey you'll want to puke-or run into the arms of a bottle of booze.. (for me it's the former).. If you do have a significant other you might look forward to the look on their face when you reveal an organised suprise, or when they open that present you spent hours agonising over.
I know these things because I used to be like that. I would try and think of what kind of thing my significant other would like to do, where they would like to go, what could I get them that would make them happy?
I like to make people I care about happy (I should hope everyone does, though I know a few people that concept missed lol).
This is where my problem with Valentines day starts. We want to make the people we care about happy. For most people there is no one way. This is where we get sucked into a load of bs that I personally think has the strong potential to mess up a relationship. Valentines ruin relationships? Never!
Some of you will know that due to recent events, plus my birthday coming up, funds are a bit tight. I was under the impression that my significant other and I weren't doing anything for Valentines (just like Christmas) because neither of us have a decent amount of the moolah at the moment. A friend asked what we were doing, and I outright told him nothing because we have no money, and I discussed it with my significant other. I was fine with that. We're still together now, after recent events, and anyone who's been in the same situation can tell you that what we just went through is one of THE biggest tests on your relationship out there (minus the obviously stupid things like adultery and such-and by that I mean don't cheat on your partner). I know I love him, and I know he loves me (I could get all sentimental and soppy about this, but I'm not going to). So when he uttered the words "what do you want to do for Valentines day?" I had no words. My mind went blank. I think I cautiously said "I thought we weren't doing anything 'cause we have no money?".
Which brings me to today's discovery. A local daily deal website emailed me with their latest bunch of crap (I have yet to be offered anything of interest), in it I saw something about roses, I thought eh Valentines day, must be cheap surely, I'll go have a look, it might be nice.
When I got to the page my mouth dropped open. They were calling HOW MUCH for a single rose a deal? Twelve dollars. They were charging twelve dollars, on special, for one rose. Normally that ONE ROSE costs TWENTY FIVE DOLLARS. If either price seems reasonable to you then you're either out of your mind or you have a good enough pay packet to not give one iota of a shit, because that is ridiculous. You can get a freaking rose bush for less than that.
I remember years ago I decided to buy a rose (amoung other things) for the guy I was with at the time... It cost me nine dollars-which I thought was expensive, but I didn't get your general red open rose so I thought it was an ok trade off.
But that's only where it starts. It starts with roses, or chocolates, or candy, or jewellery, and the next thing you know you've got all of them plus dinner plans and no money for the next two months.
Where does it end? Just like everything else with girls Valentines is another thing that's super competitive. Oh what'd your boyfriend get you? Oh a bunch of flowers? Mine got me a diamond bracelet. Oh wow you guys didn't have sex? But it's Valentines! -I didn't realise sex had pre programmed dates that I was obliged to attend.
What a lot of us don't realise is that it's also a pretty big deal for the guys too. Most guys are the caretaker types. We all know they can be a bit immature and immersed in their own worlds, but for a lot of guys they just want to take care of their girl (or guy). When they have guy friends who are also in relationships, they might feel less of a man, less of a provider, if they feel that their friend's significant other did more than he did himself. And girls don't do a whole hell of a lot to prevent that.
Apart from the obvious and ridiculous level that the commercialism of Valentines has risen to, here are some other reasons I don't like Valentines day.
A point I mentioned above-expectations. People expect you and your other half to do things. Sex, dinner, give presents are all amoung the most expected. But why? Why do we all have to go to dinner on that day? Why do we have to give presents on that day? Why do we supposedly have to express our love on THAT DAY?! I'm not a big fan of doing anything anyone tells me to, so I sure as hell have a problem with being expected to have an emotional outpouring of love on a specific day. I'd like to think we're capable of suprising each other with little things throughout the year-I was pleasantly suprised a little while ago when my other half cleaned the kitchen.
It's not really a suprise on Valentines day. I personally would rather have a nice suprise ...when it's a suprise..
I much prefer to go out to dinner when mutually agreed and organised-not just because everybody else is. Which brings me to the next reason I don't much like Valentines day.
I don't much like people. This is something, if you don't already know, you will come to learn. What does this have to do with Valentines? They're everywhere on this day. More than usual. And being all soppy *puke*. I personally have a bit of an issue with PDA. I don't really like it, I think that sort of thing is personal and should be (mostly-mostly!!!!) kept that way. Personal. In your own personal space. Certainly not in the seat right in front of me on the bus. And definitely not while I'm trying to eat my damn dinner. If I were rich enough I would arrange home massages. THAT is what I think would be fantastic. Something relaxing.
Why is Valentines day such a big deal? So competitive? So commercialised? Why can't we just relax with our loved one? We'd all probably say that that is what we *do* do. But deep down most of us will acknowledge that that's not entirely true.
Whether you do or don't have a special someone to share this Valentines day with, just remember, it's a DAY. That's all it is. Relax and enjoy it however you choose to, you'll enjoy it so much more when you stop worrying about it so much... (and when you find a place away from all those sickening highschool students who are "in love")
~^_^~
Seeing as this is my first post (of what will probably be many), I'd like to point out that you shouldn't expect much from this blog. I may post a ton of things that you may not agree with, and that's fine, just go write your own blog about it =) Also, I rarely write short pieces. If you don't like it, don't read it, no one is forcing you to. Or maybe someone is, in which case, you should probably try and get help with that.
I *plan* to do a few things with this blog. Number 1 is rant obviously, it helps me to be a nicer person when I venture out into public, I also plan to share my baking or craft creations, favourite products, and of course my least favourite products. I will also happily share various tips I've picked up over the years if it's called for in some way-there's always a way!
So with that out of the way, let's get into the first rant..
Valentines day is coming up. Two days away in my part of the world, and I cannot wait! I cannot wait, that is, until it is over. Now, those who know me may be sitting there thinking "Wait what? You have a significant other!"
Yes, yes I do, but that doesn't automatically mean I love Valentines day..
Valentines day has got to be one of the biggest crocks out there, I would even go as far as to say it's worse than Christmas. Why? Because it involves people's emotions more. The thing is though, it shouldn't.
Don't get me wrong, I am under no illusion about why people DO get so emotionally involved in Valentines day. If you don't have a significant other, no matter where you go chances are you'll see so many "love drunk" couples being all smoochy and lovey you'll want to puke-or run into the arms of a bottle of booze.. (for me it's the former).. If you do have a significant other you might look forward to the look on their face when you reveal an organised suprise, or when they open that present you spent hours agonising over.
I know these things because I used to be like that. I would try and think of what kind of thing my significant other would like to do, where they would like to go, what could I get them that would make them happy?
I like to make people I care about happy (I should hope everyone does, though I know a few people that concept missed lol).
This is where my problem with Valentines day starts. We want to make the people we care about happy. For most people there is no one way. This is where we get sucked into a load of bs that I personally think has the strong potential to mess up a relationship. Valentines ruin relationships? Never!
Some of you will know that due to recent events, plus my birthday coming up, funds are a bit tight. I was under the impression that my significant other and I weren't doing anything for Valentines (just like Christmas) because neither of us have a decent amount of the moolah at the moment. A friend asked what we were doing, and I outright told him nothing because we have no money, and I discussed it with my significant other. I was fine with that. We're still together now, after recent events, and anyone who's been in the same situation can tell you that what we just went through is one of THE biggest tests on your relationship out there (minus the obviously stupid things like adultery and such-and by that I mean don't cheat on your partner). I know I love him, and I know he loves me (I could get all sentimental and soppy about this, but I'm not going to). So when he uttered the words "what do you want to do for Valentines day?" I had no words. My mind went blank. I think I cautiously said "I thought we weren't doing anything 'cause we have no money?".
Which brings me to today's discovery. A local daily deal website emailed me with their latest bunch of crap (I have yet to be offered anything of interest), in it I saw something about roses, I thought eh Valentines day, must be cheap surely, I'll go have a look, it might be nice.
When I got to the page my mouth dropped open. They were calling HOW MUCH for a single rose a deal? Twelve dollars. They were charging twelve dollars, on special, for one rose. Normally that ONE ROSE costs TWENTY FIVE DOLLARS. If either price seems reasonable to you then you're either out of your mind or you have a good enough pay packet to not give one iota of a shit, because that is ridiculous. You can get a freaking rose bush for less than that.
I remember years ago I decided to buy a rose (amoung other things) for the guy I was with at the time... It cost me nine dollars-which I thought was expensive, but I didn't get your general red open rose so I thought it was an ok trade off.
But that's only where it starts. It starts with roses, or chocolates, or candy, or jewellery, and the next thing you know you've got all of them plus dinner plans and no money for the next two months.
Where does it end? Just like everything else with girls Valentines is another thing that's super competitive. Oh what'd your boyfriend get you? Oh a bunch of flowers? Mine got me a diamond bracelet. Oh wow you guys didn't have sex? But it's Valentines! -I didn't realise sex had pre programmed dates that I was obliged to attend.
What a lot of us don't realise is that it's also a pretty big deal for the guys too. Most guys are the caretaker types. We all know they can be a bit immature and immersed in their own worlds, but for a lot of guys they just want to take care of their girl (or guy). When they have guy friends who are also in relationships, they might feel less of a man, less of a provider, if they feel that their friend's significant other did more than he did himself. And girls don't do a whole hell of a lot to prevent that.
Apart from the obvious and ridiculous level that the commercialism of Valentines has risen to, here are some other reasons I don't like Valentines day.
A point I mentioned above-expectations. People expect you and your other half to do things. Sex, dinner, give presents are all amoung the most expected. But why? Why do we all have to go to dinner on that day? Why do we have to give presents on that day? Why do we supposedly have to express our love on THAT DAY?! I'm not a big fan of doing anything anyone tells me to, so I sure as hell have a problem with being expected to have an emotional outpouring of love on a specific day. I'd like to think we're capable of suprising each other with little things throughout the year-I was pleasantly suprised a little while ago when my other half cleaned the kitchen.
It's not really a suprise on Valentines day. I personally would rather have a nice suprise ...when it's a suprise..
I much prefer to go out to dinner when mutually agreed and organised-not just because everybody else is. Which brings me to the next reason I don't much like Valentines day.
I don't much like people. This is something, if you don't already know, you will come to learn. What does this have to do with Valentines? They're everywhere on this day. More than usual. And being all soppy *puke*. I personally have a bit of an issue with PDA. I don't really like it, I think that sort of thing is personal and should be (mostly-mostly!!!!) kept that way. Personal. In your own personal space. Certainly not in the seat right in front of me on the bus. And definitely not while I'm trying to eat my damn dinner. If I were rich enough I would arrange home massages. THAT is what I think would be fantastic. Something relaxing.
Why is Valentines day such a big deal? So competitive? So commercialised? Why can't we just relax with our loved one? We'd all probably say that that is what we *do* do. But deep down most of us will acknowledge that that's not entirely true.
Whether you do or don't have a special someone to share this Valentines day with, just remember, it's a DAY. That's all it is. Relax and enjoy it however you choose to, you'll enjoy it so much more when you stop worrying about it so much... (and when you find a place away from all those sickening highschool students who are "in love")
~^_^~
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