Confessions of Birthday Hater

I have a confession to make:
My birthday is Saturday and I hate my birthday. Not because I'm getting older(I'll be 29) but I always get my hopes up to have a great day and it doesn't turn out that way. Now I'm not the one to have parties for myself or hope that someone will throw me one or ask my friends and family for ridiculous things like out of town trips and dinners they can't afford or gifts I don't need. I just want my family and my sanity to be intact. Last year right before my birthday my dad was diagnosed with cancer. 2004: my children were preemies in Neonatal Intensive Care. 2003: spent the entire day alone. 2002: my boyfriend at time and I were on the outs. 2001: I was working the entire day. 2000: my best friend got married on my birthday.Sounds like the millenium won't give me a break.:) But there is good news.I'm planning a Sephora haul with any birthday money I get, I don't have to work, and going to Kanpai of Spartanburg with my mom and children for lunch. So there is light it the end of the birthday tunnel.

Muah!
J

Mini Review:Lumene Firming Day Cream and Night Cream

About two weeks ago I purchased mini sample sizes of Lumene Firming Day Cream and Firming Night Cream. I will have to say that the Night cream is great.It leaves your skin really smooth and you don't wake up in the morning with a oil spill all over your face. My only problem is the smell and 'firming'. It smells like I'm rubbing Elizabeth Arden Red Door all over my face. No offense to Red Door( I know only one person that can wear that, my LS Shannan and it smells good on her) but I don't like it. The 'firming' aspect,I didn't notice any difference in my skin. I know,I'm 28, but I would think that my pores would get smaller at least.

The Day Creme is definetly a 'thumbs down'. It's way to oily for the day and my combination skin and of course the perfume-y smell and the non-firming effect added makes it a no buy. I guess I will not be buying full sizes of neither product.:( I would only recommend these cream to someone with dry skin and who can take the smell and doesn't want to risk spending a lot of money on a department store/specialty store moisterizer.

J

The List Fall 2006 part I

Saturday was absolutely boring. I worked but all I will say that it wasn't my usual Saturday of magazine reading and internet surfing .I worked with my director who is the most amzaing woman but complete workhorse. So she doesn't play with chilling at the circulatin desk. I knew this before I went in so I packed my beauty/fashion journal( where I make all of my notes for the blog,ideas, new products,etc.) and Daily Candy A to Z An Insider's Life To The Sweet Life. I could try to get away with reading a book and making notes. I started a list of things to get for fall/winter 2006. It's still in it's preemie stages:

Black jersey knit pants
red and black flats from Payless
a winter/fall coat fit for a Southern winter( so i won't seven coats for all the weather changes)
soft comfy hats
a new foundation and concealor
Black leather gloves
black button down shirt by George @WalMart
cream white sweater coat by George@WalMart
Cream white boots from Payless(seen in InStyle The Look 2006 mag)
black and gray leggings
printed or textured tights
zip up hoodies (to wear under my short blazers)
turtlenecks or crewneck l/s( to wear under my spagetti strapped jersey dresses)
Frye Boots
socks
four new winter scents
ankle boots
Shop Suey Muse Bag
Lumene Night Cream

Still working on it. Got alot of other things I've spotted but didn't make note of.

I'll be back!

J

In Great Taste...

Friday night I was on a hunt for dinner. There are very few options here in hometown. So I ended up going to the grocery store. While in the checkout line, I grabed the October 2006 Cosmopolitian. Now, I know that Cosmo isn't most classy mag but you have to admit that their beauty,fashion editorials and lifestyle pages are on the money. In it there was a coupon for a free mini gloss from the new VS Sexy makeup collection scheduled to premiere September 19. Also a book review on In Great Taste:Fresh Simple Recipes For Eating and Living Well by Evelyn Lauder. It's a cookbook with recipes that"can contribute to the radiance of your complexion". This definetly a buy NOW. I've already called B&N and they are holding it for me. If you need to pass the time with a fun read, Cosmo's it. It definetly kept my mind off my children in Charlotte with their dad this weekend.

J

Desk Duty

Right now I'm sitting at my desk taking off nail polish. I know, so against office etiquette but my Goldie Creepy Groovey is peeling. But It lasted pretty good considering I wasn't somewhere scratching my hair and destroying my polish. I used Avon Easy Sweep Nail Enamel Remover Pads. They are so convenient. After that I washed my hands and applied Le Couvent Des Minimes Gardener's Hand Healer from Bath and Body Works. I got a sample on Wednesday. It has a nice light fresh scent to it but it also has that "silicone glove" element, so I can hardly type on my laptop. But the lotion would be great for winter, when you are about to put on gloves and you need to moisterize your hands.

It's that weekend again, that the boys go to their Dad's house and I'm left to figure out my life without them for 72 hours. I know that sounds so Mommy-ish, but I'm bore if I don't have something to do for the kids. At least I have to work on Saturday. But I do need to catch up on much missed beauty treatments, such as a pedicure/manicure, deep conditioner of the new hair,and sifting through my shoes and clothes to find out what I can used from the summer into the fall and what fall stuff I can wear. I also I have many magazines still sitting in their mail plastic and work reading to do. I just got from our InterLibrary Loan The Last King of Scotland by Giles Foden. It's about a Scottish doctor to Idi Amin, one of most notorious dictators of Africa.There's movie being made about it with Forrest Whitaker and Kerry Washington. There is also a great article about it in October's Essence(the one with Queen Latifah on it).

Have a great weekend!