Jared Free Weekend

It has always been the case that when Jared is gone for a set amount of time, I get a lot of work done. I'm an organizational procrastinator. Here is a list of EVERYTHING I want to do while Jared is gone this weekend:

Clean my bathroom floor
Clean my bathroom sink
Clean my toilet
Reorganize my closet to be more seasonably appropriate
Reorganize my dresser top to increase surface visibility
Dance with Gizmo
Go through the mail dish
Clean the stove
Window shop online
Clean off that lamp, it is hella dusty
Clean out the fridge
Clear counter tops
Invent crazy stories of fighting off certain death to tell Jared
Clear table top
Watch a movie on Netflix
Make a list of spices I'm running out of
Clean off counter tops and table top
Read Jezebel
Moisturize my hair and do a face mask
Take khakis to be hemmed
Eat a calzone
Declutter living room
Clean off end tables and coffee tables
Do laundry? Maybe?
Sweep floors
Call my mama
Paint my toenails
Wash the dog
Wipe down both gigantic mirrors in the house... as well as the bathroom and vanity mirror
Do some impromptu karaoke (or a lot)
Take photos of all my favorite second hand pieces in the house (or at least some of them for Part I)

Woo. This weekend is going to be a ball of excitement wrapped in an adventure. My next post will pmost likely show off my thrift scores. :D

Making Up Is Hard To Do

When I was seven years old, my father purchased a makeup kit for me. He said that living with my mother meant I would need to teach myself how to put on makeup, because she doesn't wear any. He was 100% right about that. I didn't wear makeup in high school and dabbled (very little) in college. The only thing I really liked was nail polish. When I was a kid it was all about bright, red nails that I would paint everyday. 

Without a little color on my face, I look all of 17. (Which is cool, because I'm a 17 year-old hottie.) I wanted to make an impression my first week of work, and decided that dressing the part would be as important as playing the part. And, with all things, I jumped in with both feet. I did a little research on what brand with which I could get the biggest bang for my buck. I used Makeupalley.com to make my decision. It turns out Eyes Lips Face (sold at Target, KMart and Online) is a great company for cheapo, quality makeup. I put in a $25.00 order and received free shipping. Then after receiving my makeup from ELF and starting my first week at Target, I looked to Jezebel for makeup advice. Jez has a new recurring post called "Worth It." From there I bought two different types of lipstick.

I've decided to give a review of the makeup I've purchased. Most of these reviews will be glowing (I'm excellent at research), but a few won't be so hot. Here is a music video of the song that fuels my lust for makeup shopping.

Eyes Lips Face Flawless Finish Foundation

Due to the hereditary gift that is acne, I have spent hundreds of dollars trying to find a foundation that isn't god awful. I want a foundation that doesn't cake, flake, crack or wear off in a few hours. It needs to match my (scary white, slightly pasty) skintone and it has to blend down to the neckline. I've tried Clinique, Origins, Mary Kay, Avon, Rimmel, Revlon... etc. I was very pleased to purchase an oil free foundation for $6.00 online that meets all of my requirements. I only need half a pump to cover my whole face, and the foundation blends down smoothly and creates a great canvas for eyeshadow, blush, and bronzer.

Eyes Lips Face Concealer Stick

I purchased this concealer stick in the lightest possible color. I tend to wear it on top of my foundation, because I feel putting concealer on first then foundation wipes out all of your carefully painted patches. This concealer smells great and feels cool going on. It blocks out redness and dark circles alike. I also use it on my lips before applying a dark, pigmented lip color.

Eyes Lips Face 100 Eyeshadow Palette

I'm 50/50 on this eye shadow palette. I love the packaging and how easy it is to choose a color with the ROYGBIV organization. However, I've encountered a few colors (most notably the bright Purple) that have little to no pigmentation. I go in expecting a rich, dark purple and get bubkiss. It's a pretty quick fix; I just go one up to the navy and brush it on. So, part of me dislikes this product, because the pigmentation you get is a coin toss. I also feel that the staying power of these eyeshadows is lacking. I apply three colors in the morning and by lunch I'm wearing a big grey smear. While the palette is laid out very well, the size of the palette makes travelling with it nearly impossible. With a short face-life, I would expect a smaller size for a mid-afternoon refresher. I would like to say, this is a great way to figure out what colors look good on you and which colors you favor.

Eyes Lips Face Golden Bronzer

This is my favorite item from my ELF purchase. I don't think that if I saw this in store I would purchase it, because it does have shimmer. I'm very opposed to glitter, because it draws attention to blemishes. The shimmer of this bronzer is reflective, but not overwhelming and leaves you with a bit of a glow (in a good way). This bronzer is wonderful and adds dimension to your face. When wearing red lipstick, I use this bronzer as an eyeshadow as well. It's my favorite.

Maybelline SuperStay 24HR Lip Color

This long-lasting lip color was featured on Jezebel in a Worth It article. I went to Walgreens and purchased a tube in Continuous Coral. I put on the color, make a shocked expression for two minutes waiting for it to dry, and then apply the clear lacquer. I reapply gloss every once in a while throughout the day, and this color lasts through work into the end of day. The lip color is oil soluable, so if you eat a greasy cheese burger, you'll lose your lips. SuperStay comes in several shades of bright, pigmented color. I recently purchased All Day Cherry and Reliable Raspberry. I prefer this lip color over the stains I have tried. (Including Benetint and the below reviewed Covergirl Outlast.)

CoverGirl Outlast Lip Stain

This lip stain barely lasts the commute to work. In all fairness, it's not the stains fault! It's the packaging. This stain is drying and does not come with a lip lacquer attached. If you try to soothe your dry lips with chapstick, the stain comes right off. However, for the 20 minutes I can bear dry lips, this stain is great. It looks good, smells good and flexes well.

CoverGirl Lip Slick

I purchased a Covergirl Lip Slick in "Hipster," which is the darkest color offered. The color goes on sheer and can be built up. Hipster is a cooler tone and goes well with my winter skin. I am very pleased with this lip slick, because it has saved my lips from the drying stain featured above. I have no qualms about this slick. Just keep in mind, it isn't as pigmented and bright as SuperStay. (But, it looks great over it.)

CoverGirl Lash Blast Volume Blasting Mascara

I needed a waterproof mascara after my first few days when my eyes were watering from straining into the computer. The brush is nice and separates lashes cleanly. The mascara does not clump up or stick together. But, I am used to a thicker, more dramatic look. I've tried to layer up with this mascara, and it's not happening. Overall, it's waterproof, clean and is good for a natural look.

Revlon Matte Lipstick

I have learned my lesson. I will now keep my receipts from Walgreens. This lipstick was featured in a Worth It article as well. It does meet all the aspects outlined in the article. For me, this lipstick wore down by lunch. I went to reapply, and the lipstick clumped up and felt terrible. I don't think I'm much for classic lipsticks. I'll stick to my long-wear. Live and learn; I guess.

I hope your September has been awesome so far! I'm loving my job, and the environment of Target Headquarters is awesome. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this will become something more permanent.

Mouths of Babes

I was harassed in high school by a girl with low self-esteem.
I was harassed in college by a grown woman with low self-esteem.

This 15 year-old girl totally gets it.
Getting Over Girl Hate by Tavi Gevinson

Big Girl Accomplishments

Today, Jared and I talked about motivation. In my mind, motivation comes in three materialistic, money-grubbin' forms. Provide incentive by promising new, great things for the two of us: house, car, shorter commute. Provide incentive by promising new, awesome things for himself: iPod touch, speaker system, smartphone. And finally, the less fun one, deny himself something he enjoys until reaching specific benchmarks: no videogames until he's applied for so many jobs.

Last week, I also found myself wanting. I wanted not only small, simple things, but big, expensive things! Get Rich Slowly has taught me that I can have everything I want, just not all at once. So, I bring to you a list of Big Girl Accomplishments and their matching Big Girl Prizes. (All monetary benchmarks must include the price of the prize. Example: Accomplishment: Build Up $1000 Emergency Fund, Prize: Something That Costs $200. The entire amount saved should be over $1200.)

Accomplishment: Pay Off Debt

This is a pretty simple goal that is a huge deal. I want to pay off all credit card debt, store card debt and the loan I have with UWCU. I am not including my student loans in this goal, because I don't plan on paying them until I have to. 

Prize: Travelon Hanging Toiletry Kit

Accomplishment: Build Up $1000 Emergency Fund

It's important to build up an emergency fund, just in case I end up unemployed for a few months... again. 

Prize: Wacom Bamboo Pen Tablet

Accomplishment: Build Up $2500 Emergency Fund
Prize: iPod Nano

I'll get the newest one... whenever I have that much money saved.

Accomplishment: Find a Full-time Permanent Job

If I have accomplished the above goals and find a full-time permanent job... I'm going to spend a huge chunk of change on an amazing camera. 

Prize: Fuji Film FinePix X100

Accomplishment: Stay With the Same Company for One Year
Prize: Disney Vacation

Accomplishment: Build Up $1000 Savings Account
Prize: A New Couch!

Accomplishment: Build Up $2500 Savings Account AND Jared has a stable job
Prize: A New Home!

High Cost of Being Poor

It's Sunday; tomorrow is Labor Day; I start work on Tuesday. Normally, this would all be good news. But, today I received an email from Mint.com letting me know I had been charged a $10.00 service fee from UW Credit Union. It also informed me that I had received the same service fee three times prior.

I looked into the fee, which was aptly labeled < 7 Qualifying Services. I was charged $10.00 for August, July and June. Why? Because I hadn't used my debit card in this time.

Why haven't I been charging to my debit card? I have been unemployed and living on credit for the last two months. All my transactions went through my credit card, which I paid off with a small loan. I haven't been using my credit card for fear of overdrawing my checking account (which causes a $5.00 fee).

I plan on calling into my bank once I am off of work. Unfortunately, my bank is open half an hour past my end of day. I am not totally sure that I will have the time to settle this dispute.

This is a short retelling, because I'm very frustrated right now. I feel like I am being punished for being unemployed. This month, I will make sure to buy a stick of gum with my debit card. In the meantime, I'm going to start researching banks in Minneapolis.

I Think I'm Hilarious

It's even better when viewed on my laptop (pictured).