Halloween nails

I love Halloween!  It's fun to not have any inhibitions for one day.  I tried out the second skull makeup youtube video and it went well.  Not quite as good as the video but I was happy enough with it.  See below for the Halloween nails I am sporting this Halloween. 

Skull Makeup

I am planning on being a skeleton for Halloween and I have the following youtube videos bookmarked for them.  They are popular but not the first results that show up when you look up skull makeup so I thought it was worth the share.  I am leaning towards trying to combine the second and third looks.

Conair Curl Secret - Does this scare any one else?

Beauty and technology are going way too fast for me.  I saw the Curlsecret being demoed this on CityTVs Cityline demoed and that was when I truly felt old.  I thought I was young and hip and with it.  Clearly not because I had no idea this product existed and even more it scared me.  Each time the models hair disappeared in the apparatus, I was scared that it would be eaten and not come out alive.

The idea is your hair gets wound up in the device and it gets curled in there.  Good in that you just let it do it's thing and no need to wear gloves and all those other pesky things that comes with curling wands.  But as somebody that's gotten her hair tangled and ripped in Conairs Instyler, I feel like this is another one that would do the same.  I think it would work best for people with silky hair and not those with thick curly hair AKA me.

Cheap last minute kids halloween costume

I was at walmart doing some grocery shopping (yes I love the supercenter one stop shopping formats) when I decided I would check out the Halloween section to see if there was any non slutty costumes I could find for Halloween.  On the way there, I happened across this little boys hoodie which I think would work well for a kids Halloween costume.  It wasn't even in their Halloween section!  It's a regular hoodie.  If they had an adults version, I would have bought one for regular wear.  They also had a blue shark version and another animal with hors but I can't quite remember.  It's a little hard to see but those eyes stand up and are 3D.

I actually bought the super extra large one as a backup Halloween costume for myself.  Yes I was able to squeeze into it though it's pretty uncomfortable in the armpits

Easy peasy oven roasted sweet potatoes

I love sweet potato fries at restaurants and have tried making them at home without much success till now!  They always came out a little on the mushy side and not as crispy as I like.  Leaving me to buying them at restaurants and fast food joints to satisfy my craving. 

What did I do differently this time?  I cut them into smaller squares and made sure they were spread out in one layer on the baking tray even if it meant having to two batches in the oven.

First up, I bought some sweet potatoes at the local Asian grocery store only to cut in and be surprised that it wasn't an yellowy/orange color as I was used to.  Google to the rescue confirmed it was still a sweet potato...possibly a yam?  That's right, google wasn't quite conclusive on what it was.  With a little hesitation, I figured I already had bought it so I might as well cook it.  I cut it into little squares as seen below, tossed it in some olive oil, salt & pepper.

 

Then, I spread it in two trays with enough left over for another tray.  I made sure not to crowd the tray though it may look like it's crowded below.  Note that there is only one layer without more potatoes overlapping each other.

I forgot to take pictures of the end result.  Also, I munched through them pretty fast along with my family but it was crispy and delicious.  I ate most of them alone sauceless, that's how good it was.  I also enjoyed a glass of wine with it :D

Dollarama finds

If it's not already a past time of yours, it should be because you never know what you might find.  First up is this magnifying mirror x2 with this amazing border.  I am debating painting the frame black but am going to hold off till we have a permanent place because I don't know what my long term makeup décor will be.  Second up is Nicole OPI nail polish is hard-kourt fashionista for $3.  Considering these easily retail for $10+, it was a no brainer.  Also there which I am not sure about was a nail stamping kit.  For $3, I figured it was a cheap way to try it out.

$3 Mirror that looks more expensive that is

Nail stamping kit and Nicole by OPI nail polish, $3 each

NOTD - Wet N Wild Fergie - A024 - Tonight's Gonna Be A Good Night

I bought this during my trip to California for $5.  I can't say I've seen it in Toronto but doesn't mean it doesn't exist.  Things are just so much easier to find in the states and not to mention cheaper.  It looks like it's a black nail polish with specks of glitter however once you put it on, you realize it is a clear nail polish with little black and gold flecks.  What you see below is 4 coats!  I loved it at first but then felt a little weird as the day on.  I think I am going to do this again but on top of an orange nail polish for Halloween.  How amazing would that look?



 

4 coats in

different lighting

looks so pretty in the bottle

with flash

Cheap Thrills

Went to the local Salvation Army on the way to visiting my parents and picked up a few things.  I love the one that's by my parents because I don't think I've ever walked out of there empty handed.  There are always one or 2 unique things I pick up.  I have a shopping problem and it's a good way to satisfy the need to shop without going broke.

First up is this top for $6 which looks plain jane but check out the back.  That's what I am talking about.... 

 

This purse is something I can use for special occasions or as a regular day to day purse seeing as how it still has straps.  This cost me a whopping $3.

Le Chateau Dress that I can wear to weddings or with a cardigan and leggings in the winter.  $6

 

Winter jacket that was half off for $10.  I like that there's a belt to cinch the waist because I have big hips, I find if my waist is not cinched, then I look like a big blob.

Finally, miscellaneous yarn ranging from $1-$2.  I want to knit a scarf again but don't want to spend $20 buying yarn from the store.  For that price, I might as well just buy a scarf from the store.

  Total spent: $33.95.  Not too shabby.

I heart California

I am sure people that live there can complain about the not so warm temperatures and the heavy winds but as a Canadian from up north where I've already turned on my heater at night, California this time of year was amaze-balls.

First off shopping is amazing.  I stopped by the local CVS and bought my Revlon Whipped Foundation for $10 ($14 with a $4 off coupon) which is pretty darn amazing considering Shoppers has them for $19.99 at regular price.  Even with the sale, I wouldn't be able to get it for the same price as in the US.

Here are some pictures from the trip....

First off, did you know that they have ipads at the pearson airport waiting area!  You can even order food on there and have it delivered to your table!  Pretty darn sweet.

Next up is the view from our brunch spot, Schooner or Later.

This was our sweet ride for the weekend.  I've always wanted a mini cooper for a car.

However, the inside took a little getting used to.  I didn't like that the control for the window was not on the windows as expected!

This was the sweet view from our resort.  See that?  Yup, that's the beach within walking distance!

Last was a stop at the Rubys Diner at the end of the Balboa Pier.  Had a nice apple pie a la mode while we enjoyed the view.

NOTD --> First time doing an accent nail

Well folks, I did it!  I tried out a subtle accent nail and I like the look!  I think I like it because it's very subtle and a good way to ease into it without being overwhelmed by one nail looking drastically different than the rest.  Accent nail virgin no more!

I had to do two coats of L'Oreals The Sparklicious 803 to get the effect on the right.  I wonder if I can just buy glitter from Michaels and achieve the same thing.  I don't like that I can't control the placement of the shapes.  There's the control freak in me coming out.

Off to Cailfornia for the weekend!  Yay!  Here's hoping the mani survives the weekend.

October goals

Goal setting is supposed to somehow make you more productive in life or so they say.  I would actually have to agree because I remember when I would do my monthly spending budget on here and I would for the most part follow it.

So here is what I am trying to achieve for this month.

1. JOB -->  Apply to at least 2 jobs a day (including the weekend) which means I need to apply to at least 62 (31 days x 2) jobs this month. 
2. With that new nail polish post yesterday, I want to try out new things with my nails.  I want to take better care of it.  I have started becoming a bit of a slob because I think, hey you don't have a job, who are you getting pretty for.  Seriously, I am now wearing a tank top with holes in it!
3. Reach out to at least one person and say hi.  I am bad @ keeping in touch and want to improve in this area.
4. Keep spending on clothes to a min --> only allowed $50!  Eeek....not sure I can do this considering I am itching for a new winter coat but I shall try. 

L'oreal The Sparklicious Top Coat

This beauty right here was bought at Rexall for $5.  I haven't bought a new nail polish in a while seeing as how I am jobless but I couldn't resist at that price and how pretty it was.  I did do a quick swatch on my nail and found it wore thin as in only two sparkles made it onto my nail.  If you look at that picture of my thumb below, you will see that only two sparkles made it on with one coat.  It is definitely something I see myself applying several coats of to get to my desired level of sparkliness. 

I've always wanted to try that accent nail trend that everybody is rocking but I haven't been brave enough to do it.  I think with this, it is subtle enough for me to try.

I heart Aziz Ansari

I love Aziz Ansari.  I think he's hilarious and I bought tickets for his show this past Friday at the Sony Center in Toronto.  He did new material which was pretty exciting because we have seen his old bit but you could tell it was new material as it was a little rough around the edges.  He stuttered over some of his material but it was still pretty darn hilarious.  I wish he didn't focus so much on relationships and did other observations as well.  & what happened to his cousin!?

This picture right here is form my camera....If you've ever seen his show, you know he does a bit where he lets the audience take as many pictures of him as they want before he tells them to put it away.

Jobless and a little frustrated

I did this amazing thing last year -->  Took a year off and moved to the US to be with the hubby and now we're back.  I figured I am young, if there's a time to do this, this is it.  I thought when I came back, I would have no problem finding a job.  After all, I have experience, am smart and have a few networks.  Well let me tell you it's not panning out as expected.  I've applied to over a 100 jobs in the span of 2 months with only 2 call backs from companies.  The first one didn't pan out....I knew that during the interview, I didn't answer the questions well.  But I had one last week and I thought I knocked it out of the park.  Seriously looking back, there is nothing I would have done differently and I was expecting that they would call me back yesterday but nothing :(  I seriously never wear my emotions on my sleeve but I cried yesterday because I felt worthless.  I seriously spent hours just lying in bed wallowing and watching hours of beauty youtube videos.

Don't get me wrong, I loved my year off but now I am feeling depressed and getting discouraged.  I know the answer is to not be discouraged and just keep on trucking but man it's hard.  My goal is to at least apply to 2 jobs a day and spend time catering my cover letter and resume to the job but wondering if I just need to fire them out instead with a generic cover letter and resume.  I've also been told I need to network and I've networked with everybody I can.  & plus I am not that kind of social person!!!  So I've exhausted my network and don't know where else to go besides applying online.

/end bitchy jobless rant.

My negative GymPact experience - Stay Away

If you know me then you know I am a sucker for making a little beer money on the side.  So when I learned about GymPact I figured I had nothing to loose and everything to gain by signing up.  The idea behind GymPact is you essentially make a bet that you are going to workout X number of days of the week and each day you don't make it, you loose out on $5 or more and each day you make it, you gain from all the others that don't make it out there (their website says typically $0.30/workout).  Sure that's nothing but I figured it would add up and plus I don't have to do anything extra since I already work out.  Plus they emphasized on their website that they had runkeeper integration so I figured sweet since I walk so much now that we don't have a car there's no way I am going to miss my weekly pact. I typically walk an hour almost daily!

Well it's all great in theory but here is my experience with GymPact.  First week is apparently a try out week where you figure out the kinks of gympact and give 'er a try.  This would be great if I had known it was a try out week.  No where did it indicate this on the website.  I had to google and that's what the interwebs told me.  So can you imagine here I am doing my workouts for the week and nothing is really changing in my profile.  So anyways now it's on to week 2 and I am still doing my work outs regularly except for whatever reason my runkeeper isn't syncing with GymPact properly.  I send them an email to try and find out what's going on and nada.  I send a follow up email and still nada.  I eventually was able to get it to sync on the 3rd device I tried.  But get this, I get a notification saying my runkeeper workout didn't count with no explanation why even though it met all the criteria on the website.  And the worst part was I couldn't log another workout for the day to compensate.  Thankfully I set my pact to working out 6 days a week so my 1 day buffer was taken.  I sent an email to GymPact asking them why my runkeeper workout didn't count and are you surprised that there wasn't a response?  Well week 2 is over and now we're onto week 3!  Except no indication of any money being earned.  Another email off to GymPact saying if I don't hear from them soon I would cancel my account.  My email it seems fell on deaf ears.  And well I did what I said I would do which was try to cancel my account.  Their website doesn't let you cancel your account but it does let you take a break from your pact so that's what I did.

So if you're thinking of joining GymPact, NAY I say.  If you google, you'll find plenty of others complain about their lack of customer service.  However when you miss a workout, they are quick to debit that $5 from your credit card right away.  No thank you.

UPDATE - where have I been and all that jazz

Well I haven't posted for what looks like over half a year.  What has happened?  Life I guess.  Here is a quick summary what has happened over the last half a year when I did not post.  Changed jobs, got married, changed jobs again, moved to another country! and quit my job.

So yeah a lot.  Now I am living the life of susie home maker for a few months before we move back to Toronto and I must say that I am rather enjoying life.  I feel like I have almost a clean slate with lots of time to reflect and take it easy before entering real world again.

Will I post regularly?  Unsure but I do have a fair bit of time on my hands so only time will tell....