I have a new job!!!!!!!!

Yes. I am wearing a shirt. And sweatpants. And I may have had a couple of celebratory glasses of wine. However, I deserved it. It has been a long day, and none of the outlets in the bedroom work. And the washer is broken. 

Enough of my whining! 

I have a new job! It is absolutely perfect for me. I will be working Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. I think I mentioned before that I don't need a full time job, just something that will allow me to put gas in my car and save a tiny bit for the future. This job will allow me to do that and still have a tiny bit of a social life. My old job ended last Thursday, and it took less than a week for me to realize that I was going to go insane without something to do and a steady income. 

I will probably look for an additional part time job Sunday through Thursday, but this definitely takes away that panic of not knowing if I'm going to be okay financially and the agonizing boredom that goes with. 

I admit, I've fallen in love.

I didn't want to. I mean, it smells so terrible, and for the price... I have expectations. I never planned to finish the .5 ounce jar that I bought, and I never expected to spend $60 for the large 4 ounce jar. But I did.

I have always had such a difficult time with moisturizers. I like to be able to use the same moisturizer day and night most of the year, but I tend to have trouble finding one that is both moisturizing and non-greasy. This has a bizarre texture, solid almost, and then it melts immediately into my skin. I like that it absorbs quickly, and the smell does dissipate eventually. I have found that my skin is pretty much perfect when I use this, which is odd for me to say. I have cystic acne, and during certain parts of my cycle/when I get stressed I usually get three or four massive breakouts. When I use this consistently, I either won't get any at all or I will get one tiny blemish that disappears promptly.

Overall, I have to say that this is pretty much amazing. I still wish it didn't smell the way it does, but the benefits of it completely outweigh the nasty smell.



On a completely different note, I finally have internet access! I nearly kissed the poor UPS guy when he brought me my router this afternoon. I have never seen anyone run down the stairs to my apartment so fast.... Anyway, my posting will be far more regular now! 

An Update.

I am officially moved in! It has been long and frustrating, and I still don't have internet in the apartment. It has been weird and stressful, but for the most part worthwhile. I'm still in the process of setting things up, but I'm still here. A few things: -- My now former employers managed to mess up my last paycheck, so I have to call tomorrow to nag for my last $164. I hate dealing with money, and it makes me tense. -- My mum has become incredibly supportive in a way I never would have expected. -- My boyfriend is an amazing, creative cook. -- I'm okay, and approaching happiness. While this may not be my glorious dream, I am trying to look at the best parts.

Wanted:

Someone to assist me in moving house, finishing off my last three days of a wretched job, and finding a fast car that is affordable and reliable. 

I will pay you back in peanut butter brownies.

That's all.

How long does it take?

Today I realized that I have had one of my cleansers for nearly a year now. It has about half an inch of product in the squeeze tube, and I'm hoping to finish it off within the week, but it was a bit of an awakening for me. I mean, I wash my face at least twice a day, but I realized that I buy cleansers at a rather alarming rate. I mean, a year to use up a cleanser?

I'm going to try to force myself to use up two cleansers before I allow myself to buy another one, because I tend to buy new ones far too frequently. I know I should probably make myself do that with my lipsticks as well, but I really love lipstick. And you can never have too many. 

Which leads me to my final point: I said I was going to post my week in lipstick. And I meant to. However, I'm in the process of moving and with the randomly cloudy weather in my area, I was completely incapable of getting a decent photo of any of the colors. So, at some point, you will be inundated with lipstick picks. Today is not that day. 

I'm odd lately.

You know those days? Where you aren't happy, aren't sad, but can't seem to get yourself out of a funk?

I've had two of them, yesterday and today. I'm not sure why, and my boyfriend and mum have both noticed. And I'm tired of it. I mean, I have a lot to be excited about, and yet I can't seem to bring myself out of it. I'm not depressed, and I'm not hurt, but I'm not happy. 

I have come to this conclusion: It is okay not to be happy. 

We try so hard to be happy. All the time. And we psych ourselves up to be with people. Earlier today I was talking to B, and I could tell that I was bringing him down. So I spent the last ten minutes of the call (we are currently long distance, to those who may not know) being upbeat and positive so that I didn't leave him empty. I went to dinner with my grandmum, and I spent the whole time laughing and chattering to keep from seeming low. 

And for what? What is so wrong with having a couple of days without happiness? Some days, things get to us. The things that people say on a regular basis, things we usually expect, can unexpectedly stab us. 

I'm looking for a car right now, and I'm looking at one specific vehicle that I'm really excited about. It is right on the outer edge of my budget, but I can afford it. It isn't the typical college car, but I would enjoy it to pieces. I was talking to my grandmum about it, and she got snipey about it, saying that I should just get a little car that is cheaper. She then asked what my plans for grad school are, and I said that I'm contemplating (insert school name here) if I can get a decent scholarship. She followed that with "You certainly have expensive tastes." 

She is always like that, and usually it doesn't bother me. I know that I have paid for everything since I was fifteen, and I have worked really hard to get what I want, with grades/etc. Today it nearly brought me to tears. 

So I'm working towards being happy again. But it isn't easy right now. 

(sorry for the massive personal post)

What I'm up to:

• I'm looking for a new car. I'm trying to decide if I will go for something cheap, that I'm mostly indifferent to but will leave me with tiny car payments, or something that is $3,000 more that I really love and would enjoy. Driving is a great joy of mine, so I'm really leaning towards the more expensive car. It fits into my budget, but it would make things a tiny bit tighter. However, if I can find a new job, I won't have to worry at all. Which leads to point number two:
• I am finishing up my current job and looking for a new one. I loved working for my present employer, and am still eligible for rehire, but the seasonal job is up and it would cut into my classes to train to stay on permanently. I'm really bummed, and looking for a little part time job that will have more public involvement in the future. 
• I'm packing up my stuff here, and prepping to move into my new apartment. I'm both crazy excited and nervous. 
• I'm getting ready for classes to start! I have a few volunteer things set up, the reading list for one of my classes started, and will be mentoring some of the first-year students from one of my favorite instructors. I can't wait.

Lean Cuisine Broccoli Cheddar Dip with Pita Bread: A Food Review

These have been advertised everywhere, and I was thinking that they would be terrible. I have had a few bad flavor experiences with frozen broccoli products before, and this was low-priced enough that I thought it was going to be all ends, with stretchy cheese and little flavor. I was also afraid that the pita would be crappy, since it was frozen and then microwaved. 

Oh My Fluffy Grey and white kittens, this is amazing. So amazing. It was warm, flavorful, and filling. Not filling enough to be a dinner on its own, but with a salad? Definitely. Or as a nice lunch, which is how I plan to have the second serving at work, since it doesn't involve any flatware. 

Yeah. I'm not a food blogger, but this was good enough to make me want to share it with everyone.

(To the people who are here just for the beauty stuff, I'm going back to that starting tomorrow. This was just something I felt oddly compelled to share. I'm not going to start posting food stuff all the time.) 

Maybelline Master Drama Eyeliner Review

I can sum this up in two words: The Shit. Seriously, this is the absolute best thing ever. I purchased Coal Commander, and I have worn it nonstop ever since. It is way better than my Urban Decay liners, MAC liners, and every other liner I have used. Smooth and creamy, easy to apply, but stays put throughout the day. I am not very good at applying eyeliner, but this eyeliner makes it easy. I completely and utterly adore it. 

My boyfriend AND platonic male coworker both noticed when I switched over to it: my boyfriend said that my eyes looked really pretty, and PMC said that I looked like a scene kid. (A style he adores, but cannot pull of, therefore I take it as a huge compliment. 

Things 2

We have dishes!!!!!!! (Yes, dishes with SEVEN exclamation points. I'm just that excited.)

I know I've mentioned it before, but not recently. Within the next few weeks I will be moving out on my own for the first time. I have lived on my own to an extent for the past few years for work, but I was living with family members and even though I was paying rent, it still isn't the same. 

I'm moving in with my closest friend, and we have been on the hunt for dishes. I'm super picky about my dishes, but am also a poor college student. You cannot imagine my incredibly joy when I found this set. I can't stop smiling. I'm just like... wow. 

I'm in the process of moving house/finishing off work/setting up for school and getting a new internet service, so my posting is going to be somewhat intermittent until this coming Monday. 

However, I'm not going to be able to stay away completely. I've decided to go wear a different lipstick every day until I have worn/photographed each one. I have so many, but I seem to carry the same three in my bag all the time. I plan to post the week in photos on Wednesdays from here on in. 

Products I tried in August: One Fell Swoop.

This is strictly meh. It doesn't really remove my very basic eye makeup very well, which was disappointing. I wear a thin strip of dark grey eyeliner, mascara that isn't waterproof, and an eyeshadow from the Naked Palette. None of these products have been especially difficult for other makeup removers to demolish, yet this one doesn't seem to budge it. I'm seriously thinking about slathering my face with this before I leave the house on rainy days, because this shit apparently makes my makeup impossible to budge.

Also, it smells like olive oil, but isn't especially moisturizing or nourishing. I don't recommend.

Nyx Eyeliner

I tried several different shades, and I really like them. I will be featuring them soon! 

The Urban Decay Naked Palette is the best eyeshadow purchase I have ever made. I'm a huge nude shadow addict, and this gives me a billion options in one easy-to-transport palette. My boyfriend and I are currently long distance, and I do a lot of overnight trips there and a few road trips with my friends. This allows me to travel light, but still do a few different looks. I love the brush that came with it, and the Primer Potion is amazing. I waited a long time to purchase this palette, and even though it was expensive, it was worth it. 

Rembrandt Intense Stain Whitening Toothpaste Review

I love this toothpaste! It is a bit more expensive, and a tube seems to last about two months. I have to say that it does noticeably lift stains, but isn't going to completely whiten them. I don't have horribly stained teeth, but I do love coffee, tea, and diet soda. I brush my teeth two or three times per day, depending on what I eat. 

This toothpaste is thinner than the usual Crest-type toothpaste — a little bit liquidy, but not too much. You want to be careful with your initial squeeze or your toothbrush is going to be overloaded with toothpaste. It has a rather boring mint flavor; nothing to write home about as far as that goes, and isn't gritty. I hate gritty toothpaste. 

My only real complaint is the price. Even though you can occasionally find coupons, it tends to be $2-3 more than your average tube of toothpaste.

Overall,  I recommend this toothpaste, even though it is somewhat pricy. 

Diorshow Mascara: A review.

This was a mascara that I really wanted to love, but ended up having a few issues with. It has such a cult following that I assumed that it was going to be amazing, and I was mistaken. 

First off, it does work fairly well. It isn't a terrible mascara, but it is nothing to write home about. I loved it initially, but have found myself falling out of love with it after using it for nearly a month. My main issue is the morning after: If I don't remove it completely before going to bed, it burns like crazy the next morning in the shower. 

I know that you may be thinking "how hard is it to wash your face at night?" It isn't that hard, but sometimes I get home really late and don't want to wake up my grandmum, and I end up using one of those facial cleansing towelette things. Not the best way to clean my face, but better than just going to bed with all of my makeup on. 

As I said, on the nights I don't remove everything completely, I get extreme irritation the next morning if I so much as touch my eyes. I don't mean "Oh, that is uncomfortable" I mean "Oh my god, this hurts so much!" with redness and visible irritation.

Also, there was something odd with the seal on my tube. For some reason I ended up with a bunch of build-up on the threading where the tube twisted shut. I don't know why, because I never have that problem with mascara and don't pump my brush in and out. I have grown annoyed with constantly wiping down the tube after re-sealing it because it sort of splooshes out the side. 

The mascara itself isn't anything to write home about. It works slightly better than my old Grow Luscious mascara, but only slightly and costs three times as much. 

Overall, I do not plan to buy it again. 

I'm actually planning to try Benefit "They're Real!" mascara next.