Spring!

Are you tired of me talking about The Spring Fever? I hope not! I have never been so excited about the changing of the seasons before. Bring on the sunny days please. Since I was displaced from our master bath due to the installation of our new flooring this week, I had a pack a little overnight bag to take to the other bathroom. I tried to pack some multi-purpose items so that I wasn't dragging my entire stash of makeup to the other side of the house.

Luckily, the new Stila Garden Bliss set that I purchased arrived just in time. Unlike the $10 Stila Travel Palettes, which included a cream convertible color, this palette has a *powder* blush. And this powder blush is a great shade for me! If you're warm like me, you'll love the eye shadows in this set as well- the golds and browns are just perfect and make for a quick eye look.

Check out The Muse's review of this set for some swatches- I can't seem to locate my camera right now due to our remodeling project.

If you haven't tried any of the colors from the new OPI Texas collection, you're missing out. The shade I'm wearing above is Big Hair, Big Nails (3 coats). I think it's a perfect color for spring- so cheery! I haven't yet picked it up, but I'm also wanting to get Guy Meets Gal-veston after seeing Scrangie's swatches last week.

Last night I spritzed myself with Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh, and OMG, I'm in love! I have a very hard time finding scents that agree with me since I'm super-sensitive to smells. Anything that I don't love and that's too strong makes me absolutely sick to my stomach, so it's got to be PERFECT before I can wear it. And this is....... but alas, it's pretty expensive. Sephora's got a set that includes at 2.5 oz bottle of the scent along with a 5 oz tube of lotion for $75, which is more than I usually like to spend. But it's just lovely and it's calling my name, LOUDLY.

What products are you loving for Spring?

Can I Stay At Your House Tonight?

The Casa de Sasha is getting new flooring throughout as we speak, sans kids rooms, and one thing has led to another, so we are pretty much remodeling the kitchen as well. New counter tops, back splash, sink, ceiling, light fixtures, adding a pantry, etc.

Which I am super-excited about, except notsomuch the fine layer of dust and inability to use any of my appliances at this time. I can't find the phone either. And my DVRs are unplugged, so I am missing all sorts of good stuff.

Remember that Shel Silverstein poem about little Peggy Ann McKay? My list is sounding a bit like hers, huh?

2nd Half Mary.... Done!

or maybe this post should be titled "The reason Sasha wears bangs.....". Goodness, I do have a huge forehead. I am jealous of Rhonda's nice petite forehead. She looks fabulous without bangs, doesn't she?

Yesterday I ran the Dallas Rock and Roll Half and knocked a few minutes off my prior time of 2:18. I finished this one in 2:13 and I am so happy with that. I set off to run with a goal of 2:15, but said I'd be happy if I finished in 2:18. Instead of taking a 7 minute break at mile 6, I just took a 3 minute break, telling myself I'd stop for 3 more minutes at 10 if I needed to. When I hit 10, I just kept on going.

Longer race report to come!

Spring Has Sprung.... on my nails!!!!

(this was posted today on Manicure Mommas, but I couldn't resist sharing here as well.....)

Sally Hansen Real Nail Polish Strips in Girl Flower

I've been dying to try these, but for one reason or another, hadn't gotten around to it. Now that I have The Spring Fever, I thought it was a perfect time to use them.

I LOVE that the pattern is forgiving..... if you look closely at the tips, you can see that I didn't do that well at ripping off the extra... but since the pattern is varied and has some white flowers, it's not that big of a deal. In person, you cannot tell at all.

Application time took me about 18 minutes, and I imagine it would be less next time now that I know which sizes fit my nails.

I can't remember exactly what I paid, but I believe I got these in a BOGO 1/2 price sale... I also have Misbehaved.

I added a top coat of Revlon ColorStay in clear because I heard that a topcoat extends the wear.

I will definitely report back and let you know how long they last for me.

New Shoes!

I pretty much wear black or grey slacks every day, along with a company shirt. Since I'm just barely 5'3", I prefer to wear a slight heel to give me a little extra height.

I needed some new black pumps for my dorky work uniform (I figure at least my shoes can look cool!) and I found these Madden Girl Women's Upskale Pumps locally and I LOVE LOVE LOVE them! (Hate the name though- I have an aversion to purposeful misspelling.)

They are ultra comfy, and I think the black ruffle is just so cute!

My only issue- I paid about $50 locally, and now I see them on Amazon for $25 with free shipping! Drats!

Guess I'll have to average down and order a back up pair..... Hmmm.... I see they also come in grey and raspberry......

The Spring Fever

I has it!

Last week was Spring Break here, and toward the middle of the week we decided we needed to get away for a few days. Slim and family recently moved to Arkansas, so we gave them a call and asked if they'd like to meet us at a lake house on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs. They were game, so off we went.

We had an absolutely fabulous time that involved sitting on the deck drinking beer (us, not the kiddos), eating out, and more sitting on the deck listening to music and catching up. We were right on the lake, so the men and kids did some fishing and took some canoe rides. Slim and I did some more sitting on the deck drinking beer.


We did *not* want to come home yesterday!


Also, since Mr. Slim played Gin and Juice covered by The Gourds for us, I am obsessed with it! Perfect music for some deck-sitting-beer-drinking. (for some reason Blogger won't let me embed a youtube vid.... any ideas?)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4hGSR5njZE

I've also pulled out my Coach Violet Parker bag for the season- love love love this bag. The side pockets are perfect for my phone since I can never find anything in my Mary Poppins bag.

How are you celebrating the new season?

Mardi Gras!

I always have the best intentions, but for some reason I never get around to doing things timely! I am sure you all know that by now! So here's my Mardi Gras party report.... over a week later.

A few months ago I signed up at House Party. A House Party™ is thousands of parties across the country, hosted by people like you. Each event is sponsored by a leading brand and focuses on something cool that the sponsor wants its best fans to experience firsthand and share with their friends. (from their website)

I put in an application for a Zatarain's Mardi Gras party, telling House Party all about my fabulous neighbors and all the fun get-togethers we have every year- the block party each May, our adult poker party, our chili cookoffs..... we have the absolute best neighbors and I can't imagine living anywhere else.

And yay, we got chosen! We got a really cool party package with Zatarain's mixes, coupons for more Zatatrain's products, Mardi Gras items like beads and masks, recipe ideas.

Mr. Sasha got to work cookin' up some crawfish.

One of the items we had for our main course was Blackened Chicken Alfredo.... it was so good! I purchased a family-size package of this frozen dinner at Sam's.

The Wild Child had made a mask at school that day and was so excited for everyone to come over and for the party to get started.

We whipped up some Pat O's Hurricanes (how is it that I don't have a picture of that???) and also made Zatarain's Dirty Rice, Red Beans and Rice and Jambalaya. All the dishes were super easy to make- I just wished I had more burners! We ended up transferring things to crock pots to keep them warm and that worked great.

Zatarain's even had a Pandora Mardi Gras station for us to use for party music! I pulled it up on my iPad and it was great.

We planned on having the party outside, but of course the weather didn't cooperate! We ended up cleaning out our garage and putting our outside table and chairs in there so we would be out of the wind.

I think The Wild Child needs a few more beads, don't you?

Looks like Bella had a little bit too good of a time, huh?

We had a fabulous time! Thanks to House Party and Zatarain's for including us in your event!

Again, Get Thee to the Walmarts

I'm very very behind on my magazine reading, especially beauty mags, although I have been finding time to read US and TV Guide. I can explain my priority ranking of TV Guide because we all know it's important to know when The Amazing Race starts, but I'm not sure why it's important for me to know who Justin Timberlake is dating. Some things you just can't explain.

Moving on..... The downside of my failure to keep up with Glamour was that I was totally clueless about the launch of Dr. LeWinn by Kinerase...... a drugstore version of one of my favorite high-end lines, Kinerase. I actually just ran across it on the shelves at Walmart last week.

And here's what you really need to know.... the Dr. LeWinn by Kinerase products are budget-friendly versions of the very-very-very expensive products in regular Kinerase line.

For example, let's do a comparison.

Kinerase Under Eye Rescue

$78 for .7 oz (equivalent to $111 per ounce)

Dr. LeWinn by Kinerase Under Eye Recovery

$25 for .5 oz (equivalent to $50 per ounce)

From what I can tell, both products have similar ingredients as well as claims. I've used both and honestly love them equally. I've also been testing out the Dr. LeWinn by Kinerase Lift & Resculpt Anti-Wrinkle Eye Cream (also $25) in the evenings and am impressed with it as well.

Bottom line: I would definitely recommend stopping by your local Walmart and giving this line a try- they seem to be well-priced versions of high-quality expensive products.

Disclosure: I actually have nothing to disclose, I purchased all products discussed above myself.

Interview

Today Allison at Running With Mascara has posted an interview she did with me. Stop by if you get the chance- she has a great blog!

Budget Makeup- Hard Candy at Walmart

Trolling the aisles at The Walmarts, I ran across some new boxed blushers by Hard Candy called "Fox In a BOX" for just $6 that suspiciously looked like Benefit boxed powders, which retail for $28.

In fact, I was sure one of them was a Sugarbomb dupe.

(left to right, Spicy & Sweet, Hot Flash, and Smooth Talker)

and yup, look at that! The colors of Smooth Talker are identical to Benefit Sugarbomb! (Sugarbomb is on the left and Smooth Talker on the right)

Now, the brush in the Hard Candy box is pretty useless- it's tiny and you'd never get a good application of blush with it. I've been using my Sonia Kashuk Skunk Brush (discussed and pictured here) and find that's the perfect type of brush since this blush is quite pigmented.

I think these are a fabulous find and quite a steal. I'd suggest a trip to Walmart is in order for you to pick these up!

February in Review

Again a month slipped by.... The horror! Let's take a look at February and where it went.....

My beautiful in-real-life friend Megan at Sorta Crunchy often does a month in review post and I'd thought I'd join in.

On My Nightstand: not nearly as important and what's on my bed..... new bedding!

(via Walmart)

Our bedroom needed a little updating and since I have The Spring Fever, this Better Homes & Garden Citrus Blossoms Damask Bedding Comforter Set from The Walmarts fit the bill. I'm impressed with the quality, and I actually found it on sale because it looks like they don't plan on carrying it in-store any longer.

TV Show Worth Watching:

Of course, The Amazing Race. It has my hometown boys on it (their momma is a photographer and took my picture oh-so-many years ago!) and I'm excited to see how they do this go-around.

Movie I've Seen (in or out of the theater):

Sadly, none.... but I really really want to watch Best in Show but haven't a chance since I picked it up during Christmas Shopping Extravaganza. Maybe this weekend?

In My Kitchen:

Last night the kids and I made Picky Palate's Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Marshmallow Pudding Cookies and they simply rocked. Yum-o. Can't wait until I get off work and can eat another one.


In My Ears:

Glee: The Music, Volume 4 has been on repeat in the family van and I'm loving it. Faves right now are Teenage Dream, Forget You (*I* forgot Gwyneth could sing!), Marry You, and Valerie. Volume 5 comes out next Tuesday and I'm looking forward to it like a little girl. Damn, I wish I could sing!

Three Newest Blog Reads:

1. So glad to have found Shasta Anne again. She's just darling and always glad to answer my beauty questions.


2. Hollywood Housewife is a fellow Okie transplanted to the big CA and I enjoy her blog so much. It's a little bit of everything.
3. Coupon Closet is going to be a tool I use quite a bit as I try to get back full-force into couponing. I've missed it and so has my wallet!

What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month: Spring! And my second half marathon.

New Candle Find: Febreze Sweet Citrus and Zest

I know we talked before about candles, and I think you know my love for the Febreze products- especially the glass jar candles- they are the bomb! My prior favorites are Winds and Springtime, and pretty much any of the fall or Christmas red/orange colored holiday scents. LOVE them all and have them burning all the time. I think they rival Yankee in terms of scent, and they burn down perfectly and last for-ev-er (say it in your best Sandlot voice). And for $4-5, you just can't beat them.

My newest find is Sweet Citrus & Zest and I am stressing out a little that I can't find any more. I picked this one up at the Walmarts a few months ago and got it out this weekend since I have The Spring Fever. Instant love! But of course, Walmart doesn't have anymore and neither does Target.

HOWEVER, this scent is on Febreze's site (holla! to their marketing/PR dept) so I'm assuming it's permanent and I will forever be scouring the shelves for this one. It's that good.

Description from febreze.com: Enjoy the sparkling effervescent freshness of citrus with key limes and mandarin oranges blended with sweet kiwi and a touch of coconut.

Yum. I'll take a Lava Flow with that, please sir. (that part was not from febreze.com)

What is your favorite candle scent?

I Need a Drink

It's just one of those days. Although I'm super-busy each year during these first few months, I'm always so so glad I didn't go into tax accounting, because I know it could be worse.

(photo via Advertising Age)


I'll be counting down the days until May, when Miller rolls out their new MGD 64 Lemonade. How good does that sound? Until then, I think I'll try mixing regular MGD 64 half-and-half with Crystal Light. Sounds yummy and refreshing, huh?

(photo via Ocean Spray's Facebook page, since they haven't updated their website with info on their newest product- they are pulling a Hershey and need to hire *me* to keep their website up-to-date)

And I've discovered that drinking Ocean Spray's new Diet Sparkling Cranberry juice at work makes me feel like I am sipping on something a bit stronger. And even if it's just pretend, it helps.

Are you drinking anything new these days?