Good Reads and the Like

Is there an age where you’re too old to read Young Adult books? There’s a good part of me that says you’re never too old for Disney so why should books be limited? I had to verify with my BFF this morning with that. He, an author going for his Masters and if he feels feisty possibly a PhD, assured me that reading YA is perfectly fine because obviously the people who wrote them enjoy it too and chances are they aren’t actual young adults either.

I really enjoy fantasy more than anything as I think that every Twilight fan has. Yes, I admit that I am part of that fandom that was created back in high school. It was the first book I read for fun that was unprovoked by a movie and really started my love with books and I fell hard. (I’d quote the part about being “irrevocably” in love but hey copyright – I see you) I did the midnight releases at Hastings (RIP) for Eclipse. Then I was completely Team Edward...down the blanket on my dorm bed to his poster on my dorm ceiling freshman year...of college. Oh yea, I was that person. Don’t get me started on the movies…different can of worms entirely.

But so my whole point of that little confession is that’s where I started. Young adult fantasy stories. And from there, I tried different ones. Eragon, Eon, House of night, Hunger Games, City of Bones, the Grey Wolves Series, Throne of Glass, etc. I did a lot. There was a sprinkling of other, arguably age appropriate, works in there, and one even made it to my favorites a while back here.

But it’s hard sometimes because the girls at work don’t really read, and my friends are teachers and/or parents and not close to my location. The local library has started a book club type deal but the last thing they read was Eleanor Oliphant is completely Fine…I haven’t heard of this book so it’s a sample sitting on my Kindle whereas for next month, the book it To Kill A Mockingbird….I remember reading it in school and absolutely hating it. Could it be different now reading the beloved classic as an adult, quite possible but I have no desire to read it.

So again, here I am totally in a puddle of isolated meh. Maybe I’ll try and branch out and I’ve been trying to with my current reading challenge that I found in a different book club Facebook group for a podcast I listen to and I think it’s going well…Still got a couple to find that fit the criteria but I think that’s part of the fun.

What are you reading? Let me know below!!


Check out some of my other thoughts...


Planning Away - http://bit.ly/HLPlanner

Adulting Win - http://bit.ly/Adultwin

Sick Tips - http://bit.ly/SickTips18



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Adult Win - Planning

Here we are in the tunnel of April that tripped into May without me looking, I am holding strong into a trend that hasn’t gotten old and that is planning. Now I may even teeter on the crazy side because I have a planner for my day to day, aka, regular life and I also have one for work.

Sounds kinda crazy but it’s actually quite nifty because with my work, I handle a certain amount of info that is confidential and it’s definitely not something you want to run around town having it scrawled in an unsecured day planner.

I have no choice but to blame my mom for starting me on this. We have a thing and it’s called Hobby Lobby. It’s a treacherous place of pretty things that give you a hopeful feeling that everything can work. I have yet to leave empty handed. Well last year, my mom bestowed upon me this beauty... which now have the following stickers on the stripes.

This quickly became used and has grown with some new additions for the New Year. The pack it came with was pre-printed and therefore, needed to be adjusted. So I’ve added these little folders and
bookmarks to help things move along.

I honestly didn’t think I would be able to keep up with stickers because who uses stickers at my twenty something age? The answer is... the same twenty something who also uses adult coloring books….who is also me. They are so much fun and even on my down days, my slow days at work, my time where mental capacity is not an option, I can still be productive and plan.

The trick is for all of this, is never pay full price. The good Lord knows this is not a sponsored post, but if down the line when I have my shiz together they want to look in that direction, I will gladly sacrifice. But back to the obvious is never pay full price. Hobby Lobby is notorious for having sales and especially the Paper Studio brand that does everything for my planner, it will go on sale 40% or 50% off in most cases.

If by some reason you don’t go in when they are on sale, then follow these instructions:

1. Pull out your smart phone.
2. Go to the Hobby Lobby website.
3. Get 40% off coupon.

I lived under a rock for a long time not knowing this neon sign of a secret. Yes, Hobby Lobby always has a 40% off coupon for any 1 regular priced item. It’s always there. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve used it for stickers, other planner things, gifts, Christmas décor, etc. So use it, love it, plan it, all the things.





Check out some of my other ramblings...

Streaming FOMO - http://bit.ly/streamingFOMO
Hello I'm Shrill Too - http://bit.ly/ShrillToo
Successful Adult Win - http://bit.ly/Adultwin

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Monthly Mess of Goals

Talk about a month just flying by. So if you hadn’t read about June, check that out here and it’ll fill you in on how I decided to go with this type of posting. Even I had to check it back out to see what I had and see how I did.

For my June goals, the plan was (in short):

·         Read 2 book

·         Meal plan 2 weeks

·         Clean out winter clothes

·         Change my sheets every week

·         Get my laundry under control

Seems reasonable and doable, so looking back at my progress…

·         Read 1 ½ books, left a book I was reading at home when I had to go visit the parentals and this one wasn’t on my kindle. (go Figure)

·         I successfully planned out 1 week at a time and it was only lunches – to the peeps who can do all your meals for weeks on end, you are the real MVP because it’s hard, it’s tedious, and I don’t even like telling myself what to do and even less what to eat.

·         Full Success! – Gold star for me. It’s been well into the 90-100s weather wise in the good ol’ New Mexico area, literally going through a cold front right now and it brough the expected high down from 106 to  mid 90s.No risk of needing winter clothes. At. All

·         I can say that I, honestly, had this about 50% of the time. It’s still been really hectic and I feel that my house is still fairly imploded but we’re working on it.

·         Laundry is better controlled. It was just dirty laundry that was everywhere. And Now it’s clean laundry. Most of it is folded and just needing to be evaluated and put away. That part feels pretty good.

Now for July, I did have to make some adjustments. Got a new position and my morning commute to work has gone from 2-3 minutes (less than a mile) to 30 minutes (about 17-20 miles). Organization and time management are going to be key in this transition, I’m a little late getting this going as well so here it goes.

July

·         Read 2 books – and no my half one doesn’t count

·         Plan out my lunches and snacks weekly

·         Changing sheets every week

Coming out of July, we're making progress. 1 3/4 books not counting my half one but I'm almost done with it. Lunch and snacks are getting easier than dinner for sure. And fresh sheets are on point.

Thank you Google and your searching wisdom...

Since everything was kinda thrown there in June and July, we're going to throw in August to because here we are...like right now.

2 BOOKS IS HAPPENING
PLANNING LUNCHES, SNACKS, AND DINNER WEEKLY - HAPPENING
CHANGING SHEETS EVERY WEEK - MAKE THAT HABIT HAPPEN
MAKE IT TO THE GYM 3X A WEEK - MAKE IT A HABIT

June Living Goals

Over time I’ve read many a blog and one thing that didn’t make sense to me was posting about their goals. Mostly blog progress goals and while it’s great to have aspirations, for me they didn’t quite work because I’m not a full time blogger and I’m still working on consistency (it's going slower than molasses on Christmas Eve but it's going). So if anything, that’d be my goal in general. But then I came across It Starts With Coffee. It's run by Neely and she had goals that she wanted to do personally to get her through the month and that just clicked with me on so many levels, it wasn't even funny. So Neely if you only read up to this point, keep going girl. I will definitely be reading.

I've started a journey with my health to do better and be better. And now that I’m making progress, I don’t want to lose sight of what I’m working towards. But I’m also afraid of constantly living in survival mode and not actually living life. So to start a few things off with inspiration from Neely, I present my monthly Living Goals.

Me Working on Being Triumphant lol

1.     Read 2 books – I read 2 books the month before last by accident so I wanna see if I can do it intentionally. I’m a bit of a slower reader because either I’m only reading and nothing exists or I’m barely able to get a few pages in. There's no in between....and there should be....unless I'm reading Game of Thrones. (It's just so slow and I've been stuck on book 2 for at least a year) I also need some time away from screens. 

2.     Make a meal plan for at least two weeks – food that is good for you will always go bad faster and it pisses me off as well as my bank account to waste food and money. And honestly, I've been wasting food and money so I need to do this now because I literally have the baaaaaaaaaaaaaare minimum in my fridge. No bueno

3.     Clear out winter clothes – The weather forecast is showing the highs in the upper 90-100s out here in New Mexico. However comma, sometimes the mornings are still a tad chilly and the never ending wind can get cold too. But it's safe to say that the heavy coats and sweaters gotta go and space is needed for alllll the dresses.

4.      Change sheets every week – I'll admit it....I got lazy and now I’m breaking out. Besides who doesn’t love the feeling of fresh sheets? It's leg shaving season and the fresh sheets-fresh shaven leg feeling is so happening and it's going to be glorious!

5.      Get my laundry under control – I have a lot of clothes period. So laundry day is more like laundry week and more so when I have sheets and towels to work out as well. But I have a horrible habit of folding and leaving my piles on top of my washer and dryer…That’s gotta stop.

And we'll start here for the month and see where we go. What progress do you want to have in your life this month?

In the meantime, show a girl some love on the Bloglovin...http://bit.ly/MyBloglovinPg

Or check out some of my other posts....

Living alone - Pros - http://bit.ly/7Perks

Living alone plans - http://bit.ly/7LivingAlone

Succesful Adult Win - http://bit.ly/Adultwin

Winter/ Christmas Tag - You're it!

Hello and Happy after-Christmas day everyone. I hope that everyone had a good holiday. Emily and all her wonderfulness at The Weird Girl Life had tagged me in a tag for fall but obviously that one hasn’t showed up and I will have to save it for some time. That got me to thinking that I had a saved post from last year and BEHOLD!!!! I did and I still have some time to send this out to the world. Now past me didn’t think to save the blogger who did this tag or else I’d have it all kinds of plastered so if you’ve done this tag and think you may have done it, comment me and let me know!! (And then when fall comes around as it always does then I’ll have a different one then.)

1.       What is your favorite Christmas/ Holiday film?
It has to be National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Always watched it with my dad and it’s hilarious!

2.       Where do you usually spend the holidays?
Usually with my familia

3.       What’s your favorite Christmas song?
  I’m a bit of a nerd so I’d have to go with Star in the East. It’s a song we did in choir and you can seriously look up any high school or college all state choir and find it. It’s different but I love it.

4.       Do you open any presents on Christmas Eve?
  Lol I used to. My dad’s side of the family usually celebrated the ‘noche buena’ so we’d all go over to my grandma’s house and pretty much have a party. Young and adult were up all night. Now that we’re older we have more of the party than present opening

5.       Is your Christmas tree real or fake?
Fake – my house is kinda small and so far I can only keep a cactus alive so full out tree is probably not a good idea

6.       Favorite winter scent?
It was Twilight Woods from Bath and Body Works FOR YEARS!!!! Up until they discontinued the scent so now…Marshmellow Fireside – still from Bath and Body Works

7.       Scarves or Beanies?
Scarves. I still love wearing beanies but I can’t wear those to work

8.       Favorite Holiday drink?
Hot chocolate duh

9.       Favorite Winter/Holiday essentials?
lip balm, scarves, and boots

10.   Favorite winter activity?
Movies and blankets – would like to say Netflix and Chill but soooooome people get the wrong idea…

11.   Do you use advent calendars?
  I did this year and it was fantastic!!! My boyfriend gave me my gift early so that I could enjoy my NYX lippie countdown. So worth it.

12.   Candy cane or gingerbread men?
Gingerbread man. Not the biggest fan of candy canes unless it’s a fruit flavored one

13.   Without cheating, can you name all of Santa’s reindeer?
Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, Rudolph

14.   What made you realize the truth about Santa?
I realized he was real because I have the friggin Christmas spirit yo! Don’t even try to fight me on this.

15.   Hot Cocoa or Apple Cider?
I don’t mind apple cider and I think it’s really good when someone else makes it. I’ve tried and it doesn’t work so Hot Cocoa for me

So here's the whole enchilada as far as the questions are concerned. There's still time for the the spirit towards the end of the year so go for it and let me know that you did it so I can read your answers too!!! Or you can do what I did and save it for later ;)

1.       What is your favorite Christmas/ Holiday film?

2.       Where do you usually spend the holidays?

3.       What’s your favorite Christmas song?

4.       Do you open any presents on Christmas Eve?

5.       Is your Christmas tree real or fake?

6.       Favorite winter scent?

7.       Scarves or Beanies?

8.       Favorite Holiday drink?

9.       Favorite Winter/Holiday essentials?

10.   Favorite winter activity?

11.   Do you use advent calendars?

12.   Candy cane or gingerbread men?

13.   Without cheating, can you name all of Santa’s reindeer?

14.   What made you realize the truth about Santa?

15.   Hot Cocoa or Apple Cider?

In the meantime, check out some of my other posts...

The Blues of my Life - http://bit.ly/2wnrtRc

Bra Talk - http://bit.ly/2ezvzOM

Smell Good Stuff - http://bit.ly/2vT879v
Travel Reality - http://bit.ly/2travelwoe

Halloween Because You Can

You’re not too old for Halloween!!!

I had this argument with my boyfriend recently about debating what plans to do for the fall. Most of the exciting things happen in the state like the International Balloon Fiesta, and there’s just other festivals galore for my state. Of course we get invited to a couple Halloween parties, mainly through his friends and coworkers. Like any other holiday occasion, they were going to be costume parties. Mind you, he’s one of the youngest guys at his work and they’ve been asking what his costume is going to be and he’s been answering with “myself”. He doesn’t plan on wearing a costume because he states that he’s too old or his favorite coined phrase, he’s grown.

Now anyone who just enjoys holidays in general can see the brain cells dying off in my head because I’m totally rolling them. Happens every year and what he doesn’t realize is that it puts me in a slightly awkward spot because if we go, you know that your girl is gonna wanna dress up. (I only say slightly because while we could be that couple that dresses together, I don’t really have a problem going all out on my costume while he shows up in a regular t-shirt). His older brother throws a little family get together for Halloween that includes costumes and a pumpkin decorating contest. It’s all part of the spirit but I know and you know and they know and everyone and their dog knows that there are people in the world that think that if you have hit puberty then you are too old to be trick or treating and/or participating.

Now I know it’s not just a ‘girl’ thing to want to dress up and not be you, intentionally, with no judgement what-so-ever so I give you 5 reasons to join in the holiday spirit for Halloween.

1.       There are too few joys in life. There’s no hiding the turmoil that has plagued the world lately. Not just where I am in the state of New Mexico where we had our own shooting at a local public library but there’s been the terrible massacre in Las Vegas, Nevada. The multiple hurricanes to the southeast of the country as well as the wall of Hellfire up in the northwest of the country. Mother Nature has also taken a toll on other areas of the world as well as just the appalling actions of other humans here and everywhere else. We need a sort of release. We need a time to be together and remember that it’s ok to have a good time in order to renew spirits to handle tomorrow.

2.       It’s proof that we need to take ourselves a little less seriously. Now this is something that I can admit I am guilty of and I thank my wonderful boyfriend for pointing it out to me even if I don’t like it in that moment. You have to be able to laugh at yourself. Call it the fault of the PC culture or Social Justice Warriors whatever you want, it’s all just an excuse. You can’t take yourself seriously all the time. You just can’t because if you do then it affects your personality and it has the potential to turn you not just into a party pooper but a general stick in the mud in life and no one wants to be around that (including yourself).

3.       It’s just fun overall. FUN. Whether you have the stupid SpongeBob song playing or a club song playing in your head. It’s almost a certifiable day to be lighthearted and whimsy. If your work allows you to dress up within reason, why not? If you’re invited to a grown up costume party and you want to be fun rather than risqué, why not? If you’d rather go vice versa, why not? It’s a perfect opportunity to try something new in terms of your personality and check out reactions. Everyone gets compliments around Halloween whether it’s for being scary, pretty, creative, risqué. You can still get away with throwing a sheet with two holes and be a ghost and still get laughs for crying out loud.

4.       Great family time. Now granted I don’t have kids and if you have them, you’re more than likely to keep them away from me because I have some unseen ability to scare children and it ultimately ends with crying and occasionally screaming. No lie and 98% of the time it’s unintentional. But I’ve also been at work and we usually participate in the Safe Stops for Trick Or Treating. The community does a fantastic job of putting it together for families to take especially the small children trick or treating during the day rather than in the depths of night. I’ve seen the full cast of the Wizard of Oz with Dorothy and the Lion in a stroller. I’ve seen the cast of Toy Story with 3 of them riding in a Red Wagon, one being the little green alien and my life was made. It’s just a good time all around for us who are giving the treats and for everyone who has to walk through our doors.

5.       It doesn’t have to be demonic. Yes, the history surrounding the connotation of Halloween is fairly dark. No matter what your faith or beliefs are, it’s good to remember that we can’t change the past. We can’t change the possibility or even of the idea that the spirits of those who’ve passed on have the opportunity to return or if you as a virgin light the Blake Flame Candle then the Sanderson sisters would return to suck the lives out of the children by sunrise. It is 2017 and we have the power and ability to make this holiday what we want. So if your group wants to throw up a picture of a goat and jam out to Norwegian black metal bands, whatever but don’t harm anyone. If your group wants to have a costume party zombies or heaven forbid, karaoke, do you booboo and don’t harm anyone. 

There are worse things in this life and in this world than a holiday we can use for fun rather than obligation. And on that note, what are you dressing up as?

       

Check out some of my other posts-

  The Blues of My Life - http://bit.ly/2wnrtRc          

  Bra Talk - http://bit.ly/2ezvzOM    

    

  Office Decor - http://bit.ly/OfficeDe                             

The Blues of my Life

As I'm writing this,  I realized that I went all day without mascara and part of me is apalled because if you read my super old post here, you'd understand. And then the other part is ok with it because my allergies have my eyes and nose and face all kinds of itching and runny and ew. But it made me remember that I hadn't done this post yet and I really needed to.

So a bit of a backstory with my mascara, I was not allowed to wear makeup until I was 15. My Quinceanera was a big milestone for me and anyone who's familiar with Hispanic culture knows that the doors open when you turn 15. And when I did I joined the sisterhood that my mom and aunt started. Blue masacara....

Now I know that you know that colored mascaras were a pretty decent trend for a while but from what I found nothing came close to my first love, my ride or die, my forever...AND IT WAS DISCONTINUED!!!!

What Maybelline didn't realize that I tend to stock up on the Great Last mascara in Royal Blue. I know it's not the best thing to have and do but it's a thing and I will not regret that because for a long time I had no idea that Maybelline discontinued my all time favorite mascara that me, my sister, my mom and my aunt wore FOR YEARS as our signature! And I felt blindsided to know that I finished the last bit of my mascara and couldn't restock until they came to their senses and brought it back and I bought two the first day I found them.

In that time before the heavens reopened, I tried a couple other drug store mascaras and had mixed results.

My first was from Covergirl that featured Katy Perry. I don't know if I got a bad one because I swear the moment I opened it, the brush came out clumpy and dry and scratchy even before I attempted it on my eyes. The color was more navy than anything and didn't really show up on my lashes and didn't do much at all. I know I've enjoyed the Covergirl foundation but obviously the eye side needs work.

The second was better. L'oreal Voluminous is pretty awesome anyway and they came out with a blue mascara. I had some real hope for these because I do enjoy the Carbon Black but it has to be waterproof or I am straight raccoon status. In all honesty it was pretty good in terms of the Voluminous quality that I'm already used to and while the color was not as bold when it's dry as my Royal Blue, it's still pretty good and I'll still use it. Now the Voluminous line also has a white mascara primer and if you're using it beforehand, the blue is brighter and it's nice as long as you make sure you cover all the white before it dries.

Now I know that people have mixed feelings about Maybelline and the Great Lash line itself. I've never used the black mascara and for me brown mascara is pointless. I used to use the clear Great Lash on my eyebrows but you can NOT understand my love for the Royal Blue mascara. It's my signature eye makeup. It's my thing. I get compliments on it just about every time I wear it. It is not waterproof but the formula is great enough to where it stays on my eyes until I wash it off. Even when I wash it off it doesn't take an act of Congress and a virgin sacrifice to clean it off without pain and a ton of pulling.


So on that note, it may be time to start restocking.


And in the meantime, check out some of my other posts....



For those with da ta-tas - http://bit.ly/2ezvzOM

Smell Good Stuff - http://bit.ly/2vT879v

Some Summer Favorites - http://bit.ly/2uD9o4o

Bra Talk

There are days...... and then there are days where circumstances dictate what has to happen for that day. As a plus sized woman, there are certain standards that society will always be violated and for those that are offended, sorry your life sucks. It took me a long time to be comfortable with myself and every now and then, sometimes I gotta smack myself and remind myself that I’m fabulous. I had one of those moments this morning.

Aside from being B3 (Big, Bad, and Beautiful), I have always enjoyed the size of my chest, my bust, my rack of power if you will. I was a B cup in 6^th grade and have only leveled up from there. But like any great power comes greater responsibility and I take it very seriously in the bra department. These girls need the support to be properly and tastefully on display and for that, I don’t mind spending a decent amount of money on quality bras from Lane Bryant. Nothing against Victoria’s Secret, but they don’t carry my size in store and if I’m going to spend an arm and a possible leg on bras, I want to be able to try them on before I buy them so thank you Lane Bryant for taking my money willingly in exchange for great bras that don’t stop working and are pretty too.

Since learning about and dealing with my new disease, I’ve been trying to keep an open mind and a closed wallet, however, my biggest complaint about losing weight is that my bras don’t fit right. I prefer padded and underwired and anyone who wears this combo knows that if it doesn’t fit, you will most likely be in pain. And I have been because with all the changes happening to my body and lifestyle, I can’t afford to replace them and then find out that I’d need to change them again. So I went to the only store I would and could go to and made a choice to try a bandeau bra slash bralette.

maurices carries straight sizes and plus size bralettes!

I’ve seen them everywhere on the interwebs and they are all the rage, but I’ve always been under the impression that they weren’t for me because I’ve normally seen them on smaller women with smaller busts. Finding these in my size at maurices was a surprise and a sign to bite the bullet and not knock it til I try it, especially considering these cost, literally, a third of what I would pay for a regular bra.

With the inflammation in my joints, there are some days where I can’t put on a bra because my hands can’t and won’t grip it. So here I am trying these little barely padded, no wire, basically tube tops and half of me is wanting to smack myself for going out in public for fear of rejection and ridicule. The other half was the half I listened to because I was able to mentally smack myself harder with the fact that if it feels good and it looks good, then it could be a beautiful relationship.

This style is cute and probably the most comfortable thing to wear on my ta-tas

And guess what? As I'm writing this.... this is my first day not just wearing it in public, but at work in a professional atmosphere and so far it feels wonderful.  I’m comfortable and the girls aren’t going wild without wires. My mind is going, if it feels great now, what about in other outfits for regular wear like sleeveless, razorbacks, scoop necks, off the shoulder, spaghetti straps, etc????? The possibilities are endless so take it from me, take a chance and try it, whatever ‘it’ may be.



And in the mean time, catch up on some of my other posts....

Smell Good Stuff - http://bit.ly/2vT879v

June in Summertime - http://bit.ly/2uD9o4o

Modern Window Shopping - http://bit.ly/2sG527o

Thou Shall Smell Good

This may seem trivial but I kid you not, my best friend and I had a legit long discussion about this topic and I found that this was a situation that I need remedied. We’ve finally come to terms with the fact that we are closer to thirty and yet still don’t feel like we’ve met many of the traditional adult milestones yet let alone feel like adults.

I had that smacked on my forehead recently while cleaning out some drawers. I’m really working on downsizing and while the idea of minimizing is kind of appealing, I don’t think I could go all the way. But I know I have way too much junk. In that same area, I have a rather deep drawer for my makeup and my smell good stuff. That’s when it hit me….I have one bottle of perfume. Of actual perfume. It was a Christmas gift in college, I think, because it’s one of the Ed Hardy perfumes.

So I have this one bottle of perfume and I remember only using it for special occasions because it was the only one I had. As a person in the arts, for rehearsals, recitals and performances I had to smell good. My mom had always told me that there is no reason to not smell good. Also with being a larger than the average girl both width wise and height wise, smelling bad was a stereotype I wanted to make sure I didn’t fall into. So I had body sprays. My store of choice as it is for many youngins and ladies of the like, Bath and Body Works. And from the looks of my drawers, it looks like it’s the only thing I do wear. Japanese Cherry Blossom, Paris Amour, A Thousand Wishes, as well as a few that have been discontinued like the Wild Madagascar Vanilla, Twilight Woods, and my Blushing Cherry Blossom circa 2009. I don’t have to tell you that I’m a fan of the buy 3 get 2 free sale…or sales in general…..or knowing when the sales come because one of my best girlfriends keeps me in the loop or lets me know when my current addicted scent is going to be discontinued….(Thank you Bona and I love you so much :D)

Obviously it’s a lot and it’s not that I don’t use them, it’s just a lot. In high school, I had one at home and one at multiple places in school. In college, I had one in my car and backpack as well. Now I have a spare at work, a mini in my purse and car. I’m also not a person just to do one or two spritzes either. Ya gotta do the body, the pulse points, the nether region and the hair. It’s ok to do that because it’s not as strong as a perfume and doesn’t last as long, especially when you had dance class, marching band, swim practice, theatre rehearsals under stage lights, etc. I used it like my life depended on it and for performances I’d use the real deal.  

But now that I’m not in school, a lot of my extracurricular activities graduated to extinction with my academic life. I still wear them and have no problem wearing it but I don’t feel as great when I’m working the Tahitian Paradise body spray while my boyfriend is wearing Versace Cologne and I’m 3 whiffs from attacking him, just saying. Ladies who know, will know that there is nothing wrong with a man that smells good.

But I’m not a kid anymore and I’m not a student anymore. I’m finding myself in between young lady and lady (insert throwback to Brittney's Not A Girl Not Yet A Woman). So why does it matter? Everyone’s seen the memes about starting from the bottom with Lip Smacker and now we here at Mac Lipsticks.

Gotta love the power of the Google

I kinda feel like I’m missing out on that part so to help me out I’m experimenting with some scents. Helping my bff in the estrogen department by going to Ulta to get a refill on his Dolce and Gabana Light Blue cologne, see the trend?? I picked up a roll on perfume from Kate Spade. Small enough to not cost an arm and a leg and for now I like it as a good summer scent so we’ll see how it goes. But I think it’s time to grow up a bit.

I've Got That Summertime June Favorites

Well interweb peeps, June is over. Half of the year is already gone and I’ve got some serious whiplash. My bff and I were talking about what we’ve done in the last six months. I won’t get you with the details of the entire past, we are here to see favorites. And for June, there’s a few. Literally because these had been rocking my month. They may be few, but they be awesome.

Kind is the New Pretty – Tarte – If you read my last month’s favorites, which you should here, then you’ll know that I bought this little set on sale during the Ulta megasale of awesomeness. Of course, with my lowered immune system, I was getting sick and wasn’t one for wearing makeup. But now that I’m semi-sane, I’m so glad I bought this mini pallet. It’s easy to get to and has everything great shades that I can literally wear everyday. I’ve made a few trips back home and have had to make super early trips to the doctor so this little pallet plus a couple brushes and some mascara and I’m set.

I had to get rid of a lot of makeup after my stent of being an incubus of plague so between lack of money and the amount of makeup I tend to wear on a normal basis, I've really wanted more of an all-in-one situation and this little pallet has it.

I will admit that I didn't expect it to be this small. It fits in the palm of my hand. The bronzer works really well for my skin tone as it's not too warm. The blush is a bit more on the orange side but I strangely like it. It's buildable for me because I can imagine overdoing it, especially at home where my lighting is terrible thanks to wood panelling, so it's always a bit darker in my house than I like. Now the highlight....It is pretty fabulous. Granted when I put too much so that I look like a unicorn licked my face, it can be a bit much because it's white. The picture doesn't do the sparkle justice and in the words of YouTuber Nicole Guerriero, "Sir, can you see this highlight?" It definitely packs a punch but somedays I wanna be chill and not punch people with my highlight. 

Sally Hansen Instadry Nail Color – Petal Pusher – I hadn’t painted my nails in a hot minute. I haven’t had my nails done in an even hotter minute. Despite everything going on with me, my nails to tend to grow pretty fast so acrylics and gel can get pretty expensive. So instead of a super bold color I grabbed this for a little color and I am loving it. It’s subtle enough to not clash with everything and it doesn’t take forever and a day to dry.

I'm not kidding when I say it's a literal quick drying nail polish. If I have a solid seven minutes, the brush is wide enough to cover most of my nails in one swipe and opaque enough to not be entirely streaky. I can still do two coats, have them dry and pop a quick top coat and dry in roughly that time. So don't be too heavy on the hand and it'll all be well with the world.

Zuchini boats – Pinterest recipe – one of my best girlfriends and I have been working on newer and healthier recipes and once a week we make them and have a chance to catch up on life. Since we both were raised in a way that didn’t always include a lot of veggies like zucchini and squash, I’ve strayed away from them mainly out of ignorance. NOT the case anymore. This recipe she found on Pinterest from thewholesomedish.com called for ground chicken but we used ground turkey and lemme tell you, I’ve made it again and it’s pretty fricken awesome and surprisingly filling. So go check out my Food board onPinterest and test it out yourself.

So yes June be few but I can honestly say these have been consistently happening all month which is not always the case for lots of people, I've noticed. But even though the month is halfway gone, here's what I've been up to, what have you been up too or been loving lately?


In the meantime....


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and check out some of my other posts...

Window Shopping - http://bit.ly/2sG527o
Office Decor - http://bit.ly/OfficeDe
Travelling Can Be Ugly - http://bit.ly/2travelwoe

The Modern Window Shopping - Le Wishlist

A common plague to the twenty something woman - not being made of money. With the pile of bills continuing to add up thanks to the array of doctors, the priorities of where my money goes has been spoken for. So some of my goals now include trying to pinch a few pennies to save up for some things that I wouldn't normally have to think twice on. I've always imagined people in the city who walked down five avenue checking out awesome things at awesome stores and normally in about sizes 3 or 4 times too small. Also in a tiny town plus the summer wind doesn't make for a pleasant day on the town. So instead, I turn toward the internet and do my 'window shopping' there. So far these things are what I have my eye on to help keep me from buying coffee in the morning or lunch when we're short handed at work or needing to save up for a repairs charge from my freaking landlord(that will come later).

So here's my happy place lately.

Torrid tends to get me in trouble. I love that they have my size and freaking awesome clothes that I could normally only afford when on a great flash sale or on clearance. My sister and I have developed this thing with pineapples and low and behold Torrid has a bright AF pineapple dress that needs to be in my life but sadly not at $54. So instead I will stalk it and wait for the moment I can afford it and snag it before my size disappears.

 If you haven't read much from me, you'll find out quickly that I'm a fan of Amazon and Amazon Prime. I've had great luck with my back when my health was at it's worst, you can read about my lifesaver of a backpack. But it got me thinking about my purse situation. I still enjoy having my tank of a purse. I mean hell, I've started a series on the tank because doing a simple little "what's in my bag?" But these two have my eye and I can't decide which to save for first. They aren't expensive but for right now, they must be on the wish list

This one is actually just going to happen sooner than the ones before. I've been spending a lot of time in my living room and on my phone still. Don't get me wrong, I love my Galaxy S7, but I've shot the battery and have to charge it a bit more often than I like. But on the go, I still carry my external battery and what not but I shouldn't need to use one at home. So this little gem is roughly $10 on the Amazon so to keep me from running back and forth from my room and missing messages, notifications and calls from the familia, I'll avoid a few impulses to be comfortable.

Something small but I'm thinking that it's good to have goals to move toward even if they're small. And if I have enough strength to keep these in my wish list for now, then I'm making some decent progress. What kind of things are in your wishlist?



Check out my other Tales of the Tank

The Clutch aka My 50 Cal - http://bit.ly/TOTT50Cal
The Vessel - http://bit.ly/TOTTTank
My Panda - http://bit.ly/TOTTPanda


Check out my favorites for May.
http://bit.ly/1may7f

Travel Realities to keep you grounded

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May Favorites - Time to Chill

Another month has come and gone and it’s kind of insane as to how fast things are starting to pick up. It’s currently around 90 degrees here in New Mexico so I’m doing my best to stay out of it all. It’s bad for me and my mood. What has been making my mood better this month tho are great things. Some I’ve rediscovered and some totally new, so check it out and leave me a comment with some of your favorites.

Amazon Firestick – My wonderful man of mine gave this to me for Christmas a few years back and I used it sparingly but didn’t really get into all the amazingness unless I turned off my cable. So yea, I’m going through life with no cable, no satellite, just a pretty awesome, and new, internet service that makes using this thing a necessity in life. Now mine isn’t like the newer ones with the voice activation and I’m ok with that. I already use Amazon Prime and can stream a ton of shows and movies. I have my YouTube account signed in so I don’t even have to bring out my phone or laptop and do I even need to mention Netflix? The next stop will be Hulu at some point, but for now…Life is pretty damn entertaining in a good way.

Actual Pic from Le Amazon Site

Tarte Lip Scuptor in Kind – So towards the end of Ulta’s super sale that ended in April, I took a shot at a little pallet from Tarte and with it being on a pretty good sale, I thought why not. Now the pallet is ok, to be honest I haven’t had a real chance to use it HOWEVER comma, I have been so in love with the lip color that came with it. It’s a lipstick on one end and a lip gloss on the other. Everyone talks about their perfect nude and since my lips are large and a bit discolored anyway I didn’t think I could and then I wore this and the heavens opened up and the Snapchat halo of flowers appeared on my head. Lol. All dramatics aside, both sides are wonderful in texture and sometimes I’ll wear both and sometimes I’ll wear one. The lip gloss I’m most impressed with because I usually stray away from glosses because of the stickiness. Can’t stand it, won’t have any of it. My ideal ‘gloss’ has been the Juicy Shaker from Lancome. But this right here may turn me onto Tarte lips if more of their lip products are this smooth.

Lipstick on the Left and Gloss on the Right - Same Bea-U-tiful Color

Bath and Body Works Hand Sanitizer – With the seasons changing and the wind blowing and my newly lowered immune system, this is a must. Don’t get me wrong, I also love the Purell brand and what not. But when you got a great girlfriend who works at the BBDubs and keeps you up to date on the best sales, you tend to stock up. (and for that I thank and love you Bona!!!) I’ve got the big size and mini sizes and have stocked up at some points where I give them to other girls at work because if you’ve ever worked with the public, things can get gross really quick and even more so if you have to handle money.

Old Packaging and New Little PocketPacs

Play N Skillz – Si Una Vez – Ok I’ve not had a favorite song in a hot minute. But let me tell you that when I heard this song. I didn’t even hear the music, I heard the lyrics and immediately had instant focus. This song was originally sung by Selena, wonderful Hispanic icon of my childhood who was taken from us way too early – even before TuPac, and hadn’t heard a good representation of any of her songs other than what her family has already done. But this song, I literally have had on repeat for an embarrassing amount of time and do I feel ashamed of it? Not one bit. Now I don’t care much for the English version, not to discredit Frankie J and Leslie Grace who are also in the song , (just listen to it, there’s quite a few people involved) but I think it loses something in translation. I think it’s a fantastic song that can stand on its own as well as give a wonderful tribute to Selena and her legacy.

Play-N-Skillz - Si Una Vez ft. Wisin, Frankie J, Leslie Grace

It's been a pretty chill month as find my way around getting back into life. Little show...well lotta shows and good music and a little piece of mind. What are your favorites?

and while you're at it....

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Check out last month's favorites

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or some of my other posts

Travel Reality - http://bit.ly/2travelwoe

My Office Musts - http://bit.ly/OfficeDe

B3 - http://bit.ly/The3BBBz

5 Necessary Cozy Office Decorations

I’m a firm believer that you have to be comfortable in your own space. More often than not, I’m at work more than I am at home so excuse my language when I say Hell Yes, I want to be comfy in my office bubble. And being on the mend has changed a lot of my perspective because I’m at the point where I don’t want to take care of allllllll my clutter. So in looking around my office, I believe it’s time to redecorate.

I’ve had my customers come in and say it feels cozy and yes, that helps too. Your surroundings affect how you feel and how others feel around you in that space. I’m no neat freak by far, like seriously from Death Valley to the moon far, but it’s time for a change. Besides Spring and Summer are here and it’s time to put away the dark table coverings and replace the dark folders and dark decorations and clear off a bit more space to feel fresh and hopefully keep the cozy feeling.

So here’s my necessary items that I keep my workspace cute and cozy no matter what theme I have.

Himalayan salt stone lamp - No matter what beliefs you have, this thing is amazing. They come in sizes small to OMG huge, but the benefits are awesome. Electronics put out positive ions that can mess with your body’s stuff and cause harm like headaches if you have a desk job that has you staring at a computer screen all day. This lamp gives off negative ions to cancel them out and I haven’t had a headache since. Who’s saving money on ibuprofen and Tylenol? Also it’s a cute conversation starter because trust me, everyone notices it and every kid will want to know what it is.

Shiny Canister - I’m a huge fan of shiny and glitter anything. I tend to lean into walking around like a disco ball but I understand for some people it can be too much. So walking around Hobby Lobby, I found this canister on clearance and while it looks deep, it’s not but it does have room to hold some candy or keys or in my case a stash of Colgate wisps for after lunch.

Scentsy or wax warmer – avoiding open flame in the workplace is pretty standard and with the variety of people I see and sometimes smell on a daily basis, having the room smell nice is essential. Living in the Southwest, agriculture is a big part of our industry but I don’t necessarily need my office to smell like cows. Just sayin.

Statement Piece (My cross) - Now most of my things are kinda general but I like to pull my personality in and that can be with a statement piece. This was a gift from my mom for my birthday a few years back. A friend of hers had made one for my mom for Christmas and it was gorgeous but could I bring it back with me? NOOO. Then this beauty came in and I was more than ok with it. My favorite colors plus glitter and you have me wrapped up with a fleur di lis. Who could ask for more?

Hand Sanitizer/Lotion – I’m a sucker for office supplies so when I found this little organizer on clearance at Hobby Lobby, I was determined to use it. Stick on a few scrapbook gems and a monogram and I have a space for my much needed hand sanitizer and lotion. Bath and Body Works is a good friend to have and having a wonderful friend who works there to let you know when the good sales are happening is even better and slightly dangerous. But anyone who works with the public knows that it’s a must and I don’t mind sharing it with my clients either. They feel great and smell great and with how sick I am, it makes me feel better.







Check out some of my other posts...

Travel Reality - http://bit.ly/2travelwoe

Tales of the Tank - http://bit.ly/TOTTBackpack

My Monthly Favories - http://bit.ly/LApril17F




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