Sunday Social

 

Hello:

I am linking up for Sunday Social once again!



This week is about movies!

What is your favorite movie of all time?
The Sound of Music - it's about the only movie I can watch over and over.  I don't like watching movies over and over so that's saying something!

I think Christopher Plummer is so dreamy!

2. What is your favorite movie quote?
Hmmm I have a lot of them, but most are from Anchorman.

Ron Burgundy: Boy, that escalated quickly... I mean, that really got out of hand fast.
Champ Kind: It jumped up a notch.
Ron Burgundy: It did, didn't it?
Brick Tamland: Yeah, I stabbed a man in the heart.
Ron Burgundy: I saw that. Brick killed a guy. Did you throw a trident?
Brick Tamland: Yeah, there were horses, and a man on fire, and I killed a guy with a trident.
Ron Burgundy: Brick, I've been meaning to talk to you about that. You should find yourself a safehouse or a relative close by. Lay low for a while, because you're probably wanted for murder.
3. What is the best movie to watch for a girls night in?
Well usually on girls night in we are talking so much we can't pay attention to a movie, but if I had to pick...which I do since I am writing this:



 

Clueless

4. What is the best breakup movie?  This confuses me - as in movie ABOUT a break up or one you watch after you break up?

I can't think of many movies about a break up...um so The Break-up because it's set in Chicago.

That makes me want to check if it's on Netflix... it is but Not Streaming...Booooo!


5. Who would you want to play you in a movie about your life?

Kate Winslet hands down, I need to loose some weight in my face but there is a resemblance.



 6. Which movie star’s closet would you want to raid?
Victoria Beckham - say what you want but she has killer clothes.  I also want Christina Hendricks stuff!

Who's clothes do you want?

Jasmine

Nail Stamping - First try!

Hello!

So I finally pulled out my supplies and decided to give it a go!

I have had this Konad kit and plate for about 18 months.  About that time is when I started reading The Nailasaurus and saw nail "stamping" for the first time.  I was at the mall a few weeks later and saw an actual Konad "booth" and I picked up these goodies for like way to much but I didn't realize you could buy this stuff anywhere else at the time. 

Since my nails are still really short I decided I could use my feet as my first palette.  I still wanted to do a 4th of July thing - but simple. (So beware if you don't like feet, there are pictures of toes ahead!)

The little plate "holder" is useless - as I've mentioned before RainySunRayNails has some wonderful videos on her site on how to stamp so I ended up following her method and just placing the plate on a paper towel.  I made sure to "rough up" the stamper a bit and clean the plate and the stamper with acetone.  The Konad scraper is also hard to use and I felt like I was scratching the plate.  I used an old gift card instead.

It took me a few tries to get it down - and I can tell it will get better with practice.  And wa-la!

Toes are soooo frightening close up!  Sorry!

 

And then I grabbed some more patriotic colors and my dotting tool and added some "flair" :)

 

 

The dark blue looks almost black in this picture - but as you can see in the polish picture above it's a true blue.  I actually really like how it turned out.  I think I should be able to do my poor little nail stubs on Wednesday. 

Hope you are having a great weekend and please follow me on Bloglovin' - because GFC is going away at the end of July and I want to be able to connect with all you!

 

 

 

 

Jasmine

Inner Beauty Friday Returns! Book Club!

Hello!

Once again I am linking up with Heather from Blonde...Undercover Blonde, for Book Club!




I have read a couple of books lately.  First up Someone Else's Garden by Dipika Rai



Here's the synopsis from Goodreads.com : "
The eldest of seven children, born low-caste and female in rural India, Mamta is abused and rejected by a father who can see no reason to “water someone else’s garden” until a husband is found for her. Seeking escape in matrimony, Mamta begins her wedded life with hope—but is soon forced to flee her village and the horrors of her arranged marriage to the bustle of a small city. Saved from becoming one of the nameless and faceless millions of rejected humanity by the salvation of sublime love, Mamta struggles to find a precarious state of acceptance and make peace with her past."

My thoughts:  It took me a while to figure out when this book took place, I would have guessed the 1950's but it was the 90's (from political references in the book). The level of poverty and gender inequality these women live in is hard to believe, I don't doubt it, but it is shocking.  It makes for a very eye-opening read.

I also read The Boy in the Suitcase by Lene Kaaberbol (and then translated to English):




The synopsis from Goodreads.com: "Nina Borg, a Red Cross nurse, wife, and mother of two, is a compulsive do-gooder who can't say no when someone asks for help—even when she knows better. When her estranged friend Karin leaves her a key to a public locker in the Copenhagen train station, Nina gets suckered into her most dangerous project yet. Inside the locker is a suitcase, and inside the suitcase is a three-year-old boy: naked and drugged, but alive.
 Is the boy a victim of child trafficking? Can he be turned over to authorities, or will they only return him to whoever sold him? When Karin is discovered brutally murdered, Nina realizes that her life and the boy's are in jeopardy, too. In an increasingly desperate trek across Denmark, Nina tries to figure out who the boy is, where he belongs, and who exactly is trying to hunt him down".

My thoughts: At first it was a bit hard to keep the characters straight (probably because the cities they are mentioning are unfamiliar so your trying to keep geography straight too - thanks Google maps!).  But from the beginning it grabs you and you want to know what happened - I guess it's the first in a "series" about Nina Borg and her mystery adventures.  I might try another, but I worry it will be like Sue Grafton's "A is for Alibi" series and just get repetitive. 

That's it for this week - any must read suggestions?

Jasmine

Makeup Geek Single Shadows!

Hello!

I have seen so many pretty "looks" done with makeup geek shadows and the price is really good $5.99 for an "un-potted shadow".  I am trying to spend less on packaging and more on quality.

I also got a pigment shadow (top) which I will review later.  I got the color "Poolside" on the left and "Goddess" on the right. 




Here they are "flipped over" - I really like the packaging, you see the color on the front window and the name on the back.  Plus these are made in the USA and cruelty free!

Here is how they compare in size to a MAC shadow.  They are like the EXACT same size.  A MAC refill (un-potted shadow) is $12.00 in the US, Makeup Geek is $5.99 - now of course Makeup Geek doesn't have as many colors, but the ones they do have a re the ones you WANT.

Above is "Poolside" on the left it's blended out and on the right a quick swatch.  I took this picture in daylight and so it is at it's "sparkly-est".  I love the color, it really is the color of the pool in summer, a color I could just stare at for days.

And here is "Goddess"  - a quick swipe on the bottom and blended on top.  Goddess is a "red" bronze which will hopefully bring out the green in my eyes :)

So there is my fledgling Makeup Geek collection - which after I get Organized, maybe I can add to :)

Have you tried Makeup Geek?

Jasmine

Treat yo Self!

Hello!

I am a big fan of the "treat yo self" (a reference to a Parks & Recreations episode, sooo funny!).   Now I don't do it all in one day, but like to do it about once a month.  I save up a little $$ and buy myself a treat. 

TREAT YO' SELF!!!

This month I decided  to finally take the "plunge" and get my self the infamous ALEX from Ikea ($119 @ Ikea.com) I have seen so many Beauty Bloggers using this for storage and I really haven't found anything better.  So I turned on Netflix (and watched the documentary "Mansome" - so good, watch it now!) And built me an ALEX (I love building Ikea stuff :) no sarcasm, seriously I like putting all that business together.

It's about 4' tall and 15" wide and hopefully, hopefully should contain the majority of my make up.  I don't think I'll be able to get my nail polish in there, but I already have a good spot for that.  And my constructions skills aren't wonky, when I took this picture I must not have had the drawers pushed in all the way - just sayin'.

I also got some cute little storage containers from the dollar store today on my bike ride, to help organize this business.  Speaking of bike rides...

I also treated myself to a bike basket for running errands this summer, to make sure I have no excuses for not bike riding more.  And yes that is a giant stuffed animal Emu on my bike, his name is Willard and I have had him for 11 years.  I love sitting him on my bike like this I find it really funny and my bike is stored right where you see it on the large landing on the steps up to our apartment.  So if you come visit - he greets you. 

Next month I think I may treat myself to some more electrolysis - getting older = random chin hairs. 

How do you "treat yo' self"??

Jasmine

M*A*S*H Nail stamping plates!

Hello!

So I always drool over the nail art at Rainysunraynails - seriously check out her blog.  It blows my mind.  And you have seen me do basic painting and one in awhile I have used stripping tape!  I even have a Konad stamper and ONE plate - but I wanted more options.  Enter Amazon.com they have so many plates for relatively cheap that I just went with a brand I had heard of and had some cute images - I paid $15.99 for 25 plates - not bad, here's the link Mash plates.  It was also free shipping so...

You can't see the designs super well because of the packaging - but I think you get it.  I was drawn to this set because it had Astrological signs, and other cool full nail designs.  If you check out RainySunRayNails, she has a really good tutorial on how to stamp.  Unfortunately, I cut all my nails down to the bit for my camping adventure so, it may be a week or two before I try these.  But I was excited to show them!

Here's a few of my favorite plates.  Wouldn't the star overlay be perfect for 4th of July?

So are you a stamper?  Any tips for me?  Any more plates I need?  I hear Cheeky is good too!

Jasmine

I didn't mean to fall of the face of the Earth...I just went camping!

Hello!

Wow that was a long "oh I just won't blog today".  Today turned into "well I have to get ready for vacation" and then Vacation was in the lovely Yellowstone National Park and Grand Tetons and you get no reception there, and if you want Wi-Fi you have to go to a hotel a pay $5 an hour.... But I did manage to get a few pictures up on Instagram  (Follow me @ xjasminemariex) when we were in civilization.  Otherwise here's the official break down of my trip:

We live in Chicago but decided to drive to Yellowstone leaving at 10pm on a Tuesday - it's about a 21 hour drive - we managed to turn it into 24.  There was a lot of road construction and a lot of stopping to use the restroom. 



We got there and driving into the park at night is scary!  The Elk are running across the road and you can only drive about 30 miles an hour in the PITCH BLACK.  I was so scared I was going to hit something.  I saw a coyote (So cute!) and 4 Elk in the first 30 minutes.  Elk are BIG - I did not realize quite how big - like horse size.  Anywhoo... We set up camp and here is some of the AMAZINGNESS in pictures that is Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons that we enjoyed over the next 4 days.

It was cold - like 45 degrees so please excuse the 6 layers I have on and that I WILL have my sunglasses on in every condition!  Also the first of many geysers behind me!

 

I had to hike 3 miles to see Mystic Falls but it was so lovely - also it had been reported earlier that a grizzly had been spotted in the area, but I strapped my big girl panties on and hiked it anyway.  (We have a bear bell and bear spray and Ken has confronted a Grizzly while hiking before...so it wasn't totally crazy or anything).

Sapphire Pool is amazing!  The water is over 200 degrees so all the "stuff" that could be in the water is boiled away and you only see Blue, seriously amazing.


 

 
 This is Morning Glory Pool and it's not quite as hot - so you see bacteria in all colors of the rainbow radiating out from the hot center.  It used to be more vibrant but people have thrown coins and other stuff into these delicate eco-systems and it changes them.  BAD TOURISTS, BAD!

Mammoth Hot Springs - the pictures just do not do these things justice.



Old Faithful!
 And the seriously 500 people taking pictures of it.

I made a GIF!

 

 I have about 200 more pictures but I'll share just one more from Grand Teton.

Its a whole lot of amazing!  If you haven't made the journey - do!  I have been 3 times (13, 20 & now 34 years old) And it was amazing to me each time.  So now I need to know where I should camp next!  Here is where I have been:
Glacier National Park
Yosemite - but only a quick pass thru
Sleeping Bear Dunes
Apostle Islands
Northern Minnesota Arrowhead
Garden of the Gods
Mt Rushmore & the Badlands
Devils Tower

So Let me know where I should run off to in September!


I also received 4 packages while I was gone so new indie makeup products are coming your way!

Thanks for sticking with me while I was gone :)

Jasmine





The MakeUp Show Chicago!

Hello!

Today I went to the MakeUp Show Chicago!

The MakeUp Show is an annual event bringing together all beauty and fashion professionals to present the largest pro-driven beauty event to the Midwest!

It also happened in LA and NYC earlier this year an will happen in Orlando in September, they do have The MakeUp Show Europe, but it's not until 2014.

I got to meet Anthony Kosar and Meaghan Hester from season 4 of Face Off - I loooove the show so it was very exciting!  Excuse my crazy looking hair :)

I finally got to see the Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics concealers!  You can see they come in very pale shades (and have a red or yellow undertone - Yellow on top, Red bottom row) I got Y0 - top left corner pot. 

Here are swatches are the first four colors - from the left - R0, Y0, R1 and Y1.  You only need a very small amount and it's creamy - as you may have surmised I love it!

I got to check out Ellis Faas and their "bullet" system - if you don't know what I'm talking about check out Here.   I got 2 liquid metallic shadows and they are A-mazing!

Here are the liquid eye shadows swatched but they are so, so much more amazing in real life.  They can be sheared out, used alone or used as a base.

I never realized exactly how much stuff Make Up For Ever sells until I saw the full line, but I'm not going to be body painting any time soon so... I think I can stick to what Sephora has :)

Every kind of Eyelashes in the world seemed available, this is just a small selection.  My favorite are the 2nd row on the right - with the thick fringe on the outside.

I also fell in L-O-V-E with Naked pigments, just look at that pigmentation and range of colors!

So that's how I spent my Sunday - it was fun to hang out with so many other beauty loving individuals, and see so many fun products!  But my wallet is very glad it only happens once a year!

Jasmine

Cutex Advanced Revival Nail Polish Removal pads

Hello!

I don't know if you've ever heard of Poshly.com but it's a website that has random beauty products featured that are "curated" by their staff and you can take quick demographic quizzes to get entries to win them.

And every once and awhile they send out free samples.  Recently I received two Cutex Advanced Revival Polish Remover Pads.

The pad itself is made of a felt like material and pretty sturdy - it felt like it was pretty saturated with remover - I had high hopes.

So I began to take of my polish which was the standard base coat + 2 coats of polish +topcoat.  As soon as it got thru the topcoat, it literally stuck to the polish and was very hard to rub.  I kept at it and using the pad every which way I was able to remove 1 and 1/2 nails worth of polish.  Not so good for a product that boats all ten fingers with one pad. 

I ended up pouring nail polish remover onto the pad and finishing up cleaning my nails that way.  But even then the cloth would often "stick" to my polish and it would have been much easier to just use the traditional cotton rounds. 

I could see keeping one of these in my purse if it worked, but if I'm only going to get a nail or two that doesn't really help.

Have you tried product like this and what did you think??

Jasmine

Accidental Sephora Haul

Hello!

So while I was at work the other day one of my co-workers asked me if I would go with her to Sephora to pick out a brow color since she recently died her hair are really beautiful red.  Of course I couldn't say no - especially since I had just gotten the email from Sephora about the new Too Faced <3 Sephora palette.

Now I usually like to buy online because I feel like you get "more" - especially from Sephora.  You get to pick 3 samples, there's usually a code for a free mini (this week it's a BB cream or Deva curl sampler).  But I lost my marbles and came home with this business...

See! I only got one bitty sample of eye cream!  The Sephora on State Street in Chicago is notoriously stingy with samples because it is sooooo busy and they don't need to lure costumers to buy.

But it's not as if I don't have lots of stuff - so really maybe it's a good thing.

I'm going to review all the per-fekt products separately as they are pretty cool.  Above is the Skin Perfection Gel in Luminous "A multitasking all-in-one vitamin enriched, sweat-resistant and water-resistant skin perfector" $57.50  Basically this is THE primer for the summer - super sweat proof!

This is the Cheek Perfection Gel in Peached "This multitasking formula glides on effortlessly to instantly per-fekt and enhance the appearance of the cheeks. Smart Color Technology—assures a perfect color match for every skintone. This gel leaves a hint of natural color, sculpting and highlighting the cheekbones." $28.00

My eyes have been showing my age recently so this sounded good!  "Perfekt Eye Perfection Gel is a multitasking, modern gel-mousse that glides on effortlessly to instantly leave the eye area with a smooth, airbrushed finish—perfect alone or a fantastic primer for eye shadow. The gel contains a cooling, natural palladium tip applicator and a soothing cucumber extract to relieve puffiness and leave the eyes looking refreshed. This multitasking formula contains a light-reflecting tint that brightens tired-looking eyes. The skin around the eyes will be left smooth and soft—making concealer optional!" $45

I was running low on Sunscreen so I picked up the Peter Thomas Roth Sheer Liquid in SPF 50 - it works very well over moisturizer.

And then what I actually went to Sephora for in the first place...

Too Faced Loves SEPHORA 15 Years of Beauty Palette

Ahhh you can't tell from my washed out picture - but this is FABULOUS!!  And it comes with some fun Face Charts - yeah!  Full review soon :)

So that's my Haul - so many fun things!!!

What have you been wanting lately?

Jasmine