NaNoWriMo 2011 Participant

The last time I tried competing in *NaNoWriMo was around 2004…I think. Last month I decided it would be a truly swell idea to try it again. It is only 50,000 words for novel completion. Yea, you read write, novel completion. To make it especially challenging, I don’t have a story idea so the plot is nonexistent. Somehow and always I wait to the last minute to get the dreaded things done.

Tomorrow Today I have errands to run before the kiddies come “trick or treating”. If (and I know I’m all over the place here) I can only do 1,667 words a day for 29 days and double that word count on one day (I need one day to outline.) then I’ll be OK. I can make anything sound easy but the trouble and hassle is in the doing.

Funny enough, I’ve already selected my pen name. Yea, I did that months ago and purchased the domain name for it as well, not to mention the Gmail account for fan mail…I’m setting up the dream, setting up the dream baby.

Instead of me bumping my gums (I love saying that.) I should wash my hair and prepare for tomorrow today.

Word Count: 160
*Footnote: http://www.nanowrimo.org

CVS is having a 75% off sale on some of their makeup items that will soon be discontinued. Some of these items are manufactured by Rimmel, Revlon, Almay and N.Y.C. When you enter your local CVS store look for the cosmetics with the round, orange/red sticker which read, “Take 75% off”.

The savings are great. The Rimmel lipsticks were regularly priced $7.49 USD. Select shades of the Moisture Renew are now on sale for $2.12 USD. The most talked about “Spotlight Beige” color is being discontinued so it is on sale for 75%.

I’ve taken some pictures of my 75% off haul.  I recommend you to hurry. As a nude lip junkie, I have been buying all of the Rimmel, Moisture Renew, “Precious Brown”, #680 shades. As an added bonus, take $2 off any Rimmel product when you “Crown Your Friends” on Rimmel’s Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/RimmelLondonUS?sk=app_116938695053175. (That would be twelve cents for a lippie.) Enjoy!

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Well hello there. I’ve been missing. Did you notice?

There have been many changes in my life over the past five to six months. I won’t go into full details because this post would be too long. Also, it is not beauty related.

In short, I’ve moved to another state. I became sick. My blood pressure increased. I’ve started…slowly venturing into healthy eating and daily monitoring what I have been eating.

Since the move my makeup has been in boxes. I’m still unpacking but managed to keep out my essentials. Where I live now I finally have a makeup room, “Diva Room”, “Mommy Room” or just for me room that isn’t shared with other people and activities. I have yet to decorate it. When I do I will take pictures and post them. I am looking at paint colors so if you have any ideas, please comment and give’m.

Even though the bulk of my makeup is still in the process of being unpacked I haven’t stopped purchasing makeup. I did get a chance to buy Pink Friday and some items from the Wonder Woman collection. I may write about these items over the next few weeks.

I will write about what I’ve been feeling with this change of eating. It will be more of a personal style of writing.

This is something that I should have posted in July. I have excuses but who wants to hear them? Let us get into the final nail polishes I picked up from E.L.F.’s July 60% off sale. However, before we begin I must say, “I’m learning”. I am learning that I need to bend my strict rule of not buying a nail polish that is priced over $5 USD. With these hauls, reviews and wears I am learning that nail polish is about more than color. Who would have thunk it? Slowly I am starting to believe if I were to spend more than $5 on a nail polish of good quality but still below $10 (a limit still exists) then maybe it will not be as painful as I imagine. What brought me to this slow and stubborn revelation is E.L.F.’s “Bubble Gum Pink” nail polish.

On Saturday night I painted my nails with “Bubble Gum Pink” and adored the color as I wiggled my fingers close to the ceiling lights for further admiration. On Monday the color began to chip. My finger nails had a base coat, two coats of “Bubble Gum Pink” (three strokes a nail per coat) and a strong Sally Hansen’s top coat…still they chipped. My only activity that lazy Sunday (after being sick…I told you the excuse anyway) was washing plates and utensils. I have worn other nail polish brands which lasted longer. That Monday night I removed E.L.F.’s “Bubble Gum Pink” in anticipation of Orly’s Cosmic FX.

E.L.F.’s “Bubble Gum Pink” is a delightful, girly pink as thankfully anticipated. Paired with pink lips or MAC’s Viva Glam Gaga lippie you would look ultra Mattel Barbie. Two coats of color is highly recommended.

E.L.F.’s “Passion Pink” for me lacked passion. If you are literal like I am where words have meaning and you think passion fruit or pink when you read the name “Passion Pink” you are wrong. This color is a muted, true orange, not enough passion to describe it as a coral.

E.L.F.’s “Cranberry” is a great Fall color and is true to description. It is a fall staple color. I have never seen a Fall, fashion season void of some form of cranberry color.

E.L.F.’s “Royal Plum” is another Fall color true to description. It is a basic purple that is not too gothic for those scared of dark colors.

E.L.F.’s “Plum” is a spot-on hit mimicking a plum’s outer skin perfectly. Depending on color density (amount), number of coats and lighting this color my display as a dark brown with a reddish hue.

Despite the chipping experience E.L.F’s nail polishes are great buys. In a time where the United States is in a recession $1 for nail polishes with popping colors are worth it. Enjoy the pictures. Remember to maximize for larger sizes and to follow me on Twitter.

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Note: Made before the egg recall in the United States

Pamper yourself with delectable dishes… I do…well at least until I get serious about weight loss. While my fiance was out of town at the beginning of this month I had to feed myself. I chose to stuff my face while pleasing the palate with egg curry. It is one of my favorite dishes that is easy to prepare and even with recipe variations, never disappoints. Enjoy this recipe for egg curry I used from Mallu Spice.

Cooking time: 15 mins
You will need:
Eggs-5
Onions- 1 1/2 cups chopped (2 medium sized one)
Tomatoes-1 Plum Tomato
Green chilies – 6
Garlic – 1
Ginger- a small piece
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Red chili powder- 1 tsp (more or less as per taste)
Coriander powder-1 tbsp
Coconut Milk-1 cup ( 3 tbsp coconut milk powder mixed with 1 ½ cup warm water)

Rice Flour- 1tsp mixed with 1/4 cup water.
Salt – to taste
Oil-2 tbsp
Curry leaves – one sprig washed

Preparation Method
1. Keep the eggs for boiling with enough water. This should take a bout 15 minutes. Peel them, cut into long halves and keep aside. Grind the ginger-garlic and green chilies together coarsely.
2. Heat the oil in a large non stick pan, and add the onions and curry leaves. Sauté on medium low heat for 3-4 minutes, till it turns translucent and add the green chilies paste. Take care not to let it stick to the pan.
3. Now add the tomatoes, all the spices and 1tbsp water. Saute on low heat till the spices give out their fragrance. It is important to let the coriander and chili powder cook as it will taste funny otherwise. So take your time at this step. Add 1 cup water and when it boils, add salt.
4. Lower the heat and slide in the egg halves gently, with the yolk exposed to the top. Add the coconut milk and rice flour mixed in water. Use the spoon sparingly after you add the eggs and try shaking the pan instead. Check seasoning and add more if needed. Let it simmer for about 5-8 minutes till the curry thickens. Remove from flame and let it sit for some time to absorb all the flavors. Serve with puttu or roti. *I ate it with rice noodles.

Feel free to enjoy this recipe and other Mallu recipes on their website http://malluspice.blogspot.com/2007/02/egg-curry-w-coconut-milk.html.

Today in the mail I received my recent Sephora haul. Inside was Christian Dior Addict Lip Glow. I read online and saw on YouTube so many rave reviews about this product. The raves went on and on about how great they make your lips look and how the color will be your own personal color, your mother nature made color.

If there was ever a mother nature made lip color, I am not fond of mine. When you view the pictures attached to this post you will see that Dior’s Lip Glow does work. It is not a gimmick product. However, the color your body generates you may not like as in my case.

For me it looks like a sheer, pink tinted lip gloss. I own several of these colors. You can still see my naturally lined lips (which I have a love hate relationship with from time to time) through it. Side Note: ABC World News is showing a delightful chocolate cake on television and I’m now hungry. After this I think I’ll have a snack. Oh they are now playing the “World News Polka” song. I love that song. Now I want to dance and eat. If I didn’t have a complainer, under neighbor I would fill that craving as well. OK back to the Addict Lip Glow review and not the food and dance addict review... While it was on my lips I asked my mate if he liked the lip color.

“I thought it was your natural lips.”

“Um…no. I put on some stuff that is supposed to take your body’s chemistry, maybe heat or something and generate your body’s natural lip shade. Well, the color, in short, is body generated.”

“Oh. It looks like your own lip color to me but with gloss.”

Dior’s Addict Lip Glow has a faint cinnamon smell. It would only be bothersome if you are not fond of cinnamon. It is also not sticky which is great if you are not a fan of having sticky lips. Containing and SPF of 10 Lip Glow will make your lips feel wonderfully creamy. That is fantastic.

Overall, for me, the $28 is too pricey when I stack up the benefits, even more so when I can achieve a similar if not exact color with a cheaper product. In the pictures attached to this post you will see my example of Sephora’s “Rosy Glow” lip gloss that is close to the color Dior’s Lip Glow gave me. I understand I am writing about Christian Dior. I understand the legacy of the brand name. Despite not having a “wow” experience like the others I have not decided if I will keep it. The novelty I am afraid, for me will be short lived.

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Note: This is my first posted look. The lighting is not great and the application was done quickly as my fiance was waiting on me. Nevertheless, take a looksy.

The look I did was real quick and photographed in my bathroom that has terrible lighting. For the eyes I used In the Groove mineralize eye shadow, with NYX black eye shadow to line the top lid, “Float on By” eye kohl from MAC’s “To the Beach” collection. On the cheeks, NARS’s “Lovejoy” (blush) and “Albatross” as the highlight. For powder I used MAC’s “Refined Golden” also from MAC’s “To the Beach” collection…love it! Finally, on my lips I used the oh so regretted “I Like it Like That” with “Chillin” cremesheen gloss on top.

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During the first week of July I purchased and received items from MAC’s “In the Groove” collection. I hauled three lippies, two glosses, one skinfinish and two eye shadows.

The three lipsticks I purchased were “Call My Bluff”, “I Like It Like That” and “Go For It”. “Call My Bluff” is described as, “Midtone creamy coffee” on MAC.com. It reminded me of a warmer version of MAC’s lipstick “Siss”. It seems to be a near match to my NC43-45 skin shade. I am tempted to purchase a dupe but will not as MAC brings out new collections with limited colors (smart marketing) every five minutes.

“I Like It Like That” was a lipstick purchase regret. On me the color is very cool needing to be combined with a warmer color to prevent my lips from looking decayed.

“Go For It” is purely divine. Described as “Midtone blue purple” by MAC.com I find it to be a tamer version of MAC’s “Violetta” lipstick. I believe “Violetta” is a MAC Pro color. Side Note: You do not need to be a professional to purchase MAC Pro items. Neutral palette people may find this color too shocking. However, the color blend of blue and purple allows it to stand alone with neutral eyes making a single statement, “I am lips, hear me ROAR!”. OK, maybe not that kind of a statement but the color is simply amazing.

I did not find “You’ve Got It” cremesheen glass to be a “Dirty silver grey”. I would describe it as a cool, toffee color. On a NC43-45 it can be worn alone giving a glimpse of slight gloss or on top of color. I tried it on top of “Call My Bluff” (you can view it in the gallery of images). It did not make or break the look. It seems more special in the tube.

“Chilliin’” is another cremesheen glass I liked better in the tube. It is a simple gloss with minuscule blue hints. With this color I also found nothing special.

Ahh, the coveted “Stereo Rose”. It sold out quickly. I was lucky to grab one when it returned to stock. The photographed swatch does not give it justice. It is exactly as MAC describes it, “Coral with golden / bronze shimmering nuances”. I believe I do not have any skinfinish like it in my make up collection. The flexibility of blush and highlight I love.

There has been talk of this collection being MAC’s new formula of mineralize eye shadows that have less fall out and glitter. I am not a fan of MAC’s past mineralize eye shadows but with the talk I purchased two from this collection to try out. One of the two eye shadows I purchased was “Togetherness”. As an avid purple eyeshadow lover the vibrant purple center color is what drew me in.

“In the Groove” for me, was a neutral must have eye shadow. As with “Togetherness” the center color drew me in. This color is just as vivid without primer as it is with primer. With both eye shadows I experienced little fall out and no glitter in comparison to MAC’s previous mineralize eye shadows. Maybe the talk had truth to it.

“In the Groove” is a good and fair collection by MAC. There was something in this collection for all skin shades so no one can feel left out. Overall I regret purchasing “I Like It Like That” lipstick, both of the cremesheen glosses, not purchasing “Jazzed” lipstick which is now sold out. I may purchase “Comfort” skinfinish this week. I have been thinking about it since this haul arrived.

Enjoy the swatches, sorry it is late and the look pictures have an orangish hue, click to enlarge…follow me on Twitter–>Twitter.com/balanceofbeauty

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In my E.L.F. 60% off haul I purchased a lot of nail polishes. I must be honest, I have been dreading the reviews simply because it is really time consuming to take off nail polish, condition my nails, apply a base coat, two coats of color then a top coat, wait for my nails to dry then photograph the color and finally write about it. I give a lot of props to nail polish only blogs. Blogging about nail polish is time consuming. With that said, let’s move on to EyesLipsFace.com (E.L.F.) nail polish in “Fire Coral”.

I like it! The picture of “Fire Coral” on EyesLipsFace.com is true to matching what your nails receive. In reviewing their nail polishes lately I have realized that nail polish quality makes painting nails easier and faster even though I would not want to part with five dollars on a bottle of nail polish that simply colors nails and does not condition, strengthen or stimulate growth.

As for the quality in the E.L.F. nail polishes, this is, in my opinion a bit on the low end. One should not be disappointed as the bottle retails at one U.S. dollar sans discounts. The color strokes are watery and strained when the amount of polish on the brush is controlled to evenly disperse in a three stroke per nail fashion (beauty and nail school technique). Two coats of “Fire Coral” are a definite need in order to achieve level color. Side Note: A cheat I have used for years in dealing with cheap nail polish colors is to apply the last, clear coat when the color coat is still very wet. This will give an opportunity for the last, color coat to be manipulated to consistency.

I have also noticed nail polish quality also lies in the bristles on the brush. The top coat I used was Sally Hansen’s “Advanced Hard as Nails With Nylon + Reitnol”. The bristles on that brush were supple which allowed greater control over product application. This brush glided over my nails with minimal effort which made its application quick and easy.

Overall, E.L.F. has some good nail polish colors that are good for the price. A consumer’s expectation when buying these nail polishes should be color consistency which should be acutely near to the product photograph on their website (taking into consideration monitor screen resolutions which vary based on manufacturer and user settings).

“Fire Coral” gets a thumbs up from me. There is one picture to follow along with four more E.L.F. nail polishes to review in the up coming week(s) and one or two MAC hauls. As usual, click to maximize the picture size.

Also…if you are not following me on Twitter…please do so…:) twitter.com/balanceofbeauty.

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I must admit that I generally will not spend more than $4 on a bottle of nail polish. The nail polish color must really WOW me before I lay a Lincoln on it. I am sure with all things people have their spending limits where temptation no matter how sexy, bold and brash will not hypnotize them into pulling out the “big bucks” for a splurge. For me, this limit is nail polish. With that said, let me introduce you to my experience with EyesLipsFace.com’s (E.L.F.) “Mango Madness” nail polish.

I did not realize their representation of this nail polish from the image posted on their website was a miss-representation (spelled incorrectly on purpose). E.L.F. shows “Mango Madness” as a vibrant orange color. This is hardly from the truth in what I received. I received a nail polish that was literally the color of a mango’s skin. It was red with hints of pink and slight orange hues.

Within the first few seconds of the first coat the color remained that red with hints of pink and slight orange hues. However, when I painted my next three fingers, the color became murky, lack luster and dull, a “wannabe” pink. I believe, ideally, in retail when the word mango is used as a color description most will think of a mango’s inner substance, not the outer skin which is rarely consumed. When this expectation is paired or validated with a picture of similar color the preconception is solidified. This is where my disappointment lies. My solidified preconception was made invalid by what I received.

I chose to use Sinful Color’s “Pink for Ever”, a glitter as a top coat instead of removing “Mango Madness” only because my cuticles are currently in bad shape (not enough moisture and too much water exposure) I did not want to expose them twice in one day to acetone. Sinful Colors’s dazzling glitters can spruce up any nail polish color when you are in a pinch for nail design time. I have attached a picture of my quick fix to “Mango Madness” to this post.

Side Note: I do have more E.L.F. nail polishes to review. This nail polish was a part of my 60% off E.L.F. haul.

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