Oh, please tell me it hasn’t actually been this long since I posted? Oh! How embarrassing! To my three devoted readers, please forgive me. I’ve been very busy. But in spite of my busyness (or blog-laziness, depending on how you look at things) I have been trying out fun makeup, lotions, potions, and various and sundry products of beauty…some of them really weird too! And trust me…I WILL tell you all about them and give you the low down ASAP. However, that being said, I’m going to spend a bit of time talking about non-product related stuff. Because that’s the kind of mood I’m in today. And also because, as I’ve said before, being your most shimmery, sparkly self has very little to do with the products you put on your face and hair. True beauty, that happy, glowy lit-from-within true sparkle, comes from well, within. Let’s talk about it.

For a few months, I was feeling like a big, ol’ jerk. I think I was being pretty nice on the outside, but on the inside, I was doing an awful lot of whining and complaining. My house isn’t big enough, I need a new car, I never have enough money, my kids aren’t behaving perfectly 100% of the time, etc. etc. These were the kind of thoughts I was often hearing in my head as I focused primarily on the negative. Well, you know what starts to happen when you talk to yourself that way? MORE negativity! Negativity feeds on more negativity and it just gets worse and worse. So, while perusing the plethora of new books lining the shelves of the airport book store, I happened upon a book called The Magic by Rhonda Byrne. This is the lady who wrote The Secret, popularized by Oprah and her legions of fans, of which I am one, but I never read that book. Something about this book just screamed at me to buy it, so I plunked down my $12.99 and started reading among the quiet chaos of the Tucson International Airport. Wow! This book is so cool and has really shifted my focus. It’s about gratitude, plain and simple. Every chapter gives you a new thing to look at with gratitude colored glasses, whether it’s your job, the people in your life, your money, whatever. The focus is to count your blessings and truly be thankful to God, the universe, or whatever you happen to believe in for all the wonderful things you have, some of which may not even be apparent to you at first but when you really look deeply, you can see how many things you have to be grateful for. My favorite practice is making a list of 10 things I am grateful for each night and why I’m grateful for those things. Then I hold my “gratitude rock” in my hand (it’s a magic rock, don’t judge me until you try it) and think of the best thing that happened that day and say thank you, thank you, thank you for that thing. I love ending my day this way. I run through all of the great things that happened all day…sometimes it’s as simple as a sweet kiss my husband gave me, or a funny conversation I had with my 3 year old, or something nice someone said to me, but running through all of these little moments before I drift off to sleep is so blissful and such a great way to finish the day. I’m learning each day to really focus on how lucky I am for all that I have. This book is a fun way to be reminded of all of the amazing things we may take for granted, like our health, our jobs, our families. No matter how pretty you are, if you are ungrateful for the good stuff in your life, you really aren’t truly beautiful and living your most shimmery life!

And what is a shimmery life, anyway? Well, the way I see it, if you are appreciating this vast and gorgeous universe, loving yourself and others liberally, being kind, being as present as you can, giving thanks for all that comes your way…that’s the foundation. All of the luxury lipsticks and sparkly eye shadows are just icing on the cake! Check out the book The Magic and see if the fun little practices make you feel a little happier. I bet they will.

OK, I promised I’d also tell you about the weird stuff I’m doing, so I can’t sign off without at least one beauty tidbit. I bought this odd little device that kind of zaps your face and I think it’s making my skin look prettier. Yes, in fact I AM willing to electrocute myself on a nightly basis if it means prettier skin! The Oxyderm Ozone Facial Tool by Tei Spa reduces oil and zaps away blemishes with the bacteria fighting benefits of Ozone. I’m not sure exactly how this thing works, but it really makes my skin clearer and more even toned. It cost me $100 on Isabella.com and seems to be well worth the investment so far. It’s a really mild teeny tiny shocky feeling, and doesn’t hurt at all. You just use it for a minute in a circular motion all over your face.

So I’m doing that, and also eating SUPER healthy (really, like big bowls of kale, blueberries and walnuts on everything, salmon, lots of water and very little wine) and working out as religiously as ever. I also found a cheap lipstick I like…L’Oreal Infallible Lipstick in Beyond Blushing is a nice, springy pink that stays on even after a big meal, a long meeting, and a workout. It’s like $8 and it’s the best lipstick I’ve tried in a long time. So there’s my beauty stuff. Oh, and in addition to The Magic, I’m also reading Duff McKagan’s biography It’s So Easy and Other Lies. The bassist for Guns N Roses has a lot of colorful stories to tell and seems like a really nice guy to boot. He drank so much alcohol that his pancreas burst and he almost died. Let’s all be thankful that we have our pancreases intact. I have a lot of gratitude for my pancreas after reading about that incident. It’s a surprisingly well written, thoughtful and entertaining read.

Thank you thank you thank you for reading my blog and keep on being shimmery!!!!

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Well, its that time of year again. I feel fat, my skin is dry, my hair has stopped looking pretty, and I’m consuming way too much eggnog for a “mostly vegan” person. And to the evil person who keeps buying me Trader Joe’s cocoa truffles (yes, I’m talking to you Mom), just stop. I have no self control when those little pieces of chocolately deliciousness are tempting me from my kitchen counter.

All right, pity-party is over. Here’s what’s actually going on in my life. I’m not fat…not at all. In fact, I’m feeling pretty svelte from my Jillian Michael’s DVD’s that I’ve been pretty religious about doing. More on that later. My house looks like a winter wonderland (thanks to previously mentioned Mom, who is way more Martha Stewartie that I am), I just got a pretty sweet promotion at work, my kids have been somehow getting even cuter, and I’m in love with my husband. All pretty awesome in Shimmerfairyland, right? Oh, it gets even better…I’ve found some awesomely awesome new beauty products to talk about. And since I’m sitting here on a cross country flight listening to David Bowie on my iPod with nothing else to do, I’m gonna tell you about all of them. Something about 1970’s glam, particularly when being lovingly belted out by my beloved Mr. Bowie, just makes me want to talk about lipstick, you know?

First off, what I like to call the DEAL OF THE CENTURY: Tarte Lipsurgence Lip Service Limited Edition Collection. This set, sold at Sephora for $29, is a $120 value! Run to Sephora now and get this. Go on. I said RUN! Oh, wait…they’ve been out of stock on these for a while, but I’ve been assured they will have them back soon, so keep checking. Their website and many stores sold out very quickly, but I found a set after scouring nearly every Sephora in Southern California, so they are out there, you just have to look carefully. Once they are back in stock, get it. It’s a set of 5 full sized Lipsurgence sticks, which have become pretty much my favorite lip product for both it’s moisturizing qualities and it’s gorgeous rich colors. Bought separately, these little gems cost $24 each, so this set of 5 is a huge deal. All of the colors are pretty…not a dud in the bunch. Of course my favorites are the luster ones for their shimmery finish, but the regular ones are lovely too. My favorite is Glitzy, which is described as antique pink…it is soft and neutral, yet eye catching and very flattering on most skin tones. This is my pick of the season!

Next, another great deal I came across (and which subsequently sold out quickly) is the Lancome Hypnose Doll Lashes set. It comes with a full sized Hypnose Doll Lashes mascara, small size cils primer/booster and an artliner liquid eyeliner pen. I’m generally not a huge fan of liquid eyeliners, mainly due to the fact that my hands tend to be as shaky as a crack head on coffee, but I’m learning how to do a less wiggly line with some practice. I’m getting there. Here’s a picture of me after using the primer, mascara, and eyeliner. The smug look on my face is because I got such a good deal on this stuff.

I like it…the eyeliner has great staying power, and the mascara and primer work well to fatten up and lengthen out my lashes. For $29, this is another steal. For the record, I’m not a fan of crack OR coffee. I just have shaky hands. I meditate every night and I think it’s helping. Maybe.

Right now, my hair is driving me crazy. I dyed it too dark, my extensions are getting all tangled…it’s a train wreck. But to fix it, I need professional color, a brazilian blowout, and fresh extensions. These all together will cost me approximately 8 zillion dollars, and with the holidays upon us, it’s just not gonna happen right away. So I’m making the most of this hot mess on my head, and just keeping it as healthy as possible. One way I’m doing that is by using Living Proof’s new line called Restore. I bought the Restore Discovery Kit that includes small sizes of the shampoo, conditioner, and deep conditioning mask treatment. All are excellent…really moisturizing and softening. My hair looks shiny and smells nice when I use these. I highly recommend the (fairly expensive) deep conditioning mask ($42 at Sephora) I know it’s $42, but it’s one of the best deep treatments out there, so if your hair is really jacked up, try this out and see if it can help.

Finally, I mentioned how even though I’m drinking copious amounts of holiday themed beverages and cocktails, and stuffing my mouth with cocoa truffles, my stomach seems to me in the best shape it’s been since I popped those kids out. How is this possible? Partially, because I’m lying. All of you know I eat super healthy, organic vegetarian food most of the time, so I can afford a splurge or five around the holidays. But also because I’ve been diligently doing Jillian Michael’s DVDs. I love Jillian’s tough but short workouts. Most are around 30-35 minutes and they get the job done. My #1 favorite is Six Week Six Pack, especially the level 2 workout. It is highly aerobic, works your whole body, and gets your tummy tight and smaller. It’s super hard…not for the timid “I like to take it easy and just walk around the block” crowd. If you’re not already in decent shape, this may kill you. So do the beginner modifications and quit your whining. My arms are in awesome shape from all the plank work. I HATE planks, but they really work your body, so I’m doing them. I’m also enjoying Get Ripped in 30 and Killer Buns and Thighs, both by Jillian. Man, I can only get to level 2 on her buns and thighs workout (there are 3 levels) and that one makes me feel like I am going to die, which is awesome. OK, I’m a bit of a masochist when it comes to workouts, but hey…I like to be in shape! Anyway, these workouts are super tough, super effective, and you’ll be super hot if you keep at it. Just watch the eggnog intake. And the gingerbread cookies. And the pie. And the apple cider. And the…oh screw it, just work out hard so you can eat everything you want!

With that said, Happy Holidays my friends! Enjoy yourselves and don’t forget to treat yourself to something sparkly this time of year. I’m gonna go ahead and assume you deserve it!

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A little bit of this, a little bit of that

November 13, 2011

I was going to call this post “Potpourri,” but I really hate the word potpourri. It’s not that I’m anti-potpourri or anything, because let’s face it…that stuff can make your bathroom and lingerie drawer smell pretty fancy. I just don’t like the word. There are a lot of other words I don’t like, such as [...]

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Shiny face? Maybe not such a bad thing.

October 1, 2011

Oh good morning my friends! How I love the weekends, when I don’t have to work, that is. This is one of the only weekends I will have off for a while, so I’m going to make the most of it.
First, I’m starting off in a good mood. We had our 1970’s lights redone in [...]

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I miss you, hair extensions.

September 3, 2011

Ugh. I feel so naked and alone. OK, perhaps I am being a bit dramatic, but I really miss my hair extensions. I got them taken out yesterday. I wasn’t really ready to part with them, but it had to be done. For one thing, I had lost quite a few and my hair was [...]

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Wen is this party starting?

August 27, 2011

Woo hoo! It’s Saturday morning. My morning with the boys! Hubby is out looking for stuff to sell on ebay and I am having fun, fun, fun! Just a few things on this morning’s agenda: making an awesome vegan breakfast, hosting a tea party for 3 people and several stuffed animals, and making a big [...]

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I’m sooooo tired of…

July 9, 2011

That’s it. I’m done. I’m tired of the person I’m becoming. Tired of yelling at my kids. Tired of worrying about how my house looks. Tired of worrying about bills, my 401K, the government, cancer, my eyebrows. I’m not having any fun. And you know who’s fault that is? MINE! And who can change that? [...]

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Hair extensions, hemp, fake tans, and leotards.

June 22, 2011

I’m sitting on a cross country flight, feeling the moisture being sucked out of my skin, all while sweating, sneezing, and coughing from the awful cold I woke up to. My nose is red, eyes puffy, and I’m feeling pretty awful right about now. But in actuality, I’ve never looked better! OK, I have looked [...]

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Kelly Van Gogh

May 15, 2011

This is Kelly Van Gogh.

She’s a gorgeous blond, with a degree in chemistry, a successful career as a celebrity hair stylist, AND she has her own company that makes amazing products. I know…I want to hate her too. But I can’t. For one thing, her products are REALLY good (more on that later) and for [...]

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Royal Wedding Fever

April 29, 2011

OK, I’ll admit it. I was totally glued to the tv this morning and even had tears in my eyes watching the beautiful and lovely Kate Middleton arrive at Westminster Abbey in that gorgeous gown. For weeks I’ve been saying, “Enough already! I’m sick of hearing about Kate! I don’t care about this stupid wedding!” [...]

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