"Fashions fade, style is eternal"

Whiter Teeth = PAIN IN THE NAME OF BEAUTY

People talk about Chiclet white teeth as though they’re a bad thing. I LOVE Chiclet white teeth and want them for myself. 

So, off to Target I went with a $10 off  coupon from the Sunday paper toward the purchase of Crest 2-Hour Whitestrips. The marketing on the package touts professional results, whiter teeth!, best product on the market. Yeah!  That’s what I want!  Professional results at an affordable (relatively) price. ($49, but look for a coupon and buy them for $39)

I peeled the strips from the paper backing and easily stuck them to my teeth. These strips are indeed thicker than other strips on the market and stuck amazingly well to my teeth. I could see my teeth underneath appear to change before my eyes!  White chiclets here I come!

I pulled the strips off after the alloted timeframe (30 minutes) and rinsed my mouth with warm water. My teeth were indeed whiter, I was impressed. 

Then….an hour later all hell broke loose.

Holy Hannah it felt as though there were firecrackers going off in my mouth, one tooth at time. I quickly grabbed some ibuprofen and warm water. Still. PAIN!  Thankfully I had Vicodin on hand (yes, it was that bad) which I took and felt a lot better.

I also brushed with Aquafresh Sensitive toothpaste (way tastier and effective than Sensodyne) and rinsed with Act Flouride rinse which is supposed to help alleviate tooth sensitivities. 

I did wake in the night again with the pain, took more illicit drugs and woke in the morning pain free.

It’s a tough call. Would I do this again in the name of beauty? Probably.

But only if I have Vicodin on hand.

Weight Watchers Online Review

Pretty people are thin. Period.

I would love to say weight doesn’t matter, beauty comes from within, love yourself, blah, blah. But. We all know the bottom line is we’re fat in America.

At least I am.

I decided in January (cliche I know) to join Weight Watchers online. I’ve had success with WW in the past and I know their program works, when I work it.

Part of the online appeal for me was not having to write my food and points on a pad of paper which I constantly misplaced. Also, my hand writing is illegible. I figured online would make things easier to manage. But, I was wrong.

I have quit Weight Watchers online because it SUCKS it’s not a good product. 

At first I thought the slow processing was because the WW servers were being overwhelmed with New Year’s resolution folks. But, it’s still slow and it’s February 15th.  

Half the food I eat is not listed in their online directory. Every time I try to change a portion size, their program automatically adds a zero - so a 2 point item becomes a 20 point item until you manually change it.

These are nit picky things, but I expect excellence from the WW brand and they’re falling short.

I’ve thought about what they need to do to make their online product better and here are my suggestions:

* Team up with DLWZ.com where you can find points easily for common and not so common restaurants. This is a no-brainer as far as I’m concerned.

* Start a blog from the WW site.  Pick someone who is not obese - that’s all been done before. Pick an average 160 pound woman and follow her until she reaches her 130 pound goal.

* Expand the food catalog - everything that is in the WW points booklet should be online and it isn’t.

* Fruit is now free which is complete and utter bullshit. I know I am not overweight from eating too many bananas, but I also know bananas are not free and I want to count them as 2 points. Don’t fence me in with the 0 crap.

* How about a daily, motivational something emailed to participants? I read weight loss/exercise sites every day - they inspire me. Why aren’t you doing this WW?

I may email this post to WW. I want them to be better than they currently are.

So I can be inspired to be better than I currently am.

Beauty Bite: This Little Piggy Went to Market

I have a cheap little secret to soft feet - A&D Diaper Ointment.

You can pick it up in the baby aisle at Target.

Slather your feet after a nice bath, wear some warm cotton socks to bed and wake up with baby feet. (Well, maybe not that great, but pretty darn good)

A&D rivals the expensive foot creams, but will give you better results for less cash.

It’s also great on elbows and dry knees.

Different Shades of Kisses

My very, best friend neighbor does not understand my lipstick passion. She once asked me in all seriousness, “Why would you have more than one lipstick?”
How can I explain the way both the texture and color of a great lipstick can fill me with euphoria? The glee that overcomes me when the UPS man shows up with my latest order from MAC? The way a subtle change in lip color can set my mood and my entire tone for the day? 
I own a lot of lipstick. More than I can count and possibly more than I will admit on the off chance my husband ever reads my blog. He knows I have a lipstick addiction. I don’t need to confirm anything.
I do have four shades that I love above all others. I tried to photograph them for you, but it’s a little difficult to tell the difference in shades, unless you, like me, appreciate subtlety. 
From left to right:
1. Mica by L’oreal.You can buy this one at Target and it’s my go-to color of women of all ages especially 13-year-olds who are just beginning to experiment.This color has a slight pink hue, but not too pink. L’oreal makes a great product that wears well, is affordable and easy to purchase anywhere and the color lasts throughout the day with minimal touchups required.This is the ONE shade I was able to convince my neighbor to buy and she never fails to tell me that she’s wearing it when she see me. As though I need to be told. I am a color maven.
2. Bamboo by Clinique.This color was talked about in a book, “How to Look Ten Years Younger”. It has more of a brownish color than the pink Mica, wears well and looks natural. This is a little bit of a pain to purchase as Clinique is not sold at Target, Sephora or Ulta and will require you hit the mall. (Once you are at the Clinique counter, check out their under eye concealers too)
3. Plum Dandy by MAC. I must admit this is my current favorite color and was suggested to me by another makeup loving pal. She said if I buy it, it would change my life. I’m not sure I would go that far, but it certainly has given me pleasure. This color is again in the mauve family, but it has a gold shimmer and I just love the way it brightens my face, especially when I have brown eye makeup going. I order my MAC products on line and always wait for a free shipping deal. I get the added pleasure of the UPS man ringing my bell, with a gift for moi! I like to pretend I didn’t have to spend any $$ for this pleasure and at $14 a pop for MAC lipstick, it’s hardly something to worry about. If you’re feeling a little down and ready for a little spring brightening this is the shade for you. 
4. Tickled Pink by Watkins. I’m not sure how easy it is to find this product, a local hospital carries it in their pharmacy. I love this lip tint so much more than Burt’s Bees colors. This lip tint is a sheer pink with a pearly white glitter, it looks great layered on top of your favorite shade, or by itself. 
These are my current top four lip picks you can find in my purse.
How about you? Let me know your favorite shades and brands and why. I’d love to have an excuse to buy more lipstick. I could never stop at one.

First Blog Post - Ever

You know how you go out with a girlfriend and you tell her excitedly about a good book or product you’ve just discovered and she must run out and buy it RIGHT NOW! Only to have her respond, “Oh. Yeah. I’ve been using that product, read that book, wore that athletic brand for years,etc….”. 

And you think to yourself, ‘Well why the hell didn’t you tell me so I could have gotten in on the goods sooner?’

Well, I’m aiming to be your friend who lets you in on the goods. 

I’ve thought about writing a blog for a couple of years now. I love reading blogs, I follow several beauty and fitness blogs, but I have yet to find exactly what I am looking for, so I’m going to try and create it.  

Consider me the girlfriend who is more than happy to share her secrets. I want you to be happy and successful. I’ll share what I love, and maybe you’ll find a shortcut to finding what you love too. Albeit easier with my help.


Welcome to my blog!