Confessions of a Shopaholic

Yesterday after I discovered I had more money in my account that I originally thought so I went to Ulta and bought a few key items.

OPI Pinking-Of You nail polish

L'Oreal Infallible Lip Gloss in Raisin

Seche Base Coat

Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat (one of the best beauty finds ever!)

Dermalogica Total Eye Care

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant (yes, I bought it!!)

Last week I also ordered some new shampoo and conditioner from Sephora. I got the package this morning and upon opening the box I discovered that they had screwed up and sent me some woman's order from North Dakota. Normally I would have been super upset, buuuut, the woman happened to order the exact same makeup in the exact same color that I use! How crazy is that?!? I called the company this morning and they are sending me my correct order, so no harm no foul :).

Change is Gonna Come

Well... I GOT A JOB! I will be an Event Coordinator with a company that is outsourced by Meijer (a store similar to Target or Wal-Mart). I'll be coordinating the sample programs and managing all of the "samplers." Originally the company was going to hire 11 Coordinators, 1 for each store in the area (this is a new program being rolled out), but they've decided to hire only 4! So, from what it sounds like I'll be in charge of 2 or 3 stores, which I am very excited about. When I got the call yesterday it sounded like they were still trying to work out all the details, but I'm going to fill out my new-hire paperwork tomorrow so hopefully I'll find out more about where I'll be working. I'm really hoping that I get the Elgin, Bloomingdale and Rolling Meadows stores, so keep your fingers crossed!
And next week I'm going on my first business trip! It's just for a couple days to train in a Meijer store that has the program already. I think I'll get to hire my own staff as well! It's just a part time gig, like 32 hours a week, but I'm thinking they might increase our hours because we'll be managing multiple locations.
Also, yesterday I went and got my hair done, finally. My hair is finally all blonde again and I got a cute and funky new haircut. I was going to this place up in Roselle for about a year, called Rockstar Salon, which was great, but expensive. As you all know, my funds are tight right now and a new salon called Colorific just opened by my house and after checking out their website I saw that they were significantly cheaper than Rockstar, so I decided to give them a shot. I really liked how my hair turned out! The girl I had really listened to what I wanted, which I can't say for every cosmetologist I've worked with. Here's a picture of my new do!

Emmy Fashions

Because I am so qualified to give opinions on Red Carpet fashions, here is a rundown of my best and worst dressed at last week's Emmy Awards.

Best Dressed

Mariska Hargitay looked great in this metallic dress, I just wish her necklace would have been more colorful, I think a big chunky emerald or pink sapphire necklace would have been great

Sandra Oh has never been one of my favorites on the Red Carpet, but I think she really nailed it this time, she definitely pulled off this very glamorous look

Kourtney Kardashian definitely did maternity wear right, she looked radiant and appropriate in this flowing gown


Kara Dio Guardi knows how to pull off a white dress, I think the sillouette is new and fresh, a real show stopper

Vanessa Williams is another star who's Red Carpet looks I don't usually understand, but this understated gown really works for her, the color and fit are a nice contrast to the chandelier earrings

Drew Barrymore nails it once again, this was my favorite look of the evening, very soft and girlie and I enjoyed her bold lipstick color for a bit of contrast

Worst Dressed

Victoria Rowell needs to hire a stylist because whoever told her wearing the President's face on a handkerchief as a dress deserves to go to jail


Christina Applegate always seems to get it wrong on the Red Carpet, this year was no exception as there is just too much going on with this dress to even be considered remotely flattering

Mila Kunis' dress feels either too long or too short, the top is also ill fitting, creating an overall hot mess

Mary-Louise Parker should know better than to wear an ugly tri-shade cocktail dress to an awards show, she should have saved this look for a movie premier if she had to wear it

Leighton Meester is all kinds of wrong for wearing a dress that resembles maxi pads, I'm embarrassed for her

Sarah Silverman is a funny girl, and as my worst dressed pick, I have to believe she chose this unflattering frock as a joke, there is no way she actually thought this was going to flatter her figure

Wish List

I could think of 100 things I want right now but can't afford, but here are the top 5 of the moment.

Dell Studio 17 laptop computer in pink

Swan Creek Lemon Icebox Cookies soy candle; I had one and used the entire thing, it smells divine!

New tires! This is an absolute must before winter

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant; see previous posting

Stephens College lapel pin

Skin-y dilemmas

My favorite skin care line is Dermalogica. It is a high end brand that focuses on creating healthy, vibrant skin for its' users. I've been using the products for about a year, and I couldn't be happier with the line. Of all the products I've used my favorite is the Daily Microfoliant. It is a powdery substance that you mix with water to create the most perfect exfoliant. The only thing I don't like about the product is the price: $50. The bottle I had lasted over 6 months, but in July I ran out and purchased St. Ives Microdermabrasion exfoliator. The product worked surprisingly well, but I said that I was only going to buy one bottle before I returned to my precious Microfoliant, assuming that I would get a job and be able to afford it again.
Well, obviously I didn't find a job yet and yesterday I ran out of the St. Ives. I went to Walgreens to get another bottle, but they didn't appear to even sell the stuff. So, I purchased the Roc Exfoliating Cleanser. I'm hoping that it works, otherwise I'll have to go and find the St. Ives stuff somewhere else because my skin looks absolutely disgusting if it isn't exfoliated properly.
And on a kind of unrelated note, my makeup brand, Bare Minerals, just came out with a new Matte formulation. I won't need to buy more for at least a couple of months, but I'm excited to try the Matte, hopefully it works as well as it claims to!

A History Lesson

****15 YEARS AGO (1994)****
1) How old were you? 9
2) Who were u dating? I had a few crushes, but nothing too serious
3) Where did you work? Nowhere
4) Where did you live? Wheaton, IL
5) Where did you hang out? the ice skating rink, at friend's houses
6) Did you wear contacts and/or glasses? I think I had just started wearing glasses
7) Who were your best friends? Brittney, Nicole, Diane
8)How many tattoos did you have? 0
9) How many piercings did you have? 0
10) What kind of car did you drive? My mom had a Ford Taurus station wagon
11) Had you been to a real party? I threw some killer birthday parties in my day
12) Had you had your heart broken? No
13) Were you Single/Taken/Married/Divorced? Single

14) Any Kids? I was one!

***10 YEARS AGO (1999)***
1) How old were you? 14
2) Who were you dating? No one
3) Where did you work? During the summer I worked at a hair salon as a shampoo girl and I babysat
4) Where did you live? Wheaton, IL
5) Where did you hang out? Football games, friend's houses
6) Did you wear contacts and/or glasses? I had just started wearing contacts
7) Who were your best/close friends? Kiersten, Brittney, Christina, Gina, Meredith
8) What were you driving? Nope, my mom was still driving that Taurus though
9) How many tattoos did you have? 0
10) How many piercings did you have? Just my ears
11) Had your heart broken? No
12) Were you Single/Taken/Married/Divorced? Single
13)Any Kids? None

***5 YEARS AGO (2004)***
1) How old were you? 19
2) Who were you dating? No one exclusively
3) Where did you work? During the summer I worked at Door Systems, and I was an RA at school
4) Where did you live? Columbia, MO
5) Where did you hang out? Around Columbia and in the dorms
6) Did you wear contacts and/or glasses? Both
7) Who were your best/close friends? Laura, Lauren, Jessie, Meredith, Tracy
8) What were you driving? 2001 Hyundai Elantra
9) How many tattoos did you have? 1
10) How many piercings did you have? 5
12) Were you Single/Taken/Married/Divorced? Single
13)Any Kids? None

****NOW 2009*****
1) How old are you? 24
2) Who are you dating? Antonio
3) Where do you work? Collecting unemployment for the time being
4) Where do you live? Wheaton, IL
5) Where do you hang out? All over
6)did you wear contacts and/or glasses? Just contacts now
7) Who are your best/closest friends? Kristle, Tracy, Laura, Meredith
8 What are you driving? 2002 Pontiac Grand Am
9) How many tattoos do you have? 2
10) How many piercings do you have? Just my ears again
11) Had your heart broken? Yes
12) Are you single/taken/married/divorced? Engaged
13) Any Kids? Nope

Now that's a dress!

I love seeing what the stars wear to all the big awards shows just as much as the next girl, but I've never been too concerned with fashion. That was until I came across a picture of Drew Barrymore in this AH-MAZING Alexander McQueen number. It truly is a work of art, I am in love! Now Drew's hair, that is a different story, it's well, interesting.
What do you guys think of her dress?

Sweetest Day came early this year

I must admit Antonio definitely made up for his lack of awareness of Sweetest Day last year. The holiday isn't until mid-October, but I got my present already! Last year he got me a package of animal crackers, and I bought him a bunch of Mizzou memorabilia. This year he stepped up to the plate and got me seasons 1-5 of The Office! And by the looks of this picture, I'm not the only one who is going to enjoy it!

Think positive

Well, I am just getting more and more depressed by the day. The job I interviewed for the other day said that they would contact me in the next couple days. I haven't heard from them yet. I really thought I was well qualified for the position and it seemed like I would gain a lot of good management and event planning experience from it. I was excited to start with the company. Since I haven't heard from them, I don't think I got the job. I shouldn't really be surprised though, that has been the story of my life for the past 7 months. The $250 I get every week from unemployment really doesn't go that far in the grand scheme of things.
On a positive note, my brother is home on leave for the next 2 weeks. He got in early Tuesday morning; he drove straight through from Colorado! I don't know what all he has planned while we're home, but we are throwing him a big party at Alta Villa next Saturday, so that should be fun.
Today for lunch Antonio and I went to Domo 77. That has been one of my favorite restaurants since I was a little girl, it is a Japanese Hibachi grill. They have a lunch special going on right now for just $9 per person. It wasn't the entire hibachi experience, just the salad, chicken (or shrimp if you wanted) and fried rice. They also didn't cook it at our table, like they normally do. But, for $9, it was a great lunch! We are definitely planning on going again before the promotion ends.

YouTube Hall of Fame

In keeping with the animal theme, here are 2 more adorable YouTube videos you have to watch!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hly0vuXPG-M

(the owner of this video doesn't allow embedding, so just click the link!)

Deep Thoughts

Well, I suppose I will chime in on the VMA hoopla. Don't get me wrong, I think what happened between Kayne and Taylor was just disgraceful, but I am saddened to see the media focused so much on the event rather than what was supposed to be the screen-stealing moment: the Michael Jackson tribute. So, thank you Kayne West, not only did you take away Taylor Swift's moment, you have caused the American media to completely forget about the bad ass tribute to the King of Pop.
And what surprised me the most, even more than Beyonce giving up her time on stage to Taylor, was how amazingly calm and collected Taylor was during her performance 5 minutes after the whole thing happened. I've always loved her (I saw her in concert last summer), and I love her even more for being so graceful about the whole thing. If it were me that it happened to, Kayne would have probably gotten a big bitch slap right there on stage!
The whole thing seems to definitely have worked in Taylor's favor, listening to the radio today while driving around, I heard one of her songs at least 10 times, no joke! But, I was kind of surprised that I did also hear Kayne, but this is his hometown, so people will support him no matter what.
And did you hear that President Obama called him an asshole? How funny is that! Especially how hard Kayne campaigned for Obama, both being from the Chi.

Anyways... I think I'm pretty close to getting a job! I've had 3 interviews with the company, and it seems promising. I'm excited about it and all, but the job is only part time. I don't want to discuss it too much right now, but I'll talk all about it if I get it!

YouTube Hall of Fame

I was watching The Bonnie Hunt show yesterday and she showed this adorable video of a cat drinking water and taking a shower at the same time. My cat, Pearl loves to drink out of the sink, but does it in a more conventional way. Take a look!

Always remember

I was thinking this morning about the events that have happened during my lifetime that I remember where I was and how I found out about the news.
9/11 of course being one of them. I was a junior in high school, and it was during Mrs. Garrity's 2nd period math class that our principal came on the loud speaker and told us about the first tower being hit. My initial reaction was that it had been an accident, that the plane had lost its ability to steer or something like that. We chatted for a moment in class about what we had just heard, but class continued as normal. About 15 minutes later, our principal came on again announcing that the other tower had been hit. Of course at that point we all realized it was no accident. The day went on but I don't recall learning anything. The teachers had been instructed not to let students watch TV during class, but my psychology teacher, Mr. Fitts let us watch TV the entire period. He said that what was going on in the world was more important than class that day.
After I got home from school I called my mom and she told me that I should go and fill my gas tank up. So, I turned on some AM radio and went to the gas station near my house, where I waited in a line of about 15 cars to fill up, crazy! I got home and immediately turned on the TV and got ready for work. My shift was supposed to start at 5pm, and about 4 o'clock my manager called and told me that the store was closing for the night so I didn't need to go in.
I also remember that it was a Saturday morning my senior year of high school when the space shuttle Columbia exploded. My mom had called me in to her room to tell me and I watched the news coverage on her small TV.
It's funny how somethings like that we never forget. I feel that today there is a new sense of rememberance. I recall the last few years not much has been covered by the news. I was glad to see the memorials taking place were being featured prominiently throughout the media today.

Excitement down at the unemployment office

Well, we acted too soon. My girlfriend and I went to the unemployment office for probably the 65th time this morning. The line was unusually long, so we waited about 15-20 minutes before we were helped. When we got up there the lady had informed us that we had both been paid. A nice shiny envelope was waiting for me when I got home confirming the funds. So, I wasted 40 minutes of precious mid-morning sleeping time.
Only thing is, I only got paid for 1 week. I don't believe that has ever happened to me before. Normally we get 2 weeks worth of pay since we only certify every other week. I'm rather confused, hopefully I won't just lose that week of pay.

(The cartoon below completely embodies the feeling we get when we go to the office!)

This is my list

I promised that I would not use this blog to be negative, but I'm almost having a mental breakdown, so bear with me as I vent. The unemployment office has suspended my benefits for a 2nd time because I'm a student. As I previously mentioned it took over a month for me to get my money. I was in better shape back then because I still had someone else paying my credit card bill. Not so this time, my credit card expired in July and I was not gifted another one. So, I'm seriously broke. I am going to the office again tomorrow to try and clear things up so that I don't have to wait as long for my benefits, but the people at the office really don't care, so they like to take their sweet time.
Anyways, here is a list of things I need that I cannot afford.

1. Haircut and highlights
My hair is so unprofessional looking right now, I think it is at least part of the reason I haven't found a job yet
2. New tires
My old ones are old, I also would like to get the air-conditioning fixed in my car, but that is definitely not a priority
3. A laptop
Being in school it would be helpful if I could take my computer with me wherever I choose to study instead of using my dad's desktop until 3am and getting yelled at the next day for waking him up when I went downstairs
4. Car insurance
I won't have to renue until October, but thinking ahead I'm not sure how I am going to afford the $500 I'll have to pay
5. Textbooks
Again, this won't come up until October, but I will need to buy another textbook at the beginning of the month, so there's another $100+ I need to come up with
6. Medical expenses
I have medical expenses that I haven't paid since I got laid off because I haven't had the funds, I'm nervous that the bills are going to go in to collections

Oh boy, I've got a lot to pay for in the next couple months. Even with the job I was working at Robbins Bros. that would be hard for me to cover everything. I really don't want to quit school so soon after I started, but that would definitely alleviate some of my financial woes. Why couldn't I have been born a Hilton or Kennedy?
On a more positive note, I've come across the most wonderful website that you all must see: www.peopleofwalmart.com. It's one of the most amazing things I've encountered in a long while. I might need to take a trip to Wal-Mart to see if I can't add to the collection!

Time Warp!

On Saturday Antonio and I went to Medieval Times in Schaumburg. If you're not familiar with the concept, it is a dinner and tournament. The show takes place in a castle during the twelfth century. They feed you huge portions of chicken along with soup, ribs, potatoes, and a dessert. All without silverware! You have to eat everything with your hands. If you know me well, I absloutely hate getting messy when I eat. So, this was somewhat of a challenge for me! Thankfully after the chicken and ribs they passed around wetnaps. I had been to Medieval Times once when I was probably 7 years old, so I didn't remember a whole lot about the experience. It was so much fun, I would totally go back! I've posted a bunch of pictures below, but when I uploaded them they were displayed in reverse order (that's one thing I don't like at all about BlogSpot!), but you'll get the idea.

Painting Progress

Like I mentioned before, my dad and I are repainting our dining room. Here is the progress thus far.
I didn't take a picture before my dad took down the wallpaper, so here is an older picture from last October to show you what it originally looked like.
The room after the wallpaper had been stripped off.
The room all primed and ready for some color! We are going to do the top portion of the wall a creamy yellowish color and the bottom a darker tanish color. I will post pictures when we complete the project!

Cuisine and textbooks

Wow, who knew school was going to take up so much of my time! That is pretty much all I've been doing this week, and it is only the 2nd week of classes! So far so good... I think! I am now just crossing my fingers that I will get my unemployment benefits on Monday with no problems or delays, not quite sure what I'm going to do if I don't.
The other night Antonio and I had a culinary celebration, if you will. There is this place in the city called The Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Co. that sells pizza potpies. He picked up a frozen one and brought it back to my house where it spent a relaxing two hours in my oven. It might not look like it, but it was delicious!


He got the large size, which doesn't look very big, but for the two of us it was way more than enough. After dinner we went to the grocery store and tried retrieving all the ingredients to make a peach cobbler. My family makes a little different version of a cobbler than I've ever seen, and it took us 3 stores before we finally found the key ingredient! It was my first time making the cobbler (I got the recipe from my aunt) and I will definitely be tweaking the recipe a bit when I make it again, but it wasn't too terrible.


This weekend I am so excited because Antonio and I are going to Medieval Times! I have only been one other time before, and that was when I was 6 or 7, so its been a while. I will try and take a bunch of pictures and post them afterward.