Ipsy November 2014

The theme for November’s Ispy bag is “Girl Meets Glitter”

This girl wan’t that impressed with glitter…

Let’s start with the bag. November’s bag is a plasticky silver glitter bag that leaves some glitter residue. It’s definitely something you’d find at Claire’s or Icing aimed at the tween group. My bag actually had a blue stain on the corner. I’m not sure where that came from as I can’t take it off.

The items:

be Delectable from Cake Beauty – Hand Cream in Strawberries and Cream
It definitely smells like Starbucks strawberries and cream frappuccino. It’s a wonderful scent, but not something I would have on my hands. It’s very creamy, but not greasy. I only need a small amount to hydrate my hands. Winter is coming and my hands get ridiculously dry during the season. I’m glad I have something to help with that. It’s no L’Occitane hand cream (my favorite), but it gets the job done.

Be a Bombshell – Eye base in Submissive
This is a cream eye-shadow base. It has glitter pigments, but it’s too close to my skin color. I feel like I had to really pack it on to even notice the sheen on my lids. It’s great for a simple neutral look I guess. I’m sure if I had an eyeshadow color to apply on top of it, it would probably enhance it. For me, my base will always be Urban Decay’s Primer Potion

Glamglow – Powermud Duel Cleanse Treatment
This is a mask you leave on for 5-10 minutes and then rinse off. This feels a lot like the mint julep mask I get from CVS, but not as thick. When you rinse it off, the mask feels like a moisturizer. It left my skin super soft. It’s still soft two days later. If you can afford it, i’d recommend it. Full size is $70! Yikes!

J.Cat Beauty – Wonder Lip Paint in Mad Splatter
My first impression was that it looks way too dark for me. I understand it’s fall and that’s the trend, but it’s a color I would usually not go for. When I put it on, it’s actually a vibrant glossy fuchsia. Almost neon, depending on the lighting. Weird. If I blot my lips, it ends up slightly a tolerable matte color. It goes on smoothly on the lips. I almost forgot I had it on. It’s a stain so it does not dry the lips. You can wear it alone or on top of lipstick. The pigment stays on fingers so you could even use it as a blush! Their website sells them for $5 in a variety of colors including green and blue.

Starlooks – Gem eyeliner in Ultra Orchid
This is a glittery purple eyeliner. Nothing too exciting here. It’s a nice color and glides on lids well, but that’s about it. After a few hours the outer edge of my eyes started to look like tired raccoon. And that’s with primer on! Meh

This bag was okay. It was nice to try all the products, but that hand cream is probably what I’ll end up using the most.

Auto update

I don’t know much about cars. I know when I need to put gas in it, when to get new tires, and how to check oil levels, but that’s it. Everything else is based on what the mechanic tells me. I’ve been told many times that taking it to the dealer is scam, but I never listened. I bought my car brand new 6 years ago and have been taking it to Honda ever since. I didn’t know where else to go and they were open on weekends.

Shortly after I got back from Hawaii, I took my car in for service. What was supposed to be an oil change, turned out to be much more. Honda gave me a list of other things that needed attention. They tried to convince me that it was a safety issue and that it needed to get done ASAP and for a crap ton of money. Hubby called BS on them. Yes those things need attention, but not in the immediate future.

Flash forward to 2 months later, I finally got a chance to take my car to a nearby shop that my friend recommended. We told them everything Honda told us. They took a look at my car and also called BS on Honda. My brakes and suspension are fine. I don’t need an alignment. Fluid was not dirty or leaking. My car is actually in really good shape. They couldn’t find anything wrong.

I’m glad I got a second opinion. I wish I could say that I will never go back to Honda, but unfortunately, I still need to. Last year I had paint issues with the roof of my car. They repainted (at not cost to me) everything but the doors. Now the doors are an issue especially on the drivers side door. I have an extended warranty on the paint so that should be covered. What they won’t cover is a rental car as my car will need to be in the shop for a week.

As for my hubby, his 1988 Acura Integra is just about done. The repairs needed on his car aren’t really worth keeping it around. The past few weekends we’ve been car shopping. He really wants to get a manual Honda Fit Sport or EX edition. We found a few used cars but either the price wasn’t right, or there was something wrong with the test drive. We did test drive a 2015 Honda fit. It was a really nice ride. We might consider buying new if we can afford it. For now we’ve been sharing my car. If only public transportation was just as good as Japan’s, then we wouldn’t need to worry about getting a second car.

Next chapter

An enormous weight has lifted from my shoulders. The unnecessary stress is gone. It feels good. Like I can breathe again.

I’m not sure what happens next but I’m ready to find out.

But first, rest and relaxation.