Chic bumming for you and yours...fun things to do with your dog on a budget! Check it out!

I know I've mentioned this website before, but now there's an article about doggies! What could be better?

Cheap things to do with your dog on RFB

So I found some awesome new shopping sites. They offer new sales each day on specific brands. The items run everywhere in price from ten bucks to over a thousand - it just depends what the item is. So far I've seen awesome beauty products for sale (ex. Shu Uemura cult obsession mini eyelash curler for $10) to seriously glam accessories (Chanel, Gucci and Fendi...oh my!)

They're all invitation only, so I'm providing a link below so anyone who wants can create an account as my guest. I don't get any info about you and you won't be associated with me in any way, it'll just let you create your own account and set your preferences.

Here we go...

#1: http://www.ruelala.com/invite/seisenstadt02

BONUS: If you log onto ruelala with this invite before Dec. 4th, you'll get a $10 credit to your account!!! WOWIE :)

#2: http://www.gilt.com/invite/zentm

#3: http://www.hautelook.com/invite/SEisenstadt009

Happy shopping!

Sooo...my husband went to Germany for a week and I had some time to reflect about myself and our relationship. Aside from missing him terribly, I realized that I might not be pulling my weight. Basically, I haven't been feeling all that great about myself. My motivation has been low (outside of school) and I somehow ended my girlish pursuit of looking hot. Hott. Well, I know that sounds shallow, but along with my appearance, my self-esteem took a steep downturn. I stopped dressing well (daily scrubs and jean-t-shirt combos undermined my ability to care how I looked each day), I stopped learning new ways to do my makeup, and I didn't invest anything in fashion, which had always been a source of excitement for me.

I've been feeling a renewed sense of wanting to look good, feel good, do good, so I took a few steps for corrective action.

Eins: I started by buying some old friends turned enemies. Fashion magazines. I stopped buying them when I decided that they made me covet things I couldn't afford and I wanted to be above that, and above materialism in general. Maybe I haven't completely figured it out yet, but there are worse things than materialism. Like lack of self esteem. I don't think it's so much the objects you buy that give you esteem as it is the excitement and newness of reinventing yourself, and the ego-boosts that come with a few heads turning on the street or when you enter a room. If you find that shallow, it's ok with me. I also missed the sheer decadence that can be found exclusively in the pages of the chicest glossies. Morbidly thin models in hype couture dressing? Ja, bitte!

Zwei: I updated my wardrobe a bit, and am on the prowl for more. I'm particularly fond of the sequin skirt I recently acquired as well as the sexy heels I intend to wear with it. Yee-haw! I put my wardrobe to good use the night my hubs came back from Germany. I got super spiffy and threw on a hot dress, heels, and a gorg necklace

Drei: Resolution: Eat better. Can any person considering self-improvement not include this one? Oh well. It's in here and it's staying. I've acted on this by incorporating way more veggies and fresh foods into my diet. In with the broccoli, carrots, and sweet potatoes...out with the fast food munchies and sugar snacks.

Vier: Going along with drei and the general feel better about myself kick...possiby work out more. I have a really hard time with this one, and I'm not sure how it's going to go. I guess I need to lay out a specific plan for this, and I haven't yet. I'll be revisiting this one later.

Fünf: Figure out how in the world to do great makeup. My skills are probably paralleled by any sixth grader today. That's pretty sad. I was happy when I figured out how to smudge my eyeliner so horribly drawn lines didn't look quite as bad. Even happier when I learned to set it with eyeshadow. Well...that was great for high school, but really, now it's time for big girl makeup. So, I hopped onto youtube last week and watched a ton of videos on makeup how-tos. I made some new "friends" (or at least subscribed to some blogs, establishing one way admiration), and went out and bought some new makeup. I normally live in a big city, but since my grad school is in such a small town, there's no Sephora or Nars in sight, but there is a MAC counter in the Belk's department store. I found out about it online, and, despite having never before been in a Belk's, I ventured into one on Friday. Wow. Ok so there were some interesting items available for purchase, but I breezed past the questionables straight to the MAC counter and grabbed up some new powder foundation, makeup brushes, eyeshadows, and an eyeliner. I spent some serious dough. Inspired by all the videos I'd seen, I went ahead and tried out those new products as soon as I got home. I absolutely love the possibility of a makeup palette. I didn't so much get a great look out of the first attempt I made (right eye), and I happened to be even less happy with my second (left eye) attempt, but they both came off with the swipe of a makeup remover pad. I tried again Saturday morning, going slightly more downplayed and traditional for a therio CE conference (read equine reproductive specialists in flannel and jeans), but I liked what I saw. I happened to have a Halloween party Saturday night, so I figured it was a great time to try out a new look and build my costume around that. It's one of the few times scary and gaudy are fine. With that in mind, I took everything a step further and purchased false eyelashes. Seriously. I know I'm talking about baby steps in improvement here and that is a huge leap (one way or the other...depending on what you think about falsies), but I did it. I'm so glad I did! The result of a few clusters of big 'ol lashes in the corner of my eyes = sexy betty. So, the best part of it all was a I got together a new look based on what I'd seen on youtube. Thank you internet, youtube, and the sexy bonitas who inspired my new looks. I know I must have done something right because I ended up winning the Sexiest Costume category at my halloween party! Wowie!!! (I'm still in shock over that one, a little embarrassed, and a lot flattered.)

So...those are just the baby steps for now.

Here's a pic of the result for the night:

Here are some of the videos that inspired me from youtube. Thank you especially to magicgrrl and lisaz...you ladies are awesome! You helped me figure out some great products to buy and how to use them. Thank you thank you ladies!

makeup application vids:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYSz4Vt7P34

http://www.youtube.com/user/magicgrl111#p/c/7FA83F039364A799/2/v6oKiPNX_Qk

false eyelashes (what to buy and how to do it):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8juRizzor0

makeup reviews:

http://www.youtube.com/user/lisasz09?blend=1&ob=4#p/u/25/eTg0dyHC6Cs

http://www.youtube.com/user/lisasz09?blend=1&ob=4#p/u/96/r6SOuJ-NBRQ

movies on the cheap | go out | bum around - Rent.Food.Broke.

movies on the cheap | go out | bum around - Rent.Food.Broke.

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Moving on up!

I started a blog in May on wordpress, but I like this blog so much better - it's so much easier to use, I can actually figure out what I'm doing!  I'm going to try this out for awhile!