product reviews: deodorants

Cruelty free skin care? Yes.
Cruelty free makeup? Yes.
Cruelty free deodorant? Now that seems a bit trickier.

I've tried the Crystal route...does this one work for anyone? I've never met a single person.  I'm wet and stinky by the end of a normal day (let alone a work out day!?! Eep!) If you're curious it retails for about $5.00 and is available all over the place.

I tried Lavanila.  The 100% healthy deodorant.  Alright, light scent.  Occasionally by the very end of the day, I may feel a little questionable. My fragrance of choice was Vanilla Lavander...side note: must be a fan of Vanilla.  I purchased from Sephora initially, but it's also available on Amazon; retails for $14.00.


Trader Joe's unscented with cotton fibers.  Affordable and ok...it works, but maybe I just prefer the scented route.  Available at Trader Joe's.

In the end I went back to my tried and true deodorant of choice.  It's Donna Karan's Cashmere Mist, and while I sincerely doubt that it is cruelty free (never managed to find a straight up yes/no) and it is on the expensive side ($24.00 a pop) it has never let me down.  Available at Sephora, ULTA, and assorted department stores (in the fragrance section).

I'm still searching for a good cruelty free alternative...if anyone out there has any suggestions please let me know!

Cheers!

Pretty Kitty...an experience

One day I was driving and saw this sign...I wondered what kind of place it was,  and then promptly forgot about it.  Then a girl I was working with mentioned she had an appointment there.  "Oh! What do they do there?" I asked..."Brazilians." she replied.  

Sure enough, if you check the Pretty Kitty website they pride themselves on a 10-15 minute Brazillian and let's face it the less time a stranger spends down there with hot wax the better.  I've been there twice now (for both brow and bikini waxes) and have to say they do good work.

My first time there, we started with my brows...which I had not touched in a while (quite a while).  She pointed out that one was thinner than the other and that she'd like to have it more grown in before she shaped it.  Made total sense to me and she did some quick clean up on my brows.  Her bikini wax work was super fast (but not rushed)...didn't even have time to be uncomfortable while laying half naked on a table.  

This time the girl I had was newer (still mastering her timing) and although I didn't not time her the front desk did and gave me $10 off for keeping me over the 15 minute mark.  No complaints here.  She also did good work.

I find their prices reasonable and their service is great.  They have a bunch of locations (I go to the one in Chino Hills).  If you're curious about getting a Brazilian, I would recommend this place, just for the time on the table factor alone! 

Now that my bikini line is ready for summer maybe I should get the rest of me ready by hitting the gym.  Oh wait, the cookies are calling my name from the kitchen.

Cheers all!

all the time in the world...procrastination at it's finest

Being as I am currently unemployed I have a copious amount of free time.   I should be taking a class, or exercising, updating my resume...just generally being productive.  Instead, I find myself sleeping... a lot.

I am struggling, and feeling a bit Scarlett O'Hara ("Oh Rhett, where will I go? What will I do?") about life right now.  In-my-head-me sees all the possibilities, but In-real-life-me lacks the motivation to get things done.

Truth be told, I'm not even sure where to go with this post.  Apologies for being a downer...life's journey is full of peaks and valleys, right?  I'm just wandering through the valley for a while and looking for the next peak.

Wish me luck...or if you have any helpful thoughts or comments on what to do when you don't know what to do, please share!


Cheers to brighter days ahead. 

tool review: eyelash curler

To curl or not curl...
does curling make you want to hurl?
do you want to give it a whirl?

Eyelash curlers are one of those items that people love or hate.  There doesn't seem to be any middle ground.  When I was taking my Esthetician course one of my classmates exclaimed that the eyelash curler looked like an implement of torture. 

I myself am for the curl.  Without, I feel like my lashes are a bit invisible.  A little bit of curl and quick sweep of mascara and I feel like I look awake.

Now, if you feel eyelash curlers are just not your thing...that's cool, go on about your day and have a beautiful one at that.  If you on the other hand are looking for a good curler that won't break the bank check this out:   

For your consideration may I present liveWIRE Beauty's Eyelash Curler.  It promises to be the last eyelash curler you will ever need.  No pinching, no refill pads to purchase (and then lose because they are so dang small).  I picked up mine on Amazon for $14.99.  I've been using it for a couple of months now and have no complaints.  

I was previously using the one from Tarte: Alright but could be a little pinchy if  you weren't careful.

Also, I'd tried one from e.l.f. (for $1, it's hard to say no): Felt like I got what I paid for on that one.

Had a brief affair with one of the heated ones from Sephora...but when it's battery ran out so did mine.

Cheers to you...wherever you may stand on the whole eyelash curler thing!

living the dream, or how I quit a job

Remember when you were little and someone would say "What do you want to be when you grow up?" and their were endless possibilites?  I really wish I'd thought about that a little harder.


I recently quit my last job in a rather fabulous fashion...going out the way you see it in the movies.   I was only there three months, but it was a very long three months.  On a Tuesday morning I sat down with my manager and gave my notice.  True to her haughty nature she responded with "Well, I'm not surprised...I saw this coming." and we went about out day in a polite but very awkward way.  Her response really irked me though...like a lot.  Why should I give her two weeks?  She was prepared for me to leave, right?

The next morning I sat at my desk when she came in with a stack of things for me to work on for the next two weeks.  In that moment, I knew I'd had enough.  I looked her in the face and said "No, I think I'm going to finish up what I already have here and call it a day."  She nearly blew a fuse! "WHAT!?...You're leaving right now? You're just going to walk out the door??!!"  Now, that is not what I had planned mind you, I was going to finish out the day and make sure my desk was clear...but suddenly something snapped and I said "Okay." and began shutting down my computer right then and there.  It felt glorious.

Life really is too short to be unhappy.  I may struggle through the occasional bouts with depression, I may need to sometimes check in with a therapist but I will not suffer day in and day out in a job that makes me miserable.  I am not sure what is next (I didn't actually have anything lined up - job wise); I'm just taking this one day at a time.

Any words of wisdom out there?  I'd love to hear from you.
Cheers ~ Tam

my break from blogging

I took a little break from here when I started my new job in February.  Not so much because I wanted to take a break, it just turned out that the job demanded a lot of hours and the last thing I wanted to do at the end of the day was to look at another computer screen. 

I have some time on my hands now though (more on that later) and I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things.  Long story short, I've missed this. 

Hoping you'll stay tuned.

Cheers~Tam