Goodies from Ladysugarsheen

Fellow blogger friend Whitney and I exchanged holiday goodies. I love trying new brands and items, so I was happy to see quite a few products in my box that I have never used.

Whitney was kind enough to send me:
Rimmel Extra Wow lash mascara
Revlon ColorStay sultry smoke 12 hour eye shadow
Almay smart shade blush in pink
Sally Hansen salon effects polish in girl power
Vaseline lip therapy
Boscia pink peppermint blotting linens

Wet n Wild eyeliners in turquoise, sky blue and purple

Wet n Wild lipliner in red

Wet n Wild lipstick in dark pink frost and red

Ybf plum noir eye liner

iGo Kiwi scented nail polish remover
Carmex lime twist
Kiss flat nail stickers
Revlon perle eyeshadow in violet starlet

I can't wait to use to Boscia blotting linens since I have a tendency for oily skin.  I have already started using the Vaseline lip therapy and I enjoy it.  It's perfect for these December days...so cold, I often end up with dry and chapped lips.  With Vaseline lip therapy it keeps my lips nicely moisturized.

Thank you, Whitney.  I love my goodies!

'

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays! 

I am extremely fortunate to have a home, family, friends and a job.  There are many people in our country, state and even neighborhood that have all three of these things.  It's important to appreciate these little things that we often take for granted (over said..I know!)  I have in the past complained about jobs and often complained about family...but these things matter!  Family is what you make it...even if they are a pain in your butt 24/7.  Appreciate these things.  Appreciate your little furry friends and family.

 

Given that my old kitty, Spotty has been having a miserable for a few months...I have really come to reflect on how much I care for him.  I am learning not to take each day for granted.

 

I also want to take the time to thank any readers I may have. It's not all about the quantity but also the quality of readers.

 

Thank you for putting up with my ramblings!

'

OPI Purchase: Skyfall Collection Polishes

It's been awhile since I have stepped inside my previously local Ulta...but my $5 off coupon was too tempting to resist.  I fell for OPI's new Skyfall collection and purchased 2 polishes and got one free, and even had $5 off applied my total.

My photos are not the best but I purchased 2 polishes from the Skyfall collection: On her majesty's secret service and golden eye.  My free polish was part of the Ulta exclusive holiday collection: A gift card for everyone

 

photo taken from here

 

As you might assume, Golden Eye is a gold shimmery polish.  It's fairly opaque so 2 coats will give you a great solid color.

photo taken from here

On her majesty's secret service is a beautiful gray, pewter shimmery blue toned polish.  It's very unique and I can't wait to rock this polish.

I really wanted to purchase The world is not enough not only did it look really pretty but it is also a song by Garbage done for the The World Is Not Enough Bond movie.

Currently, I am wearing Golden eye.  It's such a bright golden color.  It really catches your eye.  I think this will be a great holiday polish, especially if it is paired with another holiday color.

My swatches are pretty pathetic but hopefully they help paint a picture of what the polishes look like.

The Ulta holiday exclusive polish Gift cards for everyone is a deep dark plum color with speckles of lighter purple. 

I gave away my favorite purple polish to my sister, so I have been looking for a replacement.  I have a feeling Gift cards for everyone might just be it.

What is your favorite new OPI collection?

Girly Christmas Tree

The holiday season has officially kicked off.  I wish I could admit that it started with a better start but none the less, I am grateful for everyone and everything.  Since this is only my second Christmas at my condo, I haven't quite figured out my decorations or tree.  My poor Christmas tree is...fake!  Which doesn't bother me but it is also quite small.  My family is composed of various 6ft Christmas tree snobs so they often look down at my one little tree.

This year, I wanted to try something simple but yet girly...and kitten proof. 

I started out by making a pink ribbon bow (thanks to this YouTube video) which almost became a disaster.  Luckily, Jeff was able to plump it up and make it beautiful.

Not bad for a boy, right?



We hung up the lights on the crooked and sad tree.

Up top we tied the beautiful pink bow and draped the remaining ribbon on the tree.  We then added pink and silver garland and decorated with cute plastic ornaments.  I am crossing my fingers that the kitten doesn't attempt to attack/eat/sleep on it.

 

 Not bad, right? 

 

 

Harvesty Makeup of the Day

It has been forever since my last blog post but I have been pretty busy with personal, family and technical matters.  Everything sorta happened all at once but I am hoping to return more regularly to the blog world!

Given that we are only a few weeks away from Halloween, I decided to get into the spirit and use my orange eyeshadow.  Honestly, how many times can I wear orange and it be moderately normal?

 

My make-up consisted of:

 

Base

Too Faced - Candlelight

MAC - Beige-ing

Shadow

Glamour Doll - Orange Crush

Beauty from the Earth - Hitchcock

MAC - Vanilla Loose Powder

The rest

Urban Decay - Covet Eyeliner

Benefit - Bad Girl Lash

Maybelline - Stiletto Eyeliner in Black

 

Ignore my wet hair!

 

Just between you and me, it has been a really long time since I have gone crazy or done a full on eye look.  I had a good time, and hopefully you enjoyed my tame Halloween look.

Until next time,

Guild Wars: Mesmer

As I have mentioned before, the Mesmer is my favorite profession in Guild Wars.  To hype myself up for Guild Wars 2, I have created a collage to better illustrate the Mesmer. I hope you enjoy!

Guild Wars - Mesmer by vintagelex-1 featuring a pink lip stick

Space Saver: Ikea Scarf Hanger

On my recent trip to Ikea I purchased the multi-use hanger aka a scarf hanger.  In the past my scarves were either tossed into a bin together or hung on a wire hanger together.  My previous storage methods were untidy, disorganized and made it difficult to see my scarves.

The multi-use hanger is pretty affordable and offers plenty of storage.  As it claims, it is a hanger.  The hanger is made up of wrapped metal circles.  The wrapped circles are tightly wrapped to protect your delicate scarves.  Below is a closer snap shot.

The pros so far appear to be the convenience of stashing all your scarves in one place, plus you can hang the hanger in your closet.  In addition, the product itself was fairly affordable.  So far, no cons.  I just wonder if the hanger will continue to hold strong with time.  At this time, the hanger appears to be sturdy enough to hold the scarves pictured below plus more. 

If you are looking to organize your scarves or anything else that can fit into this odd shaped hanger, look no further.  Ikea is selling the multi-use hanger for $7.99.  Happy shopping and organizing!

Guild Wars: Goal Completed

Ever since I started playing Guild Wars (GW) which was years ago...I have wanted the obsidian armor for my Mesmer. Now, for those of you too cool to play the game. It is one of the most expensive armors to obtain because it requires you to collect lots of in game gold, and large amounts of crafting materials that are also expensive (ectos & obsidian shards). With help from my guild members and lots of in game yard sales, I have finally obtained my obsidian armor. I never thought I would actually obtain it...because in game I am so poor! Plus, I die a lot and I am quite useless.

Last week, a few guild members and I travelled to Fissures of Woe and three of us obtained our first ever obsidian armor set! 

Look at all that sexy obsidian armor

I was so pumped I took a few screen shots of my new armor

Isn't it sexy armor?

I am pretty darn surprise I was able to obtain it!  Luckily, I did it all within my mad dash for 30 Hall of Monument points in preparation for Guild Wars 2.  Now, I am focusing on obtaining 50 HOM points before August 28, 2012.   I have a feeling I am not going to be able to make it within such a tight deadline...but this Mesmer can hope!

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

 Can I just confess that I am not a huge chocolate chip cookie fan?  I know. It's a total shock, but when I stumbled across a friend's chocolate chip cookie recipe that claimed it was best...I just had to try it myself. As mentioned, I am not a huge chocolate chip cookie fan and I am having a hard time not eating the entire batch.

As the title claims, it simply is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe.  I loved it.   The recipe is located on her blog.  I liked that Houdah included a few options for a "healthier" alternative.  I made my batch of cookies with Domino Light, which is a variation of sugar/splenda.  I was out of apple sauce...so I had to use eggs.  Regardless of how you wish to make your batch, I am certain it will taste delicious.

Go check out the recipe and try it for yourself!

  

Happy Belated Fourth!

Happy Belated Fourth of July!

This year, I attended my town's firework display and can I just say that I was a wee bit disappointed?  First of all traffic was miserable.  I live 5 mins down the street and it took 30 minutes to get to the park.  The firework time was also a total lie.  It was announced that the fireworks were to start at 9:30, however they started at 9pm!  Needless to say, I missed a good chunk of the display.  Lastly, I don't enjoy seeing the fireworks near the cemetery.  Just a bit creepy, yah know? 

 

Despite all that, I did manage to snap a few shots and enjoy myself.  However, I found it amusing that folks literally stood in front of us. Everyone else was sitting behind them on the grass.  Is it too much to ask to sit down?  I understand you are on the sidewalk but it's hard to see!  I got bored so I snapped a shot of the rude folks.  It wouldn't have been so bad...if 10 other people hadn't joined the party. 

 

Down in front!

 Oh the holidays, it just brings out the best in everyone!  After the firework display, everyone was walking in the middle of the street.  However, some folks started to pull out from their parking spots and start driving into a mob of people.  I kid you not, one guy got so mad he literally knocked viciously with his fist on one of the cars.  I know we are all busy and have places to go...but really?  You can't wait 10 minutes for everyone to clear the streets?  Mind you, the streets were blocked off...so if you parked there that's your fault.

So I think I have learned a lesson today.  People go nuts during holidays.  Avoid walking and driving in the middle of the street after a major public event.  Stay home or go to a more civilized side of Northern Virginia.  The end.  Happy Fourth!

 

 Now that I am thinking...there was a reddish moon out.  Maybe that's why everyone was in such a sour mood.

Ikea Drawer Makeover

I finally went to an Ikea for the first time!!  I had such a good time that I am going back in a few weeks.  The main reason for my 1 hour trip to Ikea is that I needed makeup storage.  Yep, you read correctly....makeup.  My makeup was taking over every available space that I had and I was not a fan of the plastic storage units.  So, I found a lovely 9 drawer unit that would house all of my makeup vices. 

Ikea link here

I swore to myself that if my makeup didn't fit in this unit, I would need to admit that I had a problem!  It's 9 drawers for darn sake...it had to fit! 

Early on, I deliberated on purchasing the drawer unit due to the white color.  My bed room set is a vintage beige, french countryside color.  It's extremely hard to match.  The white drawer unit would stand out.  Yet, I found no other alternative that was budget friendly so I went ahead and purchased the drawer unit.

Assembly was super easy and I was pleasantly surprised with the actual construction of the unit.  It's sturdy and durable.  It doesn't feel weak, cheap or unstable.  I love it.  It's the best money I have spent on any organization piece.

As I had expected the white looked really out of place in my beigey bedroom.  So, I explored Jo-Ann and found a beautiful decorative pattern trim.

I was initially looking for decorative fabric but I was worried about messing up on the application.  So I started looking for something that would allow me to reposition upon application... just in case I made terrible boo-boos.  I stumbled upon decorative trim that is meant for walls or drawers:

It was perfect.  It's self adhesive, removable and it even had 3 of my favorite words.  EASY TO USE!  WOOT!  I was instantly sold.  Did I mention that it only cost $5 with my 50% off coupon?

The hardest part of applying the decorative trim was matching up the swirly flower pattern.  It just took some careful tracing. 

I found it helpful to remove the drawers and trace the shape on the decorative trim.  Next, I cut the shape out and applied it directly to the front of the drawer.  Any excess trim was removed using an exacto knife.  Make sure to carefully cut close to the furniture to prevent any peeling of the trim.  Ater that...you are done!  It's literally that easy!

I left the sides white but I may cover them in the future.  I am so happy with the makeover!  It matches perfectly in my bedroom.  Plus, it was sooo easy and cheap.  What more could I ask for?

*Note - I have had my drawer set for about 2 months and I have not had any peeling*

Until next time,

Guild Wars 2 - Beta Weekend 2

A few weeks ago, I teased you all with a GW2 photo.  Well, I'm baaaaack with many more!  This past weekend was the second beta weekend.  Last beta, I didn't have a chance to post photos or even tell you about my adventures.  Since I currently play a mesmer in Guild Wars, I decided to create a human mesmer in GW2.  The new game offers various races which is something completely new! However, I decided to be vanilla and play a human.

For those of you not familiar with mesmers, they are described as magical duelists who rely on deception and confusion to keep their opponents in check. A mesmer will use illusions, clones and phantasm to confuse and attack their opponents.  I think what I enjoyed the most about playing a mesmer in GW2 is the fact that I can use a variety of weapons and still cause a decent amount of damage.  I seemed to favor the great sword a whole lot. 

 

You can also wield a gun as mesmer.  How B.A. is that?

Guild Wars 2 offers players the ability to take up professions.  I took up tailoring and leather crafting.  To be honest, crafting armor was not as intuitive as I would've thought.  However, once I figured it out, it was fairly easy but expensive!!  I crafted myself sexy armor and many items bags for myself and fellow guildees.  Below is the armor that I crafted for myself.  I called it my genie armor.

The first beta, I was experiencing some graphic issues so I could not see water nor fire.  The above image is actually taken in Lions Arch, which is a town that houses quite a lot of water.  You can see fish just swimming on...but no water.  So each time I jumped into a body of water, I looked like I was swimming in thin air.

My guild kept telling me that we were taking photos on a fire pit but...I wasn't lucky enough to see the fire. 

I didn't even believe them that there was fire until I saw their photos....

 I enjoyed playing with massive groups of folks. My guild is pretty big so it was pretty awesome to roll through towns and quests as a giant mass.

 You can also purchase gems either via real money or through in game gold to get special in game items.  Since it was a beta weekend, each user received a limited amount of gems to try out.  Most of my guild purchased pirate costumes and we had a pirate party.

We wouldn't be good pirates, if we didn't attach innocent people.

As a pirate, you receive special skills and apparently, a cannon is one of them!

Above is the pirate costume dyed pink, blue an purple.  Sexy, right?

I was attempting to take photos while my guild was going nuts in the background.  They got a box of fun and were enjoying it a bit too much. 

If you don't have a cool and fun guild like mine (you can always join mine!!) you can always roam the countryside and who knows...maybe find a friend?

I also randomly tagged along to nearby groups in order to complete heart quests. They helped me kill a lot of Wurms.

Overall, I have enjoyed my time in Guild Wars 2.  It is quite a departure from GW1 but I have really enjoyed it.  Being able to jump off cliffs and having the ability to wield heavy weapons (regardless of class) has been great!  I also feel a bit more useful as a mesmer in GW2.  I have also enjoyed the randomness that GW2 has had to offer.  Below are some of my adventures.

The Guild and I found a piggy quest that turned you into a pig. 

Apparently, the Charr have cow races?  When they did grow to love cows so much?

There are giant creatures and bosses.

We found a glitch...somehow we fell under Divinity's Reach.  It looked so bizarre.

In Lion's  Arch you can go diving! 

I also found remnants of old Lion's Arch which was apparently flooded under the current Lion's Arch.

While in Lion's Arch, I found a living, moving whale!!

There was so much to explore in Lion' Arch...I some how stumbled into a Sylvari bar.

I can't wait until a definite release date is announced and/or until the next beta weekend!

Until the next beta weekend...I will be sleeping under this Yakky thing.