I think I'm a hoarder...

(Courtesy of Microsoft)

Ok sooooo...

I'm in the process of purging some books. I'm an avid reader and at one point I was buying up books like crazy. I still have authors I purchase books from but I have slowed down considerably on book purchases. Then when I was in grad school I didn't have time to read like I wanted to. Now that I have the time, I'm kind of  "overwhelmed" with trying to get through the books I have.  It has kind of taken the joy out of reading. I'll sit and contemplate what I'm going to read next. I stare at books or think on what I want to read and come up with nothing.  This sense of  "being overwhelmed" can be said with other items I have.

Now I know I'm not as bad as some of the people who do appear on the show Hoarders. I do frequently give stuff away, donate items and pitch things. At times I feel it isn't enough. I shouldn't feel overwhelmed by the items that I have. Don't get me wrong I am very fortunate and very blessed to be able to  purchase the things I want. I guess I'm getting to the point of asking myself is it too much? Are you enjoying these things or  are they burden of sorts? I guess I'm in downsize mode and instead of it being a liberating process, it's kind of stressing me out.

So I guess I have an inner hoarder/pack rat... -____- Well I want her gone! *stomps foot*

Bag of the Moment - Dooney & Bourke Coated Signature Jumble Duck East/West Tote

So my boss and sorority sister put the "you need a purse blog" in my ear. I don't know about a full blog dedicated to em *shrugs*. But it wouldn't hurt to throw a few posts into the mix since handbags are a weakness of mine. I remember when I worked at Marshalls in high school, I said I would never spend a lot of money on a bag. I thought spending $49.99 on a Ralph Lauren bag was a lot. I guess I can eat those words now LOL!!!! Anywho on to the bag...

I'm currently carrying the Coated Signature Jumble Duck East/West Tote in Fuchsia from Dooney & Bourke (which is sold out but you can still see pics of it and watch the presentation video). Dooney & Bourke is on of my favorite handbag lines. All of the Dooney bags I have, with the exception one I've purchased from QVC. They have a lot of exclusives and with some of the bags you get extras (key fobs, wristlets, cosmetic cases, etc) when you order from them. I bought this bag about two years ago. I like how this bag is very light. I carry everything but the kitchen sink, so it's nice to start out with a bag that's already light. It has a nice size cell phone pocket and decent size zip pocket. The lining is red. One of my biggest pet peeves is a bag with black lining!! The bag is trimmed in leather. I like that it's a medium size tote. Sometimes a tote can be overwhelming. I can carry this around wherever and not feel like my bag is in the way. It's a fun, bright bag to carry around during spring and summer.

A Makeup D'oh!

(courtesy of Microsoft)

I did it again!!!  Aimlessly purchased a makeup item at the drugstore that I already have!  Matter fact just purchased not too long ago! The wandering over to the drugstore usually happens when I frustrated at work and need to get away for a moment. Oye vey!  It's only a lipstick and yes I could return or exchange it.  We shall see.  But that's it! No more!  I am going to be more discriminatory with my makeup/beauty purchases from now until the end  of the year (and hopefully beyond that).  I had gotten my bath and body products under control but I've gotten a couple of sets recently. I just did another mini purge of some makeup items and just shopped my stash for some "new" items to play around with.  I need to purge some hair products that honestly should be pitched since I've had them for a while and nothing lasts forever.  I want to make an effort of using up what I have, enjoying it and not feel "bad" that stuff  is just sitting. The fall collections are popping up and of course the  "oooooh I want this and that" vibe has set in but I've gone back and looked over the items and some of the excitement has worn off.  Hopefully this sentiment holds.

Stay tuned...

June 2012 Favorites

Played around with various products this month but only a few things stuck out.  Used Photo Grid to show everything (except one item). Let's see how this goes.

Eyes
I've been on a drugstore mascara kick.  I wanted to find some favs since I've been on a high end ones for a while now.  I lucked and found Rimmel Sexy Curve Mascara.  CVS had a really good sale on various products and this mascara was one of them.  I got for around $2.  It says it adds volume but on my lashes it gives more length and curl than volume.  L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black mascara is another one that I recently picked up.  I had tried the original version a while back and loved it.  I had heard people raving about the Carbon Black version and decided to give it a go.  I can see myself keeping this one in my mascara arsenal.

Last year Bare Minerals launched their READY eye shadows.  I have several of their loose shadows and love them.  So I was interested to see their new pressed shadows.  I should have figured that I would love them! The pigmentation is very good and have good staying power.  I have several of the duos, one quad and the 8 pan palettes that were released during the holidays last year.  I have my eye on the Dream Sequence quad *sigh* we shall see if I get it.

I finally picked up the three Black Radiance Eye Appeal Shadow Collection palettes in Urban Jungle, Downtown Browns and Posh Plums.  These are similar to the Wet 'n Wild ones which I like and I like these.  The colors are very pretty, pigmented and easy to blend.  I know they are advertised for women of color but I think if you're a lover of the colors that you should check them out :)

I've had a love/hate relationship with gel eyeliner.  I love it because it stays on all day and looks a little more finished that a regular eyeliner pencil.  What I hate about it applying it.  I have a couple brushes that get the job done but recently used  Real Techniques pixel-point eyeliner brush and it has made the process effortless.  At first I thought the brush was too big and the line would be too wide.  I decided to try it and for me it creates the perfect line and surprisingly enough you can get a thin line with it.  It comes it their starter set.  If it was available for purchase on its own I would purchase another one.  They recently released a fine liner brush and it's thinner than the pixel-point one.  Going to give this one a go in July and see how I like it.

Lips
Revlon makes some of my favorite lip products be it drugstore or high end.  Revlon Colorburst lip glosses are some of favorite glosses.  Lip glosses are probably the one product I have most of and I'm snob when it comes to them lol!  I hate hate hhaaate sticky ones and the smell for some glosses have turned me off!  I have this one NARS gloss that I love the color but hate the smell.  It's the only one I have and don't plan to but any others.  Ok back to Revlon lol.  I only have 3 of these glosses and they are Orchid, Sunset Peach and Papaya.  Every time I go into CVS I stroll by the Revlon section to see if I can find another shade I like.  They feel good on, not sticky and good pigmentation.

When it comes to lip pencils I don't have a lot.  Typically I only use one no mater the lip color I apply which is a dark brown.  My absolute fav has always been smashbox's nude lip liner in Dark.  QVC has a duo set which I have repurchased several times.  A while ago I picked up a couple of NYX Slim Lip pencils based off of reviews I've seen of people loving them and they're inexpensive.  I got them from Ulta when they were buy one, get one 50% off in Brown and Espresso   I must say I've been reaching for NYX more so than my smashbox one.  Go figure! The Espresso shade is a direct match to the smashbox one.  The Brown one is a little lighter but works well if I want a little lighter of a lip.  I have a couple other NYX lip liners that I got from sets that I purchased via Hautelook.  I may play around with those to see if I want to pick up any other colors.

Face
Lancome Blush in Shimmer Coral Sunset is the first Lancome blush that I've tried.  I lucked up and got it during a blog sale. It's gorgeous!!  It's a nice deep coral color and the shimmer in it isn't bad.  With some shimmer blushes it looks like you've thrown glitter on your cheek.

I picked up Black Radiance's Complexion Perfection Shine Control Primer off a recommendation from crystalis007.  She always mentioning products that work for here combination skin, so I decided to try it when I saw it in Rite-Aid.  I've only used it with my Bare Minerals foundation and so far so good. It does control my oil for a good part of the day compared to some more expensive products I've tried.

Nails
Essie Turquoise and Caicos is the perfect Tiffany blue color! I posted a picture on Instagram and I got a lot of comments on this polish.  It's so pretty.  I don't buy back ups of nail polishes.  If I did I would totally get another bottle of this one.  Heck I just might!

Essie Trophy Wife is  a pretty blue green color.  I get compliments when I wear this one as well.  And I get a kick out of the name lol!!!  I wear this one year round.  I would get a back of this one too.

This and That
I don't know what took me so long to try Nutella!  I went to Big Lots looking for some other items.  I saw it and decided to pick it up.  It tastes so good!  I'll have it on toast with a cup of coffee and I'm happy!

I've had my orange Dooney & Bourke Juliet satchel for a while and had never used it.  It still had the tags on it. First I debated on giving it to one of my cousins for a Christmas gift.  Then I tried to sell it with no luck.  Then I decided to keep it.  So glad I did!  I don't have an orange bag (which is one of the main reasons I got in the first place).  It a nice size and I like that it has the short handles and long shoulder strap.  Nice fun bag for the warmer months.

Here comes July...my birthday month! *throws glitta*

My bad...

(Courtesy of Microsoft)

Ok so I was bored one day and was reading over some older posts and uhhhh yea....lol!  My proof reading skills have never been the best, so my bad y'all.  It's hard to edit your own thoughts since you know what you are trying to say.  Dah well.  I'll try to do better teehee! :D

What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?

(Courtesy of Microsoft)

If you've read a few of my blog posts and perhaps follow me on Twitter, you have gathered that I'm not fond of my current place on employment lol!  Last year I completed my Masters and since then (well even before then) I'm like on now what?  I've been job searching off and on.  I've stumbled on a few things that have sparked my interest and others I'm like meh *shrugs*.  I envy those people who know what they want to do.  At times I feel like I have no clue or can't really articulate my "dream job".  Sometimes I feel that other than achieving a personal goal, that getting my Masters was a waste of my time and money.  I want my next job move to be a strategic one and not taking another job for the sake of taking one.  My current one was strategic because it put back in the sector I wanted to be in and has given me some lengthier experience on my resume.  But clearly it's time for me to move onward and upward.

When I graduated undergrad I didn't have a clear idea of what I wanted to do either.  I applied for jobs and wasn't getting any real bites.  My Mom was like why don't you try temping.  I gave that a go and I had some assignments that I really liked and others that left a lot to be desired.  There was one assignment that made the light bulb go off for me.  It was a long term assignment in the nonprofit sector.  I was there for a little over a year and I really enjoyed what I did there.  It was one of the reasons why I got my Masters in nonprofit management and leadership.  Since I left there I've tried to find similar positions to that one.  I even recently applied to a job there but of course I didn't get it.  Also while I was completing my Masters I stumbled on an subject area that really interested me and ended up doing my final research paper on the topic.  Again I've been searching for jobs around this area and there have been more misses than hits.  There are portions of my job here that I do like but I can't fully delve into like I want to for various reasons.  So I guess I have a rough idea of what I want to be when I "grow up", I just need to flesh it out a little more.

Stay tuned...