My first encounter with Coastal.com was about a year ago, when they were doing the “free pair of glasses” codes that exploded on Facebook and Twitter. I got a pair of glasses that ended up being too small, but they exchanged them for me. Then, the new pair of glasses got a scratch on the lens within the first week or so, and they replaced them for me. What I’m trying to say is, they did a lot for someone who didn’t even pay for a pair of glasses. I was extremely impressed with their customer service and the speed and ease with which I could make returns and exchanges. I was recently contacted by another online glasses + contacts [...]

I don’t think it’s a huge secret that I am a cheapskate. Which works well with my life right now. I buy store-brand food and medicine. I buy hair products from the Generic Value Products line at Sally.  I only buy clothes that are on sale. Am I making my point? One of my favorite things in the whole wide world is makeup. Typically, I wear drugstore makeup; wearing only bareMinerals on my face is my one exception. I have a couple of other “nicer” makeup pieces, but they are few and far between. You are going to see a lot of CoverGirl, Maybelline, and L’Oréal in my makeup case. It’s not that I don’t enjoy the fancier brands, I just [...]

I love makeup. One of the saddest things about relocating last summer was that I lived right down the road from an Ulta, and now live miles from one. I probably definitely save a lot of money this way, but I do miss my easy access to bareMinerals. My makeup is a mix-and-match of drugstore and mid-priced. I don’t wear anything too expensive, not only because I can’t afford it right now, but also because I tend to doubt that there’s enough of a difference to justify paying $40 for a lipstick. I mean, will it make me look exactly like January Jones? Then it’s not worth the extra $35. Everyday, I wear: moisturizer, bareMinerals Original Foundation (applied with an all-over [...]

Two weeks in a row that I’ve needed to tell you some things! Look at me go! 1. As of yesterday, MY HUSBAND IS DONE WITH FINALS! No more late nights studying, no more writing papers. I get my husband back! Until the spring semester starts, that is. Oh well, I’ll take it! My last day of work in 2010 is December 22nd, which means there will be a blissful week-and-a-half-ish that we’ll both be off. I’m so looking forward to that time. 2. Michael & I had the “Will we/won’t we” conversation the other day regarding telling our kids about Santa. I grew up knowing right away that Santa wasn’t real, but a fun “game” I could play if [...]

As many of you know, I have completed the 30 Day Shred (March 9th – April 7th). It was one of my 95 in 1095, so I can proudly cross that off my list. My goals when beginning the Shred were as follows: To see if the 30 Day Shred, when done every day as intended, really works. To see if I could be disciplined enough to work out every day for 30 days. Also, swimsuit season is coming. Need I say more? My sister & I did it “together”; actually, we only did it in the same room a couple of times, but just knowing that someone might check in on me that day and ask “Did you Shred [...]

I love pajamas. No, I don’t think you understand. I LOVE pajamas. I have drawers & cubbyholes devoted to storing my sleepwear & lingerie. While I’m usually a t-shirt & undies kind of girl, I can’t say no to a cute nightgown, boxers & a tank, and patterned pants paired with a soft tee. When I found What Lola Wants online, I had to have one of those deliciously soft sleep shirts. Plus, my sisters’ nickname for me is Lola, so I knew it was a match made in pajama heaven. The owner of What Lola Wants, Colleen Luttman, is a girl after my own heart. Not only is she mama to an adorable pug (the namesake of her business), she’s [...]

I’ve been looking for a pair of skinny jeans to wear with boots for approximately 47 years, but haven’t been able to find any that don’t make me look like J.Lo with toothpicks for legs. Not too long ago, I noticed someone tweeting about Jean Straps, & was intrigued. I could wear my regular jeans tucked into boots without readjusting constantly?? Yes please! So I emailed Jean Straps to ask if they would be interested in a review, & they agreed. Last weekend I decided to put them to the test. The concept of Jean Straps is that you attach them to the bottom of any pair of jeans, virtually turning them into stirrup pants, and they keep your jeans [...]

I am posting a picture of myself a) because it’s GPOYW, and b) I got my hair done in Canada. Who knows how long the blonde will last, since it’s hard to maintain hair this blonde (blondes, you know what I am talking about!). I should memorialize it while I still can. I have been using this shampoo lately and it seems to really be helping as far as combating the brassiness and keeping the platinum highlights nice and cool. Now if only I could find a shampoo to keep roots from creeping in.  Be warned – it’s EXTREMELY purple when it comes out of the bottle, but it won’t stain your hair (my nails do look a little “purplish” [...]

On Sunday afternoon, Michael and I decided to cut our trip to Austin a little short, so we could be home for a full day on Monday before having to start work again on Tuesday. As hard as it was to leave, I’m glad we had some time to recoup (and by recoup I mean watch hours and hours of hulu in bed) before getting back to our real lives. It’s always hard to come back after a vacation, no matter how mini – but hey, we’re adults, we own a house, I guess unless we want the po-po to come, we gotta pay our dues. On second thought, that might be some good exposure for my blog – HEY DUDES! WATCH US TONIGHT [...]

#1: I would just like to say, I really do have eyeballs, contrary to what this picture would have you believe. #2: WHY DIDN’T SOMEONE TELL ME ABOUT THIS BOOK SOONER?! Srsly. Think of all the money I could have saved on therapy! (Kidding Mom! If and when you find this blog, JUST KNOW I LOVE YOU.) #3: It’s GPOYW (Gratuitous Picture of Yourself Wednesday), and since I’m currently not wearing makeup (or pants), here’s a picture from a couple weeks ago. Happy Hump Day! NOW GET BACK TO WORK.