Sunday, November 26, 2006

Shameless Self-Flogging (just in time for the holidays!)

Just so you know, there's a new tag on this page...

My Amazon.com Wish List

I'm not doing this to be materialistic, folks - y'all don't have to buy anything for me, really - but I thought I'd add this just for kicks. Any helpful suggestions on how to improve said list would be greatly appreciated.

Saturday, November 25, 2006

Domesticity Rewind: There Won't Be Snow in Africa

It's that time of the year again. No, I'm not talking about Black Friday (ain't no shopping when this blogger's in the red), but the OFFICIAL start of the Christmas season...



And so we begin our first-ever rewind of blog entries past.

******

Original Post: November 25, 2005

Between INXS and Duran Duran, it seems as if this blog has a strange fixation on '80s music - not that there's anything wrong with that, per se, but I was old enough to hear this stuff on the radio, so it makes sense.

Let's face it, the guys back then were mighty cute, in spite of the unfortunate hairdos. Take, for example, the video for “Do They Know It's Christmas?” I remember seeing this on TV for the first time and thinking that I could watch this forever; twenty years later, it's still watchable, but at least for the snark value. Consider:

- Paul Young, who would later give us “Every Time You Go Away” and other cheeseball hits. Looking back, doesn't he remind you a bit of Bill Nighy in Love Actually?

- George Michael: There were two reasons why I never liked him back then: his foofy hair, and his Brite Smile teeth. (Oh, and “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.” Ew.) Now I appreciate him more for the music, but still.

- Simon Le Bon. Oh, how much I love Simon, but he sounded like he was hiccuping through his solo (”when you're having PFHFFFUuuuuuuunnnnnhhhhh....”) and he looked really sedated behind the microphone. Apparently Bruce Springsteen had the same problem during the video for “We Are The World,” too - and you know how much I love my Bruce to this day, so maybe there was something going around.

- Sting. Oh, how much I used to not love Sting. (I blame the video for “Synchronicity.”) But look at him, with a lot more hair and a lot less wrinkling, with his cute plaid shirt. And then he became... Sting. (TM Will Ferrell and Jack Black at the Oscars)

- Tony Hadley. Yes, the guy from Spandau Ballet. (Sing it with me: “I knooooow this. Much is. TRUE!”) Him and Simon were my boyfriends back in grade school. He was cute when he had the mullet. Because of him I sat through all the other videos for Spandau Ballet, knowing that they made the Duran Duran videos look like It's A Wonderful Life. But I guess he's doing well now, especially after getting sampled by PM Dawn on “Set Adrift on Memory Bliss” and settling down with the wife and kids.

- And then there was this annoying dark-haired guy with a red nose, who butts in and yells, “Well, TAH-NIGHT THANK GOD it's THEM, INSTEAAAAD of YOOOUUUUUU!” Oh, hello - you must be Bono.

Subsequent viewings revealed the presence of other artists that I liked back then, including Tears for Fears (I remember Curt being there, but... Roland too? Hmmm) and Paul Weller (who might have been in the Style Council phase at that time). Then there was also Bananarama and Sade, who I would end up forgetting about until much later. And Phil Collins, who still annoys me.

This, in a nutshell, was the '80s for me - bad hair, half-conscious yelping, and people singing about how "there won't be snow in Africa this Christmas time."But all of that would change for me in one afternoon when I turned on the TV at a friend's house and became enraptured bytwo especially gritty videos played back-to-back: “With or Without You” and “Need You Tonight.” The latter, of course, was my formal introduction to Michael Hutchence and Our Band: INXS. And the former... well, I can't say enough about this, because it's still one of the most beautiful clips I had ever seen, and to this day I could not believe that the handsome lead singer in that video was actually the same Bono who used to annoy me, so make of that what you will.

Thursday, November 23, 2006

The Favorites Meme

Borrowed from Toya... thanks! :)

Lip gloss: I am basically stuck with what I’ve been rocking since August, so right now it’s either the L’Oreal HIP Brilliant Shine Lip Gloss in Gallant or the Revlon Super Lustrous in Raisin Glaze.

Jewelry: Sparkly, dangly chandelier earrings… which also look pretty darn good with the short hair, if I should say so.

Shoes: Those Airwalk sneakers I got at Payless, which look like Chuck Taylors in brown suede. I’m also in love with the rust-colored leather kitten heels that I bought in Manila – so cute, so practical, and so quality.

Handbag: My sister’s beat-up leather attache, which I have been using as a backup school/ overnight bag.

Car: I’m not driving yet, but if I do finally get around to it I’ll have to say either a Toyota Matrix (oooh, sporty!) or a Honda Element (less ugly than the Scion xB).

City: Honolulu and Manila, obviously. Paris, Hong Kong, LA, and Singapore are pretty much up there, too.

Restaurant: I love eating out, so I’m very open-minded when it comes to my dining choices. For the sake of space, however, I’ll just go ahead and mention three places that would be great for a hot date night (*ahem*): Indigo, Formaggio, and dk Steakhouse.

Body lotion: Any cocoa butter lotion; Bath and Body Works’ Brown Sugar and Fig.

Book: I’m currently re-reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

Color: Pink, followed closely by blood red and chocolate brown

Department Store: Macy’s (since Nordstrom’s hasn’t opened yet in Honolulu, and I can’t afford anything at Neiman Marcus right now)

Department in the Department Store: Cosmetics, followed by shoes, clothes, and home furnishings.

TV Show: Outside of any channel that shows music videos, crime procedurals, or anything related to Oprah Winfrey, I’m strangely drawn to The Barefoot Contessa (what I would give to have Ina Garten’s house!), The Look for Less, and all sorts of home-redecorating shows - especially Merge, Design Remix, Get Color, and Mission: Organization.

Reality Show: Does Blind Date count? If not, I claim Rock Star (less annoying than American Idol) and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

Song: “Let’s Stay Together” – Al Green; “With or Without You” – U2

Body part: My eyes… then my lips… then my cheekbones. The rest I can go ahead and work on improving.

Drink: Diet Coke, iced coffee, or lemon water (non-alcoholic); red wine, gin-and-tonic, or martini (if I’m drinking)

Perfume: Chanel Chance - the first perfume that I bought with my first grown-up, post-college paycheck.

Cheese: Fresh mozzarella bufala

Ice cream: Haagen-Dazs Mexican Chocolate; Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey

Mascara: Cover Girl Lash Exact Mascara

Hair product: Anything with the words “thickening,” “volumizing,” or “texturizing” in it

Nail polish: I’m giving myself a nail-polish break right now, so no favorites yet.

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Things I Have Done to My Appearance This Weekend

- Got a trim. Or, more like, "Caught Lexus on the last legs of her free time at the salon and got her to recut my grown-out hair so it would look like a longer version of what I was rocking before I left the Philippines." Which is so true, and I'm lovin' it because she point-cut a few of the layers and went shorter in the front. She thinks I could go shorter, but we'll see when I start looking like Cousin Itt again.

- Redid my eyebrows. All the studying I've been doing left my brows bushier than usual. But instead of going to the salon and getting them waxed, I took out the tweezers and got really, really happy. (Let's just say it was the combination of SPED Law burnout and finding... um... something on the Internet related to someone who may or may not have been involved with a certain romantic interest of mine... that really got me going.) Thankfully, however, they're not overtweezed - in fact, they're fuller than what I used to have, and have a more discernible arch, not unlike what Catherine Zeta Jones is rocking in this picture.

- Rediscovered dark eyeliner and Bobbi Brown's Gunmetal Shimmer Wash eyeshadow. Wore both to church. Didn't flinch. It's a good thing.

- Went nuts on the stress pimples. Thank you, Wet'n'Wild Fresh Face Acne Spot Treatment.

- Resisted the urge to repaint my fingernails. Because that SPED Law homework won't write itself, yo.

Monday, November 13, 2006

Randomesticity, Part 2

Now that we've got my Best! Week! Ever! out of the way... well, the thing is, the next few weeks won't be. Firstly because of school, for which I need to tie up more than a few loose ends. Second because of Thanksgiving, because I'm planning on bringing something home-made for a change. If I post anything during this time, it's OK, but I just wanted to let you guys know right away if I don't.

- Is it so wrong for me to get back on the Justin Timberlake bandwagon if I was never crazy about the guy in the first place? As much as I want to hate him - and I really should, given how much I enjoy calling him a PAB - I'm trying to rationalize my imminent purchase of FutureSex/Lovesounds the same way my sister-in-law rationalizes her unironic love for J.Lo movies: Just because the person's not a role model doesn't mean you can't enjoy their work. Besides, if what Evie told me about what one of my crushes in the Philippines declaring that he was, indeed, bringing sexy back, is true... well, resistance is futile, I guess.

- And speaking of me and Evie (and bringing sexy back), we both find Lenny Kravitz to be incredibly hot in this vintage clip. Ain't nothing better than that.

- Also along the same vein: "To the left, to the left. Everything you own, in the box to the left. In the closet, that's my stuff. Yes, if I bought it, baby, please don't touch."

- Not a lot of makeup related posts this month, either, but I should tell you that I'm actually thrilled about the new Max Factor MAXEye shadows. No, really! I'm actually quite surprised about the lasting power on this product, especially when used wet.

Saturday, November 11, 2006

This Is Just to Say...

...I have finally watched all 12 chapters of "Trapped in the Closet" on YouTube.

What can I say? I needed a break from all that studying, and I really needed a laugh.

Yes, I need help.

Thursday, November 09, 2006

What I'm Wearing Tomorrow

The event: I'm going to be observing at a school not too far from where I live. It's my first time at the school, and my first time meeting with the administration and the teachers for this school, so it's important for me to look professional, within bounds.

The outfit:
- Casual Corner blue floral silk blouse over Fruit of the Loom pink A-line tank
- Old Navy low-rise bootcut jeans
- Airwalk brown suede sneakers with low-cut socks

The makeup:
- L'Oreal True Match pressed powder in Sun Beige
- L'Oreal True Match concealer in Medium/Deep W 6-7-8
- Stila eye shadows in Wheat and Barefoot Contessa
- Stila blush in Belle
- Elizabeth Arden Exceptional Lipstick in Shimmer

Other:
- Facial moisturizer: Aveeno Ultra-Calming Daily Moisturizer SPF 15
- Body moisturizer: Lush Fever massage bar (must. finish. this. soon!)
- Fragrance: Johnson's Baby Cologne in Summer Swing
- Hair: No product, if I can help it

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Domesticity (Almost) Regrets...

...the use of the word "bitchface" in describing a certain TV reporter on this blog. (Scroll down to the comments section to see exactly what I mean.)

Folks, I'm not what you would call a media blogger (for that you may want to look somewhere else) and I'm not exactly out to change the world with my shallowness, if you know what I mean. But if I just happen to put a smile on anyone's face, no matter who they are - and whether or not I've said anything about them on this blog - that's when I know I've done my job. That's the power of the written word for you.

And that is all.

Friday, November 03, 2006

Hand It Over

Oh, fashion gods, why do you mock me so?

I really want to like this black nailpolish trend. I really do. But this week I tried to put some black polish on and it made my hands look... dead.

Granted, I was using a drugstore nail polish, but still. Black polish on my hands made me look more like a tired hag than a bad-ass rocker chick; instead of looking like I should be slinging a guitar around, I looked like I was about to roll up another cigarillo and yell at the noisy kids making a racket on my front lawn. I tried to cover it up with some sparkly pastel pink, but, alas, it wasn't so - if anything, the shimmer on black got even muddier, leaving me with nails that looked more dead than devilish.

Maybe it's my coloring. Or maybe it's my hands.

'Tis a pity, because I do remember being in high school when Chanel Vamp came out and then rushing to the store to buy the closest Vamp knock-off I could find, layering the polish until I got the desired dark look, which then left me feeling like the coolest, most worldly 12th grader around for having short, dark nails. And now, ten years later, what goes around is coming back around.

Wouldn't hurt to try again, right? Maybe if I went for something that wasn't a pure black, it might work. Suggestions?