Tag Archive | help others

Thrift Store Haul & Tips

Jun22

Here are a few things from a recent trip to my favorite Goodwill store.  I didn’t pay more than $3 for any one item.  I scored some NYDJ (Not Your Daughter’s Jeans) NYDJ on Amazon jeans for $3.50, this style sells for over $100!

I’ve gained a few pounds lately, so I was looking for some shorts.  I couldn’t find any so I bought four pairs of jeans to cut off.  The NYDJ brand fits perfectly.  My friend swears by them, but I would never pay over $100 for a pair of jeans, I don’t care how good they might make my butt look.  I just want my butt to look smaller.

A few of the items are for winter, but who cares! I’ll be more than set once the cold weather rolls around.  It is truly amazing what you can find.  My wardrobe just keeps getting better, and I’m keeping more money in my pocket.

Here are some tips for successful shopping at a thrift store:

  1. Give yourself plenty of time to shop. I’ve found men’s clothing mixed in with the women’s. Also you need to look in a size up or down from what you normally wear. It’s common to find other sizes mixed in with yours.
  2. Look at labels first. I could never afford to wear designer clothes before, now I can. I also find deals on items from our local department stores, as well as nationwide stores such as Kohl’s.
  3. Sign up for store rewards cards. I get advance notices of sales and coupons as well.
  4. Shopping on half price tag day. Usually on Sunday and Monday a particular color of price tag will be 50% off.  Sunday is probably the best time to shop because most people donate on Saturday.
  5. If you have lost weight or are losing weight, it’s the best place to go to reward yourself. When you have lost some weight and your old clothes are getting too baggy, shop Goodwill. Who wants to spend a lot of money on clothes, only to have them not fit in a month or so.
  6. Go outside your comfort zone. Before I discovered Goodwill, the colors of my wardrobe were indicative of my exciting occupation. I didn’t own anything pink, purple or coral.  Now I have all the colors of the rainbow in my closet.
  7. Go often. You will be amazed at the amount of brand new with the tag items you will find.
  8. Last but not least. Find out when your local department is having a Goodwill sale. When you donate items to the store they will give you a coupon good for that store. A week after the sale is over, go to your local Goodwill.  You will be amazed at the selection.  January 1st is great also; as many people (including myself) wait until the last minute to donate for the previous year.
  9. And the most important thing, donate regularly to your local thrift store. They help many people in the community, and it’s a great tax write off.

DIY Acrylic Nails

May30

DIY Acrylic nails 5-28-16

 

Happy Memorial Day!  I wanted to do something patriotic for the holiday, so I decided to try my hand at doing my own acrylic nails.  I know this has nothing to do with the holiday, except the nail art and color I used. My own nails are brittle and take forever to grow.  Plus I have man hands, and need longer nails to not look like said man.  I looked at some stick on nails, but they were too short and too small.  I thought about going to one of the many nail salons in town to get a full set done, and decided that I’m too cheap, and I bet I could do them myself.

So after reviewing Pinterest and YouTube, I decided what the heck, I can do this. So off to Sally Beauty I went. Salons in my area charge anywhere from $35 to $70 for a full set. I paid less than $45 for the complete nail kit, nail form kit and better brush.

First off I have to give the staff at Sally Beauty props.  Whenever I have shopped there the staff is beyond helpful and very knowledgeable.  I’ve never done acrylic nails before, so I had a lot of questions.  Plus I have a short attention span and didn’t want anything to difficult or too expensive.  I have a tendency to buy beauty products, then they end up under my bathroom sink, then given to my 20 year old niece six months later.

Let’s get started. I purchased this kit  Beauty Secrets 4 in 1 Extension Kit. Buy here. for $17.59 with my Sally club card.  It had everything I needed. I also purchased these Form a Nail Nail Forms Form a Nail Nail Forms. for $7.79.  This is the product which really sold me on doing the nails myself.  It is super easy to use. The nail forms are reusable and make for a smooth finish.

This is what sold me on the whole fake nail deal.

 

I prepped my nails, and off I went.  I have to say the brush that came with kit was really crummy. Given how crummy it was, I was surprised at my end result.  I bought another brush that worked way better for $9.29 at Sally. Beauty Science #8 Pro Sculpt Brush . Again the staff at Sally was so helpful.  One of my nails had popped off, so I needed to do a repair.  Using the Nail Forms makes it a breeze.  I also purchased Terrific Tips Nail tip cutters for $6.49 at Sally Beauty. Nail tip cutters

 

 

After I put the tips on and filed them I used this Gelous Advanced Gel coat to smooth things out. Gelous Advanced Gel Coat at Sally Beauty.  I use this all the time when doing a regular manicure, and it makes my nails look like I’ve had a gel manicure.  Next I used Revlon Colorstay Longwear Nail enamel in Indigo Night. Nail color Here it is on Amazon.  I bought mine at Dollar Tree for $1.  I also used L.A. Colors Art Deco in Silver L.A. Colors Art Deco in Silver another Dollar Tree find at $1. To finish things off I used my go to favorite top coat, Sally Hansen Insta Dry Top coat  Best top coat ever!  I’ve been using this top coat for years.  I have not found any top coat that works better.  It’s $5.99 at Ulta.  This stuff is so good that I can paint my nails before I go to bed, and they end up perfect the next day.

DIY Acrylic nails 5-28-16-polish used

 

One last note, after the one nail popped off, I put nail glue in the crack between my natural nail and the tip on the back of my nail.  They feel much more secure now.

I hope you enjoyed my first DIY nail post.  Thanks for stopping by.

Please help save Upton’s Dogs

Apr15

This is a situation that is happening in my home town of Indianapolis, Indiana.  This business owners dogs were seized from him by the IACC shelter under nefarious circumstances.  This gentleman is 70 years old, and never had issues with the care he was giving his dogs.  Now the local government is holding his dog’s hostage while extorting over $6,000 a month for their care.   Some of Mr. Upton’s dogs have been killed.  This is beyond despicable. Please donate if you can.

I have two rescue dogs, and wish I could save them all.  This man deserves to have his dogs returned to him.

I just rallied in Indianapolis last weekend for women’s rights.  I don’t know what the hell is happening in my home state, but if you are a animal lover, please spread the word.

Thank you.

https://www.facebook.com/SaveUptonsDogs/

Wet n Wild Megaglo Illuminating Palette Review

Jan19

Can I just say it’s freezing ass cold here in Wisconsin.  This past Sunday, after my visit with Marv (the elderly gentleman I visit every Sunday), I stopped at my local Walgreens.  Coupons in hand from the Sunday paper, and the Walgreens store ad, I headed for the Wet n Wild section.  I’ve used Wet N Wild products many times over the years, but lately they have really upped their game.

I bought the new Megaglo Illuminating Palette in Catwalk Pink. It has four colors, two shades of gold, a rosy peach, and a pinky ivory color.  All shimmery, all wonderful.  I couldn’t wait until I got home to try it, so I slapped some on in the car.  Wow! I love it!  This was my third stop of the day, and the temperature was a whopping -4 below with a  wicked wind chill.  I needed something to make me think that it might be warm someday.  I never put blush on with my fingers, but thought, what the hell???

This lovely palette was $4.99, but I had $2 in coupons. What a deal!  Once I put it on with a brush for work yesterday, it looked even better.

You will have to excuse this photo, as I barely have any makeup on.  But I like photos in natural light.  Being in the car outside Walgreens is about as natural as you can get.

If you are feeling the bite of winter, this palette by Wet N Wild will warm you right up!

P.S. Sorry the photos are sideways, I don’t know what happened.

P.P.S. My lip color is my own tinted lip balm I made.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Evolution of Make Up-At least for me!

Jan7

Blue Eyeshadow 1970'sWow! I can’t believe I’ve been wearing make up for over 40 years. Man, that’s a long time.  I’ve seen so many trends come and go.  I sold make up and was a make-up artist for a number of years part time. I had a flash back this morning when I was applying some olive green eyeshadow.  When I was a sophomore in high back in 1974, my then boyfriends’ older sister rocked a pale green eyeshadow with bright blue mascara that I loved. I adopted that look for the next few years.  My senior photo had that same look. I have blue eyes and thought for some strange reason that this would enhance the color. Not really, at least according to my friend Susie Lin.  I met Susie in my senior year; I really admired her fashion sense.  She was kind of enough to tell me that my green/blue eyeshadow just wasn’t cutting it.  She had a plethora of Clinique products she turned me on to.  She said I really should be wearing brown eye shadow to enhance my eyes.  I looked at her like she had two heads! But she did a makeover on me, and OMG! What a difference!

While I would like to think I’m up on the latest trends, I don’t necessarily follow them. Except for maybe in the 1980’s.  Everyone wore a ton of make-up, me included.  I see pictures of myself back then and cringe at the amount of eyeshadow I was wearing. Yikes! I was certainly in style.  When I sold make up, I could always tell how old a woman was by the color of her eyeshadow. I’ve read studies where when a woman finds a make-up look she feels that she looks her best; she will stay with the look forever.  I still laugh when I see someone wearing sky blue eyeshadow. Hello the 1970’s called and they want their look back!

I have several beauty magazine subscriptions, so I’m always up on the latest looks. As I’ve gotten older, I may not be wearing the latest style with my make-up, but I look pretty darn good for my age.  One trend that I wish would go away is the need for young women to have to feel that they have to wear a ton a make up to look good.  My eighteen year old niece was visiting and I couldn’t believe the make-up ritual she went through to go out.  The contouring was out of control.  If you need contouring, great.  My niece didn’t need contouring; it did nothing for her other than make her look a lot older.  I’m all about looking your best, please don’t get me wrong. If you have great skin, you don’t need to wear a crap load of make-up.

Good skin care is critical.  Applying a SPF of at least 30 is crucial to long term skin care. I’ve been using a daily SPF for the last thirty years. I stopped tanning years ago.  I know some ladies are getting Botox in their 20’s.  To me, that is beyond messed up. Again, I’m all about looking your best, so please don’t take offense.  The point I’m making is good skin care is the key to long term beauty.  My mother always took really care of her skin, and she looked great up until her death at 84.

As we get older, and skin care becomes more advanced, we have an arsenal of tools to keep us looking our best.  I would rather spend my money on traveling than having a cosmetic procedure done.  Be kind to your skin, don’t smoke, eat right and don’t forget the sunblock! Every single day.

Happy New Year-Welcome 2016

Jan1

Hello and Happy New Year!  2016 is going to be a great year.  Last year was a bit rough for my family, but we made it through and are stronger than ever.

Here’s hoping that 2016 is your best year ever!

This is about a little dog named Harley, he’s a puppy mill survivor.

Oct1

Please watch and share.  Puppy mills are horrible places.  There are about 10,000 puppy mills in the United States.  Harley is on a mission to end puppy mills. We have two rescues that are Chihuahua mixes. They are the sweetest dogs I have ever had.  Please spread the word about puppy mills.  Adopt, don’t shop.

Thank you.

For those whose travel frequently- please read.

Aug31

Hey WordPress friends, for those of you who travel frequently, I have a request.

You know the toiletries that your hotel provides? Why not save and donate them to a battered women’s shelter. I asked the front desk at our hotel in Baltimore and they gave me five sets of all of the bathroom goodies they provide.

It would mean a great deal to a frightened woman and her children fleeing for their lives, usually with only the clothes on their backs to get some basic toiletries to call their own. I also will be donating http://www.Ipsy.com cosmetic bags, as that is a requested item.Shampoo 8-31-15

Reach out to your local shelter, they have wish lists on their websites as to what they need. I had some toiletries from our last vacation, so I have a nice bag full to donate today.

Thank you and Happy Monday.

Making a difference this Mother’s Day with Ipsy and Ulta

May10

I had a lovely Mother’s day this year.  My husband took me out to dinner and gave me some great gifts. While I am most fortunate to have a wonderful husband and son, many moms are not.  We have a women’s shelter in the town I live in, and I knew I wanted to do something for them for Mother’s day.  I went on their website and looked at a wish list.  Lo and behold one of the wish list items is cosmetic bags.  I’m an Ipsy subscriber and have a ton of cosmetic bags, as I get a new one every month.  I didn’t have a huge inventory of them because I just sent a bunch to my teenage niece.

My husband gave me an Ulta gift card for Mother’s Day.  Well Ulta is my favorite store, and I needed some moisturizer, so off I went today.  I spoke with the manager and asked if they had any make up bags they could donate.  She said unfortunately that they only donate at the corporate level, but she did give me some perfume samples for the moms.  We got to talking and she said she has a ton of cosmetic bags herself and would gladly donate them to the shelter.  I gave her the wish list and she said she was going to ask her staff if they had any items to donate. She said just working at Ulta the salespeople get a ton of stuff. This is one of the reasonsMother's Day flowers 5-10-15 I love Ulta so much.  I used my gift card to buy some bath gel for all twelve of the ladies currently at the shelter.

I made a stop at Dollar Tree and bought 12 picture frames also.  Each cosmetic bag was different and had bath gel, a perfume sample and a small picture frame.  I also bought four dozen cookies from the bakery and some fruit punch so they could have a little party. I wrote a note of encouragement and wished them all well. I know it may sound like I’m bragging, but I only wanted to get this message out to anyone who likes to help others.  These are the lovely flowers my husband got for me at the farmer’s market.

http://www.ulta.com

http://www.ipsy.com