Tag Archive | humor

Conair Heat Waves Hot Rollers Review- They’re back!!!!!!!!!!!

Jan3

Happy New Year! When I say the Conair Heat Waves rollers are back, I mean hot rollers never went away, they just did for me. I myself have not used hot rollers for many years. I had no need; I just had a vast array of curling irons. My hair is naturally curly, but I straighten it. In this past year I’ve come down with the dreaded ‘menopause hair’. It sucks! Of course I’ve been in menopause for almost six years, so I guess I should consider myself lucky I didn’t get it sooner. Menopause hair is gray, wiry, frizzy, and generally uncontrollable. It especially blows for me because up until June of 2013, I had the most amazing hair I have ever had in my life. It was long, blonde, very healthy looking. You know your hair looks good when people you work with (that you know don’t like you) compliment you on your hair. Then in June of 2013, my hair was changed forever. I had gotten some low lights for my blonde hair that ended up being too dark. I went back to the salon to get it corrected, and my stylist left the bleach on my hair too long. My hair was damaged beyond repair. I had been seeing this woman for 3 years, and I always tip very well. I was crushed. My hair broke off and I had visibly thin spots on my scalp. I spent nearly $400 buying hair pieces to cover up the damage.

We as women are usually obsessed with our hair. A good hair day can make a big difference on your outlook for the day. I’m middle aged, so having awesome hair was really a treat for me. My hair finally grew back, but it’s never been the same since. Luckily for me I look okay with my hair up. But I’ve been wearing my hair up for the past eighteen months. You kind of look like an old lady when you wear your hair up all the time. I take pride in my appearance, by wearing make-up and having a stylish wardrobe.

I never did tell my former stylist how much she ruined my hair. I was afraid I might punch her if I went back. It’s ironic because she was always telling me what great condition my hair was in, and I could go for a long time between haircuts and highlight touch ups. My dermatologist told me I shouldn’t put any bleach on my hair for at least twelve months, use Moroccan oil and take biotin supplements.

I went to back to a salon I had frequented in the past, but stopped going to because they got too expensive. I was told that there really wasn’t anything they could do. The stylist told me to go on Pinterest to look for cute up dos. Are you flipping kidding me? Nothing I can do? I had spent over $300 at this salon getting partial highlights and hair cuts on several occasions. The stylist told me she felt sorry for me, but really could not do anything about my hair.

Before hair disaster

Well, I tried yet another salon. This time the stylist was older and was very knowledgeable. She was familiar with my ‘menopause’ hair and suggested hot rollers. What an angel! I always use a heat protecting product when I style my hair, but the Conair Heat Waves rollers are flocked, they also heat up in 85 seconds. What a great alternative to using a curling iron. I’m getting the same results but not damaging my hair.

I bought my Conair Heat Waves at Ulta.com for $15.99, the regular price is $33.99, but they were on sale and I had a 20% off coupon. Here is a link to Ulta.

http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=xlsImpprod540578&skuId=2050458&_requestid=189261

Virtual Makeover-Modiface.com

Dec28

I have thoroughly enjoyed having the past five days in a row off. It was nice spending quality time with the family, cleaning the basement, watching too much HGTV, you get the picture. I was looking for some websites to try on a different hair color and came across Modiface.com. OMG! I must have wasted over two hours tweaking myself. Let me rephrase that last statement, I downloaded a head shot and played with make up for two hours. Of course I noticed I now have a dent on my forehead. Yikes! I opened my car door and smacked the crap out of my head a few weeks ago. It barely bled, so I was surprised to see a scar. Oh well, scars add character right???? It’s a good thing I wear bangs.

The really cool thing about this site is that it has an anti-aging tab along with the usual hair and make-up colors. You could alter your appearance via a virtual nose job, jaw contouring, face lift, etc. It was way cool. I kept showing my husband “look, here’s me at 35” I’m 55 so it was really cool seeing my younger self. Check out the link below. Have fun!

http://www1.modiface.com/mf_share/poll.php?sid=d26ddba2f23983d8c7cbeb67e81bb942

Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter Pencil-Review

Dec21

I received a full size Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter Pencil in one of my Ipsy.com packages. This is the best all-around highlighting product I have ever used. I’ve been wearing make up for ages, and am always on the lookout for a great highlighter. The Chella pencil I received in Ivory is for fair skin. It’s a matte finish and works great on concealing blemishes. I use it above my eyes and also as a highlight color under my brows.

As I’ve gotten older my nose has gotten bigger, along with my ears, which blows. I put a thin line down the center of my nose, and blend to make it look thinner. It works great. The Chella website is not up, but you can buy the Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter Pencil at Amazon.com and Dermstore.com. I’ve put links below. I’ve also included a short tutorial on the pencil that shows you ten different ways to use it. The cost is $18, but well worth the price. I’ve used mine every day for the past few months, and still have half of it left. The pencil is a creamy consistency, but stays put once you have it on.

http://www.dermstore.com/product_Highlighter+Pencil_31835.htm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f6Wqtvd3PE

http://www.amazon.com/Chella-Lace-Highlighter-Pencil-Count/dp/B004VM968U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419382148&sr=8-1&keywords=chella

http://chella.com/

A Little Christmas Cheer

Dec20

Happy holidays to everyone! Christmas is less than one week away. Here is what I am hoping for Christmas this year. Can people just stop with the daily “selfies” already. We have become such a narcissistic society. Do people forget what they look like from day to day? Do their looks change every day? I don’t get it. Maybe I’m just too old school, or wait not insanely vain. I use to laugh when I would get my mother’s annual Christmas card with a photo of herself inside. I would call her up to ask her if she thought I had forgotten what she looked like. Needless to say, mom was very vain.

Politics have gotten so ugly lately. I don’t have the same political views as some of my siblings, and my brother is going off the deep end with his. I may not like his views, but I don’t rant and rave whenever I talk to him on the phone like he does with me. I just tell him we’ll agree to disagree, I think he just likes to argue, which is kind of sad.

I think deep down we all want the same things. A decent job, good schools, healthy children and a planet that will be here for years to come. I wish big money would get the hell out of politics. Women’s rights are being trampled day by day. I hope in my lifetime I will earn the same as a man for doing the same job. Is that too much to ask? I do wish people would take responsibility for their own actions. I get so sick of people whining about everything being someone else’s fault. Here’s a news flash for you, get up off your ass and change your life. No one is going to do it for you.

I’ve decided that 2015 is going to be a great year for me and my family. 2014 was pretty good, but I’m going to be a better wife, mother and friend going forward. Life is too short to not be happy.

You know I hate to brag, but……….

Dec14

I must be doing something right if someone 10 years younger than me is asking for anti-aging advice. I do love helping others. It’s all about good skin care, and in my case getting rid of some of my massive inventory of Ipsy goodies! How many primers do I need anyway? Oh and don’t be too skinny, it really ages you.

P.S. I’m not a fan of Sarah Palin, but I thought this was funny.

Galaxy Chic Baked Eye shadow by Cosmetics in Asteroid-Review

Dec14

Having had an Ipsy.com subscription for over two years, I’ve gotten a ton of stuff. I got the above referenced eye shadow last year. I only use it on the weekends when I really want my blue eyes to stand out. I wear glasses so every little bit helps. It is the most beautiful bronzy shade I have ever seen. It has flecks of blue in a bronze base. I went to the company website today to get pricing, and they only sell it in a palette of 18 shades. The price is right, at only $7.95 for the palette. Well I don’t need 18 more eye shadows, so I found it on EBay, and I’m bidding on it right now. Dang, if I had only known I wouldn’t be able to find it again I would have bought more last year. This is what happens when you have so much flipping make up like me. I can’t help it. I love trying new things, and hate to throw stuff out in case I might use it someday. That was how I discovered Josie Maran 100% Argan Oil. I had gotten it in one of my Ipsy bags, and used it for a rash I had on my face. Not only did the Argan Oil clear up my rash, but my skin looks amazing now.

I think I need to start using all of the Ipsy stuff more often. Here are some photos of how awesome this eye shadow color is. If anyone knows of a similar color, please comment below. Oh and I know my brows need some help. They are blonde, and a bit sparse, but I’m working what I got. Hopefully I’m not heading to Joan Crawford town with my brows. Plus I’m basically blind without my glasses, so I’m thinking it may be time for one of those handy dandy magnifying mirrors. Man it’s hell getting old. Thanks!

Holiday Tips for Job Seekers

Dec6

I just read an article on job hunting in December. The article said how December is a great time to look for a new job. I was surprised by this information; as I always thought the end of the year was a bad time to look for a new job. Here is what I gleaned from the article.

Many companies are finalizing their budgets for the upcoming year, and will be adding staff. Now is a good time to get your resume in front of a hiring manager for the New Year. Most companies work on a calendar year basis, as opposed to a fiscal year.
Get out and socialize. Parties, industry events and gatherings provide a great opportunity to mix and mingle with potential employers.
Your completion level drops off in December. Most job seekers don’t want to bother with their job search during the holidays. You will more likely get noticed when the competition thins out.
Reconnect with old contacts. I have a list of recruiters who I have dealt with in the past. I have shared this list with many others, and suggest they reconnect with them now. In my opinion, during a job search you can never have too many recruiters working for you. You have to take the initiative, and call them regularly. New opportunities come in all the time, and now is a great time to let them know you are in the market for a new job.

Here are several of my own suggestions for a successful job search.

Reach out to former employers. I recently read that nearly 50% of jobs are found through networking. Be actively engaged on LinkedIn. If you are interested in working for a particular company, sign up on their website for job opening notifications.

In mid-2013, I found out my position was being eliminated. I was bummed out because this was my dream job. The employer asked me to stay on for two months to help out with the transition. I was happy to oblige. During those two months I sent out LinkedIn invitations to every one of my co-workers who were on LinkedIn. I also asked if any of my current co-workers knew of any employers looking for people. I got very positive feedback, and doubled the amount of my LinkedIn connections. I also asked people to endorse my skills. Some of these wonderful folks wrote nice recommendations for me. We live in a digital age, and having a good LinkedIn profile is crucial.

If you are currently unemployed, do volunteer work. Having large gaps on your resume will hurt you. You will be helping others in your community, and this may lead to potential jobs. I work full time and volunteer with two local organizations. I visit with an elderly gentleman every week, and teach financial literacy to high school students. Being unemployed can be depressing, helping others makes you feel good.

Last but not least, try and help others who are looking for work if you can. If you see that one of your LinkedIn connections knows a person at a company you are interested in, ask for an introduction.

Sitting on the couch eating Christmas cookies and drinking eggnog is great during the holidays, but don’t let that be the only thing you do.

Attention Sock Manufacturers- Get some bigger sizes!

Dec3

Why in the heck can’t I find men’s socks over a size 12??? Every man in my family (which is spread out over three states) wears over a size 14. I just don’t get it; I’ve seen women’s size 13 shoes at Payless. Which is the only place that I can find size 15’s for my teenage son.

I wear a size 10, which was the biggest size for women when I was growing up in the 1970’s. I use to envy my friends who had smaller feet than me. My mom, who wore a size 9 when she really should have been wearing a 10, ended up having foot surgery late in life due to wearing the wrong size shoes.

But socks sizes?? Come on, what’s the big deal. It’s not that much more fabric. My husband wears a 14 and rarely finds shoes in his size that aren’t a fortune. I can’t imagine what my life would be like if I had a hard time finding shoes. I would be devastated to say the least. I don’t know what the fascination is with shoes for us women. I actually gave a bunch of shoes to Goodwill recently, and I didn’t keel over. I guess I’m finally becoming an adult. Well, considering I’m 55 soon to be 56, I’m a senior citizen and should probably be wearing orthopedic shoes.

It hurts my feet to even think of wearing shoes with any kind of heel anymore. I remember those glorious days of disco dancing wearing 3 inch heels. They made me almost six feet tall when I wore them. Now I’m all about comfort, which really blows. Sure I have lots of stylish shoes, but I envy gals who are my age and can still wear high heels. They look so fancy, and I look well functional. I guess there are worse ways to look. Like wearing socks that are too small.

Just another reason to love Ipsy.com!

Nov10

I have had my subscription to Ipsy.com for two years now. For $10 a month I get five cosmetic items, plus a cosmetic bag. I usually get several full size items, along with deluxe samples. I get skin care, nail polish, hair care, etc. As you can imagine, after two years, I have a lot of stuff. A lot of cool stuff that I usually put in a drawer and forget about. I have a stash of unwanted stuff that I have been sending to my niece over the years. For the most part, I love everything I get. It is fun trying brands I have never heard off. I got some blue brown eye shadow that simply looks amazing with my blue eyes.

I’ve been in menopause for five years now, and let me tell you it sucks! Most of the unpleasantness I’ve been able to handle. My skin is one of my best assets, so when I got a funky rash on my face recently I was flipping out. I mean really, it is a good thing I don’t smoke, as my hair is a fire hazard these days. I can deal with most things not looking so great, but when the hair and skin go, I’m basically screwed. I’m a middle aged woman, and I know I’ll never look like I did when I was in my 20’s; and I’m fine with that. But I do want to look good for my age. So I’m trying everything I can find for this stupid rash, and nothing was working. We had a party to go to this past weekend, and I was hoping it would clear up. You can only cover up so much with make-up.

I was rummaging around in my junk drawer in the bathroom trying anything that could help with this rash. I came across some Josie Maran Pure Argan oil I had gotten in one of my Ipsy.com bags. I thought, what the heck, let’s give this a try. I had never used oil on my face before, but given the dry patches I had everywhere, I had nothing to lose. OMG! This is the best face product I have encountered in my 50 plus years on the planet! It’s that good. I have used super expensive face creams to drug store brands, but never had such immediate results. Within several days of using the Josie Maran Pure Argan oil at night, my rash was gone. Plus my skin looks amazing. I just ordered some Josie Maran sunscreen .5 ounces with a 47 SPF on eBay for $9.50. The price of Josie’s products are very reasonable, with travel sizes available. On Josiemarancosmetics.com, the same SPF was $14, and I paid $9.50 with free shipping on eBay.com. I was comparison shopping between Josie’s website and eBay. One thing you will want to note on eBay is you have to look closely at the size. Some eBay sellers have the wrong size listed. It is a good idea to look at the photo on eBay to see the actual size. Also for sunscreens be sure to check the expiration date. If you don’t see one, don’t order it.

Here is a photo of me from the party I was at this past Saturday. Doesn’t my skin look great? Not too shabby for a soon to be 56 year old woman. Now, if I could only make my nose look smaller.

http://www.josiemarancosmetics.com/

http://www.ipsy.com/new/

www.ebay.com

Using Josie Maran Pure Argan Oil for three days

How not to be a rotten boss-by a former boss-Part two

Nov8

I should know when I write late at night I am bound to forget something. I wanted to add a few things to my previous post of the same name from November 7^th.

So here we go.

Be fair to all of your staff. I cannot stand favoritism, especially in the work place. Any boss who blatantly favors one employee over another needs to be bitch slapped. I always feel warm and fuzzy when the boss is saying how so and so should be cloned because they are so flipping wonderful. Really? Who says crap like that to their staff? Oh wait, that would be a rotten boss, oh never mind.
Upper management really needs to get a clue. If your customers, employees, etc., complain about a boss’s horrid behavior, you need to take note. It’s expensive to train people, and good workers are hard to come by. It’s especially galling when upper management (owner level) witness firsthand the terrible behavior and chose to do nothing. And they wonder why they have a huge employee turnover.
Do right by your staff. The last time I managed others, I was promoted after the VP of finance was fired. The accounting person had been working her butt off for the last five years for this company. But she had only gotten one raise. The first thing I did was get her $1.50 an hour increase. It was difficult because management thought she was being paid accordingly. She most certainly was not. This person had been through many management changes and was constantly having her workload increased. By the time I left that position two years later, I had gotten her hourly rate increased by $3.50 per hour. She was a hard worker, and made my job easier.
Do realize you are no better than the people you manage. I always tell my staff in the beginning that I’m no better than they are; I just have more education and experience. People really do appreciate that honesty. If you work well for me, I’ll do everything in my power to help you.
Never raise your voice to your staff. Once your voice goes up, the person will tune you out. If you have a problem employee, work with them. They are not your children to be yelled at. It doesn’t work.
Your staff can hurt you. If you treat them poorly, do you really think they give a fig about what happens to you? Come down off your high horse, and just be a decent human being.
Last but not least, be decent to everyone. I’ve always made it my policy to be nice to everyone in the company. You never know when they might be your boss at your next job.

cornfedcontessa

Fun info on beauty, travel, living & looking better