Local craftiness.

Those of you who know me know I love to craft. Sewing, making, etc. are all big parts of my lifestyle. I probably spend the most of my “fun money” at Michaels, Joann, and Hancock. All national chains. All pretty much the choices available for the stuff I need.

So today I start an adventure where I look for some items I need for a couple of craft ideas at a local shop: Cappels. Best known for costuming, they do have a variety of craft supplies, so here’s hoping I can get what I want. Of course if I can’t get it local in a reasonable way, I am ok with going to national chains, but I’m trying to make it more of a last resort.

Resolved

I’ve only made one resolution for 2012, and already I’m struggling with it. That resolution:

To bring more of my money into the local economy by choosing locally owned and operated businesses over big box, chains, and huge internet providers whenever reasonable.

Wow. Kind of a mouthful. So, Day 1: massive fail. Spent $$ at JoAnns (national chain) and (ugh) WalMart (national evil). Partly convenience factor, partly getting things I can’t seem to find anywhere else. Day 2: Shopped online, but did not purchase. I think my choices for some of this stuff would be very limited if I went with a local retailer, so…

Day 3: Finally, some progress. Made an appointment with a local eye doctor for an exam to purchase contacts. I’m moving over from Sam’s club. It is costing significantly more, but the money stays in Cincinnati, right?

Long Time

Apparently, I am a Bad Blogger. I haven’t posted here in so long that my life has changed dramatically. You can read more about that here.

I’m in the process of moving a number of sites to new servers, and I remembered this one. I was wanting to have a general blog…I forgot I had one! Anyway, I welcome myself back to blogging.

Product Review: Lacura Lip Gloss

I haven’t blogged in a hot minute because I have been so *busy* (making blogs for other people! lol!) Yesterday I took a little time out to get some grocery shopping done and I felt like making a little splurge on myself, so I bought a few items from the Lacura line at Aldi.

Lacura is the “house brand” of beauty products for Aldi supermarkets, which is an unusual chain in and of itself. I’ve been using the Lacura facial wash and night cream for some time and am quite happy with them. However, I had not tried any of the cosmetic products before now.

I purchased three of the lip glosses for $2.49 ea. Considering I usually spend $6-12 on a lip gloss, this seemed like a decent deal even if they were no good (and with Aldi’s double guarantee, I didn’t see a downside.) The shades I purchased are soft shimmer, gold shimmer and soft brown.

First impressions:

  • There is a lot of packaging going on here. These could surely be packaged much more simply. I suppose the package is designed to give the impression of luxury, but let’s face it, I’m buying it at a discount store for less than $5….
  • Size is generous for the cost, but the product is small enough to slip into a pocket or a car cubby.
  • Has a slight fragrance that for some reason smells “waxy” to me.

Color:

  • As I expected, pigmentation is not heavy.
  • Soft brown appears as a deep burgundy-brown in the tube, but goes on glossy with a hint of color. The shade is “natural” yet rich.
  • Soft shimmer is practically clear with a very subtle shimmer. I will probably use this mostly over lipstick.
  • I expect gold shimmer will be my go-to gloss. It has a very soft hint of color, just enough to even out lip tone, and a subtle shimmer.
  • All three shades have good pay-off in the gloss department. Although they are all “shimmer” shades, they are much more gloss than shimmer.

Wear:

  • Not sticky, glides on smoothly. It’s easier to use too little than to apply too much.
  • I got 2-3 hours of (not eating/drinking) wear out of my first application.

For $2.49, this is a good deal for the money, especially if you favor earth tones. I do hope that Aldi expands this line and adds a wider selection of colors over time!

Yes, it’s a wig. And yes, it’s my hair.

I paid for it. It’s mine.

Hoodie hairdryer

I used to be one of those people who needed a shower to wake up in the morning. But lately, I find myself showering before bed mire and more often. Especially on shampoo days. I blame it on the hoodie hairdryer.

Yes, yes, it’s true. Now, my hoodie is not the same old giant box with a tube and a snap-on cap that mama had in 1973. Mine is high powered, lightweight, one piece that hangs comfortably around my neck while I read, watch videos on my iPhone, or write a blog post! I got it at Sally’s a couple tears ago during my roller-set craze, and it’s holding up well.

It does take a bit longer than a regular blow-out, but the indirect heat seems to do less damage to my hair (of course I give it a good spritz with heat protector first!) and on a chillywinter night it’s much cozier! Ifind that I can get very nearly blow-out results by “wrapping” my hair before drying, or a light wave by giving it a good combing out first. (Since I’m not really wearing my hair out these days, that’s all kind of moot, but useful to know.)

So I know it might seem a little old lady of me, but I am pro- hoodie hairdryer!

Snowlight

Here’s something that never ceases to amaze me: how light it can appear to be when the world iscovered by a deep blanket of snow. Generally speaking, i’m not snow’s biggest fan, but the way it illuminates the night facinates me. it’s five minutes to midnight and it looks like twilight out there!

Combined with the amazing sound dampening, it makes everything seem so damn peaceful!

My dreams > James Cameron

I have a recurring Billy Madison theme in my dreams that puts me back in grade school or highschool older and wiser. last nights dream had an interesting twist. About halfway through the graduation ceremony, we were attacked by robots! I kissed a boy I had gone to grade school with “just in case” before I went off to battle the evil robots. I was precient in the dream, so I knew we’d see each other again, but I wanted to be sure. the robots were awesome! my alarm clock is not.

Easing in

I’ve let some of my good habits and routines go over the last few months, and I’ve decided to ease back into it. So my usual schedule is to get up and start working, then about midday, break for a little workout, lunch, shower, then back to work. So today I started with one of the 10-minute workouts on my QuickFix Video. Dang. I’m out of shape.

Two wigs, no waiting

Ok, so I bought a wig on a whim. It turned out to be great. So I bought another one from the same series…life is so unpredictable.