January 19th, 2011 by Kateastrophe

So, if I’m being honest, my last post was supposed to have about ten more things on it.  I wrote the post over several days and when I hit publish, it had some sort of freaky error and only published half my stuff.  BOO.  It was a sweet post too.  It had links to all the stuff and fancy pictures and the whole shebang.  Double boo.

SO, I decided to try to reconstruct the second part just for fun.  So here you go. 

1.  NARS “Orgasm” Powder Blush.

I cannot be held responsible for the name, that’s what it’s called.  I was doing a friend’s make-up once and I was telling her this was my most favorite blush ever and that it looked good on everyone.  She asked what it was called and I shyly told her and her response was CLASSIC.  “Well, no wonder it looks good on everyone!”  HA!  So, lots of people like the creme blush but I love the powder.  It’s an awesome light pink with lots of gold so that it gives you the perfect flush.  Plus it lasts for-ev-er.  I bought mine three years ago and I’m just now at the point where it’s time to buy a new one.  I get mine at Sephora but they carry it at Nordstrom, Saks and probably lots of other places too.

As a side note, I’m also a fan of “Deep Throat” for the occasions where I want a darker flush.  It’s also fantastic.  They also have “Super Orgasm” which I can’t wait to try.  (And oh the searches I’m sure I’ll get after these last two paragraphs…)

2.  Tangled

If you haven’t seen this movie, do yourself a favor and go right now.  It’s so awesome.  I would even be willing to say I like it as much as Little Mermaid and that is saying A LOT. Plus I love Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi so the fact that they’re the voices is a total bonus.  I’m planning on seeing it again in the theatre.  It’s sweet and funny and romantic and great for kids and adults.  My husband even enjoyed it.

 3.  Tom’s Glitter Shoes

ZOMG I love my silver glitter Tom’s.  They are comfy and they seriously make me want to dance everywhere because HELLO, silver glitter!  I also love that they go to such a great cause.  One for One.  Every pair of Tom’s shoes purchased means an underpriveledged child somewhere in the world gets a free pair of shoes.  I tried to convince my husband this was a great reason for me to get black and pink and gold AND silver glitter shoes, but he isn’t quite on board yet.  You can buy them online at Toms.com but I got mine at Nordstrom because I had a gift card.

4.  Basa Body

OK, so I’m weird with trends.  Some I’m all for (see: Tom’s) others, I seem to resist forever before I finally jump on the bandwagon (skinny jeans) and others I just avoid forever and ever (sandal boots).  Basa Body, due to the C. Jane phenomenon, seemed trendy.  My oldest bestie Sheila came to town this weekend and brought me a Basa Body Stick and Peppermint Lip Butter and wowsers do I love both.  The stick is great for chapped skin, eczema (thank you, Arizona), elbows, knees, feet…whatever.  It smells divine and if you give it a second it soaks in completely and doesn’t leave any gross residue.  The lip butter might just be my favorite thing ever.  It has the peppermint extract for the tingle and the slight breath freshening and then it works miracles on my yucky chapped lips.  And again, it’s for a good cause.  The company was founded to give women in Kenya jobs to support and feed their families.  You can read all about it here.

5.  Homemade Tortilla Mix

So I was innocently walking down the flour isle at Walmart a while ago and something strange caught my eye…tortilla mix.  It was like $3 so I thought I’d give it a shot.  It’s amazing.  You add water and mix it up and let it sit for ten minutes and then you roll out little tortillas and heat them on a griddle or big pan.  That’s it!  They are delicious and they aren’t bad for you because they skip the lard step so common in tortillas.  Matt and I both love Mexican food and I have often wondered if one could become a burrito or quesadilla from eating too many of them, so we are picky.  These things pass the test.  A bag probably makes 100 tortillas, depending on how small you roll them out so it’s totally worth the money.

Ok folks, that’s all I’ve got time for right now but I have a whole list of stuff I want to share.  I’ve had some suggestions emailed to me and commented that I can’t wait to try so I’d love to hear more about your favorite things!

January 8th, 2011 by Kateastrophe

I’m not sure that anyone cares, but I’ve been thinking a lot about the things that make my life easier, more fun or just plain “more gooder” as my Stepfather used to say.  I thought I’d share them with you!  Just as a side note, nobody is paying me to say any of this.  These are my honest to goodness favorite things.

1.  My Apple Magic Trackpad.

At first, I was like WTH is this thing and how does it work?  I couldn’t double-click, figure out the right-click (that’s right, Apple die-hards.  I will NEVER surrender my right click!  Shortcuts are for the birds!  Unless they’re called CTRL-C, X or V.) Now I LOVE this thing.  I have figured out how to maneuver it for the basics and now I’m on to the fancy advanced features such as the four finger swipe.  SHAZAM!  If you have an iMac I highly recommend it.  Thank you Santa-Matt for the Christmas gift.

2.  Speaking of Christmas gifts, holy surprise, Batman!  Santa-Matt also upgraded the DSLR…BIG TIME!  I had to trade in the trusty Rebel XTi but I am now the proud owner/operator of a Canon 60D.  Ta-daa!

While it’s not for someone who hasn’t taken at least a beginner DSLR camera course, it might be the coolest camera ever.  It has a hi-def video camera, 18.lots of megapixels, up to 6500 (!!!!) ISO (translation: you can take decent pictures in the DARK without a FLASH!) and all sorts of other bells and whistles.  I’m still working on figuring it out and next I have GOT to take another class to get used to my fancy pants flash and other stuff, but I’m in love with it.

3.  Streaming Netflix.  HOW DID I LIVE WITHOUT THIS?  We have been able to watch/become addicted to countless TV shows sans commercials or having to wait through the pesky summer for the next season, we watch (lots of times weird) movies all the time and holy johnnies I love it.  We are able to stream it through our upstairs Xbox 360 and downstairs through the Blu-ray OR the Wii.  And on the computer if necessary.  And it comes with the monthly minimum Netflix subscription.  Maybe the best $10 a month we’ve ever spent.

4.  C.O. Bigelow’s Rose Salve from Bath & Body Works

Back in December my Phoenix girls and I got together and had a “Favorite Things” gift exchange.  It’s like a White Elephant but with GOOD gifts.  We all had to bring something we couldn’t live without that was under $10. People brought the COOLEST stuff but my favorite discovery was this amazing stuff.   My friend Alisha is very into all-natural products and she loves the C.O. Bigelow line because it’s just that and this stuff is awesome.  It’s for dry elbows, lips, cuticles, whatever.  And it smells delish.  It’s on sale right now so you should go get some.

5.  Michelle’s Sweet Cakes

So this girl?  Can bake.  She went to a fancy-pants culinary school on full scholarship and then worked as a pastry chef.  Now she does it on the side while raising four of the cutest kids you’ll ever see.  She makes the most delicious cakes and LOOK AT THAT CAKE UP THERE!  All those flowers are made of gum paste or something like that.  They’re edible.  She makes them herself.  And she makes the best cheesecake I’ve ever had.  And the best blueberry scones.  And the best cookies.  And the best everything.  If you’re in the Phoenix area and looking for a cake or a baked goodie, please do yourself a favor and give her a call.  She does cakes for all my company and personal events.  (I sound so snotty.  Alllll my events pshaw.  My birthday cakes.  But for my company she really does everything, I swear.) Confession: Michelle is my friend.  Like, I get to go to her house and eat her food a lot.  And hang out with her.  It’s awesome  You should all be jealous.

6.  Philosophy Hope in a Jar

When Oprah said this was like a face lift in a jar she wasn’t kidding.  I love this stuff.  I love all of Philosophy’s stuff, to be honest but this is my most favorite.  I have finicky, dry skin and Arizona really hasn’t helped the issue.  I get compliments on my skin a lot and it’s all due to constant sunscreen, limited sun exposure and this stuff.  I buy it in the face care sets because a) it saves money and b) their face washes and microderm abrasion kits are also to die for.  So is their eye cream.  SEE?  I love everything.

7.  M.A.C. 224 Tapered Blending Brush

Not even joking when I tell you this is the BEST MAKE-UP BRUSH EVER.  If you want your basic, everyday eye make-up to look stupendous, do yourself a favor and go get this thing.  It does crease shadow to perfection and it’s worth the money because if you take relatively good care of it (I wash mine about once every three months with baby shampoo and am careful not to let water get inside the metal part) it will last you forever.  I’ve had mine for ten years.  That’s not an exaggeration.  I love all my M.A.C brushes but they’re expensive and they’re the only ones I will buy.  I’ve been slowly adding one at a time to my collection so now I have a lot  but if you’re looking for one great brush to get started or to add to your collection, this is the one to start with.  It’s the one I started with and still the one I use most.

SO there you have a few of my favorite things right now.  I’ll try to do this every few months because I’ve always loved reading other people’s lists and I figure I’ve got some little treasures of my own to share!  I will always only tell you about things I REALLY use and I REALLY love. Let me know if you have any special requests or questions!

January 3rd, 2011 by Kateastrophe

Here’s to love, laughter and a brand new year filled with endless possibility and a little bit of magic.

Love, Matt and Kate