Year In Review

Awww, My people. The year has come to a closing. It is time to look back and see what we have left behind us. So much has happened. We had Balloon boy, Conan's last late night show, and first tbs show. Apple unveiled the ipad. Toyota had a  recall. New Orleans wons the Super Bowl. Then of course who could forget the year starting with the news of Tiger Woods affair, and Mid year news conference apology.

In Fashion there were some amazing fashions. Shirts and dresses that had one shoulder on and one shoulder off, knee socks, lace on everything, jump suits, the military look, anything gaga, headbands and bows, boots, and  boyfriends jackets.

There were some exceptional movies too this year. Just off the top of my head here are some that I saw and really enjoyed. The last air bender, the book of Eli, Alice in Wonderland, Toy story 3,  and Iron man 2.

Tv shows that I have been liking. The first one comes with a disclaimer. While I have been enjoying this show in the past I am now finding that it is leaving a distinct nasty aftertaste. Sort of like a horrid hang over. Maybe more like the wreck on the highway you have to look at because you have been stuck in traffic for 30 minutes to get there so you feel it is your right to look. But once you look you are deeply disappointed. That show is Glee. Then I also watch outsourced, downsized (a cable show) the apprentice, fringe, and finally undercover boss.

I tried to think of my top songs for 2010, but I have so many on my itunes right now. I guess for recent music Lenny Kravitz- American woman, Jason Mraz Only Human, Manafest- Avalanche.

Favorite places to shop online are sephora, mod cloth, shopruche.com.

Well, my favorite people in the world are my family. The people I most want to meet in the world are you. So, send me a comment on your favorites of 2010. Or tell me your worst. I would love to hear any of them. Don't be shy. Introduce yourself.

Happy New Year,

Leslie

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

No New years Resolutions, How about creating a new identity instead?

Yes People, New Years is upon us and the universe, or at least most of the people in expect us to make resolutions for change.  I say,"Fogetaboudit!" Instead of deciding to lose weight, stand up to your boss, organize your closet, try getting a new identity.  Now, I don't mean run out and become American's most wanted.  Or steal someone's birth certificate and take over their life.  instead just change your identity.  Let me unbox it for you.  First think of all the times you have caught yourself looking at someone else and saying I wish I were more like her.  Well, what is stopping you?  You like her red hair.  I hear that comes in a box.  You dig her style of dress,  ask her where she shops.  Get where I am heading with this.  She is confident and You, not so much.  Well, think of it as rehearsing for a play in your head.  Rehearse it over and over until it becomes part of you.  Rehearse being confident and saying confident things.  Walk into a room with your shoulders back, the girls at attention, and pretend you're confident.  The people looking at you think you really are.  They have no idea you're just acting.  That is quite a magic trick huh?


Maybe you really do want to change your identity.  Maybe seriously you have a dangerous situation in your life.  Scary abusive husband, boyfriend or family member.  Let me start at the beginning with this.  First off, there are a lot of places to reach out to for help.  The police, social service, child protective services.  If for some reason you want to skip this step and you are over the age of 18 you can do these things. I have done a simple google search as well as a search on my State of Texas County clerk website.  I am in no way offering you legal advice.  This is just information that I've found in researching new identities.  I should also state that by going to the county clerk and asking for a petition for a name change, they will automatically give you all the proceeding paper work and advice. You can go to the county clerk and petition for a name change by asking for a deed poll.  Get an order to grant a name change.  Sign a legal backer form.  Sign a legal affidavit of consent.  Post an add in the classified, (bury it in a section that it won't easily be found) stating that you are changing your name.  Then after you have taken these steps you should be should be able to change your name and possibly your social security number if you have personal security reasons.  All of the above things can be done with out the assistants of a lawyer.  It is one trip to the county, one add in the paper, and you can have your new social security card sent to a P.O box.  So, that is your new identity if you are being victimized.

I am thinking more of taking your identity into hyper drive and becoming an uber version of yourself.  I'm going to get fresh with my hairstyles. I have already purged the old Leslie wardrobe.  The things that just made me feel the most icky when I wore them.  I have already begun to wear heals almost every day.  It isn't about becoming a stepford wife for me.  Really it's more like, I just want to find myself more enchanting, more whimsical, more, fresh and approachable.  More fun.  Just MORE.  So you can say that my new identity is MORE willing to try more of everything.

As the New Year approaches who will you be in your new identity.  A ninja, a princess, a tomb raider, or how about a zombie.  I can easily be that at 7 a.m.

Well my people, thank you for listening to my long and rambling rants.  Happy new Year!

:)  Leslie

Could you wear the elegance of the past today?

  Sigh, I went to the civil war museum with my family this weekend. My daughter needed to go for her college mini semester History class. I thought it was going to be a true snooze fest. It was a really fun and interesting time. The most fun for me was the section of the museum that had period dresses, fans, necklaces, and other accessories. I took some photos to share with my people. I hope you find these items as lovely as I did.


This necklace is beautiful.  Some of you may find this crafty, others may find it creepy.  Either way it's an interesting fact.  This necklace is woven from human hair.  

All hand embroidered.

 This is all hand embroidered.

 This is a friendship fan covered in signatures.

 This is an evening cape.

 Evening ball gown.

Well, that was the period dress section.  It was very exciting to share it with you.  So my question is.  Could you dress like this?  Crinoline hoop skirts?  Man a lot of work goes into each stitch of that hand embroidery.  You would definitely have to wear these dresses a whole lot to make it worth it.  I love the style.  But I am glad to be in this generation where you can buy retro or buy reproduction vintage clothing.  My period is anywhere from the 30's through now.  What's your style?  Post in the comments below.

Leslie

Spiral curls-they are the girliest.

Yesterday I got the urge to feel girly and put spiral curls in my hair.  When I was very little.  My mom used to put dippity doo in my hair and then wrap section with sponge curlers before bed while my hair was still wet.  In the morning when She removed them, she would call them banana curls.  They looked like Nelly Olsen curls.  That is really cute when you are 8.

So, I took up my spiral curling iron and put some curls in.  I sectioned off my hair from ear to ear and pinned the amount above my ears to the top of my head and curled the bottom.  When that was done I did another section from temple to temple, then pinned the top part up, and curled this next section.  Then repeated this with the final section.  Here is a photo.

There are a variety of ways to get your hair to have the spiral curl look.  From rag wrapping, to spiral irons, and the above mentioned sponge rollers and dippity doo.  LOL.  There are a few new products that are pretty simple.  I have included video and links for them below.

The first one is called curlformers.  These can be bought at Sally Beauty. 




Another option to get sleek spiral curls is a product called clip & curl spiral.  You can purchase these on Ebay or on Alibaba.com.  Below is a video for the product:





One more product is called rageaze.  They make disposable rag curlers that require no heat.  I suppose you could reuse them a time or two if you wanted to.  They look pretty cool.  




I hope you have enjoyed seeing all of your spiral curl options.  It has been fun to research this one.

Leslie

Rest in peace, my pet, my family.

When people say that they are getting a pet, they have no idea what they are getting into. Once you look into those little eyes, you are hooked. I have four little dachshunds. Well three really as one is my daughters. Two of them adopted at older ages, but one came to me at 6 weeks old. He is the only dog I have ever had from puppyhood on. He is 13 now. He still has a few good years left in him. His name is Gravy. Now I don't want to get any emails or comments about how naming him that could hurt his little self esteem. This dog is a stud, and his name has never bothered him. In fact he really clowns around about it. He has used it to his advantage over the years. He's a lover, not a fighter, really.

About a month ago we though our guy had the puppy flu. He was getting sick everywhere in the house. On floors, on beds. An equal opportunity barfer. Then it stopped. We thought he was better. But we noticed he had lost some weight. Now you might be saying to yourself, "no big deal" Well it was a big deal. You see our little doxi was obese for his size. He had been up to 25 lbs at one time, and we had worked him down to a healthy 20. He had gone down to 18 and even though that was healthy, to us it was too thin from what we were used to. Then it happened. He started to throw up again. Food, water, everything. And his cheek was swollen. The vet said he had an abscessed tooth. He sent him home on antibiotics and pain medicine and he went back to normal after a week. Yea.

But wait, there's more. A few days after getting better he got worse. He went from 18 to 15 in one week. Eating baby food, because he couldn't keep down dog food, and can barely keep down water. Today we got results back from blood work he had done yesterday. My little Gravy is a diabetic. He can't be helped. We will be saying goodbye to him in just a few hours. The whole family has been taking turns cuddling him and talking to him. We took our final family picture.

Are you asking, how does this have anything to do with a beautiful life? It's so sad? Well, I will tell you how it does. This little dog became more than just a pet. You get a pet thinking that is all it will be. But no, they become a clown, a confidant, a cuddler, a best friend, a family member. You love them. They love you unconditionally. Even though I am sad for this day. I would trade the 13 yrs filled with 365 days of pure faithful love from my friend Gravy. If your lonely, if you need a friend, go rescue a lonely puppy or cat from the aspca.

Leslie

Exciting blog/youtube find

Hello my people.  As you know, when I find something exciting, a product, tv show, or exciting blog on the web, it must be shared with my people.  Yes!  I have found an exciting and wonderful blog.  It is called Classic Retro Glamour.  Run by a lovely lady who is into Hairstyles, Retro beauty, Styles from the 20's-60's, and tattoos.  She is very talented and graceful.  Easy to listen to and very instructive.  Her blogs are fun to read and very cool to look at.  I like to point you to an awesome blog once in a while.  This is definitely an awesome blog.  Here is a link to one of the youtube videos for one of the Classic Retro Glamour Videos. 



Thank you for viewing this video today People.  Have a great day.

Leslie

DIY natural beauty treatments

Ahh, the pleasure of doing things yourself.  Making something and knowing what goes into it.  In the spur of the moment you can make your own hand or body scrub and have the satisfaction of knowing all the ingredients that have gone into it.  There are so many home made treatment that you can DIY.  Most of the ingredients can be found in your kitchens, or in your beauty cabinet.  Here is a list of the things you can make and the things you can do with them.

Baking soda:

You can mix this with salt and turn it into a facial or body scrub.  Mix equal parts.  Table spoon to table spoon.  You can also take a table spoon of baking soda and use it as no-poo to clarify your hair and remove product build up.
Mix equal parts of baking soda and salt and wet your tooth brush with peroxide.  Use this once or twice a week to brush your teeth, you have just made a home made teeth whitener.

Cocoa:

This can be used as a substitute for bronzer.  Just pore a bit into a plate and use your bronzer brush and put it on as usual.  You can also use it with equal parts shampoo to shine up brown hair.   Apply a little bit of cocoa into some Vasaline and a touch of brown sugar, and you have a pretty  and tasty shade of brown lip gloss.

Cinnamon:

You can also use this as a blush or bronzer.  Mix this with Vasaline & sugar and make a gloss.

Olive oil:

Heat 1/4 cup for 20 seconds in the microwave and you have an instant hot oil treatment.

Mix with brown sugar and you have a hand and body scrub.  Any essential oil can be added by using a few drop in the mixture.

A few drops in the palm of your hand, rubbed across your face and then wipe with a paper towel or a warm wash cloth acts as a makeup remover.

A drop or two under makeup as a makeup primer.  Or in the hands as a moisturizer.

Use as a cuticle oil.

Mix 1 egg yolk, 1 Tablespoon Honey, 1 Tablespoon olive oil and apply to your face for 20 minutes as a facial mask.  Rinse with a warm wash cloth and your face with be toned and cleansed.

Add a few drops to bath as a bath oil.




Preperation H:

Under the eyes as a dark circle remover.
Rubbed on the glutes and the thighes as a cellulite reducer.  

Deodorant:

Did you know that you can use Deodorant to cure razor bumps and razor stubble?!?  That is crazy  news to me.  You can also use it inside of smelly sneakers to remove yucky odor.  I suppose that means you can also rub it on your teens smelly feet?

Vasaline or petroleum jelly:

Use as an eye make up remover, body butter, eye brow wax, cuticle cream, chapped lip treatment.  Or mix 1 cup petroleum jelly with 2 cups of Epsom salt, you can add a few drops of essential oil if you like, and use it as a hand, feet or body scrub to remove dead skin cells.

Epsom Salt:

This can be used as a laxitive by adding a couple of tablespoons to a cup of warm water and drinking it.
Add 2 cups to a bath and detox your body a couple of times a week.
Add 1 cup to a foot bath before a pedicure and soak for 15 minutes for a nice refreshing treat.
Mix 1 bag of Epsom salt with 10 drops of your favorite essential oil and a few drops of your favorite color of food coloring.  Mix in a plastic bowl.  You have now made home made bath salts.  Store in an air tight container.  This will keep for 6 months.
Use them plain as bath crystals.


There are so many more things you can do from home.  You can make a avocado face mask.  A mayo conditioner.  Add polish remover to a half empty bottle of polish to refresh it.  I have tried all of the above treatments except the Epsom salt laxative.  That one scare the poop out of me!  Get it!   haha.

Well People, I hope that there is one or more that you may want to try.  It could help you be thrift or just help you have fun.  Enjoy.



Leslie

The many fantasitc and fun nail stampers.

So, you want to have nails that look professionally manicured. You can't afford to treat yourself every week. There are a plethora of nail stamp companies out there that want your dollar. First and foremost is Konad. They are by far the most well known in the USA. You can find them online and in some mall kiosks. For $25.99 you can purchase the most basic Konad kit. It comes with 2 plates of stamps (7 per plate I believe) 3 polishes, 1 scrapper and the stamp pad.

There is also Nakomi. You can find this kit sold on click here The kit can be purchased for $59.99. It includes 4 plates that contain 48 designs,6 polishes,50 nail crystals, 1 stamper and 1 scrapper.

Essence stampy is available at Ulta cosmetics and on their website. The price for this kit is $2.99. This has 1 plate of 7 designs, 1 stamper and 1 scrapper.

The kit that I purchased is the monster bundle. It comes with 21 plates with 126 designs, 1 stamper, 1 scrapper and a plate holder. I paid $17.99 plus 6 bucks shipping and handling.

While at a kiosk in the mall I had a technician apply stamps from the Konad stamps. They are very crisp looking and apply a nice coating of polish. I had to walk away because I couldn't quite justify the cost to myself while I was Christmas shopping for others.

I have been really playing with the monster bundle since receiving it. It doesn't apply as dark of a coat of polish as the Konad plates. However the images show up nicely and the polish looks a bit more lacy not being as thickly applied. If you can afford the Konad plates, I say go for it. The monster bundle is a great bargain. Most of the designs are quite attractive and all of them apply easily. The first few tries may take practice, but after doing it on a couple of nails, you will get the hang of it. I must say that I do like the overall look. I will certainly be buying some of the individual Konad plates. I'll let you know how they work out for me.

Leslie

Black swan, the movie and the makeup.

Black swan came out in limited showings on Dec 3, 2010.  It is already garnering much attention for the actresses Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis.  They are being touted as Oscar contenders.  I've yet to see the movie, but the trailer is astounding.




The story is based on swan lake.  Portman plays a character named Nina.  A pushed to the edge ballerina, who is emtionally battered by her stage mother.  She is suffering delusions and hallucinations.  She has been cast as the Swan Queen.  The part calls for her to be able to access both the Sweetness and innocence of the White swan as well as the seductive blissfulness of the Black swan.  Reality starts to slip from Nina's grasp once Lily (played by Mila Kunis) arrives as her understudy.  Lily is there to draw the darkness out of Nina.

This is what the basic narrative of the movie is.  It is a thriller to say the least.  I'm not sure that I want to see it in theaters or wait for blue ray.  I'm not a huge fan of such dark psychological thrillers.  What fascinates me is the makeup.  The makeup designer on this film is Oscar winning makeup artist Judy Chin.  I love how she made Nina's eyes very swan like.  As you can see by the images from IMBD.

The look was achieved using Mac cosmetics.  To set the base of the look, Ivory foundation was applied to the forehead and upper cheekbones.  Then Mac Chromaline was used in silver, and mixing medium to create the feathery eyes you see on the swan.  Mac Chromaline red was used to line beneath the eyes.  Thus crafting the elegant swan like eyes.  Mac lip liner -vino set the line on the lips.  Then they were filled in with Dubonnet.   The entire look has a lot of shading and highlighting techniques used to build the dramatic look you see in the final version.


The film promises to be an edge of your seat, roller coaster ride.  If you have seen it please leave your comments regarding your thoughts on the movie.  I would love to hear what you think of it.


Leslie