HiP haul

lately i've found it pretty pointless (well, time consuming) to post about my makeup hauls...i mean, for me it's just run in the store...grab conditioner...grab a gloss, or some e/s...it's really informal. don't get me wrong, it's just as exciting to get something new as it was when i first started really wearing makeup a few months back, but it's just ordinary to me now.

anyhoo, i've been coupon clipping and waiting for the infamous BOGO HiP sale to return to CVS...and it came this week! it's weird, i just happened to go there yesterday cause something told me HiP was on sale. boy was i right, and i am in looooove already with these glosses that i got.

the rundown:
HiP Shine Struck Liquid Lipcolor - arresting (pictured above) and euphoric
HiP Color Presso ligloss - swanky
HiP kohl eyeliner - gold kohl
shadow duos in dynamic and platinum
HiP Color Rich Cream Crayon - perfectionist and intricate

i needed something to act like a MAC shadestick, and then i wanted some really bold glossy lipcolors...mission accomplished. next goal is to depot the HiP shadows...no rush on that though.

good news, bad news

good news: i made it to 22.5 minutes (90%) on the elliptical today...oh yeah, i'm a beast.

bad news: i am NOT retaining length like i should be. my ends are a hot mess, and i JUST trimmed them like a month ago. i'm going into braids ASAP, and until i get up the energy to braid my hair i'm stretching my hair. that means twistouts, rollersets, straighter hair. i bet relaxed girls don't have this problem...

gray rollers

I CAN FIT THE GRAY ROLLERS!

i just did a sloppy rollerset that i don't expect to last past tonight...pics soon.

<3

exercise update

wednesday: 17 mins on elliptical (why is this thing so much harder than the treadmill?)
thursday: 10 mins arc runner (gave up), 10 mins stationary bike
friday: 18 mins elliptical, 50 sit-ups

i got my fruits and veggies in EARLY today...apple for breakfast, spinach and cucumber salad for lunch. that's 3 so i may throw in another for fun.

good news/bad news

the megatek is inconsistent. good job, me, but i've been having fun with puffs again. sue me.

the exercise fell off completely last week...between the new job and all, i just didn't feel like i had time. i did buy an exercise ball (it came with a resistance band + a yoga mat) to motivate me to workout in my apartment...and to improve my posture. my back hurts so maybe it's working.

workout for this week:
20 mins cardio (switch to 25 on thursday)
5 mins stairclimber
10 mins on exercise ball

so far, so good...

like i said i would, i have been getting those 20 minutes on the treadmill in -- yesterday i threw some lunges in after the run, and today i actually made it through the whole 20 without stopping! even my roomie complimented me on my stick-to-it-ness! not only that, but i got in my 3 fruits and veggies and met my water goal...oh, i've been megassaging too! mannnn this is just turning out to be a great week me-wise.

sunday starts a new week...i am pushing myself to finish out the week on a high note, then i will up the treadmill time and add some stairclimbing/lunges in there as well.

full of it

i KNOW that every time i jump on a fitness wagon i fall off, and it's been causing me some distress lately. i'm doing pretty well with the workouts so far...i made it all 20 mins today on the treadmill, and i felt really good about it when all was said and done...but i think i need to up it to EVERY day instead of every other day. i have to be able to find 20 minutes somewhere in there to go hop on the treadmill. only a month till SB09!

goals for this week:

• get those 20 mins in wed, thurs and fri...sat/sun are a tossup, got plans
• back up to 64 oz of water a day...my skin is yelling at me for dropping this one
• 3 fruits/veggies a day
• eat breakfast!
  

i will look into adding the weight training next week or the week after that.

something old, something new

the old? clarifying and DCing. the new? baking soda!

i've been slightly intrigued by the idea of using that big ol' tub of bentonite clay for my hair, as evidenced in kinkerbelle's fotki, but before i got into all that i wanted to try out the baking soda texturizer that littlegoldlamb profiles in her fotki. long story short...i still have the same texture =)

1) washed with organix vanilla silk shampoo...love the smell, but still convinced that there is sometihng better out there that doesn't tangle my hair. either i'm using too much or my curls are trying to tell me something!

2) airdried to 80%, as suggested by LGL, then applied the mix. i added approximately 2 tbsp of conditioner to a small container of trader joe's nourish spa conditioner -- probably the amount i would use to DC with. i left it on for an hour under a plastic cap.

3) rinsed and applied DC mix: gvp conditioning balm/kenra mc/herbal oil blend. went to exercise like i said i would, then left it on for maybe an hour past that as well.

4) detangled, rinsed out DC, plopped with t-shirt, applied gvp's paul mitchell the conditioner, and twisted it up into 1-12 big fat ones.

granted, my hair is really soft, but it doesn't feel any different from when i normally clarify and DC. i can see myself doing it again -- maybe, it's kinda time consuming -- but it's not a lifesaver.

pics coming when i unload my camera.

the addictive nature of FAKE HAIR

i bought two more wigs, and decided to get rid of the short one -- it should be on the exchange forum shortly. here are my two new boos (in the curly one, i decided to smile, since the general consensus is that i look EVIL, lol)

1) femi "irina" synthetic LF - i like it, it's just a tad long for me...haven't decided whether i want to cut it or not yet.

2) freetress "fresno girl" half wig

still looking into the tammy, and since the SLF works so well for me, this one as well...femi "kelly":
my hair is LOVING me right now. it gets to stay twisted up for days on end, and i can even start megassaging again (although, as we know, saying it is easier than DOING it). i mean, i even DC'd under the half wig the other day...just covered my cap with a satin scarf, put on the wig, and pulled the scarf up over the edges so it looked like i had a headband on. PERFECT. the other day i realized the best way to do it is to make an ear-to-ear part in the front, then flat twist that in case i need easy access to the front of my hair for the half wig, and then flat twist the back. so far, so good.

6 week slimdown - the TORTURE begins!

i always make these attempts to get back in shape, and about 2 weeks in something goes wrong and i stop dead in my tracks. i keep telling myself that it makes no sense to have a free gym membership if i'm not using it, and given that it expires when i graduate in may i need to get it done! i mean, there's a treadmill in the exercise room in my apt complex, and i can SEE IT from my bedroom window, for pete's sake! so here's to motivation...i have no set exercise plan yet, but something is better than nothing. i'm sitting here with a baking soda texturizer in my hair, and since i have to DC for an hour after this anyway, i might as well spend it working out. crossing my fingers...