New Year, New Habits

I've never been one for New Year Resolutions. But, as I've gotten older, I've started to appreciate the chance to start fresh and do something new that makes me a better person. So, I'm working on some resolutions for 2013. There are going to be the usual things about losing weight and being better about finances because, truth be told, those things need to change. I also want to make sure there are one or two things in the mix that are a bit more fun to carry out.

One of the things that I think that I have decided on is to have friends over for dinner at least once a month. I'm also going to start a list of all the new recipes I want to try in 2013. This all started when I was reading the latest Food and Wine magazine and loved a ton of recipes in it. I realized that I never remember the recipes I want to try so I started a list of them. I'm keeping track of the recipe and where I find it so that I can find it again. I started doing this list and then realized that it's going to be way too much food for myself. Hence, I will have friends over for dinner once a month. I figured that once a month wasn't too much but it gives me a chance to be a bit fancy and try out new things. It's also a chance to get to know some people a bit better.

I'll have to solidify all resolutions in the near future and I'll keep you posted on things. Stay tuned for a recap of the first dinner sometime in January!

December Birchbox

I realize that I never reviewed my November box but I've already put things away (or thrown them away) and I didn't take pictures so it will have to remain a mystery. I won't fail you on the December box though. It's a pretty good box. Here it is.
Frownies Eye Gels. These are supposed to fight puffy dark circles under my eyes. There are two patches in here and they should each last a couple of days when sprayed with some tonic that is not included. So, we'll see if I get more than one use out of each of these. Haven't tried them yet but I like them in theory.

ModelCo SHINE Ultra Lip Gloss. This is from Australia so it must be fancy. I'm a fan. This particular one really has no color to it but it adds a nice shine. It's not sticky like some and it lasts pretty well. Plus, it has a slight taste of strawberries that is kind of nice. This is my favorite of the box.

Cartier Baiser Vole Eau de Parfume. This is an award-winning scent with a single-not composition of pure lily. It's actually kind of nice. It's a little strong for me for daytime but would be lovely for a night out.

Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Repair CC Cream. The lightweight cream naturally improves skin tone with vitamin C and grape-derived resveratrol. We'll see. Again, I haven't tried this one yet but the tube is so small, I'm guessing I won't see much results before it runs out.

Nick Chavez Beverly Hills Advanced Volume Shampoo. It's purple. According to the description, it's also buzz-worthy. I mostly just like that it's a nice travel size. I'll be sticking this in my stash of things to take on trips with me. I'll let you know if it's anything special after my next trip. UPDATE: I used this while I was home for Christmas and it's pretty good. It gave my hair good body even in the winter when my hair usually goes flat. It's unlikely I'll hunt down a full size bottle and/or order it online but if you happen to run into some, give it a try.

And then, just to rub salt in the wound, they included this lovely present for the Birchbox man in my life. Again, they forgot to also include the man. It's a nice little scent. I'd appreciate it if a man smelled like this. I accidentally sprayed some on my chair so I keep getting a whiff of it and I don't mind.

There you have it. That's the excitement for December! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Oh right, I have a blog

So, I'm not the most consistent blogger in the world. The two of you that read this will forgive me, right? I have a Birchbox that needs reviewing and I said something about some blogs about shoes that you should look forward to. I'm sure there have been some other somewhat exciting things in my life that I could tell you about. But, I've failed you. Sorry. I've had a lot I've wanted to say but haven't felt like I should ramble about my personal life and my frustrations with it in such a public forum. So, I've kept it to myself and to a few trusted friends and one-on-one, actual human interactions.
I've been a little down in the dumps lately. I've understood why people want to just sit around and drink all day (and, my problems are not anywhere near what some people deal with). I've wanted to just lay on my couch and watch Twilight movies all day. I'm working my way out of it though, so don't worry too much about me. If you want to know more details, feel free to contact me some other way. It has to do with boys and feeling like I'm not really going anywhere in life and wishing I had a reason to take pictures with someone (a friend keeps posting her fantastic photos of lovely couples and families and it makes me want to have photos).
On the bright side, today I got a sweet reminder that I have fantastic people in my life who really do love and care for me. This shouldn't be a revelation to me because I am very fortunate to have always had wonderful friends and family. But, sometimes you just need a reminder. I got home from dinner (again, with friends that I am lucky enough to see all the time) and there was a package waiting for me. I was a bit surprised because I didn't order anything and it's not my birthday and it's too early for Christmas. When I opened it, it was a lovely set of my very own personalize stationary! Very simple cards with my name at the top in a lovely apple green color. Turns out they are from a friend of mine who just wanted to be sweet. I had mentioned to him awhile ago that I was jealous of his personalized stationary and that I had thought of getting my own but never had. I had pretty much forgotten about that conversation but I guess he remembered. The stationary is lovely but I think it means even more that he remembered such a short conversation and thought that I could use a little treat.
I really am incredibly blessed by the people in my life.

O.M.G.

So, tonight I made this cake.

6-layer salted caramel chocolate cake.

Yes, it tasted as good as it sounds. Better, actually. People wanted to slap me it was so good. I almost fell out of my chair after the first bite. Oh. My. Word. The cake itself was delicious. Now my go-to chocolate cake. Then it's layered with homemade caramel with more butter than should be legal. The whole thing is wrapped up in frosting that contains even more butter and an entire pound of semi-sweet chocolate. It's rich. It's indulgent. I feel like I should confess some sins now.

It's a bit of a labor of love but for a special occasion and people you love it's worth every second.

The Little Black Shoe

If you work in an office setting, it's important to have a basic black shoe that can be worn with 90% of your wardrobe. The shoe should be comfortable but still look nice. I prefer to buy ones with classic lines that won't go out of style in a month. That way, I don't feel bad about spending a few extra dollars to get a higher quality shoe. I also like to make sure my shoes have just a bit of interest or detailing to them so that they aren't too boring.
This summer, I purchased these (again, sorry for the bad picture).

They are Calvin Klein shoes that I found on sale at Macy's and they are really comfortable. The slightly thicker heel helps but it's not so chunky that it looks bad with skirts and tights. The leather is super soft and there is nice padding on the bottoms. It's hard to tell in this picture but there is a texture to the leather that is almost like a very small snake skin pattern and there's just a bit of a sheen to them. They are not sparkly, just a bit of shine. So far, they look good with everything.

Just for kicks

One day I was watching the episode of Sex and the City where Carrie goes to a baby shower, has to take off her fancy shoes at the entrance and when she leaves someone has taken them. The host has no sympathy for her and thinks that she's shallow for only thinking about herself and her expensive shoes. In the end, she gets her shoes replaced. The closing line of the episode is something to the effect of 'Sometimes it's hard to walk in a single girls' shoes. That's why sometimes we need really special ones to make the journey more fun.'

I'm not sure why that, of all things, has stuck with me. But, as an older single gal and a lover of shoes, I just really identified with it. 

Then, the other day I was chatting with Robin and she suggested that I do a blog series highlighting all of my shoes because they are fabulous. So, here is the start of what will probably be a completely shallow, yet fun little series. (Please excuse the poor quality of all pictures. I get very little natural light in my apartment and I'm too lazy to move all my shoes very far away from my closet.)

I give you...My shoes.

I bought these lovely red shoes a couple of weeks ago. I had seen these in black at a Nine West store in Lake Geneva but didn't really need another pair of black shoes. The sales lady informed me that they were supposed to be getting them in a couple of other colors soon. There's a Nine West store not that far from me so I walked down there one Saturday just to check things out. Aren't they pretty?

The thing about Nine West is that they almost always have their shoes by one, get one half off. Right next to the red shoes were these great nude and black ones that I almost love more than the red.

Don't worry, there's more. I just don't want to overwhelm you with all of them. I might crash the internets.

October Birchbox

I know that this is very delayed but in my defense, so was my Birchbox. I got a notice one day that there was a delay and they felt so bad that they were giving me 100 points on my account just because. That's equal to $10. I forgive them for being late.
This month's box was about average. Here's what I got:

A Luna Fiber bar. I think I've gotten a Luna bar of some kind before and I generally like them. I liked that this one has more fiber but I wasn't in love with the flavor. It was still a nice, quick breakfast on the run so if I find these on sale somewhere, I'd likely pick up a few to have around the house.

Supergoop City Sunscreen Serum. I haven't tried this one yet. I honestly forgot I had it for the last two weeks. It is described as an award-winning silky SPF 30 serum to wear under your makeup for a weightless UV shield. Sounds good to me. I'll be sure to test it out shortly.

La Fresh Eco-Beauty Acetone-Free Nail Polish Remover. I got two of these packets that each contain one pad. The package claims that one pad will clean and condition all 10 nails. I was skeptical that it would actually work well on the dark nail polish I prefer in the fall and winter. But, it really worked! It smelled nice and didn't dry out my nails the way regular polish remover does. Each packet ends up being about $0.50 so it's not as cheap as the bottles of stuff. But they would be really handy for traveling and might be worth it to take better care of my nails. I think this was my favorite find of the box.

Sprout Lip Balm. This is an organic lip balm made with coconut butter and I got the Cocoa 'flavor'. While I do love the feeling of this I'm not crazy about the cocoa flavor. I'll use it up because it's almost winter and I go through lip stuff like it's my job this time of year.

theBalm cosmetics Mary-Lou Manizer. This is a three-in-one highlighter, shadow and all-over shimmer. This is one of those products that I don't use all that often but it's nice to have a sample or two for when I do want a little extra shimmer in my day.

So, there you have it. Stay tuned for a very exciting blog series that I will be working on for the rest of November!