¡Ombligo!

As part of this month's Allure freebies, Kenzo held a contest to give away 500 bottles of their newest fragrance, Flower by Kenzo Oriental. I was notified on October 7th that I was one of the winners, my mom also received the same notification.

Anyhow, she received her bottle on Monday but I've yet to receive mine. She called me yesterday and told me that she received another bottle so she gave it to me. So while I haven't received the bottle that is supposed to be sent to me, I still have a bottle.

Wrapped around the bottle is this scroll of paper:


Flower By Kenzo Oriental is described on Sephora as:

Inspired by a traditional Japanese ritual that cultivates the magic of incense made with rare and precious woods, and where experiencing incense is a form of art. FlowerByKenzo Oriental blends the softness of a sensual, melting floral bouquet with the strength of Asian woods, rare incense, and fragrant notes imbued with the history of Japan.

For centuries in Japan, Kyara has been at the heart of a unique ritual dedicated to the appreciation of incense: the Kôdô ceremony (translation: "listening to incense"). A ritual that expresses the art of incense; of the mingling of woods and their mysteries; where in a shared moment suspended in time, participants are invited to smell, feel, and identify the burning woods - to "listen to the incense." Born of this union, FlowerByKenzo Oriental blends the essence of FLOWERBYKENZO with Kyara, the noblest of the woods used in the Kôdô ceremony. The result: a spicier, more sensual version of the original. A floral, woody fragrance, invoking a Zen-like quality ...

Notes:Bulgarian Rose, Violet, Vanilla, Musk, Sichuan Pepper, Kyara, Chinese Incense.

Style:Mysterious. Sensual. Unique.

My take on it: I like spicy floral fragrances so I had rather high expectations for this scent. The mnotableible top note is the pepper which could come across as incredibly strong for those who aren't used to spicy scents. The floral notes are incredibly light, so light that they seemdisappearpear minutes after it's initial application. Slightly woody with pale incense notes but all in all it's a vanilla fragrance.

The staying power seems to be rather weak as I sprayed it six times an hour ago on my arm and my Burt's Bees Baby Bee lotion is coming across as being stronger than this fragrance.

This could easily be an year round fragrance if the spicy notes don't bother you too much. I could see that top note being incredibly heavy in warmer months but it dries down a lot!

It's a nice scent but not that extraordinary, I probably wouldn't re-purchase this once the bottle ran out but as this is the first time I've tested it I will come back and report how it lasts throughout the day.

My Pink Lemonade Wallet arrived today and it's so cute! It's perfect for those small bags that fit nothing in them but keys and a wallet - this way they'll be together!

As it's one of a kind you can't have one like this but there are other keyring wallets in different fabrics at Chebang at Etsy or at Chebang.net.

Hope was a rather difficult model to work with, she was far too demanding and refused to pose for the camera. I had to hold a treat in my hand to take these pictures.

My hunt for a new scarf had been on hold as it hasn't been cold out here until a few days ago when a cold front moved in and I was feeling rather upset that I hadn't bought a scarf yet and then fate stepped in and I happened to find these two scarves listed on Etsy: Gryffindor Scarf and Slytherin Scarf.

They are hand crocheted by Brooke of bjerks_goodies who happens to be a Sampler contributor - by coincidence I got one of her hemp bracelet in this month's Sampler!

As they were only $10 each I obviously had to buy them both! Gryffindor to wear on days when I'm feeling nice and Slytherin for days when I'm feeling evil!

The Gryffindor scarf is slightly longer at 84" including the fringe and it's 4.5" wide. The Slytherin scarf is 70" long including the fringe and also 4.5" wide.

The pictures don't do them justice at all! Really beautiful, soft and so warm! Ah, my hunt for the perfect scarf isn't over yet but these will do in the mean time.

Jealous? You don't have to be! She's got an adult sized Gryffindor Scarf and many other goodies in her Etsy Shop. You can't beat the prices, the quality's fantastic, Brooke is an absolute gem and they arrived in no time at all.

Less than three weeks ago I got an e-mail from Mahleewan that I won the drawing for a custom Cloud9 bracelet! I've never really liked my name, as it feels rather old and formal. When I was little I went by Sandy but then people started calling me "Sandy the dog" because Annie. I could never find items in my name and when I did, they only came in "Sandy"

I don't mind when people call me Sandy but I can't call myself Sandy because everyone knows that Sandy is name for a thin, blonde girl who wears a ponytail! But Sand I like, Sand suits me.

Anyhow, I was going through the process of creating it and then it struck me that Sand would look a bit stupid. I could have chosen not to add my name of course but I knew someone who would want a bracelet like this with their name on it.....my sister!

Sarah is a name you say with jazz hands. Sarah is the girl who talks too much and is obsessed with Audrey Hepburn. Sarah thinks deep down inside that she's really a Princess. Sarah's going to love this bracelet!!!

For Sarah *jazz hands* I ordered the birthstone in garnet, silver spacers, her name and a silver toggle clasp. It's a 7.5 bracelet inch bracelet and is simply beautiful! The picture I took doesn't do it justice! The custom Cloud9 bracelet starts at $33.

There are other incredibly chic and stylish pieces on the site as well at fantastic prices. Plus, there's free shipping on the site!

As I wasn't feeling too good this past weekend I decided to do some retail therapy. I went straight to Plain Mabel as I had been meaning to order some more Switchrings, as I have man hands I have to buy the large ones and there were only two packages left in stock so I ordered those two.

A few minutes after I placed my order I got this message:

Hi Sandra,

Thanks so much for your order and for continuing to shop Plain Mabel! Your new packs of Switchrings will ship tomorrow, 10/24/05.

By the way, these are our last two packs of size Large -- more are on the way soon, maybe this week. So if the ones you receive are not colors you like (or if they overlap too much with what you have), you're welcome to return them for different ones when they are back in stock. (The packs must be unopened to be returned.)

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks again!
Tara

Isn't that so sweet and totally awesome! I luckily didn't get any repeats but am now bound and determined to have the entire assortment of colors.

Switchrings are incredibly chic and funky and the only place to buy them online is through Plainmabel.

Anyhow, I store my plastic, glass and beaded rings in this box which fits them all perfectly, when I remember to put them away.

My ring box closed

The drawers taken out of the ring box.

Rosa Parks Riding the Bus
Rosa Parks sits in the front of a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, after the Supreme Court ruled segregation illegal on the city bus system on December 21st, 1956. Parks was arrested on December 1, 1955 for refusing to give up her seat in the front of a bus in Montgomery set off a successful boycott of the city busses. Image: © Bettmann/CORBIS
Date Photographed: December 21, 1956

One voice, one action that forever changed our nation. Rest in peace Rosa Parks.

I wasn't too sure what to choose as my autumn fragrance and had narrowed it down to Regina Harris original fragrance or Nanadebary Bronze. I went with the Bronze and am now feeling a tinge of regret. Not that I'm unhappy with the Bronze, it's nice and smells lovely on me but it can't compete with incense and roses!

Why didn't it hit me? Incense and roses smell so much better on a cold day like today! Ugh, nevermind the fact that it's not very cold here - at least not until night. I really should have used better judgment in my decision!

Anyhow, the notes in Regina Harris are: frankincense, myrrh, rose maroc. The incense hit you right away. If you aren't a big incense fan, you're going to hate this as soon as you apply it. I'm a bit iffy on incense alone but mixed in with other notes it's wonderful. As this is oil, it takes a while to sink and warm into the skin but slowly the rose comes out, I also smell some clove in here.

I'm not too crazy about the fragrance when I first apply it but after about fifteen minutes it's wonderful and heavenly. I love this, I really do!

I should have bought it but was trying to show some self restraint. I told myself "Look at all the fragrances you have, buy it once you've finished a bottle!"

But today, oh today I'd settle for just this one fragrance as my entire collection....well this and Parfums Delrae's Bois de Paradis which I also NEED.

*sobs* Regina Harris retails for $125/15 ml. and is available at Barneys Beautyhabit, La Creme Beauty and Luckyscent.

This came in on Saturday it's a t-shirt from IFC: The Independent Film Channel. You know, that awesome channel that airs Henry Rollins' show!

Anyhow this was part of the Hopeless Pictures Sweepstakes and they gave away 60. I wonder if Henry has one? Oh Henry!

I was a bit upset and frustrated last week as I had gained and hit he treadmill like a mad person and really stuck to my points, I was feeling really good until midweek when I started feeling really down and quite awful. The first thing I thought of was that my Synthroid needed adjusting, there couldn't be any other explanation for it, until a sign hit me.

It was that time of the month! I HATE this time of the month! I don't think anyone can hate this time of the month more than me, seriously!

Well, this month's round has to be the worst one I've ever experienced. You know how they say that exercise helps cramps to go away? Not in this case! And it's not just cramps, it's everything! I feel just awful! I spent the entire weekend in bed, Saturday morning I cried myself to sleep. Why can't we have detachable uteruses? I want mine out right now! I can't take this anymore! *sobs*

I was so angry and frustrated last night that I was able to hit the treadmill for an hour and the good news about this week is that I lost weight: 1.6 lbs! (I can't really count the .6 as that was what was put on last week but that was because of my stupid body waiting for the egg to be fertilized. How the hell is this suppose to be natural, nothing feels natural about this! I'm so angry and hostile and want to beat up men for not having to deal with this!)

Anyhow when I logged in my weight I got this message:

WAY TO GO! Congratulations for losing weight this week. We hope you're thrilled with the result.

Here's a quote by Aristotle that we thought might strike a chord with you: "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit." Keep practicing your excellence and have a great week.

Stupid uterus, stupid body from hell!

I won this on October 13th and it arrived today. I have the already original version of Cranium so it'll be fun to play with a different version. The year Cranium was released I found several of them marked on clearance for $5 right before the holidays. They retailed for around $30 so I bought all of them and gave them out as gifts.

This is a daily instant win game which doesn't end until December 31st. They are giving away 20,000 games.

I won an Elizabeth Arden Nail Lacquer in West End Purple Sage which is part of their new fall shade collection. I love the color and have been looking for a purse in the same shade. I entered this on October 1st as it was part of this month's Allure freebies.


Elizabeth Arden Nail Lacquers retail for $8/0.5 fl. oz.

Regina Harris is a famous makeup artist and perfumer who's work has been featured in Vogue, Elle, W, Marie Claire as well as many other publications. Her artistry doesn't end there as she's also branched out into sculpting. Pictures of her work can be seen on her own website and through L'Atelier NYC.

Hearing both major rants and raves on Regina Harris' Amber Vanilla I was incredibly anxious to test it out myself. Especially since I love both amber and vanilla!

You know that scent you get when you walk into a used book store? Like a slightly dusty, aged wood type of scent. That's what I got as soon as I applied this oil on my skin. While I love that scent, it's certainly not one that I want to wear. Thankfully, it goes away after the oil is warmed by the skin, then come the vanilla and amber. The amber is sweetened significantly by the vanilla although, the vanilla itself isn't overwhelmingly sweet. If you're expecting a very dry amber fragrance, you won't find it here. They compliment each other very nicely.

I also smell spices (mainly ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg) as well as incense in here, the incense starts off a bit stronger than the spices. I was incredibly pleased with this scent until I could detect something else in the mix, coriander! I think with coriander you either love it or hate it. I happen to love it but it seems to stand out in this mix and won't let you forget it. While it's a nice fragrance, It would have been far better with the exclusion of the coriander.

The staying power of Amber Vanilla is really good and I think it's absolutely perfect for autumn. This is one I could see adding to my collection but not one that I necessarily need.

Amber Vanilla retails for $125/15 ml and can be purchased through Barneys, Beautyhabit, La Creme Beauty and Luckyscent.

Cielo is the word for both sky and heaven in both Spanish and Italian. The name suits it as Cielo is quite heavenly to my nose.

Described on the site as: Cielo, the original scent that started our company. Inspired by vineyards and hillsides of the California wine country. Fresh on the top (Daphne), warm in the middle (grapeleaf, fig and honey), seductive on the finish (oak and sandalwood). Unmistakably alluring.

Alluring indeed, Cielo is a fragrance that seems rather timeless. It's one that could easily been worn centuries ago, in current times and in centuries to be.

It starts of sweet and the fig is quite apparent but not overwhelming, just the perfect amount. The scent of fig mixes in with light woods and an undertone of honeysuckle which slowly enrobes over the fragrance.

I find the staying power of Cielo to be incredibly long lasting. Cielo can easily be a year round fragrance but is best in my opinion as a late summer, early autumn fragrance.

Cielo retails for $74/3.3 oz. at Hampton Court or $56/1.7 oz. at Beautyhabit. You can also order the fragrances from Flora Napa Valley.

Stepped on the scale yesterday and checked out the number staring back at me. WTF?!?! Is this a joke? I stepped on again five different times and still the number stayed the same. I GAINED .6 lbs! That's as if I slapped on two sticks of butter on my ass!

To make matters worse I didn't get a quote for the week, this is what I was told:

GREAT JOB for logging your weight! We notice that you've gained a little this week. You should know that gaining weight every now and then is a natural part of the weight-loss journey.

I'm not feeling too bad as this was the first week that people mentioned they could tell I was losing weight and that my clothes were getting a bit baggy. I'm not quite swimming in them but they are loose.

Ugh, I'm a bit frustrated but the compliments were a big boost to my motivation, just not enough.

One of the reasons that this is my favorite time of the year are the autumnal fragrances in the air. I love how pumpkins, apples and candy corn smell and regionally, there is the scent of roasted green chile mixed with the scent of cedar firewood in the air - I'd be in heaven if they bottled that scent. Anyhow, I find most while traditional autumnal fragrances smell wonderful as room fragrances, they don't transition well as body fragrances.

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab came out with a series of limited autumnal fragrances but none captured my heart, not even Trick or Treat which is supposed to smell like Candy Corn.

So why did I order Harvest Moon? Two words: Mulling Spices. *swoons* Oh spices, how I love you!

Harvest Moon was described as the autumnal scents of gladiola, chrysanthemum, aster, dahlia, anemone, bergamot, marigold, sage and verbena dust a blend of wine-soaked apples, plums, and red pears, mulling spices and brown sugar, the ivy leaves of Dionysus and Janus’ amaranth and lingum aloe.

It starts off a bit medicinal which thankfully fades after mere seconds and then there is a bouquet of warm flowers which goes away far too quickly. That's when the scent is taken over by the scent of fruits, pears and apples. After Christmas at The Body Shop they had a huge clearancee on their seasonal home fragrance oils. I purchased several of them including Mulled Cider. Where Mulled Cider has a very fresh, crip apple scent to it, Harvest Moon has more of a baked apple scent to it along with baked pears.

Last October my friends and I ran through a corn maize at night. It was a blast! We decided not to follow the map and play it by ear which was fun until we kept going around in circles, then we started turning on each other. Once we found our way out, everyone was suddenly happy again. In the front of the maize they sold autumnal fruits, vegetables and flowers, that is the scent that Harvest Moon embodies after it dries down.

The staying power is good but could be better as I find it fades after being on my skin after three hours. Perfect for autumn of course and easily an all day fragrance but I could see pulling this when I'm longing for an autumnal scent.

Harvest Moon was only sold for 24 hours on August 19, 2005, it retailed for $15/5ml bottle and is no longer available..

I won this on October 7th and it arrived today. Not the actual tray of course but a certificate for a free small nugget tray at Chick-fil-A. The tray has 64 nuggets which is approximately 8 servings. I looked it up okay, I don't know this from personal experience but the truth is I probably could finish the entire tray in a day. If you ask me their Polynesian sauce sucks! But the waffle fries and brownies are awesome as is the chicken!

My October Sampler arrived on Friday but I hadn't had a chance to take a picture of it.

Here are the contents:

A button from Milkypop
A slug bookmark from Novelty Kitten
A pack of photo stickers from Art School Dropout
A Halloween pumpkin hanger from Sewing Stars - I totally wanted this! :)
A "magic hat" zipper pull from Little Pagans
Stationary from Sini Puu
Bobby Pins from Lauren Urban
A Halloween gift tag from Demarco Designs with a roll of Smarties attached. A little trivia for you: Did you know that Smarties are called Rockets in Canada? Smarties to Canadians are chocolate candies that look like M&M's. I've never had Canadian Smarties but I have had Rockets.
An autumn breeze pendant sample from 4square
A Halloween ornament from Magpie Molly
A kilt pin from Erin Elizabeth
A notecard from Tezzkatt Arts
Candy Corn vegan lip balm from Heather Joy
A pin from Heavenly Skull
A magnet from Effulgent Crafts
Mint chocolate chip yarn from Baa Baa Yarn
A hemp bracelet from Bjerks_goodies
A skull keychain from Dying Breed
A Halloween gift card from Young and With It industries
A bee card from The Sampler Shop

There was also little bag of Jelly Bellys from Ju-be.

I LOVE Halloween! Yesterday I went to Target where they had two different Hello Kitty trick or treat baskets. I didn't buy them...yet. I have two different HK Easter baskets and obviously need these to add to my collection but I wasn't shopping for myself yesterday. Hopefully I'll find them on clearance.

Playing Tag
Image: © Royalty-Free/Corbis

I've been tagged by the incredible and awe inspiring Crazy Jay Blue who can tell you a thing or two about Pyrex marital aides. Anyhow, I'm supposed to list 20 random facts about myself.

1. I have lost about 98% of pigment in my skin and some pigment in my hair because of Vitiligo. Since I was little I had patches of skin without pigment and over the years those patches got morenoticeablee. I'd try to cover them by wearing pants and long sleeve clothes but once it hit my face there was no way I could hide it, although I'd try with makeup. People would stare at me all the time and I felt quite freakish. Patients with Vitiligo can choose depigmentation (complete remove of the pigment) or repigmentation (to try to revive pigment to the areas of skin that have been lost). Both are incredibly expensive options and as much as I wanted to look "normal" I chose to just let nature take it's course. It's incredibly rare that those with Vitiligo will lose all the pigment in their skin naturally but it happened with me. I have zero protection from the sun's rays putting me in a high risk group for skin cancer.

2. I have been a self-injurer since I was three or four years old. Growing up I knew it wasn't natural but it was the only way I could cope with things. I felt a huge sense of relief once I knew there was a name to it and knew that I wasn't alone. It's something I struggle with every day of my life. We are supposed to have infantile amnesia until we are around three years old so I can't say I'm 100% sure I remember everything about the events of which caused me to become a self-injurer so I can't say exactly what happened, but deep in my heart I know something happened and have some memories of it.

3. I have and will always have a weight problem no matter what size I am. I was a fat kid, fat teen and am now a fat adult and in the past I've also had issues with bulimia. I'm currently on Weight Watchers in my attempt to control my weight and learn how to eat properly. I understand loving yourself at any size but I was hating myself and had passed the point of control. I'm not trying to look like a waif, I just want to be me at a normal, healthy size. No matter what my size is, I'm always going to have a weight problem.

4. I'm multiracial. I identify myself as Mestizo and Asian. I have issues with labeling myself as Hispanic (which was a term coined for the US Census) or Latina as I feel it doesn't honor my native blood which Mestizo does. There is a movement in the Mestizo/Hispanic/Latino community where the majority believe that it's important to maintain the language and culture of their native land, yet once the Spaniards conquered the Americas they forced their language and beliefs on the native people so they aren't maintaining the culture of their native people - they are maintaining the culture of the Spaniards! Because I have a Spanish surname, people insult me for not speaking Spanish but the majority of my ancestors didn't even come from Spain! My mom's father came to this country from China, he died long before I was born. Cultural traditions weren't carried in my family as both of my grandmothers lost their mothers at a very young age and were sent to various family members so they didn't have much of a chance to learn any. Instead, they adopted American traditions as their own so there is no "best of both worlds" thing going on in my family.

5. When I was very young. I was bilingual (English/Spanish). Growing up, I spend a lot of time with my grandmother who spoke only Spanish and we had maids who took care of my sister and I who also spoke only Spanish. I hated one maid in particular who wouldn't let me play outside. My next door neighbor Jacob would ring the doorbell and ask if I could go outside to play. The maid, who was here illegally would scream "La Migra, La Migra!" (Which means Border Patrol) and she'd refuse to open the door. Anytime the door rang she believed that it was Border Patrol so I'd have to go through this quite often. Seriously, why would border patrol hire a five year old boy to trick illegals into opening the door? While my parents are both bilingual (English/Spanish) they didn't want my sister and I to be for fear that we'd be discriminated against. In the 1950's out here in Texas, kids who spoke Spanish at school were punished and sometimes hit. So, I was raised in a monolingual household but I studied Spanish in elementary school and in college - took French in high school. I understand Spanish very well and can read and write if I try hard enough but forget about speaking it. In my head I speak beautiful Spanish, but it comes out just awful.

6. My paternal grandfather was a bullfighter. While he died when I was twelve, I didn't really get to know him. He had the dream that one of his sons would follow in his footsteps so my dad and his brothers spent a lot of their childhood in the ring taking bullfighting lessons. When I was four, I went to my first and only bullfight. My Grandfather would watch the bullfights on tv so I thought I had an idea of what went on. But, I didn't know that the bull was being stabbed by the banderillas - I just thought they were colorful decorations! And I didn't know that the bull was killed - I don't know what I thought. It was just awful! I asked my dad once how they could allow me to see that and he said "Sandra, I'd been to over a hundred bull fights, you just went to one. Yet that one bullfight is burned in my brain.

7. No matter how bad a movie is, I have to finish it! I don't know why I do this to myself. Last night I saw Honey. This issue is also true with food because I was told one too many times about the starving children in Africa.

8. I love surprises! My Mom and sister don't believe in surprises and they will reveal what my present is before I open it! This is the reason thatIi can't resist grab bags and probably explains my obsession with The Sampler.

9. I save my fortune cookie slips. I've been saving them for a long time now and my favorite is: You will step foot on many lands.

10. I dance everyday! Not usually for a long time, sometimes it's just twirls asI'mm making coffee or leaps before I head off to the mailbox, most of the time it's just the length of one song.

11. I can't say "I love you." Growing up we never said said I love you so whenever someone tells me that they love me I say "Uh huh." It's not that I don't love them back, it's just strange to hear those words come out of my mouth.

12. I make a bad first impression. All my life I've heard "I thought you were such a bitch when I first met you." It's because I'm very much reserved when I first meet people but once they get to know me, they like me.

13. I'm a failure. No matter what how hard I try, I fail at everything! I moved to Denver months after graduating from college with my sister and failed miserably there and had to move back. It destroyed myspiritt. I didn't speak to my sister for probably over a year because it hurt too much to hear how good her life was going up there. For a long time my heart would sink whenever I'd hear the words Denver or Colorado. I'm fine now but I've yet to go back. As I fail at everything on the first try I just have to try harder the second time.

14. I'm the only one in my family who hasn't won a trophy or a title. The closest I've ever been to one has been the science fair where I got a participation ribbon - then again, everyone got one!

15. Anytime people hear that I win a lot of contests they want to know if I play the lottery. They don't understand that I'm against gambling. My mom's dad was a gambler and he'd bet all his money away, the last thing I need is another addiction!

16. I have a crooked pinkie finger. I was nine and on the swings in the afterschool program. This girl wanted to use the swing I was on so when I she jerked the chains, I went flying in the air and broke my pinkie. I didn't tell my parents as I was afraid of getting in trouble so I was in pain for several weeks until it finally healed on it's own. I never got it fixed.

17. I "died" once. When I was in college my friends and I went out of town for spring break. On our way home we got into a bad car accident, nobody was injured but it could have been really bad. So, the first day back on campus a lot of people weresurprisedd to see me and kept saying that they were glad that I was alive so I assumed they were talking about the accident I was in. Meanwhile, a lot of my friends were getting "I'm so sorry to hear your friend Sandra died." I thought my friends were playing a joke telling people I had died. At first I thought, oh no big deal until my friend who was going to school in San Antonio called me to verify that I wasn't dead. Come to find out that the same week that I was in the car accident, a girl with my first and surname had died in a car accident - she was a few years older than me so people assumed it was just me. I think there are people who still believe to this day that it was me who died.

18. The only days I liked going to school were bookorder day and library day. I want to collect all the Carolyn Haywood books as she was my favorite author as a child.

19. I refuse to eat chicken on the bone. I eat primarily chicken but won't eat chicken on the bone, it just seems unnatural to me. I also won't eat the skin. Whenever my parents would buy friend chicken I'd pull back the skin, try a little and then give the rest to my dad. I got yelled at everytime for doing that!

20. I've had my drivers license since I was 16 but I refuse to drive. I'd like to get over my anxiety on this and start up again, I can't be a pedestrian for the rest of my life.

I don't know who hasn't been tagged so consider yourself tagged by me if you haven't done this already.

This is total crap! I have already have each individual season on dvd already and now they are coming out with complete series boxed sets for both Sex and the City and Friends! Plus, these cost a whole lot less than it did to collect each individual season! UGH!!

Sex and the City - The Complete Series $194.97 at Amazon.





Friends - The One with All Ten Seasons $199.99 at Amazon.

BPAL Beatrice


As much as I try not to buy fragrances unsniffed, I admit that I'm a sucker for awesome descriptions. My previous unsniffed orders from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab (BPAL) have been more hits than misses and had decided to no longer order unsniffed until I read the description for Beatrice.

Beatrice -- "Am I awake? Have I my senses?" said he to himself. "What is this being? Beautiful shall I call her, or inexpressibly terrible?"

A scent inspired by Beatrice, Rappaccini’s delicate, beautiful, innocent and deadly daughter. A fragile, winsome, poisonous blend of rare, precious and graceful flowers, rich blossoms and spicy perfumes that passes heavily, as a broken heart, across the borders of time.

I'm not crazy about this fragrance upon it's initial application but it gets better as it warms up to the skin. In the beginning you are slapped with a huge wiff of powder but once that goes away there is a whole lot of rose and clove and a bit of black pepper. The rose seems rather dry. There seems to be hints of magnolia and carnation in here but not a lot. There is aslightlyy sweet touch to it.

I'm not crazy about how it smells at first but over time it really turns into a beautiful scent. The staying power is okay, as it's rather heavy at first. I could see wearing this year round but I think it would be very nice as the weather gets cooler.

Beatrice was available through August 19 - September 1, 2005. I ordered in on August 19th and it arrived October 8th so I didn't have to wait as long for this bottle as I have for bottles in the past.

Beatrice retailed for $15/5ml bottle and while it's no longer available, it can be found at Ebay.

Collection by Escada is a fragrance that's incredibly overwhelming on me in warmer weather but just perfect when the weather cools down.

Described by Nordstrom as a luxurious, warm, robust and sensual fragrance. The mandarin and prunella base produces the unexpected while a fizzy cola top note adds buoyancy to the musk.

The notes are mandarin, cola, jasmine, tuberose, sandalwood, tonka

It's a sweet fragrance, much more cola and vanilla on me but this isn't straight up Vanilla Coke. The florals play a bit part and the sandalwood warms it up a lot. There are times where I can smell the musk and other times where it's not found at all, same thing with the pipe tabacco scent which seems to be more roburst in warmer weather.

The staying power is really good and lasts all day on me, I find that a little goes a long way. I only like this is colder weather as it's just too heavy for me in warm, to the point where it will give me a headache.

Collection by Escada is available at Nordstrom for $75/1.7 oz.

I was lucky enough to nab the 2003 Escada Limited Edition Parfum for only $19.99 at Marshalls. It originally retailed for $100! I had even enlisted my sister in my search for these bottles and had given up on finding one until one night where I found two! My current bottle is marked as A 1810.

I have a tendency to open up new products before using up the previous product. Such is the case of Clarins Extra Firming Body Care "Rich Replenishing Cream" which I just finished up yesterday.

I won this from Allure freebies in October 2003. That's right, a whole two years ago when this product first hit the market.

Clarins Extra Firming Body Care "Rich Replenishing Cream" is described on the site as: Give your body skin more than just moisture. This rich, nourishing cream helps firm and revitalize skin as it replenishes with soothing moisture. Day after day, skin becomes more supple, softer and silky-smooth. Lines and slackened areas are visibly reduced for a more defined silhouette.

Features and Benefits

• Helps promote firmer, more youthful-looking skin.
• Replenishes dry skin with soothing moisture for ultimate softness and comfort.
• Slackened areas become visibly firmer for a more defined silhouette.

Ingredients

• Amazonian Bocoa: Tones and revitalizes
• Water Lily and Peach extracts: Nourish and fortify
• Shea Butter: Intensely moisturizes

Apply morning and/or evening using light, sweeping movements. The rich yet non-oily texture absorbs instantly into the skin, so there is no need to wait before dressing.

Tips

Begin at the ankles and work up to the chest and then from the wrists up to the shoulders.

Clarins Extra Firming Body Care "Rich Replenishing Cream" didn't firm anything up but it did leave my skin incredibly soft and left a subtle floral scent which seemed strongish at first but dried down enough not to clash with my fragrance of choice. While it left my skin incredibly soft, I wouldn't repurchase this item.

Clarins Extra Firming Body Care "Rich Replenishing Cream" retails for $62/6.9 oz. jar (the original price was $58) and is available through Gloss and Sephora.

I worked hard this week but wasn't expecting much when I stepped on the scale until I read the numbers and discovered I lost three pounds this week! Three pounds! That's a big jump as the last two weeks I had only lost a pound each week.

Weight Watchers has given me this quote a number of times before but I don't mind too much this week as I'm down three pounds! THREE POUNDS!!!

WAY TO GO! You've just lost another 5 pounds. Keep up the awesome work! Here's a special tip from another dieter that we thought you might enjoy:

"Instead of giving in to cravings, binges and unplanned eating, I ask myself, 'Do I want it?' No I don't. 'Will I eat it?' No I won't."— Yvonne

We hope you have a great week.

I'd like to see another three pounds down next week but I'll settle for anything as long as I'm losing! Who knew being a loser could be so thrilling!

I'll be the first to admit it, I'm weak when it comes to the power of the gift with purchase! There have been times where I buy things I don't really like just to get the gift with purchase (GWP).

It's like a high! A thrill you get as you're walking away from the makeup counter which lasts up until you get home and realize that you hate the colors that were included in the gift with purchase and the item you paid for was an impulse buy that you wouldn't have otherwise included in your collection.

Then you feel deflated and are stuck with a drawer full of lipsticks you're never going to use! Trust me, I know this feeling!

Barneys is notorious for giving the very best gift with purchase bags in the industry. So, I ordered Nanadebary Bronze which I wasn't crazy about at first but grew to love just to qualify for the GWP. Here's what came in my GWP bag:

Fragrance samples:
Kai
Prada
Annick Goutal Nuits de Hadrien
L'Artisan Chasse Aux Pampillons
Kiehl's Original Musk
Hermes Eau de Merveilles
Hermes 24 Faubourg
i Profumi di Firenze Zenzero

Certificate for free Shiseido face massage.

Makeup:
Stila full size It Gloss - in Smashing
Devitt full size Mini Lip Gloss - in Red Sea
Sue Devitt sample of Whipped Foundation
Bobbi Brown samples of three lip stains
Hourglass full size Trace dual lipliner
Nars full size Glitter Pencil - in Roxbury
By Terry full size Hydralift Lipstick - in Mellow Beige

Body:
Kiehl's travel tube of Ultimate Hand Salve
Malin + Goetz travel bottle of Face Cleanser
Caudalie travel tube of Bath & Shower Gel
Supersmile travel tube of Quikee
Molton Brown travel bottle of Invigorating Shower Gel
Philip B trial size Deep Conditioning Creme Rinse
SCO sample of Body Polish

Face and Skin:
Chantecaille sample Rice and Geranium Foaming Cleanser
Bionova sample bottle Eye Make Up Remover
Bionova sample Superior Eye Lift
YSL sample Temps Majeur Yeux
YSL sample Serum
Odile Lecoin sample Serum Tenseur Aux Proteins de Soie
Chanel sample bottle Precision Eye Makeup Remover
Natura Bisse sample Glyco Peeling
Sally Hershberger sample bottle Face Volumizer
NARS sample Nourishing Eye Cream
Revive sample jar Moisturizing Renewal Cream
Cle de Peau sample Eye Contour Balm
Kanebo sample Cell Refining CreamSkinCeuticals sample C E Ferulic
Fresh sample Rice Face Wash
Shiseido sample Retinol Instant Treatment Eye Mask

I'm really pleased with my order and really love the products that were included in my bag even more than the one I received back in February which is shown below as the colors are more my style this time around.

I bought a Sampler Sampler from The Sampler Shop on September 23rd and it arrived today. I was in a grumpy mood that day and when I saw that these were up for sale I bought one.

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang and a guitar arrived at the door!

A few minutes after that, my Chinese food arrived - Hunan Chicken - my favorite dish!

Coincidence?!?!

I don't think so!

From the September Sampler:

2 pins the say "Be Kind" from Share The Care.

A retro card and envelope from Kitschy-Kitschy-Koo

A felt brooch from Chebang.

A mini bag book from Turtle Kisses - I got one of these in last month's sampler.

From the August Sampler:

A vintage milkcap pin from Tiny Airplanes.

From the June/July Sampler:

A beaded toe ring from Lanak Crafts.

A yo-yo brooch from Frosty Lime Designs.

A soap sample from Franklin Street Soap Co.

A monster bear button from Monster Fashion.

A bracelet with a shrinky dink charm on it which arrived broken *sobs* from Sugar Hand Grenade.

A glitter block magnet from Thea Starr - I got one of these in my June/July sampler.

From the May Sampler:

A photo charm from Magpie Molly

A book mark from Lucky Accessories

Not sure from which Sampler:

A Coca-Cola magnet from Fork 'n Spoon Mailorder.

From the The Sampler Shop:

A Bunnylump card from Plain Mabel. I got one of these when I ordered the set of Switchrings from there.

The Sampler Sampler set me back $12 plus $2 for shipping.

I was expecting to see better results this week as I stuck to my point range and spent so much time working out that my entire body is sore. So, I step on the scale and guess how much I lost? Take a guess! Just take a guess! 1.2 lbs.! 1.2 lbs.! That's exactly how much I lost last week with less effort!

WTF?!?!?! And to make matters worse, they gave me the same exact quote they gave me last week: WAY TO GO! Congratulations for losing weight this week. We hope you're thrilled with the result. Here's a quote by Aristotle that we thought might strike a chord with you: "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit." Keep practicing your excellence and have a great week.

Oh well! Better to have lost than gained!

The healing garden organics wild honey body scrub came in from July's Allure freebie day. It's labeled as 90% organic. I was hoping that it would smell like honey, instead it smells a bit like Calgon's Hawaiian Ginger. When I opened it up there was a rather thick layer of oil so I had to mix it up before I used it. the salt granules were rather coarse on my skin but it washes away very nicely and leaves a nice scent behind.

The healing garden organics wild honey body scrub retails for under $9/8 oz.