¡Ombligo!

Naturally, my three favorite words in the English language are: Gift With Purchase! Especially when it comes to Barneys Gift With Purchase!

The amount needed to be spent to qualify for the gift with purchase was bumped up this season by $25 for a total of $150.

I had already planned on purchasing Regina Harris and threw in Kiehl's Creme de Corps in typical Becky Bloomwood fashion to qualify for the giftbag.

And what a giftbag it is!


But what came inside?

- Acqua Di Parma Colonia sample
- Annick Goutal Eau d’Hadrien sample
- Anthony Logistics For Men Citrus Lip Balm
- Anthony Logistics For Men Body Cleansing Gel (2 fl. oz./60 ml.)
- Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Summer Tan
- by Terry Silky Eye Shadow in Smoked Amber
- Caudalie Nourishing Treatment for Body sample (1 fl. oz./30 ml.)
- Chantecaille Retinol Hand Cream sample (.24 oz./7 ml)
- Clarins One-Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser sample (20 ml/.69 oz.)
- Cle de Peau Enriched Protective Emulsion sample (4 ml/.13 fl. oz.)
- Costume National Scent Gloss sample
- Fresh Pink Jasmine body cream & fragrance sample
- Giorgio Armani Sensi sample (5ml/.17 fl. oz.)
- Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk foundation 5 sample (5ml/.17 fl. oz.)
- Giorgio Armani Fluid Sheer 7 sample (5ml/.17 fl. oz.)
- Hermes Un Jardin Sur Le Nil sample
- Jonathan Product Shampoo Theory Moisturizing Shampoo sample (9 ml.)
- Kai sample
- Kanebo International 1B Moisture Polish Essence sample (.27 fl. oz./8 ml.)
- Kiehl’s Crème with Silk Groom sample (1 fl. oz./30 ml.)
- L’Artisan Parfumeur Piment Brulant sample
- Malin and Goetz Face Moisturizer sample (1 fl. oz./30 ml.)
- Molton Brown Seamoss Stress-Relieving Hydrosoak (bath salts) sample (50 g.)
- NARS lipstick in Lolita
- Natura Bisse Diamond Extreme Cream (0.5 oz)
- Odile Lecoin OR, j’aime Moisturizing Protection with Vitamin E sample (4 ml.)
- ReVive Moisturizing Renewal Cream sample (.25 oz.)- ReVive Serum Protectif sample (.2 fl. oz./6 ml)
- Sally Hershberger Face Place Supreme Night Cream sample (.1 fl. oz/3 ml.)
- Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Lifting Concentrate sample (6 ml.)
- Shu Uemura Depsea Therapy Moisture Recovery Emulsion sample (0.1 fl. oz.)
- Shu Uemura High Performance Balancing Cleansing Oil sample packet
- Stila Lipglaze in Banana
- Sue Devitt Automatic Camouflage Concealer in Tanami
- Sue Devitt Microquatic Anti-Aging Facial Concentrate sample (.3 ml/.1 fl. oz.)
- Sue Devitt Microquatic Fortifying Primer sample (.3 ml/.1 fl. oz.)
- Sue Devitt Microquatic Anti-Aging Eye Concentrate sample (.3 ml/.1 fl. oz.)
- Tocca Laundry Delicate Stella sample (2 fl. oz.)
- Vincent Longo Lipgloss in Rosa Bianca
- YSL plastic pouch containing:
- YSL Lisse Expert Advanced Eye and Lip Intensive -Anti-Wrinkle Care sample (.1 fl oz.)
- YSL Lisse Expert Advanced Intensive Anti-Wrinkle Serum sample(.1 fl oz.)
- YSL Lisse Expert Advanced Intensive Anti-Wrinkle Crème sample (.1 fl oz.)


Oooh, Regina Harris! I thought the bottle would be smaller for some reason. I'm so happy to add this to my collection!

Last week's weigh-in filled me with so much furor that I was determined to lose something this week so I stuck to my points, exercised five out of the seven days and did not dip into my weekly points. How much did I lose?

An even two pounds, which was my main goal for this week's weigh-in. This is what Weight Watchers said on the matter:

YOU ROCK! CONGRATULATIONS! You've just reached your 50-pound milestone!

How does life feel 50 pounds lighter? What things are you able to do now that you couldn't do before? Have you tried on some of your old clothes? Perhaps there are outfits that you can now slip into that you haven't worn in years. Try them on! Treat yourself to some fun. Here's a tip: Now that your weight loss is so visible, people are likely to be paying you compliments by the bucket load. Instead of shying away when someone says you're looking fantastic, try these two simple words: "Thank you!"

Good luck this week! We hope you have a ball celebrating your success.

Yeah, yeah, whatever! So, I got a different message this week and they still shaft me a quote! Bastards!

Ok, a milestone but I'm not yet at my goal! *sobs* Seriously, do I get a special award for the world's slowest weight loss? I really expected to be a bit farther along at this point.

At least I'm losing something, this time last year I was at my heaviest weight ever! This week marks the third year since I've been diagnosed with Graves which made my weight plummet before diagnosis and then post iodine radiation I ended up gaining a whole hell of a lot of weight! Compile that with an already fat person and you've got a major problem!

Ugh, this is such a struggle but I'm starting to feel a bit more in control of my body now. I can't celebrate too much, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done!

U.S. figure skater Michelle Kwan performs in an exhibition program. Kwan received the bronze medal in the women's individual event at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. © Neal Preston/CORBIS

I've been a huge figure skating fan since I was little. I'm talking about back in the day before Vera Wang starting with the wedding dresses. So, naturally I have been a huge fan of Michelle Kwan for a really long time!

On Sunday it broke my heart when it was announced that she was withdrawing from the Olympics due to injury. I was so sad for her and started crying, sucked it up a bit and was okay for a while until they showed the footage of her exhibition program from the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, the one where she skated to Eva Cassidy's version of Fields of Gold.

Ah, I started crying again! That was one of my favorite programs ever and I couldn't stop with the waterworks after that performance back in 2002. It still moves me to this day! Seriously, I hear that song and instantly my heart sinks!

Needless to say I needed a comforting fragrance and settled on the sample of Serge Lutens' Gris Clair so generously sent to me by Miss. Trina "Queen of animals and manimals."

Gris Clair is primarily a lavender fragrance and lavender is used in aromatherapy for relaxation purposes so it was a perfect choice.

When I first applied it I thought I had made a huge mistake as it was so incredibly strong and somewhat medicinal on me. It dried down a bit and was semi-strong which I could deal with until it started to smell rather masculine on me.

Now, I don't mind wearing masculine fragrances from time to time and really all fragrances are generally unisex so this isn't really an issue for me. But this wasn't a typical masculine fragrance and I was starting to smell like a man - not to say that men smell - but this was NOT smelling good on me at all! And I'm not talking a George Clooney man either, I'm talking about what you'd think one of the characters on The Sopranos would smell like! Along with the lavender, I was smelling rather smoky, woody which I normally love but this was just awful.

So here I'm crying over Kwan, smelling like a man and out of nowhere I get a massive muscle spasm in my right leg. I wanted the day to be over with! I ended up taking a nap and when I woke up, I had semi-accepted the Kwan situation, my leg felt better and I was smelling spectacular!

It's all about the dry down baby! Gris Clair is stunning on the drydown! That evil man smell went away and was replaced by something beautiful. It was really cold Sunday night and I was wearing my blue scarf which still smells like Gris Clair. It's a shame that the top and middle notes suck so much on me as on the drydown, it's magnificent! I'm quite iffy to declare this full bottle worthy based on that, perhaps a decant will do.

Gris Clair is due to hit the market next month and will retail for $92 I believe.

Days later, the memory of Gris Clair still haunts me, like Kwan's Fields of Gold performance. I'm still so very sad about Kwan, I really wanted her to get her gold metal! Still, I'm so proud of her! She is all class, not only the way she handled this situation but her entire skating career! Brava Michelle!

I like Valentine's Day, I really do. Any holiday which has pink as a major color can't really be that bad, but it kinda sucks being single on Valentine's Day!

That being said, I just want to declare that on Valentine's Day 2006 I got roses, chocolates and hot sex! It's true!

Check it out:

Inside the basket is:
All About Me and All About Us by Philipp Keel, The Hot Sex Handbook by Tracey Cox, Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair by Pablo Neruda and Valentine's Day Is Killing Me by MaryJanice Davidson, Leslie Esdaile and Susanna Carr.

Also included: some irresistible Valentine's Day goodies --- a red heart-shaped candle from Illuminations; pink, white and red roses that are mineral bath salts; a heart-decorated picture frame; Lucky Lovers Message Dice; a red comfy pillow and Godiva heart-shaped candies in a heart-shaped box.

This wasn't sent to me by anyone who loves me, it was a contest win through Bookreporter.com. At least I got something on Valentine's Day!

Ugh, last week was such a tough week as I had major PMS and had massive water retention. I was starting to look and feel like the Marshmallow Man. Which got me to thinking, you know that commercial for OnStar vehicle diagnostics?

Well, why can't they invent a uterus diagnostic program where every month you get an e-mail informing you that your egg wasn't fertilized and all that jazz instead of going through the entire cycle. Seriously!

I ate well this past week but didn't feel much like exercising. I did get on the treadmill for an hour mid-week and did a two hour workout yesterday morning but it wasn't enough to make the scale move, I lost nothing this week! Here is what Weight Watchers has to say on the matter:

It's natural to have mixed feelings on these weeks when the scale remains the same. On one hand, you might be a little disappointed that you didn't lose weight, but on the other, you're just thankful that you haven't gained!

Either way, simply focus your energy on making this coming week a losing one.

I'm only slightly frustrated as I didn't do all I could this week. Sunday morning I felt less than motivated and really didn't want to hit the treadmill so I decided to download an audiobook via iTunes. I could have gone with something that really makes me think but decided instead to listen to pure fluff and downloaded Kyra Davis' Sex, Murder And A Double Latte.

This will be the perfect alternative as I get so bored sometimes of watching tv/movies or listening to music. I'm going to only allow myself to listen to audiobooks while I'm on the treadmill so that'll force me to exercise! Brilliant, sometimes I'm a freakin' genius!

Ipitythefool ring photographed with a mini bottle of Lulu Guinness.

A few days ago I ordered this Amethyst Double Jali Ring from Overstock.com, I really wasn't sure if I'd like it or not but couldn't wait for it to arrive.

And arrive it did! This ring is HUGE! This ring walks in the room ten minutes before I do! Seriously, this ring is almost as big as a bottle of Lulu Guinness!

I didn't read the measurements of the ring before purchasing it and was expecting something much smaller. This ring is so incredibly garish that I'd be a fool not to wear it!

This ring also serves a purpose as it's rather heavy and can easily be transformed into a weapon. I somehow doubt I'd ever have to use it as such as once people see me wearing this ring they know that I'm out to kick some ass.

I pity the fool who messes with the girl wearing this ring! I pity the fool!

Upon this ring I bestow the name: Ipitythefool.

Do my pictures suck or what?

My Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab (BPAL) order arrived about a month ago but I haven't really been much in the testing mood. I couldn't decide what to wear this afternoon and reached my bottle of Snow Moon.

Snow moon was sold for 24 hours on November 15th 2005 and was described as: In December, the skeletal, ice-rimmed fingers of winter take hold, and the nights are long, chill and dark. The first flurries of snow touch the land, and the earth itself becomes quiet. A scent of purity and silence, soft with falling snow, as dark as Midwinter: an icy flurry over the winter blooms of narcissus, pansy crocus, dahlia, tulip, chrysanthemum and white rose, with a hint of fir and birch.

It starts off with a powerful evergreen fragrance. I happen to be addicted to the smell of evergreens, as a kid I used to rub my hands on the pine sap from the trees on my school campus. A floral bouquet comes softly through the evergreen scent with the chrysanthemum being the most evident floral. It's the chrysanthemum from BPAL's Harvest Moon that really draws me in so I'm really loving this fragrance!

The staying power is fair, you'd think at first that a little goes a long way but after a while it starts to fade fast. When I exercise, I remove the fragrance I'm wearing most of the time as the scent can become irritating or overwhelming but kept this one on and it didn't bother me at all. It's a very fresh scent that's perfect for this time of year.

As it was a limited fragrance, it's no longer available for purchase but can be found on Ebay!

My friend Barbara had to let go of her beloved dog Astro on Monday.

I never had the pleasure to be in Astro's presence but often read about what a wonderful animal Astro was on MakeupAlley "MUA". He was a cancer survivor and a patriot who reminded us on MUA to vote during the 2004 Presidential election. He was beyond adorable and a certain flair for life just like his human!

Astro was Barbara's mostly companion who provided her with love and constant comfort up until the very end. Barbara wrote a beautiful post on her blog today entitled A Letter to Astro.

♥ I am so very sorry for your loss Barbara. ♥

Rainbow Bridge.

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown

Remember that movie Pay It Forward where people do favors for one another and instead of having the favor returned they...wait for it....pay it forward?

Well my darlings, I'm needing to pay it forward and in order to do so I have this brand new and factory sealed copy of Driv3r for PlayStation2 up for grabs as long as you agree to.........pay it forward!

When you pay it forward, you're filled with warm fuzzies and have little hearts following you around. It doesn't hurt, I promise!

If you want more details about the game you can mosey on over to Amazon to get more details.

It's now spoken for and is going to Chrissy who's paying it forward with these stunning earrings: Daisy. Yay for paying it forward!

♥

This past week I chose to eat more vegetarian dishes. Instead of making chicken fajitas which are for the most part rather light already, I chose to slice up onions, jalapenos and bell pepper and mixed them up with a little bit of my favorite Claude's Fajita Sauce. I cooked it with a tiny bit of oil which came out perfectly! In your face, chicken!

I didn't exercise as much as I could have this week as I was in a rather pissy mood all week (PMS will do that to you!) but I wasn't too worried as I ate really light all week.

So how did I do? 1.8 lbs down this week! Man, the year of the dog is starting off really great! Weight Watchers gave me the same typical message when I logged in my weight:

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.

The same message over and over, how the hell is that supposed to motivate you?!?!

Know what still isn't setting in, the fact that I'm turning 30 this year. A few weeks ago I was complaining to my sister about how disappointed I was with how slow my weight loss progress was going (this was pre-year of the dog when all the sudden I got into turbo speed) and she has the gall to say "Well, you are getting older and your metabolism is slowing down. What the hell kind of shit is that? That's a bit like saying to me "Oh honey I'm so sorry you're feeling down but while since you're already feeling shitty let me slap you a bit!" Okay, okay it's not that extreme and she wasn't trying to be mean but you get my point.

Anyhow, later in the week I went out to dinner with my parents and we were listening to the "oldies" station where they play music of my parent's generation(50's, 60's and 70's you know). And all the sudden I start to hear Kim Carnes' Bette Davis Eyes and I say "What the hell, they're playing Bette Davis Eyes on the oldies station???" To which my Mom said 'Why, you got a problem with that?" So I respond with "Yeah as they're playing songs from my childhood on the oldies station!" Seriously, are the going to play NKOTB next?

That wasn't even the worst revelation of the week, I also found out that my Mom bought Michael Bublé's album from Hallmark!

Check this out: Put this CD in your loved one's car player and cue it to your favorite song. With the turn of the key, your Valentine will be serenaded into feeling starry-eyed all day.

Starry-eyed my ass! If someone put that in my car I'd have to take the keys and jam them in my ears to drown out the sound!

I bet this album is the real reason that all these celebrity couples are breaking up! How Bublérrible! When will this madness end?!?!

Probably once he covers Bette Davis Eyes!

Everything in moderation right?

I'm trying to keep my spending at a minimum and only buy what I really like as I'm sometimes swayed by sale prices and tend to impulse buy so I'm trying to use up the gift cards I have when I feel like shopping.

I felt like shopping today and since I had a $50 gift card to Overstock.com I decided to spend it on the following:


Sterling Silver Unisex Break Ring/$25.99

I liked the simplicity of this ring and that it has a brushed finish. This only came in one size so I hope it isn't too big on my finger but the fact that I have "man hands" means it'll probably fit!


Amethyst Double Jali Ring/$26.99

This was more of a last minute thing as I had set my eye on this Sterling Silver Filigree Ring and changed my mind at the last second to this one because I happen to love amethyst.

I'm not too sure about the design of the ring but it could be cuter in person? If you scroll down on the description to this one it says: Customers who bought this item often buy... and there is the picture of the Sterling Silver Unisex Break Ring.

I bet I was the only one who bought this ring, that's why they have that picture!

I got free shipping and only had to pay $2.98 for those two rings! Yay!

My mom won these giftsets from the Tyra Banks Show, she gave them to me as I love Jaqua products. Yay for me!

The Lip Whip Set:

If you don't like sticky lip glosses, you'd like these. I find Chanel's Glossimers and Urban Decay's Lip Gunk a bit stickier than these. The color goes on more sheer than what's seen in the tube so I wouldn't recommend these for those with highly pigmented lips. Luckily, I don't have highly pigmented lips.

My favorite color of the three is Tuscan Orange which left my lips a dark pink color. Pink Buttercream leaves a very pale pink color on my lips and the Caramel Cappuccino comes out as a neutral color, very sheer.

The Lip Whip set retails for $28.00/Contains three 7ml/. 24 fluid oz. lip glosses in Pink Buttercream Frosting, Tuscan Orange and Caramel Cappuccino.

Our Favorite Body Butters Trio:

I really like Jaqua's body butters. I love to wear their Chocolat body butter with Piment et Chocolat by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz as the body butter adds a touch of sweetness to P&C without taking away from the spiciness of the fragrance.

I think I'll layer the Marshmallow Cocoa Marshmallow Cocoa with Serendipitous and I'll use the Buttercream one with Eau de Charlotte by Annick Goutal (I love, love, love to layer that fragrance with a cake scent). I have a lot of peach fragrances so I'll have to see which one works best with Peach Parfait.

Our Favorite Body Butters Trio retails for $22/Contains 2 oz.of each: Buttercream Frosting Shea Body Butter, Marshmallow Cocoa Body Butter, Peach Parfait Body Butter

Our Favorite Shower Syrups Set:

I'm addicted to shower gels so this is by far my favorite set of the three. I love Jaqua's shower syrups and already have a full size bottle of Caramel Cappuccino and a few other fragrances in their line but hadn't tried the other three in this kit.

My new favorite is the Maple Sugar one which smells like so much like maple syrup. I almost cried when I smelled this one as I suddenly craved pancakes. *sobs* I haven't had pancakes in forever! I really love this one!

Everyone knows that my biggest food weakness is a cupcake with buttercream icing (ok, ok I really should say cupcakes because who can stop at just one?) so I can't believe I hadn't tried the Buttercream Frosting shower syrup before! This is just as fabulous as the rest of Jaqua's Buttercream collection!

Tuscan Orange is probably the last scent I'd choose out of this collection. Not because it isn't good but let's face it, I'm a fiend for sweets and this isn't exactly a "break your belt" sweet fragrance in comparison to the rest of the line. Tuscan Orange is a very rich and deep blood orange scent which will be a perfect after a hard workout.

Our favorite shower syrups kit retails for $18/Contains: 2 oz. Hydrating Shower Syrups in Buttercream Frosting, Maple Sugar, Tuscan Orange and Caramel Cappuccino.

I'm a huge football fan but don't like football!

It's my nature to root for the underdog but the underdog this time around are the Seahawks where Matt Hasselbeck is the quarterback. He's the brother-in-law to The View's Elizabeth Hasselbeck and because I can't stand her and he's related to her by marriage, I'm not cheering for the underdog!

I think I may even like Star Jones over Elizabeth Hasselbeck and that's really saying something because I can't stand Star Jones!

Has anyone seen the Got Milk ad for The View? Click here to see it better. It says: Our point of view. Start off your day with milk. Studies show that calcium and nutrients in milk can play an important role in weight loss...

Um, how many gallons of milk did Star Jones drink then? Why is she so quiet about how she lost all that weight when clearly she lost it all because of milk!

MILK!

Why do I even bother with diet and exercise???

Go Steelers!

I'm wearing Van Cleef & Arpels Birmane today. I bought this two years ago at Marshalls for $15.99 I believe. I hadn't worn it in a while as it hasn't been one of my favorite fragrances but decided upon it last night and again this morning.

The notes according to Osmoz are:
Top: Bergamot, Pineapple, Rosewood, Lemon
Middle: Rose, Orchid, Orris, Heliotrope
Base: Vanilla, Tonka, Sandal, Musk

I've seen it described elsewhere as: Launched by the design house of Van Cleef & Arpels in 1999, BIRMANE by Van Cleef & Arpels is classified as a sharp fragrance. This feminine scent possesses a blend of: top notes including fruits and freesia, lower notes combining jasmine, red lily and white rose. Hints of musk and tonka bean. It is recommended for casual wear.

I'm not crazy about the top notes as the pineapple gets to me for some reason. I love the way pineapple smells, I love to eat it (especially in cake) but in fragrance, it irritates me! I do get jasmine and freesia at first but once it dries down I can't detect it anymore. The middle notes linger the longest on me, it's more earthy/rooty than anything else. Slightly sweetened by the bottom notes but not too much. The staying power is fantastic and I prefer this one in colder months but it can really be worn year round.

The reason I don't wear it more often is the top notes but once I get past them I love this fragrance. I really should just apply it and let my blow drier zap the top notes for me!

Birmane is discontinued but you can find it for $21.58/3.4 oz. at Scentiments

I won an autographed copy of Shakira's Oral Fixation Volume 2 album through MTV's Dirty Little Secrets Contest.

This is how the prizes break down for that contest:
Grand Prize: $25,000 cash, opportunity for winner to be an MTV correspondent for four weeks in 2006, access for winner and guest to all shows of the tour, meet and greets, digital camera, Microsoft Windows XP Media Center and laptop (ARV $52,785).

Finalist Prizes (10): Trip for one to a city of MTVN's choosing for the opportunity to be interviewed for consideration as the Grand Prize Winner (ARV $1,350).

First Prizes (100): Autographed CD by the Artist (ARV $17)

I first heard of Shakira ten years ago and couldn't stand her at the time but have grown to like her a bit.

I much prefer her singing in Spanish over English as I can't really understand her when she sings in English, although she does sound better now than she did back then!

I'm giving this to my sister who'd appreciate it as she welcomes crappy music into her life. She owns the Josh Gracin album! Need I say more?

This arrived yesterday in a huge mother box, it's a Girl's Night Out Poker Set. I won it from Shop Etc.

It's not actually much of a poker set as the playing cards are missing so it's just a poker chip set actually. Aren't the playing cards a huge part in the poker playing process? In other words, I got played!

That's what happens when you gamble!

I actually don't know how to play poker and am not much of a gambler but I do know the words to The Gambler!

"You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.

You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table.
There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done."

*cries* That song goes straight to the heart!

I actually know the entire song by heart and am not ashamed to admit it!
I love me some Kenny Rogers man!

Girl's Night Out Poker Set retails for $49.99 at Things Remembered.