Opinions for Nothing

Review: Blushington Makeup Bar in West Hollywood

I heard about Blushington awhile back, when they first opened. It is a makeup bar with a concept like that of The Dry Bar. I've been wanting for an occasion to try it, so I was so excited to be invited to an LA blogger meetup hosted by Laura Tremaine, a.k.a. Hollywood Housewife, at Blushington this week.

Blushington offers a full make-up application for $35 in under an hour. (At The Dry Bar, you get a blow out for $35.) You choose from half a dozen looks that the makeup artist will customize to your face shape and coloring.

I arrived to the party ridiculously early because I took an amazing route from Santa Monica to West Hollywood, which I will never tell you about because I want it to remain my secret forever! I was glad I did, because I had a chance to chat with the lovely Laura before everyone else arrived.

photo by Laura Tremaine (clearly)

I chose the smokey eye look and asked the makeup artist to make it as dark as possible. I also wanted a neutral, shiny lip. The makeup artist, Angela, was talented and patient with all my questions about what she was doing and what products she was using. I loved the Stila items she used. They also use a line called Becca, that I hadn't heard of before. Here is my finished look:

I had a great time, sipping champagne and meeting new people. Here I am with  @BlahBlahBlahger, @ShandiAlegre, and @sweetbbarnes. You'd think we were discussing the state of the global economy by the look on my face, but it was actually a very graphic discussion of bikini-area depilatory methods.

photo by Laura Tremaine

At the end of the evening, I went home with a swag bag containing a pair of Sanuk Sidewalk Surfers (so comfortable!) and a La Mer watch. I was thrilled about the watch. I have a beige La Mer watch, but I've been wanting a black one recently.

photo by Laura Tremaine

It was genius for the owners of Blushington to put their shop in right next to The Dry Bar. In two hours, you can have your hair and make-up done for under $100, including tip. That's a fantastic price. I'll definitely be back.

Disclosure: In case it wasn't clear, I didn't pay for anything I mentioned in this post. I was not paid to write this post.

Revenge on ABC: I Swear I'm Not a Celebrity Stalker

My route to work include 20 miles of Pacific Coast Highway. I'll make a conservative estimate and say that 95% of the beach scenes in American television and movies are filmed along my route. Yellow production signs like the one in the photo below are commonplace. They direct the crew to the location of the shoot.

Never before have I been so tempted to stalk a shoot as I was this morning when I saw the sign for REVENGE. It is my favorite new television show, and is based on the THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO, which I have never read, but which is available for free on the Kindle. (I'll be reading it soon.) I didn't want to stalk the shoot to see celebrities. I want to see what is going to happen!

In REVENGE, Emily Thorne seeks revenge on the people who framed her father for a crime he didn't commit. I love that someone gets what they deserve in each episode, but what I love the most is that the writers don't get bogged down by the details of how she accomplishes each thing. We see little glimpses, but the fact that the writers don't dwell on the logistics helps viewers suspend their disbelief. If you haven't seen it yet, get thee to Hulu.

The Goody Spin Pin Makes a Perfect Bun

I've seen the Goody Simple Styles Spin Pin in stores for awhile, but I was always skeptical about its effectiveness until @Shopafrolic tweeted about it last month. I finally bought it at Target yesterday. You guys, it is amazing. Seriously. It's ridiculous that I waited so long to buy it.

I have thick (less thick now that I have lost a lot of hair due to the weight loss surgery) shoulder-length hair that is layered. I twisted it into a bun, tucked the ends in the best I could, twisted these two pins in, and had a perfect bun. It took me about as long to do as it did to type the previous sentence. That was five hours ago. I just now readjusted one of the pins. If I'd had my hair up in a bun the way I usually do, with a clip or a ponytail holder, I would have adjusted it three times by now.

This video give a tutorial about how to use the Goody Spin Pins.

Kung Fu Panda 2: Movie Review and iPad App Giveaway

If you liked the first Kung Fu Panda, you are going to like Kung Fu Panda 2. It is every bit as funny and enjoyable as the original. Po and the Furious Five face a new foe, one who has a mysterious connection to Po's past. If my past is any predictor of my future, I will be re-watching this movie on a regular basis once the DVD comes out, and I won't mind a bit.

Kung Fu Panda 2 Storybook for iPhone and iPad, by iStoryTime

The Kung Fu Panda 2 Storybook app is great for kids at any reading level. It provides a shortened version of the story, using audio and still images from the movie. The Create-a-Scene feature lets kids put "stickers" onto backgrounds from the movie, and create their own scenes.

My kids, ages 2 and 4, love this app, and use the "read to me" feature. I have two points of contention with this app. One, the navigation. Once you are in the story, it is almost impossible to figure out how to get back to the main menu. Two, a couple times, while trying to get back to the main menu, the graphics in the story blanked out to white while the audio kept playing. I still think it is worth $2.99, though. We have a plane trip coming up next month and I will definitely be checking out other iStoryTime titles to prepare for our trip.

GIVEAWAY

Now, for the best part. Enter for a chance to win a free download of the app. For one chance, leave a comment on this post letting me know you want to win. For a second chance, tweet this, then come back and leave a second comment letting me know you tweeted.

Tweet: Enter to win a free download of the Kung Fu Panda 2 iPhone/iPad app from @PeevedMichelle. http://peev.in/irgvRm

No entries past Noon Pacific on Monday, June 13th. Good luck!

I received a free download of this app for the purpose of writing this review.

Shutterfly Holiday Photo Cards

Every year about this time, I start to drool over the holiday cards on Shutterfly and I dream about getting a professional family portrait taken and being witty for a full page of a family newsletter. That particular dream has never come true. In fact, I don't think I sent out cards at all last year, since that was right about the time that THE WORST YEAR OF MY LIFE was starting. It's over now (I say, definitively, hoping to ward off any other bad things), and I am once again salivating over the holiday photo cards at Shutterfly. This year, I am actually going to do it. I have already scheduled the family photo session. Now all I have to do is choose a card.

Continue reading...

Date Night -- DVD Review and Giveaway

Did you see DATE NIGHT when it was in theaters? It seems like everyone I know did. I wanted to see it because I love Tina Fey and Steve Carell, but it came out at the height of my 2010 IS TRYING TO KILL ME phase. (Note: This phase is not yet complete.) So, when I received an email offering me a review copy of DATE NIGHT, I might have been so happy that my eyes welled up with hormonal, on-the-verge-of-losing-it tears. Not unlike several date nights in my distant past.

This movie provided a funny, light diversion for the evening. I highly recommend the DVD for a couple who can't get out of the house for a date night and have to make do with a couple hours of alone time on the couch after the kids go to bed. The crazy mess that is the date night in this movie will make you appreciate your night in. I was a little concerned in the beginning, when the date first goes awry, because the movie looked like it was veering off into cheeseball action flick territory, but it quickly righted itself and I settled in for an hour and a half of much-needed escapism.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid -- DVD Review and Giveaway

When Diary of a Wimpy Kid came out in theaters, I remember all the school-age kids I know raving about how funny it was. My aunt, who taught third and fourth grade, said her students were crazy for the books. We never saw it in theaters because our kids are teeny tiny, which means we don't see anything in theaters.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is the story of Greg Heffley, a middle child entering middle school with the goal to be a class favorite by becoming the best at something, anything. He has a chubby, nerdy best friend and meets a smart, sassy girl who thinks popularity is overrated. On the home front, Greg has harried parents and mean older brother.

I can see why eight-year-old boys loved this movie. It's full of mild gross out humor and pranks and cleverly-hidden lessons about bullies and being true to yourself. My husband and I enjoyed it, too. We found it to be a nice family-friendly film.

Letters to God - DVD Review and Giveaway

When I was offered a copy of Letters to God for review I thought of my sister, who I describe as "churchy." She is a Christian who is very involved in her church and bible study. Since I am an atheist and I didn't think I would enjoy this movie, I asked my sister to review it. I am also giving away one copy.

When my sister asked if I wanted to review a movie called Letters to God I was immediately interested. I like family movies and Iam game for basically any movie about God that isn't an obvious slam.

Letters to God is about Tyler Doherty, a young boy struggling with cancer. He faces it head on, with a good attitude. He maintains his faith by writing letters to God. Brady McDaniels, the alcoholic mailman, doesn't know how to handle the letters and soon finds his life turned upside down as he is drawn into the Doherty's family situation.

The cover showed that it was from one of the producers of Fireproof and Facing the Giants. Since those movies had good content but were a bit predictable, I wondered if this would be similar.  It started off not looking so good with a some very obvious acting and a little awkwardness but the acting got better and the storyline became more engaging. Overall, it was very similar to the other movies with good content.

My 10-Step Skin Care Routine

I developed quite the extensive skin-care routine during my second pregnancy. That baby sucked all the moisture right out of my face (and left chin hairs in its place). My skin returned almost to its naturally oily state post-pregnancy, but I discovered that my skincare routine still worked and that my skin looked great, so I have kept at it. My routine has a lot of steps, but whenever I have tried eliminating one, my skin has suffered.

My skin:

• Combination
• Large pores
• Prone to breakouts
• The beginnings of fine lines around my eyes and on my forehead (but no wrinkles!)

Step 1: Remove Eye Make-Up (twice daily)

AM: In the morning, I usually have to remove some more make-up from my eyes. It is impossible to get all the eyeliner off at night and still be gentle on my eyelids.

PM: Always remove your make-up!

Product: I use Clinique Take the Day Off Makeup Remover, primarily because I have three bottles of it from various "free gift with purchase" sucker deals. It's not too oily and it does a good job.

Step 2: Cleanse (twice daily)

AM: After removing my eye make-up, I wash my face with a gentle cleanser. In the morning, I do this step in the shower, after I rinse off the conditioner so that there is no conditioner residue on my face.

PM: After removing my eye make-up, I wash my face once to get off the rest of my make-up, then I wash my face again to make sure it's clean.

Product: I have been using Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser for years. I started using it in 2002 when I was on Accutane to clear up my acne.

Step 3: Lightly Exfoliate (once daily)

AM: I exfoliate in the shower because it makes it easier to rinse off all the grit from the scrub. I have tried every scrub known to skin and I keep coming back to Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream. It has a fine grit, and lots of it, in a nice cream.

Step 4: Tone (twice daily)

AM: I mostly think that toner is a scam, but I use it to make sure my face is really, really clean.

PM: I usually still see a bit of make-up on the cotton pad, so I know it is at least getting my skin clean even if it doesn't do anything else.

Product: I use Lotus Flower Ginseng Toner, which appears to be a product available for private labeling since I bought it under a salon's label. It doesn't even list the ingredients, so I don't recommend it. I got it because I had a gift certificate I needed to finish off and the bottle had "hydrating system" in the description. True to its word, it does not dry out my skin, like something alcohol-based would. Once it runs out, though, I will probably try something like Clinique Clarifying Lotion 2.

Step 5: Super Exfoliate (twice weekly)

PM: Two, sometimes three, times a week I basically have to sandblast my skin. If I don't do this, my pores start to clog up. I use a battery-powered, circular brush that I run over the surface of my face with a super exfoliating cream.

Product: I use BeautiControl Microderm Abrasion Creme & Brush because my mom sells BeautiControl products and she gave it to me. It works great, though, and I plan to continue buying the cream when I run out. The cream is pricey, but it lasts a long time.

Step 6: Moisturize, the Eyes (once daily)

PM: I try to remember to do this, but this is step I skip the most.

Product: I have yet to find an eye cream I love. I am currently using Kiss My Face Eyewitness Eye Repair Creme because my brother-in-law, who works at a health food store, got a sample for free.

Step 7: Moisturize, the Undercoat (twice daily)

AM/PM: I use three layers of moisturizer twice a day because I want to look 30 when I'm 50. First, I use a serum that contains hyaluronic acid as the main ingredient. (Details here)

Product: I can't find it anywhere online. It's called Moisture Enhance and I got it at Burke-Williams, as suggested by the woman who gave me a facial.

Step 8: Moisturize, the Middle Layer (twice daily)

AM: In the morning, I use a moisturizer with SPF 25.

PM: In the evening, I use a moisturizer without SPF.

Products: I use Clinique Superdefense Age Defense Moisturizer for the morning and Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion - Very Dry to Dry Combination Skin for the evening.

Step 9: Moisturize, the Top Coat (twice daily)

AM/PM: I use a light gel lotion to seal in the other moisturizer all day and night.

Product: I love Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief . LOVE IT. It saved my skin when it was a desert of pregnancy hormones.

Step 10: I Use Even More Products (as needed)

I seriously can't moisturize too much. I use Korres Watermelon Lightweight Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30 instead of foundation.

I love Kiss My Face Break Out Botanical Acne Gel for blemishes, but I haven't had to use it in ages.

Sesame Street: 40 Years of Sunny Days - DVD Review

I am not going to beat around the bush with this review. I LOVE Sesame Street: 40 Years of Sunny Days. It is everything I was hoping Sesame Street - Old School would be, but wasn't. I found Old School to be dated, not nostalgic. That's part of the reason I had the 40 Years DVD for over a month before I finally got around to watching it. I am so glad I did.

Watching a full episode of Sesame Street from the 1960s or 1970s is boring, but Sesame Street: 40 Years of Sunny Days takes the best segments and puts them all together. There were so many segments that I remembered from my childhood once I saw them on the screen. It just made me happy to watch it and I was thrilled that my toddler enjoyed watching it, too. (She did not enjoy Old School.)

There are a couple different options for watching. You can turn on the pop-up facts and exclusive behind-the-scenes footage. This collection also comes with a little commemorative book.

Sesame Street: 40 Years of Sunny Days is a joy to own and watch and I highly recommend buying it to anyone who every watched Sesame Street as a kid.

This DVD was provided to me free of charge for the purpose of writing this review.