BeautyTicket: Super Mega Sale on Skin and Makeup Products!

I know I haven't been doin' too great at keep my blog up to date. I haven't really had any time these days...BUT, I saw this great deal that I had to share and I can share it quickly...
BeautyTicket.com (I've never heard of it before today) apparently sells high-end make-up and skincare brands at highly discounted prices and now they are doing a special year-end 50% off sale on all their already discounted items...so you'll see things as cheap as $1. I haven't yet had time to really browse but thats what I saw from a quick glance. They have brands like Yves Saint Laurent, NARS, Smashbox, etc. Get your 50% discount by using the code NewYear50 at check out. As for the expiration date of this sale: While supplies last.

Pretty Purple Polish

Just got my hands and feet did yesterday! I had them painted in Pamplona Purple by OPI and I love it! Yay!!! Allow me to share...

Lakers Theme EyeShadow

Here is a photo I took for a makeup contest. The objective was to create a Lakers theme-look on the eyes.

A Subtle Daily Beauty Trick

When it comes to beauty, there are certain small things that are unnoticeable in themselves...but really contribute positively to the overall product. One easy beauty trick that makes a surprising difference is coloring in your eyebrows. Just make sure you do it right or it can work against you, leaving you looking like some Hialeah chick (Miami people know what I'm talking about) with dark eyebrows that totally clash with you hair. The trick to it is to make sure you use one shade lighther than your eyebrow color. That way you won't end up with harsh-looking eyebrows that, in turn, make the rest of your features look rough and tuff and will blow your house down! Of course, if you have the lightest color hair imagineable, that does not apply to you. Below is a video tutorial that will you show you the dramatic difference.

Physique 57: Not What I Expected

CC by D'ashley-Heather

My sister signed us up for a Physique 57 class that took place yesterday. I read up a little on the exercise and it sounded so feminine and...pretty. I read that it was this great exercise trend that swept New York and Los Angeles and it basically consisted of using a ballet barre, free weights and your own body weight for toning exercises, followed by some stretching to elongate and lean your muscles. And lucky me, Physique 57 will be in Miami for one day! Nice.

Ehh! Don't be fooled! As I've mentioned in previous posts, I AM aware that exercise is not fun...it's hard. That's how its supposed to be. I get it. But this crap was ridiculous! The instructor was very sweet, but girlfriend does not mess around! I'm used to exercise instructors telling you to modify their instructions to whatever fits you best. "You know your body." Not this bitch. She really was very nice...but urged you not to stop and not to modify. I constantly felt like my ass was on the verge of cramping. Actually, even today - the day after - my ass still feels on the verge of cramping. My muscles were shaking during the work out and I felt like my legs were gonna give out when I'd climb the stairs to my apartment for the remainder of the day yesterday. Sore is good. But in this case, that work out was just not worth it. I would NOT do that horrid Physique 57 work out ever again!

Anyone else ever tried Physique 57? What do you think?

Power Plate Conclusion

What I look like after a good Power Plate Session

So this Monday was the last of my 3 Power Plate sessions. The conclusion:

Do I think it works? Yes.
Why? Because it hurts to walk for the following two days.
Do I like it? Not so much.
Would I do it again? Yes.

Though the sessions normally don't last longer than 30 minutes, the Power Plate really tires you out. Of course, that's a good sign that its working, but...if you're someone that prefers a pleasant workout that doesn't cause too much strain or pain (ahem - like me), you won't appreciate how the Power Plate exhausts you after 1 minute. I like to be encouraged to come back and work out next time. BUT, don't get me wrong...the time does go by quickly AND I know that almost any exercise that really works will not feel pleasant.

Photo Credit: CC by JustinLowery.com

My Second Power Plate Session

Think Skinny Thoughts

Today is my second Power Plate session. I am still sore from Monday's Power Plate session, so that's a good sign. Honestly, I was able to do like 10 minutes-worth of exercise on Monday...but I feel like I was working out hard for over an hour. I constantly took breaks between sets because I felt a bit dizzy. Also, the trainer told me he had a girl pass out on him earlier that morning. Yay. It didn't help that the A/C had just broken in the facility. Yay, again. Only other thing I want to say about the session is that the vibrating makes your nose and ears itch like a mother bitch!

Photo Credits: CC by tollieschmidt

Power Plate: Cuts Down Exercise Time and Cellulite!

CC by stephane_michaux

Today is my first of 3 power plate sessions. I try to regularly go to the gym but I really don’t like straining or sweating. Unfortunately, I can’t get defined calves or abs by sitting down, eating snacks and watching TV. I’m hoping the power plate can be the answer to my prayers and will help me get a beneficial work out in a shorter period of time. The power plate is a vibrating exercise machine that is popular in Europe. You stand on the power plate and do exercises and supposedly, trying to maintain your balance while doing your work out causes your body to perform 25 to 50 reflexive muscle actions per second. They claim it also helps get rid of cellulite. I’m willing to try it and see for myself. I doubt I’ll be able to see visible results after just 3 sessions but I guess I’ll notice if it’s working by comparing the soreness I feel afterwards to the soreness I normally feel after my regular workouts. I'll let you know how it goes. Has anyone else tried this? Please share your reaction!

No More Bubbles in My Nail Polish

I get my nails "did" once a week. Most times they come out fabulously; but every blue moon (like today) they dry looking like I secured some notes in Braille on my fingertips. Well, in order to prevent this tragedy from reoccurring, I need to know what causes them to get that way. So I found out. There are several different factors that may cause nail polish bubbles.

• Your nail polish may be too thick. Some acetone can thin it out.
• Don't shake the bottle, as it may cause bubbles to form. Instead, roll the bottle between your palms.
• Stay away from gusts of wind while you paint and as it dries (A/C, fans, etc.).
• An additional coat may have been applied before the previous coat dried at all.
• Moisture may have been left on your nail before you started painting (moisturizer, oil, etc.). Make sure you dry out your nail sufficiently with acetone before applying nail polish.

Nivea Good-bye Cellulite Serum Review

My last post was about some sucky-ass cellulite cream company that I had to deal with. For those of you who may have that don't-criticize-unless-you-have-a-better-suggestion attitude...here is what I think is a GREAT cellulite cream: Nivea Good-bye Cellulite Serum. I tried the gel and the patches before but never the pills - cuz quite frankly, that scares the bajeezuz out of me.
I first heard about the anti-cellulite cream on one of the MTV award shows. They kept announcing their sponsor, The Nivea Good-byeCellulite 4-Week Challenge. I looked it up and saw all these reviews written by real people who were trying it out. I made sure to read A LOT of the reviews and from different sites to make sure I wasn't judging based on one phony review. People seemed to think it worked. So I added it to my shopping list.
I was happy with the gel and the patches - well, with the gel anyways. I don't know if the patches did anything. Then, Nivea came out with this Good-bye Cellulite fast-acting serum. I LOVE it. I have no reason to be biased. I have no association to the brand. I honestly feel that there has been an obvious improvement in my uncute cellulite. Aside from the fact that my cellulite is less noticeable, the serum feels and smells great. I'll be putting it on and my boyfriend says "Mmm...you smell good. What is that, that you're putting on?"
"Its cellulite cream. You can't use it."

Cellulean Cream is Actually Crap Cream

The other day I was on Twitter when I saw I got a new follower. When I went to check out who it was, their username was CelluliteSolution or something (I don't really remember). I assumed it was a company/person that was all about cellulite remedies. They had different tweets ranging from links to the new hottest cellulite cream on the market to exercises that bust cellulite. The most recent tweet was the one about the newest cellulite cream that everyone is raving about. I'm instantly excited. I clicked on the link and it took me to the Cellulean homepage. The page is filled with all sorts of talk about mentions in the press. I noticed you can try it for free and pay only for shipping ($4.95). I did a quick google search on the brand to see if it was a scam or anything, looked at a couple of pages in the search results and then felt it was safe to proceed. I wanted to believe I had struck gold. Well, after putting in my order, I had time to continue researching the product calmly. I clicked on the links in their tweets and each one - "10 ways to bust cellulite with exercise" or even "Take the Nivea Goodbye Cellulite Challenge" were all links to the same Cellulean website. Uh-oh. I clicked on the tab to learn about its mentions in the media...they all seemed to boil down to one video of some news anchors that may or may not be real.
I did a couple more searches on google and saw a couple of sites reviewing the product and saying it was really no better than most cellulite creams. Well, I thought, thats not so bad. I'm only paying $4.95. In any case, I decided to write to their customer service email asking them to cancel the order I had just placed. I didn't get a return email. The next day, on my lunch break, I decided to call to cancel. The girl who answered the phone said they had already sent out my package but that she can just cancel me out in the system and I can return the package to them when I receive it and they would only charge me $4.95. Ummm...thats all I paid... $4.95. "Yeah," she said. "We already sent out the package so we have to charge you the $4.95. But I already canceled you out of the system so you can just send it back when you get it. Just reject the package." "Ok, so how does that make sense? If you're going to charge me the $4.95 for shipping anyway, why would I send it back to you? I might as well keep it, for that."
"Well, because if you don't send it back and cancel within 12 days, we automatically charge you the remaining balance of $16.(something)."
"Oh!" I said. "Where does it say that keeping it for more than 12 days will result in a secondary charge?"
"Its there in our terms and conditions" she answered.
What a sweet little trick they have in the super small print. I got the package. I rejected it. But I am so annoyed that I was sucked into this shit. If possible, I hope I can prevent anyone else from making the same mistake. I basically just paid $4.95 for air. Awesome.