I'm "delight"-ed

When I got pregnant last year, one of the first things to go was my sense of smell. Within a few weeks, my sniffer went from enjoying various scents and perfumes to rejecting any and all fragrance. Seriously, at some point I was reduced to using only my philosophy Cinnamon Buns 3-in-1 (I could tolerate some food scents) and Curel lotion. I had to be very picky about which hair (Paul Mitchell) and body (Product Body - Joanna's unscented products truly are unscented and very luxurious!) products I used. I will say that it is definitely a challenge to find unscented products, but that is another post for another time, perhaps.

Once Squiggles was born, my nose gradually came back online, but most of the perfumes that I wore before he came along still made me a bit queasy (our emotions are very strongly tied to scent, after all). So my new mission was to find a perfume.

I spritzed and sprayed and sampled, but nothing really struck my fancy. Then one day, while out at the mall, I spied a new Pleasures fragrance from Estee Lauder: Pleasures Delight. Now, I loved Pleasures back in the day, and I eventually came back to love Pleasures Exotic (a great summer fragrance), so I thought I'd give this new incarnation of the classic a shot.



Simply put, I enjoy this fragrance. It makes me feel warm and cozy and sophisticated, like wearing a comfy cashmere sweater, if I owned a comfy cashmere sweater (I don't know how well spit-up would come out of cashmere, so I'll stick with cotton for now). According to Estee Lauder's official website, Pleasure Delight's notes are:

Top Notes: Juicy Pomegranate, fresh Greens and dewy Freesia combine with the fruity taste of whipped Strawberry Meringue to delight the senses.

Middle Notes: A heavenly bouquet of flowers enriches the heart. Soft petals of White Peony and Lily blend with fresh Muguet and tender Heliotrope to create a delectable floral confection.

Base Notes: Warm, delicately sweetened notes of Sugared Rose Petals, tempting Caramel, fluffy Marshmallow and Vanilla meld together, forming the delicious dry down. Touches of Patchouli balance the creamy gourmand feeling.

I don't know that I get the greens and freesia on top, or even the flowers in the middle (for which Pleasures is so well known). On me, this almost instantly jumps to a vanilla/caramel/marshmallow extravaganza, with a (surprisingly) nice hint of the patchouli on the drydown. I say surprisingly because I am almost never ever a fan of patchouli. Chef likes this on me, too, except at the end of the day he's not a huge fan of the patchouli; he keeps asking what smells like Patches Atchison, an old boss of his.

All in all, I definitely think I've found a winner. I purchased a holiday set that included a 1.7 oz EDP and a small purse-sized spray that I've relegated to my travel bag so I won't ever forget to bring it with me. Be sure to check it out next time you're at the Estee Lauder counter!

I'm so excited...

...and I just can't hide it!

We received a city newsletter in the mail the other day. I rarely read these things. A community participant I am not, so I usually just throw them into the recycle pile. But this particular city newsletter had a blurb on the front about recreation classes, which I have desperately been trying to find (it's not as fun schlepping to Cville just for a dance class now that Sarah left), so I flipped through it, hoping to find a ballet class or something.

What I happened to see was far more exciting.

Right there, in the list of new business coming to the city (those who have applied for zoning/business licenses) was...wait for it...SEPHORA! OMG, The Greene is getting a Sephora! I am beside myself with excitement right now, even though I know most of my friends and family won't be quite as jazzed as I am. Thankfully, Squiggles is still way too young to care if his mommy drags him into a makeup store!

The Halo Effect - Are YOU spending too much?

Some of my fave beauty folks are the Beauty Brains. At the Brains' core are the Left and Right Brain, two real-life cosmetic scientists who tackle the facade that the beauty industry has taken so much care to build up for us. They give the low-down on product formulations and ingredients, as well as break down the marketing hype in the industry.

Today they've posted about one such marketing tactic, known as the Halo Effect. In essence, the Halo Effect is a way to make you think you are buying something better via packaging or product claims, very often causing you to spend more money on something that may not be worth it. For example, is a $220 jar of La Mer really that much better than a $7 jar of Olay? Probably not.

I have to admit, I've fallen for this little scheme, especially before Squiggles was born. I was pretty sure that the mid and higher end brands had better formulas (but even then, I would never have paid $200 for a moisturizer). However, now that we're supporting another member in our household, I've really been paying attention to ingredient lists - and the order of those ingredients. I've found that there are some really great products to be found for a very reasonable price; which is a good thing, now that we're supporting a new little addition to our household.

What do you think? Do you feel like you're getting your money's worth on your beauty products?

'C' is for Cute!

Lately, I've been finding myself more drawn to websites and blogs for mommies rather than just the beauty sites of old (although I do still frequent them, just not as obsessively). So when the Parents magazine blog GoodyBlog posted about a blogging mom who was making her own alphabet flash cards, I just had to go look. Secret Agent Josephine is a freelance graphic designer and mom to 19-month old Baby Bug. Currently, SAJ is creating the cutest flash cards for her daughter and generously sharing them with all of us. The letters come out two at a time, and just yesterday she started the series in lower case letters, too. You can download the cards as PDF files, then print them out and laminate them for your own extremely cute (Seriously, this ice cream cone? Get out!), unique set of flashcards. Yes, I know Squiggles is too young to start learning the alphabet, but I can be prepared, can't I? Plus, I think these would make a great little something to give to a certain kindergarten teacher I know.

72% Bionic. And you?

Ever wondered just how bionic you are? Well, you're in luck - NBC is promoting their new show Bionic Woman with a Bionic Assessment Test. The BAT takes you through a series of math, hand-eye coordination, memory, and visual-spatial tests to determine if you are, indeed, bionic enough.


See What You're Made Of - Visit The Official Site

I guess 72% is pretty bionic. Let me know how bionic you are!

(link via TVSquad)

Update: I just retook this, and now - somewhat suddenly - I am 81% bionic. I have to stop wasting time now.

Happy Father's Day!

Just wanted to wish all the dads a happy Father's Day today. This is hubby's first, and he's already a great dad to little Squiggles. We're having the families over this afternoon for a cookout, and then all three dads will probably watch some golf. Hope you all have a relaxing day!

Happy Birthday...

...to me! I start the last year of my 20's today, which I'm not too excited about, but I'll get over it. Hubby and Squiggles got me a spa day and a haircut which I am beyond thrilled about, then we went out for brunch, and tonight we'll have dinner with our families and then...ice cream cake! It's a great birthday, that's for sure.

Announcing...

He's here! Our beautiful baby boy was born on May 17 at 12:56pm. He clocked in at 7 lbs 10 oz and 21 inches long. Isn't he beautiful? Hopefully, we'll settle into a routine soon and I'll be able to post more - and visit all my fave blogs more, too!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy belated Mother's Day to all you moms, grandmoms, moms-to-be, and everyone else who acts in a mom-like capacity! I celebrated my first Mother's Day (as a mom-to-be...still waiting on little Beanie to make his appearance!) with family - including my mom, my mother-in-law, and my AuntieP, who always cares for us like a mom or a grandma would. We had a lovely brunch, and after everyone left, hubby and I had a lovely lazy afternoon with golf, naps, and an evening stroll. I hope you all enjoyed a lovely, relaxing day with your loved ones, too (or without...sometimes that's a good present, too!).

Purrrfect Catfight

I just watched the latest episode of Ugly Betty ("Secretaries Day"), and, as always, it was chock full of laugh-out-loud goodness. In fact, the "fight" between Marc and Willhelmina almost made me pee my pants a little because I was laughing so hard! You can catch the full episode online on ABC's website.

(screencap via Ugly Is In)

Shimmering White

I happened upon Clinique's newest collection yesterday, and today, low and behold, there is an email in my inbox announcing its arrival. White in Bloom includes a limited edition Shimmering Tones Powder (Shimmering Whites), Blushing Blush Powder Blush (Snow Flake), Colour Surge Eye Shadow Quad (Prism Whites), and Glosswear for Lips Sheer Shimmer (Camisole).



I know the white, frosty highlighting powders have been all the rage over the last few seasons, but I still can't bring myself to get one (I know, I'm ashamed to call myself a product junkie sometimes). I just fully believe that they will wash my olive skin out - I think I do much better with the bronze, shimmery highlighters instead. However, I find something so fresh and pretty about this new collection - maybe it's my love for Clinique's Shimmering Tones that's reeling me in. I do wish I could see the collection in person, though; the colors in the shadow quad look like four colors were simply plucked from the Shimmering Tones powder - why not just use the individual colors of the powder as eye shadows? I do this with my bronze Shimmering Tones every so often, and it works quite well.

So, what shall it be? Do I go for it and snag one of the LE Shimmering Tones in an effort to (albeit very, very late) jump on the frosty highlighter bandwagon? Or do I let my frosty lemming slowly fade, as these things usually do?

Oh, one more thing - Clinique is offering a free trial-size Take the Day Off Cleansing Milk with any White in Bloom purchase. I love Clinique's cleansers, especially in travel size!

Soft and Fringe-y

I have a confession to make: I am a mascara floosie (I would have chosen a different word there, but I'll leave it out just in case my mom is reading this...hi, Mom!). I flit from mascara to mascara, and I don't care if it's a cheap drugstore find or a high-end splurge. There are very few times that I can remember actually repurchasing a mascara. It's not that the ones I've tried have been horrible (although some have been); I think that they all perform just fine, but I'm looking for better than just fine. I'm looking for the mascara that makes my lashes look just like my husband's (why must they be so beautiful!?) - full and thick and pointing up toward my eyebrows.

For the record, I think I have fairly decent lashes to start with - like my hair, they are very dark, and they are also nice and long. Unfortunately, also like my hair, they are fine and straight - they stick out at almost a 90-degree angle when left au naturale. So, in my attempt to find that holy grail mascara, I've been trying the new rubberized brush mascaras, and my latest try is Max Factor's Volume Couture Mascara. I must say, this is pretty good stuff. I do think that this new brush technology helps cut down on the clumps, but I do still have to wipe off excess mascara from the brush every once in a while (just not as often). The formula doesn't flake or smudge on me (unlike the Cover Girl Volume Exact), and at 2:30 in the afternoon, I think I still have a pretty good, soft to the touch fringe going on. It also washes off fairly easily with my cleanser, so that saves me from breaking out the eye makeup remover every day.

All in all, this is turning out to be a very good, if maybe everyday, mascara. In the meantime, I'll probably still be searching for that "eye-popping" mascara, so I'm sure I'll have another mascara review in a few months.

Hokie Hope Day

The Virginia Tech Alumni Association has delcared tomorrow, April 20, "Hokie Hope" day and a national "Orange and Maroon Effect" day. Please wear your orange and maroon tomorrow in honor of the victims of Monday's tragedy.

Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine has also declared tomorrow a statewide day of mourning, and is encouraging everyone across the nation to pause at noon, EDT, and say a prayer of support for everyone affected by this sad event.

I will be wearing my Hokie best tomorrow for sure.

Sad Hokie

I just want to say that my prayers are going out to the families of the students and faculty that were killed yesterday at VA Tech. As you may know, we are big Hokie fans; and although neither hubby nor I went to school there, many members of his family have, and we still have a strong emotional connection to the school. It made me sad and sick to see the scene unfold yesterday afternoon, and today I am just sad for everyone affected by this senseless tragedy. It was especially hard to look at photos and videos of places on the Tech campus that we frequent when we're in town for football games. Especially today, I want all of my family and friends to know I love them - and I'm saying an extra prayer of protection for Beanie.

The first of (hopefully) many!

Ah...my first post! For those of you who know me, you know I have a lot to talk about, so I hope to use this blog to get out a lot of the stuff I have to say! I have a feeling this blog will handle everything from my skincare and makeup "hobby" to the tail end of my pregnancy and the arrival of our baby, to just life in general - so stay tuned!