Welcome to the (Concrete) Jungle- I ♥ NY

"New York is a different country.

Maybe it ought to have a separate government.

Everybody thinks differently, acts differently

--they just don't know what the hell the rest of the United States is"

-Henry Ford 

Ok, Ok.... I will be the first to admit that I don't always love NYC.

We have a passionate Love/Hate Relationship going on. 
And it IS two-sided:  NYC can be very good to me, and it can be a reeeeeal pain in the @ss.

Growing up in Jersey, right across the GWB (George Washington Bridge for those not in the know), I've spent most of my life in and out of NY.

* Being a little kid, going to NYC was always fun and exciting. 
Dinners, Theatres, Shopping~ Going into NY was always an adventure
* When I was in High School, NY was the place to sneak off to and hang out on the weekends
Ahhh..... so many fond memories of going into the city and carelessly dancing the night away, sitting on stoops, and all the crazy adventures I've had over the years.
* Now that I'm older and have to go into the city for work and to see friends and family, it's not as pleasurable as it was back in the day
("JUST COME OUT TO THE CITY!?!" my friends will have to coax me) 

The traffic and crazy drivers, the hustle and bustle, the chaos that can be NYC can put me in a state that I like to call "New York Neurotic".

* HOWEVER, I have literally travelled all around the world and one thing I can say without hesitation is that there is nowhere else in the world that is like NY. 
Love it or Hate it~ NYC is one of the most amazing places in the world.

Spring is one of my favorite times to be in NY.

The warm weather and carefree breezes, the flowers and trees blooming everywhere, and a renewed feeling of energy and positivity that New Yorkers seem to carry after a long and cold Winter help to make NYC a wonderful place to visit in the Spring.

If you are a tourist or have never been to NYC, here is my advice to help you get the most out of your trip.

Every Day Is Earth Day: Week 5

"We have to shift our emphasis

from economic efficiency and materialism towards a sustainable quality of life

and to healing of our society, of our people and our ecological systems"

-Janet Holmes Court

Purify My Heart~ My Favorite Christian Songs

"But I always think that the best way to know God is to love many things"

-Vincent van Gogh

There's a lot of really great Christian songs that I think are beautiful (even if you're not a Christian).
Since today is Easter (and I've been awake since 3am!), I figured it'd be nice to write about my favorite Christian songs.
I didn't grow up going to church, so I don't know a lot~ But the ones I DO know are AWESOME.

*Side Note- Most if not all my favorite Christian songs are the slow and emotional ones.
I'm a "Frozen Chosen"- I always feel awkward when we have to clap to the fast ones.  =P

Say Sayonara to Stinky Shoes: Sneaker Balls

"I did not have three thousand pairs of shoes.
 I had one thousand and sixty"

-Imelda Marcos

For the past year or so, I've noticed that my shoes stink!!!
I'm very sensitive to smells (or I should say odors), so it would drive me nuts when I would come home, take off my shoes, and my feet and socks would stink! GROSS!

I would wash my feet every night before going to bed... but the next day, my socks would still reek!


Say Hello to my Funky Friends:
Kate Spade, Pajar, Spyder, and Salvatore Ferragamo

 
* I have a habit of wearing shoes until they literally fall apart and cannot be worn anymore... many a times have my friends and family pleaded with me to throw out my shoes and get new ones. haha... *

I bought an odor-eating spray that I wasn't diligent with and tried sticking dryer sheets in my shoes~ They didn't work.
About a month ago, I discovered a product that has changed my smelly shoe dilemma forever!
SNEAKER BALLS!!!

I'm an April Fool- Jokes and Pranks

"We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance"

-Japanese Proverb

It seems that my co-workers and friends didn't get the memo that April Fool's is on April 1.
Lately, a lot of them have been having fun at my expense by pranking me   =P
Although I usually like to be the one playing the prank, I have to admit that practical jokes are fun.

So, if you really want to play an April Fool's Joke on someone, do it after 4/1!  =D

Here is a clip of the prank my friends Josh and Susan played on me the other night.

* Side note: I was ALREADY in a scared mood because we were going to watch a scary movie and Susan had already scared me with the mask a few minutes before!!!!
- I think I was trying to say "Stop!" but couldn't even get the words out.
- As you can see, I was so scared that I couldn't even look or stand up
- Josh found it amusing that I hadn't even really looked at him before screaming.

I am currently plotting ways to get back at them.  The Prank War is ON!   =D

Prank vs. Prank is a You Tube Channel that features a couple that are always pranking each other.
I can't believe some of the stuff they do to each other.... but it's pretty funny.
Here are my two favorite videos from them. 
* How to wake up your hot girlfriend with a fake head
* Girlfriend scares the hell out of sleeping boyfriend

Awesome April 2011 Giveaway: Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream

"No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow"

Spring is FIIIIIIINALLY here!
After a horrendously cold and snowy East Coast winter, the flowers are starting to bloom, the Spring air smells oh-so-deliciously fragrant, and the short skirts are starting to come out!

SPRING CLEANING.  Two words that I love~

Spring Cleaning doesn't have to refer to just cleaning and organizing your home~
It's time to Spring Clean your makeup and cleansing routine!

Have you been following some of my Beauty Resolutions for 2011?? I hope so!  (Although I have to admit that #2,6, and 7 have been really hard for me to keep up with!)  =P
If you haven't been keeping up with your skin care routine or organized your beauty products (wiping away, throwing out), it's a great time to start fresh!

One beauty basic that not enough people seem to keep up with is Exfoliation.

So this month, I am giving away a full size Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream Rinse-Off Formula!

All you have to do is:
1. Subscribe
2. Leave a comment telling me some of your favorite Spring Cleaning supplies!

(Here is a list of some my favorite household items)
If you subscribe and comment to this post by 11:59 pm PST on Saturday  4/30/11, you could win a Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream!

Every Day Is Earth Day: Week 4

"Till now man has been up against Nature;

From now on he will be up against his own nature."

-Dennis Gabor

Make Up For Ever Pro Seminar Schedule 2011

There's a lot going on at the Make Up For Ever Studio NYC Boutique this Spring and Summer!
They are holding a lot of seminars that are basically free- The cost is redeemable in product:
Backstage Card and TPG Members -$95

General Admission- $120

I am lucky enough to have learned from or seen the work of many of the educators (Orlando Santiago, James Vincent, Floriane David, Wendy Karcher)~

I HIGHLY recommend taking a class if you have the time and money

(and if you don't.... make it! it'll be worth it!!!)

Cinema Secrets Professional Brush Cleaner

I hope all of you are cleaning your brushes!!!
I have seen some diiiiirty brushes... and it's terrifying.
All the makeup, dirt, bacteria that has collected onto your unwashed brushes..... YUCK!

Here are my tips to wash your brushes thoroughly.
* I recommend washing your brushes this way at least every week or two weeks (depending on how much you use them). 
At the very least... every month.
* If you can apply a whole face of makeup from your brushes without applying any product... they're too dirty!

Although I don't like using chemical brush cleaners, they can come in handy.
Sometimes, you can't always deep clean your brushes.
* When I'm doing a makeover on 5-6 women in a row, I need to be able to clean my brushes well.
*  In the past, I'd just end up using all new brushes for each person (and I tend to use a looot of brushes for one makeover), but then I'd spend practically an hour washing all those brushes!!!!

I stumbled upon an old makeup cleaner that I'd bought but never really used.
I recently tested it out, and I was surprised by how well it worked.
My recommendation for a Brush Cleaner is Cinema Secrets Professional Brush Cleaner!

Every Day Is Earth Day: Week 3

"It is by acts and not by ideas that people live"

-Anatole France