Follow:

    [early] Happy New Year’s!

    I know today is only New Year’s Eve Day, and the new year doesn’t begin for another number of hours, but I’m giving you a scheduled post right now anyways. Why? I’m currently in a car on the way to Saskatoon to spend New Year’s Eve with family!(So, no comments will be moderated until Saturday night at the earliest, but you will continue to get posts. I promise!)

    theNotice’s un-preachy tips on: not waking up in a foreign location with no underpants, because that’s just plain ‘ol awkward follow. This list may contain fun links, pictures, and supposedly quirky and amusing comments to keep you reading, because I have ADD too.

    • If you’re going out, arrive with your friends and leave with them as well. Make sure you all have cell phones or you’re with someone who has one, so if you get separated wherever you are you can still find each other. “Hey gramma, can I borrow your cell phone? Mine’s dead and I want to make sure I have one on me tonight. Gramma? Gramma, have you been in the liquor cabinet again?!”
    • Don’t just watch your drink, hold it. You want to have your hand over your glass, not just on it. Check out this link – I promise, you won’t be sorry you did! Until they slowed it down and zoomed in, I didn’t catch it!
    • If you’re given the option of a small-ish party where you know everyone and a huge one where you don’t, go to the small one. I shouldn’t even have to say it, people.
    • Go ahead and kiss a stranger, but don’t go home with him. Honestly, that’s just stupid – and don’t think it doesn’t happen. It does. (And check for cold sores, sneezing, coughing, bloodshot eyes, and dilated pupils first. Also make sure he’s not about to kiss the guy standing next to him. Awkward meter of 10, and I guarantee you’ll be their funny story of the year. “Remember that girl on New Year’s who…”)
    • While we’re at it, make sure he’s not there with someone. If you’re doing random 12:00 kissing and his girlfriend shows up, it’s just a bad idea all around. If it does happen, though, it would probably be a good time for you to call a cab and get the hell outta there.
    • Now is not the time to “experiment” with drugs. I mean, never is a good time, but a party-full of drunk strangers is not the safest environment to have “fun”.
    • Keep at least $30 on you, in cash. Not in your purse is the best idea (in case you lose your bag) but not all of us are comfortable with money in our bras, and not all of us have pockets in our dresses, so I guess the purse would be fine. You might need it for food or cab fare, so keep it around just in case.

    Also, tips on: not waking up in a hospital ER with no underpants, because that’s not awkward, it’s just scary.

    • Designate a driver or take a cab – I’m not sure how the whole cabbing thing works on New Year’s Eve, so call to make sure you don’t have to book one in your area just in case. You can always spit a cab with a few friends if it’s the fare you’re concerned about, and depending on your city, the bus is an option as well! (Our transit system is pretty good, and offers free rides on New Year’s to make sure everyone makes it home okay.)
    • I don’t care if you get buzzed faster this way, but don’t drink on an empty stomach. Keep a granola bar in your purse if possible so you have something to snack on if you’re getting hungry from all the dancing, or whatever it is you’re doing. (I don’t want to know.)
    • Make sure you can walk in those heels, girl! After a few tequila shots and four hours of strobe lights, six inch heels aren’t sounding so great.
    • Lastly, if you’re taking medication, make sure you can have it with alcohol. A lot of antidepressants and the sort can’t be combined with any sort of alcohol, not even “just one beer!” so read your labels.

    Lastly, tips on: not looking like a mess by the end of the evening (hey, we have to have makeup at least mentioned in this post!)

    • Waterproof or tubing mascara is your best friend. I promise.
    • Keep cotton swabs, makeup remover, eyeliner, and blotting tissue in your bag. Mascara, eye shadow, base, and cheek products are optional and probably too heavy for you to tote around the whole night anyways.
    • Waterproof everything is your NBF, actually. Waterproof liner, like my new favourite, especially.
    • Shine control is optional but nice to have, and a setting powder is probably a good idea. (I’m loving this one, which is both!)
    • A good not-too-smelly hairspray or other “style holder” will keep that gorgeous hair from falling flat in the humidity of the club/bar/family home!

    That’s all for now. Have fun, and enjoy your hangovers tomorrow ^^ I’ll probably be the only one with out one!

    Share:
    4 Comments

    Just balmmy

    Product: TheBalm’s TimeBalm concealer (lighter than light)

    Price: $17 US, $24 CAD (darn you, Sephora!)

    What’s great: A little goes a long way with this stuff, and it covers all day long. It comes with a little sponge if you choose to use it (I don’t – I don’t think they’re hygienic at all, so I took mine out. However, if you’re a little less OCD, it’s great to use on-the-go!) Additionally, it doesn’t smell horrid, which is always lovely. The coverage is fantastic as well, disusing anything from dark circles to acne.

    What’s not so great: Um… I got nothin’. This may crease on you if it’s not properly set, but a light layer of powder should solve that! 


    Edited to add: I’ve been working on my little jar for over a year now, and with daily use for concealing acne, redness, eyelid veins, and undereye circles, it’s not even half gone.

    Other stuff: Lighter Than Light works just fine under my eyes, which is where we tried in on in-store, but when I do have to conceal elsewhere, it’s a touch too warm. However, it’s not enough of a difference to make me leave my darling timeBalm! If it’s particularly obvious on any given day, I’ll just set with minerals to tone it back. The verdictI absolutely adore this — the coverage is excellent, the cream stays creamy, even after a year (and especially in the summer,) and it lasts all day long. (For a normal workday, at least. I’d say it starts to go around ten hours or so.) Definitely recommended!

    Share:

    We bought new ornaments this year :P

    So how were your Christmases?

    Mine, in a nutshell:

    • No MU pressies :(
    • Soup noodles for breakfast and waffles for lunch! lol
    • Pizza on Christmas Eve – oh, how common! We do try.
    • And usually fail… they were whole wheat, thin crust, topped with feta, baby spinach, black olives, and sun-dried tomatoes.
    • Well, there was one normal-person one. Mozzarella, old cheddar, asiago, black olives, artichokes, and Genoa salami.
    • Christmas was great!! No grandmother to cause arguments or bitch at us. Just mum, dad, my sister and I – everything went pretty well, and we had a ton of fun.
    • Two words for the activities on the night of the 25th: Speed. Scrabble.
    • Tried alcohol for the first time. White wine – felt like hellfire crawling down my throat! Not for me, I’m a little too sensitive. (I can’t even eat spicy chips)
    • Lamb for Christmas dinner – whoo! Traditionally people eat turkey or ham, if I’m not mistaken, but I hate turkey and my sister hates ham.
    • No boxing day shopping. Just movie-watching, sleeping, and eating instead.

    In all honesty, this was one of the least memorable and least eventful Christmases ever.

    Also probably my favourite.

    <3

    Share:
    10 Comments

    Christmas Eve, putting up the tree:

    My sister: [grabbing a ball to hang] “Hey, where are the rest of the hookers?”

    Mum and I gave her hell for that one :P (She was referring to the hooks used to hang the ornaments. Not the other connotation, lol!)

    Share:
    1 Comment

    Baked goods

    Mmm, brown sugar. How could we bake without you?
    Erm, I’m really not feeling the creative juices right now, but I wanted to have a fresh post out tomorrow. So, here is the awkward version of a real review!

    Product: Stila Brown Sugar lip glaze. This one’s easy to find brand new on MUA, and I think it’s one of their most under-hyped lip glazes.

    Wait, under-hyped?: Yup, you read that right! I know the picture above is pretty washed out (real sunlight! Good lord!) but this does look very blah in the tube – dark brown with glitter. I’ll do a post on the Raspberry lip glaze later, and you can see what it actually looks like in the tube then. But anyhow, back on point: this is more berry than it would seem to be in the tube, and gives quite a pretty colour!
    The following picture is pretty accurate:

    Any bad points?: well, it’s a little on the sticky side, but because I love the colour and the fairly fine shimmer, I just gloss my lips with this and then top with some Vaseline. On its own it’s too sticky and not hydrating enough for me, but with lip balm underneath and Vaseline over, it’s perfect!

    Other stuff:

    • Smells and tastes pretty good :P
    • On the pricey side, but as I said it’s easy to find this on MUA (in mini sizes or brand new, even!)- I think it’s sometimes given out as a GWP, and if bought in a set I can see why many people would assume this would look bad on them.
    • The colour is layerable – it can be a sheer layer for just a bit of sparkle or a heavier one for major shine, sparkle, and colour.

    See? Told you it was gorgeous. It darkens up my lips a bit, almost giving them a plum/mauve tint – it can definitely be layered past this, to a more berry/brown, but this is the comfortable consitency in my books! The verdict: Definitely get your hands on a click-pen of this (I like the concept of the applicator, but it’s hard to get the right amount of product out. It’s always either too much or none at all), but I would do so on MUA if possible.

    (is it just me or was that review actually pretty okay?! Hm…)

    Share:

    Wishlist update

    *YOU question on bottom :) It’s on Monday this week because Boxing Day is Friday, and honestly, who reads blogs on boxing day?!

    I’m on a mission to NYX – whoops, I mean nix – those lemmings! (corniest line ever, no? Plus a beauty junkie pun! God, I’m fabulous.)

    Anyhow, here’s an update to this wishlist, just to let you know that they’re not all must-haves!

    • Dolce & Gabanna Light Blue the only one I’m still dying for!
    • NARS blush – Dolce Vita sounds lovely, but I’m loving the photos of Deep Throat. Must see them in person! Do I still want this? Of course. Do I still really want one? Nope – I’m not feeling the high-end lemmings as much right now, thankfully.
    • Benefit 10, but only because it smells good ^^ I don’t actually like the shades, lol! Do the other boxed powder blushes smell this amazing? Are you serious, Benefit?! Your prices on your boxed powders are friggin’ crazy. I get that there’s a lot of product in there, but I know myself – I’d never finish a blush anyways.
    • Two MAC lippies, one light pink/nude and one a blue-based red. Definitely lustre, but I haven’t had time to look at shades yet! I bought a red MAC lippie for the holidays and I’ll buy a cheap nude one first to see how much wear I get out of it. And it wasn’t the lippie I’d expect – instead, I ended up with the Plum Perfect tinted lip conditioner, thanks to a great (Asian) SA! They kept shoving bright fire-engine reds at me and I kept saying “cool-toned and subtle”. Luckily, with the same undertones as me, this SA knew which lippies would work!
    • Skincare set, with a moisturising eye cream. I think I’ll treat myself to some Clinique this year, once they get a good GWP going up in Canada! My undereye skin is flaking so badly right now :( Olay Complete for Sensitive Skin Lotion, move over! The cream version took your place and it is *so* rich and hydrating. It makes a great cheap night cream (erm, with SPF…)
    • Smashbox JetSet liner, black – have you seen this stuff on the waterline? To. Die. For. And also small as hell. Steep price tag, and you get next to nothing for it!
    • Bumble & Bumble Spray de Mode (this one wouldn’t really be for me, it would be for all of us – me, mum, and my sister. Hm, maybe I can talk mom into buying it… :P) Still might want this, but the cost is a little off-putting. We’ll see.
    • Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter (wish-listed because I would have to order this online!) Now carried at Shopper’s Drug Mart! I’ll give it a sniff someday (and probably won’t like it)
    • CARGO Suedeblush in Barbary Coast OMG, this was the one I’m really glad I saw in real life. It’s shimmery as hell – all the SuedeBlushes are. Mendocino (a normal one) looked great, though…

    There you go! Hope I was able to crush any lemmings I may have shared with you before they got the better of you :P

    Hope you had a great weekend, lovelies! Has anything disappointed you irl recently?

    Share:

    The goose is getting fat

    Christmas is coming,
    The goose is getting fat,
    Please to put a penny in the old man’s hat,
    Please to put a penny in the old man’s haaaaat!

    So?

    Are you done your Christmas shopping? Did you have a favourite gift that you picked out and think will be *wonderful*? Is there anything you reaaaally want from your wishlist (that you haven’t bought yet – Arianne, I’m looking at you!)

    Me?

    • Yes, except for mum’s gift. She’s so hard to buy for – she never wants anything, and is one of the most practical people I know!
    • I bought my sister some tea and a GC to a tea shop that recently opened up (it’s like heaven in there. Fairly open, very clean, nice setup, and a whole wall of loose tea. The place smells amazing.) (If you haven’t picked up on it yet, she loves tea)
    • A bottle of D&G Light Blue! I’ve decided I quite like it and feel naked without it, after wearing a tester around for a week or two. Everything else on my wishlist I’ve decided I can live without (update on that next week!)

    Speak!

    Share:
    12 Comments

    Favour

    I’m putting together a Christmas gift for my mom, and the one thing that upsets her is that I don’t let her read theNotice.

    So, I’m compiling a few posts that I’d like her to read, editing out the blog name and url in photoshop. I’ll give them to her as PSD files, and that way, I can share this with her without having my mum read everything I post.

    Anyhow, here’s the favour I ask of you: do you have a favourite post, or a few favourites? I’m not sure which ones to give her – I know I’d like to stay on non-family-and-personal-life topics, so I’ve decided (so far) on:

    And possibly:

    Yay/nay on any of those? Any posts to add to the list? I’d love to give her a “real” piece of writing, but those unfortunately are too personal. Unless you can come up with one that is “real”, but not personal?

    Any responses are welcome!

    Share:
    8 Comments