Wine Not Wednesday.

Oh, hello there.  Welcome gentlepeople to my newest theme post- Wine Not Wednesday.  Does that name have a ring?  Or is it just stupid?  In these (hopefully) weekly posts I'll post a review about a wine I've had the pleasure (or displeasure I suppose...) to taste.  Full disclosure: I am not a pro at this.  I know a little bit of the lingo but not much... I believe in wine pairings but I am no good at remembering what goes good with what.  I will try to educate myself a little bit about some of the wines so that I can pass the knowledge on to you.

For week one I'm starting with a bang.  I first tasted this wine when I was on my very first wine tour a couple years back.  (So it's local!!!)  My aunt and I fell in love with it, I went back for thirds and then bought a bottle to devour that night.
   

I realize now that the picture is kind of blurry.  Sorry.  Anyways, it's the 2010 Muller-Thurgau from Henry Estate Winery.  You can buy it from them directly (at the winery or online!) or from a lot of stores here in the area and it runs about $12.  Here's the description straight from their website:  A very delicate wine with floral aromas of apple blossom and peach with a hint of spice. Light bodied in the mouth, citrus and melon flavors lead into a bright, refreshing finish. Serve this wine chilled as an apéritif with prosciutto wrapped melon, fruit, cheese or with spicy Asian food, and shellfish.

Some wines are sipable and some are drinkable.   This one is VERY drinkable.  If you get the chance to have some of this wine, I definitely recommend it!

Book addiction...

Alright guys, here it goes: My name is Amee and I'm addicted to reading. In order for the rehab to work I have to want to be clean, but that doesn't work for me. Step one of the 12 steps is as far as I'm ever going to get.

I finished reading Matched by Ally Condie last night. So good! Thank you so much for the recommendation Rachelle!! Like Divergent, it's set in a type of Dystopian society where everything is predetermined based on stats. Nobody has any choice in almost every aspect of their lives. Like most of these types of books, we follow the journey of a young person (in this case, a girl named Cassia) who eventually sees that life isn't what the government wants them to believe and, of course, it's also a love story.

So here's where we see evidence of my addiction. Matched is the first book in a trilogy and today, since I had to take a sick day, I read Crossed, the second book in the trilogy. Like, all of it. In this book we continue on the journey and (somewhat spoiler alert) learn about a rebellion called The Rising. I said somewhat spoiler because that is pretty typical of the types of books I've been reading. Don't hate, you know you're more interested in it now that you know about the rebellion.

I just want to give a shout out to iBooks for making all of this possible. HOLLA!!!

Manic(ure) Monday

Who's stoked about Manic(ure) Monday?!?! Haha, you're so stoked, especially since I have TWO to show you!!  They are very similar, this is why I didn't rob you of next weeks post by separating the two.  It's make me look like an idiot and then you'd all hate me.

First off, you all need to know this- NEVER BUY THIS PRODUCT!  It's called Revlon Moon Candy and the display for this makes it look like the most magical nail polish duo since EVER.  Supposedly when you combine the two different ends its supposed to look somewhat galaxy-ish but what really happens is the glitter comes out all pale and clumpy and nothing like the picture.  And here's the kicker... It costs $8.99!  And the nail polishes on each end and probably not even equal to half of a regular size polish.

Anyways, not that my rant is over, I'll show you our manicures.  We used the dark purple from that Revlon duo you see up there because that actually turned out to be a very nice, deep, dark purple.  This first set of pictures are of Ariel's hand.  She used a Sinful Colors glitter polish called I Miss You on top.

And here's mine, pre-clean up...typical.  The glitter I used is Sally Hansen Gem Crush in Be-Jeweled.  It's much more opaque than normal glitter polishes and I love it!  I can't wait to use this more for future manicures.  (Way to go Secret Santa, you nailed it!)

For next week's post I'll be having some fun with Sharpies.  Stay tuned!!!!

Pinterest- Nailed it or failed it...

Welcome to my newest idea!!!  Once a week I will try out a Pinterest craft or idea and blog about it.  I don't care if I nailed it or failed it, I'll share it with all of you along with any tips or tricks if you'd like to try to nail it (or fail it) yourself.

Here is the link for the original pin http://pinterest.com/pin/76772368617715586/ 

I have wanted to do this for a very long time.  Finally, this weekend, I got up the motivation to do it.  

Step 1- Color your "canvas" with crayons how ever you want.  I suggest thinking about the quote or lyrics you plan on using and plan your colors around that.

Step 2- Get some sticker letters and arrange them on your colored masterpiece.  I got these from Beki but she got them from Michaels.

Step 3- Spray paint!  Black always looks good but pick what ever color you want!  I think you can brush or roll on the paint but for me, the spray paint was the easiest and quickest. Make sure to do a couple coats.

Step 4- Peel up the letters.  They should come off very easy because of the crayon underneath.

That's basically it but I added a fifth step- embellish. 

I used a silver sharpie to add a few dots by the stars and in the bottom corner I wrote "Mischief Managed".

I'm gonna go with a nailed it for this project.  I could have colored it a bit darker and used larger letters but for my first shot I am really pleased with how this turned out.

Are there any crafts you have been wanting to try? Let me know what they are and maybe I'll give them a shot. If I follow you on Pinterest, tag me in the pin. I think you could probably tag me even if I wasn't following you but I'm not positive how that works. 

Quickie Book Review.

I finished Insurgent and wow!  You know all the excitement and action from the uprising in the third Hunger Games book?  Insurgent had that same feel to it but its only book two.  Now I'm stuck waiting with the rest of the world for the third book to come out.  I did sort of predict the ending but it didn't make it any less amazing.  I definitely recommend that everyone should read it.  Especially before you look up the movie and see the actress who will be playing the main character.  (Uhh, what were they thinking?!)  Either way though, this story has the potential to make great movies.  Don't judge me, I enjoy it when books are made in to movies... 

Sorry for the short post but I'll have another one for you later tonight or tomorrow.

Flat iron curls.

I tried flat iron curls again, for the zillionth time.  Lucky for me it actually turned out!

I kind of cheated though... I only did that section you see there.  I got a little tired of doing it because I haven't quite nailed the technique...  More than a few strands needed a do over but I think if I used some mouse and maybe a touch of flexible hold hairspray I could really rock this look.  Next time I try this full scale I'll take pictures and post it.

The flat iron I'm using is made by Revlon and is 1.5 inches thick.  Ariel has a one inch and it looks good on her hair when she does it but I really couldn't get it to work out.   Her hair is shorter than mine so maybe that's it, or maybe it's the different straighteners.  Most likely I'm just a failure.  Either way, look at me go!!!

That's all I have for you kiddos tonight.  

Nail Post!

It just feels wrong to call it Manic(ure) Wednesday but here it is. I took some time off from reading Insurgent to do this for you.

Tonight I used Sally Hansen Smooth & Perfect in Dune (purchased on clearance for $1.50ish) and my Hard Candy Matte top coat.

This was taken pre-clean up but I really liked how it turned out!  The matte gives it a different texture than I'm used to seeing with nude polishes.  

I was slightly nervous about the polish at first.  It almost seemed like it was going to be too thin and like it would look streaky on my nails but I'm pretty impressed with it!  I did three quick coats to get it more opaque but honestly, if I had stopped after the first coat it would have looked good.

Straying away from the nails- I purchased my subscription for Birchbox today and I am beyond excited about it.   Birchbox is a site that sends you a box of usually high end beauty goodies for $10 a month.   I have been on the wait list for months!  Although, that was 

partially my fault but after a quick email to the support team, we got it all straightened out.   Check it out!

And on that bombshell, it's time to end.  Goodnight!

Book review Monday?

I know I should be showing off my nails but I don't really feel like doing them. I'm still (poorly) rocking last week's manicure and feeling too lazy/cold to change that. I know, you are all so disappointed in me right now. I promise I will still do my nails this week for you though!

Tonight I'm going to talk about books! Awwww Yeeaaaahhhh!

Bad news- I gave up reading The Great Gatsby. Sorry I'm not sorry. I tried to get in to it but it starts out pretty slow.  I guess I'll have to trust Leo to bring me the story when I go see it in theaters.

Good news- I read Perks of being a Wallflower! The entire story has a weird format, it's just letters that Charlie sends to a boy that he doesn't even know. The storyline is kind of cussed up but overall, I really liked it but I definitely wish it would have given me some more closure, it just kind of ends. I am really looking forward to watching the movie. I promise I don't only read books that are turned in to books... Although it really seems that way. Dang it.

Today I finished reading Divergent by Veronica Roth. Wow! I LOVED it so much. I'm a sucker for popular young adult novels but I suppose they're (usually) popular for a reason. It's set in Dystopian Chicago and has a slight Hunger Games feel to it. I don't want to ruin anything for you but I'll tell you I couldn't put it down! Almost literally, I bought it last night... The fantastic news is that it's a trilogy! I'm reading Insurgent now, in fact I'm going crazy not reading it as I write this. The only upsetting thing about this so far is that book 3 isn't finished yet, it's due to be out this fall. And, coincidentally (I swear) it is being turned in to a movie. I only found that out today though!! I promise!!

Lastly, I found out there is a new Dan Brown book coming out in May! It's called Inferno and features the same main character, Robert Langdon, from Angels and Demons, The Da Vinci Code, and The Lost Symbol. I absolutely loved the first three books and I'm beyond stoked for this to come out.

And on that bombshell, it's time to end. Goodnight!

Manic(ure) Monday

I am so not pumped about tonight's manicure.  I had all these different fantastic ideas and nothing was working out for me.  Not even the finished product is the best but I'm tired of messing with it.  

And here it is.  In all it's messy glory.  I was trying to go with something more complex but I just kept failing.  As you can see I even gave up on the clean-up...

And now let's meet the stars of this post.  On the left is Hard Candy Matte-ly in Love.  It's a top coat that turns any color matte!  In the middle is Sally Hansen Gray by Gray, and on the right is Wet n' Wild Kaleidoscope.

I was super pumped about the matte when I bought it.  My mind was racing with magical ideas. One idea is to paint my nails any color and then paint all but the tips with the matte.  Another idea is to take very thin pieces of tape and make random designs with them then paint over it with the matte so that when I removed the tape, it made a glossy design.  I guess I'm still pumped to try it, I just need to have more patience.

My one complaint so far is that the matte seemed to eat through my polish.  You can kind of see it in the picture above on my middle and pointer fingers.   I'm not sure if that had anything to do with my technique or if it's just the polish.  I'm hoping it's me.

Now that that's over, let me tell you that I made a funny video for the blog.  I just have to figure out how to edit it.  But until then, I'll leave you with the video that inspired mine.

Enjoy!!!

XOXO,

Gossip Girl.

Manicure update. Among other things...

It has been exactly 2 weeks since my manicure and I'm just now getting chips.  Oh wait, just kidding, it's only been exactly ONE DAY!  I'm not impressed right now but I will admit they're small chips on the very tips of ALMOST EVERY FINGER!  This girl is not a happy camper.  I did get a very cool new nail polish though that I cannot wait to show off.

New smoothie update- I'm getting pretty good at it!  I put in a cup of almond milk, frozen strawberries, frozen mangos, frozen strawberries, and spinach and top it off with water to keep it liquified.  I eyeball all those things.  And don't be shy with the spinach, you cannot taste it and it has tons of antioxidants, vitamins A, C, E, K, iron, and omega-3 fatty acids plus a ton of other things.   Or you could just by the Yoplait Greek Yogurt smoothies.  They're single serve frozen packs and all you do is add milk.  I add spinach to that too but you can take it or leave it.

Now let's talk hair.  For the past couple days I have been using Pantene Pro-V Moisture Whip.  It's like a whipped mouse for styling.  I've heard raves about it from a few friends but I'm not going nuts over it.  It's not bad but I haven't noticed any greatness from it either.  I plan on using it for a while before I decide if really like it or not.  

I also bought some scrunchies.  Yup 90's style hair scrunchies.  My hair is getting longer and with that, heavier.  I get headaches almost everytime I throw it up now, but so far, the scrunchies are pure magic.  I don't even care how ridiculous it looks.

I'm almost done but I'm going to leave you with this, some friends are harder to have than others, and if you want to accept that, that's fine.  As for me, I'm over it.  I'm done with the one sided friends and the high maintenance ones too.  

And on that bombshell, it's time to end.  Goodnight.

Manic(ure) Monday!

It's Monday again, folks!  This is seriously the highlight of my day.  I mean, Monday's in the pharmacy are rough!  But I look forward to when I get to come home and do my nails (if I haven't already which is usually the case) and then post about my endeavors.   

Last week I got some Nutra Nail Gel Perfect.  This stuff is normally like $13.99.  Uhm, no thanks!!  But (!!!) I picked up this specific color on clearance for $3.99.   It comes in a few different colors but only four of them were on clearance and none of them were a color I'd normally pick.  (I'm partial to purple and glitter.)  I finally settled on Flame, you'll see here soon enough but it's basically a bright orange-red.  I figured that the stuff was cheap enough and would be a good mix up on the blog because I could do my manicure AND a product review at once!

This is what the package looks like.  See that bright red?!

So it's a 3 part process.  Once all your nails are prepped they way you normally would for any polish you brush on the activator.  It's that white bottle on the far right.  Now, this stuff is basically nail glue.  Seriously, check the ingredients.  Then while your nails are still wet from the activators brush on a thin layer of the color (middle bottle).  The color mixes with the activator and I'm guess that's what makes it so hard.  When you are done with the first hand, wipe the brush off on a paper towel and put it in the third bottle, take the brush from the third bottle and but it in the color.  The third bottle is just a cleaner, because we are working with pretty much nail glue, this step is crucial to keep the brush clean and soft.  Repeat those steps with the next hand then wait a few minutes.  This stuff sets up pretty quick.  Do all those same steps again for your second coat, including the activator!  And switch your brushes from color to cleaner after every hand.

And there's the finished product.  I actually really like the color too!  So far I'm impressed.  The box says "Sets rock solid in 5 minutes" and I believe it.  For the sake of testing the product, I haven't been nice to my nails since I painted them 45 minutes ago and there are no smudges or chips yet.  My only complaint is the clean-up.

I'm pretty messy when I paint my nails (see above picture) but I'm pretty good at the clean up so it works for me but because of the nail glue activator it really sticks to the skin.  I spent quite a bit of time with my nail polish remover and q-tip and got hardly anything clean.  I then decided to use the cleaner.  Yup, the same cleaner that came with it that we're using to clean the brushes.  It was kind of a DUH! moment when I thought of it.  Here I am putting these brushes in all the same stuff that's on my fingers and that cleaner cleans them COMPLETELY.  Well, my duh! moment paid off.  It cleans it up as quick as nail polish remover does with regular nail polish.  So I'd suggest using that if you get any (or all of it, like me) on your skin.

The real test starts now though.  I'm rough with my nails.  A normal manicure only lasts me a couple days before it's chipping.  This is supposed to last longer.  I'll keep you posted and let you know when I get my first chip.  

And on that bombshell, it's time to end. Goodnight!!!

(I know, I'm ripping off Top Gear [UK, of course] but that show is so good.  Even if you're not totally in to cars, I suggest it.  My grammie even watches it.) 

New Year's Resolutions

January 1st is the perfect day for resolutions.  I know it's cliche but it makes me feel like its a fresh start.  It's the very first day of a very new year.  I feel like my slate has been wiped clean, I've closed the book on 2012 and opened up a new one titled 2013.  The pages are blank right now but everyday a little bit more is written in there.  Annnnd now it sounds like I'm writing a high scool graduation speech.  Okay, let's talk about those resolutions now!

Here are mine:

-Move out of the apartments

-Get a dog

-Take a class for yoga or Pilates or Zumba or kickboxing

-Save up a few Benjamin's for a Mini Cooper

-Moisturize more often.

-Keep up with my diet.  I'm down 30 pounds so far but I want to lose 50-60 more.

-Be more badass

-Buy a pair of Ray Bans

-Buy a Coach bag

-Play a game of Monopoly all the way to the end

And here are some resolutions that some of my friends came up with:

-Ariel says she'd like to eat more unhealthy food and exercise less (yes, you read that right)

-Cam wants to lose 30 pounds by next week

-Aunt Laurie, more realistically, wants to lose 30 pounds by August

-Tug and Beki just want to live until 2014

-This isn't official but we think Wendy probably wants to lay off the White Russians

Whether or not you make resolutions, I hope 2013 is all you hope or wish for.  And to those of you who did make resolutions, I wish you the best of luck.  I plan on keeping you all updated if/when I cross something off on my list.