I know what you're thinking. "No way". I thought that too when I saw that it was out. :P


OMG, I can't wait!

posted by che @ 3:19 PM [[ 1 comments ]]

Due to a recent Costco deal, B and I invested in a 2 year deal with 24 Hour Fitness to try to get our little (or not so little) tushes into shape. We've been pretty consistent so far, but I think with everything going on at work and with the wedding it's been a stressful time and working out is the last thing I want to be worrying about. And I'm pretty sure the stress is probably working against me if anything.

I needed some motivation so I recently came across some forum posts about suggested workout songs or albums that get people going. Some of the suggestions were a bit questionable, but I wrote down a few that were recommended by more than a couple folks. From the ones I checked out, the one I liked the best so far is Girl Talk. Why I've never heard of him, I don't know. But if you like upbeat dance mashup mixes of Top 40 songs sometimes mixed with some old school classics, then you should definitely give this guy a listen. I even read somewhere that his latest album is up for free download on his site, but I haven't verified this yet :) Here is a quick bio from Last.fm:

Girl Talk is the stage name of Gregg Gillis (born October 26, 1981). Gillis, who is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has released four CD albums on Illegal Art and vinyl releases on 333 and 12 Apostles. He began making music while a student at Case Western Reserve University. He specializes in sample-based remixes, in which he uses at least a dozen elements from different songs to create a new song. At his early shows, Gillis became notorious for his exhibitionist antics on stage, spontaneously removing most or all of his clothing mid-performance. He has given different explanations for the origin of his stage name, once saying it alluded to a Jim Morrison poem and once saying it alluded to an early Merzbow side project. Girl Talk was featured in Good Copy Bad Copy, a documentary film about copyright/fair use.

Sounds like seeing him live would be an interesting experience! Hehe

posted by che @ 10:40 AM [[ 0 comments ]]

Every once in a while, I have a MAC question that can't be saved for my next in-store visit to MAC so I end up asking the artists online :) I like to use MAC's Live Chat feature because I could ask whatever questions I want without feeling intimidated by the MUAs at the store. Also, they give you free shipping coupon codes every time you chat which is nice :D Anyway, I recently bought the studio stick foundation because it was recommended for my needs, but the last few times I used it I questioned whether or not I was applying it properly. I ended up asking an artist online and the following is the transcript of our chat that may be useful to those who might wonder the same thing :)

info: Welcome to MAC Cosmetics Online. One of our Artists will be with you shortly.
info: Hello. Thank you for your interest in MAC Cosmetics. My name is Sara. How may I assist you?
Sara: Hi Cheryl! How can I help you today?
Cheryl: Hi Sara, I recently purchased the studio stick foundation... I was wondering if you had advice on how to apply it properly?
Sara: Make sure your skin is moisturized and apply a bit of Prep + Prime Skin if you want to create a really smooth surface to the skin. Swipe the Studio Stick Foundation onto the skin, esp near the center of the face (forehead, nose, chin, cheeks close to nose) and blend well with foundation brush #190 or Wedge Sponges. You can dab on a bit more wherever you need extra coverage. Make sure you blend well near the nose and along the jawline, then dust a bit of powder on top to "set" the foundation.
Sara: Click here for the Brushes page.
Sara: Click here for the MAC Prep + Prime page.
Cheryl: Ok, so it's basically just swipe a line and blend?
Sara: You got it. You can also try swiping your brush over the foundation, but I find it easiest to apply when applied directly to the skin.
Cheryl: Ok, cool
Cheryl: I also had another question
Sara: As a thank you for chatting with us today, I would like to offer complimentary Standard shipping with your next MAC Cosmetics Online purchase. Please enter the one-time use offer code (sorry guys, this is for me!)during the checkout process (US Residents only).
Cheryl: I had talked to an artist in-store and asked about what she would suggest to use for an outdoor summer wedding for oily/combo skin... she suggested the stick foundation. Do you agree?
Cheryl: I'm looking for good coverage
Sara: If you have oilier skin, you may prefer the Studio Tech Foundation since it's more matte. Or, the Face and Body Foundation for sheer coverage. Studio Stick is a great foundation for brides too (it's got great coverage and it photographs well), but it might be too moisturizing for an oilier skin. If you do choose to use it, just be sure to dust Blot Powder on top to help control the shine. That would be a great combination for wedding perfect skin.
Sara: Click here for the MAC Foundation page.
Sara: Click here for the MAC Powder page.
Cheryl: ok great, thanks for the recommendations!
Cheryl: that's all i have for now
Cheryl: thank you for your help
Sara: No problem!

Thanks, Sara! :D

posted by che @ 6:25 PM [[ 0 comments ]]

For a while now, I've been sitting on my wedding webpage project due to lack of inspiration. Usually I'm motivated to design a webpage immediately when I'm inspired by a layout, pictures, whatever. But I've been having a hard time coming up with some ideas for my Alice in Wonderland inspired page because there is SOOO much you can do with it. I finally came up with a couple of ideas that I thought would be suitable for my wedding, but I hit a wall when thinking about what images to use, how to get these images, if I should photoshop them myself, etc. Not only that, I'm trying to design the webpage in flash and it's my first time doing a flash webpage (other than soundboards)! I didn't give myself as much time as I thought I would need because I thought I would figure something out in time, but I'd like to have the site launched by the time I send out the invitations (which is very soon!). So unfortunately my page might not be as cool as I see it in my head at its initial launch, but hopefully I'll have time to go in and make small tweaks before anyone knows the difference :)

Anyway, as I was struggling to find the right pictures/clipart to use for my project, I stumbled across this site called Polyvore.

Polyvore lets you mix and match images from anywhere on the web, to create outfits, interior designs, or any kind of collage.

Wow! It's like looking into the minds of other people and seeing what they consider to be related to whatever theme or topic I'm interested in. I considered it to be like making idea boards using clips of pictures from the web rather than a magazine. I love what people come up with!

I think it's a great resource when brainstorming ideas, especially for a wedding!

posted by che @ 3:01 PM [[ 1 comments ]]

I had made an appointment to visit Bradelis NY yesterday to get a free consultation on a bra fitting. I had seen their ad in a 'Japan Up' circular and have been meaning to come in to see what they had to say. It is commonly said that most ladies are wearing the wrong size bra or wear bras that do not offer the proper support, and even wear bras much longer than they are intended for (I'm guilty of this!). I wanted to see if I was part of this population :) One way of possibly knowing you're wearing the wrong size? If you have fat under your armpits, it's probably unsupported breast tissue.

When I walked in the store, I was greeted by two very sweet Japanese ladies. The atmosphere was very cute. It was a French-inspired boutique with cute and sexy underwear and lingerie on display. The process was fairly quick. I went into a dressing room, they took my measurements, and brought a few bras in my size for me to try on. Right off the bat I thought, "What?!? That's what size they are saying I am? No way." I tried them on and sure enough they fit, but eventually I still had to go one more cup up. The lady was very nice and knowledgeable. She informed me how to properly wear your bra and more importantly how to put it on: "Scoop, scoop!" I never paid that much attention to how I was putting on these undergarments before. I am newly schooled. She also informed me of the proper way of caring for the bra and washing it. I was doing it all wrong. Oops.

Overall, I think it was worth the visit and I encourage girls to do something similar if you are at all unsure of your real size. I thought at most I could be a cup size different, but not up to 3 cups! I ended up purchasing one of the ones I tried on and it did cost more than I would normally want to spend, but I can't complain because alterations on bras bought there are complimentary if need be (for up to 3 months or something)! This is great for a very custom fit.

posted by che @ 8:53 AM [[ 0 comments ]]

Free Tote At Victoria's Secret With Any Pink Purchase


I received this information in my email yesterday and initially thought it was an online-only offer, but I went to VS last night and discovered it was in stores, too! I couldn't decided between the pink, red, black, or blue tote, but ended up going home with the blue tote that says "rebels" on it :)

So what Pink purchase did I make? Something from their collegiate line!


I was really excited to see that the VS I went to was rocking the UCLA gear :D I had a really hard time figuring out which merchandise I wanted to indulge in because they were all so cute! Eventually I made a decision and probably spent more than I should have. But I'm still happy :P

Nordies Anniversary Sale July 18
It's July and time for Nordstrom's Anniversary Sale! Why do I care? Because of all the beauty exclusives!

I stopped by the Mario Badescu counter because before this I only knew of this skin care line online. I had just made a larger purchase online because I had a coupon code for a discount. I was a little peeved to discover that my same purchase was now being sold for so much cheaper for Nordie's Anniversary Sale! Anyway, I buckled and pre-ordered the Mario Badescu Anniversary 2008 Set because I couldn't pass up a good deal. I really like this stuff so why not stock up when it's offered for cheaper? I know it seems a bit pricey, but honestly these 16 oz bottles are HUGE and they work really well for my skin. A little goes a long way with these, too. They are the exact set of skin care (minus the moisturizer) that I bought. And it comes with a bag, LOL. You can score free samples just by filling out the questionnaire on their site. They'll come up with a regime for you skin type based on the answers to your questions and later send you a set of samples for all the products they recommend. They won't tell you that they'll send you samples, but they will send you samples :) It doesn't hurt to try, and honestly I was pretty happy with my results when I tried it.

I stopped by the MAC counter excited to see what they had in store, but I was a little disappointed in what they had and passed up the "deal". I was proud of myself :P I wish I had seen the Shiseido deal though because the White Lucent line was something I was considering using but was too expensive! Oh well. I have months and months supply of Mario for now, haha.

Anyway, I think that's it for now. Happy shopping!

posted by che @ 8:43 AM [[ 0 comments ]]

In light of the recent planning going on, here are a couple videos that B and I got a good laugh at. They are clips from a British comedy called Man Stroke Woman and they are SO TRUE! The message is definitely something to keep in mind when planning for a wedding ;)

"Wedding Cake"


"Wedding Flowers"

posted by che @ 11:18 AM [[ 0 comments ]]