anyone out there?

Hi Ya'll. The blog has been quiet for about two weeks now :( I used to look forward to checking this everyday for there were new posts everyday but now...no action. We need to get on it! I'm trying not to interpret this as everyone is doing bad on their no/low buy..but it's hard because that would be a logical assumption. Prove me wrong!

Anyway, I am doing good on my no-buy. Swapping on MUA was a good cure b/c it's getting 'new' (new to me, anyway) m/u without spending anything (less shipping). Unfortunately, I was swaplifted!! :( :( :( This totally ruined my groove I had going. Now I'm trying to work that out before setting up any new swaps. I hate to call it a swaplift but it's obvious that's what it is. I set a swap up with this girl early/mid August. I sent my end and emailed her three times since and she never responded. She's been on MUA but not too frequently. My initial guess is that she hasn't had time or forgot and that's why she isn't responding (even though IMO the best way to deal with those issues is communicate to the swapper so they aren't sitting here wondering what the hell is going on like I am!!). I don't know that she intentionally swaplifted but either way, she has her end, I don't have mine. She hasn't given me any feedback so all I'm left to do now is guess about my end and the swap. I decided to wait one month after no communication which will be the 20th of September. At that point, I will give her a negative token and post on my swap pad that I've been swaplifted and will be sorting that out before taking on any new swaps. I didn't really want to open that door but I feel I've done everything I can, given her several chances and yeah...no resolution. It is very disheartening and makes me remember not to trust all on MUA. Even though she had about 30 positive tokens and communicated openly in the beginning...guess it's just bad luck. What makes me the most mad is not that I'm out the item (I didn't want it anyway, right?) but the way she's handling it and the fact that I haven't been swapping at all because now it's kind of tainted. I just don't want to right now..can't really describe it. Way to go bad swappers to ruin for all of us :(

Anyway, I only lost a MUFE star powder so not a huge deal. I'm sure once this is sorted out I will be back on the MUA horse again :) Let's just hope it doesn't open the whole box of retaliatory negative tokens, bitchy emails and what not. I hope all of you are doing well on your no/low-buy! Talk to you soon??!!

i want to play/i love game

First off, that song by Lady Gaga just reminds me of shopping instead of love...does that suggest something bad about me?? lol anyway, I want to buy! Sorry if I spring up any lemmings in anyone but I need to vent about my lemmings on here (this reminds me of common dilemnas in AA & other similar groups...you want to explain your cravings but you don't want to make others crave it, too). Well, anyway, I got this email from Sephora today and it makes me want to buy :( Specifically, Bare Escentuals Radiance Rock set, the Fresh set & Stella McCartney Nude fragrance. I posted this on the MUA boards earlier today, too because I want. The BE item & the Fresh Set are each under $30 so reasonably priced, relatively speaking, and I want to buy! I'm getting into the mindset that I should reward myself for not buying for so long...I really haven't purchased makeup in months, which is the goal of my no-buy, but now I want these things for a reward. I've killed other lemmings over and over and deprived myself so maybe I should let up on myself and buy these things....But no! Even though I have been doing good, I still am broke (did the no-buy because I couldn't afford m/u) so I can't buy these things. Any advice on how to get out of this line of thinking? Please help convince me I don't need to buy! Go! (And TIA :))

Free at last, free at last!

It appears we're all finding minor breakthroughs. Yesterday I deleted MUA from my bookmarks, so it won't be as easy to compulsively click to the site. Sweet. When I'm away for long enough it's like I get my head back. I can look at my case of makeup and think, what the hell!? I have more than enough. So I've returned to my roots - reading and music.

Some friends and members of another message board have this ongoing weekly music challenge. It's been going on for a year. Someone picks a topic and then everyone has one week to write and record a song that relates to it. It could be as vague as a picture or as specific as a topic, song structure and chord progression. Then we all vote for a winner, who chooses the next week's challenge. It's so fun and inspiring and motivating. Even if you churn out complete crap (which is almost all the time), you're engaged in the process and practice makes perfect. I haven't gotten involved in at least a few months but I thought this weekend would be the right time. So I wrote and recorded a little something in like 5 hours (just in time for the deadline, of course -- Queen of Procrastination, and speaking of which, I still have to send yalls packages!).

This week's challenge was a cartoon called "Storm Ponies". Write the theme song for a fictitious cartoon about three crime fighting ponies named Rain, Thunder and Lightening. Here's my contribution (heh!!) - understand that it is completely retarded! But on another note it won this week's challenge! ha. In 50 weeks it's also the first time a girl has won.

Download: Storm Ponies!

Break Through...! Woohoo!

Hi everyone. I hope weekend was useful to you all. This weekend and last I have spent Sunday going through a lot of my stuff, especially my closet. I keep trying to find better ways to organise it all. I have too much stuff and not enough space. I like to buy things my family uses on sale, so I end up with 3 and 4 of everything. I have about ten toothbrushes for myself, but I must contend that they discontinued making them and so I bought the rest I found on my last trip to the States. I haven't seen them in California or here in Ontario the past three years. So I have all this stuff, it does get used and I restock when I see these items on sale. I have learned over the past two months that all the stores I shop at rotate their sales and at some point in a five to six week span have the same sales on the items I use.

I have a form of OCD, my dad has OCD but in a different area of his life. I never saw it in myself until last week. I thought it was hoarding or keeping things I would need. Confession: I have been keeping my receipts to everything for the past four years. I didn't know if I would need them to show the court that I paid for everything for me and my daughter and that I actually did things with her or to show immigration that my life with my husband is real. In regards to court I was granted my move in April of 2008, didn't need the receipts and immigration only took four months and we didn't even need to have an interview, I sent them sufficent evidence and yet had lots to show if they wanted an interview.

I got rid of a lot of things before I moved, I donated boxes of books, CDS and movies to the library down there. I gave away a lot of makeup/bath & body items to my friend. I threw out all the things my mom wouldn't let me that belonged to my daughter that was broken or missing pieces. I had a garage sale to sell all my daughter's out-grown clothes that my mom wanted me to keep (I had 8 years worth of clothes) and toys and stuffed animals that she didn't play with anymore. I also got rid of clothes that I never wore and threw out things that should of been tossed out. We moved up here and still both of us had a lot of stuff and a lot less space since we share the house with my husband, his son and my mother-in-law. I did a lot of purging of my old life to get ready for my new life here. We got up here and I still have a lot of stuff. I go through my stuff all the time and get rid of some each time. I am still in the process of finding a way to pare down.

I say this all because I am at a point where I know I have too much stuff but always want to make sure I have enough. I could give away boxes of makeup/bathroom items and still have enough for myself for a year. lol. So besides the no-buy for makeup, I am now on a no-buy for everything else, except to rebuy items that my family get down to the last one. I would like to make space on my top two shelves of my closet to use for something other than bathroom items.

I think I am ready to move on

I am back from my holiday, 2 weeks and few days without buying makeup. I have no whish to run around shops, or look at internet sellers to buy stuff I don't need. At all. I spend way less time on the makeup board (2 minutes a day), and I have no lemming.

I have few swap requests, and I am not sure I want to swap at all as I really don't need more stuff!

i feel so freed.

Nail Polish and Stash Clean Up

Hi all,

This week has been extremely busy. Nonetheless, yesterday I spent a half-hour or so pulling all of the nail polishes from the nooks and crannies of my stash and setting them aside in a night table drawer. It's wonderful to have them all in one place! I can finally see everything, so I know exactly what I have. A much better arrangement!!

I found three Revlon matte eyeshadows that I will probably never use--they are Vintage Lace (a bone-cream color), Aubergine (deep purple) and Riviera Blue (dark navy). If anyone wants all three, let me know in the comments section and I'll send you the lot. They've each been used a few times, but there's loads of product left. I'll send them out in about a week (too busy to go to the PO until next weekend), and only to someone willing to take all three. I'll throw in an Awake Sphynx eyeshadow too (used a few times), which is a shimmery mossy green.

Thanks to all of you!! Rivoli

x-post ROAK from the lovely Gingitsune

Last week I received a lovely RAOK from gingitsune, in response to my last ranty/whiny post. Gingitsune was an absolute sweetheart and doubled my lipstick stash in one day! I was totally floored by her generosity! So glad to have met such wonderful ladies through MUA and this low-buy union. Gingitsune and I have also bonded over dwarf hamsters (I got one to try and curb the makeup lemmings, and then she got one too LOL - they even look alike). :D

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipsticks in Dizzy, Drop of Sherry, Dare, Amethyst Shimmer, Metallic Seduction

Dizzy, Drop of Sherry, Dare, Amethyst Shimmer, Metallic Seduction.

L'Oreal HIP Intensely Moisturizing Lipcolor in Royal, Vivacious, Fervent, Fearless

Royal, Vivacious, Fervent, Fearless

I'm so impressed with these! Especially the Rimmels! I actually didn't own any drugstore lipsticks before these. Since my lips are extra dry and sensitive I'd just never really tried any, preferring to stick with well-known HE lipsticks specifically popular for their non-drying properties (MAC Cremesheens and Lustres, Dior Addict HS & Lipcolor make up most of my collection) that I could try in-store first. Though the Rimmels are less moisturizing than my other lipsticks, they're not particularly drying and the pigmentation is so beautiful! These are definitely the brightest, most fun lipsticks I own. They also wear down evenly and leave a nice stain much like my Diors do. :D The HIP lipcolors are much more moisturizing and I think every bit as nice as Dior Addict High Shines... with just a bit less staying power.

I'm still in the process of trying everything out, but here are some FOTDs I've done with these new beauties. :D

So of course I had to try Rimmel Amethyst Shimmer first. I was actually convinced it wouldn't work on me but it does and it is gorgeous! It's totally unlike anything else I have in my collection - I don't think I'd ever have picked it out on my own but I love it! It's a tad brighter than in the picture, a real hot pink if I ever saw one. I am wearing KvD Beethoven purples on my lids and MAC Dainty on my cheeks to go with the cooler-toned lippie. Erm... I look extra ridiculously pale because I also used my new sample of Everyday Minerals lavender color corrector. I've never used a color corrector before... and I think I went a tad overboard lol. Anyway, adore this lippie and this look. =)

Then I tried out L'Oreal HIP Fervent - the most bricky red, in a very Autumnal FOTD. I think this look screams Fall haha. I used TBS Shimmer Cubes 06 gold on the lid and Laura Mercier Midnight Sun trio gold on the outer corner. Then I wore Laura Mercier Apricot blush and MAC Nuance on my cheeks to compliment the gold/red tones. Definitely going to wear this combination a LOT come Fall. (I also think the difference the lavender color corrector makes is a tad ridiculous. I mean seriously - it made my skin a totally different color! Which is cool... but I think I rather enjoy being a tad yellow.)

Here I'm wearing Rimmel Dare with a very neutral/simple FOTD. I used TBS Shimmer Cubes 06 light pink and brown for the eyes and Laura Mercier Apricot blush with Cargo Plantlove Peony as a highlighter. This FOTD was much, much more striking in person, I think, than the picture shows. Dare is a beautiful BRIGHT coral red. It is very dramatic and sexy and it is possibly my new favorite color of all time. =)

And then here's me wearing Rimmel Dizzy, which is just such a fun pretty color that screams SPRING! Wearing a very neutral TBS Shimmer Cubes 06 eye and MAC Dainty. I think this color is so versatile though - I can see it looking great with purple, blue or green eyes. This was my second attempt at using the EDM lavender corrector - much better this time I think, as my neck isn't totally off from my face. It's amazing how little goes such a long way. o_o;

Thank you, thank you, thank you Gingitsune!! You really, truly made my entire month! I'm going to have a whole lot of fun trying out all the rest of the colors - too (I wanna try Fearless next but I have a lunch date with a strictly platonic friend tomorrow lol). Now I really have to get off my butt and put together that lipstick collection post lol!