Friday, January 4, 2008

Insert alliterative title here.

Now, unlike some people, I do not normally do a Friday Five. However, today is Friday, and there are five things I want to talk about. So, by default, my first Friday Five:

1. I don't often wear makeup for my skin, but my interest was piqued by Sundry's review of Bare Escentuals makeup a few months back. The nail in the coffin was when Alice raved about them too. So I finally ordered them, and they showed up last night.

At first, I wasn't incredibly impressed. This might be because I have never worn foundation in my life (normally I stick with tinted moisturizer), so I didn't know what to expect. Yeah, it went on and blended in perfectly, and yeah, my skin looked pretty smooth afterward (but to be fair, it looked pretty smooth beforehand too). But it didn't look AMAZING and damn it, that's what I wanted.

In sum, after I put the makeup on, I went into the living room and Torsten exclaimed enthusiastically, "It's great! You look so different!" in a way that was code for, "I see no change whatsoever but I know that I'm supposed to."

However, the stuff has grown on me. I'm wearing it today and my skin does look a little better. I look overall better-rested and more alert, I think, and the makeup is helping. But I think that this might be the kind of product that is more exciting to people who have tried other foundations, or who have problem skin in some way.

2. I think those of you who suggested that my necklace may have gotten caught in my sweater and twisted are right. There's just no other explanation. Torsten definitely did not switch the chain--it had the same clasp, and where would he even have found a stiff, 25" chain to switch it with? Also, he allowed me to proceed with exchanging it without 'fessing up. Anyway, I got my new chain yesterday, and so far all is well. Knock on wood.

3. Speaking of the necklace, yesterday I wore the pendant on one of my normal sterling silver chains, just for one day, ONE DAY. And yet, thanks to my obnoxious nickel allergy, I now have the beginnings of a rash around my neck. Oh, I am grumpy about that.

4. So, who watched the caucuses last night? I have to say that I was not expecting the Huckabee win or the Obama win, but I think I'm glad about both. Torsten loves Obama, and while my feelings are not nearly as strong, I do think he would be a pretty good president. Huckabee, on the other hand, does not seem like a terribly strong candidate for president. So, given that I want a Democrat to win the presidency, I should be rooting for the Republican party to nominate their weakest candidate. Which might be Huckabee.

HOWEVER. I'm no political analyst, and I have no idea if Huckabee is really that weak or if it's just me thinking that in my own head. So what if I root for him to get the Republican nomination, and then he turns around and wins the general election? President Huckabee? Even though I KNOW that who I'm rooting for matters not at all, particularly for the Republican party where I will not be casting a vote, I would be pretty upset with myself if things turned out that way.

5. I'm glad you all agree with me that Pilates are hard. I am especially intrigued by Ana's suggestion that I try out some dance videos, since I had the same thought while I was doing the same old aerobics routine that I've been doing for years. I'm going to keep working on this Pilates thing, but there's no reason not to add some variety. So now is when I need your help, yet again. I want something bouncy, fun, interesting, and challenging but not impossible that gets me dancing and my heart rate elevated. What's a good dance video for me to try? Or at least, what are styles or elements I should look for when trying to pick a dance video?

30 comments:

  1. I absolutely ADORE Bare Escentuals. I've been using the whole line for a few months now, and you wouldn't believe all the compliments I get! I was never a foundation girl, either.

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  2. What kind of dance are we talking about here? I haven't bought any videos in a long, long, time, but one that people always rave about is the NYC Ballet Co. video.

    Of course, I'm more of a MTV's The Grind kind of girl myself but don't know what's good in the world of hip hop these days.

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  3. ooh, sorry about the rash! I get a green ring around my finger if I dare wear something that's not gold or silver.

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  4. you may be right about the appeal of bare escentuals. i wasn't a foundation girl before trying BE either, but i DO have very.. uh.. fickle? let's say?.. skin. so i have a lot of random redness or breakouts or general stuff-that-doesn't-look-good-in-photos that all of a sudden you can't SEE in photos. so.. uh.. off my BE soapbox for the 11 hundreth time...

    another product i jumped on the internet bandwagon on, btw? if you're interested? purity facewash by philosophy. also = love.

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  5. i love bare escentuals eye shadows, but have never tried the foundations. maybe i should look into it... Also i dont really like Obama, something about his personality rubs me the wrong way. I dont think I like his voice, weirdly enough. And huckabee? Doesnt sound like a president.. I dont know. this will be an interesting year!

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  6. Ooh, I love dancing as a form of exercising. I've dnoe a few hip-hop videos which are fun, but the best is Yoga Booty Ballet. It's cardio, flexibility and fun! (Wow, that sounded very very lame).

    Tessie mentioned above the NYC Ballet Company's videos and I've tried them, but if you don't have a dance background, they may be kind of slow. I DO have a dance background and they were slow for me. I love to MOVE a LOT when I exercise.

    Okay, that was long. Let us know what you find!

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  7. This is all interesting about the dance videos. I may have to try some of these myself. Also, Brett got me Dance Dance Revolution, and while it's a video game, it's one hell of a work out. I'm just sayin'

    Also, I'm an Edward's girl, but honestly, as long as a republican does NOT win, I'll be happy.

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  8. I'm not much of a makeup girl either. I don't wear foundation and am not used to seeing myself in lots of makeup. I was in a wedding and all our make up was done using the BE line and the person turned my face orange because she was trying to cover my freckles. Um, they don't go anywhere just put the brush down. She did it over again, this time spilling eyeshadow on me, but I was still not happy with it and it turned me off the whole line.

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  9. I'm apparently the only blogger out there who tends to vote Republican (at least in my little circle of blogger friends). Huckabee was NOT my first choice. When the time comes, my vote will most likely be going to Romney. That said, if it has to be a Democrat, Obama would be my pick.

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  10. I tried the Bare Escentuals before and D said much the same thing to me when I came out to "reveal" my new makeup look. Of course, this is coming from the man that says I also look like Lara Croft when I'm in my underwear getting ready in the morning while wearing giant foot duvets from Restoration Hardware to protect them from kitten attacks. Hehe, men are so precious sometimes.

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  11. I'm telling you it was Torsten. I'm joking of course, but I think it's funnier to believe it's Torsten.

    I'm fairly happy with the Obama win. I just don't think Hillary is electable. She is to the republicans what Bush is to the democrats. They HATE her. And I do think it would be good to change things up a bit... there has been a Bush or a Clinton in office for 20 years. Time for some new blood.

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  12. I feel like every time an election comes around we already know which party will win that time. We don't always know who the person is that'll win, but definitely the party. Back when the Clinton "scandal" went down, we all new the republicans were going to take over. Now that Bush has f'd everything up, we all know the Dems are going to take it. So, in the end, I don't bother paying a whole lot of attention 'till I absolutely have to.

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  13. Hmm... am actually a little afraid of pilates... and foundation makeup... and hilary clinton... i'm sure she's lovely, she's just a little scary. :o)

    xox

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  14. I think you should just watch the movie Fame - it's got all the dance moves you'll ever need. If not, throw in a dash of Flashdance and Dirty Dancing and you should be all set! :-)

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  15. Super sorry for the tome of a comment.

    1. My mother absolutely adores the stuff, but we have very different skin (hers = oily w/ large pores, mine = dry with some ruddiness). I'm a devoted Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer girl myself, and don't even get me started on her Secret Brightening Powder.

    4. I listened to the caucuses (I heart XM Radio and their POTUS '08 channel). I agree that Huckabee seems untested. He's also anti-choice so I'd never vote for him, but his answer to Olbermann's question about what he thinks of "those who don't claim any faith" made me like the guy.

    5. The City Ballet dance video is good (though yes, slow), but I don't think a ballet video is the way to go. Without knowing the technique, you wouldn't be using the muscles you're supposed to use and might not get the workout a dancer would get from it. Maybe the best comparison I could make is that throwing a ball is easy, but pitching is hard. The Yoga Booty Ballet thing has always seemed interesting to me, but I've never tried it. I'd start from the music. What makes you want to move? Salsa? Big Band? Top 40? House? If you find music that makes you want to shake your booty, you'll be more likely to enjoy the workout and stick with it.

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  16. I've heard of the makeup but I never wear any either, so it would be wird for me, I think. I don't know.

    I have that stoooopid nickel allergy too, and it's more pronounced when I'm pg. I can't get rid of the rash on my stomach and it's driving me nuts. NUTS!

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  17. Wait a minute. Someone other than me, who doesn't know me, does a Friday Five??? Impossible. I thought *I* had the patent on non-Thursday lists with alliteration.

    Kidding. :-)

    I didn't love Bare Escentuals either initially, and I still wouldn't say I'm a cult-like convert, but it definitely has grown on me... I think it's that I hate foundation but powder doesn't really provide enough coverage sometimes, so the powered foundation is a good in-between.

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  18. Not a foundation fan either. I don't know if I'm missing out on a secret world of joy, but I can't bring myself to wear it.

    caucuses: what really disappoints me is that Huckabee is popular at all. Is America really coming to that? A bunch of zealots? I'm sorry if I'm going to offend anyone here, but I can't stand the thought of another authoritarian in the white house. That he might actually be on the presidential ticket appalls me.

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  19. I would like to say to Penny: yes, America really IS coming to that. The amount of people who believe their government leader should also be their religious warrior is head-bashingly staggering. What kills me is that aside from the pro-life / pro-god / pro-republican thing, he seems like a likable guy. Completely inappropriate and un-presidential, but a likable guy. I'm with you, Jess, go Huckabee if that means the republicans lose.

    I've tried BE, too and i can't seem to make it... matter. I don't know. I feel like if i use too little, there's no point and if i use too much, i look like a powder-face which always bothers me on other people. I JUST started wearing foundation a few months ago and now i feel that i'm all blotchy without it. There has to be a happy medium.

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  20. I absolutely love Bare Escentuals. I was never a make up person, but ever since I laid my hands on their products I've been hooked onto them....

    Yay I'm glad you liked my suggestion. I love dancing as a form of exercise. There are a lot of videos out there, depends on what kind of booty shaking are you into. There are urban beat videos (hio hipsy), shake it off (bordering to aerobics), then there's bellydancing, salsa and such. The list is long take your pick,

    and yeah let us know when you find something good.

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  21. Re: Bare Escentuals. I MUST TRY THIS STUFF! That is IT! It's become like this cult obsession, and I even AM a foundation girl (or at least, used to be pre-children) and it is just getting embarassing not being able to weigh in with my opinion about the stuff.

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  22. happy new year!

    i'm so excited to catch up on your blog. for now, i will be the girl who responds to the political portion of the post ... i find it absolutely hilarious that huckabee won the iowa primary. i have no idea if that will last till new hampshire but the good news for we that support the dems is that - knock on wood - it seems like a fairly easy contest for any of our dems vs. any of the repubs, be it obama or hillary. but you know, i said the same thing about how there was no way bush would be re-elected in 2004 and uh. clearly i was very wrong.

    also? i wonder how much oprah helped obama ;)

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  23. Okay that's it! I have to try Bare Escentuals. I'm reading about it everywhere and I feel that I need to jump on this bandwagon!!

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  24. You know, I ordered Bare Escentuals, too, after hearing so many rave reviews. And I wasn't that impressed, either. My skin isn't that problematic, and I think that stuff is better for people with issues. I like my tinted moisturizer, better, and I'm sad to say that after spending about $100 on MAKEUP, I've only used the stuff once or twice. I even used tinted moisturizer in my sister's wedding, which was actually the event I used to validate my purchase.

    As for workout videos, I haven't tried this but I've heard great things about it, and I'm optimistic about anything that teaches me to be sexier (because I'm a total NERD): Carmen Electra's Aerobic Striptease Collection. You can get it at amazon for about $35.

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  25. I hate Pilates - but I have to say, it's way better than doing Yoga.

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  26. I think I am one of the few who hated Bare Escentuals. I really didn't like it. I use BE for spot treatments, Philosophy Airbrush Finish something or other all over and then BE kabuki brush to buff it out. I like it waaay better.

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  27. I don't wear much, but it sounds like that stuff might be worth trying? ;)

    Glad to hear the new chain is doing well. I'm looking for a good dancy style workout too, but no luck yet. I got Turbo Jam but I'm not particularly fussed.

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  28. I bought that bare makeup stuff at Sephora and I'm soooo glad they have an awesome return policy because I returned it within a week. It just wasn't for me. I love love love Chanel foundation. It's expensive, but works so well with my skin.

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  29. I've been thinking about trying Bare Escentuals for a while, but you may just have persuaded me. I don't normally get on with mineral makeup because it tends to stick in my wrinkles and make them even more obvious (also: I am messy), but it does sound like the best one out there.

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