HALLE "BEAUTY" BERRY..

I'm so excited!!! Halle by Halle Berry is making it's debut in March, woo hoo! Now if I could ONLY figure out WHO WILL BE SELLING IT, I'll be good.. lol. I have been waiting since last summer for this & FINALLY the time has come.

I have called Macy's, JcPenney's, Walgreen's, etc..no one knows anything. :( My boyfriend jokes that no matter how it smells, I am going to buy it..he's right, lol. I have to. She is like my Hannah Montana ..scary. I hope I don't scare anyone off with this post, but I believe that everyone has a little fan mania in them somewhere..weather it be sports, movies or music, we all have that one person we love. Some of us just love our starr a little more than others ;)

A few years ago I put together a scrapbook with nothing but pictures of Halle. People though I was crazy! I was the butt of a lot of jokes because of this. My ex and a few others called me a stalker..I called it being a fan! I mean to each it's own..it wasn't like I was flying to LA.. hanging outside her house in the bushes, lol. I just like scrapbooking and Halle..so I combined the two. Who know maybe one day I will meet her and it will be autographed! ( a girl can dream u know)

As I read my March copy of Essence. I couldn't help but think more people should take her lead. She is very humble and grounded. A complete package and that's hard to find. I love her..she is my all time fave for sure, hands down. It's so much more than physical beauty with Halle..she has what some will never see in their lifetime..inner beauty :)

NATIONAL PANCAKE DAY..gotta luv it!!

For those of you who enjoy IHOP or anything that is free..lol, check out this website.

http://www.ihoppancakeday.com/

IHOP will be offering FREE PANCAKES on February 24th 2009!!


Please donate something if you can & also TIP the waitress! As an ex-waitress I can only imagine how much they are going to have to put up with during this promotion!! I went through a lot and all we had was unlimited bread, soup and salad!

I didn't make it to Denny's but I won't be missing this one..lol.

Great Shopping- Finding that deal.

I'm sitting here watching Ray J's show laughing...this is a MESS (but still entertaining ;)!! They just went shopping @ Kitson. I love Kitson. Their shopping made me stop & think about what a great shopping day I had on Friday. I went to Man Alive and cleaned house. I bought a pair of House of Dereon jeans, Apple Bottom dress, LA Ink hoody and a Miami Ink thermal shirt for $30.30 & that was with tax! I couldn't help myself. I do feel bad tho. I told my boyfriend that once I got by True Religion jeans..I wouldn't buy anymore jeans. I bought them last Tues, oops! I did clean out my closet tho and gave my mom 2 trash bags of items to donate..so I feel like it balances out..a little bit :)

I've also been on a craft store spree. I love scrapbooking! Anyone who does this knows that it can get pretty expensive buying all the things you need, so when I find a deal..I stock up. My 1st trip was $16 something..which I felt wasn't bad. I got 2 albums and a few12x12 sheets. On my trip today..I got 3 sheets of stencil stickers, 1 pack of word stickers and 7 0r 8 12x12 sheets for $2.40 with tax! That's cheaper than a meal at McDonalds, lol. If that wasn't a steal I don't know what is!

Bottom line is..I love finding a great deal..it brings me joy. It's like my shopping high. There is nothing better than getting something for next to nothing...ooh wait yes there is FREE..lol.

TJ WACK, I mean Maxx..lol.

I had to write this post because I thought this was the most ridiculous return policy I have ever heard of. You tell me what you think.

I bought $190 some dollars worth of items from TJ Maxx. I used a gift card as part of the payment. There was 30 something on it. $160 something on my bank card...good to go. No problem on that end.

I then decided to return 2 of the items..this is where the issue comes to play..lol. These 2 things totaled around $77 dollars. As I was handed back my bank card..I was also given a gift card. I asked the lady..what is this gift card for? She informed me it was the gift card I had used. Now I am thinking in my mind.. I still spent over $30 some dollars, even with the return..why wouldn't this be applied towards that part of the purchase...and I get my money put back on my bank card in full for the returned items? That only made sense to me, so I explained this to her.

I then also asked her why would I pay the full amount, out of my pocket, for the items I am keeping when I have a store gift card that would take $30 something off my total? Her answer was that its their company policy to issue a gift card, whenever a gift card is used for payment regardless of the amount. If an item(s) is returned you will always get the gift card amount back..so make sure you are buying something that you will not be returning! All I could think was..are you serious?

I was pissed! I had her void the whole transaction and give me the items back. I then the next day returned everything, bought back the items I wanted, used the $30 something on the gift card and told myself that will be my first and last TJ Maxx gift card..problem solved!

HELP..Budget, Job and life

As I sit here snacking at my desk..I realize I have champagne taste on a beer budget. The things that I want don't fit my income. I didn't realize how bad I had gotten until my boyfriend talked to me last night. He said babe..you want to buy something that is 5% of your yearly income! If you were making $50,000 a year then I wouldn't say anything..but you don't so I think that its silly to spend that much on one item. As much as I said I didn't agree..that I COULD splurge and still be OK..I knew in my heart he was speaking the truth.



Normally things like that go in one ear and out the other..part of that is because I have a bad memory and the other part is because it's not supporting what I really want to do..therefore I don't want to hear it! But as I laid in bed last night and thought about it..he is 100% right..I am not living within my means.

Once I got to work..I figured making a budget is one part of my problem. I don't know what I am working with...I figure that should help me get my money in order. My next question was how? I mean I know how..literally..but how to do it and make it work. I am really really bad at following any budget I have ever made. I just make sure bills are paid and don't ask any other question as to where the rest of my money goes..which isn't good at all. I figured best place to start would be my monthly income. That's a joke in itself....



Now while I am happy to say I have a job in these hard times, I'm ashamed to tell you how much I make..lol. I bring home every month a little over $1000 ( and when I say little..I mean little). In some cities that isn't enough to even cover the rent! Lucky me I live in a city where the cost of living is next to nothing and things are pretty inexpensive. I also must mention that I do have health insurance and my 401K taken out of my paycheck as well as extra money to the IRS (owed $ one year on taxes..that's not happening again). That still only takes away about an extra $100.00 each check. With all that out there..where do I start?

Do I try to go to school and start a career, get a 2nd job for a few years and save like crazy or become a super penny pincher and live off of what I am making now? I think the budget will help me on a month to month bases and show me where my money is going..but I still feel I need a permanent fix for my money issue, which is more income.

I hope that some of you that have been successful with you budgeting can kick a few tips my way and hopefully by the end of this weekend I will have my first budget. I'll let you guys know how it goes.

Make me over..Make me nice..My makeup faves

I love make-up! I really think I love the feeling of confidence that I have when I wear it. I don't feel like I am hideous without it but it sure adds some sparkle and polish to my appearance.

I have decided to make a list of some of my fave make-up and beauty product for the other make-up/beauty product lovers out there. It's like trading baseball cards..only for girls..lol.

1. I love hands down the Sephora eye make up remover. It is the best. A little goes a long way and it's very good for people with skin issues, it doesn't add to them..lol. It has a great price tag of $10.00 & last quite a while even with regular use.

2. OPI nail polish. Besides the fact that they have a million and one colors to pick from..the quality is great. Lucky for me my nail salon carries a lot of their colors. It's like an added bonus! I get quality polish w/ something I already have to pay for saving me $9-10 every time I want to try one of their new colors! My current color was featured in Glamour 3/09 for the spring.. Eiffel for This Color... try it out..it's a purple twist to the dark colors everyone has been rocking and it's hot.

3. MAC..anything. My faves right now are the FLUIDLINE in BLACKTRACK and the eye brow pencil in SPIKED. I have always had thin brows..which disappear when they are shaped. I have perfect brows now because of this pencil & I ALWAYS get compliments on them. If you have brow issues, please try their pencil. Its the best hands down.

4. Glimmerstick eyeliner from Avon in Blackest Black. Best $2.99..(when on sale reg price $6.00) you will spend. I love to wear this over my fluidline for the perfect black lined eye. It also works well worn alone and doesn't smear or fade as the day goes on.

5. Body Dew by Pure Romance in the original scent. It's not greasy and does double duty as a body moisturizer and massage oil. It's great for the spring/summer time because it's so light, giving you just enough "glow".


I will update my list as I find more faves. Please feel free to send me messages/comments with your fave make-up items.

I Gotta Have It- Pt 2..

I'm going to keep you guys posted on what I do and don't buy off my list.

I purchased my tweezers finally! Got them brand new at a great price on eBay, $9.99 plus free shipping. Reviews are great on the product and I am happy w/my purchase. Doesn't get much better than that.

True Religion jeans..CHECK!! I got Billy on my booty..lol.

Introducing NUVO..my new drink of choice!

Last night we went out for my best friends birthday. We had a ball. While at the bar, I decided to try something new. I normally drink Malibu rum w/ pineapple, cranberry and a splash of OJ. My Caribbean cooler..it's like kool-aid almost, making it good to sip on all night long and not be drunk or hungover the next day. But this was a birthday celebration for my bf..I needed to go hard, lol! I eyed the choices..Patron, Goose, all the usual liquor, blah..& then I saw the Nuvo!

Note: I know this isn't a NEW liquor. It's been on the market for a while now... but it's still new around these parts. Many bars/clubs that I go to don't carry it.


The Nuvo was pink and the bottle was cute so I had to try it. Best choice I could have made. It is so smooth and has a great taste. Our other friend must have agreed because she bought a bottle of it! I can't wait to have my next girlie get together to serve my new found fave drink. If you haven't tried it..please do the next time you go out...you won't regret it!

PS. 4 shots and 2 Caribbean cooler's later.. No HANGOVER. A huge plus in my book..lol.

I gotta have it!!!

Okay so I have finally made my mind up. These are my must have items for 2009. I am going to try my hardest to have all of these things in my possesion by 12/31/2009.. I hope my boyfriend doesn't get mad when he sees this!!!

Note: I am an everyday working girl. For some, these items are only a shopping trip away. For myself these are items that I must PLAN to buy..well some of them atleast.



1. A pair of True Religion jeans: While they are expensive, having a great pair of jeans is a must in my wardrobe. I'm a casual kinda girl. I am really tried of liking the length on this pair, the pockets on these ones and the wash on another. If I had one great pair of jeans, I could rock them all the time and get 3 things out of my closet that are just taking up space.



2. Louis Vuitton Damier Azur speedy bag: This bag is so hot! I mean it goes with everything and while I never thought I would even think about spending THAT much on a bag..I am, lol. Its a classic..nothing new, but non the less a goal bag for me to get.



3. A really nice pea coat..I have been saying for YEARS, that I want one. With spring aproaching I should be able to find a great deal.



4. A nice weave/hair extensions..which ever you would like to call it, lol. I have a stylist, so therefore I know the price. $150.00 for the service, $60.00 for the relaxer and the hair is $50-$100.00 per pack. I have to get 2 packs more than likely. You add that up and well...lets just say it's not chump change.

5. Tweezerman tweezers! Not expensive, but something I have wanted to get for a while..and still haven't grabbed.


This is all I have for now.... even tho I do have a feeling that by the end of this year, this list will be a little bit longer.

I finally got it..shopping..DUH!!

I enjoy talking. So naturally I enjoy blogging, even though I haven't done it much. For me it's like holding a conversation with an unlimited amount of people. I often have subjects on my mind that I would like to blog about..but they are either a little to personal or crap no one would care about. I have been thinking and thinking and finally it came to me..blog about shopping. I LOVE shopping and what better way to express the joy I get from shopping, than to start a shopping blog! I would love to be able to interact with other people that have a love for shopping, just like myself. It also can save some of the frustration I have when trying to explain a great bargain or cute shirt I bought to my boyfriend. Lord knows he doesn't want to hear about it..he thinks I have to many things already, and that there is no point in buying more ( imagine that.. lol).

I do hope you guys enjoy. Also leave comments and messages. I am always looking for new people to talk to as well as someone to trade shopping secrets and tips with. In these hard times when money is tight..us shoppers must stick together, we are the only ones who really understand, why it was important to buy that pair of jeans when we already had 10 pair in the closet..lol.