Hoarding issues?

So we as women all manage to buy and collect a lot of beauty and makeup related products. But what happens when they start to take over - your countertop, your bathroom, your life!?

Like most areas of my home I try to minimize the clutter and purge the stuff I don't need to prevent pile-ups of unused junk. Easy enough right? No one likes a hoarder.  But when it comes to beauty products I have such a hard time tossing the unused products. 

What if I suddenly run out of Coconut scented body lotion, I have 3 back ups. What if there's world wide shortage of extreme-hold hair spray? I'm covered with multiple extra cans. It's the fear of maybe/possibly/someday needing to use the extra products.

Are all these products really necessary? No.  So why can't I minimize and toss?

 Under the sink mess assortment of products

 (A box of nursing pads and ovulation test kits from 3 years ago...there's just no excuse for keeping those?)

Srsly, so what's my deal?  I go to throw out the products I'm not using then I"ll see that it's practically brand new and it would be so wasteful to throw it away. I just can't do it.  I might want to use it someday, just not in the immediate, foreseeable future or ever really.  But what "if"?

Do you have trouble parting with things that you might someday need even though you never use them? Am I just being thrifty and practical or am I on my way to needing an intervention or making an appearance on TLC's "Hoarding, Buried Alive?" 

Jimmy Choo Who?

Move ovah Jimmy Choo and Christian Louboutin...I've found two new (newer to me anyway) shoe designers to love. 

Brian Atwood and Charlotte Olympia are taking over and I'm loving their sky-high stacked-heel style. 

Will I ever buy or wear these heels? Of course not. That's crazy talk. 

Who but Victoria Beckham, Cheryl Cole or Olivia Palermo could get away with these?

One must be short, weigh next to nothing and have lost all nerve endings in their lower extremities (thus negating the pain) years ago. 

But they're just so deliciously gorgeous...

Brian Atwood Nude Suede Pump $597 Saks, Grey Chain Leather Pumps $1050 US, Net-A-Porter

 

Charlotte Olympia Dolly Black Suede Platform pump, Purple Satin Paloma Platform Pump, Net-A-Porter $840

These Paloma pumps have an easy 6 inch heel with a 1.5 inch platform.

 Say what?

Obviously these shoes aren't for everyone. That I've ever met. In this lifetime.

V-day miracle. For real.

We've all heard of Christmas miracles but on Monday a Valentine's Day miracle happened. 

Husband brought home flowers. 

I just about fell out of my chair when he walked in with these.  Yes they're boring super-market roses (probably $19.99 from Safeway) complete with tacky Baby's Breath but who cares. He actually bought flowers.  Swoon and sigh, he loves me.  

Ooooohkay, of course it does take more then flowers to demonstrate his love but the fact he took the time to buy these proves that he's not completely clueless on Valentines day.  I may have to retract my last post.

{ Photo evidence is always required when documenting a miracle}

We went out for a romantic Valentines Day dinner to a local restaurant called LeVilla.  We inhaled enjoyed several deliciously decadent courses including Saffron Seafood Chowder, Duck Breast and Arugula salad, Oysters Rockefeller, Enoki Mushroom Risotto, Lobster with Black Truffle Hollandaise, Filet Mignon and then dessert (since we apparently weren't completely full yet.)

 And of course we enjoyed several bottles glasses of an amazing Sauvignon Blanc. 

 It was all obscenely calorific.  Yum.

Ingeniously after a few glasses of vino I completely forgot to pull out my camera to snap some pics of our meal.  However I did take a pic of the heart shaped pizza I ordered for the kids from Boston Pizza. They thought it was the coolest thing they'd ever seen and it totally made up for the fact that they weren't allowed to join us for our adult-only dinner.

 {Who orders over priced heart shaped pizza on Valentines Day? Mama Does.}

I hope all you lovelies enjoyed your Valentines Day with the ones you love the most and that you were gifted with something pretty...like a super-market bouquet of flowers.

You don't bring me flowers....

Babs and Neil Diamond couldn't have sung it any better.  Husband does not bring me flowers.  Not now or ever really. It's just not how he operates.  Valentines Day is around the corner but it'll be another day without flowers or gifts or any other symbolic gesture to reassure me that the love is still there. To be fair I suppose it's because giving gifts isn't his "Love Language."  If you've never read the 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman you're missing out on some basic, honest to goodness relationship  5 Cent psychology. But it's good stuff cause it's pretty much totally accurate. 

"— everyone has a love language, and we all identify primarily with one of the five love languages: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch."

Let's just say that Acts of Service (vacuuming the living room floor for Mama), Quality time (he has to actually be at home occasionally right? Husbands work schedule prevents this), Words of affirmation (again, see "quality time", the person must actually be present), Receiving or Giving gifts, is seriously NEVER going to happen. So I suppose Husbands "Love Language" is Physical Touch.  Like isn't EVERY man all about that?   

{not that I want this tacky shiz anyway...much}

 So it falls on me to make reservations to go out for dinner on Valentines Day because otherwise NOTHING would happen. It's just another made up non-holiday as far as Husband is concerned. He really doesn't give a hoot.  And I can't help but feel a little deflated by this.  It would be nice if he put a little bit of effort into things at least some of the time? To be fair though it's not like I didn't know what I was getting into, he's never been any good at being romantic or thoughtful. 

I'm blown away when I hear about big elaborate, creative marriage proposals, or secretly planned romantic getaways that are sprung on unsuspecting wives or girlfriends. That stuff impresses me. 

Even the little things like a simple bouquet of flowers on my birthday or on Valentines Day would be really appreciated but I know it's not going to happen. (At least it's highly unlikely.)

  It's not like Husband isn't a great guy. He IS...but he really falls down when it comes to thoughtful gestures and romance.  

Tell me I'm not the only wife or girlfriend who's lives with this? I'd like to wallow in my self-pity with someone who understand me?!

Girl crush...

Hey lovlies! Hope you're all having a great Friday, thank the Baby Jesus it's almost the weekend.  Husband has been working 24-7 for weeks and sometimes I forget that I'm married. It"ll be nice for the kids to spend some time with him on Saturday while I'm off to lunch and a movie with a friend. (Does that make sense? He'll be around and I'll be taking off...)

We're going to see "Black Swan" (yes, I'm the last person in the world to see it.) Husband was almost a tiny bit disappointed that he's not going to see it because of the much talked about girl on girl action.  I suppose any man would be willing to put up with watching some crazy-ass dancing ballerina's in tutus if there was some "action" somewhere along the line. Typical.

Anywho, speaking of girl action I've decided that Mama has developed a new girl crush on Sofia Vergara. She's lovely, talented, on a hugely funny popular show Modern Family and even her accent is delightfully annoying. Millions of men can't be wrong about her, right?

{is she not spicy hot latina perfection in this Vera Wang dress...?}

 {Stunning in sapphire blue at the 2011 SAG awards}

I'm loving her gorgeous dark hair (even though she's naturally blond), her curves, her not-so-pin-thin body, her big toothy smile and the fact that she's an actress with experience and not just another 20 year old starlet. (Haven't we had enough of them?!)

 She's a Columbian ray of sunshine and because of all that she's my girl crush du jour.

Images via Just Jared, Google

Winter blah blah's....

Unfortunately Mama has been suffering from my annual bout with "The Winter Blah Blah's", also know as "I hate you January" and "winter can suck it."  I certainly don't have Seasonal Affective Disorder but the combo of super cold weather, minimal sunny days and months before spring arrives makes me want to act like a grizzly bear and hibernate. No jokes. I'd like to fast forward through this bunk time of the year and jump directly into spring.  I've upped my vitamin D intake, increased my workouts at the gym and tried to stay active. But all I really want to do is not much of anything. I went to the mall for the first time in weeks (which is total craziness) because normally it's my home away from home. 

 I really haven't had much desire to shop lately. Shock and horror.

{Though on Friday I did manage to grab these cute nude Nine West pumps. Someday when I can pry the snow covered UGGS off of my feet I'll be able to wear them. Someday...}

 I go to bed at a decent hour and I'm still tired when I wake up which is super annoying. Where has my energy gone? It's obviously time to start drinking double Red-bulls in the morning because coffee is no longer cutting it.

This time last year we were packing our bags for Hawaii but sadly it's not in the cards this winter. Boo.

 I seriously think that winter vay-cays to sunny destinations should be MANDATORY for people living this far north. Mandatory and Government subsidized.  Sounds like a brilliant idea to me.

January, I'm sooo over you. 

before they were big....

I came across a couple of pics of some well known stars before they were A listers.  (Actually Husband found them on a celebrity style website from Europe but won't admit that he cares or reads about "useless bunk" like Hollywood, stars and everything else related to pop culture.) Obviously he lies since he cared enough to show me these pics. No one can resist the lure of the celebrity!  

I've always thought that Angelina is gorgeous but girlfriend needs to eat a sandwich real bad. (Spoken like someone who has the opposite problem...)

 Obviously she's always been incredibly, naturally thin.  Which again proves that we were not twins separated at birth.

{loafers, black socks and no pants make it super sexy...}

RPatz -he's brooding, shy and pasty white, always a bit Metrosexual and always complete hotness. And I will say he's gotten better with age since he decided to bust out his comb from time to time.

My Visa is smokin'....

Apologies for the delay in posting my Vegas Shopping Review (sounds official doesn't it?)  Unfortunately my computer had decided to act like a pouty little girl and deny me from accessing the inter-webs. Even though Husband is an IT computer geek genius we still went without for a few days. Sad story but true.

However in happier news I can finally share my shopping finds with y'all right now. (See that...3 days in the U.S. and I've picked up an American twang. Give me another week down there and I'll bet you I'd sound like Paula Deen.) 

From CVS and Walgreens I did a bit of a makeup haul on products I can't always (or ever) find here.

1. YSL Rouge Volupte No.2 nude lipstick

2. Rimmel Stay Matte Clarifying Matte Foundation, 200 Soft Beige

3. EOS Lip balm in Fruit salad

4.Victoria Secret Radiant Face Trio in Head Turner, highlighter

5. N.Y.C. Bronzing Face Powder in Sunny

6. Wet N' Wild Color Icon Blush in Pearlescent Pink

7. Covergirl Cheekers Blush in Golden Pink

8.Covergirl Eye Shadow single in Golden Sunrise

9. MAC Mineralize Skin Finish special reserve highlight powder in Chez Chez Lame

10. Monistat Chafing powder gel. (Ok, I didn't invent this idea...chafing gel makes an amazing makeup primer)

11. Illamasqua Powder Blush in Lover

12. Victoria Secret Perfect Lipstick in Scrumptious

13. L'Oreal  Eye shadow in Deep Mocha (brow fill)

14. Revlon Colorstay Mineral Lipsglaze in Lasting Shimmer

15.Wet n' Wild Mega Eyes Defining Marker in blackest black

16.N.Y.C Liquid Lip Shine in Pink Sand

From the "biggest Forever 21 in the world" I picked up these 3 tops. Honestly the store is so huge that I couldn't even handle it (the old Bloomingdales Home location in the Fashion Show Mall). Two massive floors of Forever 21 clothes and accessories. Obviously a Forever XXI lovers dream...it was all a bit too much though.

I picked up these accessories (earrings, and necklace) for super cheap (srsly, practically for free) from Forever XXI and Charlotte Russe (at the Premium Outlets.)

The number one item on my shopping list of must haves was a gorgeous pair of flat leather cognac coloured boots. I got these at Bakers for only $89.00. Can't wait to wear them but since we've got about half a foot of snow outside I'll instead be wearing these Uggs that I got at the Premium Outlets. A winter staple for me and even though I resisted them for a long time (I too thought they were fugly), I finally broke down a few years ago and have a several pairs now.

 Brown classic Uggs, $139.00

 In the airport I snagged the Kardashian sisters new book. Yes it's mindless reading written at a grade 6 level but it's fun and light and entertaining! 

From the Sugar Factory candy store at the Miracle Mile shops in Planet Hollywood I couldn't resist this celebrity line of signature lollipops. I love the sparkly refillable, reusable stick. This one was designed by Kim Kardashian (of course.) Was it over priced? Yes. I guess a "sucker" is born every minute, Mama included! 

 At Macy*s I got this Michael Kors bag. I've been hunting for a great leopard print bag for a while and though this isn't exactly what I wanted, it'll do. Originally $300 on for $130 (including my Canadian discount), apparently you receive another 10% off almost anything in the store if you show your passport at customer service.

 From the Alexander McQueen shop in the Wynn hotel I snagged this super cute signature McQueen Midnight/Sun skull silk scarf. 

Saving the best for last, I finally got my hands on a Yves Saint Laurent "Arty" oval ring from the YSL boutique at the Bellagio. Its a great statement ring and will be gorgeous to wear in the summer when I finally have a tan again. (Ignore winter dry Alligator skin on hand)

As always it was a great shopping trip, Vegas never disappoints. I will say again that the lack of decent sales (especially after Christmas) is surprising?! They just don't offer the deep discounts like they do in Canada. However the awesomesauce variety of brands and stores keeps me coming back for more. Till next time Vegas...

Shiny Disco Balls...

Hello lovelies, Mama's back with Vegas recap 2011. It was a quick and dirty trip but I survived (though my dogs are still barking from all the walking I did.) Note to self, just because the Kardashians can manage to traipse through the airport in high heel boots doesn't mean Mama can or should.  Sore feet is NO way to start a shopping walking tour of Vegas. 

We stayed at Aria Hotel in the new City Centre. Yes its a beautiful hotel, but also extremely modern and we couldn't help but feel that it was missing the charm and kitschy over-the-topness that Vegas is known for. I think that Wynn (where we stayed last January) has the perfect mix of Vegas flair and contemporary sophistication (in my extremely valuable opinion.)  

At the mega huge CES Consumer Electronic Show (the reason we were in Vegas), Husbands company HSTi, with their Wireless Media Stick, was voted the Best Android Accessory of the CES 2011 by Android Central. Yeah, I'm a bit stoked!

I'm not gonna lie, we ate a lot and one of our fave restaurants was Julian Serrano Tapas. We had fabulous Ceviche, Tapas and of course a super delicious Paella. Muy sabroso!

Later we went to Haze, the main club in Aria.

 Feathers, rhinestones and fabulous

 Drugs, Rock and Roll, Bad Ass, Vegas Hoes, Late Nights, booty Calls, Shiny Disco Balls...

Only one pic of Mama. Husband never remembers to take pics...

 The music was pretty amazing and even better when Maroon 5 hit the stage at around 1:30am.  While we were standing in the casino I saw Adam Levine ( pure hotness) and band walk by, I had to seriously do a double take but then there they were later that night playing a few songs in Haze. Prerequisite Vegas celebrity sighting- check! 

I wished I'd taken more pics while I was there but Husband had our camera in his briefcase and my crackberry takes terrible pics.  So this is all I can share for now. The best is yet to come though, next post is dedicated to the shop shop shoppping recap. Stay tuned kids...