MissAmy |

I scored this beautiful Italian bag by Ripani for $25 on clearance at TJMaxx.  The tag said “as is” & I couldn’t find the problem.  When I checked out the cashier pointed out that there is a slash on the backside of the bag.  You can see it in the second photo & the last photo is a closeup.  I bought it anyway because they are good quality bags, the slash is on the backside & I hadn’t even seen it when I looked over the bag.

I am thinking about running glue inside it to try to hold the edges down.  I wanted to see if anyone had an opinion on whether I should do it now, as a preventative measure OR wait till it actually starts looking more obvious.  I’m only afraid that the glue could make it worse so maybe I’ll save it for a patch job later.

Any opinions out there?

The Proposal was much funnier then I expected it to be.  I probably only really watched it because of Ryan Reynolds but it did make me laugh a lot.

Driven career woman working out in the morning.  Who actually wears athletic clothes to work out in their home – show of hands?

Uptight career woman chic.  Actually, I love it - so sharp!  I WISH I could be this immaculate.

Pashmina on the plane – this is a great color for her & they use it one more time in the movie.

 Exiting the plane – I wanted to show the proportion of her skirt to her jacket.  Plus, there’s that gorgeous bag!

Accessory shot – yum to those wine leather gloves.

Same outfit as exiting the plane but here it looks more 50′s to me.

An extremely flattering grey dress – gorgeous!

Here she is at a bar – still all buttoned down

And this is where you start to see her character soften, after they had shared with each other

In the family wedding dress with the gifted necklace

On the boat leaving the island – still a bit softer 

Less buttoned down than in the beginning – no harsh jacket – but still tucked in.  Maybe she is guarded but not as hard as she was at the start?

Any thoughts on how the fashion grew with the character?  And what about choice of colors?  I think they work well, following the arc of the character while flattering her the entire time.

Below is a photo of all the powder, tinted moisturizer, pore minimizers & primer I have tried lately:

From left:
Cover Girl powder – OK, but no SPF, a little too dry (am I never happy?)
Neutrogena – really good but too tinted, must be careful applying
Avon Magix – freaking awesome (so far), see comments below…
Clinique pore minimizer – great but no SPF + pretty expensive
Jane Mineral – too creamy for my oily skin but a third in my ranking
Sally Hansen Primer – good but no SPF
Almay Smart Shade – a close second, it was just a tiny bit too creamy for my oily skin but I’ll wear it when I want a tiny bit of color

The clear winner: Avon Magix.  It’s SPF 20.  Also, it goes on as a dry gel, minimizes pores & is clear.  Can apply willy-nilly.  
(When I first smelled it I thought it was too strong but when on I don’t notice the smell.)

FYI, I no longer sell Avon.  I am just recommending it because it works for me.  I will be buying it again once this one runs out.

I found this floral top at Kohl’s for $3.40!!!  I am IN LOVE with their 90% off rack.  I love that they have their clearance that way.  I went in there & came out with two great necklaces & this top for under $17 bucks!  They are on my shopping route now!

I had some fun doing a photo shoot with it. I went for a luxe, lady that lunches type of look.  (I’m trying to experiment with more creative ways to show off outfits, etc…  I am totally sick of my one outfit pose against my office wall LOL.)

Tights: Target, Skirt: Tahari ($20, TJMaxx, clearance), Top: Kohl’s ($3.40, 90% off clearance), Belt: ? (TJMaxx), Jacket: Wet Seal, Necklace: Target (clearance), Small bag: thrifted

Additionally: Bag: Echo ($36, TJMaxx), Scarf: Target (clearance) 

I’ve already quit selling Avon. That may have been my shortest hobby as of yet…

I will miss getting the demo items but at least I won’t be spending any money on it anymore.

I staged a little photo shoot inspired by the Avon ring below.  It was the mystery ring from my first order & it is way too cool.  I got it on demo so it’s not actually out for a couple weeks.  (If you leave a comment & say you’re interested, I will update with the link once it’s online for purchase.)

Anyway, it made me realize just how many gold & black accessories I have & how good they all look together.  It’s such a rich look, even if the pieces aren’t actually expensive.

Avon ring, $14 (available soon!)

Black necklace, Target; gold necklace: thrifted

Ring: Avon; bracelet: Subversive for Target, thrifted

 Bag: Pulicatti w/ thrifted brooch as closure; seashell belt & leopard print purse: thrifted

My first Avon order came in.  It’s just my stuff this first time, but hopefully that will change

I got Moisture Therapy hand cream, Vanilla Frosting bubble bath and a mystery ring that you will see in a later post.  FYI: It’s fab!

At one time I had found a very good answer for my oily skin.  It was a Biore lotion that came in a pump, had spf 15 & had some sort of reflective technology to help even out the skin tone.  It was in a tall, skinny pump container.  Anyone remember it?  Well, I can’t find it anymore – I assume they discontinued it.  They replaced it with another lotion that is supposed to help with oil, except that it doesn’t.  It makes me so shiny I can’t stand to have it on my face.  I use it on my hands instead.

Since then I’ve been on the lookout for a new, easy protection for my face that doesn’t make it shinier.  I’ve tried tinted moisturizers, powders, mineral makeup & it always seems that one thing is always missing – either the spf protection or help with the oil situation.

My most recent try is shown below.  It’s pretty good & my only complaint is that it’s a tiny bit tinted, which means that I have to pay attention while applying.  What I prefer is something that is colorless so I can rub it in like lotion & not worry about having to blend it perfectly.  (I am constantly late in the morning due to over-sleepy-itis.)  Other than that I highly recommend this.  I bought it at Walgreens, but later saw it for several dollars less at Walmart – so that’s where I recommend getting it if you want to try it.

Here I am wearing it:

Next, I plan to try MagiX Face Perfector SPF 20 from Avon (which I sell now, full disclosure LOL).  It seems to have everything I want in facial makeup – it’s colorless, it “banishes shine”, “minimizes pores”, and has an spf of 20.  I will get it at the end of next week & will let you know how I like it.  I’m really hoping it is THE ONE.