...well maybe not EVER, but pretty awesome news! So I was at a Target in Fridley, MN on Mother's Day and while taking a peek in the makeup isle, I found.........
When the hell did Target start selling NYX!? So far Fridley is the only store I've seen it in but it's only a matter of time until it's in every store! (I hope...) NYX is one of my favorite makeup brands ever and to be able to get it at 15% off?? (w/ my employee discount) WOO!!! Heaven! So that was a lovely little find. I didn't actually buy anything because I was in a rush but I really hope to find it in my stores soon!
****UPDATE****
They added one in the Knollwood, MN store! WOO!!
I DID get this month's Glam Bag in the mail (www.ipsy.com) and I must say it's probably my favorite one to date. It came with some really great products and a bonus full size Urban Decay Stardust shadow in Space Cowboy.
The other products that came were a Mirabella lip tint, a gorgeous soft blue Zoya nail polish, a Yaby concealer refill, a Juice Beauty reflecting gloss and lastly, a St Tropez self-tanner.
I really love the shade they sent for the Mirabella lip tint. It's packaged like a lipstick but it's not extremely opaque and just gives a really pretty glow of color on the lips. I love the UD Stardust shadow I got. I already had a sample from ages ago in violet (can't remember the name) and it seems like they've reformulated it since then. The color is really pretty and subtle, but gives a nice pop of glitz over any look. Again, I LOVE the nail polish and have been a long time fan of Zoya polishes, so no complaints there. I'd never used Yaby concealers before but I tried it on my under eyes and it seemed to do the trick fine. Had good coverage without being too heavy and didn't set in any of my fine lines. The shade was just a bit too dark for me for every day use, but I would consider buying it full size in my shade in the future.
The only 2 products I wasn't crazy about was the Juice Beauty gloss and the self-tanner. I don't tan, so nothing against the product itself, but I'll probably be giving that to one of my friends as a gift. I didn't really like the consistency of the gloss. Since it was promoted as a "reflecting" gloss, I'm assuming it wasn't meant to have a ton of color payoff or be used alone, but it basically just felt like water on my lips. I tried it alone and on top of a lipstick and it just felt like it made my lipstick slip around. It also didn't seem like it had enough shimmer/glow to it to be used strictly as a "spot of shine" for the lips either, so unless I figure out how to work with it, I probably won't be getting much use out of it.
So that's about what I've had going on makeup/beauty wise. I did also finally order the Nude-Tude palette from the Balm which I'm really looking forward to. I ordered it off Hautelook for 50% off, so its taking a while to ship. Once it's in I'll be sure to post pics/swatches and 1st impressions!
Lastly, a random Instagram pic! Datenight selfie fail! :)
I'm taking a quick step away from my usual posts about beauty and entertainment to talk about marriage equality. I've been thinking about posting this for a long time, but wanted to make sure I had all my thoughts in order before posting so as not to muddle my message. To be honest, while originally drafting this last week, my message was a pretty pissed off one. I intended to wait to publish this until June to celebrate Pride Month and had been re-working it over and over because I wasn't satisfied with what I was saying. The news that Minnesota is officially supporting marriage equality completely changed my mood about this entire rant and in the last few hours, I've re-worked it and am finally satisfied enough with it to put out there. I know what I have here could never sufficiently convey the importance of accepting marriage equality and equal rights but I hope it's a decent enough display of what I feel.
I was overjoyed to find out we passed the same-sex marriage bill. That being said, what I originally planned to write about was how debating whether there should be marriage equality infuriates me, because THERE SHOULD BE NO DEBATE. I'm a firm believer in equal rights for gay or straight people, because there should be equal rights for ALL people. Its basic common sense to me and the fact that all humans getting the same rights is being debated at all pisses me off to no end. The sheer stupidity of the argument and the fact that it's taking so much time and money to fight about something that should be a given makes me ashamed of the country I live in. This is something I refuse to see the "other side of the argument" of because I can't see any validity in "the other side". I'm relieved and thankful that my state is now on the right side of the argument, but wish the rest of the country would get the picture already.
We shouldn't have to fight about the fact that gay and lesbians should be allowed the same rights as heterosexuals. It's in essence the same bullshit debate we had in the 60's on whether or not interracial marriage should be legal. The fact that it took our country until 1967 to finally legalize interracial marriage in all 50 states is sad and embarrassing. I look at this fact in 2 ways.
Anger that its been less than 50 years since such a massive law was overturned, and anger that almost 50 years later we're still exhibiting the same ignorance and idiocy by continuing the cycle of senseless hate and discrimination against the LGBT community.
It's pathetic that as a nation we seem simply incapable of not having some group to repress and hate for one reason or another. We're not content to be peaceful, we need to fight and shame others to feel better about ourselves.
I'll admit that as a non-religious person, I can often times be a little over critical of religion as a whole, but I have to say the argument that gays and lesbians marrying "ruins the institution of marriage because the Bible says so" is complete and absolute bullshit.
I don't hate religion, I don't hate religious people. Most of the people I know who practice organized religion I respect greatly because while they hold strong in their faith, they have enough personal integrity to build their own morals and have enough common sense to tell right from wrong. They're able to take what's good from their religion and apply it in their daily lives to better themselves inside and out. They're not saints and they don't try to act like they are. That's a wonderful thing.
What is not wonderful, are the people that use their "beliefs" as a weapon to back up their attacks on others with their own prejudices "in the name of the father our God almighty, thank you baby Jesus". They preach love and peace but discriminate and judge anyone who doesn't live life the same as them. This wouldn't be such a huge deal if our government wasn't stock full of these people. I refuse to respect or entertain those who use their religion as a shield to give them an excuse to act like pricks.
For anyone out there who likes to nit pick the Holy Book to find passages that can be used to back up your hate, take a look at this wonderful site that highlights some of the best Bible verses that people seem to forget:
A few gems and things to remember next time before quoting your favorite book:
The Bible hates women
To the women he said "I will greatly multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children, yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you. (Gen. 3:16)
the woman should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but shall be subordinate, as even the law says.
If there is anything they desire to know, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church. (1 Cor. 14:34-35)
I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over men; she is to keep silent.
For Adam was formed first, then Eve;
and Adam was not deceived but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.
Yet women will be saved through bearing children, if she continues in faith and love and holiness, with modesty. (1 Tim. 2:12-15)
The Bible hates masturbation, pre-marital sex and promotes child abuse. Withold not correction from the child; for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.
Thou shall beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.
The Bible restricts haircuts, clothing and tattoos.
You shall not make any cutting in your flesh on account of the dead or tattoo any marks upon you: I am the LORD. (Lev. 19:28)
The Bible is prejudice against divorce for any reason. It states if you divorce and re-marry, you and your new spouse are adulterers. Adultery is one of the 10 commandments... The Bible also says adultery is punishable by death...
It says interracial marriage is condemned because God intended to keep the races separate, but later justifies interracial marriage after Moses marries a black woman. Recreational alcohol consumption is prohibited, we're not supposed to work on Sundays and medical science is not to be valued.
So with everything the Bible restricts and condemns, why is it that we aren't stoning divorcees, shaming women for speaking in public or blasting people for having drinks on their nights off work?
Instead, we're ignoring all the shit in the Bible that pertains to us or would be too hard not to follow and are focusing our discriminations on anyone who isn't us and people who just want the freedom to love and marry who they want.
What this all basically comes down to is a request to ask people to really take a hard, honest look into themselves and their lives. Own up to any discriminations you have and be human enough not to let that sway you in to acting out against a group of people that in no way shape or form affect you personally. I know that's why it's so easy for some people to look away from the wrongs they're doing because gay people being unable to legally marry "doesn't affect them", but neither does allowing them to legally marry.
I'm not saying every person needs to accept homosexuals with open arms or change your personal views about whether you agree or disagree with the lifestyle, but for the love of GOD, practice what you preach and treat others as you would like to be treated. Don't vote against or act out against the LGBT communities right to practice what THEY believe and love who they love. They're not trying to ruin your lives, they're just trying to enjoy theirs to the fullest and I don't believe there's any single rational opposing argument as to why they shouldn't be able to do so. And if your argument is backed in any way by religion or the Bible, it's not rational. See above if you need a refresher. Unless you're one of the few who takes everything in the Bible and practices it honestly and STILL hates gays and lesbians, you can't hide behind that excuse.
If you want to read/hear more, here's a few posts/videos I really enjoyed.
I wanted to add this post as the below post as one writer's response to their dislike of being called a bigot. It goes down like this... the writer is pissed that people who don't support equal rights are being called bigots. The writer posts examples from the Bible where central figures or events are being discriminatory and then they ask "Was Moses being a bigot? Was this disciple being a bigot? Is GOD a bigot here?" Though the writer may disagree, the answer is YES. :) enjoy! http://www.truthmagazine.com/archives/volume37/GOT037011.html
Aaaand a great short film that make it painfully clear how much it would suck if the tables were turned and "heterophobia" was the popular belief. It hurts to be hated, go figure.
LAST but not least, once more, THANK YOU MINNESOTA!!! Today's an AMAZING DAY!!!
Surprise surprise, I'm going with a retro look for my wedding. I'm trying to make sure I get the vintage pieces I like without going over the top or overkilling the theme. I want everything to be simple and beautiful, elegant but still casual enough for everyone to have a great time.
My lovely ladies :) I wasn't very interested in making my girls wear the same dresses. All I really care about is that the dresses are red, short, and that the girls feel beautiful in them! I decided to go with Alfred Sung dresses, so my bridesmaids could choose the style of dress they're most comfy in while staying the same color and relatively same look. Above are the styles they chose. My maid of honor to the far left, then my sisters and Steve's sisters to the right. Very cute if I say so myself! Can't wait to see it all in person!!
They will all be in black shoes with subtle jewelry. Not sure what I want to do for them for flowers yet... more to come on that!
I've always said I wanted "Reservoir Dogs" for the guys in my wedding and thankfully Steve was on board! All the guys will be wearing plain black suits with thin black ties. Steve will get a red boutonniere and the rest of the guys will get white.
Since I decided to go with paper flowers, I've been skimming through Pinterest for ideas on what to do for centerpieces. I originally planned to do real flowers, under water in vases with candles floating on top. Once I said farewell to doing real flowers, I thought I could do little vases full of paper flowers, but that sounded a little too plain. Then I found the above arrangement and fell in love! Especially because it's using the style of flowers I already figured I'd go with :) I want to do little flower wreaths around a vase and may or may not put a candle inside... we'll see, they'd have to be taller vases to make sure nothing starts on fire... Bleh, so much to consider!
These are the colors/styles I'll be using.
I'm still not 100% set up on what I want to do with my hair, but I really do like the above picture. I like that it's simple, classic and could be taken down if I felt like it later in to the night. I'm doing a few trials to see if I'd be able to pull it off myself, otherwise I'll look in to tracking down a stylist for the big day.
And lastly, make up. Nothing too surprising there, I want to go with a subtle, simple wing liner look with bold red lips. Subtle blush and maybe a little contouring for the pictures.
That's what I have so far! For all the stress planning a wedding causes, the styling of it really is the fun part. I want the look to be classic, creative and unique, without breaking the bank!!!
If anyone has any decorating tricks, tips or DIY's, please comment below! I'm very open to suggestions and will appreciate anything ideas :)
