Work Christmas Party 2013

Some of you love them, some of you hate them, but like it or not Christmas Party time has arrived and is in full swing! I had my work "Holiday" party this past weekend and I wanted to share my getting ready process and show you the dress that I hinted at in my last post.

A co-worker recommended that I try Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs to give my legs a pantyhose look without actually wearing them (hate the pantyhose). I tried this easy to use spray in Light Glow and here is a picture of one leg with and one with out. The right is the one with the spray and it does look smoother. The spray stayed on all night too, through dancing and everything. I would definitely use this again to give my pale Winter legs a smoother look.

Oh boy this is scary! No make up and half hair straight, half in a really creepy side ponytail. Just keeping it real y'all! This is what we all really look like before we are camera ready, so there you have it!

My other "trick" of the night, Dr. Scholl's For Her High Heel insoles. They don't take away the sore feet but they definitely help.

Hair and makeup done. If you would like a video of what I used to get this look let me know in the comments.

Voila! Christmas Party ready!

Dress: Dynamite (new), this dress was ALL sequins. I really liked the long sleeves too.

Shoes: Nine West (old)

I bailed on the work party around 11:30PM and met up with Amanda at a Birthday Party. 

Photo credit: A.Co Est 1984

I hope everyone is enjoying their Holiday Season, parties and all. Please make sure to be safe and don't DRINK and DRIVE.

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What's in my Purse????

I love when Bloggers post a "what's in my purse" because it's a great way to get ideas on everyday essentials that you may be missing from your purse repertoire. I am posting what is in my purse today but I must warn you, after looking at the pictures, it's kinda boring. Boring to me anyways, maybe not to you! I have recently done a purse purge to keep clutter out of my life -which I hate - so that is why the pickin's a slim when it comes to my purse essentials.

With that said, let's dive in!

 From Left to Right:

My ESPRIT eye glasses: Need those from driving at night (yep, I'm old)

Guess Wallet: It's black leather and I have had it for years. The coin purse is broken though so I need to carry...

Coin purse - Catseye London: I received this as a gift and didn't think I would use it! I actually am kinda digging the coin purse separate from my regular wallet thing. It may seem like a pain but it makes things easier for carrying cash and heavy coins around.

My Emergency bottle: Ha ha, I am not a pill popper per se but I like to have Advil, Gravol and some prescription back pills on me at all times in case of a bad headache, tummy ache/sleep inducer or my back goes out on me (for those who don't know I had a disc removed from my spine a few years ago)

My beauty bag from Bath and Body Works: More on this in a jiff

A memory stick: Comes in handy!

Tide pen: A necessity for a clumsy person

C.O. Bigelow - My Favorite Night Balm x2: This IS my fav lip balm that I use all the time, not just at night. It is super moisturizing, leaves a little sheen and goopy enough to stick to your pucker with out being too goopy.

My iPhone (not shown as it was taking the picture) and a charger: Who doesn't have their smartphone with them at all times? I also need my charger with me as a safety net of sorts, what if the battery dies at a crucial moment?

Above is my current purse of choice.

So what is in the mysterious beauty bag?

 From Left to Right:

Black hair elastics: needed for those unruly hair days

Dental floss: for when you have spinach at lunch, LOL

Pink Sugar Roll On perfume: I am not a huge perfume person. I hate walking into a room and being punched in the face by someone wearing Angel or Hugo Boss. But I do really like to have a roll on perfume on hand as a subtle touch up fragrance. These are also much more inexpensive to buy than a full sized bottle  and they last a long time.

Clinique moisture surge extended thirst relief: This is a great moisturizer to carry with you as a touch up during the day. It is light and non-greasy but really moisturizes and doesn't disturb your make up. I use it under my eyes in the afternoon to keep them looking fresh.

Clinique  Different Lipstick and mascara combo: Great for touch ups!

CG TRUBlend Pressed Powder Compact: for my sometimes shiny T-Zone

Nail file, clippers and tweezers: I can't handle snagged nails, hang nails or fly away eyebrow hairs!

Eye Drops: when you work a desk job, your eyes take a beating. I keep this with me when my eyes are feeling dry at the office.

Aveda Hand Relief: Ahhh just the smell of this stuff puts me in a better mood. Great for our Canadian Winters

Jelly Lips: I have a lip balm/gloss obsession!

L'Oreal Magic Lumi Concealer: Not my fav concealer but I keep it with me for touch ups as I have really dark circles. This product does brighten, but conceal? Not so much.

Revlon Lip Butter: In Sugar Frosting #005 and Fig Jam #030 for when I want some color.

Maybelline Baby Lips: I had heard amazing things about Baby Lips, but the moisture doesn't really last for me. I still keep it because the Pink Shock color is cute.

So there you have it! I hope you found something useful in my bag of tricks!

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Product Review: Balea Pore Strips

I am sure many of you have used pore strips before. I used to use the Biore brand religiously a few years ago. But I let that part of my "beauty regime" fall away for many years. No reason why, just didn't keep up with it. While browsing through Shopper's Drug Mart I came across their store brand of pore strips, Balea Charcoal Nose Strips and decided that I needed to give them a try. For those that haven't used pore strips before I recommend them. They adhere to your skin to take out built up gunk and blackheads; don't worry they don't rip the skin off. They are cheap, these were $5.99 and really easy to use.

So here's what you'll do:

Here's what the box looks like, surprisingly they don't 'appear on the Shopper's website -- weird?

1) Take the strip package out of the box and open it. You will find your strip, these are charcoal so they are black in color.

2) Wet your nose with some warm water. If you want a better result, hold your face over a bowl of HOT water with a towel over your  head for a couple of minutes. This will open up the pores nice and wide and make more goop come out. Peel the strip away from the plastic cover.

3) Apply the strip with the side that was on the plastic to your nose (the shiny side) and smooth it over so that the strip covers your skin completely.

My helper, he takes up most of the floor space in my bathroom. But he's cute so he gets away with it :-)

4) Wait for 10 - 15 mins for the strip to dry. It should be hard, like plaster of paris.

5) After the strip is dried, grab the edges and peel it off. Not too fast, that might hurt if you are sensitive on the schnauze. 

6) And there you have it, a strip full of gunk. It was hard to focus in on the strip but trust me, this pulled up tons of goop. Yucky but we all have it!

The Result -- My pores are clean and smooth and they just feel better than before. I liked these strips, they are definitely on par with a brand name like Biore. The charcoal makes them stick well to your skin so they are super effective. If you see them in Shopper's; try them out and let me know what you think!

Order from BooHoo.com and 100th Post!

I am so excited for two reasons today -  and I am sure you can already guess why by the post title :-)

First, this is the 100th post for Planet MelMac! I know that this isn't ground breaking especially in the land of so many talented bloggers in the Blogger-verse (sp?). However, this Blog  really only started as a small hobby for me at the beginning of the year and now I find myself constantly trying to improve what I post and finding new topics to share with my readers. At the start I was so shy and timid that I wouldn't even post a picture of myself to save my life. It felt too exposed and like I was setting myself up to be criticized. But with the encouragement and inspiration of some amazingly strong Ladies, I now have:

- (Fairly) Regular outfit posts, I really should be more consistent, so I will work on that.
- Found new and creative ways to edit photos
- Acquired and started using a snazzy Nikon L320 Coolpix Camera
- Upgraded my iPhone 3 to an iPhone 4S to take better quality pictures on the fly (among other major benefits)
- Started a Twitter account for Planet MelMac
- Posted my first very short Vlog with more to come (promise!)
- Attained many site visits and connections with my series of posts regarding a Wine Tour in Prince Edward County
- Most importantly my readers have shared their stories and questions with me and that has been my favorite part my far (Office Divas have been a personal favorite)!

When I look through my Blog at the beginning of the year to now, there is a real progression and growth; I am truly proud of that. Thank you to all of my readers for taking a peak at my life and for leaving such wonderfully sincere and encouraging comments; you guys ROCK!

Okay, now on to number two. My order arrived from Boohoo.com yesterday while I was at work and I raced home to see if my Madison Leather Look Thick Leggings would 1) fit and 2) could I pull these off? I am happy to report that they did fit and they look fabulous! I love the look of the partial leather and I am impressed with the fabric quality. It is thick and looks well made. All for the price of $30 plus no shipping fees! Hallelujah!

My order had arrived! Boohoo.com included a great catalog as well.

 Love the way these look -  sexy and stylish!

Top: Vero Moda

Shoes: Nine West

These earrings will go great with my new leggings!

I am very pleased with my first shopping experience with Boohoo.com and I will definitely be a repeat customer. They shipped from Ireland so it does take some time for the parcel to arrive to Canada, but I didn't find that unreasonable, especially when the shipping is FREE! I haven't worn these leggings out yet but I have plans, oh do I have plans to. I felt strong, sexy and confident wearing these leather look leggings (if only briefly in my bedroom) and I will be buying more of them from Boohoo, for sure!

Thank you again for reading and I look forward to sharing 100 more posts with you!

Love,

MelMac oxoxoxoxo

Product Review: Essie Nail Polish

Hi Everyone and Happy Friday! 

Like many of you lovely ladies, I love nail polish and having my nails neatly manicured is one of the small (but great) pleasures in life. It just looks....well, polished (pun intended!) Having tried just about every nail polish brand you can think of, one that I have never used is Essie. Being a Pinterest'er, I was always seeing Pins about Essie showing tons of the really fun colors they offer.

So while strolling through my local Shopper's Drug Mart I spotted a nice looking display of Essie Nail polish and oh look.... it's on sale! The price was regular $10, on sale for $3.95, I would be crazy to pass on a deal like that so with nothing to lose, I picked up a bottle of Essie A List; an opaque cream polish. According to the Essie website, this is an award winning product and has become a classic. 

I found that applying the polish was easy; the formula is on the thin side so that makes it easy to work with, especially when applying red which can get messy. The polish is creamy and seemed to set pretty quickly so you have to work a little fast, other wise you could get streaks. I applied two coats and that was enough to get the color where it needed to be. I didn't use a base coat but I did apply a top coat and in two days there have been zero chips. Not far enough in the wear to really see if this product is chip resistant but I have applied red nail polish before that has chipped the next day; top coat and all. I really like the color of this red, it is on the blue-ish side which I prefer to an orange tone. It is a true classic red that is shinny and will pop enough to get noticed. I have had several compliments on this color already and it's only been a couple of days. 

Overall I give this a 9 out of 10 only because the product performed the way I would expect it to but hasn't WOW'ed me. I would buy Essie again but probably only when it is on sale, $10 is too pricey when you can get a good polish for about $5.

Here are some Gorilla Shots of today's outfit where you can see that I am a little worse for wear, got into the sauce last night so I am at about 70% capacity today :-)

Dress: Le Chateau (old)

Shoes: Aldo (old)

Bracelet: Unknown (gift)

I hope you find this product review useful and if you are on Pinterest, follow me!

How do you pick which cosmetics to buy?

*Note: This book was not sent to me to endorse in any way and I did not receive compensation. These options are my own.*

For Christmas this past year my Mom gave me a book that she saw me read in Costco one day. It's called Don't Go To The Cosmetic Counter Without Me by Paula Begoun, a well known cosmetic expert. You can read more about her on her website here. This book is like an Encyclopedia for all cosmetics from face wash to lipstick, it has tons of products listed here broken down by brands and categories.

What makes this book so useful is that her ratings are based on the ingredients used in each product and also  spells out whether to product delivers on it's claims i.e. "moisturizes for 24 hours"! She will also disclosed if the product is tested on animals which if you have a soul, you will care about :)

I am a cosmetics junkie.... this is just some of what is in my purse and desk at work.

I have a ton more at home that fills a full drawer in my dresser, several plastic storage containers and about 1/2 of my cabinet in my bathroom!

In North America, we spend $7 Billion a year on cosmetics! That's mind blowing! That doesn't count plastic surgery either. I know I spend a lot of my income on beauty products and I used spare almost no expense on what I thought was a life changing product. Now that I am older I try to be more practical with my spending on beauty and this book has been an invaluable resource in that goal.

When approaching the cosmetics area of your local department store or pharmacy, it can be overwhelming! There are so many brands and products to choose from. This one moisturizes, oh but this one makes me look younger, this one has SPF and this one has sparkles on the package (how cute!). How can we possibly choose the best product at an affordable price when there are so many options? And after we have spent our hard earned money, are we going to be happy with that purchase? Well Paula is here to help you!

Paula rates products from Poor, Average, Good and Best with honesty and fairness from how they are packaged to what the ingredients do, results you can expect and their price points (huge money save here if you are slave to expensive, trendy brands). Paula also has her own line of cosmetics available on her website.

Now there will always be a matter of preference to consider. Even if Paula rates a brand with a less than Best rating, you may still love that product and see great results from it. For example, I have no idea why people love Maybelline Great Lash Mascara. It has been rated at the top of almost every magazine's" best mascaras" for decades and makeup artists claim it is a must have. I don't get it, the brush sucks and the results are "meh" in my opinion.  Paula, however rates it as Poor, finally someone sees the light!

I think it is really great to have a reference guide to arm yourself when you purchase a cosmetic of any kind. I refer to this book all the time and her website as well!

You can find Don't Go To The Cosmetic Counter Without Me in any bookstore or on Amazon and it retails for approximately $26.36 CND.

I hope you'll find this post useful and next time, before to run out to drop your dollar bills on the latest and greatest in make up or wrinkle cream, do some research to get the best bang for your buck!

Melmac oxoxoxox

Dressy for a Friday

Happy rainy Friday!

Blazer: Le Chateau

Tube Top: American Eagle

Jeans: Seven for all Mankind, seen here

Necklace: Cleo

Rings and Earrings: From Mexico

Nails: Sally Hansen Insta Gel Strips (more to follow!)

 Down from above

Shoes: Aldo seen here

I love getting my nails done, Acrylic, Gel, regular Mani...I love'em all! But what I don't like is the time that it takes to drive to the salon and sit there for an hour or more. It just seems to take so much time and we all don't have enough of that. So when I came across this product from Sally Hansen, I thought I would give it a try. Here's what you do:

1. Push your cuticles down 
2. File your nails 
3. Apply the gel strips & file those to the shape of your nail 
4. Apply the gel coat and place your nail under the LED light to cure
5. Wipe off the access with an alcohol pad that is provided and voila! 

Now the applying and filing of the nails with the strips can be tricky. I found some YouTube videos that were super helpful:

The Sally Hansen video from their website
This one with a review
And this one I really liked

My verdict, I loved the way they turned out, they are shinny and with the help of the videos, weren't as hard to apply as I thought. It was my first time applying these so I am sure I will get better the more I do it.
My criticisms of this product is that on the box it says "2 Easy Steps"..... ummmm no. There are several steps so the box is a little misleading.
Also not ALL of the strips will fit your nails so I would maybe try Sally's gel polish to get a better gel manicure. I already know how to apply nail polish pretty well so it will just be easier overall.
But I would use this product again!