Product Review: Nivea Lip Butter

I was a bit skeptical of this at first, since I'd tried other nivea lip products before and never found to be very moisturizing. I actually remember the disappointment. I was in France on a short-term study abroad program while I was in high school. I got 2 Nivea chap sticks- one with shinner, one without- because I had this impression that Nivea was a special brand and I was on a trip (and therefore able to get things I normally wouldn't). They smelled so good, but remember being really disappointed that they didn't really work. Regardless, I used them with pride at my luxurious products. Many years later when I was living in Japan, and found myself with chapped lips and no chap stick. I wasn't quite sure what chap stick to buy, so I went with a familiar brand. I remembered the disappointment so many years ago, but also hoped that they'd changed the formula during those years. It had not. I was sad.

However, after hearing some Youtubers rave about them, I decided to give the brand another try. Plus, these lip butters were relatively new, so perhaps they were the formula change that I'd been hoping for all those years!

Thankfully, the lip butter is amazing. It smells really, really sweet in the tin, but is actually fairly faint once it's on your lips. I think it's just the perfect amount of scent for a lip product. Even better than that, it keeps my lips moisturized for quite a long time.

It's in a small tin, which is cute and thin so it fits into clutches without bulking them up, but it also requires you to apply it with your finger. Recently, I've started to just touch one of my lips to it, so it kind of looks like i'm taking a bite out of it. Not the classiest, but I figure that it's better than smearing public transportation germs all over my lip butter!

As a softer product, I was worried that it would melt and run everywhere, since I'm sure we've all had that happen once of twice with chapstick. Though we're in a heat wave now, and I've left it in a relatively hot car before, it has yet to go runny on me. That being said, I wouldn't really risk it, because that would be one sticky mess to clean up. It seems to work for what I need it to do. One huge downside to this, however, is the lack of SPF. This girl doesn't want sun burnt lips!

Once I've finished it all up, I'm not sure that I'd repurchase it immediately (especially because it lacks SPF), but I will eventually, just to have on hand at home.

Fashionable Friday: Subway Cuffs

Unfortuately, I don't own one and can't pull a picture off the website to show you, but you need to see these cuffs for the travel-chic girl. Ok, they're a little ridiculous, but actually pretty wearable at the same time.

These stainless steel cuffs are engraved with the subway maps of a city of your choice including London, Paris, Milan, NYC, etc.

I'm going on a trip to Europe soon... perhaps I should get one for every city. Then I could put them all on at once and look like a robot! *does a poor imitation of the robot dance*

Check out the cuffs here!

DIY: Book Safe/Clutch

Ever since I saw this DIY by Erica from Caught on a Whim, I have been wanting to make it. I also saw something similar at Top Hat*, a boutique with cool knick knacks from around the world, in the Lower East Side for $70, so I'd say that it's definitely worth at least attempting to DIY.

While I wanted to make Erica's Nerdy Chic Book Clutch, I was definitely a big ol' sloth and went with the Book Safe, which i figure you could use as a clutch if I wanted.

Here's what I used:

• Hardcover book from a thrift store
• 1 sponge brush
• Regular modge podge
• 1 thick plastic bag or waxed paper
• Utility Knife
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Folder

I was lucky and found a hardcover book in very good condition for $2. I meant to read it before I started cutting it up, but well...

Step 1: Measure!
Measure the outer edges out. I went for 1" on each side (1-1/4" on one side on accident, but I just went with it), mark out where you want to hollow out the book.

Step 2: Cut!
Use the utility knife to cut along the lines.

Step 3: Trace, Cut, Repeat
Trace the inside of the cut you just made so you know where the make the cut for the next several layers. Alternatively, I created a template to place down to cut along. I actually found that a combination of the two techniques worked best for me.

Step 4: Glue!
Once you have reached the desired depth, modge podge the bottom few pages down, using a very thin layer. Modge podge is water based and will warp your pages if you are not too careful. It also dries quite quickly so you'll want to work swiftly.

Step 5: Place Waxed Paper
Place a piece of thick plastic or waxed paper (I suggest wax paper or a non-colored bag. some color transferred onto my top sheet. oops) in between the last page full page and the first page with a cut-out.

Step 6: Glue Some More!
Close the book and paint a thin layer of glue along the edges of the book from the waxed paper down. (You can totally glue the top part as well, I just decided to leave those loose.) Repeat 3-4 times until it seems nice and sturdy. Don't forget to glue the edges of the hollowed out part of the book, too! Erica suggested sanding it before gluing. I may or may not do this, depending on how lazy I feel.

What do you think?

With a business card holder I use as a wallet & a bit of chocolate :)

And that leaves just enough space for a pen and my phone!

End Note:
So I ended up with a bunch of paper from when I hollowed out my book and it seems to be a waste to just recycle them. Does anyone have any ideas of what I can make this these guys? I love the old school look of the paper and would love to do something with them!

______________________________________

*Online boutique here: http://sweetbellausa.com/

Had a Bad Day?

If you had a tough day, feel free to laugh at mine. 

45 minutes before I was supposed to meet a friend for happy hour, I get sent out on a shoot for an upcoming news program. I had already had to cancel going to a yoga class for work, so I was not very pleased with this request.

It was cooler than the day before, but by that I mean you didn't immediately sweat upon going outdoors. More like, 5. Carrying a tripod to move locations, I heard "plop, plop." I've heard this sound before. More than the average person, I'm sure. I look up and my fears are confirmed.Crowded on some street lights were not one, but two rows of pigeons. The suckers had hit my beloved Longchamp and dress in one plop.  

Our shoot took longer than expected, but we have finally gotten the shots we want. Just as we started looking for a cab to take back to work, we got a call saying that the material had to be sent in 40 minutes to go on air. We kept trying to catch a cab to no avail. Finally, we decided to start moving toward the office while keeping a look out for any open cabs. 10 blocks of fast walking while awkwardly carrying a tripod and I was sweaty. I could feel the sweat dripping down my back, and I started debating how large pit stains had to be to no longer be considered pit stains. 

Finally, finally, a beacon of light and we jumped in a cab. Though I was thankful that it was much cooler and I no longer had to lift weights while jogging (soft j*), I had one major problem. And that was that I have a tendency to sweat in the most inconvenient of places. That's right. When I stood back up after climbing out of the cab, I had a solid butt sweat mark. 

The cameraman handed me the disc, took my tripod, and I sprinted to our office, bird poop on the side of my dress, a sweat stain on my butt. A correspondent hung up the phone to say "I was just calling you. And, uh... looks like you got a workout afterall."

Thanks, guys. 

If you don't think the news is very exciting these days, try working in it. 

*Please refer to Anchorman for the correct pronunciation.

Note: My friend was patiently waiting at happy hour, where I was able to relax over a glass of wine, chilled tapas and a very fun exchange of upcoming travel plans, so it didn't end all too bad. I just made sure to shower the moment I stepped through my front door. 

Nail Polish: OPI vs American Apparel

I may not always be the most fashionable when it comes to clothes- I usually stick to black or denim trousers with a neutral top- but when it comes to nails, more often than not, they will be painted. 

OPI was really popular in college so most of my collection is OPI, though Dior is now my favorite. However, neither of these brands are particularly cheap. I wanted to try out a mint nail polish, but didn't really want to spend more than $10. There's an American Apparel between my office and the subway so I popped in to see if they had nail polish- they do! They're under $10, don't have DBP, toluene or formaldahyde in them AND it dries really quickly.

Since I like to do an accent nail or two, I used both the colors in the photo above. 

Pink = OPI, Mint = American Apparel

and look what happened to just the pink nails! Both of my accent nails were ruined. 

I can't get over how fast the American Apparel nail polish dries, and the color is just like you see it in the bottle. The only downside being that they have mostly trendy colors and their range is not great, but next time I need a trendy color, I know where to go!

I ended up redoing just the accent nails (and painting one with a purple/gray color from Lancome instead) and then having some fun decorating them. I ended up loving the mint and light pink combination so much that I used the same two colors when repainting them the next time. 

Check out the designs below!

//  Do you have any great nail polish/makeup finds?

On the Road... To Las Vegas!

The bachelorette party I was so fervently planning is finally here! I left work a tad early and took a bus, subway and airtrain to finally get to JFK. It's raining here in NYC so I'm extra excited to be in Vegas.
The Delta Airline's wing smells like fast food, but makes up for it with a bunch of charging stations. They're a bit squished together, but totally get the job done, and are plenty of space if your legs are corgi-esque like mine are. The stations come with a little desk so I'm just sitting with my bottle of water and ipod to get some work done... on paper. At a charging station but working old school :)
The first picture is my travel outfit... more like uniform since I wear it all the time. The shoes change, but today I'm wearing my Ked's with Uniqlo's leggings pants (aka my comfy travel secret), a loose button up shirt from Banana Republic (i also switch up shirts depending on weather), and Coach crossbody. It's just so nice to have at least one hand free by using a crossbody. Plus, this camel color matches just about anything.
Time to find some dinner and get some work done!
Happy Traveling!
x, Erica

Solo Lunch

I work in a small office, so it's very common for all of us to eat together, or at least groups of whoever has a good stopping point at that time. If we're busy, we'll eat at our desks. Today I stepped out to grab some food to go since it's so gorgeous out, but as I was heading into the restaurant, I thought I'd just stay and eat in. Table for one.

It felt SO GOOD. I often travel solo, or at least some parts of the trip are solo so it's just something I enjoy now. If I learned something today, it's that I need my alone time. And not necessarily a night in, but a nice or a fun meal. Like scheduling events with friends, I might start setting a lunch or dinner aside that I enjoy on my own.