Monday, June 30, 2008

Make Up For Ever Super Matte Loose Powder

The other day I literally had 5 minutes to run into Sephora and get a foundation powder to replace my Laura Mercier Mineral powder that had run out. Unfortunately the Sephora store in downtown San Francisco doesn't carry Laura Mercier so I was forced to look elsewhere. I've been meaning to try out some more of Make Up For Ever's products so after running around the store, I headed straight to their display and saw their Super Matte Loose Powder. Quick as a flash, I grabbed up what I thought would be a good match for my skin and hurried to the checkout.

Well, I've been using the powder for a week now and I have mixed feelings. It is very matte, which I like, but the coverage is minimal and isn't nearly as buildable as the Laura Mercier. Reading the description on Sephora.com, I now know it is ment more as a setting powder than a foundation by itself. Guess its not always a good idea to grab and go when it comes to makeup. I also think I went a little too light with #14, especially for summer. I've been wearing SPF 30 everyday like a good girl but my skin seems a little tanner than it did a few months ago. Oh well, better luck next time. I think I'll have to head over to the other SF Sephora and pick up the LM powder I love so much. I can use the MUFE as a setting powder, or as a lighter foundation once my skin clears up some more.

Powder Lovely.

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Sunday, June 29, 2008

Weekend Beauty Reads from the BBN

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Thursday, June 26, 2008

Sad Mac

I just wanted to tell you all how sad I am that I haven't been able to post all week! My macbook crashed last week and I finally had time just yesterday to get it checked out. Poor thing's hard drive is done for. So its in the hands of the very cute helpful geniuses at the apple store now. They promised to return it to me in a few days so I can return to posting! I've got some great things to tell you about so stay tuned and thanks for hangin out till then!

Repair lovely Mac guys!

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Saturday, June 21, 2008

Weekend Beauty Read From the BBN

Raging Rouge kicks off the summer season with an introduction to the current sun protection debate: should you use physical or chemical sunscreen?

A Touch of Blusher loves YSL's fall 2008 makeup collection.

Roselyn from Makeup Makes Me Happy™ is this week's lady in red! In this lovely makeup tutorial, she'll show you the best way to strut sexy red lips this summer!.

Beauty Anonymous thinks Anna Sui Fall 2008 Makeup Collection is adorable!

Bionic Beauty shares her 7 tips for summer hair.

The Makeup Divasreviews and shares pics of Mac Tendertones in Hot 'N' Saucy and Honey Bare.

StyleBell reports from the floor of the 62nd Annual Tony Awards Official Presenter Gift Lounge. See what hair products Whoopi, Brooke Shields, and Mary Louise Parker chose!

The Muse reviews Bourjois Paris Hi-Tech Rouge before it even hits US shores!

Girl Gloss polls a few fellow beauty addicts and finds out Beauty Bloggers' Favorite Lip Products

Cybelesays suggests a new to the states nail polish line for Britney Spears. She needs to clean up her nails, dontcha think?

Beth from Beauty Junkie in SF is giving away 5 sets of BEE-utiful products from Burt's Bees in celebration of National Pollinator Week. Check it out and win!

The girls from Beauty in Real Life have some fabulous summer makeup tips from Fatima Olive...check them out!

Summer skin got you down? Beauty411 reviews a new product from REN that will jumpstart your skin and leave it looking like you just had a facial!

Beauty Blogging Junkie takes you backstage to the Tony Awards Gift Suite. Find out which stars got which gifts here .

Karen of Makeup and Beauty Blog shows you how to create a summery blue eye with the new Cool Heat eyeshadows from MAC Cosmetics.

Beauty Banter discovers the amazing brow kit by Anastasia ... brow specialist to J. Lo, Penelope Cruz, and Sharon Stone!!!

There's a new feature this summer at makeup loves me - bright lights, big color helps you stay up to date on the current bold color trend.

Kitiya from Mischo Beauty discusses her perfect home pedicure achieved using Nailtiques in her “Mischo Beauty Pick: Nailtiques Oil Therapy post.

Face Candy goes over the latest Marc Jacobs Daisy accessories.

15 Minute Beauty Fanatic has a great new way to clear up your acne!

The Beauty Bug urges you to look at these fierce Shu Uemura lashes that a knock-out drag queen rocked at a local Shu Uemura party.

Joy from the Makeup Junkie dishes on her night out with Cover Girl!

Pursebuzz.com shows you a quick and easy way to wear barely there makeup, a look that is all over Hollywood.

Ready for a vibrating mascara brush? Makeup Moxie is buzzing over Lancome Oscillation.

Toya from The Life of A Ladybug proves brown girls can and should wear orange in her Electro FOTD!

Link Lovely!

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Friday, June 20, 2008

A Spa Facial in the Shower

Clean & Clear has re-vamped their packaging and product offerings and I am all for it! You know me, I love a good bargain so I was easily tempted into trying out their new stuff (or at least it looks new!). The first thing I grabbed was the Soft In-Shower Facial. I always love washing my face in the shower, especially with something I can leave on for a bit while I shave or suds up. This stuff is perfect for that. You squeeze about a quarter sized dollop out and then apply it all over your face. It has a slight gritty texture, just enough to feel like it is sloughing off dead skin without feeling like you're rubbing sand paper into your skin. Then you let it sit and do its magic while you go about the rest of your shower business. I leave it on while I shave my legs, so about 3 minutes, but 1 minute is enough if you are in a hurry. It has Glycolic Acid it it, a great AHA (Alpha-Hydroxy Acid), clay, and natural fruit acids, all of which promote cell turnover, essential to clear skin! after it sits, you want to massage it into your skin a bit before you wash it all off with warm water. My face feel really nice afterwards. It doesn't dry it out, but it leaves it feeling clean and fresh, the ultimate goal of good cleansing! I will definitely try some of their other "new" products as well, since I loved this one so much, especially at a nice bargain price of $6.99!

Shower and Scrub Lovely!

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Thursday, June 19, 2008

Pretty Pink Manicure from OPI

I'm a sucker for a cute pink color for my tips. Not anything too crazy, just soft and light and of course pretty-pretty. At least, that is what I was in the mood for when I reached into my rather full traincase of products and pulled out an OPI nail polish I'd bought months ago but never eevn opened, tried on, or taken the wapping off! Craziness, i know but that is what happens when you buy as many products as I do... disgusting really.

Pink-Ing Of You is part of OPI's Soft Shades collection. It is quite subtle, but if you do two coats, its gives you a sheer cotton candy look. So pretty-pretty! Sounds like my nails will be all set for the summer solstice party this weekend.

Pink Lovely!

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Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Celebrate National Pollinator Week with Burts Bees

Ever thought about all the delicious and nutritious things we get from bees? It's not just honey, ladies! They produce tons of products that serve as healthy ingredients for beauty products.

June 22 – 28 is National Pollinator Week and Burt’s Bees wants to give the little pollinators their moment in the spotlight for all the work they do in providing us with healthy products that keep us looking BEE-utiful. Want to learn a little bit more about the bee crisis and what you can do to help? OK... AND win a prize??? Of course you do!!!

Bring back a BEE fact from one of the pollinator friendly resources below:

o Burt’s Bees (www.burtsbees.com)

o The Pollinator Partnership (www.pollinator.org)

o Haagen-Dazs Honeybee program (www.haagendazs.com)

Post your fact in a comment below with your email address (I'll edit it before it gets posted) and I will send the first 5 people a Radiance Kit from Burts Bees. This set includes travel sizes of their new radiance line, which uses Royal Jelly, a very special substance made by the worker bees to feed the queen bee. Royal Jelly is considered to be one of the world's most nutrient-rich substances, packed with 134 nutrients, including 17 amino acids and vitamins A, C, D and K, as well as multiple B-vitamins. No wonder it helps the queen grow to 40 times the size of worker bees and live 50 times longer. Sorry you international ladies, we can only ship within the USA.

Burt’s Bees is also giving away free seed packets on their site – so everyone can win! Check it out and love your BEE-utiful self!


Bee Lovely!

06.24.08 UPDATE: Thanks for so many entries guys! I think I got about at least 35! Not bad for my first giveaway! I didn't publish all the great comments/facts I got however because I didn't want to publish people's email address... I though I could edit your comment but I guess not. Lame! Oh well, I'm plan better next time. Thanks again fro all your interest and congrats to the ladies who won!

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L'Oreal Skin Genesis Review

I had the opportunity (Thanks Total Beauty) to try two of L'Oreal's new highly advanced products from their Skin Genesis Line. They call it Multi Layer Cell Strengthening Skincare. Basicaly they have developed this patented ingredient, Pro-Xylane™, an exclusive L’Oréal molecule that strengthens skin and reignites cell activity layer by layer, and combined it with hyaluronic acid, a natural hydrator found in your skin. These together are supposed to strengthen and tighten your skin, while evening out its tone. Here are my thoughts:

L'Oreal Paris Skin Genesis Daily Treatment Serum Concentrate: I have to admit, I think I'm too young for this product, but I was given the chance to review it so I thought I would give you all my honest opinion, even if it's from a young perspective. I like this serum well-enough, but I didn't seem to see much of a change in my skin. It feels fine when I put it on and it absorbs pretty quickly, which is good since you need to wait until it does to apply the moisturizer (which I did like). The technology behind it does sound convincing, and maybe I need to look at it as a preventative product. I may not have aged skin yet, but if I use this I might hold it off that much longer. At $20, its not so expensive to unwarrant a shot!

L'Oreal Paris Skin Genesis Daily Moisturizer: I liked this light-weight moisturizer a lot. It gave my combo skin just enough moisture without making it greasy a few hours later. It doesn't have suncreen, which bummed me out a bit since I still have to put one on top, but it makes my skin very soft and makes makeup glide on very nicely. Its a bit pricey at $24 for a drugstore product, but they often have sales and two-for-one offers, so keep your eyes out for a deal and try it out. I do love the packaging on both products though. It is very sleek and sophisticated for a drugstore line. Good job L'Oreal.

Test Lovely!

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Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Friends and Family Discount at MAC!

I got the email yesterday, but wasn't able to share the news with you all until now (Thank god they extended it through Tuesday July 17th at 11:59 PST): Get 15% off at MAC.com AND free shipping!!! Not bad huh? Just use the code MACFF08 at checkout.

I have been staying away from MAC for awhile, trying to broaden my horizons, but now seemed like a good time to jump back in! Here is what I ordered (only two things... this girl is on a budget!):

Tendertones Lip Balm SPF 12 in Sweet Tooth, a sheer coral with a white pearl. It sound perfectly pretty for the summer months and I need a go-to lip balm/gloss with some sun protection! The pot its in is also very cute.


Eye Kohl in Haycinth, a golorious-morning blue (their description, not mine, but it sold me!). I love soft eyeliners and I need a fun bright color for a change. I've heard good thing but never tried MAC eyeliners, so we shall see.

Shop Lovely!

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Monday, June 16, 2008

Sale alert at Sephora!

Don't know if you guys know the secret way to find sale items at Sephora but it won't be secret much longer! All you have to do is type "sale" into the search box at the top left corner and it will send you to the sale page, which doesn't have a direct link otherwise.

Right now they have a few Sephora brand accessories and mascaras. It looks like Napoleon Perdis will be leaving for good, seeing as the whole line is marked down 50% online and in stores. I also noticed Bourjois is out of stock in a lot of items and I think it might be making its way out as well. So now would be a good time to stock up.

Some things I'm going to snatch up:

Sephora Brand Metallic Flat Clutch ($7, originally #14) in Silver or Maroon: This is such a cute little case, perfect for a few pieces of makeup or even as a wallet.






Napoleon Perdis Light Patrol Luminizer Palette ($30, originally $60): this disc of luminizers has every shade you'd want to create a glowing good look.








Napoleon Perdis Color Disc Eyeshadow ($11, orginally $22) in beige pink or heather. Both shades are shiny and fun, yet still neutral.

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Sunday, June 15, 2008

Weekend Beauty Reads From the BBN

The Daily Cookie shows you how to get stick-straight hair with the Corioliss Pro Flat Iron - complete with before and after photos!

Roselyn from Makeup Makes Me Happy™ tries out the new Physician's Formula Talc-Free Mineral Wear™ Loose Powder. Check out what her thoughts were!

StyleBell reviews the new line of hair care products by Kate Hudson and David Babaii, David Babaii for Wild Aid. Check out how it rates!

A Touch of Blusher adores this face wash!

The Makeup Divas reviews the new Bobbi Brown Pink Collection along with pictures and swatches.

Who couldn't use a little stress relief? Beauty411 raves about Johnson's Melt Away Stress line; check it out and enter the contest to win a free assortment of Melt Away Stress products!

Beauty Anonymous loves Chanel Levres Scintillantes Glossimer for lips!

Bionic Beauty packs up her makeup and skincare and moves half-way across the country. Check out her packing techniques and products.

The Beauty Blog Network welcomes newest member, "Makeup Loves Me" to the network. Her blog is an absolute must see.

Elke shows how to contour cheekbones, for an updated version of the newest beauty trend for this summer and fall.

Beauty Blogging Junkie discusses her favorite Three Custom Color Cosmetics.

Kitiya from Mischo Beauty invites you to enter her “Mischo Beauty Johnson & Johnson Melt Away Stress Giveway!”

Beauty Banter gives you A-list Summer Hair Therapy... summer do's, must-have products, and celebrity cutter beauty secrets!

The Beauty of Life welcomes in the dog days of summer with an assortment of cocktail-inspired beauty products!

Bare Escentuals' Warm Radiance has passed muster with Toya of "The Life of A Ladybug!" Come check this out and the rest of her "Bronzers for Brown Girls" series!

makeup loves me is giving away 5 sets of sally hansen lip lab products!

15 Minute Beauty Fanatic gets some great anti-aging tips from Dr. Patricia Wexler!

Beauty in Real Life has the scoop on the, soon-to-be-released, fab new colors for CoverGirl Eye Enhancers.

Glossypink is a believer in bronzer again thanks to this gem!

Canadian Beauty has figured out the way to get seriously radiant skin!

Joy from Makeup Junkie is wondering if no! no! is A No-No? Check out Week 1 of her review!

Headed to Hawaii this summer? Karen from Makeup and Beauty Blog gets a manicure and pedicure in paradise when she visits The Lippmann Collection Nail Studio on Oahu.

Beauty companies are slapping the word "natural" and "organic" on every product these days. How do you know what to use? Cybelesays investigates and comes up with a winning skin care line.

Calling all M.A.C. fans!!! Scandalous Beauty has your guide to exclusive M.A.C. Gift Sets, Discounts and the Top M.A.C. Eye Shadows ever!!!

Makeup Moxie has beauty lust for L’Occitane Rice Ultra-Matte Face Fluid.

Growing out your bangs/fringes? let Pursebuzz.com show you a cute superfast way to get it out of your face.

This week, Spoiled Pretty is hosting two fantastic giveaways...one for you, and one for dear old dad. Enter today!

Who doesn't need tips for a perfect long-lasting pedicure this summer? Beth from Beauty Junkie in SF has exactly what you need!

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Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Happy Father's Day with Every Man Jack

Father's day is fast approaching. Like this SUNDAY! So if you still have no idea what to get your old man, I have a quick fix for you: head to Target and pick up the the Beginners Luck Kit from Every Man Jack.

This set includes everything your pappa will need to get clean and shiny, without feeling girly or fruity. It includes face wash, shaving cream, face lotion, body wash and soap bars all in their "signature mint" smell. It's perfectly clean and fresh with being overly powerful or cheesy (i.e. those nasty body sprays boys in high school douse themselves in). It also comes in cedarwood and fragrance free, which my very picky dad would actually prefer. Oh and it comes with a handy zipper bag for travel.

For $24.99, you are getting all your dad needs, and not in small quantities I might add (all are full size products). The package is very manly, woodsy and stuff. He'll love it, I promise.

Gift Lovely!

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Treat Your Skin With Bioelements Vitalization

For some reason, even though its almost summer and actually quite warm in San Francisco these days, my skin is still really dry. If I don't shave for a few days (out of pure laziness) and don't moisturize my legs get all itchy and dry. Well thank goodness the considerate people at Bioelements Professional Skin Care sent me their new body cream called Vitalization. It banished my dryness in one application!

I like this creme because it has all natural ingredients like shea butter, red tea, botanical oils (apricot kernel, olive, rice bran, grape, black current, sunflower seed oil, bergamot, cardamon, and clove!! That a lot of botanicals!), and beta carotene, which converts to vitamin A to help smooth skin. It smells good, lightly herbal yet not obtrusive. It smoothed away any rough spots and lasted all day long without being slimy.

Try it out for yourself. Bioelements is available at their spa nationwide or at SpaLook.com or DermaStore.com

Creme Lovely!

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Monday, June 9, 2008

Tips for a Long Lasting Summer Pedicure

Need help to make your pedicure last as long as possible during the summer? Neri Ortega, nail expert of Butterfly Studio Salon, recommends the following for a long lasting, perfect manicure without chipping:


1. Following a hand massage, it is vital to clean the nail bed twice with acetone or acetone free nail polish remover to make sure that there are no emollients left on the nail- a clean, oil free nail bed is the most important part of a lasting manicure, as it creates a clean surface to begin on.

2. Continue with a protein based base coat- this is key in keeping polish from chipping. A strengthening treatment like OPI's Nail Envy, works wonderfully to keep nails strong, and polish from chipping.

3. Following the application of polish, a good basic top coat is needed. Neri recommends Essie, and prefers classic top coats over "quick dry" as she finds that quick dry top coats tend to peel faster.

Pushing back cuticles rather than cutting them will also help a manicure last longer. To keep nail polish looking shiny and new, and cuticles from looking dull and ashy, she recommends a good cuticle moisturizer like Solar Oil- the oil treatment will multi-task to keep your manicure going for extra days.


Polish Lovely!

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Saturday, June 7, 2008

Weekend Beauty Read from the BBN

Lilan from The Daily Cookie gets the low-down on Nordstrom Beauty Director Joelle Russo's Dior must-haves for your makeup bag.

Raging Rouge is totally stumped about what to buy Dad, until she stumbles upon these perfect Father's Day Gifts.

A Touch of Blusher's guest reviewer reports on the new Thierry Mugler makeup line.The Beauty of Life bares it all with Bobbi Brown's new Yogi Bare Lip Balm!

Beauty Anonymous invites you to Peach-a-Boo! from OPI.

Looking for a cool beauty gadget? Bionic Beauty absolutely loves her PedEgg for summer pedicure preparation!

Intergallactic glamour! Roselyn fromMakeup Makes Me Happy™ does an amazing tutorial andrevamps the smokey eyewith the Solar Bits from the latest M.A.C. Solar Field Collection!

Beauty Banter spent the day on location for a new NBC TV show... and she raided the hair and makeup trailer! Find out all the beauty tips from her day spent on-set (these are too good to miss)!

It's All About the Men this month!! Beyond Beauty Basics tells you how to take care of your guy's skin with these simple skincare products in their Father's Day Men's Special!

makeup loves me lashes out!...and gives you the 411 on two of the much-buzzed about new tools in for eye lash curling and separating.

The Makeup Divas reviews and tells you about a great mattifying product that Carmindy and professional make-up artists use and recommend.

What's Beauty Blogging Junkie using to achieve Valley of the Dolls Hair? Find out here.

15 Minute Beauty Fanatic continues to add to her summer bright nail polish options with Essie's Summer Neons!

StyleBell discusses Redken's fab tips on how to do the perfect blow out for your hair!.

The girls over at Beauty in Real Life are having such an amazing giveaway...your lips will thank you if you win!

Karen from Makeup and Beauty Blog shows you how to get a silver and pink eye look with eyeshadows from MAC Cosmetics.

Scandalous Beauty shows youhow to easily and effortlessly cover Acne, Blemishes and Skin Discolorations. This is a video you don't want to miss!!

Toya of The Life of A Ladybug introduces you to Laura Mercier's Bronzing Duo in Pink Bronze , another in her "Bronzers for Brown Girls" series!

Makeup Moxie reviews the new Hourglass Bronzer Duo.

Kitiya from Mischo Beauty invites you to enter her SPINLASH giveaway!

Cybelesays picks their favorite springtime flower-scent products.

Kyle at Face Candy loves Boots No. 7 Quick Thinking 4 in 1 Wipes.

Are Escada fragrances too sweet for your liking? Kia of Yummy411 recommends another fragrance you are sure to like!

The Beauty Bug previews new products that have just hit counters and shelves this month.

Pursebuzz.com interviews Ford Model's Johnny Lavoy. Spend an hour with us as we talk about his start and his secrets to fabulous hair and so much more!

Beth from Beauty Junkie in SF found a way to flirt with boys without getting into trouble. Genius!

The Mineral Makeup Blog reviews and loves Cosminology's Mineral Concealers!

Michelle from All Lacquered Up shares her latest nail polish obsession, a gray lacquer she's dubbing the next "it" color.

This week, Kim Kardashian revealed some more of her beauty secrets. What are they? Visit Spoiled Pretty to find out!

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Thursday, June 5, 2008

Go Safari This Summer

I found this great eyeshadow palette at Sephora today and I had to share. It has great pigment and fun safari colors perfect for an exciting, playful summer look. I usually got for cool tones, but these browns, greens and golds captivated me. Pick up on of the Giraffe Eyeshadow Palettes at a Sephora near you... or try the Zebra one for more cool tones. Their safari bags are really fun too. Oh I could get in so much trouble in that store. Wait, I already do!

Color Lovely!

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Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Find Your Next Fragrance At Sephora

Are you one of those people who has been wearing the same scent for the last 10 years? Well maybe its time to look for something new... seriously, get out of that rut! Or maybe you are like me and every time you get close to finishing a scent you just want to try something new! Call it fragrance ADD but it is too much fun. Besides, you end up with a whole collection of fragrances to choose from everyday.
Sephora has this great tool on their website called Fragrance Finder. You can enter either a scent or brand you already like or a notes you enjoy (floral, fresh, woodsy, etc.) and it leads you to new scents to try. Sephora has such a wide variety of fragrances to choose from, you're bound to find something you'll like and from a brand you might not expect. Also Sephora generally has a wider selection, especially smaller sizes and fun things like rollerballs that allow you to try the scent for a little bit less cash.

I entered in that I liked LAMB by Gwen Stefanie. I've written about it twice before but I'm never satisfied wit its lasting power. The finder suggested, among other things, Gucci's Envy Me. I've smelled this before and liked it, but I'd forgotten about it. Guess I'll have to check it out now.

Scent Lovely!

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Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Conceal On The Cheap

My favorite stand by concealer is still CoverGirl Fresh Complexion Concealer. I found it online one day, looking for a cheap way to get some quick coverage with the overly made up look. Now whenever I find it sitting on the shelf in Walgreens, I snag it up! It really covers my dark circles under my eyes and even covers blemishes with a little blend of the finger. It's still a light coverage though, so I don't look like a clown with spots all over me. Fabulously flawlous without trying too hard.

Conceal Lovely!

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Monday, June 2, 2008

VO5 Flirtations!

This is a fun game of flirtatious good times! You sign on as a girl or a boy (I'm assuming most of you out there are girls...just a guess), and enter you date of birth and "name" (pick something fun and cute!) then it matches you with two boys that are actually online. I got to be the Judge, which meant I picked questions/flirtations to ask the "bachelors" and then voted for either one based on their answers. The answers are pretty funny. One of my guys was major rico suave and the other was cute boy-next-door (much more my type!). In the end you pick the one you like the best. Online flirtations! What's next cyber dates?! Crazy technology. But try it out! You might have some fun.


For more widgets please visit www.yourminis.com

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Sunday, June 1, 2008

Sex And The City Movie

I had a great time going to see this on Friday with some of my girls. It was all that I could have expected and more. I think I teared up at least 8 times. We all grew up with these women and the emotional attachment we feel to them is ridiculous. The fun outfits and beautiful New York scenery makes it pleasing to the eyes and any hopeless romantic will fall in love all over again with these woman. GO SEE IT NOW!!! I know I will be again.

Love Lovely!

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