Girl Talk Thursday – Time Savers

I feel no shame in admitting that I use time savers.

The shame is more in the fact that  I don’t use them because I’m BUSY or IMPORTANT and don’t have TIME to do things.

Instead the shame rests solely on the fact that I am butt-ass LAZY.

So I will give you my “Top Five Time-savers I Could Not / Will Not Live Without (In No Particular Order)”  or “TFTSICNWNLW(INPO)” because acronyms are cool and will totally save you time.

Though it’s not one of my TFTSICNWNLW(INPO). Because that’s just silly.

1. CARDIGANS!. I cannot shout this loud enough for you to understand how much time cardigans! save me.

Have to get ready for work in 10 minutes because I slept in until 7:40am and have to leave the house by 7:50am to get to work by 8:05am and pretend I am on time? Throw on a (hopefully) clean t-shirt or top and cover it with a Cardigan!. Maybe add a scarf to Jaunt It Up!

I own maybe 6 or 7 cardigans! and (try to) rotate them, though I’ve been known to wear the same one 5 out of 7 days. And I don’t even care.

2. Slip on flats.

At any given time I own between 3 and 7 pairs. Currently I have a pair of dark green, a pair of red, and two pairs of black (one smooth, one suede-y). In addition, I have a pair with a candy print and a strap, a pair with cut-outs shaped like flowers, and a “fancy” pair with ~JEWELS~ (not to be confused with JULES) on their sides.

Flats are awesome for multiple reasons – quick to put on, good for pants or dresses, quick to take off, cute!, and pretty affordable.

I am currently coveting these:

3. SHREDDED CHEESE!

wait.

There we go.

Ok. Shredded cheese. My time and life saver.

It’s 8:30pm. We haven’t made dinner. We don’t want to.

What have we got? CHEESE. PRE SHREDDED. A MILLION OPTIONS ARE OPEN TO US! And we wont skin our knuckles off trying to shred our Costco block of cheddar!

Top 3 things that are quick to make and DELISHUS

-Quesadillas – we always have tortillas in the house. Because otherwise you are Un-American. Or something. (Usually we go for Quesadillas with veggies and maybe, if we are feeling industrious, some meat thrown in).

-Breakfast nachos – eggs, bacon, shredded cheese, bell peppers, onions, sometimes potatoes over chips. Bake or broil for 2 – 5 minutes, or until cheese is gooey. Not the most healthy but delicious and easy.

-Groiled Cheese – not grilled (though also delicious) but GROILED. Lightly toasted bread, fresh smushed garlic* spread on the toast, a slice of lunch meat (i go turkey) a slice of tomato or tomato sauce, topped with some shredded cheese. Broil for 2 – 5 minutes or until cheese is as melted as you want it. Eat like an open-faced sandwich.

*I usually microwave a couple of tablespoons of butter and mix in the garlic so it’s a GARLIC BUTTER. You can also prepare this butter ahead of time and store it in the fridge or freezer for a while to be used on whatever you please. Add more or less garlic to your taste.

4. Not Washing My Hair

Most people do some variation on this, but I have a system that saves me more time that I expected it to when I first worked it out.(Please note: I shower in the morning 90% of the time so my hair is usually wet daily and works for me.)

Day 1: Wash hair. Condition. Style/Wear/Etc.

Day 2: Ignore hair in shower. Style/Wear/Etc.

Day 3: Condition. Style/Wear/Etc.

Day 4: Ignore hair again. Style/Wear/Etc.

By day 4, the natural oils and the condition work together to overpower whatever goo you’ve put in your hair in the first place and I have no problem waiting that long to wash my hair. Plus, styling it gets easier because I fight with it less and put in less effort. TWO FOLD TIME SAVER!

Add in the time you save IN THE SHOWER washing it (it’s only like 3 minutes but man, that can be a LONG time!) and it becomes THREE-FOLD!

5. Roller Color Eye Shadow

Maybelline makes this roll-on eye shadow that my mom and I found at a Longs a few years ago. It’s quick and easy and saves me worrying about make-up in the morning. It’s enough for me to feel like I’ve put effort in without being a pain-in-the-ass.

I don’t use a pink (mine is a softer, lighter color that doesn’t appear to be on their list?) but highly recommend it if you ever bother with eye make up.

(I’m including a #6 that used to be #5 cause I remembered what #5 was supposed to be.)

6. Making my boyfriend drive me to work every morning

I almost used a different one but I think this really is one of the biggest. I didn’t want to put it in, because it’s not really that I make him drive me to work.

It was actually his idea. It wakes him up early enough to be on time to work in another town, and lets us have a little extra morning together time.

Plus I don’t have to leave the house 15 minutes earlier than normal to get to the bus stop in time to be on time to work. And I hate the bus.

If I didn’t get that ride every morning, my routine would be completely off and I wouldn’t have nearly as much time to get ready in the morning.

Time saver! And sleep saver! And sanity saver! Woo!

So those are the TFTSICNWNLW(INPO) that save ME time.

How about you?

GTT: Ballerina Princess Bride

Girl Talk Thursday this week is “What did you want to be when you grew up”.

We’ll skip the “LET’S PRETEND I AM A GROWNUP HAR HAR” joke (because I know I would totally make it and I’m trying NOT to) and get down to the point.

A Ballerina Princess Bride.

Not JUST a Ballerina.

That wasn’t enough. But I wanted that grace and elegance – the pointed toes, the long legs, the perfect bun.

And not JUST a Princess.

Not enough either. I wanted to be royal and wear a crown and be loved and rich. But not just that.

And not JUST a Bride.

Totally needed more, though the veil and the ring and the LOVE we good additions.

My mom would ask “What about a Ballerina Princess?”

“NO!”

“What about a Princess Bride?”

“NO NO NO!”

“What about a Ballerina Bride?”

“NOOOO! I have to be a Ballerina PRINCESS Bride!”

And now I am!

Dreams DO come true!

—

I wanted to be a writer.

BEAUTY SECRETS: Girl Talk Thursday

My beauty secret for everyone this week (who would have thought I had one of those?! OR COULD UPLOAD TO YOUTUBE?!) is my hair-do, as that lovely video stated.

This style is super quick and easy, and easily done for people with long or short, curly or straight hair.

So lets start! I hope you enjoy it!

QUICK WARNING: This post ended up being SUUUUPER long. That was unintentional. And i didnt even include ALL the pictures. Woof!

To begin, grab the stuff you’re going to need:  a comb or brush, bobby pins and hair product*.

*I’m using Davines Protein Sculpting Lotion which is awesome for curly hair – good curls without being crunchy, oily or sticky. I also sometimes use Matrix.Curl which gives a more defined and slightly crunchier look and feel.

Your product can be hair spray, mousse, gel, whatever you’ve got or usually use. It just needs to be able to get your hair to stay in the shape you put it in. If you have curly hair, it’s not a HUGE deal, but your hair will be a little more poofy. Straight hair needs SOMETHING in it or it will fall out at the end of the day. I’ve kept this ‘do in for 2 days straight (eww) with only minor maintenance, but I’ve got curls so that could have something to do with it.

STEP ONE:

Get yo’ hair wet.

STEP TWO:

brush / comb / detangle / finger / fork it* to make sure you’ve got no knots.

*Like the Little Mermaid!

STEP THREE:

Add your product. I know you just combed it and now you’re adding product? I DON’T EVEN! THAT! WHAT! MAKES NO SENSE, etc.

trust me. it works better this way. IVE TRIED IT THE OTHER WAY AND I AM SAVING YOU THE TROUBLE.

product product product

Then, part on the side. Whichever side you prefer a part on. You could do it down the middle if you want. I usually part mine on my left. Just kind of how it happened (and keeps happening).

THIS IS MY PART ISNT IT AWESOME.

STEP FOUR:

grab some bobby pins. Starting with one is good.

STEP FIVE:

Starting on the SMALLER side of your part, grab the chunk of your hair starting at your part and ending in front of your ear and pull it back. As you do this, twist it once or twice:

Ive found that its easier for me to wrap OVER rather than under. (The hair underneath over the top.)

Pin this twist in place. I usually use two bobby pins criss-crossed to hold it in place. (below.)

You can ignore the fact that my scalp is showing. Between the hair DRYING and the tidying you do later, this is easily fixed.

STEP SIX:

Pull out your bangs. If you have actual bangs, just don’t grab them. If you DON’T have bangs, or have LONG bangs, pull out the front chunk of them, they’ll get used later:

Then repeat the twist – and – pin on the other side:

The amount of bangs you leave out depends totally on how big you want your front twist to be.

You should look something like this. Except with your face, not mine. Cause that would be weird:

You can stop here if you want. The back at this point looks cute and its simple. OR YOU CAN PRESS ON:

This is where it starts to get tricky. Partially because I do this ON THE BACK OF MY HEAD and partially because pictures don’t really make it super clear. Sorry.

STEP SEVEN:

Pinch the two ends of your twists together, or at least pull them into the center of your head. You want them tucked together so they don’t puff out. If you have longer hair, it helps if you make a mini-bun and use a pin or two to make sure they’re secure. If you DO pin your twist-ends in, make sure they are a little bit below where your twists are pinned. Shorter hair wont need to be pinned.

Then collect the rest of your hair (the BOTTOM) and bring it up to about even with your pinned twists.

The ends should flop forward on their own (if not, just tuck them forward with your free hand). Make sure they are in FRONT of the hair you’ve pulled up (not hanging down the back of your head).

It doesn’t need to be pretty or tidy at this point. The clean up comes later (WHEN YOU CAN USE BOTH HANDS!)

At this point, all your ends (twist ends and bottom ends) should be tucked inside this jumble. A few ends may stick out based on your hair type / length, but the main amount should be inside. This is what will make it puff out.

STEP EIGHT:

Now we pin this lump into place.

Decide which side of your head you’re going to start on. DONT start in the middle. Everything will fall apart.

Holding the main lump of hair in one hand, bobby pin a loop or section of your folded and tucked up hair into place.

Ive found it works better if you snag some hair and slide the pin sideways, then down and in.

One or two pins on each side should be enough to hold it for now. It doesn’t have to be 100% secure, but it needs to hold enough for you to feel comfortable letting go.

STEP NINE:

Repeat on other side:

Remember to NOT pin in the center. UNLESS YOU WANT YOUR HAIR TO BE V-SHAPED.

pins pins pins

At this point you should have a nice mildly messy lump of hair:

It should be secure enough that you aren’t concerned about it falling at the moment.

STEP TEN:

TIDY TIDY TIDY

From here on out (except for the last stage) all we’re going to do it tidy up the loose bits, smooth out the strays and secure the hair to your head. Like I said, Ive slept in this and its lasted.

Using as many bobby pins as you want (this hair style lends itself to hiding them for the most part), snag the loose bits and pin them into the space between your skull and the lump youve pinned up.

This secures it AND gives your roll definition.

please ignore the clutter that is my sink.

In the end, you can smooth as much as you want. Ive spent 20 minutes making sure everything was perfectly tucked in, but (ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE CURLS) it doesn’t have to be perfect by any stretch.

And there you have it!

Now you’re all asking me, BUT KAT. WHAT DO I DO WITH THIS SHIT?!:

WELL I AM GETTING TO THAT OK!

STEP ELEVEN:

(Holy crap i didn’t realize this would end up being so many steps! sorry!)

Bangs.

If you have short bangs, or want to leave your longer bangs loose, you can skip this step.

Pull your bangs to the LARGER side of your part (again, trust me on this).

Twist the chunk towards you (like you’re starting your car. unless you have a prius. in that case, fuck your car starty button thing). Make sure the top and front of this twist are smooth or you end up with lumps (like this). Twist basically ALL of this hair, like to the end (not just once or twice like at the beginning).

Pull this back to where you pinned your OTHER twist on this side, and pin into place.

You’ll have the little end part, so just tuck that into the back and pin the tip into the crease.

And then you’re really done!

Ta-dah!

You WILL get compliments on this. It also gets a lot easier to do once you’ve done it a few times.

You can embellish by adding cute bobby pins, bows or headbands. Instead of the fancy tuck in the back, you can twist your hair into a simple bun (just tuck in the edges) and pin the front bangs the same way. Sometimes I leave a few shorter curls out at the bottom. MILLIONS OF VARIATIONS!

So, thats my beauty secret. From me to you. Let me know if you try it!

Love,

Kat

Girl Talk Thursday: UGGO CELEBS

You may disagree, but I dont really care. These are the hotties you like that I think need to never have their pictures taken.

COUNT DOWN STYLE

5. ZAC EFRON

what the hell guys. he looks like hes 5. seriously. not hot.

NO ZAC NO

4. HAYDEN CHRISTENSEN

i… what. no. just no. also: can’t act. (See: EVERY MOVIE HES EVER BEEN IN EVER)

3. PARIS HILTON

this one is obvious. shes only famous cause of her family.

2. RPATTZ

I will one day write a post about my hatred and disgust with him. He is NOT his character. He is icky and crazy and gross and never showers. How can that be attractive? No.

1. MEGAN FOX

oh. my. god. The hatred and not hot-ness I have for megan fox is like… overwhelming at times. like, i have to step away from situations because of it. God damn i hate megan fox and her attention. Shes only “hot” because she pays a lot of money to get her body to look like that and sticks her tongue out all the time. Seriously. Ew.

Also: Shes dumb.

Also Also: BITCHFACE

(Bonus: Olivia Munn:
)

(also also: penelope cruz)

Girl Talk Thursday and Boy Talk Friday: The Fictional Five

This is late because my computer ate it for a little while sorry. xo.

My five came fairly quickly to mind:

1. Spike Spiegel from Cowboy Beebop

The first time I saw CBB i was all “hoooo chit!” yeah he smokes and he drinks but hes a fuckin SPACE COWBOY for christ sake! those are only bonuses!

2. Jim Halpert from the office

I mean come on. Cute, funny, the tricks on dwight! the smiles at the camera, the obvious love for pam, the half-assed yet awesome halloween costumes? WIN.

3. the tapatio guy

I know its weird but im obsessed with this man. I MEAN LOOK AT HIM. The ‘stache, the hat, the Muy Salsa! Hes a stone fox.

4. Indiana MotherFuckin Jones

I was literally in love with Indiana Jones. Literally. My mother worried for me. I still absolutely adore him. I even had an Indiana Jones jacket that I have since given to my sister. Hot, rugged, sweaty, strong, and such a hero. Fuck archeology, give me a grave robber.

5. Malcolm Reynolds and Han Solo for a tie. (And dont tell me its not allowed!)

These two hold that special place in my heart. The scruffy misbehavin’ nerfherder tight pants place. The captain of the best ship ever place. The I MELT IN MY PANTS place.

I have no words past that.

UNF.

Somehow I managed to get Jesse to talk about this too. I feel like thats winning enough. He had a little bit harder time than I did but came up with a list I am mildly envious of.

1. Leeloo

I had a crush on her as soon as I saw her and it hasn’t let up a bit. The beautiful and exotic Leeloo. The Fifth Element. The perfect being sent to save mankind from certain destruction. An exquisite blend of self-sufficient, elegant badassery and unguarded love-me-now fragility. She’s sexually naïve, but not in a childish or off-putting way. I get the feeling I might be able to kiss her, but never without her permission.

2. Tank Girl

Rude, dirty, offputtingly eccentric, but still irresistible. Tank Girl is an unapologetic badass who doesn’t know when to quit. She’s fiercely loving and loyal, but won’t put up with bullshit. She also would be great in the sack; sweaty, grimy, might-as-well-burn-the-mattress-now sex, and that’d just be starting off the night. Oh, and you know she wouldn’t wait till after sex to smoke, she’d be doing it the whole time.

3. Chani

Since my first read through of Dune I’ve had a thing for Chani. The Fremen concubine of Paul Muad’Dib, Chani is hard and weathered but young and graceful. Beautiful and passionate and absolutely deadly with a crysknife. And those eyes… those blue-in-blue, terrifying eyes.

4. Ygritte

Fire touched and ice-hard, Ygritte is a spear wife of the free folk. She is a combination of girlishly naïve and wise beyond her years in a way that is nothing but endearing. She took some time to grow on me, but she managed to work her way to one of my favorite fictional women in a very short time. I certainly wouldn’t mind giving this fur-clad vixen the Lord’s Kiss.

5. Sabriel

Sabriel is dark and powerful, beautiful and odd. She probably has the best hygiene out of anyone on my list, but also has some of the dirtiest work: battling demons and the zombies they raise from death. She’s sometimes fragile, often scared, but always strong enough to face the task at hand, even if she needs a bit of help.

Thats our girl and boy talk. whats yours? Girl Talk Thursday