Helen Mirren is just awesome. No, I don't know her personally, but I've read a couple of interviews she's done, and I greatly admire her. She's sassy while still being classy. She has confidence. She looks good, especially for her age, but really, she just looks good. And not just physically, but she seems to have this presence. It seems like she is comfortable being herself, physically and emotionally, but doesn't feel the need to rub it in anyone's face. She really seems to be someone who has accepted herself, for all of her flaws and her strengths. 

Here are my two favorite Helen Mirren quotes:

“The hardest period in life is one’s 20s. It’s a shame because you’re your most gorgeous and you’re physically in peak condition. But it’s actually when you’re most insecure and full of self-doubt. When you don’t know what’s going to happen, it’s frightening.” [Esquire]

"Your twenties are torture, really, because you don't know what you are going to be or whether it's all going to work out, and you are supposedly an adult but you haven't really learnt anything. You're always looking for your own place in the world, but you're insecure - you think you're wonderful one minute and you think you're a disaster the next. I think your thirties are a wonderful time." And her sixties? "It's brilliant, really, the way life organises itself, because you just slowly get used to what you are, don't you?" [Guardian UK]

I'm in my mid twenties and it's like she's describing my life exactly. 

The Balm "Hot Mama" shadow and blush
$19.00 for 0.25 oz

Description: "A true all-in-one essential: sexy shadow, striking blush, subtle highlighter, and light-reflecting lip finisher tucked inside a go-anywhere compact." Free of :
- Parabens
- Sulfates
- Synthetic Fragrances
- Synthetic Dyes
- Phthalates

Review: "Hot Mama" is a warm coral hue, with a touch of pink, and golden shimmer inspired by multi-tasking moms everywhere. The color is very pretty on cheeks and lips, but looked terrible on my eyes. (Let's stop trying to make everything multi-purpose, please!) Hot Mama lasts all day long, and still looks great by bedtime.  It's pigmented but not overly so, making it easy to apply and build. The blush is housed in an adorably decorated cardboard casing with a magnetic closure. The packaging doesn't seem as sturdy as some plastic compacts, but it's managed to hold up pretty well in my makeup bag! Which is actually quite impressive.

Pros:
-Gorgeous color, flattering on many skintones
-Reasonably priced

Cons:
-Doesn't work as an eye shadow

If you're looking for a dupe for NARS Orgasm, this is honestly pretty close. I prefer Hot Mama because color is less sparkly than the NARS version, and therefore more wearable. It's also much cheaper.

Click here to read the review of The Balm "Hot Mama" on We Heart This!

Recently, I'd been thinking about what magazines I wanted to get with my airline miles. I've subscribed to dozens of different publications in the past--fashion magazines, health and fitness magazines, food magazines, lifestyle magazines, etc. I just love them all! I take them everywhere. And while I have tons of miles, so I could get all the magazines I wanted, but I started to feel like some of the magazines didn't really bring me enjoyment. And even worse, I felt like they made me more discontent. They were basically page after page of advertisement, even the supposed "content" parts.

And while I've always considered myself to be immune to advertising ("I know it's all airbrushed!"), I felt like all of the stories and images made me wish I looked different. It brought out my insecurities. I felt more self conscious about how I looked and sounded, I wanted to Photoshop every picture of myself because I didn't like how I looked.  It would just be a little white lie, right?

And then, this week I saw these videos and was blown away. I realized, THAT's why I was so tired of certain magazines...

What do you think?  Are women and men objectified to different extents in advertising? Are you immune to advertising?

But make sure you get a good frosting recipe that actually holds your house together! Our first house fell apart because we used the included, so this is the replacement house, made with a frosting recipe that includes egg whites and cream of tartar. :)

Hey there, readers! Sorry it's been so long since I've posted. :( I'd love to hear how you're doing in the comments. As for me....

1. I dyed my hair red! Well, I went to a salon and had it done. It isn't as bright fire-engine-red as I'd hoped, and it's a little too orangey, so I'm going to have a friend redye it tomorrow. What do you think?

2. I bought one of the 5000 Naked 2 palettes today, and it totally made my day :) I waited months to buy the first Naked palette from Urban Decay, but it was totally worth it. I've bought it for several friends as gifts, and they all fell in love with it. So I HAD to have Naked 2.

3. I am obsessed with Lush's Abombinable bath bomb. It looks super cute, like an abominable snow monster, but it smells amazing. It's foamier and less fizzy than regular Lush bath bombs, but it really foams for awhile, and it looks really cool. It also smells AMAZING. I actually fell asleep in the tub, I was so relaxed. It's seasonal, so I highly recommend getting one ASAP! And they'd make an awesome gift too.

How are you doing, readers?

_I received this little solid fragrance to test out last year, but never got around to reviewing it. I felt like it was definitely a fall/winter fragrance and just recently remembered that I still had it! It's a little harder to find nowadays, but you can still get it from Amazon.com and a few other etailers.

Crazylibellule and the Poppies CrazyStick in "Hommage a Gabrielle":
Price: $18.00

Top note:  Ozonic flower.  Heart Notes: Wooded Incense, Indian Jasmine.  Base Notes:  Vanilla, Cedar, Russian Leather. This product is alcohol- and paraben-free.

Honestly, I didn't think that I would like about this fragrance at first, but the more I wore it, the more it grew on me! It's a slightly sweet, faintly Christmas tree-ish scent with bit of floral. It's natural and earthy while still being a bit feminine. The staying power is fabulous, and the packaging is super cute, and fairly durable for cardboard. It does leave a bit of a sticky spot on your skin, but It's definitely one of the more interesting scents that I own.

Lipgloss+Spandex rating: