I was incredibly excited when YMX offered to send me a Tribal Sea Running Tee and Tribal Sea Arm Warmers to review, and even MORE excited when they said they would provide a shirt for a giveaway as well!   Yay for awkward bathroom pictures! 13 Comments The ES A28 lashes are the second style of lashes that I've received from KKcenterHK to review on Lipgloss and Spandex (read my review on the first pair here). The first pair were really nice for a natural look, but these ES A28 lashes are definitely dramatic!   Years ago, I liked American Apparel. I had this great dress that was AA, a fabulous track jacket, and my favorite v-neck t-shirt of all time was made by AA. They're sweatshop free, and make products in a warehouse in LA! Ooooh and that whole "not branding every product with your logo" is soooo counter-culture! Next, I got skeeved out by it. Um, that was when I saw their product photos on their website, which look like they could be amateur soft-core porn. Yet they have obsessive "grooming standards" for their employees...and hire/fire employees based on appearance. Then I decided not to buy their products anymore after hearing about how the CEO was accused of sexual assault and sexual harassment (although he wasn't sentenced, it was all pretty shady). And recently, they started featuring mannequins with ridiculous breasts. And now I feel compelled to encourage others to boycott them as well,after hearing about their tacky "Next BIG Thing" plus-sized model search, complete with opportunity to give each entrant a public rating... And then how they refused to recognize Nancy Upton, who won the contest with her photos that mocked American Apparel, AND wrote a snarky, juvenile letter in response. They sicken me THAT MUCH. I know I'm never going to buy American Apparel again. What do you think about their company? Who has two eyes and loves testing out false eyelashes? THIS GAL! I was super pumped when KKcenterHK offered me the chance to try out some of their A855 false lashes to review on my blog.   Until recently, I'd LOVED races--loved the camaraderie, the swag (t-shirts! medals! Jamba Juice!), the energy. I looked forward to them, and that anticipation made training somewhat fun. I would just go out there and give it my all. After having done two marathons this year (Seattle Rock 'n' Roll and Eugene), I've been kind of burnt out on running. The stress of months of training and several VERY disappointing races had taken a lot of the fun out of it. I felt like my body and I were at odds with each other, and I became really critical of myself because I wasn't meeting any of my time goals. I decided after my last race (Lacamas Lake Half in July) that I was going to take a break from racing, and just run for fun. I wasn't going to worry about time or pace, just run when I felt like it, and spend more time doing other kinds of exercise. The only kink in my plan was Hood to Coast--a 200 mile relay with 12 person teams. I'd committed to doing it a year ago, and couldn't back out on my team so close to the race. I dreaded the 200 mile relay for weeks, but didn't want to be a Debbie Downer for my team, and reminded myself that if I gave my best, my friends would be proud of me no matter what my pace was, and that we had decided to run H2C a second year because it was FUN--we weren't going to win any division, but we had a great time doing this crazy relay anyway.  [Image source] Revitalash Eyelash Conditioner $78 for 0.13 fl oz/4.1 mL (6 month supply) from drugstore.com $62 for 0.08 fl oz/2.4 mL (3 month supply) from drugstore.com I received a 6 month supply of Revitalash from We Heart This to review. Honestly, I was excited to try it, but didn't expect to have really noticeable results. I'd tried other lash growth products (Ardell Brow & Lash Growth Accelerator, and vitamin E) without any results, and I wondered whether a non-prescription product would be effective. My initial thoughts: Revitalash comes in a liquid eyeliner type packaging, with a nice brush tip applicator that makes using this product very easy. The tube was standard eyeliner size, but didn't seem like it would last me six months of daily application. I accidentally got some in my eye when I first tried this--it BURNS for a few moments. Other than that, application was a breeze. The makers of Revitalash say it can take anywhere between 3-10 weeks to see results, when the product is applied daily, and then application can be reduced to a few times a week for maintenance. I applied the product every night to both my upper and lower lashlines, and started to see very slight results around 3 weeks, but saw significant results around 10 weeks. After 10 weeks, I continued to apply the product every night (just in case)! My lashes look longer and fuller. And I've received compliments from complete strangers about how great my lashes look! I haven't noticed any side effects. Here's photographic evidence of how well Revitalash works:  Click on the picture for the full sized image! I'm not wearing ANY makeup in either picture. I know the lighting is different, but the difference in my lashes is pretty obvious. I think Revitalash is a great product. The 4.1 mL tube of product (6 month supply) has in fact lasted a full six months of daily application to both my top and bottom lashes, and I still have a bit left! Although it is VERY expensive, you're only spending $13 a month on average. I'd be more than willing to give up a trip or two to Starbucks each month for these lashes! PROS:
Lipgloss + Spandex rating:   Click here to see my original review on WeHeartThis.com.  I know this is months after the release date, but I just had to review it! This is one of my absolute favorite MAC collections. I love the fun packaging, the oversized products, and the colors. While the quality of most of the products is average for MAC makeup, I definitely think there are plenty of items worth buying (and even buying backups)!
Where can you find these? Believe it or not, more than a dozen items from this collection are still available on MAC's website. You can also find a few items on Nordstrom.com, Bloomingdales.com, and Macys.com. Or if you can snatch up a few items in store, you should! Here's what I have (thanks to my boyfriend, who surprised me with these on Valentine's Day): Ladies... I've found my Holy Grail of glitter nail polishes! ManGlaze "Hot Mess" Bling Matte Top Coat is everything that a glitter-loving gal could ever want...   ManGlaze "Hot Mess" Bling Matte Topcoat $13.13 for 0.5 oz Description: "(AKA FishDicks) The glossy destroying powers of Matte-Astrophe but with a stupidly evil amount of glistening bling. Put this over any color and drool. Hell ain't so bad!" Review: ManGlaze "Hot Mess" has a ridiculous amount of microglitter. It is labelled as a bling matte top coat, but the glitter is so dense that it can turn your nails into total disco balls with just two coats. The size of the glitter is just perfect. PROS:
Lipgloss + Spandex rating:   Click here to read the review of ManGlaze "Hot Mess" Bling Matte Top Coat on We Heart This!  Image from www.runwithwes.com Sooooo... I ended up running the full. Here's how it went down. FRIDAY: My bf and I rrived in downtown Seattle around 4pm, got parked around 4:30. Ran into the expo, grabbed my packet, t-shirt, and swag bag. I was pleased that this year's shirts were cuter than last year's. I was also pleased that they hadn't run out of RnR Seattle Brooks running jackets, unlike last year. I limited myself to that ONE merch item (although I pondered buying a souvenir pint glass also). Walked along the Seattle waterfront w/the boyfriend, founda delicious restaurant where we ate dinner (we were a little underdressed...oops). We crashed at my brother's and cousin's condo for the night. Only got a few hours of sleep.  Image from www.running.competitor.com SATURDAY: Woke up at 6. Got all my stuff on, ate a little breakfast. Rushed out the door. The starting line drop off point was less than 4 miles away from the condo, but traffic was CRAZY and I got to the start line way after my corral starts. Fortunately, since the race was chip timed, I just jumped in line and got started. Within moments of starting the race, I had a weird pain in my upper left leg that I haven't ever had before. I started to get worried that I wouldn't even be able to run any distance, or even drop down to the half and walk it. I decided to stick with it and see how it goes. It got better within a few miles. My tendonitis in my left food started acting up within the first mile as well. And I dry heaved on the side of the road around mile 5. Not a good start to the race--I did ponder if it was a sign that I was supposed to quit, then decide I'm too stubborn to not race. I decide to wait and see how I feel at the fork where the half marathon and marathon courses split around mile 9/ Ended up feeling alright at the split, and I decided to try for the marathon. I hit the wall at mile 11, because I had been so nauseous that I couldn't fuel. I started eating running gummies like mad, and downing water at every post. Slowly started to feel better, but ended up taking a lot of walking breaks between mile 11 and the end of the race. Saw my bf at miles 15 and 22. Mile 24, started getting calf and thigh cramps. Tried to stick out the last part and finish strong. Managed to run across the finish line, not in too much pain. Although my time was slow (4:50:26), I consider it a decent race given the mental and physical circumstances. And my bf bought me flowers from Pike Place Market, so I can't be too upset :)  I think I'll take a break from running marathons for awhile. I'll still run, but I need a break. Mentally and physically. Just focus on overall fitness. How was your weekend? So, bad news bears. I might not run this weekend's Seattle Rock 'n' Roll marathon. My left ankle (well, probably the tibial tendon actually) has been hurting for a couple of weeks now. It'll be okay the first part of long runs, then start to hurt around mile 9. It's been killing my pace. After running, the arch hurts too. All of my searches on ta interwebs are pointing to anterior tibial tendonitis. I've tried taking it easy, taking NSAIDS, stretching, and getting supportive insoles, but it doesn't seem much better... When I ran a mile this morning on the treadmill, I had some pain in that foot :( I don't want to have another miserable marathon. I don't want to be in pain. I don't want to have to walk it. I don't want to mess it up more, and then have a long recovery period. It's possible for me to drop down to the half marathon, but it'd be a downer. What would you do? |  Hi, I'm Marilyn, and this is my blog! I'm a twenty-something living in the Pacific Northwest. I have an obsession with makeup, and sometimes I actually go to the gym, run, lift, or do yoga. I also write over at WeHeartThis.
 
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