Less than $2 eye make-up remover

My face wash does a pretty good job of removing my eye make-up, so even when a little bit of mascara or eye liner is left behind, I don't need much remover to wipe my eyes clean.  After seeing a friend swear by Vaseline Petroleum Jelly (PJ) as an eye make-up remover, I decided to give it a whirl.  I have to tell you, after 6 months of use, I couldn't be happier with the product results and more importantly, the ridiculously cheap price.

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I purchased a 1.75 oz "travel-size" jar of Vaseline PJ from Target for less than $2 and I've barely made a dent in it.  I gently rub a little finger dab of PJ around my eyes and wipe clean with one of these:


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You may be afraid this product could cause break-outs and you aren't alone.  There are a lot of conflicting opinions on the web about the use of PJ on your skin, so I did some online research.  According to the research-supported beauty product review Web site Beautypedia, "PJ has been around since 1982 and remains one of the safest, most benign cosmetic ingredients ever created, and there’s no research to the contrary."

As I've mentioned before, I have extremely oily and breakout prone skin.  Clearly I'm not lathering PJ all over my cheeks and chin (although some people swear by it as a moisturizer and for wrinkle prevention), but the little bit I use around my eye area has caused me absolutely zero irritation or breakouts.  I love it!

My handbag haven

I've realized I don't do a very good job of blogging about my bargain fashion finds, so for now on I am going to highlight fashion finds more often because that's really where I put my bargain shopping skills to use the most.  I don't know why I haven't been sharing, please forgive me friends. 

I typically only buy on clearance/sale or at my absolute favorite discount store, TJ Maxx.  I really do consider myself a "Maxxinista".  I love buying reduced-price designer jeans there, work and "going-out" tops, summer and special occasion dresses, shoes and home decor (i.e. my obsession with Home Goods). You name it, I can probably find it at a TJ Maxx.  They get thousands of shipments of merchandise weekly priced up to 60 percent off department store prices.  I mean, hello!  This is a bargain shopper's dream store.

TJ Maxx is also the first (and usually last) place I hit when I am in need of (or want) a new handbag.   Like the title of this post states, my 'handbag haven' for brand-name bags at discounted prices is TJ Maxx.  Michael Kors (yes, please), Dooney & Bourke, Juicy Couture, Nine West, B. Makowsky, Fossil, Jessica Simpson, Kathy Van Zeeland, Steve Madden, Gucci, etc. just to name a few.  

This 'haven' I speak of  is always located right by the store entrance and almost impossible to resist.  Even if you aren't in the market for a new bag, it will be hard to divert your eyes away from the enormous color-coded selection of bags when you walk in the door.  Just like shoes and unlike denim, handbags don't judge you if you gain an extra 5 to 10 pounds, and that's why a good handbag and I tend to get along just great. 

I am one of those people who will invest in a quality handbag and wear it for a year or more.  Don't side-eye me.  Yes, I'll wear it through every season, I'll use it every single day and I won't care what anyone thinks.  I have a hard enough time getting out the door with a full face of make-up on.  The last thing I need to worry about is switching out my purse contents too.  The only time I switch out is when I go from handbag to clutch on weekends because I for one am not lugging a big bag around a bar or at a crowded restaurant.  No thank you.

The last 2 every day handbags I purchased were from you guessed it, TJ Maxx.

Last month I scooped up this Nine West black bag from TJ Maxx for only $31.39 after tax.  I love how big it is and how many compartments it has inside because I tend to carry a lot of stuff with me.  I have no problem fitting everything I need in this bag.

I purchased this B. Makowsky tote at TJ Maxx in August 2009 with some birthday money.  I carried it until recently when I got the Nine West bag mentioned above.  It's been through a lot and it's held up perfectly the entire time.  If my memory serves me correctly, I paid either around $160 or $140 for it (sorry, had a few glasses of wine since then), but it was originally close to $300. 

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So there you have it.  My favorite place to find bargain-priced handbags is none other than TJ Maxx.  Do you have a go-to store for handbags?

We're finally melting + Super Bowl hoopla

Happy Monday, Dallas has just about thawed out!  Well, except for the parking lot by my apartment where the sun doesn't hit.

Last night I was walking over to my brother's apt (he lives in the same building) to take him an ice pack since he slipped on the ice and popped his ankle when what do you know?  I slipped myself and my brand new Blackberry Torch caught my fall, which shattered the screen on my phone.  This is why I can't have nice things!  The good news is I have insurance on my phone and I can get a replacement, so  I suppose it's not the end of the world.

Other than the continuation of this crazy weather, another big event was going on here.  You may have heard about it ... the Super Bowl?  It's been hectic in the Big D to say the least. 

Saturday night my best friend Liz and I went to the Bud Light Hotel for the Pitbull, Ke$ha and Nelly concert. We waited in the LONGEST line of our lives, and I never want to relive that again. Literally over 2 hours standing in high heels.  However, once we got inside the concert, it was worth the wait and a lot of fun.  Here are some photos from our evening:
 

Liz and I on our way to the concert.

 

Isn't she such a fashionista?  Her sequin blazer is Forever 21.  My clutch is vintage from my Grandma and I get more compliments than you could ever imagine on this purse.  You can't see all detail on it, I'll have to take a pic of it and post.  Thanks Grandma!!



Posing on the step and repeat pretending to be celebs.

During the concert. Love her, besties since 6th grade!



Pitbull performing.  When we finally got inside, he was already singing.  We missed most of his performance, boo!



The stage right when we walked into the performance tent.  Pitbull performing his last song.



We were too far back in the crowd to get a good picture, but here is Ke$ha performing.  

 

So many hands in the air taking pics, and I was too short to reach. 

  

Nelly was the last act.  We were a little closer for his performance.

  

I wish I got better pictures!

So that about sums up my weekend.  I tried to stay away from the Super Bowl madness as much as possible, but this concert was my one exception.  I didn't even watch the game last night except I caught part of the half-time show.  I just can't get into the NFL, I stick to college football.  Did you have an exciting Super Bowl weekend?  What did you do?  Any of you Dallas peeps spot a celeb?

Fitness (& freezing) Friday!

Oh, hello 6+ inches of snow.  This weather just keeps getting more insane in Texas! My office was open today, so I attempted to drive into work (about 15 miles away), but couldn't even get out of my apartment parking lot.  My tires just kept spinning and I was stuck.  To give you an idea of the snow here, here is my apartment pool this morning around 8 a.m.:

 

Even though it is a freezing Friday, this post is all about Fitness Friday, so I'll get to it: 

I started off this week by working out with a girlfriend at a nearby park.  We ran hills, did lunges up hill (omg), walked at least a mile and ran suicides across a football field (who did we think we were?).

Then the "Texas blizzard of 2011" hit us, so Tuesday I did nothing but stay indoors under warm blankets. Fail. Wednesday I bundled up and walked to my apartment gym and got a good session of cardio and weights in.  Last night I was going to do the same, but on my walk to pay my rent, I slipped and fell pretty bad on solid ice.  No gym after that, I was pouting and was sore from the fall.  Fail X 2.  This afternoon I'm going to my apartment gym to do cardio and weights again so that I will at least meet my goal of 3 days in one week.

As far as my diet goes I've done good this week watching calories.  I haven't been drinking as much water as I should or taking my multi-vitamin every day, but hey ... one step at a time.  The scale has dropped a few pounds so far, so something is working.

I've been using random travel carry-ons for my gym bag, but I decided if I'm going to get serious about getting fit, I need a serious gym bag that is both functional and somewhat stylish.

I started my gym bag research the old fashion way: by Googling "cheap gym bag for women", and one of the results was from Overstock.com.  I picked out a couple that I liked around a $30 price point, but eventually decided on one with my Alma mater's logo embroidered on it.  A few clicks later, my new gym bag was ordered.  Here is what it looks like (They have 25 schools to choose from all priced differently.  Click here to see if they have your school):


Texas Tech gym bag. Price: $31.99

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 Here are a few other bags that almost made the cut.  Which one is your favorite or none at all?


I liked this one for it's yoga or shoe holder on the side.  Price: $26.98  

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I thought this one might be too small, but I love the polka dots.  Price: $23.99

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Puma girl's duffel bag with adjustable strap. Price: $24.99

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I never thought I'd say this ...

... but after 2 days of being iced/snowed-in at my apartment, I was actually looking forward to going back to work today. Even if I had to dress like an Eskimo:

I know I look creepy, but this is literally how I had to drive to work today in order not to freeze. As I type this post, it is 22 degrees in Dallas, but it "feels like 12" thanks to the wind chill. Not. Normal. 

Last night one of our local news stations showed footage of a girl literally ice skating down her neighborhood street. My apartment parking lot is covered in solid ice too. Here's a picture I took on my phone yesterday from my balcony: 



The bottom line is we're just not equipped to handle this weather in Texas. Yesterday we started experiencing "rolling blackouts" statewide in order to conserve power to generate enough electricity. Lucky for us, this meant sporadically your electricity would go out in 10 to 45 minute increments. Awesome.

I know I shouldn't complain because I saw how bad Chicago got it, but it would be the same way if you were a New Yorker and started getting over 100 degree weather. At least I hope so anyway. Are we big babies or do you feel my pain?

P.S. Even with this crazy weather, I haven't forgotten tomorrow is my first installment of "Fitness Friday". I'll share with you my progress as I work to become "fit and fab" as well as where I got a steal on a brand new gym bag. Stay tuned and stay warm!