Cargo: SmokyEye Eyeliner Duo

I've been told that grey is all the rage these days. I think you can learn all about it here. Bless those Sephora people! Upon their advice I grabbed the Cargo SmokyEye Eyeliner Duo in Budapest and have been enjoying it steadily for the past two days. I've been on a brown kick for the last two months, so getting back to the cold greys and blacks have helped me embrace the cooler fall weather.

What's neat about this set is that one liner is cream and the other is powder. You can use them on their own or put the powder on top of the cream and blend to create a great smoky effect. I've taken to using the cream to line my lashes on top and bottom and then spreading the powder over my lids (using a primer first). This has to be done sparingly so it doesn't look too heavy, but when it's right, oh my, it's right.

I may just have to pick this up in the Madagascar colour as well.

HRH

Just take my blood now! Please.

Blood tests. They're a part of my life. I get them at least 3 times a year. I'm one of those strange people who has to watch the needle go in. Really, I'm a pro at it. I was in for one of my tests today and had an experience that had me on the verge of a down with the healtcare system hissy fit.

I've generally got Buddha-like patience for the healthcare system, but when the people running the lab you're supposed to be going to arrive 30 minutes late and you have to fight of throngs of the elderly to keep your place in line it can put you on edge. After you've had your person information screamed across a small room and you're already 30 minutes late for work it can raise you blood pressure a tad. Fifteen minutes later, when you're finally about to have three stupid tubes of your blood taken out and the lab tech walks away from you, a moment before she's about to stick a needle in your arm so that she can have a 5-minute conversation on the phone, you might start making squeak-y noises of suppressed rage.

I have never lost my temper in public. Never, ever. I've become stern once or twice, but even in the face of bad service or general chaos, I usually manage to retain my polite and friendly demeanor. In that moment I understood the place that people go to when they pitch a hissy-fit. I was there. I was ready to stand up and scream, but I closed my eyes, took a couple of deep breaths and tried to get the room to stop spinning.

You see, for the tests I was having done I had to fast. I'm on a very regimented and timed diet, so if I don't get to eat at the time I'm meant to eat, it's pretty much all bad. It's a 5'11" baby with the ability to rationalize, whine and hit people.

I hadn't had any food for more than 12 hours. I was two hours behind my smoothie and my tummy was demanding oatmeal. I had a smoothie in my bag, just waiting for the moment the tests were complete, as I knew (and I was right) that every cell in my body was going to be screaming for sugar.

Eventually the lab tech got off the phone (it was even a personal call!) and came back to finally take my blood. I remained composed. I knew that getting upset wouldn't help a damn thing. I do wonder if she could tell that my blood was boiling as it came out of my arm.

Today's sing-a-long song: "Waiting" by Matthew Sweet

HRH

It's not that I like beating dead horses

But I had to post this list for Mr. Holmes. It's just too perfect.

Today's sing-a-long song: "What's the story, morning glory" by Oasis

HRH

To the end of my twenties

So this is the last year of my twenties. Looking back at the person I was during my first year of my twenties, part of me wants to give that girl a hug and another part really wants to smack her around a bit, tell her to chill out. I'm sure that if 20-year-old me saw me now she'd be impressed as hell at all I've done. How I've gotten my act together and found out that being the person you've always wanted to be is as easy as being yourself.

I took the 23rd off to do a little celebrating on my own, most of it facilitated by the incredible lemon/raspberry loaf that Jenn made me. I hit the spa and got some much needed grooming and my favourite thing ever; a hand massage. If I had one of those a week I'm sure I'd be a much nicer person.

Then I got to spend a good hour getting my makeup done by a makeup artist from London. I sometimes wonder if makeup artists like working on me, since I'm always asking them questions. It was very fun to see myself in very glam makeup and almost a shame that I wasn't going out clubbing that night. I was so overdone for the mall. At the same time, opportunities to look like that come up so rarely in my life. I might as well rock it when I've got them.

I'm not entirely sure what today will entail. I'm looking forward to spending the evening with my friends and sharing a lot of laughs with M.

As much as I've groused about getting older in recent months, it's really not as bad as I'd thought it would be. Of course I say that turning 29, who knows what kind of irrational age-obsessed beast I'll become this time next year. Regardless, happy birthday to me.

Today's sing-a-long song: "Cosmic Girl" by Jamiroquai

HRH

Now that's done

With Canadian JD Fortune becoming the new lead singer of INXS, I now have a good chunk of my evenings back. In fact I'm quite happy to see that I have only two television commitments a week: CSI and House. Two hours of television that I can manage and all kinds of hours that I am free to do other things. Like paint, read, exercise, play double bass, sleep. The possibilities are many.

I'm hoping to get back into my Prague lifestyle a bit. Where TV wasn't the standard entertainment for the evening. We got into that kind of head space last night when M spent a good two and a half hours reading McSweeney's lists to me. It's been a long time since I've laughed that hard for that long and it wasn't at someone else's expense. Things that have had me in a steady guffaw for the past 24 hours include this, this and most importantly this. The last one many be trumping this for the title of "thing that has made me laugh the most" this year.

Today's sing-a-long song: "I love to laugh" from Marry Poppins

HRH

Benefit: Highbrow

You know it's scary when you google for a product and the first hit is your beauty wish list.

But I digress.

I'm going to save my rant about the importance of eyebrows. You all know by now. It's the difference between just pretty and totally together. Highlighting the area just beneath your eyebrow can really open up the eye.

You can do this with a light eyeshadow or you can get a product like Highbrow that makes it dead easy. Put a line under your brow, blend and voila! Life would be a dream if all things that easy had such a wonderful return.

HRH

A Canadian, an American and an Australian walk into an audition...

I don't know if I'm ashamed to say this or not, but I've just been so into Rockstar:INXS this summer. I didn't mention it before because a certain Australian friend of mine forbid me to mention it from the moment I told him I'd seen the show. I wasn't even allowed to call it by name. As the finale is next Tuesday, I've had to stop being so sensitive to Christopher's unexplained issues and speak openly of my affection for this show.

Not only is it the one of the most brilliant marketing ideas I've seen a band employ, it's also been really entertaining television. I can only handle reality TV when it's some sort of singing and dancing competition, hence my affection for cheese-fests like American Idol and Dancing with the Stars. There's no fighting, no timed home-reno and no one eating bugs. Just singing and dancing. Exactly that I'm looking for when I'm trying to unplug from the world.

The entertainment offered from Rockstar:INXS has existed on many levels. First, and most obviously, the singing competition. If there's one thing I enjoy it's being an armchair performance critic. I'm musically trained, generally bitter and full of my own unfufilled dreams. I think that qualifies me as a perfect for that task. There have been many opportunities to extoll the virtues of some really great performances and at the same time, chances to let the venom run free.

Second, I've had the chance, twice a week for the past 11 weeks, to watch in horror as possibly one of the most attractive women known to humanity find deeper and more grotesque levels of clothing retardation. When you have a perfect figure, why cover it in all the cast-offs of failed music careers long past? Why Brooke, Why?

Lastly, I've been able to go on a little nostalgia trip to my pre-teen years. Where Andrea and I would spend all day listening to Kick and discuss her all encompassing crush on Michael Hutchence. It even compelled me to purchase a Greatest Hits CD. Further proving the brilliance of this marketing scheme.

Do I think any of Marty, Mig or JD have the ability to rekindle what INXS had before we were all reminded of why auto-erotic-asphyxiation is not something you should be trying at home? I don't know. I think Mig is perfect for the job, but maybe too perfect and too nice. JD has the right sound and the right look, but he's also established that he's can be awfully immature (something I'm sure Mark Burnett was pretty delighted to see). Marty. Marty doesn't have the right look and doesn't have the right sound. Yes, Trees is a catchy tune and he's got the right attitude, but the screaming is just way too much for me... and the fact that he looks like a weasel.

In terms of my reality TV score card for this year I'm at 1-1. Carrie won American Idol (as I'd predicted) but Kelly Monaco "won" Dancing with the Stars. My pick for Rockstar:INXS has been Mig pretty much all along. We'll see how it all balances out on Tuesday.

Today's sing-a-long song: "Good Times" By INXS with Jimmy Barnes

HRH

MAC: Pro Longwear Lustre Lipcolour

I didn't buy this product, but I'm mentioning it because I tried it on at the MAC counter last night and then practically had to sand my lips down to get it to come off. Some might see this as a good thing. Those who like lipstick and like it to last until after judgement day might be pleased by it. Me? I was freaking right out.

Service at the MAC counter last night was pitiful. There were two makeup artists working; one was giving someone a makeover and the other was busy being a waste of skin. As such, shoppers were basically left to their own devices when looking for products. The Pro Longwear Lustre Lipcolour caught my eye, as the idea of not having to reapply lip gloss 5 times a say was pretty enticing. The staff pretty much left me to my own devices when trying on this stuff, which I'm fine with, but what would have been really good to know would be that you need Cleanse Off Oil to actually remove this stuff. While I did like the colour (Go Vin Go) I got so annoyed at the lack of service that I went back to the Benefit counter and spent my money there instead (and I will be reveiwing that product after a little more testing).

I got home and tried to take the stuff off my lips and had NO luck. See I didn't know until I'd consulted the Interweb today that I learned that need an oil-based make-up remover to get it off. I have one, but it just didn't come to mind as I was freaking out. I tried waterbased, I tried rubbing alcohol (OWWWW! DUMB ME), I tried towels... it wasn't until I'd basically promised my first born child to lucifer that I got the infernal stuff off my lips.

(As I side note, if any on is looking for a really ghetto way to plump up their lips, rubbing alcohol and a rough towel do a pretty decent job. You get a good 3 hours of swollen lips out of it. NOTE: I'm KIDDING!)

The moral of this story: I should never deviate from lip gloss. Ever.

HRH

This is going to be strange

Just to warn you all, this is going to be one of those really open-and-possibly-more-information-than-you-want-to-know kind of posts, but you're going to have to deal, cause I need to talk about this.

In a matter of weeks, I will go going off the pill for the first time in fifteen years. Before all you baby-crazy people get all hepped-up and annoying, I am not doing this to try and get pregnant. In fact, like always, a good deal of thinking is still going into contraception. A good, good, heart-stopping, libido-killing deal.

No, I'm going off the pill upon the advice of my doctor for a little while so that I don't do any kind of long term damage to my body since I've been messing with the natural order of things for a very long time. Just for a few months, then I can go back on. Makes sense to be on the safe side of things, but oh my god the idea of not being on the pill is really unfathomable to me.

I just don't understand how things are done when you're not on the pill.

I went on the pill really young as it was requirement of going on Accutane. Things were so keen and easy when I was on it that I just stayed on. The whole contraception thing was really secondary. Of course that came in awfully handy at times. I've never really had any trouble with it and the pill has been nothing but good to me. Clock-setting regularity, milder PMS and cramps, not being pregnant. Win, win and win.

And now I have to let that go for bit. Wow that's scary. That fear is just the tip of the iceberg. I have NO IDEA of what I'm like off the pill. I could be bat-shit crazy... or I could be totally sane. I could lose weight (score) or gain weight (boo). I could have my period every day of the week. Did I mention the bat-shit crazy part? What if my personality changes with the change in hormones and I'm an awful, awful person and everyone decides that they hate the non-chemically altered me?

And then there's the reality that no other kind of contraception is as effective as the pill. When taken properly the pill is 99 per cent effective. Condoms, 96 per cent. That's a whole baby-making three per cent I am just not okay with. Sorry Mum, but I have to say this out loud, abstaining from sex for 3 to 4 months is just not an option. Of course if my fears come true and me off the pill is a bigger jerk than me on the pill then it won't really be an issue of abstinence now will it.

On the other hand, maybe I'll be less paranoid.

Today's sing-a-long song: "Just like a pill" by Pink

HRH

I can't forsake the Dixie dead shake

I bought Up To Here on itunes today for a couple of reasons. Even though I'm one of the few Kingstonians out there that doesn't like The Tragically Hip, I've always enjoyed Up To Here. It's their good album, the rest I can do without.

I've been really nostalgic for Kingston these past few weeks. Something about disasters always make me think about my home town and how I would feel if, well, anything happened there. I think about that and I feel the need to be near the lake, feel the wind ripping across my face and through my hair, have some poutine from Bubbas and listen to Boots or Hearts.

Finally, I've had New Orleans is Sinking in my head for full on 10 days now and hearing a song is the only way to purge it from the brain. I can't do a damn thing about the horrific situation down there, not even formulate cogent thoughts or statements on it. Not a one. Maybe just disconnected words.

It is during the darkest times that the true writers show their colours. They have the skill to express the thoughts and feelings that most people can only experience at a visceral level. They bring clarity to the madness, while people like me can only sit baffled by it.

HRH

Ombra: Melkfett

It has always amazed me how I can have appallingly oily skin on my face, yet have the driest feet on earth. What ever is in charge of oil distribution in my brain needs to be given a harsh review.

I've spent many years looking for something that provides protection against cracking, but that also doesn't have the consistency of lard. For me, it's not just about how a product works, it's also about how a product feels on my skin as it's doing it's job. As such, I've usually opted for milkier options in terms of foot care, as they can be really soothing. Long-lasting. Oh heavens no. But it feels nice for about 10 minutes.

Then I was given a tub of Melkfett. It's thicker than most things I've tried before, yet it doesn't cross the line between malleable product and being totally solid. It's pretty close to the consistency of honey, but nowhere near as difficult to work with.

It seems that the active ingredients in this cream are petroleum jelly, vitamin E (pretty run of the mill there) and calendula extract. Calendula is part of the marigold family of flowers and is right up there on my list of wonderful scents. Like many other flowers, besides smelling pretty, it has medicinal properties. It's often used to heal burns, soothe insect bites, speed healing and it can act as an anti-inflammatory.

Sadly, beauty products aren't required to tell you how much of a given product they've got in a jar, so whether or not there's enough calendula in there to activate all the healing/anti-inflammatory properties I cannot tell you. What I can tell you, is that using this on your feet before bed or before you're about to sit with your feet up for an hour or two, will leave you with absurdly soft feet. And having feet that smell like flowers instead of, well... feet, is always a plus.

HRH

Summer where art thou?

I only half-heartedly bemoan the end of summer. Aside from the damn-dirty-lie that summer is a slower time, boating and not having to wear socks, I don't like summer very much. I hate the heat, I'm not a huge fan of the clothes and all that delicious fresh fruit and all those long weekends make dieting a real bitch (not that I would suggest that we actually eschew said indulgences, I'm just being crotchety). If I could, I would live in a perpetual fall, with occasional bouts of Indian summer.

While I was very keen to start transitioning into my fall wardrobe, and happy to be free of those same clothes I've been wearing since May, I felt a little bit of sadness for the summer that really never was. Only at the end did I find the time to nap on patio chair, waking occasionally to see shapes in the clouds (lobster being the shape of note). That was definitely a highlight. I don't know what that says about my life, but having the time to see a cloud in the shape of a lobster was, well, something I'd never done before.

So I mourned this summer. I was a hard one. Emotionally, professionally, it seemed tough to me. And I came out of it feeling really tired and really drained. Then I saw people wearing white shoes and started mocking them in my head. I felt instantly better.

I suppose if I can't be well-balanced and cheerful, I can at least be wickedly evil.

Today's sing-a-long song: "Girl for all seasons" from Grease 2

HRH