I hate these blurred lines..

Being an adult is hard sometimes.

Last week, in addition to dealing with my career change, I also had all my financial accounts explode. First, there was a mistake with my credit card which ended up with me having $15,000 on it. It doesn't sound like a problem, but I couldn't use any of it, and my credit card was confused.

Then, someone hacked into my PayPal account and sent $90 to a random email. In addition to this being bad because of the $90, it over drafted my checking account, and they charged me $32 in over draft fees. PLUS I disputed the charge, and according to PayPal, the case was closed and the money was back in my account. It's not.

And to top it all off, my health insurance is refusing to pay for blood work I had done in April and saying that the bill is $900+. They're currently "processing the appeal."

Too many things all at the same time!

My day off yesterday was nice and relaxing, though.

I Skyped with a friend who I haven't seen in a few years. It was really nice to talk with her again. She has such a positive outlook on life, despite having received the short end of the stick multiple times. Then I got a massage which was glorious and much needed. Then Amadi, Simon, and I went and saw The Conjuring which is SOGOOD. I honestly don't remember the last time I saw a scary movie that I was impressed by. It was awesome, though, and I'd highly recommend seeing it if you're into horror movies.

Oh! Something else exciting that happened: On Sunday I met with our Marketing Director (who's leaving soon) to go over some stuff that I'd be doing. It was really awesome to get a little tour of our marketing stuff and to learn what I'd get to do. I'm really excited about getting back into the marketing stuff.

My July Favorites will be up on Friday! Stay tuned!

Five Products I've Emptied

Welcome to the second edition of products I've used up! In contrast to last time, I actually enjoyed all these products! Let's find out why!

1. Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion

This product has taken me a long time to use up. Not because it was bad, but because I'm really just not a body lotion person. I bought this two years ago (wow, really?) after I got my tattoo because I was instructed to have a non-scented lotion to moisturize with. It works really well, but I like scented lotions, so it got put on the back burner until I decided to use it up. But if you want hypoallergenic and super moisturizer, this is the lotion for you!

2. Love & Beauty Lavender Extract Makeup Cleansing Tissues

Honestly, I picked these up because they were right by the checkout, were $2.80, and I'm always in need of makeup wipes. For those who don't know, Love & Beauty is the jewelry/makeup/cosmetic line by Forever 21. They even have stores dedicated to only Love & Beauty products. I was blown away by how good these were. They smell nice, and weren't abrasive to my skin while still removing all my makeup. I have already repurchased these (I think they have a green tea and maybe another version as well), and I will probably continue to do so after I finish up all my other kinds.

3. Secret Clinical Strength Stress Response Deodorant 

I also received this in an Influenster box, and while I haven't repurchased this specific one, I have repurchased from the Secret Clinical Strength line. I think it's approach to the different kinds of sweat is interesting, stress sweat is just not my biggest problem. That being said, I loved this deodorant. It smells AMAZING and if stress sweat is a problem for you, I'd definitely recommend it.

4. Softsoap Body Butter Mega Moisture Body Wash in Heavenly Vanilla

I've already said that I love Softsoap, and this one was no different. I bought this during the winter when I was having problems with itchy, dry skin on my back. Since it's not the easiest thing to lotion your own back, I decided to try a body wash with a little more moisture in it. This did not let me down. I really felt like it moisturized me without having to add any moisturizer afterwards. It did help with my dry skin (it didn't magically heal it, but I wasn't really expecting it to) so I was happy with the results.

5. Buxom Lash Mascara

I bought this back when I was on my "all my makeup must be high end" kick from Sephora. Although in retrospect, it wasn't the kind of mascara I was looking for, I did enjoy using it. It definitely adds volume to your lashes and was pretty easy to apply. It has a fairly thick wand, and I liked the way it looked on my lashes. I had no problems with it smudging or flaking. 

*I will admit, though, that I don't feel like I'm very good at reviewing mascara at all. I'm naturally blessed with long, fairly voluminous lashes, so I don't need a lot of help in that department. I also like a pretty natural look as far as mascara goes.

Tell me what am I gonna do with forever now..

I have been super MIA lately, and I apologize profusely. Many things have been happening in my life - good and bad - and I was feeling very overwhelmed and confused.

Thankfully, I think things have slowed down some, so let's catch you guys up!

Monday was a fabulous day. Amadi, Beth, AD, Ryan, and I went to the Maine Mall. It just so happened that Alex and her posse were planning a trip too! So I got to hang out with her for a little bit. Then my crew went to Chili's for dinner (freaking delicious) and split up while the other four went to see Pacific Rim. I decided to have some alone/thinking about life time, so I went to nearby Old Orchard Beach.

I talked to my mom and did a lot of thinking. After a couple of hours, I met up with my group and we headed home for a minute before we were off for S'mores and Science Night. It was fun, but nothing too exciting.

This week we had tech for The Year of Magical Thinking which went well, as did the opening yesterday night. 

And now for my news: I've decided not to go to Sarasota. 

I mentioned to Dawn pretty casually that I was interested in Marketing, and that unleashed a whole flurry of things including her offering me the Marketing internship for the Fall. After a lot of thinking, talking, and general unsureness, I decided to take it. I'm still waiting for official termination of my contract at FST, but it's pretty much a done deal.

This decision was preceded by a thought of serious thought on my part about my life and what I wanted to do with it. It's not that I don't love sound. But what I want out of life may just not be possible with a complete production career. It doesn't mean I'm giving it up forever. It just means that I need to explore some other avenues.

There are quite a few details that have yet to be worked out, but I will be the Marketing Intern for Theater at Monmouth this Fall/Winter. What happens after that continues to be seen. I'm meeting with Jay (our current Marketing Director) tomorrow to talk about me taking over some things, and I'm really excited about it. 

So, while I may not be blogging about sound specifically anymore, I will continue to blog about my life here, what I'm doing, and, of course, beauty stuff. Once again, I apologize for the lapse in time. I needed to figure out some things before I could update you.

I'm excited about my future, and I hope you are too!

Even MORE nail polish!

This is going to be a shorter post than I intended because the second part of it isn't ready to be blogged about yet! So sorry!

You guys. I have a serious problem. No matter what, I can't stop buying nail polish. Technically, two of these came from swaps, but since I didn't swap them for other nail polish, I'm still growing my collection. The newest additions are:

Ulta Pinata Yada Yada, Ulta Boogie Nights, Revlon Whimsical, Julep Taylor

I wanted to wear Whimsical this week, but it hadn't arrived as of the time that I painted my nails, so I used Boogie Nights instead. I used it for accents over Revlon Trendy which is a really interesting bluey color. The longer I wear it, the more I fall in love!

I keep telling myself that it'll be okay because I only have a few fall colors I want, and then I won't buy any more polish. Now that I'm getting into the whole glitter thing, though...

My bank account can't handle this!

It's 11 o'clock in Grovers Corners..

Well, we've opened our second to last show.

Things are about to change. Many people are about to leave (including Rew) because their contract is up, and we're about to get into only rep. No more rehearsals, no more tech, just shows, shows, shows.

We had an intern meeting yesterday, and it went really well. I'm planning to have another meeting with Dawn to discuss career things and my crisis about career things next week. I truth is, I'm thinking sound might not be what I want to do. I need theatre; I know that. But I've been doing some thinking lately, and there are things in my life that make me wonder if it's the best fit. It has nothing to do with passion or me not thinking I can do it. But I'm looking ahead, and I think this might be a good move for me.

We also had a A Year of Magical Thinking production meeting, and then a special events meeting. Since Rew is leaving, I get to do those by myself, and I get to design a little for the kids writing festival, so I'm looking forward to that.

We've now opened Our Town, and that went really well. We're starting the whole rep process. Velveteen this afternoon, Pestle tonight, then a switch to Our Town tomorrow and Shrew tomorrow night. Then into Magical tech! Whoo!

The nice thing is, we have an awesome outing planned on Monday to the Maine Mall and to see a movie. Everyone else is going to see Pacific Rim in IMAX 3D, but since I'm not the most interested in it and I can't handle 3D (and sometimes IMAX) I'm probably going to see Monsters University by myself. Everyone else saw it without me. =/

Then we have a "Science and S'mores" night at a board members house. Don't ask me what that means. I don't know! You'll have to come back on Wednesday for that! For now, enjoy these pictures from the Our Town Opening Night Party!

The Gibbs' family portrait

The Webb's family portrait

Also, my mom texted me today, and she and Doug are coming up on August 8th! I'm really excited to have them come see Shrew and the theater and Toad and everything! Enjoy your weekend!

July 2013 Ipsy Bag

I thought that even though I changed my address, my Ipsy bag was sent to the wrong address, but I was pleasantly surprised yesterday when I checked my mail! I'm super excited about my bag this month, so let's see what I got!

1. Pop Beauty Pouty Pop Crayon in Rose Romance

Rose Romance, Coral Crush, and Flirty Fuchsia

2. BH Cosmetics California Collection Eyeshadow sample

3. Benefit's Benetint Lip and Cheek Stain sample

4. Sexy Hair Soy Renewal Beach Spray Conditioning & Texturizing Spray

5. Coola Mineral Face SPF 20 Unscented Moisturizer

I would've loved to get the Coral Crush Pop Beauty Crayon instead of the Rose Romance, but I'm super excited about it nonetheless. I have a Revlon and a Sally Hansen crayon, so I'm excited to see what this version has to offer. The colors of the eyeshadow are really pigmented and have great application (I used them for the first time today). I've heard great things about BH Cosmetics. Everyone's been raving about Benetint online, so I'm looking forward to trying that. The beach spray I'm iffy on. My previous experiences with beach spray haven't been the best, but I'm willing to give it a try. I originally thought the Coola was a moisturizer, not a facial sunscreen, so it might take me a while to get around to using it. My foundation has an SPF of 20, so I generally don't put on anything else unless I'm going to be out in the sun a lot.

Overall, though, I'm really excited about trying this bag out. Eyeshadow and lip products? All I needed was a nail polish, and I would be the happiest little camper. As you'll see coming up, though, more nail polish was the last thing I needed!

Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer

What a week, y'all.

I have felt more worn down this week than I have all summer. It's probably a combination of personal things going on with me and yet another tech. Because of that, I had a very quiet Friday night. I spent it in my room, getting some much needed alone time, and I went to bed early(ier than I have been...) and slept for a solid 9 hours.

Most people went to the beach today, but I wasn't feeling an hour drive there, and given how late they got back, I'm glad I didn't go. Instead, Amadi, Beth, and I went to the library (when was the last time I checked out a book from the library?) and then ventured into Augusta to go to Kohl's, Ulta, and Walmart. I was actually very good and only picked up two more nail polishes I don't need.

After we got back, we went to the lake which was a GLORIOUS idea. It was so cool and sunny and lovely.

Then we came back and made dinner (pizza rolls and mac 'n cheese) and watched Tarzan and The Princess Bride while painting our nails. It's become a Monday night thing, and I'm seriously digging it.

This is my second to last tech, so I'm pushing through. Then it's just shows, shows, and more shows. August shall be an adventure!

Maybelline Polka Dots and Electro Baby Lips

Hi guys!

Taking a moment to reflect on Cory Monteith's death this morning. I don't watch Glee, but losing yet another member of the arts community is never a good thing. My heart goes out to his family, friends, cast mates, and fans.

This is just a quick update to let you know about some new stuff I got!

No doubt by now you've heard about the new Polka Dots and Electro collections from Maybelline. From the time I first heard about the Polka Dots collection, I knew I wanted Clearly Spotted. I wasn't too interested in the Electro collection until I saw Emily Noel's blog post.

I've been searching for a good coral lip product (balm, stain, lipstick - I wasn't picky!) and I hadn't found one that I really wanted. While the Oh! Orange Baby Lips is obviously orange, it's sheer enough that when it mixes with your natural lip color, it turns a pretty peachy, coraly color.

On Monday, I picked up both of them at CVS (I love that the CVSes here actually carry the limited edition stuff I'm looking for!) and I'm in love.

I'm currently wearing Clearly Spotted on my nails over Julep's Renee, and it's awesome. It looks like paint splatter which is something I'm totally into, and it's actually really great for hiding small chips.

Please ignore my index finger!

Honestly, looking at the pictures I have now, they don't do this polish justice. I would definitely suggest looking at other swatches if you're into the paint splatter thing.

As for the Baby Lips, I tried to try the line itself before, but ended up accidentally buying the mint one (I'm starting to sense a theme..) which I don't like, so I hadn't tried it until this. I'm really sorry I didn't, because I love it. I'm definitely planning to pick up a non-colored one so I can have both.

Are you excited about either of these collections? What limited edition collections are you most excited about this summer?

Tech and freeze pops and t-shirts, oh my!

Shrew tech is over, and we open tonight!

For the most part, the process went pretty smoothly. Our preview last night went really well. There were 119 high school aged kids in the audience, so it was very energetic. They seemed to really appreciate the show, though.

I'm getting through books like it's my job. I like that I have so much time to read in the booth. It's definitely helping me with the 50 Book Challenge. I even had my library card set up for ebook borrowing today, so I can do that now too!

Other than that, there's not much to report. It's been a busy couple of days for everyone and stressful for some people. Me, I'm just tired. But I got to sleep in today, so that was nice. Tomorrow we have two changeovers and a load out plus two shows, so that's going to be rough.

We had a company meeting today, and Dawn brought freeze pops and our company t-shirts!

I think they're pretty cute, and Beka, Beth, and I are planning on having a t-shirt cutting party to make them even cuter.

That's pretty much all I have to report! Until the show tonight, I have nothing to do, so I'm catching up on things and trying to rest. Happy Friday to you all!

Target Beauty Box June 2013

My mom sent my Target Beauty Box along with my Ipsy, so I got twice the goodies!

The beauty box contained:

A Venus & Olay Razor

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips

A sample of Loreal's BB Cream in light

A sample of Effaclear Duo Daily Acne Treatment Lotion

A mini size of Fekkai hair glossing cream

For only $5, that's not bad at all!

I've already traded away the razor and the nail strips. I'm very particular about my razor (actually, my skin is) and men's razors work way better for me. Plus, I got a Venus & Olay razor in one of my VoxBoxes recently, and I wasn't a big fan. I like the idea of nail strips, but the application never lives up to my expectations. It's a sad state of affairs.

I'm looking forward to trying the BB cream and the glossing cream a lot. I'm almost out of my Maybelline BB Cream, and I'm always interested in trying the different brands. The glossing cream will be especially good now, as my hair continually fights the battle of the Toad well water.

As for the acne lotion, a single sample isn't going to be enough to see any kind of difference or make any kind of judgement, so I'm a little disappointed by that. I'll use it, but I guarantee I won't want to purchase it based on one day.

I also got a $3 off any beauty purchase of $15 or more which will definitely come in handy if I can get back to Target before it expires.

So that's everything! Did you get the Target Beauty Box? Are you excited by what's in it? Would you get it again? Let me know!

The Maine Adventure!

It's been a great week!

Pestle previewed to a very nice crowd on Thursday and opened to a nice crowd on Friday. The crowd on Saturday night was quite, but I think appreciative.

Saturday we woke up for 9 am changeover training after being up until three the night before celebrating Pestle's opening.

Beka, me, and Beth at the Opening Night photo booth

 Audio changeover is nothing, so I helped Beka with props stuff and then went home and dozed some. Saturday was the day of all naps.

Sunday we started tech for Shrew, which meant I was sitting and watching until the night came. Then I actually got to run sound because we lose Wednesday night as there's a Pestle show. I'm actually really enjoying running shows because it means I get to read in the booth. I'm flying through books and absolutely loving it.

Josh and Ambien as Petruchio and Katherina

Today was a glorious day off. Beka, Beth, Amadi, and I went to Brunswick (which is near where Beka grew up) and ate glorious drive in hangover food and then delicious gelato. We went into Cool As A Moose which was awesome and brought back a lot of memories of the one in Bar Harbor that my family used to go to when I was younger.

Beth, Amadi, Beka, and I

We also went to Target to meet Beka's mom to get laundry (yeah...her mom does her laundry for her...must be nice) and pick up a few things. Then we stopped by CVS so I could pick up a prescription and some nail polish (more on that soon!)

Then we headed home and had a nail polish painting party while watching Shakespeare in Love. Now we're watching History of the World Part One and hanging out. Tomorrow we go right back into Shrew tech. Such is the life of a production intern.

Wild Butterfly Boutique and Julep goodies!

I've been meaning to do this post for a while because I wanted to give a shout out to two people. First, Brooklyn Burton who runs This Little Blonde for having the giveaway I somehow one at the end of May and second to Wild Butterfly Boutique for sending me this beautiful turquoise teardrop necklace after I won!

I had been admiring their necklaces for a while (and entering a ton of giveaways to win one) and I was so excited when I finally did! I've been loving statement necklaces lately, and this one is beautiful and a perfect addition to my (hopefully) growing collection. 

Julep was also having a sale recently, so I picked up a few polishes for only $4 each. 

They're so pretty!

I picked out Lucy, a "modern, dark burgundy creme": 

Renee, a "Spring lilac creme":

And Candy, a "Grape rock candy nail glaze" which, for some reason, I didn't realize looked like this:

Obviously I need to pay better attention, because what I wanted was a dark purple, not a sheer purple. I'm working on trading this for something else.

I also traded away some of my Ipsy and Target Beauty Box items to get Nan, a "Nantucket red creme":

In other nail news, I painted my nails for the first time since I've been here with "Love Song" from Nicole by OPI's Selena Gomez Collection.

It was a pretty enough color that I made it work, but the formula on this was awful! I ended up with two coats, one incredibly thin on and one thicker, kind of gloopy one. It self-leveled, but it was really annoying to work with, and you could definitely see the coats.

For accent nails, I used Ulta's Pinata Yada Yada which, as I mentioned here, I'm officially obsessed with. 

I'm now wearing China Glaze's Aquadelic with Pinata Yada Yada for accents. Beautiful color, super easy to work with, and bright and blue for summer!

What jewelry and nail polish have you guys been loving lately?

Sorry this is a little later than normal. I've been super busy lately!

Before I begin, I'd like to recognize the tragedy that happened on Saturday. Cirque du Soleil performer Sarah Guillot-Guyard died after falling 50 feet during a performance in Las Vegas. As a member of the performing arts society, my heart goes out to her and her family, both blood relations and performing. You can have all the safety features in the world in place and accidents still happen.

Now on to happier things.

Black Fly went well. And by went well I mean everyone enjoyed it thoroughly.

It was for me, however, one of the most stressful sound situations I've ever been in. The computer was acting really glitchy, and at intermission we figured out why. The computer had used the wrong patch when I set up the Black Fly SFX file, and obviously it wasn't having it. We fixed the patch, but that meant that all my levels were wrong. The short story is that Beka and I ended up mixing the Disney princess medley over headset, since it's virtually impossible to hear from the booth. Not an experience I'd like to repeat, though the princesses were lovely.

Alex as Jasmine, Beth as Pocahontas, Amadi as Tiana, and Hannah as Cinderella

Then we moved right on, and now we're in tech for Knight of the Burning Pestle. It's going very well. I haven't been doing very much in the booth - mostly reading and playing Candy Crush Saga - but the show is looking very nice.

Aislinn and Alex as Lucy and Jasper

Tomorrow we have our preview and then we open on Friday. It gets fun after that. A month of tech, y'all!

Monday we had another day at the lake filled with swimming, jet skiing, kayaking, and delicious food. Beth, Amadi, Beka, AD, and I went out to Margaritas for dinner. It's been a good couple of days. I wish I could write more, but I must go back to Pestle tech! And it just started raining buckets!

Do you guys have any fun plans for the Fourth of July?