The IceBlock [14]: New Job

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Hi all. This feels like a blast from the past, putting up this post, because I remember when I started my job at Duane Reade I went MIA on here for quite some time. Well I notice it's been, what, a week since I last posted? Or just over that much time, and I don't want to repeat what happened back then!

I started my new job on Tuesday, and  my schedule was all over the place my first week (which just ended yesterday). My pay is still minimum for training - I don't know what it will go up to, or when - but I was really happy to discover that I at least get some tip money. Nothing like the waiters or waitresses there, but it's still some money on the side that I'm putting away for my break from New Hell City this August. Anywho, I've been exhausted.

The IceBlock [13]: Updates for School, Affiliation, & Future Reviews

Hi all! I hope you're enjoying the weekend. A lot of stuff has happened since my last post, so I thought I'd write up another IceBlock post to cover it all. I'll touch briefly on a few miscellaneous things first.

~ It's been nearly three weeks since my lumpectomy and I feel great. A week before the past Thursday, I had my stitches removed and finished my course of antibiotics. I'm still wearing a more-supportive sports bra (that really does make its appearance in every summer outfit) and the wound is still covered with gauze and waterproof tape (and, I may as well add now, I still haven't looked at the surgical site!), but I feel so much better than before. I can even lay on my opposite side without much pain!

~I start working again this coming Tuesday at my new job, though I have to say I don't know how I feel about it yet. I was ridiculously excited when I was getting trained and finding out more about it, because I was thrilled to have found a job that I thought would pay a lot better than my previous job. But, this past week I was told that I'd be starting at minimum wage - and my heart sunk. I felt disappointed in myself because this was the second job I managed to get and, with my college degree, I was still being offered minimum. They have clarified that minimum wage is only temporary pay during training, but I don't have high hopes about the pay afterwards either. So I'm not sure what to think.

Anyway...onto the main topics of this post.

Lips: Eve Pearl's Dual Performance Lip Color in "Pink Stiletto"

The product being reviewed in this post was purchased by me with my own money. The opinions stated further are my own opinions. I am not affiliated with the brands featured in this post. 

Hi everyone. If you read my IMATS haul post, then the product in the above picture may be familiar to you. It's Eve Pearl's Dual Performance Lip Color in "Pink Stiletto," and it's the best of the deals I came across at IMATS NYC.

More than that, it's one of the biggest surprise purchases I've had, as this once-unknown-to-me lipstick is now my absolute favorite of all the lip products I own.

I will say now that my preference in lip product texture can vary on a day to day basis, but I still feel confident when I say that this lipstick tops all the rest for me overall. So, if you want to find out why I adore this lipstick so dearly, then keep on reading to find out!

Sakamoto Maaya, Part 1 of 2: Countdown Live 2012-2013 - Tour "Mitsubachi" Final (DVD) + First Press Bonus

To read Part 2, my thoughts regarding the performances of this DVD, click here.

Hi everyone. :) Here is my pretty timely post on Sakamoto Maaya's most recent concert DVD, Countdown Live 2012-2013 - Tour "Mitsubachi" Final (release date: 06/13/13) - a recording of the last tour date of her holiday tour back in December 2012. Before I get into anything, I want to say that this post is going to follow the same format as my Singer-Songwriter review: that is, it is going to be split into two parts. The first, which you're reading right now, is going to focus on the first press bonus details and have a lot of pictures. The second, which I will link here when it's up, is going to focus on my opinions/reactions to the performances/other features of the DVD.

Anyway, I am still basking in the natural high that I get every time a Sakamoto package finally arrives in the mail (lol). The time between preordering and actually receiving feels like forever sometimes! But this past Sunday, I finally got the much-anticipated email saying my package was shipped out (again, I love how early CDJapan sometimes sends out preordered products in relation to their actual release dates - this one was shipped out on 06/10 when the release date wasn't until 06/13). And then, when I was ready to go walking yesterday, I saw this...

Lips: E.L.F. Studio Matte Lip Color in "Tea Rose"

The product being reviewed in this post was purchased by me with my own money. The opinions stated further are my own opinions. I am not affiliated with the brand featured in this post.

Hello again. I remember when I was in San Diego and my boyfriend dropped me off at the mall before going to work. I was going to do a ton of window shopping to kill time but I ended up coming across this store with makeup. I'm so frustrated that I can't remember the name of it!

This store was AMAZING to come by, though, because it had a huge variety of both e.l.f. and NYX products (including NYX's Black Label lipsticks, which aren't at Ulta). I already knew I loved NYX products, because I ordered some before, but I had been wanting to try e.l.f. - their lip products especially. I had recently seen one of my YT subscriptions say positive things about the Matte Lip Color from their Studio line, so I decided to check it out in the color "Tea Rose."

My Makeup Storage

Hello everyone. Hope you're having a nice (or at least tolerable) start to the week. This will probably - or hopefully, I should say - be my last week off, as I should be somewhat normal by the end of it in terms of my recovery. I've had pain on and off, perhaps because I've returned to being semi-active, but otherwise I think my healing is on track. Yay.

Anyway, this past week I've been wanting to change my makeup storage, because I had two small organizers that were totally full and the rest of my makeup/palettes were scattered throughout my room. I'm the type of person that likes to have everything of a certain category together in one place - in this case, my makeup - so I really wanted an effective, but affordable, way to bring all my makeup to a single part of my room. In this post, I'll be showing my previous storage, as well as my new storage, and mention the total cost of each. Hey, they may not be the most stunning or rigid kinds of storage ever, but as you'll see they serve their purpose and didn't hurt my light wallet in the process.

The IceBlock [12]: New Look, Post-op, & More

Hi everyone. :) I'm super excited about this, and it's pretty damn obvious, so let's get it out of the way first: my blog now has a new banner/background! They're both a nod to the spring/summer weather that's been evading NYC every chance it gets. But, regardless, I'm thrilled about two things: (1) my banner has an Adelie penguin holding a parasol >:D and (2) I feel like the new blog background/color scheme make it easier on the eyes when it comes to reading my enormous posts.

I don't know why, but I always have this tendency to gravitate towards dark blues/purples when designing anything (as if I do much designing), and I always find them way too dark after a while. I've been meaning to brighten things up on this blog, but put it off because I dreaded having to make a banner again. Though it was easy, so I don't know what the problem was. O_o Anyway, I hope you all like it. :) Or can tolerate it. ;)

3 Beauty Trends I Don't Get

Oh, another controversial topic, maybe? This isn't meant to be offensive - it's just my opinion. Disclaimer, disclaimer, disclaimer.

I'm not sure why I'm posting this. I guess for future reference's sake, in case my thoughts change, because that's always possible. Realistic.

Hi everyone! This post is going to be pretty short. I'm just going to talk about three beauty trends I don't really understand the...appeal of. This is totally personal, so feel free to agree or agree to disagree. :)