Two weekends ago I went to a couple of concerts. First was Goyte with special guest Kimbra on Friday night. I went with my mom. I was a little worried at first because the opener Jonti, was kinda terrible. Sorry dude. Then Kimbra came on and was freaking crazy and dressed like some kind of bird mutant. You can kinda see her getup in this video. But then Gotye finally got on stage and was so good. I really had a great time. I managed to snap this pic of Kimbra and Goyte during Somebody That I Used to Know. Not the best, but you can see 'em.

During the Gotye concert, they had all this awesome videos playing along with the songs. I think this is my fav.

Or this one.

The next night I went to see GroupLove at the House of Blues Dallas with a friend. It was totally different than Gotye, more rocking out, less thoughtful. We got beers before the show started. We also got tix to the after party. I when we got there it was a little lame. We ended up finding a corner and talking. I think we both felt a bit out of place. Then we found a band member and took pictures with him. It was a great evening. 

 My friend decided to take this lovely picture of me and post it on my brother's Facebook page. Thanks Tracey. LOL.

Me drinking the ever classy PBR. Yay for cheap drinks!

The singer/guitarist was wearing a bathrobe. Now that's class!

Terrible picture of me with Sean Gadd from the band. What the heck happened to may face? Why do I look like a demented person? Who knows.

Overall it was a fun live music filled weekend. I got to see two totally different bands with two totally different people. I kinda wish every weekend was like this.

Hello Lovelies. Long Time, No See! :-(

I can't believe I've neglected my blog for so long. It's quite sad. I plan on fixing this wrong. I love posting and I've got some ideas up my sleeve for future blog posts that I think will be really fun. Anyways, it finally got cold here in Texas and I'm bundled up in the ugliest, most mix-matched array of lounge clothing ever, seriously. Doctor Who shirt that says "Rule No. 1: The Doctor Lies," blue starry pj bottoms from a long ago Christmas, Victoria's Secret hoodie, blue and red Aztec print socks, and a purple and pink floral headband. It's bad, so there will be NO OFOTD here. Ha ha. My monthly monster friend has also come to visit. Ugh! I loathe you, you monthly horror! I decided that while I look horrible and feel that way I would treat myself to some Mr. Kipling French Fancies. Yum. Yum. Nummy in my tummy. I picked them up at a British store I just found out about a couple of weeks ago. I paid waaayyyy too much for the box and they don't taste that good, but they remind me of the mother country. So, while Texas enjoys its first taste of fall I'll be inside snuggled up in my comfy/ugly sleep clothes eating French Fancies. What do you do on a chilly day off?
PS: All is not lost for me. Hopefully I'll be going to a haunted house tonight. Yay! An excuse to get dressed!

Hot Air Balloon Festival

This weekend I went to a hot air balloon festival by the lake. It sounds exciting doesn't it? Well, as it turned out not alot of ballooning actually occurred. The opening night of it they only managed to get about five balloons up out of the twelve that they were supposed to be sending up and they got to a late start. The next day they were going to have a balloon race at 7:00 AM, so my mum and I got up early (ish). We got there at little late, but there were no balloons up. In fact the vans that the balloonists (?) use were driving away and nothing was happening at all. We asked someone what was up and they said that the balloons weren't going up because of the iffy weather. That was a bummer, but we manage to have some fun. Mum and I went down by the lake and took too many pictures of too little. The balloon festival also included a vintage car show, which we checked out. After our thrilling adventure at the hot air balloon festival, we went home and both of us ended up taking naps.

 The opening night of the hot air balloon festival. They lit up the six balloons. It was cool.



The one balloon that was up before it got dark outside.

 The fact that anyone would consider swimming in this lake seriously disturbs me.

 The lake is gorgeous, isn't it? (she asks in a sarcastic tone)

 Dead fish on the lake shore.

 And for the stupid people: there is a a lake there. Don't drive into it.

 El Camino at the car show.

 I think I need this in my life. Anyone wanna get me one for Christmas?

This car was cool with the A&W root beer mugs on the window tray and all.

So there you go, my exciting weekend. I really liked the car show, even though the balloon festival was a bust. 

Do You Smash?

Tuesday was my birthday and for a birthday present my mum bought me a Smash book. I've done a couple of pages, but I wanted to focus on my beauty pages. I work in fragrances at a department store and have friends that work  in the cosmetics departments. I love all things beauty and fragrance related and I am a total sucker for cute packaging. But what do you do with all that adorable cardboard? I bought a few cosmetics minis and decided to cut up the packaging and smash it into my Smash book.I also had some fragrance packaging and pictures from fragrance school the other day that I put in my Smash book as well.  I like the way the pages turned out and thought that I would share 'em on my blog. Here it goes:

The book.

This is my ode to fragrances (with a bit of cosmetics and Betsy Johnson love).

Cosmetic packaging is so cute. I loved finding a way to save it.

Just wondering: do you guys Smash and if so, what do you Smash?

Lots of Love,

Lisa 

Happy Birthday To Me! (I'm Getting Old)

I feel a little bit sad that I've been unable to post lately. I have been taking a video editing class for the summer 2 session at my university and it has taken up ALL of my time. I also have work and an online class. I don't think I've ever been so busy. I also had a cold that started like a week and a half ago that I still have the remnants of (the cough is making me crazy!). But I have a little free time right now, so I thought I'd show you guys some of the lovely gifties I received from my family for my birthday. My birthday isn't til next Tuesday, but my family will be out of town next week, so my mom gave me my gifts today. They are pretty great gifts, if a little random. Here's what I received for my birthday (the big 2-5):

I got a Lomography camera with flash and some 100 speed and 400 speed film. It's a La Sardina and the model is called "The Guvnor." The camera is supposed to be shaped like a sardine can and it's decorated with London landmarks and streets including Soho, Trafalgar Square, etc.

Close up. Check out the cute Union Jack lens cover. I literally can't wait to take some hipster worthy shots.

My mum put a bunch of random gifts in this reusable tote. It says I heart London. How cute is that?

Inside the tote was a Smash Journal and some accessories for it. I got a few Smash pads, a date stamp, tape and page markers.

It's like a cross between a journal and a scrapbook.

All the pages are different. I love journals and scrap booking, so this is going to be so fun.

My mom bought me this gorgeous Fossil watch. It has a faux mother of pearl band and a rose gold face with rhinestones. So pretty.

I had wanted one almost exactly like this and didn't tell anyone. It's weird how sometimes your mom just knows, right?

Some pocket notebooks. Love the colors.

I adore beach towels. I'd rather use a beach towel than a bath towel, so I was excited to get this. Look at those colors.

I love how random my mom can be. Se got me two packs of gum and some of my favorite candy for my B-day. I was excited. Yum. Yum.

I also got a new EOS lip balm. I already had the summer fruits one and liked it alot, so I was glad to get another in the form of the sweet mints flavor. Ahh, minty fresh.

I had also been buying myself stuff this month. I've done quite a bit of shopping and here's a couple of the things I bought. There is more, so I might do a separate post. But for now here's a new had and some sunnies I got myself. All hail the sun protection!

 New Marc By Mark Jacobs sunglasses. These were a steal at Dillard's for $37! I love 'em.

And here they are on.

Hat I got a Urban Outfitters for $7.99!

And lastly, this is not a birthday present I actually got it at work today for freebies! I got other SWAG (S.tuff W.e A.ll G.et, gotta love The Office), but I'm giving most of it to family. I'm only keeping this and one other thing, I was actually going to go home after my work class today and pre-order this item online because I wanted it so bad, but I ended up getting one!

Fame perfume by Lady Gaga! The perfume is awesome! Before I smelled it today, I was praying it smelled good! I wanted it, but wasn't going to buy it unless it smelled good. Fame exceeded all expectations. When it's first sprayed you can smell apricots, which give it fruity notes, but as it dries down it warms up into this seductive, sophisticated scent. I personally think it's one of the best celebrity scents! Much more grown up than a Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, Paris Hilton,Madona, Beyonce, Selena Gomez, etc scent. And the liquid is black! Then it sprays clear! Well done Lady Gaga! Fame is sure to be a HUGE hit! I'm sniffing my arm now and after 4 hours the scent is still there and it's fantastic!

Today was a great day! Despite sitting in an 8 hour class for work and missing the opening ceremonies of the Olympics due to homework (never fear! I recorded it!) I got to get my new favorite fragrance (I have a lot, so to say it's a favorite is a big deal for me), and I came home to lovely gifts from my family (I can't wait to use my lomo camera and wear my new watch). I feel so lucky!

Now it's off to bed so I can wake up early and take the train to Dallas with a friend in the morning! 

July GlamBag is a Winner

I literally can't believe how long it's been since I've written a blog post. Part of the reason for me going MIA for so long was that I was out of town for a week and the week after that my cousin came to visit. The other part would be that I've been extremely lazy (brutal truth here ya'll). All done with my excuses, now I'm back and OMG have I got a bunch of stuff to post. But for now let's get to the GlamBag.
MyGlam is a company that ships out a monthly subscription service that is $10 a month and includes a cosmetics bag filled with 4-5 deluxe size samples of beauty products. The bag itself is called a GlamBag.  MyGlam charges you on the 1st of the month and usually ships the bag out around the 10th of the month.
I just got this month's bag in the post and let me tell you, it's kinda awesome this month. Here's what I got:

The bag this month is a pink mesh material with rainbow stripes. Super cute and summery. And as always it was sent in an adorable pink shipping pack.

Inside came a Josie Maran Magic Marker Lip and Cheek Stain in Quickstep. It's a nice berry shade.

Next up: A Kiehls Ultra Facial Oil-Free Lotion.

Also in the bag was a Nu-Me Hydro Punch conditioner. I needed a new conditioner, maybe this will work.

Next, a 10 count Yes to Cucumbers Facial Towelette pack came in the bag. I hope these smell like cucumbers. I really love how cucumbers smell.

Lastly, the bag included a Circus by Andrea's Choice Nail Color in Reverso. It's a pretty white color and the packaging is so freaking cute.

All in all this month's GlamBag was a hit. I liked the colors and the products. I can't wait to try out all my pretty new beauty products.

H&M and Macy's Barginn Buys

I love a good bargain and I am still on my quest to save money, so naturally when I do go shopping I tend to stay away from more expensive retailers. I typically stick to my place of employment (which is Macy's and you would literally not believe the deals I get there), Target and H&M. The other day I was desperately bored and decided to drive the 20+ minutes it takes to get to H&M (I'm going to be so screwed when they open the 5 minutes from my house in the fall. I won't be able to control myself. Ha ha). I went for the sale they were having and I actually only bought sale items. I spent $40 on five tops. And I love them all.

This is my navy T with sequins all over the front. It fits well and can be worn dressy or casual. $7

this tee is coral and has a cute sheer pattern on it. Super cute. $5

Next I picked up this nudey colored tee with floaty sleeves and a nature print. $7

Coral tank with tie neckline and a small pocket. This is my favorite to wear. It's so light and comfy. $5

Last I picked up this silky floral top with black detail. It was the most expensive at $15, but I couldn't pass it up. It's so pretty.

So those were my H&M purchases. I had also been on the look out for some inexpensive short chunky necklaces. I looked at a few places, including Forever 21 and couldn't find anything I particularly liked. I decided to try the Macy's at the mall I was at and found two. They were on clearance and then 50% off the clearance price.

This one was originally $36 and I paid $3.99 for it .

This is my favorite of the two. It was originally $34 and I paid $4.50.

Where do you go for great bargains?

I Miss the UK

Exactly a year ago I went on a study abroad trip to the UK. I was studying British Broadcasting in London for a month, and let me tell you, it was probably the greatest month of my life. I had a blast, and to celebrate the year anniversary of that momentous time in my life I thought I would do a blog post with pictures and reminisces of my time in the UK. This is going to be a picture heavy post so get ready. :)

Our home stay family had milk delivered to them. I was impressed. I've didn't know people still did that. It seemed so quaint.

Our tube station we used everyday in London. I miss the roar of the trains as they approach and I miss how easy it is to get around via the Underground.

Random Ambulance.

Camden Town. This little area is literally my favorite place in the world.

I think this was somewhere near Oxford Circus. I don't know exactly. It's been a year people!!

The new Beebs Television, next to the old Radio House.

They said We Will Rock You, and they did.

Ahhhh Topshop. Best fashion ever.

TARDIS at the old Television Center.

And as an avid Harry Potter fan I had to go to Kings Cross.

We visited Oxford.

More Oxford.

In the Cathedral at Oxford.

Oxford.

Oxford.

Apparently a load of famous writers hung out here.

Terrible drunken photo.

We were going to see the Trooping of the Colours, but we sleep through that on account of a very late night before (see above picture), but we did make it up in time to see a Naked bike race.

More Naked Bike race.

I SAW DAVID TENNANT AND CATHERINE TATE AND I HAVE THEIR AUTOGRAPHS!!!!!

If you'd like to check out the play, you can download it HERE. I defiantly recommend it. It was amazing and worth every penny for the download.

Dalek!

Leicster Square Station.

Big Ben from the London Eye.

Views from the London Eye

View from the London Eye.

Underneath Big Ben

Ginger me in front of Parliament.

Oh Yeah! We went to Edinburgh to! The obligatory phone box photo!

JK Rowling wrote some of Harry Potter here at the Elephant House. I borrowed my friend's scarf for Gryffindor the pic and I already had a green one on. We dubbed the combo "Slythendor." Clever, no?

Greyfriars Graveyard.

At a textile market thing. They had this mannequin things going on. I don't know. It just happened.

At the The Camera Obscura and World of Illuminations.

More Edinburgh.

My friend and I went to McDonald's one night and there was a fire alarm. We had to leave so we sat across the street on the steps of a church to eat. It was hilarious watching all the people walk up to the McD's like "WTF is going on? Why can't we get our burgers?"

From Edinburgh Castle. I don't know who these people are.

The Thames.

My friend got us tickets to a Tame Impala concert in Camden, but we saw the Noel Fielding in the balcony above us and we pretty much lost all interest in the concert. And were were considerably smashed. BUT WE SAW OLD GREGG!

Piccadilly Circus

The Tower of London.

Beefeaters!

Tower Bridge.

Some of us went to Liverpool!

One of The Beatles first gigs was here at this little hole in the wall bar!

Beatles tribute band at the Cavern Club.

Strawberry Fields Forever.

Multiple Lennon glasses.

Beatles steps.

Ringo's goofy face. :)

I took a solo trip to the British Museum on my last day in the UK. It was fun. I didn't get to see everything, I didn't have alot of time, but I managed to see some cool s@#j&.

Like the Rosetta Stone.

Always remember to mind the gap!

And the premiere of the last Harry Potter film was occurring on one of our last days in Trafalgar Square. We didn't get in, but we did get to see some of the craziness and the barrier blocking us from the stars!

The map of how to get around Trafalgar Square. Like that helped any. haha

Security and the banners!

I miss the UK so much. I literally can't believe it's been a year! This summer is going to be the biggest let down compared to my time in the UK. I loved everything about it (except possibly the food and the fact that I was sick the whole time). I even miss my classes there. It was all so lovely. London, Liverpool, Oxford, and Edinburgh will always be in my mind. I can't wait til I have the the resources to hop on a plane and be back there!. Hopefully that will be next May and I will be back in my beloved United Kingdom.