Birthday

Yesterday was my birthday - YAY!  Unlike most people, I love to celebrate my birthday.  Because no matter how you slice it, having a birthday is better than the alternative, right???

Though this year, it's hard for me to realize that it will be the last year I am in my fifties.  That just seems incredibly weird to me.

I had a truly lovely birthday, and received wonderful gifts.  I even received a gift that I was planning to review for you - so no time better than the present, right?

And here you are - Sephora brand Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover.  I received a large bottle of this from the kitties and Dug.  :-)

Now, I have never been a big fan of products that were specifically touted as eye makeup removers.  The ones I have tried have been too greasy, too ineffective, too expensive, too likely to get in my eyes and sting ... well, you get the picture. And for a long time, I just tried using whatever I used to wash my face to get rid of eye makeup - and would not buy waterproof eye makeup, since it wouldn't come off.

Then I read about an eyeliner I wanted to try (that's another review altogether), so when I bought it, I also bought a small bottle of this to try.

This stuff works!  And it works without having any of the negative qualities listed above.  It's very gentle, very effective, and not expensive at all.  I was actually planning to buy it again, and get a bigger size.  But The Tim said that every time he reached for his deodorant, he would see the one I already had, and noticed it was getting to the point of being empty, so I "must use it."  So he decided that it would be a good gift from the pets.

I would say that even if it is not your birthday, you should give this a try.  It has worked really well for me, and I was going to replace it myself, never thinking it would be done as a birthday gift.

(For the record, The Tim is not necessarily a "noticer" where beauty products are concerned, so this was a *real* surprise!)

Do You Anthropologie?

Do you ever shop at Anthropologie?  I know so many people who are addicted to that place, and truly live for their sales.  I go back and forth - I think a lot of their stuff is way overpriced (at least for my budget) for what it is, and I also think a lot of their stuff is just too much.  Too cool, too perfect - you know what I mean.  But I also like a lot of the things they sell.  I don't go in to the store all that often, so I can't really claim to be an expert.

For reasons that I can't explain, I got a coupon in the mail at the end of February, giving me 15% off on any purchase during the month of March, for my birthday.  As I said, I have no idea why I got it, but I figured it was worth going in to look around and see if I wanted to treat myself to anything.  I saw a few things I really liked, but decided were either too young for me, or just more than I would be willing to spend, for what they were.  I was walking out, and I saw a t-shirt that really struck me.  I took a closer look, and decided that if the price was in any way reasonable, I was going to use my coupon and buy it.  So I did, and here is what it looks like:

Pretty, right?  I love the shade of blue, and the fruit print is fresh, but not too sweet or hipster-y.  With my coupon, it was a price that I was willing to pay.  I like the way it looks on me, and am looking forward to wearing it.  (So of course now we are having a cold spell again!)  When I was checking out, the clerk said, "This is the kind of shirt I can see myself wearing while drinking a margarita."  At which point I really wanted a margarita.  (It was 11:00 a.m.)

So I am very happy with my Anthropologie purchase.  It's nicely made, and even fairly practical, and will be a versatile addition to my wardrobe.  It also made it possible for me to get rid of another shirt from my existing wardrobe that I finally admitted to myself that I would never wear again.  Hopefully someone will want to give it a good home, and think it's beautiful.

I'm not sure when I'll visit Anthropologie again, but I'm happy that I had the coupon to give me a push this time.