The Chronic Consumer

I like to check out the Victoria’s Secret website every once in a while because sometimes they have great pants and suits for work or an evening out. When I was browsing the site today, I came across the FUGLIEST pair of pants I’ve ever seen! They’re called “high-waist trousers”, and I think they look absolutely ridiculous! Even if I had the waistline to wear these pants (which I admittedly don’t), I think I’d look dumb in them. Heck, the model looks dumb in these pants, so I can’t imagine anyone else pulling off the look.

Yikes, let’s hope this doesn’t become the next trend in pants, because… ewww!

Of course this happened. This always happens to me, so I shouldn’t be surprised. A mere three months after I purchased a 3rd generation iPod Nano, Apple has gone ahead and retooled the whole thing for the recently released 4th gen Nano. So now instead of having the latest iPod Nano, I’ve already got one that looks outdated. Gee, thanks, Apple.

The new 4th generation iPod Nano comes with several new features. First of all, it looks completely different than the 3rd gen, with Apple opting to go back to the long, slim look of the 1st gen Nano. This 4th gen is longer and slimmer than earlier incarnations, though, and is also curved, which I guess is supposed to make watching videos an easier task. The 4th gen is 3.6 inches long, weighs 1.3 ounces, and is just 1.5 inches wide. Moreover, it comes in nine different “nano-chromatic” colors, including purple, orange, and red — colors that have never been used for iPods before.

There are a bunch of other technical specs that I don’t feel like getting into right now, as listing them will simply make me more depressed about the fact that my new iPod is already old. Oh, and to make matters worse, the new Nano comes in 8GB and 16GB models, with the 8GB starting at just $149. That’s a steal compared to earlier versions!

Oh, well. I’m sure there will be even better models in the future. I guess I can wait.

I’ve been paying more attention to my skincare regimen recently, which is why I’ve been using toner for the past six months or so. I’d never used this type of product before, but I liked the results I had from my Paula’s Choice toner and decided to continue my regimen even after the bottle ran out.

Unfortunately, I was under the impression that all toners are more or less the same, so instead of going back to Paula’s Choice, I bought Aloe Calming Toner from The Body Shop. They were having a Buy-One-Get-One-Free sale, and I simply couldn’t pass up two 6.75 oz bottles of toner for a total of $12.50!

Anyway, The Aloe Calming Toner is marketed for sensitive skin, and says that it’s a “comforting, conditioning, toning liquid proven to purify without irritating.” Purify? Eh, I don’t know what that’s supposed to mean, but I was keen to try this stuff and see if it kept my skin silky smooth like the Paula’s Choice toner.

I’ve only been using The Body Shop toner for a couple of weeks, but I think I can safely say that it is inferior to Paula’s Choice in terms of the effect it has on my skin. The Aloe Calming toner doesn’t seem to help with dryness or irritation, nor does it “comfort” my skin in any way. It does clean up a lot of residue left behind from my bar soap (a LOT more than the Paula’s Choice seemed to pick up), but other than that, I haven’t noticed any improvements.

Overall, I prefer Paula’s Choice to this particular toner from The Body Shop. I’m going to continue using this product until I finish the two bottles that I have, but then it’s back to PC for me!

I previously mentioned that I need to replace a significant part of my wardrobe because of some recent weight loss. I dropped nine pounds thanks to a good workout routine and some help from a few top diet pills, and while that may not seem like a lot of weight, it’s definitely enough to require new clothes.

So today I went out and bought two new business suits today. I found one at Banana Republic, which is a store I rarely shop at anymore since I don’t often like their styles (or prices). But I loved the “microstripe” suit pictured above, thought it looked good when I tried it on, and decided to get it.

I bought my other suit from J. Crew. That’s where I usually go for my work outfits since their clothes usually fit me very well.

Anyway, I’m scheduled to go into the office on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week, so I’ll be able to wear my new suits then. I can’t wait!

Since I use Clinique makeup almost exclusively, it makes sense that I would also use one of their cleansers as a makeup remover. I received a sample bottle of the Clinique Foaming Mousse Cleanser with a purchase several years ago, and have been hooked on it ever since.

The Clinique Foaming Mousse Cleanser is very light and gentle on my face, yet is extremely effective at removing foundation, eyeshadow, eyeliner, and lipstick in one fell swoop. All it takes is a pea-sized drop of the cleanser from its pump bottle to take care of your entire face. Because it foams so well and because I don’t wear makeup every single day, I find that a standard 4.2 oz bottle lasts a good, long time — like over a year. Since the product costs $19.50 at discount beauty supply stores, I’d say that’s a pretty good deal.

I should post a couple of warnings about this product, even though I’ve experienced no problems with it myself. First, I’ve heard that the Foaming Mousse Cleanser can leave your face extremely dry and flaky, to the point where you definitely wouldn’t want to use it anymore. Since I have oily skin, I haven’t encountered this particular issue, but I want to put it out there for you just in case.

In addition, even though the product is called a “cleanser”, it’s actually meant to be a pre-cleanser. In other words, you’ll probably want to follow it with other products, including toners and moisturizers, instead of just leaving your face be after using it.

Overall, I have been very happy with the way Clinique’s Foaming Mousse Cleanser works as a makeup remover. I can’t imagine relying on anything else at this point!

Just when I thought my face was finally clearing up and that I might be able to put all my special soaps and creams away, I’m starting to get clogged pores again — the first step to full-fledged breakouts. Sigh. When will this nightmare of bad skin ever end?

So now I’m back to square one as far as acne problems go, and have to start using all these pimple treatments once again. Sigh.

Ya know, I’d love to be able to reclaim all the space in my medicine chest that is currently being taken up by my tubes of cream and so forth. Why can’t my skin look like it belongs to a 34-year-old adult rather than a 14-year-old kid??

I’ve been hitting the gym three times a week since February of this year. This is the first time in my life that I’ve ever had this kind of routine, and it’s really paying off. Not only do I feel great, but I’m also losing weight and getting back into shape after letting myself go a bit. I’ve lost about 10 pounds thus far, have toned my muscles, and look better than I have in years.

In fact, things are going so well that I think I’m ready to start wearing swimsuits again! My family makes several trips a year to the beach, but I always wear shorts and tees to lounge around on the sand because I’m usually too self-conscious about my weight to do otherwise. But now I think it’s time to start shopping around for swimwear again. I do have an old suit somewhere, but it’s not a very flattering cut, so something new is definitely in order.

Once I get a new suit, I might even start swimming laps at the gym pool every now and then to add a little variety to my workouts. It’s a win-win situation all around!

I’ve been working so many extra hours at my consulting gig for the past few weeks that I’m going to have a nice fat paycheck on August 1! I’ve been crunching the numbers, and after taking care of immediate bills and savings, I’ll have a bit extra left over. I fully intend on using that money to buy myself a nice treat.

I’m not quite sure what I want yet, but as I was browsing around online today, I came across this lovely two-tone yellow and white gold bangle. I used to have a bangle very similar to that one, but I lost it at a party a few months ago. I loved that bracelet, and have been itching to replace it ever since.

Anyway, I might need to wait a couple extra weeks for my next paycheck in order to buy this particular bangle, but I think it would be worth it. Don’t you think it’s cute?!

I had the day off today, and decided to spend part of it at the mall doing a bit of window shopping. Although I’m working a lot at my office job these days, I won’t see a big paycheck for a couple more weeks, so I really don’t have any extra money yet. As a result, I limited myself to “just looking” today, even though I came across a ton of things I would love to buy.

For example, I saw a beautiful strand of Akoya pearls on sale for a great price, and was so tempted to swoop in snap them up on the spot, but I managed to restrain myself. I also saw a cute pair of sandals at Journeys, and some great tanks and tops at the Gap. Plus, I won’t even go into how many DVDs and box sets I wanted to buy!

I’m now counting down the days until I get my check. Then I’m definitely going on a major shopping spree!

My skin generally looks terrible in the summer, what with all the excess oil and sweat that my body decides to produce. This usually leads to bad breakouts or at least clogged pores (which results in bumpy, uneven skin). Gross, I know.

But this summer has actually been pretty good so far, and I think it’s because of the new skin care regimen that I follow religiously. First, I cleanse only twice a day (washing excessively leads to other problems) with Purpose bar soap ($3.29). After that, I pat dry and follow with a toner. I’m still using my Paula’s Choice toner ($14.95) and am getting far better results from it than I experienced at first. I then give my face 5 minutes to absorb the toner before applying a benzoyl peroxide-based pimple cream ($9.99) on problem areas — which for me is my forehead and chin.

This might sound like a pretty basic regimen, but it’s actually working for me. I also use a Biore pore strip ($4.49) on my nose once a week, and I also exfoliate ($12.50) once or twice a week depending on how my skin looks and feels.

Yes, I’m spending a bit more on my skin than I usually do, but I know I’m nowhere near what other women shell out. I think I’m getting a bargain here!