Garnier ULTRA-LIFT TRANSFORMER

I'd posted last month about receiving some goodies from Target.This particular moisturizer I was prepared to use and review but I didn't expect it to WOW me. And yet, it did!

I have combination to oily skin, and a lot of anti-aging stuff is a little too moisturizing for me. This stuff is FABULOUS. The first time I tried it, I was doing a trans-Pacific (Is that even a thing? I've only ever heard of trans-Atlantic before..) flight and wanted some SPF during a layover/run through an airport. The sample they'd sent was teeny tiny and perfect for flying. So I tried it. It smelled nice, which is always a plus. It didn't feel greasy. And it was kind of a BB or CC cream in that it went from white to.. whatever color blended into my skin. It was oddly satisfying.

Since I returned to work I've been wearing this almost daily, when I can find it in the pile on my bathroom sink. I really like it. It gives.. not coverage, but just a hint of some color to even out my complexion. It's really nice. When I use the lazy girl way and "wash" my face with a wipe, there's a yellowish tint left behind from the moisturizer. I am half Asian so yellowish isn't weird to me.

The retail value is about $17 which is on the pricey side for drugstore moisturizers, but I'd spring for it in lieu of my normal splurges which can be upwards of $50. 10/10 would buy full-size!

Josie Maran Bear Naked Nail Wipes

Hey charming! I got a little goody from Sephora today. :)

Josie Maran Bear Naked Nail Wipes are a great find. For my job, I'm required to keep kind of boring fingernails. Definitely short, which is my preference to begin with. But they have to "complement" my skin tone, which is interpreted in way too many ways. The easy way is to just have them look natural and avoid all questions. I used to enjoy frequent trips to the nail salon to get a fresh coat of OPI GelColor in Bubble Bath, my all-time fave. But since I've been overseas it's become a little tricker and I'm having to learn to do my own nails. Luckily it's hard to tell how bad I suck using such natural shades. 

Still, it's fun to put on a coat of color for the weekend. It's usually hell on my nails and especially my cuticles to just use the regular acetone, so once I heard good things about this Josie Maran product, I was quick to put in an order.

The box says:

These portable 3-in-1 nail wipes remove nail polish, repair dry cuticles, and promote healthy nails--naturally. Acetone-free and grapefruit scented, Bear Naked Nail Wipes are infused with organic Argan Oil to moisturize cuticles and support nail growth.

Acetone-free? Sounds like hippie stuff that isn't going to remove nail polish. But it got my CND Vinylux Weekly Nail Polish off without a problem. The light scent is pleasant, and neither overpowering nor long-lasting. The wipes are tiny and thin which are troubling initially. But I got my fingernails and toenails taken care of with only one. They had an oily residue-no doubt the Argan oil mentioned on the box. I actually quite like them. Especially with winter on the horizon and my crazy handwashing habits, a little extra TLC where I can get it is welcome. I'm definitely excited to see if they do in fact give love to my nails in addition to removing polish. If so, I'm likely to take better care of my nails and keep a nice home manicure going instead of letting it go and go and go until I look like a homeless hooker below the wrists.

Fried Rice

I went for fried rice today. The very first restaurant I visited when I got to this duty station was a ramen place just off base. But I don't go there for ramen. In fact, I've never eaten ramen. I know, I know.. worst tourist ever. I get excited when I find American food.

Anyways, this place has THE BEST fried rice! Hngggg.

You walk in and there's a vending machine by the front door.

You put in your yen, pick out your food/drink, and out pops a ticket (or multiple if you got a few things) with your order. Then you have a seat and the staff comes to greet you, bring you water, and take your ticket. For my particular order, they ask what flavor. I think the fried rice comes in garlic, soy sauce, and curry flavors? I've had garlic-which is delicious but a little strong, and the soy sauce-which is my favorite.

It comes to the table in this cast iron thingamajig.

Omg my mouth is watering again looking at the photos. You take your spoon and mix the egg (which is raw at this point) and all the goodies.

Until it looks something like this...

And then you go to town with the chopsticks! YUM!

Just wanted to share some noms. One of the few things I'm not afraid to eat out in town.

And I have to say, I'm a picky eater but I have tried a lot. My mother is from an Asian country and I've experience my share of non-American foods. I just happen to know my palate is very simple and very white bread. Very American! Which makes this duty station less fun for me than someone with an exciting food life. But it is what you make it. And this rice makes it okay! :P

The Bella-Vita Zari Ii in Nude Patent

I am ever on the search for the perfect pair of shoes. My feet, unfortunately, do not cooperate. I always say I have HUUUUGE feet but the reality is that I have an oddly-shaped foot which creates a difficult fit. It's much easier for me to just go for the giant shoes instead of putting in the elbow grease to find a great-looking pair that comes in the right width. Yep, that's the key for me, kids. I need wide shoes. I own up to size 10 shoes because the ball of my foot doesn't fit into normal people widths. Also my feet are about a half size different from one another which is quite annoying.

Today I got these lovelies which have me pretty satisfied. They still give me a bit of the heel-slippage when I walk which makes me a tiny bit suspicious that my feet are even smaller than the 8.5 that I bought (8.5 WW to be exact. YIKES.) but I am going to try some heel inserts and see if that does the trick.

I like pretty much everything about these shoes though. Nude, which may just be my favorite color for shoes and.. well a lot of things. The flesh tone elongates the legs and looks fabulous in a dress or skirt or pants or anything. These are a little different with a black sole and thick-ish heel. The shape is just fabulous and I'm excited to take these puppies for a spin. Patent isn't my favorite because I think that a matte color is more versatile, but I think these will work nicely for my needs. I already have my eye on a Ralph Lauren LBD hanging on my garment rack to go with this pair.

PrettyFit-The Prepared Pack

PrettyFit provides active women with the best nutritional supplements, healthy snacks, workout gear and more through monthly packs chosen by top fitness professionals. Expert trainers include their best workouts, recipes, and tips to maximize the benefit of the products inside every pack.

I just got my first PrettyFit shipment, The Prepared Pack. I'd been on their website before and was excited about the possibility of a monthly kick in the butt to slip on my running shoes or hit the gym. 

When I created an account, however, I was a little disappointed to discover the address form didn't allow for an APO/FPO option. Damn this duty station! Cue my clenched fist. I emailed customer service and was pleasantly greeted with a solution: simply create the account with my Stateside address and then log in and change it before placing my order. Ta da! It worked! $50.00 later I was all set to receive The Prepared Pack, touted as "everything you need for the perfect workout."

Upon making my payment I immediately received a congratulatory email. Every time I send money to the internet I am celebrated by all people except maybe my husband. I'm quite the hero. Or the mad shopper. Anyways this was the 24th and the email said they'd ship my pack out towards the end of the month. Damn. I mean, here we are, within a week of next month and I'm already getting my first pack. Sweet!

So the first rolls around and I haven't received a shipment notification yet. Sad face. I shouldn't have been so excited! I reach out to customer service once again and I'm informed that since my order was right on the cusp of the change in shipping dates I'd be getting my pack later than expected. Boo. Hiss. I was displeased because first of all, I had my heart set on RIGHT NOW for the shipping and second of all, the next month's pack looks awesome and I don't want the Prepared Pack instead-that is soooo Ginelle circa last month. The rep, Alex*, apologized and gave me $5 off my next order, plus they (damn those gender-neutral names!) put in an additional order for me for the new month's pack so I'd be all set up with goodies. Phew! I had expected the additional $50 charge anyways so that was no big. And $5 off isn't much but it was a nice gesture. The final email between us was the fourth, where I'd been told that I would get automated emails with tracking information for both boxes in short order. Celebrate good times, c'mon!
The twelfth (I didn't realize how odd that word looked spelled out!) I receive my Prepared Pack. Sans notification! That's okay, I was just excited to get it. I checked on the website the next day and I saw that tracking information was available in a weird format. Weird to me, anyways. Instead of having a tracking number, it looks like the site just updates itself with new information from USPS. It seems to have the same exact info as the USPS site. It appears that this pack shipped out the day that I got the last email from Alex (the 4th) and got to me on the 12th. Only eight days for shipping; not too shabby here at my duty station in Never Never Land.


The contents of this box were not obvious upon first inspection. No company logos or special packaging common among subscription boxes. I cracked that baby open and was greeted with purple tissue paper (FOR GIRLS, DUH!) and a big 'ol shipment of goodies. You can see from the picture above what was included in the Prepared Pack.

The Uplift Pre-Workout by NLA for Her in Guava Passion ($34.99) is the big ticket item in this pack. Okay I love me some pre-workout. I love getting all pumped up and excited for happy hour at the bar. I also love taking pre-workout and cleaning house. I'm a sick individual. I've certainly never tried out a pre-workout that's marketed directly to women** but I guess that comes with the territory of ordering a fitness subscription called PrettyFit instead of a JackedPack. Which I also considered.

The Dual Shaker Cup by Hydra Cup ($11.99) is an interesting little guy. My shaker cup was hot pink instead of purple as shown on the site (the only difference between what I received and the site). I love the way it looks, and I'm excited to put it to use since I let my last shaker get moldy on accident and was too grossed out to try to clean it. Odd, how at one time I had a billion shakers and then I was down to zero, mixing my protein in a red Solo cup with a fork. The bigger they are the harder they fall.

Mine looks just like this except it says "STRONG is sexy."

The bottles of Fill Shake and Go by About Time ($3.49) were an intriguing new idea. Portable protein without the need for even my own moldy shaker. No need to wash one out afterwards and get moldy, either. Can you tell I'm sad that I got my last one moldy? All you need is some water or milk (I use water) and you're good to go. I think my preference would be servings of protein in a little foil pack but I was excited to try these. The vanilla was.. not my favorite. I've tried tons of protein and I'm aware they aren't supposed to taste like dessert. But this one was hard to swallow. I've always hated the way vanilla protein looks by itself, like watered down milk or something. I tend to mix my vanilla into smoothies with instant coffee or frozen fruit or something. But this one I just mixed up at work for a quick snack and it was meh. I wouldn't buy it. I also see on the About Time website that they have this product in Birthday Cake. Um, PrettyFit why didn't I get Birthday Cake flavor? WHYYY?

WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME, BIRTHDAY CAKE FLAVOR?

The Granola Clusters by About Time ($3.99) were delicious. I didn't know how I would feel about them but I really like them. My only gripe is that the pouch had two servings. It's a small, snack-sized pouch. I have a ridiculous personal outrage for food/drink being in what looks like one serving but actually being more than one. I have a secret fantasy that every food came already prepackaged in single servings. I know, I know, people who love the environment hate me. But you know what? I like to eat snacks. I like to eat everything. Sometimes a barrier is all I need to realize I've already had my share. Anyways besides the silly serving size thing, these were good. I'd totally buy them. Of course for $4 a pop, they're a little pricey. But a good source of protein so maybe it balances out.

The SK Energy Shots ($2.99) were  an interesting inclusion in this package. I like energy drinks, though I know they're awful for a myriad of reasons. The energy shot takes all the fun out of getting an ice cold heart-attack-in-a-can but they often have similar payoffs. This was no letdown. The Strawberry Lemonade flavor smelled good and was just a tad tart. It wasn't hard to swallow like some energy shots which taste like feet. I'm looking at you, Five Hour Energy. Near-instant caffeine burst and no crash later in the day. Thumbs up. More than once I've made the change of heart to go for a run or hit the squat rack after work because of the right dose of caffeine. I'd say 7/10 would buy.

The BCAA+G RELOAD™ Natural | Post-Workout Recovery Sample by MRM ($2.99) was a welcome sample for me. I'm new-ish to the BCAA game. I've used pills and a few different mixables but I've never heard of MRM before. I'm a little bummed I got two of the same flavor (watermelon) but I checked the company site and they only have two flavors to begin with.

The Protein Packed Trail Mix by GourmetNut ($2.99) was a product I was chomping at the bit to review! I love trail mix! Love love love trail mix! When I first joined the military and went to Boot Camp, one of the few bright spots in those few grueling months was that I somehow managed to get my grubby little recruit hands on trail mix on a few different occasions. Hnnggg.

The PrettyFit Drawstring Backpack ($7.99) Self explanatory. And a nice little baby to hold all my new goodies.

The PrettyFit Workout Log ($2.99) I do keep track of my lifts, my measurements, my run times, etc. This notebook isn't anything special as it's blank lined inside and not very many pages. But the emptiness is just waiting for my creative juices to flow and pen the perfect workout log. I can do it!

So the total retail value of this pack was about about $84. Not too bad. Not the highest value subscription box I've ever gotten, but definitely a useful one. I get a lot of boxes that I-quite frankly-don't need. Jewelry, accessories, panties, candles, lord knows what else.. random ass stuff that I can live without. But workout/fitness-related stuff is a good one for me. I 'd ordered a Bulu Box once upon a time and was kind of disappointed. There was a decent mix of samples but it felt like I was paying for stuff I should have gotten for free. Anyways I can't wait to see the next pack from PrettyFit. They've kept me hooked for at least one more. :)

*I just did some not-so-ninja creeping on LinkedIn and it seems possible that this Alex character is the Co-Founder/CEO at PrettyFit. Is it possible? Am I a crazy stalker? I was just trying to figure out if my rep was male or female but... who knows. I could be way off base, it's not like Alex is an obscure name or anything. I'm a weirdo.

**Come to think of it, I did get something for chicks last year from GNC. It was GenetixHD Iso Define in Berry Sorbet and it was fucking delicious. I think I primarily used it post-workout, though, and I was happy it had CLA as I used to take it in pill form. I wasn't even aware there were drinkable forms of it. Also it tasted awesome. Awesome awesome. I should get me some more of that...

REVIEW: Smashbox Full Exposure Travel Palette

I recently purchased the travel-size Smashbox Full Exposure palette. I was VERY excited to receive this. It had a decent price tag of $22 which I felt was fair for being a seemingly perfect portable neutrals palette. I expected to be able to build day and night looks however the mood strikes.

The first thing I notice when I open it is that it is TINY. I could carry it in a pocket if I wanted. (I wouldn't, but I COULD.) It's very slim which excites me because in a few days I'm taking a loooong international flight and packing as light as possible is always my focus.

At first glance, it seems pretty nice. From left to right you see warm to cool colors, sparkly shades on top and matte on the bottom.

I thought the matte shades were decent. Nothing special, they didn't have that buttery texture I expected from Smashbox. The shimmer shades, though... I do not like them. With the exception of the third from the left (light tan with gold/silver pearl), they are AWFUL. I can't even call them eyeshadows, they're like crappy glitter with ridiculous fallout. I tried them wet and dry, didn't matter. They suck. I'm not returning it because I really did need a portable little neutrals palette but if I could go back in time, I wouldn't buy it again.

Positives: mattes are okay, soooo portable, not too expensive

Negatives: not high quality powders, shimmer shades are crappy glitter and not pigmented, case flimsy

0/10 would buy again.

I will use it begrudgingly. I'm not likely to use most of the shimmer shades. What a waste! Also, if you were wondering, they're not the same size pans as in the full-size. They're smaller, which is okay with me, I wanted something tiny. But for the price tag and the quality, I expected SOMETHING better than what I got.

BOOOOO Smashbox! You can do better!

NINJA EDIT: Okay, I'm returning this. This is a travesty. I expect much higher quality from Smashbox. I will be returning it and possibly going for an Urban Decay or Too Faced neutrals palette to replace it. I say again, BOO SMASHBOX.

REVIEW: Shredz Fat Burner

So it's challenging to give an in-depth review on a product when I only received a packet with 2 pills, but I'm willing to share my experience nonetheless.

SHREDZ® Fat Burner is a gluten-free thermogenic with naturally found ingredients that helps deliver clean energy, intense mental focus, and get you ripped and lean.
Ingredients like Vitamin B5, Green Tea Extract and Cayenne Pepper Extract help raise the body’s internal temperature to burn fat at a constant rate and provide benefits like:

• Melt Fat

• Get Lean

• Clean Energy

• No Jitters

• Increased focus

EACH BOTTLE OF SHREDZ® FAT BURNER CONTAINS SIXTY (60) CAPSULES OF OUR PROPRIETARY FAT BURNING FORMULA DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY TO CREATE RESULTS.

I had intended to take it as a pre-workout at around 4:30 AM before I hit the gym and went to work. But I had a difficultly rallying myself enough to get out of bed on time and by the time I got out the door I had to work. So instead, I took it on my way out (thinking I was still going to have time to go to the gym), and then again about 6 hours later before I *did* get my workout in. I had the pill on an empty stomach both times and I liked it. I was alert and not at all hungry. As a pre-workout, I definitely felt hotter in my face when I was working out. I don't think I felt a push to do more or harder, but for just sitting around like I was before the gym, it felt alright. With a $60 price tag (for a month's worth if you take two per day) I doubt I'd purchase it. I do feel like it was an effective appetite suppressant but I've got enough willpower for that on my own.

Take that as you will. For me? I will not be purchasing the full-size of this product. But I would take more samples if they came my way, just for the teeny little boost.

Buy Shredz Fat Burner HERE.