Anniversary Day at the Detroit Zoo (Lots of Pics and Videos)

Last week, my husband and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary.  We got married in the Detroit Zoo Butterfly House, so we try to go back every year on our anniversary.  We had a wonderful day.  It wasn't too hot and the animals were out (not hiding like they sometimes do).  We also live close enough to the zoo that we can walk there, which is quite nice.

On This Day 8 Years Ago...

I married my best friend.

It's National Lipstick Day

Hey guys!  Happy National Lipstick Day!

I rounded up 10 of my favorite lipsticks to show you in honor of the day.

Left Column top to bottom:
    --- Maybelline Color Sensational in Pink Freeze
    --- Clinique Pop Lip Color + Primer in Bare Pop
    --- Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Plump Perfect Lipstick in Perfect Blossom (discontinued)
    --- Lipstick Queen Let Them Eat Cake
    --- Maybelline Color Sensational in Strike a Rose (limited edition)

Right column top to bottom:
    --- Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Shine in Pink Dragon
    --- MAC Lustre Lipstick in Viva Glam V
    --- Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Lovelight
    --- NARS Audacious Lipstick in Brigitte
    --- Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in Coral Shimmer

from left: Pink Freeze, Bare Pop, Perfect Blossom, Let Them Eat Cake, Strike a Rose
Pink Dragon, Viva Glam V, Lovelight, Brigitte, Coral Shimmer

This is definitely not a complete list of my favorite lipsticks, but I tried to narrow it down somewhat.

What are some of your favorite lipsticks?

Happy 4th of July

To my readers who celebrate, happy Independence Day!

I almost bought this incredibly patriotic t-shirt I found at Meijers (my grocery store of choice).

Have a safe 4th of July!

Happy Easter Pastels FotD

To my readers who celebrate, happy Easter!  To those who don't, happy Sunday where everyone else is obsessed with pastel colors, chocolate bunnies, and eggs.  I don't really celebrate Easter anymore (we did do Easter-y stuff in my house when I was a kid) except maybe eat a Cadbury Creme Egg.  I did use a bunch of pastel shades for my makeup, and it seems kind of Easter-y.

Happy New Year!

I just wanted to wish all of you a happy new year!

I will be celebrating New Year's Day (is that supposed to be capitalized?) by watching tons of college football bowl games.  Go Michigan State (they're playing in the Cotton Bowl)!

Have a great New Year's Eve and New Year's Day!

P.S.  I should be back to posting regularly soon.

Merry Christmas!

To all my readers who celebrate, happy Christmas!

Have a wonderful holiday!

Happy Monkey Day!

I want to wish everyone a very happy Monkey Day!

Today is the day to celebrate all things monkey, ape, and generally primate-related.

This Emperor Tamarin has his party mustache on!

photo from wikipedia

We tend to celebrate Monkey Day everyday in my family, with monkey stuff hanging around the house (get it?  hanging?  'cause monkeys hang in trees? get it? ...)

This little guy hangs on our fridge.

I know King Kong is technically a great ape (very great), but I thought I'd include this painting that hangs in our dining room (painted by my husband).

On a more serious note, today is a good day to learn about endangered species and habitats.

I'd like to introduce you to the critically endangered Tonkin snub-nosed monkey.

Photograph by Xi Zhinong, Minden Pictures/Corbis

Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys have a distinctive look with a flattened face, an upturned nose, pale blue rings around the eyes, and large pink lips.

Credit: Nguyen Van Truong/FFI

This species of monkey, believed to be extinct until it was rediscovered in the early 1990s, is native to northern Vietnam.  Like many endangered species, the population decline in the wild is due to habitat loss and hunting, and it is estimated that only 200-250 Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys are left in the world.  But, there is some encouraging news involving this species.  A survey performed in 2013 in the Khau Ca Species and Habitat Conservation Area in the Ha Giang Province in Vietnam recorded 108-113 individuals living in the protected area, up from around 90.  Hopefully, the continued protection of the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey in the Khau Ca Species and Habitat Conservation Area will ensure the species' survival.

photo from www.flora-fauna.org
http://www.fauna-flora.org/news/tonkin-snub-nosed-monkey-sighting-in-vietnam/

By the way, I, of course, am wearing my Monkey Day socks.

I hope you all have a fantastic Monkey Day!  

What's New?

First off, I apologize for the complete radio silence for the past couple of weeks, but I have been quite under the weather with a bout of bronchitis.

I took this photo November 13th.  Too soon for snow!

Anyhow, I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving (for those of you who celebrate!)!  I had a very laid back day with my husband at home.  Even though I am still feeling crummy, I did manage to make us a very mediocre Thanksgiving dinner.

Some very exciting news: we got a new furnace!

Shiny new furnace!

Old (ancient) furnace

We put off buying one last year, but this year the yearly inspection revealed a crack in one of the face plates, which is pretty dangerous.  Besides, the old furnace was built in 1983, and it was rather inefficient.  I'm guessing it was older than many of you, dear readers!  The new furnace is over 96% efficient and Energy Star rated.  Fancy!

In other news, I bought some stuff during the Sephora sale (after my birthday was over, so I didn't include it in my birthday haul post).  Unfortunately, I have been feeling so poorly that I haven't played with any of it yet.  

So, that's what's new with me.  How have you been?

Happy Halloween (Fashion and FotD)

It's finally Halloween!  Time to binge on candy and horror movies!

I didn't do any unusual costume or makeup this year, but I went with a bit of a spiderweb theme for my clothes and jewelry for the day.

I just did some (what I think are) awesome smokey eyes for my makeup.

I used:
     from the Urban Decay Naked Palette--Naked (matte tan) in the crease
                                                                   Creep (sparkling dark gray) in the outer and inner corners
                                                                   Virgin (shimmery shell) under the brows
     from the Too Faced Pretty Rebel Palette -- Miss Sparkles (sparkling black) in the outer v
     Fyrinnae loose pigment in Velvet Vampire (sparkly rust red) in the center of the lid
   

I followed the same pattern as the upper lid on the lower lashline.

from left: Naked, Creep, Virgin, Velvet Vampire, Miss Sparkles

Velvet Vampire, Miss Sparkles (swatched dry 'cause that's how it used 'em)

  LORAC Front of the Line PRO Liquid Eyeliner in black along the upper lashes
  Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner in Perversion on the waterlines
  Mally Voluminizing Mascara in Black

Cheeks: BFTE Babycakes Blush

Lips: MAKE UP FOR EVER Rouge Artist Natural in N9

from left: BFTE Babycakes Blush, MUFE Rouge Artist Natural in N9

This photo makes it look like I put my blush on weird and unevenly, but it's just the lighting.  I swear.

I found some cool nail stickers (the kind that are nail polish in sticker form, so they are long-lasting).

I kinda wish I had attempted some "spiderweb" eyeliner.

Did you dress up for Halloween?

P.S. The weather here was miserable for trick or treating (37°F and rainy).  Many of the kids that visited my house were wearing mittens.

Year-Round and Seasonal Halloween Decor (Lots of Fun Pics)

Oh my goodness!  Halloween is tomorrow!

I love Halloween stuff/decor/decorations/trinkets/tchotchkes/etc., so it's rather surprising that I don't decorate a whole heckuva lot for Halloween.  Maybe it's because I have sort of Halloween-y decorations inside and outside of my house all year round:

One of the two gargoyles guarding the house

We have a cast of a skull in the living room.

We have busts of the Bride of Frankenstein and Werewolf, and mini Madame Alexander dolls of the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch on a bookcase in our computer room.

The bookcase is also home to a skull that has a removable skull cap so you can use it as a candy dish, and a large tarantula (not live, thank goodness) named Lemmy.  Next to the skull is our stack of "The Walking Dead" books (volumes 1-16). (Which, I'll have you know, we read long before the tv show existed.  So there.)

On another bookcase in the computer room, we have a (tarnished) antique silver candelabra and matching vase with black roses, and an Angel of Death figurine.

My sister painted this figurine and gave it to us for Christmas one year.

On that same bookcase, we have a witch and cat figurine/windvane that my husband's sister gave us.

On a bookcase in the living room, we have a glittery severed hand that sits behind a black wooden bowl.

My mom just gave me this awesome Second Empire-style ceramic house that is kind of haunted house-y.  This is how my husband and I want our house to look.  It would require a total rebuild, though.

She also gave me this nightlight/fragrance diffuser with a "bulb" (they call it a bulb) of Cinnamon Pumpkin Spice fragrance.

In the guest bedroom, we have a set of glow-in-the-dark zombie figurines that were a wedding gift from our best man and his wife.  They know us so well.

And then we have my husband's art.  (I'm only going to show you three pieces, otherwise this would be a never ending post).

This one is a self-portrait.

This one, called "My Dad is a Werewolf", is 4 feet by 3 feet large.

Here is how it looks on the mantle.

He created series of artworks called "Totally Sweet" that is a group of portraits of well-known horror villains/monsters (mostly from films) made out of Halloween candy.  We have a framed print of the black cat portrait in the living room.

Close-up -- you can see all the different kinds of candy used.

Finally, we have some "temporary" Halloween decorations around the house:

Glittery spider for the front door!

I made this banner years ago.  It is made out of felt bats and puffy paint.  I love it!

I even added dots of red glitter paint for the eyes.

I hung up some skull lights on the mantle.

They look fitting under the werewolf painting.

Of course, we will put out our plastic light-up Jack-o'-lantern on the porch on Halloween night.

I did hang up this little dude, but maybe it's too morbid.

Do you decorate for Halloween?

P.S.   If you would like to check out more of my husband's candy monsters from his "Totally Sweet" series, go to http://www.freep.com/story/news/weird/eric-millikin/2014/09/18/eric-millikin-totally-sweet-candy-monsters-2014/15804341/.  He has 17 total so far, with more to come.  They include Leatherface from "Texas Chainsaw Massacre", Vincent Price, Lily Munster, Audrey II from "Little Shop of Horrors", and a self-portrait.