Castor oil. It’s a pretty common ingredient when you read the labels of your bath and beauty products. It’s a vegetable oil that comes from the castor bean which kind of blew my mind because who would’ve thought it came from a bean. Obviously, I’m easily shocked and awed. What’s it Made Of? Castor oil, or Ricinus communis if we are using Latin names, is a fixed oil. It is comprised mostly of fatty oils. Its structure is made up of roughly 90% ricinoleaic acid with small amounts of oleic acid and linoleic acid thrown in. This allows it to be both hydrophilic and
Strength and Sculpt, Part 3
Ugh, this class is such a (beeeeeeeep). Sorry, trying to clean up my profanity when I discuss exercising. I went to this class with a full on migraine. I’m talking pulsating head, a stomach that felt like it was going to heave at any moment, and an aura of dread emanating from me. I took two Excedrin, crossed my fingers, and prepared to enter the seventh circle of Hell. Hell took the form of two to five pound weights and an excess of arm exercises. I’m shocked that my limbs didn’t fall off though they did refuse to cooperate at
My Beef with the Washington State Fair
This fair is an utter rip off. Like holy cow, why I don’t I just give you the PIN number to my debit card and hand over all the security information for my Visa while I’m at it. Oh, you need my checkbook too? Great, let me make sure you have my signature while we’re at it. This is horror disguised as rides, popcorn, and carnival games at its best. Let’s do a small round up shall we? Luckily, me and the man got to enter the fair for free since I’m in education and we get free passes. Students
Basic Yellow Cake (Covered in Chocolate Frosting)
I have a special place in my heart for yellow cake. I guess I have a special place for *all* cakes, but yellow is my favorite. It’s my preferred birthday cake. Having come to these conclusions years ago, I was a bit miffed with myself when I realized the only yellow cake I’ve ever had was from a box (shout out to Duncan Hines!) and maybe it was time to make one from scratch. I surfed the net (as you do) and settled on the Basic Yellow Cake recipe from Foxy Folksy. This is one dense cake! It was also
The Royal British Columbia Museum, Victoria, British Columbia
My man and I visited the Royal British Columbia Museum awhile back, and I’ve neglected to write about it. Which is shameful because it was quite delightful wandering through it! First off, you guys should probably understand I’m not the *best* when it comes to museums. I look at things to “ooh” and “aah” over, then get impatient when the people I’m with read every placard because they’re actually trying to learn or something civilized like that. I’m basically explaining to you that my mental abilities are that of a four year old as soon as I enter an exhibit. Below
Week in Review #6
Helloooooo everyone, and I hope you’ve been enjoying the changing of the seasons! Summer is almost done, and I’m crying a little inside. I’m not ready for the cold! Anywaaaaays, let’s catch up on some blog posts! I visited the Washington State Fair and had a little too much fun hanging out in Timber Gulch. I relived one of my more snazzy moments by telling you all about the Madera Hotel in Washington D.C. I had an experience that made me questions what “Stop” means and why people would view its definition differently. I’ve been stupid with my money at
Nail Art Disaster. Again.
I was a little too ambitious today. I was going to go ALL OUT. No, really, I was going to use ALL the polishes *and* even figure out how to stick on those Swarovski-esque jewels to my fingers. I did one nail and decided I was DONE being fancy. It was waaaay too much work. Besides, my one nail looks like a clown put on all of it’s costume jewelry then showed up to a black tie event. It stands out, but in a bad way. Like, “watch out, Kristen just took that OMG tacky skirt out of her closet
Strength and Sculpt Part 2
Strength and Sculpt has been difficult for me to write about, mostly because I come home exhausted and talking about it exhausts me even more. It’s literally taking all my typing skills not to turn this post into “blah, blah, blah, oh and weights” (though let’s face it, it’s rapidly coming to that). Strength and Sculpt, despite its name, makes me feel weak and flabby. By the end, even two pound weights feel overly heavy. I feel tired afterwards, instead of the surge of endorphins and giddiness I usually get at the end of Barre. I go home and can
The Madera, a Kimpton Hotel in Washington D.C.
I don’t know what it is about Kimpton hotels, but I seem to be on a bad streak with them. The last time I stayed at the Palladian Kimpton in Seattle and was hugely disgruntled with the bathroom facilities. This time, at the Madera Kimpton in D.C., I was just an all around hot mess. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve every been such a spaz before–and that’s saying something! It all started with the shower. The bathroom is small which is both good and bad. Good, because they put the sink and mirror part outside of the bathroom so I
Beauty Gadgets I Bought Because I Thought I Was Stupidly Rich
I did a post a few weeks ago discussing the beauty gadgets I’d buy if I were stupidly rich. Now I’d like to discuss with you the expensive crap I have bought in the name of beauty. Doing this is great since it tends to curb my desire for flashy things. Some products work, and some products I’ll confess to being terribly embarrassed about spending my money on. Let me share my dirty little spending habits with you. GHD Platinum Hair Straightener – $250 At the time, this straightener normally retailed for $250. GULP, what was I thinking? Don’t worry,