A Few Things...

A few things I wouldn't mind trying to sew up this summer.

All pics taken from Neiman Marcus online catalog

Kamika can't wait for summer

MAC Hello Kitty Event!

Let me just say that me and my girls had a ball! Well at least I did! MAC did it up for the release of their new Hello Kitty collection launch and we were in the house at the South Coast Galleria here in Southern Cali.










It was really one of those events where it was what you made it. The anticipation and the crowd interaction is what made it fun and exciting. The collection itself, to me, was kind of average but the atmosphere was fun. I got an invite and RSVP'd for 8:30pm. We got there at ten till 8 and the line was already about 100 people deep due to the fact that MAC not only mailed out invites but, possibly to combat the economy, they also did an email blitz which sent the turnout overboard. They had anticipated a return of about 50% but they nearly had 100%. That equates to nearly 500 people waiting.

We stood in line for nearly 2 hours including the deep standing room only crowd once we actually got in the store. The manager and staff though were all fabulous and so helpful and sweet. They made sure that nearly everyone who came got in even when the mall management threatened to shut the event down. The store itself was like a sauna because the mall had turned off the AC. For hors d'oeuvres they served chocolate bow tie cookies, cucumber sandwiches, and mushroom and Gruyere cheese pastries. For drinks they served mixed drinks with gin and some with pink lemonade and vodka. I don't drink so one of my girls held mine for me *wink *wink.

After standing in that long line and gabbing it up with the staff I ended up buying only one thing from the line which was the Deep Blue Green pigment. The other items I got were from the Brunette, Blonde, and Redhead collection or general MAC; a lipstick called Frenzy, the Mineralize Finish in Gold Deposit, and a lovely orange blush called Devil. I'm contemplating taking the pigment back. I don't think I really need it. Heck, I don't need any of it. I think I just don't want it.

<~~~ Aren't her nails too cute? (Customer in line)

So suffice to say we had a ball. Unfortunately when I got back home I had a crazy sinus attack which kept me home from work today.

Crazy event with mad crazy spending. Last night's event just solidified in my mind that I need to go on a spending diet. I spent a $100 which was paltry compared to the $500 and $1,000 that others were spending. But, I plan to cut back on all purchases save for groceries, gas, and health necessities for the remainder of the month of February and possibly into March until my birthday. I don't want to start becoming out of control. I have way more makeup than I'll every use. I did have fun though...

Did any of you hit an event in your area?

Kamika MAC'd out

A Lil of This & A Lil of That

As I sit here coming down off my sugar ecstasy, I figured I bet to get to writing. Not much to talk about but much ado about nothing. Nothing No. 1 being that I haven't had sugar in my system for nearly 3 weeks and have dropped about 10lbs. Sugar is cryptonite and crack all rolled up into one. When I'm fiending for sugar I start looking like Pookie from New Jack City. I'll beat a negroe down for some sugar. I'll cut em if it's got some pecans mixed in. Look at me, giving away all the details. But my Coffee Lovers from Coldstone was good.

No. 2, I hit my 3 year nappiversary on August 28th. I've gone from bald, afflicted with alopecia, to very thick and boring. Yes, I said boring! I need to find a natural stylist to take me and my hair to the next level. I got growing it on lock (eventhough advice is always welcome), what I now need is someone to take my styling back to FLY level, so I can feel more put together. Anybody know of a good stylist in LA that's into hair CARE and styling? It's gotta be both. Patrice asked me about a year ago if I ever straightened. Below is about as close as I get at home. I may consider flat ironing more often though just for a style change. I'm coveting that Chi iron.



No.3, been shopping waaay too much! Peep some of the products I bought. Can you say CHI's my baby daddy and I got the hair to prove it? LOL. I'm so in love with Chi products now. Talk about great slip and moisturizing. You don't need a lot of these products, so a 12oz bottle could probably last you a couple of months. An added bonus is that they smell like a really good smelling mens' cologne. I plan to do a review of them soon.



Stopped at Sephora and got some great makeup on the same outing went down to MAC in Nordstrom's and allowed myself to be bamboozled into a whole bunch more of makeup. I came to my senses just before I was about to plop down another $150 to buy FlowerBomb perfume by Viktor & Rolf. As an aside: At both of these stores male clerks (I know, so passe, but what are they called now?) were rocking the latest in makeup accoutrement. I mean full face with a swish. I was weirded out. It wasn't even dark outside yet. LOL, I kid. I don't think I took pictures of it all.


I may get that FlowerBomb this weekend though.


No. 4, I did my first weave. On DM. For Free. She called it free advertising. I called it slavery revisited. She said, "I'm your momma and I deserve it." To which I responded, "You lying lady!" (in my head of course). She's rocking it though. She refuses to wear her own hair. I have greater respect for stylists now. I'm now at her house every weekend washing and curling her up like she Patti Labelle or somebody. I will not be making this a side hustle. I need my hands to knit.



No. 5, I done did something crazy with my latest knit project that I don't even feel like discussing now.

...and last but not least

No. 6, a fellow blogger asked me why he wasn't in my blog roll. Cause shadetree, I ain't even been to my blog let alone updated my blogroll. Besides, you're in my reader and that's all that matters. LOL Ya'll can check out Dr. Rawdawgbuffalo here and over there ~~> On point southern commentary I think we can all use.



Kamika got those books balanced

Upgrade Me!

Had an eventful last couple of days. This week was my department's "Team Building Week". Something much needed since in our large department is made up of about 5 or 6 smaller departments that look each other in the face each day but have little to say to one another. The ladies who organized it did a very good job of drawing the silly and friendly competition out of us all. I really commend them for their hard work, not only because I myself had goo gobs of fun participating but I know it's really hard getting a whole bunch of pretentious and insanely political folks to work together.

Each day our groups, chosen at the onset by kiddie puzzle pieces, worked together to solve Olympic-like games such as cake decorating and poster drawing. The week culminated in an picnic outing to a very large park and a tour of our lovely city all on board a classic British double-decker bus piloted by two guys in kilts. Seeing as I don't drink, I wasn't too surprised at how wild we got without liquor. I think some of them were cause they were telling all their business the minute someone looked their way. It was all good though. I didn't take pics.

I don't know if Ihad to but I did go out and buy a new computer yesterday. The other night while watching The Boondocks my trusty old computer tried to give up the ghost. It froze on me and said I had a registry error. I resuscitated it but after restarging it made me reenter the Microsoft key and told me it had to restore itself. I knew then that the time had come for me to put my beloved baby to sleep. I had put it off as long as I could. No sense in prolonging the life support.

It didn't help that folks were laughing behind its back every time I talked about it. I began to dread the question, "what are you running?", for fear that I would look out of touch. I would always give my pat answer: "Windows 98, but it's super fast and clean. I've never had a virus, run all the programs I need, and am only looking to upgrade because Microsoft stopped providing support for it nearly a year ago." They would look at me like I was crazy and bust out laughing. Saying mess like, "You don't even have XP?" and "Windows 98?" and "How much memory you got on that thang?" To which I would always want to respond with something smart like, "Does Windows 98 sound like XP?" and "I see you on the memory tip. I'se only got about 11 gigs." The last part alone would make them fall out on the floor again but this time holding the fetal position until they realized how tall and imposing I looked from their position on the floor.

So yesterday I pushed up my scheduled purchasing by about a month and sashayed into Circuit City to look at their units. It would be a unit until I bought it, then it would become my family. I figured now would be the perfect time to buy one because back to school is just around the corner and I should be able to get a good deal. I figured I would hit CC and then swing over to Best Buy to see what they had. I didn't get past my first stop.

After looking at all the "out of box" units (former display units), I settled on 5 that were under $500 dollars. When the manager came over to help me I told him my dilemma. He laughed his sinister laugh. Ha Ha Ha! Then told me that he had to go tell his other manager what I was running, cause that would give him a good laugh and lift his spirits. I didn't know there was a ministry in computer buying. The evidence of God is everywhere. After his bellyrub he told me he felt sorry for me (in much nicer terms) and that he had to bring me up to at least Vista, especially since Microsoft just stop supporting XP about 3 weeks ago. I decided to play the damsel in distress role and appeal to his ego with my Win98 handicap and my obviously somewhat well read knowledge of computers. I was off and running. No batting my eyelashes needed. It was refreshing to him. Silly rabbit!

In the end I won! I left with a computer that was outside of my original 5 choices. The computer I got was $120 higher than the highest I was looking at. He gave me a discount. He offered $100 off so I asked for $120 he agreed. I tried to test my luck at $140 but by that time, he had caught up.

My new fam is a lean mean, computing machine. I now have 720 gigs and can watch high def TV on my computer without squinting. I refuse to pay for cable when the cost of watching TV through your computer is free through your ISP. That's one less bill I have to worry about.

My favorite TV watching spot.

Kamika Upgraded