Issue 6 of Strange & Charmed Magazine!
lifestyle
How to Avoid Drinking in Social Situations
With July 4th coming up, I thought I would take a moment to talk to you about drinking, or rather, how to avoid drinking in social situations. This information doesn’t just apply to July 4th weekend, but can be applied all year round if you are someone who prefers not to drink but finds it had to avoid drinking while others are indulging.
Reasons to avoid alcohol
While you certainly do not need a reason to avoid drinking, there are many legitimate reasons why one would choose not to drink in a social situation. You may be in a recovery program in which you are voluntarily prohibiting yourself from alcohol, in which case you have made a commitment and would not want to stray from that. You may be on certain medications that interact negatively with alcohol, or you may be the designated driver for the evening. These situations tend to have the least amount of pressure from others to drink. Usually, people who know this information will not offer you drinks or try to compromise your integrity or health while out at a bar or a barbecue, but what about other reasons when your avoidance of alcohol is not so clear cut?
I for one, generally do not drink when I am out, even if I am with friends who are drinking. I have no problem defending my position that I don’t like alcohol and the affects it has on my demeanor. I find that alcohol makes me feel tired and gives me a stomach ache, and even if I keep my drink count low, having alcohol in my system usually makes me feel laggy for days. I personally also do not like to drink my calories in alcohol or any other beverage for that matter so that factors in as well.
The Stigma of Sobriety
For me, its not hard to avoid drinking because most people know this about me and will not offer me drinks, but what if you were someone who usually drinks with friends but now, for whatever reason, has decided to stop?
The first thing you have to know is that sometimes people find it hard to understand why someone would not be drinking alcohol if it was offered. People almost take it personally or feel like they are being judged when someone suddenly stops drinking. There is definitely a stigma around sobriety and it usually leads to the assumption that you are recovering from an alcohol addiction (whether you are or not) or that you’re pregnant (if you’re a woman). These questions can lead to a feeling of peer pressure that could cause you to fall off your own wagon in a way and choose to drink just to fit in.
I know some people who end up doing this. They may want to avoid alcohol for one reason or another but when they get together with their group of old drinking buddies, they find it hard to avoid drinking and since they don’t have a strong reason to withhold they end up imbibing. I think this stigma sucks, but luckily there are some things you can do to avoid it!
Tips to Avoid Alcohol
If you feel like you cannot survive the stigma around sobriety, there are a few things you can do to avoid suspicion. If you have an event at a bar or restaurant, I would suggest arriving a bit early before the others and talking to your bartender or waitress. If you let them know you are not drinking this evening, but you don’t want anyone to know, they can make you fake drinks that appear to be alcoholic beverages, but are really just club soda or mixers without the alcohol. Many times, the glasses they use at bars and restaurants denote alcoholic beverages from non alcoholic beverages, so if you arrive ahead of your friends and they see you with a clear glass filled with ice and garnished with a lime, they will just assume its your usual gin and tonic, even if its clear soda or seltzer water.
Just make sure if someone wants to try your drink you keep it to yourself. Its easy enough to make up an excuse like “I think I may be coming down with something so its probably best if you don’t drink from my glass.” And if you can’t make it early to to location, don’t fret, just try to pull your waitress or bartender aside and discreetly let them know your preference for the evening. Bartenders especially will understand this and are usually more than willing to oblige. Just make sure you pass them a good tip at the end of the night for keeping your secret safe, after all, you are saving a good amount of money if your drinks are dressed up sodas without the shots of alcohol!
Now, these tips may work when you are out with friends, but what about when you’re at someones home or a barbecue? Obviously, its a little harder to control this situation, but there are things you can do to avoid alcohol without people pestering you about it. First, I suggest bringing some drinks of your own. Usually, if your attending a barbecue or a party at someone’s house, or at a public place like a camp site or local park, you would bring something like a side dish or a bottle of wine etc. Well, make sure you bring yourself something to drink without alcohol in it.
I suggest one of three things. First, if you are normally a beer drinker, I suggest picking up a 6-pack of a micro brew root beer or ginger ale that you can find at your local grocery store. Often times these microbrew non alcoholic drinks appear to be actual beers as they are packaged like them. You don’t need to say anything about what you brought, but if someone asks you and notices its not a beer, you can say something like “I really love this stuff, its my new addiction!” People may offer you something alcoholic, and you can politely pass on it with the legitimate excuse that you brought your own. I find with situations like this, people aren’t so concerned with what you are drinking as long as you are drinking something that looks familiar.
My second suggestion would be to bring a pitcher of a beverage that looks like a mixed drink. Remember in college when you used to drink “jungle juice” and it was basically Kool Aid with tons of clear alcohol in it, but for some reason you couldn’t taste the alcohol? That’s the concept with this one. Make a colorful beverage and stick to it for the event. If someone asks for a sip, let them have it and revel with them in amazement at the fact that you just can’t taste the alcohol! “Maybe I didn’t put enough alcohol in,” you can suggest. Your not lying and your friends will probably end up avoiding your beverage for something stronger anyway. In the end, everyone wins and you most of all win for avoiding alcohol without feeling the peer pressure of your friends.
My final suggestion would be to use a colored solo cup or your own opaque pitcher to drink from during the event. At parties, the non alcoholic beverages are normally sitting right next to the alcoholic ones, so its easy enough to fill your cup with a soda or juice instead of the hostesses homemade sangria. As long as they can’t see whats in your cup, no one can notice what you are or are not drinking. If comments arise as to the quality and taste of the sangria, make sure you give your thumbs up to be polite to your host. She certainly won’t know you didn’t try it!
Conclusion
Even though you may find yourself in social situations where you would normally enjoy a drink with friends and family, its often tough to avoid alcohol even if you want to. Compound that with the fact that many people find it odd when friends suddenly change their drinking behavior, and certain social events can turn into a pressure filled time instead of a fun event! Although honesty is always the best policy, what your friends and family don’t know won’t hurt them, and its not like your hurting yourself by not drinking. So, with a little forethought, you can make sure you look and feel like you fit in with your crowd while also maintaining your personal integrity. After all, alcohol is a tricky thing. It may be fun to loosen up with a drink, but it can also have short term and long term affects to your well being that just aren’t worth it to some people. So make sure you’re doing what you need to do to get by and I hope you have a great July 4th wherever and however you are celebrating!
Back from The Blogcademy NYC!
Okay guys! Listen up because I have some news and updates that I wanted to share! I just got back from The Blogcademy in New York City. In case you are not aware, The Blogcademy is a two day workshop for bloggers hosted by three of the webs greatest bloggers, Gala Darling, Nubby Twiglet and Rock N Roll Bride! Without going into too much detail, the workshop centers around helping budding young bloggers like myself turn their sites into successful internet properties by learning to develop good content, accurately using branding and marketing and learning to monetize.
I learned a lot about some areas I am behind in and also rediscovered my purpose and direction for Strange & Charmed. So, of course, this means over the next few days, weeks and months, you may see some tweaks here and there to the site, my content and hopefully to the overall feel of the blog.
A more complete write up of my Blogcademy experience will follow eventually is some form or another, but like I said, there is a lot of processing I need to do and the fact that I have to go back to work Monday morning doesn’t give me any immediate time to think! So, stay tuned!
Unboxing the Ipsy June 2013 My Glam Bag
As you may remember, last month I signed up for the Ipsy My Glam Bag after deciding that I wanted to sign up for one of the many beauty subscription box services. My May bag was filled with awesome stuff, but I did know what to expect, so my June bag was a surprise! I have an unboxing video going up on my YouTube channel, but I mentioned in that video that I would put up swatches on my blog and I have also decided to take some pictures and do a little review.
So, as you can see from the overview, the bag was a wonderful cheetah print, highlighted with a chartreuse zipper across the top of the bag. Inside were five full sized items as far as I could tell from doing a little research. The first was the JCats Sparkling Cream Palette as seen above. It appears to be a glitter eyeshadow palette. The colors are definitely not something I would have chosen or really would wear on my eyes as I usually avoid gold and I didn’t get a good impression of them from the way they looked inside the palette. They retail for about $5 online.
The next item in my bag was a NYX Rouge Cream Blush in the color Boho Chic, a deep nude pink tone. The consistency of the blush was very nice and smooth and it applied easily and evenly to the skin when I tested it. This item retails for $6 on the NYX site and is something I have never tried before. In fact, I have no cream blushes whatsoever and this color is also unlike anything I have. I think it will be a lovely natural summer blush so I am excited to try it out with a full face of makeup. {Color swatch below with the others).
The next items were a lipliner and an eye highlight. The lipliner pencil from Starlooks came in the color Tipsy, which as you can see below appears to be a pinkish nude in the pencil but swatches much brighter. The pencils retail for $12 and definely had a nice consistency that you would expect from a more expensive liner. The Chella eye highlight came in the color ivory lace and I am still not exactly sure how to use it. It is either an eyeshadow highlight that I can use under my brow and perhaps in the corners of my eye to brighten my eye area, or perhaps I can also use it to line my lower water line to get that enlarged eye look. I don’t see why I couldn’t use it that way and I think I would get more use out of it that way. It retails for $18 so thats another higher end brand, however, I have never heard of them or the Starlooks brand before, but that’s is the point of these beauty box subscriptions- to find new products!
This next product was a Cailyn Line Fix Gel Eyeliner. It came in the most interesting packaging that I refuse to throw away because its so pretty!
The eyeliner came in the color Iron, which was basically a dark grey which is perfect for me! I have never used gel eyeliner before, but this packaging was so clever. The top stick actually pops off and reveals the liner brush, so its like an all in one product and it retails for $21! I will definitely get use out of that for sure!
As you can see in this image above, the blush and the lipliner look like they are part of a similar color family, although, as you can tell from the swatches below, they are actually quite different!
The color in the pencil is a bit deceiving as it is much brighter when you apply it to the skin! I still think its a pretty good neutral however, and I tried it with my Mirabella Pixie Lipstick from May’s Ipsy bag and they go together well. I also have a feeling it will work nicely with my Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip Balm Stain in the color Rendezvous as it is a similar orange hued coral. I also think this liner may work well with a nude lip color if I fill in the lips with the liner a little bit first.
Here is a “swatch” of one of the sparkling cream eyeshadows. As you can see, this product is very chunky and basically just straight glitter. I am definitely not going to put this on my eyelids as it is very difficult to apply and its so thick, I worry I may get the glitter in my eyes! The colors were very pretty and perhaps they can be used as some sort of body glitter, but overall the product is not very good in my opinion. The word cream in the name is quite deceiving as there is no cream base to this product as far as I can tell.
Here are the color swatches for the products. I apologize that I swatched these on my arm with my birthmark! Also, my arms are quite hairy since I am Mediterranean descent and I have never been one to bother with shaving or waxing them. Anywhoo, from top to bottom we have the cream blusher, the lipliner which is actually quite a bright coral color, the eyeliner, and finally the eye highlight.
I hope this post was enjoyable for anyone who was wondering about the product in this months Ipsy My Glam Bag! I may continue to do posts like this in the future if the products need swatching and a review! Head over to my YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/misstrenchcoat to see the unboxing video if you haven’t already!
Foodie: Mocktails with Crystal Light
Nothing says summer like enjoying a nice fruity drink! Although I am over 21, I am not a big drinker, but I do always enjoy the fun flavors and the delightful look of a summer cocktail so I like to make non-alcoholic versions of these summer drinks, aka mocktails! I am sure many of you have heard of the term “mocktail” but for those of you new to the concept, it is basically a drink made to copy the look and taste of a cocktail but without alcohol. Mocktails are great for the under 21 and sober crowd as they embody all the fun of fancy fruity drinks but without the negative affects of alcohol.
So, on to the drinks! Last summer I fell in love with the Mocktail drink mixes from Crystal Light. Not only did they come in fun flavors and bright summery colors, but they were also 0 calories! I have tried most of the flavors at this point, but I especially love the margarita and mojito flavors. They are just like your standard Crystal Light mixes, just add water and stir and you have an instant drink, but you can take it one step further and dress up your drink to make it a true mocktail.
Frozen Mocktail Margarita
In your blender, mix equal parts of your premade Crystal Light Margarita with ice and blend until smooth. Add salt and lime juice to taste. Taking your margarita glass, rub a slice of lime around the rim of the glass transferring the juice to the rim and then dip the rim of the glass on a plate dusted with margarita salt (if you don’t have margarita salt, you can use a coarse sea salt). Garnish the glass with a slice or twist of lime!
Classic Mocktail Mojito
To a glass, add a few sprigs of fresh mint, sliced limes and a teaspoon of stevia in the raw (you can use sugar in the raw if you prefer, but I am trying to keep this as low calorie as possible). Using a spoon or mixing stick, crush the mint, lime slices and stevia together. Fill the glass with ice and add your premade Crystal Light Mojito. Garnish the glass with some more sprigs of mint and/or a slice or twist of lime!
I hope you enjoyed my quick and easy mocktail recipes! There are many ways you can make mocktails, but I love the instant Crystal Light mixes because they are easy and calorie free. You could add alcohol to these recipes and make them real cocktails but remember, alcohol can make you very dehydrated and so its better to quench your thirst in the summer heat with the alcohol free versions!
A Girl’s Guide to the iPad: Why you Need One!
I was recently asked to make a YouTube video explaining, from a woman’s perspective, whether or not the iPad is a useful device and to give my thoughts on the matter. Of course, since I have owned a few models of iPad, including a mini, I would say I am very pro-iPad, so I was happy to discuss all the reasons an iPad is useful to a female! Of course, most of the reasons also apply to men, however, I decided to make this video as though I was talking to a girlfriend who was on the fence, so I gave female specific examples. The video is a little long and a bit chatty, but I wanted to cover everything I could think of to touch on situations each and every girl out there would relate to. I hope you find this useful if you too are on the fence about whether or not you want to purchase an iPad!
On a side note: this video does not go into choosing between the models any further than the main difference I see between the iPad and the Mini. This is because I believe its a personal choice that involves a great deal of money and I do not want to sway anyone one way or another on which to choose, its all up to what you can afford and what you think you will need!
Instant Beauty Fix: elf Daily Moisture Stick
I recently just discovered a drugstore gem for instant relief of dry skin! The e.l.f. Daily Moisture Stick is an inexpensive miracle worker that, like its name suggests, is a stick of clear gel formulated with anti-aging components to moisturize the skin. When applied to the skin, either by direct application from the stick itself or by applying it with the fingers, a cooling burst of moisture instantly plumps dry skin, leaving the skin refreshed and soft. Some of the anti-aging ingredients include grape, shea, avocado, macadamia and aloe, however, instead of this product feeling oily and heavy as one might expect from the ingredients, it actually is quite light and refreshing and leaves no sticky residue whatsoever. What I love about this product is that it can be used on the face or the body and I have been using it for both. I have been applying the product via my fingers to my under eye area and directly to any dry patches on my face or body. The product has helped me greatly with a recent facial sunburn I was suffering from as the aloe helped cool my skin, keeping the burn area moist and refreshed.
I really have just been loving using this product and sort of feel like its a miracle worker of sorts! It feels so soothing and light on the skin and the moisture lasts a good while, although I have been using it repeatedly throughout the day because I love the way it makes my skin feel. Its one of those products that you can keep in your bag and use throughout the day at bathroom breaks to keep yourself looking and feeling refreshed. When applied under my eyes it sort of plumps up my under eye area which can sometimes look sallow a few hours after I apply my makeup. I am loving it for summer because it really helps to refresh the look of makeup that may begin to melt off in the heat. Just pat on the product with your fingertips to any areas where your makeup is beginning to look saggy and it peps it back up! It also works wonders on hands where you get that dry and dehydrated look. It really just fills dry skin with instant moisture that sticks and feels incredibly natural. For $6 there is really no reason not to try this Daily Moisture Stick from e.l.f. I picked mine up at Target, but you can buy it online from e.l.f directly.
Maxi Dress Trends for Summer 2013
Summer is here and one trend that seems to recycle itself year after year is the Maxi Dress! Although we have certainly seen these dresses before in all their iconic glory, from summer to summer the trends seem to change ever so slightly. Today, I want to talk to you about the maxi dress style, elements of it that stay the same year over year and the new elements that make Summer 2013 maxi dresses unique.
First of all, there are three main silhouettes that make up the basis of the maxi dress look. The kimono top, the bandeau, and the tank top. From season to season, these styles don’t change for the most part. The kimono top, as illustrated on the first dress, is a universally flattering top comprised of a short, wide sleeve and a v-neck. The bandeau, as seen on the second dress, is a strapless style that is often a little more casual because it lacks sleeves. Finally, the tank top style, seen in the last dress, is a versatile look that can include a variety of strap widths and a V or U style neckline. Depending on your personal preference you may gravitate to one or all of these maxi dress styles.
Now, let’s talk about the summer 2013 trends that make this years dresses stand out from previous seasons. I see three major trends happening in maxi dresses this year. First, as seen in the first dress is the ombre look where a solid color is used and fades from light to dark or dark to light. The ombre trend has been popular for a while now, so its no surprise to me that its now a prevalent style in dresses as well. The next trend I see for this summer is a mix of patterns, as illustrated in the second dress. Whether its a mix of a floral and a stripe, or a pattern and a solid, mixed and contrasting patterns are a big trend this summer season. The final trend I see this season in maxi dresses is geometry as seen in the third dress above. Whether its color blocking or asymmetry, geometry is playing a big role in fashion this summer and it has many faces that make it edgy and on trend.
So, have you picked up any new maxi dresses for this summer? If so, are they part of the summer 2013 trends? Please share in the comments!
Ipsy My Glam Bag May 2013
I have been on again, off again with beauty subscription services. There are loads of them out there that offer a variety of products from beauty product samples to full sized makeup products to clothing and shoes! You may already be familiar with Birchbox or Glossybox, two of the more popular sites, but others include Beauty Army, JustFab, and ShoeDazzle. Since I was interested in setting myself up with a subscription, I did a lot of research on the types of products you get from each company and the price associated with it. Last year, for a short period I had subscribed to ShoeDazzle but canceled my membership realizing that I wasn’t so interested in getting a new handbag or pair of shoes each month for the hefty $50+ dollars I was being charged for the service. I did like the items, don’t get me wrong, they were very stylish and the quality was decent, but did I really need a new handbag every month, or a new pair of shoes EVERY month? I did not! So, I jumped off the subscription service band wagon for a bit.
Of course, Spring hit again this year and I suddenly felt the need for new accessories and makeup! So, I began researching the popular beauty subscriptions, deciding that $10 a month for some beauty items was more feasible. However, I didn’t want to pay $10 a month for foil samples of hand lotion and mini bottles of perfume that I could get for free at any department store counter. So, I ended up choosing Ipsy and the My Glam Bag service. What drew me to Ipsy was the number of quality large sized samples or full sized products I saw their customers receive month after month. With Ipsy, each month you get a trendy little makeup bag filled with 3-5 products that have been customized to your beauty needs, preferences and colors. They offer a range of beauty products, from makeup, perfume, skincare, lotions, and hair products! You tell Ipsy your style and what types of items you want and they try to stay within your parameters. So far I have received one bag and it was filled with items that I actually LOVED! And the value of the bag was close to $60 and filled with multiple full sized items and large samples. You can see what I got in my bag in the video above! Overall, you can say I am very happy so far with my Ipsy subscription and I can’t wait to see what I get in June’s bag!
If you are interested in the Ipsy service, visit them online here.
For the record, this is not a sponsored post, I paid for my Ipsy subscription myself and have not been contacted by the company at this point in time. All opinions are my own and I hope you appreciate my honesty!
Forever 21 Jewelry Haul
I really love Forever 21 because all of their products are affordably priced and trendy! I particularly love their jewelry because its soooo inexpensive! So, I just picked up a few cute pieces that I found at my local Forever 21 store!
The first piece that caught my eye was this twisted stud cuff that cost $5.80! I have been trying to build up my collection of bracelets and cuffs. I love silver and this pointed stud design is very edgy. Most of my current jewelry is rather girly, so I thought this harder look would be an awesome compliment to balance out my usual style.
The next item I bought was this set of two camden cross cuffs for $5.80. I like the mix of silver and gunmetal because, again, its more of an edgy look, but these are also simple enough to be worn with a lighter style as well.
Together, I definitely think these cuffs are awesome and edgy and will definitely compliment my wardrobe for the remainder of the Spring and carry me through Summer as well!
The next item I picked up was this long black and crystal Eiffel Tower necklace for $2.80. Yes, $2.80! That is precisely why I love Forever 21 Jewelry! Heck! It may not be the best quality, but for trendy items that you will wear for a season or two and then discard, you can’t beat the price! I love Paris, so I just had to pick this necklace up! I think I will wear it layered with some other short and dainty necklaces.
Okay, so, did I mention I am really into edgy style and accessories?!? I have never owned a two finger ring before and I was not thrilled that this is gold and not silver, but this mint two finger ring is pretty awesome and actually more comfortable than I could have expected. Again $2.80, so it was a no brainer!
I mustache you a question, but I’ll shave it for later! Okay, okay, this trio of novelty mustache rings may seem frivolous, but for $4.80 for the set of three, I COULD NOT RESIST! I love collecting mustache items, its so hipster, I know, but I can’t help myself! And I WILL wear these, probably with my other mustache ring…
Seriously though, what’s not to love about these rings? They are pretty unique and definitely a conversation starter. I love little accessories that are simple but interesting when you get together in a group.
So, this next ring is a little less interesting but no less unique with its Spike Ends for another $2.80. This ring should do well with my new cuffs, particularly the twisted stud cuff!
Overall, I think my Forever 21 Jewelry Haul was quite successful. I spent a few bucks but definitely picked up a bunch of items I will wear over and over again in the upcoming months! So, did you see anything that you liked from my haul? Or perhaps you have a few of these items yourself. Let me know what you think and how you wear your pieces for summer. Leave a comment below!