I Heart Sharpies

I proudly admit it - I LOVE school supplies.  The appeal of a pristine new spiral notebook, the oh-so-familiar scent of a new glue stick, wooden pencils sharpened to the perfect point...ahhh...almost makes me long for school again (on second thought, I'll just revel in the supplies because God knows I don't ever again want the stress of writing a 20-page paper about the organizational challenges at Boeing on Sunday at 4pm - gives me cold sweats just thinking about it).

But my all-time favorite "grown-up" school supply has to be the Sharpie.  I'm not sure when it began or exactly how, but this obsession has been going on for many years.  As a marketer, I completely admire their campaigns - they're like the Converse of the marker world.  You just feel cooler using one, not to mention the confidence required knowing everything you write is permanent.  Sharpie.com

Fortunately, my love for this gloriously fun writing instrument is shared equally by my sister (she even has the stainless refillable one), and I'm pretty sure she's the only one who understands my excitement when Sharpie launches a new product.  In fact, when Sharpie first introduced their pen that doesn't show through paper, she and I bought them together and were barely out of the store before ripping open the packaging - it was like two smokers who couldn't open the pack to get their fix fast enough.  A little pathetic?  Maybe.  Harmful to our health? Not a chance. Passionate about our pens?  Definitely.

I will say that not all their products are a home run, like the Liquid Pencil (I'm not a fan) and the 1980s "fashion colors" (do any of us really want to relive horrible pastel on paper?).  But you can never go wrong with the Ultra Fine or Extra Fine tip (the latter of which is extremely hard to find - hey Sharpie, if you're listening, time to broaden the distribution and color palette of that one). 

So next time you're in Target or Office Depot, don't forget to peruse the ole' Sharpie section and pick up a few fun colors to punch up your next To-Do list or buy a good chisel-tip highlighter to rekindle some fond textbook memories.  Before you know it, you'll be a Sharpie Devotee too.  I warn you - you'll fall fast, and remember, it's 100% permanent.  Now if I could just find a grown-up coloring book...

Happy Doodling,

K8

Watch Out Resse, I'm Stealing Your Hairstyle (A K8 Flashback)

Originally published Sept. 21, 2007

Update: I did end up getting bangs (see photo below), and they definitely were not my best look, but I'm still a huge fan of the InStyle makeover tool!

Okay, I've just discovered this very fun tool on instyle.com - you upload your own pic and try on all these celebrity hairstyles.  Sure, other sites have this idea, but this one is really good because you can manipulate your own pic (size, tilt of your head, crop out background, etc.).  It's really easy to use, and you can save your fave ideas.  Very fun for those of us who always bring pix to the hairdresser (where she usually says, "Uh, Kate...you're not exactly blonde w/those cheekbones, so we may want to remember that when trying to 'recreate' Cameron Diaz's cut on your head."  Translation: she's famous and has people fix her hair every morning while you work in an office and only have 32 hair products and a semi-decent blowdryer to work with).  Whatever - I still think I can pull off bangs.

Me with Reese's style and color circa 2007

My Beauty "White Whale"

Ah yes, the elusive self-tanner.  As you know, I'm on a perpetual search for the perfect self-tanning product.  Sure, the professional air-brush tan is the only way to go for a major event, but for the day-to-day de-pale-ing of my rather fair skin, I turn to the tube/pump/bottle/spray/paint, etc..  Fortunately, self-tanners get better every year, so just when I think I've found the holy grail of faux bronzing, I'm "forced" to try the latest and greatest yet again.

For the past two years, I've been pretty satisfied with Clinique's version, although it's a bit sticky and requires long PJ pants if you're applying it before bed.  So I was excited to try Loreal's latest incarnation of bronzing gel.  I'd previously tried their Gelee which had a nice consistency but was also a bit tacky. Their newest version is a clear, quick-dry gel in a spray form, and so far, I'm hooked!  

It's easy to apply (you can spray it directly on your skin or in your hands and then on skin), it goes on extremely smoothly, and it smells lovely.  You do have to work quickly since it does dry fast (imagine, a beauty product that actually does what it says!).  But that's the best part - it literally dries within approx. 10 minutes, quick enough that I can put on clothes or PJ boxers and hit the sack with no issues.  Now, THAT's a serious improvement over the gunky stuff from the past!  

It creates a nice glow within the first couple applications and evolves into a beautiful glow over the new couple days.  Best of all, I haven't found any errant splotches or traces of the dreadful orangey-ness, and I even  used it on my arms (the ultimate test of freaky streaks).  My only complaint is that I wish they had a "Dark" version; it appears they only have "Medium" which just requires an extra day or two of applications to get the exact color I need (but thanks to the yummy smell, I really don't mind reapplying).  So get to exfoliating and start slathering up - because God knows NONE of us should be out in the sun, especially in the 100+ Dallas heat!

LOreal-Paris Clear Self-Tanning Spray Gel

Magic K8 Ball Says: 6 - Outlook Good...Happy (Safe) Tanning!