My fantabulous weekend, part one

For all intensive purposes, my weekend started when I left work on Thursday.  I had Friday off, I had best buds coming into town, and I was ready to roll!

So after work I went to a makeup swap in the area that was publicized on one of my favorite makeup blogs, Hooked on Beauty.  Even better, I had just cleaned out every nook and cranny of excessive moisturizers (you would think I'm the most moist person on the planet!), makeup that was the wrong color, haircare I got bored of or didn't work with a new hair length, etc.  It goes like this:  pay for a ticket ($10 for those bringing swap items), take in all your lightly used stuff you no longer want, and get new stuff you want to try.  (Don't worry, everything gets cleaned and sanitized and it's not gross). The best part is that everything you don't want cluttering your bathroom goes to a loving home, and anything that isn't picked up is donated or recycled.  See, I get to be greedy with new stuff AND I'm saving the planet in the process.  God only knows that I would have taken up all the room in the local landfill just in bottles of soap, lotion, and shampoo!

You have no idea.  It was like the mother ship calling me home.  I got to meet Carissa, who is a well-known local makeup artist and a true sweetie.  I had 2 sips of free champagne, and got to try Pop Chips (not baked or fried, but popped potato chips in a Bariatric-sized bag--yum!).  I chatted with several lovely, amazing, and very fashionable ladies.  AND I got the world best brow wax, trim, and tips ever from a professional brow artist--for free!

Then, there was the swapping.  It was like Sephora in there, but everything was free.  We all felt a little guilty for taking anything--I kept hearing comments of how it felt like stealing!  But it was so much fun to see someone with darker skin tone get that bronzer that was too dark for me, and the shaping hair paste from when I had shorter hair, and the body lotion that just was too rich. 


I know, getting this excited about a makeup swap is a little silly.  It just reminds me of how much life, fun stuff, and new people I had been missing out on.  I would never have gone when my weight was at it's highest.  I would have felt intimidated by all the beautiful people, and would have just turned around and left.  As it was, I only left when I absolutely had to in order to pick up my incoming friend at the airport.  And what a great metaphor for cleaning out my life and losing weight.

And even though I had to leave early to pick up my friend, they allowed me to enter the drawing.  And, I know you all are surprised, Carissa sent me a message that I won something.  I don't know what yet, but it's clear that the lucky streak continues.  As such, the price for rubbing my belly for luck has gone up dramatically.  I may even get it insured by Lloyd's of London, just in case.