Back to civilization!

Hi! I'm back in Calgary now, which is very thrilling, mostly because I have a real internet connection here and can get all caught up on the SYTYCD clips. (Oh, and I get to see all my C-Town homies, of course!)(Yes, I promise never to use the phrase "C-Town Homies" again after this.)

Benjiiiieeeee and Heidieeeeee! Oh my GOD they were amazing. In the Mambo number, I didn't even notice his open-to-the-navel shirt until halfway through the clip. Me! Not noticing hot hot Benji ab-action!! I was transfixed by the actual dancing; those two were THAT good. And seconds 22 to 28 of the Broadway clip made me squeal all by myself here in my parent's house. And don't even get me started on that little jacket-throwing move. Is that baby up on eBay yet?

Hey, upon watching that last clip for the 5th time in the past 10 minutes, I realize that when Benji throws his head back while his hand is reaching up (like near the end of the routine), it reminds me of the Peanuts. Like, as in Charlie Brown, Lucy, and the ever lovable Snoopy. Did Snoopy ever dance like that? No? Am I just nuts? Is there a point to this paragraph? Probably not. But I do know that every time Benji does a Broadway number, it makes me want to buy a poodle skirt and say "Sock Hop" a lot. Sock Hop!! Oh man, I'm giddy. Such dancey goodness!

Okay, let's take a deep breath. I think the Dance withdrawl symptoms are in remission for now. It's funny... while I was waiting in line to clear Customs at the Toronto airport, these dancer-type girls were behind me, all talking about the show. They were like "I like... um... whatshername... she's got curly hair... Amanda? Oh and Ivan! He's so cute!" And I'm silently screaming "NO! HER NAME IS ALLISON, DAMMIT! AND YOU MUST LOVE BENJI!!! LOVE HIM!!! DOOO IT!!!!" Oh sweet sweet psychosis.

Righto, I should be able to watch the show this week. The lovely Cowgirl Warrior and I will be getting together to share the good times, I can't wait! Warn your neighbours, CW, I'm a screamer! :D

Product Review: Gillette Foamy Shaving Cream in Lemon-Lime

aka: One for the road!!

Hey folks! I'm off to sunny Orlando in about 7 hours, whoopiee! I'm pretty excited... I'm meeting my family there, and we'll be hanging out for a week. Can't wait to take my brother and sister to Disneyworld & Universal Studios! After that, I'm going back home to Calgary for a visit. Super vacationy fun times!

Of course, going to Florida in the middle of the summer means mega heat and humidity. I forsee a lot of flippy skirts and bare legs in my future. Fortunately, I've recently re-discovered a cheapie shave product that is simply amazing: I'm talking about Gillette's Foamy Shaving Cream in the Lemon-Lime scent.




There are all manner of frou-frou shave creams and gels for ladies on the market. Scented, moisturizing, sensitive... and they come in a rainbow of colours. But really, in the end, all we want is a close, smooth shave. The Gillette shaving cream delivers.

I had initially bought this shave cream in a pinch: I was on vacation, and this men's shaving cream was the only one I could find in the hotel convenience store. But man, am I ever grateful to that convenience store. First, let me stress that this will NOT make you smell like a man. Instead, it smells like sweet lemon-lime soda... the scent is zingy and candy-like. It dispenses out of an aerosol can in the form of a creamy white foam, which I prefer to the gel-based ones for women. Because I am so mega-clutz, I keep dropping the gel stuff in the shower. This foam dispenses right into your palm, and smoothes on to legs and underarms very easily. It actually gives better coverage than the gels.

The shave I get with this is so smooth it's a bit ridiculous. While it's not marketed as being moisturizing, it feels very soothing, most likely because it was intended for facial shaving to begin with. Between this and my pink Schick 4-blade razor thingie (is 4 blades a bit ridiculous? Yes! Is it worth it? Yes!), my legs are like buttah.

Really, you must try this. Shaving cream is not usually something I get very excited about... if it prevents me from raking layers of skin off my legs, I'm happy. But I AM very excited about this: it's that good. And the best part? It cost like $2.99 CAD for a big-ass can. Hurray! Oh, and you can pretend to buy it for your boyfriend or husband, and make him carry it on vacations so that you can use it without having to take up precious storage space in the suitcase, which means that you can now squeeze in that 5th pair of strappy sandals you just NEED to bring along.

Speaking of which... I need to finish (okay, start) packing. I'll try to post from the road, but until then, ta-ta!!

Well Shiver Me Limber, Maties!

Ok, so how much did I freakin' LOVE that "Travis you're so limber" sign? So much! (What was the phrasing exactly? I was laughing too hard to remember!) Of course, it would have been better had it been for Benji, but hey, as one raving lunatic fan to another, props to you, Travis-sign-maker!

Hoo boy, where do I even begin? Oh, I know: Dimitry. I know I might get some hate for this, but can the boy please close his goddamn shirt already. Look, I like tight (toight!) abs as much as the next red-blooded hetero female, but enough is enough. It's getting to be sleazy and cheap, which is fine if you're, say, someone whose name rhymes with Haris Pilton, but Dimitry, you actually HAVE talent, so please take the high road. The down-to-the-navel Versace look has been done already. If J-Lo is over it, it's time to move on.

Whew! I felt like I was writing for one of those hissy entertainment/fashion rags for a sec! How fun!

Donyelle was just incredible tonight, I thought. During the second number (Samba?), her look at the end was just smoldering. I love how she looks so hard and tough during her solo, but accepts compliments with such ladylike graciousness. Love love love!

I also thought Heidi was on fire tonight (what else is new?). She made Travis seem so very manly when he was walking around her as she was crumpled on the floor during the Pasa Doble. And how heartbreaking was her frustration at the Contemporary performance? I completely don't understand Contemporary, but I actually could make sense of their routine, and felt almost moved by it! (That's grand praise coming from someone whose emotional outbursts are usually reserved for one Benji Schwimmer and really good lipglosses) Plus, it didn't involve, like, pirates and shit, so that's good. (Seriously Mia. WTF???)

And of course, there's... Benji. Oh Benji. Benji and his great balls of fire. (Yeeeeow!) That solo was divine, but the first Jazz number? Where he is in thin loose white pants and a shirt that reveals such delightful slices of abdominal muscles when he's flipping and stretching? I think my grasping hand almost went through the TV. Dimitry could take a hint from the master -- sometimes, less is more. A glimpse keeps you wanting and guessing, instead of having a roomful of girls holler "GAH!" and turn their heads away in unison at your overexposed torso, as was witnessed in Casa del Glitter tonight.

Oh, and Natalie? Get thee and thy ample cleavage AWAY from ma' man, 'aight? I mean, I like you and all, but I will only tolerate that kind of blatant flirting from Donyelle, you hear me you floozy?

Finally: did anyone else snicker when Cat made porn eyes at Nigel and called him a "hard hard man"? Or am I just perverted from hanging around boys too much? Yeah, I thought so.

And please check this out. Some girl learned Benjyelle's Broadway number from last week (You Can't Stop The Beat from Hairspray). It's both hilarious and impressive, because she actually truly did learn the whole thing. Crazy! You go girl! (I did NOT just say that!)

Alright folks, G out!

PS: Naaa-nanananaaaa-nananananananananana! Nanananaaaa!

Product Review: Monyette Paris Cashmere Body Mist

Today's review is brought to you by Meg's Makeup. Go there to read a condensed version of the review, or to see what other gals thought of the product!

Hey y'all, how've you been? Life is pretty much insane right now in GlitterWorld, as you may have noticed from my lack of posting (it is, for instance, much more entertaining than Water World ever was). And really, if I'm too busy to fawn fanatically over Benji, how much time can I really spare on using those pretty girly products that make me bring out my fabulous self?

Fortunately, the Monyette Paris Cashmere Body Mist is a clever little multitasker. I've been reading about Monyette Paris for about a year now -- a lot of people seem very devoted to it. The scent proper comes in perfume oil form, which is not really my preferred way of wearing fragrance. (Perfume oils tend to stay close to the skin, and I like the 'waft' that I get from eau de toilettes or parfums more.) But this dry oil spray is another story all together.




First, the scent. I can see why Monyette Paris has so many followers... it's a warm, sensuous, feminine smell. The listed notes are Tahitian gardenia, French muguet du bois, and island vanilla orchid. Many reviewers mention that they get a suntan lotion or coconut smell out of it, but fortunately, there's not a hint of coconut to be found when it's on my skin. (I HATE smelling like coconut.) I'm typically not a fan of warm scents, and you'd be hard pressed to find a prominent vanilla note in my perfume collection. But I really do like this fragrance. To me, there's a hint of powder in there that keeps it clean and soft, not sickly or overly sweet. The concentration of scent is lighter in the mist than it would be in the perfume oil, and so I find it very easy to wear.

As for the functionality, the Cashmere Body Mist is tagged as a dry oil spray, and it really does make my skin feel silky smooth. (It is KILLER on freshly-shaved legs. I can stop touching them. Which, I'm sure, makes for a very entertaining visual for any passers-by) It absorbs quickly and doesn't feel slick or greasy. It adds a very soft, subtle sheen to the skin, but that fades after an hour or so. You're just left with supple-looking skin after that. At any rate, you won't have to worry about looking like an oil-slicked Greco-Roman wrestler or muscle mamma. (Of course, if your skin is on the dry side, this alone won't cut it. But for me, I can get by sans moisturizer if I use the oil spray.)

This stuff is great for the summer. For one, the scent is very befitting of a sunset cocktail party on some breezy patio somewhere. It's also super for when you don't want to bother with sticky, heavy moisturizer... just spritz on, smooth out, and go! The slight sheen makes one feel very Hollywood indeed, and the soft fragrance is inviting, classy, and chic.

Props to Monyette Paris Cashmere Body Mist, and mega props to Meg's Makeup for making this review possible, and for introducing me to this yummy smell!

Oh! And IT'S WEDNESDAY-DANCEDAY!!!!!!! Wheeeee!

The Motion of Benji's Ocean!

Hola! Oh man oh man, what a CRAZY number that was last night. It took this long to get my heart-rate down to a reasonable tempo so that I could write this without threat of cardiac arrest.

First: You Can't Stop The Beat!!!! I just about died when I learned that the routine was set to this song. I actually performed this number (very very poorly, in comparison to the stunning Benjyelle) in full 60's regalia. It was as if Benji pointed at me, winked a little, did his kissy-smirk-mouth thing, and said "This one's for you, G! Keep on sparklin'." Sigh.

Also, never never never did I think that a man in a TUCKED IN TIE could look hot, but there he goes, breaking records and shattering preconceptions again. But that is hardly unexpected... those two shook their fanny muscles, yo! I LOVED it, so much cheese, but so very good! I'd like to think that this is how Benji dances when he's alone in his room (in his boxer briefs, of course) after eating too much candy. Wheeeee!

I was, of course, not surprised by Nigel's comment. Even Cat Deely knows to prepare her eardrums for the onslaught of Benjyelle fandom whenever she introduces the duo. I was, however, perplexed by Nigel's hair. Did he cut it, flatten it, or dye it? All 3? Who knows!

My predictions for bottom 3 tonight? Ashlee/Dimitri (brother looked STIFF!), Heidi/Ryan (damn you, whatshisface!), and Natalie/Musa (or maybe I just really hate that Promiscuous song). Ivan & Allison looked really spankin' hot, I must admit. And it was nice to see Martha all dolled up... very Lady Day of her, I thought.

Hey, and how great was Brian Feldman's quickly back-pedalled comment about Dan Karaty's choreography? I see a pretty-boy choreographer Dance-Off in the future. Maybe David Bowie will help judge.

And finally.... Taylor Hicks, WTF?!?!! Singing Ford jingles??? Is THAT where winning American Idol will get you in life?

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go buy a poodle skirt and practice those Charleston-butteryfly-jiggly knee things that were happening all over the stage last night. And then work on my Funky Chicken, Gobbling Turkey, and Toyota Jump. No you can't! / Yes you can!! / No you can't! / Yes you can!!! / YES WE CAN!!!!!

PSA: The Body Shop sale!

Oh dear, has it been a week already? Sorry folks, I've been uber busy lately, and life is pretty darn exciting right now. But here's another Public Service Announcement:

The Body Shop is having a sale! (You can tell there's new management at work because they NEVER used to have proper sales.) This might be old news to a lot of you, but I picked up an Africa Spa dry oil spray for like $6. This stuff is AWESOME... smells yummy and cozy and divine, and makes skin feel silky smooth, not sticky. Plus, the tall & narrow glass bottle looks classy and unique. They also have the Sesame dry oil spray on sale for the same price. Sadly this means that the 2 items are being discontinued, so stock up while you can!


Other items on sale include assorted Home Fragrance Oils, some LE fragrance line that I didn't even know had been introduced (Spring-something or other? It's pale green, and smells light, fresh, and inoffensive. Nothing too exciting though), and a couple Body Butters (Sesame and Soy, perhaps?). They've also got the Juice It line on sale here, but only have Mango Peach and Coconut Lime. My favourite (Lime & Mint) was missing, and so I gave it all a pass.



Possibly more exciting than the discontinued stock, there's a deal on select Body Care products as well. Until August 1st, you can buy one item and get another at half price. This includes all the Body Butters (full & trial size) and the matching dry oil sprays, body washes, lotions, and scrubs. (Stuff like Vanilla, Oceanus, and those 'classic' scents are not included in this offer.) I picked up a Nut oil spray, because I love how Nut Butter smells, but it's too sticky and heavy to use in the summer. Lip Butters are also included in this sale. I didn't get any because I happen to think that the Lip Butters suck major frog butt, but you may feel differently.



So yeah, if you've got a hankering for some Body Butters or something, get on down to your local Body Shop. But you should know that the they've eff-in' raised their prices YET AGAIN ($19 for a Body Butter?!?! Come on now!). Oh, and they're "re-packaging" the makeup line, for what seems like the 3rd time in 5 years.


But yes, the Africa Spa dry oil spray is killer. I'm very happy with it. I'd be even happier if one Benji Schwimmer smoothed it onto my back after a long soak in the bath, of course, but you probably didn't need to read about that. Sorry.

Footloose!

Results clip now posted in the collection. I didn't watch this episode, too much to do! Bad bad BAD G! I hope Benji can forgive me. I do know that Jessica & Jaymz got the boot, which I'm quite happy about. Jaymz is alright, but that Jessica... I don't know, she annoyed and bored me. She just looks like somoeone I wouldn't like. (Probably because I'm such a judgemental bitch!)

Enjoy, rave, and talk amongst yourselves!

I think I've lost my voice.

Tonight's show? HOT. I out-writhed myself. (I tend to go into screaming convulsions on the floor whenever Benji shows up.)

I'm pretty worn out from all that excitement, so here's a list. Lists are fun!

1. Donyelle GRABBED BENJI'S BOOB!!!
2. Benji's Dimitry is like Feist's "Inside & Out". Way hotter than the original, and makes me wanna get up and shimmy my hips.
3. BENJI'S HIPS!!!
4. BENJI'S EYEBROW!!!

I could go on forever. The collection is updated. It's hot hot hot in Vietnam!

Wednesday! And a poll!

Yipiee, it's Wednesday Dance-day!

Hey, here's a question. One reader posted a comment in a previous post, wondering about the female opinion on colognes. Here's what he says:

I'd like to hear what you women like best on men, when it comes to them smelling sexy? I've rarely used Colognes, perhaps thats why I'm still single.lol Anyways 2-3 years ago I tried Obsession in which I received some positive feedback. Thanks for advice. Nice site, I enjoy your posts about SYTYCD.

James

Hi James! Thanks so much for visiting! Any guy who's a fan of Dance is alright by me!!

Personally, I love it when a guy smells really "clean". One ex boyfriend never really used cologne, but he smelled like a mix of laundry soap and Old Spice (Extreme Sport!), and I loved it. I'm not a big fan of huge musky spicy scents... much more of a clean-fresh-woodsy scent girl (think stuff like Chrome Azzaro, CK One, etc.)*. One friend uses Kenneth Cole Black, and that smells really nice on him.

I'll often love how some random passing guy smells, but have no idea what he's wearing. It's probably just their deodorant. I'll do my best to get out there and do some solid research for you on that though! ;)

What about you, ladies? What do you think smells good on a guy? And what do you think Benji smells like? (Well, aside from "ALL MAN", of course.... grrr! :P) Let's 'help a brotha out'!

* With apologies to any perfume connoisseurs out there, who probaby just threw up a little out of derision. I know... I have a terribly un-sophisticated nose. I'm sorry.

Product Review: Marcelle Sheer Tint Fluid Moisturizer SPF 15

Hello all! Hope you had an amazingly fabulous long weekend! Mine was fairly low key, but after the craziness of last weekend, it was a welcome respite.

For those of you lucky enough to get away to some sunny spot, you'll no doubt be sporting a healthy, happy glow back to the office on Tuesday. All that fresh air and R&R, plus the knowledge that the upcoming workweek will only be 4 days long adds up to a vibrant visage. (You will note that even I am impossibly cheerful, and wayyy before noon too! It's a miracle!)

But, for those of us who weren't quite so lucky to get away, there's another way to get that mini-vacation glow. Marcelle (a Canadian cosmetics company) has launched a new, light reflective version of their tinted moisturizer, that promises to deliver "radiant skin at the height of perfection". Oh my!




I had actually purchased this because I was sleep-deprived, confused, and bleary-eyed one day, and got the fancy to go out and purchase a moisturizer to keep at my office. But, because I obviously can't read properly in that state, I ended up with the Sheer Tint Fluid Moisturizer in Luminous Beige. Good thing it's awesome!

With all this talk about "luminous" and 'light-reflecting", I was a little worried that I'd look like Sparklelina Sparklepants at her prom. Fortunately, this wasn't the case. It did look a bit too shiny right after application, but if you let it sit for a bit, the gleam goes away. (Or if you're impatient and paranoid like me, just dust with translucent powder.) It doesn't offer much coverage, but it does even out redness and blotchiness, and gives a nice, diffused, soft-focus look to the face. Here is Marcelle's uber helpful and very educational diagram on how this works:




The internet teaches you physics, kids!!

Anyway. I usually pair this with the Sephora Professional Makeup Base to help it last a bit longer. It doesn't stop oil as well as the Almay Smart Shade, but it's pretty good, especially for a tinted moisturizer. It's also faster to apply than the Almay, as you don't have to be so careful with the blending. When combined with the primer, my skin feels so soft that it's almost as if I'm wearing a great moisturizer instead of makeup. Those with dry skin will want to use moisturizer underneath anyway, but for gals with normal skin, you should be able to get away with just using the tinted moisturizer.

So far, the Luminous version only comes in 2 shades, Luminous Beige and Luminous Amber. For me, Sheer Tint gave just a hint of a tanned look, but that will depend on your own skintone. This should suit those with fair/medium to medium skin, but very pale or darker hued ladies might find it hard to match. Testers were available, and their regular line of tinted moisturizers (without the light-reflecting bits) come in more shades.

Those with oily skin might find this a bit too gleamy, but overall, I think it does a wonderful job of evening out the skin and giving it a boost. Perfect for the morning after an all nighter, and I can't wait to see how it fares in the winter. Maybe I'll finally be mistaken for someone who's just spent 2 weeks on the Riviera in the dead of February!