Puppies = A Girl's Kryptonite

On occasion, I will sub in at the pet store that I worked for about a year and a half ago.  I love the people that own the store - they've become extended family as far as I'm concerned.  I also met some really wonderful customers (mostly the regulars, but some newbies as well) and, of course, their four legged furry family members.  This month I've subbed in frequently (and fortunately for me - I'm so broke).  Little did I know that it's puppy season!  Warm and wiggly little fur balls galore!  I've cradled baby frenchies with their bat-like ears and funny noises.  I've squeezed and nuzzled blue nosed pitties with their amazing mouse-like tails.  I've even smothered a few mutts that must've been half adorable, other half I'm-gonna-eat-you-up.

I also discovered that puppies are chick magnets.  This Sunday while at the store, I found myself mopping and restocking the aisles after a big rush of customers when a young man walked in with the above mentioned blue nosed pitbull puppy.  I immediately went from cashier and customer service rep - professional and polite, to a big melted puddle of affectionate ooze that spilled all over this little dog.  Yes, I normally would have been embarrassed over my reaction and would have sought out the nearest dark hole to crawl into, but for some strange reason I seemed to lack any control over my own actions from that point forward.  I felt no regret in my unusual display of "girliness".  Once I reluctantly handed the puppy back to her owner and waited on another customer I managed to regain some of my dignity.  But it's what happened next that brought up this subject for a blog.  Two women entered the store together, followed by a third and were immediately drawn toward the puppy like bees to honey.  I watched as the three women reacted just as I had a few minutes earlier.  This time instead of being mesmerized by the puppy, I watched the dog's owner.  The young man was really enjoying all the attention his little dog was getting for sure, but it was also obvious to me once I'd taken a step back that he was also flirting with each of the girls googling over his puppy.  Now, don't get me wrong, there's no doubt in my mind that this man loved his dog, he paid near a small fortune for her with the huge doggy haul he bought.  But he was also very much aware of the fact that his puppy could do what most guys find a daunting task - walk straight up to a girl (or a group of them in this guy's case), and be a shamelessly flirt with little risk of rejection.  Puppies are a girl's kryptonite.

That's right ladies, we have a major weakness and some intuitive guys have figured it out.  Maybe that's why dogs are known as man's best friend.  I don't think this very powerful form of kryptonite applies to cat people, but let's face it, cat people are just weird - or at least wired differently (I'm sure we dog people seem weird to you too).  :-)  So beware, it's puppy season and some relatively cute guys are walking around with precious little fluffy heart breakers cuddled against their chests.       

The Best Nanny Ever

Have any of you ever seen Disney's Peter Pan?  If not, you really should, and I'll tell you why.  In that movie there's a character, a dog, a St. Bernard to be exact named Nana.  She is the Darling children's nanny and I have a dog just like her.  My girl is named Remi, and like Nana, she's constantly looking out for myself and my family.  If I stay up too late Remi uses her cold nose to continually bump my elbow until I go to bed.  I mean, who shouldn't be in bed by 10:00pm right?  If my family and I are getting just a little too rowdy, who do you think comes in the room to break it up?  My girl Remi.  Actually she will very lightly mouth your arms and leave you just a little bit slimy until you acknowledge her presence, give her a kiss or hug and then promise to stop beating up your youngest brother.  She's very protective of the baby you know.  :-)

Growing up my family had another dog that was similar to both Disney's Nana and my Remi.  Her name was Molly.  Molly, like Remi, was a rescue.  She was a Springer Spaniel and such a love bug.  My mom would actually leave her in the front yard with us while we played or rode our bikes around the cul-de-sac.  Molly would swim with us, play tetherball with us (yes, you read that right), and even let us sleep on her if we needed a place to crash.

So I guess I've just come to the conclusion that dogs, well my dogs at least, have made the best nannies.  Whether it's a cartoon St. Bernard or a rescued Rottweiler-Springer Spaniel cross (my Remi), they're just the best furry little four legged nannies anyone could ask for.

Lip Liner Madness and YSL Rouge Pur Couture #9 Review

I rarely, if ever, wear lip liner.  I'm more of a slap on some lip balm or gloss type of girl.  When I do wear lipstick, it goes on straight from the tube, no liner needed.  But I have as of late been interested in trying out a bright red lip.  So, I looked up about half a thousand tutorials on Youtube before purchasing my very first bright red lip glossy stain from YSL.  I figured if I'm going to do this, I may as well go big and apparently very expensive.  I settled on the Rouge Pur Couture #9.  This color is fire engine red and oh so bright!

Quick product review:  This glossy stain takes about 2 - 3 coats to look it's best.  Put on the first coat of stain and let it sit for about a minute before applying the second and third coat (if necessary).  It smells wonderful and the color is terrific.  Let me put it this way, your mouth is noticeable from about 20 feet away so this would definitely be a product I'd recommend for stage performers.  Actually that's the main reason that I chose this particular color.  I'm a belly dancer (a novice performer), and needed a bright lip color to go with my bright costumes.  The staying power of the glossy stain is very good.  The shine will fade after a few hours but the stain lasts pretty much all day.

So, back to my lip liner woes.  I would highly suggest a lip liner with YSL #9.  You'll need the liner to put and then keep the product where you want it.  Unfortunately I have such little practice in this area that my lips end up looking something like Lindsay Lohan post lip job...  not so classy.  My natural pout looks more like Lindsay Lohan pre-all her plastic surgery.  

Needless to say, I will be practicing to bring my lip lining skills up to speed.  In the mean time I will keep looking longingly at my YSL #9, impatiently waiting for the day when I can line my lips correctly and then rock this glossy red lip stain on stage. 

The Retail Goddess Returns!

So, after let's see, a good 2 years in retail I ended up at a mining company and have now landed back in school.  :-)  Yeah, life has a weird sense of direction.  I have some great stories from my experiences - which surprisingly turned out to be pretty positive overall.  I met loads of amazing people, learned more than any person really needs to know about customer service and had a very insightful inside look into the staffing industry.  Along the way, I also picked up some pretty cool product knowledge as well so be expecting some reviews.  I'm back and I'm ready to roll.  Questions?  Well I've got answers, so let's get this party started!

Here we go!

I'm baaaaaacccckkkk!!!!!