Bitch Boots: A Sunday Shoe Story

On Friday night I went to see Fast Five with a few of my favourite gals, and I'm happy to report that the movie was much better than I anticipated. I came in expecting another entertaining, but mediocre at best film (as with the 4th installment of the series). But it was actually rather awesome, since they actually had a decent plotline, and all of the major characters from the previous films were reunited. There was even an appearance from Eva Mendes (though brief). Overall I loved the film, and I would love to gush more about it, but today isn't about movies, it's about shoes, as is every Sunday.

So on we move to the shoes that I wore to see the movie. Because I like to dress up when I go to the movies, but since this is considered a "guy movie," it was a little tricky to choose a pair of shoes that would be nice, but not too girly. Enter the "Bitch Boots." These babies  may have a steep heel, but they are by no means a feminine shoe. They're meant for kicking just a little bit of ass (or at least threatening to). They're just sexy enough, and just tough enough too. So they fit perfectly with the Fast and the Furious franchise, since cars (at least the good ones) are meant to have just enough sex appeal to balance out their overt masculinity. And yes, I do actually drive in these heels!

Brand: Anne Michelle
Name: Strut
Comfort Level: 7/10

Fast Fashion

Car movies aren’t just for boys you know. Case and point, the entire Fast and the Furious franchise. Sure, the plots may centre around guys, and the drama is all about cars, and building cars, and stealing cars, and wrecking cars, and racing cars, but these movies have some pretty good fashion moments (as well as some horrible ones…)

The first movie is full of fashion no-nos. The biggest one is that the majority of the main characters run around in wife-beater tank tops, all the time. They’re always dirty, they’re obviously not classy, the worst part is that one of them not only wears a wife-beater, he combines it with a MESH wife-beater. That’s right, I’m not kidding. I honestly feel sorry for the guy, because he looks nothing less than ridiculous. The only fashion-do that is made in this movie is that the protagonist, Brian, wears Converse the entire movie. You all know how I feel about Chucks, so there’s no need for words.

see the guy in the back row far left?
yeahhhh that's mesh >_<

Eva loves her neutrals

 2 Fast 2 Furious definitely kicks it up to second gear though (yes car puns, I know I’m a horrible person), since they introduce a proper female character who’s not just there as a sex object. Well, Eva Mendes is most well known for her physique, and she does show it off in the movie quite a bit (scene: tanning pool-side in a Bond-esque white bikini), but she has some gorgeous outfits in the film. Unfortunately since this is a “guy movie,” and it’s a bit older, it’s pretty difficult to find proper information on what she’s wearing in the film (read: impossible). But I’ve scooped up a bunch of photos of her outfits, and maybe you can tell me who designed them!

totally should have been a Bond girl!

love this dress!
(and the death glare of course) 

The 5^th (and hopefully last) installment of the series is coming out this Friday, and I’m hoping that the producers included a decent cut for the wardrobe department. But if they’ve spent it all on fast cars, and big explosions, I guess that’s okay too. Of course, there’s eye-candy already guaranteed (yum Paul Walker)! 

all I want for X-Mas :)

Only Two Things are Infinite…

…the Universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former.

Thanks Einstein, you couldn’t be more right. There are a lot of stupid people I know. In fact, most days I feel like I’m surrounded. By dumbasses. Shoot me now…

Some people just never learn, do they? Is it that they physically lack an adequate amount of brain cells to function in the real world, or is it a problem that can be corrected? In today’s post, I’ll explore some of the issues of sheer human stupidity that I see in everyday life, and maybe we’ll find some answers.

In my experience, the main problem is that people don’t listen. This is referred to as “selective hearing,” as dubbed by my mother in reference to my father. Of course, he’s usually listening at the moment of conversation, but if the information isn’t directly related to him then it’s quickly forgotten. I thought that because of my father’s selective hearing problem, and my mother’s seemingly flawless memory, that the phenomenon was confined to the male sex. This was a possibility, but without more examples my case was not solidly proven. So I decided to quietly start testing those around me to see what they remembered of my ramblings. I really shouldn’t have been surprised that the majority of people failed my tests. Turns out that the miniscule details of my life aren’t all that interesting to most people (which is actually reassuring when it comes to potential stalkers). In reality, We all engage in selective hearing, not because we’re stupid, but because deep down, we’re all self-absorbed jerks and are more concerned with our own lives that the lives of others.

Another major problem that is leads to stupidity is sheer stubbornness. We all know that it was an infallible sense of self-confidence combined with a good dose of desperation (which in this case can be viewed as just plain stupidity) that led Hitler to invade Russia in a very similar manner to Napolean Bonaparte. Obviously the results were the same; Germany: 0, Russian winter: 1. Seriously, just because you have more armed troops and more technology does not mean that you can overcome the basic force of Nature. Russia is fucking cold, and fucking big. Don’t mess with it, because you’ll lose every time. On a much smaller scale, stubbornness often produces the same results. Just because it’s today, and not yesterday, does not mean that the results are going to be any different. I’m talking to you, boys who don’t take “no” for an answer. If she’s said “no” in the past, and nothing has really changed, then chances are she’s going to keep saying “no!” Confidence can only get you so far, and your continual selective hearing isn’t going to get you the girl in the end, it’s just going to make you look like a desperate fool.

The young, and the old; opposite ends of the age spectrum, yet identical in their lack of thought process! Both parties feel that their opinions are infallible, and their mutual mantra is an ever-repeating “I’m RIGHT, so listen to me!” Yet, in both cases, they are rarely actually right in the true sense of the word. The young feel that their ideas are so fresh, so new, that there’s just no way that they could possibly be wrong. The confidence of youth will be their downfall. Jumping off that bridge isn’t really the best idea. The aged feel that their experience has earned them the right to be in power. The unchanging façade of the elderly will lead to their demise. The young refuse to look to the past, and the old refuse to look at the future, so neither party realizes that true wisdom comes from carefully combining experience and ingenuity. And after all, an opinion is an opinion, not a fact, and it should not be treated as such.

Some people really are just stupid though. I won’t name any real-people names, but it is obvious in some cases that we only utilize a small portion of our available grey matter at any given time. New scientific research has shown that we can access 100% of our brain (though not all at once, since different parts of the brain are used for different functions), so really what’s the excuse for not using it? Do people just not care to exercise our their vital muscle, or are some people real life Michael Kelsos? I’m pretty sure that some people just can’t be taught, so don’t waste your time trying. Do as I do, and just walk away, possibly muttering “dumbass” under your breath. 

Rose Coloured Glasses: A Sunday Shoe Story

Name: I’ll never tell :)

Profession: Band-aid

Movie: Almost Famous

Song: Elton John – Tiny Dancer

Book: Rolling Stone

Accessory: oversized sunglasses

Addicted to: music

Style Idol: Kate Hudson

Last Purchase: plane ticket to New York

Perfect Day: just hanging out with cool people, you know, just doing whatever

Indulgence: love

Inspiration: love, music, everything

Quote: “Famous people are just more interesting.”

No Such Thing as Too Much

As many of you already know I’ve acquired way too much nail polish this year. Thankfully I haven’t bought most of it for myself, but my friends all seem to think it’s a good idea to get me more nail polish… I’m kind of weird about colour (always have been), so buying my nail polish is not the brightest idea, since my colour-neuroses definitely applies. Not that I don’t love the majority of the colours that were bought for me, I’m just saying that nail polish is something (like shoes) that I should buy on my own. Unless I want a specific colour. Then it’s totally allowed!

mmm holo-glitter!

The polish-trend began at Christmas, with one of my best friends, Aina. She’s allowed to buy me polish because she knows me better than almost anyone, and knows what colours I j’adore and which I despise. She also used to work in a salon, so she got the polishes for super cheap (yay staff discounts!). The first two she bought me were from the OPI Designer Series and the Burlesque Collection (“Design” and “Ali’s Big Break” respectively). I immediately liked Ali’s Big Break, since I rather like reds (especially with glitter), but I was quickly brought back down to Earth when I tried it out, and the colour didn’t look the way it did in the bottle. Even after 4 coats I wasn’t liking the results. It’s just a bit too sheer, and the glitter is too fine for it to really make a statement. Design, on the other hand I loved from the beginning, and it’s still one of my favourite polishes. It doesn’t look like much, but when it hits the light the holographic rainbow in the glitter appears! A single coat gives a subtle layer of sparkles (even overtop of other solid colours – I experimented with Design and Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear “Blue It” with decent results), and the more layers you add the more intense the holo gets! I’m kind of dreading the day when I run out of this colour, since OPI doesn’t seem to make it anymore L For my birthday Aina got me more polish, but this time they were OPI minis from the Katy Perry Collection. They’re all ridiculously glittery, so I’m pretty excited to try them all! Oh, and she got me Nail Envy, because my nails break allllll the time :(

Nail Envy, Last Friday Night, Design, Ali's Big Break,
The One that got Away, Teenage Dream

The next set of polishes I got were from Icing, and they were totally an impulse buy. I was shopping with Mel and Nicole for nail polish for Taryn’s birthday (between the three of us and Kirsten we got her 21 polishes since she was turning 21), when I spotted their neon glow from the clearance rack, and I just had to buy them. $2 for 5 polishes is a steal, so even if some of the colours weren’t to my taste (ugh orange…) it was totally worth it! So far I’ve used the green and the purple, and they’re both super cute (if a bit blinding), but sadly the pink is dried up, and can’t be revived even with a few drops of nail polish remover. Not too sure if I’ll ever try the yellow, but maybe, since it will be summer soon.

look at all that glitter!!!

These polishes I got whilst shopping on my birthday with Aina and Taryn. More lovelies from the clearance rack at Icing, and some from the clearance bin at Chatters (woot for sales!). I was rather intrigued by the idea of matte polishes, and I liked the colours that Icing had (the silver, and purple), so I picked a few up. I tried the purple out the other day and was pleased with the results, though it took a long time to dry, and it was really easily smudged and ruined. “Smoke Screen” from Icing is also super gorgeous on, since it’s a black that’s packed with superfine glitter. You can’t really see the glitter in the bottle from the pictures, or really on your nails, but it softens the black so that it’s not so… black. The other two are from China Glaze, and of course they’re more sparklies. Everyone knows I get distracted by anything that sparkles, so it’s not really a surprise that I picked the most glittery green and blue EVER. I love the minty-ness of “Mistletoe Kisses,” and “Midnight Mission” is seriously the most perfect sparkly blue that I’ve been looking for for ages. Can’t wait to try both of them out! Side note: is it just me or are the Icing and China Glaze bottle almost exactly the same? The CG bottles have a raised logo on the top, and the glass is a bit thicker, but they look pretty much the same… WEIRD!

Icing: Thriller, Smoke Screen, Bet Me and Lose,
China Glaze: Midnight Mission, Mistletoe Kisses

Set #4 is from Kirsten aka as Glittagloves on the interwebs. It really shouldn’t have surprised me that she got me polish for my bday, but for some reason it really did. This set is part of the China Glaze Anchors Away Collection, and at first glance I was not overly impressed. I’m still really not liking “Life Preserver” since I can’t stand orange, but “White Cap” has definitely grown on me. I mean, how could I not love it, it’s sparkly! Not sure how I feel about “First Mate” since the colour seems very flat, even though I j’adore blues, or “Ahoy!” since it’s mauve. First Mate could totally work if I combined it with OPI’s “Last Friday Night,” since the sheer glitter might be just enough to give it some personality. Hmm experimenting!

China Glaze: Life Preserver, Ahoy!, First Mate, White Cap

The last (but not least) set is kind of random. But I didn’t really have any other way of showcasing the last of my birthday polishes, since there’s 1 from Sarah,, 2 more from Kirsten, and 1 from Mel. The matte pink from Icing is from Sarah (“Confessions”) is soooo cute. I tried it on my toenails two weeks ago, and it made my toes look like sparkly little plums (yes I know that’s a weird description, but it’s what my weird brain thought of!). Totally adorable! Kirsten also got me OPI “Smoke’n in Havana” and China Glaze “VIII.” Wasn’t interested in Havana, since it’s another orange, but it’s kind of grown on me, since it has a very subtle gold duo-tone, and just a hint of pink. It’ll look good on my toes for the summer, I guess. VII, on the other hand, is totally my kind of colour. It’s such a deep purple it’s almost black, but it’s definitely still a purple. I didn’t remember until a while after she gave it to me, but we had actually had a conversation specifically about this colour where I said I totally loved it. That was MONTHS ago. Yet for some reason Kirsten remembered! The last polish we’ll talk about today was the only polish I actually wanted for my birthday, and it was the last one that I received. “Black Shatter” from OPI! This polish set off a huge trend in the nail polish world, and pretty much everyone I know who’s into polish has it. I’m kind of loathe to actually try it out, since I’m pretty sure I’ll just make a mess, but eventually I’ll have to do it. Yes, I will post pictures…

Icing Confessions, OPI Smoke'n in Havana,
OPI Black Shatter, China Glaze VIII

And the Winner Is...

MELISSA!

Congrats Mel! 15 was the lucky number, and your bonus entry was number 15! Way to go smartie pants! You have won yourself some free shoes :) Gift card will be in the mail soooooon!

I'm not really surprised at this, since Mel seems to be an irregular fixture on my blog. She was the subject of the inaugural post, and a central feature of the St. Patrick's Day post (along with her ridiculous Irish accent). Maybe I should do a guest post from Mel, since apparently the internet wants her to be a permanent part of my blog :p And it seems the world wants me to give her shoes, since I gave her 3 pairs of shoes already this year (I decided to stop trying to force my feet into them...), and now she's won MORE shoes!

If any of you didn't already know, Mel writes a rather hilarious/strange blog herself called Shit My Brain Says. Mel's brain says some pretty strange/hilarious things, so I encourage you to check it out! Just a warning, it's a little bit geeky :p

That's Mel on the left, when she was on vacation with her family in Mexico.
I picked out that dress and belt for her :)
(and yes, I stole this off her Facebook hehe)

Sorry Taryn, I know you wanted to win, but it was not to be :( Next time maybe! As for everyone else, thanks for entering, and for reading my blog! I'll be doing another giveaway for my one year blog-iversary, and trust me, it's gonna be a good one, so keep your eyes open for it!

Since it IS Rant Tuesday, I should probably complain about something... 

Here, I'll complain about the fact that I want more readers! And that I want all my readers to comment on my posts! I like getting feedback on stuff, and I swear I won't be mean (if you promise not to be mean)! I'm really quite surprised sometimes at the lack of talk that is generated by my posts, since I write about some controversial stuff sometimes. So you should all comment! 

No idea what to write for Thursday's fashion-themed post, so you might all get something random... I have the new Vogue, so I could always do a review, but that seems too easy. And I don't really feel like writing about Vogue again so soon. Any ideas from the orchestra pit?

Stones

Silence.

I just have to stay silent.

They say you shouldn’t hold things inside, but I can’t let this out.

Every moment trapped.

The silence of waves on the shore

Washing away inside.

Trudging, the ground moves like unpredictable thoughts.

Will it ever stop?

The silence of night.

Only thoughts of survival.

Dangers unbeknownst to those who fish in forbidden pools.

Some depths should not be plumbed.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway contest everyone! I'll be announcing the winner on Tuesday morning, so you have until I wake up to get your name into the draw :)