Areas where I believe tipping has gotten out of control...service industries where the employee actually makes a good wage, or service industries that are forced upon us.
Doormen
I used to live in a doorman building just last year. The rent was outrageous and the service was mediocre at best. Maybe this is just a one off case with my building...but my doormen did absolutely nothing. They were never even at the door. God knows all those times I came home with all my luggage from my business trips, they never got up from their desk to hold the door open for me. Instead they watched me stumble and struggle my way in. Sure on the couple of times where I had packages delivered, they signed for them. During the end of the year, all the tenants received a notice to tip their doormen and the dry cleaners (which was housed in our building). The suggested amount was $25-50 per person. We had about 5 doormen not including the night doorman and 2 dry cleaning associates. Even at $25 per head, that comes out to $200. First off, why am I tipping the dry cleaners? They charged $5 per shirt and $8 for pants! Second off...$200??? And that's per person. Let's pretend that I actually tipped that much, my roommate did too, and along with everyone else in the building. That's $400 per apartment. How many apartment rooms are in our complex? Let's see...about 20 per floor...and we had about 20 floors. That's 400 rooms x $400/room = $160,000...divide that by 8 and each person takes home about $20,000. Now, that's a heck of a bonus for someone who gets paid just like anyone else for doing their jobs.
Bathroom Towel People
One time in Vegas, I was eating dinner and got up to use the restroom. I left my purse at the table as I did not think I would really need it. The bathroom was gorgeous. However, at end of the day, it's still a bathroom. People come in to do their business, no matter how fancy it is. I walk past the plush leather couch and round the corner and what do I see? A little lady standing by the stalls smiling and greeting me. She stood RIGHT next to the stalls. Okay. I need to use the bathroom. Not feel like I have friends while I'm waiting for nature's call. Very awkward. When I get out of the stall, I promptly washed my hands and was reaching out towards the paper towel dispenser, when the little lady intercepts my reach and places a paper towel directly in my hands. Um...okay. She then steps back and watches me. At this point she notices that I do not have a purse on me, and her expression changes.
This is when I scurried out. Who knew you had to pay to use a restroom these days?
Postal Guy
I've actually never heard of this until I moved to NY...but people tip their postman? Umm...why?
Starbucks
I've started to notice that more and more places like Starbucks, Subway, etc are leaving out tip jars. Why? I fail to see why I need to tip at an establishment where I go up to the counter to order what I want, pay before I get my food, and take it out myself. The employees are getting a good wage already for doing their jobs.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Clarisonic Skincare System: An Honest Review
What is it? Well for all of you who don't know about this brush, its from the same makers of the sonicare toothbrush. They basically took the sonic technology of the toothbrush and made it into a giant brush for your face. According to the makers, the sonic waves from the oscillating bristles loosen and "shake" out the dirt/crap from your pores and also slough off the top layer of your skin (dead skin basically) thus giving you a more thorough cleansing and with time gives you glowy and beautiful skin that absorbs treatments, lotions, cremes better.
Price: $200. Not even joking. I somehow convinced myself to buy one despite the steep price tag, thinking it was an "investment" that would last a lifetime. Little did I know that the costs would not end there. Apparently the rechargeable battery has a life expectancy of 3-5 years. Which would have been FINE...except there's no way to replace it unless you BUY A WHOLE NEW HANDSET for $100. Curiously enough, the warranty is only for the first 2 years. Clever. It doesn't stop there. The brush has to be replaced every 3-4 months for maximum results. That's another $75-100 per year. So to own a Clarisonic for 5 years (let's give them the benefit of the doubt that the batteries actually last 5 years), it costs about $140 per year. Then provided that your charging cradle doesn't break, the subsequent 5 years would cost $120 per year and so on (again, on the assumption that the darn thing lasts 5 years.)
Design: I'm a little iffy on the design. I like the fact that it is waterproof and you can bring it in the shower. However the entire device is controlled by one button and the power level and timer is all indicated by a series of flashing lights and long beeps and short beeps. UH...I'd rather not learn another language in lights and beeps just to program my stupid Clarisonic brush. What happened to the High-Low-On-Off slide button? Oh, and it also takes over 24 hours to charge.
Results: Despite the horrific wallet sucking powers of the Clarisonic brush and its minding numbing flashing lights and beeping settings...it definitely does its job. It cleans your face like a pro. My makeup went on smoother, my skin was a glowing. However, it's nothing that a little Buf Puf can't achieve or even the Shisheido Skincare Brush, which requires *gasp* manual labor!! I would say if your skin is pretty good to begin with, the Clarisonic is definitely not worth it as you won't see THAT much of a difference. I can't say anything for people with problem skin...but I would imagine it would be a lot more beneficial. But then again, I don't know from experience since my skin hasn't been problematic for the past year.
Bottom line: for $200, I was NOT impressed. St Ives Apricot Scrub could have done almost just as well, and that is just a mere $4 a tube. I would say, if you have money to burn and don't mind wasting a lot of plastic and time, then go for it. It's a great tool and if it were maybe like...$60, I would keep it. But for $200, I would expect a lifetime investment...not something that dies every 3-5 years and requires $100 every year to maintain.
Mine is going back to Sephora this weekend.
Where Does Your Money Go?
In a recent discussion, my coworker asked me how much I spend per week not including rent, utilities, phone bills, etc. He told me he spends about $400 each week and that his friends were making comments about how that is pretty "low". I scoffed and told him "that's HIGH!" I mean, what on earth do you do with $400 a week? So then the question turned on me...how much do I spend?
So I thought about it. Now without giving my salary information to the whole world...I would say after rent, utilities, bills, loan payments, and a significant amount put away to savings...I budgeted out anywhere from $1200-1500 in spending money for a month. Divide that by 4 weeks, and its $300-375 per week. HOLY CRAP. Mind you, this is the girl who eats Wheetabix cereal and soy milk for dinner sometimes because she's too lazy to cook...so its definitely not the fancy dinners that are eating up my money. Then what is it?
Well groceries for one...that is a definite $50 a week. So that brings me down to $325.... errr... okay so lets count the miscellaneous cab rides in and out of the city on the weekends because I'm too lazy or too drunk to take public transportation...maybe another $50. Down to $275. HMMM... drinks? Let's throw in another $50. Manicure? $10. Laundry? $5. Okay so now we're down to $210. Let's throw in a dinner or two out on the town...ballpark that at about $60. Now we're down to $150.
Looking back on my credit card statements...hmmm a charge for a new bathing suit...the stupid clarisonic brush I bought but am returning...random beauty items from Sephora...hello kitty socks from H&M....a necklace from Express....a feather dress I'm really only going to wear ONCE or TWICE... my Mackage leather jacket that was featured on Gossip Girl so it's definitely worth the eating nothing but oatmeal for dinner for one whole week....okay fine. I'll write off the remaining amount to random fashion/beauty items purchased on a whim :)
Now that it's all put into perspective....DAMN... maybe I need to cut down a bit?
How much do you spend a week? And where does it all go to?
So I thought about it. Now without giving my salary information to the whole world...I would say after rent, utilities, bills, loan payments, and a significant amount put away to savings...I budgeted out anywhere from $1200-1500 in spending money for a month. Divide that by 4 weeks, and its $300-375 per week. HOLY CRAP. Mind you, this is the girl who eats Wheetabix cereal and soy milk for dinner sometimes because she's too lazy to cook...so its definitely not the fancy dinners that are eating up my money. Then what is it?
Well groceries for one...that is a definite $50 a week. So that brings me down to $325.... errr... okay so lets count the miscellaneous cab rides in and out of the city on the weekends because I'm too lazy or too drunk to take public transportation...maybe another $50. Down to $275. HMMM... drinks? Let's throw in another $50. Manicure? $10. Laundry? $5. Okay so now we're down to $210. Let's throw in a dinner or two out on the town...ballpark that at about $60. Now we're down to $150.
Looking back on my credit card statements...hmmm a charge for a new bathing suit...the stupid clarisonic brush I bought but am returning...random beauty items from Sephora...hello kitty socks from H&M....a necklace from Express....a feather dress I'm really only going to wear ONCE or TWICE... my Mackage leather jacket that was featured on Gossip Girl so it's definitely worth the eating nothing but oatmeal for dinner for one whole week....okay fine. I'll write off the remaining amount to random fashion/beauty items purchased on a whim :)
Now that it's all put into perspective....DAMN... maybe I need to cut down a bit?
How much do you spend a week? And where does it all go to?
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Etiquette School: It Worked for Me!
There are few things in this world that bother me as much as bad manners. I'm not saying I'm a perfect little angel who could dine with the Queen and do no harm, but I believe there are a few things that should be common sense for people. Unfortunately, just observing the people around my daily routine these past few months, it's evident that it's not.
No one wants your germs. That being said, why would you cough and sneeze into your hands? Especially riding public transportation!! I once saw a man sneeze a wet and wild one all over his hands only to put his hands back on the pole of the train where several other passengers were holding onto as well. Unbelievably gross. I saw another guy at work cough into his hands several times, then nonchalantly went back to typing on the keyboard of the Bloomberg Terminal. PEOPLE! WTH! How would you like it if I wiped my snot all over my hands and then went to shake your hand? If you need to sneeze, sneeze into you elbow or your collar. Same with the coughing!
No one wants to see your chewed up food. There's a reason why kids scream when they are a victim of the "do you want seafood?" trick and then are faced with an open mouth filled with half eaten mashed up gunk. Simply said, it's gross. Same concept when you chew with your mouth open. It makes you look incredibly sloppy and uncouth. No one wants to see your food saturated with your saliva being tossed around your mouth like a beach volleyball. Same with chewing gum (this is actually one of Oprah's pet peeves too!). Needless to say, this also applies to talking with your mouth full. No one can understand you. Finish your food (with your mouth CLOSED), swallow, and then talk. Simple concept...does wonders for your image.
No one wants to hear you yell into your phone. Especially in a crowded space like a subway car or an elevator. You just end up looking like a moron with a hearing problem. This is also applicable to the bigwig bossman who insists on taking calls on speakerphone with the volume cranked up and the door to his office wide open. Please. Get over yourself.
No one wants to smell you. This goes for good and bad smells. For goodness sake, take care of your business before leaving the house...no one wants a taste of your au natural body odor when 10 of your teammates are crammed into a tiny conference room! As for the "good" smells, too much of a good thing is never good...so guys, easy on the cologne, and women, let's not try to bath in our perfumes :)
I could go on...but I think you get the point. Good manners are invaluable and affect other people's perceptions of you. Don't let me catch you doing one of the above because I'll probably call you out on it...and then you'll already know my thoughts :P
No one wants your germs. That being said, why would you cough and sneeze into your hands? Especially riding public transportation!! I once saw a man sneeze a wet and wild one all over his hands only to put his hands back on the pole of the train where several other passengers were holding onto as well. Unbelievably gross. I saw another guy at work cough into his hands several times, then nonchalantly went back to typing on the keyboard of the Bloomberg Terminal. PEOPLE! WTH! How would you like it if I wiped my snot all over my hands and then went to shake your hand? If you need to sneeze, sneeze into you elbow or your collar. Same with the coughing!
No one wants to see your chewed up food. There's a reason why kids scream when they are a victim of the "do you want seafood?" trick and then are faced with an open mouth filled with half eaten mashed up gunk. Simply said, it's gross. Same concept when you chew with your mouth open. It makes you look incredibly sloppy and uncouth. No one wants to see your food saturated with your saliva being tossed around your mouth like a beach volleyball. Same with chewing gum (this is actually one of Oprah's pet peeves too!). Needless to say, this also applies to talking with your mouth full. No one can understand you. Finish your food (with your mouth CLOSED), swallow, and then talk. Simple concept...does wonders for your image.
No one wants to hear you yell into your phone. Especially in a crowded space like a subway car or an elevator. You just end up looking like a moron with a hearing problem. This is also applicable to the bigwig bossman who insists on taking calls on speakerphone with the volume cranked up and the door to his office wide open. Please. Get over yourself.
No one wants to smell you. This goes for good and bad smells. For goodness sake, take care of your business before leaving the house...no one wants a taste of your au natural body odor when 10 of your teammates are crammed into a tiny conference room! As for the "good" smells, too much of a good thing is never good...so guys, easy on the cologne, and women, let's not try to bath in our perfumes :)
I could go on...but I think you get the point. Good manners are invaluable and affect other people's perceptions of you. Don't let me catch you doing one of the above because I'll probably call you out on it...and then you'll already know my thoughts :P
Monday, September 29, 2008
Sex and the City - The Movie
So what made me watch the entire movie again for the second time tonight and download the entire soundtrack? I could careless about Carrie and Mr. Big, or Samantha's sexcapades, or any of the "relationships" in the movie... the scenes that I kept playing over and over again were scenes where these four women, at different places in their lives, different stories, different paths, come together for each other, whether its through a snow storm on New Years eve, through lonely Valentine dinners, bi coastal phone calls, through the cheating, through the disappointment...SATC stressed that its not about men, bags, shoes, dresses....it's about the company you keep, its about your friends that will get you through those in between moments in your life. And watching these four women interact with each other....I saw more and more of my own friends in them...and realized the kind of friend that I wanted to be, which really, that was the reason I teared up...
It's amazing how a movie dressed up in Louboutins and some Chanel pearls can have such a deep and lovely message on the inside. Well done!
Sunday, August 31, 2008
What's In Your Fragrance Closet?
I used to be just a one fragrance kinda gal...but recently I've started to accumulate somewhat of a collection of perfumes/sprays. Mind you, by collection, I mean 5 or 6 bottles...which is more than enough for me. Interestingly enough, I decided to do some research on perfumes, since honestly, I have no idea what the difference between eau de parfum and eau de toilette even is, not to mention this top notes, mid notes, back notes mess. If it smells good it smells good right?! Well apparently there was a lot to be learned by moi.
Perfume vs Eau de Parfum (EDP) vs Eau de Toilette (EDT)....
Apparently, 80% of what we buy out there is EDT. This means, that the concentration of "perfume essence" (aka the yummy smelly stuff) is generally about 4-8% which typically lasts for about 3 hours give or take depending on your skin, body chemistry etc. EDP is 8-15% concentrated and typically lasts about 4-5 hours. Straight up perfume on the other hand is anywhere from 15% to 30%...and can last upwards to 6 hours. Interesting fact: the smaller the bottle...the more concentrated the fragrance (does not include mini bottles or sample bottles). This is good news to meee because I always go for the big ass bottles just because I think I'm getting more "bang for my buck". Not so in the world of fragrances!
I'm not going to go into depth explaining top notes, mid notes, and back notes...simply because I still don't understand them quite as well as I think I should...but basically, top notes are what you smell initially when you FIRST spray the fragrance. Mid notes are what you smell after the scent has settled on you skin for a bit (an hour)...and back notes are what you smell when the fragrance is fading/dying off. Have you ever noticed how a scent will smell different on you the moment you put it on..to say...about 2 hours later? Those are the different notes working. A good fragrance will have all three notes, and you SHOULD be able to tell the difference at different points in time of the fragrance's life on your skin.
Okay enough about THAT... let's take a peek into my Fragrance Closet :D My top 6 scents of the time, starting from the oldest to the newest!
GUCCI ENVY ME - I bought this scent only to use as a Night Life scent because it is just sooo COME HITHER IM SEXY... okay not the best description, but it's a very rich scent that I can't imagine wearing every single day...so its been restricted as my go to night life EDT.
DIOR ADDICT2 - Not sure if there was a #1...but this is my original go to scent for every day of the spring and summer. It's just so tropical and fruity and GIRLY. I am now on my second bottle of this stuff because I absolutely love it. My boyfriend has this scent ingrained into his head because everytime he smells it, he's reminded of me. I guess that makes this my signature scent? :)
CHANEL CHANCE - A gift from the boyfriend. This is also one of my favorites. It sits in the middle of being an everyday scent for work...and a sexy date night scent, meaning its very versatile depending on HOW you wear it. This is probably the only Chanel scent I will wear because everything else is too heavy and "old lady" for me. I know that No. 5 is "signature"...but ick...I feel suffocated in it, so I'll stick with my Chance!
BURBERRY SUMMER - If you are looking for the perfect summer/spring scent...please do yourself a favor and buy this scent. Not sure if it's limited edition or not, but this is my new favorite summertime scent. I've recommended this scent to two other people, and they both went straight out and bought it. This was actually recommended to me by my brother...lol. I normally do NOT like any of Burberry's scents (I prefer their scarves...hehe)...but this one is a winner and if you look up the reviews on MUA...it's gotten STELLAR reviews.
MARC JACOBS DAISY - Okay, truth be told, I fell in love with the bottle. The cute giant soft plastic daisies are so freaking cute and it looks so cute just sitting on my perfume shelf! But, the fragrance itself is very nice also. The only knock I have on this EDT is that it is very very light (which is nice for those low key days when you don't want to be like HEY I'M WEARING PERFUME!!) but it does not last long at all, hence why I bought the 3.7 oz bottle. The great thing about this scent is that it CAN be worn almost anywhere without being completely obvious that you are wearing something. Most people will just be like...wow that girl smells so fresh! I think that was what Mr. MJ was going for anyways :)
LOLITA LEMPICKA Forbidden Flower - This, and I say this proudly, is my FIRST eau de parfum purchase! and let me tell you, I can definitely tell the difference...one spray is DEFINITELY enough, and it has lasted ALL day. Not to mention, the scent is absolutely amazing...nothing I've ever smelled before...definitely strays from the conventional stuff that I have above. Thankfully, this was introduced to me by my boyfriend's sister...I would have never picked it out on my own. And the bottle is SO freaking cute. The spray is actually the smallest thing I've ever seen...its on the stem. The first time I wasn't paying attention and couldn't locate the spray hole and I ended up spraying a whole mist in my face (luckily I had my obnoxiously enormous Gucci shades on...otherwise I would have been blinded). I plan to wear this scent as a special occasion scent - to weddings, formal dinners, dances etc. Definitely not the type of scent you want to wear when you know you're gonna be in tight quarters...aka on a plane or if you're gonna be in elevators a lot... but seriously... check this scent out!
NOW - tell me what your top scents are!!! :)
Perfume vs Eau de Parfum (EDP) vs Eau de Toilette (EDT)....
Apparently, 80% of what we buy out there is EDT. This means, that the concentration of "perfume essence" (aka the yummy smelly stuff) is generally about 4-8% which typically lasts for about 3 hours give or take depending on your skin, body chemistry etc. EDP is 8-15% concentrated and typically lasts about 4-5 hours. Straight up perfume on the other hand is anywhere from 15% to 30%...and can last upwards to 6 hours. Interesting fact: the smaller the bottle...the more concentrated the fragrance (does not include mini bottles or sample bottles). This is good news to meee because I always go for the big ass bottles just because I think I'm getting more "bang for my buck". Not so in the world of fragrances!
I'm not going to go into depth explaining top notes, mid notes, and back notes...simply because I still don't understand them quite as well as I think I should...but basically, top notes are what you smell initially when you FIRST spray the fragrance. Mid notes are what you smell after the scent has settled on you skin for a bit (an hour)...and back notes are what you smell when the fragrance is fading/dying off. Have you ever noticed how a scent will smell different on you the moment you put it on..to say...about 2 hours later? Those are the different notes working. A good fragrance will have all three notes, and you SHOULD be able to tell the difference at different points in time of the fragrance's life on your skin.
Okay enough about THAT... let's take a peek into my Fragrance Closet :D My top 6 scents of the time, starting from the oldest to the newest!
GUCCI ENVY ME - I bought this scent only to use as a Night Life scent because it is just sooo COME HITHER IM SEXY... okay not the best description, but it's a very rich scent that I can't imagine wearing every single day...so its been restricted as my go to night life EDT.
DIOR ADDICT2 - Not sure if there was a #1...but this is my original go to scent for every day of the spring and summer. It's just so tropical and fruity and GIRLY. I am now on my second bottle of this stuff because I absolutely love it. My boyfriend has this scent ingrained into his head because everytime he smells it, he's reminded of me. I guess that makes this my signature scent? :)
CHANEL CHANCE - A gift from the boyfriend. This is also one of my favorites. It sits in the middle of being an everyday scent for work...and a sexy date night scent, meaning its very versatile depending on HOW you wear it. This is probably the only Chanel scent I will wear because everything else is too heavy and "old lady" for me. I know that No. 5 is "signature"...but ick...I feel suffocated in it, so I'll stick with my Chance!
BURBERRY SUMMER - If you are looking for the perfect summer/spring scent...please do yourself a favor and buy this scent. Not sure if it's limited edition or not, but this is my new favorite summertime scent. I've recommended this scent to two other people, and they both went straight out and bought it. This was actually recommended to me by my brother...lol. I normally do NOT like any of Burberry's scents (I prefer their scarves...hehe)...but this one is a winner and if you look up the reviews on MUA...it's gotten STELLAR reviews.
MARC JACOBS DAISY - Okay, truth be told, I fell in love with the bottle. The cute giant soft plastic daisies are so freaking cute and it looks so cute just sitting on my perfume shelf! But, the fragrance itself is very nice also. The only knock I have on this EDT is that it is very very light (which is nice for those low key days when you don't want to be like HEY I'M WEARING PERFUME!!) but it does not last long at all, hence why I bought the 3.7 oz bottle. The great thing about this scent is that it CAN be worn almost anywhere without being completely obvious that you are wearing something. Most people will just be like...wow that girl smells so fresh! I think that was what Mr. MJ was going for anyways :)
LOLITA LEMPICKA Forbidden Flower - This, and I say this proudly, is my FIRST eau de parfum purchase! and let me tell you, I can definitely tell the difference...one spray is DEFINITELY enough, and it has lasted ALL day. Not to mention, the scent is absolutely amazing...nothing I've ever smelled before...definitely strays from the conventional stuff that I have above. Thankfully, this was introduced to me by my boyfriend's sister...I would have never picked it out on my own. And the bottle is SO freaking cute. The spray is actually the smallest thing I've ever seen...its on the stem. The first time I wasn't paying attention and couldn't locate the spray hole and I ended up spraying a whole mist in my face (luckily I had my obnoxiously enormous Gucci shades on...otherwise I would have been blinded). I plan to wear this scent as a special occasion scent - to weddings, formal dinners, dances etc. Definitely not the type of scent you want to wear when you know you're gonna be in tight quarters...aka on a plane or if you're gonna be in elevators a lot... but seriously... check this scent out!
NOW - tell me what your top scents are!!! :)
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