Want to be a Rich Bitch (or at least Rich)? Nicole Lapin says you can in 12 easy steps

As part of my job, I manage the social media channels for the brand I work for, and a few weeks ago we partnered with financial expert Nicole Lapin to host a Twitter party all about savings. What's a Twitter party you might ask? While I still struggle to understand exactly why people participate outside of the chance to win prizes, it's an hour-long session where a moderator or two pose questions to the Twitter-verse and the audience (typically stay-at-home moms) responds and interacts with each other. Despite my cynicism, it tends to be a well-attended thing, and sometimes (like this time), there are perks for those of us behind the scenes: I got a signed copy of Nicole's book "Rich Bitch" for free!

I'll admit I hadn't heard much about Nicole Lapin before the Twitter party, but that's unsurprising given she's a financial broadcaster and I avoid the news (not even specifically financial news, but the news at large) like the plague (it's just too depressing). But once I started reading about her background, and particularly how she became a self-made millionaire by 30, I was intrigued (and maybe, just maybe a little jealous). On top of that, I've always known that my money situation wasn't the best, so I figured I had little to lose in seeing what advice she had to offer.

Initially, I was reading the book with a bit of a mean-girl attitude (it's terrible, I know), and in the first two chapters all I could think was that there was nothing in here beyond the obvious. Sure, the book was written in a fun, light tone, and Nicole shared a few stories here and there about her background and desire to better herself financially, but because of my undertone of jealousy, I tried to write it all off by at least thinking that she didn't actually know what she was talking about.

Then I got to chapter 3. It was the chapter on budgets. At first the information didn't resonate with me any more than the earlier information, but then we got to an aptly titled section called "7 Bitches Who Are Always Broke" and my insides cringed with uncomfortable recognition. I've had a "budget" for years and I put "money" away in savings, yet I always, always feel like there's never enough to go around, and I'm constantly blowing said budget, then making excuses about it. Bad, bad, bad.

So now Nicole is giving me a structure for a budget and telling me how much to allocate to different categories and, what do you know, I'm feeling inspired. Inspired enough to sit down with my Excel spreadsheet and take a hard look at my budget. Am I spending no more than 70% of my take-home pay on "essentials" like housing, insurance and basic food? At 71%, I'm pretty darn close. But what about putting 15% toward saving and 15% toward "fun." Damnit. My paltry $25 savings contribution per week is amounting to about 2% of my take-home pay...not even close.

I sat with my budget for a good hour, playing around with numbers, breaking things down into deeper categories than I ever had before and thinking long and hard about whether or not there were any expenses I could cut. I found an $85 per month recurring expense that I thought I could definitely live without, but then I ensured that I left $130 per month in the budget for my Class Pass and dance memberships, since those are not only fun but contribute to my health. After all was said and done, I found enough money to bump up my savings contribution to 10% of my take-home pay. Not quite the 15% that Nicole recommends, but a huge improvement nonetheless.

Now I was hooked (and feeling guilty for my initial jealous thoughts). In the span of a single day, I read another hundred pages and two-days later, I had finished the book. What were my big takeaways, you ask? Here are my top 5:

1. Buying a house doesn't have to be a goal for everyone, and renting is not the "sloppy seconds" alternative that so many make it out to be. Like many people, I've felt pressure in recent years to be saving up a butt-load of money to eventually buy a house, and in conversations with others who have bought or are looking to do so soon, the prospect seemed virtually impossible for me, and this made me feel sad. But Nicole points out that buying really isn't for everyone, and it's not the silver bullet investment that so many make it out to be. It's expensive (in SO many ways, even once you've purchased the house), so if you're single, interested in moving around a lot, unsure of where your career is going to take you, or even if you just don't want the hassle of maintaining a property, renting IS the way to go, and it's NOT just "throwing out your money." Huge sigh of relief.
2. Student loan debt consolidation isn't something you jump into without doing your research first. Whoops, this is a mistake I made, because as soon as I saw the possibility of refinancing through So-Fi, I jumped on it without really comparing interest rates across providers. As it is, Nicole talks about so called "consolidation fees" that you can get charged, and I couldn't even tell you if I pay those or not. Apparently there is a government website (studentloans.gov) where you can consolidate your loans yourself for no charge. I wish I had read this advice a few years ago!
3. I now know the difference between a Money Market account, a Certificate of Deposit (CD), a Mutual Fund and a stock versus a bond. Nicole's chapters on savings products and investing were pretty thorough and although I'll admit that she still lost me when she started talking about rates and fees and choosing a brokerage, at least knowing what these products are and considering using them sometime in the near future is a step forward for me. 
4. Apparently there is something called a Health Savings Account and it's different from a Flexible Spending Account. This one really struck me as something I need to look into with my employer, because unlike an FSA, the money you pour into an HSA stays with you from year to year and it's put in pre-tax, just like FSA dollars. You can contribute up to about $3,000 a year and use the funds toward pre-deductible expenses that your health plan wouldn't cover otherwise. With a hefty physical therapy bill on my back at present, this is another one I wish I would have learned about months ago!
5. Retirement accounts and how to actually invest intelligently still boggle my mind. Does that count as a takeaway? Well, I'm making it count because I thought these two chapters of the book were among the most important, yet I unfortunately wasn't able to fully digest the information. The interesting piece I took away is that 401(k)'s are not the be-all-end-all of retirement accounts (even though that's what most employers offer) and that there are some income restrictions on Roth IRAs. Right now, my focus is going to be on building up my emergency fund and sticking to my budget, but I'll be referring back to this chapter when I have more liquid funds I can put into a retirement account outside of my corporate-sponsored 401(k).

Overall, I wound up really enjoying the book, and as you can clearly see, I learned a thing or two! I do think a few of the chapters (namely chapter 8, which was all about being ambitious at work, chapter 11, which was a confusing mix of advice about working for/living with men and chapter 12, which was veiled as a step, but really was just a conclusion) could have been eliminated, but regardless I now firmly believe that Nicole Lapin does indeed know what she's talking about AND that she has a knack for translating her knowledge into language that the average woman can (mostly) understand. If you're interested in learning more about Nicole, she has a website with all kinds of tips and tools on it - check her out at www.nicolelapin.com. 

Have you read Rich Bitch? Are there other financial books that you'd recommend for younger women? Let me know in the comments section below!

Summer bronzer round-up! Featuring Beautycounter, Physician's Formula and Mary Kay

Every time someone complains about their pale skin in the winter, I laugh a little to myself, mostly because they're at least 5 shades darker than me at their palest, but also because I am the same exact shade of porcelain all year round. I don't dislike this -- most of the time -- and if I really try, I can achieve a subtle glowing tan, but I prefer to stay out of the sun for the most part (and I believe that when I'm 50 and [mostly] wrinkle free, the sun-worshippers will be jealous of me for once).

All that said, there is something kind of wonderful about a summer glow, so I'm all about faking it with my favorite bronzing powders. On most days, I go for a subtle look that warms up my fair skin and makes me look that much more alive, although bronzers are also my favorite product to pull out for an evening look when I can contour it up and pretend that I have Cara Delevingne's cheek bones.

So which bronzers are my favorite? Right now, I have 3 in my makeup collection, each at a different price point, and each with a different reason to cherish it. Let's get started!

THE DRUGSTORE BRONZER

Honestly, I don't shop at the drugstore often, and that's mostly because the ingredient list for many drugstore brands is much too dirty for my standards (sometimes you DO get what you pay for). But I've taken a liking to a number of the products in the Physician's Formula Gentle Wear line (formerly called Organic Wear, but I'm assuming they got into some sort of trouble for making that claim). I use their setting powder on a daily basis, but have also used their 100% Natural Origin Bronzer in the shade Bronze Organics - Light Skin.

What do I like about this bronzer? A) The price - it's only $13.95 for .3 oz of product (and you can use a manufacturer coupon to get it for even less). B) It has a mix of two shades, so you can swirl it all together, or select a concentration of just one to get the look you'd like.

What do I not like? A) The packaging, while eco-friendly, is made of paper and after a while, the lid starts to separate from the rest of the package. It does have a magnet that'll hold it together if you place it carefully, but it means carrying it around in your purse is no longer a viable option. B) The color can pull a little orange if you're not careful. I use just a tiny bit and apply it with a stippling brush, which diffuses the color, so it works as an overall bronzer. I would not recommend this one as a contour color, unless you want to look like an Oompa Loompa.

THE MID-TIER BRONZER
Last year, I received a Mary Kay VoxBox from Influenster, and in it was their Bronzing Powder in the shade Light/Medium. This dewy-finish, slightly sparkly bronzer is the absolute perfect bronzer for the evening, or for when you want to look like you have fresh-off-the-beach, luminous skin. I don't typically like highlighters, because I have naturally oily skin and I get a glow on my own within 10 minutes of being outside, but this product gives me a subtle highlighting effect without making me look more oily.

What do I like about this product? A) The price! Only slightly more expensive than the Physician's Formula bronzer at $18.00, this is still pretty affordable, and you're still getting the same .3 oz of product. B) It lasts a LONG time. Although this bronzer's color is much more brown and doesn't pull orange like the PF bronzer, you still only need a tiny bit to achieve the color you're looking for. I've been using mine nearly daily for a year and have JUST started to hit pan.

What do I not like? A) The packaging. Although in this case, I don't like it because it doesn't come with any! Mary Kay makes you buy a separate compact (the options range in price from $17-19) to store your bronzer in. If you don't buy one, you're stuck keeping it in this ugly plastic container til you use it up.

THE HIGH-END BRONZER

If you've read my recent introduction to Beautycounter post, you'll know that I was recently introduced to a brand new, very safe beauty and skin-care line that claims to have the cleanest cosmetics on the market. And while my post talked entirely about their skin care products, I was recently given the opportunity to try out some of their makeup, too! (I'm just going to talk about the bronzer today, but there's lots more coming on this brand soon!)

Beautycounter sells their Color Contour Matte Bronzer in two shades, the first for light/medium skin tones and the second for medium/dark skin tones. Both are matte and come in a slightly larger size at .35 oz (so 1/7 more product, if I did my math right!).

What do I like about this? A) It's matte! Can we just shout that from the rooftops for a minute? For a gal with oily skin, a matte face product is like the holy grail. It means this bronzer can be used for the typical flush of color every day OR it can be used to contour my entire face. I like to contour the sides of my nose and my jawline sometimes, and doing that with a sparkly product just does not produce the result I'm looking for. B) It has a really cool ingredient called Porcelain Flower extract - their website says it's a Thai bloom known for its antioxidant benefits and that it helps moisturize the skin. Pretty neat to think you're getting moisturizer in your bronzer!

What do I not like? A) The price. Take a deep breath guys - it's $36. Ok, I know, it's a steep price, especially when I just talked you through two other options that are 50% (or more) less. I like to think it's more expensive because it's got higher quality ingredients, but at the end of the day, you can only afford what you can afford, and I understand if this one's just out of your price range.

And that's it - my three favorite summer bronzers! Do you have a favorite? Have you tried any of these? Let me know in the comments below!

*Note that I received the Beautycounter and Mary Kay bronzers complimentary, but that does not affect my opinions or decision to include them in this post!

Does vanity sizing exist for BRAS? How a small-chested women fits into a 34D bra.

Guys, I need to talk to you about boobs for a minute. Because I've always thought I didn't have any, and today I walked into a Victoria's Secret and was measured into a 34D bra. And it fit. IT FIT. My own best friend, who is considerably more buxom than I am wears a 34DD - just one size bigger than me. I feel like I'm living in some sort of alternate reality where everything I once knew to be true was false. My very own version of The Truman Show.

And it's got me thinking. Years ago, when my mom still tried to pawn off her old 70s and 80s clothes on me, she'd hand me a size 8 pair of shorts, and even then, with my svelte early 20's figure, I could barely fit one butt check into them, nevertheless be able to actually button them and wear them. It's been proven time and time again that as our American waistbands have rapidly grown, so have the clothing brands responded by making yesterday's 8 today's 0 so we don't all feel like we're quite as fat as we've actually become.

But is this now a thing when it comes to lingerie? Although I've been small chested all my life, I've never once felt self-conscious about it, but I know a lot of women are, hence the booming breast augmentation industry (I can sing the jingle for Dr. Ted Eisenberg, the "leading breast augmentation surgeon in Philadelphia," as he clearly spends all his money on Q102 radio commercials in the 8am hour), but it never dawned on me that, in an effort to sell more bras, retailers might start making cup sizes smaller so women FELT like they had bigger breasts than they actually did.

In truth, the 34D bras that I bought DO fit better than my old 34B bras (I used to think even a B cup was a stretch for me), but it still makes me chuckle every time I pull one out of my drawer. Is it possible that for so many years I've been so confused about what a bra should fit like that I've been buying the completely wrong size? Or is the clothing industry playing yet another trick on me?

Ladies, don't be shy. What size bra do you wear? Is it bigger/smaller than you'd expect? Am I going crazy? Tell me in the comments section below.

Review! Tarte Amazonian Clay Skinny SmolderEyes Eye Liners

I can admit without shame that I sort of have an obsession with eyeliners. To me, there's nothing that quite completes a nighttime look like a sophisticated, sexy wing, and even on an everyday basis, I never quite feel like my makeup's done until I've slicked a thick dark line across my lashes. But eyeliners are also a tough thing to buy. I know you know what I mean when I say that while a good eyeliner can "make" a look, a bad eyeliner can "break" a look in minutes flat. No one likes to look like a raccoon.

So it disappointed me to no end when I quickly realized my new Tarte Amazonian Clay Skinny SmolderEyes eyeliners - I got a set of 5 around the holidays with "limited edition" colors - were just that kind of eyeliner that, applied without extra care, would slink off my eyes into every eyelid crevice until I looked like I'd been punched.

It's a problem I've noticed with a LOT of eyeliners lately - for a while I was using Urban Decay's famous 24/7 Glide-On Pencils - and it seems that in a brand's effort to create a product that doesn't tug at your eyelid (because who wants premature wrinkles in that sensitive spot), they create liners that are so buttery soft that they feel great going on, but simply don't stay put. At least in the case of Tarte's liners, they admit in the name that they're meant to be smolder-y and smokey, but in the same breath they try to pass these babies off as waterproof, which makes you think they'll stay in place way more than they do.

The best way I've found to apply this product is to smudge a decent amount right in the center of my upper eyelid, then use an eyeliner brush to drag it across the rest of my lid. If you try to apply it across your full lid, you'll find that the soft product deposits WAY more than you actually need, and if you THEN try to blend it, it really does turn into a sad mess. If you apply too much and DON'T blend it, well, good luck not crying eyeliner-colored tears the moment your eyes water. I generally avoid these liners on my bottom lashes, unless I really am going for a super smoked-out look.

One more thing about the softness: See that beautiful point on the green liner in the picture? Well carve it into your memory when you buy one of these, because you'll never see a point on these babies again. Even with the most gentle of sharpening, these liners never reach a point, which makes applying them in a precise line virtually impossible.

The bright side? Firstly, the products are actually made of decent ingredients, so it's something you can use without guilt. While they do have PEGs, which I know a lot of natural beauty users strictly avoid, they rate as a 1 on the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep database, and per Tarte's mantra are free of all parabens, phthalates, sulfates, mineral oils, etc.

Also, the colors are quite beautiful, particularly the Bronze Agate, which is a golden brown with a subtle sparkle and sheen to it. While that color was "limited edition" (as were the other colors in my collection, which are called Periodot Green, Plum Tanzanite and Smoky Quartz - the black Onyx shade was not LE), the Sunstone Brown or Aztec Gold shades both seem to be pretty close dupes, and I couldn't tell you the different between my purple and their Deep Amythest shade. Unfortunately, they don't have a gray or green that match the colors I purchased.

All in all, although I'll continue to use these babies up, I'll probably try a new eyeliner pencil next time, continuing my never-ending Goldilocks quest to find one that's the perfect texture - not too soft, not too hard, but juuuuusttt right.

Do you have a favorite pencil eyeliner that you think meets the bill? Let me know in the comments below!