I’ve tried quite a few hair removal products in my day so I didn’t really go into this with high expectations. I mean, I didn’t really understand the product; the packaging was pretty sparse on details and I was intrigued by this little product.

So, after getting home, I tore into the box right away. It contained a green “carry case,” really a vinyl wallet-type deal with a pocket on each side. One side held the two rubber applicator pads, the large one about the size of the palm of my hand and the smaller one the size of a finger toothbrush. The other side held the Smooth Away pads, which, upon closer inspection was really just superfine emery paper.

Yes. The purpose of the product is to essentially sand your hair away.

After testing it out on my legs and, I have to say, it’s not a bad product.  Although it took about the same time as shaving, it doesn’t require water or shaving cream, which can be useful if you’re on the go. The key to getting the promised results is to follow the directions: rub in a clockwise circular motion three times, then counter-clockwise three times. Don’t apply too much pressure.  There were some patches that were left a bit stubbly feeling so I had to carefully go back over them so as not to rub off too much skin.

A quick application of lotion and I was good to go!

(It should be noted that some people have said lotion really stung after using Smooth Away. This is probably due to a) using too much pressure or b) sensitive skin. I personally didn’t have any issues.)

I probably won’t make this my primary method of hair removal but I can see using it when I can’t use the old water-soap-and-razor method or if I just need a quick none-too-thorough treatment on my legs.

MAC isn’t as expensive as one might think. When I first saw them years ago, I nearly had a heart attack. Spending $5 on a single eyeshadow was ridiculous to me, let alone $14. Really, though, you get what you pay for. The make-up has great color payoff, which means it shows up exactly as promised, and it’s all pretty easy to use. The color range is huge and you can pretty find any shade of lipstick or eyeshadow you could want.

So here’s a quick run-down of some of my favorite products:

• Fluidline ($15): This is a little pot of gel eyeliner that is one of my cosmetic staples. I’m a total idiot when it comes to liquid liner so this is a nice in-between. You use it with a brush of your choice — some like a pencil-type brush, others prefer angled, some square-tip — and it goes on smoothly; the staying power is pretty awesome too and you can also blend it for a softer look. While I have a few colored Fluidlines, Blacktrack gets the most use!
• Prep + Prime Face ($26.50): This primer does absolutely everything it promises: the oil-absorbing powder blended into it helps control my oily skin and the SPF 50 helps protect my skin from the sun. Unlike other primers, it’s not greasy feeling and I haven’t had any blemishes crop up because of the product. I use it instead of a moisturizer after I wash my face to keep things simple.
• Blot Powder ($20): Now that summer is here, my blot powder will get more use because, no matter what I put on my face, I’m going to be a little shiny after a couple of hours. The pressed blot powder goes with me everywhere. A quick little pat here and there and I’m good to go. It’s super light and resets your makeup.
• Eyeshadows ($14.50): My main reason for going into MAC! Not only is there a wide array of colors but, as I mentioned, what you see in the pot is what goes onto your eyelids. With some drugstore brands, I’ll have to layer on the eyeshadow before I even get a hint of the color but MAC’s eyeshadows are highly pigmented and super smooth. Since there’s a Pro store near me, I opt for buying an empty palette and filling them with eyeshadow pans; the palette is $12 and the eyeshadow pans are $10 each so it’s a moneysaver too! Plus, it’s so much easier than having to dig through the pots of eyeshadow to find the one you want.
• Pigment ($19.50): Pigments are a powdered type of eyeshadow, although just a little bit of these will go a long way. They come in jars and tend to be a bit more shimmery, although they have matte colors too. They’re soft and blendable; to get the most out of them, though, I’ve started using MAC’s water-based mixing medium (available at Pro stores only). I add a drop or two of the mixing medium to my brush then dab it into the pigment, only picking up a little bit. It helps the color pop and keeps it on all day. Most people sell samples of their pigments simply because a whole jar will last you forever.

MAC is really one of those stores where you walk in and kind of play with stuff. Some stores have incredibly snotty makeup artists, some have really great makeup artists who are willing to help you find the right colors and products. I’m not in love with all of MAC’s products — I use Cover Girl LashBlast mascara — but it’s really just a matter of trying things you’re interested in and seeing what works for you. Plus: you can usually ask for free samples of things!

Free!

Also, if you have any outlets near you, you can find MAC products at the Cosmetic Company Store since MAC is an Estee Lauder brand. Each store’s stock varies; sometimes you’ll find rare items, items from recent collections, or permanent items that just became overstock. I haven’t quite figured out the rhyme or reason of it all but I don’t really care when it’s cheaper than retail.

(Because I’m still a cheap old miser at heart.)

Enbrightenmint!

According to the Tarte Cosmetics website:

BriteSmile® and tarte cosmetics have teamed up to give you something to grin about: a healthy smile. With just a few clicks of this double-ended whitening & brightening wand you’re sure to reach new levels of kiss bliss.

After whitening teeth it’s time to brighten that smile with tarte’s t5 super fruit™ infused, mint-scented lipgloss. The tarte t5 super fruit com™ is a proprietary blend of the five most active super fruits: goji, acai, maracuja, acerola and pomegranate. The first blend of its kind, the t5 super fruit ™ is loaded with naturally occurring, antioxidant rich nutrients and vitamins that have been known to deliver refining, anti-aging and skin-restorative benefits with each application. Both unique shades, radiant red and pearly pink, have blue undertones, which help your teeth look extra white in no time!

With the purchase of every tarte enbrightenmint BriteSmile® whitener & lipgloss, you’ll be supporting Sambazon’s Sustainable Acai Project (SAP), a member of the Fair Trade Federation, which helps to preserve the Amazon Rainforest through forest conservation, improved living conditions and educational opportunities for communities in Brazil.

So, not only will you be brightening your smile and glossing your lips but you’ll be helping save the Amazon rainforest! (Although that part sounds kind of vague; you’re supporting a project that’s a part of a federation that helps the Amazon rainforest; that’s like giving $50 to your second cousin who works for a company that donates to a local hospital. But still! You’re doing good. I think.)

I’m skeptical of the whitener because I’m so used to dental trays and strips that coat your teeth in harsh chemicals; simply brushing the whitener on and then forgetting about it seems odd. Plus, I really don’t need anymore lip products, considering how infrequently I wear the dozens of lipsticks I’ve magically accumulated in the past six months.

And then, of course, what do you do when you run out of whitener but still have a ton of lip gloss? Unless you’re one of those people who is constantly applying and reapplying your makeup.

(I’m too lazy.)

Anyway, I’m still waiting for the day when they have a magical sheet containing a full face of makeup that you just slap on, kind of like these eyeshadow stickers.

A lot of it was basic, some of it was new technique but, at the end of it, they had sold me on a few products. Like fire engine red lipstick with a liner to match. (I figure, I’ve already got a plethora of bright funky eyeshadows, why not start in on lipsticks?) My eyes glazed over for much of the talks, instead concentrating on the women (and one man) seated around me. Now, I’m not a professional but some of these girls had no idea what they were doing, despite the live demonstration right in front of them. One girl was caking on the highly-pigmented eyeshadows with a blending brush; another had dark teal and black eyeshadow shoveled onto her eyelids and was determinedly applying red lipstick.

Eventually, the class ended and we were loosed upon the counter to peruse the products and basically buy whatever they could sell us.

Cue my moment of super fabulous:

A blonde girl approaches me while I’m looking over blotting powders and the first words out of her mouth were, “I’m sorry about your rat!” Apparently, this was more than my intellect could manage as I tried to rack my brain as to who this was. I’m terrible at remembering people so I floundered, assuming this was somebody that I knew but couldn’t place, my jaw gaping open and a look of utter panic flashing across my face. She gracefully overlooked my utter ineptitude: “I’m Heather, from pinkishly.”

Not only had she mentioned being at that class but I had reminded myself earlier that morning, amidst the chaos of getting out the door on time, to look for her. Duh! BRAIN FTW.

Also? My first blogging buddy!

And can I say that she is super sweet? And really nice? And just as addicted to cosmetics? We chatted for a little bit before she was dragged away by the persistent sales associates looking to cash her out and be rid of the mob; Lobsterclaw and I went back to coveting our beloved cosmetics. Of course, it took us a good twenty minutes just to get checked out because apparently, signing two people up for the class at once was more than they could handle and OMG WANT TO LEAVE. I have never been so desperate to leave a MAC counter. Except the one time I got my Halloween make-up done there and everyone was pointing and staring at me.

While I was waiting for Lobsterclaw, I was perusing the perfume counter simply because it was there and this little old lady working the counter came up to me.

Little Old Lady: “Are you doing okay?”
Me: “I am, thank you. Just looking.”
LOL: “If you need anything, let me know.”
Me: “I will.” [polite smile]
I looked for a couple more minutes, then went around the corner of the counter to look at the other side.
LOL: “Are you doing okay?”
Me: “Yes, thank you.”
LOL: “If you need anything, let me know.”
Me: “Umm. Okay. Thank you.”
A couple minutes go by and she approaches me again and gives me the same greeting. Afterwards, she just stands there staring at me. I shift over a couple of paces and she mirrors my movements from the other side of the counter. Amused, I whip around the corner and she follows me with some crazy old lady speed. I shuffle all the way over back to Lobsterclaw, completing the loop around the counter, and the little old lady follows me, standing behind Lobsterclaw’s cashier for a moment before pattering on to the next customer.

Okayyyy.

And, because our “adventure” simply couldn’t end well, I came home to realize my Russian Red lip gloss was, in fact, a tube of clear lip gloss. Sighhhh. So now I have to drive all the way back out there to do an exchange, at which point they’ll probably tell me they’re sold out and I just might impale myself on a couple mascara wands.

So! I present to you some DIY at-home beauty tips I’ve picked up from various places:

• Blemish Blaster
  • Take a handful of fresh mint leaves and pulverize them with a pestle in a bowl.
  • Next, add moist oats to the mixture and mix until it forms a paste. (Mmm, moist oats.)
  • Apply evenly to your face, or just to your affected areas, and wait 20 minutes.
  • Rinse!
  • Apply twice a day as needed storing the remaining mixture in a sealed container in the fridge.

• Mojito Hand Scrub
  • Chop up three to five mint leaves (mint helps energize cells) and place them in a mixing bowl.
  • Squeeze half of a small lime, one tablespoon of sugar and one table spoon of extra virgin olive oil and add them to the bowl.
  • Massage the scrub into the palm of your hand and gently work it onto the backs of your hands, cuticles and fingertips.

• Warm and Cozy Body Scrub
  • In a medium-sized saucepan, mix together and heat 2 oz. of apricot-kernel oil, 1 oz. of sunflower oil, and 1 oz. of jojoba oil.
  • Next, turn off the heat but add in 1oz. of cornmeal, one teaspoon of sugar, one tbsp. of ground pecans, and six drops of lavender oil. Stir.
  • When everything is cool enough for your skin, stand on a large towel or in the shower (no water) and gently rub the mixture onto your body in circular motions. Don’t forget about your toes, your neck, and your knees — but definitely avoid your face.
  • Rinse off in a warm shower and don’t use any soap. Allow the oils to moisturize your skin. When you are about to get out of the shower, give your body a cool rinse and then gently pat your body dry

• Homemade Exfoliator
  • Add a pinch of cleaned sand (like the decorative stuff you can get at Target or maybe even something synthetic that’s similar… haunt the craft store, people) to a gentle cleanser like Cetaphil. (Or whatever you use.) You get the general idea.

• Hair Purifier
  • Wash your hair as usual
  • Crush two aspirin and pour them into an eight-ounce cup filled with apple cider vinegar (use more vinegar for thick hair and less for fine hair).
  • Next, apply to damp hair and leave on for fifteen minutes and then shampoo hair again. Skip using conditioner unless your hair is really tangled. In that case, just use a little bit on the ends and rinse well.

• Face Mask
  • Blend ½ tsp fresh lemon juice, 1 tsp dry black tea, 1 egg white and 1tsp honey. (For dry skin, add ½ avocado and 1 slice of fresh peach; for oily skin, add ½ cup strawberries and about 60g grated raw pumpkin.)
  • Leave on your skin for 10 to 15 minutes and rinse off with warm water

• Citrus Body Scrub
  • Squeeze the juice from half an orange and pulp into a bowl and add the cornmeal. Mix into a paste.
  • Apply onto freshly washed face and body. Scrub gently for 2-3 minutes. Rinse.

(Most of these are from bellasugar.com.)

I know, right?

Anyway, they point out that the top two unsexiest women according to Maxim magazine, Sarah Jessica Parker and Amy Winehouse, are both Jewish; naturally, this must be some type of anti-Semitism. Entertainment Weekly released its list of Ultimate Female Hotties

which doesn’t feature a single black or Asian woman. In fact, of EW’s twenty-five “Ultimate Hotties,” the only ethnic ones are Latina: Half-Bolivian Raquel Welch, Mexican Salma Hayek, half-Mexican Jessica Alba, and half-Spanish Rita Hayworth.”

I’m torn. One the one hand, I can see where they’re coming from about the Hotties list not including the likes Lucy Liu or Halle Barry or any other non-Latina minority. It seems our idea of “hotties” and “beautiful” changes with the fashions; one minute, Asian women are the hottest things around but tomorrow, we’re all about Iman and Tyra Banks. We live in a world where body parts are fashionable. (Trust me, I’ve read magazines that actually say, in all seriousness, “Hip bones are in!” and “The collarbone is the body part of the season!”) But honestly? These are reader-based polls. Why would you slam the magazines for asking their readers for input?

And the anti-Semitism? Seriously? Have you seen SJP and Amy Winehouse??

Two words: hot mess.

They’re certainly not the most hideous people on the face of the planet but they’re competing against the perfectly tan and sculptured (and buxom) likes of Jessica Simpson and Angelina Jolie! Not to mention all those Hottie Latinas. Plus? I have to believe their public personas play a part in the decision: Carrie Bradshaw comes off as whiny, unrealistic, and wishy washy while Amy Winehouse is certifiably insane with a liberal application of The Crazy. (And, going back to read the article about SJP, it seems some of the reasons for being “unsexy” involve something other than looks.)

It’s not so much Jezebel’s article that annoys me but that general mindframe. While I recognize the predominantly white and Latina trend going on with EW’s list, perhaps too much is being read into the whole thing. It’s like when people in my literature classes assume some little nuance in a novel is truly a sign of irreplaceable genius; I’m always the asshole thinking in the back of my mind that the author probably paid no more attention to that little nuance than he did the little ant crawling in his front yard. But when you put your own spin on things, it can sound however you want.

I mean, I could be upset that my husband blatantly tunes me out while he plays his video games, fuming in my own anger that he’s intentionally and deliberately ignoring the gems of wit and wisdom pouring out my mouth but the real answer? He doesn’t mean it; he just gets too absorbed in what he’s doing.

Anyway, I believe the phrase is: “making a mountain out of a molehill.”

Knowing when to pick your battles is important. Otherwise, you sound like the boy who cried wolf and, well, we all know what happened to him.

Unfortunately, it’s only the four or five Avon catalogs typical for a monthly mailing. Now, at my last job, the Avon lady came religiously, despite the fact that her original customer had long since left. I made the mistake of picking up a few things for relatives and found myself on her list. I’d get e-mails. And she’d come in with her little sacks of catalogs, smiling and hopeful and I’d take pity on her and order lip balm and a cheap plastic ring. Our purchasing agent ordered some shampoo or lotion for his dog, specifically mentioning it was for his dog, and next week, she showed up with an extra little sack of catalogs, proudly advertising the newest concealers or nail polish.

I didn’t mind Avon’s stuff; it was cheap and you got what you paid for. Some of it was actually pretty awesome — like the aforementioned $4 lip balm — and some of it was crap but it was a cheap way to experiment with styles and looks. (Then again, it’s hard to mess up sheer lip glosses and shimmery barely-there eyeshadows. Such is markbyAvon.) I think I even got suckered into some of their skincare but the only thing I ever found success with was discontinued shortly after I (somehow) won it from Allure magazine.

Anyway, looking through the catalog and all its under-$10 items, I reflected on how things have changed. I went from a world of $5 eyeshadow palettes and $2 lip glosses to shelling out $15 for a small pot of lip gloss and $23 tubes of mascara. I’m going to MAC this weekend to have them slap on a Halloween look, which requires a $50 purchase and seriously? I could accomplish that with three items. Two if I’m particularly skilled.

And then I think about my husband, who uses his shampoo as body wash and hair cleanser — men! — and suddenly, I’m very self-conscious about the huge three-drawer container of make-up sitting on my bathroom counter. (It can hold a ream of paper! Huge!) Granted, the male equivalent of make-up is aftershave and eyebrow grooming isn’t even a remote possibility in their world but still! Why do I have all this make-up? And high-end make-up at that?

(This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get me gift cards to Sephora though. Christmas is coming!)

As a woman, it’s so easy to get caught up in what “they” tell you and what other women are buying. Life is about what you look like and what you spent and what brands you’ve bought. Appearances are everything. Slather on the make-up! Mascara! Eyeliner! Five shades of eyeshadow! Cream blush or powder? Lipstick topped off with sparkly lip gloss! Foundation layered with powder and concealer!

And yet?

I love it all.

Still, I think I’m going home and cleaning out my make-up, um, chest? Bin? Closet? (Of course, this will only tempt me to buy more…)

(My tattoo is itching so bad right now. WHERE IS MY CHEESE GRATER?)

Can we take a second and talk about beauty products? Anybody that doesn’t have a vagina is free to leave at this point since I can pretty much guarantee you guys don’t use actual face wash, let alone the plethora of creams and lotions and miracle-workers that we women adore. (Even my husband, who lives with a product-obsessed woman, considers it perfectly acceptable to occasionally wash his face with bar soap — and that’s it.)

Anyway, I recently ran out of my expensive little Dr. Brandt poreless kit. It was an awesome set and I squeezed out the very last drop of each product. However, it’s a very bad idea to get hooked on products that cost $55 each so I’ve been trying to figure out an alternative. (For the record, I’ve been using regular old Noxzema in the meantime. Oh, high school, how I miss thee!) High end skincare is worth it but, honestly, I kind of have bills to pay and I don’t think the power company cares that I could possibly break out into a rash of pimples so bad, I may be cast in a remake of “Acne” so I had to spend my utility money on moisturizer.

Look, people, I paid $7.50 for Clean & Clear in Grand Cayman while on my honeymoon, okay? I was desperate! My skin hates me! And it hates when I can’t pamper it with expensive products!

However, I’m also pretty cheap and a total bargain hunter. I absolutely will not buy something if I think there’s even a chance I could get it cheaper elsewhere. Even if it means giving up that immediate satisfaction.  (Being on vacation is an exception because, seriously, there was no other drugstore anywhere near the port.  Just a guy selling nail clippers for $5 and Clean & Clear for $7.50.)

That said, I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about Cetaphil. It’s gentle, it’s effective, blah blah blah. Except it’s also, like, $12 a bottle and, the last time I actually bothered to look into Cetaphil, that was a lot of money to spend on something like that. (My, how times have changed.) Now that I’m making more than $6.50 an hour, I don’t mind spending that kind of money but only if I know that it won’t be a total waste.  (But how do you know if it’s a waste if you don’t try it? Nice logic!)
So I drag my husband to the grocery store under the pretense of needing something for dinner and I spend about ten minutes down the beauty care aisle, hemming and hawing. I’m famous for this. This is how my shopping trips — when I’m by myself, anyway — can last anywhere from four to five hours and I’ll maybe hit up three stores if I’m lucky. I try to be, uh, more considerate when I have men in tow because, frankly, they’re annoying when they’re bored. (Love you, honey!)

There I am, staring at this $12 face wash, trying to convince myself to reach out, pick it up, and dump it into our basket before I can change my mind when I shift about two inches to the left and spot a store brand bottle for only $3.99. Seriously?!?

Now, let me share a little secret with you that I picked up while slaving away as a cashier in a really tacky uniform: most generic brand products are actually made by the same factory and companies that produce the name brand stuff. It’s just stripped down and, well, generic. So I happily buy store brand stuff. Well, from Publix anyway; I don’t know about those weirdo stores like Piggly Wiggly and Kroger since we don’t have those fancy places in my parts of Florida.

(Apparently, Cetaphil’s company, Galderma, doesn’t manufacture the generic themselves so the generic brands tend to vary; however, Publix is pretty thorough in creating quality duplicates so I’m happy with this. Some people have reported various generics suck hardcore so be warned.)

So really, this big long rambling post was to tell you that I bought an awesome face wash for 1/3 of its actual price — although I had to get the SPF moisturizer at full price since there’s sadly no generic version — and it works really well. Rock on, Cetaphil “Gentle Facial Cleanser Comparable to Cetaphil®”!

(Aren’t you glad you read all that?)

I inherited my mom’s large, oily pores and have tried virtually everything under the sun to combat genetics — every brand of cleanser, toner, mattifier, moisturizer, and gel available. However, my skin is also delicate so, often times, the products will be too harsh — flaky skin is seriously not hot — or too mild, making no difference or turning my face into one giant oil slick. Even the Mary Kay products were starting to fall flat. (Don’t get me wrong; they’re great products and helped bring my skin back to life but I just hit a plateau with them.)

So, while at Sephora, I consulted one of their skincare specialists. I figured, hey, they sell a large range of products in all price categories so surely there must be something that will help me primp for the wedding! The saleswoman recommended some $80 facial masks and $100 eye creams before I finally told her I need a new daily routine, not just here-and-there treatments. She began to show me some Dr. Brandt products, a brand I had frequently lusted after on Sephora’s website.

I wound up buying the Poreless Essential Kit, $55, and after just five days, there’s already a noticeable change in my skin!

The poreless products all have a faint smell of menthol and tea tree oil which isn’t entirely unpleasant. (I’m a huge fan of minty smells!) The toner is mild yet refreshing and the gel, which I use in the morning, does a great job of keeping the oil down during the day. The pore effect cream is perfect for night-time, not too heavy and a little goes a long way. My skin hasn’t freaked out, which is definitely a good sign.

In fact, I’ve only seen positive results: my skin is softer, smoother, clearer, and less oily.

I also bought a jar of the microdermabrasion and it’s pretty amazing! The texture is really fine so it’s not too harsh and you can feel a bit of a tingle afterwards. Plus, the lemony scent is a nice touch. The best part about it is that it doesn’t require any other steps, no other solutions or lotions, just scrub it on, wash it off, and you’re done. I honestly don’t think I can go back to the other microdermabrasion scrub I was using, which sucks because it was kind of expensive.

The Dr. Brandt products aren’t cheap but so far, they’ve been worth every penny. I’ve seen a lot of changes over the past few days and I honestly don’t know why I didn’t try that kit out sooner. I’m most likely going to buy a tube of the tinted SPF 30 and the poreless purifying mask too. Just because I’m that impressed with the brand.

Okay, so Dr. Brandt looks like a total kook but he has beautiful skin, so I can’t really argue:

(Umm, I will just put this out there: if anyone, at any time, would like to financially compensate me for this blatant advertisement, I’m open to the offer. Just sayin. Otherwise, just buy the products because they kick ass.)

Now, before I go any further, let me just say that my introduction to Mary Kay started off in the pages of a Bloom County comic strip collection, The Night of the Mary Kay Commandos. (“Even their uzis are pink!”) (And, actually, the book may or may not have been partly responsible for ending Mary Kay’s animal testing.) The pink Cadillacs were infamous to me, much like mob cars, with their insidious pink paint jobs and devious Mary Kay logos plasted on the back windshield.

I originally didn’t want to go to the consultation because companies like Mary Kay, Arbonne, and Avon didn’t really impress me. I’d purchased a few cheesy little Avon things, primarily out of pity for the determined sales rep who kept coming to the building I worked at, despite the fact that virtually nobody ordered anything. The make-up wasn’t that great, but was a cheap way to play with colors and looks. As well, my skintone is incredibly difficult to work with and I usually prefer to try on colors or at least see them in hand, which you don’t really get with a catalog.

Boatshoes’ sister was invited to be a make-up model, which basically entails a big long sales pitch while letting you try out different products. She invited a few of us to join her and, well, I agreed, mostly because I want to spend some more time with her and we planned to discuss some more ideas for the wedding.

The Mary Kay rep was a tall, thin woman, relatively young and very much put-together. She was delightfully quirky and didn’t mind any questions we threw at her. Definitely points in her favor. We sampled a bunch of products for our various skin types and a few dabs of make-up which were, for the most part, not entirely flattering. However, I can say I was pretty impressed by some of the products, which lacked that cheap, greasy quality I’d seen in Avon products.

At the end of the night, I wound up spending $100+ on skincare.

I’m meeting with the consultant this weekend for a check-in, as well as to experiment with some colors for the wedding. I think I’ve officially been sucked in.

But you do not piss off a woman carrying a pink uzi.

PS – I totally stole the Flickr (Fuckr?) header code from Rockstar Mommy, who, I believe, stole it from someone else. Yes, we’re a bunch of theives but at least our sites look cool.