8 Fun Things To Do In Vegas

Las Vegas was an unexpected treat.

I thought it would be trashy, tacky, kitschy, touristy, oversexed: perhaps the Phuket of the US?

Instead, although it was those things in small doses, it was also: clean, fun, convenient, and comfortable. Not to mention the weather was about 10 degrees warmer than Kansas City

1. Stay on the Strip.

We splurged and stayed at Treasure Island for a week because it was close to our business conference.

I thought it would be decorated like a pirate ship inside but really it was just a very comfortable, typical hotel room. The fitness center was the best hotel gym we’ve ever had. And the restaurant food was excellent, too.

There is a a Monorail which gets you from one end of the strip to the other, but I walked it and it’s only an hour or two to do it all, even if you happen to get lost inside one of the massive casinos.

2. Walk the Strip at night…

And you’ll be sure to see plenty of little shows going on outside each of the casinos. This is the volcano show outside the Mirage.

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3. Try out a spa.

The gym had plates of fresh fruit, bottled water, and quality equipment. And the makeup lesson I had was really helpful.

4. Visit an exhibit.

This is what would make living in Las Vegas cool, I think. Artifacts from the Titanic are on display at the Luxor. The week of our arrival, there was a technology expo with booths of people hoping to get their newest product designs on store shelves. There’s always something new to see in Vegas.

5. Go shopping.

At all hours of the night, you can walk across the street and there will be stores open. Very convenient for night owls like Jacob and I. You can buy just about anything in Vegas.

6. Go to a night club.

Not something we normally would have done, Clickbank parties introduced us to the Tao and the Wynn night club, which were very swanky and fun to network in.

7. Talk to taxi cab drivers and waiters…

And you’ll meet people from Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Taiwan. The people in Las Vegas come from all over.

8. Go to a show.

Jacob saw the Blue Men, and we both saw a show with some realllly bad rap at the Clickbank afterparty. This is Vegas. The shows have potential to be trashy. Do your research before going. If we would have had time, I would have gone to see The Lion King at Mandalay Bay.

Notice I didn’t say gamble…it’s because I can’t recommend something I didn’t do! Although I had every intention of trying a slot machine, the truth is we were kept so busy I never had a chance. I was feeling very lucky, too! Oh well, there’s always next time…

Las Vegas make over

Jacob treated me to a makeup lesson at the spa in Treasure Island. Although I’ve had my make up done before, this time I feel like I walked away with some very usable tips that I’ll be putting into practice right away.

I thought I’d share the things she told me, if only to help me remember them for the future.

Skin:

First, moisturize. Then apply a foundation. Powder is not necessary, nor are sponges to apply, but you can use them if you like. You can use your fingers to dot a small amount all over your face.

She, for the first time I’ve ever heard, did not recommend concealer, saying it’s too thick. She uses something called “paint” or just powders her undereyes.

Cheeks:

Next, lightly brush bronzer on the hollows of your cheeks and all over your face for a sunkissed look. You can vary the amount for the drama of the look.

Brows:

You should darken your brows and fill them in with a brown eyeshadow.

Eyes:

I was informed that eyeliner is not a “natural” look, which is what I originally requested, so I told her I want a step beyond natural. She lightly drew around my eye with a pencil, then softened the line with brown eye shadow. Softening the line is really important. It needs to look like it just blends into the eye shadow.

For the lid, she spread a medium light color all over the lid up to the eyebrow. Then she hi-lighted the crease with a darker shade, and put a really light color just under the brow and at the corners. She blended it all so you couldn’t see a contrast between the colors. If it’s too dark or dramatic, you can go over it with a lighter color to soften the look. And if you want the eyes to really “pop” you can put a light color on the lid.

I asked for a trick to help the fact that my eyes are too close together, and she recommended putting a light shade (like white) on the bridge of the nose between the eyes.

You can use two different types of mascara to make the lashes look thicker. Do both the top and the bottom lashes in a back and forth motion to make them look thicker. Because my eyelash curler I got in China broke, I got a tiny one from Sephora to curl and separate the lashes before putting on mascara.

For green eyes, she recommended staying away from blues and pinks and sticking with greens, browns, and purples (which is unfortunate—I have a lot of pinks. Oh well).

Lips:

Stay away from the dark lip liner and light lipstick-it’s too 80s. Here is my new lip shade:

Le Metier de beaute sheer brilliance lip gloss.

If you go with a more neutral color on your lips, you can do more dramatic things with your eyes.

The tools…

The most important thing I learned was choosing the right brushes. I got a new set from Sephora. I don’t know if it’s necessary to pay extra for nice brushes (I could have got similar ones at Walgreens) but I am liking my Sephora brushes quite a lot.

Without brushes, it’s really difficult to blend correctly. I learned the short haired brush is ideal for highlighting, and the eyeliner brush is ideal for adding eyeshadow on top of eyeliner.

This lesson was a great help for a makeup-clueless girl! I really liked it because she made it seem easy to replicate, and most important of all Jacob loved the finished product.

 

 

Last day in Missouri

In case you’re curious, this is what a day looks like when leaving the closest thing to home for a year-long trip out of the country:

8 am Dentist appointment with x-rays and cleaning

9:30 am Gym

10:15 am Post office

10:45 am Back home for a quick shower

11:15 am Doctor’s appointment with Pap smear—fun fun!

1 pm Professional photo shoot in downtown Kansas City for the athletic blog/snag a quick lunch

4 pm Eye doctor’s to return Jacob’s frames

        Beauty Brands to stock up on tanning spray

5 pm TJ Max to return a vest and get new black walking shoes

6 pm Dinner

7 pm (Win) a game of Seven Up with the fam

8 pm Arrange flights with dad

9 pm Print out photos for future visas

         Make copies of passports and drivers licenses

10 pm Prepare storage and items to be donated

10:30 pm Pack

2:00 am Sleep in preparation for a 10:30 flight, headed to…