Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Favorite Product of the October

4:06 PM

Hey Everyone,

So, in addition to my ins and outs post every month, I thought I would start a section where I feature one product every month that I use quite regularly. It may be something that I use in my everyday face or something that I have recently purchased that I absolutely adore. Hope you like this. Here goes:



The first product I have decided to feature are the Style Black eyeshadows. I have talked about these shadows over and over again, but I can't stress enough how absolutely gorgeous they are. Ever since I purchased these, I have grabbed them when I am going out for a night out on the town. Sadly, I don't have any photos of the looks I did, but I will take some the next time I go out. They are so soft and pigmented that they are absolutely gorgeous when applied on the eyes. The glitter fallout is pretty minimal when the shadows are applied wet, so this is how I use them. I will make sure and post photos of a look very soon, but until then...

Peace, Love, and Happiness!!


A Question for all my Readers?

3:47 PM

I need you're help. As I'm getting more and more views, I want to make posts that you like to read. I feel like all I ever do is write about hauls, and that just gets pretty boring. So, here's what I need. You can leave it as a comment to this post or shoot me an email. Let me know what types of posts that are interesting to you. Whether it be more fotd or fotn looks, favorites, reviews, weight loss accomplishments and setbacks, collection posts, whatever. This would really help me know that I'm reaching someone out there.

Thanks a bunch...

Up next should be Favorites of the month!

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Weight Loss Update 1

9:30 PM

Fact, I've been overweight almost all my life.
Fact, I've been one every kind of fad diet one can think of.
Fact, I have lost and gained back pounds so many times I have lost count......

Yes, I am fat. I've been fat as long as I can remember. Do I like being fat, no. Does anyone like being fat, don't really think so. Anyone who has ever tried to lose weight knows that this is not an easy process. It takes hard work and determination. Unfortunately there isn't a quick fix, because if there were I would have done it already. I finally got fed up and decided I had to do something about it. I've been on this journey for about three months, and this is my story:

I have lost about 23 pounds, and it hasn't been easy. I, like a lot of people I know started off gung ho about my adventure. I was going to the gym almost everyday. I was eating the foods that help the weight come off. And the scale was showing the results I wanted. Then life got in the way. With starting grad school, family problems, colds, and other issues, my weight loss has suffered. I have completely stopped going to the gym. I have slowly added back foods that I had stopped eating. In other words, I failed....

Well, in my mind I failed. Then, I think of what I have gained. With each pound lost, I feel better both physically and emotionally. This is what keeps me going from day to day. I have learned that yes, I am going to mess up. There is no overnight fix. Every time I get off the horse, I get back on again and keep trying. It all came full circle today, when I went to my monthly weigh in. The scales said I have lost 5 pounds this month. This is what keeps me going.

I keep going because I don't want to fail again. I won't gain every single pound back like I have done in the past. I keep doing this because I want to wear trendy clothes. I keep going because I am tired of being the "You have such a pretty face" girl. Anyone who has had this said to them knows how bad it feels. Yes I may have a pretty face, but I want the rest of me to be pretty too. In other words, I just keep going.....

Until next time....

Peace, Love, and Happiness!!

Monday, October 19, 2009

Sephora Friends and Family Sale

9:35 PM




So the time has come around yet again. It's time for Sephora's once a year online sale where everything is 20% off online. Many makeup enthusiasts like Moi wait all year for this sale. You need a code to get the discount which is FF2009. I have heard rumblings from various websites that Sephora is sending a mass email for V.IB.'s that has a printable coupon to take into stores. Until this is confirmed or not, to use the discount in store, one must know a Sephora "Cast Member" to partake. The sale starts today and runs through November 2nd.

I have started making a preliminary list of things that I might purchase. I'm not buying everything on this list, because as you see it is rather long. If you have any of these items, please let me know if you like them or not.

Urban Decay Liquid Liner Perversion
Philosophy "Best Of Sephora" Set: Includes Hope in a Jar moisturizer, Purity cleanser, and Grace shampoo and body wash
Illamasqua Cream Blusher Rude
Illamasqua Eyeshadow Fatal
Illamasqua Eyeshadow Moonflower
Illamasqua Eyeshadow Poem
Illamasqua Satin Primer
Illamasqua Liquid Metal Solstice
Illamasqua Pigment Furore
Illamasqua Pigment Involve
Illamasqua Sheer Lipgloss Divine
MUFE Eyeshadow #26, 116, 142
Stila Liner in Topaz
YSL Lipstick Lingerie Pink

Yes, I know its a long list. Just trying to jot down things I have been wanting. I also have been wanting to try Illamasqua products, so I made sure to wait until FF to do so. Again, if you have any of these products let me know what you think.

Ta-Ta for now....

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Getting to Know Me Tag

4:25 PM

Here is a tag that I found on one of the blogs I read. I thought it would be interesting to do some posts about my life, and not just about makeup all the time. I thought this tag was very interesting, so I decided to give it a try.

1. What time did you get up this morning?
About 9:15

2. How do you like your steak? Medium Well

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Fame, it was great!

4. What is your favorite TV show? Grey's Anatomy. Although, I am still mad they killed off George.

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? Cali

6. What did you have for breakfast? French Toast Sticks and Bacon

7. What is your favorite cuisine? Mexican

8. What foods do you dislike? Beans and Peas

9. Favorite place to eat?

10. Favorite dressing? Ranch

11. What kind of vehicle do you drive? Toyota Camry

12. What are your favorite clothes? Simple and Classic...Jeans and Tshirt. I love dressing jeans up for nigh time with accessories and shoes. Don't really wear skirts or dresses.


13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? Hawaii, Paris, Italy, Jamaica

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? Usually 1/2 full

15. Where would you want to retire? On an island, but probably just close to home


16. Favorite time of day? Afternoon and nights on the weekends

17. Where were you born? Atlanta, GA

18. What is your favorite sport to watch? Don't really watch sports, but if I had to pick one it would be football. Even if I don't have a clue what goes on

19. Who are you most curious about their responses to this? Everyone, Please comment and link me to your post if you do this tag

20. Bird watcher? No, not really


21. Are you a morning person or a night person? Night definitely

22. Do you have any pets? Yep, this precious buddy




23. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share?
Nope

24. What did you want to be when you were little?

25. What is your best childhood memory? Family vacays to the beach

26. Are you a cat or dog person? Dog.. i love dogs!!

27. Are you married? Nope, far from it

28. Always wear your seat belt? Yep, I always wear it

29. Been in a car accident? I've been in a fender bender.

30. Any pet peeves? Drivers that don't use blinker when turning, drivers that don't wave when I let them out in front of me

31. Favorite Pizza Toppings? Peperoni, Beef, Black Olives

32. Favorite Flower? Lilacs, pink & white roses

33. Favorite ice cream? Blue Bell Pistachio, Strawberry

34. Favorite fast food restaurant? Chick-Fil-A

35. How many times did you fail your driver's test? None....passed it the first time

36. From whom did you get your last email? Facebook

37. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Torrid

38. Do anything spontaneous lately? Nope

39. Like your job? Yes, its great

40. Broccoli? yummy when its cooked

41. What was your favorite vacation? Vegas 21st birthday

42. Last person you went out to dinner with? Mom and Dad

43. What are you listening to right now? Grey's Anatomy DVD

44. What is your favorite color? Purple

45. How many tattoos do you have? One, A butterfly that I got when I was 18

46. How many are you tagging for this quiz? Anyone that wants to do it

47. What time did you finish this quiz? 4:45 pm

48. Coffee drinker? At times

There ya have it, a look into life with me. Hope if you do this tag, you will link me to it so I can read or comment. Also, if anyone has any suggestions on topics you would like me to talk about feel free to drop be a comment or email. I feel that all I ever do is post about hauls and ins and outs. I want to diversify this blog. Suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Have a good one!!

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Collective Haul and Review

10:24 PM

Hi Ladies,

I finally got my MAC box in the mail yesterday, so I can post my Style Black haul. I picked up a couple of things from the MAC store in my area, and a few things I ordered off the MAC website. I also got a couple of things from the DSquared collection, Makeup Art Cosmetics collection, and the regular line. This is probably going to be a long post. Here is a picture of everything that I purchased:



From Style Black:
Young Punk e/s
Cinderfella e/s
Guilt By Association e/s
Volcanic Ash Exfoliator
Bat Black CCB
Greasepaint stick Black

From DSquared:
Greasepaint stick V
165 Brush

From Makeup Art Cosmetics Collection:
Violet Trance e/s

From the Regular Line:
Creme Cup Lipstick
Soft Brown e/s

Now onto the Review:

Mineralize Shadows:






Oh, the glittery goodness. I am absolutely in love with these shadows. For any girl or guy that is a fan of glitter, these shadows are a must have. A plus with mineralize shadows is that you can use them wet or dry. They look good both ways, but they really shine when applied wet. I use a spritz of Fix+ on my brush, dip into the product and then apply. They also shine over a base. That is why I bought the greasepaint stick because it is a perfect base for these shadows. Just a tip, if you do use them wet make sure to leave the top open for the shadow to dry because you don't want to catch any bacteria that may have been on you're brush. I picked up three of the four shadows released with this collection, and I may go back for the fourth one to complete the set. Although, its a blue one and I never wear blue eyeshadow. But sometime I may right? Someone stop me....

Violet Trance and Soft Brown Eyeshadow:



I mentioned in my Makeup Art Cosmetics collection haul that I was probably going back to get Violet Trance eyeshadow, and boy am I glad that I did. It is such a pretty color. Yes, it does take some work to get it to show up but I will make it work. As for Soft Brown it is in the regular line of colors. I see people on Specktra and Youtube all the time use this color to blend out the crease, and it does not disappoint. Its a new must have for me.

Greasepaint Sticks:





The Greasepaint sticks are a new limited edition product that MAC has released. I heard rave reviews about this product, so I knew that I would be purchasing at least one. I bought the black one first. These can be used as a shadow base or as eyeliners. However, if used as an eyeliner they are not waterline safe. When used as a shadow base, it works really well. I used the purple one as a base for Young Punk eyeshadow, and it stayed all day. Once this baby dries it will not budge. It is sold out in a lot of places, so if you're thinking about getting one you may want to do it quick. I absolutely love this product.

Volcanic Ash Exfoliator and 165 Brush



Both of these products are repromotes that have been released with previous collections. The 165 brush came out with the BBR collection last January. It is great for highlighting and contouring. It is so soft, and it seems like its gonna be a great brush. The Volcanic Ash was released with a collection that I can't remember the name of. I wasn't quite the MAC junkie back when this was released as I am now. Many people love this product, and I must say that it is pretty cool. The smell is something that I had to get used to, and to be completely honest I'm not sure I have yet. I only like this product because it makes my skin glowy. I'm slowly getting used to the smell, but at first I thought of returning it. The jury is still out on this one.

Bat Black CCB and Creme Cup Lipstick:



Bat Black CCB was released with the Style Black collection. I have not used this product yet, but CCBs are meant to be worn on the eyes, lips or cheeks. Because this is a dark burgundy color, I'll probably just use it as a base for shadows. I saw a MAC artist that used it as a base for Young Punk and it looked spectacular. I also think it would go well with Sketch and Beauty Marked eyeshadows. Creme cup is from the regular line. Some compare it to Angel lipstick and that is partly the reason why I bought it. Angel is a frost lipstick while Creme Cup is a cremesheen lipstick. Because frost lippies and I do not mix, I knew that this was the one that I wanted. I bought this primarily to copy Kim Kardashian's lipstick of choice. I am a big fan of her makeup looks, so I really wanted to try something similar. I used it today, and I really like it. It goes great with smokey eyes.

Overall, I really liked everything that I purchased. I know it is a lot, but I did not buy all of this at one time. I was looking forward to this collection for a while, and I was very happy with it. I passed on the lippies for this collection, and that was because I just can't do darker colors. The advertisement images were lovely, but I just can't justify buying a black lipstick that I will never use. The dsqaured collection was awesome as well. I probably will not purchase any more items from the collection though. I am trying to save up for holiday, which is right around the corner. As for the things I bought, I must say my favorite of the bunch are the shadows. They are just too beautiful to pass up. Up next should be a look using the shadows.

Until next time.....





Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Ins and Outs 3 and Update

10:36 PM

Hey Everyone!!

How have you all been? I know we're already out of September and into October but here is my new installment of Ins and Outs.

Ins:
  • Natural Makeup: It seems that lately, all I have been rocking makeup wise is foundation, blush, and mascara. With working in a school, dramatic makeup really doesn't work. Plus I like to sleep in, so this is usually my routine during the week. On those days when I do put on eyeshadow, I use a minimal amount. I think an upcoming post will be my everyday makeup look. Also, I'm thinking about doing day to night looks possibly.
  • All of the Style Black Shadows: The Style Black collection was on my ins and outs list last time, and this was before the collection actually released. With seeing it in person, and getting my items this collection did not disappoint. In fact, my next post will be a haul and review of Style Black.
  • Hello Kitty Quad in Lucky Tom: On those days when I do use eyeshadow, this quad is what I reach for most. I use the lightest color Creme Royale on the lid and Paradisco in the crease. Add black eyeliner and mascara and that's it.
  • Being sick: Working with the little one's isn't the best for you're immune system. This month I have spent over half of it with a cold. The kids are awesome, but when you teach preschoolers and kindergarteners, they don't know what covering your mouth means just yet. Anyways, their a joy to be around but sickness just comes with the job title. This takes me to my first out of the month.
Outs:
  • Exercise: Starting a diet regimen most always mean exercise. When I first started trying to change my eating habits, I was doing well. I would hit the gym 3-4 times a week, and now that I have started working and grad school I seem to never have time for it anymore. Add the fact that I've been sick, and you get not going to the gym for over a month. Somehow I have managed to keep off what I have lost, but I know that I'm not going to without getting back into the exercising bit. Ok, enough blabbering I will save that for another post.
I can't think of anymore outs at the moment, so I am going to end here. I've been thinking long and hard about the fact that when I started this blog I was going to make it about my weight loss journey too. To date, I only have one post about that and its the starting post. I really need to get in gear, but lately I have been so uninspired. When I actually have time to sit and blog, I can't get the words out. I'm seriously gonna start my weight loss blogs this month.  Come with me on my journey of getting healthy while looking fabulous. I want and NEED to do this....

Until next time.....