New Year! Let's Start This off Right!

So I wrote this blog on New Year's Eve 2013. I never posted it because I wanted to tweak a few things but, I just let it sit in blogging purgatory until now. So humor me, remember this is from 4 months ago but it's still pretty good stuff...well I think so, but I also wrote it. Check it out!


Ok, ok. I know this time of year we all go through the same shenanigans. We end each year completely stuffed with holiday treats and fast food eats because we have been so busy! We binge and we push our bodies to the limit in usually the worst way and then we see the new year as a new beginning.

I am so thankful for that! I love a nice, fresh start. And now is the time to do it! This past year has probably been one of the craziest years I have ever had! I'm officially 10 years past my high school graduation. I thought I would have my stuff together by now but I feel like I'm just getting started. Honestly, I feel like if we do it right, we are always changing, We are always learning and we are always wanting to be a better version of what we are. I don't feel like I have wasted any of my moments or years, I just feel like this has all paved the way to where I want to be. This time last year I had a completely different idea of what I wanted but I wasn't truly happy. My plan was something of a superficial, safe, sounded-good plan. It looked nice & shiny on the outside but deep down, it wasn't me and it truly wasn't what I wanted. But-it was a nice, safe idea. It was easy. If I wanted to really take the time (which I had no time to even think about this at that time) then I would have really dug deep and realized I was basically going the exact opposite direction of my true happiness.

This year I did A LOT! I had a job that paid well, had good benefits and had a nice shiny name to it with lots of promise, but-I truly wasn't happy. When I was younger this is what I thought I wanted. For a long time this is what I thought I wanted. Even while doing aesthetics I always wondered about more of the high-end, fashion side of beauty. But once I was neck-high in the nice, fancy things, I realized, "whoa! I don't want this! I don't want this at all!" I was thrown in to the fashion & business world and realized "nope! I'm good!" Not only did I "think" I wanted to be in the middle of this fashion world but I also thought I wanted to really succeed and be a business woman. It felt good to do well and succeed. It can almost be addicting and I'll admit, you can almost convince yourself that certain things you sacrifice are worth it, and if you truly love it-those sacrifices are worth it, but this was not my path. I realized I was giving up my free time, my family time and time with my husband and friends and it was just not worth it. I spent so much time towards it and I love beauty and fashion but it's not important to me anymore. We change and our interests and passions change, and mine had. I have been really committed to working out and eating right for about the past two years. It's been gradual but this last year , starting about March, I really jumped in head-first into health & wellness. As time went on and I got more & more involved in working out and eating right I realized to me, what's more important now is feeling beautiful. I'm over the "you have to buy this to look beautiful." I'm more attracted to the "this is what makes you feel beautiful!"

My priorities changed completely. I was tired of missing out on family time and seeing my husband and friends and have me time! The more I thought about it and the more I looked into it, I knew this was not the path I wanted to go. I took a huge leap and a big risk and quit my job. I am doing makeup on my own, freelancing for lines I love and believe in, and working at a store that completely supports me and helps me follow my dreams and goals. This company actually gets you to write out 10 year goals. It's pretty amazing! I have found that really setting your goals that far in advanced help you make big crazy goals and it actually helps you see what you really want and it helps narrow down your goals in 10, 5, and 1 year goals.

I'm going to share a few pointers I learned while setting my goals. One I liked was put your goals in present tense. When you talk about living in your beach home in Florida, describe it. Don't say, "I will have a beach house someday." Say, "I wake up in my beach house on a beautiful sunny day." Make big, scary goals! If they don't scare you, they're not big enough! One of the things that helped me realize what I really wanted to do was asking that question of "if you won $100,000,000 what would you do?" I knew I always wanted to work even if it was part time. Even if I won the lottery (I'm trying to keep myself grounded here) I thought I would love to work where I work now. Hence why I followed what I wanted and went for it! I knew I wanted to have more time to work out, take hikes, I would want a big farm house with tons of land and garden and really be able to plant and eat a lot my own foods. I wanted to cook more and learn how to can items from my garden. Maybe eventually be a fitness instructor. If I won the lottery I would definitely go to India and get my yoga instructors license as well!

I look at these goals and think these are possible! Lottery winnings or not, I can do this! Why not do it! I mean we have one life to live and if this is what I want, go for it! I feel like writing out your goals make them seem more realistic and it helps you really lay them out and break them down more to be more attainable. I also think sharing your goals helps because you can hold yourself accountable of your goals and so can others who know them. We need to support one another, cheer them on when they are on their way to achieving their goals!

I've been thinking about some resolutions, I'm still working on them. But I'm starting to write them down and keep a physical list of my goals, I will constantly check back at them and reassess them and keep working on my goals and being the best version of me.

I definitely want to do yoga at least 3 times a week. I want to meditate daily, even if it's only 5-10 minutes. I want to sweat at least 20 minutes a day. I want to grow closer to my husband and keep growing our relationship and keep our communication going more and more.

These two links helped me out a lot!

http://blog.lululemon.com/vision-goals-why-we-love-them-and-how-to-get-started/

http://blog.lululemon.com/how-to-write-your-10-year-vision/?CID=FBVAG
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Simple struggles

"Eat Nothing, Taste Everything!"

I heard this quote and thought, "Hmm. That sounds interesting."
I was watching Bethenny Frankel's Talk Show "Bethenny" and heard this quote. Some people love her, some people don't, I however, love Bethenny. I might not agree with everything about her but what do I know?? I don't know her on a personal level so I don't pass judgement on what the media highlights. What I do know about her is she's all about empowering women and helping women feel good about themselves and she helps you better yourself and live a more fulfilling life. That is why I like her. She is a great person to follow through business, life, health, I just love her.

I like how she eats what she wants, I mean obviously she does, she started as a chef so of course she loves food. But she's smart about it. She will eat whatever she wants but she doesn't eat the entire thing. I like that. My struggle with eating healthy and trying to maintain happiness with my body has been a struggle. (I will write about this later too) Depriving myself of certain foods and enjoying life has always been a hard balance. I love food! When I go out of town, restaurants are where I start my planning. I want to try new things, eat at local hot spots, enjoy what foods this area is known for. I don't want to go to some fabulous dessert spot and get a fruit cup and then look back and regret not splurging. I want to enjoy life and feel good about myself.

I have changed my "cheat meals" into "treat meals." And you don't have to lick the plate clean if you do splurge. Split those indulgent plates with friends. If you're by yourself split the meal up and save some for later. On the "Bethenny" show she said treat your eating habits like a bank account. If you just have to have that brownie for breakfast then just know you will have a salad for lunch and pass on the pasta and bread for dinner, and eat some grilled chicken and veggies instead. It's all about laying it all out for the day and not depriving yourself.

I just reached this point not too long ago. I was sick & tired of being mad at myself all day long after I ate something bad. That's no way to live. I finally reached the point where I work out, and I'm smart with what I eat. Now if I want to have a brownie for dessert or pizza for dinner, it's ok. I worked out, I ate right that entire day and I will for the rest of the week. Just get back to your regular routine after that and enjoy it while splurging and move on!

I find that's one of the most common problems with splurging. You splurge and then you never get back on track. You push off until the next week, then push it off the week after. Just eat what you want, in a reasonable portion, enjoy & move on. No need to beat yourself up over and and obsess. Just eat a small amount of it and get back on track.

I just wanted to share this little bit of info because I found it very nice an a great way to balance everything. When I eat well, I feel better mentally and physically. But, we're human here. I crave Mexican and chocolate chip cookies! And I like to enjoy good food with family and enjoy a local special dish so I really enjoyed hearing Bethenny's take on enjoying food.


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Salt Life Lessons

I am fresh off a beach vacation and wow, it was nice. I love vacations. Not just for the lounging and relaxing. I love vacations because I always have the amazing fond memories that I look back on for years and years. These memories give me a warm, comforting feeling that makes me realize how lucky I am.

This past year has been pretty crazy. I finally took a huge leap and quit my stable job to start my own business. I've always wanted to have my own aesthetics business. I wanted to be able to give affordable custom facials to people who want to better their skin. It's unfair how expensive it can be to just better your skin!! I find that unfortunate. So I decided the only way to give people affordable facials was to do it myself! I also don't like using products with a bunch of crap in it. So now all I focus on is all-natural skin care products. I finally took the leap and now the ball is in my court. Great right? Yes. But I also have realized that doing what you love and taking a leap of faith also comes with random anxiety, staying up all night stressing out, constantly worrying about money, and feeling guilty when I have free time.




I try to give myself about 1-2 minutes of, "Oh my God!! What the heck did I do??" And then I move on and realize this is what was meant to be and everything will work out. I'm so, so happy doing what I do. Yes, it's scary and yes, my income is very uncertain. But, for the first time I'm doing what I love and really diving into bettering myself and my life. I'm sacrificing shopping, spending frivolously, and even simple luxuries like going out to dinner. But, As much as I worry and stress out from time to time, I would never go back to the stable job I had before. I will write more about that situation later but right now I want to write about some wonderful affirmations that would randomly pop up during my vacation. These nice little instances reminded me that everything is going to be ok.

I was lucky enough to go on a little family vacation with my parents and my brother and sister-in-law. We went down to Florida and it was a wonderful time.


This is one of my favorite quotes ever. I truly believe it too. I don't cry often but every once in a while, it helps. But working out always helps me and everyone deserves to stare off into the ocean and hear the waves crashing.



Like I said before, I'm going to get into my process of following my dreams later. But there was a moment a few weeks ago where I was so stressed about the uncertainty of my life that I couldn't put my mind to rest that couldn't sleep. I lost so much sleep and stressed so much my eye was twitching!! I'm not one to freak out and stress over something if I can't control it. But this just started to take over. I knew I needed help so I went to my favorite tea place across from my office and asked her for help. (I will also write about this little gem as well!!) she suggested I meditate and really focus on water. Water is my element that I chose to live my life and choose to deal with situations. I am a Leo so water is an odd combo, but whatever. I was instructed to take a tincture blend to help calm my nerves, meditate and really become one with water. I had hung out at a few lakes but I knew the beach would really help me connect. Little did I know that I would learn so much more.




I really followed my instructions of becoming one with the water. I used to be fearless in the water. Then I stepped on a sea urchin and then a few years later got stung by a jellyfish. I kinda lost that uninhibited spirit after that. But after instructions to become one with the water, I was up for it again! My sister-in-law and I jumped right into the water. The crashing waves really wake you up and make you feel alive. You crack up and scream like a little kid. It was really, really nice to just have fun and enjoy the water. It was a nice therapy.



While shopping on vacation we went into Ron Jon Surf Shop. We went in there almost every day, I mean we're practically surfers now...haha. While shopping me and my sister-in-law ran upon the cutest brand of accessories. They had the sweetest quotes and were just adorable!



I don't know what this brand is, but I'm going to find out and buy some of their stuff!



As simple as it is, shopping was fun (as always) and it was a nice breath of fresh air and a wonderful reminder to just relax and everything will work out.




It was really neat to see where inspiration will hit you if you're open to it.



I hope this blog made sense! There's just a lot going on and I want to write about it but I was feeling very inspired after the last week. I wanted to share these inspirations with y'all!


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Changes are a comin'

Beauty Trend 1923

So here's the deal folks. I really want to write often. I really do. I admire these beauty bloggers out there, They are so dedicated to keeping a very consistent blog and snapping photos of their awesome makeup looks of the day. They spend lots of money on beautiful, exotic product lines and brands that many people don't have easy access to, or we are willing to spend that much money on (definitely something you can't find at your local drugstore). But, I'm going to be honest-I'm losing that drive.



Beauty Trend 1933

It's not that I'm losing my love for aesthetics and makeup. I'm just not that invested in spending that much money on products and taking a ton of time throwing on makeup. I love makeup and I ALWAYS put some type of makeup on just because it's what I do. I will never leave the house without my brows on, some bronzer & blush, and a little mascara. It's just what I prefer to face the day with. But I just never have, and obviously never will be willing to spend a lot of money on makeup. I will search far and wide for an amazing foundation. I'll spend a little more money for a great eye shadow palette. But the truth is, I will stretch that product out as long as possible! It's just something I'm not willing to invest my money in. And blogging about my high-class, fancy makeup is not where I will be investing my time.



Beauty Trend 1943

I'm not saying that I'm over spending decent money on a product. Or that I don't care about makeup. I'm just saying that we all have areas where we spend our time and money with no hesitation; and fancy, expensive makeup is not my area of obsession.



Beauty Trend 1953

My focus has always been how to look beautiful, what is beautiful, what is the world's definition of beautiful and what is our society's thought of what's beautiful at the moment. This means that we are constantly changing our looks. Where it be hair color, hair length, hair style, golden bronzed skin or nice fair skin, dark lips, nude lips, smokey eyes, and what not. There are constant changes in the world's opinion of beauty and that's not fair. We can't possibly keep up! One day we think we've got the latest look down, and then the next day it's a completely different look. It's exhausting!! And truthfully it's unrealistic and disheartening.



Beauty Trend 1963

I'm tired of showing you all that this is the key to look good, and you have to have this product to look good. I mean, I will still share a lip color that's going to be huge for the season and give tips on how to achieve certain looks and use certain brands and products, but I want to dig deeper into this beauty journey.



Beauty Trend 1973

What I've noticed is that I have started to devote more time to how to feel good and beautiful on the inside, not on the surface. We're going deep here folks! For a long time I've been unhappy with myself. Being a girl, we all kind of compare ourselves to others at some point in our life. I've been like that too. There are TONS of points in my life where I don't like so many things about myself. I try to color my hair or find the latest fad diet to temporarily fix that void but it never works. I've been unhappy with so many different things about myself and it has truly been a journey. Each day, each month, each hour is a different obsession over what I needed to change about a certain aspect of my body and appearance.



Beauty Trend 1983

But slowly, and I mean very slowly, I have learned how to truly feel good and happy about myself. It's no special diet pill or diet at that. It's eating foods good for you, working out, making healthy choices and recipes, enjoying the outdoors, yoga, meditation, really getting to know yourself. This has become my new "thing" I devote my time and effort and money to. This doesn't mean I'm not buying makeup or Skincare, it's just that I'm not devoting all my time and energy towards it. I'm not basing my importance on my perfectly flawless look at all times. My basis of feelings good about myself is not solely based on my makeup look.



Beauty Trend 1993

From now on I will write about beauty products and more affordable skin care items of course. But I won't be writing solely on beauty products. I'm also going to write about how to feel beautiful. How to achieve true happiness with yourself and things that I've gone through with my journey. Because, it really has been a journey. It's still a journey. We will never achieve this one recipe for happiness and then we are done and we keep doing the same pattern over and over. We are constantly changing into different people and finding different interests and goals. So that's what I'm here for. I'm here to guide you through my journey. Give you tips and pointers in what I've learned, and also I'm going to document my route. It will be a really raw, real run down of what's going on in my journey to be happy and achieve my goals. You are not alone in striving to be happy and reaching that goal of simplistic happiness.



Beauty Trend 2003

I've got a couple of business things to announce and I have a fabulous partner I'm going to introduce into this mix very soon. And we have a goal together-
We are here to redefine beauty. A more simple version of beauty. One that isn't just on the outside. This type of beauty will change your entire life and the way you live and look at things. Are you ready to take the journey with me?? Let's go and do this!!!



Beauty Trend 2013



Gothollywood.tumblr.com
Fineartamerica.com
Shorpy.com
Europabridge.wordpress.com
Flickriver.com
Norandom.com
Dailymail.co.uk
Vogue.com
Blog.blushbox.com

Local Beauty Wednesdays

So I'm going to start writing a little weekly segment called Local Beauty. I'm going to focus on the beauty that is right around us here in Nashville, TN. It might be a restaurant, it might be a gym, it might be a shop, it might be a person, it might be right in your home. That's what I'm going to write about today.

There is a HUGE beauty secret right in your own home! Want to know what's even better than the convenience of being in your own home? It's free!! And-whenever you have just 20 minutes (or more) you can do it!!

I know it's something you don't want to hear, but it's called exercise! It's the secret to everything!! It makes you look and feel good! I know we've all heard the health benefits of exercise but the beauty benefits are great too!

Working out obviously increases blood flow which helps circulation. Good blood flow means clear skin! Working out also helps inflammation which will help calm the redness in the skin. Breaking a sweat also helps stimulate collagen production which means it smoothes out wrinkles!

These are just a few outward results but there are even more positive changes internally! Working out helps you stress less which in the long run helps your skin age less! Workouts help with anxiety and help your posture which both are great for your health! You also detoxify your body when you work out which makes you feel better! Your immunity builds up more as well which means less sick days for you!

All you need to give yourself is AT LEAST 20 minutes a day. If you can get your heart rate up for 20 minutes and sweat, the rewards are amazing!!! Just the feeling you will have right after you workout will be worth it!! You never regret working out, you always regret not working out!

Every day I do this awesome workout video from the early 2000's, haha. I ignore the awesome clothes (bold colors and cargo pants)and the bad music for the amazing workout that it offers. It's a HIIT kickboxing video. HIIT means, High Intensity Interval Training. This is a cardiovascular workout That rotates between short intense anaerobic exercises and less intense recovery periods. This video is 20 minutes long and I sweat my butt off!! If I'm in a super hurry this video is all I do. If I have more time, I will do weights or the Total Gym(yes, I have one of those) (and yes, it's the one Chuck Norris does infomercials for) or some Tracy Anderson webisodes on YouTube for arms, legs and abs. I always do squats every day and I like to do at least 20 minutes on the elliptical.




This is me after working out with my HIIT kickboxing video. I took this because I wanted to show that it's ok to not look perfect in everything you do. I say, if you still look good after your workout, you didn't workout hard enough!



Check out the gorgeous Adriana Lima after her boxing workout!






I love this!!! She's so absolutely gorgeous and we always look at her on the runway and just think, "Wow! She's flawless all the time! What does she do?" Well, she sweats her butt off!!! She still looks gorgeous but it shows she works hard!

If you have no equipment, jump imaginary rope!! I love doing that!! Look up YouTube videos, find workouts on Pinterest. Or go for a walk/run! Put on the Pandora Workout Station and just have a good time!! I promise you won't regret it! There is no excuse. Just get out there and sweat for at least 20 minutes. I promise you, you will notice a change in your skin. But honestly, you will feel so good on the inside that clear skin will be an added bonus to feeling so well!

This isn't about being skinny. This is about feeling good every day and making a conscious effort to do so. Once you start feeling better on the inside, those outside results will just be a nice extra. But what's most important is how you feel internally and how you feel about yourself!






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BB's & CC's

BB creams have been around for a few years now. I wrote a post about them about 2 years ago right when they came on to the US market. BB creams were in the Asian market around 1985 and made their way to the US around 2012. But now, there are CC creams! Like we didn't have enough decisions! So I am here to break it down for you.


BB creams=
Stands for beauty balm, blemish balm, blemish base
Originated by a dermatologist for post-procedure creams
Hydrates dehydrated skin
Primes the skin to give a smooth canvas to wear alone or as a great prep for makeup
Acts as a concealer to hide imperfections
Treats the skin with anti-aging ingredients
Has SPF so it will protect your skin from the sun

CC creams=
Stands for color correct, color care
Created and developed in Korea to correct discoloration
Hydrates the skin
Primes the skin for makeup
Has SPF to protect from the sun
Gives them skin a flawless finish
Evens the skin tone to color correct


I've noticed that I really love the luminosity from BB creams. But, BB creams also break me out like crazy!!! I hate that because I really did love the results from BB creams and I liked the results so much I have tried about 8 different ones but they just don't work with my skin. I have so many people that use them and love them! I just tend to break out very easy and primers have never worked for me so no surprise BB creams didn't work out in my favor. But Ike I said, I absolutely loved the glow that BB creams gave me. I was also really surprised at how much coverage there was in BB creams. If you have no sensitivity towards primers I would highly suggest you try them out. You will love the results! I also love that there are anti-aging ingredients in them.

CC creams have a lighter texture and coverage than BB creams. I have tried a few CC creams and I was super hesitant because of the breakouts I got when I tried the BB creams but so far, so good! I have found that the luminosity that I love from BB creams is not as noticeable with the CC creams. But, I will say on the days that I don't want to wear a full on foundation, the CC creams have come in handy.

All in all, I suggest you go out to a makeup counter and go try a sample of a CC cream and a BB cream and see what you think! I have tried the Garnier, Bobbi Brown, Too Faced, Smashbox and a few other BB creams and honestly I love them all. I've only tried two CC creams, Clinique & Almay and I love both! So go check them out, and try some for yourself!



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Double Your Pleasure

Hi!! Here's a new product I have been trying and LOVING! I love foundations. I think foundations are one of the most important products in your makeup routine. I always love trying foundations. Sometimes my trials with foundations are good, sometimes they're bad. But when I find a good foundation, all those bad trials are worth it! I have used a few foundations that have just been, ehh...okay. But if you have a good foundation then it will make the rest of your makeup application steps a lot easier!

A good foundation will even out your skin tone, smooth out your skin's texture and really give your skin a flawless finish. There are different finishes foundations can give and I will get into that in a later blog. But today I want to write about a foundation that fits my wants and needs perfectly, and I have a feeling that my perfect foundation wants and needs will be the same as many of you all as well.

I like a really an even skin tone.(Who doesn't?)nI like for my skin to look really even and cover up my imperfections but I also like to show my freckles and look natural too. I also like foundations that have awesome staying power. I don't want to have to reapply foundation later in the day or if I have somewhere to go after work. I don't mind touching up my concealer and bronzer and powder. But I do not want to start all over and have to reapply my foundation.

My lovely friend Andrew told me that I should try this foundation and now I am hooked!!



Estée Lauder Double Wear Light foundation. This foundation has a 15+ wear-time and it feels so light!! This foundation controls oil but also doesn't smudge or melt off throughout the day. It gives me the perfect amount of coverage and sheerness. It's the best of both worlds!

I also love that this foundation has a great coverage but it doesn't clog the pores either! So this will even work for people who suffer with acne but don't want to deal with breakouts from heavy foundation either!

This foundation is $37 and a very little bit goes a long way!! Please run to your nearest Estée Lauder counter and ask for a sample! Trust me, you will be pleasantly surprised!

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Tattoos for Everyone!

So y'all know I love a good find. I get suggestions all the time and I SO appreciate it!! If I can remember what people suggest (if I don't write it down, I will forget it!) I will go give them a try for myself. I love hearing suggestions or trying to test out certain things y'all are looking for, I'm here to help ;-) so keep the suggestions and questions coming!

So when my best friend Laura told me that she had tried some bold eyeshadow colors and she loved them, I just had to try them! She is a mother of two and a teacher so she doesn't have tons of time to throw on makeup and she doesn't get to reapply often. So when she said she was pleased with the colors and the staying power of these shadows, I was thrilled to try them out!! I had always seen them at Target and drug stores but had been a little hesitant to try them.

What she told me about was Maybelline Eye Studio Color Tattoo 24 hour Cream Gel Shadow. I had seen the ads and they always caught my eye at the store because the colors were beautiful!! But like I said, cream shadows make me a little leery. Cream shadows crease really bad and you look like a mess usually by the end of the day. So I always skipped right over them. But, when Laura suggested it, I knew I had to try them!

Left-Bad to the Bronze, Right-Pomegranate Punk


Left-Bold Gold, Middle-Painted Purple, Right-Tough as Taupe,



I went straight away to Target and picked up 2 colors, Bad to the Bronze & Pomegranate Punk. I wanted to get more, but they were on sale at that moment and those were the only two colors I wanted. All the others had been swooped up! This line has really bold blues, silvers, greens and turquoise as well. But I really wanted to focus on a few subtle colors. The pomegranate is this beautiful rusty maroon color. I love it!! It's beautiful to use on the lid and crease and it gives a dramatic punch but it's still subtle. The bronze color is this gorgeous chocolates brown and they both have a beautiful shimmer to them. Not a bad shimmer, not glitter-just a nice multifaceted quality to them.

WARNING!!! I have no makeup on and I seriously just smeared these cream gel colors on. So, these might look like mug shots, but I wanted to show you these amazing colors!! Plus, I seriously smeared them on with my finger, so the application is super easy!

Here is Pomegranate Punk-








I love Pomegranate Punk because it's this beautiful maroon color that is something different but it's still subtle. You can layer it up to a smoky eye or just sweep it on real quick to draw some attention to those peepers.

Here is Bad to the Bronze-





I


This Bronze color is bright but still a good neutral. It's nothing too shocking but you can throw some major liner on top and make it dramatic or just throw it on by itself and the gold flecks to it will really bring out your eye color!

I feel like this wet, shimmery eye is going to be big through this summer & even stretch into fall. And this is exactly what these eye shadows give to your look. I like these shadows because you can swipe them on and smudge a little liner and go. So it's a really beautiful look, but it's also really easy to achieve.







I loved these two colors so much that the moment I started booking more photo shoots and weddings I went and bought more colors (it was the perfect excuse to buy more!!)

My next 3 colors are Bold Gold, Tough as Taupe & Painted Purple. I really love these too!! My suggestion would be that if it is super hot outside you might want to throw a little translucent loose powder on top or a shadow similar to the tattoo cream gel color just to ensure the longevity of the product on your eyes!

Here is Bold Gold-








Bold Gold is super subtle but if you want a bronzed, beachy look. Then this is the one! I would usually use this on the brow bone and in the inner crease of the eye. Doing both of those moves will really open your eyes up! But if you want something to draw attention to your eyes but you don't want too much color, this is a great option!

Here is Tough as Taupe-









Tough as Taupe is the one and only matte cream gel colors that I have from this line. It's a great starter for a smokey eye or if you want a light, day smokey look-this is your color! I like to use this as a base for a good sensual smokey eye! This taupe option is a good shadow to use for a simple smokey too. Just throw this on and bring it up to the crease and put a little under the lid and smudge, easy! Love it!!

Here is Painted Purple-








Painted Purple can be applied alone and have a little color pop or you can mix it with the taupe for a smokey, mix it with the bronze to punch up the purple, you can throw the gold with the purple (I love purple and golds together on the eyes!). This is a great color to use with other shadows because purple looks good on everyone and it looks good with most shadows. Very versatile violet!

Now like I said, this is me, with no other makeup on at 10:30 at night with eye shadow that I smeared on with my finger super quick. So, I feel like it does a pretty good job considering. I swipe the cream gel on my lids up to my crease and I do a little on the lower lid too. Super easy and great colors!!

I feel like these shiny, metallic looks will be so popular for the summer and fall as well. I would throw a little liner on the top lid right on the lash line and smudge it up and then throw a little mascara on and you're good to go! Make sure to put some lid primer on because creams are more prone to creasing and if you really have problem with creasing then throw some loose translucent powder or shadow on top!

Now go to the drug stores and try these babies out!! They're about $6 each and they will last you a very long time!!

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New Stuff!

So I am back and I know I always say I'm going to be consistent with blogging but now it's for real!!

Let me update you on some stuff. So I worked for a high end skin care line called La Mer. I was the brand ambassador at Nordstrom. So basically I promoted and represented this skin care line. I helped educate customers and fellow employees on the line. Well, I absolutely love La Mer but honestly, I had a hard time fitting in time to blog. I have slipped away from doing facials, which is something that I love and I really have been out of touch with doing makeup.

I truly believe that certain career paths will open your eyes and lead you where you really need to be, if you will just listen and watch. I went to college for fashion design, so I love fashion and designer brands and Nordstrom was the perfect fit for me! But, once I was surrounded by all these amazing, expensive, designer brands I realized I was not happy. These things didn't make me happy and it certainly wasn't the most important thing to me. I knew I needed to take a risk and do my own thing. I have always wanted my own place where I could do facials, makeup, education, girl's nights, whatever! So I knew now was the time!

There were a few other major signs that happened while I was trying to figure it all out and I just went for it! So here I am, not in a stable job, not having the cushion of a great hourly rate, but all the freedom and opportunities in the world!!

I just opened an office with my friend who is an AMAZING photographer! We work wonderfully together and she is so uplifting and positive and I am just so glad that we will be working together. We have an office now where I can do makeup, facials, makeup parties & lessons, we can shoot there, meet with our customers. Everything we wanted, including the best location!

I'm so excited about what is to come! It took a giant leap of faith and a huge risk but I'm so excited to see what is in my future. So this means more blogging!! A girls gotta get her name out there and build her business!!

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Bright bold lip

I wanted to write a quick blog on a new lipstick I just tried. It is such a pretty fruit punch pink. A lot of bold lipsticks tend to dry or completely melt off. Not this one! This lipstick was creamy, easy to apply and the color isn't drying. It is a beautiful pop of color without being really thick and looking like you have lips painted on your face. I've done that before, have you? You throw on a color and then you look in the mirror later and you're like, "Whoa!!! I look like a clown!!" Well this won't happen with this lipstick. It has the right amount of sheer but still has a great pop of color. Once again, it's not drying at all and it stays on!!



This is the color! It #42 by Chanel in their Rouge Allure Velvet Lipsticks. It is beautiful and I believe it will be one of the colors for summer!



It's $34 and I know that might be little high, but it will not disappoint! The color is amazing, the lipstick feels great and it stays on!

www.chanel.com


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Lipstick for All!

Well it's that time of the week again. Where my husband watches a stressful show that I can't handle giving all my attention to, so I blog. Tonight's show is The Walking Dead...yeesh! So here I am half-watching and half-blogging (really). So sorry for the typos. One of my(many) New Year's resolutions was to blog more. It definitely has not worked out so well but I'm trying! Like I said before I'm going to try and write shorter blogs more often and combine fashion, health and beauty all together. So...I'm working on it. So keep checking back!

I wanted to do a quick blog on a lipstick I just found in my giant bag 'o lipsticks. I have a ton of lipsticks that I rarely use but I keep them for photo shoots, weddings, or if I'm feeling froggy and decide to dive into my bag of tricks and try out an old shade that I never use, so it kinda feels new in a way. Eh, it's the little things that excite you, ya know? So I did just that this week. I've been feeling a little down and decided it was time for a little change and excitement so I dug into my big bag of lipsticks and pulled one out that I obsessed over for a loooong time before I bought it. It's a beautiful nude/lilac/pink color. I loved it and would contemplate buying it over and over and never did. I finally got the darn thing and probably wore it 2 times and threw it in that bag where all my lipsticks go to die and a year later here I am bringing it back.




This is my bag of lipstick-it's ridiculous
I also found a fortune and a seashell...




I'm all about a good fortune so I'm going to keep it. The seashell and the fortune went right back into my lipstick bag...don't judge




Now I don't know what the safe time is to get rid of a lipstick but I don't care. I mean eye stuff yes, I rotate that regularly but lipsticks, I honestly don't use them enough to rotate. So I just do a regular clean out before every shoot and event and then this one just made the cut.




A peek inside my lipstick bag








I actually have more lipsticks that I have in each of my purses that are my every day colors. Yes, it's an addiction.




I grabbed this little beauty. I mean the packaging in adorable!!! Little jeweled top with a pink mirrored casing, is to die for! Threw it on and went to work. I'm telling you, it has been a hit ever since!! It truly is the most beautiful color and everyone can wear it. It has the perfect blend of nude, pink, purple (I know that sounds weird, but go with me it works!). This would look good on a fair skin tone to a beautiful, rich dark skin tone. It makes a statement without being too over the top and bold.








So-let's not talk about my appearance in these pictures. It's late, and my makeup has not been touched up since 9:00 this morning so don't focus on that. But-I wanted to show a picture of myself with this beautiful color on!




Here's a close up of the color.




Just pay attention to the lip color, not my crazy, cartoon eyes








Get online right now and go buy this lipstick!! It's on sale right now too. It's usually $20 it's on sale for $18. Get on www.toofaced.com right now and get it!! You will not regret it and I promise it's going to look good on you! You will get compliments immediately! This is a lipstick you can keep in your purse and throw it on no matter what you're wearing, you can throw it on and look so beautiful and put together.
Too Faced is a great line with tons of beautiful colors! Creamy lipsticks, beautiful soft eyeshadows, the palettes are awesome! Get online, check this brand out and get Centerfold! You will love it!
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