Married to Your Make-Up?? Me too...

Considering I am a girl, and kind of a girly one at that I definitely use, research cosmetics often, and depending on what I see and what I like I either stick with a product or me switch as often as necessary.

I am not a professional make-up artist and I have never claimed to be great at doing it, but I think I do a pretty damn good job at not looking like a hooker, not taking a long time and emphasizing areas that are better than others. After all, realizing your best attributes and taking advantage of them is how we gain confidence. Focusing on the negatives will not change them; it is all a matter of turning the attention to the positives.

On that note, I really decided to go for it with the cosmetic writing today because I’ve recently become a fan of the newest and fastest growing cosmetic company, Younique. I’m sure if you are always searching for the newest, best mascara on the market, or how to make your lashes fuller, longer and more dramatic without the use of falsies; you have most likely come across this gem.

Younique’s 3D Fiber lashes are water resistant, and help create the appearance of incredible thickness and volume to your already existing lashes. In a three step process that combines transplanting gel and natural fibers, you may take a few tries to get it exactly right, but paired with your favorite mascara and done right, the results are amazing.

With that said, it’s likely not the only thing out there that can create this magic, but the benefits are what are in the ingredients… They are all natural, yep, what we all need and look for these days. (Me not so much) however it is a great quality to take into consideration with anything you use on your skin, or ingest. The website itself has a pretty grand explanation of each ingredient and what it does for all the products, but I will just give you the rundown on the fiber lashes: Collagen, H2o, Beeswax, Carnauba, Iron Oxide CI, Acrylates Copolymer, Nylon, Stearic Acid, and Propylene Glycol.

 

Now I know this all sounds pretty scary and not at all natural, but like I said, they give a break-down and explanation of all their products and not to mention the “Love it Guarantee” on the 3D Fiber lashes! So why order mascara online and wait?? Why not just head to ULTA and invest in another name brand that you are already familiar with? Again… for the reasons I listed in paragraphs above, ALL NATURAL INGREDIENTS, LOVE IT GUARANTEE.

The only thing I can’t help you with here is how long it lasts for the cost of $29… I am not the girl that does her make-up daily and when I do I don’t always have time for the extra step, and my one downfall I’ve found is that the fibers get into my contacts if they are already in place, and I tend to eff up my make-up if I try and put the contacts in after…. So if any of you pros out there have suggestions how to get better at that let me know! Otherwise I will just continue to struggle!

That’s not the only thing that I’ve tried from Younique, I also invested in the BB Cream ($39) and as soon as I ordered and received it, it seemed as if I was seeing BB Cream all over the place (tv ads,Target, MAC!) It’s the first time I’ve even heard of this shit, I didn’t realize make-up was getting so complicated these days. Anyway, BB Cream is a flawless complexion enhancer that while suggested to use along with your foundation as a base, I have only ever used it along with concealer and feel it does a great job evening my skin tone and making me feel fresh and ready (for a more set feeling I always brush over with powder).

With all of this said, and while I do love my product, I am also extremely tempted to purchase a few other brands to compare the texture, shades, and application. While I’ve yet to run out and make these purchases I plan to invest in one of my favorite drug store brands, Revlon, as well as Maybelline. Then I will venture into the department stores for the one brand I was introduced to and just can’t get away from, MAC. (We can’t deny the quality)

Revlon appears to offer a BB Cream ‘Photo Ready’ formula for $10 while Maybelline has their ‘Dream Fresh’ available for $8. Since I started dabbling in altering my appearance in middle school I’ve been a fan of Revlon’s Color stay Foundation ($13) It’s easy to apply, not too heavy and blends well, but you can’t over-do anything or it looks bad.

Obviously when it comes to make-up we all have our favorites and I’m discovering new ones, but the ones that never get old with me and likely always find a spot in my make-up bag is: Maybelline’s Great Lash ($6), L’Oreal’s Voluminous Mascara ($8), Maybelline’s Falsies volume express, Revlon’s Color stay foundation, MAC Fix Powder ($27), MAC Prep-prime eye , MAC Select cover-up ($18), and MAC eye shadow ($15-$20).

Am I crazy for having such a long list of faves??? I think there most likely people with greater obsessions. Here’s the deal though. I wasn’t always a make-up snob, I refused to even approach a department store

counter out of fear of the prices… it wasn’t until I got married and they used everything MAC on my face and the make-up never stayed better and I never went back… The one thing that never played a role in my make-up routine was the false lashes and this, again, is how I benefit from Younique’s 3D fiber lashes.

I could likely find products comparable at Target or Walgreens and I plan to do this for future comparison, but the reality is that I enjoy being confident and if that means investing in products that cost me more, but last me longer and make me happier I am going to do it. You’re not going to convince this girl that all the models and actresses in the Cover Girl commercials are really wearing nothing but Cover Girl and that shit lasts hours. Now, show me Halle Barry coming off of a 14hr flight wearing Revlon Color stay and I believe you. It’s been a long time since I’ve tried Cover Girl’s formula, but I recall it as thin, almost greasy and doesn’t do anything for a girl that needs some serious complexion help (similar to Neutrogena’s formula) It is what it is, cheap… (In my opinion) If you’re in middle/high school it’s great because you lose your shit all the time and you don’t need nice stuff.

Back to my faves… MAC eye shadow trumps any eye shadow I have ever tried, which is almost ALL of them, including department store. It applies evenly, you’re only adding more because you want to, not because you have to vs. color falling onto your face and causing you to touch up, re-apply, and then probably find creases in your eyelids a few hours later. I often forget to pull out the MAC prep-prime, but I kick myself when I do because it is AMAZING as far as protecting your shadow and creating an all- day look.

Mascara I believe is to each their own and because the 3D Fiber lashes require a base of your own mascara as it is, you may as well invest in one you love. Like I said before, L’Oreal and Maybelline are my ultimate go to and they seem to last without rubbing off. I don’t think anyone would try the Younique and be disappointed, even if it is in-frequent use like me.

It wasn’t my plan to give a shout out at the end of all this, but I must say the newest products and brands that I’ve found in any drug store is, ELF and Sonia Kashuk.

If you are looking for super affordable and seemingly great quality, I have invested in a handful of these products as well! Anything can sell for me $1 - $3 (ELF) and when it lasts through the day (eyebrow kit, exfoliating lip care, eyeliner) you know you’ve found a winner. As for Sonia Kashuk, I can’t say enough good, but I have only invested in their brushes and by far comparable to any other brand of make-up brush I’ve tried. I will continue to buy them because they are affordable and they do their job and does it well. I even bought some of her lotions and sprays and then gifted more to a friend they were so good!

I am sure that things will change and I will try more, when I do I’ll be back to update, but just don’t trust a product because it’s what someone says works for them, remember we all look and appear differently and have to enhance what we have not change who we are! XOXO

I Don't Know How I do it All Either: Have You heard of that Crazy Wrap thing!?!?

I Don't Know How I do it All Either: Have You heard of that Crazy Wrap thing!?!?: I've considered myself beyond lucky to stay at home with my boys, but I've always got a shoe & purse fetish as well as champagne...

Have You heard of that Crazy Wrap thing!?!?

I've considered myself beyond lucky to stay at home with my boys, but I've always got a shoe & purse fetish as well as champagne taste on a beer budget!

While my hubby has been more than accomodating to my needs I've been in constant soul search and ways to make my own cash... Who isn't? One thing in life leads to another! In February I decided to get my tattoo covered, reached out to a friend, who sent me to her friend, who introduced me to a series of fabulous beauty, skin and wellness products by a company named, It Works! Global. Not only did she show me the products, but she got me with her binder fullof personal before and after photos that were undeniabley hers (hello... she's covered in tats)

I was not only desperate to try, but dying to be a distributor! Who couldn't use and benefit from these products!? This is hte beginning of my journey and one I've never been more excited for since becoming a stay at home mom.

So what's so fabulous about what we have to offer you ask? Prepare to be mind blown... The Ultimate Body applicator that is a naturally based, body contouring formula that is mess free, paraben free, and will have you looking and feeling years younger with firmer, tighter, smoother and more radiant skin in as little as 45 minutes!!! (~It Works!)

When you combine this wrap with your regular routine of a healthy diet, exercise and drinking plenty of H2o, you will be feeling rejuvenated and youthful. You'll be triple satisfied if you add the use of our amazing Defining Gel that reduces appearace of cellulite, and improves skin texture. Decrease jiggle all over and enhance the beauty and appearance of your body art, bringing life back to tattoos you thought were loose and faded.

If you aren't impressed yet, you haven't met half of what we have to offer: facials, cleanser, toner, Hair/skin/nail treatment, Fat Fighting formulas, Estro-Rhythm for menopausal support and Alkalizing energy powder. Don't think about plastic surgery anymore, or spend another dime on botox. Treat yourself to the all-natural products that give you the spa treatments from inside your own home!

I guarantee you will fall and in love and become a 'Loyal Customer' and that won't be enough, because all your friends will want to try it too, so then you'll join the team! I've only just begun with the It Works! journey and I find myself unable to contain excitement and desire to tell everyone about one of the best kept secrets in health and beauty.

Interested in trying!? Visit me at bodyskinrejuvenation.myitworks.com

Freed of the Burden

I think way too much and write way too little. I’m overly concerned with how what I write will affect those around me, and the truth is that I shouldn’t care because no one has ever thrived when they held themselves back for others… and the reality is that there are less than a handful of people that would cross an ocean for me and from what I can tell, about the same would jump a puddle…. So who am I doing favors for?

I’m not sure what is sadder, the fact that I think so much about these things, or that I’m actually admitting it. I just turned 30 a week ago and instead of investing myself in the greater things of life I am focusing on what I don’t currently have and asking myself the ultimate question…. Do I really give a flying shit???  And clearly, yes, yes I do.

Let’s make one thing clear I’m not a depressed maniac that is unaware of the good that surrounds her. I wake up to two of the most amazing little boys the world has to offer, I get to work at my leisure, and most importantly I have my health. I wouldn’t have all this without my partner in crime and the father of my babies and I and thankful for that every day.  All of these great things don’t change the fact that I’m a woman, I am alone with 2 little people all day and my job is to care for those that I love the most (this is exhausting)

Since I was let go from my awesome job as a credit card collector over 3yrs ago I have returned to serving tables a few times (purely for the adult interaction) and only found myself giving up quickly on that idea due to the lack of interest from my co-workers as well as the environment. Let’s be real, pretty much any restaurant you work in, office, etc. becomes its own high school, complete with mean girls, mascots and principals. You’re stuck up one person’s ass for the sake of your job while wishing you could shove your foot up another’s all while promoting something you really don’t care about in hopes that it will lead me to something better. The only thing better turned out to be quitting.

So again, here I am, thirty years old, married, 2 babies, starting a new career (more later) and considering counseling not only for the sake of her marriage, and sanity, but because it’s probably the closest friend I could have and although I’m paying her to listen to my problems, I’d rather pay someone to hear my bullshit than burden anyone else. I know the people in my life that are willing to hear it, but again, burdening them with the thoughts that I consume myself with never seems to present itself, or the friends aren’t present.

When I was growing up I always had friends, a best friend and although they didn’t all last and some lasted much longer than I ever would’ve imagined, I’ve never had friends like I did when I was young. The kind of friends that you could call and cry to without conditions, trust that your secrets were safe with them when the phone hung up and not feel guilty that you just wasted hours of their Friday night. Each time I think I meet someone worth investing my time and making that kind of friend I get a slap in the face and reminded that I care too much.

If I had known I’d grow into a woman that felt this way I would have wasted less time on the people that I would later forget and spend more time with those that I was going to lose too soon. I never would have joined Facebook or Myspace because it would later cause me to over think friendships, people and life in general; as well it has become a false sense of friendship that created this insecurity. I would know the difference between a real friend and one that was going to come and go at their convenience. I would stop trying to be friends with those that are not willing to return the effort and focus all that energy on the ones that are. If maybe I had done all this I would already have those friends I’m searching for. 

What exactly is my point you are wondering and what the fuck am I searching for? My issues are bleak compared to others out there that are battling disease, loss, and actual battles. Am I supposed to constantly wake up and compare myself to others to justify or not justify my happiness and concerns? I think the books I’ve read lately and my aging has drawn me to this conspiracy of ‘I have no friends’ and life outside the home means nothing. Or is it at I am afraid that if I woke up one morning and turned off the social sites that consume our lives that my greatest fear would come true, I have No friends…

It is here that the switch goes on and I realize those that I have been so concerned with that live near are not friends I want at all. They don’t take the effort to know me and it’s because they don’t do this that I have to stop giving two shits… They are merely the people that will write on my wall when my birthday rolls around, when I die, or when I post something controversial that opens the platform to have their say and leave. They are cowards that are afraid of letting someone in and admitting that life is not as it appears on our computer screens, but that we are all struggling and suffering in some way and need each other, but lack of authenticity means that we aren’t capable of handling this. To be real, it’s too much.

So this is my release of the ever long battle of my twenties and question of, where have all the ‘real friends’ gone?? I am done asking this question because the truth is that all the real friends I ever had have not gone anywhere. Moved to other states began new jobs, lives and made new friends, yes, but they had not left me intentionally alone and forgotten our friendship. The strongest bonds and people I have in my life are at the greatest distances and forcing me to maintain friendships the way I wish they were, ‘old-school,’ via phone calls, emails and visits, we cross oceans for each other.