Custom Blends by Corrine

I think in pink

2011-03-21T13:30:00.000-06:00

I've decided to take a break from beauty blogging. Instead of switching my whole site around, I've started a new blog. Its more geared towards.... EVERYTHING. It has no direction what-so-ever and I'm really excited to give it a go. You can check me out there.

http://www.i-think-in-pink.blogspot.com/

I will check back to see what you lovely ladies are up to!

xoxo.

Corrine

Tub Tea

2011-02-16T10:15:00.000-07:00

I just so happen to love tea, and I figured why not have some for your bath tub?! I started out by grinding some rose buds and lavender buds together. I then added them to a mixture of dead sea salt, epsom salt, milk powder, some essential oils, and a bunch of other fun things. I then placed them into some heat sealable tea bags and sealed them up. All I know is they smell divine! It was such an easy thing to make, and I can't wait to have a bathtub to drop one in!

I had given my mom some of these for Christmas and she loved them so much I sent her some more for Valentines Day. She knew I had sent some because she could smell these little beauties in the mail box! She loves them so much she puts them in her drawer to scent her clothes, as well as uses them in her tub to enjoy a nice fragrant treat!

Here is some pictures of the process:

Lavender & Rose Buds in the grinder

Ground Buds added to the salt mixture

MIxture all mixed together

Tea bags ready to be filled

The filling of the tea bags

The tea bags after filling and sealing

The final product!!

Eyelash Extensions

2011-02-13T09:58:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago I went and got eyelash extensions to see what all the hype was about... All I can say is OMG! How did I ever live without them?!?! Normally my morning routine takes me anywhere between an hour and an hour and a half (this includes shower) With eyelash extensions... 25 mins! I haven't felt the need to wear makeup because I look like I wake up ready! How perfect is this?! The issue I had with getting the extensions was the cost! I mean who can really afford to get eyelash extensions done every 2 weeks? The cost of them is anywhere between $60-$400 depending on the type of lashes you get, and where you get them done.

Now the best eyelash extensions that you can get are the individual ones. They glue individual lashes to your natural lashes. This process is quite time consuming and the most expensive option. It takes about 2 hours and the average cost is about $250 bucks! Ouch! The other option is the lashes that are grouped together. They have about 3-5 eyelashes per bunch and are glued to a couple of your eyelashes at a time. This also happens to be the procedure I opted for! It cost me $60 big ones and in the end I was quite happy with the results! I also got a ton of compliments on them, and a 70 year old lady approached me at the spa to ask me if they were real, and then wanted to know where I got them done because she had to have them! It was actually quite cute! Anyways, I did the math and figured it out... if they last two weeks, that's about $4.00 a day (if you need to justify it to your other half).

I was in town and stopped in at the beauty distributor to see what they had in there. I was in luck! I found some extensions, glue, and my grand total was.... $11.58. That was for the glue (which should last for quite awhile), and for the lashes. I got 56 individual lashes which should last me a couple of applications. It was a lot easier than I initially thought once I got the hang of it. I think they turned out rather great! I'm happy with them, and its Mascara free for me!

before: Keep in mind, I still have a few extensions on from when I had them done. I just wanted to show you the difference it made!

Before: You can see how much longer the extensions are compared to my natural lashes

After: My first attempt, so it can only go up hill from here! I love how much thicker my lashes are with them on.

After: They are beautiful! I got some glue on my lids (the little brown spot) Make sure when you are doing this (if you so decide to) that you buy glue that matches your eyelashes. Mine is a dark brown colored glue. You'd want a blond colored one if you have lighter lashes.

The final product! Look how vibrant it makes my eyes. It is such a natural look, but I love it! All I have on is a tiny amount of cover up, a quick splash of blush, and a tiny swipe of lip gloss. TA DA! My fairy godmother couldn't have done better if she would have tried!

Lip Balms

2011-02-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

I've been creating again! I love lip balm, I just find that most of the ones I buy at the store don't really do anything for my lips. I have to apply, and re-apply constantly so that my lips stay soft. I figured if I made my own, I could play around with ingredients and come up with a lip balm that is long lasting and super hydrating. I think I found the ticket! I had made some for my family at Christmas and my mom has ordered some more for herself, and some to give away to her friends. Thank goodness for family that supports you! I love how great she is with trying to promote me! I might just have to hire her when things pick up!.... tangent... anyways, my fabulous sister in law made a comment about how when you're used to having a lip balm that tingles it makes it hard to use something else that's just plain. Well Tash, you're in luck. I created a new one, just for you, with Spearmint Essential oil. It gives that subtle tingle! I currently have 3 lip balms that I'm selling. Stay posted, as they will appear in my Etsy Shop shortly. The new flavors are....

SPEARMINT & CITRUS: It's a fresh scent. Not over powering with a hint of citrus. I used some lime essential oil in here, as it is a natural disinfectant, and acts as a preservative... just natural! That means no chemicals!

VANILLA BEAN & CITRUS: mmmm! All I know is I'm tempted to lick this one! It smells just like dessert! This is a must have for any lip balm junkie! Again, this one has the lime, so it is chemical free! YAY!

POMEGRANATE LIME: This is my favorite of the 3 by far! I just love the sweet smell! The smell reminds me of sweet tart candies! Yum! And once again, LIME!

Guest Makeup

2011-02-02T05:46:00.000-07:00

I did my lovely Sister-in-laws makeup the other day. She is the ever talented genius behind the blog REQUIRED2BEINSPRED. I think it turned out rather lovely! I think it has more to do with the fact that she is a natural beauty rather than my "makeup doing" skills. I'll let you be the judge!

Before picture....

After applying concealer and foundation to even out the skin tone

I picked a purple color to bring out the green of her eyes (which you can't see, obviously) I thought I would show you how much larger her eyes look once they have had eyeshadow applied. I used the Lise Watier pallet I showed you the other day

GORGEOUS! I used Dior Lip Glow on her lips to just bring out the natural color! And I think it helps her eyes pop even more!

Now I thought I had taken a picture of her once we took the towel off but I guess I thought wrong. You can sneak over to her blog today to check her out! While you are there you can browse through her DIY posts, her ETSY shop, and learn about her fabulous style! Thanks Tash for letting me use you as a model! You are such a beautiful woman! Good luck with your 30 for 30 Challenge!

A touch of gold

2011-01-26T09:18:00.002-07:00

without lining the inner eyes

Lining the inner rims... I think they make the eyes

stand out a lot more! What do you think?

I was looking through pictures the other day from past blog posts, and I really liked the one where I had lined my lower lash line with gold. I figured I'd try and re-create the look, but I couldn't remember what I had used... silly silly me! This started out by me smudging a bunch of colors on my arm and taking the best combination that I could come up with (which happened to get modified halfway through) I do believe I plastered about 8 different colors on to come up with this overall look! Regardless, I think it turned out okay. Its simple, but put fun. The lips are a hodgepodge of different colors and then my STILA gloss (the sparkly one with no name.... )

All pulled together

My window shot...

On another note, the weather is SOOO nice here! I think today I'm going to head out into the great outdoors and get some "natural light" pictures. I tried to do some with this post, but shoving my face up to the window doesn't exactly count as nature pictures as far as I'm concerned. Happy Wed! Hope the week has gone fantastically well thus far!

Mad as a Hatter

2011-01-24T08:54:00.001-07:00

I bought this fabulously fabulous hat not long ago on my snowboarding trip. I have to say, its probably one of my favorites! I wear it every morning on my walk up to camp up for breakfast, seeing as how it covers my wet hair. I think its a fun piece, and it makes my eyes stand out like crazy!

I didn't do anything spectacular with my makeup. Just some gold eyeshadow, and some black eyeliner, and heaps of mascara, because yes... I'm a mascara junkie! Topped it off with just some light pink lip gloss. Voila!

The last little bit I've kind of been in a blogging rut! I don't know why, I get ready everyday, I just feel like I'm saying the same things over and over again. Does anyone else get like this, or is it just me? On the plus side its been gorgeous out here! I think today might be a wonderful day to go get some pictures outside! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! And best wishes for the upcoming week!

E.L.F (Eyes Lips Face)

2011-01-17T05:37:00.002-07:00

I went on a little shopping spree on the E.L.F website before Christmas! I stocked up on some super fantastic lip colors and a bunch of other things. I just thought I'd share them with you!

E.L.F Plumping Lip Glaze

Wink Pink, Plum Pout, Peach Passion, Fuchsia Fanatic

The lip plumping glaze is fantastic! Not only do I love the colors, but I love the tingly sensation that they give you! I'm pretty sure I ordered more than 4, but I have them stashed all over the place and can't find the rest of them. Overall I think it was a great buy, and I will for sure be stocking up on them again in the future!

E.L.F Lipstick

Voodoo, Gipsy, Posh, Fantasy, Classy

I love all of the lipstick colors as well. The only complaint I have about them is they packaging feels cheap. But all in all I can't complain! I paid almost nothing for my order. I ordered 28 things and spend $32.00 US. That included the shipping. So really, I'm impressed! I got a lot of bang for my buck, and if I ever find another 55% of your entire order, I'll be all over that like nobodies business!

FOTD

2011-01-16T06:34:00.002-07:00

I was blessed to get a ton of fantastic Makeup for Christmas. My lovely sister in law was all over the makeup department this year scoring me some of the most fabulous things! One of my favorite things was the Jingle Belle Pallette by Lise Watier. Not only is the packaging to die for, but the colors are GORGEOUS!

I started out by sweeping the middle bright purple color over my eyelid. Next I used the top right (dark purple) to define in the creases and line the bottom and last but not least I finished up by using the lovely gold color to highlight the inner corner of my eyes and my brow bone. The depth in the colors wasn't captured on camera, but I am so in love with these colors! They are the perfect purple color that I've been looking everywhere for! THANKS TASH! I honestly can't wait to finish up this little pallet so that i can use the compact for something else! I think I'll probably stash my Credit Cards in there so that I feel extra glamorous when I go shopping!

This is also the first time I've ever used any Lise Watier product and I'm sold! This is definitely not going to help my shopping habit by discovering all of these great new products! I'm going to just be smart this new year and try and use up as much of my stuff as I possibly can. That means I can start 2012 out with a whole shwack of new stuff! lol. Anyways, I've rambled enough for today, so below is some pictures of my gorgeous face! (Wow... that sounded conceited) Have a fantastic day!

STILA Silk Shimmer Gloss

2011-01-15T06:22:00.001-07:00

I was a lucky girl and received some lovely makeup for Christmas. I have to say, this is the first set of STILA products that I've ever owned! My lovely sister in law put these in my stocking for me! I LOVE LOVE LOVE them! I ended up throwing away the box and I can't find any color descriptions on them, so I have no idea what they are called! What I do know is that they go on incredibly smooth! I love the color and I'm pretty sure I have a love love relationship with the sparkles!

My favorite of the 3 is the Top color (left swatch). Its this gorgeous pink color with a ton of sparkles in it. It doesn't make it look like you raided your craft supply box, but gives you a nice shimmer! I like the bottom color as well (right swatch). The middle one has a little bit too much bronze in it, but I just mixed it up with some of my other stuff and it seems to come out just perfectly!

For the past little bit I've been obsessed with lipstick. I have no idea why. But ever since I bought my NYX lipstick in that fabulous bright red shade I've been hooked! Its like I can't get enough!

Anyways, I hope you are all having a lovely week! Best wishes for the upcoming weekend! Play safe!

Clay Mud Mask

2011-01-14T06:08:00.002-07:00

My skin has been doing great lately, but I was bored and decided to make up a mud mask. I used a couple different types of clay to make this one up, along with some oils and bay leaves.

First of all I started out by boiling down about 5 Bay Leaves in some water. I let them steep for about 5 mins and then turned the burner off.

In a bowl I mixed some French Green Clay and some Pink Kaolin Clay. Next I added a little bit of Cranberry Seed Oil, Orchid Extract, and Tea Tree Oil. I mixed these well together to make a gummy kind of paste. Added some of the Bay Leaf Water, realized I'd diluted it a little too much and added some more French Green Clay.

I applied this with a brush and let it dry for 15 mins. I washed off with warm water and let it dry. I have to say, this really dried my skin up! No oily residue what so ever. It left it a little dryer than I'd like, so I think this would be a great mask for someone with oily skin. The biggest difference I noticed was in the texture of my skin. It felt so incredibly smooth! Even this morning when I woke up I still noticed how smooth my face was. I think that's pretty great! Now all I need to do is find a great moisturizer that doesn't make my skin break out and this will be right on the money!.

I did get made fun of for putting this on. My little "old" partner out here told me I should go hide in my bedroom because I looked retarded. But I wore my mud mask loud and proud! Anyways, I love mud masks, and I bet with a little formulation I'll have this mask down to a science for my skin in no time at all!

And update!

2011-01-13T08:25:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm finally back! I had a very very busy Christmas. I ended up getting called back to work early because somebody failed to show up, so my holidays got cut a little short. I didn't have any Internet where I was either, so it made life soooo boring! Now I'm back, and settled into work (at my normal spot). I haven't managed to do any makeup posts yet, but I figured I'd let you know that I've missed you all and I will be back with regular posting as of tomorrow.

I didn't manage to get many pictures on my days off, and none of Christmas seeing as how I forgot my camera, but I did take it with me when I headed up to the mountain to go snowboarding. Now I haven't been snowboarding in probably 6-7 years, so I figured I'd absolutely die. All I have to say is... I've still got it! lol. Maybe my skills are a little rusty, but I still managed to get down the hill in one piece! I can't wait for days off again, because I'm for sure heading back out there to the great outdoors! Anyways, today is going to be a short post as I'm frantically trying to get all unpacked and settled back in.

Yes... I put makeup on to go snowboarding... a true beauty blogger is always ready for a photo op!

My friend/boss and I headed up to conquer the mountain!

I hope you have a lovely day, and I look forward to tomorrows post! I've missed all your pretty faces, and I have a LOT of reading to do today in order to catch up with everything you guys have been up to!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2010-12-23T10:08:00.002-07:00

Just thought I'd stop by and say Hi! I'll most likely be an absent blogger for the next little bit as I'm off to my brothers for Christmas! I'll be back at it sometime at the beginning of the new year! I hope you all have a lovely Holiday, and best wishes for the new year!

Champagne & Sugar and a little more...

2010-12-19T09:41:00.002-07:00

I've been busy busy busy making up some lotion for something to do lately. I had some requests for some so I whipped up about 6 different kinds the other day. They were:

*Champagne & Sugar

*Blowing Bubbles

*Cranberry & Cherry Blossom

*Plumberry Spice

*Juicy Grape

*Spiced Plumberry & Grape

I used a variety of oils to make these lotions! With the weather being pretty dry up here I made something that would be extra nourishing for the winter months. I used:

Sweet Almond Oil: Is believed to improve the complexion and add a glow to dull skin. It can help with soothing itching and inflamed skin. This is one of my favorite oils! I think I use it in EVERYTHING!!

Apricot Kernel Oil: Works miracles in nourishing the skin. Can be used for sensitive skin. High in vitamin A & E. Doesn't leave a greasy feeling on your skin. Also helps achieve that soft smooth texture to your skin.

Aloe Extract: Used to sooth and help heal skin from cuts and bruises and irritation. It also has moisturizing properties that help reduce the appearance of stretch marks and wrinkles.

Macadamia Oil: Can be used for all skin types, especially mature. Tones aged or dry skin. Softens and heals the skin. It also penetrates the skin quickly leaving less of a greasy feeling.

Avocado Oil: Helps increase the amount of collagen in the skin (which diminishes as we age) It helps reduce age spots, scars, and sun damage. It penetrates deep into the skin which helps with the hydration of your skin. It is also known to help with eczema and psoriasis.

I used tea to color these lotions. A combination of Lemon and Chamomile was put in a tea bag, then I soaked it until I got the color I desired. I'm extremely happy with the way they turned out! Tea makes a great "natural" colorant, plus it also contains other great things for your skin. I took some pictures of the process, so you could see how things are made!

The oils and wax measured out

The tea mixture added to the oils

After heating the product it turns into a milky looking mixture

Emulsifying the mixture

High Temperatures of the emulsified mixture

Pouring the lotion into containers while it is still in the liquid form

Takes about 20-30 mins for the lotion to cool and set

The Finished Product!!! (Also my very favorite scent!!) Available in my Etsy shop!

Another great scent! Goes well with the Cranberry & Cherry Blossom Bath Bombs that are available in my Etsy Shop!

These make wonderful gifts for those you love! I hope you all had a lovely weekend thus far! And for those of you heading home or somewhere special for the holidays, Save travels!

Blues and Purples

2010-12-15T15:32:00.001-07:00

I was trying to figure out how to switch things up with my makeup this morning and thought about my two favorite looks. I really loved the purple eyeshadow I had the other day, and I really liked the blue eyeshadow I had around the same time. I thought blue and purple could go together brilliantly! Well all I can say is it was bright! I'm not sure that this is exactly something I plan on doing again, but it was okay!

As for an update on the cold... still lingering, but I'm thinking by tomorrow it should be history!! YAY!! And I just realized that I have exactly ONE week left until I go on days off for Christmas!! YEAH!! I'm super excited to go see my whole family!

What are all your plans for the holiday season? Any cool traditions that your families all do? Our family has tons! Christmas Eve we do a fondue and open one Christmas gift (usually PJ's). Christmas day we are only allowed to open our stockings until everyone is awake! I'm usually the first one up by the way! Then we open gifts and eat crepes for breakfast! Yum! We do a bunch of other little things, but I'm not going to bore you with the details! All I know is.... I can't hardly wait!

MAC in Purple Haze and Mac in Freshwater

Wintery Sparkles

2010-12-14T14:09:00.000-07:00

This afternoon we had a little freak snow storm that lasted for about 10 mins. I was inspired by snow for my makeup this morning! I love how pretty and pure everything looks when its covered by snow. I'm pretty happy with the way my eyeshadow turned out! I think it looks fresh and fun and perhaps it just enhances my angelic side a little bit... bahaha!

I did throw a couple of curls in my hair because somebody mentioned they really liked my hair like this! I have to say I really like it too! I feel just a little bit more polished and put together. It's also a fun flirty look. I think this whole look would be best for a first date or dinner out with friends.

Anyways, I did find the Marriage Ref on TV, and if you haven't seen this show you really need to watch it! I just decided that I really need to focus my entire attention on it ASAP because I can't seem to type what I'm thinking. And because I'm hugely amused!

PS.....On the plus side, I think I'm finally winning against this cold! I'm hoping by tomorrow I'm back to 100%! I know this is another short and sweet post, but I'll leave you with a few pictures! Have a lovely rest of your day my pretties!!

hair partially pulled back for a variation

Greensmoke

2010-12-13T10:16:00.000-07:00

Today I finally decided I should try and make myself look presentable! I'm still fighting this hideous cold and I'm starting to think that I'm never going to win the battle! I got all ready this morning, did the picture thing, looked at the pictures and realized that I looked like I was higher than a kite in all of them! So looks like today you get a picture of my eyelids! lol.

I don't know if I'm totally in love with this look. I think that there are other colors out there that are better suited to me, but it works! Anyways, I think me and my freshly made up face are going to crawl back into bed and make some sweet sweet love to my pillow! I'm hoping tomorrow I feel a little better! I hope you all had a great weekend!

MAC Greensmoke on lids & MAC Knight in Creases

Can fish climb trees?!?!

2010-12-12T10:24:00.000-07:00

Today just so happens to be one of those thoughtful days for me! I don't know why, but I woke up feeling as though I could conquer the world (cold and all). I read a quote awhile back by Albert Einstein and for some reason it's just stuck in my head for the past little while. It says:

"Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing it is stupid"

How true is this! Some days I find myself quick to judge, and every time I am, this little saying seems to pop into my head! I know we all tend to judge each other, its something that society has taught us to do. We judge based on appearance, race, looks, wealth, status etc.... The truth is, we have no idea what might be going on in the persons life that we are judging. We all are fighting some sort of battle and I think we need to support each other a little more. It may just be a simple smile to a stranger we pass on the street, kind words to the lady who is ringing up our groceries, time spent at a local charity, or spare change placed in a box, designated to help someone, at our local coffee shop! The more we give, the more we get back.

How many times have we struggled in our own lives? How many times have you though, I'm just to stupid, I just can't do it, I feel like I'm "going crazy"? I know I've muttered those phrases a few times (okay... probably more than a few) to myself. So maybe I'm not the fastest kid on the playground, or maybe I didn't get the best marks in class, but it doesn't mean I'm stupid. It means that maybe I'm not that great on the monkey bars, but the swings are more my element and its an area I'm going to excel in. I had to learn (and it took awhile) that I can't read a book and be satisfied with learning whatever it is I'm supposed to know. I felt stupid for years because I just couldn't "read" and learn. It took awhile but I finally realized that I need to touch, I need to feel, I need to connect with whatever it is that I am doing in order to learn. My heart has to be in it 100% for me to succeed. "Success is not the key to happiness, but happiness the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you WILL be successful"- Albert Schweitzer. Look at the "Albert's" of the world go today, so wise!

I'm so lucky that I have had such wonderful friends and family to support me. I know sometimes I don't always make the greatest decisions. Sometimes I know my parents shake their head, my brother rolls his eyes, and my friends just shrug because they don't know why on earth I'd make things harder for myself. Yes... I am a SLOW learner! Sometimes I need to screw up multiple times to fully understand it (usually resulting in heartache or disappointment) But... "Sometimes failures are simply opportunities to begin again. This time with more insight into what we really need to be successful". So yes, maybe sometimes my friends and family don't understand what I'm up to, or why I have to make things harder for myself, but just support me. Don't feed me the "I told you so" line! Just support me. How many people never reach their full potential because they never had the support of friends or family? How many times have each one of us shot down an idea from someone we care about? Lets lift each other up. Lets not make anyone feel like that poor fish, struggling to climb a tree! Because yes, on numerous occasions I have felt like that fish. I also know for a fact that I don't like that "fishy feeling".

As we reach the New Year people are always making resolutions. Most are the typical, quit smoking, go to the gym, don't shop as much, save money, go on a vacation.... Normally those are the examples of what my "Resolution" list looks like. This year I actually put some thought into it. I didn't just file it away in my mind (where I would "conveniently" forget it), but I actually wrote them down and taped them to the inside of my 2011 day timer.

My goals for the year are:

1) Take an aromatherapy course
2) Work on saving money
3) Make a 5 year plan
4) Send out more "cards" and "little notes" to people to let them know I'm thinking about them
5) Make sure everyone I meet feels like they are special
6) Donate to the Food Bank once a month
7) Be "HAPPY" with the success I've made, and celebrate them!
8) Get my business off the ground
9) Register for an esthetics course
10) Be happy with me! No comparing myself to other people!

What are your goals for the upcoming year? Have you thought about them? What are you going to do to make sure they become a reality?

Lotion Bars

2010-12-11T08:04:00.000-07:00

I recently decided that I'd try making some lotion bars! My feet and elbows get extremely dry in the winter and regular lotion just doesn't cut it sometimes. I figured if I made something a little more concentrated that it would help! These lotion bars are perfect! They start to melt as soon as the bar hits your skin, giving your skin a huge drink of moisturizing goodness! For these bars I used Cocoa Butter and Avocado butter. I added some Orange Essential Oil to the one batch and it smelt like one of those chocolate oranges you get at Christmas. The other batch I added some Vanilla Hazelnut, and it smelt like a yummy cup of Hot chocolate with some vanilla hazelnut (obviously) in it.

I use this before I go to bed (when I remember) and in the morning before I put socks on! The socks help lock the moisture into your skin, and in return they help keep your floors from becoming a slippery sliding skating rink. And really, I don't know anybody that would like a bunch of little greasy footprint all over their carpet either.

The only complaint I have right now is that your hands get all greasy when applying this product. Its fine if you have very dry hands, but I personally don't like that feeling. I'm currently waiting for some "lotion tubes", which are basically like a lip chap tube, just a little bigger, to put these in It will help you get the lotion directly onto the area that needs it rather than all over the place! I'm guessing that I should have the "Lotion Bars" in my Etsy shop by the New Year!

I didn't get any fantastic pictures, but hopefully you get the idea from what I do have up! Gives you a bit of a clue as to what I'm talking about. Hope you're having a lovely weekend!

All is Golden

2010-12-10T07:58:00.000-07:00

Today I had no idea what I was going to do for my makeup! I mean I have limited choices, and I'm kind of getting sick of doing the same thing over and over. Plus I get made fun of all day long when I do something a little more on the dramatic side. Normally I don't mind, but somehow I've managed to catch a miserable chest cold! Bah! I have no idea how this happened or why someone who NEVER gets sick has managed to catch 3 colds this fall! Anyways, now that I'm done my complaining I'll get on with the rest of this post!

I've been using such bright colors to do my makeup lately, I figured I'd use some other colors (not that it ended up being all that subtle) but I'm always a fan of gold. I just so happened to love this, but my little old boss man asked me what possessed me to paint my eyes yellow, and told me I looked ridiculous! Well geeze, thanks! I personally think I looked terrific!

The colors I used were MAC ________ (the gold color). This happens to be missing the name on it, so I have no idea what it is, but its a gold color, and the dark color I used in the crease was MAC Black Tied. I used a hodgepodge of things on my lips and then decided I didn't like any of the, so I wiped them off and just put some gloss over top. Turned out alright! And as for eyelashes. I used Covergirl Lash Blast, in waterproof (which means I'll be wearing this darn mascara for the next week, because it doesn't budge).

Well I don't have a whole ton of things to say today, and seeing as how a picture is worth a thousand words, I'll leave you with the 3! That should make up for my lack of mumbo-jumbo I usually spill on here. I hope you all have a lovely day! Happy Friday! Have a lovely weekend!

Extreme Hydration Bath Bombs

2010-12-09T16:14:00.020-07:00

Today was creation day in the bath bomb department! I had been meaning to make some for quite some time now but was bored stiff by the though of doing something that everyone else had already done! So me, being the genius I am, figured I'd re-invent the bath bomb.

In traditional bath bombs there are 3 ingredients. Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, and good old fashioned Water. I know how exciting bath bombs are! I still get excited by them, but I just wish they did more for the skin! I mean really, whats the point of buying something that doesn't really benefit you in the long run?!? Well I think I've solved that problem!

I realized that if I paired FUN with FUNCTIONAL I would have a heck of a brilliant product on my hand! I started by mixing some Natrasorb (which is basically tapioca starch) with some butters that I had melted together. I used Mango Butter and Aloe Butter for this particular bomb. For those of you that have followed my blog for awhile you will know that I chose all of my oils for particular reasons, not just on a whim (which I seem to do everything else on).

I used Mango Butter because of its great moisturizing properties! This wonderful little oil helps treat eczema & dermatitis, helps heal rashes, itching, and rough and tough skin. It is also jam packed full of antioxidants (which we all know are fantastic for u!). All in all I love the way this leaves my skin feeling. The added bonus is that it helps fight those tiny little wrinkles that we are all trying to avoid.

Aloe Butter is another thing that your skin is going to love! It is great for moisturizing and is easily absorbed into the skin. It contains a ton of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and enzymes that help correct any deficiencies or problems in your skin. People who suffer from psoriasis can benefit for this oil! It also helps heal acne, burns, cuts & scrapes, and is great for relieving itching. I don't know about you, but my skin gets ridiculously dry and itchy in the winter from this fridgid climate that I live in.

I mixed some Citric Acid and Sodium Bicarbonate together, added some fragrance oil (I blended Cranberries & Cherry Blossoms for this), and threw in some dead sea salts, for some extra luxury, and then mixed everything together. I placed the mixture in molds and then placed them in the freezer so they would solidify.

I figured before I could tell you all about how amazing this bomb was, I would have to test this piece little magic out for myself. Unfortunately I don't have a bath tub, so I used a plastic container filled with warm water and decided seeing as how my entire body wouldn't fit in it, that I would just test this out on my feet! I left my feet in for a whopping 2 minutes and all I can say is AMAZING! They came out looking soft and supple and just plain good! I have my feet stuffed into some socks right now and they still feel extremely hydrated. I know I'm going on and on about this, but I do truly thin that this is a fantastic product!

The one thing I noticed is that there was a little bit of an oily residue in the container after I was done. This is obviously going to happen to your tub (because of the butters that are in it), but I guarantee that your skin will soak this up and love you (and Me) for it! Once you get out of the tub make sure you put some lotion on to help lock in the moisture! I just so happen to know where you can get some Cranberry & Cherry Blossom lotion to help with this (yes, I'm making a batch as soon as I finish this post!!)!

before

after

I'm currently in the process of putting these up in my etsy shop. They will be for sale for $3.00 each. They weigh 3 oz, and can come in a variety of scents. If you have any further questions, feel free to email me at: customblendsbycorrine@gmail.com

Tickle me Purple

2010-12-06T11:55:00.004-07:00

Hello lovelies! I hope you all had a fantastic weekend! Only a couple and a half more weeks until Christmas, and I must say, I am thrilled! I can't wait to go spend some quality time with my family (especially my niece, because she's just so darn cute!)

Today I decided I was going to do my makeup with pinks and purples until I knocked my pink eyeshadow under the bed (as far back as it could possibly go). Then I switched to plan 'B'... all purple! A couple posts ago I mentioned how much Brown eyeshadow I currently had lurking about in my makeup box but I didn't realize I had so many purples! The weird thing is,... it just so happens that right now I could care less about brown and purples because I'm obsessed with the blues and the greens at the moment! A girl can never win! Anyways.... I thought I would do a makeup tutorial today until I realized how terrible all the pictures turned out, so I scrapped that idea! All in all, I think my eyeshadow turned out pretty good! I think a hint of pink would have been kinda nice in it too, but what can you do?! I suppose once I decide to haul everything out from underneath my bed we will be able to play with this look again. And mom, if your reading this, No, I don't still shove everything underneath my bed in hopes of making my room look clean!! Its all rubber maid tubs (organized ones at that) and suitcases all stacked in an orderly fashion!

To achieve this look I started out by using NARS Primer on my lids, because I actually remembered I had it and was able to find it burried under the mounds of makeup I currently have piled in one teeny tiny box. For eyeshadow I used MAC in Crem de Violet (for all over), Purple Haze & Knight (blended together for the crease), and Gesso (for highlighting). And I can't remember which I blended together to line the bottoms, but I know I blended one of the colors with Knight to make a plum color. I used NYX Felt tipped liner for the liner (obviously) and then loads and loads of mascara, because if you haven't already noticed.... I have a thing for eyelashes.

I also decided that today was a sweater kind of day! For some reason when I wear a sweater I all of a sudden get tired of having straight hair (weird... yes I know), so I heated up the curling iron and threw some curls in it.. Much to my dismay I remembered giving away my FAVORITE hairspray while I was in Cuba (and never did go by more)! Damn impulsiveness! Actually, I'm glad I could give something I love so much to somebody who probably wouldn't ever go spend $20, of their hard earned money, on a beauty product! Anyways, I'm stubborn and these darn curls are going to last me all day regardless if I have hairspray or not! Thank goodness for my almost chaotic backcombing skills! I really think I should have been older than 5 in the 80's! Because when it comes to hair... bigger is better! Actually, who am I kidding?!?!? When it comes to anything.... bigger is ALWAYS better.... !! With the exception of my ass and size 10 flipper feet!

Have a great one lovelies!

Eye spy with my little eye, something that is BLUE

2010-12-04T09:38:00.000-07:00

I was feeling creative yesterday when I decided to do this look. Now we all know I'm coming out from underneath my little rock and trying new things in the makeup department. (It sure helps when you went on a huge makeup shopping spree recently) Now I'm sure my makeup collection doesn't rival a lot of peoples, but I do know it is a heck of a lot more extensive than some people! My mother always makes fun of me and ask how I turned out to be such a girl, because she doesn't care about makeup or hair or going to the spa or getting her nails done. I don't know! I just don't know how you could live without these things, or how you couldn't love feeling good about yourself, because I feel great when I spend a little extra time on "ME". . I mean my mom is pretty as she is so she really doesn't need to wear makeup, but even a little swipe of mascara can make all the difference in how you feel about yourself.

My eyeshadow today had mixed reactions! The cooks loved it, a couple of guys thought it was great, and a couple of the guys hated it! Actually, the old feller that called me a "hooker" for wearing red lipstick a few days ago was the only one who hated it! Apparently his opinion is, that women look better "natural". I think that's boring and a load of crap! But then again, that's my opinion.

I really liked this! I kept going to the mirror to look at it during the rest of the day! The pictures I don't think do it justice, but it was the best I could do in the lighting I had!

I started out using MAC in Freshwater all over the lid. Next I used MAC in Gesso for highlighting and to line the lower lids, and I used MAC in Knight in the creases of my lids. Finally I used the Gesso to highlight the brow bone and tie everything together. I'd say this is more of a dramatic look that I would probably use it more at night rather than for a daytime look, but I really liked it! For once in my life I didn't have blue eyes! This combination actually made it look like my eyes were green, which is strange actually, because normally the first thing people comment on is my blue eyes! (Which obviously you all think I'm crazy for stating... lets just say that the green didn't show up in the pictures, but in natural light they changed from blue to green) I will be using this combination again but I think I just might save it for a night out with the girls, or for something a little more dressy-up-ish.

I hope everyone is having a fantastic start to their weekend! Enjoy it, because we all know Monday comes WAY WAY to fast!

Oh la la lashes!

2010-12-03T08:33:00.002-07:00

I finally remembered to grab some eyelash glue when I was in town the other day (I've been trying to remember this for 3 months now!) I got Revlon's precision lash adhesive, and so far I'm pretty happy with it! I've been dying to wear the lashes that I won in the lovely NICOLETTA'S give-away! So yesterday after days and days of yearning I finally got to wear them! The glue made it easy to apply. Easier than I remember it ever being! The great thing about the glue was that it didn't make my eyes burn! Usually the glue irritates them, and they burn for a bit until the glue is fully able to dry. This is not the case with this product! I will be buying it again when I run out!

Now as we all know men aren't the most observant creatures, but yesterday while I was up in the Doghouse (Doghouse is kind of the office building on a rig, where the Driller sits and watches things all day long. It's also where I go when I go up to visit because it is heated, and there is always coffee there!) Anyways, I was sitting there having a conversation about firearms with the boys, (Not that I was contributing at all, because I don't know the first thing about guns) But I was looking at the pictures they were showing me and pretended like I actually cared what they had to say. All of a sudden the one guy says, "You put high heels on your eyes or something." I don't think I've ever been so confused in my entire life! Needless to say, he actually noticed that my eyelashes looked different, and he was really trying to tell me that they were longer and that he noticed and wanted to know what I did! The funniest thing is, he's the biggest hillbilly out here... Some days I just don't understand men!!

The girls at camp (the cooks) noticed right away. Because women always notice such things! Now everyone wants me to put lashes on them... fortunately I don't have any extras, so I don't see it happening.

For my eyeshadow I used Mac Pigments in Copper Sparkle. I wish the copper color was a little more on the copper side! In the container it looks this gorgeous color, but once applied I find its way to light. It needs more pigment! Oh well! In the creases I used MAC in Brun just to add a little something something. Overall I'm happy with it. It was simple and didn't go too over the top! I lined with NYX Felt tipped liner, and used Revlon in a Nude on my lips.

All in all I think my eyelashes and eyelids looked fabulous! I felt amazing all day! I love when one simple look can just make you feel that good! I know I have a package of lashes kicking around here somewhere, and today I'm on the mad hunt for them!

I hope you all have a lovely day, and seeing as how the weekend is coming up, I hope you all have a great one! Play safe!

The Return of the RED lips

2010-12-02T07:47:00.001-07:00

I'm officially in love with red lips! Up until about a month ago, I'd never wore lipstick! I'd always used a tinted lip gloss, or anything else I could use (such as eyeshadow) to give my lips a subtle color. I finally went out and actually bought lipstick! I have no idea what possessed me to do it, but I did it.

I got to go to town yesterday, which is a big deal to someone who spends their entire life out in the bush at work. I had lunch with my wonderful Uncle, and then did some quick shopping for everyone else out here. I only made it to London Drugs, and I spotted the new Burlesque Nail Polishes from OPI. I fell in love with the Purple sparkly one, its called.... Show it & Glow it (thanks to in InStyle Magazine for having the names in the OPI polishes in an add) I picked it up and then put it back (a first for me!) Because there is NO way I'm paying $17.99 for a bottle of nail polish! After that I figured I'd better vacate the make-up area before my will power went through the window!

Now anyone who knows me, knows I can't go into a store without buying something! I made plans with some guys I work with to take a trip this spring. We've decided on Thailand!! I'm pretty excited, so saving money is going to be a lot easier! All I need to think about is VACATION, and I'm pretty sure the money will be stuffed back in my pocket and the beautiful things returned to the shelves! I also mentioned this trip to my Aunt and Uncle yesterday and it sounds like they might be heading there with us! I think that would be great!! Anyways, enough about that, lets get on to my makeup!

So now that you all know I went to town, I couldn't go looking like a frump, which is why I decided on the bright lips! I had initially done a smokey eye, but for some reason it just wasn't working for me! I know its a little smoky, but it isn't exaclty what I was looking for. I ended up covering it with a yellow pigment called "Pineapple" from GOSH cosmetics. I think the base layer was MAC in Knighted. I wasn't thrilled with the way my eyeshadow turned out, but I was WAY too lazy to take it all of and start new! Regardless, I think I looked okay and nobody stared at me funny, so I guess that's a bonus! The only thing I had to constantly watch was lipstick on my teeth! For some reason, yesterday was a terrible day for that! But whatever I suppose, it's happened to all of us, so I'm not going to let it get me down! I will for sure be wearing something similar to this again!

Well, now that my post has been all over the place I think I'm going to just be quiet, add pictures and post! I hope you all have a lovely day!

THANK YOU!

2010-11-30T15:59:00.000-07:00

I just so happened to be checking out all of the blogs I follow this morning and saw that I had won the CNS give-away from Bailey at I KNOW ALL THE WORDS. Thanks for having the give-away! I had such a hard time deciding what to get! I looked online for probably 6 hours debating what I "really" needed, and what I "really" wanted... In the end I decided to go with an accessory organizer! I'm lacking in the accessory department, but I have a feeling that once I actually start putting the things I own in one place, I might be a little more surprised at what I find!

Anyways, I just wanted to show you what I got, because I'm pretty excited about it!!

I'm starting to be all about organization lately! The one thing I love, is that everything looks so good when it's organized and I feel better about everything in general when I don't have to worry about tripping over last weeks laundry every time I enter a room! I just find when things are clean I'm happier! Weird, I know, but it works for me! Anyways, this is it! My very brand new accessory organizer (which for some reason I keep referring to as my new makeup holder...)

ATTENTION ALL SPORTS FANS!

2010-11-28T09:52:00.000-07:00

Today was another blue-ish kinda day for me! I can't believe how much I'm loving blue eyeshadow! I paired it with a green and I am IN LOVE! Normally when I use blue or green shadows I try and keep it pretty basic in order to avoid the whole "clown like" appearance. I figured what the heck... today I'm going to go all out! I keep seeing all of these other makeup blogs where I'm in love with their shadows, but I was tired of thinking that I would look ridiculous on me if I tried doing something like that. Was I ever wrong! This has to be one of my favorite looks of all time!!That's right... move over brown eyeshadow, there is a new cowboy in town!

I was amazed at the feedback I got from the guys I work with! One of them made me close my eyes so that he could see what I did, and then suggested that we do a make-over on him! Now I think I almost died laughing listening to him going on about how he really wanted some days off and that he figured wearing make-up around an oil rig was a great way to make sure he got to go home! We will have to see, this could be a rather amusing post, and I'm game for it!

The other great thing about this is today is Grey Cup Sunday! Not that I'm a huge football fan, but the Saskatchewan Roughriders are in it, and seeing as how I'm technically a Saskatchewan resident I should support the home team! So RIDER PRIDE, here we are! The green in my makeup kinda fits in with the whole theme! Now I don't know how many of you are football fans, but everyone in Canada knows that ROUGHRIDER FANS are like none other! I figured I'd put some great pictures up for ya, because I'm always entertained by the amount of grown men in face paint, spandex, capes, and watermelon helmets! I figure I'm on the more mellow side of the "Rider Pride" painted look! What do you think?

These boys take "MAKEUP" to a whole new level!

I love how excited this guy is!!

Some men have no shame when it comes to their sports teams!!

The best part about going to football games in Saskatchewan are the fans! Everyone... and I mean EVERYONE, dresses up! I'm pretty sure there about half of the residents left in the province, because they've all traveled over to Edmonton, Alberta for this game! If you're ever in the beautiful city of Regina (Saskatchewan) Make sure you check out a game! You will not go away disappointed! Mind you... you might have trouble getting tickets, because they are pretty much sold out every game! If you do plan on going, it would pay off to plan ahead! Anyways... GO ROUGHRIDERS!!

Browns, Golds, and Coppers...

2010-11-27T09:26:00.000-07:00

I have finally come to the realization that I hoard brown eyeshadow! I was doing my makeup the other day and decided to line them all up and see what colors I felt like paring together... lets just say, over half of them were brown! No wonder I have such a hard time switching things up!!

I think the reason behind the ridiculous amounts of brown eyeshadow is the fact that once upon a time I had this perfect brown color! I finally threw it away last winter because after 4 years of packing it around, I couldn't even imagine the bacteria that might be lurking around in it! (It took me an eye infection to actually figure this out!) Needless to say, they don't make the color anymore, and I haven't found anything that even comes close to it! I HATE it when this happens! Anyways... the reason I loved this "one" particular eyeshadow is because it made my eyes look insanely blue! It was that one color that never failed me! So RIP eyeshadow! I'm sorry I had to let you go, because I miss you like crazy!!

Anyways, now that I've had my few seconds of mourning I'll let you know exactly what I was up to in the pictures! I used... heck... I can't remember. Time to start rubbing colors together and comparing them to my picture! Okay... I'm pretty sure I used MAC in Patina, Mulch, and Brun! I liked how the colors were a little different but all went together well! I also used my NYX liner in Dark Brown on my upper lash line. I'm still in love with this eyeliner! I also just FINALLY realized that you're supposed to store it tip down (so it keeps working )! Which kind of bothers me! My makeup is organized so all my tips go up, and my OCD is starting to flare up! I mean, two eyeliners out of all of my makeup are throwing off my whole "makeup-boxish" aesthetic! BAH!! But I suppose part of life is overcoming hurdles... (yes, I realize this is minor in the world of hurdles, but regardless, it's still a pet peeve!!)

What are your favorite products that have been "DISCONTINUED"?

Mine are the eyeshadow I ranted about... I'm pretty sure it was Rimmel and I think the name of it was Oak. And covergirl used to have this mascara... It was the only one that didn't make my eyelashes stick straight out after I applied it. It held the curl I put it in with the lash curler... (Lash Blast waterproof mascara does the same thing but it's a B!*#h to wash off!!

Anyways, enough ranting today! I hope you all have a lovely safe ~~window~~ weekend! (the window thing is the result of me trying to think, type and hold a conversation at the same time) I need to work on the multi-tasking skills!! But regardless... be safe, and live life!

Oh... and PS:

Don't forget to check out the "ULTIMATE ENGAGEMENT RING CHALLENGE" below this post! Lets help Laura Beth, of MAKEUP MY MIND, win a 22 carat... that's right! I said 22 carat, engagement ring! I also have a great new give-away in my sidebar from Cupcakes & Heels, so don't forget to check them out!!

The Ultimate Engagement Ring Challenge!

2010-11-26T21:00:00.000-07:00

I have posted this before, but Laura Beth from MAKEUP MY MIND really needs your help! Her and her boyfriend have entered a contest to win a pretty fantastic engagement ring (22 carats) For all you ladies out there, I know you know what this means! It means that you NEED to vote! I'm so happy that I could be a part of helping such a fantastic girl have her dreams of being engaged come true!

Anyways, the other bonus to this is Laura Beth is having a challenge... a fantastic one at that! She is giving away a makeup airbrush system and some product! The value of this give away is over $300.00's! So I mean really, this is worth it! Make sure you go check out her and the boyfriend (he's way cute!) (That means a shout-out to you Laura! You did some good picking!!) Plus he dresses up... I think he's such a good sport! Vote for every challenge they've submitted!

Thanks dolls! You are great!!

THE ULTIMATE ENGAGEMENT RING CHALLENGE!!! GO HERE!!!

Messy French Hair...

2010-11-25T08:33:00.000-07:00

I figured I've done enough makeup posts for a little bit, so I thought I'd switch it up with a little hair post! Its been awhile since I've done one! I'm normally one for keeping my hair up. Something about having my hair hanging in my face drives me nuts! I might start out with good intentions of having it down, but by noon (sometimes earlier) I have it thrown back up in a pony tail or a bun of some sort.

The front of my hair is a little short to get all back so I figured instead of using bobby pins to pin it up I'd just use a french braid! I look like a dork with my entire head french braided, and it showcases my "ultra thin" hair, so I figured I'd mix it up a little. I braided it about half way down, then gathered it all up and made it into a messy bun. It added a little volume to my hair, kept it out of my face, and it was something different than I would normally do. The great part is.... one of my redneck rig boys even commented on it! The "you don't usually wear your hair like that, but it looks good," comment threw me for a loop! I mean seriously guys! I go from blond to almost black and not a single one of them comments... I put a braid in my hair with a bun and all of a sudden they notice! MEN!! I will never understand them.

Anyways. I've done my hair like this a few times since then, and I just so happen to love it!

HAPPY "AMERICAN" THANKSGIVING to all of my USof A readers! And anyone else who celebrates this holiday!

Tied up in Silver

2010-11-24T17:15:00.001-07:00

I just want you all to know that I got made fun of at work, for the sake of showing you guys my makeup looks. Everyone out here thinks that because I get ready and put makeup on I'm somehow on the prowl! Apparently they don't find blogging to be a reason to do makeup. Either that or they just don't actually believe I have a blog... actually scratch that... I think it is because they don't actually understand what a blog is.

Regardless, I find that I actually feel better about myself when I get ready! I think we are all like this in some ways! I know for the last few years I've kept it pretty basic out here! Apparently that is known as "letting yourself go". If that is the case, I'm guilty! I admit, I was in a rut! I had had a couple bad years, very emotional, and it was much easier to just let myself cry and not worry about how terribly my makeup was going to run rather than worry about how badly it was smudging! I've lived in yoga pants with a makeup free face for the past 2 years! After all, yoga pants are sooo comfy! The only problem with this is.... they stretch!! It just so happens that they stretched to accommodate all the cookies that managed to fastened them self to my ass! Before I knew it it was time for days off and there was NO way that I could get my jeans on, which meant I spent a few years running around in yoga pants, telling myself that it was okay! Bah! So basically I've shlumped around looking like a slob, thinking that people would just like me for who I am. I mean lets face it, I have a wicked personality (or at least I like to think so) but the way you present yourself says a lot about you. People judge you based on your looks! I know I'm guilty of it!

I don't think that you should judge a person by there appearance, but then again, in someways I think you can! Not in a mean haha look at you kinda way, but I think the way a person takes care of them self says a lot about them. Do you really want to be friends with someone who doesn't take the time for them self? Do you think that they're going to take the time for you when they can't even be bothered to take 5 Min's for them self? Or what about a relationship? Do you want someone who doesn't really care? I feel that if you don't take the time to show people that you do care about yourself, that they might not get it and you could spend a long time being single or friendless (not that you want shallow friends or a shallow partner). I might not make any sense, to you guys, I know it makes sense in my head... but putting what's floating around in this brain of mine on paper isn't always easy!

Well, now that I've gone on about what I think, I suppose its time to tell you about my look! I thought I'd try a little smokey eye with some shimmer! Every picture that I looked amazing in was blurry, which is SOOOO frustrating! Regardless, I suppose the ones I have will do just fine! I stared out by applying MAC Silver Ring on my entire eyelid. I brushed on some MAC Black Tied into the crease, and then highlighted the brow bone with some NYX (YAY). The NYX highlighting color was out of the Honeycomb pallet (the lightest color) The rest of my face was the same as it usually is! On my lips I just used some MAYBELLINE Shinesational lip gloss in Berry Bella.

I was fairly happy with the way it turned out! It would obviously be a good look for a special occasion, or a night out on the town with the girls, rather than an afternoon on a Drilling rig with "the boys".... But I think the more they see me get ready, the more that they are going to accept that this is who I am!

What do you guys think about the whole getting ready/not getting ready thing? I'd love to hear somebody Else's views on the subject!

Follow my blog with bloglovin

I just want to eat my eyeshadow!!

2010-11-23T08:38:00.000-07:00

Yes.. my title explains exactly how I feel about my eyeshadow pallet!! It reminds me of cotton candy! The colors are perfect! I was in a rush getting ready, so my application was a littler slacker than it normally is, but what can you do?! Everyone is entitled to an "off day"

I used NYX (again) because I'm in love with this product! I used the TS13 CHERRY/COOL BLUE/HOT PINK. Due to the cold weather I had to finally break down and wear a toque! At least my makeup matched, so I was at least a little bit fashionable! Anyways! I have a million things to do today, so this post is going to be a little shorter than usual! I hope you all have a great day!

I HEART NYX

2010-11-22T11:10:00.000-07:00

A few posts ago I had posted about a haul of all these new fantastic NYX products i had purchased. Well... on my way back to work, I have to admit, I stopped and picked up some more! I can't get enough of this stuff! I added another eyeshadow pallet, some more eyeliner, and now my friends, I've become obsessed with their lipstick!

I've always loved the red lips look, but I never have anywhere to wear it! I finally decided that oil rig or not, I was glamming it up! I walked out into my office after getting ready, and the first thing the site supervisor said to me was "You look like an old hooker!!" Well... that definitely wasn't the look I was going for! I'm also chalking that up to the fact that he's a 70 year old hillbilly who wouldn't know fashion or style if it slapped him in the face!

Regardless of the "hooker" comment, I felt very confident in this! I can't wait for a night out to actually copy this look! I think it would be a great date face! I'm going to have to do some research and see what guys really want! Because after reading my sister-in-laws blog, and listening to her husband (my brother... obviously) complaining about how she looks like a "psycho housewife" instead of the stylish woman she is, I really have no idea what men really want!

It was so freaking cold outside that I busted out one of the Pashmina scarfs (love these things) I ended up playing around and trying to take some artsy pictures with it! Mostly I just looked like some homeless person, but the one I thought turned out kinda cool! Reminds me of a painting we saw in Cuba at the International Market!

Oh, and just for the record, the lip color I used was (obviously NYX) in 513 Electra. For my eyeshadow, I have no idea! A hodgepodge of Mac minerals with something something over top because I wasn't thrilled with the initial color, and then I highlighted with NYX Honeycomb pallet!

HAPPY MONDAY!! I hope you all have a fantastic week! Play safe and stay warm!

TAGGED!!

2010-11-20T13:47:00.000-07:00

I was tagged bye the ever fabulous Natasha from REQUIRED2BEINSPIRED to share 7 secrets about myself, and then to pass this on to 7 other people! What a great way to learn about all the wonderful people who's blogs you follow!

1) I love pickle, cheese and mustard sandwiches!

2) I'm terribly afraid of failing. This just so happens to limit the amount of risks I take, and its something I'm working on.

3) I'm going to be starting an Aromatherapy course in a few weeks.

4) I have an ebay addiction.

5) I speak to my parents on a daily basis.

6) I drink a ton of tea everyday!

7) I turn all my phones off at night, because I hate being woke up!

The 7 People I tag are....

NICOLETTAS BEAUTY SPACE

PRINCESA LIVIA'S BEAUTY BLOG

ELIZABETH GOMEZ THE BROWN HAIRED BARBIE

WILL WORK FOR MAKEUP

GLITTER IS MY CRACK

LIPSTICK RULES

CUPCAKES AND HEELS

If you haven't already checked out my post from yesterday I would love if you left a comment! Your ideas are going to be the foundation of the new skin care line I'm working on... and who knows, I might even just have to name a few products after you guys!

What do we really want?

2010-11-19T11:22:00.000-07:00

Today I decided that YES, I am starting my own business! As most of you know I've been recently obsessed with skincare and natural products! I haven't turned tree hugger on you, just in case you were worried! I just think that there is so much "Garbage" in all of the products you find on your department store shelves that it's time to change thing! I've become an obsessive label reader lately and am appalled at some of the ingredients that are in lotions and skin care products! For Example:

DISODIUM EDTA: Claimed to cause toxicity in mammals (I'm pretty sure last time I checked I was a mammal!!). In processed foods it can become volatile when mixed with Vitamin C and baking soda. It forms benzenes (which are potent carcinogens) Funny thing is, is that Vitamin C or sodium ascorbyl phosphate (as it is listed on the packaging) is the ingredient right about it! Nothing like feeling safe hey! This chemical is quickly becoming an environmental pollutant due to its large quantity usage in industrial applications, medical applications, and manufacturing.

CETEARETH-20: Classified as a penetration enhancer. This means that it alters the skin structure allowing chemicals to penetrate deeper into the skin. This just so happens to increase the amount of toxins that reach the blood stream. It has been shown to be potentially contaminated with impurities linked to cancer and other significant health concerns... Bah I swear I get angrier with the more research I do!

I'm not going to keep going and bore the heck out of all of you, but I really think you should all do some research on what is in your lotions! All I know is this bottle of "store bought" lotion is heading straight for the trash as soon as I finish typing this post!!

I know we all live in a world where we're all trying to get a good deal! I'm guilty of it! I used to buy the cheapest lotions because that was all I could afford. After a ton of reading and research I realize that my health isn't worth it! How is it that I can make a lotion using 9 ingredients, that in my opinion works just as well, if not better, than a product you get from the store that contains 31 ingredients? It doesn't make sense to me! Either way, I'm thinking natural is the way to go!

What I'd like to know from you guys is:

1) have you tried natural products?

2)What kinds of natural products would you be interested in?

3)What type of skin do you have, and do you have any issues with it?

The more I can learn from you wonderful ladies and gents, the better my products are going to be!

Disclaimer: All products are not tested on animals. I test them on myself (and sometimes I supposed I can be considered a little bit of an animal). But I'm willing to test the products on myself because that's how safe I feel. It also helps that I'm not using a ton of chemicals!

DO YOU SEA WHAT I SEA?

2010-11-18T14:00:00.000-07:00

Today's makeup was inspired by the ocean. You know that gorgeous blueish/greenish water that's so clear you can see your own feet when you've wandered out deep enough for it to be at neck level? I love nothing more than frolicking in the ocean, so I'm frequently at that depth!! I figured this eyeshadow would be a lot more in the Blue tones than in the green's at all, but I was pleasantly surprised! The other surprise was the gold that I noticed in it! I'm still not 100% sold on the blue eye shadows, but only because it makes me flash back to the 80's, and really, its not quite my style!

I obviously forgot to mention that I used some
nude lipstick!! I think it was Revlon!

I started out by scrubbing my face with my homemade body scrub (VANILLA HAZELNUT to be exact) Which you can find in my VANILLA HAZELNUT BODY SCRUB Post (with Recipe). I know you shouldn't use harsh scrubs on your face because the skin is more delicate, I just make sure that I don't rub it as hard as I would on the rest of my body! It helps keep my skin nice and fresh and all glowy! I don't know about you, but my skin gets extremely dry in the winter, and I have found the most amazing thing to keep my skin hydrated (actually I made it), but that is for another post!

Next I applied my foundation like I normally do, brushed some mineral powder over my face to help with a more matte look, and then applied the shadow. Normally I use a few colors to get the desired contrasts I need, but with this shadow all I needed was one color! I used MAC Pigment in Deep Blue Green, for all of you out there that are curious. I applied liner (which I made a mess of and had to re-apply a few times to get the right amount (or at least even) amounts on both sides.

I dried my hair and twisted the front and VOILA, finished. My entire look took me about 15 mins. to do (yes, that includes the many re-applications of eyeliner), hair is also included in that amount of time. I'd say this is a simple look that you could do in any time crunch. The great thing is, is that it looks like you spent way more time than that on it.

I hope you are all having a fantastic week, and that you are all staying warm! I'm off to grab some tea before I turn into an ice cube! Cheers!

A LONG OVERDUE THANK YOU!

2010-11-17T09:04:00.000-07:00

I won a blog prize FOREVER ago (probably June) and I finally went home and got to open it! I would love to send a great bit Thank You out to Nicoletta of NICOLETTA'S BEAUTY SPACE! I'm terribly sorry it took so long for me to post about this, but it was extremely difficult to say thank you for a "Surprise Give-away" when you didn't really know what the surprise was!

What I won was: CLINIQUE-Sparkle Skin, body exfoliating cream, TREVOR SORBIE- Long hair Serum, JEFF + MAGGIE- Nail Varnish, in Flamenco, CHRISTY- Sea Clay face mask, BARRY M-Kohl Pencil in a gorgeous green color, and a gorgeous set of false lashes (which I can't wait to apply!!)

So far the only thing I have tried is the hair serum. I was in a hurry so I didn't have time to dry my hair, all I know is that this stuff smells fantastic! I can't wait to use it today, as well as the other products!

If you haven't read this fine ladies blog, make sure you stop by and take a look! She is not only a stunning woman on the outside, but her kindness and inner beauty also matches that of the outside! Thank You once again for the lovely prize (and the very sweet card you included!!) I'm sorry that it took so long for me to actually post this!

I have to say, I'm still excited about this, I have all of these products sitting out on my desk so that I can look at them all day long!! I just recently got a bunch of new eye shadows (a bunch in Green) so I'm thinking this liner is going to go smashingly well with them! I think I' going to go actually apply the face mask, and use the Clinique Body Exfoliation right chicken louie!! I must admit, I did try a bit of the exfoliation cream on my hands, and I was kind of impressed. Normally the scrubs I use make a complete mess, which means I have to use them in the shower. This one I can apply while I'm waiting for the floor in the shower to warm up (GO ME, for thinking ahead!). Well, enough talk, its time to put this into action! I'll let you know how it all works out tomorrow!

HOME SWEET HOME!!

2010-11-16T10:59:00.000-07:00

Well I'm back from vacation, just not home! As I'm sure most of you know I had the chance to go to Varadero, Cuba last week for a "Single Girls Vacation". The one thing I love most about traveling is that it really opens my eyes to how fortunate I am each and every day! Some days I really forget how truly lucky I am, and after seeing how little some people have, and how grateful they are to be given simple items like a toothbrush or toothpaste it makes me want to just stop and reflect for a bit.

The one thing that got to me the most was how some of the hotel staff asked if I had any used makeup that I might want to part with because they couldn't afford any them self. I mean, I write a beauty blog, spend a small fortune on "stuff" I don't really need, and I've never even imagined it possible that someone would love my "left-over" makeup. I honestly cant imagine what it would be like to ask somebody for used makeup. I have to say, my makeup bag came back empty. I'm just so happy that I had taken a bunch of the new makeup I had bought before I went so that they were given some half decent things.

I managed to clean out my closet at home before I went and I probably ended up giving away half of the clothes in my suitcase while I was there, because really... I have MORE than enough clothes and it gives me so much joy that I can share what I have with others. (In some ways it was selfish as well, but only because I was hoping it would make my suitcase be UNDER-weight on my trip back.... no such luck by the way!) Is there anything in particular that you take to give-away on any of the vacations you take? I love getting new ideas!

Anyways, I had a lovely time and I thought I'd share some of the highlights with you! Seeing as how pictures are worth a thousand words, we'll start there!

Krystle & Karen (the two lovely ladies I got to share this trip with)

Havana Trip

Birthday Pictures

Great friends... the one thing that makes a great vacation even better!

Birthday dinner (thanks to the hotel staff for making us a special reservation for this day!!)

Time to go home :(

The greatest part about coming home was stopping by my brother and SIL's and getting a chance to see my superstar niece Vyla! She's turning into quite a ham! And yes... that is her sitting on the coffee table reading herself a book in her jibber-jabberish-make-believe language!!

IS MY HAIR FROM THE RAINFOREST?

2010-11-10T07:22:00.000-07:00

I recently (like two months ago) bought a copy of Cosmopolitan Magazine (UK edition) and it came with some samples in it. The one I'm reviewing today is THE BODY SHOP'S- RAIN FOREST MOISTURE, Hair butter for dry hair. Now there is quit a long story to this review, but I feel that it needs to be told in order to get the full effect! I, being the genius I am, forgot to take Shampoo with me on my 4 day excursion to camp. Now for those of you don't know, camp is kind of like a hotel for workers that just happens to be in the middle of nowhere. This particular one happened to be about 2 and half hour drive into the forest from the nearest town. And the story goes something like this...

I left town at about 5:30 in the morning so that I could make it out to the Gas Plant, that I was going to be working at, by 8:00 AM, (that's 08:00 for you 24 hour people) I spent an entire day sitting in my truck doing nothing. Well not really nothing, I think I knitted a scarf and finally figured out how to work my ipod. I ended up sitting in my truck until about 7:00 PM (19:00 for you 24 hour people...)

I got to camp and checked in!! Now in order for you to get the idea, this camp was probably straight from the 70's and looked like it had never been renovated in the entire time it had been stuck out there in the middle of nowhere. My light switch didn't exist, and after searching for it for about 5 mins I realized that I was the lucky person who got to pull a shoestring, tied to the roof, in order to make the lights turn on. I wasn't much more impressed when I saw the room and realized that I had puke (or snot) green floors, and wood paneling walls that had holes all over in them! I probably wouldn't have paid $5.00's to stay in this dive, but I didn't really have a choice, so I moved in.

I was pretty ancy to get in the shower after sitting in a truck that long. I started rummaging through my bag looking for clothes and face wash, and shampoo... SHAMPOO?!?! Do you think I could find it? No!!! I didn't find any shampoo, I forgot that at the place I had stayed the night before. I figured that a bar of soap would be better than nothing, so I packed up my stuff, wandered down the hallway to the bathroom and realized I had a choice between two showers. They both looked like they had been sandblasted with rocks, were missing paint, and had grubby old shower curtains on them. I picked the cleanest looking of the two and turned the water on. I then proceeded to undress and place all of my things on the shelf in the shower. I stuck my hand in to check and see if the water had reached its optimally warm temperature, and much to my dismay, it was ICE cold! I fiddled with the controls for a little bit (8 minutes to be exact) and still nothing. I prepared myself for the worst and jumped in. The only saving grace about this shower was that I had to run around chasing the streams of water to even get wet. I lathered up that bar of soap like a madwoman, got it all in my hair, rinsed it out all the while knowing that my hair was going to feel like straw as soon as I was finished! Applied some body wash as fast as a person shivering for their life possibly can. Smeared some face wash on my face and stuffed my face under the water. At this particular moment the water decided that its going to humor me and turn hot! I tell ya, I dont' think I've ever squealed like I did or moved so fast to get out of the way in my entire life. I managed to get the water situation under control and other than the fact that the water smelt like rotten eggs, it became rather enjoyable! Needless to say, my hair did feel like straw after I washed it!

The next day while I was sitting in my truck I remembered seeing some bottles, that people had actually left, in the shower. I figured, if you were stupid enough to leave your shampoo in the shower I was going to take full advantage of it and use a little teeny tiny bit of it! So, again, after work, I wander down the hallway to the bathroom, turned the water on, went and brushed my teeth (with bottled water) and then went and put my stuff in the shower, got undressed, and waited for the water to warm up (I learn fast!!) So I jump in to my warm shower, wet my hair, reach my hand out to grab a bottle and just as I'm about to squeeze the bottle I read it. VAGISIL!! Like OMG... seriously did I almost just wash my hair with that?!?! Needless to say, I ended up realizing that none of the bottles that were left in the shower were actually shampoo... body wash and Vagisil... I ended up washing my hair with soap again, and managed (somehow) to live with some fantastically crispy hair the next day as well!

I think a trim is the only thing that will fix my split ends

Anyways, on to my magazine. The 3rd day I'm out there I start reading my Cosmopolitan Magazine and as I flip through I discover that they had included samples of shampoo, conditioner, and a hair mask in the magazine!! I was rather excited until I realized that the Beauty Gods upstairs were laughing at me... Turns out my excitement was very short lived! Regardless, I used the shampoo and conditioner, and my hair was very very thankful!

I used the Hair Mask, because I needed some serious deep conditioning after the soap incident. I found it left my hair feeling a little big greasy after I had immediately washed it out, but by the end of the day my hair was fairly soft still! It didn't get tangled or messed up at all. I have no idea how I feel about this product, but I'm thinking its not something that I'm crazy crazy about. I don't think I would actually go out and purchase myself. It was great in a pinch, but I've used better products before.

Lessons Learned: Shampoo and Conditioner are on my checklist (at the top) when I'm packing to go anywhere now!

Honey Comb Sweetness

2010-11-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

Hello my lovelies!! As you are reading this I'm most likely sitting on a beach sipping on a pina colada thinking about how wonderful it is that you can actually have scheduled posts! Anyways. I did a haul a couple weeks ago, or a week ago... and I promised that I'd show you some of the stuff I got. Today I'm showing you the NYX Honey Comb Eyeshadows. It came with the 3 colors, I have no idea individually what they are called, but if you turn your attention to your above right, and your down below leftish, you will be able to see for yourself!

I really liked this look because the colors were well chosen! They went on flawlessly without making a huge mess all over my face, and I mean come-on... who doesn't love that? They blended well and I was happy with the overall look. This look is a more subtle look than I would normally do, but I felt pretty. It felt like you could just wake up, quickly throw this on and be out the door in 10 mins flat and still be a knockout! Well maybe more the girl next-door. But I don't think that's such a bad thing. Playboy is all over the whole "Girl next-door" thing... Not that I know firsthand, because I'm not a purchaser of the product, but I listen and hear things out here at work.... its amazing what you learn when you work with a bunch of men! Anyways, the below pictures are of my makeup. I forgot to take some pictures of my eyelids, so this will have to do. I'm pretty sure I will be using this again in the near future, so I'm sure you'll see some more of it down the road!

I'M LEAVING ON A JET PLANE, WITH ALL THE SINGLE LADIES...

2010-11-06T08:00:00.001-06:00

Adios my fearless followers! As you read this I will be a million miles up in the air on a plane bound for tropical beaches, exotic drinks, and hot shirtless men! Or... I'm at least praying that the hot shirtless men out number the old, bald, fat men wearing speedos!

I figured I'd be a bit of a ham and take some pictures of what my face probably looks like at the moment!! I thought this was a rather ingenious idea! I think I had more fun taking these pictures than I've ever had taking any other ones (in my whole entire life)! The top left one is my happy face! I don't know why people open their mouths when they're happy?!? I just so happen to do it all the time! Then again, I might be the only one, I just thought I'd include a bunch of others in this "Opened mouth excitement group" so I didn't feel so out of place!

The below picture is a picture that probably would be taken if I was afraid of flying. It just so happens that I'm not the least bit frightened (thank you to my father for taking me flying as a child) of being so high up in the air. I also am usually the one praying for major turbulence because then its more like an amusement ride the entire way there, which means double the fun!! In the case of major turbulence I hope that I'm sitting beside one of the hot (almost shirtless) men that I mentioned above! I can always pretend that I'm scared, and tell him my last wish before I die is that he takes off his shirt and holds me close! You never know, it could happen, and a girl really has to have dreams in life! Mine just don't happen to be as ambitious as some peoples! Anyways, before I embarrass my family and my unborn children I should probably quit before you all realize that I actually do need to be committed into some sort of "PUZZLE PALACE" aka, the loony bin, the funny farm, the crazy house..... I should also mention before I go, that I'm really, really, REALLY, excited to be on my way to somewhere with a nice sandy beach in the presence of such extraordinary company! See you all in a week when I get back!

FOTD

2010-11-05T08:32:00.013-06:00

I did a haul post not long ago about the NYX products I had picked up at the grocery store. I I was using the Purple/Deep Purple/Prune Eye shadows today. After putting them on I didn't really notice a huge difference between the color. It was a little brighter than what I'd normally wear, but I think if I mix these colors with some contrasting colors I could have a pretty good look going on!

I started out by sweeping the Pink color (Prune) all over my eyelid. Next I swept the Purple over the outer eye, and lastly I applied the Deep Purple to my creases. It pretty much blended together to form a new color, so I don't know... maybe I got a little heavy handed and screwed it up myself, but those are the breaks! I'd love to know what you'd think!

Yes, I do realize that my faces are absolutely ridiculous! But I have great reason to have happy silly faces! it has something to do with the fact that I'm going to be headed out on Vacation in a couple more days... Tomorrow to be exact! The count down has been on for just over a month, and the more I wait, the more excited I get about it! I think that this eyeshadow could be a good look for me down in a tropical place! The reasoning is, is everything south of the border is a little bit outlandish (no offense to anyone south of the border!!)!

For Example: Have you ever been to Mexico and found the most AMAZING decoration? You obsess over it and think, about how this decoration would look SO amazing in the house, only to find out that when you actually bring it home its tackier than all get-out? Maybe its just me that does things like that, but I find that things you find in tropical destinations look like they belong there and fit the theme of the country that they are found in. As soon as you relocate it up to the frigid north (where I'm normally located) it looks ridiculous! Chili Pepper decor when its -40 Degrees Celsius just doesn't go! But in all seriousness... look at what people wear. You'd get made fun of for wearing a hawaiian shirt and neon shorts up north, down south you just fit in! So I'm going to take my pretty purple eyeshadow and put it on to my hearts content, then try to blend in like a local (minus my pasty white skin...) You never know! I could even miraculously learn to speak spanish fluently while I'm down there! Actually the only phrase I plan on saying is... "Mucho cervasa por favor!!" (Yes, I realize I probably butchered the spelling, but perhaps I will find me a hot little senor to help me with my spanish!!)

Anyways, now that I've ranted about decor, made fun of another countrys style, and most likely butchered a language I hardly know nothing about... I think I should take off and actually get some packing done before my big excursion! Actually I probably already have it done, because I cheated and made this a scheduled post! Figured I'd better, because I don't want all of you beauties forgetting about this pretty face while I'm away, and my week has been so busy that I knew I wouldn't be having time to sit down and actually write this up!

Pink Kaolin Clay Mask

2010-11-03T08:24:00.001-06:00

I just recently started learning about different clays. Today I'm featuring Pink Kaolin Clay (as I'm sure you figured out by the title!!) The Kaolin Clay comes in a variety of colors, all having different healing abilities. Pink clay, also known as "China Clay" is used for people with dry or sensitive skin. This clay is very gentle. It cleanses, exfoliates, and stimulates blood flow to the areas it is applied on. I could go on for days about it, but I'm going to stop here.

I made a mask using the Pink Kaolin Clay, Rose Hydrosol, Tea Tree Oil, Grapefruit Essential Oil, and Glycerin. When I used to think of Glycerin, I used to think of a chemical. During all of my research I actually learned that the Glycerin I'm using is vegetable derived. Who knew!? Anyways. As usual I picked the ingredients for this mask due to their specific properties.

Rose Hydrosol, is basically rose water. It is the leftovers from the distilling process of rose petals, to get Rose Essential Oil. I use this stuff every time I wash my face as a toner. Not only does it leave my skin incredibly fresh, I've noticed the pores on my face are no longer visible (unless you look very, very closely with a magnifying mirror). Its a very affordable product, and I'd recommend this to anyone!

Next I used Tea Tree Oil. TTO is a great natural antiseptic. I figured if I was going to be cleansing my face, I might as well try and combat some of that bacteria lurking about on the surface of my skin. I'm not a huge fan of the smell, but I added a small amount so it didn't really take on that medicinal scent.

Grapefruit Essential Oil has an uplifting effect on the mood and helps with stress and depression. It is used with great success to combat muscle fatigue and stiffness while stimulating the lymphatic system and thereby clearing the body of toxins. It helps to clear congested oily skin and also assists with acne, while toning the skin and tissues. Sounds like a heck of a product to me!

Glycerin is a natural humectant which means it attracts moisture to skin and hair. It is a natural remedy for yeast and bacterial infections. It is also is great for sensitive skin.

I mixed all of the ingredients together to form a nice creamy paste, it had the consistency of smooth peanut butter. The clay turns a redish-brown color when you add the liquids to it. I put some water on the stove and when it boiled I stuck my head above it in order for my face to benefit from the steam. It allowed my pores to open so that the mask could penetrate and give me an extra deep cleanse. I left the mask on for 15 mins, washed off, and followed with a rose hydrosol as a toner and my skin felt fantastic! The next day my makeup went on flawlessly and my skin looked incredibly hydrated! I'm sooo adding this treatment to my MUST do's! I think once a week and my skin should stay in tip top shape!

AND THE WINNER IS....

2010-11-01T09:23:00.000-06:00

This morning was the end of my 100th BLOG POST GIVE-AWAY. I wrote all of your lovely names on little pieces of paper put them in a pretty bowl and drew one lucky winners name out of the dish!

CONGRATS TO..... Angela Britton!! You are the winner of $100.00's worth of beauty products! Thank you to all of you that entered, and thank you for the lovely comments you all left! I have checked out all of your blogs, and hope to hear and see more of you all!

Once I get a picture of everything I've accumulated for my prize I will post it! I hope you all have a lovely couple weeks! I will have some serious reading to do when I get back from holidays!

Haul!

2010-10-30T10:31:00.000-06:00

I went shopping the other day and somehow wandered into the makeup isle... (I was in the grocery store none the less) I found some really great stuff that I couldn't help but pick up!! Normally I buy the same things over and over, because we all know... a known evil is better than an unknown evil. This time I picked things that I normally never buy.

First I discovered the NYX Collection. I have to admit, I'd never used any of their products, but I loved the packaging, so I was sold!

I grabbed some DOLL EYE Mascara (Waterproof) in Black. I really liked the way that it made my lashes all feathery looking, the only thing I didn't like was that after curling my eyelashes it made them go back to the way they were before. The only mascara that I've found that doesn't do this is Covergirl Lashblast (the orange on, in waterproof) I probably won't be purchasing this mascara again, but I'm going to enjoy using it while I have it!

Purple/Deep Purple/ Prune

I loved their selection of eye shadows! I had no idea where to even start! I figured pinks and purples, and some brown and gold tones were always flattering, so that's what I picked up. I got the Eyeshadow combo thing in TS06, which is Purple/Deep Purple/Prune, and another one in TS02A, which is called Honey Comb. I have only tried the one eyeshadow palette so far, and I have to say I loved it! I'm about to hit the shower after this post, and after the shower I plan on applying the other one. (Future posts will go into greater detail)

Honey Comb

Next I randomly grabbed some Eyeliner. I got the FELT TIP LINER in Dark brown, and OMG, I love this! I've never been so in love with an eyeliner before! All I know is that I'm going to snatch this up in every single color! Basically its like drawing on your eyes with a medium tipped marker. It goes on like a liquid liner with the ease of a liner pencil. It dries fast, and doesn't smudge, so if you are looking for a fantastic liner, this is it! They really hit the mark with this product!

10 seconds, 5 seconds, Instantly

I did a test with the eyeliner to see how great it worked. The first line I let dry for 10 seconds before I rubbed it, the second for 5 seconds, and the smudged on I rubbed as soon as I applied it! It has great lasting power if you ask me, and at least I know it isn't going to be smudged all over my face if I decided to rub my eyes 10 minutes after I apply it!

I figured Id get some stuff from Revlon. I can't say I've ever been a huge fan of theirs (not that I've given them a chance) But it always reminded me of an old lady! I bought some PhotoReady Makeup in 003 Shell. Not thrilled. I think it might have something to do with the fact that I'm actually a few shades darker than this color! I'm going to try mixing it with some darker foundation today and see if that helps, but its not the right color for me, so I was a little disappointed.

Continuing on with Revlon I got the ColorStay Mineral Finishing Powder in 030 Sunkiss. I really like this! I find that it sets my makeup and it adds a nice little glow to my skin! I would recommend this overall! I'm looking forward to using it again!

While I was browsing I hit the lipgloss section. A girl always needs a good gloss! I picked up BONNEBELL lipLITES in Vanilla Swirl... Yum! This stuff not only goes on great, it smells and tastes great as well! I also grabbed some MAYBELLINE Shine Sensational Lip Gloss in Freshly Sliced. Not as wild about this one as the other one, but its a great on the go lip gloss!

Last but not least I hit the lipstick. Normally I just wear lip gloss, but I figured seeing as how I'm going to be 27 in a couple weeks, it was about time I actually bought a tube of lipstick! I had seen someone do a post on Nude lipstick the other day (I can't remember who the heck it was) and I was in love! I searched every lipstick brand to find the color I was looking for, and finally I found a color called Soft Nude in the Revlon section. I love the way this feels on, and its just a great neutral color! I can't wait to do some smokey eyes, and then use this with it! I think its going to look stunning!

All in all the Eyeliner was the highlight of this trip! I will be heading back to the "Grocery Store" to fill my cart with this stuff, in case they decided to discontinue it, like they always seem to do with my favorite things!

Hope you all have a happy and safe weekend. Happy Halloween!

Beach Bags...

2010-10-28T22:15:00.000-06:00

As most of you know by now I'm off to the sunny Land of Cuba in a few more days!! (9 More I think... well 8 when I wake up) For fun I decided to make all of the girls going a Beach Bag for our trip. I found the most fun fabric I could find (I missed the great summer collection), so they're a little more fallish, but I still think they are great! Anyways, I wanted to share them with you, and I'd love to know which ones you like the best! Oh, and for Krystle and Karen, I'd love to know which ones you like, so that I can pack them in my suitcase (which I almost am finished packing!!)

I also wanted to brag about how proud I am of myself! Normally when I go on vacation I pack last minute. Thus, resulting in mis-matched clothes that don't go together what-so-ever. The worst part is, is that my suitcase is ALWAYS over-weight with junk I don't need. This time, I made a list of all the clothes I had, or the clothes I wanted (that are at home still) and I tried them all on to make sure that they went together, made a list, and packed my clothes in the order I planned on wearing them. OCD much...?!?!? But If any of you have traveled with me, you know that after the first hour of arriving in my hotel room, it looks as though my suitcase has thrown up all over the floor. I'm pretty sure my pre-planning is going to eliminate this! Well... that is until I can't find something I need and end up rummaging through the entire thing creating the same "barfed on the floor" effect! Regardless, I'm making the effort to do things differently and I hope that this time I manage to go an ENTIRE week without a nauseated suitcase! I don't know why I felt the need to share that with you, but I'm pretty excited about my organized behavior (its way, way out of character for me. Anyways, I can't wait to post pictures of my get-away... but obviously that's not going to be for a few weeks yet! And, as promised.... The unveiling of the Beach Bags!!

Fun Flower Print Bag

Polka dot/Target Bag

Geometric Prints?? Bag

Help My SIL win a contest for FASHION MAGAZINE!!

2010-10-28T16:08:00.000-06:00

Natasha (my favorite Sister-in-Law) has entered a contest for FASHION Magazine. She needs you to view her video in order for her to get votes (she's 300 behind the top person)! I would love for you guys to check her out, she's a super talented, super sweet girl!

http://www.fashionmagazine.com/videos/fashion/natasha-janzen/

You can also check out her Blog as well. REQUIRED2BEINSPIRED . Make sure you check out my niece too! She's the cutest thing you've ever seen, and I'm her biggest fan!

The Ultimate Engagement Ring - Challenge Submission

2010-10-26T23:36:00.000-06:00

The Ultimate Engagement Ring - Challenge Submission

I just wanted you all to take 5 mins out of your day and go and read this little story! It's a contest to win an amazing engagement ring for on of our fellow bloggers. I wanted to pass this on because I really enjoy reading Laura Beths Blog, and she's always been a faithful follower of mine! (She leaves the greatest comments as well!!) So help them out, because I'd love to see her win something special like this!

While you are at it, check out her blog! She's very talented!! MAKEUP MY MIND, and its always a great read!

Good Luck Love!

Vanilla Hazelnut Body Scrub!!

2010-10-26T12:01:00.000-06:00

I figured since winter is just ahead of us, it was time that we did something to ward off that scaly winter skin! I am obsessed with a good body scrub, but I hate having to pay a ridiculous amount for one! The inspiration for this one came from my fantastic cup of Java this morning! You can make a great body scrub out of the things you have in your very own kitchen. If you want to get a little more creative, head to your local health food store and check out their assortment of oils! There are also wonderful places online that you can purchase supplies from.

If you do decide to make your own scrub I'd love to hear about what you used and how it turned out! Happy mixing! I decided that I would give you the recipe I used because it turned out fantastic!

INGREDIENTS:

1 Cup Brown Sugar

1/2 Cup White Sugar

1/3 Cup Dead Sea Salt

1/8 Cup Coffee

1/3 Cup Apricot Kernel Oil

1/3 Cup Golden Jojoba Oil

1/4 Cup Apricot Extract

1/8 Cup Avocado Butter, Melted

1 Tbsp. Cocoa Butter, Melted

1 Tbsp. Organic Tamanu Oil

1 Tbsp. Hydrovance

1/2 Tsp. Germall

15 ml Vanilla Hazelnut Fragrance Oil

35 ml Tahitian Vanilla Fragrance Oil

You can use any other fragrance oils you think you'd like in here. Essential oils would be great too, because they have natural health benefits, and I'm a firm believer in using natural things on your skin! Do some research and customize this to you own skincare needs!

First you mix all of your dry ingredients together. Make sure you mix them well. Next, add all of your oils into the dry mixture. Mix so that your oils are evenly dispersed through the dry mixture. If you find your scrub is a little oily you can always add some more dry ingredients to your scrub. I add more white sugar because I find it gives a better exfoliation than the rest of the sugars or salts! After that is all mixed together, I used a dropper to add my fragrance. You can add as much or as little as you want depending on how strong you want your scrub to smell. I like a medium balance, and that's what the amounts I added will give you.

This recipe yields about 12 oz. I filled 3- 4 oz jars with this deliciousness! (It makes great gifts for friends and family as well)

If you don't have the above ingredients, just use olive oil, or grape seed oil. Any kind of oil works (okay, well maybe not motor oil... but you should probably know that) Scrubs are fantastic, because made at home they are affordable!

Hand before Scrub....

I wanted to show you some before and after pictures of my hands. I started out with nothing on my hands. They are a little dry, but my skin isn't terrible (mostly because I exfoliate on a regular basis). All I know is it could be a heck of a lot better than it is!

Hand during scrubbing process....

Hand after scrubbing....

When you put the scrub on you'll notice the grainy texture, just make sure you don't scrub too hard! I tend to grind it into my skin, because I like that deep cleansing feeling. The only problem with this is I tend to make my skin turn a little bit red! If you have sensitive skin, this could be a problem! Make sure that before you use it you test it on a small patch of your skin so that you don't have a reaction! This can be used a couple times a week to keep your skin in tip top shape! I use it every couple of days seeing as how I have dry skin!

*Note... this will make a mess in the bottom of your shower! Don't worry, it washes right up and I didn't find it to be too slippery on the floor!*

I also wanted to mention, that if you are making this for yourself, make it in smaller amounts, as you do not want to create bacteria in your scrub (this happens when it sits too long without being used)! If you do make a large batch, give some of it away to your friends and family! I added some preservative to mine because I made a larger batch and I won't be able to use it all up right away. I also plan on giving one of these lovely scrubs away in my Give-Away, so it has to have some lasting power to get to one of you fabulous ladies/gents.

NOTD

2010-10-25T10:27:00.000-06:00

This morning I woke up, and much to my liking there was snow on the ground!! The only depressing thing is I know its not going to last! Its already turned into a muddy mess!! Either way, I figured it was time to put away my bright cheery colored nail polish, and switch more to my rich darker winter colors! I still plan on digging out the bright pink ones every now and then, but today just didn't seem like the right day.

I started out by using a base coat on my nails. Next I rummaged around and found this amazing shade of purple! I used MAYBELLINE EXPRESS FINISH Fast-Dry Nail Enamel in, Chocolate Grape. It dries as more of a brownish color than the purple I thought it was going to be. I liked the color, but I wasn't crazy crazy about it, so I decided to throw some sparkles on top! It was a toss up between some gold sparkles or silver sparkles. We all know that purple and gold goes well together, and if you didn't know that... you now do! I figured I'd be a little more risky and step outside of my comfort zone to the silver sparkles.

The first coat of sparkles and I knew it was a hit! It reminded me of freshly fallen snow (if it's possible for nail polish to remind you of such a thing) I used CHINA GLAZE Nail Laquer With Hardners in, Tinsel. This is the first time I've actually used this polish since I bought it (8 months ago). I'm actually really terrible for buying things and never using them! It is something that I'm working on, and I'm making great progress with! It also means I don't have half bottles of everything laying around (shampoo, nail polish remover, face wash, hairspray.... its even spread so far that I have a ton of clothing that are hanging in my closet with the tags still on them....) So I guess my before New Years Resolution is to use up all the half bottles of things I have so that I can start the New Year out with brand new stuff! I'm sure if I don't start changing I'll end up on that TV show "Hoarders"... and I really really don't want that!

Well as you can all see I get a little off track sometimes, but hey, that's half the fun about blogging! I would also like to mention my little rose that posed for so many pictures with my freshly painted nail polish! They were a gift from my mom when she stopped by work one day! They're getting to be on their last legs, so I figured I'd better get them in at least one picture!

I hope you all have a fantastic Monday, and that it continues to be wonderful throughout the rest of the week! Don't forget to check out the blog Give-Aways on my sidebar! There are some fantastic prizes!!

I SALUTE YOU

2010-10-22T16:30:00.000-06:00

I was doing my makeup today, and as soon as I put some color on my lips I was reminded of the Army. I have no idea why, but I was. I just so happened to have an army green shirt which I think went perfect with this look!

I wanted to use brown today because I was aching for fall to stay! It tried snowing for a better part of the day. As much as I love the big fluffy white flakes, I'm convinced that it's just not time yet! I started out by using NARS Primer on my eyelids. Next I swept the color brun across the entire lid. I hilighted the creases and the outside of the lid with Concrete and used a golden coppery color to just add a little pop of contrast along the creases and in the center of my eyes. I used some GOSH, in Pineapple, along the brow bone, and when I realized that it was a little too yellow I just brushed on some PIURRE EFFECT in color #310 (This happens to be my most favorite color in the world!!)

I used eyeshadow and lip gloss to make my lip color. The reddish color I used was GOSH, in Rosewood. I found it to be a little more on the orange side than I'd usually wear, but for some reason I think it just worked today! I had even more fun taking pictures!

I hope you all have a fun and safe weekend! And if you haven't entered my give-away yet, make sure you do! I'm getting really excited about all the prizes I get to send one of you lucky winners!

TROPICAL DREAMS....

2010-10-21T13:35:00.000-06:00

Today I realized its only 16 days until I'm jetting off to warm, tropical, sunny Cuba! It inspired me to whip up a batch of new body lotion to get me geared up for vacation (Not that it takes much). I made a new body lotion called "TROPICAL DREAMS". It smells basically like a Pina Colada, with a hint of citrus fruits, YUM! I picked a bunch of products that I have in my "Creativity Box", for many different reasons. First, I've run out of my favorite oils. Second, I had a bunch of oils that I had never used before. Thirdly, I was feeling a little bit experimental today! I'm going to go through and give you a run-down on all the products I selected and why.

INGREDIENTS:

WATER: Water is the main ingredient in most lotions, so it just made sense to use it! It was filtered for sanitary reasons!

APRICOT KERNEL OIL: It is suitable for all types of skin. It aids in slowing down the aging process and is of great use in treating inflamed skin. Being an emollient, it provides complete relaxation to the body and mind.

ALOE EXTRACT: The oil extracted from Aloe Vera plant is believed to be a great skin rejuvenatory product. It ensures speedy recovery of wounds and is also quite effective in treating sunburns (bonus for vacation!!). It is also able to penetrate quickly and deeply into the skin resulting in great hydration and moisturization for your skin!! For body scars and stretch marks, Aloe Vera oil truly works wonders!

SODIUM LACTATE: Sodium lactate is a natural humectant, moisturizer and pH regulator. Produced from renewable resources it is completely biodegradable. This makes sodium lactate a better choice when moisturization is desired. It is used to replace glycerin in formulations (and in my opinion, it does a heck of a better job!!)

AVOCADO BUTTER: It is a rich source of vitamin A and D that are very vital for the human body. It also blocks the way for sun rays, thereby protecting your skin from being destroyed by blazing heat of sun. It nourishes the skin and returns the lost glow and charm to the skin.

CAMELINA OIL: This oil has also been called the "Gold of Pleasure" or "Wild Flax". Due to its high content of Omega 3, up to 45%, it is a good replacement for fish oils!

CRANBERRY SEED OIL: Cranberry seed oil is unique in the vegetable oil market since it contains a 1:1 ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Essential fatty acids like omega-3 and omega-6 are critical to the body to help improve cardiovascular function, increase circulation and strengthen the immune system. It is also a wonderful oil for hydration! This oil is fairly expensive, so you don't see it used a lot!

SILK POWDER:On the skin, silk powder radiates and reflects UV rays, acting as a natural sunscreen. It is able to superbly retain the skin's natural moisture, preventing dryness, while absorbing excess sebum. For the acne prone, silk even contains anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties. Good quality silk powder also contains many amino acids, like alanine, glycine and serine, which are the building blocks of protein and are essential to the skin's natural moisturization process. Pure silk is also ideal for sensitive skin, and balances the skin's pH levels.

I finished making this lotion a couple hours ago, and it took about an hour to cool and set. I put in on my hands an hour ago, and I still feel incredibly moisturized. This lotion felt a little greasy at first, but ended up soaking in very fast! Its going to be a must for the winter season! Besides, everyone needs a little bit of sunshine to help shorten this ridiculously long winter that we all up here in Northern Canada get to suffer through!

I sent a jar of this lotion over to a friend of mine who's Rig is a few kilometers away (36, if you want to get technical) I gave it to a service hand to take there for me (because I'm not allowed to leave my location) and he was rather amazed that I had actually made it myself. Not only that, he had to take the lid off so he could smell it. His reaction... "Hmmm, this smells pretty *$#($)# good." Men... lol.

I asked Stephanie to review the lotion for me. Her reaction: My hands feel silky smooth now. It soaks in to your skin right away."

Before Lotion

After Lotion

You can't tell a huge difference in the pictures of my hands, but I could sure tell in person! It made my skin so much more supple and hydrated! LOVE THIS STUFF!

I've saved a jar of it for my 100TH BLOG POST GIVE-AWAY Winner. Make sure if you haven't entered that you do, and don't forget to post about it, or put a picture on your side bar with a link back here for an extra entry!

Where there is smoke there is fire!

2010-10-20T14:40:00.001-06:00

I decided today that I wanted to do a smokey eye! Now It probably isn't as dramatic as it would be if I was going out for a night on the town, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to get made fun of for even brushing my hair at work today.

I started by using NARS primer on my eyelids. I used an angled brush to line the lower lashes with MAC's Knight eyeshadow. On the top I brushed a lighter grey... Black tied, if you want to be technical! Then used the Knight on the outer eyelid. I brushed a little bit of gold on it for something interesting, and then used a pinkish color to do the brow bone. I kept the lips a lighter color. I actually used eyeshadow and lip gloss to get the desired color, and I have no idea what I mixed together... All in all this is something I would wear out! I quite liked it, and the longer I had it on today, the better it looked! Strange how that happens! Anyways... here are some pictures of the final results!

DON'T FORGET TO ENTER MY 100TH BLOG POST GIVE-AWAY!!!

NOTD

2010-10-19T13:45:00.000-06:00

I've had this nail polish in my bag for a couple years and never really used it. I've tried it out a few times because I just love the color of it in the bottle. Once I get on one coat of it, I always end up taking it off because I'm not thrilled how it looks on. A couple weeks ago I decided to be patient and actually do two coats of it. Well Surprise Surprise, I loved it! I couldn't get enough of it!

Needless to say, I've painted my nails the same color for the last two weeks! This nail polish has better lasting power than any others I've tried, and even when it starts to chip, you can't really notice. I'm guessing because of the neutral color. This happens to be a great thing for me, because sometimes I'm just lazy and don't feel like dealing with chipped polish! I looked all over the bottle, and couldn't find what the color is. There is a lot number and thats about it! The brand is: RIMMEL PLAY FAST 710 STREET WEAR (or at least thats all the writing on the front of the bottle) Either way, this is now a new staple to my fall nails! Its neutral, natural, and it reminds me of the seasons changing!

If you haven't entered my 100th Post Give-Away, make sure you do! I've been shopping like a mad woman, and I think this is going to be a great give-away! (mostly because I want to keep everything I've bought for it so far!) Remember, you also get another entry to all of this fabulous stuff if you re-post it on your blog or sidebar! Good Luck to everyone!

100TH BLOG POST!!

2010-10-15T18:31:00.001-06:00

In honor of my 100th blog post I'm doing a give-away! I just want to thank all of you for taking the time to read my blog and leave such lovely comments! You guys are the reason that this is so much fun! As sporadic as I've been lately I haven't forgotten about you all, and I periodically pop in to check out what you are all up to.

Now the give-away prize is going to be a surprise! The total Value of your surprise will equal $100.00! That's right ladies (or gents, if there are any that read this) $100.00 's of my hard earned money is going to go to one of your beautiful faces!

The rules of the blog are as such:

1) You must be a follower of this blog.

2) Mention this blog give-away in a post, or add it to your sidebar (you will get an extra entry for this).

3) You should leave your email so I can get a hold of you to let you know if your the lucky winner

4) Leave the address to your blog, so that all of my other lovely followers can check you out!

Good Luck to everyone! This contest closes November 1, 2010 (so that I can ship your prize off before I leave on my week long vacation with the girls to Cuba!)

Most Hilarious Blog I've ever read!

2010-10-11T15:18:00.000-06:00

A friend told me about this Blog HYPERBOLE AND A HALF. I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my life! I just thought I would pass this little grammar lesson on, because I was amused by it!

http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/04/alot-is-better-than-you-at-everything.html

On another note. My mom is coming to have dinner with me at work today! I'm super duper excited! Now I just need to finish cleaning, so that my place is up to her standards!

Biore

2010-10-10T16:47:00.000-06:00

Do you remember those little nose strips that were all the rage awhile back (I'm pretty sure I was in high school when they made their debut). I found some in my suitcase... RANDOM! I've had this suitcase for 4 years now, and I finally went through and took some stuff out of the side pockets and this is one of the things I found. I figured I'd give it a shot and see if they still worked.

First you start by wetting your face, then apply the strip and pat down. This set had ones for the face, so I figured I'd use it on my chin just for fun. Anyways, after applying I wandered around in my room (I'm at work, so I figured my co-workers probably wouldn't appreciate seeing me like that. After 10 minutes I peeled them off and examined the damage! It took a few of those pesky blackheads out, but not all of them. I suppose a few is better than none! I even took a few pictures for your entertainment!

TEA TREE OIL

2010-10-06T23:24:00.000-06:00

I had been having problems with my skin lately (actually for awhile), and the lady at the spa doing my facial a couple months ago had told me I should go and see a dermatologist about Cystic Acne, because she thought that's what was causing all the problems on my face. I did some research to find out what it was all about, and its not pretty. I'm pretty sure she was bang on, because it looked like the pictures, and it was very painful! Now one of the things that sucks about it, is the bacteria spreads and can cause more breakouts. I wasn't sure my cleanser was doing a good enough job of disinfecting my face so I thought I'd use a cotton pad and put some Tea Tree Oil on it. Tea tree oil contains consituents called terpenoids, which have been found to have antiseptic and antifungal activity. The result on the cotton pad is not pretty! I couldn't believe the stuff (dirt and grime) that actually came off my face!! Here I thought my skin was clean, and it really wasn't.

I've been rubbing the Tea Tree Oil on my face twice daily and I have to say, all the breakouts along my jaw line are just about cleared up! I'm pretty excited about this because for the first time in my life, I have flawless skin that I don't need to cover up with makeup. That's part of the other reason I haven't done any makeup posts lately. I figured I'd get my skin all fixed up before I started putting anything on it! Anyways, if you know anyone who's suffering from acne... tell them to try this! I've tried it before and its worked, and its just proving it again!! The only downfall to this is.... it smells disgusting. I'm not a huge fan of the whole "medicinal" scent, but who knows, different strokes for different folks!

MAKE-UP-LESS CREATIVITY

2010-10-04T09:46:00.001-06:00

Today's post is going to be a little different! I haven't got the least bit ready (so please excuse the horrendous eyebrows, and makeup less face). Well I finally showered, so I guess I'm halfway there. But the post is actually on some arts and crafts I did. Actually, I made my very first shirt, and I'm sooo proud of myself. Just for the record, the black tank top I'm wearing underneath doesn't belong there... I just couldn't wait to actually take pictures of it, so that's what happened... On another note... I drafted the pattern myself and then altered it so that the shirt actually fit me like it was supposed to. This is pretty good, seeing as how the only thing I really know how to sew is beach bags (and they're probably the most simple thing ever!).

Anyways. I had bought a jumbo bag of fabric from the fabric store, having no idea what the heck I was going to do with any of it and figured it would just come to me. Yesterday I just made a plain black skirt that I can wear when I go on my SINGLE LADIES VACATION in November (to Cuba). Which is kind of off topic, but I thought I'd share it anyways.... Now I wanted a shirt that I could wear with a pair of dress shorts that I have (they are brown, and yes, I made them as well) and I

just didn't know what to do. I found this fabric and I loved it. Its so soft and light, and I thought it would be the perfect material for a tropical destination.

I started out by taping newspaper together so I could start drafting the pattern. I did all of my measurements, and charted them on the paper, and then cut out everything. I got the shirt all sewed together only to realize that the bust line was a good 3 inches below where it was supposed to be, and it was saggy in the armpits, which means my boobs were trying to escape out the side! So, either I lost a ton of weight from cutting out the pattern, or I just can't measure.... I'm guessing its most likely the second of the two. So I stood in front of the mirror and tried pinning it... now this is the tricky part. I don't stand still long enough to pin and remove the garment, so instead I had pins shooting out every which way, (thank goodness the carpet is white, and I have colored heads on the pins because it could have been a disaster). Obviously my pinning technique needs some work, perhaps my favorite SIL can help me with that! (oh, and good luck on your move Tash & Brody) It just so happens that they are moving about 12 hours away from where they were currently living... which puts them a whopping 2 hours away from me now!! YAY!!

While I'm at it, I'm going to post a couple pictures of the beach bags I made! I'm giving one to each of the girls that come on our trip, as well as some of the lotion I made, and some body scrub and I'm super excited! Besides, who doesn't like to start out a Vacay with presents? The pictures don't actually do the bags any justice, they look way better in person, and a lot bigger, but you get the idea!

Anyways, I should probably run, because my mind has a ton of ideas right now, and I'm going to get them all sketched out so that I can keep on sewing! I hope you all have a wonderful Monday, which leads to a marvelous rest of the week!

PHYTOMER PRODUCTS

2010-10-03T09:01:00.000-06:00

The other day I was talking about how the Phytomer line had made my skin AMAZING! I just wanted to share some of the things that I have been using with all of you.

First I start off by using the OLIGOPUR Cleansing Gel. This gel is designed to cleanse and eliminate impurities & excess sebum. (Sebum is an oily substance secreted by the sebaceous glands in mammalian skin. Its main purpose is to make the skin and hair waterproof and to protect them from drying out.) I really like this cleanser because it doesn't dry my skin out. It makes my skin feel clean but not tight. I usually apply the cleanser and then leave it on for about a minute, so that it has time to work its magic.

Next I use OGENAGE Toning Cleansing Emulsion. This is a cleanser/toner in a 2 phase lotion that removes makeup and tones all at once. The skin is left, clean fresh and comfortable. Natural ingredient 'SOREINA', which is a soothing aromatic seawater that relaxes the skin and optimizes the benefits of your beauty cream. Basically all you need to do is shake the bottle well, apply all over your face with a cotton pad and leave on. It hydrates the skin at the same time as it cleanses and tones.

Twice a week I've been using the VEGETAL Exfoliant. It says it is supposed to adapt to every skin type. It eliminates impurities and refines the skins texture. I have to say it TOTALLY works! I wish I could use this product everyday, because I'm in love with the way my skin feels after. I normally use it after I've had a hot shower, so that my pores are open and it has a better chance of actually doing something.

The reason I tried this line of skin care products is because I had gone for a facial a few months ago and this is what they used. I secretly checked everything out when I was getting dressed and ready to leave the room (only because I'm nosey) The next day my skin was AMAZING. I've never seen it look so glowy and hydrated! So I checked out the products on eBay, and bought them. Just for the record, the spa I went to was RAIN in Edmonton. If you're ever in the West Edmonton Mall... check this place out!

Needless to say, I'm a huge follower of this line now. Its a little pricey, but I'd rather spend a few extra bucks on something that works and have flawless skin rather than spend a fortune on a bunch of beauty products that don't do a darn thing and just sit in my bathroom taking up space. The other great thing about this line is that it is supposed to be good for sensitive skin. They have a whole bunch of different products to cater to your skin type. You can check out their website PHYTOMER and see for yourself.

NAIL PENS

2010-10-02T08:22:00.000-06:00

So the other day I had a comment (after one of my posts I did on my nails) asking what kind of nail pens I used for nail art Great question by the way! There are a ton of different ones out there, but the ones I was using were ENAMEL ART 1000. I was given them as a gift, but I'm pretty sure that my cousin got them off of eBay or from the local dollar store. One of the two. Anyways... The reason I love these so much is because you have a couple different options with them. Most nail art pens just have a tip that you can draw with. These ones have a needle like tip on the end, and on the inside, if you unscrew the top, you also have a thin brush to paint with. So depending on the look your going for, you have a couple options.

I have these in a few different colors. They have no names, so I'm just going to explain what they may be.

1) Forrest Green (which is obviously a dark green)

2) Candy Apple Red

3) Gold Sparkles

4) Silver Sparkles

5) Bright Pink

6) Lilac

7) Bright Purple

8) Emerald Green

9) Traffic Cone Orange (which I have yet to use...)

10) Pearly White (I have two of these ones, and I use them tons!)

Now the brush I don't really like to use because I find it a bit bulky. I think it would be great for painting french tips though. If I was going to use it for designs the only thing that I would like changed is a thinner brush. Other than that, I have no complaints about the polish. It seems to have incredible lasting power (usually more than the overall coat of nail polish I use), which is rather strange! Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, but I think this company should make some nail polish (and who knows... they probably do, I just haven't looked into it further), because I'd be all over it!

Now you can see how small the needle tip is for the other portion. I think this is fantastic because it allows for more precision. The one thing I love about these nail pens is the bases. When you need to put it down it actually stands upright, that means when you lay it down, you don't get polish everywhere! The only thing I've noticed about the needle tipped pen is that it's kind of hard to squeeze while your trying to draw. If you squeeze to hard you get too much polish out, and if you don't squeeze hard enough you don't get enough. But if those are my only complaints, then I think I'm doing pretty well. Overall I'd recommend these to anyone looking to spice up their nails! I have no idea where to find these, but I'm sure some googling would be helpful, and there are a ton of affordable nail pens on eBay (which is my favorite place to shop)! I hope this was helpful and I'd love to see some of your nail art! Its always nice to get some fresh ideas, because lately the creativity juices are running on empty!

Randoms...

2010-10-01T10:26:00.000-06:00

So I took these pictures a few weeks ago... actually more like two months ago! I don't know what I was wearing for makeup, or what I did with my hair, but I think I look rather pertty, so I thought I'd just post them anyways! The first picture obviously I had put my hair up, and I think my eyeliner looks pretty decent. I know my SIL will catch the "Fashion Faux Pas" of my bra straps showing, but I know that I put a sweater on over top of the shirt, so really... it never happened! lol

I also have to thank my wonderfully clear skin to my new cleanser I got. I started using the Phytomer line and its been doing wonders for me! I'll go into a little more detail about it in a future post, but I'm thrilled to have finally found something that works for me!

On another note I'm super excited about my teeth! I know I did a post awhile ago on how I had "Invisaline, and I'm so excited how my teeth have actually turned out! I've had the retainers for 5 months now. I'm just waiting for my mom to come visit me so that she can bring me my last two sets, and then I have 4 weeks left! YAY!! Of all of the silly things I've bought, I have to say that this one is my favorite! I love my smile now!

I think the last picture showcases them fairly well!

Anyways, I should run for the day and try and catch up on everyone elses blog that I've missed for the last couple months! All I know is... I'm soooo glad to be back! I can't wait to do some new posts with a bit of the new makeup I have, and maybe try some new hair stuff (oh... and I officially have dark hair again, so stay tuned for some more pictures!!)

I've missed this....

2010-09-30T14:14:00.000-06:00

Well I'm finally back! I have to say, I've actually missed blogging and all of you guys too! Now that I'm back at work I finally have the time to do up a bunch!

Anyways, the other day at work I was bored so I decided to paint my nails. I think they turned out rather cute! I think it was even better because a few guys actually commented on them! So obviously they were attention getting.

I used some black nail polish, and then used some nail pens that my cousin had given me and did little flowers.

Well I'm still trying to get unpacked, but I will be back for sure tomorrow! I hope you all are having a wonderful day!

Getting to know my readers...

2010-08-07T15:24:00.000-06:00

So I was thinking it would be fun to get to know all my readers a little bit better by asking some random questions.... so here we go.

1) What are you most proud of?
2) If you had 3 wishes, what would they be?
3) If you could do anything out of character and remain completely anonymous, what would you do?
4) One food you could never get tired of?
5) What is your guilty pleasure?
6) What is one quirky habit you have?
7) What is the one thing you would like to accomplish in life?
8) What made you decide to start blogging?
9) One random fact you would like to share with everyone else?

Here are my answers:
1) Being able to pick myself up and become a better person after the loss of my son.
2) That I could wake up with perfect hair and makeup, That I win the lottery one day soon, and that I meet and marry the man of my dreams
3) I would replace all of the soap in soap dispensers with mustard to teach people a lesson in trust!
4) Guacamole (obviously I did my color scheme wrong... this should have been green!)
5) Watching thunder and lightning storms
6) I always make at least one funny face while taking pictures for my blog or of myself (the kissy face/fishlips is a popular pose)!
7) I would like to start a successful skincare line
8) My wonderful sister-in-law, because hers was so wonderful, I thought it would be fun to have something to do while I was at work to pass the time. And all of your wonderful comments keep me motivated to do it.
9) I hate the taste and texture of fuzzy peaches candies. They make my skin crawl! Bah!

Well I know 9 is kind of a random number, but I decided that it was enough questions for now! I'm really excited to hear all about you guys! Anyways, I thought I would prove my funny face picture theory and entertain you with some of the candid shots! Have a wonderful day!

Apparently I think fish lips make me look sexy and dangerous!

Figured I'd save the best for last!

Who beat me?

2010-08-05T10:01:00.000-06:00

The only thing I can think of that is a close color to my eyeshadow today is a bruise... or now that I think about it a littler harder, oil? You know how oil gets in the sunlight, it has a bunch of swirled colors (just obviously not as dark)? Maybe I just sniffed a bit too much cleaner this morning while mopping my floors! I'll be back to normal in a couple hours (I think).

I started out by priming my eyelids with NARS primer. Next I swept on the purple color over my entire eyelid, and then eventually I added this green sparkly color to the outer eyes and blended. I got it out of my 360 Deluxe Pallet from Sephora. I dusted a little gold on the brow bone and then blended with my fake MAC brushes. This is how it turned out. Not my favorite, but it still works.

The one thing I'm learning is that you have to change your makeup depending on your hair color! Now that I have blond hair I'm starting to notice that certain things look better than others, and the things that looked amazing when I had dark hair... don't work so well. Its a trial and error thing, but hopefully we get some great looks out of the process!

The final product in natural light. I kind of makes my eyes the focus! I like it! Probably not my favorite everyday look, but I think I'll do this look again!

ONE MANS JUNK....

2010-08-02T08:18:00.000-06:00

After reading my sister in laws blog about heading to the thrift store for accessories, I figured I should give it a shot myself. I have to admit, the thought of wearing or buying someone elses stuff kinda skeeves me out! But I figured what the heck... time to step outside of my little box!

I figured I'd start by looking for a doily, seeing as how Natasha made a wonderful shirt out of them. I ended up in the table cloth section where this bright pink color caught my eye! I started laughing to myself when I realized that it was actually a Pashmina scarf... not a table cloth! The best thing about it... the tags were still on it, so that means that nobody has probably wore the thing! Score #1. Secondly I checked out the jewelery section (very limited) but I did find this necklace out of shells, which I decided would make a great summer bracelt! Just wrap the thing around 4 times, and voila! I found a brooch while I was going to pay for all 2 of my finds and figured it fit in with the shell theme, so I bought it and attatched it to the outside of the bracelet! I think they go together fairly well! So in total I spent $3.50, for 3 items that I will most likely get a lot of use out of! I think someone just created a monster, because I can't wait to go thrifting again!!

Not just for hookers anymore..

2010-08-01T12:14:00.000-06:00

My nails of the day are this gorgeous shade of red... with sparkles of course! The one thing that sticks in my mind in a child is my mom telling me that only street walkers wear this color, and I wasn't allowed to put it on my fingernails. So the greatest thing about being a grown up is that I can paint my nails what ever gosh-darn color I want! And I'm pretty sure I don't look like a hooker! I might be wrong... but whatever! I like it, and that's all that matters.

I painted my nails with FINGER PAINTS Nail Color, in Magenta Mood. Every time I paint this color on my nails it reminds me of Dorothy's ruby red shoes! Whats with me and the Wizard of OZ references lately? I have no idea...

The one thing I love about this brand of Nail Polish is that if your in a hurry, you only really need one coat. Its nice and thick, drys fast, and goes on evenly. The even better part about this is its affordable! I got this one from SALLY BEAUTY for $3.50 I think? All I know is it was on sale and I snatched it up as fast as possible!

This book was sitting on my desk during my impromptu photo shoot of my nails... I just started reading it and it looks like its going to be a good one! Besides... don't red nails go with a tophat?

Tropical Dreams...

2010-07-31T14:02:00.000-06:00

So I used some colors out of the 360 Pallet I reviewed yesterday. I started out by using NARS Primer on my eyelids. I swept on some MAC (the gold color) across my entire eyelid, then on the outer eye I used a turquoise eyeshadow, and used a little bright blue in there for some contrast. I wish that the teal color was a little brighter, but what can you do... I think this is a good summery look, and I have this perfect dress to wear it with if I get home by the end of the summer. If not... Looks like I will have to pack that little sun dress and take it with me on vacation in November!

That's right, I said vacation! A bunch of my friends have decided that we should get together and have a "Single Girls" trip. I'm really excited because who doesn't love vacation? Plus I get to spend some quality time with some of my favorite people, and get to meet some people I don't know. The always plus of this is some sun, surf, and coconut drinks with the little umbrellas! We have decided that we are going to all book the same week off and then go on a last minute kind of deal so that we aren't spending a fortune to get a tan!

How about you guys? Do you have a favorite place that you like to go? I would love to know if you guys had some unreal vacation experiences, and what are the things that you "must" do when you visit another country? What are your favorite tropical drinks? And what is the one thing that you couldn't live without?

I would have to say for my answers my favorite place I ever went was the Dominican Republic. We went to Punta Cana and stayed at the Barcelo Resort. This was actually a family trip. My parents had given my brother and I all expense paid vacations for Christmas, and this is where we ended up going. The other great thing about this trip was that I got to spend some time with my future sister-in-law. And that marriage turned into me gaining one of the most amazing sister-in-laws/best friends I could ever possibly ask for! The most wonderful thing about this destination was the beautiful beaches, the crystal clear water, and the wonderful resort. If you ever get a chance to go there, do it! (gosh... I sound like I should be writing an article for Trip Advisor) Anyways.... I hope you guys are all having a wonderful weekend!

360 Pallet from Sephora

2010-07-30T12:46:00.000-06:00

I've been talking about this 360 Deluxe Pallet for the last little bit, but I decided I'd finally show you what it was. I went all over the Internet looking for the names of the eye shadows, lip glosses, and blushes that are in this pallet, and I still can't find them! I think I should just rename them myself! I guess if any of you out there have any ideas about it, I'd greatly appreciate it! So for now I'm just going to show you the pallet!

I'm a fan of the lighter colors, but I find the darker colors don't blend as well, and they aren't as vibrant as I would like them to be.

I love all of the colors in this lip gloss pallet, except for the brownish ones. They remind me of the mid 1990's, and who wants to look like they've been kissing ass all day long?

I love all of the blush colors! I don't use them all alone, but usually mix a couple of them together to get the desired look I'm trying to achieve!

This is what the whole thing looks like. The eye shadows slide out to the sides, revealing the lip gloss underneath, and the blush slides out from the bottom! It comes with a mirror in the cover, and its not a bad size. I just measured the entire thing (closed) and its 5 inches wide, and 1.5 inches high. Its a little big to just throw in your purse, but I suppose that depends on the size of your purse and the occasion that you'd be packing it around for.

For the price I have to say I'm rather impressed with this product. I think I will get some use out of it, and when I'm done, hopefully I can figure something out so that I can put new colors and things in the pallet, because it sure beats having a bunch of individual products floating around!

GLAMOUR in a T-shirt...

2010-07-29T08:30:00.000-06:00

So today I decided to be brave and wear some very bright lipstick! I LOVE IT! I have to say, this is the first time I've ever decided to go this bright! I feel so girly! I don't even know what color it is because I got it out of Sephoras 360 pallet (I think that's what its called... ) I just went to check and can't find it on their website. Oh well! Anyways. I love this look, I think its a little glam (minus my t-shirt) I just can't wait to wear this on a night out somewhere! I added some liquid liner, and dusted on a light gold shadow on my lids, put on mascara (obviously), and used a peach color on my cheeks!

Thought I'd share some outside/natural light pictures with you because sometimes it feels like I never leave my house! Plus you can see how blond my hair really is now!

It was kinda bright outside, and I couldn't keep my eyes open, I thought this was a rather hilarious picture so I thought I'd share it with you!

Ojon Haircare

2010-07-28T12:26:00.000-06:00

So I bought this Shampoo & Conditioner set from Sephora not long ago because it seemed to have some good ratings. I really love this product. It smells wonderful! The only complaint I have is it doesn't lather great! If you wash your hair twice the second time lathers more, but its still not as sudsy as I like it. The smell is AMAZING! I can't get enough of it! I actually leave my hair down all day because I can smell it every time I move my head. Most shampoos scent your hair for about an hour, but this one is an all day kind of deal! I found my hair to be shiny and lightweight, none of this heaviness! I found it works extremely well for fine hair. After only using this product for a week I've noticed my hair feels healthier and more shiny than it was before.

With it came the Leave in Glossing cream. I'm not sure how I feel about this product, but it does help smooth down the ends of my hair after styling. The smell is fantastic, and you only need a tiny bit of this product! At the rate I'm going, this is going to last me about a year!

I found the set to be a little expensive for the amount you got. On the plus side of that, I watched the shopping network on this product and found out that they harvest the Ojon oil (which is actually Palm ) from Central America. Ojon is proud to work closely with MOPAWI – a nonprofit group dedicated to promoting sustainable development in the native Miskito and Garifuna populations in the Mosquita region of north–eastern Honduras. I would rather pay a little bit extra for a product that is giving back to the region that it harvests its products from. The great thing about this is they don't just go in and take over, they buy from the local people and help them to sustain their traditional harvesting methods rather than using machines and heavy equipment to harvest the product.

I have to say that I will probably buy this product again because I love the smell and feel of it, and because of the support that this company gives to the people of Honduras. Maybe I'm just a sucker for a good story, but whatever, I'm sure I'm not the only one out there!

PATINA CONCRETE EYELIDS

2010-07-26T11:52:00.000-06:00

Another makeup post! I'm testing out all my new eye shadows and I have to say... I'm loving them! I actually just went on ebay and bought a whole bunch more! I'm sure you all realize that you need to have options! Its kind of like shoes... you can't wear red shoes with a pink dress... well I'm sure you could, but its probably not recommended! (Think Dorothy's ruby red shoes with a baby pink dress... barf!! I even provided you with an example at the end of this post.... ) Same goes with makeup... you'd look ridiculous wearing some colors with some clothes! And you have to test them all out so that you know which ones flatter your skin tones the most! Or at least that's my reasoning! Plus I'm buying each of them for $2.00 or under, so I'm thinking that's a pretty good bargain! They say MAC on them, but I'm pretty sure they're knockoffs! I could be wrong though. I did go check out MAC's website, and they look identical, and some of the colors are even the same! I suppose I'll just have to buy some authentic MAC makeup so that I know for sure if they're the same! Either way... its still a step of from most of the drugstore makeup brands I've bought.

Today I did the same thing with my face. I used a more pink blush that I got out of the SEPHORA Pallet I bought, just because my eyes were a little darker I thought I'd let my cheeks pop a little bit. I used a neutral goldish color on my lip, which I love! And that's pretty much it for the face!

For my eyes I started out using NARS primer. I have to admit, this is the second time (aside from the other day) I've ever used a primer on my lids! I was kind of skeptical that it wouldn't really help with anything... and boy was I wrong! After I did my SATELLITE DREAMS post I noticed that my makeup was still going strong 15 hours later! Very impressed! I think I'm going to have to try out some other primers, even though I do love this one (unfortunately its only a sample!) I think there might be a better product out there! Anyways... back on topic! I used PATINA on my entire eyelid, and then swept CONCRETE on the outer eye and then blended. I followed up with mascara and some liquid eyeliner. I'm rather happy with the results!

I just wanted to say thanks to you all for the lovely comments that you have left me!! They make my day. I hope you are all having a wonderful Monday, and best wishes for the rest of the week!!

Hate the outfits together, but love these shoes! I do believe they are on my must have list!

BLONDIE

2010-07-25T18:37:00.000-06:00

So the other day me and my BFF Candice decided to color my hair. I saw a picture in a magazine that was kind of blond and just fell in love with it (obviously I'm not platinum blond, but this is the lightest I've ever gone) She did an amazing job I think! I'm actually thinking of going a little bit blonder when I go to get my roots done. The one thing I love about having a professional do your hair, is it feels soo much better after! She doesn't work in a salon, but I seriously think she's the most talented person I know (she did go to hair school though) Anyways, I was just wondering if you guys think I should go lighter or keep it at the same color??!?! I love it right now! Somehow blond is just so much more interesting!

MY EGO IS HAVING SATELLITE DREAMS....

2010-07-24T10:34:00.000-06:00

So finally a Makeup Post!! YAY! I was all excited to get ready today because I have a bunch of new makeup to try out! I had ordered a bunch of things from Sephora (first time ever), and I'm pretty much addicted! No more drugstore makeup for this girly!

I started by using MAYBELLINE'S Corrector Concealer Cover Stick. Its a must have in your makeup kit. It completely covers any red marks and it glides on your skin super smoothly! Next I brushed on SEPHORA'S Buildable Cover in Medium. This just helps further reduce any red marks and gives you a good base for foundation. It goes on super velvety too and doesn't cake like I thought a powdery concealer would. Next I applied MAYBELLINE'S Super Stay Makeup in True Beige. My skin was looking pretty good today, so I didn't need to use much. Just enough so that my skin looked nice and even. After Foundation I applied BARE ESCENTUALS Mineral Veil just under my eyes, and it brightened them up immediately! I love this stuff!! If you don't have it, go get it! I brushed on some blush (like a mix of 4 different kinds) and that was pretty much it for my face.

For my eyes I started by using NARS Primer, then I applied MAC Ego Eyeshadow (Pink) to the lids, and swept MAC Satellite Dreams on the outer eye (and a little underneath to line the lower lashes), and blended. I used a Neutral for under the brow bone from my Sephora Compact thing I bought (stay tuned for another post on that one!) And applied about 50 coats of mascara. My favorite right now is LashBlast by COVERGIRL. The thing I love about it is, once you curl your eyelashes and apply mascara, they stay curled, where most just make my eyelashes stick straight out (FRUSTRATING!!), instead of staying curled. Make sure you get the waterproof one though, the regular one doesn't work as well. The only downside is its a BIT*H to wash off! I lined my lashes with ALMAY Liquid Liner, and obviously I was a bit shaky today, but whatever... Nobody should be that close in my face to even notice!

Finally for my lips I just used a neutral lip gloss, because I didn't want to come across as looking like a clown. This is already kind of a bright look for me, so I figured I'd just stick to having one feature that was a little insane. I actually just got a compliment from a boy who said they look sexy, so I'm going to take this as a good thing (the only thing is... he's over 60, so I don't know if I should trust his judgement)... who knows!

NOTD...

2010-07-23T12:16:00.000-06:00

So I know I did a nail post the other day, but for some reason, Nails are my favorite new thing. Obviously I'm a little shaky with the nail art, but it will come! Today I was going through my nail polish trying to match my shirt (which is army green) and I figured purple would go with it! I used Rimmel's 60 Seconds Vinyl Shine. I wasn't too impressed with the color, it went on kind of streaky, even after two coats (hence the nail art, to try and hide it) Either way, it turned out not too bad, but its definitely not my favorite color polish.

I was shopping online for nail polish today, and found some great new colors, until my computer decided to magically shut itself off on me. So hopefully they're still in the shopping cart, because I didn't bother writing down the ones I picked, and I don't really feel like browsing through the selection again... bah... darn technology sometimes! Anyways... here is a couple more pictures of my nails. Let me know what you think!

MYSTERY GIVEAWAY

2010-07-22T11:38:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone stop in and check out Laura Beths giveaway... its a mystery when it will end, but its a worth while check out anyways... and her blog is amazing!

SUMMER NAILS...

2010-07-22T07:33:00.000-06:00

Well now that I'm back to work I have all kinds of time to do fun stuff... like paint my nails. Last night I thought I'd wash the remainder of ancient nail polish off my fingernails (well it wasn't that old, but it was looking kind of sketchy)

The other day I went to visit my Aunt & Uncle & Cousins in the thriving metropolis of Chetwynd, BC (yes... that would be sarcasm...). The first thing my cousin Brooke wanted to do was paint my nails. She did black tips and put some flower stickers on them. I have to say for an 11 year old, she's got some serious talent! She also gave me some Enamel Art pens to take with me, so I couldn't wait to try them out! I have to say, they're pretty fantastic too!

I forgot the base coat.. because I always do. Then I added Finger Paints in "Up & Coming Artist", then used my green nail art pen to draw little polka dot lines, and then finally finished it off with a pearl color flower, also from the nail art pen collection. And then I applied a top coat... because obviously your nail polish has better lasting power when you don't skip this step (which I normally do)

A few months ago I wouldn't have even bothered painting my nails because honestly, I didn't really care. Now that I've been blogging and actually trying to get ready on a daily basis I find that my nails are getting more attention than ever! I can't wait to try some more designs later! But for right now, I'm happy with the way they look. Oh, and a boy even commented on them! So you have to know your doing something right if a dirty oil rig boy compliments you on your fingernails! hahah!

Obviously my cuticles need some work, but that's saved for another day!! (and yes... I know some flowers are smudged if we're getting picky... ) I'm going to chalk that up to my not being able to sit still as soon as I apply a fresh coat of paint!

TWO WEEKS AWAY FROM WORK....

2010-07-21T20:30:00.000-06:00

So I've been getting a lot of flack from my Sister-in-law and my aunt for my lack of posting. I just have to defend myself and say its hard to post when I'm always on the go! I know most of you all have busy lives just the same, but I just never seem to get around to using the computer on my two weeks off. Anyways. I thought I'd just share some highlights of the last couple weeks!

Date night in Edmonton...

My wonderful mother practicing her baseball swing with golf clubs

One of the millions of pictures I thought I needed to take of myself after a few cocktails

Me and my wonderful friend Krystle who I miss tons!!

Golfing! (my new obsession)

It was sooo hot outside! But yes... I'm golfing again....

Angie and I on our golfing excursion!

That's about all I got up to on days off! A whole lot of golf, and a few days at the lake! It was all in all a pretty good couple weeks! Now its back to work, and I'm going to at least have some frequent posts for the next few weeks! I hope you are all doing well, and I can't wait to go and read what you guys have been up to for the last little bit!