The Ultimate Engagement Ring Challenge!

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...

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

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!

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I just want to eat my eyeshadow!!

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

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!!

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?

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?

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!

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!!

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?

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

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!