FOTD - Wet N Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Palette - Pride

Happy Hump Day ladies!

Here is Sunday's FOTD!  I have to say that I really loved the look, but felt a little weird wearing it out.  HA!  I guess it's cuz I wore it out during the day and normally I tend to stick to more natural makeup during the day! Anyway, I used one of the awesome palettes from Wet N Wild.  I gotta tell ya, I am pretty impressed with these shadows!!  You go ahead with your bad self, Wet N Wild! Ya'll are moving on up!!  LOL!

Face

• Ulta Professional Foundation Primer
• Bare Minerals Foundation
• Eve Pearl Salmon Concealer
• Stila Sun Bronzing Powder (contour)
• Milani Blush in Mai Tai

 Eyes

• Urban Decay Primer Potion
• NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk (Inner 1/3 of lid and inner lower lashline)
• Wet N Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Palette - Pride
• Matte White - inner 3rd of the lid and inner lower lashline over NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk
• Matte Teal - center of lid and lower lashline
• Matte Dark Blue  - outter 1/3 of lid and up into the crease and lower lashline over Matte Teal
• Shimmery Dark Blue over the Matte Blue
• Matte White - Highlight
• Black liquid liner (upper lashline)
• NYX White eyeliner (lower lashline)
• Black mascara

Lips

• Can't remember!  No, really I don't remember what I used.  I should have set my lip color aside.  HA!!

Let me know if you've tried any of these palettes and what you think of them!  Would love to hear from you!

Sale at Cherry Culture - 20% off Everything in Store

I know the majority of us makeup enthusiasts frequent the same sites, so you are probably already aware of this, but I figured I would share anyway.  CherryCulture.com is having a sale from June 28, 2011 through June 30, 2011. 

I will definitely be placing an order!  Hope you are able to take advantage of the sale!  Enjoy!

P.S. I LOVE this look and plan on recreating it asap!!  It's so pretty!

FOTD - Soft Green

Happy Monday!  Hope you were all able to get through it! Mondays are so tough after having a nice weekend.  I am so not a morning person, so Mondays always feel like a cruel punishment when the alarm goes off in the morning.

Here is Saturday's (6/25) FOTD.  Just a nice soft green combo with brown eyeliner!

Here's what I used:

Face

• Ulta Professional Foundation Primer
• Bare Minerals Foundation
• Eve Pearl Salmon Concealer
• Stila Sun Bronzing Powder (contour)
• Milani Blush in Mai Tai

Eyes

• Urban Decay Primer Potion
• NYX Jumbo Pencil in Horse Radish (all over lid)
• Palladio Trio from the Baked Collection - Meadow
• Lightest Shade as highlight
• Medium Shade all over lid, above crease, and lower lashline
• Dark Shade in crease and lower lashline
• Brown liquid liner
• Rimmel London Soft Kohl Kajal Eye Pencil - Jungle Green
• Black mascara

Lips

• NYX Sheer Gloss - Orange (Love this stuff)

My brows are outta control! Yuck! Please excuse! :)

Hope you all have a wonderful week!!!

FOTD from Tuesday 6/21 - My daughter's 13th bday!!

My daughter is officially a teenager now!  Oh my goodness! I can't believe it!  She turned 13 on June 21st. We took her out out to dinner to Outback Steakhouse and had a really good time with the family!  Next weekend we're having a little party for her so she is super excited.

On to makeup now! I wanted to share my look for dinner on Tuesday! I came home from work and just threw something together pretty quickly since I didn't have a lot of time.  The eye and lip combo is a little different, but I kinda like it! 

I can't recall all the products I used, but for the eyes, I used an old GWP (Gift with Purchase) palette from Lancome.  I no longer purchase products from Lancome since I learned that they test on animals.  :(

Optic, Exhibition (Top Row), Spectra and Contrast (Bottom Row)

For the lips I used Utterly Frivolous lipstick from the MAC for Fafi collection

Hope you like! Til next time!!

Experiment - Clinique Pore Refining Solutions

Well, it's no secret that I'm no Spring Chicken! I turned 35 this year and am starting to see little things here and there that I am so not happy about! **Sigh** Anyway, one of the things that bugs me the most is the size of the pores on my nose and cheek area.  It drives me insane!!! I feel like they are getting larger and larger and of course having combination/oily skin doesn't help.

Within the last few weeks, I have been researching skincare products that specifically target large pores.  I came across Clinique's Pore Refining Solutions Correcting Serum. I read some good reviews about it so I decided to give it a shot.

Just to give you a little bit of information about this product; Clinique claims that this product "helps skin bring healthier cells to the surface for a tighter, smoother, younger look.  In 2 weeks, pores appear 58% smaller."  It is recommended that you apply morning and night after Clinique's 3 Step System (which I am using right now).

I couldn't find a complete list of ingredients for this product, but according to the little pamphlet that was included in the package, the Correcting Serum is a "lightweight, oil-free serum with Pore Resurfacing Complex." Sounds good to me!! HA!

I have been using the product for about a week now, per the directions on the package and I have to say that I am seeing good results.  Now, it's not like my pores are magically disappearing or anything like that, but they do appear a little smaller and the skin in that area is not as oily.  In fact, I haven't had to blot as often now that I've started using the serum.  I've also noticed that my nose does not have as many blackheads as it used to. All of this after only one full week of use.  Not too shabby!  I'm pretty impressed so far!! I hope I continue to see further improvement as the weeks go by. Just maybe I'll wake up two weeks from now, with the flawless skin of a 21 year old!  Yeah, wishful thinking, I know!  :)

Moving on!  Let's talk about the price now!  At Sephora, where I purchased this product; it retails for $39.50.  Yup, I know! It's a little expensive for 1.0 oz of product, but a little does go a long way, so I am sure it will be a while before I have to re-purchase.

That brings me to my next point!  Will I re-purchase?  Yes, I will.  Overall, I am really impressed with the serum.  I think it works well for me and unless I find some super duper instant pore shrinker in the meantime, I will continue to buy the Correcting Serum.

If any of you decide to try this product, please let me know how it works out for you.  If you are already using a Pore Refining/Minimizing product that works great for you, please share what it is in the comments below.  I am always interested in hearing about different products.

Hopefully I will be back with some FOTD's this weekend.  It better not be a Bad Makeup Weekend for me!! Grrrrr!!

Til next time,

Jackee





 

Bad Makeup Weekend

We all have those Bad Hair Days from time to time, but do you ever find yourself have a Bad Makeup Day? Ugh!  I have those from time to time and it's no fun! This past weekend, I had Bad Makeup Days!  Not sure what happened...

I just bought a new camera and wanted to test it out by taking pics of my makeup.  Well, no matter what I did, my makeup was just not looking good.  At least to me it didn't look good.  I blended and blended and blended, but my eyeshadows were just not cooperating.  Oh well!  There is always another time...

I'll be back with some FOTD's soon!

Have a good day ladies!!

ShoeDazzle.com

Hey ladies!  Happy Friday!  As usual, it's been a long week and I am happy it's over.  Time for Rest and Relaxation this weekend! Woo! I just got a new camera and I am HOPING it takes better pics of my makeup! We shall see.  I will be posting some FOTD's this weekend!

So I want to share some info with you guys about one of my Fave websites.  At least it's become one of my fave websites in the last few months.  Yes, it's ShoeDazzle.com!  If you haven't heard about it, please keep reading.  Especially if you're a shoe fanatic! It's definitely worth looking into. At least I think so!

So ShoeDazzle.com is a shoe club, but you can also purchase jewelry, handbags, and at select times, there may be other style related items available.  All items are $39.95 but you are never obligated to buy. The way it works is you sign up by taking a Style Profile Quiz in order to determine just that...What your style is!  Once that is established, you will receive recommendations on shoes, handbags, jewelry on a monthly basis.  You can choose an item from your "recommendations" or you can request alternates.

As I mentioned above, all items are $39.95.  Each month when you receive your recommendations you are given between the 1st and the 5th of the month to select something from your showroom.  If you opt to skip the month, you have to remember to select the SKIP option, otherwise you will be charged $39.95.

As far as shipping, it's always free (Ground Shipping), but only free for the contiguous United States only.  The same applies for Returns.   Please check the website for additional details on shipping and returns.

If you'd like more information, or have specific questions, please make sure to check out the site.  I just wanted to share the guts of it  all I guess.  HA!  So far I am really enjoying being a member.  I think it's a lot of fun; not super expensive; Shipping is Free; and I am given the opportunity to try new things each month.

 I wanted to share the purchases I've made from ShoeDazzle in the last few months.  I've purchased two pairs of shoes and love them both.  I look forward to making more purchases in the near future.  Hope you like!

Rosalyn

Yanina

My Fave New Lotion - Twilight Woods from Bath & Body Works

I went to Bath & Body Works over the weekend and purchased several lotions since they had a good deal going on:  Buy 3 Get 2 Free!  Woo! Perfect time to stock up on goodies!

I bought the following:

• Coconut Mango
• (2) Secret Wonderland (one for my daughter.  She's already put it away in her room)
• Twilight Woods
• Coconut Passionfruit

They all smell yummy, but OH EM GEE!!  I know Twilight Woods has been around for awhile now (I think), but I hadn't had the opportunity to check it out til this past weekend.  I absolutely LOVE this scent.  

Here is some information on the scent directly from the Bath & Bodyworks website:

• Our exclusive Twilight Woods is a hypnotic fragrance inspired by a romantic walk in enchanted woods (Now I don't know about all that, but it does smell pretty darn good)
• Key fragrance notes: Juicy Berry, Soft Mimosa, Apricot Nectar, Warm Woods

So today I wore the Twilight Woods body lotion and it smelled so yummy! Normally, I put my lotion on in the morning and by midday, I can't smell the lotion anymore. This one actually stuck around all day! Even after my 3 mile run after work, I can still smell it a little! Woo!

Well, I gotta hit the shower now. Even though I can still smell my lotion a little after my run...it's not enough to cover the rest of my sweaty stinkiness! HA!!

Talk to you soon!

Last Night's FOTD - Mermaid Eyes Inspired by MissChievous (YT)

Sometime last week I was watching Youtube vids (one of my fave things to do) and absolutely loved MissChievous' Mermaid Eyes Look!  Check it out below!  It's gorgeous!

Last night I was just playing with makeup and tried to recreate the look.  Here is my recreation with a few changes of my own!

Of course with the quality of my camera, the colors don't look as vibrant, but in reality they were very bright!  Err....my biggest gripe about my camera, as always!

If you'd like to see a list of the products I used, please let me know.  They were totally different from what MissChievous used with the exception of the NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk (as a base).

Hope you like my recreation!

Until next time...

Makeup Brush Holder (Carousel) from Michael's

Happy Saturday chicas!  It felt so good to sleep in today!  AAAAHHH!!  I feel refreshed!  Hope you all are enjoying your day wherever you may be!

Today I pulled out my Makeup Brush Holder for a little cleaning as it was a little dusty.  I figured it was the perfect opportunity to share it with all of you.  Now, it's not really a Makeup Brush Holder.  It's meant to store Scrapbook/Office Supplies, but I found a way to make it work as a Makeup Brush Holder.  We tend to do that as Makeup Enthusiasts anyway...we can make anything work for makeup storage!  Here it is!

I can't remember the brand name, but it's called Desktop Carousel.  Yup!  It spins just like a carousel! I purchased it at Michael's Craft Store several months ago.  It's still available and retails for $39.99.  Keep in mind that Michael's always releases great discount coupons, so make sure you snag one of those coupons before you head out to buy one of these bad boys.  I'm all for a good discount!  High Five!

So moving on...this has worked great for my makeup brushes!  I absolutely LOVE this holder.  I love that I have all of my brushes in one container, yet at the same time, I can separate them by type of brush into each compartment. I can easily find what I am looking for by just giving the carousel a little spin.

The only drawback that I can think of is that the compartments are all very deep, so if you just throw your brushes in there, you won't be able to see them and/or they will just fall to the side.  What has worked for me are the little beads used to fill flower vases (like the ones found in the Sephora store brush holders).  I purchased a few packages of the filler beads (also at Michael's) and filled each pocket.  This has helped with being able to stand the brushes up and being able to see them.  See below:

All ten compartments are now filled with beads!

Some nice little features that the carousel has are:

There are three little drawers.  I use these to store my kabukis!  They fit perfectly!

Three elastic bands probably meant for scissors?  I use them to hold my go to Brushes sometimes!

Four hooks?? I normally stack more brushes across the hooks!

I wanted to share the dimensions of this particular carousel, but I can't find the exact one online.  I do know that the material it's made out of of is MDF which is particle board.  If you're at all interested in this one, as I mentioned previously, I know that my local Michael's store still carries this exact holder.  Perhaps your local store does so as well!  If for some reason, this exact model is no longer available; I know there are similar models available online.  

I hope you enjoyed checking out my Makeup Brush Holder!  Please feel free to ask any questions!!

Talk to you soon!

My Fave Oil Absorbing Blotting Tissues

Hola chicas,

Happy TGIF Eve!  It has been a really long week.  I am really looking forward to doing a little relaxing with my family!

I don't know what the weather has been like where you are, but here in Michigan it has been extremely hot and humid.  Having Combo/Oily skin in this weather is NOT GOOD, I tell ya!  Just a few days ago my youngest son graduated from Pre-School.  After his graduation, I looked in the mirror and my face looked like I had poured a whole bottle of Olive Oil on my face.  GROSS!!  That's pretty much been my face all week, really.

Fortunately, my all time favorite blotting tissues have come to the rescue...the Palladio Oil Absorbing Blotting Tissues with Rice Powder!  I absolutely LOVE these blotting tissues and have been using them for a few months now.

Here is some information directly from the Palladio website:

"These very unique tissues are made from natural rice and provide the same, great oil-absorbing functions as our Rice Powder—in a more compact form. Use the matte side to blot away shine throughout the day and the powdered side for occasional touch-ups. Packaged in a handy component, these tissues will fit inside even in the smallest purse, so you’ll never have to leave home without them!"

The sheets are available in three shades:  Translucent, Natural and Warm Beige and each package contains 40 sheets.  I normally purchase mine at Sally Beauty Supply for $3.59 with my Sally Beauty Club Card (Discount Reward Card).  In my area, you can also purchase these sheets at Ulta.  Of course you can also purchase at Palladio.com.

What I love about these:  I really like that these papers are a little thicker than most blotting tissues and serve as both a blotting tissue, and a powder touch up.  As a result, I don't ever reach for my compact for touch ups throughout the day.  I find that the blotting tissues do a great job on their own!  The sheets are very affordable and are not tested on animals (very important to me). 

The ingredients are as follows:

• Oryza Sativa (Rice) Paper
• Oryza Sativa (Rice) Starch
• Methylparaben
• Fragrance (Parfum)

If you're looking for new blotting tissues to keep you "greasy looking free", definitely check these out.  If you do, please let me know what you think of them!

Talk to you soon!

Weight Loss

**Tried to add pics but Blogger is doing maintenance.  Will add pics later.**

I spent New Year's Eve (2010-2011) in the Philly area with my husband, kids and even the dogs.  We went out there to visit one of my brothers and his family.  Since I'm from Philly and lot of my friends and family are there, it was great to see them all.  It was definitely a great time!

The last night I was there which was January 1, 2011, we were all playing the Michael Jackson game on the Wii.  I can't remember the actual name of it, but I am sure most of you know what I'm talking about.  Anyway, my daughter was snapping pics of my sister in law and I dancing to Thriller!  Too funny!  Woo!  We worked up a serious sweat!  I asked my daughter to let me see the pics and that's when I saw myself and thought, "Who the heck is that chubby girl?"  Ugh!  I think for the first time in a really long time, I realized that I had put on a lot of weight and needed to fix that ASAP!!  

Just to give you a point of reference, I was always too thin growing up.  I was barely 110 lbs when I became pregnant with my 1st child (at the age of 22) and I am 5'5".  My weight at that time was just due to a fast metabolism I guess.  Of course after that, I did gain weight, but it would fluctuate between 120 and 135 lbs.  I was happy with that range, although I preferred to be on the lower end of that range.  HA! 

As of January 1, 2011, I weighed 150.8 lbs.  That is by far the heaviest I have ever been (minus pregnancies).  I couldn't believe it! 

On January 2, 2011, my family and I had a long drive back to Michigan from Pennsylvania and that was the perfect time for me to reflect on my weight situation.  I was not feeling good about myself; I felt sluggish all the time; my cholesterol/triglycerides were out of control; my family has a history of diabetes.  What if I get it?, etc.  It was from that point forward that I changed and began my weight loss journey.

I gave up drinking regular Coca Cola.  Oh my! That was super painful for me.  You don't understand!  Coca Cola was like my crack.  LOL!  I could drink anywhere between three and five 12 ounce cans PER DAY!  Each one of those cans is about 140 calories.  You can do the math to figure out how many empty calories I was consuming.  UGH!!  The alternative was water and Cherry Coke Zero.

Drinking regular Coca Cola wasn't the only thing I gave up.  I also cut out Fast Food and started eating healthier.  I ate a lot of salads, chicken, turkey, whole grain breads, vegetables, fruits, etc.  Don't get me wrong! I did allow myself several treats throughout this process.  I did not want to deprive myself of everything I enjoy because that would have been unrealistic and this whole journey would have failed.  I still enjoyed pizza from time to time; pastas, ice cream, etc.  BUT all in moderation.  

Aside from my diet, I started working out 6 days a week!  Yup!  6 DAYS of working out.  I would run on the treadmill 4 days a week and then do workout videos for the other 2 days.  It was really difficult at first.  I could barely run a half mile without feeling like I was going to die.  I could barely get through Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred Level 1 DVD, without feeling like I needed to be carried to my bed in a stretcher.  Oh the PAIN!!!

Fast forward to five months later and I feel absolutely great!  I've lost 23.2 lbs and still can't believe it!  

This healthier lifestyle has now become an important part of my life.  I cheat from time to time, but overall, I eat pretty healthy.  I run 3 miles outside about 3-4 times a week and I still do workout videos from time to time.  I've even had the opportunity to run two 5K's with my husband.  Bottom line:  This was a LIFESTYLE CHANGE for me; not a crazy fad diet. 

I know that weight loss can be frustrating, challenging, etc., but it can be done with hard work, determination and probably the most important piece of all.... patience. You didn't gain weight overnight, so it's not going to come off overnight!  I'm no expert, but I say...Forget about those fad diets.  They only work temporarily!

I wanted to share my story with you all hoping that perhaps it could be a source of inspiration to anyone who may be want to lose weight.  If it reaches just one person and helps them with their weight loss goals; I'll be a happy camper!!

FOTD - Glowy Spring/Summer Look

Today I just wanted a neutral look (Go To Look), but I wanted that nice Summer Glow!  In Michigan, Spring has finally arrived.  I didn't think it was going to happen this year.  WOO!!  Let me go Knock on Wood really quick before I jinx myself!!  HA!!  The weather has been absolutely gorgeous here and I sure hope it sticks around.  

Although it's back to work tomorrow, and I am not thrilled about it; at least I can say that I had a nice weekend with my family!  Hope you had all had a great weekend full of beautiful weather and I hope yo enjoy the coming week!

The products I used to achieve the Spring/Summer Glowy Look:

• Bare Minerals Foundation
• NYX Concealer in a Jar
• Stila Sun Bronzing Powder (Contour)
• MAC Plum Du Bois Blush
• Stila All Over Shimmer Powder (Highlight)

FOTD - Purple/Yellow (WCU Golden Rams)

Hola chicas,

Here is today's look along with a list of all the products used.  These are my college colors - Purple and Gold (Yellow).  Note:  My camera is super crappy! My pictures look completely washed out!  **Sigh**  I am hoping to get a camera that actually shows just how vibrant and pretty the colors are.  I am working on it!  It's so disappointing to know that what I see does not transfer over to pictures.  Oh well!  Hope you give this look a try.  It's super pretty! Hope you like it!

Products Used

Face

• Mary Kay Age Fighting Moisturizer
• Smashbox Photo FInish Targeted Pore & Line Primer
• Clinique Superbalanced Makeup Foundation
• Eve Pearl Salmon Concealer
• Clinique Superbalanced Powder Makeup
• Tarte Powder Bronzer - Park Avenue Princess (Contour)
• Benefit Blush - Bella Bamba
• Stila All Over Shimmer  Powder (highlight)

Eyes

• Anastasia Brow Wiz Pencil
• Urban Decay Primer Potion
• NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil - Yellow
• MAC Chrome Yellow eyeshadow (Lid and Lower Lashline)
• MAC Trax eyeshadow(Crease and above and Lower Lashline)
• MAC Parfait Amour eyeshadow (Crease and Lower Lashline)
• MAC Top Hat eyeshadow (Crease and Lower Lashline)
• MAC Satellite Dreams eyeshadow (Crease and Lower Lashline)
• MAC Bamboo eyeshadow (Highlight)
• Black liquid liner
• Black mascara

Lips

• Urban Decay 24/7 Lip Pencil - Wicked
• Mary Kay Lipstick - Hibiscus

Under Construction

Hello all you lovely ladies.  It has been such a long time since I've blogged.  I've missed it and am ready to get back into it, but first I need to revamp this joint.  HA! I am going to be working on revamping this blog  over the weekend!  Hope you'll continue to check back soon!!

Thanks to those of you who have stuck around!!

See ya soon!!

Jackee