Wow!

I am so amazed at the quality of the Nyx Eye Shadows. I know it gets raves from a lot of bloggers, but, I had to try it myself. So astounding for the price. Screw the price, at any price, this is excellent shadow. So soft, so creamy, so pigmented. I love it!!

I love Urban Decay, but, some UD is just a wee bit too sparkly. Especially for daytime. But, the Nyx is perfect. I used the brown shade from the Strike a Pose palette, over the Milk Crayon, (blended well) over Too Faced Shadow Insurance as my base. I used a bit of the white shade in palette as highlight. Then I brushed a bit of the purple shade near my upper and lower lash line. Then I lined upper and lower with a black crayon, a fine line, and then Milk in the waterline. Finished it off with a blend of Tarte Brow Powder in brown, with a bit of the Nyx Brow Powder in the lighter red and two coats of Sephora Mascara.

The eyes aren't nearly as intense as that sounds when I describe it. The rest of my face is simple, Tarte Illuminating Serum mixed with Philosophy's The Present Clear Make Up, a dab of Boi-ing Concealer where I need it, and a bit of Cover Girl's Ageless Cream Blush in the Plum Shade, (this color isn't dark and looks very natural). Finished with Revlon ColorStay Mineral LipGlaze in Forever Fig.

Fragrance of the day is Cannabis Rose by Fresh. Hair is up and back with black leggings and a black tee. Silver studs, a purple scarf with little peace symbols, black and purple skull socks and Payless toning sneakers.

I look great and I bet Rick thinks so too! My new adventures exploring Drugstore makeup is fun and really paying off. The quality of what you can get at the Drugstore now just blows my mind.

Makeup Makes My Monday!

Makeup in the Mail makes a day feel like Christmas or something! Today I got a small parcel of Nyx goodies, my first, and am off to play!

Got the Strike A Pose Pallet, a Milk Crayon, Auburn Brow Powder and a sharpener. Can't wait to try this pallet. The colors are gorgeous.

More later.

My Cuticles Have Never Looked Better

I have spent most of my free time the past week reading blogs. Wow, have I learned so much. The coolest thing I learned, I learned from the amazing and inspiring G at http://nouveaucheap.blogspot.com/ That is a tip of using Vick's Vapor Rub or Mentholatum as cuticle cream (apply a small amount and massage in each night). I have always had the driest cuticles and thought I would try this. Why not, I have certainly spent a lot over the years and never been really pleased.

It works. Vick's Vapor Rub totally rocks as a cuticle creams. Mine have never looked better, been softer, felt better. And it works for the Wild Child as well. Her cuticles are normally so dry they hurt me.

I will share more I have learned and thoughts I have on a lot things beauty. I have been pretty much a high end/mid end kind of girl the past ten years or so, and I have a lot of thoughts about this.

I LOVE all things Beauty!

High end, drugstore, I LOVE it ALL. I get just as excited going into CVS as Macy's or Sephora. Or heck, even Dollar Tree! I love find a bargain. Online, off line, everywhere!

There are so many wonderful products and so little time.

Not too bad. Just over a week. And a busy week it has been. I have spent time trying to master my camera (don't ask). I have also been spending time reading blogs. And what fun that is. I have learned a lot!

I learned that my eye makeup skills are in need of work. Now, I have worn eye makeup for many years. I can actually do a superb basic eye. But, I tend to wear browns, taupes, etc. almost all the time. If I wear shadow at all. I actually use a bit of concealer a lot and then a little liner, mascara and brow makeup. Recently, I read somewhere, maybe on Total Beauty, that not wearing eyeshadow is aging. Wow! I never thought of that. So I have resolved to do better. I have learned a great deal this week, especially from the blog Beauty's Bad Habit (OMG!!! Is she a talented MUA or what?).

And one fun thing happened. Rick, my beloved husband of almost 15 years, is fascinated with makeup. He doesn't want to wear it. He wants to play MUA. On me. What fun! And I mean that. He and I enjoy Face/Off, the reality show for theatrical MUAs and we have enjoyed another show about regular MUAs in the the past. And Project Runway and RuPaul's Next Drag Queen as well as America's Next Top Model. Today, we had fun at CVS looking at eye shadow palettes. He picked out a Revlon one and a Milani Eyeliner. And had some fun picking out some NYX palettes on Cherry Culture. This could end up being the BEST thing I have every done. I got him interested in makeup and being obsessed with buying it. When my camera skills improve I will post his work.

This Might Actually Be Funny

Or maybe not. Yes, I realize it has been almost 2 years. And, yes, I realize I have had this starting up crap before, but, this time I mean it. LOL

Maybe.

I realize I have to blog about things I care about. I also realize that I think I will primarily be a beauty blogger. I read a lot of them, so, I am going to do my own. Rather than start a new one, I decided to revive this one. I may write about a variety of things but will probably always be primary about beauty.

I also have a camera, will be learning how to use it and will eventually have my own pictures. Until I work out a few things and really can do some, I will use stock photos. But, hopefully not for long.

I have a lot to learn and relearn about blogging, so bear with me.

A New Day!

I got hypnotized. It wasn't bad. It was almost just like guided meditation, which I dearly love. I don't know why I didn't realize how much I like it, I have various cds and will do more! I got hypnotized to stop smoking. After 32 years, it is time. LOL. A friend got hypnotized about a month ago, and it worked for him. I feel happy to say, I quit smoking. I am now an ex smoker!

Anyway, back to the hypnotism. She was lovely. It was so wonderful. I felt so fantastic when finished (it took about 45 minutes, plus about 20 minutes chatting before hand.) I felt like I has slept for eight hours, and, woke up refreshed and rested. Since I have insomnia, that is a very strange feeling for me. She and I had discussed my writing and how one thing I feared was losing motivations, losing creativity, etc So she included prompts on these areas. And I feel as inspired today as I have in the past few weeks of doing TAW.

And I haven't had a cigarette since. Have I wanted one? No. Yes. Maybe. Hard to tell. I told my husband last night, it was almost like I wanted to want one. But, was bummed that I really didn't. It feels different this time, it really does. I like the feeling.

Several times today I have reached. Actually, here at the desk. Instead I grab a water bottle and take a drink. And take a very deep breathe and then exhale while thinking "the craving is gone". Surprisingly, this is working. I did sleep pretty well, however, I am really tired today.

I never realized how much lipstick/gloss I smoked off. I suppose I knew subconsciously. I have for years had a habit of applying gloss/balm a lot. And almost always I needed it. Today, I have caught myself grabbing the lip gloss, and then I get it to my lips, I realize I don't need to reapply. So in addition to all the money I save from not smoking, I bet I see a savings in the gloss/balm area as well. Pretty cool little bonus.

I am also curious to see if I seen a change in my skin. I take care of my skin and have for years. I am frequently mistaken for a good ten, and sometimes 15 years younger than my actual age. Now, it does help that many years ago I mastered the art of inhaling without puckering my lips. But, I still am hoping to see a little difference. Today, I started the day off with a home microdermabrasion treatment, followed by masque. So, I am looking especially radiant. I think I will take a picture to compare in a month or so.

Even though I am tired, it probably isn't more than I normally feel from the fibro. All in all I feel pretty good. Better than I thought I would, and not crabby, which is something I instantly got to every other time I have quit. And actually, I suppose this counts as cold turkey. No nicotine replacement. Instead I am working on flushing the nicotine out of my system with orange juice and water. Later I am going to take a really hot bath with some herbs, as I have read that this helps detox as well. The sooner I get the nicotine out of my system the better.

All in all, today is pretty good. I feel inspired. I have gotten a few things done - although I am not forcing myself today.

Have a lovely day, I am heading out to go for a walk on this beautiful Spring day.

Exciting Times

I just learned about a great place, Squidoo, and am getting started there. I hope to blend this blog with that site and my work there.

On the home front, I am getting ready to host Thanksgiving. The menu is so standard I am almost embarrassed to post it, but, hey, it what we like.

Roast Turkey
Two kinds of dressing - corn bread and white bread
Mashed potatoes and gravy
Baked sweet potatoes with butter and sour cream
Relish Tray - assorted olives and pickles
Green Bean Casserole
Cranberry relish - the garlic/chutney from http://www.npr.org
Rainbow jello (courtesy of my daughter)
Green Salad
Yeast Rolls
Pecan Pie, Pumpkin Pie and Apple Pie
Milk, Soda, Water, Tea or Coffee


Sounds good to me. Luckily, my Mother and daughter are helping cook it. Also, the Rock cooks the turkey.

So, today I am focusing on getting the house cleaned. Tomorrow is about cooking!

What's going on.

So in case you are wondering what I have been up to recently, the answer is quite a bit. A couple highlights. One, I have started walking every day. A mile and a half in my neighborhood, most of the time with the Wild Child. I love walking and am now wondering why I have put off such a simple, easy, effective form of exercise. We are slowly adjusting out time to get up to an early morning walk. I also find that walking inspires me in many ways. Yeah, for walking.

We had something weird happen. The Wild Child has been wanting to go to Six Flags Over MidAmerica. So we decided to go, originally we planned to go on August 11 - it is a fair drive and our plan was to go over on the 10th, stay the night in hotel and go to SF on Monday, enjoy the park, and then spend the night in our hotel, and go home on Tuesday. So on the 6th, Rock finds out he has to go out of town all the week of the 11th. No problem, we simply put off the trip a week and I changed the hotel reservations.

So, Sunday we packed our bags and headed out to St. Clair, MO and checked in our hotel. Okay, a motel. Budget Lodging of St Clair - which name doesn't even do the place justice. It is far less expensive than the lodging right by Six Flags and is about 15 minutes away. The motel is new, very pretty, with HUGE rooms that are very nicely decorated, (and SOOOO clean - probably one of the cleanest places I have ever stayed in at ANY price). Bright and early Monday we got up and went down to the lobby where they have a (very nice) continental breakfast. While the WC and I were filling our plates, the Rock grabbed a SF brochure off a rack as he wanted to see what time the parked closed. It was then we learned that the park was closed on Monday the 18th. In fact, last week was the last week they were open M-F. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot! They always stayed open till Labor Day (during the week) and we have no idea when that changed. Apparently they close earlier during the week due to schools starting earlier and earlier. So, we had a nice breakfast, got ready and came home. Since we bought our SF tickets at a local grocery store(cheaper there, $7.00 per adult ticket!) we will go some Saturday and may or may not make a weekend of it. We might just go to SF.

Since the Rock had also taken today off, he and the Wild Child are off to the St. Louis Zoo today.

Our weather has been so nice the past week, week and a half. Highs in the mid 80s and lows around the low 60s. Not August weather, but, nice and welcome. We haven't had the air on since last Saturday.

I have been getting ready for the school year, for Labor Day weekend and working on some writing projects. And today I am going to tackle cleaning out the Rock's and my closet and dresser. They say we only wear 20% of our wardrobe 80% of the time and with that in mind, I am going to get rid of a bunch of stuff.

!

Happy Tuesday!

If there is anything I love more than makeup, it is free makeup. Last week the mailman brought me some Max Factor makeup to use courtesy of BzzAgent. Bzz Agent is a site that I am with that periodically gives the agents something to try then talk up, create buzz about, to friends and family. So I am going to tell all you dear friends what I got and what I think.

First, they sent me a tube of Lash Perfection Volume Couture Mascara (black), Color Genius Mineral Blush in Peach, a Blush Brush, and Original Lipfinity in Brillance.

My first impression was kind of "oh no". The Lipfinity looked very orange in the tube and the blush is peach, a color that for what ever reason I stay away from. I don't know why. I guess I like snappy names on my cosmetics. For example, my number one blush is the ever popular Nars Powder Blush in Orgasm. The Max Factor Color Genius Mineral Blush is a pressed powder blush, and is actually three shades of peach, from very light to fairly dark. I swirled the brush (and it is a good brush - this ranks with a couple expensive ones I have, so I think this brush is a good deal) and applied the blush. Pretty pale on first application, and since I am a pale redhead, that is saying it is PALE. I put on a second coat, using a bit more of the dark, and was pretty pleased with the results. It actually looks a lot like Orgasm by Nars, although more matte. This is not a bad thing, I think the matte look has its place and I am sure this costs a lot less than the Nars. This is staying in the everyday makeup case, as this is a good color for every day.

Next up, the Lipfinity. Confession - I have used Cover Girl's Outlast in Naturalast for YEARS now. It is my daily lipstick base (except when I am using Urban Decay's lip stain). Naturalast is a nice nude color that perfectly matches my natural lip color, but, gives me a more polished look. (One coat - Two coats, or a heavy first coat gives more color. It is versatile). I love the Outlast as I said as a lipstick base. I put other colors over it, knowing that if the other colors do wear off, I still have the Outlast one. I have learned I can use any lipstick or gloss over it with the exception of any product by Clinique. For whatever reason, any Clinique product reacts with the Outlast to make me look like I have severe lip eczema or something. Yuck! (Clinique doesn't react over the UD Lip Envy Lip Stain, though). And it does appear that CG is either discontinuing Naturalast (I bought up a bunch on Drugstore.com earlier in the Spring, but will be looking for a new shade when I run out.)

Now I do know that Max Factor and Cover Girl are both owned by Proctor and Gamble, so one might think that Lipfinity and Outlast would be the same, but, they aren't quite. I have tried Lipfinity in the past, some years ago and can't recall exactly why Outlast seemed better. But, you know me, I am always game to try new things so after putting on tinted moisturizer, a brush of Mineral Vail translucent mineral makeup and the Color Genius Blush, I applied the Lipfinity in the Brillance - which I might have mentioned looked very ORANGE in the tube. I was very surprised to see that it actually looked good. A peachy pink, that really did seem flattering, and it really did seem to light up my face. Plus it made my teeth look very dazzling white. All in all, this is a nice daytime shade. My husband said it looked very pretty. I didn't see anything close to the 16 hours of wear that the label promised. More like 8 - but I can sure live with that. I would never have picked this color for myself and am actually happy to have had the opportunity to try it. There are times it will be in my makeup rotation.

And then there is the mascara. Max Factor Lash Perfection Volume Couture Mascara. WOW! I am very impressed with this and pissed at the same time. I just bought the Lash Stash from Sephora (7 of their best selling mascaras in small sizes) and have to say, that the Max Factor mascara is amazing. It really does lenghthen and thicken quite well in one coat. Two coats and you just have massive lashes. Wears well, all day, and then comes off easily with both Purity by Philosophy and with Sephora Eye and Lip Makeup remover. I can't really express just how amazed I am at this mascara. With two coats of the mascara, my eyes really popped. It looked like I had (light) eyeliner on and I was happy with this. I wore it one day with no other eye makeup except for Stila Brow Powder and was very pleased. Did I mention that the Lash Perfection REALLY gives you long lashes? Very very nice mascara.

All in all, I am very impressed with these products and will be checking out some more MF when I next go to Target. For the price, this is good makeup - it holds up well against high end stuff, and can't we all stand to save some money these days?